Tag: cozy mystery

Casting Call 4 Murder-review

Tari Hann

This is the sixteenth book in the long-running Sophie Kimball Mysteries by J.C. Eaton. There’re still a few books in the middle of the series I haven’t read yet, shame on me right? I started getting the ARCs which is how I kinda got behind, oops. But I’ve loved every one of these books I’ve read and especially enjoy the adorable book covers featuring Streetman, Phee’s mom’s cute little troublemaker. He was in rare form in this book as you’ll see when you read it!

Note: The Goodreads author listing is wrong so I’ve included the real link for J.C. Eaton’s author page where you can see Ann Goldfarb with her beloved late husband Jim Clapp who both wrote this series. The page shown with this particular book doesn’t even have all the JC Eaton series listed, so make sure you use the link I’ve got above for the series. Also Goodreads doesn’t show all the books on the series page so I included the link for the Amazon page which does show all 16 books. (Not an affiliate link).

Apparently Jim left enough notes for a few more books after he’d passed, according to what I read in the Facebook group where Ann posts. That was one of the saddest author passings for the cozy mystery world that year.

#NetGalley #BeyondthePageBooks #JCEaton

My Goodreads review:

Casting Call 4 MurderCasting Call 4 Murder by J. C. Eaton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Isn’t that the most adorable book cover with little Streetman holding that fish? There’s a hilarious story behind it too you’ll learn when you read this book. Phee was doing her usual herding of cats, er book club ladies when Harriet and the gang were gifted with a murder mystery weekend. The funniest part was that Harriet, Myrna and Ina were gonna be extras and got to improv their roles—oh boy did they! 🤣

More hilarity happened when Streetman who was being dog-sat by Paul went on an outing with him. Nope I won’t spoil it but it was super funny. Phee of course figured out the killer and faced off with them but held her own until the cavalry arrived. What a fun book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Beyond the Page via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.



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Death on the Books review

Tari Hann

This is the tenth and final installment in the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries by Victoria Gilbert which I’ve enjoyed since that very first book. Even though I knew it was the last book, it still didn’t make it any easier to have to say goodbye to Amy and her family/friends. Although because of the author’s newest series, Campus Sleuth, it won’t be a total goodbye since it’s set at Clarion College where Richard Muir teaches.

Death on the Books (Blue Ridge Library Mysteries #10)Death on the Books by Victoria Gilbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I knew this was planned to be the final book, but it was bittersweet saying goodbye to these amazing characters I’d come to think of as old friends whenever a new book came out. I’ll definitely miss that wolfish smile of Kurt’s and the banter between him and Amy. He’s come a long way from the first book, in a really good way too.

I loved the final adventure Amy and Kurt had together—he did a really fabulous job of ridding his house of some perps. Everyone had a nice party at the end which this group always loved to do anyway. I know the author’s newest series is in roughly the same setting with Clarion College so I know we’ll run into our old friends there from time to time.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Crooked Lane via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.


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Murder at First Slice review

Tari Hann

This is the fifth book in the Baker Street Mysteries by Valerie Burns, and it quickly became a favorite series right up there with her Mystery Bookshop series written as V.M. Burns. I love both these series and others she’s written because the characters are just so much fun with tons of humor and good times going on along with the murder, of course. English Mastiff Baby steals the show in the Baker Street Mysteries, he’s such a sweetie! 

#NetGalley #KensingtonCozies #ValerieBurns

My Goodreads review:

Murder at First Slice (Baker Street Mystery #5)Murder at First Slice by Valerie Burns
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Poor Maddy was having the worst luck of anyone all through the wedding planning and even now as close as they were to the wedding, bad and weird stuff just kept happening. The worst thing was someone was trying to make it look like Michael’s grandma Miss Hannah killed her obnoxious relative. Maddy wasn’t resting until she found the real killer, so with her trusty sidekick Baby, all 250 drooling pounds of him, they nailed another killer. What a cool happily ever after though!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley and Amy opinions are my own.


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Bubble, Bubble Tea and Trouble review

Tari Hann

This is the seventh book in the Tea by the Sea Mysteries by Vicki Delany, and it’s been a really fun series I’ve enjoyed since its beginning. Bernie always cracks me up with all her different methods of procrastinating, yet she manages to sleuth and find clues. This time was no exception. 🙂

#NetGalley #KensingtonCozies #VickiDelany

My Goodreads review:

Bubble, Bubble, Tea and Trouble (Tea by the Sea Mysteries)Bubble, Bubble, Tea and Trouble by Vicki Delany
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lily’s pal Bernie doing her edits on her manuscript was cracking me up because she seemed to be doing what everyone does when a not-so-fun job is facing you: she does everything except what she’s supposed to be doing, lol. Bernie gets squirreled away easily enough as it is! And Lily always manages to get dragged into the investigation when all she wants to do is cook and bake for her grandma’s B&B and the tearoom.

When a group of ghost-loving women showed up as guests and their leader seemed to’ve ghosted them (pun totally intended), one of the women took over as leader until the tour leader showed up eventually. Things went sideways from there on out, speculations were made about an accident that seemed like a murder, and Bernie actually did come up with some good info. That led to a pretty exciting showdown where the perp actually needed rescuing, imagine that! Only in North Augusta!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Crooked Lane via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.


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Eight Enchanting Elixirs review

Tari Hann

This is the eighth (as indicated by the title) book in the Kitchen Witch mysteries by Lynn Cahoon, and I’ve enjoyed every book from the beginning including all the fun little half-step books in between. I hope it’s not the end but the way it wrapped up, it wouldn’t surprise me. Everything was in a great place though and happy endings were enjoyed by all those who deserved them.

#KensingtonCozies #NetGalley #LynnCahoon

My Goodreads review:

Eight Enchanting Elixirs (Kitchen Witch Mysteries, #8)Eight Enchanting Elixirs by Lynn Cahoon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the way this book ended, I’m guessing it’s the last one in the series. I hope I’m wrong but everything was just wrapped up so nicely from the main murder in the story to some other side mysteries. There were some fun revelations in the book too and by the time I read the Acknowledgments after the book, I could infer from what the author said that this was the happily ever after book of the series.

What an awesome book hangover! It’s just too bad the previous fun covers were changed. Now these new book covers look like every other magical story out there, kinda meh. If I was new to reading the series, I wouldn’t be drawn in by them. At least the old covers still exist here on Goodreads.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

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Savvy Summers and the Po’Boy Perils review

Tari Hann

This is the second book in this fun new series, Savvy Summers, by Sandra Jackson-Opoku, and I’m absolutely in love with the series and its awesome characters. I loved this second book as much maybe more than the first and can’t wait for more.

Savvy Summers and the Po'boy Perils: A Mystery (Savvy Summers Mysteries Book 2)Savvy Summers and the Po’boy Perils: A Mystery by Sandra Jackson-Opoku
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really liked the first book but wow this one blew it away! I really liked the older homeless-looking guy with his dog he was training to use a communications system. That dog was something else and super smart. And Penny always cracks me up with her never-ending obscure musical knowledge and crazy singing, lol.

Savvy’s good friend was being accused of killing her employee, but Savvy knew the woman wasn’t capable of killing anyone so she felt she needed to take this into her own hands. Although facing off with a killer who confessed to poisoning two people wasn’t exactly on Savvy’s to-do list. I loved how the showdown played out after being tense at first. And there was an epic plot twist toward the end making sad tears turn to happy ones. I’m really eager now for the next book and to see how Essie’s 2.0 shakes out.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Minotaur Books via NetGalley, an my opinions are my own.


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A Delicious Deception review

Tari Hann

This is the sixteenth book in the long running Key West Food Critic mysteries by Lucy Burdette and while I’m not as caught up on the earlier books as I’d like to be, I’ve stayed up to date reading the ARCs for the last several years. There were all the emotions in this book and now I’m eager to see what happens in the next book.

#NetGalley #CrookedLane #LucyBurdette

My Goodreads review:

A Delicious Deception (Key West Food Critic Mystery #16)A Delicious Deception by Lucy Burdette
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hayley sure had her hands full this time around mainly trying to stay calm and get ready to give birth in roughly a week or so. But being Hayley, she wasn’t about to just sit around unless she absolutely needed to. I loved how her friend Miss Gloria and Gloria’s friend Annie helped out with the sleuthing. At least Hayley’s riding in style with a car these days since it’s safer for her and the baby, lol. No more chasing baddies on a scooter but she was okay with that.

The last part of the book had some super sad, and super happy moments, all accompanied by the people who meant the most to Hayley especially sweet Nathan and their new little resident. I can’t wait for more adventures with these characters, it’s just beginning!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Crooked Lane via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.


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A Cultivated Corpse review

Tari Hann

This is the ninth book in the Food Blogger Mysteries by cozy mystery author Debra Sennefelder, and I’ve had the fun of reading it from the beginning which I recommend for a more enjoying experience and getting relationship updates–all the awesome stuff that’s so much better when you start from the beginning. Hope’s always got a million plates spinning at once, it’s a wonder she doesn’t see herself coming and going, lol, and this mystery’s no exception. There’s some good intrigue and all our fave characters.

#NetGalley #DebraSennefelder #BeyondthePage

My Goodreads review:

A Cultivated CorpseA Cultivated Corpse by Debra Sennefelder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There was lotsa garden club drama going on here and from the way they’d had enough of it from an internal standpoint, it’s just a good thing the town didn’t have more than one club. Somebody would’ve been killed long before this, lol. Hope took her duties as a new member seriously, but after their fearless leader was killed, she added sleuthing back into the tons of plates she seems to juggle all the time.

Once more Hope found herself facing off with a killer in a remote place in a building, but she used her brains and all she had to do was keep the person talking and shake ‘em up a bit. Drew always cracks me up when he and Hope go sleuthing, and he was on his A-game once more. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book now after Hope’s statement at the end.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by. Beyond the Page via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.


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The Chowder House Murder review

Tari Hann

This is the first in a new series, Downeast Maine Mysteries by Lee Hollis, the brother/sister writing team of Rick Copp and Holly Simason. I’ve enjoyed their Hayley Powell series for years now and also like Maya & Sandra as well as the Desert Flowers series, so I knew this series would be fun, full of quirky characters–and it really was. I’m eager for the next book now.

#NetGalley #LeeHollis #KensingtonCozies

My Goodreads review:

The Chowder House Murder (Downeast Maine Mystery #1)The Chowder House Murder by Lee Hollis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed meeting Maggie, Audrey and Jill who seemed to sorta be co-main characters which was pretty cool since with third person it’s easy to slip into another person’s lead. There were some other interesting characters like Iggy the coroner. That guy made me laugh and I couldn’t help picturing him as John Belushi’s “Animal House” character only in a lab coat lol. Deputy Mason Dooley was another good sidekick type character and I felt so bad for the guy getting pulled away from food all the time. Oh well, Jill was just trying to make him into a better cop.

It was cool how the three ladies figured out whodunnit but still lacked some info that came as a surprise toward the ending, who knew? But that perp was just such a scum that the outcome was super satisfying especially when the perp was so smug before. I liked the ending and can’t wait for the next book now.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.


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The Diva Hosts a Murderer review

Tari Hann

This is the nineteenth book in the long-running Domestic Diva series by one of the first cozy authors I ever read when I got into cozy mysteries, Krista Davis. Her Paws and Claws series made me a diehard cozy mystery fan ever since that first book, and I’ve come to love her characters in Sophie Winston’s series as well. Sophie and her pals were on their A-game as far as sleuthing went in this book, what a great adventure!

#NetGalley #KristaDavis #KensingtonCozies

My Goodreads review:

The Diva Hosts a Murderer (A Domestic Diva Mystery #19)The Diva Hosts a Murderer by Krista Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a super good mystery with a satisfying conclusion at the showdown. There were a few other side stories like Aunt Melly’s new marriage and just who was Sophie’s sister Hannah secretly dating? I felt bad for Sophie’s neighbor Dollie who felt like the police didn’t believe her every time she called in hearing noises in her house. At least she eventually found out the reason for those sounds.

There was a lot happening and once the perp was put away, a couple friends had some fun surprises in store. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book now.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.


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