Review of Murder In Waiting

Murder In Waiting
Tourist Trap Mysteries, Book # 11
Lynn Cahoon
5 Stars

Synopsis:

In the latest Tourist Trap mystery from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Lynn Cahoon, bookshop café owner Jill Gardner contends with a best friend-turned-bridezilla while trying to solve a local historian’s untimely date with death . . .

At Coffee, Books, & More, Jill’s the boss. But as Amy’s maid-of-honor, she can barely keep up with marching orders—and now she’s in charge of organizing an epic bachelorette! Adding to Jill’s party-planning panic, the South Cove Heritage Society just unceremoniously dumped her historic landmark bid. While vying proposals rush in from a loaded land developer and a pushy travel guide company, Jill finds an unexpected ally in Heritage Society expert, Frank Gleason. But their happy union is cut short when Frank is mowed down in a suspicious hit-and-run. With Amy’s big day on the horizon, Jill vows to catch the killer before she has to catch a bouquet. (Goodreads)

 

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Jill has a lot going on, with running Coffee, Books & More, trying to get a historic landmark recognized and being Amy’s maid-of-honor and all that that entails. When someone is killed in a hit-and-run accident, she adds finding the killer to her list of must-do things. And Aunt Jackie has been acting very strange, so Jill needs to figure
out what she is up to.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story right from the very beginning. I felt like I was right there in South Cove, watching all of the action taking place. The mystery was well plotted and there were plenty of clues to sift through and suspects to consider. And if that is not enough for you, there is Amy’s wedding and Aunt Jackie’s secret to figure out.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. Whenever you read a book by this author, you are in for a real treat.

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

 

New Releases For The Week Of July 5th, 2020–Part 3

Here is a list of some of the new releases for the week of July 5th, 2020. I am going to divide the list into 4 days because there are so very many of them for the 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.

 

Storm season has hit Moonstone Bay and with it comes a whole lot of trouble.
Hadley Hunter thinks she’s ready for what’s to come, but she’s not. Before the storms can wreak havoc on her life, though, she has something even more frightening to deal with … lunch with her boyfriend Galen Blackwood’s mother.
Despite her best intentions, things don’t go as smoothly as Hadley envisioned. Before she has a chance to deal with that, though, the storms bring another surprise in the form of an unconscious woman on the beach and a yacht that keeps appearing (and then disappearing) with each subsequent storm.
Hadley can’t wrap her head around what’s happening, especially when news breaks regarding the identity of the individual who was found in front of the lighthouse. It seems she’s the wife of a very rich and powerful man … who disappeared a year before. In addition to that, the couple had two daughters with them at the time their boat fell off the map. What happened to them?
It’s a race against time for Hadley and her motley band of paranormal friends. They must find the yacht and uncover every horrible secret one family has managed to bury beneath a deep blue sea … and they have to do it with a monster on their tails.
At the heart of almost every family is love. At the heart of this one is despair. Somehow, Hadley will have to overcome her worst fears to become the best witch she possibly can.
Here’s hoping she’s up to the challenge.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Audiobook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From USA Today bestselling author Leslie Langtry comes the latest hilarious Merry Wrath Mystery, where Merry’s past with the CIA comes back to haunt her in a very lively way in small town Iowa!

Just when you thought it was safe to come out of the water…

Who expects to come home and find an angry Chechen strong man in their front yard? That’s what former CIA turned suburbanite Merry Wrath discovers when she comes home from a disastrous pool party with her Girl Scout troop. Only this is Iowa, not Chechnya, and Aslan is anything but friendly, having realized Merry doubled crossed him in her former CIA life.

As revenge for the humiliation, Aslan has an ultimate for Merry: kill her former handler, Riley Andrews, or Aslan’s goons, Ron and Ivan, will kill Merry’s husband, Rex.

Be careful what you wish for…

When Merry’s assassin colleague Hilly (who isn’t an assassin because the CIA doesn’t have assassins – that would be illegal) shows up to help, Merry dares to hope the two of them can find a solution to avoid killing Riley and protect Rex. But before they can come up with a plan, Merry is faced with a dead body, and Hilly tells police she saw Ron and Ivan dumping it. Unfortunately, Merry know that’s not true as she was with the dim-witted rogues when the murder happened.

It’s a not-so-classic cozy conundrum…

Now Merry is trapped in a diabolical dilemma. With Hilly and Riley now suspects in the murder, she could say nothing and watch Ron and Ivan take the fall. Or does she do the right thing, and help Ron and Ivan implicate her friends in the process? Merry has to solve this one on her own as she walks a fine line between doing the right thing for the wrong people, or the wrong thing for the right people.


Merry Wrath Mysteries:
Merit Badge Murder – book #1
Mint Cookie Murder – book #2
Scout Camp Mystery – short story in the “Killer Beach Reads” collection
Marshmallow S’More Murder – book #3
Movie Night Murder – book #4
Mud Run Murder – book #5
Fishing Badge Murder – short story in the “Pushing Up Daisies” collection
Motto for Murder – book #6
Map Skills Murder – book #7
Mean Girl Murder – book #8
Marriage Vow Murder – book #9
Mystery Night Murder – book #10
Meerkats and Murder– book #11
Make Believe Murder – book #12
Maltese Vulture Murder – book #13
Musket Ball Murder – book #14
Macho Man Murder – book #15
Mad Money Murder – book #16

What critics are saying about Leslie Langtry’s books:

“I laughed so hard I cried on multiple occasions! Girl Scouts, the CIA, and the Yakuza… what could possibly go wrong?”
~ Fresh Fiction

“Darkly funny and wildly over the top, this mystery answers the burning question, ‘Do assassin skills and Girl Scout merit badges mix…?'”
~ RT BOOKreviews

“Mixing a deadly sense of humor and plenty of sexy sizzle, Leslie Langtry creates a brilliantly original, laughter-rich mix of contemporary romance and suspense.”
~ Chicago Tribune

“Langtry gets the fun started from page one.”
~ Publisher’s Weekly  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Set in the heart of Tuscan wine country, Camilla Trinchieri’s new mystery introduces Nico Doyle, a former NYPD homicide detective who’s just looking for space to grieve when he finds himself pulled into a local murder investigation.

Mourning the loss of his wife, Rita, former NYPD homicide detective Nico Doyle moves to her hometown of Gravigna in the winesoaked region of Chianti. Half Italian and half Irish, Nico finds himself able to get by in the region with the help of Rita’s relatives, but he still feels alone and out of place. He isn’t sure if it’s peace he’s seeking, but it isn’t what he finds. Early one morning, he hears a gunshot and a dog’s cries near his cabin and walks out to discover a dead body in the woods, flashily dressed in gold tennis shoes. When the police arrive, Nico hastily adopts the fluffy white dog as his own and wants nothing more to do with the murder.

But Salvatore Perillo, the local maresciallo, discovers Nico’s professional background and enlists him to help with the case. It turns out more than one person in this idyllic corner of Italy knew the victim, and with a very small pool of suspects, including his own in-laws, Nico must dig up Gravigna’s every last painful secret to get to the truth.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Hardcover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A quiet Irish village? Not so much!

An ancient curse seems to be causing bad luck in the charming village of Ballydehag, Ireland—witch Quinn Callahan’s new home. When someone is murdered is it the curse? Or is there a very human murderer on the loose? Moving to a small Irish village was supposed to keep the middle-aged witch out of trouble. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Quinn and her bookish vampires must find the real killer and end the curse before someone else dies.

If you like quirky characters, mystery, humor and a touch of romance, don’t miss this second instalment in the Vampire Book Club series from the best-selling author of The Vampire Knitting Club. Each book is a complete story that can be read on its own.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Liliana Hart, the New York Times bestselling author of the J.J. Graves Mystery Series, comes a scintillating new entry in the fun and page-turning Harley and Davidson Mysteries. Fans of Murder She Wrote will love Hank Davidson and Agatha Harley!  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Winter Carnival, Christmas Candy, and Murder

Margaret is back on the case, and this time she has to prove herself innocent of murder.

Amidst trying out Christmas candy recipes and handing out flyers for the annual Winter Carnival, Margaret stumbles upon another dead body. After alerting the authorities, she’s stunned when Detective David Graham dismisses her offer of help.

Shock follows when Margaret realizes she’s the prime suspect—the only suspect—in this particular murder.

Determined to clear her name, Margaret and her friends begin an investigation… that leads them to a person Margaret never suspected. Now the race is on to not only prove herself innocent, but to stay alive long enough to put the real killer behind bars.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carolyn Neville decides that her old friend Marvin should update his true-crime bestseller Darkness at Dawn for its 50th anniversary. Her skeptical boss agrees—on the condition that she’ll quit if it doesn’t sell.

Marvin goes to the mountain town of Motherlode, Colorado to gather new information about the unsolved murder of a beloved schoolteacher. When an attack by an unknown assailant puts Marvin in a coma, Carolyn and her sidekick Stephen Ames take up where he left off.

Carolyn makes friends with the murder victim’s sister, but tangles with a hostile local historian, a creepy motel manager and a lecherous mine owner. The investigation takes them to the bottom of a mine shaft and strands them in a blizzard as a killer with a gas can tries to send them out in a blaze of glory.

All Carolyn wants is to see her friend honored, his life celebrated, her boss humbled and a killer found.

For fans of Horace Rumpole, Monk and Stephanie Plum, the Carolyn Neville Mysteries are full of laugh-out-loud suspense.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Witches get things done!

Welcome to the Lost Souls ParaAgency, where agents work together to ensure the safety of humans and to prevent exposure of the paranormal community.

The Assignment—debunk a ghost rumor in Salem (not the fun witchy one) Florida.

Ris Walker is ready for her first assignment. Bring on the bad guys. But when Sparsh offers her a throwaway mission, she’ll pass for something more exciting—until he offers her a partner she can’t refuse.

Salem is full of surprises when Ris and her partner stumble upon a mysterious swamp creature who is blamed for the disappearance of a local teen.

Can Ris impress her new partner and solve the paranormal mystery before the small town’s residents become swamp bait?  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Candy is dandy, but liquor is . . . sicker?

When bartender Brandy Alexander tells her customers at dive bar Olive or Twist to “pick their poison,” she didn’t mean it literally!

When the entire bar is suddenly gripped by a violent and mysterious illness, chaos ensues. The police are convinced it was all an unfortunate accident, but Brandy knows her customers and their shady pasts better than that. They harbor conspiracy theories, long-simmering vendettas, and secret assassination attempts. They all seem to have a motive. But who has the means?

With the yuppie millennial bar owner missing and a couple of gossipy real estate moguls waiting eagerly for the bar’s demise, Brandy has to unweave a web that includes an impromptu chicken rescue, a dead man’s foot race, and a kung fu brawl to uncover the answers she seeks. Can she keep the short-staffed and beleaguered bar afloat or will the culprit strike a fatal blow?

Pull up a stool and grab a cold one as Brandy, her canine bar bouncer “Hairy Pawter,” and a hilarious cast of dive bar regulars follow a trail of clues that are anything but “straight up.”

This book contains exclusive, original cocktail recipes from a professional mixologist!  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  KIndle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1932. After being left at the altar, free-spirited Ginny Weltermint boards a train and heads back home to Hollywood.

But when she stumbles across a body in one of the carriages, she unwittingly becomes involved in a murder mystery. Stopping in a small village to investigate the crime, Ginny soon clashes with the surly, old-school detective who comes aboard to solve the murder.

With the clock ticking, it’s clear that there will soon be another victim. But can the two put aside their differences and join forces to find the perpetrator and solve the mystery?  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spencer Quinn’s Of Mutts and Men is the latest in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling series that the Los Angeles Times called “nothing short of masterful”…


When Chet the dog, “the most lovable narrator in all of crime fiction” (Boston Globe), and his partner, PI Bernie Little of the desert-based Little Detective Agency, arrive to a meeting with hydrologist Wendell Nero, they are in for a shocking sight—Wendell has come to a violent and mysterious end. What did the hydrologist want to see them about? Is his death a random robbery, or something more? Chet and Bernie, working for nothing more than an eight-pack of Slim Jims, are on the case.

Bernie might be the only one who thinks the police have arrested the wrong man, including the perp’s own defense attorney. Chet and Bernie begin to look into Wendell’s work, a search that leads to a struggling winemaker who has received an offer he can’t refuse. Meanwhile, Chet is smelling water where there is no water, and soon Chet and Bernie are in danger like never before.

At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook