Kill It By Skillet (A Kitchen Shop Mystery #1) by Mary Birdie Belle Meyer, the proprietor of The Wild Goose culinary shop in Walnut Creek Square, knows she sells some great cookware but never thought it was killer cookware until one of her customers is found dead – smacked with a frying pan from her shop. Belle can’t help but do a bit of poking into the matter, much to the consternation of Detective Hawkes. What a fun, charming little book! It puts the “cozy” in cozy mystery with a cute small town, an adorable cat, fun characters (many of … Continue reading Kill It By Skillet

Scared Stiff (Mattie Winston #2) by Anneliese Ryan Heh. Poor Mattie doesn’t have an easy time of it, does she? During a blind date with the OCD William-not-Bill, Mattie is called out on a dead body call. Shannon Tolliver was found dead in her front yard, amongst the Halloween decorations. When Shannon’s estranged husband Erik is arrested, Mattie knows he’s not the killer, so the real question is: who killed Shannon and why? This was a great followup to the first book; thoroughly entertaining and completely engrossing, it was full of hilarious cringe moments (I laughed out loud through the … Continue reading Review: Scared Stiff

The Luckiest Woman Ever (Molly Sutton #2) by Nell Goddin At the local fine dining restaurant, Molly eavesdrops on a wealthy old woman’s not-very-happy birthday party. Known throughout the village for being contemptuous and unlikable, her assembled party goers look less than thrilled to be there. At the end of the evening, Molly finds the woman lying dead on the bathroom floor and it’s determined that the woman died from cyanide poisoning. Molly, having witnessed the whole evening, begins to investigate (which is a good thing, since the local police chief isn’t very good at solving murders.) What she uncovers … Continue reading Review: The Luckiest Woman Ever

Working Stiff (Mattie Winston #1) by Anneliese Ryan I don’t know why it took so long for me to hear about this series, but I’m happy I found it! Laugh out loud funny and suspenseful, it was impossible to put down. In fact, I started this on audiobook and it motivated me to get out for my daily walk, but switched to the Kindle copy because it was so good, I just couldn’t wait any longer to finish it! Mattie is equal parts hapless and unflappable, with a positive attitude that I really enjoyed and appreciated. Despite the setbacks of … Continue reading Review: Working Stiff

Death, Bones,and Stately Homes (Tori Miracle #5) by Valerie S. Malmont I put off reading this for a long time, because it was the last book in the series *sniffle* and the author died a few years ago. *sniffle* *sigh* It was a great series and oh, how I wish it could’ve kept going, if only to wrap up a few story lines. After Tori and her friend Alice-Ann find skeletal remains in a walled up cave next in an springhouse, Alice-Ann is quick to silence her friend – at least until after the home tour benefiting the local Humance … Continue reading Review: Death, Bones, and Stately Homes

Markham Sisters Mystery series #8-11 by Diana Xarissa The Markham Sisters Mysteries are a clean, murder-free novella length (under 25000 words) series and a perfect evening read.  The Hampton Case I’m amazed at this series, which packs a full mystery into barely more than 100 pages, all with no murders. Janet is a real hoot and I always look forward to spending a little time in Doveby Dale. In The Hampton Case, the local supermarket is destroyed by a fire, and Janet can’t help but be suspicious. With the mysterious Edward Bennett in town, they decide to do a little … Continue reading Reviews – Markham Sisters Mystery 8-11

Of Books and Bagpipes by Paige Shelton I enjoyed this mix of intrigue, mystery, long ago secrets and murder. Lots of threads for Delaney to untangle, from an unfortunate incident 50 years ago involving Edwin and his university friends to a murder of a William Wallace reenactor. I loved the sights and sounds of Edinburgh and old castles, it was just like being there. The plot kept a decent pace, and there was a lot for Delaney to figure out and the exciting ending left me with raised eyebrows. With all of the red herrings and plot twists, I think … Continue reading Of Books and Bagpipes

Muffin to Fear by Victoria Hamilton I always love catching up with Merry and her friends and I’ve been eagerly awaiting cracking this one open. I liked that it took the time to set up and introduce the new characters (the tv crew.) In many cozy mysteries, someone is murdered right at the beginning of the book and there’s so little context that I find I don’t connect as well to the story. While the dysfunctional TV crew squabbles were tedious at times, it really helped to develop the characters and by the time the murder happened, I was already … Continue reading Muffin to Fear

Jeopardy in July by Barbara Venkataraman Ahhh Jamie, how can you be such an adept investigator but be so oblivious to what’s around you? *sigh* This series is always a fun, laugh-out-loud, absorbing read. You can’t help but like Jamie, a sassy, independent, and strong woman, yet vulnerable and a little unsure (especially when it comes to Kip!) Her banter with Duke is always hilarious, and the gents at the old folks’ home (named ‘La Vida Boca’, a take off on the Ricky Martin song,  translated, it means ‘The Mouth Life’ which made me laugh a bit too, considering the sassy … Continue reading Review: Jeopardy in July

The Fast and the Furriest by Sofie Ryan Another fun mystery in the Second Chance Cat series, The Fast and the Furriest dug into the shadowy past of Mac, the enigmatic handyman at Second Chances. And what a story it was! It would’ve made for a great soap opera plot even Elvis the cat could get in to (as long as it wasn’t on during Jeopardy, of course.) When Erin Fellows shows up in town looking for Mac and is later found dead, Mac comes under suspicion after an eyewitness places him at the scene. Sarah’s sassy senior friends, an … Continue reading Review: The Fast and the Furriest

Death of a Toy Soldier by Barbara Early Ok, first of all, I have an ulterior motive for picking up this book. You see, I know the setting very, very well. East Aurora, a small town outside of Buffalo, NY, is home to landmarks like Vidlers, The Roycroft, and of course, Fisher-Price and all of its toys. So when I saw that Death of a Toy Soldier was set in that tiny speck on the map that few people outside of Western NY know about, I had to read it. The book was full of recognizable places and captured the … Continue reading Review: Death of a Toy Soldier