Genre:

Every day is a holiday in Celebration Bay . . .
but unfortunately death doesn’t take a holiday.

As more and more tourists flock to Celebration Bay, New York, to enjoy their seasonal festivals, the town is in need of a professional coordinator. Enter Manhattan event planner Liv Montgomery, tired of big-city stress and looking for an idyllic spot where she and her Westie terrier, Whiskey, can put down roots. The Harvest by the Bay Festival is Liv’s first chance to prove herself, and everything from apple bobbing to pumpkin painting goes perfectly—until the body of an itinerant juggler is discovered stuffed into an antique apple press.

With a murderer on the loose, town leaders threaten to shut down the upcoming Halloween and Christmas festivals. But the town’s livelihood is at stake, and there is no way Liv is going to let that happen, even if she has to solve the murder herself. No matter how many balls she needs to keep in the air, Liv is determined to find a killer who’s rotten to the core . . .

Series: Celebration Bay Mystery

Review

Liv Montgomery quits her job as an event planner in Manhattan, moves upstate for a job as the planner for Celebration Bay, and hasn’t looked back. Liv loves her new job, the town of Celebration Bay, and the rented cottage she shares with her Westie named Whiskey. Everything is ready for her first event, the Harvest by the Bay Festival, when a dead body is found at one of the festival venues in an antique apple press. The victim doesn’t seem to be mourned by anyone, but unless the murderer is caught, the mayor might be pressured to cancel the upcoming fall festivals, putting the town’s livelihood as well as Liv’s job in danger.

I really enjoyed the debut in this new series. Liv is a very appealing main character. She is kind, organized, and intelligent. She is an independent young woman who enjoys living on her won and isn’t desperate for a new boyfriend or bitter over being dumped by an ex. Liv loves her new “hometown”, and even though she is from New York City, she embraces the townspeople and doesn’t look down her nose at them. Although Liv is eager to make new friends and get off on the right foot in her job, she isn’t afraid to stand up for herself or speak her mind. For example, Janine, the woman who held her job before she did, quickly becomes a nemesis to Liv, but Liv stands up to her and very professionally puts Janine in her place. Janine’s character is a bit of a caricature, which is a shame because she would have made an even better foil for Liv if she had portrayed more realistically.

I hope future books in the series develop the character of BeBe a bit more. BeBe is Liv’s best friend in Celebration Bay and they make a good pair. I love that BeBe considers herself a fellow newcomer to the town because she has “only” lived there for fifteen years! This casual comment shows the author’s familiarity with life in a small town.

The best parts of the book are the interesting characters in a rural town and experiencing the life of an event planner along with Liv. The mystery itself is enjoyable and Liv’s investigation is fun to read about. Part of the solution to the murder goes back to events that happened several years ago. That is a great way to introduce Liv and the reader to many of the town’s residents. It’s a little unbelievable that Liv noticed things that led to the solution of the crime that long-time residents didn’t, but other than that, the solution made sense and I was satisfied with the book’s conclusion.

I recommend Foul Play at the Fair for anyone who enjoys an amusing book with a rural setting. Fans of Paige Shelton, Denise Swanson, or Jerrilyn Farmer will especially enjoy this debut to a promising new series.

Reviewed by Christine

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