Kristin's Bookshelf

Campers and Criminals | Books 19, 20, 21
By Tonya Kappes
Narrated by Johanna Parker
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wildlife, Warrants, & Weapons
Oh Henry! Such a lovable, trusting fool. Thank goodness Mae always has his back because that man would accidentally walk himself into disaster with a smile on his face.

Meanwhile… Hank continues to work my last nerve. Tonya Kappes is eventually going to need to give this man some redeeming qualities because right now? I’m firmly Team Anybody Else.

Also – yay for Bobby Ray and Abbie 🥹

As always, Johanna Parker does a fantastic job bringing Normal, Kentucky to life. At this point these characters genuinely feel like people I know.

Blossoms, BBQ, & Blackmail
As y’all probably know by now, I am not a Hank Sharp stan, so honestly? This book felt refreshing without him constantly around belittling Mae.

I really liked the addition of Tucker and while part of me would love to see a new romance brewing, we all know Mae is still hung up on Hank for reasons I may never fully understand 😂

This mystery kept me guessing and I had a lot of fun with it. I do wish we’d gotten even more of the pageant because I can absolutely picture Dottie and Mary Elizabeth approaching that stage in wildly different ways. The cast keeps growing, so there are definitely a lot of personalities to keep track of, but that chaotic small-town energy is part of the charm of this series.

Lanterns, Lakes, & Larceny
I knew the peace wouldn’t last… Hank has returned 😩

And Bobby Ray’s momma? Girl. Please stop. Let Abbie be happy.

This one leaned more heavily into relationship drama, and honestly, that became my main focus rather than the actual mystery. The case itself just didn’t hook me the same way some of the previous books have, but I’m still fully invested in the town drama and these ridiculous characters.