A Waffle Lot of Murder (All-Day Breakfast Café Mystery #4)

Author:  Lena Gregory

Genre:   Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781516110483

Lyrical Press Publishing

208 Pages

$15.95; $7.49 Amazon

October 6, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

While the first hints of autumn grace Boggy Creek, Florida, Gia misses the colorful harvest traditions she left behind in New York.  On a scramble to make new fall memories -- and promote her irresistible pumpkin spice waffles -- things take a dark turn when she gets roped into the Haunted Town Festival, a spooky celebration held on deserted farmlands.  The desolate area conjures plenty of eerie vibes at night, but Gia and her best friend, Savannah, are nearly firghtened to death upon the discovery of the event organizer's body buried in the nearby woods.  More alarming, the rumor mill says the woman's shady dealings may have egged someone into sending her to an early grave.  Now, there's no shortage of creepy clues to feast on as Gia and her pals try to stop a killer with a very scary appetite...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Gia Morelli owns the All-Day Breakfast Café in Boggy Creek, Florida.  She's been invited to participate in the annual Haunted Town Festival -- which means she'll be given a table to display her wares, and better yet, she gets a house to decorate in the spookiest fashion she can think of.  She says she doesn't have the time, but when her friends and employees urge her, offering to help and even appear as part of the scares, she says yes, knowing the proceeds all go to the animal shelter.

When she and Savannah go out to the farmlands to look at their house, they're supposed to meet Barbara Woodhull, one of the organizers.  But when Barbara doesn't show up, and Savannah finds Barbara's phone, they're wondering where she is.  But Barbara's best friend Genevieve 'Genny' Hart  meets them, she doesn't know where Barbara is.  But after showing Gia her 'house', Gia and Savannah hear police sirens.  It seems Barbara has been found dead in a shallow grave, and now there's a killer on the loose.

Gia vows to stay out of the investigation, not having ever met Barbara.  But when one of her friends gets involved and is attacked, all bets are off.  Gia tries her best to stay away, but things keep niggling at her, and even though she doesn't willingly put herself in danger, her only thought is to keep Savannah safe.  But even that might be harder when things escalate, and the killer knows she's on the trail...

This is the fourth book in the series, and a very good entry as such.  It takes place in the autumn, which is perfect for this time of year (I love to 'read the season' as it were), and the story line is quite interesting.  I like the idea of several smaller haunted houses instead of one, and you can choose which ones you want to go to.  This tale shows how far Gia's come since she moved to Florida: she's made good friends who will all go out of their way to help her when she needs it, and are even excited to be part of the festival with her.  

My only complaint is that while I know Hunt is now the police chief, I don't understand why he can't spend more time with her.  Police chiefs all over the country are married with families, and don't just take a moment here and there for their significant others.  I'd like to see a little more progress in this area.  But I digress...

The story pulls us in from the beginning, and when we start to learn more about Barbara, it seems she wasn't much of a nice woman after all.  Still, it leaves the fact that she's been murdered and now the police have to figure out by whom.  It doesn't help that Genny's friend Kayla is doing all she can to badmouth both the police and Barbara, and her relationship with Genny seems more of a domineering one than a friendly one.  Gia wonders about this, but isn't able to get Genny alone to talk with her.

When things start heating up, Gia discovers a key clue to the murder, even as that clue brings with it something else that isn't pleasant to her.  When the murderer is discovered, I knew who it was earlier in the book, but that didn't deter me at all from enjoying this mystery (I read a lot of these); and I found it intriguing how the author put everything together.  The pieces fell in place naturally, and while there weren't really a lot of red herrings, it didn't matter; the story itself was taut and enjoyable.  

I have to say that this is probably my favorite of all the books in this series and I look forward to the next.  (There are also some delectable recipes in the back that are perfect for this time of year, if you want to try them.)  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Waffle-Murder-All-Day-Breakfast-Mystery/dp/151611048X/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3569006187

More on Lena Gregory's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/lena-gregory/

From Beer to Eternity (A Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon Mystery #1)

Author:  Sherry Harris

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; [Audio CD]; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496723031; [9781662017599]

Kensington Publishing; [Dreamscape Media]

320 Pages

$7.99; [$22.99]; $6.89 Amazon

July 28, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

With Chicago winters in the rearview mirror, Chloe Jackson is making good on a promise: help her late friend's grandmother run the Sea Glass Saloon in the Florida Panhandle.  To Chloe's surprise, feisty Vivi Slidell isn't the frail retiree Chloe expects.  Nor is Emerald Cove.  It's less a sleepy fishing village than a panhandle hotspot overrun with land developers and tourists.  But it's a Sea Glass regular who's mysteriously crossed the cranky Vivi.  When their bitter argument comes to a head and he's found dead behind the bar, guess who's the number one suspect?

In trying to clear Vivi's name, Chloe discovers the old woman isn't the only one in Emerald Cove with secrets.  Under the laidback attitude, sparkling white beaches, and small town ways something terrible is brewing.  And the sure way a killer can keep those secrets bottled up is to finish off one murder with a double shot: aimed at Chloe and Vivi.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Chloe Jackson went to Florida for the funeral of her best friend Boone, who was killed in Afghanistan.  He made her promise if anything happened to him that she would stay and help his grandmother Vivi run her bar, the Sea Glass Saloon.  But Chloe finds out that Vivi is perfectly capable of running the bar on her own, yet her promise to Boone is important, so with her leave of absence from her job in Chicago, she makes up an excuse to get a job at the Saloon, and is now their waitress.  It's also apparent that Vivi doesn't really care for Chloe and doesn't trust her; but at the urging of the bartender Joaquin she allows her to stay.

At first, Chloe's been sleeping in her car but now while spending the night on Boone's boat, she's discovered by a local named Rhett, who promises to keep her secret.  The next morning, while running on the beach, Chloe discovers the body of a local man who's been murdered.  With Vivi as the main suspect, she knows the woman didn't do it and wants to find the killer.

But there's more in store for Chloe, and she's in for a big surprise of her own, along with surprises from the locals that keep her on her toes...and running from a killer...

This is the first book in a new series, and I must say that in the beginning I almost put it down and walked away.  It began that slowly, and I didn't get the fact that she'd been sleeping in her car for days yet went to work and no one noticed the 'human scent' that must have been there, and I began wondering where she was changing her clothes and showering.  But I continued on, and then the story line began to grab me, and I kept reading to the end (as I've said often, I pay attention to details, and these are details that bothered me).

After I started to get into the story, I enjoyed it quite a bit.  You have a twenty-eight year old woman from Chicago who's found herself in strange waters in Florida, trying to fulfill the wish of her deceased best friend without his grandmother knowing about it.  I do like Chloe quite a bit, even if she does take risks she shouldn't, but not so many of them that I'd call her stupid.

Vivi is another story.  I don't get why she's cranky at all: she has a thriving business and plenty of money, so she pretty much has the freedom to live the way she wants.  What's to be cranky about?  You'd think she'd have a nicer personality, but I guess we'll see in future books if she's warmed up at all as a person.

Watching Chloe try to figure out who killed the man brings her in contact with many of the locals, and they're starting to warm up to Chloe while spilling their own pasts to help her in her quest to help Vivi.  It seems everyone likes the woman and no one believes she's guilty.  When the stakes are raised and Chloe becomes a target of the killer, she knows she must be getting closer to the truth.  When it finally dawns on her who the killer must be, she ignore the danger to herself to help the woman.

It's an interesting climax and I do like how the story played out.  I enjoyed this one so much that I look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Eternity-Chloe-Jackson-Saloon-Mystery/dp/1496723031/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3561345889

More on Sherry Harris's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/sherry-harris/

Mrs. Morris and the Ghost of Christmas Past (A Salem B&B Mystery #3)

Author:  Traci Wilton

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496721556

Kensington Publishing

304 Pages

$7.99; $6.89 Amazon

September 29, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Charlene's parents are in town for Christmas, and her mother is driving her up a tree.  Her bed-and-breakfast's resident ghost, Jack, isn't fond of her either -- and he's showing it some haunting hijinks.  But when Charlene takes her mom and dad out for dinner, the less-than-seasonal spirits take a deadly turn.

David Baldwin has just won a fortune in the lottery -- and it adds a lot of drama to the charity auction he's hosting at his restaurant.  When he caps off the evening by playing Santa and handing out checks to some of the attendees, the mood shifts...and Charlene observes mysterious tensions between David and his flashy, bleached-blonde wife, his neglected teenage son from a previous marriage, and his hostile business partner, among others.  And they're only a few on the long list of potential subjects when David runs into the road and is mowed down by a fleeing motorist.  Now it looks like it's going to be homicide for the holidays...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Charlene Morris is a young widow who owns a B&B in Salem, Massachusetts.  It's the Christmas holidays, and her parents, Brenda and Michael, have come to visit.  Unfortunately, her relationship with her mother has been contentious and is partly the reason she fled Chicago for the safety of Salem after her husband was unexpectedly killed.  She also has other guests at her B&B, so her time to spend with them is limited.  Her only respite is her resident ghost, Dr. Jack Strathmore, who was murdered three years ago, and is living with her -- she is the only person who can see and hear him, which makes it difficult when guests are around and he talks to her.

But Charlene has taken her parents to a local Italian restaurant for the evening - Bella's - and its owner, David Baldwin has just won the lottery.  Still, he's hosting a raffle for a local childrens' home, and Charlene plans to have fun, even if her mother is complaining.  But after the meal when the gifts are raffled off, David distributes envelopes containing 'gifts' of his own to several people at the restaurant.  Some don't seem happy, including his silent partner Vincent, or the childrens' home managers; even his son shows up and is surprised when he receives nothing.

But no one is more surprised than Charlene when David says two names and then promptly runs into the road and is run down by a hit-and-run driver.  Now Charlene is determined to find out who killed David and why, even after being warned away by Detective Sam Holden.  It doesn't help that her mother has already decided the young widow is the culprit, and wants to investigate with Charlene.  She has her hands full running her B&B, keeping her mother otherwise occupied, trying to spend time with her ghost, and looking for a killer who might be the most oddest suspect of all...

This is the third book in the series and I've read them all.  Let me first say that I love books with ghosts (friendly ones, not poltergeists), and even more so when they have personal relationships with the main protagonist.  This series is no different than that.  But Charlene is finding it difficult to maintain her attraction to Jack, knowing he's a ghost and can't reciprocate the way she wants, and her dawning attraction to Sam, knowing he can.  It makes for problems in her life.

When she's on the hunt for a killer, it makes things even more difficult knowing Sam wants her out of it.  But she's sure the widow knows something, and even has a desire to talk to the ex-wife, who was left by her husband for another woman.  Even more so is her questions for Kyle, the son, and Vincent, the partner.  But no one is giving any information, and Charlene is on her own.  

It makes for quite an interesting mystery, and I truly enjoyed it.  I also loved the descriptions of Charlene's home decorated for Christmas, and I myself would love to see it.  That is what draws the reader in - descriptions we can discover in our own mind and make us want to share the story with the protagonist.

I do love the character of Jack, and my romantic side wishes there were some way he could become more than a ghost (through, perhaps, a miracle of sorts where anything can happen).  I do, unfortunately, like him a bit better than Sam, who comes off hard sometimes.  But these are my own opinions and others will see things differently.

Throughout the book I found that Brenda was growing on me, and her conversations with her husband started to become humorous by the end of the book.  Sometimes marriages seem strange to others, but whatever seems strange to some people wind up being others' own forms of love.  It was delightful visiting with Charlene's parents and watching her own relationship with them.

When the ending comes and we discover the murderer, it was sad in a way, knowing the lengths people will go to.  Still, it all came out nicely and the book ended in such a way that left me looking forward to the next in the series soon.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Morris-Ghost-Christmas-Salem-Mystery/dp/1496721551/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3556492976

More on Traci Wilton's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/traci-wilton/

Eat, Drink and Be Wary (A Cook-Off Mystery #4)

Author:  Devon Delaney

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496727848

Kensington Publishing

304 Pages

$7.99; $6.99 Amazon

August 25, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sherry's hoping her Savory Shrimp Lettuce Cups will impress the judges, and she's invited her brother, Pep, to serve as her sous-chef.  The good news is that she takes first place in her category, the bad news is that it's easier to win when your toughest competition is dead...

After contestant Fritz Frye is found with a fishhook in his next, Pep's strange behavior doesn't help his case when the police consider him top suspect.  While Pep sits through a shakedown, Sherry searches near and far for the real culprit --  before another deadly course is served...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Sherry Oliveri channels her competitive streak into entering cooking contests, and usually winning.  But this time she's up against Fritz Frye, who has no problem telling anyone and everyone that he beat her once in a contest.  While Sherry finds him obnoxious, it seems so does everyone else.  While at a dinner for the contestants in the latest contest, she sees that he's having arguments with many of the guests, including one with her younger brother Pep.  Pep's in town to help Sherry as her sous-chef in a two-hour cooking time, and it's obvious that something else is going on in his life.  He's constantly looking at his phone and texting someone, and won't tell her about it.  He disappears without telling her where he's going, and Sherry's worried that he won't be able to bring his A-game to the contest.

But when he does, and she wins, she's pleased.  After the contest is over, however, she finds out that Fritz has been murdered, and Pep is at the top of the list for killing him.  While he refuses to tell anyone where he was at the time of the killing, leaving him without an alibi, Sherry knows she needs to discover who wanted Fritz dead more than anyone else.  But with a nosy reporter, a Russian maid who won't say anything, and Pep's disappearances, she's up against more than usual.  Also, Detective Ray Bease is this time welcoming any help Sherry can give him which surprises her until she discovers that he has problems of his own.  Now Sherry's on the trail of a killer who might just be following her every move...

This is the latest book in the series, and I have read them all.  This might also be my favorite one.  I love the addition of Pep to the story line, and perhaps Sherry might also be heading on a new chapter of her own life.  While there was, of course, time given to tell us about the cook-off and every recipe Sherry made, it didn't seem to take anything away from the mystery itself this time.

I found that with Pep a suspect, it was all very mysterious, especially when he wouldn't come forth with the reason for his hiding things.  It really made me wonder what he was doing with his time and where he was going.  Secrets abound in this tale, and it's up to Sherry to filter out who's telling the truth and who's not.  But it seems more than one person isn't who they are supposed to be, and secrets are coming out not just from the woodwork, but from the walls, too.  It made for a very interesting story, and one that kept you reading throughout.

When the murderer is discovered, we find out almost at the same time as Sherry, and that's a good thing.  It makes for a good mystery, and leaves us wanting more.  The reasons for the murder seem rather out of desperation, but who knows what is in the mind of a murderer?  I am glad to say that I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next in the series, and hopefully, seeing more of Pep.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Drink-Wary-Cook-Off-Mystery/dp/1496727843/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3553393453

More on Devon Delaney's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/devon-delaney/

Guilty as Charred (A Cook-Off Mystery #3)

Author:  Devon Delaney

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496714473

Kensington Publishing

290 Pages

$7.99; $6.99 Amazon

June 25, 2019

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sherry's making a guest appearance on a local radio show when the news comes in: Poppy Robinson has been found dead in the town's community garden.  Sherry was supposed to be taking questions about her win in the national cooking competition, but instead the callers start dishing dirt.

Poppy and Sherry were both involved in the vegetable garden, and while Poppy may have been a bit priggish, it wasn't anything that called for a shovel to the back of the head.  There was already trouble brewing, with the owner of the land threatening to renege on their agreement, and this murder has taken tensions to a new level.  Now while Sherry's organizing a Fourth of July cook-off event, she's also got a murder investigation on her plate...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Sherry Olivieri is just returning from Florida where she won the trophy for creating the winning recipe in America's Good Taste Cook-Off, and while she's exhausted, she still agrees to go on a radio program to talk about it.  While she and the host, Kayson Bradshaw, have a difficult beginning, she figures it's only temporary and answers his questions.  But when they're interrupted with the news that a board member for the community garden has been murdered - Poppy Robinson - Sherry is stunned.  But more so when the calls start coming in and no one has anything good to say about her.  Sherry is even more stunned when Kayson asks her out to dinner, and she doesn't know what to say...

But then Poppy's sister Tessa Yates calls Sherry and asks her to investigate Poppy's murder.  While Sherry tries her best to dissuade her, she finally agrees to let her know if she hears of any information that will help in the investigation, while also promising Detective Ray Bease that she'll stay out of the investigation.

To make matters worse, she's been roped into organizing the Fourth of July town cook-off by the mayor.  At least she'll have help from a local attorney who's husband is a celebrity cookbook writer, but with all her other duties, she's definitely swamped.  Then she receives a package of poison seeds that can injure or kill by just touching them, and suddenly she has to wonder who wants to warn her away from the investigation.  If they knew Sherry, they'd know this would only make her more curious, and now she's trying to find a murderer who might just have her on their radar...

This is the third book in the series, and for the most part I enjoyed it.  I did believe that the beginning was slow, and it almost lost me, especially when not once, but twice, the word peak should have been pique.  You don't "peak one's interest," you "pique one's interest."  I pay attention to details and was surprised an editor didn't catch the misuse of the word.  But I digress...

The plot was done nicely, and the writing was very good.  I still think Sherry has a bit of a bland personality, but hopefully she'll get a little "oomph" in later books.  I'm not sure exactly what, but she needs to put a little more life into herself.  I also do like the character of Kayson.  He seems to be what Sherry needs, and I hope they give it another chance.  (I like Ray, but he's as bland as Sherry in the personality department).

It was fun trying to figure out who the murderer was, and even with plenty of suspects, not a single one stood out, so you really had to think about it, which is a good thing.  There are clues leading to it, but they aren't overt, and it's almost when Sherry figures it out that you do at the same time.  This is a bonus.

I did like the ending of the book, and the fact that it gives us a little something to look forward to in the next one.  All in all, it was an enjoyable book and can be read in one evening.  A nice cozy with a good feel to it, and I look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Guilty-as-Charred-Cook-Off-Mystery/dp/1496714474/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3549991858

More on Devon Delaney's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/devon-delaney/

Mrs. Morris and the Witch (A Salem B&B Mystery #2)

Author:  Traci Wilton

Genre:  Mystery/Paranormal

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496721532

Kensington Publishing

336 Pages
$7.99; $6.89 Amazon

April 28, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Halloween is the biggest holiday of the year in Salem, Massachusetts -- but when B&B owner Charlene Morris finds the dead body of a witch, it spells trouble...

Charlene, recently widowed, has renovated her historic mansion just in time to greet guests arriving for the town's annual Halloween festivities.  She's lucky to have a helpful staff to provide support -- as well as a handsome ghost named Jack standing invisibly by her side.

Unfortunately, while the revelers head out on haunted tours, have their fortunes told, or grab a drink at Brews and Broomsticks, a killer walks among them.  When Charlene discovers Morganna, a local Wiccan dead in her shop, she starts getting cozy with the local coven, looking for clues to locate the crafty culprit.  Salem may be famous for the false accusations of witchery in centuries past, but this time someone is genuinely guilty -- of murder...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Charlene Morris is both excited and nervous to finally be opening her new B&B to her first customers.  She's moved to Salem after the sudden death of her husband a year and a half ago, wanting to get away and start a new life for herself.  

Unfortunately, when she moved in, she found out she had a permanent roommate -- the ghost of Dr. Jack Strathmore, who was murdered in the home three years ago.  But now, after getting used to him, she wants him to stick around because she's grown fond of him.  No one else can see or hear Jack, so they've made a pact that he won't disturb her guests.  

Among her first guests are police detective Sam Holden's sister, Sydney, and brother-in-law, Jim, so she especially wants her first guests to walk away with a good impression of her new business.  When Charlene takes her guests on a ghost tour, courtesy of Kevin, a local bar owner who's running the tour, she and they stop at a glass-making shop where she meets the owner, Morganna, who makes the beautiful creations.  But when they return to the shop later on, she and Jim find Morganna dead in the back, and one of her guests becomes a major suspect.

Later she finds that Morganna wasn't the woman she appeared to be, and had made strong enemies in the Wiccan community.  But with her young guest Dylan's life on the line, Charlene wants to help, and finds herself deep within their community.  Did one of the witches murder Morganna?  If not, who could have done it?  And are they going to go after a second victim, namely her?...

This is the second book in the series, and I must say that I'm enjoying it immensely.  I also have to say that I'm a sucker for books with a ghost (never a poltergeist), who manages to find their way into the protagonist's life.  I always wish that the ghost could eventually find their way to become human again by doing something spectacular so they could eventually be together.  Ah, well; even though I don't read romances much, I guess I'm really a romantic at heart.

Anyway, when a young man at her B&B is suspected of killing the witch, Charlene turns to Brandy Flint, who owns the local winery and is a witch herself, for help.  Brandy's mother Evelyn, who is extremely powerful, comes to Charlene's aid with information about Morganna.  Even though Sam is continuously telling Charlene to leave it be, we know she never does, thinking she's only asking questions. 

But it brings her into contact with a new friend - Kass Fortune - who owns the local tea shop next door to Morganna's, and also gives her information on the woman.  What follows is Charlene's first foray into the Wiccan world, and trying to learn about them and understand what happened.  Unfortunately, it also brings her into the circle of the killer, who has a better idea of what to do with Charlene.

The plot is quite interesting, and I enjoyed reading about the Wiccan world.  I do like Evelyn, and would like to see more of her in later books.  But the conversations between Charlene and Jack are showing two damaged souls, each in their own way, who have found a place -- such as it is -- with each other to care for.  Standing in the way is also Charlene's attraction to the very living Sam Holden, who has no idea about Jack, nor does anyone else.  

The mystery was done well, and there were plenty of red herrings thrown in to keep things going.  The murderer was discovered late on, even though one could figure out who and the reason why if you paid close enough attention.  When we reach the end it all comes together nicely, while giving us a teaser of sorts leading to the next book (no cliffhanger, don't worry).  All in all, it's a book to be entertained by, and it does its job admirably.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Morris-Witch-Salem-Mystery/dp/1496721535/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3542148547 

More on Traci Wilton's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/traci-wilton/                                     

Mrs. Morris and the Ghost (A Salem B&B Mystery Book 1)

Author:  Traci Wilton
Genre:   Mystery/Paranormal

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496721518
Kensington Publishing
298 Pages
$7.99; $.99 Amazon
July 30, 2019

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A grieving young widow, Charlene needed a new start -- so she bought a historic mansion, sight unseen, and drove from Chicago to New England to start turning it into a bed-and-breakfast.  On her first night in the house, she awakens to find a handsome man with startling blue eyes in her bedroom.  Terror turns to utter disbelief when he politely introduces himself as Jack Strathmore -- and explains that he used to live here -- when he was alive.  He firmly believes that someone pushed him down the stairs three years ago, and he won't be able to leave until someone figures out who.  If Charlene wants to get her business up and running in time for the Halloween tourist rush, and get this haunting houseguest out of the way, she'll have to investigate.  Though truth be told, this ghost is starting to grow on her...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Charlene Morris was widowed eighteen months ago, and not being able to stand being in her home in Chicago anymore -- too many memories of a happy marriage -- she decides to strike out on her own and move to Salem, Massachusetts, where she's bought a mansion by the sea, sight unseen.  When she arrives, she's pleased with the condition of the house, with very little to do except decorate it to her liking.

But her first night there, she's awakened in her bedroom by a man standing over her.  Once she gets over her initial fear, he's finally convinced her that he's the ghost of Jack Strathmore, and he was murdered three years ago in this house.  At first, she has no idea what to do, but Jack eventually convinces her to find his killer so he can move on, and she'll have the home to herself at last.

But the more Charlene digs into his past -- with his death being listed as a stroke causing a fall down the stairs -- Charlene is convinced Jack is right, and wants to find out the truth.  Unfortunately, there's people in this old, established town that don't want her look into their tangled web of lies and secrets...

This is the first book in a new series, and I really didn't know what to expect.  I did, though, know enough to suspend belief when I read books such as this.  I actually love to read stories about ghosts (not poltergeists) and their interaction with humans, so that was probably a plus for me.  I also have a habit of trying to delve into the mind set of the characters and I think that Charlene is obviously a damaged soul, as well as Jack, and it's what really brings them together.  Healing is a process that is better shared than alone.  That being said...

I found the descriptions of Charlene's home by the sea delightful, and I would love to stay there (even though I have an abhorrence of bed and breakfasts themselves and have never stayed at one because of it).  In this case, I would make an exception, because the decor sounds wonderful, leaving us to imagine that it fits the house.  I would also enjoy going antiquing with her just because I love history and the stories that furniture can tell.

When Jack and Charlene begin to spend time together, it sets something loose within her -- her grief for her husband is lessening, and the grieving process is hard on most people, and finding Jack's killer helped her think about something else.  Unfortunately, in a town as old as Salem, there are families that want to keep their secrets, and this was no different.

There was also a potential love interest in the local police detective, but it lay stagnant for the time being, and it will be interesting to see if that goes in another direction.  There is also a Silver Persian cat that Charlene 'inherited' and I think the story behind that is also quite different; sometimes animals find us instead of the other way around.

I liked the plot itself, and I've read probably every series out there that has a ghost/human relationship in it, I still want to see where this one goes; especially since it's new and it takes time to hone characters in a new series; as it is, I do like the main characters and that's a really good beginning.

When we discover the murderer (as we know Jack was murdered all along) it's very sad, especially because of the circumstances.  But murder cannot be condoned, no matter the reasons why.  I did like the ending quite a bit and do look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Morris-Ghost-Salem-Mystery/dp/1496721519/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3539907069

More on Traci Wilton's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/traci-wilton/ 

Gingerdead Man A Five-Ingredient Mystery #7)

Author:  Maya Corrigan

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496722447

Kensington Publishing

304 Pages

$7.99; $6.99 Amazon

September 29, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This holiday season Bayport, Maryland, is a dead ringer for Victorian London.  Val and her grandfather are taking part in the Dickens of a Holiday festival.  Val is hosting a private tea party serving the festival's costumed volunteers, who range from Dickens divas like Madame Defarge and Miss Havisham to Ebenezer Scrooge and old St. Nick himself.

But one costumed reveler may have gotten the holidays mixed up.  The winner of the creepiest outfit, robed in black with a gift bag covering the head -- okay, the Ghost of Christmas Present, Val gets it -- hands out gingerbread men with icing skeleton bones.  This year's sour Santa has none of the big fellow's mirth but plenty of his appetite, and it's no secret Santa loves cookies.  But when the man in red turns blue, Val and Granddad have a cookie-cutter killer to catch before the New Year...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Val Deniston runs the Cool Down Café at the local health club, but tonight she's dressed in Victorian clothing and helping with a tea set out by her assistant Irene.  It's for the volunteers who have been helping at the Dickens of a Holiday festival, and there are six people attending.  One of them is a recent resident who's taken over her grandfather Don's job as the Santa, which he does every year, and it isn't making Don happy.  Don's been relegated to play Ebenezer Scrooge, and he's right in character whenever he sees the man playing Santa - Jake Smith.

At the dinner, Jake's wife and Mrs. Claus, Jewel, are the center of attention.  It seems Santa has had too much to drink and she's trying to get him to quiet down.  But the action changes when someone enters the back of the bookshop where they're having their private tea in the CAT room -- dressed all in black with a gift bag on their head and distributes gift bags to each person and then leaves without saying a word.  While everyone else is stunned, Jake is delighted to find the bag contains a gingerdead man -- a gingerbread cookie dressed like a skeleton, and he eats his, lauding the wonderful taste.  But seconds later he falls over and later dies.

But things don't end there: Val is catering a private birthday party for a resident, and there's trouble in the home while she's there.  When she leaves, she thinks that will be the end of it -- but it's not.  Not only does she find something else to worry about, her best friend is soon brought into the mix, and everyone thinks a serial killer is on the loose.  Now Val and her grandfather will have to do some fancy footwork and dig deep to find out who killed Santa and why.  If they don't figure it out, no one will be having a Merry Christmas...

This is the latest book in the series, and I am liking it better with each one.  This time out it's nearing Christmas, and Val is busy catering small parties and running the café, while also volunteering at the Dickens festival.  It's a busy time of the year, and she and her grandfather both have their hands full.  But when the Santa dies after eating the cookie, neither she nor Don think it was natural causes.  After it's confirmed, they want to know who wanted to kill him, and start investigating on their own.

But when Val has problems at her latest catering gig, it soon leads to even more problems, and she needs to figure out a way to counter it.  (I am loath to mention more, because this is a new book, and I don't want to give away any spoilers -- so I won't).

What I do like about this series is the reference to classic movies, which, as I have stated many times over, is my other passion besides books.  There probably isn't a classic I haven't seen or can't quote a line from.  It gives me even more pleasure when I read the books (and everyone should watch the movies referenced).

I am beginning to like Don more and more; he's learning things all the time and not withering away into a grouchy old man, and I love that.  Val is entering a new chapter of her life, too, and both of these things keep the series fresh and moving along.  They both keep their lives moving forward, and I enjoy reading about their latest ventures.

This tale is very good, with the mystery taking forefront, and adding a bit of tension along the way; it keeps the reader interested throughout the story and wondering what will happen next.  The red herrings are thrown out, with clues leading back and forth, and eventually the killer is found, but it was almost a surprise to me, and that was entirely delightful.  In the end, it was probably one of the most fun books I've read in awhile, and I really wish I could read the next one right away.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Gingerdead-Five-Ingredient-Mystery-Maya-Corrigan/dp/1496722442/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3529977438

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

Crypt Suzette (A Five-Ingredient Mystery Book 6)

Author:  Maya Corrigan
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover (LP); Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781432869274; 9781496722423
Kensington Publishing
288 Pages
$30.99; $7.99; $6.99 Amazon
August 27, 2019

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Suzette Cripps has been occupying a spare bedroom at Val's granddad's house while she takes classes in this Maryland Eastern Shore town -- but she's always seemed a little secretive and fearful, and any talk about her past is a closed book.

After winning the costume contest at the Halloween-themed bookstore party, Suzette is mowed down by a hit-and-run driver -- and Val and her grandfather start to wonder whether it was really an accident of ir someone was after Suzette.  Granddad is a little distracted by his new enterprise as a ghost-buster, but as Val talks to Suzette's coworkers and fellow creative writing students, she grows more convinced that the dead woman's demons weren't imaginary -- and that she needs to rip the mask off a killer...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽ 

Val Deniston runs the Cool Down Cafe at the local health club, and also has side jobs catering small events.  When she's hired to cater a Halloween-themed party at a new bookstore, her grandfather's tenant, Suzanne Cripps, mentions how she'd like to enter.  But Val doesn't expect the entrants to be at each other's throats before the contest, nor that the next morning Suzette will be mowed down by a car and die.  While the chief of police think it was a mere accident, Val starts looking at Suzette's past and she's not so sure.  With the help of her grandfather, Val starts digging into the suspects, and discovers that more than one person could have had a motive; but Suzette was a decent person who didn't deserve her fate, and Val is determined to see someone pay for the crime...

I have to say that when I first started reading this book, one name in particular struck out at me.  Being a huge classic film fan (I own thousands of them), I was later happy to see that I wasn't the only one in the book who noticed it, and where it was from.  But I will say no more on that subject, since I don't want to ruin the book for others who might not know until it's pointed out.

That being said, I really enjoyed the book.  When I first started reading this series, I wasn't impressed.  But I'm glad that I stuck with it, since both Val's grandfather Don and Val herself have been growing throughout the series.  I am impressed at how far Don has come, and finally showing his granddaughter how much he loves and appreciates her; and that Val's bitterness toward what was her life has turned into happiness at what her life has become.  These are good things in a book.

But back to the plot: after Suzanne is killed, Val and her grandfather want to know why.  They start researching the people she worked with in her job as a hotel clerk, and also her co-writers in a writers' group.  What Val finds is disturbing on both counts.  But without any evidence, police chief Earl Yardley isn't going to go along with it, stating that it was probably an accident.

But along with that, Don has been hired to find out why things are missing from his clients' homes, and the person who owns the Title Wave bookstore, Dorothy Muir, is an old friend of Don's, but the same can't be said of her son, Bram.  He doesn't like the idea of hiring a caterer, and he seems harsh and stolid.  But is that because of his personality, or because he doesn't understand how small towns work?  At any rate, Val is about to find out.

When it becomes apparent that there's more to Suzanne's past that leads them to the point they now are, Val figures it out eventually, and when she does, it comes to a nice conclusion that wasn't really expected.  While rather sad at points, there's no reason for taking a life, and the ending leaves us looking forward to the next in the series.  I really enjoyed how all the threads eventually came together, and I do like the fact that Val never puts herself in harms' way (at least intentionally); and yet she manages to get to the bottom of things.  I also have to say that I'm glad the way the series is going and looking forward to reading the next one soon.

https://www.amazon.com/Crypt-Suzette-Five-Ingredient-Mystery-Corrigan/dp/1496722426/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3526740107

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