Revved Up 4 Murder (A Sophie Kimball Mystery Book 12)

Author:    J.C. Eaton

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781960511522

Beyond The Page Publishing

207 Pages

$14.99; $5.99 Amazon

February 20, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When a corpse is discovered under a car at the local auto restoration garage, Sophie "Phee" Kimball gears up to investigate a crime that puts a whole new twist on the term "body shop"...

The seniors of Sun City West are celebrating again, this time over the news that Wayne from the pinochle club finally has a chance to restore is classic car.  Phee goes along for the ride, but her thoughts are on the agency's latest case -- a priceless artifact that's missing from the local museum.  It's an antique doll supposedly filled with treasure -- but also carrying a curse for whoever possesses it.  Then a dead body is found under Wayne's car, along with signs of foul pay, and Phee is coaxed into helping get him off the hook.

It's clear to Phee that the victim was killed by sabotaged machinery, but the garage attracts so much foot traffic that narrowing down a list of suspects will be nearly impossible.  Harder still will be keeping her mother's gaggle of friends from meddling in the case, especially after they throw a wrench into the works by trying to locate the missing dolls.  Soon Phee and the whole group are careening toward a head-on collision with a thief, a killer, and a cursed doll, and  she can only hope they don't drive her insane -- or worse -- make her the next victim...

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In this twelfth book in the series, Phee is happily married and enjoying her role as bookkeeper at Williams Investigation Agency.  If it were only that, her life would be complete.  However, as fate has it, her mother regularly calls Phee with problems, and expects her to be at her beck and call.  Be aware that Harriet isn't your typical mother.  She's crazy.  Loony.  And jumps to conclusions...

That being said, the newest case for the investigation agency is that there is a missing doll that was on loan from the Phoenix Art Museum to the Equity Council's, and it's gone missing.  There's no sign of it.  Zip.  Nada.  There's also a supposed curse -- that anyone who possesses the doll will be under a hex.  It's because the doll once belonged to a little girl, and people believe her soul is trapped inside.  With a treasure that's rumored to be worth a lot of cash.  So of course they're on the case discreetly.  Sure.  Especially with two of Harriet's cronies on the council, they'll keep their word not to let anyone know, right?  Uh huh.  At least until the morning brunch with not only the ladies, but the men from the automotive club who are celebrating one of their own's good luck,

Which turns out not to be so good after all.  A dead body is found underneath a car, which puts a halt to any restorations.  Worse, the person who died was disliked by more than one other, and now Phee's antenna is up for clues.  Unfortunately, the B4M ladies think that they have their own antennae (they don't); and what ensues are some very funny scenes with these women -- and even some of the men.  

It's the usual riot around these people and I have to wonder how Phee still keeps her sanity.  No wonder her aunt Ina's son moved away.  No surprise there...scenes that 'feature' Streetman the Chiweenee are just as humorous as the other books, and I commend the author(s) on that.  They place you effortlessly in the scene and you feel as if you were right there in the action.  Watching and laughing, but grateful that you're not in the middle of it.  

This book was so entertaining, and once again a winner by the writers.  Harriet is clueless about almost everything, and you have to feel sorry for Phee growing up with her.  But let's face it, Mama is funny.  Really funny.  And in this book, Paul Schmidt is a hoot (he being the resident fisherman who's crazy in his own way).  Even the climax was fun to read.  

When the killer is discovered, I knew pretty much from the beginning.  But it's more complicated than that, and even I found it nicely written.  I suppose you've figured out that I love this series.  I also hope others will as well, and I 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/Revved-Up-Murder-J-Eaton-ebook/dp/B0CTNPWDHN/ref=

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6302026736

More on J.C. Eaton's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/j-c-eaton/

The Witless Protection Program (A Catering Hall Mystery #5)

Author:    Maria DiRico

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496744623

Kensington Cozies

304 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

March 26, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mia Carina has steered her Italian-American family's Astoria, Queens, catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor, into becoming the borough's premiere party site, and nothing could make her happier -- except her boyfriend proposing.  There's just one presumed-dead obstacle in the way...

A strong, independent woman and respected entrepreneur, Mia never imagined she's pine for a marriage proposal.  Yet lately, with her beloved Shane, she's on tenterhooks.  It's especially surprising, considering Mia's first husband, Adam, was a philandering grifter, assumed lost-at-sea after a boating disaster.  But everyone knows what happens when you assume...

While working a huge wedding expo in Manhattan, Mia is shocked to spot the man who nearly destroyed her life.  The one who's supposed to be sleeping with the fishes.  But she loses him in the crowd.  And when it happens again the next day, it's time for an emergency meeting with the family -- and the Family.  Because if Adam is alive, Mia is still married.

Everyone wants Adam dead.  Everyone except Mia.  She's dealt with enough police for a lifetime.  Mia needs to be a divorcee, not a widow.  But someone out there disagrees, and if Mia doesn't discover who, she may never be free to marry Shane -- or anyone else...

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Mia Carina's family is going straight -- and the mob boss who owns the banquet hall where she works is proud of what she's been able to accomplish.  When she and her friend Cammie go to the wedding expo to promote their business, Mia thinks she sees a familiar face -- that of her late husband, Adam Grosso, who is supposed to have died in an accident at sea.  But if he's dead, how can she trust her eyes?

The next day she attends a baseball game with her fiancé Shane and sees Adam again.  But he disappears just as quickly.  Now she's called a meeting with both her family and the Family to try and find Adam.  But she doesn't expect it when he shows up at her home late at night.  He says he won't divorce her, and she wants to marry Shane.  But not enough to kill Adam.  Although there are others who would happily see him dead...

Then there's the problem of the House.  Her grandmother had purchased the home across the street from hers as a wedding gift for Shane and Mia.  Unfortunately, it's filled with memorabilia from the person who lately lived there -- a comic artist -- and he has followers who want it declared an historical site, so now Mia has that fight on her hands as well.

Between trying to run her business, save her new home, and try to find suspects in the latest murder, life is killing her.  How could things have gone so wrong so fast?  And how can she set them right in time to marry the love of her life...

This is the fifth book in the series and I have loved them all.  I've become attached to the characters, even the quirky ones like Cammie and her long-suffering police detective ex-husband, Pete.  Mia is sharp, independent, and takes care of her family as well as running the day-to-day operations of her business.   Unfortunately, she wishes she didn't have to find her husband to get a divorce.  It's kind of hard to get married when you're still married to your supposedly late husband.

Where has Adam been all this time, by the way?  He feeds her one story and someone else another.  And when she goes looking for clues, all it does is give her more questions, along with finding out just how low a snake she really married.  She wants him out of her life, but not dead.  If she can only convince the higher-ups of that...

But this book is a fun ride.  Probably the best in the series so far.  There's a lot going on, and not all of it surrounding Adam and his whereabouts.  Enough action to keep you reading -- and I read this in one night; that's how good this book is.  (Now I'm tired and barely functioning, but hey--).

When we discover the killer, it really does come as a surprise.  And I loved it.  But that's not the end of the story.  There's more to come, and it's delightful.  Please keep this series going, as it's one of my favorites, and it's so much fun to read.  Murders included.  (Plus, great recipes in the back).  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Witless-Protection-Program-Maria-DiRico-ebook/dp/B0C9W8W668/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6285739951

More on Maria DiRico's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/maria-dirico/

Early Poverty Row Studios (Images of America)

Author:    E.J. Stephens/Marc Wanamaker

Genre:     History/Film

Hardcover; Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781531677138; 9781467132589

Arcadia Publishing

128 Pages

$26.99; $16.70; $9.99 Amazon

November 10, 2014

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The history of Hollywood is often seen only through the lens of major studios, forgetting that many of Tinseltown's early creations came from micro-studios stretched along Sunset Boulevard in an area disparagingly known as Poverty Row.  Here, the first wave of West Coast moviemakers migrated to the tiny village of Hollywood, where alcohol was illegal, actors were unwelcome, and cattle were herded down the unpaved streets.  Most Poverty Row producers survived from film to film, their fortunes tied to the previous week's take from hundreds of nickelodeon tills.  They would routinely script movies around an event or disaster, often creating scenarios using sets from more established productions, when the bosses weren't looking, of course.  Poverty Row quickly became a generic term for other fly-by-night studios throughout the Los Angeles area.  Their struggles to hand on in Hollywood were often more intriguing than the serialized cliffhangers they produced.

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I love anything about old Hollywood.  I own thousands of classic films, biographies of actors, studios, etc.  I don't watch new movies as I don't think they are as good as those long past.  In my opinion there will never be another Bogart, Cagney, Stanwyck -- or even someone like Charlie Chaplin, who revolutionized films.  

This is the pictorial story of the first studios in Hollywood -- those on Poverty Row, where they changed hands constantly, silent films and serials being made daily, and cowboys waiting for their turn to be chosen for a western or two.

If you are interested in how film studios began, then this is the book.  While it isn't high art, it isn't meant to be.  But what it is, is showing us how everything began, where the studios were located, and even little tidbits of history that one might not have known about actors (or those who wanted to be).  It's an interesting album of pictures that I have never seen before, and I found fascinating to see.  Hollywood as it was when movies were churned out as fast as they could, trying to make actors stars and therefore fill the coffers of the producers and directors; and while it is a short book it has packed in a lot of history.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Early-Poverty-Studios-Images-America-ebook/dp/B00PMG2TL0/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6274902330

More on the Authors:    https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4045873.E_J_Stephens

The Diva Goes Overboard (A Domestic Diva Mystery Book 17)

Author:    Krista Davis

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496743428

Kensington Cozies

320 Pages

$27.00; $12.99 Amazon

May 21, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In Old Town Alexandria's unlikeliest match, Natasha Smith's free-spirited mother, Wanda, is engaged to notoriously pompous antiques dealer, Orson Chatsworth -- leaving Natasha to plan the entire wedding, beginning with an elaborate engagement party.  For the extravagant affair, Natasha splurges on trendy food boards created by rising social media start, Stella St. James.  The sumptuous boards go way beyond basic cheese and crackers, as Stella dazzles guests with picture-worthy butter boards, dessert boards, and even doughnut boards.  Just as Natasha planned, the food is to die for -- and someone actually does.

When the groom collapses, it seems as if a heart attack is to blame.  Then guests discover Orson was poisoned, and suddenly Stella's bespoke boards look a lot less appealing.  But with an event this big, the spread of suspects is sure to be impressive.  Could Orson's killer be a jilted ex-lover?  A money hungry relative?  A bitter former business partner?  When even Sophie is not above suspicion, she knows it's time to get on board and scrape together an investigation of her own...before murder becomes the town's next trend.

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Sophie Winston is an event planner that lives in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, with her dog and cat.  While walking her dog one morning she spots a car on fire and calls it in.  She has no idea who did it, or why.  It seems odd, but life goes on...while visiting with her best friend Nina, her frenemy Natasha Smith, who has been in competition with Sophie most of her life, arrives in a dither.  It seems her mother Wanda is getting married -- to Orson Chatsworth, who doesn't seem like Wanda's type, but Sophie offers to help Natasha with the engagement party.  Part of that is hiring Orson's daughter Stella to make charcuterie boards, which are becoming a trend and Stella's new business.

While all seems to be going well at the party, Orson suddenly drops to the floor and at first appears to be having a heart attack.  But Sophie thinks that he was murdered, even though her police detective friend Wolf doesn't.  Another surprise comes when Orson's will is read and he leaves Sophie his antique business and all it entails, including the bank account.  In his strange video will he tells her that 'you will know what to do.'

But Sophie has no idea what to do.  At least not at first.  And with half the town thinking there was something going on with her and Orson (why else would he leave her the business instead of to his daughter?) or Sophie being a gold digger, there's problems with trying to find out who killed Orson.  When the police finally do reveal that it was murder, Sophie's problems just got bigger.  Now she not only has to find the murderer, but she has to discover why he had the secret room in his store and what he wanted her to do with the information.  With the help of Nina, her ex-husband Mars and friend Bernie, she's about to learn what Orson wanted to tell her, and hope she'll be able to prevent another murder...

This is the 17th book in the series, and I have read most of them.  In my opinion, each one gets better than the last.  In this one, Sophie is up to her ears in intrigue, secrets, and lies.  All her suspects are keeping them, and it's up to her to ferret them out.  But with everyone suspecting her of swaying Orson in her favor, she needs the help of her friends to get to the bottom of it.

But when Sophie learns what Orson really wanted her to do, she's stunned.  It's something no one could have suspected, and when she discreetly shares some of the information, others don't think it's possible.  After discovering an item that gives her the link she needs, Sophie can begin to put everything together.  And watching her do so is like watching a clock being assembled.  The parts are there, and it is up to the clockmaker to put them into the proper order and make sure that it works.  This Sophie does beautifully.  

The ending has another surprise in store, and when it is all woven together, Sophie manages to show us once again why she is our favorite Domestic Diva.  This book is so entertaining that I read it in one sitting (whew!) because I wanted to find out how it all came about and I don't like to peek!  There are also some delicious recipes at the back that I intend to make (and you should, too!).  I eagerly await the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Diva-Goes-Overboard-Domestic-Mystery/dp/1496743423/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6273795021

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

Petals and A Poison (The Accidental Ghost Detective Book 6)

Author:    Emmie Lyn

Genre:     Mystery/Paranormal

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B0CT7NFGD6

The Cozy Mystery Cafe (Whiskered Mysteries)

176 Pages

$4.99 Amazon

January 31, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Does this award-winning flower garden hide a sinister secret?

After the Frog Hollow Garden Tour announces the winner of this year's contest, all that's left is to enjoy a delicious banquet with friends and neighbors.  But the evening takes a chilling turn when my dog Dash discovers a body near the garden's beautiful pond.

What was meant to be a night of celebration soon blossoms into a true crime scene.  As we try to weed out the culprit, every clue points to my good witchy pal, Pearl, especially when her pet peacock is found nesting in a patch of poisonous plants.

Can Dash and the Accidental Ghost Detective team unearth this garden of secrets and restore tranquility to Frog Hollow before the poison finds its next victim?

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Nikki Knight inherited her aunt Audrey's B&B when the woman was killed.  What she didn't know, however, is that she also inherited the ghost of Audrey, too, along with her quirky attorney friend and cook Birdie.  Not to mention having acquired a talking Dachshund named Dash (for short), her best friend Lacey, and a witch named Pearl whose spells always seem to come out wonky.

When she attends the garden party for Pearl, who has won this year's award for best garden, she doesn't expect to find another body.  Well, technically, Dash found the body.  She just followed him.  Unfortunately, it was the head of the committee, and Nikki has discovered that the woman regretted giving Pearl the award.  When Detective Mallory Paine arrives, she finds that the woman was poisoned, and since it might have been from something in Pearl's garden, she becomes the prime suspect.  But Nikki and her friends refuse to believe that Pearl could kill anyone.

So naturally they start their own investigation to discover a killer -- and if they can stay under the radar while rescuing an angry peacock, they just might stay alive and keep Pearl out of jail...

I must say that I really enjoy this series.  In order to read fantasy, you need to leave your logic at the door.  It's delightful enough that I can willingly step into the world of Nikki Knight and follow along as she (and Dash) sniff out clues to solve a murder.  In fact, without Dash by her side, Nikki might have a harder time than she does.

This time out, she has another problem: her relationship with the mystery writer Luc.  While she's growing fond of him (to say the least) she also wonders if she needs to let him into her world.  Will he stay or run?  What a conundrum to have, right?

Looking at all the clues, she comes to the realization that someone is framing Pearl for the crime.  Is it one of the other gardeners or the new head of committee?  Or someone who was at the party?  As it all heats up, the last clues from from an unexpected source, and we watch while Nikki puts it all together and sets the trap, hoping her fish will bite...

All in all, I loved the stories and the characters, and I can't wait to visit Frog Hollow, Georgia again.  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Petals-Poison-Accidental-Ghost-Detective-ebook/dp/B0CT7NFGD6/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6260380010

More on Emmie Lyn's Books:      https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/emmie-lyn/   

The Fog Ladies: A Date with Death (A San Francisco Cozy Mystery Book 4)

Author:    Susan McCormick

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781509249817

Wild Rose Press

338 Pages

$9.50; $3.99 Amazon

October 2, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Fog Ladies are at it again, spunky senior sleuths and an overstressed young medical resident solving murders from their elegant apartment building in San Francisco.  They join a senior dating group, and romantic intrigue soon turns to murder.  Graham Parselle, lady killer extraordinaire, plunges off a cliff on a Senior Singles outing.  Did one of his dates pitch him over?  Or is Olivia Honeycutt's new beau to blame?

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When the Fog Ladies (most of them, anyway) decide to join a senior dating group, it seems there is a dearth of men.  However, Olivia Honeycutt has reconnected with an old beau from high school.  Even though the others might be suspicious of him, Olivia is happy with her Malcolm, and he seems to be so with her.  But one of the group's members -- a man named Graham Parselle, seems overly friendly with some of the senior women.  He's not afraid to break hearts, and with his trim figure and nice face, women can't help but fall for him.  But it's Graham who's fallen -- right off a cliff on a senior hike.  While the police think it was an accident, the Ladies aren't so sure, and they're again on a case to find a murderer...

I must admit that I have never read any of the other books in this series (as there are so many books out there and I just haven't gotten to these yet!).  But I also have to admit that I enjoyed this one very much.  Many of the characters are interesting, and the Fog Ladies are given enough in their descriptions that even if you haven't read the other books, you are able to decipher what they look like and act like.  While I did enjoy interacting with many of them, I also have to say that by the end of the book I was, myself, wanting to throw Enid Carmichael into the ocean.  Yes, I said it.  She's annoying and pushy, and is wrong on so many counts that I won't list here.  Read the book and draw your own conclusions.  (Okay, mini-rant done!)

Other than that, the book was filled with questions surrounding the murder (because, of course, we know that it was, even if the police don't), and I loved how the Ladies went about trying to figure it out.  Then another murder occurs, which puts the Ladies on high alert, and now they're wondering if one of their own is the next target.

Sarah, their friend and medical resident, has problems of her own.  She's still figuring out her new relationship with boyfriend Andy, and trying to get a fellowship at the hospital where she works.  She has little free time, but is more than willing to help the Ladies -- and it's a good thing, too -- when she can.

When the ending comes and we reach the climax, it's both satisfying and rewarding.  While I knew the murderer before they did (once again I will say that I read a lot of mysteries, so most times it comes easy for me), still, I liked how it all came together.  I will say that I am going to go back to the first in the series and see how the Ladies started.  Recommended.

I received a free copy of this book through the author and Voracious Readers, but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Fog-Ladies-Francisco-Murder-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CCWC8B95/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6237877225

More on Susan McCormick's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/susan-mccormick/