I was looking forward to reading this novel for two (2) reasons:
(1) The title is quite a fun twist to see it on a cozy mystery cover for all those that shop at the retail chain as

"Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. is an American chain of domestic merchandise retail stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico. Founded in 1971, the stores sell home goods primarily for the bedroom and bathroom, as well as kitchen and dining room." ~Wikipedia

(2) Viewing on the cover that the novel was written with Laurie Cass, cozy author of a series I adore introducing librarian Minnie Hamilton and her rescue cat Eddie in the Bookmobile Cat Mystery series.

After reading the novel, I'm a little disappointed. The definitive pleasure is that the title does indeed capture the mystery element perfectly. But there are other elements that are not as pleasing. In some moments I enjoy the thoughts and expressions of the main character, Katie Bonner. But, at times, I'm frustrated with reading again and again and again that "she'd been so looking forward to working with a year's worth of data for Artisans Alley." Really? And Katie's "boyfriend" relationship with Andy, the pizzeria owner across Victoria Square is beyond my comprehension. It simply does not ring true to me and particularly for a young widow.

Additionally, although the novel is a typical cozy mystery to enjoy, I perhaps had an unfair higher expectation of a series in progress that was now receiving the imaginative contributions from a 2nd cozy author, Laurie Cass, who brings fun to each of her stories. I can't say I had fun this time.

Overall, there are so many exquisite cozy series available, I do not think I will continue reading this series. I'd rather use my limited reading time to experience the writing of other authors that I have not yet experienced and meet their character creations. ( )

Enjoyable continuation of Katie and Artisan's Alley.

I'm not quite sure how this got good reviews, but it must be from readers of "cozy" mysteries....

The main character ( I'll call her M.C. ?), was about to get divorced, but her scummy-ex died, leaving her in possession of a Crafts Mall, which she is slowly making a go of. She was working for an arrogant jerk (A.J.) of an Insurance agent, but M.C. finally had enough verbal abuse and quit.

M.C. meets up w/ A.J. on the dock as she & her attorney are coming back from a day out on his boat.... M.C. calls A.J. an arrogant jerk & people hear her, but she does Not threaten him.

So here we are, M.C. lives upstairs of her boyfriends Pizza Place, across the street is a B&B her good (gay--because I have to mention this, right) friends are renovating and where she has a view of the entire Victoria Square (her business is there too). The A.J. was staying at the B&B for FREE, as his wife kicked him out (she's kissing on her attorney), until he's found dead in the bathtub. He drowned, but not in the tub, in Lake Ontario, and was moved to the B&B's bathtub.

So the crux is: A.J. has a 330 ft. Yacht he's attempting to sell to almost every male M.C. is friendly with, and there is an insurance scam involved, which gets A.J. killed, so there is no lack of suspects. M.C. is so hyper-sensitive (and this is what ruined the book for me) that all she does is worry about if she is the main suspect, and her worry is stated over & over and made for "Enough Already, Get Over It"...

So, I skipped to the end, which was inventive for a cozy and for this earned a 2nd Star ( )

From the book jacket: Katie Bonner feels like nothing can spoil her perfect day off, sailing Lake Ontario with her good friend Seth Landers. Then she runs into her ex-boss Josh on the dock. It was never smooth sailing with Josh, and Katie is onlytoo happy to get away from him as he makes a scene. Unfortunately, the next day Josh is found drowned in a bathtub at a bed-and-breakfast across Victoria Square from Katie’s business. When an autopsy reveals lake water – not bath water – in his lungs, Katie quickly finds herself in over her head. She’ll need to race to find the killer before her business and her freedom both go down the drain.

My reactions
This is book # 4 in the Victoria Square series, though I haven’t read previous installments. It has all the hallmarks of a cozy mystery – an amateur sleuth who cannot keep her nose out of police business, a colorful cast of supporting characters, a fun business venture that keeps our heroine busy, and some love interest.

I found the writing somewhat repetitive – how often did I have to be told that Katie is extremely busy and doesn’t have time to eat or exercise? The subplot involving the beauty salon quickly grew tiresome. However, I did like her relationship with retired detective Ray Davenport; their friendship is a great foundation for the continuing series. I also liked the fact that when in dire circumstances, Katie shows great resourcefulness, tenacity and courage in getting herself out of the situation.

It’s not the best book I’ve ever read, or even the best-written mystery, but it held my attention and I was entertained. ( )

I’m a fan of Lorraine Bartlett’s series. This one, however, was disappointing, very slow and repetitious for three-quarters of the book. It only picked at the very end when Katie does something very foolish and gets herself kidnapped.

Her two gay friends who own the B&B find a dead man drowned in the bathtub. Lots of insurance and boat talk while Katie tries to investigate. Katie and Andy don’t work as a couple, in my opinion, and she should consider the retired detective. ( )