Fireworks in Paradise (A Tj Jensen Mystery)

This book was a delight. I enjoyed the plot, the backstory and the relationship between a daughter and father, as well as her friendships in solving the case.. Recommend highly, I read it in one sitting.

A great series and this book is no exception. The mystery is fun and the writing is well done. I highly recommend this book to any cozy mystery fan or Kathi Daley fan.

This is a very good series. I loved this book. Kathi Daley is a great writer. Can't wait to read her books when they come in.

Perfect book to read over the Independence Day holiday week! Most current in the series that started with the most heart touching cozy I had ever read. TJ Jenson is an incredible character not just because she is raising her half sisters who are more than 15 years her junior (her Mom and stepdad died in a car accident), not because she is a devoted daughter and granddaughter who helps out with the family resort, not because she is a caring teacher and coach, or because she is a crack sleuth. Must be a combination of those things that make her an attractive character to many around her. This story is about all sorts of fireworks! There is the obvious ones related to the holiday, fireworks between TJ and the extremely "all good things" Kyle, there are the ones created between TJ and the new detective who is a "by the book, no civilians allowed" lady that means to keep TJ out of this mystery. TJ's vacation is cut short when she is notified that due to an auto accident her father is in a coma and his best friend, Judge Harper is dead. Now TJ feels she must discover who sabotaged the car and why.

Fireworks in Paradise is the 8th book in Kathi Daley’s Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery series, and it’s another winner. Kathi Daley writes from the heart, and it shows. She is a prolific author with many active series, and while they are all different and have strong individual storylines, what they all have in common is characters with heart – and strength and compassion and integrity who will do anything for family and to set wrongs right. Characters who feel so down to earth and familiar you think you have known them all your life. Tj is one of those characters.

Tj is on vacation in South Carolina when she learns her father was in a devastating car crash – a crash that left him in a coma and family friend Judge Harper dead. When she learns someone cut their brake lines she realizes this wasn’t an accident at all, and she’s off and running to investigate. Not an easy task considering her friend and police contact, Deputy Roy Fisher, has a new partner who will not tolerate civilian interference. But Tj is brave and determined, if a little reckless, and she and her best friends are not to be stopped, even when Tj finds herself in danger.

It’s a good mystery, with the added bonus of a brand-new romance with her long-time friend, Kyle. In addition to her spunk, we get to see Tj’s softer side, which is fun to watch. And there’s also a little tie-in to another of Kathi Daley’s terrific series, the Writers Retreat Southern Mystery series: Tj and the clan have just returned from Gull Island.

I thoroughly enjoyed Fireworks in Paradise. Kathi Daley’s characters seem so real you feel you are spending a day-in-the-life. No pretense, just real people we can relate to. I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley.

When her father is critically injured in a car accident, Tj Jensen rushes back home from her vacation in South Carolina. She’s not home long before she discovers the accident that left her father in a coma and killed his friend Judge Harper wasn’t an accident at all…but who was the target and why? She’s determined to find out and bring the killer to justice.

Tj’s friend Deputy Roy Fisher has a new partner and she opposes letting a civilian be any part of their police investigation, but Tj and friends team up to figure out what is going on and track down the killer.

There are a lot of characters to get to know in this big, busy family and their community. And, with plenty of suspects to go around, Tj must figure out who killed the judge and why. If you enjoy a whodunit that takes teamwork to figure out, you may enjoy Fireworks in Paradise!

TJ Jensen transported her sisters, good friend Kyle, grandfather, and his friend Doc, along with a menagerie, across the country to help a family friend for the summer. They are suddenly recalled to the resort the family owns in Paradise Island by a car accident that puts TJ’s father in the ICU.

Fireworks in Paradise is a good cozy mystery that ties in a cold case with vehicle tampering and local politics. Despite personal problems, TJ and her family’s resort host a number of the town’s Fourth of July celebrations. I enjoyed the tale but there are a lot of nuanced relationships that play into the story. The author does a good job of bringing the reader up to date, but there are also a number of new characters incorporated into the eighth novel in this series. Although I enjoyed Fireworks in Paradise, I don’t think this mystery would work as well as a standalone as some of the others in this series.

I do recommend the book and the series, but I have some residual hesitation about a 100% endorsement of this mystery. I found the amount of time TJ spent solving the crime to be unrealistic given other issues she should have been addressing. I know she felt like she could help her father most by finding the saboteur, but having rushed across the country you would think her focus would be spending time with her dad at the hospital or filling in at the resort’s Fourth of July activities for him. In spite of that, I did like the book’s underlying theme of the importance of family and friends.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Murder or accident? I really enjoyed this cozy Fireworks in Paradise written by Kathi Daley. Even though I have not read any prior books in this series (this is book #8), the storyline was easy to follow.
TJ Jensen is called home from her camping vacation due to her father and a judge who was a close family friend. It was determined that the brakes had be tampered with and that had caused the accident. TJ and Kyle who are no dating investigate to find the person or persons responsible for the accident. Kathi keeps you guessing right up until the end. I will have to go back and order books 1-7 because this one kept me on my toes. I have received an advance copy from NetGalley for my honest review.

Fireworks in Paradise Valley by author Kathi Dailey is another TJ Jensen murder mystery. In this new book TJ has been with Kyle and a team in South Carolina working with on a new resort and spending some time for her own leisure. Suddenly TJ is called home due to her father being critically injured in an auto accident. Family friend Judge Harper was driving Mike home from a city council meeting when suddenly the car goes off the road in an unfortunate area and Judge Harper is killed.
So, when is an accident NOT an accident?? When it is actually a murder! TJ learns someone had cut the brake line on the judge’s car and the slow leak caused brake failure and resulting in the horrific wreck. TJ insists on helping Roy investigate who would have reason to want to cause harm to the judge. As She tries to delve into reasons for murder, she is also dealing with the worry and fear for her father’s recovery from his injuries. Hunter is there to help at the hospital and to lend emotional support. She tries to reassure Mike’s fiancée Rosalie and her younger sisters that things will be all right. They must have faith and carry on with the hectic July 4th festivities which were already planned at the resort.
Even with all the drama TJ cannot forget the very sweet kiss she shared with Kyle before leaving South Carolina. Will things be awkward between them when he returns with the rest of the crew? Read more to find all the answers!
I enjoy Kathi Daley’s TJ Jensen stories!

Spoiler Free Review
This is the eighth in Kathi's TJ Jensen series. Kathi writes a clean, well plotted, well written and well edited book. She creates interesting settings and populates them with interesting people. People that you would like to meet and get to know. The plots are timely and there are always plenty of subplots to keep your interest. Kathi also always has a host of interesting animals in her works as well.
TJ Jensen is a school teacher and coach and lives in a fictional Nevada Town located on a lake. So basically it is a fictionalized Lake Tahoe. She is surrounded by a supportive family and friends and like all heroines of cozy mysteries seems to attract mysteries (usually a murder).
Kathi has developed a loyal following because she understands the genre she is writing in and understands the sensibilities of her readers. The TJ series is published by Henery Press. I received a ARC of this book from the publisher and have voluntarily posted this review.