Paws In Space (Crystal Beach Magic Mystery Book 5)

Author:    Karen McSpade

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B0BPJW45TZ

Newcastle Media

78 Pages

$2.99 Amazon

February 28, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Things take a mysterious and dangerous turn when Officer Reece and his deputy set a trap to catch the killer, and Sidney volunteers to be the bait.  You can bet if Ada-Mae catches wind of this, it will be off with this new witch's hat!  Good thing her grandmother is busy with the mini-golf competition and figuring out who to break the mischievous spell on her daughter.

When Sidney discovers something mysterious brewing at the Mystic Dunes, things take an unexpected turn for the worse.  A nexus of magic more powerful than anything Ada-Mae has seen before holds the secret...if they dare to enter it.  Can Ben and Gramp's ghosts help them travel through the portal?  Who will be waiting for them on the other side?  Can Sidney stir up her own magic spell to save her family before it's too late?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

In this fifth and final episode of the Crystal Beach Magic Mysteries, Sidney finds herself in hot water.  A lot of it.  And none of it is her own making.  First, Officer Reece is hoping that the person who wants the USB drive will try and purchase it during the mini-golf invitational.  But when things seem to go awry more and more, Sidney looks for another way to save her mother, and, perhaps. all those she cares for that are around her.

When she teams up with her grandmother Ada-Mae, Ernie, and Judd, it might take more than a witch's spell to discover the truth.  Even if she has help from the ghosts of her granddad and late boyfriend Ben.  Even if she has help from her cat, Mojo.  (Whom I absolutely love in this episode).  Nothing anyone could even think of occurs, and it may take quick thinking and the help of an unexpected source to save them all...

I hesitate to say more as I do not want to give anything important away.  Let me just say that this was so interesting that I read it through quickly, in order to find out what happens in the climax.  You will not be disappointed.  It has more action than before, and things happen quickly.  Questions we've had in previous books are answered, and that's the big thing.  All I can say (in all humor) is that I love cats and wish Mojo were mine!  If you've enjoyed the previous episodes, you will love this book.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the author and BookSprout but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Paws-Space-Crystal-Paranormal-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BPJW45TZ/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5375277685

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

Shot In The Bark (Dog Groomer Mysteries Book 8)

Author:    Chelsea Thomas

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9798377298809

Independently Published

220 Pages

$12.99; $5.99 Amazon

February 23, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Growing old can be murder...

...especially in Hollywood.

Amy Stewart came home to California expecting to groom cute dogs, hang out with old friends, and maybe find a romance or two.

What she didn't expect was murder.

This time around the victim is connected to one of Amy's favorite actors from way back in the day.  The investigation takes Amy into the depths of Hollywood scandal.  She's lucky she's got her grumpy granny, Petunia, to watch her back.  Loyal friends are essential in life.

But will granny's loyalty be enough to protect Amy from the killer?  And what about the cops?

Everyone has it in for the plucky young dog groomer, so if Amy's not careful she'll end up in jail or worse.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Amy Stewart, along with her grandmother Petunia, own a dog grooming business and do a little amateur sleuthing on the side.  One morning she's approached by child star-turned-businesswoman Tess May who wants Amy to groom her chickens -- very expensive chickens.  With reservations, Amy agrees.  But when they, along with employee Betsy, go to pick up the chickens, they find a dead body instead.  And now Tessa is hiding from the law -- while asking Amy to find the killer.

It's a tough gig when the only witnesses are chickens, and they aren't talking.  With a new rookie cop who plays by the book, Amy decides her only recourse is to use her boyfriend Mike, a police detective, who's already leery of giving her information.  But between searching for clues with and without his help, Amy and her crew are determined to clear the young woman of murder.  But if Tessa didn't kill, then who did?

This is the eighth book in the series and I have read them all.  Just like the others, I found this completely enjoyable.  Of course, we're still getting delightful commentary from her cat, Fluffy, which I always look forward to, that pops in between the mystery now and then; and he has problems of his own to deal with...

Amy doesn't believe that Tessa is guilty. but there could be others in her life that are:  her mother's much younger husband, ex-husband, and agent, to name a few.  But who had the greatest motive to kill the woman?  Each one points out they don't know who did it, but someone obviously did.  So Amy's 'crew' are running around Los Angeles, sometimes in seedy areas even, to find out the truth.

Add in Amy's newfound insecurities, a cat with heartache, and a boyfriend who's mostly oblivious, along with a poker-playing grandmother and an employee with screenwriting ambitions, and you have a mix up of happenings that take them in all directions.

When they find the killer it comes together much as one would expect of Amy (read the book to find out) and the ending gives us a teaser toward the next book.  Recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Shot-Bark-Groomer-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B0B64DKPVY/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5370864552

More on Chelsea Thomas's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/t/chelsea-thomas/

A Meowing Suspicion (A Crystal Beach Magic Mystery #4)

Author:    Karen McSpade

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B0BPJPKLZB

Newcastle Media

77 Pages

$2.99 Amazon

February 21, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

With her biggest clue now in hand, Sidney must use it to find the person who murdered her ex-boyfriend.  But this requires skillful sleuthing and Ada-Mae's special potion to cover their tracks.  What surprise will her grandmother pull from her magical shawl this time?  And will it protect them or bring more trouble for these quirky witches?

And that's not all of Sidney's problems.  When her mother falls head-over-heels for a shady realtor, Sidney smells a snake in the sand dunes.  Well, make it two if you count the magic hold Officer Reece's deputy has over him.  Sidney will have to deal with them both if she wants to break the magic love hexes before it's too late.

As dark stormy clouds descend over this small town, a sinister plan is hatched by the murderer and Sidney looks for the ghost of her grandfather to guide her.  But where is he when she needs him?  And what about Mojo -- what's caught this cat's tongue?  Can Sidney stir up her own magical spell in time to save her family and put the murderer behind bars?

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In the fourth episode of Crystal Beach Magic Mysteries we have Sidney discovering an important clue on the golf course and trying to figure out where it lies in the big picture.  She's also worried about her mother and her new relationship with a shady realtor.  She can't go to Detective Reece with her information yet, and so she sets off to talk with Ada-Mae about what she's found.  It leads them to try and find even more information, and Sidney also discovers something that rattles her.  None of it is making sense, although she is becoming more comfortable with her new powers.  Not so much, though, with her cat Mojo speaking to her.  It seems he does so on his own terms (as all cats do). . . 

I enjoyed this episode more than the last, and that's a good thing, as I enjoyed the last one immensely.  Sidney and her grandmother Ada-Mae are digging deeper into Ben's death and the reason why, and they're finally coming up with answers.  But as I stated above, neither of them are happy about Sidney's mother's current arrangements, but can't figure out what to do, as Ada-Mae is reluctant to use her own magic in fear of the repercussions.  

Yet they, along with Ada-Mae's friend Ernie, plow forward in their quest for the truth, and it could bring them closer to danger.  Alas, the story ends before we can put everything together (although it does give us a couple of clues), and we can only wait for the conclusion in the next one.  I will add that I rarely read stories about witches, but this one had me riveted from beginning to end.  Highly recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this from the author and BookSprout but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Meowing-Suspicion-Crystal-Paranormal-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BPJPKLZB/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5366010629

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

Gone But Not For Garden (A Goddess of Greene St. Mystery Book 4)

Author:    Kate Collins

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496740021

Kensington Cozies

368 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

January 24, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Athena Spencer works with her big Greek-American family (whom she also anonymously blogs about) at their garden center near Lake Michigan.  She's also gained a reputation for crime-solving -- and that's what brings flower-shop owner and fellow sleuth Abby Knight Salvare to her door...

Abby has come from Indiana to this Lake Michigan town to help her cousin, Jillian, who was emceeing a local fashion show and now stands accused of murdering one of the models.  Some of Sequoia's most prominent citizens were on the catwalk, so there's increasing pressure to have the next event be a perp walk.

The clueless Jillian is in jail after ignoring orders not to leave town, and she isn't happy -- orange is not her color.  Along with her handsome PI partner, Case, Athena starts making inquiries, while tiptoeing around the wives of the town's mayor and police chief.  In the meantime, the two detectives are becoming fast friends.  After all, in addition to homicide, Abby and Athena share an interest in horticulture -- though right now the only thing they're growing is their list of suspects...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Athena Spencer works at her family's garden center while raising her son, Nicholas.  She also, after solving a few murders, has a new PI agency with her partner and love interest, Case Donnelly.  Their latest case involves the death of a local model, who was found dead in her dressing room.  The main suspect is a woman named Jillian, who happens to be the cousin of another PI.

Abby Knight Salvare, who owns a flower shop and a PI agency with her husband Marco, is is town asking for Athena's help in finding a killer.  She's going to stay as long as it takes to find out the truth.  Unfortunately, two of the other suspects are the wives of top officials in Sequoia, and they aren't happy to be on the hotseat.  But it's up to the three to figure out what happened and why, and they aren't giving up until Jillian is a free woman -- even if it puts their own lives in danger...

This is the fourth book in the series and I have read them all.  I was surprised to see a "cross-over" in this book, but I enjoyed it immensely.  Abby is the protagonist of the author's Flower Shop Mysteries, and a successful sleuth in her own right.  In this book, we have the two women joining forces, and Athena gets to see how Abby goes about conducting her own investigation.  While Athena isn't as assertive as Abby, she's learning from the seasoned veteran, and the two women together are formidable indeed.

It turns out there are even more suspects in the wings, and eventually they get help from an unexpected source (a person I would like to see more of in future books); and while Case is working on another case out of town, the two women are much on their own.  Between working the case, Athena also has her other duties to take care of, and of course, spend time with her son.  (Just reading about it all makes me exhausted!).  

There is plenty going on here, along with a county fair, her sister Delphi keeping secrets, and, of course, her mother trying to set up another one of her daughters in a relationship.  It all makes for an entertaining read that's intriguing and full of fun, and when the ending comes and the killer is revealed, it's a bit of a surprise; also surprising (but great) the climax itself.  This book is probably my favorite of the series so far, and I heartily look forward to the next one.  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Gone-Garden-Goddess-Greene-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0B17DQJF4/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5363317427

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

A Juicy Steak Tragedy (An Ivy Creek Mystery Book 10)

Author:    Ruth Baker

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9798376643938

Clean Tales Publishing

178 Pages

$9.99; $2.99 Amazon

February 8, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lucy has many reasons to be happy about Valentines' that's just around the corner.  One of them includes visiting a new restaurant in town that claims to serve the best steak.

When she visits this restaurant with her friends, they're impressed by the interior décor and blown away by the yummy food.  It seems not everyone is excited about this new establishment, as the chef from a rival restaurant causes a scene as he claims the new restaurant has stolen his recipe.  Lucy's boyfriend, a local detective, is on hand to calm frayed nerves and usher this unruly chef out of the restaurant.

Moments later, all hell breaks loose when someone bursts into the restaurant and announces that the boisterous chef from the rival restaurant has been found dead on the sidewalk.

At first, everyone thinks he died of natural causes.  However, as Lucy begins to uncover the deceased's past, she discovers he stepped on many toes and a few people had plausible motives to see him dead.

Will Lucy help to find the killer and restore the reputation of the new restaurant?  Or will her amateur sleuthing draw the attention of a killer who has nothing to lose and a lot to gain?

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Lucy Hale owns Ivy Creek's bakery Sweet Delights.  When she hears of a new steakhouse in town, she wants to eat there, just as all her employees do.  But one of her employees has disturbing news: it seems at the opening night of the local theater's rendition of Romeo and Juliet, the actor playing Romeo proposed to his girlfriend...who promptly left the theater and then broke up with him.  Now they need a new Romeo, and everyone hopes that the man will be okay.

But Lucy is not about to allow it to spoil her fun, and when she visits with her boyfriend Taylor, and employee Hannah and her new beau Miles, the evening starts off well.  At least until the chef of a rival restaurant starts screaming that the establishment stole his prized marinade recipe.  Taylor manages to get the man out of the restaurant without too much of a scuffle.  But before everyone can enjoy the remainder of their night, someone enters the restaurant yelling that someone has collapsed outside.

When Taylor (and the rest) go to see who it is, they discover that it's the rival chef, and he's soon pronounced dead.  When it's discovered that he's been poisoned, the restaurant is temporarily closed, and Lucy is suspicious.  Was it accidental?  Did someone want the chef dead, and if so, who?  While Taylor follows the leads, Lucy follows her gut, and what she discovers isn't going to go down easily for anyone...

This is the tenth book in the series and I have read them all.  I have also enjoyed them all.  We are seeing the slow progression of Lucy and Taylor's getting to know each other again, and insecurities come forth that need to be dealt with.  But the main story is the murder, and she's determined to see if the chef was the intended target or not.

We watch Lucy as she questions people -- including the chef's widow -- to see who had the most motive to want him dead.  His past isn't pleasant, and it could have been one of many people.  But it's when Lucy discovers a couple of other things that she begins to put the truth together, which once again could get her killed.  But in the end, all comes out well (as we know it must) and it's a pleasant ending, one that makes the book worth reading.  Recommended.

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher but it in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Juicy-Steak-Tragedy-Creek-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BNZNRPBP/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5348723648

More on Ruth Baker's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/ruth-baker/

Murder at an Irish Bakery (An Irish Village Mystery Book 9)

Author:    Carlene O'Connor

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496730817

Kensington Cozies

320 Pages

$27.00; $13.99 Amazon

February 21, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In Kilbane, opinions are plentiful and rarely in alignment.  But there's one thing everyone does agree on -- the bakery in the old flour mill, just outside town, is the best in County Cork, well worth the short drive and the long lines.  No wonder they're about to be featured on a reality baking show.

All six contestants in the show are coming to Kilbane to participate, and the town is simmering with excitement.  Aside from munching on free samples, the locals -- including Siobhan -- get a chance to appear in the opening shots.  As for the competitors themselves, not all are as sweet as their confections.  There are shenanigans on the first day of filming that put everyone on edge, but that's nothing compared to day two, when the first round ends and the top contestant is found face down in her signature pie.

The producers decide to continue filming while Siobhan and her husband, Garda Macdara Flannery, sift though the suspects.  Was this a case of rivalry turned lethal, or are there other motives hidden in the mix?  And can they uncover the truth before another baker is eliminated -- permanently.

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Garda Siobhan O'Sullivan is elated when she is tasked with security for a televised baking show.  She's hoping to nab free samples and see just how the professionals do it.  When it's announced that one of the contestants is a celebrity cook who has published books and is about to write a memoir, the grounds are full of onlookers who want to meet the woman.

But there's a disturbance in the form of a young man who uses his bullhorn to disrupt the proceedings -- which haven't even begun yet.  While the owner of Pie Pie Love (where the contest is being held in an old flour mill) asks her to get rid of him, she does her best.  But it's not long before there's a tragic occurrence which changes the rules.

Now she and her fellow Garda, including her husband Macdara Flannery, are investigating more than baking gone wrong.  It's murder.  And they need to find a killer before anyone else is found dead in the mix...

This is the ninth book in the series, and I swear that they keep getting better.  Of course, we have the O'Sullivan family members (all six of them) and watch their changes, as we have throughout the series.  But this time, it's Siobhan's game, and she's on top of it.  Her mind churns even as she samples devilish delights, and Flannery is willing to allow her to take the lead while he searches for facts.  

It's obvious that one of the players is a killer; but is it one of the bakers, the owner of the bakery, or even the cameraman or his boss?  With things happening around them, it appears that the killer is always one or two steps ahead, and they need to find out why.  Watching Siobhan is the best part of the book, as I love how her mind thinks.  She mentally theorizes, then uses that to sort fact from fiction.

Although I discovered the killer before her, it's probably because (and I have mentioned this enough to be ad nauseum) I read a lot of mysteries.  I look for clues.  It makes me enjoy the book more.  But finding the killer was enough to make the entire book worthwhile.  It was rather sad in itself, but worth the journey.  And at the ending, all was as it should be (as of course we knew it would).  

Journey to Ireland with Siobhan and the rest of the crew, and you will not regret it.  It seems such a lovely place that I would like to visit it someday.  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Irish-Bakery-Village-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0B358YLW7/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5094685814

More on Carlene O'Connor's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/o/carlene-oconnor/

Feline Like a Suspect (A Crystal Beach Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 3)

Author:    Karen McSpade

Genre:     Mystery/Paranormal

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B0BPJVBMB5

Newcastle Media

76 Pages

$2.99 Amazon

February 7, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The competition is heating up at the mini-golf invitational in Crystal Beach despite the deadly discovery on the 18th hole.  With a golf course full of possible suspects, Sidney Grace is on high alert, trying to locate clues that might lead her to the murderer...or at least reveal a motive.

But when Officer Reece's smoking hot deputy, who keeps his evenings tied with "investigation stuff," points the finger at Sidney as the leadin suspect, she's had it up to her witch's hat.  I mean the nerve!  I would make a better deputy than Ms. 'I look amazing in a uniform!

And there's more trouble headed this witch's way.  The fierce golf competition as everyone in a tizzy, including Sidney's grandmother, Ada-Mae, who is sure that the leading contestant is playing under the influence of magic.  To make matters worse, things keep getting stranger with Sidney's mother, who could be under a spell of her own.

Can this young witch unlock her magical powers in time to save her mom?  Who killed Sidney's friend?  And what secret is her cat, Mojo, trying to reveal about her new ghostly visitor?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

In this third episode of the story, Sidney has (almost) accepted that she's a burgeoning witch.  And she's (almost) accepted the fact that she can talk to her cat, Mojo, and see ghosts.  But she's not sure what it means when her mom, usually an outspoken anti-magic human, changes suddenly and enters the new mini-golf tournament, and appears to be very good.  For a woman who's never done this before, Sidney is getting awfully suspicious.

But what's worse is that she's trying to figure out who killed her friend, and why.  Discovering this isn't going to be easy, since she can't pinpoint a suspect.  Although she'd love it if it were Deputy Jessie, who's occupying a lot of Officer John Reece's time.  Time she'd like to occupy herself...

While her grandmother Ada-Mae is trying to convince Sidney that she's going to be very powerful, all she knows is that it all feels strange to her, and she doesn't have the slightest idea how to cast a spell.  Or if she wants to.  

When she's driven to head to the golf course once more, she discovers something that could be very telling.  But it's what that's not said that has her confused...

In this episode, I was so enthralled by the series that I read it completely through in one sitting, and became disappointed because I have to wait for the next one.  It's an enchanting series, one I wouldn't miss for anything.  All I can say is, bravo, Ms. McSpade.  You've done yourself proud with this.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the author and BookSprout but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Feline-Like-Suspect-Crystal-Paranormal-ebook/dp/B0BPJVBMB5/ref

Goodreads:     https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5327690229

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