Feline Fatale (A Mrs. Murphy Mystery Book 32)

Author:    Rita Mae Brown

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9780593357637

Bantam Publishing

304 Pages

$28.00; $13.99 Amazon

April 16, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spring flowers  may be about to bloom in Crozet, Virginia, but Harry is thinking about snow.  Her dear friend Ned Tucker is in the House of Delegates, advocating for a bill to improve road clearing during bad weather, and Harry and Ned's wife, Susan, have gone down to the statehouse to support him.  Tensions are high between political parties, and no one can agree on anything for long enough to get something done.

The bill's chief detractor is the glamorous Amanda Fields, a former newscaster turned delegate whose flair for the dramatic has earned her a formidable reputation -- and made her more than a few enemies.  Amanda's claws-out approach to politics might have some of her colleagues wishing she was dead, but the statehouse is rocked when one of the young pages who assists the delegates dies under mysterious circumstances.

Could his death be related to the political infighting?  Or is something even more sinister threatening the lives of Virginia's finest representatives?  With help from her feline sidekicks Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, as well as Tee Tucker the corgi and Irish Wolfhound Pirate, Harry is determined to find the answers and restore order once more to the Capitol.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

We are back in Crozet, Virginia with farmer "Harry" Harristeen and her husband and friends, not to mention her furry pets Mrs. Murphy and Pewter (the cats), Tucker and Pirate (the dogs).  Harry is braving the last of winter when the threat of another snowstorm prevails, making everyone wonder how long winter is going to last.  But it is also the time when the state house representatives meet in Richmond, and both Harry and her best friend, Susan Tucker, travel there to support Susan's husband Ned while he presents a bill to the house.

Unfortunately, it isn't received well by the other side, and a heated argument ensues where delegate Amanda Fields reacts violently to a slur by Aiden Harkness of the other side, which causes more problems along the way.  Amanda seems obsessed with Aiden and his antics, and Ned is just trying to keep the peace.  But when a young page is killed while in the car of the videographer, questions arise.  What was he doing, and was he murdered?

Harry wants answers, and if it lies in the state house, then she's going to find it.  But along the way she's learning Morse code, as an elderly town resident still uses a ham radio and Harry wants to be able to speak with her on days she can't get over to see her.  But what is going on in the house, and does anyone know the truth?...

This is the latest book in the Mrs. Murphy series, and I have read as many as I can.  I simply love the writing style of Ms. Brown.  Although in the beginning I was disappointed to learn that this was not a mystery where we travel back in time to Revolutionary days, I also read the back where she stated that not everyone enjoyed that.  (Really?  It's part of the charm of the books, but just my humble opinion on that!  I also love history, so it's again, part of the charm of reading these novels.)  Anyway, since I was already invested, I continued to read on.

In this installment, as you've probably already gathered, Harry and pals are concerned with what is happening in Richmond.  Ned Tucker is too concerned with what is going on in his own office to even take time to wonder -- and here is where he avails himself of both Harry and Susan's help -- because they are trying to finish the session and that means endless paperwork (don't we all have that?).

When the young page is killed, his girlfriend and family both insist that it must have been murder, and Harry tends to believe them.  So does Amanda's assistant, Lucas.  But what can be done?  No one is going to admit it, and someone's sudden disappearance points to them as the prime suspect.

There is a lot going on in this book; a lot about politics (and honestly, I don't read political books as there is so much in the world right now that is wrong and I read to relax, not have everything shoved at me), but I will tell you that this book doesn't do any of that, and I appreciate it.  While we may not agree on our politics, the book is subtle about it and you don't feel that you are getting a lecture on what to believe or not believe.  And that, my friends, is all the difference.

Once again, Ms. Brown has written another mystery that will keep you reading merely to get to the final outcome, if nothing else.  It is a wonderful read, and I look forward to the next in the series.  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/Feline-Fatale-Mrs-Murphy-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CC1H46PC/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6219578969

More on Rita Mae Brown's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/rita-mae-brown/

Public Anchovy #1 (Deep Dish Mysteries #3)

Author:    Mindy Quigley

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (LP and Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781250792471

St. Martin's Books

320 Pages

$8.99; $8.99 Amazon

December 26, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐

While Geneva Bay's upper crust gets ready to party down at a Prohibition-themed fundraiser, pizza chef Delilah O'Leary is focused on seeing her struggling restaurant through the winter slow season.  The temperature outside is plummeting, but Delilah's love life might finally be heating up, as hunky detective Calvin Capone seems poised to (finally) make a move.

But Delilah's hopes of perfecting a new "free-from" pizza recipe for a charity bash are dashed when a dead body crashes the party.  Soon, Capone, Delilah, and her entire staff are trapped in an isolated mansion and embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. 

To catch an increasingly desperate killer, Delilah will have to top all of her previous crime-solving accomplishments, and a few pizzas, too.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Delilah O'Leary owns an Italian restaurant in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin.  On the night of a fundraising bash for the library, she is tasked with not only her pizzas, but creating a new "free-from" pizza for one of the guests who is allergic to almost everything.  already nervous about the party because she is hoping to get new customers, this one is a challenge.  But before the meal can be served, one of the guests tumbles down the stairs to their death -- and with detective Calvin Capone attending, it's eventually ruled a murder.

But since everyone is snowed in at the mansion, who is the killer?  Is it one of the guests or one of Delilah's staff?  She intends to finds out, even if Capone wants her to leave it alone...and so does the murderer....

This is the third book in the series and I really wanted to like it.  It's a decent mystery, but I liked the first two much better.  This one seems to drag on and on, never really going anywhere until close to the end.  We don't learn much about the attendees, and if you haven't read the first two books, then you are given snippets here and there of Delilah's staff.  What we are given ad nauseum, is Delilah's hots for Capone.  Over and over.  The entire book is filled with Delilah lusting after our detective, and he seemingly oblivious to it.  (Well, why shouldn't he be concerned with the murder first?  Of course).  It's in every page.  Constantly.  This book is more of a romance/mystery instead of a mystery/romance.  I don't mind romance in my cozies (after all, it's part of the book) but she is practically drooling every time she comes near him.  Down, girl!

Other than that, the mystery was done very well.  I really didn't guess the reason for the murder until close to the end, and I did think the way it was wrapped up was done nicely indeed.  Ms. Quigley is a talented writer, and I do hope that in the next in the series we can get back to the mystery first instead of second.  A very nice cozy to read on a winter night -- and you don't have to read the first two to enjoy this one.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Public-Anchovy-Deep-Dish-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0C1X7M6ZS/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6201507267

More on Mindy Quigley's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/q/mindy-quigley/

Tasty Edibles, Nasty Rumblings (An Ivy Creek Cozy Mystery Book 13)

Author:    Ruth Baker

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book (Hardcover Also Available)

ISBN #:    9798856516790

Clean Tales Publishing

198 Pages

$9.99; $2.99 Amazon

August 13, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Excitement courses through Lucy as she receives an exclusive invitation to a televised bake-off competition, set on a secluded private island off the enchanting coast of Georgia.  A charismatic celebrity will play host to this culinary showdown, where Lucy's unwavering confidence in her culinary skills fuels her ambition to claim the coveted grand prize.

Stepping onto the island, Lucy finds herself amidst an intriguing cast of characters, each concealing ulterior motives beneath their smiles, all vying for victory to further their personal agendas.

Surrounded by the lush island backdrop, a sudden tragedy strikes as one of the enigmatic characters meets an untimely death.  Whispers of their demise echo through the island, intertwining with tales of a mythical beast lurking within the dense woods.

In this unsettling atmosphere, Lucy battles confusion and fear as tensions surge among the contestants.  Isolated from her familiar surroundings, she observes the ruthless lengths to which people will go for their selfish gains.

Despite being cautioned to stay uninvolved, Lucy's curiosity propels her to delve into the intricate connections between the deceased and the remaining competitors.

As she pieces together the puzzle, she grapples with a choice: should she maintain her focus on winning the tantalizing cash prize, or should she follow the breadcrumbs of clues, risking her safety to unveil a malevolent scheme?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Lucy Hale returned to Ivy Creek after her parents were unceremoniously killed in an accident, to run her family's bakery.  She's made it a success, and even expanded, which has made her content.  But unfortunately, her oven has finally died, being there since her parents opened.  Now she needs a new one, but doesn't know where the money will come from.

That is until she receives information asking if she wants to join a televised culinary show where the winning baker will receive $10,000.  So Lucy and her friend and fellow baker Hannah venture to an isolated island in Georgia, where they are surprised to find that they will be staying at an old mansion that has been reserved for the project.

Also unfortunately, Lucy finds that a couple of rival bakers aren't as nice as she is, and will do anything to win.  But when the body of someone involved with the competition is found on the grounds by Lucy, she also wonders how far will someone go?  Will they kill?  Now with everyone on the island as suspects, Lucy and Hannah set their own investigation in place-- but will it get her killed as well?...

This is the thirteenth book in the series and I have read them all, but I do think that I liked this one the best.  We have Lucy in unfamiliar territory as she attempts to solve a murder at a mansion that is occupied only by the owners and people involved with the cooking competition.  She wonders if one of her fellow contestants is to blame, but if so, which one?

With few clues and needing to stay under the radar, she and Hannah try their best to work stealthily while still managing to try and come out on top in the investigation.  It's an interesting combination, and it works.  (The recipes are very good, too).

But it seems that someone else is interested in what Lucy is doing -- the killer -- and they're not about to let her get away with finding them out.  In the climax, we see that Lucy is capable and even though she didn't figure it out as soon as she should have, everything comes together nicely and the ending is satisfying all around.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.  

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

https://www.amazon.com/Tasty-Edibles-Nasty-Rumblings-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0C7CRJKGP/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6178619186

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

A Twinkle of Trouble (A Fairy Garden Mystery Book 5)

Author:    Daryl Wood Gerber

Genre:     Mystery/Fantasy

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496744937

Kensington Cozies

304 Pages

$17.95; $9.99 Amazon

April 23, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Courtney is delighted when her tiny friend Fiona returns from the fairy realm, appearing at the base of a Cypress tree.  When her Ragdoll cat, Pixie, emerges from her own portal -- aka the cat door -- the three set off for a busy day.  Busier than usual, since Courtney has rented a small plot of land at the Flower Farm, where she hopes to grow her own supplies for her fairy-garden business.  Plus, the annual Summer Blooms Festival is coming up, and Courtney has booked a booth...

But the murder of Courtney's friend, Genevieve, casts a pall over the festival.  Ever since Genevieve sold her floral business, she'd been building a career as an influencer.  She was perennially opinionated -- but in her new role she'd become surprisingly vicious, dissing local entrepreneurs with nasty posts and unwarranted bad reviews.  That's landed a couple of Courtney's other friends on the suspect list -- including Flower Farm owner Daphne Flores.  And when a second victim is discovered, seeds of doubt about Daphne's innocence sprout in Courtney's mind.  With only a gem of a clue, Courtney will have to overturn every rock to get the dirt on the real killer...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Courtney lives in Carmel-by-the-Sea in California, and owns Open Your Imagination, a shop that allows people to make their own fairy gardens.  It helps that she has her own personal fairy, Fiona.  Fiona has recently returned from the fairy realm, and Courtney is happy to have her back.  Although not everyone can see -- nor believes in -- fairies, Courtney and others don't really care.

While hosting a group that are there to make their own little gardens, one of the women, Genevieve, learns that she is not invited to participate in the Summer Blooms Festival, and it rankles her.  She proceeds to insult other guests, and since she is known as an influencer, uses her online forum to diss other local businesses, as well.  As imagined, this doesn't sit well with people.  Although it is surprising when Genevieve is found dead, and Daphne Flores, one of the women whose business she insulted, is found standing over her.

When another person is found murdered, the police are honing in on Daphne.  Courtney has trouble believing her friend is a killer, but to be fair, she's not close with the woman and doesn't know all that much about her.  But Courtney is nothing if not persistent, and she continues to ask questions and look for clues that might point her to a killer -- a killer who might already be aware that Courtney could be dangerous if left alive...

This is the fifth book in the series and I must say that I have found them all delightful.  While I will not say whether I believe in such things as fairies or not, I will also say that I am positive that some people have no problem believing.  Which is why this book is so delightful (yes, I said it again).  Just like the title of her shop, it allows you to open your imagination and try to think what it would be like if there were many of them floating around us.

While, of course, the mystery takes first place as it should, we have a secondary tale in which Fiona's sister enters the human world to be mentored by her elder sister and other fairies that reside there.  We learn that even in the fairy realm there is sibling rivalry and arguments, but there is also fun and enjoyment.  It is a pleasure to share in these moments with the fairies.

But back to the mystery -- Courtney has no issues with asking people where they were on the nights of the murders, even though the police tell her to stay out of the investigation.  There are mixed signals, with the lead detective also telling her to keep her ears and eyes open and report anything she learns.  Hmm.  You can't have it both ways, sir.  So Courtney does what she does best, and gathers information any way she can (although she doesn't do anything illegal, which is good).  With each piece of data gathered she is eventually able to dismiss people from the suspect list, leaving her with only three of them; and figuring out which one it is could put her life in danger.

While I knew the murderer long before Courtney did (Again, I read a lot of mysteries) I did enjoy watching her figure it out.  Alas, it was nearly too late, but Courtney can think on her feet and she had no problem putting things in motion ahead of time.  In the end, it all comes together very nicely, and we are given a glimpse of what might be to come.  Highly recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Twinkle-Trouble-Fairy-Garden-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CFGF36NM/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6171382552

More on Daryl Wood Gerber's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/daryl-wood-gerber/

Mischief Night Murder (A Mangrove Bay Cozy Mystery Book 3)

Author:    Joy Patrick

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback. Digital Book

ISBN #:    9798863059235

Independently Published

107 Pages

$13.99; $5.99 Amazon

October 11. 2023

⭐⭐⭐

It's her first Halloween since being back in Mangrove Bay, FL., and former urbanite-turned-amateur-sleuth Vivian Blake is feeling the town's excitement as they prepare for the October festivities.  Skeletons, ghosts, witches, spiders.  And one corpse.  A real one.

Mischief Night -- or Pirate Night as it's called here -- wouldn't be complete without a reenactment of the eerie tale of pirate Captain Treader and his ship, The Bloody Cutlass, that was said to have capsized off the coast of Mangrove Bay.

The quirky locals love their spooky traditions.  Well, all except one.

Up in arms about Pirate's Night corrupting local youth, spoilsport Marion Leggett's bent on undermining the celebrations, whatever it takes.  Amid the chaos, a town resident ends up dead, accusations fly, and law enforcement rushes to find the killer.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Vivian Blake has been away for many years, and returned home to Mangrove Bay, Florida to live in her late uncle Don's home.  She and her tenant, Ben, are preparing for Mischief Night -- otherwise known as Pirate's Night -- as everyone in town awaits the festivities along with a reenactment of the night the townspeople vanquished deadly pirate Captain Treader and his crew.  Nearly everyone is excited, except for sour Marion Leggett and her son, Patrick.  For years she's been bemoaning the bad influence it has on the town.

But this year there's a surprise -- one of the townspeople is found dead, and Marion is very much a suspect.  While the sheriff thinks he's got the right woman, Vivian isn't so sure, and sets out to find the true killer...

This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I am not sure if I want to read any more of them.  Not because the book was bad, by any means.  It was decent for a novella.  But because the author proceeded to tell us -- especially those of us who have not read others by her -- who died in the last book and who the murderer was.  Now, I could have not been bothered by the victim, but telling us the murderer?  Why would I go back and read the prior book if I already know the ending?  The author herself gave us The Spoiler.  Something you don't want a reader to do, by the way, much less the person who wrote the book.  The worst part?  It wasn't even necessary to the story.  It could have been left out altogether.

So now I am left wondering if this is going to occur in every other book.  Why, then, should I read any of them?  I love figuring out the killer.  I don't love someone telling me ahead of time who it is.

The story itself was rather interesting, but because of the length, it was difficult to get a read on the characters.  What does Viv look like?  We know her age, but that's about it.  Same with most of the other characters (aside from a minor one or two).  I got confused with the many people, most of whom had very little to do with the mystery.

But in the end, the killer was a bit of a surprise, and that's the main thing.  It should be.  Which is why I gave this book three stars (losing one for The Spoiler).  Just be aware that in the next book she might tell you who it was in this one.

https://www.amazon.com/Mischief-Night-Murder-Whodunnit-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0CK7HV6G4/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6118642816

More on Joy Patrick's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/joy-patrick/

The Stranger In The Library (A Lighthouse Library Mystery Book 11)

Author:    Eva Gates

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781639106608

Crooked Lane Books

304 Pages

$29.99; $17.99 Amazon

June 4, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐

When a traveling show of Impressionist art comes to Nags Head, North Carolina, librarian Lucy and the staff at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library are inspired to create an educational display about art history.  Their launch of the display is a huge success, but the morning after, they discover that a reproduction of a famous painting has gone missing.

No one knows why anyone would bother stealing it: the picture is of no value -- the real, priceless painting is under lock and key at the show itself.  Lucy gets an invite to the glitzy opening night for the real show, where she notices unusual tension among the show's organizers.  Then the man scheduled to give the welcoming speech fails to arrive, and a party-goer is discovered drowned in a fish pond.

Meanwhile, Louise Jane is totally captivated by Tom Reilly, a handsome, charming art dealer lurking at the edges of the receptions on both nights.  Tom slipped away from the party early, and he cannot be located by the police.  Who, Lucy asks, is Tom Reilly, the shadowy figure threatening to break Louise Jane's Heart?

Something is afoot in Nags Head, and it's up to Lucy and her friends to get to the bottom of it before it's not just paintings being framed.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Librarian Lucy McNeil is recently married and returned from her honeymoon in Europe, happy to be home.  She's involved in displaying Impressionist art in the library, a co-project of a traveling art show, and they are displaying reproductions of art, which are meant for library visitors to learn about the genre.  While the opening goes well, Lucy is amused once again by Louise Jane, who has a painting by one of her ancestors at the opening, a well-known Outer Banks artist.  But the next day they notice the painting is missing, and no one seems to know where it has gone.  Even though they report it to the police, it now has to take a back seat, because Lucy, her cousin Josie, and Louise Jane have discovered the body of one of the show's organizers.  

What Lucy wants to know is are the two crimes connected, and if so, how?  Even if Detective Sam Watson asks for Lucy's impression of some of the suspects, she's more concerned with the painting, as it wasn't valuable but sentimental.  Why would someone steal it at all?

But there's also the problem of Louise Jane being attracted to Tom Reilly, a man who claims to be an art dealer, but he disappears and can't be found.  While Louise Jane refuses to believe anything bad about him, Lucy isn't so sure.  And finding him might be just as difficult as finding out why the painting was taken, and why the organizer was killed.  Can she once again enter a murder investigation but without putting herself in danger?...

This is the eleventh book in the series and I have read them all.  While I will admit that it took me a few books to warm up to the series, I now love it.  I have fully immersed myself in the Outer Banks without actually visiting there, and the populace in this book makes you want to do so.  The characters are quite human, and actually have human interests.  By that, I mean that they don't spend their time sitting around drinking, but they also watch television, go shopping, etc.  It's the same type of lives that we, outside the books, live.  This is what makes them so endearing, and the author has done a wonderful job of it.

But back to the book -- when the painting is discovered missing, I, along with Lucy, am wondering why anyone would want it at all.  But then there's a surprise in store (and I won't mention it here) that helps in the investigation, and we only have to decipher the clue.  Hah!  Easier said than done.  Especially when Lucy is pretty much on her own this time, since Sam is concerned with finding out who killed the Person in the Pond.  Two very different mysteries, with possibly two different reasons.  Or is it?

When the ending comes, I have to say that I figured out the killer earlier than Lucy, but then again, as I've said many times before, I read a lot of mysteries, so this is how my brain works. However, finding the reason why was a bit more difficult, and worth the read altogether.  

There's a bit of a twist at the end, and it makes everything even more worthwhile.  Again, I love this series and would have no problem recommending it to anyone.  You can read this as a standalone, but it will make you want to go back to the beginning and see how it all began.  Recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Library-Lighthouse-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B0CH9J39DV/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6115402759

More on Eva Gates's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/eva-gates/