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Category Archives: Cozy
Six Feet Under–deadly Southern cooking
Six Feet Under
by Tonya Kappes
Six Feet Under is a cozy mystery by Tonya Kappes. I had read the first one in the series and then didn’t follow up with books two and three. Forgetting that there is a paranormal aspect to this series, I requested an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. I do not normally enjoy or choose to read anything with paranormal elements.
I have mixed feelings about the book. The paranormal comes in the form of the main character’s ghost sidekick, Poppa. Kenni is the elected sheriff in a small Kentucky town and her grandfather Poppa was previously a sheriff in Cottonwood as well. Kenni grew up discussing crimes with Poppa. In these books, his ghost provides her with clues and a sounding board for her theories. Poppa supplies humor and complexity as Kenni has to guard her conversations with him so people won’t think she is crazy.
Six Feet Under is well-crafted, interesting, and humorous. I admit I enjoyed the tale including all the “Southernisms” of the characters. The romantic interest with her deputy sheriff is good, and the side threads help keep the story going. I was surprised by the the ending. In conclusion, if lighthearted paranormal doesn’t bother you, then you will enjoy this fun cozy mystery.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #4 in the Kenni Lowry Mystery Series
Publication: March 13, 2018—Henery Press
Memorable Lines:
It wasn’t until I’d accepted the fact that Poppa was my guardian angel deputy from the great beyond that I realized he’d been scaring away any would-be criminals during those first two years of my term. Since then, whenever Poppa showed up, I knew there was some sort of crime about to happen. Though I loved seeing him, it made me feel sick to know the reason he was here.
…being on the front of the Chronicle was better than butter on a biscuit for Mama.
For years they’d bragged on Mama’s cooking, but I just figured they were nice compliments with underlying meanings, like our famous saying, bless your heart. It sounded good, but when you shaved back the layers, it was a dagger in the heart and you didn’t even know it.
Southern Discomfort–murder in the kitchen
Southern Discomfort
by Caroline Fardig
Southern Discomfort introduces the sweet and naive Quinn Ballandini, who was raised by her grandmother to have impeccable Southern manners. She and her more rebellious sister help their grandfather manage a successful bed and breakfast in Savannah, Georgia, where Quinn does most of the cooking.
Quinn discovers the dead body of a friend’s brother. This too trusting B & B manager tries to transform herself into an amateur sleuth to get her friend and potentially herself cleared. She is pretty bad at it, but she is persistent. There are lots of interesting characters including her magician grandfather, Papa Sal, her mother who is into drugs and auras, her older sister Delilah, and her Uncle Frank’s ghost who appears to Delilah and Papa Sal. Additionally, former high school football star Tyler re-enters her life with a love-hate relationship. There are also a lot of suspects Quinn has to interview to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Southern Discomfort was a satisfactory read but not as well written as the one other book by Caroline Fardig that I have read from a different series. I would be willing to read the next book in the series, but the extent of the paranormal in the next book will determine further readings in this series.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Random House (Alibi) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery, Women’s Fiction
Notes: 1. #1 in the Southern B&B Mystery Series.
2. There are some paranormal elements that I found more amusing than offensive.
3. A few delicious sounding recipes are included at the end of the book.
Publication: March 6, 2018—Random House (Alibi)
Memorable Lines:
Well, I’d had a fleeting moment of calm, thinking it might not be so bad to tell my sad story to my old friend Rufus. But with Detective Angrypants staring me down, my nerves frazzled again.
I’d always thought culinary reviewers were highfalutin foodies who savored their food morsel by morsel so as to taste every note and nuance of whatever they were eating. This guy was a inhaling his food. There was a no way he was savoring anything at that pace.
Her words stung me and brought tears to my eyes. Why did she have to be so stinking mean all the time? It was like I was back in high school again, getting picked on by the cool kids.
Who Moved My Goat Cheese?–starting a new restaurant
Who Moved My Goat Cheese?
by Lynn Cahoon
I am delighted to share a new cozy mystery series created by an established author, Lynn Cahoon. Who Moved My Goat Cheese? introduces Angie Turner, a chef who returns to her hometown in the Treasure Valley of Idaho after the death of her grandmother. She, along with fellow culinary expert and best friend Felicia, is opening a new restaurant, The County Seat.
Angie skillfully negotiates the ins and outs of starting a new enterprise in a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Just as she begins to progress in lining up suppliers of fresh food at the local farmer’s market, one of the suppliers dies. As Angie is one of the last people to see him, she is considered a suspect. She has a soft spot for the elderly victim, however, and although she prefers cooking, she feels forced at least temporarily into the role of Nancy Drew.
Who Moved My Goat Cheese? is an interesting cozy with just the right amount of romantic interest, investigations, and excitement. The author obviously has a love of food and animals and while these are major elements throughout the book, they are not overemphasized. I’m looking forward to Cahoon’s next book in this series.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Lyrical Underground (Kensington Press) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #1 in the Farm-to-Fork Mystery Series
2. A recipe for Lynn Cahoon’s favorite comfort food, a family version of potato soup, is included.
Publication: March 6, 2018—Lyrical Underground (Kensington Press)
Memorable Lines:
You developed bonds with the people you worked with in the trenches day in and day out. Those were the people you trusted.
Her day was planned. What could go wrong?
Instead of worrying about it, she went to her kitchen and did what she always did when the world didn’t make sense. She cooked.
Hummus and Homicide–mystery with a side of hummus
Hummus and Homicide
by Tina Kashian
I read and reviewed more nonfiction books in February than I usually do. While I enjoyed most of them, I emerged from the month a little drained. Just as the month was ending, however, I read a review written by prolific book blogger Betty of Hummus and Homicide. Her review made this cozy mystery appealing, and I was able to request it as an ARC shortly before the deadline. It was just the relaxing break I needed. You can go to Betty’s blog to see her review by clicking here:
Now, on to my review:
Hummus and Homicide is the tale of patent attorney Lucy Berberian’s return from Philadelphia to her hometown Ocean Crest, New Jersey. For eight years she had devoted her life to her career but had hit her head on the metaphorical glass ceiling for women. She bounces back to her family’s Mediterranean restaurant in the small New Jersey beach town. Unfortunately, a former classmate meets an unfortunate demise after Lucy serves her food at the restaurant, making Lucy a prime suspect.
To save her parents’ restaurant from closure and herself from jail, Lucy sets out to discover the killer. There are many possibilities including rival restaurant owners, a famous author, and the boss of a crime family. Along with solving the mystery, Lucy has some personal romantic entanglements to resolve as well as decisions about her career choice to make. Hummus and Homicide is a fun, relaxing read that moves quickly and has interesting, likable characters.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. This is the first book in the new Kebab Kitchen Mystery Series.
2. There are recipes included at the end of the book.
Publication: February 27, 2018—Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
If curiosity killed the cat, what would it do to an out-of-work lawyer sticking her nose where it didn’t belong?
Her eyes slid shut as she bit into the hot pastry. the crunch of the thin layers of buttered pastry, the sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts, blended together in a sweet ballet.
She knew how fast news traveled in town. The Internet had nothing on Ocean Crest when it came to the information superhighway.
Dead Calm–murder-suicide?
Dead Calm
by Annelise Ryan
Dead Calm centers around Mattie Winston, a medicolegal death investigator who works in Sorenson, Wisconsin’s medical examiner’s office. She is newly married to Steve Hurley, a local homicide detective. Receiving twin middle of the night phone calls from their bosses, they are summoned to the scene of an apparent murder-suicide at a motel on the outskirts of town where rooms can be rented by the hour for liaisons.
Annelise Ryan has written a mystery that moves quickly from one situation to another with lots of threads and clues along the way. How could a pharmaceutical coverup tie in? Are the victims’ spouses culpable? Has a construction crew uncovered the skeleton of an alien on Mattie and Hurley’s proposed home site? Ryan keeps the reader guessing all the way to a surprise resolution.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #9 in the Mattie Winston Mystery Series, but it reads well as a standalone. There is a lot of backstory, but the author does a good job of relating it quickly.
Publication: February 27, 2018—Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
The land is out in the country; the mosquitos were apparently having some sort of convention out there all weekend, and I was on the menu for every meal.
For starters, my relationship with Emily was iffy at the time, iffy being a euphemism for a barrel of TNT connected to a short, lit fuse.
So far, our road to marital bliss has been as smooth and painless as petting a porcupine.
Pawprints and Predicaments–very well educated petsitter/amateur sleuth
Pawprints and Predicaments
by Bethany Blake
Pawprints and Predicaments continues the story of Daphne, a petsitter with a PhD in philosophy, who is preparing to open a bakery to sell healthy pet treats. Her small town of Sylvan Creek is hosting its Thirtieth Annual Tail Waggin’ Winterfest. Daphne joins in the fun of the first polar bear plunge in Lake Wallapawakee, but unfortunately she encounters more than icy waters.
There are several murders in this cozy mystery, and Daphne is determined to get to the bottom of them. The humor in the tale comes from an assortment of furry friends—especially Daphne’s interactions with her basset hound Socrates. There are lots of interesting characters including her friend Moxie, a vintage clothes lover who runs a spa for humans and their pets. Daphne has two love interests who are also involved in trying to solve the crimes: handsome detective Jonathan Black and newspaper owner, Gabriel Graham.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #3 in the Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery Series, but works as a standalone
Publication: February 27, 2018—Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
My longtime sidekick nevertheless seemed to grasp that I was growing curious about a homicide and he lowered his freckled muzzle and buried it under his large paws, groaning softly, like he wished I would just mind my own business.
His mane was like a thick brown thundercloud swirling around his massive head, and he blinked at us with eyes that reminded me of the strange yellow color the sky had turned, right before I’d nearly been caught in a tornado while crossing Oklahoma on the back of a motorcycle.
Moxie picked up her own cell and swung it around, so for a second, I got queasy when the colorful, mismatched décor in her eclectic apartment swirled like paint dumped on an old spin art toy.
The Fast and the Furriest–not quite the Purrfect Crime
The Fast and the Furriest
by Sophie Ryan
Looking for a cozy mystery with a good plot, interesting characters, and humorous overtones? Do you enjoy reading a story that features a cat as a supporting character? If so, then Sophie Ryan’s The Fast and the Furriest fits the bill.
This mystery will keep you guessing as Sarah, owner of Second Chance repurpose shop joins with her grandmother’s friends (Charlotte’s Angels) to help prove that her employee Mac is innocent of murder. Sarah’s sidekick is an endearing, Jeopardy-watching cat named Elvis who accompanies her almost everywhere. Sarah discovers she knows almost nothing about Mac, and Mac discovers that he does not really know his friends and family members as well as he thought he did.
I’m already looking forward to reading the next book in this series for some relaxing fun. Meanwhile there are several other books in this series purring out an enticing welcome.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Berkley Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #5 in the Second Chance Cat Mystery Series, but works well as a standalone.
Publication: February 6, 2018—Berkley Publishing
Memorable Lines:
I’d worked in radio after college, eventually hosting a popular evening program playing classic rock and interviewing some of the genre’s best musicians. Then one day I was replaced by a syndicated music feed out of Los Angeles and a nineteen-year-old who read the weather twice an hour and called everyone “dude.”
She made her way over to him, a tiny woman with short, white hair, warm gray eyes and a stubborn streak that made a mule look easygoing.
“He can walk, Rose,” I said. “The pavement is too hot for his feet.” She picked the cat up and Elvis meowed and wrinkled his whispers at me, cat for “nyah, nyah, nyah.”
Murder on the Rocks–serving up a satisfying mystery on a base of cuisine with a dash of tennis
Murder on the Rocks
by Shawn Reilly Simmons
Murder on the Rocks is an engaging and relaxing cozy mystery. It begins with a motorcycle chase and moves on to a relaxing gathering of friends for brunch at a Glendale, New Jersey, café. Violent crime enters the picture and follows Penelope all the way to Vermont where her catering company has been hired to provide food for a movie production. The movie stars her friend and roommate Arlena for whom Penelope also acts as personal chef. Arlena portrays Helen Mills, tennis star from the 1930’s and 1940’s.
I have read another mystery in this series and from a comparison of the types of services provided in the two books and a short Internet search, I discovered that the sorts of food and service provided by companies like Penelope’s vary widely depending on the event, location, and needs and desires of the hiring group. That part of the story is almost as fascinating as the mystery. Penelope and her crew necessarily display a huge amount of professional flexibility. I recommend this book for both the mystery and the culinary background.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: General Fiction (Adult), Mystery
Notes: # 5 in the Red Carpet Catering Mystery Series
Publication: February 6, 2018—Henery Press
Memorable Lines:
Francis shifted his weight and Lewis cleared his throat, the universal signs of being witness to an uncomfortable encounter.
“You’re here because Arlena believes you’re up to the challenge of nurturing our crew, providing our film family with life-sustaining fuel, nourishing our bodies and souls while we embark on this artistic venture together.”
Penelope’s thoughts drifted and grew soft around the edges as she fell asleep.
Class Reunions are Murder–attending could be a mistake
Class Reunions are Murder
Welcome to a new series by Libby Klein that starts out with a great cozy mystery Class Reunions are Murder. As we meet the very likable Poppy McAllister, she is eating her way through grief and talking to her quirky, ever-present cat Figaro. Her life changes when she is convinced by her best friend Sawyer to join her in attending their high school reunion; she decides to combine that trip with a long overdue visit with her Aunt Ginny.
Klein does a good job of writing humorous dialogue that includes what Poppy is thinking as well as saying. Poppy is accused of a crime and needs to prove herself innocent while dealing with the deteriorating state of the home she was raised in and possibly of her Aunt Ginny. Although a cozy mystery, the book also deals with serious themes of bullying, aging, and second chances in life. I’m looking forward to reading about the next phase of Poppy’s life.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: Paleo recipes are included at the back of the book.
Publication: January 30, 2018—Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
I was praying either for a house to fall on Georgina or the Rapture to take place. God’s choice.
I hoped Aunt Ginny didn’t organize another fashion intervention for me. Aunt Ginny means well, but she has all the subtlety of a marching band in a cemetery.
“And I figured I’m getting old so I may as well make the most of the time I have left. So I decided convention be darned. I’m gonna dress however I please and I’m gonna do what I want when I want. At my age I’ve earned the right to do it…”
Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake–delectable adventure
Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake
by Sarah Graves
If the phrase “chocolate cherry cheesecake” is enticing, then you will love the cozy mystery Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake. In the tiny island village of Eastport, Maine, bakers and best friends Ellie and Jake (Jacobia) fill The Chocolate Moose with delectable and aromatic chocolate goodies. Their biggest baking challenge is preparing 22 cheesecakes to be auctioned off to pay for the Coast Guard’s firework extravaganza which also includes a treat for the town’s special education students. They get to view the display from a barge.
If this were not challenge enough, Ellie and Jake discover a murdered man in their kitchen and Ellie becomes the prime suspect. This is not a simple mystery as various others in the town have links that Jake and Ellie must ferret out involving them in some life threatening situations. Jake is also in the middle of family crises, and Ellie has secret expansion plans for their business. All of these events occur during a brief time span, with little sleep, and an impending hurricane. Accompanying Jake and Ellie in pursuit of the real murderer provides the reader with exciting rides by boat and car. I’m looking forward to the next adventure in this new series.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: Recipe for Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake is included at the end of the book.
Publication: January 30, 2018–Kensington
Memorable Lines:
Once upon a time, Ma Bell ran the phone system with ruthless, utterly monopolistic efficiency. Now any fool can start a phone company and provide the kind of high-class personal communication service once offered only by two tin cans and a length of string.
When the door banged shut behind me, I must’ve jumped a foot. But it was only the wind blowing through the sliding-glass panels that looked out over the water, skittering the scattered papers like dry leaves across the slate-tiled floor.
I followed, with my heart pulsing crazily in my throat, thinking that if only I’d known how exciting the baking business would be, I’d have taken up some more sensible activity. Sword swallowing maybe, or milking poisonous snakes for their venom.
education pathways 