Erica Bloom lives in Chicago, and has been looking forward to a visit to Otter Lake, where she grew up and couldn't wait to escape from. The reason being that there was an embarrassing incident years ago and it sent her scurrying across the country to forget it. But now that she's home again she can't wait to see her old boyfriend, now sheriff, Grady Forrester.

When she returns home to the island she grew up on, her mother, who runs spiritual retreats, is hosting a "Silence of the Soul," and isn't speaking...at all; along with any of her guests. So Erica is spending the rest of her time with her best friend Freddie, who's rich and extremely eccentric. While she's also happy to attend the annual Fall Festival with him, she's not expecting the fact that he's created his own security company - after having found an old police uniform in a thrift store and buying a huge speedboat - and has been hired by the town to patrol. So, while she and Freddie are wandering the festival, they hear a scream coming from the Tunnel of Love, and it turns out a man is dead. Yet in the swan boat with him is Erica's 'aunt' Tweety, who helped raise her on the island. It's not long before Tweety is suspected of murdering Mr. Masterson, and Erica is determined to prove her innocent.

Despite warnings to leave it alone from Tweety's twin Kit Kat, and Grady, Erica can't help herself -- and neither can Freddie. The two of them have decided they're going to solve this murder. But in doing so, she might have sabotaged her budding relationship with Grady, and the secrets that have been held so long by some are coming to the fore. Now Freddie and Erica are getting in deeper, and the victim's son Matthew, who makes no bones about his attraction to Erica, wants justice for his father at any cost. But will that cost be more than Erica is willing to pay?...

This is the second book in the series and I will say that I liked it better than the first. Freddie is a hoot, if a little over the top, and although a lot of the book was spent with Erica and Grady mooning at each other and doing nothing about it, I could look past that to get to the meat of the story.

I liked the addition of Erica's Uncle Jack. He seems down-to-earth and I really like him much better than her loony mother. I get what her mother's doing, I just don't get while she professes to love her daughter, she pretty much isn't much of a presence in her life. And when her uncle came forth with a whopper of a secret, I had to wonder why her mother despises him, especially since she turned out to be a hypocrite herself. Below is a spoiler in this, so please don't read it if you haven't read the book:

To see the hidden info, please check my blog here: https://joannesbooks.blogspot.com/2020/04/pumpkin-picking-with-murder-otter-lake...

Also, if Erica's mom owns the island, how did Tweety and Kit Kat get to live there? How did Summer meet them that she would allow them to live there? Does anyone else live there, and if so, wouldn't Summer be their landlord since she owns the island? Where are the answers to these questions? Not to mention why they are named Tweety and Kit Kat. How did they get those names? Especially since their real names are Twyla and Katherine. These are not names for adults - especially adults with their personalities.

I also didn't much care for the fact that Grady's ego needed to be stoked, and therefore I rather liked Matthew more. He seemed normal, and he was able to deal with his baggage a lot better. The mystery was fine, and I did enjoy it, but things went a bit over the top and I'm not sure if I'll continue with this series, especially since it looks like either Grady can't get out of the ego thing or a love triangle might be in the future. Also, why was she even flirting with Matthew if she's interested in Grady? Who does that?

When all is said and done and the murderer was revealed, it all came together nicely, and gave us a satisfying ending. However, if Summer is just as woo-woo in the next book, I think I will be done with this series. ( )

Kind of reminds me of the Joanne Fluke type mysteries (because of taking place in a small resort town). Interesting combo of the two friends sniffing out murder and ticking off the police chief (who is the love interest of one of them) in the process because of interference. ( )

This is the first book I read in the Otter Lake Mystery Series and I really had mixed feelings about it. When I started the book, I almost put it back down. The author just seemed like she was trying to hard to be funny. The characters in Otter Lake all seem to be rather eccentric. Names like KitKat and Tweety, along with the retreat belonging to the mother of the main character holding a vow of silence retreat and the mom miming when she tries to communicate with her daughter just seemed to be a bit over the top. Having said all that, once I got in to the story, I began to enjoy it.

Erica Bloom has come back for a visit to spend time with Grady, the sheriff of Otter Lake. Freddie, her long time friend has opened his own security company and has been hired by the town council to do security at the Fall Fair. When Mr Masterson dying in the tunnel of love with Tweety, Erica's aunt, she is arrested for murder. Erica and Freddie set out to find proof that she is innocent. This does not go over well with Grady. He feels like they are undermining him and this does not bode well for Erica's and Grady's relationship. As another murder takes place, Tweety's sister KitKat gets injured and Erica and Freddie get arrested, the story takes on a fun tone that I was able to enjoy.

Erica and Freddie have a wonderful relationship. The two of them seem to jump blindly into situations that are not safe and at different times, each one seems to be the leader in their enterprise. They are funny and act more like a sister and brother with their relationship. Grady and Erica do not seem to have any luck at all with trying to get together. They have all sorts of hurdles to get over, but we are left at the end of the book with hope that they may be able to have a relationship in upcoming stories.

I am not sure if I am going to read another one by this author or not. I may give it a whirl and if it works out, then this series may be a go for me. Cozy mystery readers that enjoy really quirky characters and a sense of humor in their books will probably enjoy this series. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )

Pumpkin Picking with Murder by Auralee Wallace is the second book in An Otter Lake Mystery series. Erica Bloom is returning home to Otter Lake, New Hampshire for a visit. She is looking forward to spending time with Grady Forrestor, boyfriend and local sheriff as well as enjoying the Otter Lake’s Fall Festival. Unfortunately, their time together is cut short when they hear screaming at the fair. They rush over to find Tweety (who is like an aunt to Erica) in a swan boat with Mr. Masterson exiting the tunnel of love. The problem is Tweety is the only person still alive in the boat. This is the end of Grady’s time off. Erica knows that Tweety would never hurt anyone. Erica teams up with her best friend, Freddie Ng (who doing security for the fair and thinking about becoming a private detective). Erica is determined to find the real culprit for Tweety and to get to spend more time with Grady. Will they succeed? Join them for their hijinks in Pumpkin Picking with Murder.

Pumpkin Picking with Murder is easy to read, but I thought the author was trying too hard to be humorous. It ends up coming across as just ridiculous. It was one silly thing after another. It seemed like every single person in this town was eccentric (Grady might be the only normal person). The mystery can easily be solved. One clue is the key (if you even need that). Erica and Freddie run around town trying to solve the murder and they acted like two kids instead of adults. It was one over-the-top thing after another through the whole book. Pumpkin Picking with Murder was just not my type of book. I wanted to give the series a second chance, but An Otter Lake Mystery series is just not for me. I like books with the small town charm, engaging (likeable) characters, and a complex mystery. I give Pumpkin Picking with Murder 3 out of 5 stars. While this series is not my cup of tea, it will appeal to other readers. I suggest you get a sample of the book to see if it appeals to you (for those of you with e-readers).

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own. ( )

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

Erica Bloom is back in Otter Lake for the Fall Festival--and for a shot at romance with her childhood crush. But when a boat emerges from the Tunnel of Love with a dead body inside, and a member of Erica's family becomes the prime suspect, Erica will have to team up with her best friend Freddie once again to solve the case.

I love the characters and setting in this series. Wallace is so good at creating unique, real characters, and her Otter Lake is extremely vivid and different from any other small town mystery setting I've ever read.

This is a funny mystery series too! It reminds me in a lot of ways of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series--really hilarious, a great romance you can't help but root for, and an excellent mystery as well.

I would say the book didn't need the addition of a love triangle, but that didn't really detract from the story at all.

The Otter Lake series is absolutely one of my favorite cozy mystery series. It's funny, charming, clever, and unique, and I highly recommend it. ( )