Tag: cozy mystery

BONUS REVIEW: Dead on the Vine by Elle Brooke White

BONUS REVIEW: Dead on the Vine by Elle Brooke White

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

When Charlotte inherits her great-uncle’s farm, the timing couldn’t be better. While she’s sad her great-uncle is gone, she was in the exact right place in life to leave Chicago and move to California. Her best friends, Diane and her brother Beau, have time to join her on her first trip back to the farm since childhood.

Sadly, the farm is looking run down. The bank says they are barely breaking even. And Charlotte has to wonder if it is even worth her time – and money – to try and make a go of life as a produce farmer. She might be better off selling the place. Although the thought of that about breaks her heart. It also doesn’t endear her to the employees who have kept the place running.

Coming to the farm has introduced Charlotte to some trouble makers in town, crass men who seem to have it out for Charlotte and the Finn Family Farm. But on the plus side, Charlotte also met the charming and bright little pig she names Horse (because he eats like one) and a sweet little ladybug she calls Mrs. Robinson who caught a ride on Charlotte’s car and seems to be sticking close to Horse.

While the animal discoveries have been delightful, the other discovery on the farm – the dead body – could ruin Charlotte’s chances of doing anything with the farm, including selling it. But maybe if she can help the police figure out who the man was, and who might have wanted to kill him, she might be able to see a future for herself with the family farm.

Review

What a fun series launch!

This cozy mystery has all the right ingredients:

  • A fun setting – A produce farm (strawberries and tomatoes) with potential for so much more.
  • Likable characters – I loved Charlotte from the start. She’s spunky and doesn’t put up with much guff. I loved that she stood up to some of the blow-hard personalities in this. Horse and Mrs. Robinson and the rest of the animals were a hoot. And I liked the human characters around the farm as well.
  • Twisty clues and increasing suspense – The mystery here was great! There was no shortage of trouble for Charlotte to deal with, but it was well paced throughout the story. I was guessing on the culprit until about the last quarter of the book. The way the mystery wraps up was perfect.
  • Balance between character development and the mystery – There’s nothing more frustrating to me than a cozy mystery without much mystery. But the interplay between the characters is what will make a series go from good to delightful. When an author can put both together – a cast you care about and want to spend time with alongside a well-plotted mystery – I will read everything they want to write.

This was a delight to read. I will definitely be watching for a sequel. Cozy fans should check this one out!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BONUS REVIEW: Shake Down by Kendel Lynn

BONUS REVIEW: Shake Down by Kendel Lynn

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Elliott Lisbon enjoys life on Sea Pine Island, South Carolina. She’s the director for the Ballantyne Foundation which means, for the latest Foundation event, she’s only in charge of set up and centerpieces while the board handles the rest of the details.

Elli has contracted with Juliette Pete of Cake & Shake for 25 cake centerpieces for the Ballantyne Beach BBQ. The BBQ honors families who have helped the homeless community in the area while also raising funds for a new shelter.

After a few local mysteries, Elli is also working on her South Carolina PI licence. That comes in handy when Juliette’s maid of honor, Daphne, goes missing. Daphne’s gone off grid before, but the timing – with the wedding days away – is odd. Surely Daphne wouldn’t disappear when her best friend is counting on her.

Elli’s connections at the police station – her supervisor, Captain Sullivan, and her neighbor/boyfriend Lieutenant Nick Ransom – can’t do much about Daphne. She’s only been missing for a few hours, and she doesn’t live in their jurisdiction. But they’re working with the right authorities, and Elli gets the materials she needs to launch her first missing persons case.

As Elli starts investigating, the stories about Daphne don’t line up. She finds out Juliette and Daphne were on the same dating show – and Juliette won the fella. While Juliette believes she and Daphne are best friends and work partners, Daphne’s mom and boyfriend insist there’s more to the story. But with no word from Daphne, and hours ticking by, even those who at first figured she left town to avoid the wedding and her “broken heart,” are starting to look worried.

Review

This is book 5 in the Elliott Lisbon Mystery series, but the first book that I have read, and it was great! I’ll definitely be going back to check out the previous books.

There’s a HUGE cast of characters in this. I don’t know if it’s just all the folks from the previous books (so regular readers would already know everyone) or if it’s just for this case. It was hard to keep track of folks at times. Otherwise, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this. Elli is a terrific protagonist. She’s actively working to become a PI, and works somewhat cooperatively with local law enforcement. That gives this a different feel from most of the cozies I usually read.

I didn’t get a great feel for the Foundation work Elli does and the other “home base” pieces of the series, but I know I can go back to the previous books for that. And the mystery in this was so well written, I definitely want to go back and check those out. The case was perfectly paced and there were plenty of questions and twists to work through. Mystery fans should be sure to check this one – and the rest of the series – out! (Language, TW for the ending)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Death with a Dark Red Rose by Julia Buckley

REVIEW: Death with a Dark Red Rose by Julia Buckley

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Lena and her friends are settling into a quieter pace of life after their recent adventures. Fall has arrived, and everyone is enjoying the colors of the season. Camilla and Adam have a getaway planned. Lena and Sam are making wedding plans. And Doug and Belinda are also going on a trip. But when Doug goes to pick her up, he finds her gone. Her car, purse, phone and keys are still at the house. Doug, Sam and Lena start looking for her.

Belinda’s parents inform them that Belinda’s brother, Carl, is living nearby. Belinda adores her brother and might have met up with him. And if Carl hasn’t been taking his medication, he might have met up with Belinda unexpectedly.

While Belinda is found safe, Carl reached out to her because he thinks someone else isn’t. Carl’s friend, Luis, has been missing for 5 days. Luis’ wife seems unconcerned, and the management at work is dismissive. But Carl is certain something is wrong. And because Luis and Carl work for the mysterious Plasti-Source, the disappearance will give the police an inroad into the company so they can check it out.

Review

This was fantastic! I’ve been a fan of the Writer’s Apprentice Mystery series since book 1, A Dark and Stormy Murder. I’m two books behind, but I was able to drop into this one because I understood the primary characters, and the story didn’t require me to know all of the back story. (The larger over-arching mystery from the start of the series was wrapped up in the books I haven’t gotten to yet.)

I always feel like I get my money’s worth (so to speak) from this series because the books are dense with material. Yet none of it feels like fluff or filler. I love the ensemble and the ways they work together on the mysteries. The addition of Belinda’s brother Carl was great. What an endearing character! There are tidbits of character and relationship development here and there, but they are always well-balanced with the meaty mystery central to the book.

The mystery here was top notch as usual. Lots of twists that kept me guessing to the end. I also enjoy the writing pieces in the series with Camilla and Lena. Each chapter starts with either writing notes from Camilla or lines from the fictional story they are working on in the book. I appreciated the fact that they often throw out several ways for the fictional story to go, acknowledging that the details get sorted out in the writing process. Terrific!

I loved this book, and I highly recommend the whole series to mystery and cozy fans!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: Al Dente's Inferno by Stephanie Cole

BONUS REVIEW: Al Dente’s Inferno by Stephanie Cole

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Nell Valenti has arrived in Italy for the opportunity of a lifetime. She’s there to work with the legendary Chef, Claudio Orlandini, her culinary hero.

Nell has been hired to take Villa Orlandini and turn it into a culinary school where tourists could come and learn from the famous chef. She would make any structural and equipment changes necessary, design a course of study, and promote the school. But the villa is not exactly in tip top shape. And neither is Chef Orlandini.

The Chef might be the big name draw, but he seems to play bocce more than he cooks these days. Parts of the villa look run down with old, worn, and mismatched furniture. There’s even a porcupine living in one of the rooms. Nell has a much larger job ahead of her than she had been led to believe.

Before she can really wrap her mind around all the work that needs to be done to transform the space into a cooking school, the occupants of the villa inform her they are throwing a dinner party to help with the launch of the school. But when someone is killed and Chef disappears, Nell has to wonder if the school even has a chance.

Review

I struggled with this one. I didn’t click with the characters or the story in a way that propelled me forward. It was too easy to set this down and pick up other books instead. I didn’t get a good sense of the cooking school pieces or Nell’s expertise to pull that off. The author tried to set up some interesting dynamics with Nell’s family, but it was more tell than show until the last part of the book. It didn’t have a chance to grow into all it could have been. And while it’s obvious that a story in Italy is going to have Italian-speaking characters and translation issues, this was often a distraction or interruption to the flow of the story for me.

There’s potential here. Nell seems to have an interesting background. I liked the potential love interest and the way he and Nell interacted. The setting – the villa, the cooking school angle – could be developed nicely. Personally, though, this didn’t click. I didn’t get a great sense of the victim, the suspects, or the larger group at the villa. Characters are a huge part of books and reading for me, and these didn’t draw me in.

The mystery is solid, and I enjoyed some of the latter scenes in the book where Nell works through some clues. I might try a second book in this series to see how the characters develop, especially if Nell’s parents are going to be part of the story. That dynamic is fascinating to me.

Rating: ♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Game Changer by Jennifer Brown

REVIEW: The Game Changer by Jennifer Brown

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Hallmark Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Hollis Bisbee moved to Parkwood, Missouri after losing her newspaper job in Chicago and her boyfriend (and his dog) in one fell swoop. She’s trying to make the best of her new small town life. She has a job at the town paper, writing local interest stories like the new gravy recipe at the diner and the new hot dog roller at the high school stadium. She has a new best friend, Daisy, mother of four and baker extraordinaire. And if she can talk Daisy into it, she also has a true crime podcast.

Both women have an interest in true crime. And Hollis is watching her reporting skills atrophy with the work she is getting at the Parkwood Chronicle Weekly. So they launch the Knock ’em Dead podcast. Hollis is responsible for the tech side and the crime details while Daisy provides baked goods for sustenance – and baking tips for their listeners!

They don’t have to look hard for crime material as the town high school’s rival football coach was recently run down after a controversial game. Was it an accident? Or did the star quarterback – son of the local police chief – mean it when he said he’d kill the man if he kept stealing their plays? Could it be the man who owned the car the coach hit earlier that day? What about the assistant coach who wanted the man’s job?

But with the police chief insisting the man just had a heart attack, and Hollis’ editor refusing to investigate because of her friendship with the chief, Hollis is going to have to investigate this one on her own.

Review

This was so fun! I loved Hollis and Daisy as a team. They made me laugh a lot, and Daisy’s recipes all sounded amazing! (There is one recipe included in the book.) The writing is smart and funny; this was a treat to read!

The mystery in this was good, too. I was so frustrated that no one but Hollis was really taking the crime seriously. But the sleuthing and the solution all came together well. I enjoyed the budding relationship between Hollis and one of the local officers.

There were so many fun pieces to this – the description of Daisy’s family and her management of four high energy kids, the bad takes on the podcast, the banter over whether it’s a baking podcast or a true crime podcast, Hollis’ mom and aunt in Chicago, and so much more. I so enjoyed reading this, and I can’t wait to read more in this series. Cozy mystery fans should NOT miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: Theater Nights Are Murder by Libby Klein

BONUS REVIEW: Theater Nights Are Murder by Libby Klein

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Immediately on the heels of her last adventure (Restaurant Weeks Are Murder – ♥♥♥♥♥), Poppy has a decision to make. Tim asked her – in front of everyone – to “give it a go” with him once again. Their history together as teens and her questions of what might have been if things had been different make his offer tempting.

At the same time, she feels a huge attraction to Gia. He was standing there when Tim made his plea. Why couldn’t she decide which of the two men she wanted to be with?

Thankfully, the Senior Center’s production of Momma Mia!, and Aunt Ginny’s reconciliation with an old flame is the perfect distraction. Poppy’s been coerced to help with lights for the show. It needs some help as it’s been suffering through everything from egos run amok to deliberate acts of sabotage. But when someone dies, and the police rule it a suicide, Poppy and her elderly friends think the ruling is a mistake. And sleuthing makes another great distraction from a love triangle.

Review

The mystery in this one is terrific! There are so many things going on here – the sabotage at the play, the death, and also someone trying to ruin Poppy’s businesses (both the B&B and her baking). And I loved watching Poppy and the “biddies” (4 elderly ladies, including Poppy’s Aunt Ginny) puzzle them all out. I didn’t laugh in this one as much as I have with the past books, but there were still several fun moments.

The love triangle is infuriating, though. I feel like Poppy’s choice is ridiculously clear (although I know others disagree with me on the choice – and they think their choice is clear, too.). Only one of these two guys encourages her to be comfortable in her own skin and encourages her for her own purposes. The other one is self-absorbed and selfish. Poppy has been a means to an end for him more times than not. I can’t for the life of me figure out why this choice isn’t more clear to her or why the author insists on dragging this out. When this book ended essentially right back where the last one did, I was frustrated enough to growl out loud. This is the only thing I am not enjoying about this series, but I am starting to lose patience on this front. If it doesn’t resolve soon, I will forgo the fantastic mysteries to bypass the drawn out love triangle.

If you don’t mind a love triangle, don’t miss this series because the characters are fantastic and the mysteries are top notch!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Matchmaking Can Be Murder by Amanda Flower

REVIEW: Matchmaking Can Be Murder by Amanda Flower

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Millie Fisher recently moved back to Holmes County, Ohio. She had lived in Michigan for years, taking care of her sister. But now she’s back, enjoying being home in her Amish community with family close by.

Millie has a reputation as something of a matchmaker in her community. God has given her a sense for when two people are a good match – or not. Which is why Millie is so eager to talk to her niece, Edith. She rushed into an engagement to Zeke Miller, but it’s obvious to Millie that the two are ill-suited for one another. Thankfully, Edith agrees and breaks her engagement.

Gossip spreads quickly in the small community. And people have some strong opinions about the break up. It caught everyone but Millie by surprise. But it’s nothing compared to the surprise of finding Zeke, murdered. Millie is desperate to help Edith, but she’s keeping secrets and she looks guilty. Millie’s going to have to work her people skills to figure out who wanted Zeke dead – and why.

Review

This was terrific! It’s a spin off of the author’s Amish Candy Shop series, so the setting and several of the secondary characters are familiar.

I loved Millie and her English friend, Lois. They are a delightful contrast, and they are hoot together! Because of those two, this is my new favorite Amanda Flower series.

Flower does a great job weaving this book together. There are enough connections to the other series that readers of those books will feel instantly at home. But they are presented in such a way that newcomers won’t feel like they’ve missed something. The author also seeds the book with story threads that can play out in future books. I can’t wait.

The mystery was great. All the pieces came together well. The pacing of the sleuthing worked, too. I enjoyed everything about this one – don’t miss it!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: Verse and Vengeance by Amanda Flower

BONUS REVIEW: Verse and Vengeance by Amanda Flower

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Violet Waverly is the Caretaker for a magical tree located at the center of her bookstore, Charming Books. Women in Violet’s family have been caring for the tree for generations, protecting its secrets. But under Violet’s care, those secrets are in danger.

A private investigator named Joel Redding was in Cascade Springs before investigating a murder, but now he’s back, determined to find out what Violet is hiding. He’s casing her store and following her.

While she’s come to expect their run-ins outside the shop, she doesn’t expect to see him in the middle of a 30 mile bike race.  But wearing loafers and street clothes, Redding zooms by her, taking her picture. Only a few minutes later, at the bottom of Breakneck Hill, Redding is dead.

When a copy of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman is found on him, Violet knows. The shop had given her the same book twice lately. The shop obviously wants her to solve Redding’s murder.

Review

This is book four in the Magical Bookshop Mystery series, my favorite series so far by Amanda Flower. Of the four books in the series so far, I have only known or read the bookstore’s book of choice once. This has never impacted my enjoyment of the series. There’s plenty of Walt Whitman history in the novel as well as an author’s note. While Whitman isn’t a writer I enjoy, I did enjoy the historical pieces here – both real and fictional.

The mystery in this one was solid. I did feel like there was a lot of time spent on Violet searching for, finding and losing the young woman she was trying to help. This started to get old. Violet was far too kind to someone who pushed her away with her words and with her behavior.  And the will-she-or-won’t-she over Violet telling the detective about the shop’s secrets, something she started debating in a previous book, also stretched into this book. I was happy to see that plot thread finally settled. I also felt like one piece of the mystery solution wasn’t explained, but it was a minor piece. The solution was solid otherwise – nice and twisty!

Amanda Flower has another book out this month – Matchmaking Can Be Murder. This is the first in a new Amish Matchmaker Mystery series which is a spin off of the Amish Candy Shop series, which I have also enjoyed. I’ll be reviewing that one at the end of the year.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey

BONUS REVIEW: Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Winona Mae Montgomery is trying to save the Smythe Orchard. It’s been in her family for decades, and her grandmother has been trying to keep it afloat on her own for three years since the death of Winnie’s grandfather.

Winnie is close to finishing her business degree, and she has great ideas about year-round activities they could run at the orchard to help bring in money. Her main goal is to start a cider shop with her own special recipes. She just has to convince the loan officer at the bank to trust her instincts and plans.

The dead body in the apple press doesn’t do anything to help Winnie’s loan application.

As the victim was their neighbor, and Granny Smythe’s nemesis, the new sheriff pegs Winnie’s grandmother as his primary suspect for the murder. If Winnie is going to protect her grandmother, save the orchard, and secure her bank loan, she’s going to have to find the real killer on her own.

Review

Fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed the kickoff to this new series by Julie Anne Lindsey. The West Virginia setting – a small town, an apple orchard, etc. – was nice. Winnie and her grandmother are great cozy characters – great neighbors, people everyone cares about and wants to help. The potential romance has a nice start up here (although I hope the distraction disappears soon – maybe in book 2!). These are definitely characters I would spend time with again.

The mystery was top notch! I felt like all of my questions were answered in the solution. My guesses were completely wrong, so I enjoyed the end reveal. The situation escalated for Winnie at a perfect pace to ratchet up the suspense. I never felt like it was too much or too fast or too slow or that the story elements were out of balance with the mystery.

I became a fan of the author with her Geek Girl Mystery series, and this just reinforced that. Don’t miss this Christmas season mystery. And be sure to watch for book 2, Pulp Friction, out next spring.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Can't Judge a Book by Its Murder by Amy Lillard

REVIEW: Can’t Judge a Book by Its Murder by Amy Lillard

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Arlo Stanley, book store owner, was getting ready for Sugar Springs’ Tenth Annual All-School Class Reunion. This year they were expecting a lot of visitors because they had a big name guest of honor coming. Wally Harrison had grown up in Silver Springs. He became a writer, and he had recently been at the top of the bestsellers lists. Unfortunately, as Arlo is making her way into work before the big weekend, Wally is lying dead on the sidewalk in front of her store.

Wally was scheduled to do a big signing at the shop. Arlo knew Wally from high school, as did her business partner, Chloe. In fact, Chloe and Wally had a child together, although Wally had signed his rights away before the baby was even born. Neither Chloe, nor Arlo, can see Wally as the type to throw himself from a building, but suicide is the prevailing theory.

Until the coroner’s report comes in. All signs point to murder. The logical suspects would be Wally’s wife or his mistress/assistant, but Chloe and Wally had met that morning to talk about their son. Chloe didn’t want Wally in the boy’s life. And thanks to a hefty inheritance, Chloe is the number one suspect for the murder.

Review

This was fun! I loved the characters. Arlo is great, and her loyalty to Chloe made her even more likable. The elderly ladies in the shop’s book group were a hoot! They were one of my favorite parts of the book. While I generally don’t enjoy love triangles, I am curious to see what happens between Arlo, Mads and Sam as this series goes on, especially as these characters have a history and are now back in the same town for the first time since high school.

The mystery was terrific. The clues stacked against Chloe were no joke. There were a few other suspects to explore, but really only 2 were explored in any depth. I’m curious to see how the mystery in book 2 will play out when the author is doing less “world building,” and has even more page space to dig into a mystery and a group of suspects.

Cozy fans should check this out. It’s a great story with likable characters and a small-town setting. I will definitely be checking out any further books in the Main Street Book Club Mystery series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½