cozy mystery – Page 79 – Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery

A Charming Crime–review

March 26, 2018March 26, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the first book in the Magical Cures, a long running series that still continues, by Tonya Kappes. I’ve loved reading her Kenni Lowry series so I knew this one would be very good. It features magical characters so it’s a little like reading Harry Potter except so far no one has done any spells. They just sell magical type items in their shops. I could just picture this cute little village! Here’s my Goodreads review on it:

A Charming Crime by Tonya Kappes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m so glad one of the book clubs I’m in chose this for their March book. It was absolutely so good and very hard to put down at times!

June Heal was happy living in Locust Grove KY and being a homeopathic remedies expert. She made the remedies and sold them at the flea market. One day she was visited by a mysterious woman who along with her lifelong friend Oscar convinced her that nearby Whispering Falls would be a perfect place to open up a shop for her cures. It all sounds perfect until one of the women in that village is found dead holding June’s favorite bracelet that she’d lost.

Oscar, who had gotten a job as the police at Whispering Falls was suddenly having to look at June as the only suspect so of course he couldn’t help her investigate. June was determined to find out who offed awful Ann but at what cost, hopefully not at the loss of her own life!

Wow things happened so fast for June! A woman named Izzy talked her into moving, her best friend got a job in that same town and very conveniently her house sold for a great price. I’m not sure what I would have done in June’s place but Whispering Falls did seem like a really intriguing place and the shops were all so different and interesting. Even though it was a village for magical folks, regular tourists would come and buy cures, jewelry, get facials etc. from the different shop owners. I loved that the pet adoption store had a real tree growing in the center. All the pets seemed really happy there while they waited for their new homes.

I was going back and forth over who the killer might be but at one point I nailed it although as usual, the complete why escaped me. I always love when the sleuth has the presence of mind to record the perp’s confession. Some other fun things happened at the end of the book as well so I’m anxious to continue reading this series and find out more about June and Oscar’s families and if those two ever become more than just very good friends. For now it’s just fun getting to know the different town members and see how this town operates.

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Fit to Die–review

March 18, 2018 Tari Hann

Don’t fall over, I’ve read two in the same series in a row again 😉 This one is the second book in the Supper Club series by Ellery Adams, currently undergoing revisions to reflect the author using her Ellery Adams name now on the series instead of JB Stanley. I voluntarily read and reviewed this copy that I received from NetGalley and the publisher. I liked the first two books so much I did buy the third one and I look to get the others as well.

Image was listed on Google under the ok for reuse section of the tools.

My Goodreads review:

Fit to Die by J.B. Stanley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m loving this series so much I couldn’t stop with the first book. This book was just as amazing and the Flab Five even got to add a couple of new friends to the mix. I loved how once they got their weight loss programs back under control, they all gained the confidence they’d been needing. Things were getting better between James and his dad, Jackson. Lucy was working very hard to help out the sheriff’s department and hopefully get to take the deputy exam soon.

It was late spring and the whole town of Quincy’s Gap was abuzz with excitement when new citizen Willy opened up his Polar Pagoda. There was also a new fitness program in town and he and the owner definitely didn’t see eye to eye. Also some of the townspeople weren’t very happy with Willy’s shop for selling what they said was a suggestive t-shirt saying on a shirt. Did one of these people decided to burn the place down, leaving a body there? Another body eventually turned up as well so the friends had their jobs cut out for them. As in the first book, they all worked together so well as both a weight loss and a mystery solving team.

I thought the Spring Fling sounded like a lot of fun! I really admire the 20-something Fitzgerald twins, Francis and Scott, who work for James, for their innovative ideas for fund raising. This was for some new computers and printers. The Fling was a huge success! I was so happy that Jackson Henry was beginning to act more like a real father to James now. He still didn’t want to talk about his art but apparently he was becoming successful and was willing to have some improvements done on their home.

I liked these first two books so much I bought the third and am thinking of starting it soon!

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Carbs and Cadavers–review

March 17, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the first book in the newly revised Supper Club series by Ellery Adams. Originally she had used the name J.B. Stanley but has had all the books revised, or is in the process of doing that, to use the same name across all her series. I originally read this book in July of 2017 and since I reviewed it on Goodreads then, it won’t count as part of my challenge for 2018.

I wanted to re-read it so I could take part in a Facebook book club that Ellery is having until March 23. She’s doing a daily giveaway or sometimes two and asking questions about the story. I felt like I had forgotten a lot so I wanted to re-read and also mention the book here since I only just started this blog January 2018. I owned the original on Kindle but loved the new cover so much so I requested the revised edition from NetGalley to voluntarily read and review.

I’m writing longer book reviews now but here’s the short, sweet and to the point one I wrote for Goodreads last July:

Carbs and Cadavers: A Supper Club Mystery by Ellery Adams

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved the camaraderie and caring these new friends have

I really liked the switch from usual cozies to a male protagonist. James is so sweet and I was really happy he and Lucy hit it off. All of these weight loss friends were awesome and were just depicted as people anyone would be happy to have as friends. The mystery was well told and I had no idea who the killer was. The ending had me wondering how the friends were going to get the better of the perp but it worked out great. I would definitely be interested in reading the next in the series.

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Deja Moo–review

March 15, 2018March 15, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the third book in the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series by Kirsten Weiss. I wasn’t really sure how I’d like it although I’m not opposed to paranormal books. I just didn’t want for it to be too creepy and it seriously was not. There was nothing that couldn’t be explained–it was all done by humans.

The only thing that could really be construed paranormal was the talk of the curse but Maddie, the museum owner doesn’t even believe in curses. I’m trying to help anyone who might have doubts about reading this, don’t have those doubts, it’s a really fun book with some great characters. I plan to read the first two in the series since I have them as e-books. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance reading copy of this book provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

My Goodreads review:

Deja Moo by Kirsten Weiss

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was a real page turner! I got absorbed into the mystery so fast that I could barely put this down. I finished it by reading straight through since just after lunch. Even though this is the third book in the series, it could be a stand alone if anyone isn’t familiar with the series. I hadn’t read any of the previous books but I quickly got acquainted with the characters and knew what was going on since not too much backstory was really needed.

It’s almost Christmas in San Benedetto, CA which means the annual burning of the straw cow, a tradition started by ancestors in Sweden. Maddie Koslosky, Paranormal Museum owner, now has some cow bells that are supposedly cursed and with the murder of one of the people guarding the cow, some are beginning to think the curse has returned. Maddie doesn’t believe in curses but she likes the publicity the stories bring her museum. For the good of the community, she agrees to a de-cursing of the bells after another body is found murdered the same way as the first man. Can Maddie find the killer before the killer takes care of her and her mom once and for all? And can she do this without incurring the wrath of Detective Hammer, her high school nemesis…only one way to find out!

There were so many fun characters in this well-written book. I love that there’s a trio of girlfriends, kind of like in the Nancy Drew stories. Maddie and her friends Adele and Harper have a weekly girls’ night out to talk over their week or in this case, talk about the investigation she’s not supposed to be holding.

I was glad to see Maddie got closure with her ex-boyfriend and was now able to possibly move forward with Jason Slate, handsome detective partner of Laurel Hammer. Maddie’s mom Fran cracks me up. She’s kind of that typical mom that means well but somehow gets into situations she shouldn’t. It was pretty funny when she had some policemen guarding her house and she was so bored she baked and fed them cookies.

I was definitely not sure who the killer was since everyone that was a suspect did have a good reason. There were some great twists and turns along the way and I was surprised with whodunnit. I loved the take down and ending, exciting and just plain fun. I’d like to go back and read the first two books now and will definitely keep an eye out for the next book in this series.

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Lethal in Old Lace–review

March 14, 2018March 14, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the fifth book in the popular Consignment Shop series by Duffy Brown. She also writes the Cycle Path Mysteries. I’ve read both of those that are out and they are just as hilarious as this series. If you want to have a great time reading and laugh out loud, pick up a copy of this book that just released this week!

My Goodreads review:

Lethal in Old Lace by Duffy Brown

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was absolutely hilarious! There were so many fun moments and laugh out loud happenings from a chick food fight to an old guy fight at a funeral viewing. Of course Aunt Kiki was right in the thick of things as always and helping in a fairly major way with this investigation. I loved that Reagan’s mom, the judge, got in on some of the snooping fun this time. I had only read the first in this series but just couldn’t resist reading ahead since it was no secret that Reagan and Boone would be getting married, something I started wishing for in the first book.

The book starts up right on the heels of the previous book. Reagan said yes and practically promised Boone she’d never pay attention to another dead body again. The only problem was that there was a body in the Fritz sisters’ car and Reagan certainly didn’t want them to go to jail for something they didn’t do. A whole comedy of errors follows, one funny situation after the other which leads to a pretty awesome conclusion where BW, Reagan and Boone’s rescue dog, gets to be a hero.

I didn’t guess the killer very early, but I did have suspicions all along about that person.

There was a little side mystery concerning Uncle Putter meeting with Boone over some legal matters but it seems like that might be an ongoing future small plot since nothing was explained about it. I loved the whole wedding planning craziness. One minute they didn’t want a big wedding, next minute there was one being planned. A super fun roller coaster ride that you won’t want to miss! I probably should get caught up on the rest of the series before the next book comes out but I’m so anxious for that to happen too.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance e-copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

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The Cat of the Baskervilles–review

March 12, 2018March 12, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the third book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series by Vicki Delany. I haven’t read the first two yet but am definitely planning to do that. I really enjoy this author’s Year Round Christmas series and this newer series is no exception. I think it’s excellent just by reading the one book which works totally fine as a stand alone for anyone like me who has not read the first two books yet.

My Goodreads review:

The Cat of the Baskervilles: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery by Vicki Delany

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ohhh this was so good! I literally couldn’t put this book down. This was actually the first one of this series I’ve read so I was just curious enough to read it first. As with other books this author has written, this can stand perfectly on its own. The author gives enough backstory so that new readers aren’t lost but there aren’t any spoilers from other books’ mysteries.

Gemma Doyle is helping her friend Jayne cater a fancy tea for the local theater group that happens to have a famous old actor playing Sherlock Holmes. When the actor turns up dead later and all fingers point to Jayne’s mom Leslie, Gemma once again decides she has to do some private investigation in order to come to the truth. Her friend Grant who owns a rare book shop is around to help her at times all the while that Jayne is trying to make her see that police detective Ryan still likes her a lot even though his partner Louise isn’t very nice to Gemma. Gemma is convinced it’s because she (Gemma) and Ryan were close once and either Louise is jealous or she’s bitter that Ryan got lead detective instead of Louise getting it. Gemma is always worried Louise is trying to find a reason to get him demoted.

After some investigations, leads and the premier play night, everything is revealed at the end in true Sherlock style and the ending is a very nice one!

I’m so anxious now to read the other two books in this series since I have really gotten to know and like these characters. I hope this series continues for a long time. The idea of Gemma and Jayne owning a bookstore/tea room is such a fun one and now that Gemma is a little more in tune to how Ryan still feels about her. It’ll be interesting to see how that works out.

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Southern Discomfort–review

March 9, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the first book in a new series that just came out this week, Southern B&B by Caroline Fardig. I love how it’s set in the South in Savannah, GA, has a B&B and also that B&B has a resident helpful ghost we learn is Uncle Frank who gives cryptic clues. I hope that Quinn eventually gets to see him like Papa Sal and Delilah can.

My Goodreads review:

Southern Discomfort by Caroline Fardig

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such a fun start to a new series! Set in Savannah, GA, Bellandini sisters Delilah and Quinn run the family B&B along with their grandfather, Papa Sal. When their friend Drew’s brother Jason is killed in their friends’ family restaurant and is arrested for the murder, Quinn can’t leave it alone especially since she thinks the police suspect her as well.

Two heads are usually better than one so Delilah gets involved in the investigation as well, along with trying to match make between Quinn and their old but now new neighbor, Tucker. Can they find the real killer before Drew and possibly Quinn are both sent up the river for good?

I really enjoyed all these great main characters! Papa Sal is just the kind of grandpa anyone would want even though he does take advice from his dead brother Frank’s ghost, or so he says he sees him. I loved how when push came to shove, Delilah had her younger sister’s back and dug into the investigation with her. They would tease each other good-naturedly but always were looking out for each other.

I feel like we got to know the characters with just the right amount of backstory and information, definitely not an overload. Delilah and Quinn were people I would want to be friends with. Quinn playing in bar band gigs on the side was an interesting touch, not really something expected out of a B&B part owner.

It was fun how clues that Uncle Frank gave actually worked out–I’m hoping we see, er I mean hear more from him in future books. I was happy to see things develop smoothly between Tucker and Delilah–it’ll be interesting to see what kinds of adventures these people get into next!

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Raspberry Danish Murder–review

March 1, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the latest book, #22, in the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke. I have to say that this book makes it evident that this author truly loves her readers. I won’t say anymore and I’ll advise like I did with my previous post that if you haven’t read any of the later books, only the older books, you might not want to read the review because it’s hard to talk about a book if certain things can’t be mentioned at all, make sense?

My Goodreads review:

Raspberry Danish Murder by Joanne Fluke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book! The ending was just what I was hoping for! I’m trying not to give anything away but even the book descriptions of these last few books in this series are sort of spoiler-like if all a person has read has been the first books. I had only read books in the beginning but I knew what was coming and I was just curious to find out! So I didn’t mind knowing. Now I can go back and read the rest of the series.

If you have not read any later books in this series (from about 18 or 19 on) you might not want to read this review. I promise not to give away the ending but the book can’t be talked about unless I well, talk about it. 😉

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It was two weeks after Ross had left and the police had nothing as to why. Hannah was trying to go about life as usual with her sister Michelle staying at the condo with her and her good friends, Mike and Norman keeping her sanity intact.

The Ross mystery continues through the end of this book but something is revealed then that will explain why he’s gone. Hannah’s trip to the bank reveals that she is now a very wealthy woman who is also the new owner of Ross’s car.

When Ross’s assistant eats drugged candy that came from Ross’s desk, both Hannah and Mike start wondering if the candy went to its intended victim or was Ross the intended victim. Was he tipped off that someone might be trying to kill him so he left? Only Ross knows for sure!

In the meantime Hannah and Michelle with the help of Norman and sometimes Andrea continued to look into the murder.

Since Thanksgiving and Christmas were getting closer, the Lake Eden Inn is having a holiday gift convention and Hannah is invited to take a booth (for free) plus be able to keep her profits so that ended up being a win-win for the Cookie Jar, which seems to have plenty of regular help.

In this book we get to see more of Andrea’s daughter Tracey, a 7-year-old who is working on her career path to be a baker like her Aunt Hannah. Cute kid and smart too! Norman is as sweet as ever and I always get a kick out of Mike and his food-dar as the girls call it since he seems to have a 6th sense as to when to show up at the Cookie Jar or the condo for meals or new baked items.

The take down scene was epic and also very funny. I could totally picture it happening since I happen to be a fan of TV movie Hannah as well so it’s easy to picture the on-screen characters doing the scenes in the books. PK’s murder got wrapped up nicely, the perp got hauled to jail and the cookie booth at the convention did extremely well in three days. At the very end, Mike came with some important news for Hannah about Ross.

If you’re as big of a Hannah fan as I am, you’ll do a happy dance, I promise! It’s very apparent that Joanne Fluke loves her fans! I can’t wait for the next book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance e-copy of this book.

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Banana Cream Pie Murder–review

March 1, 2018March 1, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the 21st book in the Hannah Swensen series. If you are a die-hard read-in-order person and don’t know anything about the later books in the series, I would suggest not reading the review. Even the book descriptions for these later books could be considered spoilers. Just lettin’ you know! 😉

My Goodreads review:

Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SPOILERS INSIDE but not about the killer–if you haven’t read all or most of the previous Hannah Swensen books you may want to skip reading this review.

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Hannah Swensen Barton is on an amazing honeymoon cruise with her new husband, Ross, when at home her mom Delores finds her good friend Tori dead, murdered. Tori also happens to be Mayor Bascomb’s older sister. Of course when Hannah gets home she’s determined to investigate like usual but Mike doesn’t seem to mind as much as he did when they first met.

Meanwhile Hannah’s sister Michelle is now directing the Lake Eden Players’ play that will come out around Thanksgiving and staying with Ross and Hannah. Hopefully Hannah can figure out what happened to her mom’s friend and it’s going to take some checking around in Tori’s apartment which ends up being kind of a fun scene with Hannah, Michelle and Norman doing the snooping.

I had only read the fairly early books but I knew what was coming in this book since I heard that Hannah had gotten married previously. One thing that bugged me a little bit was that Hannah couldn’t figure out how to retrieve her voice mail which seems a little weird for the Hannah I knew in the earlier books. It honestly didn’t detract from the story from me though. I did enjoy the investigation. I always liked the chemistry between Hannah and Mike so I do plan to read the rest to see what happened to drive them apart (obviously Ross but apparently that happened quickly) if they’d ever gotten together to begin with (like they have in the TV movies which I realize have to be different from the books for various reasons).

I always get such a kick out of Delores and now even moreso that she is married to the local doctor. Andrea and Bill have two little girls now, Tracy and Bethie. Bethie is pretty adorable.

The mystery surrounding Tori’s death was really good and Hannah worked her usual magic in finding the killer. I hadn’t guessed who it was until a couple of clues were given towards the end.

Just about every chapter has one or two recipes at the end and boy do they sound scrumptious, especially the one for the banana cream pie. At the end of this book, there is also the first chapter of the next book that you can read.

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Death Is Like a Box of Chocolates–review

March 1, 2018March 1, 2018 Tari Hann

This was a fun mystery and who doesn’t love chocolates? At least these weren’t the kind that can put weight on me because I definitely didn’t have any real ones hanging around when I was reading (oh darn!) lol.

My Goodreads review:
Death Is Like a Box of Chocolates by Kathy Aarons

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you never thought you could get hungry reading about a murder, think again. The descriptions of the chocolates and making them as well as some recipes will make you crave chocolate while reading this (unless for some reason you just don’t like or eat chocolate). There were lots of fun twists and suspects in this book and I’m glad our online book club chose it to read for February.

Michelle Serrano and her bestie, Erica, own the store Chocolate and Chapters. Michelle is a chocolatier and makes delectable confections while her friend runs the bookstore part of the operation. It’s almost Memorial Day weekend which means the Arts Fest and the first ever Fudge Contest are coming up soon. In the middle of all the planning fun, there’s a damper put on the festivities planning when the body of a friend and fellow small business owner turns up in Michelle’s chocolate kitchen. Since the woman was a photographer, the two amateur sleuths, Michelle and Erica start wondering if she has some photos that someone was willing to kill her to keep from showing them. Then to add to Michelle’s stress, famous star chef, Hillary Punkin, is supposed to make an appearance at their fudge contest.

Erica’s brother Bean aka Ben is a famous reporter come home for now. Since Michelle used to have a crush on him and I’m sure he had one on her too, they hit it off even though Michelle doesn’t really want to admit it. The local cop Bobby and Erica have some history as well but I hope that in the next two books maybe they can get pas their differences since later in the book they did talk about what happened before their graduation.

I loved how this little cat would just appear sometimes. Michelle called him Coco but he must have been more of a community kitty because it turned out he was called by two other names by two other local businesses.

The mystery was so good I didn’t want it to end. There were a a couple other intertwined mysteries along with the actual murder (and a second body). I had guessed different parts but didn’t have the whole picture so it was fun to read it as it all came together and made sense. The ending was exciting and justice was served up, literally. You’ll have to read it to see how the fudge contest went and also to see what Hillary thought of Chocolates and Chapters! I was sad to hear there are only two other books in the series so I will have to savor them slowly just like fine chocolates.

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