REVIEW: Deadly News by Jody Holford

In Deadly News (Britton Bay Mystery #1) by Jody Holford, Molly Owens is ready to make her mark as the new editor of the Britton Bay Bulletin. However, there are some employees that are less than impressed with her getting the job. Yet, she’s not about to let anything stop her from doing a good job. But when one of her colleagues turns up dead, Molly decides it’s up to her to solve the man’s murder. Will her investigation uncover the truth or will she find herself in trouble that she’s unable to get out of?

“You all right?” The officer let her arm go and pulled a notepad from his breast pocket.
“Compared to what?” Molly asked.
His dark hair matched his dark eyes, which crinkled around the corners with empathy. “Seeing a dead body never gets easier.”
“I hope I don’t find that out for myself.”

I love Ms. Holford’s contemporary romances, so there was no way I was going to miss out on reading this new series of hers, which is a cosy mystery about a former army brat finally ready to put down roots and it seems Britton Bay is just the place. Really, there’s a rightness to the place for Molly, even though the secondary characters at her new workplace don’t give her the warmest of welcomes. Will she be able to win her colleagues over?

The way this story started drew me in immediately and made this story an absolute page turner, as the heroine has quite the uphill battle with her new job and then with the murder of a colleague. Will she get to the bottom of why her colleague was murdered? However, it was from the moment the hero and heroine come face-to-face for the first time where this story really takes off, as Molly has been hurt before and doesn’t know whether she can trust another man again. Yet, there’s something about Sam that the heroine is intrigued by.

=”You’re an interesting woman, Molly Owens. I’ll pick you up at nine. I’m thinking the cover of night works best for your nefarious plan,” he said. He shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe her suggestion. Or his own agreement. A man who’d come along willingly, without looking at her like she was a loony tune, could be trouble for her heart. But this wasn’t about her feelings. It was about figuring out what Vernon was up to.=

As for the dialogue, it was highly entertaining due to the heroine’s back story and the journey she takes in doing her job and getting involved when she knows she shouldn’t. Then again, she’s a reporter. They’re known for being nosy and digging into things they shouldn’t. Moreover, Molly is resilient, courageous, persistent, is a woman that takes charge of a situation and I liked how determined she was to solve her colleague’s murder because she feels such guilt and doesn’t believe in coincidences. Is the story she assigned Vernon the reason behind his murder?

=”You’re going to have to try harder than that if you want to get rid of me. From my side, what I see is a smart, beautiful woman with enough interesting quirks to label her cute, but not quite enough to call her crazy. You make me laugh and when I think of you, I smile without meaning to.”=

Overall, Ms. Holford has delivered a wonderful first book for this series where the secondary characters are quirky and interesting; the chemistry between Molly and Sam was powerful and had me enjoying their growing relationship; the romance was delightful and sweet and had me liking how Sam makes Molly feel welcome to town and helps her with things she asks of him; and the ending had me worried for Molly because of what she uncovers, but had me liking that she put her trust in some of the secondary characters that could help her finally get to the bottom of her story and bring her colleague’s killer to justice. I would recommend Deadly News by Jody Holford, if you enjoy cosy mysteries or books by authors Lynn Cahoon, Lauren Elliott, Devon Delaney and Mollie Cox Bryan.

Book Info:

Becca| 4.5 Stars | HJ Recommends | No |
Publication: October 30th, 2018 | Lyrical Underground | Britton Bay Mystery #1

Former Army brat Molly Owens is ready to put down roots, and the picturesque seaside town of Britton Bay on the Oregon Coast seems like the perfect place for it. Especially when she lands a job as editor of the local paper. But she’s got one colleague who’s very bad news . . .

As an experienced journalist, Molly is eager to bring the struggling Britton Bay Bulletin up to speed. But when she pushes Vernon, one of her less welcoming reporters, to dig a little deeper into the story of a prominent local family, the man ends up dead. The fact that he wasn’t well-liked makes finding the killer extra complicated. The lists of suspects range from his ex-wife to his own son to Molly’s boss, who has a secret of his own. But when Molly’s attempts to sleuth out the truth result in her receiving frightening threats, the trouble is just beginning . . .

The one bright spot is Molly’s newfound flirtation with Sam Alderich. The sexy mechanic is used to taking things apart and piecing them back together, and between the two of them they just might be able to solve this deadly puzzle—if Molly can survive peaceful small-town life long enough . . .