Welcome to another Book Review Tuesday! I have one book to share with you today, and although it’s part of a series, I believe it stands well on its own.This is the second Braxton Campus Mystery I’ve read, and I’m hooked. What a spectacular, delightful, eccentric, colorful assortment of characters. Five starts from me for Flower Power Trip by James J. Cudney!
Flower Power Trip
by James J. Cudney
Once you visit Braxton Campus, you can’t help becoming immersed in the lives of the varied people who populate this quaint setting. Kellan Arywick is a professor with an uncanny knack for sleuthing out murderers—through no fault of his own, and much to the chagrin of the local sheriff. This time around, Kellan agrees to help Braxton College president, Ursula Power, discover who’s stalking her and sending threatening notes. Instead, Kellan ends up with a dead body on his hands, the prime suspect his ex-girlfriend’s sister. Kellan and Maggie have a maintained a strong friendship, so he’s soon up to his neck in trying to find out who did the deed. A stalker, a murder—and that’s only part of what’s going on in this multi-layered mystery.
Complex, but believably presented, the main threads tie up in a neat bow by the time the end arrives. Getting there, however, is quite the rollercoaster ride with suspects presenting themselves at every turn (there is also a few ongoing threads that carry over the series, but in no way leave the reader unsatisfied).
Highlights for me: Kellan’s grandmother “Nana D” is a scene stealer, though there are so many colorful characters in this series, each is given multiple moments to shine. The dialogue is witty and the writing crisp.
An absolute highlight is the masquerade party held to raise funds for renovations to the library. The theme is Heroes and Villains, with guests attending dressed as their favorite hero or villain from literature. I want to go to that party!—minus the murder, of course. Also of note is Kellan’s frenemy relationship with Sheriff April Montague, who finds his meddling in police business annoying to say the least. It’s fun seeing the progression and changes to their relationship.
If you like cozies and whodunits, with vibrant characters and snappy dialogue, this is a series for you! I read this book without reading the first two in the series, but given how enthralled I am, I want to read them all! 5 Stars
Amazon Purchase Link
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Thanks for visiting today, and I hope you enjoyed the review. If you’re looking for a good cozy, check out Flower Power Trip and the entire Braxton Campus series. I know I’ll be reading more!
This review makes me want to go out and buy this book. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Mae 🙂
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Aww, thank you! That’s so kind.
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Wow, that’s awesome, Harmony! The characters and the story are superb. Jay has a great series going, but I think this also reads fine as a standalone, as he does an excellent job in explaining relationships.
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it sounds like a cute mystery. Your review actually made me smile as I read it.
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Mae’s review is wonderful, I agree! 🙂
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And that makes me smile, Priscilla! I had fun writing the review. The characters are all gems, and the plot–especially with the masquerade party–was a lot of fun.
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Hi,
Thank you so much for being such a wonderful, kind, and generous supporter. I love this review, and you nailed Nana D. She’s such a treasure to write for. Her lines are always the easiest to draft. 🙂
Have a wonderful day. Can’t wait to share this everywhere.
J
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I’m glad you liked the review, Jay. Thanks for keeping me entertained. I can see where you have a lot of fun writing for Nana D. She is such a scene stealer! I also love the interaction between Kellan and April. You’ve have a great series going here and I’ll be reading more!
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🙂
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I’ve seen wonderful reviews for this series, and I like that it’s set on a college campus. A cast of colorful characters can make for such a fun read. Awesome review, Mae!
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The college setting is really different from most cozies, as is the lead character being male rather than female. Those two unusual items really attracted me to it, and now I can see why it has such great reviews.
Thanks for checking out the review, Teri!
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This sounds wonderful and I want to go to that party too! Will check out the whole series ❤️❤️❤️
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Awesome! I’m sure Jay will love hearing that.
And now I want to host a masquerade party with a literature theme, LOL!
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A great review Mae. I love Jay’s writing. He keeps me guessing till the end.
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He really knows how to layer on the threads in a mystery, doesn’t he? And the more I read the Braxton Campus Series, the more I love the characters!
Thanks for visiting to cheer on Jay!
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He sure does Mae.
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Oooh, I’ve been planning to check out these books for some time, and you just reminded me to get over to Amazon and grab the first in this series. Thanks for a great review, and James just made another sale! 🙂 Sharing!
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That’s fantastic, Marcia! I’ve been reading them out of sequence, but I need to go back and start at the beginning. The two books I’ve read are definitely entertaining!
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This sounds right up my alley. I do love cozies:) And this one sounds like a fun read. I like to read a cozy after I’ve finished a thriller. It makes for a nice balance.
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I like the way you balance your reads, Judi. I might have to try that as well.
And Braxton Campus reads make for fun and fabulous cozies. I think you’ll enjoy!
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This looks like a great series.
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I’ve read two books so far and they’re highly entertaining. A lot of fun with great characters!
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That’s a good recommendation, and I do love colorful characters.
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Braxton Campus is populated with them, Craig! And Nana D is a hoot 🙂
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I have enjoyed this series too Mae and looking forward to the next in the series.
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I’m with you on both of those, Sally. I have so much catching up to do, LOL!
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Join the club…xx
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🙂
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I agree with your observation about Nana D, an excellent character!
I highly recommend these series Mae. What I appreciate about them is that James keeps the gory details, curse words and sexual content out, which elevate his books above the modern wiles of the writers. He has even done away with the trick of dark secrets. 🙂
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Nana D is a treasure for sure, Balroop. I’ve only read two of the books in the series so far, but I’m sure I will find them all utterly charming. I like to read cozies because of the lack of sexual content and gore. I still like my suspense and psychological thrillers but between Jay and Judi Lynn, I have a whole new appreciation for cozy mysteries!
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I’ve been enjoying this series, but haven’t had the chance to read this one yet. Excellent review, Mae! Out of curiosity, who would you choose to be if you attended the masquerade ball?
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I’ve only read two of the books so far, but I want to read the rest. It’s a great series.
Wow, I hadn’t stopped to think about who I would want to dress as….I just kept imagining all those great costumes. Maybe a Musketeer, or someone from Victorian London. I need to think about that one! 🙂
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I think I’d make a good Charles Dickens, lol
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Aside from saying ‘interesting premise’ and ‘great review’ my main question was going to be ‘Mae, who would you go as?’ … so glad it wasn’t only me who wanted to know 😁
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Ha, ha, ha! I really need to give that one some thought!
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Maybe host a blogosphere masquerade ball and we can all “come” in our getup 😃
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Great review, Mae! I do like a good cozy mystery:) I had to add this to my TBR list.
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That’s awesome, Denise. I know Jay will appreciate hearing that. 🙂
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🙂
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Super review. I see Jay’s work being reviewed everywhere. Gotta get me some.
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They’re good books, John. I think you’d enjoy them 🙂
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A wonderful review of Jay’s book, Mae. I have read the first two books in the series and this is next on my list.
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I really enjoyed this one, Robbie. I need to go back and read the first two as well. I love his characters!
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I loved the great family dynamics in his books, Mae. You don’t often find that in modern books. Of course the red herrings and plot were good too.
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this book, Mae. I have to say the huge knife sticking into the lawn on the cover is a nice effect!
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It is, isn’t, Jan? And the cover works perfectly with the tone of this series which is multi-layered but flirty fun, too. Thanks for reading!
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Great review!
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Thank you, Mark!
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Great review, Mae! My TBR list loves you (I, however, need to catch up 😀 )
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Thanks, Julie. This was a fun one! 🙂
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