New Release For The Week Of October 28th, 2018–Part 4

 

Here is a list of some of the new releases for the week of October 28th, 2018. I am going to divide the list into 4 days because there are so very many of them for this week. Today is the fourth and final day of my list for this week. Hope you find some selections for your weekly reading. Enjoy and happy reading.

 

 

In Uneasy Lies the Crown, the thrilling new mystery in Tasha Alexander’s bestselling series, Lady Emily and her husband Colin must stop a serial killer whose sights may be set on the new king, Edward VII.

On her deathbed, Queen Victoria asks to speak privately with trusted agent of the Crown, Colin Hargreaves, and slips him a letter with one last command: Une sanz pluis. Sapere aude. “One and no more. Dare to know.”

The year is 1901 and the death of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch has sent the entire British Empire into mourning. But for Lady Emily and her dashing husband, Colin, the grieving is cut short as another death takes center stage. A body has been found in the Tower of London, posed to look like the murdered medieval king Henry VI. When a second dead man turns up in London’s exclusive Berkeley Square, his mutilated remains staged to evoke the violent demise of Edward II, it becomes evident that the mastermind behind the crimes plans to strike again.

The race to find the killer takes Emily deep into the capital’s underbelly, teeming with secret gangs, street children, and sleazy brothels—but the clues aren’t adding up. Even more puzzling are the anonymous letters Colin has been receiving since Victoria’s death, seeming to threaten her successor, Edward VII. With the killer leaving a trail of dead kings in his wake, will Edward be the next victim?  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Addie Greyborne loved working with rare books at the Boston Public Library—she even got to play detective, tracking down clues about mysterious old volumes. But she didn’t expect her sleuthing skills to come in so handy in a little seaside town . . .
 
Addie left some painful memories behind in the big city, including the unsolved murder of her fiancé and her father’s fatal car accident. After an unexpected inheritance from a great aunt, she’s moved to a small New England town founded by her ancestors back in colonial times—and living in spacious Greyborne Manor, on a hilltop overlooking the harbor. Best of all, her aunt also left her countless first editions and other treasures—providing an inventory to start her own store.

But there’s trouble from day one, and not just from the grumpy woman who runs the bakery next door. A car nearly runs Addie down. Someone steals a copy of Alice in Wonderland. Then, Addie’s friend Serena, who owns a nearby tea shop, is arrested—for killing another local merchant. The police seem pretty sure they’ve got the story in hand, but Addie’s not going to let them close the book on this case without a fight . . .  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Cupcakes-and-Crime Caper

“I didn’t kill her, I swear!” 

Fresh off a shift of slinging cards, blackjack dealer and private investigator Tiffany Black takes a frenzied call from Mary Bilford, the services manager at ritzy Spa Renauld.

Mary needs someone to prove she didn’t kill spa client Gina Welling—which means it’s time for Tiffany and Ian to go undercover and infiltrate the spa.

“Winters will have you giggling into your book!”

Who stood to benefit from Gina’s death? Was it ex-husband Harry, who was coincidentally visiting the spa while his ex-wife was there; nurse Jasper, who’s intent on looking out for himself; or even part of the spa’s security detail? Or was it Mary Bilford all along, concealing her ulterior motive, just as the LVPD suspect?

Of course, once Nanna learns of the investigation happening in the swanky spa, she insists on joining them! Ian and Tiffany make a new four-legged friend, and Ryan has an important message for Tiffany…

Meanwhile, someone at the spa is out for blood… will Tiffany survive being in the den of the killer?

More importantly, will Tiffany survive the ridiculous beauty treatments she’s being subjected to?

This is a cozy mystery featuring a strong female protagonist, some unusual friends and family, and a mystery that needs solving! It has no graphic gore, bad language, or sex. Perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich, Jana DeLeon and Hope Callaghan.

Praise for A.R. Winters:

“You fall in love with Tiffany Black from the start, and the mystery starts immediately” – Melissa Greenberg, Amazon.com Top 500 Reviewer

“The perfect balance of being lighthearted, but still a serious page-turning mystery.” – Jaycie D, Amazon.com

“A great mystery wrapped in humor and surprises.” – Amazon Customer  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*A laugh out loud cozy mystery by New York Times Bestseller Addison Moore*

My name is Lottie Lemon and I see dead pets. Okay, so on occasion I see dearly departed humans too, but fortunately for me that horrible scenario is not playing out at the moment. Instead I see a beautiful long departed pooch hovering around a questionably two-timing Santa and all his naughty-hottie elves. Quite frankly, it’s a terrifying sight considering the fact the fantastic phantasm is an ominous harbinger for its previous owner. So when I find my sister’s boyfriend face down in the snow with a handful of my tasty gingerbread treats I’m not only sorry for him, but I’m very sorry that I had a blowout with him in front of the entire town of Honey Hollow. And just like that, I get the one thing for Christmas I did not ask for—a number one spot on the suspect list. I have a feeling this is going to be one Christmas I’d rather forget.

Lottie Lemon has a brand new bakery to tend to, a budding romance with perhaps one too many suitors, and she has the supernatural ability to see dead pets—which are always harbingers for ominous things to come. Throw in the occasional ghost of the human variety, a string of murders, and her insatiable thirst for justice, and you’ll have more chaos than you know what to do with.

Living in the small town of Honey Hollow can be murder.

From the NEW YORK TIMESand USA TODAYbestselling author, Addison Moore—Cosmopolitan Magazine calls Addison’s books, “…easy, frothy fun!”  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angie’s first auction may turn out to be her last—when she bids on a coat of arms that someone would literally kill to possess . . .
 
Tagging along to an estate sale with her fellow Needlepointer, antiques shop owner Sarah Byrne, Angie Curtis impulsively bids on a tattered embroidery of a coat of arms. When she gets her prize back home to Haven Harbor, she discovers a document from 1757 behind the framed needlework—a claim for a child from a foundling hospital. Intrigued, Angie is determined to find the common thread between the child and the coat of arms.

Accepting her reporter friend Clem Walker’s invitation to talk about her find on the local TV news, Angie makes an appeal to anyone who might have information. Instead, both women receive death threats. When Clem is found shot to death in a parking lot, Angie fears her own life may be in jeopardy. She has to unravel this historical mystery—or she may be the next one going, going . . . gone . . .  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s peak tourist season in Oriole Point, Michigan—the blueberry buckle of the fruit belt. Nothing draws the crowds quite like their annual carnival. And nothing turns it sour faster than murder . . .

The Blueberry Blow Out festival has begun and it’s time for Marlee Jacob, owner of The Berry Basket, to shine. Unfortunately it’s also bringing out the worst in her fiancé Ryan Zeller. Ryan’s rivalry with Porter Gale, owner of Blueberry Hill Farm, spills over into a very public and very ugly fight. And after they compete in the pie-eating contest and a raucous tug of war, their orchard blood feud takes a deadly turn . . .

The death of the king of Blueberry Hill is a shock but not too surprising—he was a diabetic whose last pig out meal was deliciously fatal. But when authorities discover that someone tampered with Porter’s insulin, a tragic accident is looking like murder—and Ryan is the key ingredient. Now Marlee’s investigation to clear his name is taking her deep into the Gale family secrets, and she’s being shadowed every step of the way by a killer whose sweet revenge is just beginning . . .
Includes Berry Recipes!  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When a fellow Black Sheep Knitter is suspected of poisoning her coworker, the group puts down their needles and takes up their friend’s defense . . .
 
Suzanne Cavanaugh has just about had it with her office rival at Prestige Properties. It’s bad enough that Liza Devereaux is constantly needling her at work, but when she shows up at one of Suzanne’s open houses to poach potential buyers, it’s the last straw. No one in the office fails to hear the two snarling at each other.

When Liza is later found dead in her office cubicle—poisoned by a diet shake—Suzanne becomes the prime suspect. It’s soon discovered, though, that Liza had double-crossed so many around town and stashed their dark secrets in her designer handbags that anyone could be the culprit.

The Black Sheep Knitters have no doubt their friend has been framed—but they need to prove it. Stirred to action, they get together to catch a sneaky killer who’s trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes . . .(Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tempest Michaels is back! His office burned down, his love life is a joke and he is convinced he is getting fat. It’s the perfect time for a new case then.

The client is the son of a man who was killed in a freak accident – struck by lightning. That doesn’t sound very paranormal until you learn that he was inside his house when it happened and his heart exploded out of his chest.

There are eldritch runes drawn on the victim’s house and his wife, together with several of her friends, has been seen colluding with a mysterious old crone. Is there witchcraft being practiced in the nearby village of East Malling? The client certainly thinks so.

Will Tempest be swift enough to solve the case before anyone else is killed? Will Frank’s witch-sniffer toad sniff out the witch? Will Tempest’s gender neutral assistant turn up dressed as a boy or a girl?

You can bet there will be bedlam as Tempest and his trusted sausage dogs find themselves pitted against another potentially deadly foe.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hair Calamities and Hot Cash is “a comedic romp from small town to big city in search of missing money, hair catastrophes, and love. A truly fun read” says Cynthia Hickey, author of the Shady Acres Mystery series…

What happens when a New York stockbroker crashes his car into Eve Castleberry’s North Carolina beauty shop … on the same day the young widow’s defective hair products are causing wild hairdos? Soon, Eve finds herself helping the handsome stranger hunt the thieves who stole his clients cash…and hot on the trail of two of the FBI’s most-wanted criminals!

Romance blossoms amid danger, suspense and Eve’s hair-brained plan to get back the money.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New York Times bestselling author of A Late Frost returns with orchard owner Meg Chapin trying to stem the tide of crime . . .

Winter still has a firm stranglehold on the small town of Granford, and newly married orchard owner Meg Chapin is restless to begin her spring pruning and planting, while Seth busies himself with a new project of his own. But their relative peace is shattered when a gunshot breaks the winter silence and they discover the body of a dead woman on their land. What’s just as troubling is that the state police have hushed up the murder and are warning Meg not to investigate.

Never one to sit by idly with a killer on the loose, Meg starts digging for clues and probing for answers as discreetly as she can. When the victim turns out to have been an undercover reporter doing a story on the blossoming trade in illegal drugs in the area, Meg’s stunned to learn that this very modern crime has come to sleepy Granford. Unwilling to accept that the nasty business has put down roots so close to home—and led to a murder that occurred literally in her own backyard—Meg is determined to nip it in the bud before the town she knows and loves turns rotten . . .

Praise for he Orchard Mysteries:

“Delightful. . . . [A] fascinating whodunit filled with surprises.” —The Mystery Gazette

“Connolly’s cozy has sympathetic characters who are not stereotypes, nice details about life in a small town, and information about a heritage orchard—all of which make this a warm, very satisfying read.”—RT Reviews

“Sheila Connolly’s Orchard Mysteries are some of the most satisfying cozy mysteries I’ve ever read. . . . Warm and entertaining from the first paragraph to the last.” —Lesa’s Book Critiques

About the Author:

Sheila Connolly is an Anthony and Agatha Award–nominated author of numerous bestselling cozy mystery series, including the Orchard Mysteries, the Museum Mysteries, the County Cork Mysteries, and the Relatively Dead Mysteries. In addition, she has published Once She Knew, a romantic suspense; Reunion with Death, a traditional mystery set in Tuscany; and a number of short stories. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and three cats and travels to Ireland as often as possible.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Former police chief Kevin Kerney returns—this time as the prime suspect in a brutal cold-case murder investigation.

Against the backdrop of the harsh desert and high mountain country of southwestern New Mexico, a high-octane quest for the truth untangles a complex history of dark family secrets, cold-blooded murders, rogue cops, a devastating plane crash, and the possibility of one family’s reconciliation.

A long-unsolved missing person case becomes a homicide investigation when the bones of Kim Ward are unearthed in Las Cruces, New Mexico, forty-five years after her disappearance. Compelling forensic and anecdotal evidence quickly shifts suspicion to Ward’s old college boyfriend: former Santa Fe Police Chief Kevin Kerney.

With damning evidence against him compiled by his own son, New Mexico State Police Lieutenant Clayton Istee, Kerney is arrested. He has no alibi and not a single witness to speak for him. Under intense media scrutiny and 24/7 police surveillance, Kerney must rely solely on the help of his wife, Sara, and a renowned criminal defense lawyer to discover if there are any remaining clues that can exonerate him or lead to the killer.

 

As the trio begin to reconstruct the events leading to Ward’s murder, Istee reexamines his suspicions about Kerney’s guilt and decides to risk everything to help prove his father’s innocence. Working together to identify one person who can clear Kerney’s name and expose the killer, the four soon discover that Ward’s murder isn’t the only crime to be solved.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Willow Wells is just beginning to feel settled back in her hometown. She has a thriving business, a hot boyfriend, and the support of her family. Things couldn’t get better. Until it all comes crashing down when two of the town’s mean girls are found murdered. Not only are Willow and her sister Wednesday first on the scene for both murders, Wednesday is the prime suspect.

Suddenly, Willow’s perfect life is falling apart. To give Willow time to solve the crime, her boyfriend Griffin has taken over her dog gym business. Willow’s father, the rock of both the town and the family, is suddenly powerless to help. And, worst of all, the evidence against Wednesday is mounting.

Willow will have to face her past and the reason she left Pineview all those years ago. If she doesn’t solve this case—and solve it fast—then the future she’s worked so hard for will end up dead and buried.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Texas police officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner Brigit have come a long way, baby.

A BUNDLE OF JOY. A DOG-EAT-DOG WORLD. . .

One night, while on duty with her four-legged crime-fighting companion, Meg gets an urgent call from her boyfriend Seth, who works for the Fort Worth fire department. A baby girl has turned up at the station with only two clues to her identity: One is a peace-sign symbol stitched into her blanket. The other is a word, written in string: help.

Megan follows every loose thread and, along with Brigit, ends up on a twisted path that leads to the People of Peace compound, the site of a religious sect on the outskirts of the city. Its leader, Father Emmanuel, keeps his followers on a short leash—and his enemies even closer. Could this be the abandoned baby’s original home? And if so, why was she cast out? Now that Megan and Brigit are on the case, the secrets of this reclusive cult are bound to be dug up. . .

Diane Kelly is back with The Long Paw of the Law, the seventh installment in her drool-worthy Paw Enforcement series.

“Four Paws Up! This is a fabulous series that is sure to win the hearts of mystery fans and dog lovers alike!” —Books and Trouble  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thieves aren’t known for doing other people favors, but a unicorn is a treasure of a whole different color. Winter was on her way out of town anyway, so what’s a little baggage? Never mind that fleeing Anton with a barely weaned unicorn could get her killed or thrown in prison if she is caught.

Winter is a skilled thief. It should have been an easy job. She wasn’t counting on a dragon with postpartum depression, the dragon’s unhatched egg or the injured wizard with a shakier past than her own.

The plan was to depart town for greener pastures and easier purses to snatch. Too bad leaving requires pulling off the biggest heist of all.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review of Midnight In Christmas River

Midnight In Christmas River
Christmas River Cozy, Book #11
Meg Muldoon
5 Stars

 

Synopsis:

Book 11 in the best-selling Christmas River Series is a cozy mystery as satisfying as a mug of hot apple cider on a golden fall day…

It’s October in Christmas River, and things in the central Oregon town are becoming downright bone-chilling.
When famed horror author Ashcroft Black takes up residence at an old hunting cabin rumored to be haunted, pie baker extraordinaire Cinnamon Peters and the rest of the small town are thrilled to have a bona-fide celebrity in their midst.
But when the characters of Ashcroft’s horror novels literally start leaping to life in Christmas River, Cinnamon finds herself pulled into a perplexing mystery involving betrayal, crime, and a scandalous secret someone’s willing to kill over.
Can Cin figure out the mystery and free the town of Ashcroft’s horror for good? Or will she instead discover that fact is truly more horrifying than fiction?

Midnight in Christmas River is a Halloween-themed standalone Christmas River mystery. It’s full of mischievous fun and heartwarming moments, and even features recipes from Cinnamon’s own Halloween party menu!

Look for MISTAKE IN CHRISTMAS RIVER (Book 12) on digital shelves this fall!! (Goodreads)

 

Review:

Whenever I get to spend time in Christmas River, I am a happy reader. The characters feel like old friends and I feel like I am visiting them. Kara and Cinnamon are the best of friends and you can tell how close they are. We should all have a friend like Kara. Cinnamon and Daniel (her husband) are blissfully happy and we should all have a significant other in our lives like him. And we should all have a grandfather like Warren in our lives, he is my favorite character.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and the town of Christmas River comes alive in my mind when I read this book. I would love to visit there some time. The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The mystery is carried on well throughout the entire book and it was not easily solved. It was well plotted and fast paced and I was swiping pages as fast as I could to see what was going to happen next.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thoroughly enjoyable cozy mystery. Grab the whole series, sit back and enjoy your reading.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book and provided my honest review.

New Release For The Week Of October 28th, 2018–Part 3

Here is a list of some of the new releases for the week of October 28th, 2018. I am going to divide the list into 4 days because there are so very many of them for this week. Today is the third day of my list for this week. Hope you find some selections for your weekly reading. Enjoy and happy reading.

 

 

 

 

A drop, in spook parlance, is the passing on of secret information.
It’s also what happens just before you hit the ground.
 
Old spooks carry the memory of tradecraft in their bones, and when Solomon Dortmund sees an envelope being passed from one pair of hands to another in a Marylebone café, he knows he’s witnessed more than an innocent encounter. But in relaying his suspicions to John Bachelor, who babysits retired spies like Solly for MI5, he sets in motion a train of events that will alter lives.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love is twice the risk when you double the recipe.

Free-spirited, eccentric Willow Simpson is content with her life. She’s living her passion as the owner of The Dancing Crepe, Portland’s hottest food truck, has agreed to marry her life-long best friend, firefighter Tate Randall, and she loves showering attention on her finicky cat, Omelet. Things are perfect and she wouldn’t change a thing.

Unfortunately, change is the name of the game for Willow. Tate is rushing to set a wedding date, and although she loves him, she’s in no hurry to take a trip down the aisle. In an attempt to ignore her pending nuptials, she puts her focus on expanding her business. Just when her life seems to be cooking at a comfortable simmer, the heat is increased and she must douse the flames before everything goes up in smoke.

As new connections enter her life, unexpected chaos ensues. Will she be able to protect those she loves the most? Will she realize that everything she has ever wanted has been right in front of her all along? Love is twice the risk when you double the recipe!  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mayhem All Aboard!

One blustery day in October of 1924, newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. Basil Reed travel aboard the recently christened Flying Scotsman, a high-speed steam engine train that travels from London to Edinburgh, for their honeymoon. With only one short stop at York, Ginger anticipates time with her new husband will fly by.

She’s wrong. Something terrible has happened in the Royal Mail carriage, which forces the train to stop dead in its tracks. There’s been a death and Chief Inspector Reed has been asked to investigate.

It’s a uniquely disturbing murder and Ginger and Basil are eager to puzzle it out together. What do the first class passengers have to do with the dead man? With another crime shortly discovered, Ginger and Basil soon realize they’re not dealing with a run-of-the-mill killer—they’re dealing with a mastermind who’s not done playing with them yet.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They will have to overcome the odds…and each other… to catch the killers.

A fast paced cozy mystery series from USA Today Bestselling Author Stacey Alabaster

Alyson and Claire are friends who seem to find themselves on the wrong side of events, and each other. The mysteries start with an apparent threat from the past and continue with a “scripted” murder. To cap it off, there will be a race to the finish line, and around a dead body. Can they find themselves on the same page long enough to put the killers away?

This Hang Ten Australian Cozy Mystery Boxed Set contains books four through six in the Hang Ten Australian Cozy Mystery series, a fast-paced series with an authentic Australian flair. If you like quirky characters and unexpected twists, you’re going to love the Alyson and Claire.

Get the Hang Ten Australian Cozy Mystery Boxed Set and start solving your next mystery today!

Always FREE on Kindle Unlimited  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harry Bosch teams up with LAPD Detective Renée Ballard in the new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly.

Detective Renée Ballard is working the night beat–known in LAPD slang as “the late show”–and returns to Hollywood Station in the early hours to find a stranger rifling through old file cabinets. The intruder is retired detective Harry Bosch, working a cold case that has gotten under his skin.

Ballard can’t let him go through department records, but when he leaves, she looks into the case herself and feels a deep tug of empathy and anger. She has never been the kind of cop who leaves the job behind at the end of her shift–and she wants in.

The murder, unsolved, was of fifteen-year-old Daisy Clayton, a runaway on the streets of Hollywood who was brutally killed, her body left in a dumpster like so much trash. Now Ballard joins forces with Bosch to find out what happened to Daisy, and to finally bring her killer to justice. Along the way, the two detectives forge a fragile trust, but this new partnership is put to the test when the case takes an unexpected and dangerous turn.

Dark Sacred Night for the first time brings together these two powerhouse detectives in a riveting story that unfolds with furious momentum. And it shows once more why “there’s no doubt Connelly is a master of crime fiction” (Associated Press).  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitty Crawford reached for stardom and fell hard. Now, in desperate need of some way to make ends meet, she skulks back to her hometown of Asheville. Unfortunately, the employment offers are slim pickings for a has-been whose sole talent is being able to cry on cue.

That is, until one odd turn leads to another, which leads to the little-known profession of Personal Mourning. Here, the better Kitty can fake it, the more dollars she’ll find stacked up in her bereft bank account. Talk about a role she was born to play!

And townsfolk are just dying to hire her. Her first gig casts her as the bereaved girlfriend of one newly deceased Chase McCormick, someone she would never have dated in life. Still, Kitty will have to act like her life depends on it, because–OMG!–it does.

Can she perform an investigation that could turn out to be murder before she gets her own curtain call? Find out whodunit in this hilarious mystery series filled with fake tears and a very real body count… Order your copy and start reading today!

Mourning Routine is book one in The Funeral Fakers series. Each book stands completely on its own, but you’ll have more fun if you read them all together!  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming back home can be a real witch

When Izzy Lockheart came back home to the magical town of Spell Creek Mountain, nestled safely in the Smokies, she thought she’d slide right back into the life of a zany mountain witch with her family at the bed and breakfast they run.

But, when her old high school frenemy dies under mysterious (and magical) circumstances right before her eyes, Izzy realizes that things on Spell Creek Mountain are much more complicated than they were when she left.

Can she navigate life with her crazy coven family, figure out how she feels about the handsome deputy who’s holding a candle for her as well as a deep dark secret, and get to the bottom of who’s been killing people before it’s too late and the murderer’s attention is turned to her? Or will Izzy’s return home be much, much shorter than she anticipated?  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A missing girl. An urban legend. A long-held fear.

The last thing Nala wants to do is chase ghosts, but when a girl vanishes without a trace, that’s exactly what she’ll have to do to find answers.

With no clues about the Ashlee’s whereabouts and few people interested in getting to the bottom of the investigation, Nala and Max may be her last hope, but Nala’s fear of ghosts and an ornery Maine Coon aren’t making things any easier.

Can they unravel the haunting clues before it’s too late?  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Katie finds the body of her co-worker, Amanda, shot. Everyone assumes it’s a suicide until Katie discovers a note disguised as an origami animal left by the victim, suggesting this was a murder. More notes are found, all “coded in origami” but Katie can’t do origami!
On top of that, Jack is asked to return to his previous job and Katie is torn what to do with their relationship.
Will Katie finally learn how to do origami, help Jack discover the truth about Amanda’s death and will they take their relationship to the next level?

Don’t miss Book 7 in the Paper Crafts Club Mystery series. Click preorder Now.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Ginni Black, fashion can be just as deadly as magic.

After leaving her magical home of Enchanted Lake, Georgia, to chase her dreams of fashion design on the crowded streets of Atlanta, witch and stylish hopeful Ginni Black thought a good eye and a little bit of luck were all it would take to hit the big time.

But when the model in her first big show drops dead on the runaway under very mysterious circumstances, Ginni smells magic afoot. Now, with her best friend, Babs McGhee, at her side and her werewolf boyfriend, Nicco, in tow, Ginni must get to the bottom of spree of magical murders before her dreams of being a fashion designer go up in a puff of turquoise dust.

Ginni Black always heard the fashion industry could be cutthroat. She never imagined how right she was.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A tranquil village.

A poisoned cupcake.

A murdered vicar.

A simple case – or it should be. But all clues point to the Toot Hansell Women’s Institute, and Detective Inspector Adams is about to discover there’s much more to the W.I. than bake sales and jam making.

Alice Martin, RAF Wing Commander (Ret.), and current chair of the W.I., knows the ladies of the Women’s Institute are not guilty. But she has a bigger problem. Toot Hansell has a dragonish secret, and she needs to keep the police well away from it. And she’d really rather not be arrested for murder. Again.

Meanwhile, Beaufort Scales, High Lord of the Cloverly dragons and survivor of the days of knights and dragon hunts, knows even better than Alice that the modern dragon only survives as long as no one knows they exist. But he also knows friends don’t let friends face murder inquiries alone. Beaufort fully intends to Get Involved.

This investigation is about to take on dragonish proportions.

Best put the kettle on.

A funny cozy mystery (with dragons), for anyone that likes their mysteries gentle and well-stocked with cake, tea, and friendship. And dragons, obviously.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trixie Lavender here, ex-nun on the run with her demon friends Coop and Livingston the talking owl in tow!

Things have been going really well for us at our tattoo shop in Cobbler Cove, a district in the heart of Portland, Oregon. We’re making friends with our fellow shop owners, enjoying serving our community, and really getting to know our new friends, Higgs, Knuckles, and Goose.

When we’re invited to a Halloween party at the Peach Street Shelter, how can we resist spending some time with our favorite ex-undercover police officer turned shelter owner Higgs, on a day that involves candy and costumes?

Unfortunately, the day also involves a murder, a spooky urban myth spreading like wildfire among the homeless population about an organ-stealing-madman, and of course, my testy and unpredictable demonic possession…

Join me, Coop, Higgs and the rest of the gang as we relentlessly hunt for answers to the murder of a local dentist and the legend of The Organ Grinder!  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Pepper Dunn’s first Thanksgiving in the magical town of Magnolia Cove, Alabama. The entire town is ready to celebrate—except Pepper, who’s still yearning for her boyfriend, Axel Reign, to return.

But she has little time to mourn. When a new baker sets up shop across the street from Pepper’s cousin and starts stealing customers, it’s all out war. But when the storeowner ends up murdered and Pepper’s cousin becomes suspect number one, it’s up to Pepper to help.

Thrust into a mystery, she teams up with a talking rabbit that’s keeping more information than he’s revealing and an old foe turned friend. More secrets than Pepper bargained for unravel in front of her, but the main one—who killed the baker, is anyone’s guess.

Will Pepper solve the murder or will she become the next victim?  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In USA Today bestselling author Sarah Fox’s delicious new Pancake House Mystery, it’s up to Marley McKinney to discover the waffle truth behind a rival’s murder . . .
 
Winter has come to Wildwood Cove, and riding in on the chill is Wally Fowler. Although he’s been away for years, establishing his reputation as the self-proclaimed Waffle King, the wealthy blowhard has returned to the coastal community to make money, not friends—by pitting his hot and trendy Waffle Kingdom against Marley McKinney’s cozy pancake house, The Flip Side. Wally doesn’t see anything wrong in a little healthy competition, until he’s murdered in his own state-of-the art kitchen.

Marley isn’t surprised when the authorities sniff around The Flip Side for a motive, but it’s her best friend Lisa who gets grilled, given her sticky history with the victim. When a second murder rocks the town, it makes it harder than ever for Marley to clear Lisa’s name. Marley’s afraid that she’s next in line to die—and the way things are looking, the odds of surviving her investigation could be stacked against her.

Includes pancake recipes right from The Flip Side menu!  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook

 

New Release For The Week Of October 28th, 2018–Part 2

Here is a list of some of the new releases for the week of October 28th, 2018. I am going to divide the list into 4 days because there are so very many of them for this week. Today is the second day of my list for this week. Hope you find some selections for your weekly reading. Enjoy and happy reading.

 

 

The food here is to die for…

Thirty-year-old Allie Treadwell is a singleton. She’s a foodie, and a runner. A restaurant reviewer by day, and a Netflix aficionado by night.

Even if it doesn’t make her the most popular dinner guest in the charming southern town of Lanai, Georgia, Allie’s reviews are always honest.

And her latest is no different from any other.

But Allie’s review isn’t the only thing to hit the newsstand. The restaurant’s owner and Allie’s one-time high school nemesis, Jessica Hayes, is found murdered. When Jessica’s husband, Miller, is labeled the prime suspect, Allie’s convinced the police are mistaken.

As if dodging the bad press while she works to clear Miller’s name isn’t enough, one false step could put the real killer onto her.

Can Allie clear Miller’s name without winding up with the next obituary? 

***

Foodie Files Mysteries are quick reads of around 30k words.
This book contains no swearing, no gore, and no cliffhangers.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s an ill wind that blows no good…

An unexpected snowmageddon threatens to derail Christmas at Alfhild Daemonne’s inn.

She’s hosting her first festive celebration, so she’s understandably disappointed when guests begin cancelling bookings, thanks to the abnormal wintery conditions in the south west of England.

When Alf receives information that there may be an ulterior reason for the weather anomaly, she journeys deep into the forest in search of a witch with an attitude problem.

Can Alf save Christmas at Wonky Inn? Or will one mean old witch kill Christmas for everyone?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Wonky Inn Christmas Special from the author of The Wonkiest Witch and The Ghosts of Wonky Inn.

The Witch Who Killed Christmas can be read as a standalone or as part of the Wonky Inn series.

Collect the series now.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alfhild Daemonne has inherited an inn.

And a dead body.

Estranged from her witch mother, and having committed to little in her thirty years, Alf surprises herself when she decides to start a new life.

She heads deep into the English countryside intent on making a success of the once popular inn. However, discovering the murder throws her a curve ball. Especially when she suspects dark magick.

Additionally, a less than warm welcome from several locals, persuades her that a variety of folk – of both the mortal and magickal persuasions – have it in for her.

The dilapidated inn presents a huge challenge for Alf. Uncertain who to trust, she considers calling time on the venture.

Should she pack her bags and head back to London?

Don’t be daft.

Alf’s magickal powers may be as wonky as the inn, but she’s dead set on finding the murderer.

Once a witch always a witch, and this one is fighting back.

A clean and cozy witch mystery.

Take the opportunity to immerse yourself in this fantastic new witch mystery series, from the author of the award winning novel, Crone.

Read The Wonkiest Witch now!  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fresh-baked cookies, pies, and cakes can warm even the frostiest Christmases in coastal Maine. But there’s little room for holiday cheer when murder is the new seasonal tradition . . .  
 
YULE LOG MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
Lucy Stone is thrilled to be cast as an extra in a festive period film—until the set becomes a murder scene decorated in blood and buttercream icing. Returning to her role as sleuth, Lucy dashes to restore peace to Tinker’s Cove, unwrap a cold-hearted criminal’s MO, and reveal how one ornate Yule log cake could possibly cause so much drama.
 
DEATH BY YULE LOG by LEE HOLLIS
Hayley Powell’s holidays aren’t off to a very merry start. Not only has her daughter brought Conner—an infuriatingly perfect new beau—home to Bar Harbor, but a local troublemaker has been found dead with traces of her signature Yule log cake on his body. As Conner becomes the prime murder suspect, Hayley must put aside her mixed feelings to identify the real killjoy.

LOGGED ON by BARBARA ROSS
Realizing she can’t make a decent Bûche de Noël to save her life, Julia Snowden enlists the help of her eccentric neighbor, Mrs. St. Onge, in hopes of mastering the dessert for Christmas. With everyone in the old woman’s circle missing or deceased, however, it’s up to Julia to stop the deadly tidings before she’s the next Busman’s Harbor resident to meet a not-so-jolly fate.

Kick back with something sweet and indulge in three bite-sized Yuletide tales too good to resist!  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did that guinea pig just talk?

When Zoe Magnolia’s secret cupcake spell book is stolen, she knows there’s only one witch in town capable of the theft—Regina Hatterson. Zoe confronts her on Main Street in front of everyone in the small town of Destiny Cove. Of course, Regina denies it, so when she’d found dead in Zoe’s bakery the next morning, Zoe becomes the prime suspect.

Zoe’s one cupcake short of an alibi, and even her best friend, Sheriff Joe Newbury, doesn’t think she’s innocent. But Zoe’s not the only one in town who wanted Regina—a charlatan psychic—silenced for good. To clear her name, Zoe’s going to need all the help she can get.

With her guinea pig familiar, Ginger, and her neurotic mom on her side, she’s prepared to cast any spell necessary to catch the real murderer. She’s desperate to get her Cookbook of Shadows back, but will her quest lead her right into a killer’s snare?
The Witching Hour is the first book in the Wicked Witches of Destiny Cove cozy mystery series. (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From USA Today bestselling authors Sally J. Smith and Jean Steffens comes a boxed set of the first three tantalizingly fun mysteries from the Bayou in the Mystic Isle series, including:

Mystic Mayhem – book #1
Melanie Hamilton brings home the bacon by inking tattoos at New Orleans’s Mansion at Mystic Isle, a resort in the middle of the bayou that caters to fans of the peculiar and paranormal. But when a guest of the resort, a millionaire’s widow, is poisoned, and Melanie’s close friend is arrested for the murder, things go from hectic to downright dangerous.

Mystic Mistletoe Murder – book #2
‘Tis the season at The Mansion on Mystic Isle, and Melanie Hamilton, resident tattoo artist at the resort renown for its supernatural atmosphere, can feel the holiday spirit everywhere in the Louisiana bayou. But when Papa Noël turns up as dead as the Ghost of Christmas Past, and all the bounty from a recent charity drive is stolen, Melanie has to find the killer and get it all back!

Mystic Mischief – book #3
Just when Melanie Hamilton thought things couldn’t get stranger at The Mansion at Mystic Isle, she finds herself in the middle of a true pirate treasure hunt! Fortune hunters have arrived Indiana Jones-style at the New Orleans resort…resulting in a dead body! Now it’s up to Mel and the rest of the odd crew at Mystic Isle to bring order back to the bayou and solve the murder.

Mystic Isle Mysteries:
Mystic Mayhem – book #1
Mystic Mojo (short story in the Killer Beach Reads collection)
Mystic Mistletoe Murder – book #2
Mystic Mischief – book #3
Mystic Wedding Belle Blues (short story in the Pushing Up Daisies collection)
Mystic Deception – book #4

“Sally J. Smith and Jean Steffens bring the beauty of the bayou alive with this cozy murder mystery. If you like flirting and fun with your dose of fear this is a must-read.”
—Night Owl Reviews  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Christmas in Pecan Bayou, Texas. Join Betsy (aka The Happy Hinter) for a good old small-town Christmas complete with Christmas carols, over the top light displays, delicious food, loving friends and…a Christmas Creeper. One of the residents of Pecan Bayou has a secret and you’d better lock the door because that isn’t Santa out there or even a stray elf. Enjoy spending Christmas with the town and family you’ve come to know in the Pecan Bayou Series. Recipes and helpful hints included!  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deanna Oscar Paranormal Mysteries Book 9

You’re Invited to the wedding of the year!
Dress is formal—Holy Water recommended…

Deanna Oscar and friends are back. While De is trying to get caught up, Ivy is planning her dream wedding. The venue seems abandoned and full of ghosts, demons, and more…

Getting married in a haunted warehouse is a bad idea! But Ivy has her heart set on the huge venue ripe for decoration. She’s sure she can get it cheap. Ivy seems drawn to these extremely haunted locations and De has to put a stop to it before innocent people are hurt.

The owner isn’t worried about anything, even though he calls himself a witch doctor. De knows the homeless squatting there are in danger but she can’t do much without trespassing on private property. Not that something like that will stop her.

Come along for the ride while murders, kidnappings, and a hot bridesmaid dress land in the lap of New Orleans’ favorite paranormal problem solver.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s time for the Harvest Festival again, and Phyllis is determined to bake a killer pecan pie.

Hollywood comes to Weatherford, Texas, as a movie company arrives to shoot scenes for a film based on the novel by Phyllis Newsom’s friend Eve. But movie fantasy turns to deadly reality as a murder recreated for film turns out to be the genuine article, and once more Phyllis has to track down a cunning killer to see that justice is done.

DEATH BAKES A PECAN PIE is the fourteenth novel in the critically acclaimed and best-selling Fresh Baked Mystery series. Phyllis and her friends tackle another complex case with all the humor, camaraderie, good-hearted warmth, and delicious recipes that have made readers around the world fall in love with this series.

Recipes included!  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Camille wanted to do was build a museum in the desert. Too bad someone didn’t agree, and she was murdered. But was it for the land or her millions?

That property was prime desert land. A lot of people wanted it. The Tortoise Lady, the Mafia investors, and the Indian tribe. Camille’s son and daughter-in-law wanted her millions. Makes for a lot of motives and suspects.

Detective Jeff’s busy with two other murders, and definitely needs his wife’s help. Good thing Marty has a psychic sister and a psychic dog to help!

This is the seventh book in the popular High Desert Cozy Mystery Series by two-time USA Today Bestselling Author, Dianne Harman.   (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book SEVEN of the rollicking mystery series from Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY Best-Selling author Amy Vansant has Pineapple Port’s “Santa” found dead…wearing a gingerbread man costume…with a shelf-elf stuffed in his mouth… Just another day in Pineapple Port!

Sheriff Frank asks newly-minted private detective Charlotte to help him crack the case, but she has no idea those darn gingerbread men will start showing up everywhere. What did Santa do that made them so angry? And what’s the secret in his colorful Christmas-themed bureau?

Charlotte is forced to split her time between searching for Santa’s killer and helping Declan’s crazy ex-Stephanie stop a corrupt district attorney in exchange for a book that could help solve more crimes in the future. She never thought she’d help calculating Stephanie with anything…but as this story comes to it’s shocking ending, you’ll find it could be Stephanie who’s finally bitten off more cookie than she can chew…

If Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum and the Golden Girls had a baby, it would be the Pineapple Port series. Fans of Lilian Jackson Braun, Jana DeLeon and Rita Mae Brown won’t be able to get enough of this wild, funny, thrilling corner of Florida!

(this one has a bit of a cliff-hanger, but don’t kill me – #8 will be out soon!) (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Witch Cozy Mystery

The Kitchen Witch, Book 11
It’s Halloween, and Amelia has a grave problem. She’s batty about Alder and had a gourd time on her honeymoon, but now it’s back to business as usual. Marina Mercer has arrived in Bayberry Creek to demand her yearly spell. Faced with the haunting prospect, Amelia has an uncandy sense of impending doom.
Amelia thinks she will carve out some fun at the Halloween fair, but nearly trips over a corpse. What’s more, something terrible has happened to Camino.
Can Amelia and her friends solve the murder, save the day, and rescue Camino? Or will it be all tricks and no treats?  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Former Army brat Molly Owens is ready to put down roots, and the picturesque seaside town of Britton Bay on the Oregon Coast seems like the perfect place for it. Especially when she lands a job as editor of the local paper. But she’s got one colleague who’s very bad news . . .

As an experienced journalist, Molly is eager to bring the struggling Britton Bay Bulletin up to speed. But when she pushes Vernon, one of her less welcoming reporters, to dig a little deeper into the story of a prominent local family, the man ends up dead. The fact that he wasn’t well-liked makes finding the killer extra complicated. The lists of suspects range from his ex-wife to his own son to Molly’s boss, who has a secret of his own. But when Molly’s attempts to sleuth out the truth result in her receiving frightening threats, the trouble is just beginning . . .

The one bright spot is Molly’s newfound flirtation with Sam Alderich. The sexy mechanic is used to taking things apart and piecing them back together, and between the two of them they just might be able to solve this deadly puzzle—if Molly can survive peaceful small-town life long enough . . .

“The news is all good for this cozy mystery! Deadly News will make you want to pack up and move to the seaside town of Britton Bay, Oregon. The characters are vividly brought to life, there’s a perfect touch of romance, and the mystery has enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Don’t miss out on a charming new series—grab this cozy while it’s hot off the press!”
—Sarah Fox, USA Today bestselling author  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

New Release For The Week Of October 28th, 2018–Part 1

Here is a list of some of the new releases for the week of October 28th, 2018. I am going to divide the list into 4 days because there are so very many of them for this week. Today is the first day of my list for this week. Hope you find some selections for your weekly reading. Enjoy and happy reading.

 

As the Moonlight Magnolia Agency revisits old memories on Christmas Eve, Granny Reid takes the reins back thirty years to the 1980s—back when she went by Stella, everyone’s hair was bigger, and sweaters were colorful disasters. But murder never went out of style . . .

Christmas has arrived in sleepy McGill, Georgia, but holiday cheer can’t keep temperamental Stella Reid from swinging a rolling pin at anyone who crosses her bad side—and this season, there are plenty. First an anonymous grinch vandalizes a celebrated nativity display. Far worse, the scandalous Prissy Carr is found dead in an alley behind a tavern. With police puzzled over the murder, Stella decides to stir the local gossip pot for clues on the culprit’s identity . . .

Turns out Prissy held a prominent spot on the naughty list, and suspects pile up like presents on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, the more progress Stella makes, the more fears she must confront. With a neighbor in peril and the futures of her beloved grandchildren at risk, Stella must somehow set everything straight and bring a cunning criminal to justice before December 25th . . .  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liss MacCrimmon’s meddlesome mother is back in Moosetookalook, Maine, to serve a hefty portion of trouble in time for Thanksgiving. But when a scandalous murder case threatens to leave Liss alone at the table, family drama takes on a terrifying new meaning . . . 
 
While Liss preps the Scottish Emporium for November’s inevitable shopping rush, other local businesses aren’t half as lucky. Year after year, her father-in-law’s rustic hotel can barely turn a profit during the stretch between autumn’s peak and ski season. Except this time, Mr. Ruskin realizes that the recipe for success lies in enticing an untapped niche clientele—childless couples desperate for a holiday away from family . . .

The unusual marketing tactic has everyone in Moosetookalook talking. Unfortunately, it also inspires a scathing social media campaign aimed at persuading tourists to boycott the hotel for affronting family values. Liss dismisses the bad publicity as being totally “overkilt”—until angry mobs fill the streets, the troublemaker who started it all turns up dead, and her loved ones are suspected of murder . . .

With so much at stake, Liss can’t possibly follow police orders to stay out of the investigation. There’s just one wee problem: saving her own clan could mean sending a friend or two behind bars. Now—partly helped, partly hindered by her difficult mother—Liss must digest a slew of unsettling clues and catch the real killer . . . or else everything she’s ever been thankful for may vanish before her eyes.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Hardcover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a retro reboot!

After a falling out with a friend flips interior decorator Madison Night’s world inside out, she’s determined to revamp her life. Jane Strong, fellow mid-century modern enthusiast, encourages Madison’s entry in an upcoming design competition, but their rift makes collaboration no longer an option.

When Jane is found dead, Madison tops the suspect list. And when anonymous computer hackings interfere with both the investigation and the competition, Jane’s murder no longer seems random.

With a mess of a love life, an angry client, and a looming deadline on her contest entry, Madison turns to an unlikely ally to decode a motive before a crash becomes imminent.

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

LOVER COME HACK by Diane Vallere | A Henery Press Mystery. If you like one, you’ll probably like them all.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miss Marple meets Oscar Wilde in this new series of cosy mysteries set in the picturesque Cotswolds village of Bunburry.

In “A Murderous Ride,” the second Bunburry book, Alfie discovers that he has not only inherited a cottage from his late Aunt Augusta but also a 1950s Jaguar. He is dismayed: for reasons of his own, he no longer drives. Aunt Augusta’s best friends, Liz and Marge, persuade him to get behind the wheel again – but that’s just the start of his troubles.

Alfie discovers it’s a seriously bad idea to get on the wrong side of the local police sergeant. Especially when he finds himself at a murder scene and the sergeant decides Alfie’s the murderer. There’s only one thing to be done. Alfie has to track down the real murderer himself – which will force him to drive as he’s never driven before.

Helena Marchmont is a pseudonym of Olga Wojtas, who was born and brought up in Edinburgh. She was encouraged to write by an inspirational English teacher, Iona M. Cameron. Olga won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2015, has had more than 30 short stories published in magazines and anthologies and recently published her first mystery Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Golden Samovar.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zara Riddle is used to being woken up in the middle of the night by magical creatures. Being a witch is incredibly fun, but it does have a few drawbacks. Zara’s powers make her appealing to the recently deceased, who are always showing up seeking her help. This witch is a real ghost magnet!

When Zara’s resident telepathic wyvern wakes her up to announce there’s a new ghost in the house, Zara is anything but surprised. She greets the new spirit, locates the crime scene, and notifies the authorities. All before the sun comes up. Zara’s work is done. After all, the town’s detective should be able to solve this homicide without her.

The detective, Theodore Bentley, has other ideas. He knows about Wisteria’s secrets, but he’s not the stubborn type who insists on doing everything himself. Why chase down a killer alone when you can have a powerful witch as a partner? He invites Zara to join him on the investigation. Zara accepts, because why not? She’ll rest easier when the case is solved. Plus two heads are better than one, even if one of them is a mere human.

As the crime-fighting duo dig deeper into the town’s secrets, both the human detective and the witch are shocked to discover a killer in their midst. When they underestimate the killer’s powers, the tables are turned. In a heartbeat,everything changes.

Zara Riddle can only watch helplessly as someone she cares about saves the witch’s life by sacrificing their own.

WARDENS OF WISTERIA is book 1 of a new mini-series set in Angela Pepper’s wickedly wild world of Wisteria Witches. If you’re new to the series, you can start here if you’d like! This book is told from the point of view of Zara Riddle.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This witch will do anything for a normal life with the man she loves. But when you’re on fairy patrol, normal is relative.

Witch Jayce Bonheim has packed away her candles, crystals and cauldrons. With her boyfriend recovering from a hex, she’s determined to build a sane and magic-free life for them both.

But when a horde of troublemaking gnomes invades the small town of Doyle, it’s up to Jayce and her magical sisters to send them packing.

After the gnomes lead Jayce to a murdered employee from her own café, she’s plunged into an investigation that lands her in the sheriff’s crosshairs. And Jayce must catch a killer before the sheriff’s brewing witch hunt nets a very real witch.

Fey is book 5 in The Witches of Doyle cozy mystery novels. Buy Fey and start reading this quirky witch mystery today!

Spells included in the back of the book.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life for Melanie has returned to normal. She works as a gardener with friend Stooper, eats at Mason’s Diner, and sits on her farmhouse porch with friends Syl and Sandi. Her biggest challenge is helping Mr. Tibbs get used to the still-unnamed black cat that sauntered into the household.

And then she finds a body in the coat closet at the Farm Bureau dinner. The local grain operator had angered farmers with increased prices, but who kills for an extra few cents per bushel of corn?

Tired of fingers pointing toward her and curious about why someone burned some of her late father’s files, Mel does some poking on her own. The kidnapping of a local woman raises the stakes. With pets who have a nose for trouble, Melanie seeks a devious suspect.

In this, the third novel in beloved, cozy mystery writer Elaine Orr’s River’s Edge series, the author once again offers humor, believable characters and tight prose as she carries the reader to an exciting climax. Those who follow her Jolie Gentil series will find themselves right at home.

You won’t want to miss this one!  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are two things Morgan Hart loves—her vintage motorcycle and anything with buttercream icing.

What Morgan doesn’t love is murder. The thirty-six-year-old former Detroit detective has just moved back to Bijoux, Michigan, the lakeside town where she grew up. Returning to take up the reins as the new police captain since her father, Able, retired, Morgan hopes for a fresh start and a welcome change from the gritty police work she did in the Big D. Morgan also hopes she’ll be able to get her life back on track since her husband Ian Daniels, also a detective, was murdered on a case five years ago. Still unsolved, her husband’s death continues to haunt her. She’s determined to find Ian’s killer, even as she embarks on her new job.

Morgan has mixed feelings about being back in Bijoux and can’t help but wonder if the move is the right thing for her. Her relationship with her dad is complicated. The townspeople have no qualms about telling her how to do her job every chance they get. Her childhood nemesis, Connie Graham, a reporter for the local TV news station, has the super power to show up at the worst possible time. And the owner of the local bookstore, Caleb Joseph, is far too attractive and far too nosy. At least she and her deputy, JJ Jones, bond over their mutual love of cupcakes.

The quaint, old town has gone through quite a transformation since Morgan moved away. Quirky shops are opening to attract summer tourists and many of the old stores along Main Street are getting a facelift. Even the iconic pink Firefly Bed & Breakfast is changing. It’s hosting a romance writer’s conference with some of the biggest names in the biz. But someone else is determined to make a few more changes. Deadly changes that will leave the town reeling and will have Morgan investigating the first murder in Bijoux in 100 years.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Teaberry Farm Bed & Breakfast Cozy Book 10
When a participant in an upcoming competition is murdered, Megan tries to help a friend avoid arrest. Will she be able to find the puzzle pieces she needs to save a beloved family from being torn apart? This mild cozy mystery offers a clean read with a female amateur sleuth and friends in a small-town setting. Main characters in the series are multigenerational.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When hikers find a body in a hunting cabin, the case seems cut and dried until the victim turns out to be the right-hand man to the alpha of a rival pack. Handling a paranormal murder case is tricky enough without a pack war looming on the horizon.

While Cori tries to find a murderer before peace flies out the window, Zach’s past – the one he can’t remember – catches up with him in the form of a mysterious woman.

As if her hands weren’t full enough, the mysterious, impulsive vampire who founded the town has decided he doesn’t like the way the town is running and has decided to rebrand it.

All Cori wants is to master her magic and make sure her town remains the safe, sleepy place it’s always been. Instead, trouble’s on the horizon, and she has to stand tall with her friends and her fox familiar by her side and meet it head-on.

Join Cori Sloane – witch, werewolf, and sheriff – her fox familiar, and her bevy of paranormal friends for yet another adventure in this third installment of the Cori Sloane Witchy Werewolf Mystery series.

*Final book will be approximately 200 pages long.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A dead cabaret singer? Poisoned bath bombs? Impossible.
Patti hand mixed the bombs herself.
Who would believe Patti’s slight concussion gave her the ability to communicate with the dead?
Nobody. Especially not her fussbudget partner Sandy.
A chatty Technicolor ghost who needs help moving on to the Beyond? Improbable.
What must Patti do to help Fanny find peace?
What about Teddy? Would he lace the bath bomb supplies with rat poison?
Let’s hope not, he’s former Garland County Deputy.
Myra, the Row’s landlady, goes missing. What’s up with that? She’s a nosy busybody and wouldn’t miss a moment of the intrigue happening at the shop.
Has the competition put a hex on the newest soap shop on Central Avenue?
Maybe. They’re jealous hags who want Bathhouse Row Soapery to fail.
How does Patti solve the mystery of the poisoned bath bombs? Can Fanny leave Hot Springs without knowing what happened to her little boy? Will someone save Myra before its too late?
Download your copy of Bath Bombs & Beyond today. Join the fun on Bathhouse Row in the hot water hills of Arkansas.   (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking forward to a relaxing stay in the Catskills after her break-up with Nick Manelli, Holly Donnelly and her sister Ivy have their plans thwarted when, once again, they become involved in a murder investigation. The day they arrive at Kate Farmer’s house in rustic Reddington Manor, they discover the body of Kate’s next-door neighbor, Chuck Dwyer, in a pool of blood on his kitchen floor. In a rush to judgement, the local sheriff sets his sights on 17-year old Tommy Cranston, but Kate insists Tommy is innocent. Can the sister sleuths prove that a shifty neighbor, the victim’s widow and local drug dealers all have better motives for the murder? And can Ivy and Kate unravel another mystery — the cause of Holly and Nick’s break-up and the chances of their getting back together?  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sixty-something cat shelter volunteer Lynley Cannon always finds more trouble than a cat in catnip, but this time it’s not about her. Someone is targeting very senior citizens, and when Bea Landrew, elderly owner of the Blue Cat café turns up dead, Lynley’s mom Carol could be next. Handsome Detective Devon is looking for a link between the victims when he makes a different sort of connection— with Lynley! It’s been a long time since the cat lady had romance in her life, but while her mom is in danger, the case comes first. It appears the cat café will go the way of its deceased owner, but Bea’s grandson, a slick Miami businessman, steps in at the last minute. Arthur is not a cat person so why would he bother? Romeo, the big Russian Blue, senses ulterior motives, but who will listen to a cat? A black cat rescue, a discovered photograph, an elaborate payback. Is this killer seeking justice or vengeance? With death as the objective, the results are the same.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

Double Feature: Review of Academic Curveball and Review of Downright Dead

 

Today I have a Double Feature of two reviews.  I have my review of Academic Curveball by James J. Cudney and Downright Dead by Pamela Kopfler.

 

 

Academic Curveball

Braxton Campus Mystery, Book #1

James J. Cudney

5 Stars

Synopsis:

When Kellan Ayrwick, a thirty-two-year-old single father, is forced to return home for his father’s retirement from Braxton College, he finds the dead body of a professor in Diamond Hall’s stairwell. Unfortunately, Kellan has a connection to the victim, and so do several members of his family. Could one of them be guilty of murder? Then he finds a second body after discovering mysterious donations to the college’s athletic program, a nasty blog denouncing his father, and a criminal attempting to change student grades so the star baseball pitcher isn’t expelled.

Someone is playing games on campus, but none of the facts add up. With the help of his eccentric and trouble-making nana weeding through the clues, Kellan tries to stay out of the sheriff’s way. Fate has other plans. Kellan is close to discovering the killer’s identity just as someone he loves is put in grave danger of becoming victim number three. And if that’s not enough to wreak havoc on his family, everything comes crashing to a halt when his own past comes spiraling back to change his life forever.

In this debut novel in the Braxton Campus Mystery Series, readers discover a cozy, secluded Pennsylvania village full of quirky, sarcastic, and nosy residents. Among the daily workings of Braxton College and the charming Ayrwick family, Kellan weighs his investigative talents against an opportunity to achieve a much sought-after dream. When this first book ends, the drama is set for the next adventure in Kellan’s future… and it’s one you won’t want to miss. (Goodreads)

 

Review:  

The characters are well rounded and well developed.  I thought Kellan was thoughtful, caring, funny and and all-around good guy.  He has been given some terrible circumstances but he is trying to get past them and make the most out of life.  I can respect that attitude. There seemed to be a lot of characters and at times I had trouble keeping them straight.  But the farther I got into the book, the better I got to know them and it was no longer a problem. Nana D was a quirky character and I enjoyed getting to meet her and I really enjoyed the relationship between her and Kellan.

I am usually not a big fan of first person point-of-view but it really worked well in this book.  I felt it allowed me to get more insight to Kellan: what he is thinking, what he is feeling and how he works.  I thought this added another dimension to this book.

The writing style flowed smoothly and I felt it defined the characters very clearly through their actions and words.  I will say that some of the vocabulary used in this book was much more advanced than what I usually find in cozy mysteries.  And I even learned a few new words!

The mystery was well plotted and moved along at a steady pace.  There were so many twists and turns that I felt like I was on a rollercoaster and enough red herrings that a fisherman would have been thrilled.  Needled to say, I did not figure out the killer until the reveal at the end, which is just fine with me.

This book had a little bit of everything.  There was humor, tension, suspense, sarcasm and family drama all rolled into a great book.  I would recommend you picking up this book and enjoy the read.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book and provided my honest review.

 

 

 

 

Downright Dead
A B&B Spirits Mystery, Book #2
Pamela Kopfler
5 Stars

Synopsis:

Holly Davis never imagined having a haunted bed and breakfast would be the secret to her success—or that a secret might leave her B&B DOA . . .

After the syndicated TV show, Inquiring Minds, airs footage of their resident ghost at Holly Grove, a converted antebellum plantation house, it seems like half the state of Louisiana wants to book a room. There’s only one small problem: the ghost of her not-so-dearly-departed ex Burl has . . . departed. For the sake of business, Holly’s willing to keep up the pretense of still being haunted. But after an outspoken debunker challenges the show’s credibility, the TV crew returns to Holly Grove to prove the ghost is real.

Following a disastrous séance, Holly is sure she’ll be exposed as a charlatan. Surprisingly, the debunker suddenly becomes a believer—after he’s pushed off the Widow’s Walk to his death and rises as a ghost. Now his inquiring mind wants to know—who murdered him? When he asks for Holly’s help, she can’t say no. But this time it’s her turn to watch her step, because if the killer gets spooked, the next ghost haunting the B&B may well be its owner . . . (Goodreads)

 

Review:

I love the characters in this book. Holly is willing to do almost anything to save her Bed and Breakfast from going under. She is even willing to fabricate a ghost. She had a real ghost (her ex, Burl) but he has passed on, thank to help from her. When a ghost debunker dies, and comes back as a ghost, she does not have to pretend anymore. I really like the characters, they are well developed and well rounded. Nelda and Miss Alice are very funny and added a lot to the story. And I liked the personal change to Holly’s life.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and I felt like I was walking the halls of the Bed and Breakfast, watching all of the scariness taking place. The mystery was well plotted and there were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider. I thought I had it figured out a couple of times but I was wrong.

I would recommend this book, and series, to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I am already looking forward to the next book.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Review of The Thanksgiving Trip

The Thanksgiving Trip
A Tess and Tilly Cozy Mystery, Book #5
Kathi Daley
5 Stars

 

Synopsis:

The entire Thomas family takes a Thanksgiving trip to a mountain cabin after Tess learns that her father visited the area every autumn to hunt and fish before his supposed death in a fiery truck accident. After arriving at the cabin, Tess and Tony, along with Mike and Bree, team up to investigate a suspicious death, while Tess and Tony secretly talk to people who live in the area and once knew her father. Hoping to finally find answers for her unanswered questions regarding her father’s current whereabouts, Tess widens her search which lead her to a startling realization.

Meanwhile, a stray dog seems intent on adopting Mike in spite of Mike’s insistence that there is no way he has room in his life for an energetic and mischievous puppy. (Goodreads)

 

 

 

Review:

There are a couple mysteries in this book. The first is who killed the person that was found and the second is what happened to Tess’s dad and is he still alive? Both of these mysteries are carried on well throughout the entire book and there are plenty of clues to help any armchair detective solve these puzzles. We learn more about Tess’s dad and who he was and come closer to finding the answers.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick easy read. I was pulled right into the story from the very beginning and carried along for a mysterious ride. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and I could feel the cold and see the snow falling at the cabin. I really liked that this book took place elsewhere, it brought a different feeling to this book.

I would recommend this book (and series) to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. If you like wonderful characters, a great setting and intriguing mysteries, pick up a copy of this book.

Review of Death Of A Russian Doll

Death Of A Russian Doll
Vintage Toyshop Mystery, Book #3
Barbara Early
5 Stars

Synopsis:

Just in time for the holidays, fans of Leslie Meier and Vicki Delany are going to want to pick up the charming third installment in Barbara Early’s Vintage Toy Shop mysteries.

It’s all fun and games with toyshop owner Liz McCall until deadly secrets are unwrapped upon the eve of the holidays.

Who knew? Liz McCall is not thrilled when her boyfriend Police Chief Ken Young introduces her to his estranged wife Marya. The model-quality Russian immigrant, back in East Aurora to rekindle their romance, will be working as a hairstylist at the barber shop next door to Well Played, the toyshop Liz manages for her dad. When Marya offers to help with the shop’s doll rehab project, Liz can’t help but offer up only a weak smile, but her secret hesitations are for naught when Marya’s body is discovered in the barber shop with a hair dryer cord wrapped around her neck.

Liz’s dad, retired from the police force, is asked to investigate since Ken is the prime suspect.The whole town is abuzz with the scandal and Liz has a few questions of her own, wanting nothing more than to forget the loud argument she overheard between Marya and Ken the night before. There could have been other motives… Was Marya going to cut into a competing hairstylist business? Who is the bumbling private investigator hanging around and why won’t he explain himself?

All eyes are on Liz, including those of an odd matryoshka doll in the shop which seems to move of its own accord, to unravel this entertaining riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma that is Death of a Russian Doll, the third jolly Vintage Toy Shop mystery from Barbara Early. (Goodreads)

 

Review:

I just love this series: the characters, the setting and the mystery. Anyone who wants to get lost in an enjoyable read, this is your book.

The characters are well rounded and well developed. I just love the relationship between Liz and her dad. Their bickering and banter and their one line jokes were so funny. All of the characters add so much to the story and I love getting to spend time with them.

The writing style flows smoothly and it defines the characters very clearly by their actions and words. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and it helped me form an explicit picture in my mind of the toy shop and the community.

The mystery is well plotted and had enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider. There were enough twists and turns and red herrings thrown in and the mystery was not an easy one to solve.

I would highly recommend this book (and series) to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I liked everything about this book and I am already looking forward to read the next one, when it is published.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

 

Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours–Death By Drama

 

I’m so excited to be a stop on the blog tour for author Abigail Keam and her new release Death By Drama.   This is the eleventh book in her A Josiah Reynolds Mysteries Series.  I read this one and really enjoyed it.

 

Death By Drama: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery
Cozy Mystery
11th in Series
Worker Bee Press (July 24, 2018)
Paperback: 228 pages
ISBN-10: 069215051X
ISBN-13: 978-0692150511
Digital ASIN: B07FMQB68G

 

Purchase Links – Amazon      Kobo     Nook   Google   iBooks

 

 

Josiah joins an amateur thespian group that puts on plays in quirky places like public parks and crumbling antebellum mansions. It is a way to socialize, and Josiah feels lonely when her friend Hunter stops calling. Since the new play is being staged at Hunter’s ancestral home Wickliffe Manor, Josiah sees this as a win-win situation. She gets to have fun and remind Hunter that she is still alive and kicking. Hint. Hint.

What could go wrong? Everything!

Hunter ignores the acting group including Josiah, and it doesn’t help when the leading lady, Madison Smythe, drops dead on Hunter’s antique Persian rug. To make matters worse, Franklin, Hunter’s brother, is arrested for her murder!

Josiah does the only thing she can. She sends an S.O.S. to her daughter Asa to investigate the murder. Asa must also discover why a love note from Hunter was found in the dead woman’s coat pocket. Josiah is ready for romance, but she doesn’t want to fall in love with a cheater . . . and possibly a murderer!

 

 

 

 

The characters are well developed and well rounded.  Josiah is quite a character, she is quirky, bossy (in a good way) and she knows her mind, and does not like taking no for an answer.  But she is also caring and loving and is very willing to help those in need, especially her friends. I like the fact that she was an older protagonist and I think it would be fun to spend time with her and her friends.  There were a lot of characters to meet in this book, and at times I had a little trouble keeping them straight in my mind. That was probably because this was the first book that I read in this series, otherwise I would have already known them.  And that is only my opinion and other readers may not agree with me. All of the characters added a lot to the story.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read.  It allowed me to get a better insight into the characters lives and thoughts. I thought the author gave enough descriptions of places and events without getting overly wordy.  The mystery was well plotted and had enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider and it was not easily solved.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery.  I will have to read the other books in this series.

 

  

 

Abigail Keam is an award-winning and Amazon best-selling author who writes the Josiah Reynolds Mystery series about a Southern beekeeper turned amateur female sleuth in the Bluegrass.

Her first mystery novel, DEATH BY A HONEYBEE, won the 2010 Gold Medal Award for Women’s Lit from Reader’s Favorite and was a Finalist of the USA BOOK NEWS-Best Books List of 2011.

DEATH BY DROWNING won the 2011 Gold Medal Award for Best Mystery Sleuth from Reader’s Favorite and also was placed on the USA BOOK NEWS-Best Books List of 2011 as a Finalist.

Miss Abigail is also an award-winning beekeeper who has won 16 honey awards at the Kentucky State Fair including the Barbara Horn Award, which is given to beekeepers who rate a perfect 100 in a honey competition.

A strong supporter of farmers’ markets and local food economy, Miss Abigail has taken her knowledge of beekeeping to create a fictional beekeeping protagonist, Josiah Reynolds, who solves mysteries in the Bluegrass. While Miss Gail’s novels are for enjoyment, she discusses the importance of a local sustainable food economy and land management for honeybees and other creatures.

She currently lives on the Kentucky River in a metal house with her husband and various critters. She still has honeybees.

 

Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series

Death By A HoneyBee I
Death By Drowning II
Death By Bridle III
Death By Bourbon IV
Death By Lotto V
Death By Chocolate VI
Death By Haunting VII
Death By Derby VIII
Death By Design IX
Death By Malice X
Death By Drama XI

Author Links

Website www.abigailkeam.com

Instagram       https://www.instagram.com/abigailkeam/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AbigailKeam

Twitter https://twitter.com/AbigailKeam

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCThdrO8pCPN6JfTM9c857JA

Pinterest        https://www.pinterest.com/abigailkeam/

Goodreads    goo.gl/UtPamF

Amazon         goo.gl/69GbVh

Bookbub        https://www.bookbub.com/authors/abigail-keam

 

 

When did you know that you wanted to be an author?  What things, if any, influenced that decision?

In the second grade, I wrote a two page short story about an event at my church.  I called it Bobby Bobo Got Baptized At The Big Bone Baptist Church. I got an A+, and the teacher called my mother telling her, “Don’t be surprised if your girl grows up to be a writer.” That got me hooked but good but it would take me years to reach my goal of being a professional author. Life has many turns and twists.  It is never a straight line, but I finally achieved my goal. Later I rewrote that two page story with the aim of crafting an autobiographical collection of short stories.

With so many cozies being written today, what makes your books stand out from the crowd?

The Josiah Reynolds Mysteries are somewhat dark cozies.  My protagonist is a middle-aged female who doesn’t like children, is not particularly nice, and has serious health issues. Each book is a stand-alone murder mystery woven into this woman’s life, which threads throughout the entire series. There are also five recurring characters who interweave in and out of Josiah’s storyline in the books.

The Josiah Reynolds Mysteries take place in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, which is a glamorous world of Thoroughbreds, oak-cured bourbon, and antebellum mansions, I interlace actual locations and history into each book, adding a bit of spice and authenticity to the stories.  In fact, I had my first Josiah Reynolds Mystery Tour for readers in September. Readers from all over the US joined me to tour the lovely Bluegrass countryside and see many of the locations in the novels.

I released Death By Drama, my eleventh Josiah Reynolds Mystery, and I’m currently working on another one. I think the success of the Josiah Reynolds Mysteries relies on the reader’s ability to identify with Josiah.

 

Do you work from an outline or plot or do you just see where the characters take you?

I have never used an outline or a formula. I begin with a vague notion of a plot and then start tapping on the keyboard. I let the characters go where they will, and believe me, they take me on divergent paths. Many times I end up with a totally different book than what I thought I was going to write. I guess if I used an outline, I could write faster, but what fun would there be in that? I love it when my characters spring to life on the page for me. I’m all about the journey. I want to have fun, and I want the reader to have fun along with me.

Do you read your reviews?  Do you respond to them, good or bad?  Do you do anything special to get those reviews?

Yes, I read the reviews. I mostly receive very good reviews, but I’ve have my share of vicious ones especially with the first Josiah Reynolds novel – Death By A HoneyBee. However, I had enough positive reviews that readers took a chance on the next mystery – Death By Drowning – and they kept reading the series.  

Reviewers should try to be constructive. The worst thing a reviewer can do is to undermine the confidence of a writer, especially young writers. After all, Hemingway wasn’t Hemingway at the beginning. He had to learn his craft and grow. So do all writers.  

I never respond to good or bad reviews. I do ask for reviews in the back of my books and on Facebook. Occasionally I thank readers on Facebook who took the time to write a review. I am truly very grateful.

 

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Get negative people out of your life fast.  Cultivate people who have your back.

 

Do you think that the cover plays an important part in someone buying your book(s)?   Who designs your book covers?

The cover is everything. Once the cover entices the reader to take a chance and pony up with some cash, then the writer has to deliver the goods.   I have two designers – Karin Claesson, www.karinclaessonart.com, who does wonderful fantasy work.  Cricket Press, http://www.cricketpress, who does my other covers.

 

Please give us an insight into your main characters.  What do you think makes them special?

Josiah is a beekeeper who has a powerful connection to both her bees and her friends. There are strong emotional threads twisting throughout all the books with the main characters. I’ve tried to make Josiah’s friends quirky, funny, and absolutely human with all sorts of flaws and foibles. They give the books a rich emotive dimension, and I think, sometimes a haunting quality to the books.

I’m a beekeeper myself and made my living from selling honey at a local farmers’ market for many years, just like my heroine, Josiah.

 

What have you learned about yourselves since becoming an author?

Don’t tell me things you don’t want to end up in a novel. There is no situation or conversation sub-rosa with me. If it’s witty, naughty, or just plain strange, I’ll write about it – changing the names involved, of course. And the newspaper is full of delicious misbehavior by the locals. Most readers would be astounded to know how many conversations and events in my novels actually occurred.  

 

Do you write full-time or part-time?

It’s how I make my living.  

 

What do your plans for future projects include?

Currently working on the twelfth installment of the Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series – Death By Stalking – coming out later this year. I’m also in the first stages of conceiving a new mystery heroine.  

 

What do you think the hardest part of writing is?  What is the easiest?

Hardest part of writing is the isolation. I sometimes force myself to leave the house and interact with other people. It’s very easy for a writer to get caught up in their work. The easiest part is the writing itself.  

 

What type of books do you like to read?  Who are some of your favorite authors?

I read everything- biographies, history, poetry, short stories, newspapers, and magazines. I’m a big fan of Sue Grafton who was very kind to me when I started writing. My favorite writers are Allan Eckert, James M. Cain, Dominick Dunne, Wendell Berry, Willa Cather, Agatha Christie, Bobbie Ann Mason, Anne Rice, Eudora Welty, Raymond Feist, Janny Wurts, and Harper Lee. There are so many others I can’t list them all.

A writer should read outside their own genre. Otherwise, he/she is limiting their world.

 

What is the one thing you would like your readers to know about you?

I do my best to write an entertaining story for the readers, and hope they pick up a little knowledge about honeybees along the way.  

Do you have anything specific you would like to say to your readers?

I’ve created a very specific world that is unique to the Bluegrass area of Kentucky. I write about a woman who is a beekeeper with limited resources, but with pluck and intelligence, always manages to land on her feet. It is my hope that these mysteries entertain with a little humor, a little history, and a whole lot of fun. Josiah is someone whom I would want to be my friend. I think most readers would want her to be their friend, too.  

 

 

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

 

Web Site  www.abigailkeam.com  

Facebook  goo.gl/YM6Gf7

 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/abigailkeam/ 

Twitter https://twitter.com/abigailkeam

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/abigailkeam/ 

Goodreads goo.gl/UtPamF 

Amazon goo.gl/nvoYFc 

YouTube goo.gl/69GbVh 

Email abigailshoney@windstream.net  

Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/abigail-keam

 

To enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway, click on the link below:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02887792782/?widget_template=56d5f80dbc544fb30fda66f0

 

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

October 22 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 22 – The Book Diva’s Reads – GUEST POST

October 23 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 23 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 24 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT

October 24 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 25 – Handcrafted Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 25 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 26 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW

October 26 – A Holland Reads – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 27 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

October 27 – A Blue Million Books – GUEST POST

October 28 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

October 28 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review of Christmas, Criminals and Campers

Christmas, Criminals & Campers
A Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery, Book #4
Tonya Kappes
5 Stars

Synopsis:

Welcome to Normal, Kentucky where NOTHING is normal.

Librarian Abby Fawn is star struck when her favorite romance author, Nadine White, has rented a cozy camper at the Happy Trails Campground for the winter months.

Abby is devastated to find out Nadine White is nothing like the person she portrays in interviews or on social media. In fact, Nadine White is not nice at all and Abby lets her feelings known that she thinks Nadine is a fraud. . .after she finds out Nadine has a ghost writer.

When Nadine White is found dead in the Normal Library, Abby Fawn is Detective Hank Sharp’s number one suspect.

It’s time for Mae West to put up her camping gear for the winter months and put on her sleuthing gear to figure out who is framing Abby Fawn before Abby is the ending in Nadine White’s final chapter.

From USA Today Bestselling Author Tonya Kappes, this bestselling and hilarious mystery series is all the rage! You don’t want to miss out! (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Mae and the Laundry Club girls are quirky, funny and caring and I really enjoy getting to spend time with them. When one of their own is accused of murder, they are right there, protecting her and helping her in any way they can. And Mae has more on her plate when her foster mom comes to visit. Will she be able to handle it all?

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in creating authentic Southern settings and creates communities that I would love to visit.

The mystery is carried on well throughout the book. There were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider. I thought I knew who the killer was, but I was wrong. Or was I?

I would recommend this fun cozy mystery to and one who enjoys a well crafted cozy. I am already looking forward to the next book.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book and provided my honest review.