New Releases For The Week Of November 14th, 2021

Bonnie Balfour adores the changing seasons, fabulous fall activities and holiday hoopla, but will a corpse on the porch squash her holiday plans?

Thanksgiving is right around the corner in historic Bliss, Georgia, and Bonnie is trimming display tables at Bless Her Heart, especially for the occasion. A Gift of Gratitude display, beside the front door of her second chance dress shop, encourages shoppers to leave messages of good tidings for neighbors and friends. Unfortunately, someone has left a cornucopia of complaints instead.

And they’re all about Bonnie!

When the scrooge turns out to be a neighbor, fed up with Clyde’s habitual petty theft and trespassing, Bonnie’s claws come out in defense of her kitty. The heated exchange leaves a bad taste in Bonnie’s mouth, but the man turns up dead before she can dish out a proper apology.

Determined to see justice served, Bonnie and Clyde dig into the case with gusto, only to land in hot water with the handsome Sheriff Wright. A series of anonymous attacks soon have the town wondering if Bonnie can find the killer before it’s time to cut the turkey. Or if she’ll be the next one on his carving board. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Murder is a dish best served ice cold…

Margery and Clementine are enjoying a peaceful middle-age together in the small, idyllic town of Dewstow, and eagerly awaiting retirement from their work on the front line serving meals to the students at Summerview secondary school.

Their calm life is shattered when their kitchen manager is found dead in the school’s walk-in freezer. The police are adamant that it’s an open-and-shut case of accidental death. Margery and Clementine are convinced there’s something far more nefarious going on, and they take it upon themselves to investigate.

As they inch closer to the truth, it becomes clear that someone will stop at nothing to keep the pair quiet. Will the perpetrator get their just-desserts before their time runs out?

A delightful, quintessentially British cosy mystery perfect for fans of SJ Bennett and Robert Thorogood.

Readers are loving The Dinner Lady Detectives

‘The plot is great, the character cast is spot on, and the dialogue and humor is so quick, smart, and addictive. Margery and Clem play off one another brilliantly. I cannot wait to read the next book (please say there will be one!!!!!!) and highly recommend this gem.‘ NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘What a fun mystery. I would definitely call this a cozy mystery on the line of Murder, She Wrote! I love the dinner ladies and their interactions. I love the relationship between Clem and Margery.’ NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.’ NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Had me hooked from the start right until the end. It was just a lovely cosy read that felt like coming home on a cold and dark night. I loved it.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Mrs. Jeffries and Inspector Witherspoon should be checking off their Christmas present list but instead they’re listing murder suspects in this latest entry of the beloved Victorian Mystery series.

Harriet Andover had no intention of dying young like her silly siblings had. She intended to outlive them and outdo them as she always had. But Harriet discovers that the best intentions can lead to murder when she is strangled inside her mansion with a house full of holiday guests.

As much as Inspector Witherspoon enjoys his job delivering justice, the last thing he wanted was a complicated murder case just a week before Christmas. He soon discovers that Harriet’s own husband and grown stepchildren are not overcome with grief and neither are most of her friends. And to put the icing on the Christmas cookies, the room where Harriet’s body was found was locked from the inside and she had the only key in her pocket.

Mrs. Jeffries and the household have no intention of letting their inspector down and learn that Harriet’s sister may have died from foul play as well. As the clues mount, this dedicated band of merry sleuths will not rest until they’ve delivered a stocking full of coal to a crafty killer. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook

A heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again.

After suffering a personal tragedy Abby Sullivan buys a huge old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine, where she is adopted, quite against her will, by a huge Maine Coon Cat named Rufus, a drifter with her own tragic past named Georgia, and a giant dog with an inferiority complex named Ramos. What Abby thought she needed was alone time to heal. What she ended up with was, an inn she never knew she wanted, a cat she couldn’t seem to convince to leave, and a new family she’d never be able to live without.

In book 17 in the series, Abby joins Colt as he investigates the death of a local man who died after eating pudding dosed with poison during a community dinner. Was the man targeted or was the poison in the pudding a random act set into motion by a madman intent on murder?

Meanwhile, Thanksgiving is only a few days away and several guests who’ve visited the inn in the past return to spend the holiday with Abby, Georgia, and the rest of the Inn at Holiday Bay family. In addition to the return cast, a couple is looking for their runaway granddaughter and another is trying to make the best of things after tragedy struck his family. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback

Candlemaker Hazel Wickbury has a secret. She knows when someone is going to die.

Welcome to Crucible, a small town with a storied history. Founded by five prestigious families, Crucible has been tucked away in upstate New York for centuries under the protection of a shield enchantment cast by Jedidiah Glenmyre, Hazel’s revered ancestor. The enchanted barrier is meant to protect Crucible from anything bad ever happening to the town. No crime, no awful weather, no natural disasters…a haven from the greater world.

Until the heir to a billion-dollar company is found dead in his home. With the help of her uncanny power, known as a “whim,” Hazel realizes foul play is involved. But more than being concerned about a murderer running loose and Jedidiah Glenmyre’s protection shield deteriorating, Hazel and her aunt Poppy are worried the town’s kindhearted art teacher will be charged with the sinister crime.

Hazel and Poppy team up with an internationally acclaimed mystery author visiting Crucible to figure out who had it in for the victim. Their fledgling investigation has them questioning if long-time friends have turned into foes and whether blood is really thicker than water.

Determined to prove her friend innocent, Hazel is ready to shine a light on the real killer…if they don’t snuff her out first.

“You Can’t Candle the Truth is a unique, charming, feel-good story that fans across the entire mystery spectrum will enjoy. Treat yourself to a trip to Crucible. Grab a pint at the Cold Cauldron and get to know Hazel and the gang. You’ll be glad you did.” J.C. Kenney, bestselling author of the Allie Cobb Mysteries

“With the setting, characters, and mystery storyline all on point, You Can’t Candle the Truth is pure delight.”Carol E. Ayer, author of The HSP Mysteries

“You Can’t Candle the Truth, like its heroine, Hazel Wickbury, is absolutely enchanting…magic is threaded with persuasive charm into the fabric of the story.” Lori Robbins, award-winning author of the On Pointe Mysteries

Candlemaker Hazel Wickbury is about to shine a light on things in You Can’t Candle the Truth, first in the new Glenmyre Whim Mysteries by Sarah E. Burr. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback

Hairstylist Marla Vail flushes out a killer when murder disrupts her mother’s home renovation plans in this stylish cozy mystery.

When hairstylist and savvy sleuth, Marla Vail, gets a frantic call from her mother that there’s a dead body in her shower, Marla realizes this wasn’t part of the home renovation plans. The victim turns out to be the project manager, who had an untrustworthy reputation in town. Disgruntled customers, unpaid suppliers, and the design company’s staff are among the suspects. Which one of them wanted the foreman to pipe down about their shady dealings?

Meanwhile, the lead investigator sets his sights on Marla’s stepfather, Reed, who’s keeping secrets from his family. Reed has a past connection to the victim and won’t come clean about what he knows. As Marla drills deeper, she’s showered with suspicions, but nobody’s willing to leak any information. She needs to hammer down the prospects, or time will drain away and the murderer will strike again.

To flush out the culprit, Marla taps into her pipeline of resources. Can she assemble the clues and demolish the alibis to nail a killer? Or has someone designed the perfect murder?

Recipes Included! (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Kari Stuart is roped into helping out at a dog show—but soon finds she’s bitten off more than she can chew when her best friend is framed for murder in this new Catskills Pet Rescue Mystery.

When the woman running the big regional dog show calls out sick, dog groomer Suz Holden is asked to take over. But it’s too much for her to handle by herself— considering the president of the kennel club, Olivia Weiner, criticizes her at every turn—so she calls in her best friend, Kari Stuart, for help.
A long, stressful day goes from bad to worse when a local breeder is found dead, and the murder weapon seems to incriminate Suz.

While Kari knows her friend isn’t guilty, the police aren’t so sure, especially after a second murder points to Suz again. But trying to run a dog show and investigate a murder at the same time is like herding cats, and Kari will have to rely on the rest of the Serenity Sanctuary staff to keep things running smoothly while she—and her beloved and clever kitten, Queenie—sniff out the truth. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback. Audiobook

Around here we say BLESS HER HEART and sometimes it’s just not in a good way.

Take Neva Hudson for instance, bless her heart, she’s the town gossip, not to mention someone who likes to toot her own horn.

Two toots too many ’cause bless her heart, someone has strangled Neva and left her for dead in of all places…the church’s Christmas play.

Trust me when I say there’s no shortage of suspects since her tongue lashed a few too many lies about people.

More importantly, my dear friend Dottie Swaggert has been on the tall tale end of Neva’s lies and she’s got the most motive. Thank goodness me, Mae West, and our group of friends, the Laundry Club Ladies have traded our Christmas play elf hats into sleuthing caps because Santa’s bringing Dottie a big ole present of FREEDOM when we find the real killer.

’Tis the season for murder in the small town of Normal, Kentucky. When the town gossip is found strangled to death in a church, there’s no shortage of suspects. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle