Monday, September 29, 2025

Book Review: DEATH BY BAGUETTE (Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series Book 2) by Jennifer S. Alderson

About the Book (from Amazon)

Paris—the city of love, lights … and murder? Join tour guide Lana Hansen as she escorts five couples on an unforgettable Valentine-themed vacation to France! Unfortunately it will be the last trip for one passenger… 

Lana Hansen’s future is looking bright. She has money in her bank account, a babysitter for her cat, and even a boyfriend. Regrettably she won’t get to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her new beau, Chad. Instead, she will be leading a lovers-only tour in France. Luckily for Lana, her best friend, Willow, and her partner, Jane, will be joining her. 

Things go downhill when Lana’s new boyfriend shows up in Paris for her tour—with his wife. Chad is not the website developer he claimed to be, but a famous restaurant critic whose love of women rivals his passion for food. 

After Chad drops dead during a picnic under the Eiffel Tower, a persistent French detective becomes convinced that he was poisoned. And the inspector’s sights are set on several members of the tour—including Lana! 

While escorting her group through the cobblestone streets of Montmartre, the grand gardens of Versailles, and the historic Marché des Enfants Rouges market, Lana must figure out who really killed Chad before she has to say bonjour to prison and adieu to her freedom. 

Review 

As with others in this series, Lana's trip to Paris is interesting, both because of the characters and the setting. Initially, Lana's concerned with the trainee joining her group; however, when she discovers her boyfriend Chad is one of her guests with his wife, she's glad for the help. Her two friends - one of the four couples, also provide support. Only Chad is killed and Lana becomes a suspect.

The story is well-paced with an easy shift from the relationships, the couples, and the murder to the popular sights and feel of Paris. Characters are well-developed and clue are sprinkled throughout. Another enjoyable cozy mystery that can easily be read out of order.


Books in the Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series: 
Book 1 – Death on the Danube: A New Year’s Murder in Budapest Book 2 – Death by Baguette: A Valentine’s Day Murder in Paris Book 3 – Death by Windmill: A Mother’s Day Murder in Amsterdam 
Book 4 – Death by Bagpipes: A Summer Murder in Edinburgh Book 5 – Death by Fountain: A Christmas Murder in Rome 
Book 6 – Death by Leprechaun: A Saint Patrick’s Day Murder in Dublin 
Book 7 – Death by Flamenco: An Easter Murder in Seville 
Book 8 – Death by Gondola: A Springtime Murder in Venice 
Book 9 – Death by Puffin: A Bachelorette Party Murder in Reykjavik 
Book 10 – Death by Oxcart: An Independence Day Murder in Costa Rica 

About the Author 

Jennifer S. Alderson was born in San Francisco, grew up in Seattle, and currently lives in Amsterdam. After traveling extensively around Asia, Oceania, and Central America, she lived in Darwin, Australia, before finally settling in the Netherlands.

Jennifer’s love of travel, art, and culture inspires her award-winning Zelda Richardson Mystery series, her Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries, and her Carmen De Luca Art Sleuth Mysteries. Her background in journalism, multimedia development, and art history enriches her novels. 

When not writing, she can be found perusing a museum, biking around Amsterdam, or enjoying a coffee along the canal while planning her next research trip.


Monday, September 22, 2025

New Release: THE ITCH OF GREED (An Izzie Di Sante Mystery Book 6) by Christa Nardi

About the Book

A dark cloud hangs over baseball season in Rosedale when star pitcher Randy Kampton is taken out of the game for good. 

The DA is determined to pin the crime on Cole Rigley, a friend's brother and fellow pitcher, citing the fierce competition for a major league trade as his motive murder. Rigley's brother, asks Henry and reluctant restaurant owner Izzie Di Sante to help prove his innocence. Adding fuel to the fire, Kampton stole Rigley’s girlfriend months earlier. 

While Kampton’s pitching skills are universally acknowledged, no one, not fans or teammates, has a kind word to say about him, making for a long list of suspects. Rigley, on the other hand, is respected for his talent and team spirit. The wild card is another pitcher recovering from a car accident, whose open roster spot has all three men vying for the same prize. 

In Rosedale, loyalty to the minor league team runs deep, and Izzie’s digging into the players’ pasts draws resentment from fans, police, and management alike. When the team’s PR person is targeted after meeting with her, the threats become all too real. The closer Izzie gets to uncovering the truth, on and off the field, the higher the stakes, and the more dangerous the game becomes.

Read an excerpt:

An alert sounded on my phone as I entered Cenare, the Italian restaurant I owned with my sister Chloe. While Chloe was a foodie, I took care of the business side of things. 

Before our parents died, I freelanced as a journalist following homicides in New York City. I was committed to the restaurant and Chloe, but my passion was murder, so I kept the homicide alerts coming. Occasionally, if one sparked my interest, I took some time to search out my next story. Homicides provided a rush the restaurant business didn’t give me. 

I put my things down on the small table in the kitchen area and pulled up the message. 

“Breaking news! The Rosedale Thorny Bats will be hurting this season. Their best pitcher, Randy Kampton, died under suspicious circumstances. His body was discovered by the custodians in the Thorny Bats locker room early this morning. Stay tuned for details.” 

The announcement prompted me to check my other sources for unsolved homicides, although I’d never heard of the Thorny Bats or Kampton. I assumed if the man was a pitcher, the sport was baseball. It was spring and our guests or employees occasionally mentioned baseball. Growing up, Chloe and I spent most of our time in the restaurant. We lived and breathed Cenare. 

My escape was writing. I knew from experience that the death of those close to you changed your life. My stories focused on the impact of a sudden death – usually a homicide – on those left behind. I found less resistance from law enforcement when I focused on cold cases or those that were stalled. 

Most often, my casual interviews with those who knew the victim provided clues to the killer. Unfortunately, sometimes the killer targeted me. Having lived in New York City for five years, I was prepared for that, even in small town Pinewood, Maryland, where murders rarely happened. 

With the first ever murder in our small town a few years back, I clashed with the local police detective when the immediate conclusion was a burglary, and I disagreed. For the record, I was right. 

With the murder of an athlete, Kampton’s death would likely be quickly solved if the alert was any indication. Not finding anything else of note in the alerts, I went through my morning routine of checking income, paying bills, placing orders, and taking inventory. At least I used my degree in business management. I preferred taking care of those tedious tasks before anyone else arrived. 

As usual, Chloe arrived with a breakfast treat as I finished the accounting and started the inventory. 

“Good morning, Chloe. Those look and smell delicious.” 

“Thanks, Izzie. Help yourself. I got this idea in my head and combined ingredients from an apple brownie recipe and a cinnamon streusel cupcake. Ryan assured me they were more than edible.” 

With money from the estate and the restaurant, Chloe had completed her training at the culinary institute nearby. In and out of the restaurant, she often created dishes. Breakfast for me and whomever else wanted a taste tended not to be traditional Italian. For the restaurant, she kept with the family tradition and stuck to Italian dishes. 

I chuckled. “I don’t know how you can cook here all day and then try out new things when you get home.” 

“Well, Ryan brought some work home that he needed to get done like yesterday. Only he didn’t get the assignment until that morning.” She shrugged. “I got creative in the kitchen while he worked.” 

Since she and Ryan married a few months ago, she hadn’t been as creative with her morning treats, though I could always count on her to provide my breakfast. When she took a week off for her honeymoon, I had to fend for myself, usually stopping at the local bakery on my way to work. 

“It’s delicious! Not quite brownie and not quite muffin. Still very moist and I’m a sucker for cinnamon and apples. I’ll have to freeze some of these for the next time I see Henry. Now that he’s taken the detective exam and he may be working part time in Franklin, I hope to see him more often.” 

Henry and I had started off as friends and our relationship moved forward from there. He was always a willing assistant and backup when I pursued a story. Helping me out prompted him to pursue his detective credentials. 

“Speak of the devil.” 

I showed Chloe the phone, took the container of treats, and sat down at the table. 

“Hi, Henry. How are you?” 

“Good. I may have a case for you and wanted to give you a heads up. Do you have a few minutes?” 

I grabbed a piece of paper off the nearby printer. “Sure. What’s going on?” 

“You know the guy who always gives me a hard time about driving an automatic or having a family car? Phil Rigley?” 

“Dark hair, hazel eyes, not quite as tall as you, and maybe a year or two younger. A southern twang.” 

“That’s him. He called this morning, wanting my opinion. His brother, Cole, plays ball with the Thorny Bats. Cole contacted Phil this morning. Something about a player dying and the police interviewing everyone. Phil didn’t have many details, but he wanted me to look into it.” 

My phone pinged with an alert. 

“I caught one announcement earlier and then another just came in. A custodian found Randy Kampton, a pitcher for that team, dead this morning. It was a sports broadcaster the first time, the usual police blotter the second time. Nothing else. Where did the Thorny Bats come from? Is there a new major league team in Maryland?” 

“No. The Baltimore Orioles is the only major league team. The Thorny Bats is a triple-A minor league team out in Rosedale. The players are good and some eventually get picked up by a major league team. I played in college and a few of my teammates went on to the minor leagues. We lost touch but I may see if I can locate them.” 

“The news I caught indicated a suspicious death. Thorny Bats is a weird name for a team though.” 

“Minor league teams often have interesting names, usually related somehow to their location and often suggested by fans. Rosedale, thorns, and baseball bats – Thorny Bats. Makes perfect sense to me.” 

He chuckled. “Keep me posted. If it’s a homicide, Phil thinks his brother will be a person of interest. Both Cole and Kampton are pitchers, and Kampton stole his girlfriend.”

Excerpt from The Itch of Greed. Copyright © 2025. All rights reserved.


About the Author 

Christa Nardi is the author of four mystery series, all featuring strong women sleuths. Her series are best characterized as “cozy” with an edge. While clean reads (no graphic violence or sex, no profanity), some of the characters and situations touch on sensitive topics. 

Christa is member of Sisters in Crime. When not reading or writing, Christa enjoys travel and playing with her dogs and granddaughters. She supports animal rescue and other efforts to help others.

Stay connected to Christa and upcoming books:







Monday, September 8, 2025

Book Review: HIDDEN CURRENTS (Lantern Beach Mysteries Book 1) by Christy Barritt

About the Book

You can take the detective out of the investigation, but you can't take the investigator out of the detective. 

A notorious gang puts a bounty on Detective Cady Matthews’s head after she takes down their leader, leaving her no choice but to hide until she can testify at trial. But her temporary home across the country on a remote North Carolina island isn’t as peaceful as she initially thinks. 

Living under the new identity of Cassidy Livingston, she struggles to keep her investigative skills tucked away, especially after a body washes ashore. When local police bungle the murder investigation, she can’t resist stepping in. But Cassidy is supposed to be keeping a low profile. One wrong move could lead to both her discovery and her demise. 

Can she bring justice to the island . . . or will the hidden currents surrounding her pull her under for good? 

 ***Hidden Currents is the first book in the six-book Lantern Beach Mystery series. Each book contains a standalone mystery, but there are overarching mysteries within the entire series.*** 

Review 

The "ice cream lady" in Lantern Beach living as Cassidy Livingston, is detective with a bounty on her head. She's in hiding and supposed to keep things low key. When a body washes ashore, she tries not to get involved - at least not in an obvious way, only she can't help but investigate. 

Christy Barritt's characters and setting are well-developed. The reader feels Cassidy's tug-of-war and she is very likable. Once she's all in, the pace picks up quickly, mixed with well-placed humor. This is a strong beginning to the new (to me at least) 6-book series. 

About Christy Barritt

USA Today has called Christy Barritt's books "scary, funny, passionate, and quirky." 

A USA Today and Publishers Weekly best-seller, Christy writes both mystery and romantic suspense novels that are clean with underlying messages of faith. Her books have sold more than three million copies, one has been made into a TV movie, and another is being developed for a TV series. 

Christy's books have won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery, have been twice nominated for the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, and have finaled for both a Carol Award and Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year. 

She's married to her prince charming, a man who thinks she's hilarious--but only when she's not trying to be. Christy's a self-proclaimed klutz, an avid music lover who's known for spontaneously bursting into song, and a road trip aficionado. 

Christy currently splits her time between the Virginia suburbs and Hatteras Island, North Carolina. She loves spending time with her husband, her two sons, and her four dogs. For more information, visit her website: www.christybarritt.com.