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Murder at the Dude Ranch: a 1950s cozy historical mystery (A Rosa Reed Mystery Book 7) Kindle Edition

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 788 ratings

Murder's a wild ride!

Rosa Reed takes a much needed break from her thriving private investigative work by joining her cousin Clarence and Aunt Louisa for a weekend getaway at the Black Stallion Dude Ranch near Santa Bonita, California. It's the beginning of 1957 and Rosa is ready for a fresh start. Newly single, all she needs is time on the trails, and cuddles from her tabby cat, Diego.

The peace and quiet of ranch life is soon disrupted when a horse returns from a trail ride without its rider. When foul play is determined, Rosa finds herself thrust once again into a murder investigation alongside the handsome detective Miguel Belmonte.

Suspicion falls on many of the guests—the failed investment banker, the laundromat owner, the heiress, and to Rosa's dismay, her own cousin Clarence.

Can Rosa prove her cousin's innocence before the cows come home?

If you love early rock & roll, poodle skirts, clever who-dun-its, a charming cat and an even more charming detective, you're going to love this series set in the 1950s!

"Once again, Strauss begins a series that catches your attention right from the get go! ... this promises to be yet another must buy series from this author!" ~ Goodread reviewer
The Rosa Reed Mystery series is a spin-off of the acclaimed Ginger Gold Mystery series.

★★★★★

THE ROSA REED MYSTERY SERIES
Cozy up to the 1950s!

Murder at High Tide (Book 1)
Murder on the Boardwalk (Book 2)
Murder at the Bomb Shelter (Book 3)
Murder on Location (Book 4)
Murder and Rock 'n Roll (Book 5)
Murder at the Races (Book 6)
Murder at the Dude Ranch (Book 7)
Murder at in London (Book 8)
Murder at the Fiesta (Book 9)
Murder at the Weddings (Book 10)



THE GINGER GOLD MYSTERY SERIES
Hop aboard the 1920s!

Murder on the SS Rosa (Book 1)
Murder at Hartigan House (Book 2)
Murder at Bray Manor (Book 3)
Murder at Feathers & Flair (Book 4)
Murder at the Mortuary (Book 5)
Murder at Kensington Gardens (Book 6)
Murder at st. George’s Church (Book 7)
The Wedding of Ginger & Basil (Book 7.5)
Murder Aboard the Flying Scotsman (Book 8)
Murder at the Boat Club (Book 9)
Murder on Eaton Square (Book 10)
Murder by Plum Pudding (Book 11)
Murder on Fleet Street (Book 12)
Murder at Brighton Beach (Book 13)
Murder at Hyde Park (Book 14)
Murder at Royal Albert Hall (Book 15)
Murder in Belgravia (Book 16)
Murder on Mallowan Court (Book 17)
Murder at the Savoy (Book 18)
Murder at the Circus (Book 19)
Murder at the Boxing Match (Book 20)

~more on the way!


THE HIGGINS & HAWKE MYSTERY SERIES
A 1930s cozy mystery series.

Death at the Tavern (Book1)
Death on the Tower (Book2)
Death on Hanover (Book 3)
Death by Dancing (Book 4)

Don't miss LADY GOLD INVESTIGATES, the short story companion series!

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stephanie Nemeth-Parker is a SAG-AFTRA audiobook narrator, voiceover artist, and actress with over thirty years of experience. With a voice that has been described as warm and soothing, her versatility and adeptness with accents has enabled her to work on a multitude of projects.

Lee Strauss is a USA Today bestselling author of a wide range of novels, including the Ginger Gold Mysteries, the Higgins & Hawke Mysteries, the Nursery Rhyme Mysteries, the Perception series, the Light & Love series, and the Clockwise Collection series. For more information, visit LeeStraussBooks.com.

Norm Strauss is a singer-songwriter and performing artist who's seen the stage of The Voice of Germany. Writing cozy mysteries is a new passion he shares with his wife Lee Strauss.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08LX67PP5
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ La Plume Press (April 29, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 29, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3076 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 234 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 788 ratings

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Lee Strauss
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For fans of cozy mysteries with a touch of Downton Abbey ~ from a USA TODAY Bestselling author!

You'll adore Lady Gold from the acclaimed Ginger Gold Mysteries series starting with the introductory novella, Murder on the SS Rosa.

Fill up on the short story companion series, Lady Gold Investigates, and if you're in need of more Golden Age Whodunnits, try the spin-off series, Higgins & Hawke.

Look for the 1950s themed ROSA REED MYSTERIES!

Don't forget to FOLLOW LEE ON AMAZON. (^^^Yellow button under photo^^^)

Contact: leestraussbooks.com

Sign up for Lee's newsletter and get EXCLUSIVE access to Ginger Gold's Journal AND a Rosa Reed short story prequel!

Copy and paste: https://www.leestraussbooks.com/join-ginger/

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
788 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the Rosa Reed series. They find the stories fun, great reads with a fast pace. The author does a good job describing the time period and includes interesting details like references to things they remember from their younger years.

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7 customers mention "Enjoyment"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the Rosa Reed series. They find it a fun and engaging read with fast-paced mysteries.

"This is such a fun series. I enjoy the time setting, and the ethnic backgrounds of the characters. Rosa is self-sufficient, and confident. Great read!" Read more

"...Another fun story with defined characters and bit of humor." Read more

"...and the spinoff series of her daughter Rosa Reed is just as deliciously delightful and suspensefully detected!!..." Read more

"I am finding all of the Rosa Reed stories very enjoyable...." Read more

3 customers mention "Era"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's descriptions of the time period. They appreciate the references to things they remember from their younger years and the interesting details about the era, such as the "beat" coffeehouse scenes.

"...She has, though, from the clothes to the cars. I've enjoyed the references to things that I remember from my much younger years, including the..." Read more

"...The author did a very good job describing the time period, and it was a quick read." Read more

"...Strauss included interesting period details such as those portrayed in the “beat” coffeehouse scenes and songs on the car radio...." Read more

A Rough Early Ride
3 out of 5 stars
A Rough Early Ride
Murder At The Dude Ranch, book 7 in Lee Strauss’s Rosa Reed mystery series, begins rather dubiously but ends up righting itself. Within minutes of picking up this book, I spotted egregious typos. The author bio on the back cover contains a sloppy error (see the photo) and four lines down on page 2 we see a double comma.This unpromising start continued throughout chapter one and I struggled to reconcile all of the 5-star reviews with Strauss’s writing. Too many sentences used the verbs “was” or “were”. An overreliance of clauses led to awkward phrasing or lack of flow as in this one paragraph: “Sending shivers of delight and anticipation up her spine, thoughts of Miguel all but erased the memory of her nightmare. Newly 1957, the entire year spread before her, full of hope and expectancy.” What? I debated whether to stop reading but pushed on as the book logged only 212 pages. An occasional plot element rang false. How could private investigator Rosa, a former constable in London, tromp all over the crime scene while waiting for the police to arrive?But the writing flaws lessened once the crime occurred. Yes, a typo still appeared now and then, but the stilted narrative ebbed as the dialogue increased and Rosa’s investigation drove the story. Strauss included interesting period details such as those portrayed in the “beat” coffeehouse scenes and songs on the car radio. The dialogue, sleuthing, and historical “breadcrumbs” bump up my rating after the rocky start to land at 3 stars overall.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2021
    I've read all the Ginger Gold, Higgins and Hawke and Rosa Reed series. The first thing I do when I finish a book is to check and see when the next one comes out so I can mark my calendar. I wasn't sure I would like the Rosa Reed series when it was first mentioned. I was born in the 50s so was concerned that the author would not get it "right". She has, though, from the clothes to the cars. I've enjoyed the references to things that I remember from my much younger years, including the memory of how jealous I was of the little girl in my kindergarten class who had the prettiest dresses that she wore with about 6 crinolines underneath; all different colors. My sister and I had to share the crinolines we had. But we had matching peddle pusher sets with colored canvas tennis shoes. We were pretty "snazzy". Lots of good memories have been brought back in reading the Rosa Reed series. This series has been like a bag of my favorite potato chips. I can't just read one and stop, and I always look forward to the next one.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2024
    This is such a fun series. I enjoy the time setting, and the ethnic backgrounds of the characters. Rosa is self-sufficient, and confident. Great read!
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2022
    Rosa Reed goes to a ranch with her aunt and cousin for a weekend getaway.

    Everything is going okay with the exception of one extremely rude guest.

    And it gets worse when Rosa find his body and her cousin is implicated as the murderer.

    Another fun story with defined characters and bit of humor.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2021
    The true sheer talent of Lee Strauss is truly far out and smashing!! I luckily have an obsession with all that is Lady Gold and the spinoff series of her daughter Rosa Reed is just as deliciously delightful and suspensefully detected!! I am absolutely one of Lee Strauss' most faithful fans, her talent is immensely riveting and sheerly INCREDIBLE!! Surely if you love a mysterious murder among talented sleuthing then absolutely don't spend time reading this review, download the best series set in the 1950's and enjoy the spirit of the decade, the out of this world style and fill your soul with amazing writing by the über impressive author Lee Strauss now!! I promise it's going to rock your world!!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2021
    Rosa, Aunt Louise, & cousin, Clarence decide on a weekend at a local dude ranch. Rosa’s been working flat out & needs the break. Unfortunately, there’s a murder to spoil the peace & quiet. The unpleasant brother of a pair of fraternal twins goes off alone on horseback against the rules. When he’s found dead in an unusual way, Clarence is suspected, then arrested. Not only is Rosa trying to find the real murderer but her ex-fiancé, Lord Winston Eveleigh, has shown up & won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.
    The adventures of Rosa Reed keep getting better & better. I look forward to each one.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2021
    This is the first book I've read by this author. Bought it because it's set on a dude ranch in the 1950s. You don't have to have read the others in the Rosa Reed series to like this story. The author did a very good job describing the time period, and it was a quick read.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2021
    Well written as always with attention to historical detail in fashion, slang, and culture this author never fails to go above and beyond. I am always in awe of the excellent job the author does in bringing to life the time period in which this series is set and this book is no different.

    When a weekend away at a dude ranch ends in murder, Rosa partners with the police to find the killer and clear her cousin Clarences name. There are some surprises in the book that make it particularly enjoyable.

    I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review.
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2023
    It was supposed to be a few days of rest and relaxation. There was a murder. Rosa's cousin is the chief suspect. Her abandoned fiance shows up.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 9, 2021
    These stories take me back to my childhood I enjoy these
    Stories which bring mystery and nostalgia in equal proportions truly enjoyable

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