Bad Neighbors earns 5/5 Leaf Peeping Tours…Murderously Fun!

I have changed my newbie status to big fan! Maia Chance made it easy to join in by revisiting enough background and character connections without spoilers, but it's only book two, so she is developing the series and evolving lead and supporting characters for the long haul. The storyline is delightful with Agnes Blythe helping her Great Aunt Effie restore the Stagecoach Inn, and although the Inn isn't ready for guests, they decide to be “good neighbors” by opening up the Inn to some stranded seniors. The seniors are enjoying “leaf peeping” season in Naneda, New York, but their motor coach has broken down, and now…the mechanic is found bludgeoned, and Agnes’s sorta/kinda boyfriend is a “person of interest.” Along with an intricate murder mystery with twists, turn, and some nail-biting predicaments, Maia has created a plethora of rich characters, humor, and an entertaining dynamic across the generations. All this and well-written description and dialogue kept me totally involved. I will be reading book one “Bad Housekeeping” to see how this adventure for Agnes and Effie started. I highly recommend this book as a starting point.

Mia Chance is a new-to-me author. This book is the second in the series but first I have read. It can be read as a standalone.

It’s leaf-peeping season in Naneda, New York, (a fictional Town) and Agnes Blythe has settled into helping her eccentric Great Aunt Effie restore the Stagecoach Inn, the family bed and breakfast.

What drew me in was the cover. It reminded me of many homes along the Finger Lakes as I was growing up. Then the description was full of action. I have always enjoyed watching the trees change colors in the fall in upstate New York. Thus began my journey.

I really liked the use of the stranded motorists assisting in solving the crime. There is plenty of humor, great characters, and sound plot. . What a wonderful romp.

Bad Neighbors by Maia Chance

For starters am I the only person who gets a little warm at the mere mention of Otis? For those who haven’t read the first in the series Bad Housekeeping (SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVE NOT READ BOOK 1) Otis is Agnes’s high school crush/maybe boyfriend in book 2! Again Maia writes a stellar book. This was a great second book in this series. It made me laugh out loud, it made my heart ache, it was just a continuous joy from start to finish. I highly recommend reading the first book in the series first but you can read this first. A pure treat!

Synopsis: Agnes Blythe and her glamorous Aunt Effie must take a break from restoring their inn to rake in the clues when a local mechanic is murdered in national bestselling author Maia Chance’s charming second Agnes & Effie mystery.
It’s leaf-peeping season in Naneda, New York, and Agnes Blythe has settled into helping her eccentric Great Aunt Effie restore the Stagecoach Inn. It seems nothing can shatter the golden idyll―or the ka-ching of cash registers―until a mechanic at Hatch Automotive is found bludgeoned to death with a wrench.
Sweeping into action, Agnes and Aunt Effie are on the scene, when a tourist-laden motor coach breaks down outside of town. The Stagecoach Inn isn’t exactly ready for guests, but Agnes and Effie agree to take in a group of seniors while they wait for repairs. But then, Agnes finds herself pulled into the investigation when she learns her new boyfriend, gorgeous Otis Hatch, is the Naneda Police Department’s prime suspect.
With bodies falling faster than the foliage, Agnes must leaf through the more viable suspects and clear Otis’s name of murder in Bad Neighbors, the charming second Agnes and Effie mystery from national bestselling author Maia Chance.
I received an ARC and chose to write an honest review!

I love this series as it features seniors who are enjoying life, lively and fun.
In this 2nd in series in the Agnes and Effie Mystery series Agnes and her quirky Aunt Effie are restoring the family B&B. . The story takes place in fictional Naneda, New York. A town filled with quirky neighbors and much humor.

It's leaf-color season and the tourists will be arriving and the Inn needs a lot of work to be ready. When Effie gets a phone call that a bus carrying seniors has broke down and the seniors need a place to stay she accommodates them at the inn. Upon Agnes's and Effie's arrival they learn Agnes's new boyfriend, Otis is in police custody for the dead body found at his auto repair shop. Agnes knows Otis is innocent and it's up to her and Effie to prove his innocence. They begin their second attempt at a sleuth with trademark humor, many clues and fun characters.

This cozy mystery series is always an enjoyable read. Aunt Effie is full of life. The seniors are equally' high-spirited and full of fun throughout each book. I love this series and hope it continues. .The Inn, the fun seniors, the quirky supporting town characters are delightful. The sleuth is very well crafted and it was fun to try to figure out the many clues. This 2nd in series is a hit !
Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my personal review.

What I Liked:
Maia Chance's writing style never fails to pull me in and makes for a super quick read.

Aunt Effie is pretty fun. I love her refusal to acknowledge problems and just blissfully assume that things will work out though and just badgers everyone to get things done.

I was surprised by the identity of the killer which is fairly unusual.

What Didn't Work For Me:
I have a hard time believing that Agnes is actually an adult. Her behavior, attitude, and actions feel like a young teenager.

So much bickering! Some can be a lot of fun but every character bickers with every other the character so much that it feels like that's the only way they communicate.

This is on the silly side of cozies with all kinds of crazy shenanigans and behavior that borders on TSTL which isn't really what I personally enjoy.

Overall, this book wasn't for me. It's well written and fast paced so if you enjoy a quirky mystery full of hijinks I think you'll enjoy it but it was a bit much for me.

There were a lot of interesting parts in this book, but overall it wasn't as enjoyable as I hoped it would be. I enjoyed the sense of humor. The characters weren't very appealing to me. They seemed unhappy with everything and it made the overall mood a bit sad. The mystery itself was good, I just really didn't care about the characters.

New author to me when I won this book. Looking into the first one.

This book was so funny and a great read! Love the characters and can't wait to see the Inn transform and the characters continue on the hunt for more murderers and a few good laughs.

Can't wait for the next adventure with Agnes and Effie!

The perfect reading getaway on a gloomy, rainy day or two. Anges and her Great aunt Effie are back and in great form. They are still trying to restore the rundown Stagecoach inn, funded by Effie's rich gentleman friend. Even with that financial help, the work is more DIY than a professional endeavor. When a bus load of tourist out to enjoy the Autumn foliage breaks down things really go sideways. There aren't enough rooms at the various inns and some of those on the tour get the short straw - they have to stay at the less than optimal inn. Add to that, before they can even get there, homicide joins them and the police arrest Angnes's boyfriend, Otis. In typical mystery story fashion the local police come down with a severe case of tunnel vision, certain that they have the killer. Not if Agnes and Effie have anything to say about it. They have a whole lot to say about it and start investigating.
Agnes and Effie are colorful and real and well developed, people I would love to meet. A bit like the Snoop Sisters on uppers, very funny and quirky with a well crafted mystery as their vehicle. I was sorry to reach the end because now I have to wait for the third in the series - hope it's not too long in coming.

Series: An Agnes and Effie Mystery #2
Publication Date: 4/10/18

Welcome to the picturesque small town of Naneda in upstate New York for the foliage viewing season. The town is filled with funny, quirky and unique residents who will become some of your favorite book friends. The title characters are the pudgy, twenty-nine-year-old Agnes Blythe who has body image issues and her seventy-something, former super-model great-aunt Effie who has inherited a ramshackle, historic inn that she and Agnes are restoring. The supporting characters are also back and they are as much fun as ever! The book will give you belly-laughs and at the same time, there is an intense murder mystery to solve. It is an excellently written and fun read!

A leaf-viewing tour bus breaks down and pulls into the local garage for repairs. The occupants have to be put up in local lodging for the night – but the local inns are almost filled to capacity. They divide the members of the tour group out among the inns, but they still need more rooms. The only option is to get The Stagecoach Inn to take some of the group even though the Inn isn’t ready for occupancy yet. Boy – are those folks in for a surprise.

While the tour group is waiting at the garage for the various inns to pick them up, one of the group discovers a dead body. As Agnes arrives to pick them up, there are police cruisers everywhere with lights flashing – and – is that Otis they are putting into the back of the police car? Otis and Agnes are sorta/kinda dating and he absolutely cannot have murdered anyone!

Aggie and Effie decide they need to investigate to clear Otis’ name because the police detective seems to have fixated on Otis as the only suspect. The plot is complex, but Aggie and Effie’s investigation will keep you in stitches. I love that the tourists play such a major role in the investigation. There are lots of red herrings to keep us and our investigators guessing right up to the very end. The identity of the murderer will surprise you!

I highly recommend this book. It is funny and entertaining – just wait for their spa visit! If you want a book that will leave you refreshed and feeling good after you finish reading it, then this is the one for you!

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

Chance’s story-telling is fluid and well-paced in this one, as always. However, I didn’t find it terribly engaging or memorable. I enjoyed the characters and the interactions much more in the previous book. I’m hoping that the next one in the series (which I will read) excites me a bit more.

Bad Neighbors is the second book in the Agnes and Effie mystery series. When we meet up with Agnes and Effie again, they are still trying to restore the Stagecoach Inn, but in the process of that, they agree to take in a stranded group of seniors while they wait for repairs. But then, Agnes finds herself pulled into another murder investigation when she learns her new bae is the prime suspect.

I really fell in love with this series! I enjoyed the first book very much, and the second was just amazing, even better than the first! Agnes is just a wonderful main character! She’s nerdy, feisty, insecure and just plain relatable. I totally see myself in her. Definitely someone I would be friends with.

The other characters were all entertaining and lively. Everyone felt real and unique. Agnes’ Aunt Effie is just a ball of fun! She’s glamourous and just hilarious! Totally reminds me of my grandmother.

The mystery itself was exciting and addicting! Once I started, I was hooked again, just like with the first mystery.

Overall, this was a great addition to a wonderful series! It has everything that a good cozy needs: an interesting yet likable main character, an unpredictable and intriguing mystery, entertaining secondary characters and a satisfying ending.

I highly recommend this book and this series!

This is such a fun and entertaining series! I love the characters, especially Aunt Effie. I can't wait to see this series continue!

It’s tourist season in Naneda, New York. Agnes Blythe has settled back home helping her eccentric Great Aunt Effie restore the Stagecoach Inn. It seems nothing can shatter the cash registers until a mechanic is found bludgeoned to death with a wrench.

Leaping into action, Agnes and Aunt Effie are there when a tourist-laden motor coach breaks down outside of town. The Stagecoach Inn isn’t exactly ready for guests, but Agnes and Effie agree to take in a group of senior tourist while they wait for repairs. But Agnes finds herself pulled into a murder investigation when she learns her new boyfriend, gorgeous Otis Hatch, is the Naneda Police Department’s prime suspect.

With bodies falling faster than the foliage, Agnes and Effie must leaf through the more viable suspects and clear Otis’s name of murder before it’s too late.

--

Series: An Agnes and Effie Mystery
Author: Maia Chance
Genre: Cozy Mystery/B&B
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books - Publishing Date: April 10, 2018 (Kindle)

Bad Neighbors is a wonderful trip through a small town with big city problems, great food, and wonderful residents. It brings out the protective side of the reader and the adventurous side as well. This is the second book in the Agnes and Effie Mystery series.

Agnes is still coming to grips with her failed relationship but isn’t as heartbroken as she should be. A new romance with Otis hatch is making things much easier. But with her plans up in the air and an uncertain future she is afraid to commit, not just to Otis but with her aunt and the B&B. Agnes is a hard worker with an almost insatiable curiosity that gets her in deep trouble when she least needs it.

Aunt Effie is everything anyone would love to have in a relative. She is charming, curious, filled with ideas and has a very keen sense on how older women should dress, which doesn’t include sensible clothing or shoes.

All the characters in this book are memorable and easy to like, except for the killer and that is exactly the way a good mystery should be. The victim(s) aren’t perfect but they deserve justice, and Agnes is determined to put the right criminal behind bars. Unfortunately, her new boyfriend is the main suspect.

Readers will love Bad Neighbors and the writing style of Maia Chance. Characters and locations are described lovingly without too much information that so often bogs down a good book. The writing is smooth with no awkward segues that go nowhere or leave the reader with more questions than answers. This book and series are highly recommended for anyone who loves great characters, a wonderful storyline and human flaws.

Bad Neighbors by Maia Chance is the 2nd book in An Agnes and Effie Mystery Series, and it is even better than the 1st book, Bad Housekeeping. Agnes and her Aunt Effie rush to find the real killer when Agnes love interest Otis is accused of killing one of his employees. You have to love the names in this book, which takes place in Naneda, New York. Not only is this book really funny, it has a great mystery also. The development of the story and characters are so well written. The story is also hilarious yet intense at times. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. If you love cozy mysteries, I strongly recommend this book.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Agnes Blythe lives in the attic of her Aunt Effie’s Stagecoach Inn that is being restored. While a complete makeover is needed before the Inn can open, a tourbus is stranded in town and Effie and Agnes welcome stranded guests to stay at the Inn. Soon Agnes finds out the the guests found a dead body and her maybe, maybe not, boyfriend Otis is the prime suspect. Agnes and Aunt Effie set out to clear Otis’ name and mayhem ensues.

This is the second book in the Agnes and Effie Mystery Series, but it read perfectly as a standalone. The characters are quirky and fun. A light and engaging read.

If you like a good cozy mystery that is high on the quirk factor, look no further, because self-deprecating Agnes and her living-loud Aunt Effie deliver. With a FULL cast of interesting (read- quirky and entertaining) characters and with the help of cousin Chester, Agnes works to figure out a murder that her maybe-boyfriend has been accused of.

With an "I Love Lucy" flair for mayhem, Agnes and Effie try to (sometimes unsuccessfully) sleuth who the murderer is without Agnes being taken out herself, all the while entertaining a colorful group of seniors in their not-ready-for-guests boardinghouse. What could go wrong, you ask? So, so much - and it's all a great laugh along with the whodunit.

The perfect read for the beach, and while it is the second of two books it stood on its own just fine.

It's leaf peeping season in Naneda and the leaves aren't the only things dying in town! Agnes and Effie aren't through getting their B&B open when they have their first "customers". A tour bus of leaf peepers breaks down at the local garage owned by Otis, Agnes' boyfriend. But when a mechanic is discovered dead at the garage Agnes starts to investigate to try to keep her boyfriend out of jail. Clearing his name will be tougher than she thought and it seems Agnes is in more danger than she bargained for and could be the next victim.

Agnes Blythe has moved into her Aunt Effie's still-working-on Stagecoach Inn, getting ready to turn it into a B & B. Right now it's pretty much a disaster area. But when they receive news that a motor coach on a leaf-peeping tour has broken down, they're asked to take in several of the tourists. Since they're not licensed, Effie agrees - as non-paying guests - and does her best to ready some rooms. Meanwhile, she sends Agnes into town to pick up those guests at Hatch Automotive, where Agnes' boyfriend Otis works.

But when Agnes arrives, she finds the police there, and Otis being escorted into a police car. It seems a local, Mikey, has been murdered at the shop, and since Otis's wrench was the murder weapon, he's the logical party. So what's a woman to do? Help Otis, of course! So Agnes and Effie set about - along with help from Agnes's cousin Chester, who also works at the Inn, and even help from a couple of the guests - to prove Otis innocent and find the guilty party. But will they be able to do so, especially when the police are sure he's the murderer and the townspeople aren't helping, since it seems they have their own secrets to hide...

This is a cute cozy mystery, the second in the new series by Maia Chance. While I enjoyed the interaction between the guests and their hosts, there were a couple of things that bothered me. Agnes didn't even try to hide the fact she was investigating - she is really, really bad at it. She accuses everyone of being the murderer, and puts herself in situations no sane person would do. And who pulls up floors in the middle of the night while you have guests? It's not exactly a silent thing to do. The noise would be heard. It just seemed odd to me. I get that they want - need to renovate - but surely she could have picked better times or set aside a time until the guests leave. (And a guest who isn't paying complaining to the host as Hank did seemed rather petty).

Yes, I had complaints. So why did I give it four stars? Because it was funny at times, and poor Agnes was trying so hard to do the right thing, even though her heart was breaking. I liked Chester best of all; he was who he was without trying to be something else. He seemed to have a more natural personality without any angst. Having not read the first in the series, I still haven't made up my mind about her father, since he pretty much ignored her unless she did something that made him happy (even a small town mayor doesn't have so much to do that he can't visit or call his only child on a regular basis - I'm one of five and my dad and I talked on the phone every single day).

While the plot was very good, there were a lot of characters to keep track of, and at times I had to keep going back to figure out who was who; but the story was interesting enough to keep me reading, and there was plenty of action. I enjoyed reading it and loved the interaction between Agnes, Effie and Chester. She's an aunt anyone would love to have. It's a good start to a new series and I will read the next when it comes out. Recommended.

Agnes Blythe and her glamorous Aunt Effie are restoring the Stagecoach Inn when a tour bus breaks down during a leaf peeping excursion. They choose to open their doors early to assist some stranded tourists. But, when a local mechanic is clubbed to death with a wrench, and Agnes’ boyfriend, Otis, becomes the prime suspect, Agnes decides to investigate. Can she find the culprit before more bodies fall?
I really wanted to love this book, but I couldn’t get past some issues. The setting seemed very depressing, everything was described as run down and moldy. The characters were not very likable and I didn’t feel like I wanted to know what would happen next to them. The plot was not exciting at all, and I had to remind myself who died. Overall, I didn’t care about the ending when it came, I just wanted the book to end. An advanced reader’s copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Agnes and Effie are at it again. When Mikey is murdered and it looks like Agnes's potential boyfriend is the suspect, she and her Aunt Effie begin to investigate. Since it is also festival time, and the town wants to look good for the judge sent in to decided if their town festival is best, there are additional complexities.

When a tour bus breaks down, Effie invites some of the seniors on the tour to stay at their new inn which is definitely not ready for guests. Between entertaining them and investigating, Agnes almost doesn't have time to worry about her relationship with Otis. There were a great many characters to keep track of in this story and only Delilah who owns the cupcake shop was distinct since she and Agnes were rivals for Otis's affections.

This cozy features a young woman who is snarky but also insecure. She enjoys being back in her hometown but hasn't yet decided to put down roots (which is part of the problem with her relationship with Otis). This is definitely a cozy mystery with a nice dash of humor.