What an incredibly solid and engaging cozy mystery! I picked it up because it uses the setting of Morro Bay, a California central coast town I knew well as I was growing up as it was a quick getaway from where I was raised in the Central Valley. I ended up relating to the book throughout, as it was not only clear that the author knew the area well, but the very make-up of Californians.

This is the 6th book in the series but I jumped in with ease. Benni Harper works in folk art and knows a lot of people around her (fictional) town of San Celina, but she's baffled when she inherits a house and a lot of money from a total stranger in nearby Morro Bay. His will stipulates that she must stay in the house for two weeks to inherit the estate--which doesn't please her police chief husband one bit. Benni soon finds creepy details, like a wood-carved statue of her childhood horse, a favorite old jacket of hers that vanished years ago, and clues that guide her to different people and places around the coast. At the same time, her new neighbors--who thought they'd inherit--are a threatening presence. Benni needs to solve the mystery of Jacob Chandler before something bad happens.

This book came out in 1999, and I loved that aspect. CD-ROMS are mentioned, and Benni has a newfangled cellular phone that she can use just-in-case but usually uses landlines instead. The characters are fantastic, well-drawn with sensitive portrayals. The mystery kept me guessing all the way through. I hope to read more in the series. ( )

The theme of Mariner's Compass is, in a word, home. Benni Harper learns a lot about what 'home' means when she becomes the sole heir of a stranger's fortune. Jacob Chandler, dead of an apparent heart attack, leaves everything to Albenia Louise Harper with the condition that she live in his house for two weeks straight. She takes two weeks off from her job at the museum and does just that. However, there are many ways this particular premise for a plot could fall flat. Benni could decide she doesn't need a stranger's inheritance and refuse to stay in the house (who's watching to see that she does it anyway?). Or she could live in the house for fourteen days straight and not be curious enough to investigate this mysterious Jacob Chandler. Luckily for Fowler fans, Benni not only takes the challenge but goes to great lengths to solve the mystery. The plot thickens when this stranger for all intents and purposes seems like he had been Benni's stalker. He knows the name of her childhood horse. He has a picture of her deceased mother. He has newspaper clippings of every major event in Benni's life. Just who is this guy? ( )

This was an interesting book that for once did not place the main character in any sort of danger, although all throughout the book the reader is not certain of that fact. I do wish that Benni would not get so worked up about her husband's concern over her welfare. About 1/3 of the book she is either angry at her husband or they are in a "discussion" about Benni's safety. Enough already! ( )

This was my favorite of the series. ( )

This was one of those mysteries that don't involve a dead body - or at least a murdered one, and it involved a bit of a scavenger hunt. I really like this series and this book didn't disappoint. The scavenger hunt part of the story kept losing my interest, I think, because she spaced the steps so far apart, with lots of other action in between. Normally I really get into hunts like that. Dove was a hoot, and the highlight of this particular story for me, although I always enjoy the interaction between Bennie and Gabe. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. ( )