The Inn at Holiday Bay is a heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again. After suffering a personal tragedy Abby Sullivan buys a huge old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine, where she is adopted, quite against her will, by a huge Maine Coon Cat named Rufus, a drifter with her own tragic past named Georgia, and a giant dog with an inferiority complex named Ramos. What Abby thought she needed was alone time to heal. What she ended up with was, an inn she never knew she wanted, a cat she couldn't seem to convince to leave, and a new family she'd never be able to live without.
In book 31 in the series, an anonymous Christmas Angel gifts a group of people who have never met one another and appear to be totally unrelated a free stay at the Inn at Holiday Bay the week before Christmas. Once the group gets together and begin to compare notes, they start to wonder who paid for their stay and how they are related to both the benefactor and each other.
Kathi lives with her husband, kids, grandkids, and dogs in beautiful Lake Tahoe. When she isn't writing, Kathi likes to read (preferably at the beach or by the fire), cook (preferably something with chocolate or cheese,) and garden (planting and planning not weeding). She also enjoys spending time on the water when she's not hiking, biking, or snowshoeing, the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home. Kathi uses the mountain setting in which she lives, along with the animals (wild and domestic) that share her home, as inspiration for her cozy mysteries.
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Christmas in the Country is the thirty-first book in Kathi Daley’s heartwarming Inn at Holiday Bay series. The setting is charming, and the well-developed characters are three-dimensional, compassionate, and caring. The well-plotted storyline flows smoothly, and multiple twists and red herrings in the complex mystery keep the reader engaged. Whenever I pick up one of Ms. Daley’s books, I know I’m in for a treat, and I’ve never been disappointed. I highly recommend this series to readers who enjoy well-crafted, cozy mysteries.
After losing her husband and their infant son in a tragic accident, Abby Sullivan bought a huge old house in the charming town of Holiday Bay, Maine, without even seeing it. Once the house was renovated, she opened the Inn at Holiday Bay and found a home and a family. Abby lives in a cottage on the property with her Maine Coon, Rufus, and her terrier mix, Molly, and the inn’s newest employee, Bailey, and her newborn daughter, Hazel, have settled into the guest suite in Abby’s cottage. Georgia Carter-Peyton, who has also overcome obstacles in her lifetime, is the inn’s talented cook/baker and manager and has her own cable cooking show. Georgia and her Newfoundland dog, Ramos, recently moved back into Tanner Peyton’s home, and the happy couple are now husband and wife. Jeremy and Mylie Slater and Jeremy’s young niece, Annabelle, recently welcomed Mylie and Jeremy’s first child, Danny, into their home. Colt’s niece and nephew, who are now full-time residents of Holiday Bay, seem to be adjusting to the move, and Colt’s parents sold their home and are moving to Holiday Bay.
In this installment, everyone is excited about the upcoming holidays and rushing around to make their final gift selections. At the request of an undisclosed benefactor, the owner of the cable television station that produces Georgia’s cable cooking show, Brad Kingman, reserved the entire Inn at Holiday Bay and gifts a group of strangers a free stay at the inn the week before Christmas. Understandably, the inn’s staff is intrigued and begins to speculate about the benefactor’s identity and the reasons behind the selection of this specific group. In the meantime, Colt is trying to solve the mystery of who killed a social media superstar who was creating havoc in Holiday Bay.
At this point, Abby Sullivan should really stop pretending she’s ever going to have a normal holiday season. In Christmas in the Country, book #31 in The Inn at Holiday Bay series (which, yes, you can jump into without reading the others—Abby stumbles into fresh trouble every time), she heads out of town for a peaceful countryside retreat. Hilarious. Instead of sipping cocoa and admiring twinkling lights, she immediately gets tangled in a new mystery because, frankly, she cannot help herself.
It all starts when Abby arrives at a picturesque country getaway, expecting cozy fires and idyllic scenery. What she doesn’t expect is a local family feud, a guest whose sudden appearance has everyone whispering, and a decades-old disappearance that screams “solve me.� Naturally, instead of ignoring it like a sane person, Abby starts asking questions. And the more she asks, the clearer it becomes that something very shady went down in this quiet little town—because when people start dodging simple questions like “Hey, where did that guy go?� you know it’s about to get interesting. Meanwhile, back at the inn, Georgia is holding down the fort, likely muttering under her breath as Abby once again chooses detective work over drinking mulled wine like a normal person.
With its mix of Christmas coziness, small-town secrets, and enough suspicious townsfolk to make Cabot Cove look low-crime, this 4.5-star read delivers all the holiday mystery goodness you could want. It’s the kind of book that makes you rethink every quaint countryside retreat—because, let’s be real, if Abby walks into a town and doesn’t immediately find a crime to solve, is it even worth visiting?
I thoroughly enjoyed this new entry in the series. I have read the majority of them starting with book one, and found them to be very entertaining. The characters have become like old friends as each book incorporates them in the story and relates how they've grown and changed.
Its Christmas and the Inn has a full compliment of guests hand picked by Georgia's boss at the tv studio where she films her cooking show. It's all a big mystery as to how or why the guests were chosen for a free fully paid stay at the Inn, or why its being filmed by the staff instead of the usual film crew. But everyone is going with the flow, looking forward to celebrating Christmas with family and friends. Abby and Colt get to have some much needed alone time, there is tons of shopping for presents, good food and warm vibes. And of course a mystery to solve. I wouldn't give anything else away, but it was a fun and entertaining read. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but I finally gave up trying to figure out who was who and concentrated on enjoying the story. I recommend this book and this series, you won't be disappointed. A fun Holiday Bay novel! 🎉🎉👏👏🌟🌟🌟📚
I am a retired 75 y/o female bookworm. I have been reading this author’s books in every series genre for many, many years. I love this author, so anytime I see her name it catches my immediate attention. She stays true to the “cozy mystery� category in that’s there is no fowl language, explicit sexual comments, no outward violence, and mostly that she stays true to Christian and Biblical beliefs. I pray 🙏 that she never feels pressured to go that path as so many of today’s authors have done. At that point, I would no longer read her books. She allows us readers to use our imagination to read between the lines, without having to spell it out. That is a wonderful and very artistic way to write, especially in a society that now has no censorship or filters. I applaud Kathie Daley. (PS: we share the same first name but unfortunately I don’t share her talent 👌👍). Again, this book makes me so anxious for the next one, I check the dates on my calendar. I love the backstory of all her characters, as well as new ones she introduces to keep the storyline alive and fresh.
Abby Sullivan and her staff are busy preparing to celebrate Christmas at The Inn. The guests they will be hosting have been invited by an unknown benefactor who is paying for all their expenses, generously tipping Abby's employees and requesting plenty of holiday activities for entertainment. It will mean a big boost to all of their incomes so everyone agreed to work through Christmas. But that doesn't stop them from wondering why these random people were chosen and who is footing the bill. This is a very nice installment in the series with family as the theme. Abby feels very fortunate to have her closest friends nearby, as well as all her "adopted" family members living at The Inn with her. Colt's parents have taken Tyler and Mackenzie to California so that eliminates the drama surrounding guardianship of his niece and nephew being challenged by his mother. There is a murder and jewelry store robbery giving Colt two crimes to solve before Santa arrives.
a Mysterious benefactor had paid for a week-long vacation at the Inn at Holiday Bay while simultaneously filming a Holiday special for Georgia's show. No matter how hard they think they can't establish a common link between all the families to try and figure out why the benefactor picked those families. Meanwhile the group is gearing up for Christmas on their own. Abby and Lacy are out shopping and stop to eat and see an really obnoxious girl making videos of everyone, one man asked her to delete any videos with him in it since he hadn't consented to be filmed, when she said no and was nasty about it he took her phone and destroyed it, unfortunately the next morning the girl was dead, no question that it was murder and now Colt is busy trying to solve her murder. Plenty of twists and turns, in the end the killer is found but it was a complete surprise. Great Read.
I love reading books by this author, cosy mysteries set in small towns; some are spin-offs from previous series.
This series set the scene for Holiday Bay and has 3 series, set in the small town in Maine. This series features the Inn at Holiday Bay owned and run by Abby Sullivan, a successful novelist who suffers a bereavement and moves across the country to start a new life. She's built a team at the Inn, which is like a family, and she's in a relationship with Colt, the local police chief.
This book is set during the Christmas holiday, where a group of people, who are linked but they don't know it, are gifted their stays by an unknown benefactor. Colt is hoping to spend time over the holiday season with Abby, but he's drawn into the murder of a woman who takes videos, then posts them on social media, but for what reason?
Abby Sullivan moved to Holiday Bay to start over after a personal tragedy. She opened a very successful inn and soon had a large family that she hadn't expected. In this book, an anonymous benefactor reserves the entire inn for Christmas and gifts a few people with an all-expenses-paid stay there. No one knows who did this or why and the people have never met before. So there questions aplenty going around.
I've really enjoyed this series and this book's no exception. Kathi Daley's a can't-miss for me. She pens delightful stories that always keep me hooked. This quick, fun read was well-written with wonderful characters. The mystery was still intriguing. I loved this book and am looking forward to the next one. I highly recommend both book and series.
This is the next to last book in this series. There were a number of loose ends from prior stories that got wrapped up in the series, but the biggest one, the future of the relationship between the innkeeper and the police chief, was not settled in this book. It was a good story and full of holiday cheer.
Amazon synopsis: In book 31 in the series, an anonymous Christmas Angel gifts a group of people who have never met one another and appear to be totally unrelated a free stay at the Inn at Holiday Bay the week before Christmas. Once the group gets together and begin to compare notes, they start to wonder who paid for their stay and how they are related to both the benefactor and each other.
Christmas in the Country is a story that has two mysteries: first is the murder of a young social media influencer and second is the who were the people with “all expense paid� trip to Holiday Bay, staying at the Inn. Around these situations, lots of fun at the Inn and celebrating with the guests and staff. The staff is like one big family and this was great holiday spirit! Abby hinted about memories and I was so afraid it was the last book! Love the characters and how the cross flow of Holiday Bay brings regular characters together.
This book especially touched my heart. Family doesn't always have to be by blood. This is a perfect example of how you can create a family bond with others. Abby has come a long way from when she first bought the inn. Having Bailey, Haven and Hazel I think has helped Abby think of Jonathan without so much sorrow. I really hope her and Colts relationship gets the kinks worked out. I love them together, but what they do seems to work for them I always feel like family when I read these books.
Georgia's boss sets up the guest list for the Inn during the Christmas holiday. Although there is speculation about the guests, the reason for that isn't immediately disclosed. An annoying social media poster is killed, and it is up to Colt and his team to find the killer. Abby gets the much-needed chance to spend some alone time with Colt. A very nice holiday story.
I always enjoy The Inn at Holiday Bay. But this one had me worried, it looked like Abby is more in love with baby Hazel than Colt. Her interactions with Colt were kind of forced. Colt tried his best for a romantic outing but Abby was somewhat disappointed. Could Colt’s Mom be getting to her and she is tired of rejection. Please bring the romance back to these two, I want them together.
Another great addition to the series Kathi writes. Christmas is always fun with activities planned for the guests and staff at the inn. An interesting spin on the guests this year and speculation is always fun when it comes to what the guests have in common. Yes, there is a death but it has nothing to do with the guests. The truth comes out in the end. Abby has her "family" together for Christmas and that's what matters.
This was one of the best books in this series. I love having everyone from the other series react with the regulars from this series. The murder was very current with the victim being an influencer/blogger. The secondary mystery concerned the guests at the inn. Very interesting mysteries.
I truly enjoy reading these mysteries. I love the plot line, and that every mystery is solved in each book, and that the sub-plots keep me waiting for the next book in the series. However, I'm wondering how it is that the words indicate and indicated are used so often. It was used 10 times in just this book.
I love everything Kathi Daley writes but this book is her best. The mystery was good but really secondary to the story surrounding Christmas and Abby’s family. I wish the Inn at Holiday Bay really existed, I would love to meet this family and participate in all of their holiday events.
This was a perfect story for Christmas time showing that although there are some bad things happening. There are some bad people out there. This is the time when we give thanks for our family for those around us that show us real love and devotion. Those who bring us the joy in our life.
The Inn at Holiday Bay was rented out by Brad, Georgia's boss, and all the guests had a pre-paid week of fun intermingling with the Inn employees. A popular Influencer was killed and finding person who did it was all part of the week. A fantastic story with many heartwarming moments. Read and enjoy.
What a clean and fun mystery. You learn what the characters truly feel about Abby and each other. There are two mysteries to be solved in this one. I had one pretty much figured out but not the other one - was still trying to solve it. Picturing this Inn and its location makes me want to go there and stay. Good, clean mystery and even though it is June you could feel the Christmas spirit.
Abby is making time for friends and family. An annoying internet influencer, Justine, is soon found murdered. So Colt can enjoy Christmas, Abby goes to work to find the murderer.
It's like visiting with old friends....with something new thrown in every once in a While!!
It goes hand in hand with the Bistro and the Bookstore! Looking at things from a different perspective! Thank you, Kathi, for all these interesting people!
This was a wonderful Christmas read. The one murder that occurred was somewhat minor in comparison to the emotions that permeated the main characters. There was so much love and joy and Christmas cheer that I couldn't help but be affected by it.
I enjoyed how everyone became a family. But its time colt asks Abby to marry him. Also its time Abby gets her own child whether thru pregnancy or adoption its time for the story to progress to Abby having her own child to love
This book was so interesting with all of the people coming to the Inn to celebrate and then finding out why they were all brought together. Justine getting killed and by who and why. I am looking forward to reading more by Kathi.
Really an exceptional story in the series. I had almost decided not to continue at one point but I am glad I didn't. The author has really stepped it up in her characters and storylines.
I like this series of books, but this one was not very interesting. The plots were pretty weak, the murder was not something that grabbed or held your attention. The other plot was easy to figure out. Too many characters, didn’t dive into them to make you care
This was so awesome to have so much about love and the development of family! Even with a negative online blogger who didn't have a good holiday. The rest of the Holiday Bay group were all blessed with a delightful time!