Mac is on her way to open her bike store. As she passes the Rusty Anchor Pub, Yvonne, the manager bursts out the door and bumps into her. It appears she has found a dead man crumpled behind the bar. Mac recognizes the man as her Freshman English teacher, Mr. Byrne. She calls the police who show up promptly, the local August Jenkins and State Detective Lincoln Haskins. Then, a man claiming to be the owner comes and Mac goes to open her own store. The owner turns out to be someone who grew up in Westham. As usual, the book group begin their investigations.

It isn't until Mac suddenly finds herself confronting a killer who would like to kill her as well, that Mac realizes the guilty parties. This is a clever book and a great addition to the series. I thank Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC so I could read the book before publication.

MURDER AT THE RUSTY ANCHOR

It never fails, you’re running late for work, in the rain, and then . . . just kidding. What happens to Mac has never happened to me (thank goodness), but I delighted in vicariously experiencing the puzzling, twisty events that ensue in “quiet” Westham, Massachusetts. This murder frustrates the police and even the Cozy Capers book club sleuths, who are busy with their own businesses and lives but still strive to put together the pieces of the puzzle.
It seems everyone who knew the deceased had good motives to wish the hateful teacher gone. As head of the high school English Department (his fiefdom), he used power and threats to hurt and intimidate students and faculty alike. So many had opportunity, keys in too many hands, and the means was far too common for comfort. Murder, like rain, is bad for business at the height of Cape Cod tourist season, so a speedy solution would be better, and safer, for all.
The personal lives of wonderful friends and family add to the delightful storytelling, babies expected and wished for, relatives and co-workers old and young. I love indomitable Abo Reba, little niece Cokey, and sassy parrot Belle, who is indeed “a good girl.” There’s also the food, described so appetizingly, and the delicious recipes.
Fair warning to clear your calendar and plan to finish before bedtime. I thought I had read my friends to a safe enough spot so I could take my tired self to bed, but no. The book drew me back to finish all but the recipes, which might inspire today’s meals, carefully heeding the warning from Mac that “cooking is complicated.” As is life . . . enjoy the twists and complexity.
Pub. Date 6/25, so there’s time to read or re-read previous titles while you wait. ;-)

"Murder at the Rusty Anchor (Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery #6)" by Maddie Day is well into the character development for a cozy mystery series. I haven't read a the books before this one but there's a lot of character growth it seems for only being the 6th book. Other cozy mystery series would still have Mac hmming and hawing over who her love interest should be. I'm quite okay with this not being a thing.
I was able to enjoy this book on its own.

The mystery was fairly interesting. A much unliked high school teacher is found by a business neighbor who asks Mac for help because she is in too much shock to know what else to do. Turns out this guy was not well liked and made enemies everywhere. It wrapped up about how I expected it. Gotta love a talking parrot when in a sticky situation.

I couldn’t quite figure out the reason for the murder. It just didn’t make sense to me. I always think it’s funny that characters in cozy mysteries who own stores, have no problem taking time off to sleuth. And at the end two women find out that “OOPS, they’re pregnant.” Kind of stupid.

Really cute book that hooked me right from the first page. Mac and her friends remind me so much of the Aurora Teagarden tv series. These sleuths are sure to keep you entertained and make it hard to put the book down.

Nice addition to a pleasant series of cozy mysteries. Bike shop owner and her friends try to solve the small-town murders safely. A multitude of suspects for the murder of a disliked person. Who hated him enough to end his life? Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Murder at the Rusty Anchor by Maddie Day I am sure this addition to the series will be appreciated by her followers. The characters never see, to age or evolve so not my cup of tea. Thank you NetGalley.

This was another great entry in the Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery series, it worked with everything that I was looking for and thought the characters were everything that I wanted. Maddie Day has a great writing style and can’t wait for more.

Murder at the Rusty Anchor is the 6th book in the cozy capers book group series. It takes place in the town of Westham, MA. Mackensie (Mac) Almeida is the main character who owns Mac's Bikes. She is married to Tim Brunelle who owns Greta's Great Grain Bakery. She and her town friends make up the book group called The Cozy Capers that solve crimes. Gin Malloy who owns Salty Taffy and Mac's best friend, Zane King owns the liquor store, Tulia Peters who owns Lobstah Shack, Norland Gifford a retired policeman and Florence (Flo) Wolanski town librarian. Her family all live there too. The additional new characters make up the story.

Mac is walking down the street on her way to her store when Yvonne Flora, head cook and manager of The Rusty Anchor Bar runs out and asks Mac to come into the bar. She shows Mac the dead body of Bruce Byrne lying behind the bar. They call the police and Victoria Laitinen, police chief and Sergeant Lincoln Haskin state police detectice both arrive along with Sergeant Penelope Johnson and August Jenkins. Victoria is not happy when she sees Mac as they have had run-ins before. It is later determined that Bruce died of cardiac arrest brought on by the poison taxine. Carl O'Connor, the owner of the Rusty Anchor arrives as he is in town along with his girlfriend, Sita Spencer.

This is where the story takes off with finger pointing, accusations, etc. to put all on paper. I will leave this to the reader to read and enjoy to the surprise ending with the arrest of two people. The book ends with the anniversay party of Mac's parents, Joseph who is the minister of the Westham Universalist Unitarian Church and her mother, Astra a professional astrologer.

I enjoyed the story and look forward to the next book in this series with Mac, Tim and the cozy capers.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp. for this ARC.

Not exactly the way Mackenzie "Mac" Almeida wanted to start her work day. She knew it couldn't be good when the head cook and manager of a nearby shop, Yvonne, practically stumbled out to stop her, barely able to get out a word. Inside, a dead body. In fact, the body of one of Mac's former teachers and, well, not a very well liked one at that...by anyone. Although at first rather determined not to get involved with the investigation, Mac finds herself drawn in by both her own natural curiosity and the fact a friend and member of the Cozy Capers Book Club may be a suspect. Mac's also dealing with surprise news from her mother as well as personal concerns. Nope, not telling. You'll have to read to find out what's going on in Mac's head.

I will say that I've found this series enjoyable and always look forward to the next book. This one was no disappointment. Recently married, Mac and Tim, a baker, seem to have settled into married life, albeit Mac is pretty willing to admit that she's never going to be much of a cook. Good thing Tim's not only an excellent baker but cook, too, huh? Needless to say, after reading of Mac's cooking woes, I chuckled when I reached the delicious sounding recipes at the end. Mac may not be much of a cook but Mac is a fun, caring person, one who takes her bicycle shop business serious and has found a strong circle of friends, most of them more than happy to step up and help investigate. I mean, these people are serious organized with a multitude of skill sets that make them the perfect bunch to have behind you if you're am amateur sleuth. Interestingly enough, they seem a bit, oh, scattered this go-round, you know, real life happens, but still managed to collect valuable info. I definitely liked that Mac shared information found with the police and has an excellent working relationship with them. Don't get me wrong. They still strongly suggest she (and the Cozy Capers group don't investigate but, well, they've also come to know Mac well enough to understand that Mac and her circle of backup sleuths operate by the rule of staying safe and not doing the sort of thing that would earn them the TSTL (too stupid to live) label. They care about and work well together, sharing info as it is obtained rather than stubbornly refusing to share with the police as many other book sleuths do. That is refreshing and, yes, smart. And, oh, I can't forget Belle, the fun and quite feisty and talkative parrot who gets some great scenes in the book. Are there really buddy chats for parrots online?

Anyway, who killed Bruce Byrne, the not-so-popular teacher? Seems there are countless suspects, many going back years. Even Mac had a run-in with him when in his class albeit her father quickly came to her defense and somewhat soothed the situation. Didn't make Bryne any easier for Mac or all the others who went through that class but it does serve to show how widespread the possible list of suspects might be. But, who holds a grudge for decades? And what was he doing in the Rusty Anchor bar anyway? Why is Mac's friend Flo being so closed-lips about her issues with Byrne? And, oh, enough teasers. You'll like Mac and her easy, trusting relationship with Tim. Toss in some memorable characters from the book club as well as Mac's family and you'll find quite a bit to enjoy her and, shh, probably make you want to go back and read the first five books, too. Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonPublishing - #KensingtonCozies for inviting me to drop by Mac's Bikes again to catch up. I'm already looking forward to the next book to see what's new in Mac's life.

Mac Almeida's Monday morning walk to work at her eponymous bike store in Westham doesn't usually include a stop off at the pub but nor does it result in her coming face to face with a dead body! When she identifies the victim as her unpopular high school English teacher Mac doesn’t realise how universally disliked he still was. Unfortunately the ever lengthening list of suspects shows there were many who felt that way, and one who hated him enough to kill?

With rainy weather seemingly set in, a friend who is way too high up the suspect list, and an unexpected party to help with, a very busy Mac is relieved to be able to call on the Cozy Capers Book Group to help her find clues and pass them on to the police. Everyone tells Mac to be careful and she's sure she has been but could a desperate killer be closing in anyway?

Book six in Maddie Day's fun series is the first I've read but I never once felt at a disadvantage. Mac is a great main protagonist and her group of friends are all believable and entertaining. There were quite a few suspects to choose from and I thoroughly enjoyed following all the clues.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Kensington Publishing, but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a fun easy read which I recommend.

Mac Almeida is happy in her new marriage to Tim, the local baker, and her bike shop, which unfortunately, isn't doing a lot of business because it's been raining. Since it's slow, she's out and about when chef Yvonne of the Rusty Anchor is in a panic and asks for her help. When Mac arrives inside the pub, she notices a dead man behind the bar. Not any dead man -- this man was a high school teacher named Bruce Byrne, and not a popular man at that. After calling the police, Mac figures out that someone had poisoned him. But when she discovers her friend and member of the book group, Flo, is a suspect, she's determined to find a killer, even if it costs her...

This is the sixth book in the series, and I have read them all. Mac is very good at finding out information from people; they seem to gravitate toward her personality. She's pleasant and outgoing, and obviously cares about others, which stands in her stead well. Unfortunately, it also draws the attention of a killer, who isn't above using her to find out just how much she knows.

The mystery is done well, and the clues are there if you care to look for them. I discovered the killer before Mac, but then again, I read a lot of mysteries so know what to look for. It is apparent that Mac cares for family as well, when she's quickly roped in to help plan her parents' 40th anniversary -- in two days. Is it enough time? Will she be able to solve the murder first?

I do like the fact that when she comes across information, she shares it immediately with the police. It is so unnatural when a sleuth decides to keep it to themself, and then gets upset when the police get angry. Yean, so. Mac is smart enough to do the right thing, and I appreciate that.

Now that I've done my own little rant, I will say that the ending was very good, and everything occurred just as it should. The killer was caught in a nice climax that held together well. The book itself was well-written and has very good characters.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review

MURDER AT THE RUSTY ANCHOR is the sixth book in the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries by Maddie Day. You can always count on this series containing kind and cozy characters you’d love to spend time with along with a puzzling murder mystery to solve alongside protagonist MacKenzie “Mac” Almeida. Mac also has a tight-knit family surrounding her, from her adorable grandmother and niece, to her parents (love how they’re opposites yet have a role model worthy marriage), her brother, and her supportive husband, Tim. Her African Gray parrot, Belle, brings comic relief, and I couldn’t help but giggle a time or three over Belle’s antics. True of all the series written by Maddie Day, the characters don’t stay stagnant. Instead, they grow and change, as real people do, making them relatable. My only little quibble is that Mac spent a bit too much time worrying over her attempt at becoming pregnant, which slowed the pace down a tad.

When an elderly high school teacher is found murdered and left inside the Rusty Anchor Pub, Mac is the second person on the scene. Unfortunately, one of her cozy capers book group friends becomes a suspect, and the group is pulled into the investigation. I appreciate that Mac and her friends, who comprise the cozy capers book club, live by the rule to be safe and to do nothing that would make them “too stupid to live” as they investigate. Instead of running pell-mell into danger, they methodically work together to find answers by talking to trusted sources or digging up clues online or from newspaper articles, or making sure they're surrounded by people when "chatting" with potential suspects. The action starts from the very beginning drawing the reader in and keeping them there. With an edge-of-your-seat reveal, the threads of the story came together in a cohesive and heartwarming conclusion.

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#MurderattheRustyAnchor #NetGalley is another great addition to this series by Maddie Day.
Mac Almeida is heading to work one early morning when a chef from a favorite restaurant yells for Mac's help, stuttering in shock, and Mac instantly knows that she's about to become involved in another murder investigation.
This is a fun cozy mystery series, and this book was fun to read. I love all the surrounding characters, they add so much color to each book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

This cozy mystery has a cast of lively characters. Solving a murder is the goal…the setting is the Rusty Anchor and the area…this is a quick fun read. Try to guess who did the murder. Curl up with a comfy Afghan, a cup of steaming herbal tea, and enjoy. Thanks Netgalley.

A former teacher is found murdered in a bar. Lots of people disliked him, so the suspect list is quite large. Mac must solve the case, protecting friends and new folks in town, only to discover she's trusting someone too much. At the same time, she's new married and trying to have a baby, so life is a little hectic. Maddie Day's Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries always make me smile. Good characters. Clever murder plots. Lots of intriguing side stories. A great series to pick up from the beginning, especially if you like bicycles and store owners who live in the real work (minus the murders)!

Another hit in the cozy mystery series. Really liked this one as Mac and her friends try to solve the murder of an odious ex-teacher. Good story, and takes the reader along trying to find out who did what. Enjoyed this one and would highly recommend this book and series. Plus yum recipes at the end I want to try.