Just as Alex begins to feel everything may be coming together for him, his beloved Uncle Jase is found murdered and the family members to whom he was about to read a now missing will check in. Added to his stress is the appearance of both Elise's fiancé and Alex's brother returning for his uncle's funeral.

Saddened by the loss of his uncle, at odds with his brother and over his feelings towards Elise, Alex is also fairly certain he has a murderer under his roof, a reputation he would rather the inn not possess. Using his free time to learn who murdered Uncle Jase is the last thing Alex is interested in doing right now, but if he gets too close to the truth, it may become the last thing he ever does.

Murder Checks Inn takes a familiar cozy theme, a bed and breakfast, and adds a twist by setting it in a lighthouse. While the setting is bucolic, the lighthouse theme is not always played up as much as it might be, nor is the local town brought into the picture often either. Alex is a warm and genuine character, but may be too kind and accommodating for his own good. Elise remains an enigma, though with the return of her fiancé, more is learned about her than in previous outings.

The mystery, though simple, offers several suspects with plenty of motives, some of which are very thoughtful and not at all immediately apparent. This third entry into a growing series begins to give some more insight into the characters, though there still seems plenty more to learn.

Fans of bed and breakfast cozies will be pleased with the unusual setting, though they may find themselves rooting for Alex to stop being such a nice guy and sweep Elise out of her fiancé’s arms and into his lighthouse permanently.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry