In Die Me a River, the small rural town of Scumble River is still recovering from the tornado in the last book in this cozy mystery series. The town is abuzz with complaints about the shady practices of Homestead Insurance. Claims are being reduced, denied and seldom paid timely. WhenContinue Reading
A Deadly Habit plops Charles Paris in a West End play where a real murderer is afoot. Charles Paris “spent a great deal more time out of work than in”. But things are looking up when his lackluster agent Maurice finds him a three-month job playing a monk in TheContinue Reading
Toucan Keep a Secret about a thirty-year-old robbery and murder. By all accounts, Junius Hagley was not a nice man. Frustrated by the paperwork to disintern his wife’s cremated remains, he took matters, and a crowbar, into his own hands to rectify the situation. When someone interrupts, and then murdersContinue Reading
The second Lobster Shack mystery, after Curses, Boiled Again (reviewed here), is as good as the first! Against the Claw starts with Allie pulling lobster traps with Bertha. The last trap also pulls up a dead girl. With Aunt Gully’s Lobster Shack expected to host a huge number of customersContinue Reading
Midnight Snacks are Murder is a good humorous cozy with a wonderful setting and characters. The addition of gluten-free recipes makes this series unique. Poppy is opening a bed and breakfast with her Aunt Ginny. Her contractor, Smitty, is incompetent. Worse, her investor and former mother-in-law, Georgina, has come toContinue Reading
Amy and Richard stumble upon another body in the second novel in the Blue Ridge Library series, Shelved Under Murder. Amy is the head librarian and Sunny is her assistant at the perpetually underfunded Blue Ridge library. Sunny convinces a local artist to donate three paintings to the library. WhileContinue Reading
Flaxborough is crying Blue Murder in the 10th mystery in the excellent British small town police procedural. A writer for a London tabloid is sent to find a porno supposedly filmed with the town’s citizens. Mayor Hockley challenges the writer to a duel. Several mysterious deaths are investigated by theContinue Reading
In 1946 London, the Bodies in a Bookshop pile up while a would-be Sherlock Holmes tries to find the killer. Allan Leslie is a bookseller. When he is found murdered in a locked room with another victim, thriller reader and amateur detective Professor Stubbs and his assistant Max Boyle areContinue Reading
Keep It Quiet is a witty British golden age mystery chock full of curmudgeons complaining about minor issues while members are being killed in their club’s easy chairs. The chef at a London’s men’s club may have accidentally poisoned a member to death. The club’s secretary, Ford, wants to KeepContinue Reading
One Man’s Meat is Gone Girl 60s style! The ninth Flaxborough mystery was published in 1977 but is set in the “swinging” 60s. Motorcycle gang member Digger Tring falls from a carnival ride 100 feet to his death. Julia Harton’s husband wants a divorce to marry his mistress who isContinue Reading
Spook in the Stacks is an entertaining cozy mystery. It is the fourth Lighthouse Library Mystery. The Bodie Island lighthouse library is located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Rich Jay Ruddle is looking for somewhere to house his historic documents. The library and a local college are inContinue Reading
Probable Claws continues the 18th century tale from the previous book along with a modern day mystery. Harry, her Corgi Tucker, fat cat Pewter and even tempered cat Mrs. Murphy are hunting a killer again in the 27th entry in the long-running series. When a motorcycler shoots Harry’s architect, Gary,Continue Reading
More trouble for Flaxborough in the 8th book in the series. A contentious boat race leads 2 of the town’s leaders almost to blows. Nighttime escapades show the naked frolicking of a town leader, his friend, and two working girls to the neighbors. A mysterious note from the states promisesContinue Reading
“Something or other is sending half the over-sixties round the twist” in the Flaxborough Crab. A rash of panty theft, quick grope and runs, and window peeping has befallen Flaxborough. The perps are described as elderly men who scuttle away sideways like a crab. When an esteemed villager is accidentallyContinue Reading
The Marmalade Murders is an enjoyable cozy mystery set in a small North Wales village. Penny and Victoria are partners in the village spa. When they get roped into checking in contestants for the local food competition, they discover some irregularities. Why did someone call Florence telling her to checkContinue Reading
Fifth in the Flaxborough Mystery series, Charity Ends at Home is another late Golden Age small English village cozy. The village coroner, constable and editor of the local paper each receive an identical unsigned note stating that the writer is fearful of being murdered. The note references a photo ofContinue Reading