cozy mystery – Page 73 – Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery

A Riesling to Die–review

July 15, 2018July 15, 2018 Tari Hann

I had read this five days ago (July 10) but somehow must have forgotten to do a blog post about it. Like the book I just finished, this one is also written by J.C. Eaton, the husband and wife team of Ann Goldfarb and Jim Clapp. This is the first in their newer series, Wine Trail Mysteries.

My Goodreads review:

A Riesling to Die by J.C. Eaton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was the first book I’ve read by this author, also known as husband and wife writing team of Ann Goldfarb and Jim Clapp, but it definitely won’t be my last. I’m going to start their other series very soon! I really loved this book and all the diverse and sometimes quirky characters. There were twists and turns throughout and I definitely didn’t guess this killer.

Norrie Ellington was part owner of a winery in the Finger Lakes region of NY, but her day job was living in the city and writing screenplays. Her sister Francine and Francine’s husband, Jason needed to go to Costa Rica for Jason’s entomology research, and they needed her to oversee management of the Two Witches Winery for a year. Norrie expected to simply sit on the sidelines, run a meeting every so often and possibly help with hiring summer temp employees. What she hadn’t banked on was the murder of one of the community’s most disliked person, Elsbeth Waters, who owned the local B&B. Since Norrie herself was a person of interest, she was determined to find the real killer. With the help of two new friends, Theo and Don, the couple who ran a neighboring winery, she was able to eventually figure things out and bring the real killer to justice. Alvin, the dwarf goat even had a hand, or should I say hoof, in catching the killer.

I think Theo and Don had to be my favorite characters! They were just all-round, textbook good friends to have. They listened, they had Norrie over for meals and they gave her their full support, not to mention loaning some employees if needed. Cammy seemed like a nice person too since Norrie had decided she was going to the one of the few people she told about her sleuthing. I got a kick out of Lizzie, a retired CPA who worked for the winery and had a super-charged interest in sleuthing like Nancy Drew. She didn’t really help or hinder, but she made for an interesting character.

The book was well-written and I was actually glad it didn’t get into the wine-making processes or anything technical because while I like the whole idea of a winery (setting, cool building etc) I’m not real interested in the processes. Maybe the tasting, though, lol. 😉

I’m really anxious for the next book to come out since there was a description at the end of the book telling briefly what will happen in it.

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Booked 4 Murder–review

July 15, 2018July 15, 2018 Tari Hann

This was such a fun book! It’s the first book in the Sophie Kimball series, written by husband and wife team of Ann Goldfarb and Jim Clapp aka J.C. Eaton. I just the first in their new Wine Trail series and already knew I loved their writing style. This book starts with Minnesota and Arizona in September, a super warm month yet for Arizona and Phee at times probably wondered what she was thinking when she told her mom she’d look into her book club problem for her by coming out for a visit.

I loved the idea of Phee’s mom having a little chiweenie as her companion–this is the best unlicensed picture I could come up with. I wish Phee liked little Streetman better than she currently does!

My Goodreads review:

Booked 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can’t believe I waited so long to read this book! I was sucked in from the very beginning and could barely put it down. Phee and her mom were such great characters together, yeah maybe her mom is a tad annoying but isn’t everyone’s a little that way? The person I guessed was not the perp, and I even went for a kind of obscure person.

Sophia “Phee” Kimball got a call from her mom, frantically saying that the book their book club was reading was cursed since three people had already died after reading it. Phee tried to reason with her mom but she knew early on she’d end up down in Arizona from Minnesota. Phee’s good friend, Nate, a detective with the police department where she was in accounts receivable, encouraged her to go. He said she always did such a good job of tracking down receipts and things like that, she’d be a natural for investigating. Phee didn’t really know where to begin, but with Nate’s guidance, she soon had a lot of good information, including what her mother had written down for her before she got there.

I loved how Nate and Phee would share info and how he’d get the tech guy helping her. It was kind of refreshing not to have the main character worrying about which guy she likes, and instead have the male character she’s interacting with be 20 years older and more her mentor. That gave her time to be more concerned with finding out the answer to what ended up being a whole trail of secrets and puzzles that led to the senior ladies’ deaths. Was it murder or was someone using the supposed-curse to their advantage? Who would want to off these sweet old ladies? You’ll have to read and find out. You’ll be surprised and pleased with the ending. Phee somewhat got to Miss Marple and Poirot her findings, but that final book meeting/reveal was pretty hilarious at times.

I really like what happened at the very end of the book when she returned to her office job. You’ll know if you read book blurbs, but I don’t want to be responsible for spoiling it for someone. All I know is, book 2 here I come.

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Class Reunions Are Murder–review

July 13, 2018July 13, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the first in what I hope is a really long series (Poppy McAllister) by Libby Klein. It came out earlier this year and I consistently heard it was one of the funniest books out there, and I was not disappointed! I don’t think I’ve laughed so much while reading a mystery! These are some really great characters and I highly recommend starting this series! The second one “Midnight Snacks Are Murder” comes out July 31, and the third one, “Restaurant Weeks Are Murder” comes out February 26, 2019.

My Goodreads review:

Class Reunions Are Murder by Libby Klein

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such a fun book to read! I found myself laughing on a regular basis at some of the scenes. I think this series is definitely off to a great start and I can’t wait to find out what the next book brings.

Poppy McAllister let herself be talked into going to her 25th high school reunion by her best friend, Sawyer. She was widowed, depressed and quite a bit overweight, so she had no desire to be seen by anyone, except her cat Figaro that she lived with in her and her husband’s big house. Poppy stayed with her Aunt Ginny, her mother’s sister, who lived in a big Victorian in Cape May, NJ. Not more than once, Poppy longed to be home in Virginia, especially when at the reunion she discovered the very dead body of the so-called class sweetheart and Prom Queen, Barbie Pomeroy Clark. Lots of secrets were hidden by the various characters in this story and there was a really good side mystery involving Aunt Ginny and a social worker who was trying to force her out of her home and into assisted living, claiming that Ginny’s eccentric and sometimes flamboyant personality was senility.

There were some really great characters in this book, but I think my favorite, aside from Poppy herself, was her Aunt Ginny. She was sharp as a tack and faithful to her niece. She was not going to let her niece go to jail for a crime she didn’t commit, but the local police officer, Amber Fenton, who just happened to be a classmate, seemed determined to arrest Poppy for the murder. Poppy had to work twice as hard to gather evidence, because Amber said it was just a matter of time before the lab report would come back and Poppy would be arrested for real this time.

I can honestly believe there are people like this, mean girls who simply got older but are still mean, flirts who have never stopped going after the opposite sex and people who unmercifully make fun of overweight people, even if they are in the same shape themselves. I was really proud that Poppy finally took her life into her hands and worked on her whole self, not just her weight. The cute coffee shop owner apparently thought she was pretty enough to want to date, as did her ex-boyfriend Tim, whom she’d almost married. She had a really good epiphany towards the end and it turned her life around. Now she had two handsome guys interested in her, wonderful friends who stuck by her through the whole ordeal as well as an awesome aunt who even put up with her cat that got into crazy destructive moods.

The showdown was great! I had a suspicion who the killer was but I had no idea why, and I did waver back and forth. The scene with the social worker who was trying to get Ginny into assisted living was epic! You’ll just have to read it and find out, it’s just too good to spoil. I can’t wait to read the next book. Things are definitely looking up for Poppy McAllister!

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Stay Calm and Collie On–review

July 13, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the first book in the Pet Palace series written by Lane Stone. I sort of found it by accident, then when I found out it took place in Delaware, which I need for my Read Across the USA and Literary Escape challenges, I grabbed it (it was also on sale hehe). But I’m really glad I read it because it was thoroughly enjoyable and laugh out loud funny at times! Oh and I Googled Lewes, Delaware and was surprised but happy to find out it’s a real place!

My Goodreads review:

Stay Calm and Collie On by Lane Stone

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fun idea for a cozy mystery! A pet daycare and spa with a royal theme, co-owned by an American and a British Lady. I really loved the unlikely-seeming business partnership between Sue Patrick and Lady Anthea Fitzwalter from England. This wasn’t an easy mystery to figure out, so I just sat back, read and enjoyed the ride. I knew I’d never figure out who did it. There were some great twists and plot turns, as well as some memorable characters and laugh out loud moments. I enjoyed the sense of humor throughout so much!

Hoping to drive in more business to the Buckingham Pet Palace, Sue Patrick was getting a visit from her business partner from England, Lady Anthea Fitzwalter just as her delivery driver went missing–with three of her clients’ dogs he was supposed to deliver. He showed up dead in her company van, and there was no shortage of suspects. I liked it that the main character wasn’t under suspicion, as is usually the case in a first of series cozy, a refreshing change. The police chief was pretty nice too and seemed very tolerant of Sue and her little band of amateurs investigating. Sue and Anthea made quite the team, along with Shelby and Dana, who were Pet Palace employees. The showdown with the killer was great, and Anthea’s quick thinking saved the day.

The gala with Lady Anthea as the special guest went great and showed that even royalty enjoys digging their feet into a beach sometimes. I hope she stays around, as was hinted (you’ll find out if you read the last part of the last chapter), since I think she and the others all work well together. Anthea was definitely a team player and didn’t use her title as an excuse to get out of even the grunt work at the Pet Palace. I’m anxious to read more in the series, see if Anthea stays for good and also see how if anything ever works out between the police chief and Sue, who seemed to be getting along pretty well.

Just a fun note: What I thought was really cool, is that Lewes, Delaware is a real place! There are so many times when I read a book and the author will say “it’s based on a real place.” I looked up Lewes just for fun–and there’s even a Gilligan’s pub there! I may have found a new bucket list place to visit!

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Disorderly Conduct–review

July 11, 2018July 11, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the fourth book in the Maggie McDonald series by Mary Feliz. I really, really enjoyed the first book, which I read back in May. I requested this book through NetGalley, and that made me jump out of order to read it. I do have the other two and plan to read them to catch up. There are several different topics packed into this book, but it all weaves together very nicely in solving the mystery.

My Goodreads review:

Disorderly Conduct by Mary Feliz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this newest book in the series! I had only read the first book and started out reading an advanced copy, but I eventually bought the Kindle version. I’m definitely planning to read the other two books since I have them on Kindle as well. If the others are anything like this book, they can probably all be stand alone stories. I knew the basic characters from the first book, but anything that happened in between, the author did a good job of explaining, without revealing any important clues or whodunits.

Maggie’s best friend Tess got the call that her husband Patrick was found dead on a trail where he used to run, which was right in the line of the wildfires going on in the area in August. When Tess was arrested for the murder, Maggie knew it was up to her to investigate. They were already good friends with the police chief, Jason Mueller, and he was always grateful for her help. There were some great twists and I definitely didn’t guess who the killer was. I hope the character of Martin stays around. He seemed like such a nice guy, and I loved how he protected the boys in a situation. I found out later in the book that he himself was a dad with family in Nicaragua. You’ll have to read the book and find out more of his story!

The book was really interesting and kept me reading. I’m anxious now to catch up and read the other two books before a fifth one comes out (I haven’t heard anything about that but I’m hoping there’s more coming in this series!)

There are some great resources at the end of the book as well as a few tips for anyone who has to be involved in a disaster such as the wildfires that were taking place in this book.

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Rosemary and Crime–review

July 9, 2018July 9, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the first book in the Spice Shop series written by Gail Oust. I had heard of this series but when I was browsing the Libby app (powered by Overture, the library app) on my iPad yesterday, I ran across the first in this series and thought, why not? I’ve been curious about it anyway. I was so glad I borrowed this book, it was really good. Check out my Goodreads review!

My Goodreads review:

Rosemary and Crime by Gail Oust

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’d been curious about this series since a new one had recently come out but it was such a long-running series, I decided to start at the beginning and read this one when I found it on the Overdrive library app. I quickly became engrossed in this little Georgia town with all its quirky, gossipy characters. It was definitely a well-written, well-thought out plot and I didn’t guess the killer until the author started the reveal. The showdown was pretty exciting.

Piper Prescott had just gotten divorced from her husband who was now dating a girl who was 24 years old. CJ and Piper shared a son, Chad, and a high school freshman, Lindsey. They were on fairly good terms but Piper had no patience for the girl CJ was dating who was nearly half her own age…and his.

Piper’s new shop, Spice It Up!, was slowly becoming popular in the small town and she was hoping that a local chef named Mario would come and do a recipe demonstration to help tell people about spices she had available. When she found an injured puppy, it led her to eventually going into Mario’s restaurant and finding his very dead body. New police chief McBride seemed obsessed with wanting to charge Piper with the crime, so she and her bestie, Reba Mae (who honestly made me think of the singer with the same first name) started investigating the others who would have a reason to want Mario out of the picture.

There were a lot of characters in the book but as I read, some of them were minor players and I found out the more major ones weren’t really hard to keep track of after all. I just loved Reba Mae, Piper’s best friend! What’s not to love about a sassy Southerner for a best friend? Being a hairdresser gave her access to all the town’s best gossip and sometimes it even came in handy. I really liked Dr. Doug Winters, the local veterinarian who patched up the injured puppy that Piper ended up adopting. They seem like a cute couple…but then there is also something interesting developing between Piper and the police chief, once he figured out she wasn’t guilty, that is.

I know I want to keep reading this series. Melly, CJ’s mom was such a hoot! She could be a snooty woman of wealth but I loved that she was willing to watch the store for Piper whenever she needed her. I think that Piper made a lot of headway with her daughter, Lindsey, too and that despite being a teen spoiled by her rich daddy, Lindsey will turn out just fine.

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Hummus and Homicide–review

July 6, 2018July 6, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the first book in the Kebab Kitchen series by Tina Kashian and also her first cozy mystery. I think she hit one right out of the park with this book! It has everything a cozy needs, including a happy ending but just enough uncertainty to keep readers coming back for the next book. I have already ordered the next two books. Stabbed in the Baklava is coming out at the end of August and One Feta in the Grave will be out in late February. Great job, Tina!

My Goodreads review:

Hummus and Homicide by Tina Kashian

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lucy Berberian had quit her job as a patent attorney in Philadelphia when she didn’t make partner. She came home to Ocean Crest, NJ and her parents’ Mediterranean restaurant, Kebab Kitchen and started filling in as a waitress while living with her best friend Katie and Katie’s husband, Bill, who happened to be on the police force. Of course, no trip home is ever complete without a run-in with a high school nemesis. Lucy and Heather Banks had an argument, then Heather showed up as the new health inspector who promptly found numerous things in violation. Imagine Lucy’s surprise when later, going out to the trash can, she found Heather’s dead body out back of the restaurant. Lucy just knew that the police would suspect her since she not only had been last to see her alive, she’d done the serving of her food and drink.

Katie, being the awesome best friend she was, wasn’t going to let Lucy sleuth alone, and the two of them set off to find out some very interesting things, one of which, the police didn’t even know. There was a good twist towards the end, so I won’t go into anything that happened, except everything worked out for the best and people were happy. Now I’m really anxious to see what comes next–good thing I’ve pre-ordered the next two books!

I loved this author’s first cozy mystery! I’m not sure what she wrote under her other name but this book was very well written, great plot and some fun and interesting, as well as likable, characters. When I can feel right at home with characters after only a few chapters, I know the author has done their job well. If you read the acknowledgements in the back and the author’s Amazon bio, you’ll see that Lucy’s life mirrors the author’s life somewhat. Great job, Tina Kashian, I can’t wait to visit Ocean Crest in the next book!

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Who Moved My Goat Cheese?–review

July 4, 2018July 4, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the first book in the Farm-to-Fork series by Lynn Cahoon that came out earlier this year. She’s also the author of the Cat Latimer and Tourist Trap cozy mystery series. The new series is a lot of fun since it involves farmers and a small rural community.

My Goodreads review:

Who Moved My Goat Cheese? by Lynn Cahoon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just love this first book in the newest series by Lynn Cahoon! Even though I had pegged the killer, the twist was great and I had no idea that was coming. I have the second book and will be reading it very soon, I’m sure!

Angie Turner and her best friend/business partner, Felicia Williams, were getting ready to open the first farm-to-table type restaurant in the River Vista, ID area. Everything was going to be great: they had their employees lined up, their restaurant was just about ready for guests and Angie had even managed to make friends with the farmers’ market manager, Ian, who had not seemed too friendly to begin with. She even managed to talk to Gerald Moss, the town curmudgeon goat farmer, and since he knew her grandma, from whom she’d inherited her place, he was agreeable to selling her goat cheese for her various dishes. When the old man was murdered, Angie felt a personal draw to investigate this murder since she thought everyone needed someone on their side–and Gerald didn’t have an abundance of friends. She ended up with an adorable baby goat that she adopted that had belonged to Gerald. Dom, her St. Bernard puppy, would just have to get used to it.

When the killer realized Angie was looking into the case, things heated up a bit during the showdown but it all turned out great, along with the County Seat restaurant grand opening. I can’t wait to see what future books hold for Ian and Angie because it looks very promising!

Just as with the other two series of Lynn Cahoon’s that I’ve read/am in the process of reading, she’s introduced a very fun and likable group of characters in this series as well. Felicia is a best friend like no other and Angie’s neighbor, Mrs. Potter, is like having her grandma back since they were best friends. I liked the sheriff too. He didn’t get mean and reprimand her for investigating, only pointed out the dangers and said when you tell someone they can’t do something, they just want to do it all the more, so that was why he wasn’t going to tell her not to look into the case. Ian started out slightly rude but he definitely became a sweet guy and clearly would be my choice for Angie! 😉 I liked how her new kitchen staff worked so well together just on the first practice run day.

I just loved little Precious, the baby goat that Angie adopted when Gerald was killed. I just hope she doesn’t get all destructive like the goats in another series I’ve read lol. For now she’s sweet and Dom, the St. Bernard is a big fuzzball that I would just like to hug! I’m sure before the summer is over, I’ll be reading the next book in the series which just came out this week.

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Home Is Where the Bark Is–review

July 4, 2018July 4, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the first in a cute new series called Paws Fur Fun by Stella St. Claire who also wrote the Happy Tails Dog Walking series, which is also a good series and lots of fun. Willow, the protagonist in this book, was trying to get her grandma’s property fixed up so she could have doggie gym classes there. Despite everything that happens, it becomes a reality.

My Goodreads review:

Home is Where the Bark Is by Stella St. Claire

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is going to be such a fun new series! I just love that little chihuahua Telescope that Willow has! He is right in tune with her and approves or disapproves of people that come in the house. That can be very useful when trying to catch a murderer. I also love that it shows a disabled dog in a great way–he can run that agility course as well as a regular four-legged dog can.

Willow was getting her grandma’s house and dog run renovated for opening her Doggie Gym, when she and the handsome contractor found a body out in the yard. Due to lack of other suspects, her contractor, Griffin, was the main suspect. Willow’s dad was police chief and her sister, Wednesday, (I love that name, reminds me of the Addams Family, wonder if the author is a fan?) works at the police station so between them, they don’t really want to see Griffin as the suspect. Willow and Wednesday did some sleuthing and even Griffin did some. All this did pay off and the killer was revealed. It was who I thought it might be but I had no clue as to why.

The story was well-written, quick and fun to read. I’m looking forward to more in this series!

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Murder Made to Order–review

July 2, 2018July 2, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the second in the All-Day Breakfast Café series by Lena Gregory, who also writes the Bay Island Psychic series that I just finished earlier this spring. I loved Scone Cold Killer, the first in this series and I think I like this book even more! I know from her other series, the books and characters just keep getting better! These two series are definitely ones that the friendship described and the emotions in those friendships can cause me to have a leaky eye or two! I just love the sweet dog in this series that Gia has adopted. I think the picture I found captures what Thor probably looks like a lot!

The third book, A Cold Brew Killing, releases in November, stay tuned because I will definitely be reading that one, possibly earlier than its release if I can get my hands on the ARC.

My Goodreads review:

Murder Made to Order by Lena Gregory

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It’s not every day that I can read a book practically non-stop but I sure did that with this one! This book was everything and more that I hoped the next in the series would be. An old mystery was solved, a couple of relationships got even better and Gia had a great personal epiphany.

Gia Morelli and her dog, Thor, were taking a walk in the park when she stumbled onto the body of the council member, Marcia Steers, who just the day before had urgently wanted to talk to her. Her detective friend, Hunter Quinn, aka Hunt, had been acting a little distant lately and Gia found out that before she’d come to Boggy Creek, Hunt and Marcia had been an item. Gia had trust issues but she learned to overcome them in this book and I have to say I’m proud of how she’s grown since the first book. Hunt was removed from the case due to his previous relationship with the deceased but Gia kept on investigating, along with her friend Savannah who was dating Hunt’s detective friend, Leo. Someone seemed to be stalking Gia and she hoped to get to the bottom of this mystery before she ended up dead like Marcia.

I just love this town and the main characters! I think if Earl was real, I’d just need to hug him, he’s that much of a sweetheart. I guess the only people I truly don’t like at all are Maybelle and her husband. Is it awful of me to keep wishing Maybelle is the perp so she’ll be out of the picture? 😉 Gia and Savannah are more than just friends, they’re like sisters and they seem to be lucky enough to have two of the greatest guys available. Some really awesome things happened in the course of the book, the showdown was exciting, what followed was totally sweet and Gia finally came to a decision about where she wanted to be. You’ll just have to read the book if you want to find out all these things. No worries, even though I read the first book, it had been awhile but I didn’t even have to refer to it since the author is really good about explaining previous happenings without giving away any of the spoilers from the first book.

Anxiously awaiting book three now!

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