| Title | : | Dressed to Kill (A Tourist Trap Mystery, #4) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781601834164 |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 |
| Publication | : | First published June 23, 2015 |
Of course everyone is expecting a “dead” body at the dress rehearsal…but this one isn’t acting! It turns out the main suspect is the late actor’s conniving girlfriend Sherry…who also happens to be the ex-wife of Jill’s main squeeze. Sherry is definitely a master manipulator…but is she a killer? Jill may discover the truth only when the curtain comes up on the final act…and by then, it may be far too late.
“Murder, dirty politics, pirate lore, and a hot police detective: Guidebook to Murder has it all! A cozy lover’s dream come true.” —Susan McBride, author of The Debutante Dropout Mysteries
Dressed to Kill (A Tourist Trap Mystery, #4) Reviews
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When your boyfriend's ex-wife causes trouble, how do you deal with her? You try to be nice, but she's über cruel. But then the woman is accused of murdering her new boyfriend when he turns up dead during a dress rehearsal of an upcoming performance. That's the plot of Dressed to Kill, the 4th Tourist Trap Mystery written by Lynn Cahoon. Set in South Cove, California, a seaside town filled with wonderful sunsets and kind people, this series is fun, easy to read, and has a certain charm. I enjoy the relationship between protagonist Jill and her boyfriend, Greg, who's the lead detective in the town, as well as her Aunt Jackie, a lady filled with sass and vinegar. Jill needs to quit her job as the liaison between the Town Council and the business owners, but then what would she do with all her free time? Certainly not run her bookstore which seems to be handed off to everyone else (in a fun way, tho). She'd probably solve murders full time. While I enjoyed the book a bunch, I was hopeful to see more shenanigans with Greg's ex, Sherry, as she's a pistol... but her role wasn't as big as I expected. Looking forward to more in the series, tho. Trying to catch up by fall now.
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Another fine entry in the series. Characters you can care about. Characters who have grown as the series has progressed. Even though I am not a big fan of the cop boyfriend trope, it works in this series.
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This is a fun series that I like to read--and despite the 2 star review, I still recommend this series and will continue to read it myself. However, I just felt like this one didn't work as well for me as did the others.
The plot is loosely about the death of a man who also happened to be dating Jill's new boyfriend's ex-wife (did you follow that?). All that is fine--you expect lots of murders in small towns if you read this genre and expect to see character connections like this. Therefore, I had to think about what didn't work so well for me in this novel and here's what I've come up with.
Some of the characters were down-right unlikeable this time around. Greg, Jill's boyfriend, was a jerk to her most of the time--busy or not, he just seemed rude and condescending. Her Aunt Jackie seemed equally unlikable in this entry. Also, there was the strange fishing trip with Greg's brother, Jim, who doesn't "approve" of Greg getting a divorce and moving on with Jill. In earlier books, he just seemed like a fringe character, the family member whom you roll your eyes at. However, in this one, I felt like his view--while evolving--was given legitimacy. I don't care to see his view "evolve": he needs to see the errors of his thinking. (The extreme view that divorce is never okay as a religious doctrine is cringe-worthy and dangerous and is what entraps many abused wives and even some husbands in horrible marriages--I have no room for his point of view as a legitimate one in my reading.) Having said all of that, some of the characters, like Toby and Esmeralda, were still delightful in this book.
Also, the plot itself seemed to be held together more loosely than normal. In fact, there were several digressions that I still don't know the purpose of. For instance, Aunt Jackie has a side story that I understand is to show one of several parallels in this novel about female friendship and loyalty (and this idea becomes important to the conclusion of the mystery as well), but the subplot just seemed confusing, improbable, and unnecessary. Another example: there were a couple "readings" by Esmeralda that I never did figure out. Maybe they'll come around in a future novel, but I would have liked to have seen them wrapped up here. Finally, the conclusion to the mystery seemed really far-reaching. In fact, I'm not clear on how one person in the final explanation wasn't already in jail.
Anyway, despite the above issues, I do like this series and really enjoy the cozy setting. I'll definitely continue with the series. -
Things are happening in the small town of South Cove, California.
Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More, and also the town’s business community liaison, has her hands full. Sherry, the owner of the newest clothing store Vintage Duds, just happens to be the ex of Jill’s cop boyfriend, Greg. Needless to say, Sherry and Jill do not get along. Sherry takes every opportunity to make Jill look bad and this time it’s in front of the entire business community.
To add to Jill’s woes, she agrees to be part of a dinner theater murder mystery. The production is being put on by the Friday Mystery Reader’s group that meets in her own shop, how could she possibly refuse? She’s not going to go through this alone, so she drags Greg along with her. Jill is a twenties flapper and Greg is her mob protector.
As the cast and crew rehearse for their play, they are all stunned to discover an actual dead body on the stage. As one of the leads in the business community, Jill is determined to find out who the killer is. She’s more than a little shocked when her investigation leads to her nemesis, Sherry.
This is the fourth book in the series. With each book, Jill fits more and more into the South Cove community. Her relationship with Greg continues to blossom. I love their romance. It’s developing at a nice, steady and believable pace. The mystery is intricately woven. There were so many different directions it could have taken. The author kept me guessing until the end. I feel as if I just finished a short trip to South Cove. This was a quick read and I’m looking forward to reading the next book.
FTC Disclosure: NetGalley provided me with a copy of this book to review for this blog tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own. -
Jill, along with several others of the town, are involved with a dinner/mystery play. And she is right there at a rehearsal when another actor finds a very dead body on the stage. A person of interest turns out to be Sherry, the deceased’s girlfriend and the ex-wife of Jill’s detective boyfriend. Could things get anymore complicated? Sure they can, when Sherry’s BBF asks Jill to prove Sherry’s innocence. Jill is up for it, if only to satisfy her own curiosity. The mystery is a pretty good one, but is somewhat overshadowed by the interactions of these delightful characters. Aunt Jackie is up to some of her own shenanigans, and Josh, her would-be beau, is fearful for her safety. Jill is doing some of her own underhanded detective work. And Greg is trying to solve the murder in his proper cop way. It’s an entertaining time, if murder in a tourist town can be said to be entertaining.
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Love this series, and the characters.
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Another very good book in an engaging series! In Dressed to Kill Greg's ex, Sherry, opens a vintage clothing store in South Cove. Jill, who has become an enemy of Sherry's, is less than excited about her store, but nevertheless attends a meeting at the store. But soon after Sherry's boyfriend is killed and Jill finds herself caught up in a murder investigation. Can she find the killer before the killer finds her?
The characters were, as always, really fun and entertaining to read, I especially like Sasha and Aunt Jackie. In this installment we see Greg and Jill having to overcome some things in their relationship, such as Sherry, Greg's ex-wife who recently moved to town. I really like my books to not only have great characters, but also great interactions between characters, and this book fit the bill, it was full of quality interactions that I'd expect to see in day-to-day life.
They mystery was very good, I absolutely did not expect the killer and when they were revealed I was shocked. I had two other people in the book who I thought were likely suspects, and the mystery was going along to agree with my thoughts, but at the very end it turned in a way I never imagined.
Overall a great book in a great series and, thanks to the kind folks over at Kensington, I already have an ARC for the next book, Killer Run, so expect a review for that within the next few weeks. With good characters, and a great mystery, Dressed to Kill gets 4/5 stars! -
4-1/2 Stars. It's always nice to re-visit Jill and her Aunt Jackie at Coffee, Books, and More. Detective Greg King is Jill's boyfriend; his ex-wife, Sherry, seemingly Jill's worst enemy. Toby, is Jill's part-time barista, plus Greg's part-time police officer, and a great friend to both. Jill's best friend, Amy, is always a wealth of information and advice, and she's fun!
In book 4, the victim is a two-timing schemer--in more ways than what's obvious as the investigation progresses. Of course, the murderer is mentally unbalanced, but really put some time and thought into their premeditation of the murder. In addition to trying to figure out the whodunwhat's, I enjoy the relationships in this cozy series. Jill always wants to help her friends and vice versa. I loved the fact that Jill is spending more time reading and relaxing in this story. I always enjoy Emma, Jill's golden retriever. Readers can be confident that this is an entertaining story.
I received a complimentary ebook from NetGalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own personal opinion and not influenced by anyone else. -
This is the 4th book in the Tourist Trap Mystery series, and I liked the characters a whole lot less in this one than in previous books in the series.
Jill Gardner is pressed into playing a role in a community dinner theater murder mystery production when an actual dead body turns up. All eyes point to the ex of her current boyfriend. Jill is forced to do some digging of her own to discover the truth about who committed the crime.
I felt this installment in the Tourist Trap Mystery series was a bit disjointed and nowhere near as fun to read as the previous tales. Of course the setting, South Cove, is as lovely as ever. An idyllic little town and Lynn Cahoon's description will make you want to move there yourself.
If you liked the other Jill Gardner/Tourist Trap books you will be reading this one anyway. If you haven't yet read any of them I recommend you start with the first book in the series so you can get a feel for the characters and town.
Not a bad read but the story seemed disorganized in parts and the overall plot could have been handled better. -
This one was just ok...Jill's insecurity with Greg's ex-wife Sherry has really gotten old.
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A special thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lynn Cahoon returns with DRESSED TO KILL, the fourth book in the Tourist Trap mystery series – a small quaint town near the beach in California; with an array of business owners, shops and fun characters— A new cozy mystery to solve, and Jill and her gang are in the center of mischief, once again at South Cove. (love all the front covers; I think may be my favorite)!
As the novel opens Jill Gardner—owner of Coffee, Books, and More—and her Aunt Jackie, point out the newest shop in town – Vintage Duds. This tastefully designed boutique clothing shop selling upscale designer clothing at a ridiculous price, looks intriguing with loads of curb appeal.
Of course, Greg (Jill’s boy toy) was formerly married to the woman (Sherry), so Jill is not ready to make nice with the owner. She is already dreading the business-to-business meeting, and of course, Sherry is hosting an upscale cocktail party; more than the usual cookies. If Sherry wasn’t the owner, she would be impressed. Sherry is now dating Kent, the small town bank branch manager. As the meeting continues, her list of reasons why she hates Greg’s ex-wife is growing by the minute.
Greg King, the hot South Cove police detective and Jill’s hunky boy toy continues to keep her occupied. However, these business-to business meetings make her want to commit murder. She is more than a little jealous of Sherry and does not like her in the same town with her man.
All the familiar and fun characters are back – Bill and Mary, owners of the South Cove B&B, Sadie-Pies on the Fly, Josh-Antiques by Thomas (Jackie’s new beau), Lille – diner Diamond Lille’s-dating the town bad boy, Leslie Talman-The Glass Slipper, Dustin Austin-Bike Rental Shop, Darla (Winery) and her new boyfriend Matt, the winery’s manager, Amy Newman (her best friend)- also City Planner and secretary to Mayor Baylor, Darla- writer for South Cove Examiner, Doc Ames, Emily Esmeralda – fortune teller, Toby Killian – Jill’s barista and part time cop, and of course Emma, Jackie’s faithful golden retriever. As always, the best thing about owning a book store is the research (Jill is always in the middle of investigations).
Her Aunt Jackie is in charge of planning a mystery dinner theatre at South Cove Winery the following weekend. The Friday Mystery Reader’s Group had written the mini play, cast the characters, and were selling tickets with proceeds going to the local women’s shelter. Jill is going as a twenties flapper and she wants Greg to be her mob protector.
In the afternoon she is taking Emma for a run at the beach and sees Kent Paine; however, the woman with him was not Sherry! Oddly enough later that evening when they are at the theatre with the production: “Dying for Trouble” Kent Paine is dead. Not a prop, a real live dead body. The production would need to be postponed to another time.
Jill thinks she needs to tell Greg about seeing Kent earlier, before she begins gossiping to her friends. Of course when nosy customers come in for coffee and books the next morning, everyone has an opinion about the murder and thinks because she dates Greg, she gets firsthand information. Drugs, murder, who would want to kill Kent? Someone at the bank? What was he involved in? Sherry? The redhead? Sherry is definitely a master manipulator…but is she a killer? After all she was at the winery around the time he died.
As usual, Greg warns Jill to stay out of it, to tend to her own business. No matter what Greg says, when murder happened on his watch, her life is always involved, even when she tries to stay out of it. Of course, she never stays out of it.
Jill gets a reading and the cat visits (Maggie) and everyone has their input about the murder. Her reading said “Things aren’t what they seem. Some are silver and others gold.” Plus someone is spilling information to Darla? Greg and Jill now have two taboo subjects: Open investigations and Sherry. However, the entire town thinks she can be the go between.
Another quirky murder mystery, with wit and humor for a whodunit, with a full cast of eccentric characters. Having read all the books in the series, I think this is my favorite. If you have not read the other books in the series, you will get a glimpse of each.
Lynn writes with crisp contemporary dialogue, and always in the know with social media and the latest trends, keeping you guessing with twists and turns. If you love cozy mysteries set in a small town, with familiar warm and interesting characters, this series is for you! I enjoyed catching up with the familiar characters, and as always, love Jill's tenacity, and drive and side kick, Aunt Jackie. You feel like you have a front row seat at a murder mystery dinner performance, of whodunit.
Looking forward to the next upcoming book in the series,#5
KILLER RUN, (sneak preview included) coming August 18, 2015. Appears Jill —has somehow been talked into sponsoring a 5k race along the beautiful California coast. The race is a fundraiser for the local preservation society—but not everyone is feeling so charitable!
JDCMustReadBooks -
I was given an ARC by the publisher, Kensington Books, in return for an honest review
4.5 Stars
The fourth book in the Tourist Trap mystery series, Dressed To Kill finds bookstore owner and part time sleuth Jill helping her police detective boyfriend Greg track down who killed a prominent banker and why. Along the way, Jill has to deal with Greg's rancorous ex-wife, Sherry trying to worm her way under her skin at every turn.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable mystery full of red herrings, plot twists and, of course, hunky cops. I admit that I didn't know who did it, even as it was being revealed.
It's always fun to visit South Cove and its quirky citizens, from the eccentric Esmeralda to the crotchety Lille. The characters are all likeable, and the dialogue is realistic and draws you into both the story and the town. I could definitely see myself at CBM curled up with a mystery and a slice of cheesecake. (Why don't more bookstores serve cheesecake?)
Overall, Dressed To Kill is a fun and enjoyable book that deftly combines mystery, suspense, a little romance, and cheesecake. -
Romance, mystery with a twist of paranormal will hold you attention. This is the fourth book in the series and it was relaxing as Jill Gardener and Greg King continue their romance. Jill's neighbor warms her to be on look out danger. Jill is acting in a play and at rehearsal they find a dead man. Aunt Jackie get arrested. Jill needs to find answers before she looses everything important to her.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from Kensington Books through Netgalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions are my own. -
I liked the characters a lot less in this book than I did earlier in the series. Jill's insecurity about Greg and Sherry is ridiculous, and I just find it really difficult to believe that she makes all the breaks in the case doing obvious thing that the police never thought of doing. The attitudes of the characters also read quite old, so it's difficult to picture them as the ages the actually are. Because I didn't care for the characters, it was tough for me to care about the mystery.
Received from NetGalley. -
Small town, romance, food, and murder everything you need to enjoy the book.
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Cheaters never win! The drama with the ex wife was a bit over the top but overall not a bad read. Jill is participating in a dinner theater type play with her beau andddd his ex wife who has moved to town with an agenda to win him back. When the local bank manager is found murdered on stage, Sherry, the ex wife becomes a suspect alone with numerous other women. Greg wants her to stay out of the investigation, Jill wants to investigate and a friend of Sherry asks her to clear Sherry’s name 🙄🙄🙄. Jill just needs to run her bookshop and stop being a pushover to everyone but Greg.
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Jill Gardner, bookshop owner and amateur sleuth, returns in this fourth Tourist Trap installment. I’ve read and enjoyed each previous Tourist Trap novel but I what I really desire—besides the interesting, solvable mystery that Cahoon easily crafts—is some growth on the core characters’ part.
I expect cliché in a cozy, the characters and setting in this genre should be familiar and comforting (expecting, ahem, the murderer…) but in a series with many reoccurring characters, you need growth. Jill is coming to terms with her boyfriend’s awful ex Sherry, finally, but not without major doubt. She is trying to reign in her investigative tendencies and to be honest about them. Growth point for Jill!
Jill’s relationship with police hunk Greg is working and happy, but it truly is a little stagnant. Jill and Greg kiss hello and goodbye often but spend little time together, other than a quick meal, and ordinary sleepovers are never mentioned which just seems curious. I found myself waiting for some kind of relationship epiphany from Greg and was disappointed. Plus, he needs to accept the inevitable: Jill is going to investigate. Negative growth point for Greg. I often think, Surely in the next book…
The nasty, ridiculous Mayor was, praise and glory, on vacation for the majority of this novel. However the other side characters like Jackie and Amy seem to evolve easily. Growth points for them!
This series is a solid curl-up-with-a-good-book-on-the-weekend recommendation. I expect a little more of Cahoon because its obvious she can deliver a better than average cozy and deliver it quickly. Her next release, Killer Run, will be out in August 2015.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. -
There are many series I really get excited about when a new book is due to be released, and the Tourist Trap Mystery series is for sure one of those series. Each book gets better and better, and this is certainly true with book 4, DRESSED TO KILL. Author Lynn Cahoon has really added layers to the characters in this series, and it’s been a joy being a part of watching it grow.
Once again protagonist Jill Gardner, owner of one of my favorite fictional shops, Coffee, Books and More, finds herself in the middle of a homicide investigation after being pulled into it by a friend.
DRESSED TO KILL was a first rate mystery that moved at a perfect past making it a quick and extremely entertaining read. It was intriguing and well thought out and kept me guessing through the entire story. As always, author Cahoon fooled me with the reveal. I feel like I should have seen it coming, but I simply got outsmarted.
If you haven’t read the Tourist Trap series, give yourself a gift and get the first for now because book 5, KILLER RUN will be out in August! -
I read the first book in this series a few months ago, but have not read the next two in the series. I am a read-in-order person, so I was a bit hesitant to read this book (#4), but I shouldn't have worried. Other than a few gaps in the personal lives of the main characters, there wasn't much missing.
After reading the first book in the series, I wasn't sure whether or not I would continue the series. When I was given the opportunity to read this book, I decided to give the series one more shot, and I'm glad I did. The characters were a lot less annoying in this installment, probably because there was less background necessary to establish relationships and past histories. The story held my interest, and as usual, I wasn't able to figure out the solution until very near the end of the book. Now I have to decide whether to go back and read books #2 and 3, or if I should just continue the series from this point on :)
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. -
In this book everyone is getting ready for dinner theater murder mystery that is going on in South Cove when one of the participants winds up dead. Of course the person who dies happens to be dating Sherry who is Greg the cute cop that is dating Jill's ex-wife. Did Sherry have anything to gain by the death of her boyfriend? Or was someone else determined to kill Kent?
Also in this book is more interaction with Jill's neighbor Esmeralda. Jill keeps finding Esmeralda's cat on her property and it's up to Jill to return the cat and get a reading by her neighbor each time. Which makes Jill wonder if Esmeralda is the real deal or not?
This book was full of so much action and adventure snad learning about the women in Kent's life and who had enough anger and vendetta to kill him and why. I was totally stumped on the killer and all I can say is Ms. Cahoon you rock in the world of mystery throwing so much caution to the wind. I thoroughly enjoyed all the antics and mystery that was going on. Can't wait to see what is next in this fabulous series! -
Great Story Needs Better Editing/Proofreading
This is another great story line and full of some new characters who are being added to the group of South Cove.
Amy's boyfriend Justin finds the body of the bank manager in the middle of the stage at the winery. True to form Jill is told to stay out of investigation and she just ignores Greg's orders.
The story is a lot of fun and I had it narrowed down to two people, and it was the third person and a slightly different motive that threw me.
The only problem I had again was with continuity. Bill and Mary Simmons owners of the B&B in the last book were Bill and Mary Sullivan in this book.
Jill and Greg talked about getting away for a week end, their first together, and want to go to Napa but in the last book they had gone to Napa and brought back wine.
There are other little ones like that but the big one was why was Greg in the middle of the stage and how did the murderer get him there.
Still a wonderful series. On to the next book. I am optimistic that the editing will be spot on this time. -
another great installment in this series. I think one of my favorite things about this series is that it is set in a small town on the CA coast near the ocean. What a great place to live! I like that there are a good set of regular characters but a few new ones are introduced with each book (otherwise how could there be a killer?!)
As with the others I did not guess who the killer was until it was revealed. I don't think I even had any idea and while I wanted to pin it on a few characters, sadly they weren't to blame..this time!
I like seeing Greg and Jill's relationship continues to grow as they get to know each other and date more. I also like seeing the personal relationships of others also continue to grow...or tolerate each other. -
Romance, mystery with a twist of paranormal will hold you attention. This is the fourth book in the series and it was relaxing as Jill Gardener and Greg King continue their romance. Jill's neighbor warms her to be on look out danger. Jill is acting in a play and at rehearsal they find a dead man. Aunt Jackie get arrested. Jill needs to find answers before she looses everything important to her.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from Kensington Books through Netgalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions are my own. -
Another fairly standard entry in the series. A little additional conflict added with the ex-wife in the picture and boy is she a doozy.
Not sad I started this series. -
good
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Being the local co-ordinator for the Business to Business group in South Cove, California isn't Coffee, Books, and More owner, Jill Gardner's favourite pastime. She is even less enthusiastic when the owner of the newest store offers to take over hosting the next meeting and other vendors are queuing to get in! It doesn't help that the success is all down to a woman she actively tries to avoid; Sherry is the manipulative ex-wife of Jill’s boyfriend Greg, and is eager to tell anyone who will listen how she will soon be back on the arm of the handsome police detective.
When a dead body is discovered with strong links to Sherry, Greg finds himself having to tread very carefully! Jill, as anxious as ever to help him out, gets bad news about a family member and suddenly finds her loyalties split. As she tries to help everyone at the same time will she miss something vital and be unable to save anyone?
The fourth Tourist Trap mystery is a great read and I enjoyed every word. The investigations are getting more detailed and the main protagonists never fail to entertain. There is a larger cast of secondary characters this time and Jill definitely had her work cut out to sort everything, as did I and wasn't even close to guessing whodunit this time around. I also love reading the teaser chapter of the following story which has been a feature of all the books so far.
This is another great addition to a series which is fast becoming my comfort read. Recommended. -
Jill is busy running her shop and having date nights with her guy police detective Greg when they are practicing for a murder mystery play a body shows up. The victim is Greg's ex wives new boyfriend and she is under suspect. jill sets out to help Greg solve this murder though he keeps reminding her that he is the detective.
This is a great series and I love all the characters from Jill and Greg to the people who work at the store like Tony and the people in town. The story line was very good and kept me guessing. Greg's ex is annoying just get over it he has moved on but a very well written story. I love the town and the people and wish I could transport my way to taste the great seafood, or have a coffee and browse the bookstore. -
Jill's boyfriend's ex-wife, Sherry, wants to make Jill look bad with all the businesses in South Cove and gets the meeting moved to her store and she pays people to attend and gives out goodie bags to all the attendees. She makes the meeting into a circus and has the outline changed to put things on the agenda that has not been included before. Then Sherry becomes the main suspect in a murder and her best friend and business partner starts harassing Jill to find out the truth and get the real murderer found and arrested. She even promises to rein Sherry in and get her to stop bothering Jill and her boyfriend.
I am enjoying this series and looking forward to the next story.
