I'm a longtime fan of this series, but I had thought that I wouldn't see another book after the last one. So I was pleasantly surprised when I heard this one was coming out, but also a little hesitant. I got the feeling reading the last book that the author was worn out over this series.

I really liked Dread on Arrival. It was set up differently from your standard cozy fare, which oftentimes, no matter how much you enjoy reading it, is very formulaic. The first almost 2/3 of this book is setup for the murder - so if you're looking to jump right into the crime, this book isn't for you. And much more time passes in the course of solving this mystery; nothing neat and tidy about summing up the mystery before all the suspects leave. The murder itself isn't obvious at all, and the one plot device I felt for certain would end up being significant, wasn't. These are small differences, but they're enough to make the book feel a bit fresher to me.

I've always loved the characters and Hemlock Falls, and Dread on Arrival is like a visit with old friends. I still wish Quill would stop being a pushover and I'd love to see more of Myles. Meg was slightly more of a background character this time, but still her same old feisty self. I found the sub-plot with Marge and the election hilarious, and as much as I like Marge, I loved seeing the tables turned on her.

If Ms. Bishop keeps writing about the Inn and Hemlock Falls and the Quilliam sisters, I'll continue to look forward to reading about them. ( )

Synopsis: Sara settles into her role as a mother, enjoying watching Jack grow as well as his interactions with his adopted grandmother, Doreen. This idyllic setting is upset by the appearance of Edmund Tree, the host of 'Your Ancestor's Attic' (think 'Antiques Roadshow') and his fiancée, Rose Ellen Whitman. The filming of his program and their impending nuptials end with, of course, murder.
Review: This is another fun romp through inn keeping and meal preparations. This particular story builds the 'who done it' suspense across the entire book with the very cleaver reveal coming in the last chapter. ( )

Another Hemlock Falls mystery from Claudia Bishop. Love the characters of Quill and her sister, Meg, and their bed and breakfast of death. People keep getting killed there or near there, and Quill always seems to figure out the mystery. A fun beach read. ( )

I don't usually give a three rating to a cozy! I struggled to get into the story this time. Maybe if I had read all the books in the series before this, I would have enjoyed it more.

Usually a cozy has the murder fairly early in the book but this one did not appear until page 174. Also, it the guilty suspect was obvious to me.

There was some wit and humor in the book but I think that the book could have been enriched with more. Some of the recipes were dreadful but was that on purpose? The one for squirrels had me perplexed.

Now the good points of the book. I loved the setting in a small town, Hemlock Falls. Also, the idea of mimicking Antique Roadside and some TV shows that look for treasure in junk really sounded like a wonderful book idea. But I got bored by the spats by the three female main characters, Meg Quillen, Sarah Quillen and Clarissa Sparrow. I felt relief when Jack, Meg's son had short parts in the story.

Sorry, but in my opinion, this one cozy that I am not too crazy about. ( )