DANCING WITH DANGER by Kimberly Griggs

Fiction, Cozy Mystery

5*****

Blurb: What’s a Southern Belle to do when she dreams of being a hula dancer? Move to Hawaii, of course! Native Georgian Ruby Bell has her work cut out for her finding her niche among hip-swaying dancers of Kauai. But when she creates Hula Fit, a unique fusion of fitness and Hawaiian culture, she lands herself a job at the premier Aloha Lagoon Resort and Spa. Her class sparks attention from locals and vacationers alike, making Ruby feel she’s finally found her bliss. Unfortunately, things go from delightful to downright deadly when Ruby discovers her new friend, Phoebe, strangled by a coconut bra in the back of Ruby’s studio! With the local police investigating on “island time,” Ruby fears it’s up to her to find a killer, save her studio’s reputation, and bring justice to her friend’s memory. Navigating through a maze of deceit and betrayal, Ruby uncovers a cast of suspects more colorful than an island sunset, including a bodybuilder ex-boyfriend with a volatile temper, a troupe of senior citizens caught at a clothing-optional pool party, a jealous rival, an awkward admirer, and even the hunky owner of the local Smoothie Hut who seems to have his eye on Ruby. Between blackmail, deception, and a mysterious box of incriminating photos, Ruby finds herself tangled in a deadly dance. Can she hula her way through the shadows and unmask the killer… before the music stops for good?

Thoughts: This cozy mystery is set in a Kauai resort that is sort of like the usual small-town setting, but much more exotic. From the hulas to the luau to the flowers and ocean… The descriptions alone are worth the read. And the smattering of Hawaiian words helps with the setting. But the characters… Ruby Bell is perfectly quirky. Even though she’s a fitness instructor and very much into aerobics and weightlifting, she loves her smoothies (no green stuff please), diet cokes, and junk food. Give her a cheeseburger and fries and she’s in Heaven. And the “Golden Girls” were a hoot! Especially Mae.

The mystery is a good one, even though I kind of knew who the perp was from early on. But there are plenty of suspects for who killed Ruby’s friend Phoebe. I found it interesting that Ruby’s other friend Autumn was the one who kind of pushed her into sleuthing, but then left Ruby alone most of the time to do the hunting for clues on her own. But she did come to the rescue when needed.

Overall, a fun read in an exotic location.

Recommended.

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

MISTAKEN IDENTITY MURDER by Leslie Langtry

Fiction, Cozy Mystery

4****

Blurb: Merry Wrath, ex-CIA agent turned Girl Scout leader, is having a hard time dealing with the fact that the girls in her troop are now at that extremely dangerous age—the middle school years. Bearing this in mind, Merry should have anticipated what disaster chaperoning the school dance would be. Chaos reigns with everything from a rogue attack penguin to a punch-induced hallucination brought on by the very latest synthetic LSD. Things only get worse when a man is murdered, and the killer has been caught on camera—and is none other than Merry Wrath!  Merry knows she’s innocent, but proving it to the police is another matter. And family issues are keeping her awake at night too, now that Merry’s hosting the Holy Mud Man from Chechnya and his goat Warren, to see if her new twin nephews are prophets. Add to that the zoo is considering revoking Scout Lauren’s junior zookeeper status, and there’s a howler monkey loose in City Hall, and Merry may just be in over her head. Can she control her girls and solve the case before Officer Kevin Dooley and his hamster patrol throw her in jail?

Thoughts: This was a hilarious, sometimes confusing, oddball cozy mystery. If you take all the weird characters you’ve read about, put them in a town called “Who’s There”, and add in the CIA, hamsters who are cops, a hermit who parades as a Hobbit, a Holy Mud Man, and a town mayor who’s a thirteen-year-old girl (who likes to take animals from the zoo for fun), and you’ll get an idea of what’s going on here.

Actually, no you won’t. But all of the above is in there and plenty more. Merry is an ex-CIA operative. Her best friend is an ex-assassin (and enemy!). Merry’s husband, Rex, is the town cop and he shows her a video of her stabbing a man to death. And Merry and friends are off and running to prove her innocence. Merry also runs the local girl scout group—but those girls are scary! While the demon cultists aren’t. There are a lot of suspects in the story for Merry and friends to track down.

I found the story to be a fun read with a satisfying ending, but, like most series, coming into it not from the beginning, can be confusing at times. Though the author does an excellent job at weaving in the various connections between everyone. I would have liked a little more scenery, though, but overall, a decent story.

Recommended.

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

UNBRIDLED HAUNTINGS by Misty Simon

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Paranormal

5*****

Blurb: What’s a girl to do when the past comes back to haunt you? With her colorful past, Iona Hoover is hoping for a bland and beige future when she moves back to Chincoteague Island in Virginia to help her aunt run a pet treat store called Unbridled Bliss. But when she finds a dead body, suddenly her whole world goes topsy-turvy. She’d grown up in turmoil and had relied on her imaginary friends to vent to when she was little. But now the quartet she’d called the Silver Bettys is back and they weren’t her imagination, they’re ghosts. They want to help her solve the mystery but there’s only so much they can do according to the rules of the afterlife. Iona will take all the help she can get though and when she uncovers some secrets in the small town that others would like to keep hidden, she knows she’ll need every ghost on deck to figure out whodunnit or she could very well be joining the Silver Bettys on the other side.

Thoughts: I loved this book! The characters are fun, especially the “Silver Bettys”—the ghosts who make Iona’s life a lot more interesting. And the setting – the story takes place on Chincoteague Island, a place I have visited.

Iona is technically an ER nurse who burned out so left that job to help her aunt out at her specialized bakery for pets. But things really go strange when a man wanders in and demands coffee (thinking he’s at a coffee shop three doors down). Iona shares her pot with him and he leaves but drops something. When she tries to return it, she finds him dead. And then the fun begins. She and her best friend (who had a True Crime pod cast) and the man she’d had a crush on for years start gathering clues. And her “imaginary friends” from when she was a child are helping them. But no one can see the ghosts except her. It makes for some creative instances.

Overall, this is a fun story with great characters and a unique setting.

Definitely recommended.