Review – Bye Bye Bertie

Ivy Towers has enjoyed settling in the cozy town of Winter Break, Kansas. The bookstore she’s inherited from her aunt is discovering new life on the internet, and Ivy is happy. But when she discovers a map hidden inside an old music box, Ivy is convinced she’s discovered the clues needed to find a legendary treasure hidden back in the 1800’s.

Ivy’s boyfriend, Deputy Sheriff Amos Parker isn’t so convinced that a childish map will lead straight to a buried treasure, but to humor Ivy he agrees to accompany her the next day and ask permission from the owner of the land to go treasure hunting. When Amos doesn’t show up as promised, Ivy decides to go on her own. To her surprise something is buried there. But it isn’t the treasure she expected. Instead, it’s a lunch box full of track medals.

But that old rusty lunch box holds unpleasant memories for more than a couple residents of that town. To what lengths will they go to protect the secrets they carry?

Bye Bye Bertie is the second book in the Ivy Towers Mysteries, but it easily stands alone. Ivy has a penchant for getting into trouble without realizing it, so it was fun to go along with her on another mystery in this close community and to get to know Ivy and Amos a little bit more.

Toward the middle of the book I felt the story dragged a little and I started to get a little irritated with Ivy, Amos, and Ivy’s parents, but the story soon picked up, and my interest was rekindled. I enjoyed reading this cozy mystery, and the Ivy Towers series is probably one of my top favorites from this new line. Don’t miss Bye Bye Bertie. A yummy sounding recipe is included at the end of the book.