Back to the Burgh and Beyond is a fun cozy mystery with a time travel element. The play on the Back to the Future title was a great way to title this story! I thought this was a good clean story that readers of all ages can enjoy.

Alexa Owl is the new owner of The Owl’s Nest Couturier Shoppe. She gain not only a new business, but also a resident angel with the ability to time travel! Bobby was a detective in life, but in death he’s trying to gain his Guardian Angel Squad wings. He needs to solve a murder in 4 days, and enlists Alexa’s help to do it.

The mystery was a fun story with a good resolution that cozy mystery readers will enjoy. I think the time travel is an interesting element that surprised me. I really like that in a book, but I don’t know that I’ve come across it before in a cozy!

I would have liked the story to slow-down just a bit, especially as we traveled back in time to solve the mystery. I like a fast-paced book, but I wanted to have a few more details as they traveled back in time to solve the mystery. I wanted just a bit more time to settle into the story and go along with Alexa as she solves the case!

I listened to the audio version of this book, narrated by Maren Swenson Waxenberg. I thought she did a good job with this story. She had fun character voices that brought the story to life!

To Read or Not To Read:

I would recommend Back to the Burgh and Beyond for readers that enjoy cozy mysteries with some paranormal twists!

Where to Find This Book:

Back to the Burgh and Beyond by C.S. McDonald is available at these sites:
Audible ~ Amazon ~ B&N ~ Goodreads

Meet Alexa Owl. She’s returned home to Pittsburgh after a divorce to start a new life and a new business, The Owl’s Nest Couturier Shoppe. Much to her surprise, she’s getting more than she ever bargained for: Detective Bobby Starr, and he’s no ordinary sleuth. Bobby is an angel who’s returned to Earth in hopes of earning his way into the Guardian Angel Squad. He’s been sent by none other than Saint Pete to acquire Alexa’s help to solve three cold case murders he left behind. Except, here’s the catch: he’s only been allotted four days to solve the first case! How in heaven’s name is she supposed to do that? Alexa is a professional seamstress—not a detective. Bobby insists the only way to solve the first case is to return to 1953, and Alexa’s not in love with that idea at all!

Just the Facts:

Back to the Burgh and Beyond by C.S. McDonald
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Page Count: 208 pages
Publisher: McWriter Books
Pub Date: Sept 10, 2020

For twenty-six years C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. Classically trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and many others, she became a professional dancer and choreographer. During that time, she choreographed many musicals and an opera for the Pittsburgh Savoyards. In 2011 she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, she writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels. In 2014 she added the pen name, C.S. McDonald, to write children’s books for her grandchildren. In 2016 she added the Fiona Quinn Mysteries to that expansion. She decided to write the cozy mystery series that everyone, including teens and tweens, can read and enjoy. Presently, the Fiona Quinn Mysteries nine books with a tenth slated for 2021. The books are also available on audio, narrated by Maren Swenson Waxenberg. Cindy’s newest venture is The Owl’s Nest Mysteries. Once again, she has set her cozy mystery in Pittsburgh. The female protagonist, Alexa Owl, is much different from Fiona Quinn. The Owl’s Next Mysteries has a little grit, a little time travel, a little romance, and a whole lot of cozy! Ms. McDonald resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bill, and her poorly behaved Cocker Spaniel, Allister.

Author Links:
Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

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