Thursday, May 19, 2022
Book Review: SWEET SIERA GULCH (A Paige MacKenzie Mystery) by Deborah Garner
Monday, May 16, 2022
Book Review: POISONED IN PROVENCE (A Nina Brown Paranormal Cozy Mystery) by Cat Green
Monday, May 9, 2022
Blog Tour and Book Review: BEAR WITNESS (An Alaska Untamed Mystery) by Lark O. Jensen
Before the tour boat reaches shore Stacie—accompanied by her beautiful blue-eyed husky, Sasha—must deduce just who sent the testy tourist tumbling into the turgid waters and have the authorities take custody. Because if she can’t, then the killer might aim a fatal ice-cold stare at Stacie.
Review
Stacie Calder is a naturalist whose passion is learning more about nature and sharing that knowledge as the tour guide for a prominent Alaska tour company. She and her dog, Sasha, work with the same crew and captain all the time, and Stacie is very loyal to the captain and the company. Needless to say, when a man is questioning her and the company, she becomes uncomfortable and suspicious that he may try to ruin the company and searches for him. Only he's disappeared and now she's a suspect.
She insinuates herself into the investigation and the primary investigator, Liam, ultimately gives her permission to keep sleuthing with the promise that she'll share what she finds out. Not all her coworkers are enthused with her questions, nor is the dead man's 'friend' who continues to take the tour day after day.
Throughout the story, Jensen provides descriptions of scenery and wildlife, ice floes and glaciers calving, the birds, and other animals they encounter. The descriptions are rich and the reader can appreciate the experience. Having taken tours like that one, it's also very accurate. These are interwoven with the growing relationship between Stacie and Liam, the animosity of some of the crew, her sleuthing, and increased concern when one man is acting strangely.
This is a great start to a new series. The pace is good, Stacie is a likable protagonist, there are multiple suspects, and it's very well-written. There's something for everyone in this great story.
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.
About the Author
Lark O. Jensen is the pseudonym of Linda O. Johnston, a former lawyer who is now a full-time writer. Lark has written Bear Witness, the first Alaska Untamed mystery for Crooked Lane. Linda has written the Barkery & Biscuits Mystery series and the Superstition Mysteries for Midnight Ink and the Pet Rescue Mysteries and Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime. Linda also writes for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, and her stories often involve dogs.
Author LinksSaturday, May 7, 2022
Blog Tour and Book Review: MARGARITAS, MAYHEM & MURDER (An Andi Anna Jones Mystery) by Mary Cunningham
Synopsis
Andi Anna Jones, so-so travel agent and amateur sleuth, puts aside her resentment of her father's widow and books a sixtieth birthday cruise to Cancun for Ruby and three friends. Never does Andi imagine the cruise will include the murder of a has-been lounge singer—or that Ruby might be the main suspect.
Flirting with more than danger after arriving in Mexico, Andi connects with charming local sheriff, Manual Gonzales. An embarrassing night involving the sheriff, too many margaritas, and a Mariachi band, can't quell her determination to clear the name of her ex-stepmother.While gathering clues and interviewing witnesses, however, she suspects dear old step-mom isn't the only one in jeopardy.
Author, Mary Cunningham, grew up on the northern side of the Ohio River in Corydon, Indiana. Her first memories are of her dad's original bedtime stories that no doubt inspired her imagination and love of a well-spun "yarn."
Through the author's horrifying stint as a travel agent, Andi Anna Jones sprang to life. The adult/mystery series gives extra meaning to the phrase, "Write what you know." Cunningham has several books published, including Cynthia's Attic, a five-book middle-grade fantasy, women’s lifestyle/humor book, WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty, Ebooks, Christmas With Daisy and Ghost Light. A biography of an army brat, turned UConn and WNBA basketball player, will be published in the spring of 2022.
She is a member of Sisters In Crime, Sisters In Crime-Atlanta Chapter, International Thriller Writers, Inc., and the Carrollton Writers Guild.
When she gives her fingers a break from the keyboard, Mary enjoys golf, swimming, and exploring the mountains of West Georgia where she makes her home with her husband and adopted, four-legged, furry daughter, Lucy.
Author Links- Website: http://www.marycunninghambooks.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marycunninghambooks
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/MaryCunningham
- Amazon Author Page: com: Mary Cunningham: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle
- Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/author/show/367223.Mary_Cunningham
- GoodReads Link - Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder by Mary Cunningham | Goodreads
Friday, April 29, 2022
Blog Tour and Review: KNIT OR DYE TRYING (A Riverbank Knitting Mystery) by Allie Pleiter
Synopsis
Business is booming for Libby Beckett and her fabulous Maryland shop, aptly named Y.A.R.N., but when a town festival brings a fatality with it, Libby gets all tangled up in murder.
As spring comes to Collinstown, the village launches a food festival to draw a new group of tourists. Libby, the proud owner of Y.A.R.N., has planned a yarn event to provide an alternative option to a foodie weekend. Artisan fiber dyer Julie Wilson—known for her work with animal-friendly, plant-based knitting fibers such as bamboo and hemp as well as her brilliant use of color—will hopefully draw a crowd with a special dyeing workshop.
The festival begins, but it draws more than crowds. First, a flock of sheep parades down the street, herded by farmers protesting Julie’s anti-wool stance. Then Julie’s celebrity chef sister appears, and the siblings resume a long-standing rivalry. Despite all this, Julie’s workshop has sold out. Libby is thrilled, and they’re preparing for a full house. But the night before the event, Julie is found alone in the warehouse event space—dead. The witty “Watch Julie Wilson Dye” workshop title now has a terrible new meaning—and it’s up to Libby to catch a crafty killer.
An avid knitter, coffee junkie and firm believer that “pie makes everything better,” Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction working on as many as four novels at a time. The bestselling author of over fifty books, Allie has enjoyed a twenty-year career with over 1.5 million books sold. In addition to writing, Allie maintains an active writing productivity coaching practice and speaks regularly on the creative process, publishing, and her very favorite topic—The Chunky Method of time management for writers.
Author LinksMonday, April 25, 2022
New Release: MUSIC AND MEMORIES, ANOTHER MURDER (A Sheridan Hendley Mystery #7) by Christa Nardi
Thursday, April 7, 2022
Blog Tour Cover Reveal: MURDER IS NO PICNIC (A Cape Cod Foodie Mystery) by Amy Pershing
Murder Is No Picnic (A Cape Cod Foodie Mystery) by Amy Pershing
COMING JUNE 7, 2022
When a celebrity chef is found dead,

Samantha Barnes, the "Cape Cod Foodie,"

turning into a search for a killer . . .

READY!

SET!!

REVEAL!!!

Murder Is No Picnic (A Cape Cod Foodie Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series Setting – Cape Cod, Massachusetts Publisher : Berkley (June 7, 2022)
Mass Market Paperback : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593199189 ISBN-13 : 978-0593199183 Digital ASIN : B09K66BGZF
The Fourth of July is coming, and for professional food lover Samantha Barnes, it’s all about the picnic. Okay, and the fireworks. And the parade. But mostly the picnic. What could be better than a DIY clambake followed by the best blueberry buckle in the world? Sam has finally found the perfect recipe in the kitchen of Clara Foster, famed cookbook author and retired restaurateur, and she’s thrilled when Clara agrees to a buckle baking lesson.
But when Clara dies in a house fire blamed on carelessness in the kitchen, Sam doesn’t believe it. Unfortunately, her doubts set in motion an investigation pointing to the new owner of Clara’s legendary restaurant—and a cousin of Sam’s harbormaster boyfriend. So, in between researching the Cape’s best lobster rolls and planning her clambake, Sam needs to find Clara's killer before the fireworks really start....
You can Pre-Order Your Copy Today!
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Amy Pershing, who spent every summer of her childhood on Cape Cod, was an editor, a restaurant reviewer and a journalist before leading employee communications at a global bank. A few years ago she waved goodbye to Wall Street to write full time. Murder Is No Picnic is the third of the Cape Cod Foodie mysteries featuring Samantha Barnes, a disgraced but resilient ex-chef who retreats home to Cape Cod where she finds herself juggling a new job as the local paper’s “Cape Cod Foodie,” a complicated love life, a posse of just-slightly-odd friends, a falling-down house, a ginormous dog and a propensity for falling over dead bodies.
Elizabeth Gilbert called the first book in the series, A Side of Murder, “the freshest, funniest mystery I have ever read,” and Kirkus Reviews gave the second book, An Eggnog to Die For, a starred review, saying, “A delightful sleuth, a complex mystery, and lovingly described cuisine: a winner for both foodies and mystery mavens.”
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
Blog Tour, Book Review: GAMBLING WITH MURDER (A Southern California Mystery) by Lida Sideris
About the Book
A late-night call is all it takes for rookie lawyer Corrie Locke to kiss her day job at the movie studio goodbye, and do what she does best: flex her sweet P.I. skills and go undercover to find a senior who’s missing from a posh retirement community. One small stumbling block: skirting past security to gain inside access to the exclusive Villa Sunset.
Time to call in the heavy artillery. Besides former security guard turned legal assistant—now wannabe P.I.—Veera, Corrie relies on a secret weapon: her mother, a surprisingly eager addition to Corrie’s team. Armed with enough pepper spray to take down a band of Navy Seals, Mom impersonates a senior to infiltrate the Villa, Corrie and Veera in tow. Turns out the job’s not as easy as they’d thought. These seniors have tricks tucked up their sleeves and aren’t afraid of using them.
The action gets dicey when the missing senior case turns into attempted murder by a criminal mind who’s always one step ahead. Corrie’s hot on the trail, but finds more than she bargained for…when her mother becomes a target.Friday, April 1, 2022
Blog Tour and Spotlight: THE ART OF THE DECOY (A Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery) by Trish Esden
Read an Excerpt
Chapter One
The brrring of the phone bounced off the van’s metal walls.
Jolting from an adrenaline-fueled dream involving dumpster diving and a Fabergé egg, I fumbled under the pillow for the offending device. “Hello?”
“It’s Tuck. You awake?”
Aaarggh. Of course, I was awake. Now. If it had been anyone other than my uncle, I’d have bitten their head off for calling at two in the morning. “Hang on a minute.”
Wriggling out of the sleeping bag, I squeezed toward the van’s sliding door, past suitcases and an early nineteeth-century blanket box from a rummage sale. Though nowhere near as life-altering as discovering a Fabergé egg in a dumpster, the blanket box was a quality piece and an easy sell. I had a knack for finding such things, even when they were hidden amid piles of fakes and other junk. Perhaps it came from growing up in the antiques and art trades, now a fine-tuned instinct after years of tagging along with my grandparents. Maybe it was heightened by my education and internships. Whatever, the neurons at the back of my brain jumped to life every time I crossed paths with a genuine, quality piece.
As I slid the van door open, the overhead light flashed on. The smell of smoldering campfires hung in the damp air. Frogs chimed in the distance.
“You still there?” Tuck asked.
“Yeah. What’s going on?” I settled down in the van’s open doorway. As a rule, Tuck didn’t keep normal hours. Still, this was late, even for him.
“I meant to call earlier. Kala and I were away at an auction.”
“Who’s Kala?”
“She’s not why I called.” His voice tensed. “It’s about your mom.”
I closed my eyes and prayed that the months of waiting and not knowing had come to an end.
“She took the plea agreement. Nine months. Federal prison. Art forgery.”
The air bottled up in my lungs released. Finally. “So she decided not to risk going to trial.”
“Didn’t have much choice. It could have been a lot worse.”
“You’re right about that.” Even the thought of jail terrified me. “I still don’t understand how Mom got herself into this situation. She knows what’s legal and what isn’t.”
Tuck was silent for a moment. “Edie, I need you to come home.”
“I’d love to see you, but I’m camped out in the Berkshires, doing a flea market this weekend.”
“Your internship at the auction house is over, right?”
“Yeah. Last week.” A sick feeling knotted in my chest. He was up to something.
“I didn’t mind helping your mom, but that doesn’t mean I can do everything on my own. Plus, I have the gardens and my African violets…” As he rambled on about retirement and his latest horticultural ventures, thoughts of the longtime family business seeped into my mind: Scandal Mountain Fine Arts and Antiques. For decades, collectors and dealers had flown in and driven up to northern Vermont to buy from us. Famous artists had held court in the shop and camped out in the spare bedrooms. I vividly remembered racing home from grade school to watch my grandparents unbox their latest finds: primitive paintings, folk art carvings, etched powder horns… so many stunning pieces created by master artisans, history and beauty melding together. I thought of the warmth and strength of Grandma’s hands, and the scent of Grandpa’s corduroy jacket, beeswax, lemon oil, and damp humus.
But along with success came rivals and trouble, and the plane crash that killed my grandparents. After that, Mom took over the business. She was hopelessly inept. It had been nearly three years since I’d lived at home and attempted to work for her. One of her lapses had culminated in my arrest for selling stolen property. Thank you very much, Mom.
Tuck cleared his throat, pulling me from my thoughts. “There’s this appraisal event coming up. An Antiques Roadshow sort of deal. The shop’s under contract to be there, but it’s going to be hard to pull off without your mom’s expertise. I really could use your help.”
“I can’t believe they’d want any of us there. Mom’s arrest has been in the news for months.”
“It’s here in Scandal Mountain. Will you do it? Please.”
I rubbed a hand over my face. I was good at saying no, but this was Tuck and he rarely asked for anything.
“All right. When is it?”
“Tomorrow. Actually, today—it is after midnight.”
“You’ve got to be kidding! I’m five hours away.”
“That’s why I called now. It’s on the village green. Ten o’clock sharp.”
He hung up. I stared at the phone, then laughed. Tuck, the slick bastard. He’d purposely called at the last minute so I wouldn’t have time to wiggle out of the deal, and I’d fallen for it hook, line, and sinker. And that definitely wasn’t normal for me.
Excerpt from The Art of the Decoy. Copyright © 2022 Trish Esden. All rights reserved.
Trish Esden loves museums, gardens, wilderness, dogs, and birds, in various orders depending on the day. She lives in northern Vermont where she deals antiques with her husband, a profession she’s been involved with since her teens. Don’t ask what her favorite type of antique is. She loves hunting down old bottles and rusty barn junk as much as she enjoys fine art and furnishings.
Author LinksWednesday, March 23, 2022
Book Review: HERE TODAY, SCONE TOMORROW (Baker's Rise Mysteries Book One) by R. A. Hutchins
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Blog Tour and Book Review: FRONT PAGE MURDER (A Homefront News Mystery) by Joyce St. Anthony
Synopsis:
In this World War II-era historical mystery series debut by Joyce St. Anthony, small-town editor Irene Ingram has a nose for news and an eye for clues.
Irene Ingram has written for her father’s newspaper, the Progress Herald, ever since she could grasp a pencil. Now she’s editor in chief, which doesn’t sit well with the men in the newsroom. But proving her journalistic bona fides is the least of Irene’s worries when crime reporter Moe Bauer, on the heels of a hot tip, turns up dead at the foot of his cellar stairs.
An accident? That’s what Police Chief Walt Turner thinks, and Irene is inclined to agree until she finds the note Moe discreetly left on her desk. He was on to a big story, he wrote. The robbery she’d assigned him to cover at Markowicz Hardware turned out to be something far more devious. A Jewish store owner in a small, provincial town, Sam Markowicz received a terrifying message from a stranger. Moe suspected that Sam is being threatened not only for who he is…but for what he knows.Tenacious Irene senses there’s more to the Markowicz story, which she is all but certain led to Moe’s murder. When she’s not filling up column inches with the usual small-town fare—locals in uniform, victory gardens, and scrap drives—she and her best friend, scrappy secretary Peggy Reardon, search for clues. If they can find the killer, it’ll be a scoop to stop the presses. But if they can’t, Irene and Peggy may face an all-too-literal deadline.
Review
The setting is World War II era, with limited supplies, women taking jobs in the work force as men are called to war, and German sympathizers. Irene Ingram's father goes off to the Pacific as a journalist and she takes over the local paper. Some are not to happy about it, especially her cousin, Donny, and even her mother. St. Anthony captured the tensions and conflicts that ultimately changed social norms for women.
One part of Irene's job is keeping up with the local manufacturing plant producing bolts and other parts for the war effort. She also covers the Freedom Garden and metal scraps efforts. When anti-semitism rears its head, she sends Moe Bauer to meet with the victim. The next she sees Moe, he's dead. She doesn't believe it was an accident.
Determined to prove it wasn't an accident, she goes after information, most leading to back to the plant. A boarder who works at the plant, Katherine, and Irene's best friend, Peggy, gather information. Headstrong and determined, Irene's actions place her in danger.
St. Anthony's research on the era is evident, even in the dialogue and attitudes of many. The plot is interesting and Moe's "big story" fits the time and place. Irene is a strong protagonist. Although the pace is slow, those who enjoy historical cozies will not be disappointed.
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way
About the Author
Joyce was a police secretary for ten years and more than once envisioned the demise of certain co-workers, but settled on writing as a way to keep herself out of jail. As Joyce St. Anthony, she is the author of the Homefront News Mysteries.
The first in the series, Front Page Murder, was, released on March 8, 2022. Under her own name--Joyce Tremel--she wrote the award winning Brewing Trouble cozy mystery series. She is a native Pittsburgher and lives in the beautiful Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania with her husband and two cats--Hops and Lager.
Author Links