After recovering from breast cancer but still reeling from her longtime boyfriend’s defection, Rarity Cole pulls up stakes and moves from St. Louis to Sedona, Arizona. She embraces “her second shot at life” by opening The Next Chapter bookstore, nestled between “a fortune teller’s shop and a place that sells crystals.” Books, chocolate, ice cream, and friendship are as integral to Rarity’s fight against cancer as medicine and good doctors. Her bookstore is focused on “the power of healing—Eastern medicine, Western medicine, the healing power of food, the power of meditation, and the importance of developing a support community.” Still, it’s a risky decision.

Maybe opening a brick-and-mortar store in a digital age hadn’t been the smartest idea with the book world changing in front of her eyes.

It didn’t matter, though. This was her dream, and she wasn’t going to waste any time worrying about opening at the right time. Action was rewarded. Worrying never did anyone any favors.

Rarity’s best friend from high school, Sam Aarons, owns the crystal shop next to her bookstore. While Rarity values her friendship with Sam, she knows that, to thrive in her new home, she’ll need some supportive new relationships. Enter the Tuesday Night Survivors book club where all the participants have cancer in their past. The notion of a shared journey is a natural for Sedona, famed for its embrace of new-age communities. People gather “because of shared experiences. Like her new book club,” thinks Rarity.

The club gets off to a slow start when only one older woman shows up. Fortunately the second meeting is better attended. Rarity is cautiously pleased until she receives unsettling news—Martha Redding, one of the members—has disappeared. Worryingly, she left their last meeting in a huff. Martha’s peculiar leave-taking causes Rarity to ponder the difficulties of being a survivor; there are so many life lessons to learn: “One would be trying to learn to live while dying, the other trying to stop dying when she was living.” Rarity’s exercise lap pool under the starry sky is the perfect spot for such musings.

Life was hard. Rarity closed her eyes as she let her body relax into the water and the night. Living after having believed you were dying was even harder.

That is to say, the members of the survivors’ club have a healthy respect for life. Armed with determination and smarts, they band together as Tuesday Night Sleuths and take on the matter of Martha’s disappearance. The police had found Martha’s car abandoned on a trail head and later discover she left her little doggie with a friend, but that’s the end of the trail. Rarity fears the worst.

The group attacks the problem of Martha’s disappearance from many angles. Who did she know? Who was in her address book? Which doctors did she patronize? When the police find Martha’s dead body, the club’s members are stymied.

“Yeah, Sam and I were talking about that problem. So we have information, but no context.” Rarity paused at her street. “I guess we just keep asking questions and seeing if we can find a way to answer them.”

Holly nodded. “You know this investigation stuff looks so much easier on television. They find the killer with the clue that the murder victim left in the sand next to their body. We didn’t even get to see the body.”

“I’m kind of thankful for that.” Rarity waved as they parted ways.

Holly’s comments about television investigations sound like she’s breaking the fourth wall and addressing readers directly, and there is a thread of bemusement surrounding the first of a new cozy series. Bookseller Rarity stands in for author Lynn Cahoon. I chuckled at Cahoon’s aside about the expectations surrounding cozies. Check out lap-swimmer-slash investigator Rarity’s riposte to her friend Sam.

“I just need to burn off some of this energy. I can’t believe we still don’t know who killed Martha. According to all those books, finding a killer is really easy. And they even have time to develop recipes to put in the back.”

How apropos. And don’t despair readers, there is a delicious recipe at the back of Tuesday Night Survivors’ Club. What a terrific start to a new series—the heroine, her friends and fellow-sleuths, and the fabulous Sedona setting (home to famous spiritual vortexes), not to mention a tantalizing love interest. Bring on the next mystery!

I'm a film composer and wrote a piece to go along with this book! Click on this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT1LKoqRceU

I recently came upon the term “cozy mystery” which I take to mean, a gentle crime novel that doesn’t keep you up at night! I thought I might like to read one, so I chose The Tuesday Night Survivors’ Club because I’m a sucker for stories that take place in a bookstore!

Rarity Jones is a breast cancer survivor. Her boyfriend Kevin had left her during her treatment in St. Louis, and when she is declared cancer-free, Rarity decides to make her dream come true. She moves to Sedona to open a bookstore called The Next Chapter, near her old best girlfriend Sam’s crystal shop. To start building a community in her new town, Rarity starts a book club called The Tuesday Night Survivors’ Club, for cancer-survivors who want to read books together and share their cancer journeys. No sooner does the group form than one member, a crusty woman named Martha, goes missing. A local policeman named Drew discovers that Martha has left her beloved Yorkshire Terrier, Killer, alone, and enlists Rarity’s help to take care of Killer as he investigates Martha’s disappearance. She and her book club friends fall in love with the yorkie:

“Killer was perched between them, so when one stopped petting him to talk, the other one would pick up the slack. The dog had skills.”

Rarity, Sam and the book club members are worried about Martha and start doing some investigating on their own, starting with a local spa that doesn’t feel quite legit. The book club members grow close as they share their discoveries, and Sam and Rarity find themselves drawn to Drew and his friend Archer, a local hiking tour guide.

A cancer survivor herself, author Lynn Cahoon’s descriptions of these cancer survivors’ experiences ring true. Still, The Tuesday Night Survivors’ Club is mostly a light-hearted read, perfect for fans of whodunnits on a summer vacation.

Paperback 175 pages, Audiobook 7 hours.

A bit of a copy cat of Thursday murder club...but these are cancer survivors! A nice story but a bit too slow paced god me.

An interesting premise that presented positive message for cancer survivors. I did have a problem with the obsessive interest in solving the murder of a woman they had spent just minutes with. and did not know.
Not interested in reading another book in this series.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #TheThursdayNightSurvivorsClub for an advanced digital copy..

This first book in a new series has all of the enjoyable elements of a Lynn Cahoon's other books but with an added level of uniqueness. The characters of this specialty book club were likable (except for the killer!) and the twists and turns had me guessing until the very end. I can't wait to read more in this series.

This is another great read from a terrific author. The book grabbed my attention from the beginning and kept me guessing as to the culprit. I look forward to the next in the series

Rarity Cole was in an aspiring career working at a marketing firm in St, Louis, MI. When her mammogram gave her news, she wasn’t expecting, she knew she had to make some changes in her lifestyle. She didn’t want to see pity on the faces of the people she knew, and when her boyfriend decided that her cancer was something he didn’t want to deal with, that change was even easier to make. With her final treatment completed, she pulled up her roots, and headed to Sedona, Arizona, where people were open-minded to other health options. Knowing this was what she wanted, and more importantly needed, Rarity opened an independent bookstore, The Next Chapter. This was truly the next chapter in her life. With the desire to help others through their cancer journey, by fostering friendships, and inspiring the love of reading, she created the Tuesday Night Survivors Club. There was an eclectic mix of women attending, giving thoughts and suggestions as to what books to read, and the discussions. All were willing to discuss their progress except Martha. Martha was the quiet one, but when didn’t show up for their weekly meeting, the women knew something had happened and were determined to find out what.

Lynn Cahoon is one of my favorite authors. I have enjoyed her other series and this one will be no different. Her characters have depth, and the story is well-paced with enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes. Surviving cancer is a life changing experience and I truly appreciated Rarity’s determination to make a fresh start and her desire to help others find support through her book club. Her best friend Samantha is her biggest cheerleader, one she can bounce ideas off of, as well as, giving her insight into the residents of a new town. Each character brought something interesting to the story, which kept my attention as their personalities were revealed. Rarity is a relatable protagonist, one that I could identify with and enjoyed getting to know. This is the first book of this new series and I highly recommend it.

I requested and received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley and Kensington Publishing. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

This is a fascinating first in a unique new cozy mystery series. It is almost a crossover between women’s fiction and cozy mystery, with a profound message for those who have had cancer, those who have not, and those whose loved ones have cancer. There is humor, but never at the expense of those who have endured the disease or the treatments, nor does it laud any one specific treatment.

Rarity’s best friend since college, Sam, supported her as much as possible from about 1,400 miles away. When Rarity’s boyfriend long gone and her cancer hopefully even further in her rearview mirror, she was ready for a change. She left her career and cashed in what she could to move to Sedona, Arizona. Sam designs and sells jewelry from her crystal shop. Rarity opened a bookstore, The Next Chapter, carrying something for every reader, including those seeking information on cancer treatments.

Rarity wanted to help others and advertised for cancer survivors who have completed their treatment and want to join a book club. When she was in treatment, she read a lot, as do many in treatment. She understood the feelings of those having fought cancer and are learning to navigate life with challenges other people may discount.

Martha, who came to the second meeting, didn’t want to talk about herself. She enjoyed reading and was there for the book club aspect. When she didn’t come the following week, Rarity was concerned, but assumed that since she didn’t want to swap phone numbers, she probably didn’t complete the form with basic member information. Sam knew Sedona well, and suggested she call a phone number where people could request a wellness check by the local police force.

The detective, Drew, contacted Rarity and said that Martha had gone missing. It was discovered when her neighbors called the police a couple days earlier as she had not been home and her dog wouldn’t stop barking. Rarity was considering getting a dog, and the police would have to take Martha’s dog to a shelter in Flagstaff unless Martha or a family member came forward, so Rarity offered to care for Killer until Martha returned.

The members of the book club wanted help find Martha. Martha was not friendly and didn’t want any involvement other than reading and discussing books, but she was part of their group. Within a short time, Martha’s vehicle had been located at a hiking trailhead. When the police found her remains, she had clearly been murdered. Most of the women in the club wanted to help solve her murder and took on assignments.

I appreciate the components included for those with cancer or cancer survivors, including nutrition, physical activity, and a lower stress lifestyle. I learned some overall things about the person with cancer that I wish I had known when loved ones had various types of cancer. I didn’t realize there were so many cancer treatment scams and how each patient needs be proactive in learning about their providers and treatments, especially if something sounds too good to be true.

The characters are defined according to their roles. I don’t feel I got to know anyone well, but I did learn just enough to want to know more, especially about Rarity. A glimpse of their family backgrounds might have given a fuller picture. We have only a few pieces about when Rarity and Sam roomed together at college, Rarity’s ex-boyfriend, and Martha’s history with another character. I loved that Rarity bonded so quickly with Martha’s dog and that she gave Killer a home after learning Martha died.

I like that the murder took longer to solve than in many novels or cop shows without taking away the feeling of urgency. Plot twists brought a few red herrings and revealed motives when I had an idea who the bad guy was, but not the why.

Overall, I highly recommend this solid start to a wonderful new series! This is the kind of novel I would love to see on the bookshelves of oncology and treatment office waiting rooms! I look forward to how Rarity and the Tuesday Night Survivor’s Club plus Sam will continue to bond over their love of reading, friendship, and mutual joys and fears related to cancer. And if they help solve a murder or two along the way, so much the better for us who love mysteries and folks who have, or had, cancer.

The Tuesday Night Survivors' Club is the first in a new series by Lynn Cahoon. Being a fan of all of her books, I was excited to start a new series. I was not disappointed.
There are likeable characters, a great setting, friendship. romance and plenty of twists and turns that have you guessing to the end. As with most Cozy mysteries, it is an easy read.
I was given an ARC by Kinsington Books via NetGalley for an honest review.

Very enjoyable along with being very informative. Looking forward to more in the series. As a cancer survivor, I love when stories are like this one and it's not your typical "cozy" mystery.

I was excited to be given the opportunity to explore Ms. Cahoon's new series but unfortunately the story is not holding my interest. I really enjoy her Kitchen Witch series, those are my favorites by far. I have read some of the Farm to Fork and Tourist Trap mysteries also.

Rarity Cole is starting over in the town of Sedona, AZ with her bookstore The Next Chapter. She creates a book club for cancer survivors to share their experiences and talk about books. When one of the more mysterious members goes missing and then winds up murdered, the Tuesday Night Survivors' Club decides to investigate themselves and find out whodunit.

I enjoyed all the quirks of Sedona woven into the story and the characters themselves but the overall story arc does not make me want to keep reading. The murder victim was a so-so character to begin with and honestly I just cannot bring myself to care enough about justice for her to even finish the book.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Breast Cancer survivor Rarity Cole has moved to Sedona, Arizona, and opened a bookstore but her real mission is to support survivors of breast cancer and the after-effects. Friends and books are what got her through her treatments so soon after opening she set up the Tuesday Night Survivor’s Book Club. After a slow start, the group grew to include several women in different stages in their cancer journeys.

Martha seemed like a reluctant member of the group only attending one meeting. But then the group is shocked to find out the woman is missing and has left her dog, Killer, behind. Rarity quickly decides to foster the dog until Martha is found. The Tuesday Night group soon adds Sleuther’s to their name when they just can’t help themselves from doing their own investigation. Soon they have notebooks with lists and are setting up a murder board all in their efforts to find out what happened to Martha and why?

Will they be able to pull together to solve the case or will they find themselves in peril when they question the wrong person or push someone too far? Time will tell . . .

Being diagnosed with Breast Cancer at the start of the pandemic was really hard. While I had a great team of doctors, nurses, technicians, and counselors and a lot of support from my family, in-person support groups were shut down really quick. Groups that were already formed did their best with emails and Zoom meetings but none were accepting new members. I tried several online options but just couldn’t find the right fit but I got through it so maybe support groups just weren’t for me.

As soon as I started reading this book I realized The Tuesday Night Survivor’s Club would have been perfect for me now. Like Rarity, I find solace in books and after my diagnosis, I ordered a bunch of books to learn about what I was facing but after you get through your treatments you need something different. Rarity selected some great books for her group. She chose fiction books, cozy mysteries, women’s fiction, and books where women struggled with other things besides cancer. Books that would open up great discussions. I hope in future books she includes a list of the books.

Rarity Cole is an excellent protagonist I identified with her right away. I loved that she took in Martha’s dog. She has a great friend in Sam Aarons. Sam convinced Rarity to come to Sedona and she pushes and pulls Rarity is such a supportive way. Through Sam Rarity meets Archer Ender. He runs Enders Tours and leads several hikes in the area. We also meet Drew Anderson of the Sedona Police Department. He comes into the picture when Martha goes missing but his parents are also in town and playing matchmaker. They think Sam is perfect for their son. And of course, the members of the book club, Shirley, Holly, Malia, Kim, and Martha who goes missing. All Ms. Cahoon’s characters are well crafted for this first book in the series. We get to know them well enough to get invested in their lives but she has left plenty of room for growth.

The mystery was very well-plotted with serious and humorous happenings as the amateur sleuths do their best to figure out who killed Martha. Sedona is a place open to a lot of places offering “new age” or “alternative healing” cures so that part of the story was very interesting. I did have a couple of suspects firmly at the top of my list but wavered a bit as the story continued. I was happy to say I pulled myself back in line to hone in on the right person before all was revealed.

What really captured me about this story was that the author drew from her own cancer journey. Because of that, I felt like a kindred spirit especially when she stated in her dedication that a nurse gave her a bag of cozy mysteries to read during her cancer treatments and that “made all the difference”. Cozy mysteries have always been my favorites so I always made sure my Kindle was fully charged before each chemo treatment. In fact, I know I read more than one book by Lynn Cahoon during my cancer journey.

We are now both survivors but like most survivors that fear of cancer returning is always there. That is why for me escaping into a good book is so important and The Tuesday Night Survivor’s Club was a Perfect Escape. A real-life issue teamed up with an excellent mystery. I am excited to see when the author takes these characters next.

Rarity Cole survived breast cancer and doing do has changed her life. No more fast paced, workaholic life for her. She sold everything and moved to Sedona, Arizona to live a quiet life near her best friend. She opened a book shop focused on her new community and the power of healing - Eastern medicine, Western medicine, the healing power of food, meditation and friendships. She's also started a Tuesday Night Survivors book club where cancer survivors can bond and share their love of reading. The book club starts small but soon has a few members. They're concerned when one member doesn't attend one week. Concern grows into worry when they find her abandoned car near a hiking trail. The reading club becomes a sleuthing club when they decide to find their missing member.
This was a good read with a few interesting twists.

I did not realize that this is a cozy mystery when I read the description, but that is what it turns out to be. But that's OK because I enjoy cozies, especially when they involve a bookstore. The Next Chapter bookstore in Sedona, Arizona, run by Rarity Cole, has a strong collection of health, self-discovery, cancer, and recovery books, in addition to the regular sections of a bookstore. A cancer survivor herself, Rarity has also begun a book discussion group that focuses on cancer recovery in its reading selections and its members. When one of the members is found murdered, the group turns from discussing books to solving the murder. There are also romance and strong female friendships. This is the beginning of a new series, which I welcome. I especially like the setting of Sedona, an interesting free-spirited town that almost becomes a character itself. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books and Lyrical Press for providing an ARC.

Survivors become sleuths to find a missing member of their book club in new-age Sedona, Arizona. Two things got Rariy Jones through her breast cancer treatments friends and books. Rarity is helping others find their way through the maze to healing. She’s opened a bookstore focusing on the power of healing. She also started the Tuesday Night Survivors book club. There unity is disrupted when one of its member’s suddenly goes missing. Martha always kept to herself never opening up about her personal life to the group. Now she’s nowhere to be found. Her car is abandoned on a trail and her dog left with a friend. Rarity is sure something terrible has happened but will she be able to uncover Martha’s secrets before it’s too late. A very enjoyable story as the ladies of the book club put together the clues to solve the mystery. Great characters to relate to.

Brand New series. Rarity Jones has relocated to Sedona after surviving breast cancer and she decides to make changes in her life and opens a new age bookstore next door to her best friend Sam who runs a crystal store and was supportive of her during her cancer treatment. Rarity decides to start a cancer survivor’s book club and hopes that it can be healing for all involved. On her first night one person Shirley comes and they become friends and she promises to try and get a few more people to show up the following week. The next week more people attend, including Martha who seems very reluctant to speak about herself. Rarity does not want to force anyone but wants this to be a therapeutic and supportive group. The following week Martha does not attend and everyone agrees to share contact information in case someone is sick or cannot attend. The group is later shocked to find out that Martha is missing and the group starts to become a sleuthing group as well. Rarity decides to help out by fostering Martha’s dog Killer until she is found. Sam is interested in detective Drew who also who appears to be interested in Rarity but she is interested in Archer who is a friend of Drew. Martha is found dead and Rarity decides to keep Killer and she along with the book club become instrumental in finding the killer. Good first installment in this series and moved along at a good pace and kept me engaged. Looking forward to the next installment.

Rarity starts a book club for survivors of cancer in her newly opened bookstore. After the first meeting one of the members is murdered. There book club becomes a group of amateur detectives working to solve the case. Follow the women as their friendship grows.
Goodreads

The first book in a new Cosy Mystery series and it gets off to a great start. We have a bookseller - Rarity who wants to start a book club of locals who have survived cancer. She has opened her shop next door to her best friend Sam's crystal shop.

And so the group begins but is it a book club or a sleuthing club? I was a bit disappointed the book club never really focused on the books but they sure did focus when one of their group is murdered.

As Rarity settles in to her new town, she finds she wants and gets a dog, and they quickly form a bond. As well there are a couple of men in the picture, Sam has her eye on one and Rarity on the other. Just as well! It will be interesting to see how that all pans out.

The mystery is good, at first I could see four suspects, but they get narrowed down and one towards the end looks just a tad more suspicious.

A promising start to a new series. I'll be watching for the next one!

I admit this book kept me guessing - especially in the romance department but also the mystery.
I had suspicions and people I liked less than others, but there were enough red herrings to keep me from being sure of anything until the end.

Rarity Jones moved to Sedona Arizona for a fresh start.
She survived breast cancer and wanted to take action on dreams she had been putting off.
Her best friend lives in Sedona and Rarity has the opportunity to open a bookstore right next to Sam's New Age crystal shop.
Being physically active also plays a role in Rarity's health plans and perhaps some relationship plans as well. Making new friends is important to many aspects of a healthy and enjoyable life.
This is a wonderful starting over and second chance novel. Quite inspiring.
I had difficulty setting it down and I came back to it every chance I could.

This is a book club I would love to find and join in my real life.
They even do discuss books now and then.

This was a wonderful book with amazing characters. They were like friends you know. I’m glad this is a new series and cannot wait for the next book.