Cozy mystery writers, if you want me to read your book, just put a really cute cat on the cover. Seriously, there are probably dozens of interesting books I’d like on NetGalley but as soon as I see a book with a cute kitty on the cover I’m like I guess I’m judging a book by its cover, huh? Continue reading Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover?
The Ghost in Mr. Pepper’s Bed by Sigrid Vansandt Sonya Curuthers is a medium who specializes in ghost therapy (in other words, seances). Early one morning at the Whispering Pines RV Park, Mr. Pepper wakes to a ghostly woman snuggling up to him and the resulting kerfuffle between the ghost of his dead wife and the spooning specter sends him running to the woman in charge of the RV park, who calls Sonya for help. When bones are discovered in a pit soon after, Sonya (along with her wee terrier and the ghost of a 19th century Scottish laird) has … Continue reading Review: The Ghost in Mr. Pepper’s Bed
Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual: For Everyone from Beginner to Pro by Bobbi Brown I’ve heard about this book from different sources, and as I’ve been paying more attention to my skin and makeup in the last few months (getting old is hell) I thought I’d see if I could pick up a few tips. There’s a nice long section on skin care; covering the different skin types and how to determine what your skin type is, the types of cleansers and moisturizers to use and how to apply, and lots of tips and tricks. It helped me to straighten out … Continue reading Review: Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual
The Case of the Killer Divorce by Barbara Venkataraman The Case of the Killer Divorce, the second book in the Jamie Quinn Mystery series, has Jamie returning to her family law practice. While representing a wife, Rebecca Soloman, in a hostile divorce, the husband turns up dead. Jamie investigates with PI Duke Broussard to uncover the truth and find a killer. I enjoyed this, the plot was very intricate for such a short book, lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. There was a little more character development, plus meeting an old high school boyfriend and rekindling a … Continue reading Review: The Case of the Killer Divorce
Bones and Roses by Eileen Goudge just 99¢ at Amazon! Sale over but the book is still a great 5 star read, don’t miss it! After wrecking her real estate career in a booze-fueled blowout, Cypress Bay property manager and recovering alcoholic Tish Ballard thought she had put her past behind her. But when she opens an old trunk, a bequest from an anonymous benefactor, she finds it filled with bones and roses. Suddenly Tish is plunged into a murder case that dates back to her childhood. Pitted against her high school crush, homicide detective Spence Breedlove, she finds herself … Continue reading Bones & Roses just 99¢ on Kindle
Death by Didgeridoo by Barbara Venkataraman Jamie Quinn, still reeling from the recent death of her mother, is a family court lawyer battling insomnia and grief. One morning, her aunt leaves a frantic message; her young cousin Adam, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, has been arrested for murder after finding his music teacher, Spike, murdered with a didgeridoo. Although not a criminal lawyer, Jamie’s family ties run deep and she dives in to save her fragile cousin from being jailed for a murder he didn’t commit. Death by Didgeridoo is novella length; at only 111 pages, it’s difficult to sketch out … Continue reading Review: Death by Didgeridoo
Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower Crime and Poetry . the first book in the new Magical Bookshop series, has Violet Waverly rushing home after an urgent call that her grandmother is dying and needs her to return home to Cascade Springs, near Niagara Falls, NY. When she arrives, she finds her grandmother, Daisy, is just fine and lured her back home to take over the family business, a bookshop called Charming Books. Haunted by the death of a friend 12 years ago, Violet intends to return to Chicago to continue getting her degree, but when Daisy’s friend Benedict Raisin … Continue reading Review: Crime and Poetry
Death Pays the Rose Rent by Valerie S. Malmont Tori Miracle was an aspiring crime reporter in New York City when, after being shunted to the unwanted role of fashion reporter, quits her job to become a novelist. After penning her first novel, The Mark Twain Horror House, she waits in her tiny, rundown apartment to hit it big. After an invitation from her best friend, Alice-Ann, to visit her in rural Pennsylvania, Tori packs up her clothes, her cats and her typewriter and jumps on a bus. Soon after arriving, she learns her friend is having marital issues with … Continue reading Review: Death Pays The Rose Rent
The Gut Health Diet by Christine Bailey A great resource, The Gut Health Diet Plan offers information, solutions and hope to people suffering from gut problems like IBS, celiac disease, gluten sensitivity and other digestive problems. I was interested to read this because I have minor stomach problems from time to time and I was looking for ideas on how to improve my digestion. The information is laid out in an easy to understand and precise way. No scientific jargon to confuse you, just plain English. I especially liked the information about probiotic supplements and leaky gut, I’ve done a … Continue reading Review The Gut Health Diet Plan
Murder on the Village Green by Penelope Sotheby It’s a fact of life that if you enjoy reading cozy mysteries, you have to put aside some expectations of reality, or else you’re going to be continually disappointed. And, for the most part, I can do that. Amateur sleuth finding one dead body after another? Ok, I’ll swallow that. Amateur sleuth better at solving murders than the local cop? Sure, it could happen. Local copper divulges sensitive information important to the investigation just between them? Whatever. But once in a while, I find a book pushes those limits just a little to … Continue reading Review: Murder on the Village Green
Breakdown by Jonathan Kellerman #31 in the Alex Delaware series, Breakdown is a story of mental health issues, secrets, lies and murder. Alex is called one day to treat a woman who was put on a mental health hold (5150). He is told that she asked for him; Alex, however, never treated her, but did treat her son for a short period a few years prior. Drawn into helping the woman, who later turns up dead from ingesting a poisonous plant, Alex, along with homicide detective Milo, works to solve her murder and find her missing son. I couldn’t put … Continue reading Review: Breakdown
Whenever I start a new Jonathan Kellerman book, it never fails to surprise me how engrossing they are. I started this book this afternoon and I’m already half way through. Can’t put it down! Continue reading Reading progress update: I’ve read 42%.of Breakdown
Miss Seeton Draws The Line by Heron Carvic I’m not really sure what to think about this book. I haven’t read any of the earlier books in the series, so this was my introduction to Miss Seeton. The plot; solving the murders of several children and the possible link to post office robberies was enjoyable, as was the charming locale of a small village in England. The dialogue is what kept me from enjoying the book. In a few places, I had to re-read some passages several times just to understand what was being said. And it wasn’t the British … Continue reading Review: Miss Seeton Draws The Line
Aunt Bessie Invites by Diana Xarissa Aunt Bessie, who grew up in Ohio before moving home to England as a teenager, is having a good old-fashioned Thanksgiving dinner for 40 of her closest friends. She visits a local farm to make arrangements for the turkey when one of the farmers finds the skeleton of a man hidden in one of the barns. Aunt Bessie is thrown into a 60 year old mystery and works to unravel what happened and to bring a killer to justice. I love this charming cozy mystery series. Aunt Bessie is a Miss Marple-ish old woman who … Continue reading Review: Aunt Bessie Invites
Has anyone watched Houdini & Doyle? I guess it aired on ITV in the UK, it just started on FOX in the US and on Global in Canada. I really enjoyed it, great acting, great plot and I wish there … Continue reading Houdini & Doyle on FOX
Huge book haul this week! Between the library, Netgalley and a few splurges, I am set for a bit! Continue reading Book Flood!
Death at a Fixer Upper by Sarah T. Hobart Laugh-out-loud funny, with a riveting plot, gorgeous locale and charming characters, Death at a Fixer Upper will appeal to cozy mystery fans looking for a fun, light read. Death at a Fixer Upper is the first in the Home Sweet Home mystery series. Sam Turner is a fledgling real estate agent with three offers on a decrepit mansion. One by one, the prospective buyers turn up dead. Can she solve the mystery before she turns up dead? Fantastic book! It grabbed hold of me from the very first page. I made … Continue reading Review: Death at a Fixer-Upper
Grilled For Murder by Maddie Day Grilled For Murder is book 2 in the Country Store Mystery series and can be read as a stand-alone, the few mentions of the 1st book are explained and don’t detract from the current story. I really enjoyed the book; the main plot kept me guessing right to the end I thought the victim could’ve been introduced a little more before she was killed; all you know about her is that people didn’t like her. A little more depth in the character would’ve made her death have more of an impact. I liked the … Continue reading Review: Grilled For Murder
Earthbound Bones by ReGina Welling Being an angel ain’t easy in Earthbound Bones In Earthbound Bones, the angel Galmadriel finds herself earthbound after a daring act caused her to fall from Heaven. With no communication from her superiors, Galmadriel is forced to find her way in an unfamiliar world as she tries to solve the mystery of a little boy hit and killed by a car and the murder of the woman living next door. Galmadriel must connect the dots and find a killer in the hopes that she will redeem herself and be allowed back into Heaven. This book … Continue reading Review: Earthbound Bones
Holy Island by LJ Ross In Holy Island, DCI Ryan is on temporary leave from his job as a homicide detective after a traumatic incident and holes up on an island off the north-east coast of England. A few months into his leave, an islander turns up at Ryan’s cottage; she has found a young woman dead in the ruins of a priory. Not long after, 2 more people are found dead and Ryan is thrown into a dark world of ritual sacrifice, small town lies and long buried secrets. Whew, after reading several cozy mysteries in a row, I … Continue reading Review: Holy Island
People ask me all the time how I manage to find so many books to read. I tell them it’s easy to find books, it’s just hard to find the time to read them all! There are so many places around the web to find great books, here are some of the sites I find most useful: Since I read mostly mysteries, Cozy-Mysteries.com is great for finding books that fit my interests. They have a page that breaks it down into different themes, locales, and even authors similar to ones you already enjoy. A great resource for any mystery … Continue reading Finding New Books
Mystereity Reviews 