Book Review: MURDER ON BAINBRIDGE ISLAND : A Northwest Cozy Mystery by Dianne Harman

About the Book 

When DeeDee's inaugural catering event becomes a crime scene, her budding business is thrust into jeopardy. The Seattle art world is rocked after Lisa, a prominent gallery owner, is found dead during the evening's festivities. 

With whispers of suspicion tainting her reputation, DeeDee has more than her livelihood at stake; she's also racing against time to clear her name. Teaming up with Jake, a savvy private investigator she's grown close to, and her loyal husky, Balto, DeeDee dives into a world of intrigue and danger. 

Book Review 

DeeDee returns to Bainbridge Island following a divorce, decides to start a catering company as part of her new life. She no sooner gets started and she's hired to cater a dinner for Marlene Palmer, who DeeDee knew from working at a docent at the art museum. Everyone loves the food, only someone murders one of the guests. The first suggested cause of death is the food, and DeeDee is sure her new business is in danger. Add in Jake, the attractive PI who sells her a husky trained to be a guard dog, and DeeDee is determined to find the killer and clear any concerns about her catering. 

This was an enjoyable read with a host of suspects. DeeDee is likable, a little naive, and down to earth. Jake is also likable and predictable, especially when DeeDee doesn't seem to think she could be in danger. Both characters are well-developed as are the main suspects, DeeDee's sister, Roz, and Balto with his rabbit. Murder on Bainbridge Island is the first in the Northwest Cozy Mysteries. If you like cozy mysteries, dogs, and food, and haven't discovered this series yet, I recommend it.

AMAZON

The Northwest Cozy Mystery Series

Murder on Bainbridge Island, Murder in Whistler, Murder in Seattle, Murder after Midnight, Murder at Le Bijou Bistro, Murder at the Gallery, Murder at the Waterfront, Murder and Food Porn, Murder in the Cayman Islands, Murder in Chicago, The Final Curtain Call, Murder at the Manor, Murder in Vancouver, Murder on the Train, Murder after Dinner, The Troubled Tycoon, Murder in Portland, Confusion at the Convention, A Murderous Opening, The Missing Husband, Too Good To Be True, Murder on the Rooftop, Voices From The Past, The Final Farewell 

About the Author (from Amazon)

USA Today Bestselling Author and Amazon All-Star, Dianne Harman, draws her stories and characters from a diverse business and personal background. She owned a national antique and art appraisal business for many years, left that industry, and opened two yoga centers where she taught yoga and certified yoga instructors. 

She's traveled extensively throughout the world and loves nothing more than cooking with her husband, Tom, and playing with their boxer dog, Kelly. Being a dog lover and having attended numerous cooking schools, she couldn't resist writing about food and dogs. 

She’s the author of several cozy mystery series: Cedar Bay, Liz Lucas, High Desert, Midwest, Cottonwood Springs, and Chef Dani Rosetti. Most of these books contains recipes from her travels. She is also the author of the award-winning suspenseful Coyote Series, Midlife Journey Series, Holly Lewis Mystery Series, Miranda Riley Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series, and the Maria Rodriguez Mystery Series.

To get your free books from Dianne, just cut and paste: http://ow.ly/wgVG304NU9N Enjoy! 

Book Review: MURDER UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN (Rita Calabrese Book 5) by Maureen Klovers

Synopis 

An idyllic retreat in rural Tuscany seems like the least likely place for a murder…. 

Rita Calabrese is a lover of all things Italian—especially the food. So she is overjoyed when Sal, her normally oh-so-unromantic husband, proposes a second honeymoon at a villa in Tuscany. For two weeks, she’ll get a respite from her hectic life as a reporter, sleuth, and mother and be able to just lounge by the pool, traipse through vineyards and olive groves, and gorge on gelato and tiramisu. 

Then Rita meets a suave Italian art crimes detective convinced that the villa is the epicenter of an antiquities trafficking ring, and her romantic getaway becomes a working vacation. As she quaffs glorious vino and learns to roll pici pasta by hand, Rita sizes up the other guests. Ostensibly, they have gathered for the nuptials of Alessandro and Giovanna, the Romeo and Juliet of the Italian archaeology world. But is one of them also a criminal mastermind? 

When the villa’s owner is found dead in an ancient Etruscan tomb, Rita begins to wonder if something even more sinister is afoot. Plunging into an investigation filled with star-crossed lovers, bitter professional rivalries, long-buried secrets, and fabulous food, Rita finds that Italy never loses its ability to amaze. 

Featuring delectable, authentic Italian recipes for caponata, pear and almond tart, peaches with mascarpone, and more! 

Review

A second honeymoon in Italy doesn't quite pan out as Sal planned. From the time Rita gets drawn into trying to identify the antiquities trafficking ring, her inner sleuth is very busy. Then there's the murder of the villa's owner. With most of the other guests connect to the villa owner, the suspects and secrets are plenty. If that's not bad enough, the chef at the Villa tells Rita she can't cook. Those are fighting words.

The story is well-paced with the expected twists and turns as Rita unravels secrets and connections among the other guests, investigates possible antiquities trafficking when many of them are archeologists, and identify the killer, all the while keeping Sal in the dark that she's sleuthing. Admittedly, I found Rita somewhat irritating at the beginning, but she grew on me. If you like cozy mysteries with family tensions, set in Tuscany, you'll enjoy this book. Don't forget the recipes!

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.

Books in the Rita Calabrese series

The Secret Poison Garden 

A Secret in Thyme

Murder in the Moonshine

Of Masques and Murder

Murder Under the Tuscan Sun

AMAZON

About Maureen Klovers 

Maureen Klovers has held numerous positions in government, including a stint as a U.S. intelligence officer, and was a political commentator on DC 101’s talk radio show "Neighborhood Stuff." Ms. Klovers has traveled extensively in the United States, Europe, China, India, and Latin America. She’s hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, been escorted through a Bolivian prison by a German narco-trafficker, and fished for piranhas in Venezuela.

She received a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations (with a focus on Latin American politics) from the College of William and Mary in 1999 and a Master’s of Public Policy and Master’s of Business Administration from Georgetown University in 2006. She lives with her husband, Kevin, in Arlington, Virginia. 

For more information or to sign up for her newsletter, please visit www.maureenklovers.com.

Blog tour and Book Review: BEHIND THE FRAME A Shepherd Sisters Mystery by Tracy Gardner

Synopsis

When art in the park leads to murder in the dark, the Shepherd sisters have another crime to solve.

Savanna Shepherd, an art expert turned elementary art teacher, is planning the Art in the Park festival for her hometown of Carson. But apparently, someone isn’t happy that Carson got to host the event: the beloved statue in the park is destroyed. Not long after, Savanna finds the dead body of one of the people on the planning committee.

Savanna and her sisters are convinced that the arrested murder suspect didn’t do it, despite strong evidence to the contrary. With the help of Dr. Aidan Gallager, Savanna’s new romantic interest, they uncover hidden resentments and intrigue. Several people in Carson had a motive for the murder. Can they find out which one of them is behind the framing of an innocent person?

This intriguing mystery includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Mini Rhubarb Pies.

Review

The Shepherd sisters provide a range of personalities, passions, and idiosyncrasies their parents seem to take in stride. Savanna (or Savvy) is the art expert and authenticator with an eye for detail, elementary school art teacher, and the sister who most recently moved back to Carson. The mystery centers around the murder of her co-planner, knifed and left for dead in his home, discovered by Savannah. The town's statue of Jessamina in the park where the art show is to be held is defaced and then there are issues with Savannah's car. It's not clear if they are connected, but Savannah discovers she missed a lot of the gossip and goings on when she was gone for several years. 

There is tension, twists and turns, the relationship with Detective Jordan (Savannah calls him directly), the potential romance with Aiden, and the sudden arrival of his brother Finn. The sisters search for information to clear Chef Joe, Skyler taking on his defense in court, while Savanna gathers information. This easily can be read as a stand-alone mystery - it is my first of the Shepherd Sisters Mysteries. There is one before this - Out of the Frame - I look forward to reading. This was an enjoyable mystery, with likable characters, and a steady pace. 

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 Tracy Gardner

Tracy Gardner is a fiction author represented by Fran Black of Literary Counsel. Tracy writes Hallmark Publishing's Shepherd Sisters Mystery series, intriguing, engaging stories about Art Authenticator turned elementary art teacher Savanna Shepherd and her sisters solving murder mysteries in a small Lake Michigan town. A Detroit native, Tracy is the daughter of two teachers. She grew up on Nancy Drew mysteries and rock and roll. Tracy lives with her husband and best friend of thirty years and a menagerie of spoiled rescue dogs and cats, her front door constantly revolving with her two daughters and son back and forth from college. She is a strong believer in the power of baked goods, live music, family, and friends as staples to a happy life.

Author Links

Website: tracygardnerbeno.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tracy_Beno
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TracyGardnerBeno/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/tracy-gardner
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19478520.Tracy_Gardner

Purchase Links 

Amazon - B&N

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

August 11 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 11 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
August 11 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
August 12 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
August 12 – Diane Reviews Books – SPOTLIGHT
August 13 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
August 13 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 14 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
August 14 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 14 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 15 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW
August 15 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT
August 15 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
August 16 – Christy's Cozy Corners - REVIEW, GUEST POST
August 16 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
August 17 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 17 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 18 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE
August 18 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 18 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

Blog Tour & Spotlight: COZY FOOD : 128 Cozy Mystery Writers Share Their Favorite Recipes Edited by Nancy Lynn Jarvis

A change of pace - happy cooking (and eating)!

Cozy Food: 128 Cozy Mystery Writers Share Their Favorite Recipes
Cozy Cookbook
Good Read Mysteries (May 15, 2014)
Number of Pages: 241 (167 of recipes, 70 of contributor bios and books)
ISBN-10: 0983589178
ISBN-13: 978-0983589174
Kindle ASIN: B00KGZSEQ6

What happens when 128 cozy mystery writers get together to do a cookbook? You get more than 220 recipes that are as varied and interesting as an amateur sleuth’s day job. 

Regional recipes come from every part of the United States and England — a couple find their way from Australia and Italy, too — and from diverse times. There are recipes from people looking to keep gluten out of their lives, eat vegetarian, or make a treat or two for their furry four-legged friends. And yes, there are recipes that appeal to the sweet tooth, lots of them, in fact.

There’s no mystery about what happens when cozy writers get together. They bring the wit, inventiveness, and adventure found in their books right along with their recipes.

The recipes are introduced by their authors and linked to the writer bios in the back of the book

You can look up your favorite cozy writer and see which recipes are their favorites; they'll tell you what the recipe means to them. Or you can enjoy a dish and then link to the recipe's author's biography and books.

Either way you enjoy the cookbook, you're sure to find great new recipes to make and terrific new cozy authors to read.

Contributing Authors: Sparkle Abbey, Ellery Adams, (aka J. B. Stanley, Jennifer Stanley) Judy Alter, Marian Allen, Ritter Ames, Donna Andrews, Traci Andrighetti, Amy Beth Arkawy, Mignon F. Ballard, Sandra Balzo, JoAnn Bassett, Cynthia Baxter, (aka Cynthia Blair) Jenna Bennett, (aka Jennie Bentley) Sally Berneathy, (aka Sally Carleen, Sally Steward, Sara Garrett) Maggie Bishop, Cindy Blackburn, Juliet Blackwell, Susan Furlong Bollinger, Sheila Webster Boneham, Laura Bradford, Frances Brody, Duffy Brown, Joyce Ann Brown, Mollie Bryan, B.B. Cantwell, Laurie Cass, (aka Laura Alden) Nancy J. Cohen, Shelley Costa, Judith Cutler, Rebecca (aka R.P.) Dahlke, Kathi Daley, Kathleen Delaney, Diana Dempsey, Pamela Frost Dennis, Lesley A. Diehl, Leighann Dobbs, Vicki Doudera, Pamela DuMond, Carola Dunn, Jean Erhardt, Chloe Evans, Monica Ferris, (aka Margaret Frazer, Mary Monica Pulver, Mary Kuhfeld) Judy Fitzwater, Chris Forman, Kaye George, Sally Goldenbaum, Barbara Graham, Sarah Graves, Carolyn Haines, (aka R.B. Chesterton) Vinnie Hansen, Traci Hilton, Sibel Hodge, Valerie Horowitz, Mary Ellen Hughes, Linda Joffe Hull, Ellen Elizabeth Hunter, Dawn Greenfield Ireland, Melanie Jackson, Holly Jacobs, Miranda James, (aka Dean James) Nancy Lynn Jarvis, Heather Justesen, Pamela Kelley, E.E. Kennedy, Mary Kennedy, Josi S. Kilpack, Kelly Klepfer, (aka Michelle Griep, Ellie Marks) Barbara Lee Cool, Marilyn Levinson, Liz Lipperman, Gail Lukasik, Elaine Macko, Sylvia Massara, Sonja Massie, (aka G.A. McKevett) Edith Maxwell, (aka Tace Baker) Lorena McCourtney, Marja McGraw, Eileen Haavik McIntire, Staci McLaughlin, Catriona McPherson, Camille Minichino, (aka Margaret Grace, Ada Madison) Marie Moore, Ruth Moose, Amy Myers, Tamar Myers, Christa Nardi, Radine Trees Nehring, Kerri Nelson, Clare O’Donohue, Diana Orgain, Joyce Oroz, Elaine L. Orr, Helen Osterman, Gail Oust, K.B. Owen, Sharon Pape, Nancy J. Parra, (aka Nancy J. Coco) Allison Cesario Paton, Joanne Pence, Maggie Pill, Ann Purser, Melissa Bourbon Ramirez, (aka Melissa Bourbon) Nanci Rathbun, Rosalee Richland, Becky Lyn Rickman, Karen Robbins, Carolyn J. Rose, Pamela Rose, Cindy Sample, June Shaw, Connie Shelton, Clea Simon, Joanna Campbell Slan, Karen Rose Smith, Lane Stone, Maria Grazia Swan, Denise Swanson, Marcia Talley, Nancy Jill Thames, Sharon Burch Toner, Elaine Viets, Lea Wait, Wendy Lyn Watson, (aka Annie Knox) Christine Wenger, Gayle Wigglesworth, Lois Winston, Joan H. Young, Suzanne Young

Editor Nancy Lynn Jarvis was a Santa Cruz, California, Realtor® for more than twenty years before she fell in love with writing and let her license lapse.

After earning a BA in behavioral science from San Jose State University, she worked in the advertising department of the San Jose Mercury News. A move to Santa Cruz meant a new job as a librarian and later a stint as the business manager for Shakespeare/Santa Cruz at UCSC.

Nancy’s work history reflects her philosophy: people should try something radically different every few years, a philosophy she applies to her writing, as well. She has written seven Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries; a stand-alone novel “Mags and the AARP Gang” about a group of octogenarian bank robbers; edited “Cozy Food: 128 Cozy Mystery Writers Share Their Favorite Recipes” and a short story anthology, “Santa Cruz Weird;” and even done a little insider’s book, “The Truth About Hosting Airbnb” about her first year as a host.

Her newest venture is “The Glass House” is the first book in a planned series of PIP Inc. Mysteries. Now she’s trying to figure out when to work on another series she’d love to do called “Geezers with Tools” about two older handymen who will solve mysteries in the course of doing their work, and setting up writer retreats at her house.

Editor Links

Website – https://www.nancylynnjarvis.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn

GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2918242.Nancy_Lynn_Jarvis

Purchase – Amazon - Kindle - Amazon Paperback

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

November 13 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW, RECIPE POST

November 13 – LibriAmoriMiei - REVIEW

November 14 – Here's How It Happened - REVIEW

November 15 – Reading Authors Network – REVIEW, RECIPE POST

November 16 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW

November 17 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW, RECIPE POST

November 18 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

November 18 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

November 19 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, INTERVIEW

November 19 – Sapphyria's Books – REVIEW

November 20 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW, RECIPE POST

November 21 – Reading Is My SuperPower – SPOTLIGHT

November 21 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW

November 22 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

November 22 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – REVIEW, RECIPE POST

November 23 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

November 23 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT

November 24 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

November 25 – Ruff Drafts – REVIEW

November 26 – Baroness' Book Trove - REVIEW

November 26 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

November 27 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT