Monday 11 September 2023

Tragedy in Tahoe (Rylie Sunderland Mysteries Book 1) by Rachele Baker

“Mystery, murder, beautiful scenery, twists and turns - some surprises too. Great read.”

Thirty-two-year-old veterinarian Rylie Sunderland is in trouble. After the veterinary hospital where she worked burns to the ground, Rylie takes a summer job as a part-time caretaker at an old Tahoe estate turned B & B called Whitaker Cottages while she tries to figure out what to do next with her life.

Then, just a few days after she arrives in Lake Tahoe, handsome Tahoe City bakery owner Colin Matthews is found dead in a secret tunnel that runs under the cottages. Detective Mark Felton informs Rylie that they found a note in Colin’s pocket with her name and cell phone number on it.

Rylie’s shocked. She’d only just met Colin. Why and how did he get her cell phone number? Is she now considered a suspect?

With her loving golden retriever Bella by her side and the help of friends both old and new, Rylie works to find the evidence needed to clear her name. As her search continues, she discovers clues to the mystery in unlikely locations around the lake and the list of suspects grows. Will she be able to find the answers she needs before she has to trade in her scrubs for prison garb?

A delightful cozy mystery perfect for fans of Kate Carlisle, Libby Klein, and Vicki Delany.  (Summary via Goodreads)


Tragedy in Tahoe is the first book in the Rylie Sunderland Mystery series by Rachele Baker and Baker sets the stage beautifully and introduces the characters and the area so well that you will feel like you know your way around Lake Tahoe.

In Tragedy in Tahoe main character Rylie Sunderland is going to be spending the summer in Lake Tahoe working part-time as a caretaker for Whitaker Cottages.  Rylie's mother and the owner, Elizabeth, are old friends and after the veterinary business that she worked at burned down, Rylie decided to take the summer off and help out at the cottages while she figured out what she wanted to do next regarding work.

After Rylie gets settled and learns her new job responsibilities she attends a gathering, Locals' Night, put on by Gillian and Liam, the other caretakers for the cottages.  She gets to meet other business people and friends who live around Lake Tahoe.  One of the people she meets is handsome Colin Matthews who owns the Butter Lane Bakery and delivers fresh baked goods to Whitaker Cottages for their continental breakfasts.

Unfortunately before Rylie can get to know Colin better, he is found murdered in the underground tunnels on the property.....and to make matters worse, he had a piece of paper in his pocket with Rylie's name and phone number on it.  Rylie had only spoken to Colin briefly and did not give him her phone number.  And because her number was in his pocket the local detective Mark Felton has her on the suspect list.

Rylie, along with Gillian and Liam, begin to look in the murder as well....not only to clear Rylie's name but the business has taken a big hit with people cancelling reservations.  While doing her own investigating Ryliue does clear up how Colin got her number when she runs into her old college friend, Laurent, and he admits to giving it to him.

Rylie along with her loving Golden Retriever, Bella, and friends do what they can to solve Colin's murder....unfortunately when the killer is revealed, no one would have suspected them ....ever !!!  

Readers will fall in love with Tragedy in Tahoe immediately !!  You will love the area, the businesses, the people and the storyline and the way that Baker ends the story guarantees that readers will be waiting patiently (hopefully) for the second book, Vengeance in the Vines, to be released to see where the story takes Rylie and Bella........



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