Gold Rush 2.0 brings a host of new guests to The Golden Motel. Dee and Jeff are happy to have a full house, but there are new problems afoot.
4 techies come to town and with the way they flaunt their wealth they aren’t very popular. The leader of the pack, Sylvan Burr, is murdered.
Dee gets involved in the investigation, which leads to a number of snooping shenanigans.
This book has a great humorous side while also bringing human issues into focus.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Solid Gold Murder. Bud the bear gets quite a bit of action in the story, and I love Dee’s cartoons of Bud.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read this book.

Cute, fun, and full of lovable characters. This series makes me happy. The premise in this book of gold being found on the motel’s property is a hoot. My favorite thing is the conversations and interactions, whether between Dee and her friends/family or her and her nemesis, Verity. If you are looking for a true cozy series that will bring a smile to your face, this is the one.

The discovery of REAL gold throws everything up in the air at Dee and Jeff's motel in Golden. Before they know it they've become a must destination even for the kinda loathsome Sylvan who ends up dead at the bottom of a mine shaft. Dee and Jeff find themselves navigating murder (again) and working through the rather lengthy list of people who did not like Sylvan. This has all the feels of a cozy and a fun setting (two competing towns! a bear!) but it's the lead charactrers of Dee and Jeff that make it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. The second in a series but will be enjoyable as a standalone.

Dee Stern is loving life at the retro California motel that she runs with her best friend (and ex-boyfriend) Jeff Cornetta. They have set up a sluice for guests to pan for gold, prepared to give away fool's gold, and are surprised when real gold is found. Tourists descend upon the motel, including an obnoxious group of four wealthy tech wizards. When one of those tourists ends up dead, Dee sets out to solve the murder.

I wanted to read Solid Gold Murder because I love cozy mysteries, enjoy Ellen Byron's writing (her vintage cookbook series is another favorite), and love this new Golden Motel Mystery series.

This is such a fun book - and a perfect summer read! I absolutely love the retro motel setting, the small town craft fair drama, and the local gold rush history of Foundgold and Goldsgone. Dee is a smart, funny, and resourceful amateur detective. I enjoyed her friendships and of course her lovable hound dog Nugget. There are even cute cartoons that Dee draws of a bear who likes to visit the motel!

The mystery aspects of the story are well done. The killer surprised me! I enjoyed sleuthing along with Dee as she worked to solve the mystery.

I highly recommend Solid Gold Murder - and this fun series - for cozy mystery fans.

Dee and Jeff are trying hard to make a go as moteliers, especially after their motel is dubbed "Murder Motel" after the events in the last book, but it's not to be. After gold is found nearby, gold fever strikes; billionaire techies show up to cash in on what is touted as the second gold rush - unfortunately things go awry and instead of gold, someone finds a dead body.

I really enjoyed the second book in this series! I hope to see more of Bud the Bear in the books to come - read the book and you'll see! There are a few budding relationships I'm looking forward to seeing through.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.8*

Small town gold mining meeting big city tech money made for a fun story in this one. I enjoyed this second book in the series more than the first, and I think the characters are being well established (and I really enjoy the feud and back and forth between Goldsgone and Foundgold).

I absolutely adore this cozy mystery series. Dee is plucky and relatable. And Bud the Bear? Well, I think every good cozy needs an animal sidekick.

The Golden Motel is a rustic camp experience, in a rustic mountain town, which is just fine with Dee, as long as she has visitors to keep it open. She definitely wasn't planning on gold fever though.

This book (and its predecessor] is a perfect summer retreat read. If you're camping or hiking on vacation instead of needing a beach read, grab this one! I mean, you could definitely read it at the beach too!

"Go run your motel. Get hobbies. Ones that don't include snooping. Make some more Bud the Bear swag. Learn how to canoe. Do anything but try and figure out who offed him."

Love Dee, love these books, love this author.

I LOVED this book! I devoured it, I could not put it down. I love Dee and her sass and savvyness and also her passion for making her new dreams work. I would visit The Golden in a heartbeat and love the atmosphere with the trails, rivers, old mines, and two "rival" towns. I probably wouldn't camp because if the adorably named and honestly hilarious Bud the bear. This book had danger around each twist and turn and I was SHOCKED by the ending. I loved the mix of poignant moments where we learn about people's past and sometimes their struggles, the hilarious moments, and the drama. This is cozy with a kick and the only thing missing was a little more budding romance, though I kind of did not notice until the end. I love how Dee's dad helped investigate and all her interactions with her bestie Jeff had me smiling.

I already cannot wait for more!

Trying to entice guests to stay at their motel and drawing on the history of Foundgold and its surroundings, Dee and Jeff introduce gold-panning, complete with fool’s gold. When a real gold nugget is found, though, people from all over flock to the motel, many of whom intent on checking out the abandoned mines located in the surrounding woods. When a particularly unpleasant guest is found at the bottom of a mineshaft, they are determined to solve the crime and prevent the public relations disaster that could destroy their business for good.

This author writes a few other series that I enjoy, and I liked the first book in this series, so it’s not surprising that I liked this book too. I like both Dee and Jeff, who could be an awkward couple, given that they were once married, but they’ve become good friends who work well together. I like most of the townspeople, but my favorites are probably Ma’am and Mr. Ma’am. I also appreciate that the local law enforcement isn’t portrayed as bumbling idiots, but competent at their jobs.

The murder victim was arrogant, entitled, smug and snide (and I’m probably missing a few adjectives), so there were quite a few suspects to consider. I fell for some of the red herrings along the way because they were so logical, but wasn’t especially surprised when the killer was revealed. Although it was a bit sad, given that person, the motive made complete sense.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series but am glad I have a few other books by this author to read while I wait :)

Dee unexpectedly turns a panning for gold experience at their motel into a gold rush when a nugget is discovered. But all turns deadly when someone ends up at the bottom of a mine shaft dead. Lots of supects. Great character development. Thanks#Netgalley and #Kensington for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

Dee Stern and her ex-husband, Jeff Cornetta, have embarked on a new adventure by purchasing a hotel in California’s gold country. To escape their infamous reputation as the “Murder Hotel,” Dee introduces a panning for gold feature at the hotel. A viral video of a customer finding gold sparks a new gold rush, attracting potential prospectors, including four wealthy tech moguls. However, the festivities take a dark turn when one of the tech bros is murdered, forcing Dee to help solve the crime.

The quirky characters of the small towns of Foundgold and Goldsgone add a delightful layer of humor to the story. The engaging mystery keeps the reader guessing until the very end. I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy mystery, and I highly recommend it. I eagerly anticipate the next book in the series. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for my honest review.

The second book in the series is great! The Motel is filled with would be gold hunters, including four tech moguls, who want to buy an entire town as well as seek gold. When one of the tech guys is found dead in an abandoned mine, Dee, Jeff and Sam work to find the killer. The fun Bud the Bear cartoons add to the book and provide some comic relief to the search for the murderer.. Great characters, an interesting story and a surprise twist keel readers guessing who really committed the murder.
I received an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review. # ellenbyron, #kensingtknbooks

I enjoyed this return trip to Foundsgold and the Golden Motel but unfortunately, I did not enjoy it as much as the first book. I did not find it as funny and I was a bit disappointed by that.

Dee Stern is determined to make the Golden Motel a success and so adds a sluice for panning for "gold" for her guests. When two actually find real gold and thanks to a social media blunder on Dee's part, she accidentally starts a second gold rush. Please that her motel is now full, even if it is for the wrong reasons, she gets a surprise visit from a tech genius young billionaire, who thinks he is untouchable. When he winds up dead at the bottom of a mine, Dee steps in to investigate and hopefully spare a reprisal of "The Murder Motel" label from the first book. She gets more than she bargained for in the adventure, including sleeping in a tent to participate in a craft fair hosted by her nemesis, Verity Yes-that-Donner Gillespie.

This book has great quirky characters (though the techies left something to be desired) and Bud the Bear is quite the star. I loved the addition of the Bud comics and illustrations in the story. To me, this plot seemed to go on a tad longer than needed but other than that I really liked the book.

My thanks to Kensington Cozies and Netgalley for this ARC.

In this second book in the Golden Motel series, Dee’s father Sam inadvertently sets off gold rush 2.0. A full motel is good for business until one of the guests turns up dead. This is a fun read with lots of quirky characters - including Bud the bear. The historical section about gold mining were interesting, I would have enjoyed more of that.

Dee Stern and her ex-husband-turned-business-partner Jeff Cornetta left the fast paced Hollywood life behind. They now own the Golden Motel located in the scenic Californian village of Foundgold.  They have invested everything in this venture and are determined to see it succeed.

Their latest addition is a family-friendly panning activity complete with fool’s gold. Dee's dad is helping guests with their first panning experience when the family unexpectedly finds a real gold nugget. Dee had been recording their experience for their motel website and is advised by a local to delete the video so they don't have a rush of crazy people trying to find gold. Unfortunately, she was so startled by the find that she accidentally loaded the film to her website. The video triggered a media frenzy and wanna be gold prospectors started arriving in full force.

The gold rush was great for business. Unfortunately it drew thrill seekers to the abandoned mines scattered around the woods, creating potential dangerous situations. One of those thrill seekers was Sylvan Burr, a retired CEO who sold his startup before age 30. He and his friends arrived on his private helicopter and began making demands. Soon Dee was calling in local police to search for the missing CEO. His body was found at the bottom of an abandoned mine, but this was not an accident. It was murder.

Dee and Jeff need to identify the killer before The Golden Motel becomes known as The Murder Motel.

#SolidGoldMurder

Hoping to salvage her motel’s reputation and make people forget the unfortunate nickname of the nickname of “the Murder Motel,” Dee Stern and her partner, Jeff Cornetta, introduce a gold-panning sluice as a family-friendly amenity. The sluice is more successful than anticipated when guests find real gold alongside the fool’s gold. The discovery starts a modern day goldrush, and the Golden Motel is soon booked with prospectors. Everything is going well until the insanely rich and extremely arrogant Sylvan Burr is found dead at the bottom of an old, abandoned mineshaft. Sylvan had plenty of enemies—even among his group of friends—and Dee takes it upon herself to figure out which one is the killer.

SOLID GOLD MURDER was an enjoyable read. The setting is unique and picturesque. I wouldn’t mind vacationing at the Golden Motel so I can visit the towns of Foundgold and Goldsgone. Dee Stern is a likeable and relatable main character, as are most of the secondary characters. The only unlikable aspect of the book (aside from Verity Yes-that-Donner Gillespie) is the murder victim. I was cheering for Dee to solve the murder mainly to save the reputation of her motel over getting justice for the dead guy. I also enjoyed the various subplots that added to the overall story.

The Golden Motel is the epicenter of Gold Rush 2.0. With so many people converging on the village of Foundgold, it's only a matter of time before gold fever strikes.

I'm a big fan of Ellen Byron's books and this series is a fun departure from her Louisiana series. The setting of this series is very picturesque, I love the mountains and the state park and how everyone is devoted to maintaining the old-fashioned charm of the place. The discovery of gold and the crowds it brings to town were a fun plot line but it was a relief to see them all going home at the end of the book.

This series is a great read for anyone who is interested in reading about the old west, mountains, retro settings, hiking, close family and friend groups, but beware! Verity Yes-that-Donner Gillespie is lurking around every corner, ready to poo on everyone's parade without a moment's notice!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

First and foremost, let me just say that the setting for this series makes me want to head on out to Gold Country and spend a week or two at the Golden Motel! This second in Ellen Byron's newest series, Solid Gold Murder, is a fun, quick, cozy to read and brings back all of the quirky characters from the first book. When Silicon Valley bajillionaire Silvan Burr and his tech besties/employees show up at the motel, Dee wonders why and it's only after Sylvan is found murdered at the bottom of a mine shaft that she discovers his plan to buy the entire town! Was the killer one of his posse, a motel guest, or one of the many residents of Foundgold and Goldsgone who were against the purchase? Dee, Jeff, Sam, and even Bud the Bear are on the case! A+++

p.s. I love the fact that along with the recipes at the back of the book the author also included road trip tips! :-)

I was so excited to get this ARC because I actually received book 1 from the publisher and I LOVED it!!! This one was just as great!

Dee & Jeff are two of my favorite characters and I was so happy to get to know them even more in this second book. I hope to see their characters grow even more in any future books. Let’s not forget about Bud!! I love reading about Bud wreaking havoc in town.

The California setting is great…I’m a California girl & I love reading books that take place here. The author does such a great job bringing these stories to life.

The subplots in this book leave you well entertained and wanting to keep reading. These are some of the best cozy mysteries I have read. I always find myself smiling while I’m reading these. I could definitely see these as a hallmark miniseries. It’s always fun to try to solve these whodunnits.

I also love the add ons at the end. Recipes, tips, cartoons…a bonus you definitely don’t want to skip over!

This book is getting 5 solid gold stars from me! Look forward to the next one!

Perhaps if I'd read the first in the series I could have enjoyed 'Solid Gold Murder' more. I had a hard time understanding the characters and their relationships. I didn't develop an affection for them and didn't find the plot relatable. Just not for me this time.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.