Independence Slay is the third book in the Celebration Bay Mystery series.

Everyone is looking forward to the 4th of July Celebration. The residents have gathered at the mansion of Henry Gallantine to watch the annual signal to the re-enactment patriots and the begin the celebration. Shortly after the signal is given, Liv and Ted notice another signal, this one a SOS, from the roof. When get to the roof they find Jacob Rundle, Gallantine's gardener dead from a bayonet wound and 18 year mentally challenged, Leo, holding the musket that killed Rundel. Liv feels certain that Leo is innocent, but to prove it she needs to find out who did.

Henry Gallantine has gone missing. Liv needs to sort thru history to find if the present day Henry Gallantine's relative was in fact guilty of treason and to determine what role Daniel Haynes relative has to play in that charge of treason. Liv needs to find out if new information has surfaced and the murder was type of cover-up. Adding to this, is that Liv sees Gallantine's nephew pocketing some valuable figurines. Also, when George Grossman shows up claiming to have an option to buy Gallantine's mansion, the waters really get very murky. So when Liv finally locates Chaz Bristow, the local newspaper editor, things begin to progress.

All the main characters are back once again. Liv's landladies, Misses Ida and Edna are back to provide Liv with background on Celebration Bay's residents and of course to watch Whiskey when Liv is off sleuthing. Chaz Bristow is back, still appearing to be his uncaring self, as usual. It's always interesting to read of the interaction of Liv and Chaz. To paraphrase the word of that famous bard, I think the lady doth protest too much. But that makes me enjoy them all the more. And last but certainly not least, the dynamic duo of Ted and Whiskey are back to serenade the readers.

A wonderful series and I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book. ( )

We'll blame the sub-conscious, but I picked up this book yesterday without a thought in my head of its timeliness... ha!

In addition to the traditional July fourth events, Celebration Bay stages a spooky Revolutionary War reenactment. Every year, the ghost of local war hero Henry Gallantine appears at the top of the family mansion, kicking off the night’s revelries. But Henry’s annual cameo goes awry after the ghost signals SOS. When Liv rushes to the rescue, she finds Henry missing and a real dead body instead of a fake haunt.

Likeable characters, and a well written setting make this a solid cozy series. I can't say I love them but I've enjoyed each one. Independence Slay was not an exception. I like Liz and all the characters that play a part. I'm not sure where the author is going with the love interest - it's not a triangle (or a rhombus), but in one corner we have A.K., a security consultant for the town. Very alpha. In the other corner we have Chaz who owns the local town newspaper and actually publishes it when he feels like it. Very California surfer-who-loves-fishing. Maybe the author hasn't made up her mind and is hedging her bets. Personally, I'm cheering for A.K. (silly name and all).

The mystery was so-so. The murderer wasn't telegraphed, but I also don't think it was plotted as well as it could have been; lots of clues were there, but none of them were relevant. Everything was wrapped up in a final scene that was kind of...I don't know what. I just finished it and thought "wait, that's it?" The scene didn't seem to include any proof, or a confession, yet the killer went quietly. This scene felt phoned-in compared to the tightly written narrative to that point.

I'll definitely be looking for the next book in the series; the author can be counted on the write a quality story and I'm mildly curious about who Liv ends up with. ( )