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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.”
Mischief, Murder, and Merlot–Hallow Wine Weekend
Mischief, Murder, and Merlot
by J.C. Eaton
I enjoyed returning to Two Witches Winery along with Norrie Ellington who is again taking care of the family winery while her sister and brother-in-law fly off to the Philippines in search of a rare insect. She is just in time to manage her part of Lake Seneca’s Hallow Wine Weekend at the same time media arrives to learn about the area’s outstanding Merlot produced this year.
There are shenanigans centered around the cauldron of her winery’s Hallow Wine welcoming display, but the other wineries have vandalism as well. It isn’t too bad until Norrie discovers a fourth person in her display. There were originally only three, and this addition can only be described as dead.
This mystery rates high in complexity as there are several people with possible motives for the murder, including the victim’s wife, mistress, and girlfriend. There are business associates that could be involved and a few of them disappear. Fortunately, Norrie has a great crew who keep the winery, tasting room, and café running as Norrie tries to track down the criminal. She also has a lot of friends who support and help her from neighbors Theo and Don to the gorgeous Stephanie who can distract men with a flip of her hair.
I enjoyed the book; the mystery was well plotted with humor sprinkled throughout. The thing that kept it from being a five star book for me was the number of times Norrie stepped over lines of legal and ethical conduct. As Norrie herself says, “The hamburger bounced around in my stomach the more I thought about what I was going to do. Words like illegal, felony, and incarceration came to mind and they were only a sampling.” A lot of cozy mysteries have the protagonist edging up to conduct that is dangerous and deserves rethinking. Norrie goes too far, and she involves others in activities that could cost them their livelihoods and reputations.
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, Cooking, Humor
Notes: 1. #8 in the Wine Trail Mysteries, but could work as a standalone as the authors are good at explaining the background and characters.
2. The “season” is Halloween and two of the characters are participants in paranormal activities, but the book is definitely not a paranormal book. All of the other characters roll their eyes at and disregard the actions and thoughts of those two characters.
Publication: August 30, 2022—Beyond the Page Publishing
Memorable Lines:
“And you know what the worst part is?” “All the nutcases it will bring out?” “Nope. All the suspects. It’ll be like one big knotted ball of yarn that gets more tangled as soon as someone tries to unravel it.”
I dreamt Donovan’s wife, mistress, and girlfriend had taken over our cauldron, making Macbeth’s witches look like Disney princesses.
Fortified by a second pot of coffee, the six of us sketched out a surveillance plan that we thought would work. Funny, but on paper it was logical and feasible. In reality, it was neither.
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