Julia Ross is a 48-year-old divorcee who decides to completely upend her life.
A year after her divorce, Julia sells everything (including the house), turns her minivan into a camper, and heads to an idyllic beachfront state park in Florida. What is supposed to be a month of sunbathing, hiking, biking, and self-care, however, turns into a murder investigation when a camper is found dead in his RV.
At first, Julia doesn't want to get involved. After all, she’s at the beach to relax. But her new camping friends, Dottie and Penelope, insist she help them find the murderer. They believe the Sheriff has arrested the wrong man, one of their birding club friends. And they believe Julia is precisely the right person to prove their friend innocent and find the real killer.
The Case of the Fugitive Flamingo is the first book in the Julia Lives in a Van series. It’s a light-hearted, cozy murder mystery with a delightful cast of characters, which includes Julia and her two new camping friends, Dottie and Penelope, and also Toby, an abandoned pup Julia found on her drive down to Florida. This book is safe for anyone at any age to read. It has no swearing, no explicit content, and no gore. Yes, there’s a murder to solve, but this is all done against a backdrop of exquisite natural beauty, budding friendships, and of course, birdwatching.
If you like cozy mysteries with lovable characters and a fun murder to solve, then you’ll love L. C. Richards’ brand-new mystery, The Case of the Fugitive Flamingo.
I really enjoyed reading this book about Julia and her dog Toby who together with her new friends Dottie and Penelope resolves the murder in a birders group in beachfront state park in Florida. It is very well written and I intend to read following books in the serie very soon.
This was a nice start for an interesting-sounding series I found on Kindle Unlimited. I love the little beagle, Toby. And Dottie, Julia's new friend and camping neighbor was probably my favorite character. I wasn't really sure whodunit, so I just followed along as the three new friends (Dot, Pen and Julia) found leads and did their sleuthing.
The side story of Julia having a crush on Ranger Rick Dobson was pretty cute and eventually resulted in a date which was told in a little more detail in the very cute short story I found by following the link to sign up for the author's newsletter. It's called Toby Solves a Murder and is kinda like a "cutting room floor scene" if you want to think of it that way. I'll probably borrow the next on KU eventually. I'm interested to see what Julia gets into next and if Dottie and Pen are going to join her.
This was a fun book to read. I don’t normally try to figure out “whodunnit,” because I just want to read and enjoy the story, but I did for this one. There were many light parts and overall, the book was not “heavy,” which is exactly what I was looking for. I’m enjoying this genre - cozy mysteries - and this author has done a great job with this story. I’m looking forward to reading the next one in the series.
This is a real cozy mystery. The way it is written: right from the start I just sat back and enjoyed my reading, no irritating characters, grammar or spelling mistakes. Enjoyment all around. And the killer remained a mystery until the very end.
I enjoyed the book, great fun, easy read, and kept my attention. It is nice to read about older independent women enjoying life with friendships travel, and mystery. I wish there was more about the flamingo aspect in the he book.
A light hearted story that was fun to read. After a divorce and being discontent for so long Julie was ready for a change. She decided to hit the road in her minivan. This book was about her first adventure.
I know the Florida panhandle well and this was a fun cozy mystery set just outside of Panama City. Julia is sweet and looking for a new life. Then there's Toby, her little rescue dog. So adorable! Just a fun cozy!
This was a cute mystery. The characters are engaging and interesting. I liked the 3 female campers gathering together to sleuth. I got the wrong suspect but enjoyed the journey. Julia showed a lot of growth as a newly divorced woman and really put herself out there for a second life.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Loved all the characters, and the mystery plot. Mostly I loved Toby! I’ve just finished reading the second book in the series, and just downloaded the third book and can’t wait to jump into that one!