Trouble Is Brewing is tea slinger Lily’s latest cozy mystery. Her cafe, Tea by the Sea, is closed for a bridal shower. Though the couple seem blissfully happy, their parents are less enchanted with each other. When the groom’s father is murdered, Lily must investigate to clear her tea houseContinue Reading
Shades of Mercy is perfect for fans of Longmire and Joe Pickett, while they wait for the next book to be released in those series. Sheriff Beck is investigating a hacked military drone in rural Nevada. His county has a whole lot of land and a dearth of people, includingContinue Reading
Dog Day Afternoon is another pleasant mystery with reluctant attorney Andy Carpenter and a myriad of supporting players. Marcus is Andy’s muscle, who keeps his personal life, well, personal. Until now. He brings a defendant, Nick, to Andy who seems to have the deck stacked against him. Most of Nick’sContinue Reading
Made for You is a twisty little tale told from the viewpoint of a “synth” (synthetic human or android) created to win the heart of the main character on a Batchelor type show. I love the concept of this book. It is nice to see AI portrayed in a goodContinue Reading
The Eyes Are the Best Part begins as a family memoir. Ji-won is devastated by her father leaving their family for his mistress. Ji-won’s mother is alternately despondent and hopeful of a reunion. One day, the mother makes fish and insists that Ji-won eat the fisheyes for luck. Ji-won thenContinue Reading
Mayor Geoffrey was beloved by everyone in the English small town of Marlow. Well, by everyone but his killer. It seems that The Queen of Poisons, aconite, had somehow made it into his coffee at a local town council planning committee meeting, of which he was a member. Luckily, Suzie,Continue Reading
The Noh Mask Murder has the best conclusion of a golden age locked room mystery that I’ve read since Agatha Christie died. It is brilliant. There are two things that annoy me in this book. First, it spoils the ending of a famous Christie book. Second, it would have beenContinue Reading
Ryan is on a lover’s lane date with his girlfriend, Ali, when he is ripped from the car. The assailant takes off with both Ali and the car. The only detail Ryan can remember about the man is he has both pinkies missing. The police suspect Ryan’s story but don’tContinue Reading
Lights, Camera, Bones is another great cozy mystery starring the Delaney Detective Agency. The Agency consists of organic farmer Sarah Booth Delaney and her best friend Southern belle Tinkie. They are asked to investigate some disappearances from a nearby movie set. The movie is about local Mississippi history. However, someContinue Reading
First off, I love all the author’s previous thrillers. I also love a good genre mashup. Behind a Closed Door is marketed as a romantic thriller. But is it really? I would say it’s closer to a male erotica thriller. It reminds me of the uncomfortable sexism of a MickeyContinue Reading
The Imposter Puzzle Book contains twelve varied puzzles to solve. Some are easy and some are more difficult. One I had solved without knowing it. The evidence presented includes handwritten notes, police statements, phone records, diary entries, and much more. It was fun to play amateur detective for several days.Continue Reading
Don’t miss the hilarious start to a new cozy mystery series, Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies. Eleanor wrote a book about her short love affair with a conman in Italy. It was a bestseller. The conman, Connor, successfully gets her to fork over part of her bookContinue Reading
Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are as close as biological sisters. Twenty-five years ago, they shared a foster home with the seemingly perfect Miss Fairchild. From the outside, their life as Miss Fairchild’s Darling Girlslooked happy. However, behind her public facade, Miss Fairchild was a narcissist with a mean streak. TheContinue Reading
Julia runs a seasonal professional clambake for mostly tourists on her family’s island off the coast of Maine. The island is remote and only reachable by boat. In Torn Asunder, Julia is beginning a new service. She is using her recently renovated mansion on the island to host weddings. HerContinue Reading
Vandalism, arson, and death are found in the latest cozy House-Flipper mystery, Four-Alarm Homicide. Cousins Whitney and Buck are flipping a historic firehouse and a nearby townhouse. Many local residents show an interest in purchasing the townhouse. However, Whitney has already given the right of first refusal to the townhouse’sContinue Reading
What if Jurassic Park was real? But instead of dinosaurs, extremely large extinct animals like woolly mammoths, are recreated. Would you visit? Would you agree with the morality of man becoming godlike? All that is part of Extinction, the latest book by one of the authors of the Lincoln PendergastContinue Reading