I'm pleased to welcome Mona Marple to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Mona writes the Yorkshire Coast Cozy Mystery series. A WHALE OF A CRIME is the first book in the series.
Kathy: In A WHALE OF A CRIME Ryan Kennedy returns to Flamborough—the tiny Yorkshire village he once called home to care for his ailing gran. Have you ever returned to a place you thought you'd left behind?
I actually still live in my home town where I was born and raised, so not really!
Kathy: Ryan and his gran, Iris, have a very observant dog named Bracken by their side. I love dogs, though at the moment I only have cats. Do you have dogs? Is Bracken based on a real dog, or is he completely fictional?
Bracken is totally fictional, but my heart does belong to a dog – Coco my Labradoodle. She is loyal, affectionate and funny. My reader group on Facebook actually helped my daughter and I persuade my sweet husband to agree to getting a dog!
Kathy: Flamborough is a seaside town and Iris owns a chaotic seaside bookshop. Why choose the seaside and why a bookshop instead of another type of shop?
We own a caravan on a holiday park in Flamborough and the area has become really special to my family. It’s such a beautiful part of the world and relatively unknown, so I wanted to share my love of the area!
Why a book shop? Because I love them so much and it’s my dream to open one someday, so I guess I’m living through Iris a little!
Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?
My mum, who passed away in 2022. She was a huge fan of them and as a child I would watch Murder, She Wrote and Columbo and Midsomer Murders with her. She never used the term cozy mysteries, and my dad always teased her that as soon as she’d finished a book or show she had already forgotten who the killer was!
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
I have a non-fiction book about Time Management for Authors, and I’ve been working on a women’s fiction novel for about three years – it’s not coming easily but I hope it will be finished one day!
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
My most popular series is the Christmas Mysteries series, set in Candy Cane Hollow, where every day is like Christmas and the Claus family are as real as your favourite festive cookie J
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
In A WHALE OF A CRIME, my favourite character is Iris. She’s quite feisty and can stand up for herself, but she’s fiercely loyal to her family and good fun too.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
I’ve had the idea for Ryan’s character for years – a man who is very much an average person, who loved a celebrity who then died in an apparent suicide. That idea has interested me for a long time!
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
Again, it was my mum. A few years before she passed away, she had a stroke that completely changed her life and made her disabled. I had always wanted to write but got busy with life, like we all do, and it was my mum’s stroke that made me realise none of us are promised tomorrow, so I went ahead and got started.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
Oh wow! Elin Hilderbrand and Fredrik Backman are two of my favourites who don’t write cozy mystery, Michael Rosen is such a legend I’d have to include him and thank him for writing books and poems my daughter loves, and from the cozy mystery world I’d invite Matilda Swift because I love her books and her podcast.
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
I’ve just finished THAT'LL TEACH HER by Maz Evans. It was a fun cozy mystery about a headmistress being killed, and the parents’ message group trying to solve the crime!
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
I’m very bookish. I love buying books, reading, wandering around bookshops, listening to podcasts about reading and writing! I’m getting into cooking more at the moment – as I write this I’m baking walnut bread and I keep having to go downstairs to check on it.
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
Fizzy pop (I’m addicted!), cheese, yoghurt and olives.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
Yes! The second book in the Yorkshire Coast series is already available for pre-order and my next release is the eighth book in my Christmas Mysteries series!
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
Connecting with readers. It’s so fantastic to get to know my readers and hear about their lives. As a huge book lover, I know how special it is to lose myself in a book and it’s amazing to hear that people get that feeling from my books.
**************************************************************************
Review
The First Yorkshire Coast Cozy Mystery
Ryan Kennedy left the seaside Yorkshire village of Flamborough never expecting to return. But a call from his sister had him quickly leaving London and coming home. Something fishy is going on in the coastal town. Vic Drake has returned, financial irregularities are found, and a mysterious boat has come ashore. Not one to pussyfoot about, Ryan's gran, Iris, has him accompany her to an invitation only party on the beach his first night. But when the fog rolls in it gives one of the group the perfect opportunity and Vic winds up dead. Which one of the group killed him? Everyone had motive and everyone was acting suspiciously. Iris, Ryan, and Ryan's dog, Bracken, will work together to sort out the truth...even when it appears this murder may be somehow related to the death of Ryan's husband ten years prior.
I absolutely loved this book! Flamborough is not just any village, it's a true bit of Yorkshire. The language, the down to earth proud people with grit, everything is perfectly captured on the page. The family dynamic between Ryan, his gran, big sister, and mom is a wonderful mix of care, concern, and love with a dash of stoicism and some humour. I love that Iris has her poker playing pals and a romantic interest. Bracken is such a smart sensitive dog, as much a crime solver as Iris. And don't get me started on the mother cat and kittens....and what happens at the end (don't worry, it's a good thing). Though they may have their differences the town comes together to help each other.
I admire Iris' investigative techniques and the final reveal was brilliant! In a clever move, information about the death of Ryan's husband is provided through a message board. This overarching mystery adds depth and makes me even more eager to read the next book in the series.
While I'm generally not a fan of multiple POVs, I wasn't bothered at all and found it important to see the mystery through two separate eyes, those of Ryan, and his gran, Iris. Chapters were labeled so it was obvious whose point of view we were seeing. In addition the story was told in third person, which really worked.
Marine conservation, murder, and a bit of Yorkshire pluck make A WHALE OF A CRIME an outstanding series debut. Grab a nice cup of tea, or perhaps a pint, and be ready for a captivating read!
**********************************************************************
A Whale of a Crime (A Yorkshire Coast Cozy Mystery) by Mona Marple
About A Whale of a Crime
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - FLAMBOROUGH, YORKSHIRE COAST, ENGLAND
Independently Published (April 30, 2025)
Print length: 254 pages
Excerpt “He hadn't expected it to feel like this—like being punched in the gut and wrapped in a warm blanket all at once.” “Welcome home, little brother.” “Because I very much doubt Vic decided to bash his own head in with a decorative whale.” “You could dress a Flamborough lad in all the fancy clothes you liked, but the salt air would always find a way in.” “They were trapped until morning. Six suspects, one murder weapon, and Iris’ grandson caught in the middle of it all.”After ten years away, Ryan Kennedy never planned on returning to Flamborough—the tiny Yorkshire village he once called home. But when his fiercely independent gran, Iris, needs him, he finds himself back behind the counter at her chaotic seaside bookshop, wrestling with jammed tills, nosy villagers, and the memories he’s spent years trying to forget.
What Ryan doesn’t expect is to be swept straight into the heart of a murder investigation.
When a mysterious boat appears on the beach and a body turns up at the exclusive Whale Watch Weekend picnic, all eyes turn to the cliffs—and to the secrets the village has been keeping. As Ryan and Iris dig into the tangled history of the victim, long-buried truths begin to surface, not just about the case... but about the night Ryan’s own husband died.
With the tide cutting them off, a killer on the loose, and a very observant dog named Bracken by their side, Ryan and Iris must work fast—because in Flamborough, the past doesn’t stay buried, and the sea has a habit of washing everything to shore.
For fans of twisty village whodunits, seaside charm, and heartfelt mysteries with a slow-burning emotional pull, A Whale of a Crime is the unforgettable first instalment in a brand-new series.
About Mona Marple
Mona Marple writes charming cozy mysteries filled with quirky characters, twisty whodunits, and settings you’ll wish you could visit—especially if you love a bit of seasonal sparkle. Best known for her beloved Candy Cane Hollow series, Mona creates worlds where murder meets mistletoe and sleuthing pairs perfectly with a cup of tea. When she’s not writing, Mona can be found walking her Labradoodle, Coco, plotting her next murder (on the page, of course), or hosting reader parties in her cozy online community.
Author Links:
WEBSITE: WWW.MONAMARPLE.COM
FACEBOOK: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MONAMARPLEAUTHOR
FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/332562544209625
INSTAGRAM: WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/MONAMARPLE
Purchase Link - Amazon
I enjoyed the interview, thank you.
ReplyDelete