A New Batch Of Cozy Mysteries

October 22, 2016October 19, 2016 / Linda / 1 Comment

autumn reading

Finally! The cool weather is here! If you like it hot and humid, this was the perfect summer for you. Hope you were able to enjoy some cozy mysteries by the beach, pool, or in some air conditioning! Now Fall is here and we have a bunch of new titles for you to snuggle up with. Enjoy!

Digging Up The Dirt (A Southern Ladies Mystery) – Miranda James – When eligible bachelor Hadley Partridge returns to Athena to restore his family mansion, he finds a dead body and he must weed through the clues to discover the killer.

Cancelled by Murder (A Postmistress Mystery) – Jean Flowers – When the dead body of fabric-shop owner Daisy Harmon is found after a massive storm, postmistress Cassie Miller is asked by Daisy’s widowed husband to find the truth before someone else is swept away by a killer.

Murder of a Cranky Catnapper (A Scumble River Mystery) – Denise Swanson – When her pet-therapy project ends in murder, Scumble River School psychologist Skye Denison Boyd must find out who killed a curmudgeonly school board member before she meets the same fate.

No Farm, No Foul (A Farmer’s Daughter Mystery) – Peg Cochran – When the minister’s wife is murdered on her property during a fundraiser for a local church, Shelby McDonald, the owner of the Love Blossom Farm in the small Western Michigan town of Lovett, must dig in her heels and find the killer herself.

Behind Chocolate Bars (A Chocolate Covered Mystery) – Kathy Aarons – While preparing for the annual West Riverdale Halloween Fair, business partners Michelle and Erica find themselves trick-or-treating for the truth as they try to prove the innocence of one of Erica’s comic-book club members when he is accused of murder. Includes chocolate-making recipes.

The Hammett Hex (A Book Collector Mystery) – Victoria Abbott – While on a romantic trip to San Francisco with Officer Tyler Smiley Dekker, Jordan Bingham, in the process of returning a rare copy of Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest for her employer, discovers that someone is trying to kill them.

High Kicks, Hot Chocolate, and Homicides (A Happy Hoofers Mystery) – Mary McHugh – When the Happy Hoofers score a gig at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall with the legendary Rockettes during the Christmas Spectacular, the toe-tapping troupe must solve a murder in between rehearsals and sightseeing before someone else dances to their death.

It’s Your Party, Die If You Want To (A Liv and Di In Dixie Mystery) – Vickie Fee – While planning a riverboat gambler-themed engagement party, a murder mystery dinner for charity, and a businesswoman’s’ retreat, party planner Liv McKay must solve the murder of a party girl with a penchant for married men, but her efforts are thwarted by a killer with one seriously haunting vendetta.

Killing Thyme (A Spice Shop Mystery) – Leslie Budewitz – When she encounters an old friend who disappeared years ago, and who then is murdered only days later, spice shop owner Pepper Reece digs up the dirt on Seattle’s Pike Place Market to catch a killer only to place her own life in danger.

Masking for Trouble (A Costume Shop Mystery) – Diane Vallere – When the venture capitalist who was trying to push out local businesses, including hers, is found dead during a Halloween party, costume-shop owner Margo Tamblyn is the top suspect and must unmask the real killer before she is forced to wear prison stripes.

The Semi-sweet Hereafter (A Chocolate Whisperer Mystery) – Colette London – While in London to lend her expertise on all things chocolate to a posh chocolaterie-patisserie, detective constable Hayden Mundy Moore stumbles upon the dead body of a sexy celebrity chef who just happens to be the ex-husband of Hayden’s client and must unwrap the clues to catch a killer with a sweet tooth.

The Witch and the Dead (A Wishcraft Mystery) – Heather Blake – When she discovers a pile of old bones in her Aunt Ve’s garage under a mess of memories and forgotten possessions, wish-granting witch Darcy Merriweather must solve a cold case to keep her aunt from doing a spell in prison

By Familiar Means (A Witch’s Cat Mystery) – Delia James -While painting murals in a new coffee house, witch and artist Annabelle Britton is asked by the owners to evict a restless spirit before the grand opening, which leads to the discovery of hidden smugglers tunnels beneath the shop, a dead body and a killer with a score to settle.

Paws and Effect (A Magical Cats Mystery) – Sofie Kelly – When her old beau, Detective Marcus Gordon, is accused of murder, resourceful librarian Kathleen and her magical felines must paw through the clues to discover who is trying to frame him for murder.

Seeds of Deception (An Orchard Mystery) – Sheila Connolly – While honeymooning at Monticello and enjoying Thomas Jefferson’s orchards, newlyweds Meg and Seth discover that something rotten is going on at home and must cut their vacation short when the police pick Meg’s father as the killer of a handyman.

Book Recommendations from Beyond

April 1, 2016March 28, 2016 / Mary / Leave a comment

No, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke. New Books Alerts brought a surprise to my inbox recently.

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Did you catch it? Not the book itself, although I did rush out to the shelves to see if it was there. The review. It is 2016 and a New Book Alert showed up with a review by none other than the great (and very late) Dorothy L. Sayers, author of the beloved Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries.

Now those who are not devotees of British crime fiction may never have heard of Miss Sayers, but to me her name was as eye-catching as a five-star review. She wrote the Lord Peter series between 1923-1937, twelve books in all. (If you are interested, author Jill Paton Walsh added four more titles to the series, bringing the Lord Peter tales to sixteen.)

By the way, the book, Death of an Airman by Christopher St. John Sprigg, was on the shelf, so now I have a new story to read, recommended by an author, long gone but yet, still very much here. And that is one of the things I love about books. Old friends, both authors and characters, never completely leave us.

New Cozy Mysteries are Here!

March 7, 2016March 5, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

mystery

Every month, we get a batch of new cozy mystery books. Here are some of the latest. Pick your favorite series or start a new one!

On Thin Icing (A Bakeshop Mystery) – Ellie Alexander – While catering a retreat at the nearby Lake of the Woods Resort, Jules finds things going from bad to worse when her estranged husband shows up determined to reconcile and she stumbles upon a dead body while going to pick up extra supplies.

Sweet Pepper Hero (A Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mystery) – J.J. Cook – Called in to investigate a local moonshine distillery that was set ablaze, fire chief Stella Griffin, while preparing to judge the annual recipe contest, turns to the town’s elders for answers and discovers a revived whiskey war that could cause her town to go down in flames.

One Foot in the Grove (An Olive Grove Mystery) – Kelly Lane – While licking her wounds on her family’s olive plantation after a personal scandal, Eva Knox is immersed in a murder investigation after a dead body is unearthed on her family’s farm and she becomes the prime suspect in the case.

Copy Cap Murder (A Hat Shop Mystery) – Jenn McKinlay – To promote their hat shop, Scarlett Parker and her cousin, Vivian, wear their most outrageous creations to a swanky soiree hosted by their friend Harrison Wentworth who, after his business rival is murdered during the festivities, needs their help to prove his innocence.

Foreign Eclairs (A White House Chef Mystery) – Julie Hyzy – When she becomes part of a bold strategy to make sure a terrorist gets his just desserts, White House executive chef Ollie Paras must stop a killer from serving up an ice-cold dish of revenge. Includes recipes for a complete presidential menu.

To Helvetica and Back (A Dangerous Type Mystery) – Paige Shelton – When the man who demanded that they give him an antique typewriter winds up dead, Chester Henry and his adult granddaughter, Clare, who repair old typewriters and restore old books, must discover which of the dusty, old typewriter’s secrets are worth killing for.

A Ghoul’s Guide to Love and Murder (A Ghost Hunter Mystery) – Victoria Laurie – When the very dagger that keeps the dangerous ghost Oruc and his pet demon locked down in the lower realms is stolen while they are promoting their new film, M.J., Heath and Gilley must enlist a skeptical Boston detective to help stop the paranormal party guests from crashing Gilley’s wedding.

A Disguise to Die For (A Costume Shop Mystery) – Diane Vallere – When her customer, wealthy nuisance Blitz Manners, is murdered and party planner Ebony Welles is accused of the crime, costume-shop owner Margo Tamblyn must unmask the real killer to save her friend.

For Cheddar or Worse (A Cheese Shop Mystery) – Avery Aames – When pretentious cheese critic Lara Berry is murdered during the annual Cheese Festival in Providence, Ohio, and her best friend stands accused of the crime, cheese-shop owner Charlotte Bessett must slice through the clues to carve out a clever killer to save her friend.

The Grim Steeper (A Teapot Collector Mystery) – Amanda Cooper – During the Fall Fling Townwide Tea Party in the quaint Finger Lakes town of Gracious Grove, Sophie Taylor, along with her Nana and their friends, the Silver Spouts, must clear her boyfriend’s name of murder after the dean who accused him of falsifying grades is found dead.

A Whisker of Trouble (A Second Chance Cat Mystery) – Sofie Ryan – The owner of a second hand shop in North Harbor, Maine, Sarah Grayson and her rescue cat, Elvis, must sniff out a killer when they stumble upon a dead body while searching for fabulous finds on the estate of collector Edison Hall.

A Turn For The Bad (A County Cork Mystery) – Sheila Connolly -When a farmer goes missing and a body washes ashore on the Cork coast, Boston expat Maura Donovan, after listening to the suspicions of her employee, decides to investigate on her own and gets in way over her head.

It’s A Wonderful Knife (A Comfort Food Mystery) – Christine Wenger – With a broken leg and busy diner during the holiday season, Trixie Matkowski also finds herself the prime suspect in the murder of Liz Fellows, the director of the local Christmas pageant who was found with Trixie’s butcher knife in her back.

Town In A Cinnamon Toast (A Candy Holliday Murder Mystery) – B.B. Haywood – To save her friend’s wedding, Maine blueberry farmer and occasional sleuth Candy Holliday must put her maid-of-honor duties to the test when the best man is found dead, which exposes a conspiracy that could change the quiet coastal town of Cape Willington forever.

A Familiar Tail (A Witch’s Cat Mystery) – Delia James – Artist Annabelle Britton, who is unlucky in love, arrives in the quaint seaside town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she finds herself unexpectedly saddled with a witch’s wand, a furry familiar and a coven of witches who gather together to keep the town safe from evil.

On Our Shelves: New Cozy Mysteries

December 28, 2015December 23, 2015 / Linda / Leave a comment

The latest cozy mysteries for your reading enjoyment.

Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen (A Year-Round Christmas Mystery) – Vicki Delany – When her holiday float is sabotaged, Merry Wilkinson, the owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, must discover who the Scrooge is in Christmas Town after the dead body of a reporter is found and the evidence points to her best friend, Vicky.

Crowned and Moldering (A Fixer-Upper Mystery) – Kate Carlisle – While helping her new beau, Mac Sullivan, renovate his historic lighthouse mansion, contractor Shannon Hammer stumbles upon the remains of a missing young woman who disappeared 15 years earlier and must right the wrongs of the past and bring a killer to justice.

The Stitching Hour (An Embroidery Mystery) – Amanda Lee – A commercial haunted house next door threatens to scare away business at Marcy Singer’s Tallulah Falls, Oregon embroidery shop, Seven-Year Stitch, and soon things get even worse when a local waitress is found dead with mysterious markings on her neck—and one of Marcy’s festive trinkets in her possession.

Writing All Wrongs (Books By The Bay Mystery) – Ellery Adams – While attending the Coastal Carolina Crime Festival where Silas Black, a celebrity screenwriter and television producer is speaking, newlyweds Olivia and Chief Rawlings, along with the rest of the Bayside Book Writers, are faced with strange occurrences and a real-life murder.

Plot Boiler (A Black Cat Bookshop Mystery) – Ali Brandon – When the wife of the cantankerous owner of Perky’s Coffee Shop is found dead, bookseller Darla Pettistone and her cat, Hamlet, must throw the book at a killer who has a secret worth killing for. By the New York Times best-selling author of Literally Murder.

Nuts and Buried (A Nut House Mystery) – Elizabeth Lee – When her wealthy friend, Eugene Wheatley, is murdered after introducing his new bride to Riverville, Texas society, Lindy Blanchard launches her own investigation after the wrong woman and her unscrupulous kin are accused of the crime and turns to her meemaw Miss Amelia for help. Includes pecan recipes.

Claws For Alarm (A Nick & Nora Mystery) – T. C. LoTempio – When her sister, Lacey, is accused of killing her bullying professor over a bad grade, sandwich-shop owner Nora Charles goes undercover at the college, with her feline partner Nick, to expose the professor’s true nature and force the real killer out into the open.

White Colander Crime (A Vintage Kitchen Mystery) – Victoria Hamilton – When she discovers the battered body of local woman Shelby Fretter, who predicted her own murder at the hands of Cody Wainwright, food columnist Jaymie Leighton is not convinced that the troubled son of her beleaguered newspaper editor is responsible and decides to investigate on her own.

The Iced Princess (A Snow Globe Shop Mystery) – Christine Husom – When Molly Dalton, a rich socialite, begs them for a job, curio shop owner Camryn Brooks and her BFF, coffee shop owner, Alice Nelson, find a real-life mystery brewing in their shop after Molly is found dead, which submerges them both in hot water.

Pouncing on Murder (Bookmobile Cat Mystery) – Laurie Cass – When maple-syrup season is marred by the death of her favorite syrup provider, bookmobile librarian Minnie Hamilton and her rescue cat, Eddie, must tap into the clues to find the truth before someone else ends up in the same sticky situation.