Review: Die, Die Birdie by: J.R. Ripley

Title: Die, Die Birdie
Author: J.R. Ripley
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Series: A Bird Lover's Mystery #1
Pages: 302
Format: e-book ARC
Source: GEBT & NetGalley

Description:

For Amy Simms, hatching a birding shop in her hometown of Ruby Lake, North Carolina, hasn't exactly been a breeze. But could a deadly discovery clip her wings for good? 

It's just days before Amy plans to open Birds & Bees on the first floor of her creaky Victorian house, but delayed seed shipments have prevented the fledging owner from stocking her shelves. And it doesn't help that Amy's best friend and business partner is out of town indefinitely. With locals skeptical about the niche shop taking flight, the last thing Amy needs now is a dead man in her storeroom—or for a crotchety tenant to catch her holding a bloody birdfeeder hook over his body . . .

Pigeonholed as a leading murder suspect by police and lacking a solid alibi, Amy's delving into the victim's ugly past and buzzing around Ruby Lake for clues on his killer . . . before she ends up like so many of her beloved feathery friends—trapped behind bars!

My Thoughts: 

Amy Sims is working hard at getting her new bird shop in town open with doing it alone while her friend and partner Kim is in Florida taking care of her ailing mother.  When Amy finds the lights out in her store, she discovers a body in her store room closet of course her crotchety renter is quick to blame Amy for the murder and of course the police have no problem hauling Amy off to the police station.  Where Amy finds herself being questioned and her mother hires her a lawyer Derek Harlan and his father Ben Harlan.  Amy also finds her friend Kim stuck in the middle of the murder investigation from long ago.  Who killed Matt Kowalski the victim from the closet.  Who killed Matt and why?  Why did they kill him in Birds and Bees?

While Kim and Amy are trying to figure out who killed Matt and why Amy keeps finding really weird things like that someone was squatting in her attic, and the Mayor roaming around her house and the realtor and an car dealer discussing something on the street!  Why is the realtor so eager to get the property back what does she hope to accomplish with the property? What does a car dealer have to do with anything going on?

I totally enjoyed this story and didn't realize I was at the end so quickly I loved learning about the people in this small town as Amy and Kim work on opening their store and meet all sorts of people some honest some not so honest.  I loved how we got to know people and things weren't left hanging too much in the end.  I was surprised to learn who the murderer was and why.  It really kept me wondering as Kim and Amy narrowed down the suspect poll down until they were stuck at square one with Amy and Kim on the hook.  Definitely a great book for bird lovers who love a great mystery.   Can't wait to see what is next with Amy and Kim!