Tag: former cop

Murder at the Bake Sale review

Tari Hann

This is the second book in the Maya and Sandra series written by one of my favorite writing teams, Lee Hollis (Rick Copp and his sister Holly Simason). The talented duo also writes the Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails series as well as the Desert Flowers Mysteries.

I enjoyed getting back to the Maya and Sandra series after what seemed like a long time. Hopefully, it’ll be back on their once-a-year rotation they have with their other series. I’m curious to see what happens next to these two clever ladies!

My Goodreads review:

Murder at the Bake Sale (A Maya and Sandra Mystery Book 2)Murder at the Bake Sale by Lee Hollis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’d forgotten how much fun the first book of this series was since it’s been a while since I read it. These two very opposite friends made a heck of a good sleuthing team! And Sandra had grown a little since the first book too seeming more confident and after finding out something in this book, she was more determined to prove she could be a worthy PI partner for her pal Maya who was a former cop and knew exactly how to play things to stay by the book and out of trouble.

Maya cracked me up with her kitchen efforts always backfiring. But just as Sandra was trying very hard at sleuthing, Maya gave it a shot for her daughter’s bake sale. Collectively, these two ladies had some pretty cool kids, two of which were dating (Maya’s Vanessa and Sandra’s Ryan). I know I was suspicious of someone throughout the book for something but never really thought about them being the killer.

The showdown was good with the police getting there in time to haul off the perp. Both Maya and Sandra had a couple of life-changing moments in their individual lives, so it’ll be interesting to see how any future books play out.

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

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With a Kiss I Die–review

Tari Hann

This is the second book in the Theater Cop series by J.A. Hennrikus aka Julia Henry of the Garden Squad series. I really enjoyed the first book in this series when it came out last year and the idea of a retired police officer working as a theater manager. Sully quickly became someone that I would definitely want to be friends with. Somehow even though she’s not on the force, she manages to find herself near a murder investigation. Once a cop, always a cop? At least in her heart maybe.

My Goodreads review:

With a Kiss I Die (A Theater Cop Mystery #2)With a Kiss I Die by J.A. Hennrikus

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Sully Sullivan decided to help out her friend Dimitri at a theater in Boston, she had no idea she’d be getting herself into more investigating as well as running into her old police partner, Toni. She and her cousin Emma Whitehall were investigating her ex-husband Gus’s disappearance. There were two murders, and a lot of people had a lot of secrets. I hadn’t guessed who the killer was, and the showdown with the person was a bit nerve-wracking.

I’ve really grown to like and admire Sully even more after this book. She’s an amazing and loyal friend who would give her friends just about anything without thinking twice about it. That also included doing anything for her friends. The character of Emma was introduced in the first book, and this time she got to go on sleuthing expeditions with Sully, since she luckily wasn’t a murder suspect. Dimitri is such a hoot! He’s definitely a multi-faceted character. He can be sweet and mild or go on a yelling spree at the theater, but when it’s all said and done, he’s one of Sully’s best friends as is her cousin Eric. I’m anxious to see where Sully’s next adventure will take her, since this one was in Boston and away from her home theater.

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