Fourth Victim (Writers Retreat Southern Seashore Mystery Book 4)
During the course of the remodel on one of the cabins at the retreat, the contractor finds a box hidden in a wall. The box contained letters written to Frannie before her death casting doubt on the identity of her killer. The Strangler was never caught and his victims never verified so the Mystery Mastermind group decide to investigate this very complex cold case on their own.
Reviews (51)
Romance and Murder at Christmas
Fourth Victim is the fourth book book in Kathi Daley’s Writer’s Retreat Southern Mystery series. Whether you have read the first 3 books in this series or not, it is easy to keep all the characters in place in this exciting series. Kathi Daley writes of all the characters in this book in the beginning. Trust me it really helps to keep to know who is who! I think this series gets better with every book. Jill Handford has come to Gull Island South Carolina to help restore a resort for her older brother Garrett. She is a single newspaper reporter that is currently without a job. She fills the resort with a varied assortment of writers. They have solved several murders and embark on a new venture to solve the murder of a lady that lived at the resort and was murdered but her killer never found. And oh my it is close to Christmas and lots of romance in the air among the writers and some local folks! This book is a wonderful mix of romance and mystery. You will enjoy this series. Kathi Daley turns out another success!
Intriguing!
Very good! The gang looks into a 50 year old mystery after a box containing love letters and a locket is found during the remodeling of the resort's cabins. Jill is intrigued by this latest mystery. The letters and locket belonged to a woman who was a guest at the resort and was said to have been the fourth victim of the Silk Stalking serial killer. Jack and Jill along with the others set out to investigate if Frannie really was killed by the serial killer or a copycat. Jill also gets an offer to return to her New York lifestyle and she tries to uncover the identity of the Secret Santa. Very intriguing and the characters are delightful. I really enjoy this series and seeing the writers come together to solve cold cases.
“Fourth Victim” earns 5+/5 Boxes of Suspicious Letters…Delightfully Devious!
It is an intriguing premise that writers of different ages known to write in different genres would live, work, and collaborate together on several cold cases from a few years old to decades past bringing to justice the killers and providing closure to family and friends. Contributing additional facts, perspectives, and maybe a ‘red herring’ or two, we have a quirky set of support characters: townsfolk from shop owners to law enforcement to a squawking parrot and a ghost (well, that’s what Gertie says). The group’s investigative projects have popped up accidentally with a curious murder linked to a past unsolved crime, discovery of a body thought to have been the killer in another cold case, or just a writer’s interest in a suspicious overdose. All of this works well as each member of the group uses their individual talents with input from a variety of sources, even putting someone in jeopardy, to uncover the truth behind the mystery ‘du jour.’ And this new project literally came up by accident. Introduced in “Third Strike,” Jill Hanford, investigative reporter turned proprietor of the Turtle Cove Resort, is given a box construction crews found hidden in the wall during renovations of one of the resort’s cabins. Inside the box she finds a bunch of love letters penned fifty years ago, a photograph of a young couple, and a locket. Basic information had already been discovered in the previous story—Francine K. had spent time at the resort in 1963 to 1964 while her husband was serving in Vietnam, but the letters were not from her husband. The mystery turns into a murder investigation when it is discovered in 1964 Francine Kettleman was found strangled not far from the resort, her body found in a cemetery. The FBI at the time determined she was the fourth victim of the Silk Stalking Stranger, a serial killer in the 1960s that had never been caught. Jill and the Mastermind Mystery Group aren’t convinced of the FBI’s conclusions because of anomalies not matching the killer’s signature behaviors, and decide to investigate on their own. Quickly having become a favorite Kathi Daley series the mystery is always fun to follow and I enjoy the manner in which the clues are revealed through conversations and research, including a few squawks and messages from beyond, and although my inner detective was greatly entertained, it was challenged, too. Beyond the mystery, I love the camaraderie between the writers, plans for the Christmas holidays, the continuing relationship between “Jack and Jill,” and Jill’s interest in unmasking the local Secret Santa. Life changing decisions loom and revisiting old wounds of her distant mother plague Jill who has been showing signs that a small community and close circle of friends may be more enjoyable and rewarding, but the lure of the big city still looms.
A Cold Case and a Secret Santa
Fourth Victim is the fourth book in Kathi Daley’s Writer’s Retreat Southern Mystery series and it’s an awesome and delightful read. Ms. Daley’s writing style flows smoothly, the characters are well rounded and affable, and the mystery well plotted. Ms. Daley has provided readers with a clean read, filled with caring and compassionate characters, an intriguing cold case mystery to try to solve, plus a touch of sweet romance. There are lots of potential suspects and twists and turns to keep the reader engaged and guessing. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading well-crafted cozy mysteries. Jillian ‘Jill’ Hanford, a former New York newspaper reporter, is helping her half-brother, Garrett Hanford, who suffered a stroke, to oversee scheduled renovations at his resort on Gull Island, a small island off the South Carolina coast. Jill has turned the resort into a writers’ retreat and the group enjoys working together to solve real life mysteries. The general contractor hired to renovate the cabins recently found a box inside the wall of one of the cabins that a bundle of letters written over fifty years ago, a photograph of a young couple, and a locket. Jill wanted to solve the mystery of whose box it is so she can return it, but discovered that the owner, Francine ‘Frannie’ Kettleman, who had stayed at the resort in 1963-1964, was murdered. The FBI determined Frannie was the fourth victim of the Silk Stalking Stranger, a serial killer who killed thirteen women in the mid 1960’s and was never caught. Jill questions the FBI’s ruling, presents the case to the other members of the Mystery Mastermind Group, and they start investigating. Jill’s stay on Gull Island was supposed to be temporary, but she’s fallen in love with the area and her new friends and writer’s group have provided her with the family she’s always wanted, and she’s building a relationship with Jackson ‘Jack’ Jones. When Margo, an old business colleague, presents her with an opportunity to return to her life in New York working for the second-largest news magazine in the country with her and Dru, Jill’s ex-boyfriend, she’s torn.
Two Mysteries to Solve
Fourth Victim is the fourth book in the Writer’s Retreat Southern Mystery series by the prolific Kathi Daley. This book can be read as a stand-alone. Ms. Daley provides a guide to each of the characters and their role within the story. This is a novel mystery series as each installment the participants seek to unravel a very complex cold case. Set on Gull Island at a resort being renovated to host writer’s retreats, the current residents seek to determine if the death of a young woman named Frannie Kettleman. was the fourth victim of the Silk Stocking Strangler. The FBI felt her death was related and they closed the case. However, the old sheriff of Gull Island did not believe she was killed by the strangler. Additionally, Jill is also investigating the identity of a secret Santa who has been doing good deeds anonymously for residents in need in Gull Island as a human-interest story. Two totally unrelated mysteries add a unique quality to this book: twice the intrigue! Each book in this series improves in overall quality. The perfect book for cozy mystery fans who appreciate more depth to the story.
Asks the question: if even if a mystery can be soved, should the answers be shared?
During a previous mystery, the Writers Mastermind group came across a victim from their very own community. Frannie K lived at the resort while her husband was deployed overseas. At first a sympathetic character, the more they learned about Frannie, the more human she became, along with human flaws. Still, it also became apparent that she was not a victim of the then famous Strangler but was classified that way for the officating authorities to quickly close her case. The Christmas holiday is approaching which means everyone is going in a million directions getting prepared and taking part in community events. Romance is also in the air, with potentail new beginnings heating up. Out of the blue, Jill gets the offer of a lifetime from a previous boss and close friend. This would mean having to give up the new life she is building for herself. Does she want to go back to old dreams? Keeping a steady pace and tackling all the uncertainties life can throw at one from multiple directions simultaneously this addition to the writers mystery series asks the question if even if a mystery can be soved, should the answers be shared.
A Great Mystery
In this fourth book of the series Jill has brought a fifty-three year old murder to the writers group to hopefully solve. Francine "Frannie" Kettleman was killed and it was thought to be by the hand of a serial killer known as The Silk Stocking Strangler. With several discrepancies between her death and the others Jill thinks that it had to be someone else. While asking questions of people still alive and around that new Frannie the group learns that there was quite more to the story than they previously thought. Frannie might have seemed like a sweet girl but she didn't take her marriage vows seriously, is this what got her killed. Did her husband find out about her cheating ways and do her in? Can the group come up with the killer when the suspect list keeps getting larger? Follow along as they try to separate fact from fiction to find out just who killed Frannie and why? Meanwhile Jill has an offer she has to deal with, is it something she wants to move forward with or is the life she is living now the way for her? I truly enjoy this series, I've come to take away something from each of the group and look forward to seeing what they have to add. I can't wait to see what they investigate next!!!
A Writer's Retreat Mystery returns.
Fourth Victim is the 4th book in A Writer’s Retreat Mystery series. Francine (Frannie) Kettleman was the 4th victim of the Silk Stocking Strangler who murdered thirteen women in the same manner in a ten-month period. Frannie lived at Turtle Cove Resort on Gull Island after her husband, Tom, was drafted and sent overseas during the Vietnam Conflict. When love letters in a metal box from a man other than Frannie’s husband, it is questioned if Frannie’s death was done by the strangler. The Silk Stocking Strangler is known to have strangled all his victims with a pair of women’s sick stockings, their bodies found in cemeteries along the East Coast from Florida to Massachusetts. The Strangler was never caught, and the FBI never closed the case. This is the basis for the Writers Retreat Residents to solve if indeed Frannie was the 4th victim or if someone else is guilty of the murder. Jill Hanford and Jack Jones return and in addition to solving this puzzle, their romance is developing and Jill has received a job offer that would require her to leave Gull Island and return to New York. The job is a dream job, but Jill knows that would mean leaving Gull Island and all the friendships she has formed, including her relationship with Jack. It is also the Christmas season. For several years each Christmas time, a Secret Santa has provided for a worthy cause. Jill is determined to find out who this Secret Santa is and share his/her charitable deeds, so they can receive credit for them. As you can see this book is filled with lots of action which guarantees to keep your attention. This is my favorite series written by Kathi Daley but I slightly disappointed there wasn’t more feedback from the other residents in the investigation of Frannie’s death. We did get to meet some of the other town people which added more depth to the book. Kathi’s next book is scheduled to be released in January 2018, and I am trying to wait patiently for it.
Another delightful cozy from Kathi!
This is the fourth book in this series by Kathi Daley. As a long time successful cozy mystery writer, this series is a welcome addition for all of her fans. In this series a group of writers living at a resort retreat, they gather to utilize their various expertise to try to solve a death that took place decades ago. What seemed at first to be a young married woman who may have been the victim of a serial killer, facts uncovered discover that it may have been a copy cat murder and the young lady had made many possible enemies during her time on the island. Should they keep digging or will the secrets uncovered be overwhelming? Kathi Daley has another great cozy mystery to keep us guessing with many twists and turns. Her characters are always well developed and engaging to follow. I look forward to the next book and I'm sure you will too!
Love this series
I love this series more with every book that I read! I would love to live somewhere like Gull Island, surrounded by other writers and using our various talents to solve mysteries in our "spare time." The characters and their relationships are developing over time, and are very lifelike. And Blackbeard is one of the greatest animal characters in any cozy series. My only complaint/problem with this story is Jim. I realize he's falling head over heels for Jillian, but somehow being willing to give up his big house and all that goes with it and move into one of the cabins at the resort just doesn't ring true for me. The murder mystery in this story was fascinating. I was fairly sure the Strangler wasn't the killer, but I had no clue who the actual killer was until the final reveal.
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