Murder On Vacation by Rosie A Point & Charles Timmerman

The latest installment of the Cranberry Creek Word Search mystery series is another winning combination of cozy mystery and related word search puzzles!

Abby Jones is thrilled to be going on a romantic vacation with her boyfriend Nathan and her pampered cat Reggie (short for Sir Reginald.) Sure they aren’t going very far from the center of their small town, but a long weekend at the Lakeside Gardens bed and breakfast located on the outskirts of Cranberry Creek is a charming escape from their everyday lives. While Abby loves her job running the town’s only bookstore, sheriff’s deputy Nathan could definitely use a break from his overbearing boss, Sheriff Swift.

There are only two other guests at the B&B which, despite its designation, has a full service if limited menu dining room. Tim Kowalski is a shy artist, while Hunter Ashford is a debonair traveler. The B&B owner Jenny Krueger seems to often be at odds with her chef Brenda Schulz, but that’s really the only wrinkle in the otherwise idyllic landscape of this lakeside inn.

That all changes when a mystifyingly locked dining room one morning is opened to reveal a very dead Jenny inside. She’s sitting at a table with a cup of tea and a suicide note. Nathan immediately calls the police, who put the inn on lockdown. Soon enough, it’s revealed that while Jenny did indeed die of poisoning, her suicide note is highly suspect. Worse, all signs point to Nathan as her killer, despite his seeming lack of motive.

Abby isn’t about to let Sheriff Swift railroad her boyfriend in the same way that he’s attempted to with other people of her acquaintance. Nathan, being police himself, wants her to let the authorities handle it, tho his protestations are fairly half-hearted given his own experience of Sheriff Swift’s efforts vs Abby’s. With the help of Reggie, Abby’s going to find out who really dunnit, no matter what danger it puts her in.

The mystery is cute but slight, with charming characters and a cozy setting. The highlight of this series continues to be how well the mystery is integrated with the word search puzzles, which are of their usual very high standard. The book overall is a winning diversion for anyone who wants some light exercise for their brain, with fifty puzzles in total to accompany the story chapters.

I personally loved how this installment is purple-themed, as that’s my favorite color. The shades they’ve chosen, in lavenders and lilacs, are very calming without being soporific. This is a lovely book for the mystery/puzzle reader who wants a soothing experience that’s fun and absorbing without being too taxing on the little grey cells.

Murder On Vacation by Rosie A Point & Charles Timmerman was published May 26 2026 by Adams Media and is available from all good booksellers, including