Bacon, Bodyguards and Ballistics (Deep Fried Revenge Book 5)

Author:    Karen McSpade

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book 

ASIN #:    B09YDT4G7D

Newcastle Media

91 Pages

$2.99 Amazon

May 31, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Reeling with excitement over the opening of a private investigation agency and her budding romance with the sheriff, Piper Sandstone can't wait to launch her dream career and return to a somewhat normal life.  But danger lurks on the horizon -- the dirty cops back in Chicago still want her dead.  Even if it means putting the people she loves in jeopardy to find her.  They are ruthless and on the hunt; no price is too steep for her head.

But Piper's already in a predicament of prodigious proportions when an art heist at the Bancroft Estates leaves a bodyguard dead...and she and her crime fighting gal pals are at the center of the crime scene.

Tangled in another mystery in Savory Alabama, Piper is determined to solve the case with the help of her quirky amateur sleuth friends dubbed the Dentures and Diamonds Crime Squad.  These zany retirees traded in their female rock band glory to fight crime, but can they help Piper maintain her cover and catch the killer before she or another Savory resident winds up dead?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Chicago cop Piper Sandstone has been hiding out in small town Savory, Alabama since she cornered dirty cops in the Windy City.  Until the case comes to trial, she's been living as Sharon, a woman who's opened a private investigation firm with her friends The Delta Queens, a retired rock group that's drawn to solving crimes.  But unfortunately, a glimpse of Piper has hit the news because the ladies, now private detectives known as The Queen's Bees Detective Agency, are investigating a high-end robbery and two deaths.

The hit men are on their trail.  Her good cop friends from Chicago are following the hit men and trying to get to Piper first.  And Piper and her friends are trying to solve the heist and the murder.  How can her bodyguard Gemma keep Piper safe if Piper won't let her?...

This is the conclusion to the five-part story, and it's a blast, watching the seniors at work while they try and stay by Piper's side.  Piper, meanwhile, is trying to do her job and not worry about anything else; but then again, she doesn't know hit men are on their way.

Still, I have to say that this is probably the best part of the book.  Everything comes together neatly, and we get a climax that's intense and funny at the same time.  The book ties up all the ends together weaving the story to a satisfying conclusion, and Piper and her friends definitely have their hands full and something else to look forward to...but I won't spoil it.  Highly recommended.

I was give a copy from the author but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Bacon-Bodyguards-Ballistics-Sandstone-Culinary-ebook/dp/B09YDT4G7D/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4755691357

More on Karen McSpade's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/karen-mcspade/

A Big Fat Greek Murder (A Goddess of Greene Street Mystery Book 2)

Author:    Kate Collins

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496724359\/

Kensington Publishing

336 Pages

$6.99; $6.64 Amazon

December 1, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The entire family has been put to work when a big fat Greek wedding rehearsal is booked at the Parthenon.  All hands are needed for rolling grape leaves, layering moussaka, and keeping the bride calm.  But then the groom goes MIA and there's far more to worry about than just whether Yiayia's lemon rice soup has gone cold.

No matter how tangy the tzatziki, everyone's appetite is ruined when the groom is found dead, a pair of scissors planted in his back.  When the bride accuses Athena's sister Selene, a hairstylist, of seducing and stabbing her fiancé, it's all-out war -- and it's up to Athena to dig up the dirt on the suspects and nip these suspicions in the bud...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Athena's family owns a garden center and a restaurant called the Parthenon.  When her hairstylist sister Selene is asked to be a bridesmaid for her friend Mandy, she agrees.  The rehearsal dinner is at the restaurant, and everyone is waiting for Brady, the groom, to show up.  But he never does.  And when Mandy's brother goes looking for him, they find that Brady has been murdered.  But things get worse when the police discover Selene's scissors in his back, and she can't give a solid alibi, they arrest her for the murder.  Now Athena and her friend Case are determined to find evidence to get Selene off the hook.  But between dodging Mama's attempts to get Athena married, and a rich woman's attempts to get Case, things aren't going to be as easy as Athena wants.  She just hopes she can find the evidence before Selene is formally charged and brought to trial...

This is the second book in the series and I did like it a bit better than the first.  Unfortunately, I really don't like Athena's mama.  She's a nag, and even with a daughter in jail for a murder she didn't commit, she's still trying to get Athena married off.  How much sense does that make?  She sets her up on blind dates knowing Athena doesn't want anything to do with it.  I also don't care for the 'evil nemesis' in the form of Lila; I really abhor those in books and wish she'd disappear.

While I thought the plot was done well, and the writing was very good, there were parts that were slow-going, and I just didn't understand Mitchell's obsession about Mandy.  It was almost unhealthy, if you know what I mean.  

But other than this, the plot flowed and kept me interested in the book and I did like the interactions between Athena and her father.  They are very close, and it shows.  I also liked the fact that her relationship with Case is moving forward.

The way Athena and Case went about asking questions was never invasive, and I liked that they shared the information with police officer Bob McGuire.  It's always nice to have a police officer who's helpful and not nasty to you.

In the end, I did enjoy how everything was resolved; when the murderer is discovered, it was both sad and yet done in such a way that you couldn't hate the killer.  I felt everything was done nicely while giving us a touch of what is going to happen in the next book.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Greek-Murder-Goddess-Greene-Mystery-ebook/dp/B085LTLH4P/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4755648412

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

Old Bones and Ice Cream Cones (Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Book 6)

Author:    Elizabeth Pantley

Genre:     Mystery/Paranormal

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9798446431014

Independently Published

450 Pages

$13.99; $3.99 Amazon

May 15, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Old Bones and Ice Cream Cones follows the series format of combining two stories that blend into one.  A murder mystery and the island mystery.

The Island Mystery: Hayden's boyfriend Han is missing.  But she swears she saw him zoom by in his car.  She'd thought it was a surprise, and that he was home early from his secret service case.  She was wrong.  The surprise is that his signal isn't pinging, and no one knows where he is.  There appears to be black magic behind his disappearance.  Can they learn who's responsible and bring Han safely home?

The Murder Mystery: A pile of old bones is found in an ancient fishing boat.  They could be tied to the disappearance of two young women years ago, back when many of the Destiny Falls people were in high school.  Many of the citizens had bad history with the missing students.  Do the bones belong to them, and what happened?  Were they murdered?  And could the murderer be living among them?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Hayden lives in Destiny Falls, a magical place full of witches and other supernatural creatures.  She is in love with Han Chow, who works for special forces.  But he has been gone for longer than a week, and she is worried.  When he returns unexpectedly, with no knowledge of ever being missing, he is different: taller, stronger, more virile.  The residents of the town are worried, but Han shrugs it off.

When Han and Hayden go on a picnic, they find the bones of a human that have been there for decades.  But who was this person?  Discovering the bones were female, they at least have a lead, considering there was no head with the body, so it takes them awhile to find out who the person was -- and how they came to be there.

But the spell cast upon Han is strong; and it will take Hayden and all her magical friends to attempt to bring back her beloved, if it is possible to do so at all...

This is the sixth book in the series, and I must admit that I have not read any of the others.  Since this is the latest book, I will admit that I have missed the introduction to many of the characters, but the book can be read as a standalone, so I had no problem catching up.

What I didn't care for was the huge cache of characters involved.  There were so many, and all so different, that I was having trouble deciding who was important and who was not; and why some of them were even in the book.  Unfortunately, this is a negative for me.

But the story line was done well, and the writing was very good, so that is a big positive in itself.  Part of the book seemed to be slow, but in the the rest of the book, it was enough to keep me interested in finding out the two answers.  While neither one connected to the other, it really didn't matter; both, as we know, will be solved before the end of the book, and they were done so, and very well.  

As far as paranormal books go, this one was very good.  Ms. Pantley is a talented author and one I would recommend to others.

This book was given to me by the Cozy Review to read and review but this in no way influenced what I have written.

https://www.amazon.com/Old-Bones-Ice-Cream-Cones-ebook/dp/B09W42KVV1/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4751849578

More on Elizabeth Pantley's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/elizabeth-pantley/

Curses Are For Cads (An Eleanor Wilde Mystery Book 3)

Author:    Tamara Berry

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496729330

Kensington Publishing

288 Pages

$18.79; $13.26 Amazon

October 27, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

As Sussex's resident witch and pseudo psychic, Eleanor has grown accustomed to somewhat strange requests for supernatural aid.  So when Nicholas's university pal, Sid Stewart, writes from the family's remote castle in Scotland, begging for Ellie's services as a medium, Ellie is only delighted to help.

Apparently, the recently deceased patriarch of Sid's family, Glenn Stewart, died before divulging the whereabouts of an important cache of family heirlooms.  The Stewart clan hopes a clairvoyant can contact him from beyond the grave.  Of course, Ellie can't actually commune with the dead.  But faking it is the name of the game.  She's not worried, until...

Aboard the train for Oban, Ellie discovers that fellow medium Birdie White is also heading to the Outer Hebrides to assist the Stewarts.  Birdie is a master in the art, serving as a spiritual consultant to royalty and even assisting Scotland Yard on occasion.  Ellie might not trust the woman's motivations, but Birdie's skills are unquestionable.

But while Birdie is busy speaking with the dead, Ellie plans to talk to living suspects -- namely, the other residents and employees of the spooky Stewart estate, who know a lot more than they're letting on.  Amid swirling rumors of cursed treasure, whispered tales of ghostly pirates, and a recent spate of preternatural murders, in order to catch the killer Ellie must confront the most terrifying possibility of all -- her gift may be real...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Eleanor Wilde is the resident witch in Sussex.  While the townspeople are still getting used to her and speculating all the way about her motives, one thing is sure: her beau Nicholas is truly smitten.  He wants to take her on a two-week vacation to Malta, and she's excited to go.  That is, until Nicholas shows up telling her that plans have changed: they're going to Scotland to help an old university chum of his.  Ellie's on board with the plan until she shows up at his castle the next morning, all packed and ready to go...and there's no Nicholas.  He had to leave on business, but bought her a train ticket to her destination.

Not happy about the train, she still has a job to do for the Stewarts, who want her to find their missing heirlooms -- the ones that their father forgot to tell them the location before he died.  But she's stunned while aboard and a woman comes barging in her train car and plops next to her, telling her that she's also a medium and on her way to the Stewarts.  Yet when they arrive, no one expected Birdie White, and even Eleanor wants to know what she's doing there.  It doesn't take long before Ellie figures it out, and she finds herself attempting to stay one step ahead of the flamboyant fake.  But will she be able to, when Birdie seems to know everything Ellie is doing?...

This is the third book in the series, and I really wanted to like it as much as I did the previous one.  However, Birdie herself kept me from doing so.  She was heartily dislikable in my opinion.  I dreaded every scene she was in; and discovering some of the things she did to Eleanor made me dislike her ever more.  I do wish Ellie had given her a big bop in the nose...

Nicholas was mostly absent from most of the book; and I would have liked to have seen their relationship prosper, but it appeared (to me, at least) that Ellie was thinking of ways to keep him at arms' length.  None of her reasons made sense; it was obvious he loved her, and she should have just reciprocated or left him.

The mystery itself was very well done, and I did like the resolution that Ellie brought to everyone.  It was thoughtful and believable, and that's the idea all along of what a conclusion should be.  While this was not my favorite book, I do look forward to the next in the series and hope it will be better.  Still, it is a very good read and I recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Curses-Cads-Eleanor-Wilde-Mystery-ebook/dp/B085LTWQX6/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4749969543

More on Tamara Berry's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/tamara-berry/

Blowin' Up a Murder (Kenni Lowry Mystery Book 8)

Author:    Tonya Kappes

Genre:     Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9798830355537

Independently Published

192 Pages

$12.99; $5.99 Amazon

May 19, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sheriff Lowry becomes public enemy number one when she shuts down a wedding reception when one of the catering waiters ends up dead impaled with a wedding umbrella.  The bride is not happy and proceeds to beat Sheriff Lowry with her bridal bouquet!

Kenni and Poppa are on the case!  How lucky that Kenni is already there to start her investigation!  She's got a bratty bride, a crass groomsman and a dead waiter!  If murder at the wedding was not enough, she's got to get to solve this so that her friend's business isn't ruined.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Sheriff Kenni Lowry and the rest of the government officials in the small town of Cottonwood, Kentucky, are invited to a wedding by a well-known, well-heeled businessman's daughter.  While there, Kenni hears a scream, and discovers one of the waiters dead - with an umbrella stuck in him.  The only people who had those were the wedding party...and this one belongs to the best man.  Taking him into custody for murder isn't going to ease the fact that Kenni has ruined the wedding, and the bride is upset, not to mention the wedding planner and caterer, who are (or were) her friends.

But before she can formally charge the man  murder, another suspect is discovered, and this one is closer to home.  How will Kenni find out the truth?  With her ghostly Poppa by her side, she's determined to do so.  But let's not forget that her mama is pushing for Kenni to get married.  If she does that, she'll lose Poppa, so she fights it at every turn.  But how long will it be before she can avoid it?  How long will it take for her to find a killer?...

This is the eighth book in the series and I have read them all with great delight.  I have missed Kenni and am glad that she is back again in full form and with her ghostly grandfather to guide her through.  This time out, she's sure it's one of the wedding party whom is guilty, but it's not going to be easy to prove it.  When she finds out that the waiter had been hiding a huge secret -- and now his wife is, also, Kenni puts her sheriff face on to discover the truth.

When there's another unexpected murder, Kenni has to rethink her choices, and decide what to do next.  But unless there's a huge break in the case, she's stuck.  It's a chance encounter that leads her to the answer, and with the help of Poppa she just might crack this case and put a killer behind bars.

I love the relationship between Kenni and Poppa.  I also love the relationship between Kenni and Finn.  So I'm at a standstill there.  But I also love all the secondary characters -- including her meddling and annoying mama.  They're part of what makes this series so special.  

When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, it's a strange bargain that has been taking place, but an interesting one just the same.  The calm in Cottonwood is restored, as we knew it would be, and the place is once again running smoothly...for now.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Blowin-Murder-Kenni-Lowry-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09J46PM7Q/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4744933118

More on Tonya Kappes's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/tonya-kappes/

Bacon, Bodyguards and Ballistics (A Piper Sandstone Cozy Culinary Mystery #4)

Author:    Karen McSpade

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B09YDPTSKR

Newcastle Media

76 Pages

$2.99 Amazon

May 24, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Reeling with excitement over the opening of a private investigation agency and her budding romance with the sheriff, Piper Sandstone can't wait to launch her dream career and return to a somewhat normal life.  But danger lurks on the horizPon -- the dirty cops back in Chicago still want her dead.  Even if it means putting the people she loves in jeopardy to find her.  They are ruthless and on the hunt, no price is too steep for her head.

But Piper's already in a predicament of prodigious proportions when an art heist at the Bancroft Estates leaves a bodyguard dead...and she and her crime-fighting gal pals are at the center of the crime scene.

Tangled in another mystery in Savory, Alabama, Piper is determined to solve the case with the help of her quirky amateur sleuth friends dubbed the Dentures and Diamonds Crime Squad.  These zany retirees traded in their female rock band glory to fight crime, but can they help Piper maintain her cover and catch the killer before she or another Savory resident winds up dead?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Piper Sandstone is enjoying her new life as a private investigator with her four senior friends, and they're on the trail of an art heist.  The problem is that they don't have any real leads...until now.  When a friend of one of the ladies is suspected in the theft, it turns out she's the only one who thinks that they're innocent.  But are they?  And will the four capture the thief before Piper's location is discovered?

When Piper's cop friends back in Chicago are ambushed, they know they have to get to her fast.  Before the killers do.  But is there a clue to Piper's whereabouts?  And how do they know it's her? 

This is the fourth book in the series, and keeps you on the edge of your seat while you wait to see if Piper will solve the case, or if the bad guys will reach her first -- or will both happen simultaneously?  (I don't know yet).  Still, it's a riveting section of the full novel, and worth getting into.  I have enjoyed each and every one of these so far, and can't wait to read the final book and discover the conclusion.  Piper and her friends have become quite lovely to have around, and the ladies are a hoot in their own way.  Now if everyone would just stay out of the funhouse...

I received a copy of this book from the author but this in no way influenced my review.

https://smile.amazon.com/Bacon-Bodyguards-Ballistics-Sandstone-Culinary-ebook/dp/B09YDPT5KR/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4743110909

More on Karen McSpade's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/karen-mcspade/

Bacon, Bodyguards and Ballistics (A Piper Sandstone Culinary Cozy Mystery #3)

Author:    Karen McSpade

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B09X7J9G6W

Newcastle Media

71 Pages

$.99 Amazon

May 17, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Reeling with excitement over the opening of a private investigation agency and her budding romance with the sheriff, Piper Sandstone can't wait to launch her dream career and return to a somewhat normal life.  But danger lurks on the horizon -- the dirty cops back in Chicago still want her dead.  Even if if means putting the people she loves in jeopardy to find her.  They are ruthless and on the hunt, and no price is too steep to pay for her head.

But Piper's already in a predicament of prodigious proportions when an art heist at the Bancroft Estates leaves a bodyguard dead...and she and her crime-fighting gal pals are at the center of the crime scene.

Tangled in another mystery in Savory, Alabama, Piper is determined to solve the case with the help of her quirky amateur sleuth friends dubbed the Dentures and Diamonds Crime Squad.  These zany retirees traded in their female rock band glory to fight crime, but can they help Piper maintain her cover and catch the killer before she or another Savory resident winds up dead?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

When Piper Sandstone moves to Savory, Alabama, it's to keep her safe from cops back in Chicago that are trying to kill her before she can testify.  Now it seems, after a catching a dog-napper, there are some people who know who she really is.  Still, she maintains her cover of being Sharon, a waitress-turned-private eye; and along with her friends the senior Denture and Diamonds Crime Squad, they've opened a private investigation agency.

They're on the trail of thieves who have stolen millions worth of art, and think they've found a clue as to whom the thieves might be.  But when that leads them down a rabbit hole, they've got to up their game, even if it means listening in on private conversations that might tell them part of the story, or cornering the employees at the vast Bancroft Estates, where the art was stolen.  Learning a clue here and there is helping them, but it's not enough to get them where they want to be...

Meanwhile, back in Chicago, Piper's friends have been ambushed and are trying to find a way to get ot her before the bad guys do.  With the help of another person, they just might get there first.  But if they don't, Piper might be done for...

This is the third installment in the Deep Fried Revenge storyline, and it's just as good as the other two.  Piper is unaware that someone might be even closer than she thinks to finding her, but her bodyguard Gemma is on her toes, even if Piper wants her gone.

The PI's are getting information gleaned from Bancroft employees, and whether it will help or not time will tell.  But Piper is happy things are moving along, and she's willing to risk it all to find the stolen art...

I enjoyed this book as much as any of them, and we are getting close to the conclusion of the story.  It's beginning to get to the point that something is going to happen, and we might even find out who the bad guys are.  I loved this book and can't wait to read the next one.  Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book from the author but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09X7J9G6W/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4741144947

More on Karen McSpade's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/karen-mcspade/

Bacon, Bodyguards and Ballistics, Book 2 (A Piper Sandstone Culinary Cozy Mystery)

Author:    Karen McSpade

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B09X7FTKH9

Newcastle Media

74 Pages

$.99 Amazon

May 10, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Reeling with excitement over the opening of a private investigation agency and her budding romance with the sheriff, Piper Sandstone can't wait to launch her dream career and return to a somewhat normal life.  But danger lurks on the horizon -- the dirty cops back in Chicago still want her dead.  Even if it means putting the people she loves in jeopardy to find her.  They are ruthless and on the hunt, no price is too steep for her head.

But Piper's already in a predicament of prodigious proportions when an art heist at the Bancroft Estates leaves a bodyguard dead...and she and her crime-fighting gal pals are at the center of the crime scene.

Tangled in another mystery in Savory, Alabama, Piper is determined to solve the case with the help of her quirky amateur sleuth friends dubbed the Dentures and Diamonds Crime Squad.  These zany retirees traded in their female rock band glory to fight crime, but can they help Piper maintain her cover and catch the killer before she or another Savory resident winds up dead?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Piper Sandstone is a Chicago cop hiding out in Savory, Alabama under an assumed name.  After solving a mystery of a missing championship dog, she and her senior gal pals have decided to open a private investigation firm, and are taking on their first big case.

While they were at a dog show, millions of dollars worth of art was stolen right under everyone's eyes, including the bodyguards and others hired to keep an eye on it.  Now they're on the trail of the thieves, and because of an anonymous tip, they might have a major clue.

But Piper's also trying to take time out for herself -- and her interest in the sheriff.  On a picnic together, she's miffed that the bodyguard her uncle hired for her insists on tagging along, albeit 'being invisible.'  She doesn't even want a bodyguard!

Still, she has to work on the case, and when they find what they're looking for, they may or may not have hit upon a major clue...and meanwhile, back in Chicago, Piper's friends are having problems of their own -- and need to get to her...

This is the second book in the series, and I am glad that I was able to read it so quickly,  The first pulls you into the story, and when there's not another page to turn, it's disheartening.  But then this comes along and brings you right back into the action as if you never left, and the story continues with the sassy and zesty senior women doing what they do best to stop crime.  There's also a funny scene that I've mentioned above about a picnic, so watch for it.

This was indeed a fun read, and I can't wait to dig into the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book from the author but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09X7FTKH9/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4738947236

More on Karen McSpade's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/karen-mcspade/

Scheduled to Death (A Maggie McDonald Mystery Book 2)

Author:    Mary Feliz

Genre:     Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781601836663

Lyrical Underground

236 Pages

$11.65; $1.99 Amazon

January 17, 2017

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Maggie McDonald is hoping to raise the profile of her new Orchard View organizing business via her first high-profile client.  Professor Lincoln Sinclair may be up for a Nobel Prize, but he's hopeless when it comes to organizing anything other than his thoughts.  For an academic, he's also amassed more than his share of enemies.  When Sinclair's fiancée is found dead on the floor of his home laboratory -- electrocuted in a puddle of water -- Maggie takes on the added task of finding the woman's murderer.  To do so, she'll have to outmaneuver the suspicious, obnoxious police investigator she's nicknamed "Detective Awful" before a shadow figure can check off the first item on their personal to-do list -- Kill Maggie McDonald.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Maggie McDonald and her family moved to Orchard View after a late aunt left her husband a large home and the money he would need to maintain it.  Now, she's starting up her organizing business again in her new town, and she's lucked out by being able to organize the home of Professor Lincoln Sinclair, who will be getting married soon and combining households.  But when she arrives with her realtor friend Tess, they find the body of Lincoln's fiancée, Sarah, electrocuted in a puddle of water.  At first it looks like a horrible accident, but after the police investigate the crime, it's determined to be a murder.

But the man in charge, Detective Apfel, whom Maggie and everyone around her has nicknamed "Detective Awful," is a horrible detective and rubs everyone the wrong way.   He's decided that Linc killed Sarah -- never mind that Linc was nowhere near the crime scene -- and is determined to pin the murder on him.  What can Maggie do but help Linc?  Even though her husband Max wants her to stay out of it, she knows she can't.  Maggie has more than one problem coming her way, and even if she wants to try and just help people, there's someone out there besides the police who doesn't want her help -- the killer...

This is the second book in the series and I must say that I enjoyed it quite much more than the first.  In the first, Maggie's husband was working out of town and I was afraid it was going to be another cozy where the protagonist had her husband gone all the time and she solved murders on her own.  I was pleasantly surprised that Max made more than an appearance in this book, even if he didn't get involved in the investigation as much, he was supportive of his wife, which goes a long way.

Maggie knows that Linc couldn't commit a murder, so she starts looking as to who might have wanted the woman dead.  Or did they?  Since it occurred in Linc's house, maybe he was the target after all?  Could it have been one of the teenagers who worked next door in the gardens?  Or perhaps their supervisor, Boots?

All she knows is that since the detective who would have been on the case, Jason Mueller, is out with a broken leg, and the obnoxious replacement doesn't care about justice, only about closing cases fast.  With Maggie under the gun for time, she needs to find a killer before they find her.

When the ending comes, everything is put together nicely, and we were given a clue to the murderer (I am pleased to say that I was right) but you have to watch for it along the way.  At the end, there is a nice epilogue which puts it all into perspective, and I will read the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Scheduled-Death-Maggie-McDonald-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01EQ2N1QM/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4738595905

More on Mary Feliz's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/mary-feliz/

Death of an Ice Cream Scooper (Hayley Powell Mystery Book 15)

Author:    Lee Hollis

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496736494

Kensington Publishing

320 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

July 26, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Food and cocktails columnist Hayley Powell doesn't know what to believe when Lydia Partridge, the put together owner of gourmet Bar Harbor Ice Cream, suddenly reveals that her husband may be having an affair.  There's no other way to explain why Jamie, a respected professor, was spotted in a remote part of town with a much younger woman.  But instead of learning the truth about the secret meeting, Lydia opens her freezer truck to find another surprise -- the dead body of a summer employee...

The shock continues as photographic evidence proves Jamie was spending time off campus with the victim, one of his students.  Now, Lydia desperately needs Hayley to discover if Jamie really is a cheater -- and, worse, a ruthless killer.  With her own complicated family issues to address, can Hayley make sense of a popular college girl's love life and out the true culprit before the case, or another person, goes cold?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Hayley Powell, a columnist for the Island Times, and owner of popular restaurant Hayley's Kitchen, is faced with a problem: she's just discovered another dead body.  This time, in the back of the freezer truck of Lydia Partridge, owner of Bar Harbor Ice Cream.  The dead woman is a summer employee of Lydia's, and she asks Hayley to help her find out who killed her, since this could definitely hurt her business.  But when Hayley begins her investigation, she finds that the young woman had secrets.  Lots of them.  And one of those secrets led to her death.  Unfortunately, she also finds that it might lead to someone she cares about, and just can't believe is a killer...

To complicate matters, her son Dustin arrives with a major surprise.  A surprise that will change Hayley's life -- and Dustin's -- forever.  Then, just as Hayley thinks things can't get any worse, both Mona and Lydia, Hayley's best friends, have secrets of their own that are uncovered.  Now Hayley's in the middle of not only a murder investigation, but her own life is about to be upended.  How is she going to survive all this?...

This is the fifteenth book in the series, and I have read them all.  While I will admit freely that I didn't care for the first in the series, I am glad that I continued to stick with it.  Because, and I am sure others will agree (and maybe a few disagree), that this series has only improved with time.  Each book seems to be getting better than the last.  And that's few authors that can claim that distinction of series.

In this book, we have Hayley once again trying to figure out where a killer lurks among her friends and acquaintances.  She does it without probing too deep, but she's not afraid to confront people to get answers to her questions.  That's where part of her strength lies.  I don't feel that she's pushing too hard, because I never get uncomfortable with her line of questioning.

As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that Hayley is upset the way things are going, and knows she has to try and find the murderer, and help her friend Lydia discover if Lydia's husband Jamie was having an affair as well.  Hayley has her hands full this time, and time itself might not be on her side.

But when the ending comes, it's not only full of activity, I also had ideas of who the murderer must be.  I found myself surprised by the author's twist, and it was a doozy, to say the least.  This time out, Hayley plays her cards well, and her wits help her win in the end.  I loved this story and am eager to read the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Scooper-Hayley-Powell-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09KP2Y6CD/ref

Goodreads:     https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4736857584

More on Lee Hollis's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/lee-hollis/

Missing Marlene (Jane & Winky, Book 1)

Author:    Evan Marshall

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781575664200; 9781977073105

Kensington Publishing; Independent

271 Pages

Various Prices; $2.99 Amazon

June 1, 1999

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The last thing literary agent and widowed single mom Jane Stuart needs on a busy day is a call from her son Nick's school saying his nanny Marlene never showed up at the end of the day to pick him up.  That's odd, thinks Jane.  The pretty blonde, daughter of an old friend of Jane's, had always been reliable before and a great nanny to boot.  Jane feels a sense of obligation to her old friend and calls Ivy.  Truth be told, Ivy was the reason she hired Marlene in the first place. 

But Ivy has no idea where Marlene is.  Jane wonders.  If something's happened to Marlene, she should notify the police.  But when she does, the police figure Marlene has run away.  No one else cares.

What happened to Marlene?  Never one to settle, Jane starts to snoop.

Juggling book deals, rival agents, and a rocky romance with an author too handsome for his own good, Jane uncovers that Marlene had a secret life -- including some erotic videos, a boyfriend with violent tendencies (as well as a police record), and an off-again, on-again flirtation with a mystery man.  Jane finds out nothing about him, which makes her want to track him even more.

But it's Jane's trusted tortie Winky who uncovers the critical clue.  It is the last key which makes all the puzzle pieces fit.  As Jane and Winky get to the bottom of who the real killer is, they try desperately to get the police to make their move before the killer strikes again -- this time, with Jane as the next victim.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Jane Stuart is a struggling literary agent -- ever since her husband Kenneth died, most of his clients have gone elsewhere.  Still, it's what she knows, and she has a nine-year-old son to support.  With the help of her assistant Daniel Willoughby, she plans to keep her agency running.  She also has a nanny for her son Nick, but when she receives a call from his school that Marlene hasn't picked him up, she's at first angry.

When she gets Nick and goes home, she finds that all Marlene's belongings are gone.  Now she wants to know why Marlene just left without notice, and calls Ivy, Marlene's mother.  The two of them have no idea where she went, and Jane feels it's her duty to locate the young woman.  But it isn't going to be easy, since Marlene is nineteen and a legal adult, and no one is giving her definite answers.  

Still, Jane keeps on digging, and what she finds greatly disturbs her.  Was Marlene ever what she claimed to be?  And how far does Jane have to go to find out what happened to her?...

This is an older book, and the first in the series.  I believe I read this years ago, but sometimes it's nice to go back to the past and give these books a second go-round.  This time I am glad that I did.  The book was written well, and even though I thought that Jane had gone above and beyond looking for Marlene and answers, I understand that she has an innate curiosity about her and wanted to know the truth.

I did feel that Ivy blaming Jane for her daughter's disappearance was over the top.  Ivy should have kept track of her own child and not expected Jane to be a babysitter.  After all, wasn't that what Jane hired Marlene for?  You'd think a nanny would be responsible, but oh, well.

I didn't care for some of the secondary characters, not even Laura, whom I felt should have allowed Daniel to find his own path and be supportive of his choices; I didn't care for Roger (who would?); but I did sort of like Detective Greenberg, and of course Jane, Nick, and Florence.  These are characters I won't mind revisiting in future books.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it is more complicated than anyone could have imagined, and well worth waiting for.  It comes together nicely in a believable package, and leaves us wanting to read the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Marlene-Winky-Suburban-Sleuths-ebook/dp/B079JZFZ9L/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4725851537

More on Evan Marshall's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/evan-marshall/

Peanut Butter Panic (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery Book 7)

Author:    Amanda Flower

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496734617

Kensington Publishing

304 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

August 23, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanksgiving is Bailey King's busiest holiday weekend.  This year promises to be even more hectic, since Bailey's candy shop, Swissmen Sweets, is providing desserts for Harvest, Ohio's first village-wide Thanksgiving celebration.  Yet, even with a guest list close to seven hundred people -- Amish and English alike -- the event's organizer, Margot Rawlings, is unfazed...until she discovers her mother, former judge Zara Bevan, will be in attendance.

Zara's reputation as a harsh critic is matched only by her infamy as a judge who has actively harmed the Amish community.  So no one is prepared when Zara arrives with much younger boyfriend Blaze Smith and reveals their impending nuptials at dinner.  That should have been the day's biggest news, except shortly after the announcement, Blaze suffers an allergic reaction to something he's eaten and dies on the spot.

Now, Bailey's desserts are prime suspects, along with Margot and nearly everyone who attended the meal.  With such a cornucopia of possibilities, Bailey must dig in and get to the bottom of this murder, before the killer goes up for seconds...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Bailey King, along with her Amish grandmother, owns a candy shop, Swissmen Sweets, in Harvest, Ohio.  Bailey is a chocolatier who left New York City to help care for her ailing grandfather before he died.  She also has a television show that showcases her talents, and her life is full.  But right now she's trying to help get ready for the weekend after Thanksgiving, when her shop will be full of tourists looking to purchase sweets for their families and friends.  But when Margot Rawlings, the town's best organizer of events, asks her to help with the Thanksgiving feast, she can't refuse.  Especially when she learns the reason -- Margot's mother is coming.  Margot, along with most of the town, is terrified of Zara Bevan, a harsh judge who retired and moved to Florida.  Zara is hated in Harvest, so neither Margot nor anyone else knows why she's coming.

But when she arrives, the reason becomes plainly clear -- she's attended by a man younger than her daughter, Blaze Smith.  But when she announces to everyone that she's marrying Blaze, mouths hang open and people sit stunned...all except Blaze, who has an allergic reaction to something and drops dead at the table.  When it's discovered that Blaze was murdered, Margot asks for Bailey's help in proving her innocence.  Stranger still, Zara also asks Bailey to prove her daughter innocent, even though the two detest and don't want anything to do with each other.  All Bailey can do it accept it.

But when Bailey's boyfriend Aiden Brody shows up, it's soon apparent he's not just there to see Bailey.  As an employee of the BCI, he's there to investigate the death along with local law enforcement.  While he wants Bailey to allow the police to handle it, he knows deep down she won't, and Bailey has every plan to take down a killer...

This is the seventh book in the series and I have read them all.  While I love this series, I must say that I love this book more than the last.  There was plenty of action between both the Amish and the Englisch, with both pointing fingers at the other side.  And Bailey has more on her plate this time than usual, with wanting to help her grandmother before the woman wears herself out completely, and decide just exactly where her and Aiden's relationship is going.  But it all takes a back seat to solving the murder, and when it all comes together, it's because of a strange event and a clue that might never have ordinarily been found.

I love the characters in this one, including the addition of Leon, who though young, makes you want to put an arm around him and bring him into your home to live.  I felt that he's lost in more ways than one, and I hope that in future books we find him coming into a better life.  I also thought it was a hoot about our little pot-bellied pig friend Jethro being a celebrity on his own, and even as a subplot it was fun to read.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, I had a feeling all along, but I wanted to see how it played out.  Bailey is up to her usual sleuthing best, and she puts it together nicely and while it left shocks all around, I felt that it was handled realistically and well.  The author is very good at setting scenes and putting the clues out there, and bringing everything together just as it should be.  

All in all, I did enjoy the ending and like how it gives us something to look forward to in the next book.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Peanut-Butter-Panic-Amish-Mystery/dp/1496734610/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4729572943

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

Blood on the Bulb Fields (The Fiona Mason Mysteries Book 1)

Author:    Judith Cranswick

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9798647683144

Independently Published

282 Pages

$6.31; $4.02 Amazon

May 21, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tour manager Fiona Mason's first assignment turns into a nightmare.  As if coping with difficult passengers were not enough, one of them disappears in mysterious circumstances.  Suddenly a full-scale investigation is in swing headed by the autocratic Peter Montgomery-Jones who doesn't make Fiona's job any easier.

The missing man was undercover on the trail of diamond smugglers.  When his body turns up Fiona must face the fact that she has a murderer in her party.

The body count quickly mounts up when they move on to Amsterdam and Fiona needs to work out which of her passengers is the killer before she becomes the next victim.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Fiona Mason is a widow who has taken the advice of a friend and decided to get a job to keep herself busy.  That job turns out to be as a tour manager for a luxury coach company.  But on the day they are to leave, one of the passengers is missing, and Fiona discovers his body behind a dumpster.  Finally on their way, she hopes nothing else will befall them.  After all, some of her passengers aren't the happy type, and she has her hands full keeping them all pleased and full of delicious food.

When another passenger disappears, she learns that the man was on the case of locating diamond smugglers.  Now she's sure that the killer is among her guests, but she's trying to not think about it.  Hard to do when little accidents are happening and passengers are late coming back to the bus and hotels.  What's a woman to do?  Try and find out who the murderer is, of course...

This is the first book in the series, and it seemed interesting so I thought I would give it a try.  The writing is very good, and Fiona is a likable protagonist.  While I will admit there were more than enough passengers to keep track of, at times it was a little difficult figuring out who was who, and I had to go back to the beginning pages to check.  Not that easy to do on a Kindle, so the next best thing is to write down the names.  Things I don't prefer doing while reading.

Still, the mystery itself was done well, and while I figured out the murderer long before Fiona, it did not temper my enjoyment of this book.  I like how the mystery played out, and because of this, I will read the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Fields-Fiona-Mason-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00CCTFW96/ref

Goodreads:     https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4720423332

More on Judith Cranswick's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/judith-cranswick/

Potions Are For Pushovers (An Eleanor Wilde Mystery Book 2)

Author:    Tamara Berry

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496719638

Kensington Publishing

288 Pages

$12.99; $16.46 Amazon

November 26, 2019

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Selling mystical elixirs and tantalizing tonics is a pretty good way for a fake medium to earn a living.  Or at least it's Ellie's main source of income -- until a villager turns up dead.  The cause?  Murder by poisoning.  And though Ellie's concoctions don't include anything worthy of a skull and crossbones, suddenly she's the prime suspect.  Her only recourse is to find the culprit who did do away with Sarah Blackthorne.  No one liked the mean old battle-axes.  But did anyone hate her enough to kill her?

It's enough of a mystery to make Ellie hang up her witch's hat and take millionaire beau Nicholas Hartford up on his offer to keep her afloat.  Except Ellie is not the kind of woman to lean on a man -- least of all a man she adores whose place in her life is uncertain.  Besides, Ellie's taken on two young witches-in-training -- apprentices if you will -- and both of them are convinced a werewolf is the murderer.

Just as Ellie's wondering if there really is something otherworldly going on, animals suddenly begin to disappear -- including her beloved cat, Beast.  Now Ellie's on the warpath to uncover the wicked truth about the people and the place she's only just begun to call home...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Eleanor Wilde is a fake psychic who's taken to making potions and tonics for the villagers around her, becoming the village witch, living in a cottage on the estate of her beau, rich Nicholas Hartford.  But Nicholas travels and isn't always around, and she refuses to live on his largesse, rather trying to make it on her reputation, such as it is.  But one morning she's conscripted to act as emissary for the Hartfords by Nicholas's mother.  She's to attend in her place on the committee for the annual village fete.  Not all the people attending are happy about it; and one elderly woman, Sarah Blackthorne, accuses Eleanor of giving her 'the evil eye' just before Sarah drops dead of a suspected heart attack.

Now Eleanor is out to prove her innocence, and is determined to find out who killed the woman.  Hindering her efforts is the daughter of the village physician, Lenora, who insists that apprenticing with Eleanor is the place she wants to be for her school project.  When Nicholas's niece Rachel hears of this, she decides she wants to apprentice, also.  And when the remains of a man's beloved pet pig is found mutilated, the girls have decided it's the work of a werewolf.  Well, keeping them occupied reading about the history of werewolves can't be bad, right?  Wrong.  Especially when Eleanor starts wondering if the girls might be on the right track...

This is the second book in the series and I have to say that I enjoyed it much more than the first (sorry).  The characters are given a chance to flesh out better, and we're getting a much better idea of the way that Eleanor thinks.  This is a young woman who has not had the easiest time in life; she's had to care for her permanently injured -- now deceased -- sister, and recently moved to England to begin her new life in the village and decide just what her relationship with Nicholas is.  But she's worried that the villagers don't really accept her, and she wants to become a part of this place that she's taken to her heart.

She also feels the need to watch over the two girls in her care, even though Lenora's mother isn't happy about the arrangement; and she's worried about her cat Beast, who recently disappeared, wondering if she's been a victim of the person -- or animal -- that has been capturing and killing pets throughout the village.

The mystery itself is done very well, and we're wondering who could possibly be a killer in their midst.  She's sure it has to be one of the people who were at the meeting, which makes the murderer a local villager.  But she has no idea who it might be, at least until she discovers a major clue -- one even others have missed, and she's sure she can find a way to get a confession.  That is, until Ellie herself is thrown off her game and may just find herself in danger of being the next victim...

All in all, when the murderer is discovered, it comes almost as a surprise, and a pleasant one at that, since it's always nice to have time to figure it out along with the protagonist.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book so much that I look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Potions-Pushovers-Eleanor-Wilde-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07PCHV2KP/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4714832451

More on Tamara Berry's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/tamara-berry/

Deadly Chapel (A British Seaside Cozy Mystery #1)

Author:    N.C. Lewis

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9798565094121

Independently Published

188 Pages

$12.99; $4.99 Amazon

January 30. 2019

⭐⭐

She just got an invite to a wedding.  Unfortunately, it is from her ex.  When Doris Cudlow attends her ex-husband's wedding, she's pretty sure it was a mistake.  Boy, is she right.  But it isn't until the bride disappears and her ex is on the run from the police that things really go downhill.  Doris teams up with her nosy landlady, and the duo turn detective to solve the mystery.  As Doris digs, she uncovers a web of lies along with a deadly secret.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Doris Cudlow just got a new job at a newspaper.  Unfortunately, she can't make it to work on time, and that's when she finds out there are changes ahead in the newspaper she works for that may make changes for her.  Not to mention she received a wedding invitation in the mail -- from her ex-husband.  When her landlady invites herself as Doris's guest, she has no choice but to go, even if she doesn't want to.  That leads to seeing a bride disappearing, and a murder soon following.  Now her ex-husband Toby is on the suspect list, and when he asks Doris for help, all she can do is say yes...

This is the first book in the series, and I really wanted to like it.  Especially since I did like the cover.  Unfortunately, that's the best thing about the book.  Doris is boring.  So boring that I really didn't care much about her...which doesn't matter, since we don't know much anyway.  How tall is she?  Color hair, color eyes?  Thin, heavy, in-between?  We don't know any of that.  Pretty or plain?  All we know is she married Toby right after college, and they were married ten years, so she's hitting forty pretty soon.  She also has an old car and no savings, living in a small studio, and is willing to work selling hot dogs, if that's what it takes.  Quite an interesting person, right?  Wrong.

When Toby's bride goes missing, the inept police inspector thinks he did it.  Even though when the lights went out the bride entered from the back of the church and the groom was standing in the front.  Even though when the lights came back on the groom was still standing in the front of the church.  Even though he has an alibi from the rector and the fact that he couldn't have been guilty, but never let that stand in the way of the truth, right?  The entire plot is lost somewhere along the way, and I couldn't find it anywhere.

Plus the newspaper where Doris works -- people who have been there over ten years are told they have 30 seconds to get everything from their office because they're fired.  Then when Doris is working on the murder, she's told to put that story on the back burner and write one on a new flavor of hot dog someone is working on.  Seriously?

Doris is a recovering alcoholic but keeps beer and liquor in her home?  Nope.  Not believing that one.  Then there's the audition.  She auditions for a part in Willie Wonka as a munchkin.  Has the author seen Willie Wonka?  I think they might be thinking of The Wizard of Oz.

Sad to say, this book could have been so much better if Doris had something -- anything -- going for her that made me want to read another in this series.  But even though the murderer was found, as we knew they would be, the ending didn't leave a comforting feeling that Doris has a bright future in front of her.  Therefore, I really can't give this book a great rating, and I normally do love British mysteries.  I gave it two stars because I finished it.  Sorry.

https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Chapel-British-Seaside-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07N8JS6S9/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4713613360

More on N.C. Lewis's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/n-c-lewis