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Review: A Page Marked for Murder by Lauren Elliott
A Page Marked for Murder
Lauren Elliott
Beyond The Page Bookstore Mystery Series, book 5
In Lauren Elliott’s fifth Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery, a murder and a missing first edition of The Secret Garden have rare bookstore owner Addie Greyborne running around her Massachusetts town trying to read the clues…
January isn’t the season for the seaside, but the big Fire and Ice festival is keeping bookstore owner Addie busy. Amid the plans for a fireworks display and an ice-carving competition, she’s also dog sitting for a friend in the hospital. When Addie goes to her friend’s house to gather supplies, she notices an interesting item on the nightstand which belongs to her shop assistant, Paige: a very valuable copy of the beloved children’s book The Secret Garden.
But Addie’s blood runs cold when she finds something else: a dead body behind the bakery next door to her shop. Martha, the bakery owner, has no alibi–and has been seen in a heated argument with the victim. And the next thing Addie knows, that first edition has gone missing. Is there a connection between the body and the treasured tome? If there is, it’s up to Addie to find a killer with a motive as hidden as Frances Hodgson Burnett’s famous garden…
3.5 Stars
A Page Marked for Murder is a fun, small town cozy with not one but two mysteries within its pages.
The cozy town of Greybore Harbor is shaken when a dead body is found behind the bakery. That hits close to home with Addie, as the suspect is her assistant mother. Addie does what she does and starts putting her nose to the ground and figures out what is going on. When a rare book goes missing as well, Addie can’t help to think the two are connected.
Addie Grayson as a fantastic lead character. I enjoyed her way of thinking. She thinks things through and uses a good bit deductive reasoning letting her see things for what they really are.
I very much enjoyed A Page Marked for Murder. Author Lauren Elliott crafted a well written mystery. Well paced and plenty of things going on to keep us guessing. Many likable characters throughout the story just add to the enjoyment of the story. Easy to read yet will keep you guessing Ms, Elliott gets a thumbs up from me.
Review: A Crime of Different Stripe by Sally Goldenbaum
A Crime of Different Stripe
Sally Goldenbaum
Seaside Knitters Society, Book 15
When a body is discovered at Sea Harbor’s opening reception for the autumn art series, the Seaside Knitters must take a break from stitching baby gear to unravel a series of secrets in Sally Goldenbaum’s 15th Seaside Knitters Society mystery.
While no-nonsense mother-to-be Cass Halloran tries downplaying her pregnancy and her frequent doctor’s visits as an “older” mother-to-be, a softer side of the lobsterwoman emerges as she joins the Seaside Knitters in knitting an abundance of delicate hats and booties. But in contrast to the happy news, terrifying events unfold at the town’s art series that puts a real chill in their New England fall…
Izzy Perry’s husband Sam had reservations about inviting his one-time mentor Harrison Grant to speak at the opening reception, although he never imagined the famed and charismatic photographer would rudely embarrass his hosts that evening. But when a dead body turns up along the wooded shoreline the next day, startling secrets come into focus that could undo the tight-knit community of local artists…
With a mysterious murder pitting neighbors against each other, Izzy, Birdie, Nell, and a vulnerable Cass find themselves entangled in a dangerous hunt for answers. Can four best friends somehow tie together scattered clues and pacify a list of potential culprits before a cascade of fallen foliage buries the pièce de résistance of a ruthless killer?
3.5 Stars
Welcome to the cozy seaside town of Sea Harbor where four friends come together in the joy of knitting and solving crimes. So when a body is found the day following the Autumn Art Reception, it’s time to purl into action and get some answers.
A Crime of a Different Stripe was my first trip into this well established series, yet they welcomed this new comer with open arms. I loved the bonds of friendship shown all throughout the book. The age differences within friendship was awesome. Well written characters with great personalities, fun and entertaining townspeopleA well plotted and paced mystery to keep readers turning the pages. Author Sally Goldenbaum has something special with this series. From prenatal yoga to egotistical photographers this story was kind of all over the place yet entertaining while providing a good mystery. It took me a few minutes to get everyone figured out but once I did the town of Sea Harbor was like visiting an old friend.
Review: The Body From the Past by Judi Lynn
The Body From the Past
Judi Lynn
A Jazzi Zanders Mystery, Book 5
A closed room in her newest fixer-upper leads Indiana house-flipper Jazzi Zanders to reopen a chilling cold case involving a high school girl . . .
Jazzi, her cousin Jerod, and her husband Ansel are preparing to renovate a charming house that reminds her of an English manor. Before purchasing it, they had inspected the house for structural issues, but now when they do a more thorough walk-through, they discover a teenage girl’s bedroom that clearly hasn’t been touched in years. Dust covers the pink canopy bed, clothes still hang in the closet, and a hope chest remains full of journals and memorabilia. They’ve stumbled on a shrine to a dead girl.
They learn Jessica was killed in the middle of her high school graduation party. The murderer was never identified, but the brother-in-law of Jazzi’s friend, who went to school with Jessica, was suspected and never lived it down. He implores Jazzi to review the cold case and finally prove him innocent. Now it’s up to the house-flipper to nail a killer who will do anything to close the door on the past . . .
4 Stars
Jazzi, her other half Ansel and her cousin Jerod are back at it, flipping their latest house in the town of Merlot. The home is not overflowing with wine but contains a lock room with the belongings of a murdered young lady. Feeling it’s wrong to throw out the contents of a chest Jazzi discovered within the locked room, she soon become to the go to woman on a murder case that the killer is still running free. With the cooler weather approaching Jazzi and Ansel try to get the renovations done on the flip house, do some renovations on their own home. They themselves deep in a murder investigation, new murders occurring just as they’re finding answers and they have to find Halloween costumes for their party.
The Body From the Past is a good mystery that unfolds layer by layer. I love how the story started as a cold case and added to the complexity of the plot line throughout the story. It was different and a bit refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed this twist to the plot. The characters are well developed but yet you can see growth within the story. Ms. Lynn balances the story extremely well with mystery, renovation and cooking. I love the large family that Jazzi and Ansell are part of. They bring another level of humor and the ability to relate with a larger group of readers. I did figure out the who done it but yet I was second-guessing myself until the end when the mystery was revealed.
A visit with Jazzi Zanders is like visiting a friend with all the best gossip and even better food. Not only do readers get a good mystery, this book just may have you looking for things to improve in your own home or you’ll definitely be figuring out what kind of soup you will be making now that you are craving soup. The Body From the Past is a great seasonal read and wonderful edition to the series. Author Judi Lynn delivers an entertaining story.
Review: Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron
Murder in the Bayou Boneyard
Ellen Byron
A Cajun Country Mystery, Book 6
Maggie Crozat has the Halloween heebie-jeebies in USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron’s howlingly funny sixth Cajun Country mystery.
Maggie Crozat, proprietor of a historic Cajun Country B&B, prefers to let the good times roll. But hard times rock her hostelry when a new cell phone app makes it easy for locals to rent their spare rooms to tourists. With October–and Halloween–approaching, she conjures up a witch-crafty marketing scheme to draw visitors to Pelican, Louisiana.
Five local plantation B&Bs host “Pelican’s Spooky Past” packages, featuring regional crafts, unique menus, and a pet costume parade. Topping it off, the derelict Dupois cemetery is the suitably sepulchral setting for the spine-chilling play Resurrection of a Spirit. But all the witchcraft has inevitably conjured something: her B&B guests are being terrified out of town by sightings of the legendary rougarou, a cross between a werewolf and vampire.
When, in the Dupois cemetery, someone costumed as a rougarou stumbles onstage during the play–and promptly gives up the ghost, the rougarou mask having been poisoned with strychnine, Maggie is on the case. But as more murders stack up, Maggie fears that Pelican’s spooky past has nothing on its bloodcurdling present.
4 Stars
A delightful and fun cozy mystery with a Halloween theme great for kicking off the fall season. Murder in the Bayou Boneyard was a Great distraction for a lazy day of reading.
Maggie is not a fan of Halloween, yet goes along with her family along with other B&B owners hosting Halloween theme weekend to help bring more business to their businesses. What should be fun and pleasant weekends turn into mayham and murder. Not to mention some appearances made by fabled, bayou creatures just to spice up the mix a little bit more. If that wasn’t enough Maggie has out of town distant relatives that are just not quite The kind of people she was expecting. Pelican, Louisiana maybe a small town but it sure got a lot going on.
Murder in the Bayou Boneyard was my first visit with the characters of the Cajun Country Mysteries and will not not be my last. Not only was the story entering, the mystery kept you guessing and the plot was solid. The characters are well developed and fun. The setting is like being transported to a different place. With everything that’s going on in the world right now I feel it’s important for myself to be able to get lost in a book. Author Ellen Byron does just that. I felt like I was right in the bayou with Crozets. The only thing missing was the delectable food that we read about through the pages of this entertaining book.
Review: Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn
Little Bookshop of Murder
Maggie Blackburn
A Beach Reads Mystery, Book 1
A Shakespearean scholar inherits a beachside bookshop–and a murder mystery–in this delightful new cozy series for fans of Kate Carlisle and Ellery Adams.
Summer Merriweather’s career as a Shakespeare professor hangs by a bookbinder’s thread. Academic life at her Virginia university is a viper’s pit, so Summer spends her summer in England, researching a scholarly paper that, with any luck, will finally get her published, impress the Dean, and save her job. But her English idyll ends when her mother, Hildy, shuffles off her mortal coil from an apparent heart attack.
Returning to Brigid’s Island, NC, for the funeral, Summer is impatient to settle the estate, sell her mom’s embarrassingly romance-themed bookstore, Beach Reads, and go home. But as she drops by Beach Reads, Summer finds threatening notes addressed to Hildy: “Sell the bookstore or die.”
Clearly, something is rotten on Brigid’s Island. What method is behind the madness? Was Hildy murdered? The police insist there’s not enough evidence to launch a murder investigation. Instead, Summer and her Aunt Agatha screw their courage to the sticking place and start sleuthing, with the help of Hildy’s beloved book club. But there are more suspects on Brigid’s Island than are dreamt of in the Bard’s darkest philosophizing. And if Summer can’t find the villain, the town will be littered with a Shakespearean tragedy’s worth of corpses–including her own.
3 Stars
Little Bookshop of Murder is a light and easy cozy mystery read that is more than fitting for beach reading.
Summer Merriweather is having a time of it. A Shakespeare Professor researching a paper in England to try to save her career when the unexpected death of her very healthy mother brings her back to her childhood home. Upon return she realizes things are not as they seem. Summer decides that if the local law won’t listen she will have to figure out this one herself.
There are many things I enjoyed about Little Bookshop of Murder. First and foremost the store, Beach Reads! The Idea of this store is a reader stream on the beach. From its name to its beach themed decor, It’s a place that I wouldn’t mind spending an afternoon or two enjoying reading by the sea. Second small towns whether I’m reading cozies or romance are always a favorite. This one has a vast array of quirky characters that make up a very fun and interesting town. Next the family dynamic within the story is priceless. I love the inner jokes and squabbling that goes back-and-forth between them. Summer it’s an interesting main character. She may have left a few ill feelings when she left home yet it’s still her home and has a love for it even if she didn’t realize how deep it goes. The mystery of the story itself was rather easy to figure out but the why was a bit off for me. However I enjoy this little town and these crazy characters enough that it will make me read the next book in the series.
Review: The Key Lime Crime by Lucy Burdette
The Key Lime Crime
Lucy Burdette
A Key West Food Critic Mystery, Book 10
National bestselling author Lucy Burdette’s tenth Key West Food Critic mystery is piping hot with pie-enthusiasts and murder suspects.
When a fierce rivalry between key lime pie bakers leads to a pastry chef’s murder, food critic Hayley Snow is fit to be pied.
During the week between Christmas and New Year’s, the year-round population of Key West, Florida, faces a tsunami of tourists and snowbirds. It doesn’t help that outrageously wealthy key lime pie aficionado David Sloan has persuaded the city to host his pie-baking contest. Every pie purveyor on the island is out to win the coveted Key Lime Key to the City and Key Zest food critic Hayley Snow is on the scene to report it.
Meanwhile, Hayley’s home life is turning more tart than sweet. Hayley’s new hubby, police detective Nathan Bransford, announces that her intimidating mother-in-law is bearing down on the island for a surprise visit. Hayley offers to escort Nathan’s crusty mom on the iconic Conch Train Tour of the island’s holiday lights, but it becomes a recipe for disaster when they find a corpse among the glittering palm trees and fantastic flamingos. The victim–Au Citron Vert’s controversial new pastry chef–was a frontrunner in Sloan’s contest.
It’s bad enough that Hayley’s too-curious mother-in-law is cooking up trouble. Now, the murderer is out to take a slice out of Hayley. Can she handle the heat of a killer’s kitchen?
4 Stars
Holidays, key lime pie and murder, The Key Lime Crime is a deliciously entertaining cozy mystery.
As if life isn’t crazy enough for food critic and newlywed Hayley Snow with it being Christmas in the beautiful Key West, there is a Key Lime Pie contest that every baker in town is trying to win and she is a judge. All the while trying to finish out her articles for the remainder of the year. Toss in a surprise visit from her new mother-in-law that turns her into a tour guide that has them stumbling upon a dead body. I believe the day just got worse.
Key Lime Crime is a funny and entertaining cozy mystery. If you are not craving several slices of key lime pie by the time you’re reading then somethings just not right. Hayley is a wonderful character that readers can relate with. She smart, charming, in love and a good person. She’s still becoming comfortable in her new married life, as many readers can relate to. Hayley navigates the reader through an interesting and twisting plot that keeps you guessing. You see significant character growth within one book. As being a primary romance reader that is something I see frequently within romance but not quite so much in cozies. I definitely enjoyed that factor of the book. This is a long going series that fortunately I stumbled upon and was able to pick up at book 10 and didn’t feel like I was left out from anything of previous books. Author Lucy Burdette twisted a fantastic mystery well giving you fantastic descriptions of every possible Way of having Keylime pie. I very much enjoyed Key Lime Crime. I look forward to going back to previous books in the series and truly getting to know these characters.
Review: Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison
Death at High Tide
Hannah Dennison
Island Sisters Mystery, Book 1
In the first installment in the delightful Island Sisters series, two sisters inherit an old hotel in the remote Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall and find it full of intrigue, danger, and romance.
When Evie Mead’s husband, Robert, suddenly drops dead of a heart attack, a mysterious note is found among his possessions. It indicates that Evie may own the rights to an old hotel on Tregarrick Rock, one of the Isles of Scilly.
Still grieving, Evie is inclined to leave the matter to the accountant to sort out. Her sister Margot, however, flown in from her glamorous career in LA, has other plans. Envisioning a luxurious weekend getaway, she goes right ahead and buys two tickets–one way–to Tregarrick.
Once at the hotel–used in its heyday to house detective novelists, and more fixer-upper than spa resort, after all–Evie and Margot attempt to get to the bottom of things. But the foul-tempered hotel owner claims he’s never met the late Robert, even after Evie finds framed photos of them–alongside Robert’s first wife–in his office. The rest of the island inhabitants, ranging from an ex-con receptionist to a vicar who communicates with cats, aren’t any easier to read.
But when a murder occurs at the hotel, and then another soon follows, frustration turns to desperation. There’s no getting off the island at high tide. And Evie and Margot, the only current visitors to Tregarrick, are suspects one and two. It falls to them to unravel secrets spanning generations–and several of their own–if they want to make it back alive.
4 Stars
The Island Sisters Series is off to an entertaining and enjoyable start with Death at High Tide.
Evie Mead is in quite a spot. Her husband suddenly dies, she finds out they’re broke, a mysterious letter from her late husband finds its way into her hands and her sister, Margot, has a crazy idea to figure things out. These two sisters are very different yet extremely hilarious together. You can tell they have a bond even though they’ve been away from each other for years.
The seaside town of Tregarrick is a unique setting. I loved the hotel, once used as a mystery writer’s getaway. Even with its outdated decor it had a whimsical charm. Like most small towns, everyone knows everyone and the inhabitants of this town make up a colorful cast of unique, strange yet entertaining individuals. There are many secrets floating around and when several murders occur within a short time, checking out a simple hotel becomes something much more complicated.
This is my first read by Author Hannah Dennison and I will admit I am pleasantly surprised. The characters had a lot of personality, layers and a bit of mystery to the. The setting is amazing with just a touch of a gothic feel. Winter seas can do that. Lol. The story was well paced and entertaining. The mystery was well plotted and I honestly hadn’t figured out who had actually done it. This is one of those stories that will suck you in and before you know it you have finished the book in one sitting. Evie and Margot are an interesting pair and I look forward to seeing what interesting situations these two will find themselves in.
Review: Knit of the Living Dead by Peggy Ehrhart
Knit of the Living Dead
Peggy Ehrhart
A Knit and Nibble Mystery, Book 6
When a spooky celebration in Arborville, New Jersey conjures real scares, can Pamela and the Knit and Nibble Club sink their teeth into a bone-chilling mystery that just won’t rest in peace?
Among the countless revelers at the town’s much-anticipated Halloween parade, a woman dressed as Little Bo Peep is the only one making people scream bloody murder. In a scene straight out of a horror movie, the Knit and Nibblers find the nursery rhyme character dead with thick strands of yarn looped around her neck. Pamela and her best friend, Bettina, are set on pinning down who wanted the woman gone forever, but it’ll take every trick they can muster to catch the culprit without becoming the next poor souls to join Little Bo Peep’s dark, endless sleep . . .
Knitting tips and delicious recipes included!
3.5 Stars
A fun Halloween themed cozy with the Knit and Nibble gang in Knit of the Living Dead.
Arborville, New Jersey is all in the spirit of Halloween with the anticipation of its local parade. When scarry fun turns into screams of murder the festivities come to an end and the sleuthing begins. Pamela along with bestie Bettina are on the case using the powers of the press and the love of yarn to finding out who murdered Lil Bo Peep.
Knit of the Living Dead has me as a newcomer to this well established series. I will admit it was easy to jump six books in. I didn’t feel like I was lost or missing out on something. Readers can totally feel the bonds of friendship that Pamela and Bettina share. They are a riot together. I loved the knitting group and that there was a male among them. I love the love of fiber throughout the story. As a yarn crafter is a touch that hits home. The town of Arborville was truly cozy. A serene setting with the colorful array of town folks that you expect within a cozy mystery. The mystery has more layers than I anticipated and was unable to figure out who had done it.
Author Peggy Ehrhart gives a fun read with many twists and gets readers ready for Halloween.
Review: Tea and Treachery by Vicki Delany
Tea and Treachery
Vicki Delany
Tea By The Sea Mysteries, Book 1
In this charming new cozy mystery series from nationally bestselling author, Vicki Delany, a New York City expat-turned-Cape Cod tea shop owner must solve the murder of a local real estate developer to help her feisty grandmother out of a jam . . .
As the proud proprietor and head pastry chef of Tea by the Sea, a traditional English tearoom on the picturesque bluffs of Cape Cod, Roberts has her hands full, often literally. But nothing keeps her busier than steering her sassy grandmother, Rose, away from trouble. Rose operates the grand old Victorian B & B adjacent to Lily’s tea shop . . . for now. An aggressive real estate developer, Jack Ford, is pushing hard to rezone nearby land, with an eye toward building a sprawling golf resort, which would drive Rose and Lily out of business.
Tempers are already steaming, but things really get sticky when Ford is found dead at the foot of Rose’s property and the police think she had something to do with his dramatic demise. Lily can’t let her grandmother get burned by a false murder charge. So she starts her own investigation and discovers Ford’s been brewing bad blood all over town, from his jilted lover to his trophy wife to his shady business partners. Now, it’s down to Lily to stir up some clues, sift through the suspects, and uncover the real killer before Rose is left holding the tea bag.
4 Stars
Tea and Treachery is a charming and funny start to the Tea by the Sea Mysteries.
Lily Robert is the owner and Confectionery goddess of Tea by the Sea. An amazing re-creation of a traditional English tea room. She also provides her culinary skills to her grandmother’s B&B, Victoria by the Sea. Keeping up with her grandma is a full time job in itself. Lily is a hardworking and her favorite place to be is in a kitchen backing. Her best friend Bernie is a bit undecided about life but she is trying to work her way through it. She’s loyal, willing, larger than life and funny. Grandma Rose is a hysterical riot. She is on the brass side but somehow that just works for her. An elderly english woman who’s set ih her ways, not afraid to speak her mind, has an opinion for just about everything and can cause trouble like a teenager. I can see many more entertaining moments coming from Grandma Rose. Being a romance fan first and foremost, I really enjoyed the playfulness of the English Gardner Simon.
Tea and Treachery is an entertaining, well plotted fantastic beginning to what is going to be a fun and charming series. The setting of Cape Cod It’s brought to life on the page through beautiful descriptions that allow the reader to transport themselves to another place. The characters are entertaining and charming. Each character throughout the story has a distinctive personality that contributes to the enjoyment factor overall. The mystery was well plotted and very believable. I love the way Lily and Rose go about getting to the truth of the matter. Tea and Treachery will keep you on your toes guessing and really wanting some tea with a scone.
Review: A Study in Murder by Callie Hutton
A Study in Murder
Callie Hutton
A Victorian Book Club Mystery, Book 1
Kindle Edition, 320 pages
Published May 12th 2020 by Crooked Lane Books
A mystery author is charged with murder–and the plot thickens faster than anyone can turn the pages–in USA Today bestselling author Callie Hutton’s new series debut, perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Ellery Adams.
Bath, England, 1890. Mystery author Lady Amy Lovell receives an anonymous letter containing shocking news: her fiancé, Mr. Ronald St. Vincent, has been dabbling in something illegal, which causes her to promptly break their engagement.
Two evenings later, as Lady Lovell awaits a visit from Lord William Wethington, fellow member of the Bath Mystery Book Club, her former fiancé makes an unexpected and most unwelcome appearance at her house. She promptly sends him to the library to cool his heels but later discovers the room seemingly empty–until she stumbles upon a dead Mr. St. Vincent with a knife in his chest.
Lord Wethington arrives to find Lady Amy screaming and sends for the police, but the Bobbies immediately assume that she is the killer. Desperate to clear her name, Lady Amy and Lord Wethington launch their own investigation–and stir up a hornet’s nest of suspects, from the gardener who served time in prison for murder to a vengeful woman who was spurned by St. Vincent before he proposed to Lady Amy.
Can they close the book on the case before the real killer gets away with murder?
4 Stars
A Study in Murder is a well written and entertaining start to the Victorian Book Club Mystery series.
Lady Amy Lovell is truly a character you can’t judge by her appearance. A lady by day and a secret mystery writer by night. Not really by night but you get my point. She is so much more than her time likes to accept from a woman. She has a passion for life and a love for reading. Her way of thinking outside the box gets her in a spot of trouble here and there. I love that she thought for herself and stood her ground. For a 1890’s woman of Bath, she’s not your typical woman of the time, she’s much more fun.
When Lady Amy ends her betrothment to Mr. Ronald St. Vincent after evidence is presented to her that he is taking part in some dealings that are rather unsavory Her biggest worry was what her father was going to say. Until two days later Mr. Saint Vincent shows up at her home unannounced and is found murdered In Lady Amy’s Home library. The investigators are naming Lady Amy as their number one suspect. Amy puts practical use to her research that she uses as a mystery writer, to uncover the mystery of who killed her ex fiancé.
Callie Hutton has a real winner with A Study in Murder. By nature I am a contemporary reader. However when I read the description for this book I was so intrigued I had to give it a shot, even with it being historical. The mystery itself Has all kinds of twists and turns and I’ll be honest I didn’t know the outcome until the end. The characters are a riot. There were some truly hysterical and laugh out loud moments that I didn’t expect to experience with a historical story. I loved the passion for reading itself within the pages of the story. As a reader that is something that I think we all enjoy seeing within characters in the books we read. I look forward to to seeing what Ms. Hutton has in store for Amy in the upcoming books in the Victorian Book Club Mystery series.
