The Gray Whale Inn Mysteries Series by: Karen MacInerney

There are 4 books in this series so far:
               Murder on the Rocks
               Dead and Berried
               Murder most Maine
               Berried to the Hilt

The series starts with our heroine Natalie dumping her cheating fiance in Austin, TX and moving to Maine to invest her life savings in the Gray Whale Inn. She had summered on the island and has fond memories of the place.
The first book of course is Natalie getting to know the neighbors and trying to fit in, but trouble seems to follow Natalie. Natalie cooks up breakfasts and ends up having her niece Gwen come to stay for the summer to help out with housekeeping. Gwen enrolls in art classes with the resident artist, much to her Mother's chagrin, but Gwen and Natalie end up hitting it off famously.
Natalie solves the mystery, no spoiler there, she's our heroine, and as each book progresses Natalie's story along she finds new love, and many interesting mysteries on the island that her inn inhabits.
There is just enough description of the landscape, weather, and people to keep your interest, and the recipes are a bonus.
Cozy, fun reads, and I recommend that you read the series in order. I happened to have all of them at hand and read one right after the other so I never lost the continuity of the story. Some series you need a breather in between books, but this is a good series to read straight through if you can.

Happy Reading--
Beverly G ♥