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Mischief Nights are Murder–another murder at Poppy’s B & B
Mischief Nights are Murder
by Libby Klein
Halloween themed Mischief Nights are Murder is a fun cozy mystery. At first glance it might appear to be a paranormal book because it is set in the Halloween season with a large group of inns and restaurants participating in ghost tours to attract tourists.because it is set in the Halloween season with a large group of inns and restaurants participating in ghost tours to attract tourists. Poppy runs a B & B and to her surprise finds that her 80 year old aunt signed a contract that obligates Poppy to be a part of the events. Poppy, who frequently discovers dead bodies, has been nicknamed the Murder Magnet and the B & B is being publicized as the Murder House. She is expected to make statements like “some have said they heard unusual noises” or “rumors are that someone was killed in this room a hundred years ago” to attract interest without actually saying there are ghosts or not. The B & B attracts several university professors and students who study paranormal activity, a team of 4 participating in the discovery and filming of ghost activity, a duo who don’t seem to quite fit, a tabloid writer, and a pet psychic who wears a colander on his head to enhance his connections and says he can tell what animals are thinking.
Poppy stays busy when a guest is murdered. She has to cooperate with the event planners and the police. She tries to keep peace with a temporary cook who used to bully her in high school and a new male housekeeper with designs on the acting field. Her aunt Ginny and her friends “The Biddies” keep things hopping and the reader laughing. Poppy also has to deal with her handsome Italian boyfriend and his mother who hates her.
My favorite part of the books in this series is the humor. It is woven throughout the book as we see in italics what Poppy is actually thinking and then in quotes what she says. Humor is integral to the text, and it comes in the form of the various characters and Poppy’s responses to them. Her Aunt Ginny and her cat Figaro are two of my favorites. Both are always up to shenanigans in this definitely not paranormal mystery.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery, Humor
Notes: 1. #8 in the Poppy McAllister Mystery Series. It could be read as a standalone especially since there are new characters introduced in this book, but there is a lot of background information in the previous books that could make this book more enjoyable. I certainly recommend the whole series.
2. Poppy can not eat gluten which makes life hard since she is a trained baker. She specializes in gluten-free recipes and the author has included 7 delicious sounding recipes.
Publication: July 25, 2023—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
“You can’t believe anything she says. She’s the worst kind of liar. Lower than a politician.” Aunt Ginny clutched her pearls and gasped. “Good God. A telemarketer?”
The man grinned at his wife, then turned the wattage on me. It was the kind of smile that made you come out of menopause and lower your hair from a tower to be climbed.
“Somehow we need to keep the paranormal people away from Gladys, Gladys away from the pet psychic, and you away from murder victims.” Kenny blew out a breath. “We can do this. It’ll only last a week.” So did Hurricane Katrina.
Double Indemnity
Double Indemnity
by Robert Whitlow
Connor Grantham, a graduate of Princeton Divinity School, is from a family of highly successful professionals. He loves reading, studying, and hiking. His job in Bryson, Georgia, allows him to do all three in the low stress environment of Rock Community Church. When Matt Thompson is killed in a hunting accident on the property where Connor is hiking, life becomes complicated. Matt and his second wife, Elena, had been consulting Connor for marital counseling. With her interest in her husband’s will and insurance policies, she hardly fits the profile of a grieving widow. There are, however, several other characters who could also benefit from Matt’s death. Complications arise when a video surfaces of Connor at the hunting lodge. Believing he is innocent is far from having evidence that he is innocent.
Liz Acosta is a young American lawyer of Cuban descent. She has been hired for her Spanish speaking abilities, but when she is assigned Elena as a client, she demonstrates skills far beyond translating. She is eager to learn and her boss encourages her talents.
The plot is complicated, and the characters are interesting. I had not read a legal novel in a while so I enjoyed returning to that genre. Even more, I saw what a legal mystery could be when told from a Christian perspective. Author Whitlow takes a character who has basic Christian beliefs, but not much actual experience in communicating with God, and places him in circumstances where he needs to do just that. He also positions him near a family that is suffering through extreme hardships but nevertheless can model prayer and faith to him in a way he has never experienced. Connor sets out to minister to Lyle and Sarah Hamilton and their son Josh. He does that, but he also receives blessings that help him through an ordeal that he never expected to endure.
Double Indemnity has many opportunities for character development. Which church members will rally around Connor and who will turn their backs on him? Connor has always been careful to be above reproach in meetings with female members of his congregation. Will tongues wag anyway when a meeting in a public place becomes a topic of gossip? Can Liz help Connor when her first obligation is to her client Elena? Why is the Georgia Bureau of Investigations so concerned about this case? What role does ex-wife Anne play? Matt claims to love both women! Matt’s company is in trouble. Could his business partner be trying to rescue the business through an insurance claim? Double Indemnity answers these questions and more while engaging the reader in a page-turning plot.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery, Christian, Fiction
Notes: References to Cuban cuisine give this book both culinary and multicultural appeal.
Publication: June 6, 2023—Thomas Nelson
Memorable Lines:
“What should the topic for my message be on Sunday?” he asked. Michelle raised her eyebrows. “Shouldn’t you be asking God, not me, about that?” “I did and didn’t get an answer.” “Maybe that’s your message: “What to Do When God is Silent.”
Sarah Hamilton prayed. The woman’s words reminded Connor of a freight train slowly pulling out of the station. They carried a weight and power that couldn’t be ignored. Something big and powerful was on the move. Sarah spoke as one who knew what she believed and expected God to listen.
“God knows the end from the beginning whether the path in between is long or short, complicated or simple, and how everything fits into the destiny and destination he has for each person’s life.”
If prayer is a weapon, Sarah’s words weren’t bullets, they were artillery shells.
Songs of Wine and Murder–band competition
Songs of Wine and Murder
by Lynn Cahoon
Every good cozy mystery has a focus and a crime to be solved. The plot in Songs of Wine and Murder centers around a band competition as part of the Moonstone Beach festival to be held in South Cove, a town which has both commuters and businesses that depend on tourists. Jill owns a combo coffee shop and bookstore; her fiancé Greg is the police chief. In this book, a band member that no one likes is found dead. There are many suspects after it is determined that the death is a homicide, not a drug overdose or a suicide.
Jill has to put in a lot of work hours during the festival as she supervises both the coffee shop and a food truck. Jill is a great boss, giving her workers full benefits and treating them with respect. During the festival she takes orders and provides her staff with meals from the town’s only full-service restaurant. Greg has to put in extra long hours along with his officers as they interview suspects and others who might have information about the murder. Jill tries to stay out of the investigation, but she stumbles across clues and conversations that help Greg.
The mayor’s wife can be over-the-top mean if she doesn’t get her way. She gets very angry when she thinks her nephew is being treated unfairly in the competition, and she blames that and everything else she can think of on Jill and Greg. Jill has a number of friends who are involved in this story, and the reader gets to know them well. My favorite of her employees is Deek. He is a good looking young man with blond dreadlocks and violet eyes who has really grown over the course of the series. He is an aspiring writer who takes the bookstore seriously and also has lots of very good ideas for managing events and pushing the coffee shop/bookstore through PR efforts. He is somewhat intimidated by Greg referring to him as “Police Dude.” Her staff member, Toby, works as a cop and a barista. An attractive guy, he can’t understand why Tilly, a new hire at the shop, says she has never met him. He claims hey were an “item” in high school. Which one of them is lying?
The murder is solved…until new information comes to light opening the investigation up again. It was a great twist to the story; just as Greg and Jill think they can relax and resume planning for their wedding, they are thrown back into the chaos of “whodunit?”
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #15 in the Tourist Trap Mystery Series. It includes some humor, some mystery, and some relationships—new and old. Songs of Wine and Murder was fun for me, but not Cahoon’s best work. I am not recommending it as a standalone, but if you are a fan of the Tourist Trap Mystery Series, you will probably enjoy it.
2. Includes a recipe for “Jill’s Neptune Salad Wrap” as a healthy replacement for all the fish and chips Jill devours in this book.
Publication: June 6, 2023—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
The fight was over. Neither participant looked victorious, which was what happened most times when people were in love. Everyone felt the pain of the fight, not just the loser.
“The one thing I can promise you about relationships is that as soon as you start thinking the other person can read your mind, you’re in trouble.”
I delivered Harrold and Aunt Jackie’s meals and noticed Lille had put in two slices of cherry pie that I hadn’t ordered. She’d known that this order would be given to Harrold, and she loved him like a grandfather. I suspected that Lille had a heart; it was just hidden under all that snark.
Murder Off the Books–so many suspects!
Murder Off the Books
by Tamara Berry
If you like “bookish” books, you’ll probably like Murder Off the Books. Tess has moved with her precocious, teenage daughter Gertie to an inherited, dilapidated property. In this book she is opening a bookstore and holding a release party for the her latest book on the same day. Tess is a mystery writer who finds herself all too frequently involved in murder investigations.
Tess has a surprise guest: her mother arrives for a visit at the same time a lothario arrives in town. He has been cleared of charges of murdering wealthy women, but Tess is afraid her mother will be next. Another visitor to the town is Neptune Jones, a very popular mystery podcaster. Why is she in little Winthrop, and why does the handsome sheriff invite Neptune to stay with him when he is quite brusque with Tess? It’s hard times for Tess when tourists flock to Neptune and a crime scene instead of Tess’ grand opening. She fears for both her mother’s life and the threat of her mother being arrested for murder.
Although the characters and setting are important, the mystery plot is the star and it is quite complex. Even Tess’ friends who are undercover FBI agents wonder if their case and the newest murder in town are somehow related. As sometimes happens in cozy mysteries, no sooner does the suspicion fall on one particular character, than he gets added to the RIP list. My favorite situation in the book is when Tess has to resort to hiring her elderly neighbor as a very temporary employee. My policy is “no spoiler” reviews so you’ll need to read this fun cozy mystery to find out how things work out with the new hire, the gruff sheriff, Tess’ FBI friends, and her mother.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #3 in the By the Book series. My advice is to start the series at the beginning.
Publication: May 30, 2023—Poisoned Pen Press
Memorable Lines:
Back in Seattle, she’d gone for months at a time without talking to her neighbors, her whole life a careful balance of curated appointments and spaced-out drinks with friends. Here in Winthrop, she couldn’t go five feet without running into someone she knew, owed a favor to, and/or had accused of murder at one time or another.
There was a reason she had thirty-five million downloads every month. Listening to her speak was like being dipped in a vat of chocolate before getting toweled off with crushed velvet.
“I’ve never known two people so whip-smart…and so determined that no one find out about it. Your grandfather hid his intelligence in a cabin in the woods. Your mom hides hers in irreverence.”
Six Ostriches–Canadian murder
Six Ostriches
by Philipp Schott, DVM
As a mystery lover who had enjoyed a nonfiction collection of animal stories by Philipp Schott, I looked forward to reading Six Ostriches. I was disappointed.
The crimes against both people and animals were more gruesome than I am comfortable with. I didn’t actually like the protagonist, Peter Bannerman, a veterinarian, or his wife Laura, a paleobiologist currently working from home knitting bespoke attire. Dr. Bannerman is on the autistic spectrum, and it was interesting to read about his deliberate efforts to fit in socially, even when he didn’t understand the motivations of the people who did those things naturally. He has been married to Laura for twenty years, and they have learned how to live together compatibly.
Normally I enjoy stepping outside my comfort zone to understand and experience other cultures. I also like to delve into historical backgrounds. In this book, however, I couldn’t quite find my place or balance in the mix of Norse, Swedish, and Finn references, both ancient and contemporary. There is a jumble of religions, mythology, and names unfamiliar to me like Gudmundurson and Thorhelson that left me out in the Canadian cold. The author sometimes referred to characters by their first names and sometimes by their last names adding to the confusion. References to 8kun message boards, which were important to the plot, just complicated the book for me.
The setting is spring in New Selfoss in Manitoba, Canada. The ostriches have a minor role as the one named Big Bird swallows something and requires surgery. The blockage sets the rest of the plot into motion. My favorite character is Pippin, Peter’s dog, an “enthusiastic black and white lab-husky-collie mix.” He is smart, faithful, and trained to follow scents.
The mystery itself was acceptable with lots of clues provided along the way. It was not, however, a page turner for me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #2 in the Dr. Bannerman Vet Mystery Series but could be read as a standalone.
2. Contains swearing and some vulgar inferences.
Publication: May 23, 2023—ECW Press
Memorable Lines:
“Everything comes from somewhere! Everything has a cause, however obscure and difficult to identify. With enough data and a careful analysis of that data, you can usually find a more satisfying and useful explanation than ‘random.“‘
Most veterinarians and their staff agreed that it was best to assume that ponies, while cute, were going to be ill-tempered. Like chihuahuas. That way they would be prepared if they were right and pleasantly surprised if they were wrong. Win-win.
But Peter still felt the buzz of emotion and disordered thoughts commandeering his brain. He rubbed his eyes and stretched. He knew what would help. He would write out his theories. The act of obliging unruly thought to become straight lines on a page always felt akin to running a comb through his tangled neurons.
Murder with Earl Grey Tea–tea, goodies, and danger
Murder with Earl Grey Tea
by Karen Rose Smith
Lots is going on at Daisy’s Tea Garden in Willow Creek, Pennsylvania. The tea flavor of the month is Earl Grey—one of my favorites. Daisy and her Aunt Iris, who jointly own the tearoom, are serving up regular tea time favorites like scones with the help of their efficient and friendly staff. They also have seasonal finger foods along with soups and salads.
On the personal front, Daisy and her boyfriend Jonas, formerly a detective, are making wedding plans. Daisy’s older daughter Vi and her husband and son are moving out of Daisy’s small garage apartment into a larger home. Daisy’s youngest, Jazzi, is close to high school graduation with plans to go to college. Daisy’s life is already undergoing lots of changes when she discovers the body of a friend who was murdered, leaving behind a husband, a preschooler, and a restaurant/event center, The Farm Barn.
There are lots of suspects, but everyone in town loved and respected the victim. What happened is quite a puzzle and there are no witnesses. Friends and family ask Daisy to investigate and having been the one to find the body, Daisy feels a responsibility to unravel the mystery. Along the way, Daisy discovers secrets that several people had hidden even from those close to themselves. Her efforts put her in danger and require the rescue of one of her staff members. I didn’t guess the murderer, and the plot included an interesting twist.
All of the characters contribute to the plot development. The two detectives on the case are extremely reluctant to share information, but welcome the clues Daisy gathers, often from overhearing conversations at the Tea Garden and in talking to locals. The reader will like Jonas as he is very supportive of Daisy and her family. Aunt Iris has two suitors actively trying to pursue a relationship. Daisy and Jonas’ dog Felix is present in many scenes and they have two cats as well. Needless to say, there are always plenty of delicious treats enjoyed both at the tearoom and at home.
I always enjoy a visit to Daisy’s Tea Garden and this book is no exception. I especially liked the Alice in Wonderland themed tea event that focused on children.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #9 in the Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery Series. Although the author does a good job of refreshing the reader’s memories of characters and events in previous books in the series, I recommend starting with an earlier book.
2. It includes 4 recipes.
Publication: May 23, 2023—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
“I told them snow was predicted tonight. They shouldn’t have gone on a date.” “They’re teenagers,” Jonas reminded her with a sigh, as if that covered the subject completely.
Buggies were an integral part of the Amish community and signaled a slower paced life. They reminded fellow travelers not to be in a rush. They took the Amish off the grid, so to speak, to a time that was more peaceful, wholesome, and less complicated.
Daisy knew that children and pets were often the best healing medicine.
Counter Attack–chess game of revenge
Counter Attack
by Patricia Bradley
Alexis (a.k.a. Alex) has a multi-step plan to achieve her goal of becoming a Police Commissioner. She works hard as a detective, keeps her head down, and is known to be skilled and reliable. Just as she is about to reach her intermediate goal of homicide detective, she is injured on the job and her grandfather who raised her has a heart attack. As county sheriff he appoints her to be Chief Deputy Sheriff during his recuperation. Her first week on the job she has to deal with officers who resent her appointment, a serial killer who has followed her from Chattanooga to her new job in a neighboring county, and a bomb threat. She has to keep on her toes to try to find the murderer who seems to delight in taunting her using mysterious messages as if they were in a chess game. Alexis has the cooperation of the Pearl Springs Chief of Police who was her high school flame. He not only “has her six,” but to her dismay she is still attracted to him.
Both Alexis and the reader will be running at top speed to keep up with all of the events, injuries, deaths, and possible motivations. The serial killer aspect is especially troubling as this murderer could be one of many people (even someone in the police department), has lots of 21st century tech skills, and puts Alexis’ life in danger as he or she enjoys employing near misses to keep her off balance. As if that isn’t enough to keep Alexis up late, the killer uses the dark web and it is creepy.
I grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, so I particularly enjoyed the setting. Although it has grown in size since I lived there, I could easily picture both the city and the rural areas near the Chattanooga. Watching Alexis handle the deputies and detectives working under her, especially when they challenge her, is inspiring. She grows a lot too as she comes to realize what is truly important to her. Although the book is not in any way preachy, it does have the theme of trust in God and His plan woven through. This is a clean book with a flow of attraction between Alexis and Nathan, but the mystery is always the central focus. The challenge for Alexis, Nathan, and the reader is to discover and stop the serial killer before death comes to Alexis’ doorstep.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Helpless–one step ahead
Helpless
by Annette Dashofy
Are you up for a solid mystery with lots of action? It’s not quite a police procedural, but close. Zoe, a former paramedic and current county coroner, is married to Pete Adams, police chief in Vance Township. As you read, you will meet a lot of characters and have no trouble keeping track of them. Most of them are people who will put their own lives on the line to insure the safety of others. Some do it as part of their official duties, others because they are good people and good neighbors.
The plot centers around a wife murdered, a husband left for dead under gruesome circumstances, and a child kidnaped. The setting which plays heavily into the plot is Hurricane Iona. Sleuthing and life saving work by the EMS is drastically hampered by pelting rains, destructive winds, flooding and road blockages. Car accidents impede roadways and increase the load on emergency personnel; electrical and cell phone outages cause panics.
As bodies accumulate in the morgue, Zoe is caught between her official duties as coroner and her inner need to support the husband as a former EMS worker and as a friend. She is also called to the death scenes to process the bodies and desperately wants to help her husband find the missing child.
This is a well written book and series. The plot is devised in such a way that the reader wants to keep the story going to hopefully arrive at a happily ever after for the characters. This is not a Hallmark book, however, so don’t expect that level of predictability. I was a little teary eyed at the end, but I admired the author’s fine touch with the conclusion.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery, General Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Notes: 1. #12 in the Zoe Chambers Mystery Series but can be read as a standalone
2. Contains some swearing, but is otherwise clean.
Publication: May 9, 2023—Level Best Books
Memorable Lines:
“What if he asks?” “He won’t. I think he suspects the worse. But as long as no one confirms it, he can go on hoping. My medical training and decades of practice tell me it comes down to that. Hope.
Zoe couldn’t bear merely sitting in her car, staring out the rain-blurred windows. The scene outside looked like an impressionistic painting. The thoughts inside her brain were equally smeared and unclear.
Blueberry Blunder–Harvest celebrates with a Blueberry Bash
Blueberry Blunder
by Amanda Flower
If you need an escape from real life or from a challenging nonfiction book, I highly recommend Blueberry Blunder. Amanda Flower has once more written a cozy mystery that confounds the reader and includes a lot of humor and a tad of romance.
Bailey, a former New York chocolatier, is currently expanding Swissmen Sweets, an Amish candy shop she owns with her grandmother in Harvest, Ohio. The candy factory under construction experiences a huge setback when Bailey has to fire her general contractor and then later finds him dead in the unfinished factory. His murder is, of course, the prime focus of the mystery, but there are many other threads. Cousin Charlotte who is estranged from her Amish family because she decided not to join the church is preparing for her wedding to Deputy Little. There are lots of interactions of Amish and Englisch in this cozy, and it is a great opportunity to see that there are many differences among the various Amish districts. Aiden, Bailey’s boyfriend, resigns from Ohio’s Bureau of Investigation, and returns to Harvest to begin a business as a Private Investigator. His mother Juliet is thrilled and is anxious for him to propose to Bailey. Meanwhile, Juliet is convinced that Jethro, her polka-dotted pot bellied pig needs to frequently accompany Bailey as she goes through her day making candy and investigating crimes. Bailey is also being shadowed by an intrusive film crew of two from Gourmet Network which produces Bailey’s candy show.
There is plenty of fun to go around and lots of characters with probable motivation for murder. I very much enjoyed my return visit to Swissmen Sweets and Harvest, Ohio.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #8 in the Amish Candy Shop Mystery series, but can definitely be read as a standalone because the author does an outstanding job of filling in background without boring readers of previous books in the series.
Publication: May 23, 2023—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
“Sit.” She pointed at the empty chair at the table. I fell into the chair as if I had been shot from the sky. Graceful to a fault, that was me, I thought sarcastically.
It was a clear to me that he had some of the same anger issues as his father. He might not like how his dad treated him, but I could see him going down the same bitter road himself.
I could think of about a million things that I would rather do than spend the day with the elder Littles, such as swim with sharks and get a root canal.
Dearly Beloved Departed–danger for Christmas Eve grooms
Dearly Beloved Departed
by Nancy Lynn Jarvis
Pat, a former law librarian, is beginning work as an independent Private Investigator. She is engaged to marry Tim, a Sargent in the Sheriff’s office. She is hired to do background checks on the fiancé of a lawyer’s daughter. He had gang affiliations and certainly seems to be trouble. Before Pat can finish her investigation, the young man is shot and killed. There are a number of people with motivations to kill him. More shootings follow, all injuring grooms with Christmas Eve wedding plans. What an odd assemblage for serial killings except the only victim who actually died was the first one. Finding a motivation that would include all the victims is difficult. When you add opportunity to the sorting process, the puzzle is even more contorted.
This is an interesting cozy mystery and would make a good casual read. Two of my favorite characters are Dot, Pat’s Dalmatian, and Whimsey, her cat with an attraction to Christmas trees. On several occasions, Pat tricks suspects to determine their innocence or guilt. Her shenanigans with her best friend Syda who is always ready for a creative adventure keep the reader engaged as do her methodical and logical efforts to sort out the facts and ferret out the murderer.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #4 in the PIP Inc. Mystery Series, but it worked quite well for me as a standalone.
Publication: March 2023—Good Reader Publishers
Memorable Lines:
“Syda, how would you feel about doing an undercover operation with me?” “Will we be pretending we’re old ladies, or jewel smugglers, or ooh, ooh hookers? I have fishnet stockings I’ve never worn, a padded pushup bra…and black leather hot pants.” Syda gushed.
Ashley used a remote on the table to turn on the television and the twins quieted down as the first stanza of the Sesame Street theme music began. Ashley took a deep breath and sighed, “Ahh. I love Big Bird almost as much as I love my husband.”
“I’m so frustrated. There’s something that I almost know right there on the edge of my consciousness, but I can’t reach it.”
education pathways 