Tag: mystery

Review: Holidays and Homicide

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Short stories/Anthology

5+++ stars

THOUGHTS: This book isn’t coming out until December 2, but it is definitely on my “must buy” list. And it should be on yours. In most anthologies, there are often stories that you love and others that are okay, but there are no “okay” ones in this anthology. They are all fun, entertaining, and satisfying–and have characters that are in the authors’ full scale books. And a few of them have delicious recipes as well. They are quick reads so easy to grab over lunch (though some are a little longer and may take more than a lunch break to read) and give you a glimpse at each author’s unique style.

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” #GemmaHallidayPublishing

BLURB: From twelve USA Today bestselling and award winning authors, comes a short story collection stuffed full of mirthful mysteries, clever criminals, and holiday cheer! These short holiday bites are perfect for enjoying between rounds of wrapping or binge-reading over a cup of cocoa! Stories: A Hometown Christmas Caper (Hometown Mysteries) by Rosalie Spielman; Gossip, Guilt & Gingerbread (Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries) by Lena Gregory; Larceny & Twinkle Lights (Jamie Winters Mysteries) by Kelly Rey; Holidays & Heists (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries) by Anne Marie Stoddard; Ornaments, Surprise & Dead Guys (Gianna Mancini Mysteries) by Jennifer Fischetto; It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Mischief (Northwoods Mysteries) by Annie McEwen; You Can’t see the Forest for the Christmas Trees (Modern Midwife Mysteries) by Christine Knapp; Jingle Bell Rocker (Sunny Side Up Mysteries) by Misty Simon; Holly, Handcuffs, and Hearsay (Camelot Flowers Mysteries) by Erica Wynters; Search for the Silent Santa (Ghost Town Mysteries) by Jamie L. Adams; Nothing But Truffle (Cookies & Chance Mysteries) by Catherine Bruns; A Heartland Homicide (Bourbon B&B Mysteries) by Gin Jones

Review: Home Fries and Alibis

HOME FRIES AND ALIBIS by Lena Gregory

Fiction, Cozy Mystery

4****

THOUGHTS:
This is the eighth book in the All-Day Breakfast Café mysteries and has all the usual suspects. Gia and Samantha and Leo and Hunt along with Alfie and his crazy computer skills. I will admit, Alfie is one of my favorite characters.

In this story, Gia has a new neighbor who is downright nasty. When she knocks on Gia’s door, accusing her dog of digging up her yard, Gia loses it. With the help of Alfie, she sets out to prove that it is not Thor that is doing the digging. But what they uncover is murder. And Gia is the main suspect.

The friends come together to find out who killed the nasty woman and in doing so, uncover some hidden nastiness in their town. Blackmail, embezzlement, cheating, and more are discovered in their search, but it is Alfie’s skills that finally help Gia solve the mystery – but not before her own life is endangered.

I love the characters the author has created and the small-town vibe. I want to go sit at the diner and have some sweet potato hash. I love that Gia gets to experiment with new recipes that sound so good that I want to try them. I also really liked the ending and can’t wait to read the next one in the series.

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” Thank you to the author, Beyond the Page Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

BLURB: When a belligerent woman moves in across the street, café owner Gia Morelli has to call off the welcome wagon and call in the homicide squad . . . hen a nasty new neighbor moves into their peaceful community, Gia and everyone else in the neighborhood is ready to blow a fuse. The spiteful woman has quickly made a nuisance of herself, complaining to and about everyone there. Then she makes the grave mistake of falsely claiming Gia’s dog tore up her yard, and Gia goes ballistic, telling the woman to back off . . . or else. It was an impulsive move for Gia, but someone else decides an even more extreme approach is called for, and silences the woman—permanently. Unnerved by the thought of a murderer living in her neighborhood, Gia begins digging into the victim’s life to figure out who would have wanted her dead. She soon discovers that the woman was not only malicious but was blackmailing people in the community. Even more surprising is that nearly everyone in the neighborhood has something to hide. Dead-set on rooting out the culprit, Gia has to determine who stood to lose the most if their secret was revealed, unaware that she’s perilously close to losing her own life . . .

Review: Dead, White, and Blue

Fiction, Cozy Mystery

5*****

Blurb: It’s the 4th of July in the Wisconsin Northwoods, and no one is more excited than Emmy Cooper. She’s happy to be back in her hometown, settling once again into small-town living and helping her family run Cooper’s Cove, their lake cottage resort. Emmy and her teen crush, police officer Dean Erickson, are enjoying getting reacquainted, while she and bestie Whitney are closer than ever. Lake Covington and its quaint namesake town are bustling with visitors celebrating during the annual three-day Independence Day Freedom Fest. Everything is Yankee Doodle Dandy until a local man with a reputation for trouble starts fireworks of his own. And the explosions just keep on coming when Emmy stumbles over a dead body at the celebrations! The dead man is Jordan James, and as Emmy soon finds out, there are no shortage of people who might want him dead. From a jealous jerk to a conniving cousin and even a former friend from his past, suspects are more plentiful than ants at a July picnic! Despite promises to stay out of the investigation, Emmy finds herself smack in the middle of it. Can she and Whitney figure out the truth and find liberty and justice for all?

THOUGHTS: I love these stories set in the Northwoods of Wisconsin at the Cooper’s Cove campgrounds. I love Emmy and how clutzy she is, her hunky cop boyfriend Dean, and her best friends. Plus her whole family. Emmy is a great character. And this town sounds like a great place to visit.
Well, except for the murder(s).
In this one, Emmy stumbles onto the body of Jordan James. While she didn’t know him well, she does know his uncle who is a nice businessman in town. And Jordan was a nice guy from what everyone says. So why was he dead?
Emmy and her friends can’t help looking into his death, even though she promised the cops she wouldn’t. But there are so many suspects, including a group of friends staying in one of their cabins.

This was a good cozy with lots of interesting characters and a satisfying ending. I am definitely looking forward to more books in this series.
Recommended.

Review: Potions and the Pleasantly Poisoned

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Paranormal

4****

Blurb: At 40, Dani Williams thought she knew all her family secrets. Gran’s apple pie recipe? Check. The location of grandpa’s hidden cigarette stash? Double check. But when her gran dies, she discovers the biggest secret of them all. All the women in her family are witches. Including her. And the timing couldn’t be worse. After a tough six months, Dani’s life is in ruins. When she returns to Point Pleasant to deal with her gran’s estate, she is plagued by haunting visions of a woman’s death. She realizes who the woman is too late to save her. She knows the woman was murdered, but unfortunately, seeing something in a prophetic dream doesn’t count as evidence. Dani refuses to sit idle while the killer remains at large. With every ounce of her newfound magic, she races against time to unravel the mystery. But there’s one problem—Gran kept her witch heritage hidden, and Dani must navigate her powers alone. Can Dani unveil the true murderer before an innocent person takes the fall? Join her on a thrilling journey through magic, mystery, and self-discovery in this enchanting paranormal cozy mystery.

THOUGHTS: This was a good cozy with a different sort of twist – instead of a nasty person being murdered, it was actually a decent person who was a friend of the “sleuth”.

Dani, the amateur sleuth, is newly divorced, 40, and out of a job. She returns to Point Pleasant, WA to deal with her beloved grandmother’s estate, she starts seeing things and feeling things that don’t make sense. Then she learns that she is a witch and her gran had been suppressing her powers. Now, she not only has to learn how to use her new powers, but also help solve the murder of a good friend. While searching out the perps, she comes to realize that she has more friends there than in Spokane…a great house in her gran’s Victorian home, and the possibility of a job—and a cute cop guy. But someone doesn’t want her there and especially doesn’t want her looking into her friend’s murder. Thankfully, there are others who do want her to stay around.

Recommended.

Review: Rocky Road to Murder

ROCKY ROAD TO MURDER by Lena Gregory

Fiction, Cozy Mystery

4****

Blurb: Danika Delaney is thrilled that her old fashioned malt shop, the Coffee & Cream Café, has gotten a catering contract for the biggest party of the season, the Rutherford Manor Fourth of July gala. She’ll be providing desserts for the party as well as attending the exclusive event on Eastern Long Island. However her path to the gala quickly becomes a rocky road… Dani arrives at the event, only to find the gala’s hostess, Cressida Rutherford, dead! What’s worse, one of Dani’s signature parfaits sits next to the dead woman, with what looks like peanuts in it—a food Cressida is severely allergic to. Amid the melted ice cream mess, Dani initially blames herself, thinking she made a mistake while rushing with the desserts. However she quickly learns that what appeared to be an accident was actually foul play, and suddenly Dani has to spring into action proving that she isn’t the perpetrator. Along with her friends, Dani uncovers a string of people in Cressida’s life who might have wanted the socialite dead. Can she prove her innocence and make sure the killer gets their just desserts?

THOUGHTS: This is the sixth book in the “Coffee and Cream” series of cozy mysteries. They take place in a small town on Long Island. Dani (Danika Delaney) runs a small ice cream parlor that once belonged to her Uncle Jimmy (who still works there a lot). Dani, along with her best friends Gwen and Eli, have helped solve several murders in their small town, and now they’re working to do so again—this time because Dani is being accused. When her boyfriend/cop Jake takes her out of the café in handcuffs, the town gossip tongues really start wagging – and her family takes offense. You do not rile the Delaney family! In this one, an heiress, Cressida, has been killed at her own party. In digging into the people who might have done the deed, a lot of dirt is dug up on family and friends. Dani, Gwen, and Eli sift through it all, giving what clues they come up with to the police and, eventually, solving the case. But not without danger to themselves.

I love Dani and her family and friends. Dani may make incredible desserts, but she is incredibly inept when it comes to coordination—especially when trying to do yoga on a boogie board in the middle of the bay. I love how her entire family rallies around her and how Uncle Jimmie defends her against the gossips. There were a few nits in the story that confused me, but overall, this was a fun, decent cozy with a satisfying ending. I look forward to more stories about Dani and crew.

Recommended.

Review: A Poison Manicure & Peach Liqueur

Fiction, Cozy Mystery

4****

Blurb: It’s Christmas in Danger Cove, and all Cassidi Conti wants is clients. A rival salon owner has come to town and stolen The Clip and Sip’s business. Her holiday hopes go south, however, after someone sexes up the sleigh display at her open house, and an incident from the past makes the paper. Luckily, her tough talkin’ Texan aunt rides to her rescue, and she’s madder ‘n The Grinch in a gift shop. But when a nail client drops dead at her rival’s salon, and the killer sends unseasonal greetings to The Clip and Sip, Cassidi wonders whether an entire Texas cavalry could save her from the impending disaster. She has to act fast to figure out who the manicure murderer is, or her Noël could be nixed—forever.

THOUGHTS: The Sip & Clip is in trouble again – or rather, Cassidi and Gia are. They’re losing business to the new upscale salon in Danger Cove, run by Ivy Li. When Ivy’s latest client ends up dead right outside the salon, fingers point to her, but she manages to place the blame directly on Cassidi and Gia. Enter Cassidi’s aunt, Magnolia, in all her rootin-tootin-gun-totin’ glory, along with her Ouija board, her pink Cadillac (with Texas longhorn horns on the front) and her passion for contacting the spirit of Barry Manilow. From him, she gets hints of what’s going on.

And there’s a lot. Murder, blackmail, treasure hunting, and more—all at Christmas time. I loved Magnolia! She was a hoot. But Gia was starting to get to me with her Jersey girl guff. Her over-the-top actions got a little old after a while. And our favorite (not!) cop, Detective Marshall, is back and ready to arrest whoever the wrong person is (usually Cassidi).

The mystery was good (though I knew the perp from almost the beginning), the characters well done, and a satisfying ending that was a hoot.

Recommended.

Review: Ropes & Last Hopes

ROPES & LAST HOPES by Trixie Silvertale

Fiction, Cozy Mystery

4****

Blurb: When a suspicious death takes the life of a friend, our psychic sleuth must expose a killer’s dirty laundry… Mitzy Moon hopes for a normal day running errands. And this time, she’s determined to get her grandmother’s couture properly cleaned. But her day gets stuck in a spin cycle when she encounters crime-scene tape at the dry cleaner’s and a puzzling murder. With her only way into the case through an undercover stint in the women’s wrestling league, Mitzy charges ahead with little help from her mentor, Ghost-ma, or her entitled feline. But if the bell rings before she corners the suspect, more lives could end up on the ropes. Can Mitzy hold a murderer down for the count, or will she be taken out in a lethal smackdown? Ropes and Last Hopes is the prequel novella to the hilarious new paranormal cozy mystery series, Harper and Moon Investigations, a spinoff from the popular Mitzy Moon Mysteries. If you like snarky heroines, supernatural intrigue, and a dash of romance, then you’ll love Trixie Silvertale’s wedded whodunits.

THOUGHTS: Mitzy Moon has inherited from a bookstore, a strange building, and a fortune from her grandmother. Oh, and a closet full of high-fashion clothing. And the ghost of her grandmother loves to tell her how to live her life. Grams lives with her as does a wildcat that seems to have a way with clues to mysteries. In this one, a beloved lawyer who helps endangered women with her skills is killed and Mitzy goes undercover (without much covering) as a female wrestler in order to help find the killer.

There were parts of this that I loved, and parts that had me scratching my head in confusion. If this is supposed to be the prequel to a series, there sure does seem to have been a ton of stuff going on before hand. I found the beginning rather confusing, but by the end, I was enjoying the read. But it took me almost a hundred pages to get there.

Still, not a bad story and it has a mostly satisfying ending (while setting up for the next book). Recommended.

Review: Black Magic Murder

BLACK MAGIC MURDER by Polly Holmes

Fiction, Paranormal Cozy Mystery

4****

Blurb: Careful what you wish for! Graduating to a fully-fledged witch on my upcoming birthday should be a momentous occasion, but when a local hairdresser turns up dead, I know it’s going to be one hell of a week. Saltwater Cove’s resident infuriating fae looks like a good suspect for the murder, but insists she’s innocent and reveals a huge secret too amazing to be a lie. But if she didn’t do it… then who did?
The murder triggers the return of a dark force… dark enough to send even the most experienced witches into panic mode. Harriet, Jordi and Tyler join me as I try to find the culprit, putting my magical abilities to the ultimate test. When the killer strikes even closer to home, I need to up my game if I’m going to keep evil at bay.…or have I finally met my supernatural match? If you like witty witches, talking cats, and magical murder mysteries, then step into the fun and flirty romantic paranormal cozy mystery world of the Melting Pot Café series where the spells are flowing, and the adventure is sure to leave you craving more.

THOUGHTS: This was a fun story with a lot of twists and turns. Although this is the sixth in the series, you don’t really have to have read the others to understand what’s going on. I didn’t – though I’m going to. And is seriously suggest you do as well so you do get some of the nuances of the story – like them hunting for a Sphere that appears to be a continuing plot line.

In this one, Evelyn is approaching her twenty-fifth birthday which is when she’ll become a full-fledged witch. If she passes the test of the Council. Everyone wants to throw her a grand party, but she wants nothing to do with that. Especially since she has to prove to the cops that she wasn’t responsible for a recent murder.

I enjoyed the quirky characters, the family/friend dynamics- and the ending (not giving it away, but it was good). But the series is definitely not over as the thread of the Sphere and the mystery surrounding the deaths of Evelyn’s parents continues on.

Recommended.

Review: Balloons, Allies, & Dead Guys

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, #7 in series

4****

Blurb: From USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Fischetto comes a locked-room mystery that will leave you chilled to the bone!There’s nothing more important to ghost whisperer Gianna Mancini than family. Which is why for Pop’s 60th birthday, she’s planned an intimate family get-together, just before an impending Nor’easter hits their town. A quick catered dinner and cake, and everyone will be home before the first snowflake falls.Or so she thought.Pop’s eccentric extended family from New Jersey decides to crash their quiet celebration, and before Gianna can do more than react, she’s hit with another unwanted surprise—in the form of a dead body. As if murder wasn’t enough to put a damper on the partying mood, the blizzard arrives early, forcing Gianna and her family to spend the night with a killer.With the help of her police detective brother, Enzo, Gianna knows she needs to get to the bottom of this mystery… before more family ends up dead. Who would want the deceased gone? Why would they do it at Pop’s party? And where are they hiding… or perhaps, are they hidden in plain site among the party guests? Too bad the dearly departed isn’t giving up any clues. Secrets unfold, suspects emerge, and as Gianna gets closer to the truth, she fears the killer may be one step ahead of her…

Thoughts: I love this family! They are incredibly weird, but also such a tight-knit group who love each other no matter what. Gianna and Julian are with her family to celebrate Pop’s 60th birthday. What is supposed to be a small, quiet gathering turns into a madhouse when Pop’s sister and her large family arrive. Then it starts to snow. And blow. And they’re stuck there, so Gianna goes to look for sleeping bags, and finds a dead body. 

So now both family’s are stuck in the house during a blizzard with a murderer. Gianna, Julian, and Gi’s brother Enzo (a cop) go to work with very little help from the ghost of the dead man since he doesn’t want his past revealed.

The family is kooky and a little spooky, but always full of love and laughter.

Recommended.