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The Inn at Holiday Bay: Message in the Manuscript Kindle Edition

4.6 out of 5 stars 1,791 ratings

A heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again.

After suffering a personal tragedy Abby Sullivan buys a huge old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine, where she is adopted, quite against her will, by a huge Maine Coon Cat named Rufus, a drifter with her own tragic past named Georgia, and a giant dog with an inferiority complex named Ramos. What Abby thought she needed was alone time to heal. What she ended up with was, an inn she never knew she wanted, a cat she couldn't seem to convince to leave, and a new family she'd never be able to live without.

In book 28 in the series, Abby finally has a moment to sit down with the manuscripts her friend Gayla left to her in her will and realizes that the murder Gayla wrote about in her stories might actually be a fictional accounting of an unsolved murder.

Meanwhile, Mylie and Jeremy are settling in as new parents, Georgia is still trying to come to grips with the ins and outs of the decision she made at Danny's welcome to the family party, and Abby makes a proposition to Bailey that could very well change both of their lives.
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There are 35 books in this series.

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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CZ56JC3B
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kathi Daley Books
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 16, 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.6 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 197 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 28 of 35 ‏ : ‎ The Inn at Holiday Bay
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 1,791 ratings

About the author

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Kathi Daley
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USA Today Bestselling Author Kathi Daley lives in the beautiful alpine community of Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken. When she's not writing she enjoys hanging out on the beach with her children and grandchildren. During the summer she enjoys hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, wakeboarding, and sunset cruises on the lake. During the winter she enjoys cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and curling up by a fire with a good book.

Kathi uses her mountain home as inspiration for her books, all which include appearances by the wildlife she shares her life with.

For weekly updates and contests sign up for her newsletter The Daley Weekly at (http://eepurl.com/NRPDf)or by accessing the link on her Facebook page or website.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
1,791 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the storyline of this cozy mystery, with one review highlighting its intricate plot with multiple moving parts and characters. They appreciate the character development in the book.

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21 customers mention "Storyline"17 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of the book, describing it as an enjoyable cozy mystery with multiple levels of intrigue.

"...a great read and I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes cozy mysteries...." Read more

"...So there is a mystery within a mystery within mysteries. It’s brilliant. Take the time to read the series with each book they get better and better." Read more

"...The case they solved involving Shawna and her friends was really interesting and I loved Colt as always found a way to make things better for the..." Read more

"This was a good story, and I enjoy the characters, but there is just too much mundane talking and filler...." Read more

4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the characters in the book.

"...” series, I have read all the books in the series and love the characters and the stories...." Read more

"This was a good story, and I enjoy the characters, but there is just too much mundane talking and filler...." Read more

"...Every character seems so very real. You can picture yourself enjoying time with these characters. Keep writing these wonderful stories." Read more

"...Another excellent story about my favorite Inn. I love all the characters! This is a must read series! I can’t wait for the next book!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2024
    This was sort of an intense cozy mystery for me. The main story in the Message in the Manuscript talked about a woman that was murdered and a friend of Abby's knew of the murder and included it in her manuscripts that she wrote to look like parts of a book that actually gave clues to the murder.
    Abby was also dealing with a runaway young pregnant girl who ended up in Holiday Bay. She was apparently a test tube baby, and was not treated well by the mother who used her as a research project. The girl was scared he mother would find her and take her baby to be a test subject. Abby kept her at the inn, the Holiday Bay Inn family got her furniture for the baby and helped set her up to stay there after the baby is born...Ah, but we must wait for the next book to see whether the girl abandons the baby and runs, or stays and makes Holiday Inn her home with Abby.
    It was a great read and I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes cozy mysteries. As it is part of a series I recommend starting at the beginning for continuity of the story line! I really really enjoy Kathi Daley's cozy mystery books and her many different series she has. You won't be disappointed in any of them!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2024
    Kathi Daley does it again as she adds onto the Inn at Holiday Bay stories. This story has so many moving parts with characters that from the beginning been part of the series to new characters. So there is a mystery within a mystery within mysteries. It’s brilliant. Take the time to read the series with each book they get better and better.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2024
    This book was written as part of The Inn at Holiday Bay” series, I have read all the books in the series and love the characters and the stories. I enjoyed the book although it didn’t stir the depth of feelings that the other stories (books) did. Not certain what was missing as it solved a mystery and brought out possible conclusions to a different murder. I will continue to look for Kathy Daley books as most are amazing
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2025
    This has more than one major theme working through out this story. But only one is given a nice amount of information to solve it. The other that's sort of solved will wait on other things. And the most heart felt one with the last stray is not going really well....
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2024
    Abby and Georgia are getting ready for the town's Founders Day Celebration. One of the couples who checks into their inn is looking for their granddaughter who left with some of her friends from Las Vegas to go on a trip. After loosing contact from her they hired a private detective who said the last ping of the girls cell phone was Holiday Bay. No one in town has seen her. There was evidence in a home where the owners were out of town that squatters had been there; maybe the granddaughter? A girl in a hospital in the next town has some answers. Abby is helping a young girl who is two months away from giving birth but won't give her last name or much information, but Abby is determined to assist her. When she does find out information, it is very troubling. And the manuscript that Abby received from a dead friend a few weeks ago seems to have information about a decades old murder in the San Francisco/Oakland area. Lots to keep you reading...
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2024
    I like these books a lot, I have read all the series. I hope Colt and Abbie find a way to be together once the children come home. The story of the manuscript Abbie received is excellent. The case they solved involving Shawna and her friends was really interesting and I loved Colt as always found a way to make things better for the girls. Now, the Bailey story, I don’t know, it’s a bit far fetched and complicated. I wasn’t drawn to it. The rest of the book was great.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2024
    This was not my favorite book in the series. I had a hard time getting into the story and found it a bit tedious. As always, a couple of mysteries are going on at the same time. Neither one had great appeal to this reader. Normally, this is a good series, but this one just did not hit the mark.kmj
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2024
    I really enjoyed this book. It's so well written and easy to keep track of the different story lines. Can't wait for the next story.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Nikkib
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read in this cosy mystery series...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2024
    I really enjoy reading the cosy mysteries that Kathi Daley writes. Each series is as good as the others.

    This series is set at The Inn at Holiday Bay. There are also two other series set in Holiday Bay, one set around the Bistro, the other set around the Bookshop in the town.

    The Inn is owned by Abby Sullivan. She renovated the old property when she moved several years previously after suffering a tradegy, when her husband and baby Son were killed. She's an author but has helped solve many murders and mysteries that occur around the Inn and the town. She's in a relationship with local Police Chief Colt Wilder.

    In this book, the Inn has several guests, including an older couple who are trying to find their granddaughter who has run away. The last known location of her was in Holiday Bay.

    Another issue are some manuscripts left to Abby by a friend, whilst they've been written as fiction, Abby realises they may actually be the recounting of a real murder. She's not sure what to do, but when a former guest of the Inn, FBI agent Syd Whitmore (from The Resort at Castaway Bay series), visits, Abby decides to ask her for help.

    Abby also has the problem of a new member of staff, Bailey. She's a young girl who's pregnant. She hasn't been willing to share her history with Abby, but Abby knows something isn't right. The Inn's staff are all 'family' so Abby is determined to help this young girl, as she's helped the other people who have started as staff members, but have very quickly become family.

    Whilst each book is a standalone mystery, the books are best read in order of publication to preserve continuity of the characters and wider storyline.

    I can't wait to read the next book in the series ....

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