Blog Tour: PLATEFUL OF MURDER (The Terrified Detective Book 1) by Carole Fowkes

Synopsis:
Private Detective Claire DeNardo is afraid of everything. Simple things like balloons, roller coasters, and hairpieces make her knees knock loud enough to be a band’s rhythm section. Unfortunately, the only job Claire can find is working for her Uncle Gino in his seedy detective agency. Until now, her cases have all been middle-aged men with trophy wives who needed watching. But Claire gets swept up in a murder case despite being afraid of conflict, bodily harm, and hurting anyone’s feelings. She enlists a jaded security guard, Ed, to help her. But when Ed is attacked and left comatose, Claire must stumble along by herself. Both the client who hired her and the handsome police detective want her off the case. When the wrong person is charged, it’s up to the terrified detective, to summon all the courage she can to find the true killer.

Review:

Claire is well out of her league, and even recalling her Uncle Gino's warnings or creating her own to meet the situation doesn't stop her from getting too involved with her client. His sister is dead, her aunt loves him, and he cooks and bakes the best creations. The handsome detective isn't so sure and Claire isn't to sure what signals he's sending. Then there's the security guard who wants to get paid for information that may help identify the killer and is willing to accept $17.95 as a down payment - a lay-away plan for the snitch.

This is an engaging cozy mystery with a steady pace and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Claire has a good heart and strong desire to avoid a career at the family bakery with spreading hips. She's trying to make it on her own as the killer makes it clear he or she knows where Claire is, her sense of family kicks in.  A good read, and I look forward to reading KILLER CANNOLI and BAKE ME A MURDER.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review as part of this blog tour. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

About This Author

Carole Fowkes is the author of the cozy mystery series, “The Terrified Detective.” She has also had stories in a number of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books and other ).similar anthologies. She’s a registered nurse and lives with her husband in Dallas, Texas.

Author Links
www.carolefowkes.com,

https://www.facebook.com/carolefowkes,

https://twitter.com/CaroleFowkes,

https://www.goodreads.com/carolefowkes

Purchase Links
AmazonBe sure to enter the rafflecopter giveaway! In addition, one copy (print or ebook) of PLATEFUL OF MURDER will be given away to someone leaving a comment here (random drawing. Please leave your email and which you prefer - print or ebook!

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Blog Tour: EMPTY NEST (A Birds of a Feather Mystery) by Marty Wingate

Synopsis

If you love Laura Childs, Ellery Adams, or Jenn McKinlay, don’t miss Marty Wingate’s charming Birds of a Feather series! In Empty Nest, Julia Lanchester’s life is interrupted by a murder most foul—and a killer who’s watching her like a hawk.

Manager of a tourist center in a quaint British village, Julia Lanchester finds herself with more ideas than time. Her boss is the Earl Fotheringill himself, but apart from him, she doesn’t mix well with the aristocracy. Unfortunately, toxic mold forces her from her cottage and into one of the earl’s countless spare rooms at the Hall. She tries to get a handle on her overload of work, while she finds herself arguing with dinner guests, chaffing at the sudden interest the earl’s son has in running the estate, and missing her new beau, Michael Sedgwick.

Her life goes from bad to sinister when Julia discovers poisoned sparrowhawks on the expansive estate grounds. And soon after, she finds one of the Hall’s visitors murdered—felled by the same poison. While simultaneously both spooked and angry, she still can’t keep herself from snooping, and dragging Michael along into her investigation. But will she find the culprit before her own wings are clipped?

Review
This is another strong mystery by Wingate. Julie is working hard at promoting the Fotheringill estate with various activities and promotions. She is living on the estate while her cottage is not inhabitable and chooses to ignore Lord Fotheringill's possible motives for suggesting this arrangement. Her boyfriend Michael however picks up on those motives quickly. Add to that the prodigal son who returns, his antique dealer friend who winds up dead, the suspicious estate agent, and dead sparrow hawks - there is plenty of action. 

The pace is quick, the characters are well-developed, and the plot has many twists and turns. Julie and Michael's relationship adds a little romance to the mix.  I've read other of Wingate's novels and this one did not disappoint. I realized I have another of Wingate's novels on my kindle/TBRList from her other series - The Potting Shed Mysteries - and I just moved it up along with THE RHYME OF THE MAGPIES, the first in this series. Although EMPTY NEST is the second in the series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone. 

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review as part of this blog tour. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

About the Author

Marty Wingate is the author of two previous Potting Shed mysteries, The Garden Plot and The Red Book of Primrose House. Her new Birds of a Feather Mystery series debuted with The Rhyme of the Magpie. Wingate is a regular contributor toCountry Gardens and other magazines. She also leads gardening tours throughout England, Scotland, Ireland, France, and North America. More Potting Shed and Birds of a Feather mysteries are planned.

Author Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martywingateauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/martywingate
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/453259.Marty_Wingate
Website: www.martywingate.com
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marthawingate/
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Marty-Wingate/e/B001JS1AIS

Purchase Links (PRE-ORDER)
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE
Amazon  

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Blog Tour: MURDER IN A TWO-SEATER by Billie Thomas

Murder in a Two-Seater:

A Chloe Carstairs Mystery (Chloe Carstairs Mysteries Book 2)

2nd in Series

Cozy Mystery

• Print Length: 305 pages

• Publisher: Annie Acorn Publishing LLC (September 7, 2015)

• ASIN: B0152IQRAQ

Synopsis:

A cheating wife in a classic car drives someone to murder.

Interior decorators turned amateur investigators, Chloe and Amanda Carstairs have spent the summer transforming their client’s creepy old castle into a luxury hotel. But before the first guest checks in, the owner’s wife checks out – with the help of a bullet to the head.

When Chloe’s dad is accused of the crime, there’s no time for the ladies to drown their sorrows in the hotel’s mini bar. Instead, they have to contend with a sneaky blackmailer, an unsolved murder from the past, and a cunning killer with nothing to lose.

The second Chloe Carstairs Mystery is filled with the same clever twists and hilarious mother-daughter relationship that made Murder on the First Day of Christmas such a fun, fast-paced read for an appreciative readership. The mystery will keep you guessing, but as any good decorator will tell you, even a beautiful setting can’t hide the ugly truth.

Review:

The refurbished and newly decorated castle is a fit setting for murder.  And who else, but the man who bought and paid for the castle, would host a car show before the official opening of the new castle hotel?  When his wife is killed in the two-seater he bought her, Chloe and Amanda have to help the police prove Alex is innocent, but first they have to figure out Elaine's lover. As with any family, secrets abound and are easy fodder for blackmail.  The many possible suspects, including mobster-types, and the twists and turns keep the story moving with an ending that makes sense but isn't fully predictable. 

MURDER IN A TWO-SEATER has is it all - mystery, humor, and romance.  This is the second in the series, but can easily be read as a stand alone. In fact, I haven't read the first, but plan to - I'm curious about the relationships and frictions between the characters of Chloe and Jacob, and Amanda, Tony, and Alex. 

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of this blog tour. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

About The Author:

Billie Thomas is the pseudonym of a Birmingham-based author. After the real Billie passed away unexpectedly at the end of 2011, getting MURDER ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS, the first of in the Chloe Carstairs mystery series, revised and published was her daughter’s top priority as a way to honor the mom who had given her a lifelong love of books. In her real life, Ms. Thomas works at an advertising agency, which might explain why she’s constantly thinking up ways to kill people without getting caught. She has a really cute boyfriend and an even cuter dog. Like MURDER ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS, its follow up, MURDER IN A TWO-SEATER are both filled with mystery, romance, humor and decorating – because these are a few of her favorite things. Visit her blog at ChloeGetsAClue.com or connect through these author links:

Author Links:

Twitter: @chloegetsaclue

Blog: ChloeGetsAClue.com

Facebook: chloe.carstairs.73

Purchase Link
Amazon

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Spotlight: SNOW JOB by Debbie Brown

TITLE: Snow Job

RELEASE DATE: October 15th

AUTHOR: Debbie Brown

KEYWORDS: Romance, Action, Adventure, Detective, Suspense, Thriller, Snow, Christmas

CATEGORIES: Romance, Action, Adventure 

PAGE COUNT: 260

ISBN: 978-1517489267

IMPRINT: Sly Fox

She’s just a divorce lawyer, so how’d she end up 2000 mi from home, dodging bullets and running for her life with a park ranger?

SYNOPSIS: When NY divorce lawyer, Sarah Lindquist, stepped out of her office to clear her mind before her next client showed up, the last thing she   expected was to come to in the middle of the Colorado Rockies, with two park rangers standing over her. 
The ex-military rangers are convinced someone wants her out of the way, but how do they find out who, without putting her life at risk and letting that 'someone' know they've missed the target? 

BOOK PAGE: http://ravenswoodpublishing.com/bookpages/snowjob.html

AUTHOR BIO: 

All her life, Debbie has spun stories in her mind, watching the characters come to life. After working as a nurse, teacher, martial arts instructor, artist, and CIC officer in the Canadian military, her life reads like a story itself. Since graduating from the Institute of Children’s Literature, she is finally devoting herself to writing these stories down and taking us all on a ride we won’t quickly forget.

EMAIL: amethysteyes01@yahoo.ca


AUTHOR LINKS: 

http://welcometomywritingworld.weebly.com/index.html
http://amethysteyesauthor.blogspot.ca/
https://twitter.com/amethysteyes01 
https://www.facebook.com/Amethyst-Eyes-169207996492385/timeline/
http://bit.ly/1y8n8Mm

AMAZON US: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015W01YFW
AMAZON UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B015W01YFW
BARNES & NOBLE: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/snow-job-debbie-brown/1122713113?ean=2940151185974
KOBO: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/snow-job-11
GOOGLE PLAY: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=fBKeCgAAQBAJ
SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/580806
iBOOKS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/snow-job/id1044920185?mt=11
CREATESPACE: https://www.createspace.com/5758000
PAPERBACK: http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Job-Debbie-Brown/dp/1517489261/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443483349&sr=8-1&keywords=Snow+Job+Debbie+Brown

Blog Tour: KILLER RUN : A Tourist Trap Mystery by Lynn Cahoon

Synopsis:

Jill Gardner—owner of Coffee, Books, and More—has somehow been talked into sponsoring a 5k race along the beautiful California coast. The race is a fundraiser for the local preservation society—but not everyone is feeling so charitable…


The day of the race, everyone hits the ground running…until a local business owner stumbles over a very stationary body. The deceased is the vicious wife of the husband-and-wife team hired to promote the event—and the husband turns to Jill for help in clearing his name. But did he do it? Jill will have to be very careful, because this killer is ready to put her out of the running…forever!

Review: 

Jill and her aunt try to figure out the connection between the promotion company, the diner, and vandalism to the train store. Her information is helpful to her boyfriend, Greg, who is in charge of the homicide investigation, but isn't too thrilled with her investigating. He's worried that she will be hurt - or worse.  Jill, with the help of her aunt, unravels the threads that connect people, including the "tourist" who seems a bit off. 

This is the fifth in the Tourist Trap Mystery Series. Although Jill has built a reputation for solving murders in the previous books, it can easily be read as a stand alone. The pace is steady and the characters well-developed. Not surprising, mixed in with the mystery is romance. The 6th book, MURDER ON WHEELS, is on my TBR list. 

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review as part of this blog tour. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

About The Author:

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, Lynn Cahoon is an Idaho native. If you’d visit the town where she grew up, you’d understand why her mysteries and romance novels focus around the depth and experience of small town life. Currently, she’s living in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. She lives with her husband and two fur babies.

Author Links

Goodreads –http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5857424.Lynn_Cahoon

Twitter – https://twitter.com/LynnCahoon

Facebook –https://www.facebook.com/LynnCahoonAuthor

Website – http://lynncahoon.com/

Amazon Author Page – http://www.amazon.com/Lynn-Cahoon/e/B0082PWOAO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Purchase Links:
Amazon B&N
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Book Review: DEATH OF A BRIDE AND GROOM by Allan J. Emerson

Synopsis:

When the body of writer Iris Morland is discovered in full bridal array atop a gigantic wedding cake parade float, the little resort town of Honeymoon Falls is left reeling. Not only is its reputation as "the Romance Capital of the World" at risk, its very survival is threatened. Murder, it seems, has a chilling effect on those considering venues for potential nuptials.

Iris enjoyed betrayal, which makes half the people in town credible suspects. Among them is her husband, Kenneth, whose faltering grip on a mechanical mouse plunged him into a hideously embarrassing scene with Iris and her latest lover, television host Arnold Reifel. Arnold was finding the affair burdensome, and his wife, Marjorie, was seething because Iris, not content with appropriating her husband, had turned Marjorie's interior decoration schemes into a very public humiliation. Then there's haughty French film auteur, Pierre Blondin, in town filming his adaptation of Iris's novel. Did Iris trigger his murderous wrath by opposing a nude scene featuring ninety-five-year-old actress Hermione Hopkins?

Captain Will Halsey, head of Honeymoon Falls' three-person police force, has to find the killer in the crowd of Iris’s enemies, while coping with small-town politics, feuding among his subordinates, and the ferocious attentions of the media.

What Other Writers Say:

"Packed with mystery, humor, romance, and an intriguing cast of characters. Anxiously awaiting the next in the series!" —Mary Daheim, bestselling author of the Alpine/Emma Lord and Bed-and-Breakfast mystery series.

"Murder's a funny thing sometimes, and never more so than in Allan J. Emerson's fun, fast-paced novel DEATH OF A BRIDE AND GROOM." —Alice Duncan, bestselling author of the Daisy Gumm Majesty series.

"Written with a delightfully wry humor and an eye for detail, this intriguing tale has an ending you won’t see coming. A totally fun read."—Kate Kingsbury, bestselling author of the Pennyfoot Hotel and Manor House mysteries.

"Fast and funny with a quirky cast of supporting characters bent on keeping their secrets. The Honeymoon Falls series is off to a great start!" —Tamar Myers, author of the Den of Antiquity mysteries.

"A sly romp with a likable police chief who’s trying to keep his force of two from killing each other as he solves the murders."—Elizabeth Zelvin, three-time Agatha Award nominated author of the Bruce Kohler mystery series.

Review

Imagine a town with everything named along a wedding theme... you have to smile (or groan) at the street names even, but there is more humor in the story. Along with the wedding theme, romance is a given with honeymooners visiting this tourist attraction town, and the story comes through on that. When the two senior ladies trying to drive a huge wedding cake to the Wedding Daze parade staging area and cause a wreck, more than traffic citations are the result.  Little did the sisters know they had corpses as the bride and groom on top of that cake. Now Halsey and his two detectives have the chore of trying to solve the murder without looking completely incompetent.  

This is a fun, quick paced, and easy read. A bit corny at times, with some predictable  parts, but enjoyable just the same. As the story unfolds, Iris is the victim that it's easy to want dead and the suspect list just continues to grow as Halsey interviews her various conquests and almost gets taken in by one of the suspects. The resolution? Not obvious, but believable in terms of the murder. Romances and relationships evolve. The characters - especially Halsey are likable without being perfect. I hope to see some of them in future books...

About the Author:

Allan Emerson is a Canadian writer who was born in Saskatchewan and brought up in small towns there and in British Columbia. He lived in Australia and New Zealand before settling on the west coast of Canada. As his mother could tell you, he's been making up stories since he was a little kid.
Death of a Bride and Groom is the first book in the Honeymoon Falls series. Although the town of Honeymoon Falls and all its inhabitants are purely fictional, the idea of marriage and murder in close proximity came to him when he was visiting Niagara Falls, and wondered about the lives of the permanent residents. 

Visit Allan at http://www.allanjemerson.com/

Buy Link:

AMAZON

Blog Tour: BITE THE BISCUIT by Linda O. Johnston

Synopsis
Carrie Kennersly, a veterinary technician, has become known for offering healthy and popular dog treats at the clinic where she works. When the local bakery’s owner moves away, Carrie jumps at the chance to convert it into the Barkery, a shop to make and sell her canine delights.

But Myra Ethman, co-owner of another pet product store, hates the new competition. At the Barkery’s opening party, she badmouths Carrie’s homemade dog biscuits, insisting she’ll find a way to shut the place down. So when Myra is found dead with a Barkery biscuit beside her, Carrie must prove she didn’t do it before she’s collared for murder.

Review

Vet tech turned entrepreneur for both a bakery and barkery, Carrie Kennersly has her hands full. The elite Ethman family of the town own a resort, hold seats on the council, and own a rival pet store. Myra Ethman and Carrie get into an argument and then Myra is found dead and Carrie is a suspect. She finds herself trying to clear her name by identifying other possibilities for the two cops on the case. In the meantime, she's still not sure the two assistants, Judy and Diana, can get past their differences and thwarted aspirations to own the bakery to work with her. Two possible romantic interests, one of whom also had conflict with Myra, add to Carrie's distractions and keep the story interesting. 

The story line is well developed and Carrie as the protagonist is likable with both depth and believability. She has doubts but even while panicking thinks of donations for the homeless and the local animal shelter. There are a lot of secrets and possible suspects - Myra managed to make many people angry, including some of her relatives. The resolution makes sense but isn't obvious. I'll be looking for another in what I hope will be a new series. Bonus: a recipe for a dog treat and a people treat at the end!

About the Author Linda Johnston
Linda O. Johnston’s first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the year. Since then, Linda, a former lawyer who is now a full-time writer, has published more short stories, novellas, and 38 romance and mystery novels, including the Pet Rescue Mystery Series, a spinoff from her Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime, and Harlequin Romantic Suspense as well as the Alpha Force paranormal romance miniseries for Harlequin Nocturne. She additionally writes the Superstition Mysteries for Midnight Ink.

Her latest cozy mystery series, the Barkery and Biscuits Mysteries also from Midnight Ink, kicked off this month with BITE THE BISCUIT.
** Photo by Dan Irvin Photography 

Author Links:
Webpage: www.LindaOJohnston.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaOJohnston

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Blog Tour: BRIDGES BURNED (A Zoe Chambers Mystery #3) - Guest Post by Annette Dashofy

Today I'd like to welcome Annette Dashofy, author of BRIDGES BURNED, as my guest!  

Walking Those Fictional Country Roads

A friend and I were recently discussing our favorite authors and I fired off a list of mine, including Craig Johnson, who writes the Longmire series; Julia Spencer-Fleming, author of the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries; and Linda Castillo, who writes a series of Amish thrillers. My list goes on, but these three illustrate what seems to be a main draw for me.

Location, location, location.

Whether it’s Johnson’s Absaroka County, Wyoming, Spencer-Fleming’s Millers Kill, New York, or Castillo’s Ohio Amish Country, the settings of these series are so rich I feel like I’ve walked those country roads.

In the case of Linda Castillo’s Amish Thrillers, I have walked those roads—or at least driven them, since I live only a couple of hours away. And she nails that world.

After reading a number of Ella Clah Mysteries (by David and Aimee Thurlo), I took my first trip to northwestern New Mexico a couple of years ago, but felt as though I’d been there many times. I had. Through those novels, I’d experienced that landscape and that lifestyle.

I guess it’s no surprise then, that I love to offer my readers a taste of rural southwestern Pennsylvania in my Zoe Chambers mystery series. I’ve lived here all my life, but I’m not sure that’s an advantage. Locals tend to overlook the nuances that jump out at first-time visitors.

I’m teaching a workshop on the subject at next month’s Pennwriters Conference, and a large part of what I ask participants to do is to step into the world they’re writing about and observe. Not just the sights, but the sounds, the smells, the sensations. It’s a practice in mindfulness, which hopefully goes a long way to finding those details that will help the reader experience the setting and the story.

Of course, this isn’t always easy. Bridges Burned is set in July, but took almost a year to write. Hence, I was trying to find details to show a hot, humid, drought-stricken Pennsylvania summer, while outside my door, snow was piled high, ice clung to the trees, and the biting cold temperatures made my face hurt.

My first novel, Circle of Influence, was set in January, but I spent may sultry summer days working on it, conjuring up that intense chill.

Only my readers across the country can tell me if I got it right.

What about you? Do you enjoy visiting new places in the fiction you read? Or do they remind you of a place you know well? Or isn’t location something you necessarily look for in a book? I’d like to hear your thoughts.

Thank you again for joining us today Annette!  

About Annette Dashofy

Today best selling author Annette Dashofy is a Pennsylvania farm gal born and bred. After high school, she spent five years as an EMT for the local ambulance service. Since then, she’s worked a variety of jobs, giving her plenty of fodder for her lifelong passion for writing. She, her husband, and their two spoiled cats live on property that was once part of her grandfather’s dairy.

Links:

Website: www.annettedashofy.com,
Writing, etc. blog: annettedashofy.blogspot.com,
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/annette.dashofy,
Twitter: @Annette_Dashofy

Synopsis:

Paramedic Zoe Chambers is used to saving lives, but when she stops a man from running into a raging inferno in a futile attempt to rescue his wife, Zoe finds herself drawn to him, and even more so to his ten-year-old daughter. She invites them both to live at the farm while the grieving widower picks up the pieces of his life.

Vance Township Police Chief Pete Adams, of course, is not happy with this setup, especially when he finds evidence implicating Zoe's new houseguest in murder times two. When Zoe ignores Pete's dire warnings, she runs the very real chance of burning one too many bridges, losing everything—and everyone—she holds dear.

Related subjects include: cozy mysteries, women sleuths, murder mystery series, whodunit mysteries (whodunnit), book club recommendations, audio books for download, private investigator mystery series, amateur sleuth books.

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Blog Tour: GRANNY SNOWS A SNEAK (Fuchsia, Minnesota Book 2) by Julie Seedorf

Synopsis

Granny may be retired as Fuchsia, Minnesota’s one-woman undercover sleuth for the Fuchsia Police Department, but that doesn’t mean she still doesn’t need a trusty weapon. Her weapon of choice? A pink snow shovel. When Granny runs over a dead body with her snowmobile, she unwittingly sets off a chain of events that involves mislabeled corpses, empty graves, and stolen money––lots of it! Who’s at the bottom of this years old crime? Granny has an idea, but she has little time to investigate, when in just days she’s scheduled to marry the love of her life, Franklin Gatsby, in a post-Christmas ceremony. So, Granny decides to enlist the help of her friends and neighbors. Add in Christmas holiday excitement and the arrival of Granny’s family, who are all there for her wedding, and mayhem ensues. Of course, Granny can always count on her many furry friends to provide her with moral support, but it’s quite possible that Granny––that is, Hermiony Vidalia Criony Fiddlestadt––has a secret or two of her own, which may very well be revealed as GRANNY SNOWS A SNEAK.

Review

Hermiony (Granny) is supposed to be taking it easy and getting ready for her son's wedding and her wedding to Franklin, both scheduled to follow usual Christmas festivities. She's not supposed to get involved in solving crimes, even when she manages to run over her husband's dead body with her snowmobile. Then there's the obnoxious, and seemingly ever-present new neighbor, Silas who just makes her so mad. When the confusion continues to grow, with another body added to the mix and then stolen money, Hermiony's mind just isn't on her wedding, even with her furry friends as her wedding party, or Franklin's plan for their new home. 

This is the second in the Fuchsia Minnesota series with Granny (Hermiony) as the main character. I enjoyed the first, GRANNY HOOKS A CROOK, but you could read this one as stand alone. The story, and especially Hermiony, are definitely colorful and unique, bound to cause a smile or chuckle at times. While some aspects of the story are predictable and go along with Hermiony's personality, the solution to the mystery is not unfolded until the end.

About the Author

Author Julie Seedorf is a columnist, author and dreamer. She lived her live as a wife and mom, experiencing various careers including that of computer technician, retiring from her computer repair business in January of 2014 to follow her dream and transition to that of full-time writer.

Beside her Fuchsia, Minnesota Series, she is the author of the Granny’s In Trouble Series bringing mystery to the life of young readers along with sharing who Granny is under the wrinkles, so her grandchildren will always know that Granny can be forever young. Her column Something About Nothing, is written with the idea that under the nothings we all talk about there is a hidden something waiting to get out.

Julie is a longtime Minnesota resident who shares the tough Minnesota winters with her Granny character. Outside of writing she likes to read, try new hobbies and scurries to keep up with her social media. She lives with her husband and has two shysters of her own, Borris and Natasha. Her favorite moments are those she spends with her friends and family, especially her grandchildren.

Author Links

http://julieseedorf.com
http://sprinklednotes.com
http://www.facebook.com/julie.seedorf.author
http://www.facebook.com/grannyfromfuchsiaminnesota
@julieseedorf

Purchase Links
Amazon B&N

GIVEAWAY!!!  One random person will be selected from those who post a comment to receive an e-copy of GRANNY SNOWS A SNEAK!

BOOK REVIEW: RED TAPE (Jersey Shores Mystery Series #1) by Michele Lynn Seigfried

On February 5th, COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, the third in this series was reviewed on this blog. Today, here is where it all started... With RED TAPE!

Synopsis (from Amazon)
What do you get when you combine a mystery with a touch of comedy and a pinch of romance? Red Tape. A little something for everyone!

Municipal Clerk Chelsey Alton gets more than she bargained for when she encounters an irate resident and loose cannon, Robert Triggers. Triggers has been harassing the employees in the small, Jersey shore town where she works and he becomes the prime suspect when multiple attempts to sabotage the municipal building are made. Chelsey begins to piece it all together and finds herself framed for a crime she did not commit. She narrowly escapes several attempts at her demise, only to find herself in a much more precarious situation. Will she make it out alive or end up a tragic victim at the hands of a madman?

Review

As the Municipal Clerk, Chelsey has to deal with all the customers who come into the office and answer to the mayor and other town officials.  Robert Triggers is a major problem.  He wants dunes put in near his house so that if there is a storm, his house won't wash away.  He screams, yells, and causes all sorts of trouble. In the meantime, there are things going wrong, falling apart at the office, and Chelsey, along with her co-worker, are besides themselves trying to get the ballots all set for the election. Not that there was any doubt that Frita O'Donnell would be re-elected.  As Chelsey tries to keep things together at the office, she is arrested and charged with embezzlement.  Then Agent Sal Romero and Tex come into the story. Life as a municipal clerk is less than simple and at the same time friends and family are pressuring Chelsey to have more of a life. Along with all the problems, there are many humorous moments, mostly between Chelsey and Bonnie. Whether you've already read TAX CUTS (the second in the series) or COMMUNITY AFFAIRS or not, I'd recommend RED TAPE!

AMAZON

Review: FINE DINING: A Trudie Fine Mystery by Gale Deitch

Synopsis (from Amazon)

Trudie Fine’s romantic dinner with Detective Daniel Goldman is cut short by a gruesome murder. When her good friend May Dubois is discovered sitting by the body of her dead brother, holding a bloody knife, the case seems as cut and dried as sliced okra. From the start, however, Trudie believes in her friend and sets out to prove May’s innocence.
But if May isn’t the killer, who is? 

Taking over as temporary manager at May’s New Orleans-themed restaurant to do some sleuthing plunges Trudie into a jambalaya of dangerous waters.
*Recipes Included

Review

Trudie Fine and her long time friend Zach run a catering business, but that takes second fiddle to her friend May's problems when May's brother is killed and she's holding the murder weapon. Trudie wants to help May and agrees to "manage" the New Orleans themed restaurant with all the personalities that work there, including the Chef who doesn't welcome her help. Trudie's romance with Daniel cools off a bit while she stays at May's, with the advances of May's lawyer adding a bit of tension. Her attempt to surprise him at his place backfires humorously. In the meantime, though she doesn't seem any closer to the killer, the men in her life are not pleased with her as they try to keep her safe. 

The relationships and the descriptions are rich and engaging. There are several subplots that keep the story moving and some, like the romance between Trudie and Daniel, that likely could continue. It isn't obvious who the killer is until the end but the conclusion makes sense and the wrap up is warm and fuzzy. And, of course, the recipes...

This is the second in the Trudy Fine Mystery series, but it can be read as a stand alone - I will have to go back and read A FINE FIX!  I hope Deitch has a third one in the works!

AMAZON

Review: MAIN STREET MURDER by Linda Crowder

Synopsis: (from Amazon)

Accidental detectives Jake and Emma Rand are back in their second adventure. Spring is coming to their home in the shadow of Casper Mountain and Emma can't wait to see tulips and daffodils crowd out the snow that has covered her flower beds all winter. Then the May Day Blizzard hits, trapping the citizens of Casper, Wyoming in their homes, closing roads and shutting down highways out of town.

When murder strikes in spite of the snow, Detective Matt Joyner of the Casper Police Department quickly turns up the heat on his prime suspect - Emma's friend, Kristy Castle! As Casper celebrates the annual Summer Solstice Parade and Rodeo, Jake and Emma fight to prove Kristy's innocence. She's hiding a terrible secret, but is she a killer? A great read for fans of Cozy Mysteries!

Review:

Jake and Emma don't have to go far to find this dead body but how and why did it get there? And in the middle of a blizzard no less! The investigation in this small Wyoming town of course centers on Emma's friend, and even Emma has to wonder what Kristy is hiding. The consideration of others - friends or not - as a the possible murderer - puts a strain on the parade and rodeo preparations.  

The plot is well-developed and easy to follow, with a twist at the end. Jake and Emma have a healthy relationship and are both likable.  This is the second in the series, but easily can be read as a stand alone. Hopefully by the time I read the first one, TOO CUTE TO KILL, the third will be waiting...

AMAZON

Book Review: AMAZING GRACIE : A Senior Cozy Mystery Novella by Teresa Quill

Synopsis
Retired cop, John Flynn, directs traffic at the four-way stop when he's tipsy. The seniors of The Friendly Arms Apartments want him to stop, and assign Gracie Moore with the task since she's rather sweet on John. When John sees a dead body go by, the local Deputy doesn't believe him. The seniors ban together to solve the crime. Gracie Moore must step out of her shy self and save the day. 

This is the first of the Skeeterville Senior Mystery Novellas. Also, you'll meet Irene Weatherspoon, head of the resident board at the Friendly Arms Apartments, and her beau Wally Walters who will play roles in upcoming stories.

Review
Gracie has a lot to deal with, starting with running out of money.  But she doesn't want to leave Skeeterville.  Irene and the others in the apartment complex come up with a plan so Gracie doesn't have to move in with her daughter that might just keep John from having to live with his son or worse. Problem is John is bored and when he's bored he drinks and then gets himself in trouble. No surprise that no one is inclined to believe he saw a dead body until he finds the dead body. Now can Gracie and John find the killer?

This is a great cozy mystery, and Gracie is a likable, but stubborn main character with John, Irene, and Wally, not to mention Tom, for support. The plot is well-developed and the ending makes sense. A good read to curl up with anytime or anywhere. I'm looking forward to the next Skeeterville Senior Mystery in the future.

About the Author
Teresa Quill writes with a dachshund at her feet, a parrot on her shoulder and a world of characters in her head. Her personal hero ignores the voices she hears and enables her to enjoy her writing trips to Skeeterville where the senior citizens are ornery and active, and the deputy scratches his head in wonder at their antics.

As a longtime member of Romance Writers of America and Maryland Romance Writers, she was writing a lovely contemporary romance when the secondary characters took over. Instead of fighting them, she let them run the show. Sometimes it's surprising where the seniors take her. They know that death happens, but they always want to know why. Teresa just follows them on their adventures.

Teresa asks if you read her book, please leave a review or visit her website. She loves to hear from readers. www.TeresaQuill.com

AMAZON

Blog Tour: STIFF PENALTY (A Mattie Winston Mystery) by Annelise Ryan

Synopsis:
Deputy coroner Mattie Winston knows a thing or two about dead bodies. That’s why she’s on the case of Derrick Ames, a high school math teacher stabbed to death with a barbecue fork straight to the heart. Sure, she’s turned up some motives and a few suspects, but nothing adds up. Especially when the evidence points to Ames’s teenage son. Newly pregnant Mattie can’t believe it, even as her own long-estranged father may be following her. But one things certain, she’d better start figuring things out fast, or a deadly perpetrator could be subtracting two more victims from the population of Sorenson, Wisconsin.

Review

Derrick Ames was a well-liked, divorced math teacher. Following the divorce, he and his ex-wife share custody, and she lives only a few blocks away.  Their sons are still hoping for reconciliation.  Did walking in on his father and his girlfriend shatter the son's dream and cause him to violently kill his father? Mattie doesn't believe that and is looking at other possibilities.  There are multiple other potential suspects from the single mother who delivers flowers and was involved with Ames, to his ex-wife and the socialite, or the man lurking outside her home. 

Mattie Winston is a likable coroner and sleuth with a mix of sarcasm, cynicism, and humanity.  She's dealing with her own issues of abandonment and insecurity as she prepares to be a single mother. Her attempts to hide her pregnancy until she can tell Hurley and issues with the teen age daughter suddenly living with him add to the complexity of her situation.  

Mattie not only is involved in solving the murder but trying to find out about the mysterious father she never knew and her rather flaky mother won't talk about. All sorts of questions are raised when her mother recognizes the drawing of a man lurking outside her home as her father. At the same time, her venture into buying maternity clothes, her neighbors, and some of her comments add a bit of humor.  

STIFF PENALTY is part of a series - BOARD STIFF, LUCKY STIFF, FROZEN STIFF - but can easily be read as a stand alone. Ryan moves the story and subplots together artfully and pulls the pieces together at the end. 

Purchase Links

Amazon B&N Book Depository

About this Author

Annelise Ryan is the pseudonym for the author of three suspense novels and another mystery series. She has written more than 200 published articles, worked as a book reviewer for Barnes & Noble®, and is an active member of Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. She currently works as a registered nurse in an E.R. Visit her at mattiewinston.com.
Author Links
http://www.mattiewinston.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2994644.Annelise_Ryan

Blog Tour: CHICKEN SOUP & HOMICIDE (Culinary Competition Mystery #2) by Janel Gradowski

Synopsis

Amy Ridley and her friend, Sophie, have perfected their chicken soup recipe, and the winter-weary residents of Kellerton, Michigan can’t wait to watch them compete against other local chefs in the Chicken Soup Showdown. But the charity event starts out with a bang, literally, when one of the rival chefs falls out of a freezer and onto Amy. If it wasn’t stressful enough for Amy to catch a dead body, the detective in charge of the investigation targets her best friend, Carla, as the chief suspect in the murder.

In order to clear her friend’s name, Amy does her own investigating. The problem is nobody liked the arrogant murdered celebrity chef, and soon her suspect list is longer than the list of ingredients in her secret chicken soup recipe. Can Amy figure out who killed the celebrity chef? Or will Carla be spending the spring in jail?

Review

 A cooking contest with benefits to various charities sets the stage for Amy to find - or more accurately be found by - the body of Chef Britton. Other than the interference with the cook-off, nobody seems particularly upset that this man is dead.  In fact, there are lots of people with motive, so why is the new detective targeting Carla as the prime suspect? One things for sure, Amy will do her best to identify the real killer, or at least generate a healthy list of suspects, in order to help her friend.  The whodunit is the major plot and several well-well-integrated subplots. The characters are unique, but likable without being saints. As the main character, Amy has depth and humanity - someone you'd like as a friend or partner. CHICKEN SOUP & HOMICIDE is the second in the Culinary Competition Mystery series, but it can be read as a stand alone. PIES AND PERIL is the first in the series. As in the first, CHICKEN SOUP & HOMICIDE includes recipes as an added to bonus to a fun read!  

About Janel Gradowski

Janel Gradowski lives in a land that looks like a cold weather fashion accessory, the mitten-shaped state of Michigan. She is a wife and mom to two kids and one Golden Retriever. Her journey to becoming an author is littered with odd jobs like renting apartments to college students and programming commercials for an AM radio station. Somewhere along the way she also became a beadwork designer and teacher. She enjoys cooking recipes found in her formidable cookbook and culinary fiction collection. Searching for unique treasures at art fairs, flea markets and thrift stores is also a favorite pastime. Coffee is an essential part of her life. She writes the Culinary Competition Mystery Series, along with The Bartonville Series (women’s fiction) and the 6:1 Series (flash fiction). She has also had many short stories published in both online and print publications.

Author Social Media Links/Profile:

Website: http://www.JanelGradowski.com

Newsletter: http://janelgradowski.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ce89ff4a2363536db216bc8fa&id=77dfbd2a99

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJanelGradowski

Twitter (@JanelGr): https://twitter.com/JanelGr

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JanelGradowski/about

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5829171.Janel_Gradowski

Chicken Soup & Homicide Purchase Links:

AMAZON

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

Kobo

Smashwords

Let’s Party Giveaway:

http://www.janelgradowski.com/2015/02/22/lets-party-giveaway/

Excerpt from Chicken Soup & Homicide:

“We can work on that prep table.” Sophie’s voice echoed a bit as she pointed to one of several stainless steel-topped tables in the cavernous kitchen space. “I’ll round up some tools for us.”

Other than adding the access door, nothing really needed to be done to the former bakery’s kitchen. Elliot Maxson had been a super neat control freak, so all of the appliances and work areas were spotless and in working order when he sold the bakery before retiring. The giant industrial ovens made the original coffee shop’s single convection oven seem like an Easy Bake Oven. Amy began arranging the loaves of bread, jars of nut butters, and pints of jams on the table while Sophie laid out cutting boards, bread knives, and spreaders.

“We should be able to get quite a few sandwiches out of each loaf if I cut the slices thin enough.” Amy plucked at the end of the plastic wrap on the coconut bread. The sweet scent was a little bit of tropical heaven in the middle of the cold Michigan winter. “I’m going to use cashew butter and pineapple jam with this, sort of like a piña colada.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Sophie said as she examined the labels on the jars. “You’ve done great coming up with all of these. I can’t wait to see what they taste like. I think I’ll go for sunflower seed butter with tomato jam on the rosemary bread.”

“Yum. I was hoping you would like my idea of savory PB and J.” Amy had bought jars of every kind of nut butter she could find at Columbo’s Market, from the standard peanut to soy bean. Then she scoured her cookbooks for unique jams and preserves, coming up with everything from a dried-apricot spread to whiskey-onion marmalade. The hardest part had been narrowing down all of the choices into half a dozen of each sandwich item. There were only so many samples they could eat at one time. It would take at least three test sessions to get through all of the culinary ideas she had unearthed in her cookbook-reading binge.

Soon all of the loaves of bread were sliced and small offset spatulas were stuck into every jar. Sophie had a notebook to jot down all of the combinations along with their tasting notes. Just setting up the ingredients seemed to have put Sophie in a better mood.

“Let’s make some incredible sandwiches.” Amy fist bumped Sophie. Maybe the gesture was a bit over the top for the circumstances, but it made her friend smile. “Lunchbox gourmet. Here we come.”

“You know, I kind of like that term. Would you mind if I poached if from you? Maybe I could make that a category on the café menus.”

“Go right ahead.” Amy swiped bacon jam on a slice of banana bread. Peanut butter was already spread on the other half of the sandwich. It would be her homage to Elvis Presley. “I think that’s what consultants are supposed to do anyway—give clients ideas.”

She would’ve happily helped with the new menu for free, as a friend, but Sophie had insisted on putting her on the payroll as a recipe consultant. The new title was snazzy, but it also came complete with a giant helping of apprehension that settled in her stomach like greasy mac and cheese. People with no formal chef training didn’t deserve to be consultants, did they? It was the equivalent of an unemployed geek who spent twenty hours a day playing first-person shooter video games in his parents’ basement being hired as a security specialist.