Toxic Toffee (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery #4)

Author:  Amanda Flower
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496722027
Kensington Publishing
286 Pages
$7.99; $6.89 Amazon
June 25, 2019

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bailey King's in New York wrapping up a six-week shoot on her first cable TV show, Bailey's Amish Sweets, when she gets a call from her Ohio town's resident busybody.  With Easter around the corner, Bailey's been recruited to create a giant toffee bunny for the weeklong springtime festival that will also feature live white rabbits.  But back home in Harvest, death becomes the main attraction when Stephen Raber keels over from an apparent heart attack -- with Bailey and Raber's pet bunny as witnesses.

Except it wasn't Raber's heart that suddenly gave out -- a lethal dose of lily of the valley was mixed into a tasty piece of toffee.  Who'd want to poison a jovial rabbit farmer who reminded Bailey of an Amish Santa Claus?  To solve the murder, she and her sheriff deputy boyfriend Aiden must uncover a twenty-year-old secret.  She'll need to pull a rabbit out of a hat to keep a healthy distance from toxic people, including one venomous killer...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Bailey King moved to Harvest, Ohio after her Amish grandfather passed away to help her grandmother Clara run Swissmen Sweets, the family candy shop.  Since she was a chocolatier in New York, she has the background and experience to do so.  Recent circumstances also resulted in her gaining a part-time television show on a food network, and she spends time in New York, bringing along Clara's young cousin Charlotte as part of the shoot.

After receiving a call from Margot Rawlings, the town's event coordinator, and when Bailey gets home, Margot is in a tizzy, wanting Bailey to create a giant toffee rabbit for the town square.  After she gets Bailey to agree, she thinks that will be the end of it.  But while Bailey is speaking with Margot, an Amish rabbit farmer named Stephen Raber drops dead in front of them.  Stephen was well loved by everyone in the Amish community, and even had Puff, one of the rabbits, as his own pet.  When Stephen's son Eli shows up at Bailey's home one night with Puff, she's wary of his presence, but he explains that his friend Daniel Keim, now married to Bailey's employee Emily, had told him that Bailey could help him find his father's killer.

He gives her a handful of threatening notes his father had been receiving, and tells her he doesn't trust the police but Daniel trusts her and that's all he needs to know.  He also leaves Puff with her, telling Bailey he can't care for her, and he is out the door.  When Bailey calls Aiden, he's upset, but understands, since he knows the Amish.  Now Bailey's stuck in the middle of a murder investigation once again, but this time it might be the last one...

This is the fourth book in the series, and I have to say that while I wasn't impressed with the first one, they've definitely improved and I've come to enjoy this series very much.  I like the fact that Bailey cares for the people around her, not just her grandmother, and wants everyone to find the happiness she's found in Harvest.  She's also still forming her relationship with Aiden; after a disastrous one in New York, she's trying to trust again, and decide if he's the right one.  She's also fending off questions from Aiden's flighty mother Juliet, who's already planning their wedding...which they've never even discussed.

When Raber dies, it's first believed a heart attack, but then Aiden tells her he was murdered, and how it was done.  Wondering who wanted the kindly farmer dead, Bailey can't find an answer.  Everyone in his community loved him, yet once she sees the notes she knows there was at least one person who wanted him gone.  It's an interesting mystery that takes the tiniest of clues to lead her to finding the killer, and it's done very well.

While I knew the identity of the murderer almost immediately, (as I've said before, I read a lot of mysteries), it was nicely done watching Bailey put all the clues together to finally come to the realization of whom the murderer was.  And when we discover the reason why Raber was killed, it was rather sad nevertheless.  But the ending gives us a nice surprise, and something to look forward to in the next book.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Toffee-Amish-Candy-Mystery/dp/1496722027/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3366699459

More on Amanda Flower's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/

The Murders in Tucumcari (A Harley Bowman Adventure Novel)

Author:  Larry Hill
Genre:   Mystery

Digital Book
ASIN #:  B00AT10Z1M
Amazon Digital Services
120 Pages
$3.99 Amazon
December 24, 2012

⭐

Harley Bowman is the sheriff of Quay County, New Mexico and someone is killing the innocent citizens of Tucumcari.  Tucumcari is a small town with limited resources but Harley must find a way to stop the killer before more innocent people die.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

First off, I should have stopped at the blurb when "resources" was spelled "resourses," (I corrected it) but I kept reading anyway...

Saying that, if you read any further, please be aware that there are MAJOR SPOILERS, so if you don't want to know, please quit reading now.  Thank you.

Saying that, first I would tell Mr. Hill that people do not say "you all".  They say "y'all".  If you're going to use the word (and he uses it often), at least get it right.  Secondly, everyone talks 'robot speech'.  By that, I mean they talk like this:  "How are you?  I am fine.  We are here about the case.  We are here to talk to you."  Not, "I'm fine, we're here," etc.  (To be fair, he sometimes does change to the normal way that people speak); and he repeats everyone's full name over and over.  (Tim Bale said to tell you hi.  I told Tim Bale you said hi.  Tim Bale said to call him).  That sort of thing.  It really got annoying when he was using first and last name every single sentence, especially since no two people had the same first name.  I honestly think he was just trying to build up his word count.

Plus, his sentences all read like this one:  "Mrs. Jennings, I'm Sheriff Bowman.  Do you feel well enough to talk to me for a few minutes?" Harley asked Mrs. Jennings.  Didn't he just say he was talking to Mrs. Jennings?  Do we need to be told twice?

When the murder is discovered, not only does he tell the facts of the case to the family of the person who found the body, he also tells the news media so it's all over the news, and questions everyone in town.  I guess they're all suspects.  And as far as I could tell, he hadn't even told the victim's family yet.  I always thought you were supposed to withhold the victim's name until the family was informed, and not discuss the case while ongoing except with people who needed to know.  I suppose everyone in town needed to know.

Also, as we know Harley is the sheriff, but his wife of 25 years cries every single time he leaves the house.  Wouldn't she have some sort of self-control after all that time?  And everyone (including children) in Tucumcari carry guns and know how to use them.  What kind of town is this anyway?  I've been there several times and never noticed any pistol-packing mamas.  They also bring them out to show people every chance they get.  (His wife has one in her purse, and another sheriff's wife waves hers around to let her husband know she'll be okay).

To top it off, there are soooo many words that need editing that it was really difficult to read.  In one paragraph alone he lists this misspelling:  Conchas, Chonchas; and later on calls it Choncas.  See what I mean?  Get a decent editor.  Please.

Finally, the ending itself didn't make any sense.  He went from the murder to something that didn't have anything to do with this book.  It was about another one altogether.  Really odd.  At any rate, I won't be reading anything else from this author.

https://www.amazon.com/Murders-Tucumcari-Harley-Bowman-Adventure-ebook/dp/B00AT10ZIM/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/319095801

The Hanged Man (A Kit Forbes Mystery)

Author:  Elizabeth Stewart
Genre:  Mystery

Digital Book
ASIN:  B007TA5342
186 Pages
April 10, 2013

⭐

Kit Forbes left her job as a high-powered forensic accountant in Seattle to beat the bottle and start fresh in the sleepy Oregon seaside town of Newport.  She's contented with a quiet life baking scones in a local cafe -- until the murder of one of the cafe's regulars draws her into a chilling mystery involving the Tarot, false identities and a commune of hippies whose tragedies extend all the way from the sixties into present day.  Kit's investigative instincts kick into high gear as she begins to uncover the sinister undertones beneath the surface of Newport's idyllic charms -- leading her to butt heads, and other body parts, with Newport Police Detective Patrick Munro.  But when Kit becomes target of death threats from someone calling himself The Hanged Man, Patrick calls off their budding romance to focus on protecting her.  Ignoring Patrick's edict to stop playing amateur detective, Kit delves still deeper into the town's secrets in search of the murderer, circling ever closer to the truth -- and to The Hanged Man's noose.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

This review contains MAJOR SPOILERS, so DO NOT read if you plan to read the book!!!!!

Okay -- I'll admit it.  I'm a mystery snob.  I expect the mysteries I read to be good on their own merit.  By that, I mean the plot needs to be good enough without adding unnecessary diversions to sell the book.  I'll explain further:  Sex.  Sex is not necessary in a good mystery.  I feel (and only my opinion here, people) that the authors who do this only do so to make sure that their books sell.

This book did start well enough: a man is murdered, and a woman who knew him decides to investigate the murder.  A well-used idea, and often done well itself.  After that, the plot fell apart.  Why did she decide to investigate?  According to Kit (the protagonist), she barely knew the murdered man.  Well, we all investigate murders of people who are mere acquaintances, don't we?  (Insert sarcasm).  So, the homicide detective (Patrick), who is investigating the case is a "real hunk."  Naturally, she is drawn to him.  Naturally, they clash almost immediately.  He tells her to leave the case to him, but later on he 'thinks' -- and there is a reason I am using that particular word - that he will let her investigate on her own to see what she will come up with, and then, when things start happening, he gets mad at her for not telling the police.  Huh?  He decides to let her investigate, figuring she'll share with him, but never tells her to do this.

Here's another thing: the book is narrated by both Kit and Patrick.  When it is Kit, she is talking in first person: 'I spoke with Nancy'; when Patrick is talking, it is third: 'he liked the way she looked.'  That in itself bothered me.  It was as if the author decided if she didn't define it this way then her reader was too stupid to figure out who was narrating (I could be wrong; again, only my opinion).  At any rate, it began to grate on me.  Please use one or the other form of speaking; not throw them back and forth.  Quite annoying.

So, back to the sex: they meet, they clash, and less than a couple of days later they're having hot and heavy sex (with descriptions, for those who want to know).  All the while she says she doesn't want him to think that 'she's his for the taking'.  Last I knew, jumping in bed that fast pretty much is his for the taking.  After they sleep together, Patrick decides that because she's involved in the murder investigation, they can't get involved.  (A little late to be thinking that).  Plus, since it is the only sex scene in the book (thank you!) I imagine the gratuitous sex is thrown in there for no reason except to keep people interested in the book.  How naive of me to think this, though - it was thrown in because the true plot was the relationship between Kit and Patrick, not the murder.

Also, with the exception of the two main characters, there is no depth to anyone else.  They are all cardboard; and I really didn't care about any of them.  Example: her landlord, Walter, shows up, is described as pretty much hating people; a few pages later he and Kit have words, he has a heart attack, is taken to the hospital, murdered while there -- and I didn't even care.  He didn't seem real, and neither did anyone else.  Just people she could get information from, and it appeared that it was the only reason they were in the book at all.  Even the murderer only appeared for a few pages in the book, and it seemed that he was only thrown in toward the end because the author didn't know who to blame the murders on.  Practically the entire book was taken up with the emphasis on the "non-relationship" and misunderstandings between Kit and Patrick -- while they were both trying to find out who the murderer was.  When everything was finally revealed, it seemed contrived.  The "secret" really didn't need to be a secret at all.

Now I think I'll read a real mystery.  Maybe Agatha Christie...  

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/313259944

More on Elizabeth Stewart's Books:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7257582.Elizabeth_Stewart

Revenge Is Sweet (Vintage Sweets Mysteries Book 1)

Author:  Kaye George
Genre:   Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781516105434
Lyrical Underground
193 Pages
$14.36; $3.99 Amazon
March 10, 2020

⭐⭐⭐

Tally Holt has poured her heart, soul, and bank account into Tally's Olde Tyme Sweets, specializing in her grandmother's delicious recipes.  Tally's homemade Mallomars, Twinkies, fudges, and taffy are a hit with visiting tourists -- and with Yolanda Bella, the flamboyant owner of Bella's Baskets next door.  But both shops encounter a sour surprise when local handyman Gene Faust is found dead in Tally's kitchen, stabbed with Yolanda's scissors.

The mayor's adopted son, Gene was a handsome Casanova with a bad habit of borrowing money from the women he wooed.  It's a sticky situation for Yolanda, who was one of his marks,  there are plenty of other likely culprits among Fredericksburg's female population, and even among Gene's family.  But unless Tally can figure out who finally had their fill of Gene's sweet-talking ways, Yolanda -- and both of their fledgling businesses -- may be destined for a bitter end...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Tally Holt has moved back to Fredericksburg, Texas, where some of her fondest memories lie.  Her parents are traveling entertainers, and she's had enough of moving around.  She sold her bakery in Austin and moved to be near her best friend, Yolanda Bella.  Tally has opened Olde Tyme Sweets, a candy store that creates candies and fudge using her late grandmother's recipes, and luckily, her shop is right next door to Yolanda's flower shop.  Everything would be good if it weren't for their handyman, Gene Faust, whom Tally doesn't trust and Yolanda is interest in.  But Tally soon finds out that Yolanda isn't the only one Gene has been leading on, and that includes her own young employees, Andrea and Mart.

Things go downhill when the shop is full and Gene is working in the back trying to fix Tally's refrigerator.  Eventually Tally closes her shop but finds a surprise -- the body of Gene, who's definitely been murdered.  Now Tally's wondering who had the chance to kill him and who wanted him dead more than anyone else -- all she knows is it couldn't have been Yolanda, and she's working to find a killer.  The only good part of this is her brother Cole, who showed up unexpectedly and somehow got tangled in a murder investigation himself...

This is the first book in the series and I wanted to read it because my son lives in Fredericksburg, and part of my family resides in Texas.  The bad first: unfortunately, it didn't give me that feeling of "being there."  While there were references to Fredericksburg being wine country and the tourist shops, and included a couple of the names, there wasn't much of a description of the surrounding area.  The addition of Yolanda living in a Sunday house gave the book charm, and I'm hoping there will be more of the restaurants and description of the area in the next book.  (FYI, I've been to Fredericksburg in June -- it does rain, and it comes down heavy!)

Saying that, I enjoyed this book enough to want to read the second one, if for no other reason than to see if there is any character development.  Tally and Yolanda shouldn't be out on their own if they're having that many problems owning businesses; perhaps they might want to think about taking on partners.  It also might be nice that if this is a series about a candy shop, then Tally spends some time making candies there.  Once in the morning isn't going to keep a shop thriving in a tourist town.  She'll run out of her treats fast.  Maybe she should hire an assistant candy maker to help.

The plot was interesting and kept me guessing through a main part of it, but I did discern the murderer well before Tally, although that might be due to the fact that I didn't have as many people to sift through as she did, and I also read a lot of mysteries.

At first it bothered me that the action was sifting between Tally's and Yolanda's point of view, considering I've rarely read books that do that.   While I prefer a book to be from the POV of the protagonist only, this wasn't too disconcerting.  It was just odd, considering Tally was the main character and Yolanda secondary, and she wasn't all that interesting to begin with.  Perhaps in the next book she'll actually grow somewhat.

It also bothered me that Yolanda played with her hair like a teenager.  What woman in her thirties curls her hair around her fingers and 'flips her hair' like a teen?  That seemed immature.  I also didn't understand why Tally, who had a successful business in Austin, couldn't balance her own books and hired people without completely vetting them.  Why she left her shop in the care of only one employee also seemed odd.  No wonder money was missing.  I also found that it wasn't believable that when the murder occurred everyone in the shop was allowed to leave, and the police didn't do a thorough search.  Sometimes it takes days to release a crime scene; but Tally was allowed to open the next morning.

Tally, for her part, is doing her best to make a life for herself and seems to be on the right track.  It's obvious she loves her brother; I actually found Cole to be the most interesting character in the book, regardless of his womanizing, since it was apparent he loved Tally and deep down was a gentle soul.  That stands for a lot.  I even liked the detective investigating.  The only thing I didn't care for about Tally was the fact that she was downright asking people what they were doing at the time of the murder.  Surely she could come up with more surreptitious ways to ask them without them feeling like they're being interrogated. 

When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, as I stated above, it wasn't a surprise, but still the murderer stated the reasons for killing and a warped mind makes their own decisions, while there are people who are driven to do the things they do.  It was rather sad all the same.

All in all, it wasn't a bad start to a new series and I will probably read the next to see if it has improved, and hopefully, there will be more descriptions of the town so people can get a 'view in their mind' of what it looks like; and also, hopefully Tally and Yolanda will have grown up and not be acting like they're still in high school.

https://www.amazon.com/Revenge-Sweet-Vintage-Sweets-Mysteries/dp/1516105435/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3361474974

More on Kay George's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/kaye-george/

Fillet of Murder (A Deep Fried Mystery Book 1)

Author:  Linda Reilly
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9780425274132
Berkley Publishing
304 Pages
$7.99; $2.99 Amazon
May 5, 2015

⭐⭐

Sometimes in life, you have to fish or cut bait.  After walking away from a miserable job and an even worse boyfriend, Talia Marby has no regrets.  She's returned to her hometown and is happy to help her dear friend Bea Lambert by working at Lambert's Fish & Chips, a cornerstone of a charming shopping plaza designed to resemble an old English Village.

But not all the shop owners are charming.  Phil Turnbull has been pestering Bea to sign a petition against a new store opening up, and his constant badgering is enough to make her want to boil him in oil.  When Talia and Bea stumble upon Turnbull murdered in his shop, the police suspect Bea.  Now it's up to Talia to fish around for clues and hook the real killer before her friend has to trade serving food for serving time...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Talia Marby left her job and lost her boyfriend when he fell in love with someone else.  Now she's moved back home and has a new job and is among friends.  But Phil Turnbull is badgering everyone to sign a petition against a shop he doesn't want, and Bea Lambert doesn't want anything to do with it.  In fact, they have words about it, and when Phil is found dead, Bea is the main suspect.  But Talia knows she couldn't hurt anyone, and is determined to find a killer before her best friend winds up behind bars....

While I love Ms. Reilly's other series, I just couldn't get through this book.  Almost every woman was drop-dead gorgeous and almost every man was drop-dead handsome.  Really?  A lot of this was over the top.  Below there are spoilers, so if you haven't read the book and plan to, please don't finish the rest of this review:

Just when you think a cop is going to be the love interest (as we all know there will be one) then lo and behold, someone else pops up later when almost two-thirds of the book is read!  It's as if the author thought she might want the cop to be the love interest, but then changed her mind and decided to create another man - and we didn't even really get to know this person enough to see if we liked him or not.  Then we find out her best friend is dating the cop and doesn't tell her -- which is why I came to the conclusion I did.  If the author had decided that Rachel was dating the cop all along, it should have been mentioned when they were discussing boyfriends - but it wasn't - and Rachel was even telling Talia about a recent bad date she had.  Therefore, it was an afterthought.

Also, the fact that her ex-boyfriend Chet fell in love with horse riding of all things, and it's the reason they broke up seemed patently ridiculous.  I mean, horse riding is perfectly fine, but I can't see an investment broker just heading out to ride horses all day and thinking it's the best thing since sliced bread.  Especially since it can eventually cause damage to your back.  Fun?  Yes, occasionally - but not every single minute of every single weekend.  This was just weird.  Talia should have realized something was up with that, but she appeared rather dense throughout the book anyway.

At any rate, it just couldn't keep my interest and I think I'll be sticking with Ms. Reilly's other series.  Two stars for the writing, none for the plot.

https://www.amazon.com/Fillet-Murder-Deep-Fried-Mystery/dp/0425274136/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2926798016

More on Linda Reilly's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/linda-reilly/

Scam Chowder (A Five-Ingredient Mystery #2)

Author:  Maya Corrigan
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book [Large Print Available]
ISBN # 9781617731402
Kensington Publishing
304 Pages
Various Prices; $6.99 Amazon
June 30, 2015

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Val Deniston loves the historic Chesapeake Bay town where she lives with her grandfather, the Codger Cook.  Running the fitness club's Cool Down Café -- and salvaging the five-ingredient dishes Granddad messes up -- keeps her busy.  She's used to his catastrophes in the kitchen, but not in the dining room...

Especially when one of his dinner party guests winds up face down in the chowder.  The demised diner apparently scammed Granddad's best buddy, and since the other dinner guests have suddenly clammed up, the police have all the ingredients to cook up a conviction for Granddad.  With his freedom -- and Val's café job -- on the line, Val is in a sweat trying to avert a catastrophe.  But dredging up old secrets might just be a recipe for murder...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Val Deniston moved in with her grandfather after a disastrous relationship and losing her job.  Luckily, she found a new one with running the café at a local fitness club.  Her grandfather is using Val's skills with cooking to launch his own career as the Codger Cook writing for the local newspaper, using only five ingredients, which means Val has been modifying her recipes.  But she's learned not to let him in the kitchen due to the fact he can't cook.

One night he decides to give a dinner party, inviting his lady friend Lillian and several other people, and wants to put a certain guest named Scott on the hot seat, because he thinks Scott bilked his friend out of twenty thousand dollars.  So Val cooks two different chowders and then hides in the butler's pantry while cooking if someone enters the kitchen.  But the party doesn't go the way it should, and when Val senses trouble, she uses a back exit to run to the front of the house, and finds that Scott's taken ill...and later dies.  Everyone thinks it was Granddad who killed Scott, and Val decides to involve herself and find the killer, since she thinks the police are only focusing on her Granddad.

But to make things worse, her semi-boyfriend Gunnar's ex-fiancée Petra shows up, and suddenly things start going south for Val at her job, and it just gets worse.  Unless she can prove Petra had something to do with it, she might lose her job.  Now Val finds herself in the middle of two things causing grief, and both need to be figured out or Granddad will be in jail and she'll be out of a job...

This is the second book in the series, and I enjoyed the first, but found that this book still had the same problems.  Gunnar seems a bit self-centered (and dull), and only comes around when it's convenient for him; while I get that he likes Val, he never acts like a boyfriend toward her.  While I hope this doesn't turn into a love triangle, Val's decision not to trust good-looking me is ridiculous.  If she stays with Gunnar, I sure hope he treats her better.  As far as her granddad goes, I would like to see him also treat her better.  He's using her for her recipes and ability to cook, but doesn't give her any of the credit.  Val is good as a doormat.

As far as the mystery goes, it was certainly one that needed to be unraveled.  There were plenty of threads that became twisted together, and taking each one apart not only took time, it took effort on Val's part and several other people to help her see which thread was the one that led to death.  It was interesting and enjoyable; and when we got to the end it all came together nicely, and gave us a murderer who had no remorse over what was done, which is the worst kind to come across.  I will read the next in the series, and there are also some nice recipes in the back of the book. Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Scam-Chowder-Five-Ingredient-Mystery-Corrigan/dp/1617731404/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3357821440

More on Maya Corrigan's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/maya-corrigan/

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme (A Domestic Diva Mystery Book 1)

Author:  Krista Davis
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425224260
Berkley Publishing
304 Pages
$7.99; $7.99 Amazon
October 7, 2008

⭐⭐⭐

Few can compete with local celebrity Natasha Smith when it comes to entertaining, but Sophie Winston is determined to try.  Her childhood rival may have stolen the spotlight -- and her husband -- but this Thanksgiving Sophie is determined to rob Natasha of the prize for Alexandria, Virginia's Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown.  She just needs the right ingredient.

But Sophie's search for the perfect turkey takes a basting when she stumbles across a corpse.  And when the police find her name and photo inside the victim's car, Sophie will have to set her trussing aside to solve the murder -- or she'll be serving up prison grub...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

I read this book because it takes place at Thanksgiving, and I'm reading books about the season.  To be fair, I really liked the mystery part; it kept me guessing right up until the end, which is what a mystery should do.  On the other hand:

1. Sophie is weak; a doormat who won't tell anyone the truth and I hate people like that.  She won't tell Humphrey she has no interest in him (which isn't doing him any favors by the way); she won't tell Natasha she's a pain in the rear and her ideas for decorating are really lousy; she won't ask her mom why she thinks more of Natasha than she does her own child, and so forth.
2. Sophie's mother is awful.  If I had a mother that praised someone else over me constantly I certainly wouldn't have anything to do with her.  Toxic.  Again, she should tell her exactly what she thinks about that.
3. It's not really realistic to see your ex-spouse with your ex-best friend and welcome them both into your life like, "Hey!  No problem!  I wanted to get rid of him anyway, so you did me a favor!"  There was no explanation of why they split up, just that "Natasha didn't steal him".  Their 'relationship' is really, really weird.  But again, probably because Sophie's a doormat and won't tell anyone how she really feels.
4. I got tired of hearing how everything was 'organic'.  Who really cares?  I am a great cook, love doing it, and - gasp! - rarely use organic ingredients.  Nobody notices.  The dishes come out beautiful, taste wonderful, and I am proud of them.  Proper cleansing is all that is needed.  I'm not obsessed that everything in my kitchen has to be organic or it won't taste good.  (By the way, some people might, but I wouldn't use bacon OR oysters in stuffing.  Gross.)

I will read the next installment in this series, but only because I really did like the mystery, and I sure hope that Sophie gets a little gumption by then and tells people what she thinks.

https://www.amazon.com/Diva-Runs-Thyme-Domestic-Mystery/dp/0425224260/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/231341722

More on Krista Davis's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/krista-davis/

The Grim Reader (A Bibliophile Mystery Book 14)

Author:  Kate Carlisle
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; [Audio CD]; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780451491435; [9781662002755]
Berkley Publishing; [Dreamscape Audio]
336 Pages
$26.00; [$22.99]; $13.99 Amazon
June 2, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Brooklyn and her new hunky husband, Derek, are excited to be guests at Dharma's first annual Book Festival.  The entire town is involved and Brooklyn's mom Rebecca is taking charge.  In addition to all of her other event related duties, she's got Brooklyn doing book appraisals and is also staging Little Women, the musical to delight the festival goers.  If that wasn't enough, she and Meg -- Derek's mom -- will have a booth where they read palms and tarot cards.

Brooklyn couldn't be prouder of her mom's do-it-all attitude so when a greedy local businessman who seems intent on destroying Dharma starts harassing Rebecca, Brooklyn is ready to take him down.  Rebecca is able to hold her own with the nasty jerk until one of her fellow festival committee members is brutally murdered and the money for the festival seems to have vanished into thin air.

Things get even more personal when one of Brooklyn's nearest and dearest is nearly run down in cold blood.  Brooklyn and Derek go into attack mode and the pressure is on to catch a spineless killer before they find themselves skipping the festival for a funeral.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Brooklyn Wainwright and her husband Derek Stone are going back to visit the small community of Dharma, California, where Brooklyn grew up.  Dharma is having their first annual Book Festival, and Brooklyn will be one of the vendors, teaching children how to make accordion books and appraising books for people.  She's excited once again to see her family, and Derek's mom and dad have recently purchased a summer home there, since one of their sons is living with Brooklyn's sister, and Derek's mom Meg has become best friends with Brooklyn's mom Becky.

After they arrive they decide to surprise Becky at the festival meeting that she's chairing are are surprised themselves when a big man is standing in front of the group and starts arguing with Becky.  Brooklyn and Derek are stunned, but watch the action, happy that Becky can hold her own.  The man storms out, and they learn he's Jacob Banyan, and he's been buying up wineries in the county only to turn the wine into boxed wine instead of the fine wine like that produced by Brooklyn's family.  He's angry because he's not being allowed into the festival to hawk his boxed wine, and is determined to take it out on the committee members, including Lawson Schmidt, whom he says something cryptic to before leaving.

But Becky is excited that for this first festival they are putting on a musical version of  Little Women, and they've managed to snag an ex-Hollywood movie star for the role of Marmee.  Everyone's excited about the festival, and Brooklyn is also, though she's happier just to have family and friends around her.

Unfortunately, things aren't going the way they're planned.  There's more confrontations with Banyan, her mother has become a target of someone, and then there's a murder...one where Becky and Meg have found the body.  Now everyone is on edge, and Brooklyn is trying to protect her mother with people watching her round-the-clock.  But when a second murder occurs, the ante is upped and she knows that not only is there a killer out there, but her beloved mom is in danger, and Brooklyn will do whatever it takes to protect her...

This is the fourteenth book in the series, and I do believe that it's just getting better every time.  I discovered this series mid-way, and I'm enjoying going back to the beginning 'where it all started.'  Saying that, you can see how much I love it.  In this book, we get to know more about Becky, which is nice.  She has both an inner and outer strength, which she passed on to Brooklyn, but Becky, for her part, isn't bothered by anything little like blood which still makes Brooklyn queasy.  (Blood doesn't bother me, either, but my husband isn't real fond of it, ha!)

We learn a little more about about the place Brooklyn grew up, which everyone thinks was a commune but really wasn't, and of course, the author reiterates how Brooklyn and her siblings got their names, which is always nice.  I also like how the relationship between Meg and Becky has gotten stronger; and I've always found it funny that Becky is proud of Brooklyn not only for who she is, but the fact that she manages to find dead bodies.  It's rather macabre, but still done in a humorous way, so when Becky and Meg find the body, they're almost excited to have done so.

When the police start investigating, they want to know who wanted this person dead and why.  But it leads to other things that are discovered and not in a good way - putting more than Becky in harm's way, and now Brooklyn and Derek are trying to find out what's going on while Brooklyn is still preparing for the festival.

The plot is done beautifully, the dialogue is witty and fun, and the characters are given depth and are believable and animated.  The area around Dharma is described so lovely that I'd like to visit it someday.  Ms. Carlisle has a way with words and a talent for bringing you into the story from the first page and taking you on the journey with her to the end.  It all comes to a head eventually, which we know it will; and when the killer is discovered and the motive for the murders, it's as old as time itself, but never dull in the telling.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Grim-Reader-Bibliophile-Mystery/dp/0451491432/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3350462564

More on Kate Carlisle's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/kate-carlisle/

Killer Chardonnay (A Colorado Wine Mystery Book 1)

Author:  Kate Lansing
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780593100189
Berkley Publishing
304 Pages
$7.99; $7.99 Amazon
May 26, 2020

⭐⭐

Parker Valentine has always dreamed of opening her own winery in her hometown of Boulder, Colorado.  But she gets more than she bargained for when a food and wine critic unexpectedly shows up at Vino Valentine on opening day.  A negative review could be fatal for business, and not only does he seem to hate her chardonnay, he also collapses and dies shortly after drinking it.

Although Parker hoped that the attendees would put a cork in it, soon her winery is at the center of a media firestorm.  With #killerchardonnay trending online, Parker's business is in danger of closing, and she has no choice but to investigate the murder herself.

To restore her reputation, catch a killer, and keep her struggling business open, Parker needs only one thing:  some good proof.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Parker Valentine has always wanted to own a winery, and finally her dream has come true.  Her grand opening has come, and while it's not packed, there are, at least, several people, including her brother Liam and his friend Reid.  Also present is a local restaurant blogger who showed up and Parker - snooping on his tablet - sees that he's given one of her wines a bad review.  But it doesn't matter when the man almost immediately turns up dead, and now she's under investigation as a suspect, and her winery is put on the no-go list by people who liked the blogger.  With her livelihood at stake, Parker knows if she's not the one to find a killer, she'll be out of business -- for good...

I really love mysteries, and I really wanted to like this book.  But, unfortunately, it read like a bad Foreign movie.  To wit: it's as if someone were holding a camera behind another person, watching their every move as they go about their day.  She tells us everything that happens in the right-here-and-now as it occurs.  For example, if she drops a pin she'll say: 'I drop a pin and pick it up,' not 'I dropped a pin and picked it up."  It's disconcerting.  It's as I said, like following someone around to see what they're doing, like you're watching a documentary.  It makes it difficult to believe that she knows what another person is thinking at exactly that time.

This is what I personally disliked about the book.  I don't mind books written in first person, many of them are of course quite good.  But this is "happening right now" and I honestly don't care for this style of writing; in fact, I don't think I've ever read a book that was written like a documentary before.  There were also a few other things, but they were minor, like her statement that her friend Sage was wearing "a fierce blouse that brings out the red in her hair."  What, pray tell, is exactly a 'fierce blouse?'  Is it angry?

I also didn't really care for the potential love triangle, but then again, I really hate them in books anyway.  I'm again stating that if it were a man stringing along two women, you wouldn't think much of him, so why is it okay when a woman does it?  It's not. 

While this book has plenty of potential, and the author has a decent start to a series, I just didn't care for the follow-me-around-while-I-go-about-my-day-feeding-my-cat-etc.; I much prefer the past tense of "I fed my cat and drove to the store," not "I'm feeding my cat and driving to the store."  Very sorry, but unless this author changes the narrator's tense, I won't be reading any more of these books.

https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Chardonnay-Colorado-Wine-Mystery/dp/0593100182/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3348883356

More on Kate Lansing's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/kate-lansing/

Prose and Cons (A Magical Bookshop Mystery #2)

Author:  Amanda Flower
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780451477453
Berkley Publishing
323 Pages
$7.99; $7.99 Amazon
December 6, 2016

⭐⭐

October in Cascade Springs means tourists are pouring in for the annual Food and Wine Festival, and Daisy hopes to draw those crowds to the store.  She asks Violet and the local writing group, the Red Inkers, to give a reading of the works of Edgar Allan Poe in the shop's back garden to entertain the revelers.  Everyone eagerly agrees.

Yet their enthusiasm is soon extinguished when Violet discovers one of the writers dead during the event.  After the shop magically tells Violet she'll need to rely on Poe's works to solve the murder, she enlists the help of her trusty tuxedo cat, Emerson, and the shop's crow, Faulkner.  But they must act fast before someone else's heart beats nevermore...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Violet returned home after years away to help her grandmother Daisy run the book shop they own, with a magical tree growing right in the center of it. For the most part, she's settled in as the new caretaker of the tree, and is enjoying being home again.  Now that October has come around and the Halloween season is near, the writers' group - the Red Inkers - are having a reading of Edgar Allan Poe's works for locals and tourists alike, and all are going to be dressed in period costumes.  However, when one of the writers uses Violet's apartment to change into her costume, she never returns.  Violet goes looking for her, and finds her on the stairs, dead.  After notifying police chief David Rainwater - who happens to be a member of the group and close at hand - Violet does her best to keep everyone calm and right there, since they will need to be questioned.  But it also becomes apparent that the woman was murdered, and now they have to find out who hated her enough to want her dead...if only Violet can stay alive long enough for Chief Rainwater to find the culprit...

This is the second book in the series and I really wanted to like it as much as the first, especially since I adore Edgar Allan Poe's writings.  However, it fell flat for me.  For one, I am honestly worn out with the protagonist dating the police chief, and I was really hoping she'd tend to go in another jdirection (no spoiler there; it's obvious from the beginning she's attracted to the man).  Oh, well.  Just another series with the MC dating a police officer.  No novelty, no loss.  Especially since she leads on the ex-boyfriend, who thinks he has a chance with her. 

Secondly, Violet has a chance to find out more about her past but it was missed - as if the author wanted to introduce a new character but wasn't sure how to fit that person into the mix and so decided to have them effectively be in a "drive by" situation - you're there and then you're not.  It would have been very interesting to see where it was going; but perhaps in later books this will be remedied.

Then, after reading further, it didn't make any sense why the dead woman was in this group of writers, and I'm not saying more than that, but if you read the book you will understand why I do.  Also, I didn't feel that the reason she was murdered made any sense at all.  It seemed a weak excuse to me.  Plus, the murderer disappeared until nearly the end of the book, so we really didn't have any clues to go on.  But in the end, this wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't anything that kept me intrigued enough to go on, and it took me a few tries to finish it, which isn't like me since I can usually read a book a day.  All in all, I may or may not continue this series, but if it trends in the direction it's going, probably not, which is a pity since I do enjoy this author.

https://www.amazon.com/Prose-Cons-Magical-Bookshop-Mystery/dp/0451477456/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3348682079

More on Amanda Flower's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/

Blueburied Muffins (Black Cat Cafe Cozy Mysteries Book 1)

Author:  Lyndsey Cole
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781505888621
CreateSpace Publishing
204 Pages
$8.99 Amazon
January 2, 2015

⭐⭐

Annie Fisher is scared.  She's scared of the mess her boyfriend, Max Parker, is in the middle of and she has to get out of his house.  She puts a whole state between them and drives like a madwoman from Cooper, NY to her hometown of Catfish Cove, NH where she hopes she'll be safe.  She decides to start a new life, a life she ran away from two years ago but is finding herself missing as soon as she gets home.  Annie immediately has a place to live, a job at her Aunt Leona's new café -- Black Cat Café -- and plenty of boyfriend prospects.  Unfortunately, she also has plenty of bad things follow her.  Like Max Parker.  Only the next time she sees him he's dead.  Suddenly everyone she runs into turns into a potential suspect.  There are ghosts from her past and new neighbors that make her hair stand on end.  And right in the middle of everything is Annie with Max's last warning to her -- Don't trust anyone.  Will those words prove to keep her safe or put too much distance between Annie and those trying to help her?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

I could have been doing dishes instead...

I should have known right from the fact that the author needs to tell you that this is a cozy mystery in her subtitle, but I kept on reading.  Unfortunately, this was just a terribly written book.  It read as if the author was just writing down her thoughts as they came to her: 'Hey!  She'll leave her boyfriend who's doing terrible things!'  What now?  'She finds a furnished apartment!'  Seriously?

She just ups and leaves her boyfriend because her aunt needs her - even though she's apparently cut ties with anyone from her former life, including her former boyfriend.  She miraculously has a lovely apartment to move into, and becomes partners with her aunt, in a building owned by her father, who is a nasty man who hates cats.  I don't trust people who hate cats.  Cats are just as loyal as dogs, and some even more loving.  I've owned both.

There's just so much wrong with this book.  I rarely read self-published books (as I've stated many times before) and here we have another example of why that is.  Sorry, but I really doubt that I'll be reading any more by this author; although I might have a moment of illness or weakness that changes my mind.  Who knows.

https://www.amazon.com/Blueburied-Muffins-Black-Cafe-Mystery/dp/150588862X/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2956396454

More on Lyndsey Cole's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/lyndsey-cole/

Hearse and Buggy (An Amish Mystery Book 1)

Author:  Laura Bradford
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425251317
Berkley Publishing
288 Pages
$7.99; $7.99 Amazon
June 5, 2012

⭐⭐

Claire Weatherly has fled a high-stress lifestyle for a slower pace -- in Amish country; Heavenly, Pennsylvania.  She only planned a short visit but instead found herself opening an Amish specialty shop, Heavenly Treasures, and settling in.  Claire loves her new home, and she's slowly making friends among the locals, including Esther, a young Amish woman who works in the shop.  So when the store's former owner, the unlikable Walter Snow, is murdered, and the man Esther is sweet on becomes a suspect, Claire can't help but get involved.

Newly returned Detective Jakob Fisher, who left Heavenly -- and his Amish upbringing -- as a teenager, is on the case.  But his investigation is stalled by the fact that none of his former community will speak with him.  Claire's connections make her the perfect go-between.

As Claire investigates, she uncovers more than she wanted to know about her neighbors.  And suddenly, everything she had hoped to find in this peaceful refuge is at risk...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Claire moves to Heavenly, Pennsylvania after leaving a job that caused too much stress, and now she's hoping for something else.  After purchasing a shop that sells Amish goods, she starts to make friends, including young Esther, who also works for her.  But when the former owner is murdered, there's trouble.  It also seems that he was stealing from the Amish and not paying them for their hard work.  Now Claire's caught between two worlds as she tries to find a killer, keep her friends and her shop, and help the new detective by being a go-between for him and his estranged family members.

I really wanted to read this book because my husband grew up around the Amish and I have spent many hours poring through items in their shops and those carrying their goods (and probably spending more money than I should have).  That's about as much connection as I have to what's in this book.

In a couple of words: it's boring.  The conversations are boring, even the murder was boring -- we only got details after the fact (a chalk outline).  I pretty much skimmed a lot of it, so this will be short.  The murder is committed right away, but the only thing we know about the victim is how he died and that he stole from the Amish.  The next is a bit of a spoiler (although it doesn't specifically name the killer).  Finding out who the murderer was, was a pretty easy thing to do.  Anyone can figure out that there aren't a lot of suspects, and the author isn't going to kill off one of the people who will definitely be in later books.  That leaves you to figure it out pretty easily.

 Anyway, while I realize this is the beginning of a love triangle -- which I absolutely abhor in books of any genre -- at least I can say that it doesn't really matter because I have no inclination to read any of the other books in this series.  Pity, because I really like this author.  Sorry, it just wasn't for me.

https://www.amazon.com/Hearse-Buggy-Amish-Mystery-Bradford/dp/0425251314/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2714585675

More on Laura Bradford's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/laura-bradford/

Gunpowder Green (A Tea Shop Mystery #2)

Author:  Laura Childs
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780739425961; 9780425184059
Berkley Prime Crime
245 Pages
$19.99; $$7.59; $7.99 Amazon
March 5, 2002

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Indigo Tea Shop, Charleston's favorite spot of tea, has just come out with its latest flavor: Gunpowder Green.  Theodosia Browning cannot wait to hear its praises as it is unveiled at the annual yacht race.  But when she hears the crack of an antique gun meant to end the race, a member of Charleston's elite falls dead.  Theodosia has a hunch that his demise was no accident -- and will go out of her way to prove it.  But if she doesn't act fast, Theo will find herself in hot water with some boiling-mad Charlestonians -- and more than a little gun-chai...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Theodosia Browning owns the Indigo Tea Shop, and she also caters events.  While catering a yacht race picnic, her friend Delaine points out Doe Belvedere, who recently wed Oliver Dixon.  While this wouldn't be a big deal, there's the fact that Doe is only 25 and her groom is 66.  Delaine  states it must be because he's rich, but Theodosia says she probably loves him, too.  An attractive man comes up to Theodosia and introduces himself as Giovanni Loard, an antique dealer and relative of Oliver's, and takes the tray holding tea sandwiches from her and offers to help, then offering them to people.  Theodosia declares him charming, and watches as he eventually makes his way to Oliver's table.  At that point, there appears to be an argument between Oliver and another older man who turns out to be Ford Cantrell.  When the race is about to end, it is Oliver who must fire a  gun into the air, declaring the winner.  But when the gun misfires and Oliver is shot in the head, Theo wonders if it was intentional.

When she's asked by Cantrell's sister Lizbeth - who helped her get through her mother's untimely death when Theo was only eight - she can't refuse.  But discovering that a long-standing feud between the Dixons and Cantrells might have something to do with it, she needs to work harder to try and discover who wanted Oliver dead.  Was it his young widow?  His two sons?  Or someone else entirely?  With little information coming forth from her friend Detective Tidwell, Theo might be in over her head, but something is brewing under the surface, and she needs to find out what it is...

This is the second book in the series, and I liked it as much as the first.  Theo is an interesting woman; she's intelligent and strong, warm and caring, and believes that the truth is important, even if she needs to be the one to find it.  She's perfectly content with her shop and her employees, and even her dog, Earl Grey.  She's not chasing anything better, and having been in the corporate run, this is what she wants.

But when she's asked to help, she doesn't shy away from what might be sticky situations.  Even when she's threatened, she stands her ground, and that makes her even more endearing.  What it leads to is looking even deeper and perhaps putting herself in even more danger to get to find a killer.  The plot is drawn nicely, and there are plenty of twists along the way, and enough suspects that lead us to think that it might be one when it's actually someone else.  It's a delightful mystery that comes to an even more enticing conclusion, with the murderer of course being apprehended and the motive one that will never change over time.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Gunpowder-Green-Tea-Shop-Mystery/dp/0425184056/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3343350023

More on Laura Childs's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/laura-childs/

Three Treats Too Many (A Sarah Blair Mystery Book 3)

Author:  Debra H. Goldstein
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496719492
Kensington Publishing
304 Pages
$7.99; $6.99 Amazon
August 25, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

For someone whose greatest culinary skill is ordering takeout, Sarah never expected to be co-owner of a restaurant.  Even her Siamese cat, RahRah, seems to be looking at her differently.  But while Sarah and her twin sister, Chef Emily, are tangled up in red tape waiting for the building inspector to get around to them, an attention-stealing new establishment -- run by none other than Sarah's late ex-husband's mistress, Jane -- is having its grand opening across the street.

Jane's new sous chef, Riley Miller, is the talk of Wheaton with her delicious vegan specialties.  When Riley is found dead outside the restaurant with Sarah's friend, Jacob, kneeling over her, the former line cook -- whose infatuation with Riley was no secret -- becomes the prime suspect.  Now Sarah must turn up the heat on the real culprit -- who has no reservations about committing cold-blooded murder...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Sarah Blair, having had a disastrous marriage and even been accused of murder, has finally (she hopes) found her place in life in small-town Wheaton, Alabama.  Her cat, RahRah, was left to her by her late mother-in-law along with a very large home and the carriage house behind it.  While Sarah and her two pets - Fluffy the dog making the second - are happy in the carriage house, she's now going to be part-owner in a restaurant with her twin Emily and Emily's chef beau, Marcus.  They're turning the big house into Southwind restaurant - that is, if they can ever get the final inspection.

What irks them is the fact that Sarah's nemesis Jane - mistress of her late husband and current thorn in her side - has been able to open a restaurant across the street in another grand home with no problems.  In fact, Jane's chef Riley is a master of vegan dishes and they're prominently featured on the menu, which keeps the place full during its soft openings.  On one of these nights, Sarah is trying the dishes and also trying not to like them, but she fails.  Her friend and part-time employee Jacob Hightower has nothing but praise for Riley.  After seeing an altercation between Riley, Jacob, and the building inspector Louis Botts, Sarah wants to leave, but is delayed by the appearance of her attorney employer, Harlan, and police chief Gerard.  Just when everything seems to be calming down, Sarah hears a scream and the three of them run into the parking lot, where they see Jane, and Jacob, who is bending over Riley's body.  Once it becomes apparent Riley is dead, Jane screams again that Jacob murdered her. 

But Sarah refuses to believe that gentle Jacob can be a killer, and when asked by his sister Anne to help find the true killer, she has a hard time saying no.  Now Sarah, with help from Anne and other friends, is on the case to hunt down who might have done this.  But the more she discovers about Riley, the more it's looking like a lot of people might have wanted the young woman dead...

This is the third book in the series and I must say that I enjoyed it much better than the first two.  I realize that it takes time for new authors to polish their books, and Ms. Goldstein seems to have found her niche in this third one.  The characters are much more lively, and I really enjoyed the fact that Jane didn't spend the entire time in this book trying to make Sarah's life miserable.  (I honestly hate the 'evil nemesis' who wants to destroy the protagonist; and I am glad that the author didn't feel the need to go this route).

While we don't get to see much of Emily and Marcus, this book isn't centered around them, but more so around Jacob and even Anne, who actually becomes a bit softer in this one, apparent by her love for her younger brother.  Although Sarah's relationship with Cliff is moving at a snail's pace, at least it's moving at all.

But back to the mystery:  Sarah is naturally irritated by the fact that the vet clinic and Jane were both able to get their buildings inspected and are open, but Botts is dragging his feet on Southwind, using the excuse that there's only one of him and he has many jobs.  Sarah realizes she's going to have to find a way to corner Botts if she wants their restaurant to open; but with Anne asking for her help Sarah is pulled in several directions herself.

What she discovers is that there was more to Riley than meets the eye; and when there's another death, it pulls the investigation deeper.  Just when Sarah thinks she might never find the missing pieces, it almost becomes too late when she does.  It's an interesting mystery that goes deeper than one can imagine, and has its roots in other places. 

All in all, when the murderer is discovered the reason why Riley was killed is as old as time itself, but nevertheless it holds together in this story.  I enjoyed it immensely, and will continue to read this series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Three-Treats-Sarah-Blair-Mystery/dp/1496719492/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3339680032

More on Debra H. Goldstein's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/debra-h-goldstein/

Premeditated Peppermint (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery #3)

Author:  Amanda Flower
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; [Audio CD]; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496706430; [9781977369611]
Kensington Publishing; [Tantor Audio]
352 Pages
$7.99; [$22.99]; $4.74 Amazon
September 25, 2018

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Christmas is Bailey King's favorite time of year.  For her first Yuletide in Harvest, Ohio, the former big-city chocolatier is recreating a cherished holiday treat: peppermint combined with molten white chocolate.  But her sugar high plummets when her former boyfriend walks into the candy shop she now runs with her Amish grandmother.  New York celebrity chef Eric Sharp and his TV crew have arrived to film an authentic Amish Christmas.  Bailey's not about to let her beloved town -- and Swissmen Sweets -- be turned into a sound bite.  Unfortunately, she gets more publicity than she bargained for when Eric's executive producer is found strangled to death -- and Eric's the prime suspect.

With Bailey's sheriff deputy boyfriend out to prove Eric's guilt, her bad-boy ex tries to sweet-talk her into helping him clear his name...and rekindle their romance to boost ratings for his show.  Now, between a surplus of suspects and a victim who wasn't who she seemed, Bailey's edging dangerously close to a killer who isn't looking to bring joy to the world -- or to Bailey -- this deadly Noel...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Bailey King left her job in New York city as a high-end chocolatier to return to Harvest, Ohio, after her grandfather died and help her grandmother run their chocolate shop.  Now she also has help from her grandmother Clara's young cousin, Charlotte, too.  Bailey's surprised when a film crew shows up at the shop unannounced, along with her ex-boyfriend, chef Eric Sharp, and more so when she soon discovers from the ebullient producer, Rocky Rivers, that they're there to film the shop and Bailey and Eric's reunion as a couple.

Except they aren't a couple.  And Bailey has no plans to film anything, regardless of Eric's promises to the producer.  But when Rocky asks for a private meeting with Bailey to discuss it the next morning, she agrees.  Still, she doesn't expect to find Rocky's body in the gazebo, strangled with a string of twinkle lights...or the fact that Eric is standing over the body, holding the end of the lights.  When Eric professes his innocence, she's inclined to believe him, even if Deputy Sheriff Aiden Brody doesn't.  So Bailey, along with the help of her newly-arrived best friend Cass, and a pet pig named Jethro, are vowing to get to the bottom of the mystery and find a killer who just might get away with murder after all...

This is the third book in the series and I have to say that I like it much better than I did the first two.  Bailey is coming into her own, and I found the dialogue between Cass and everyone else to be the most humorous part of the book.  Her conversations with Bailey are the best part of the book.

As for the mystery, there were enough twists and turns to keep me interested, and with layers to Rocky that were peeled back one at a time until we found out the truth.  While I figured out the identity of the murderer early on, it still was fun to watch Bailey pick up the clues and put everything together.  Add in a little bit of intrigue to the mix, and it was a nice mystery altogether.

All in all, it gave us something to look forward to in the next book but without leaving us the dreaded cliffhanger, which I absolutely despise.  That in itself is a reason to keep reading this series, and I will definitely do so.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Premeditated-Peppermint-Amish-Candy-Mystery/dp/1496706439/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3334757115

More on Amanda Flower's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/

Murder, Served Simply (An Amish Quilt Shop Mystery #3)

Author:  Isabella Alan
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; [MP 3]; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780451413659; [9781494561178]
Obsidian Mystery; [Tantor Audio]
343 Pages
$7.99; [$29.99], $4.99 Amazon
December 2, 2014

⭐⭐⭐

Angie's parents are visiting her in Rolling Brook, Ohio, for Christmas -- but unfortunately, her ex is joining them.  Luckily, Angie has no time to dwell on her romantic troubles as she prepares her store, Running Stitch, for the town's traditional progressive dinner, which features a sleigh ride that stops at each shop for a different course of the meal.

The meal ends with an Amish-themed Christmas play at the Swiss Valley Hotel and Barn.  But the performance is cut short when an actress falls to her death from the scaffolding.  Once the sheriff suspects foul play, tensions between the Amish and Englisch heat up, as do rivalries among the acting troupe.  Now Angie and her quilting circle must stitch together clues before they're the ones running for cover...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

It's nearing Christmas in Rolling Brook, Ohio, and Angie Braddock, who inherited her Aunt Eleanor's Amish quilting shop, is gearing up for her parents visit.  She's not happy that her mother has invited her ex-fiancé, Ryan, but there isn't anything she can do about it except vow not to spend any more time with him than she needs to.  It's also apparent Sheriff Mitchell isn't happy about Ryan being there, as his own relationship with Angie is starting to take shape.

On the night of the Amish progressive dinner, everyone is going to various places for a different course, and then at the end watching a play put on by an acting troupe.  Angie discovers that the lead actress - Eve Shetler - is former Amish and not everyone wants her there.  It's never more apparent than when she falls to her death from scaffolding, and the suspects range from the Amish to the Englisch.  Angie decides to do a little sleuthing herself since she met and liked Eve, even if everyone wants her to stay out of the investigation.  But somehow it's giving her more questions than answers, and the final one will make all the difference...

This is the third book in the series, and I think I liked it better than the first two.  While I really didn't think Angie had any real claim to investigate, I did like the idea of the progressive dinner, and merging Amish Christmases with Englisch ones seemed interesting in itself.  We got to learn more about Angie's parents which was a lot of fun, and her mother's idea of decorating a Christmas tree was unusual, to say the least.

I really didn't care for the fact that Angie was dodging Ryan instead of talking to him, but I guess it was what he deserved for deserting her at the altar, after all.  I would have expected her to develop a little bit of backbone with everything she's been through; but I didn't see that.  Still, I imagine she had her reasons for putting him off.

When we finally get into the mystery, which actually played second fiddle to Angie's non-visit and visit with her parents (read the book and you'll understand why I say that) I didn't feel that we were given enough on the murder itself; and while the clues were there, at the same time they actually weren't.  There was one huge red herring that turned out to not to have anything to do with it at all, actually.  So while I don't think this was a bad book, I do think it could have been given a little more detail on the mystery to solve.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Served-Simply-Amish-Mystery/dp/0451413652/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3331132281

More on Isabella Alan's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/isabella-alan/

Latte Trouble (A Coffehouse Mystery #3)

Author:  Cleo Coyle
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425204450
Berkley Prime Crime
236 Pages
$7.51; $4.99 Amazon
August 2, 2005

⭐⭐⭐

To Clare Cosi's surprise, this fall's hottest fashion trend is anything caffeinated -- because designer Lottie Harmon, a loyal coffeehouse customer, has just created an ingenious collection of coffee-inspired fashion accessories.  So naturally Lottie chooses the Village Blend as the perfect backdrop for fall Fashion Week insiders to view her new line of "Java Jewelry."

When barista Tucker unwittingly serves a poisonous latte to a prominent figure on the fashion scene, Clare suspects that the real target may have been Lottie.  Now she must protect her thriving business from negative publicity, Lottie from any further danger, and Tucker from murder charges -- even if it means jolting the fashion world with some shocking secrets...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Clare Cosi is the manager of the Village Blend, an upscale coffee house in Manhattan.  She's hosting a party for Lottie Harmon, who's a loyal customer and also a fashion designer who has recently come out of retirement to launch a new line of jewelry - "Java Jewelry."  On the evening of the party, the place is packed, and Clare and her employees are rushing to keep up.  Unfortunately, her employee Tucker's ex-boyfriend Ricky shows up, and when Tucker is bringing a drink to Lottie, Ricky grabs it off the tray and drinks it, along with his new boyfriend.  When both men fall to the floor, Clare calls 911.  But it's too late for Ricky, who's already dead.  When the police investigate, they arrest Tucker for murder, figuring the breakup gives him a good motive.

Clare refuses to believe Tucker is capable of murder, and decides to investigate on her own.  With her friend Detective Mike Quinn out of town, she needs to enlist the reluctant help of her ex-husband, Matteo, who sometimes shares the apartment above the blend with her (long story), and also the help of her ex-mother-in-law, Madame, who treats it like a grand adventure.  Clare's determined to find out who's framing Tucker, even if it puts her own life in danger...

This is the third book in the series, and it's not a bad one.  What disappointed me is that more attention is given to the surrounding landmarks (if you're really interested in how Riker's Island got its name, you can probably find it on Google or Wikipedia); and not enough attention is given to fleshing out characters.  Instead of Clare thinking about her or Matt's libidos (which we get, anyway), I'd rather see a little background - how and where Clare grew up, etc.  From previous books we know how she met Matt, but very little about her upbringing, which makes people who they are.  We do get plenty on why the two broke up, but we've known that from previous books.  I also don't like the fact that Matt takes advantage of her (yes, he does), and she's worried about hurting his feelings?  He cheated on you, woman.  More than once.  Get a grip.

I also find it sad that Clare's entire life is the coffee shop.  She never goes anywhere, never even goes shopping or out to lunch with friends (if she has any), just takes care of the shop.  It's very sad there's no outside life for her (unless she's investigating, and that's hardly relaxing).

Saying that, I enjoyed the mystery and trying to discover the identity of the killer.  There were a few red herrings thrown about, which led in a couple of different directions.  I did like the twist to the ending, and discovered who the murderer was a little bit before Clare did, but that's fine with me.  I would have liked to have rated this higher, but Clare needs to completely (physically, emotionally) push Matt out of her life unless it's necessary to see him.  I honestly enjoyed the ending of the book, and will continue to read this series.

https://www.amazon.com/Latte-Trouble-Coffeehouse-Mysteries-No/dp/0425204456/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3328854559

More on Cleo Coyle's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/cleo-coyle/

The Diva Paints the Town (A Domestic Diva Mystery #3)

Author:  Krista Davis
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425233443
Berkley Prime Crime
288 Pages
$7.59; $7.99 Amazon
February 2, 2010

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sophie Winston's reclusive neighbor, Professor Mordecai Artemus, has died and left his sprawling home to his Pomeranian.  Sophie feels a tad guilty for not having befriended Mordecai.  But at least she's not as heartless as her nemesis, Natasha, who's descended upon the house with a crew of interior designers and contractors to renovate the place for the statewide Spring Home and Garden Tour.

Even Sophie's been assigned a room to decorate: the family room, where the Professor did most of his living -- and where he died.  In the midst of cleaning, spackling and painting, Sophie uncovers a second body -- but when she looks again it's disappeared!  Now Sophie has to hammer away to discover the truth about the missing man, before her best friend gets nailed for murder...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Professor Mordecai Artemus lived not too far away from Sophie Winston, and when he passes away he leaves everything to his Pomeranian, Emmeline.  But Sophie is puzzled why he's also left her instructions to create a dinner for five people, to his specific instructions; then give them each the packages he's left for them.   Sophie does her part - and it turns out that all five were once students of Mordecai's and have a strange connection to him from years ago. 

Sophie also discovers that Mordecai's home is part of a decorating competition, and designers have been assigned one room in the house to decorate.  Surprisingly, Sophie's frenemy Natasha gives Sophie a room to decorate, and her team of workers is quickly assembled to help.

Then her best friend Nina, whose husband is on a business cruise, believes that he might be having an affair and is worried, but sees that one of the designers is her old flame, Kurt.  When Kurt attacks her in Mordecai's home one night, she pushes him and he hits his head.  She runs to Sophie for help, but when they go back to the house, he's not there.  Later on, Sophie opens the loveseat that her friend Bernie designed for the room, and finds Kurt's body.  But when she calls the police and a policewoman named Tara answers the call, Kurt isn't there and Tara accuses her of making the story up. 

Now everyone is trying to find out Kurt's whereabouts, Sophie's having romantic problems, Nina's frantic believing she killed Kurt, Natasha's going crazy with the home decoration and wondering why Mordecai didn't leave her anything, the former students are wondering what their mysterious packages mean, and no one can find Emmeline, who seems to have disappeared into thin air.  Sophie's life has just gotten more complicated than ever...and now she finds there's also a killer on the loose...

This is the third book in the series and I have to say that I enjoyed it much better than the first two.  In those books, Sophie was a complete doormat, allowing anyone and everyone to push her around - including her own family.  It was grating on me.  But in this book she shows a little more backbone and doesn't fold to Natasha's demands, which is refreshing.  She also has things to do, and she doesn't allow people to sidetrack her because of  what they want.  I also found it humorous that Sophie's ex-husband Mars would rather work with her than Natasha.

The mystery was an interesting one, with the late professor having created it.  While there was a second mystery, with someone being very definitely murdered and trying to find the culprit, we also had the pleasure of trying to figure out what it was that the professor was hiding for his former students.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it was a bit of a surprise, with an added one to boot.  I did like the fact that it was unexpected, and while there wasn't really a climactic ending, it definitely got the point across.  I also felt the resolution to everyone's problems was done nicely.  But what was a real surprise was the end of the book, and I will read the next in the series to see what occurs.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Diva-Paints-Town-Domestic-Mystery/dp/0425233448/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3325284958

More on Krista Davis's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/krista-davis/