The Deadly Dealer (A Gamblin' Granny Cozy Mystery Novella)

Author:    Chelsea Thomas

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B0C6B5QMWW

Independently Published

90 Pages

$2.99 Amazon

April 30, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Granny solved a huge mystery in Toluca Lake, and then she disappeared.  The woman is gruff, tough, and no nonsense.  But it's not like her to vanish like that.

Something serious must have happened...

...like murder.

Everywhere Granny goes, she's got poker on the brain.  In line at the grocery store, she's reading people, trying to figure out who can be trusted.  She tests out her bluffing skills on family and friends just to keep everyone sharp.  Sometimes she bets on the weather, or how long until the dog barks, or how many minutes until a newscaster clears their throat on air. 

She is a woman who craves excitement, who lives on her tippy-toes, and who runs toward danger with a determined look in her eye.

She's also a woman with secrets.

This time, the secrets of Granny's past have come back to haunt her if she doesn't get past all the lies and find the truth, she could end up dead.  And so could the people she loves.

Will Granny manage to quit while she's ahead?  Or is she about to place her last bet?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Granny Petunia is heading to Florida to see her boyfriend Chip, who owns a riverboat.  Along for the ride is her new dog, who saved her from being killed back in California.  She thinks she knows why the man was trying to kill her, but not who hired him.  So heading on west, she and her new friend are trying to stay under the radar.  When she arrives she greets an old friend who also happens to be able to help her disguise herself with a new 'do and other things to make her less recognizable.  She also finds out that Chip has been arrested for murder -- right when she arrives at the riverboat.  Now she wonders if she'll be able to stay under the radar while trying to find out who the murderer is...and who wants her dead...

This is a spin-off novella of the Dog Groomer Mysteries, with Petunia getting her very own story.  I honestly have to say that while I love the former mysteries, I was skeptical that Petunia could hold her own on a new series.  Mainly because she's snarky and mean-spirited.  I know she means well in the long run, but sometimes she runs over the top.  Saying that, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this mystery.

There's plenty of action, and although we don't get to see a lot of Chip in the book, we do get Petunia in full form solving a mystery without the help of her California crew.  It's interesting, fun, and full of plenty of action.  There's enough of everything to keep people reading, and Petunia does what she does best -- being full of energy, ideas, and, of course, snark.  Recommended.

I received a copy from the publisher and Book Sprout but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Dealer-Thrilling-Adventure-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0C6B5QMWW

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6541137934

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

A Dark and Stormy Knit (Knit & Nibble Mysteries Book 11)

Author:    Peggy Ehrhart

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496749574

Kensington Cozies

336 Pages

$8.99; $7.99 Amazon

August 20, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pamela Paterson and Bettina Fraser call their crafting group Knit and Nibble, in honor of its two main activities.  But on a stormy Halloween night, their peaceful chat over spiced cider and cookies is interrupted by homicide...

With the houses of Arborville, New Jersey, decked out in festively frightening decorations, it's easy to mistake a real dead body for a fake.  But Pamela and Bettina are alerted by the screams of teenage trick-or-treaters to the corpse next door.  Their neighbor Adrienne's sister, visiting from New York City, is slumped on the porch, fatally stabbed.  And with countless people traipsing around in costume, the killer might be as elusive as an apple in a bucket of water.

The victim was a charismatic college professor and fierce feminist, and soon the women are infiltrating her social and academic circles to collect clues.  But some scandalous local gossip also suggests that Adriene, not her sister, might have been the target.  Now, Pamela and Bettina will need all their creative skills to solve this ghoulish crime...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Pamela Paterson is lucky enough to work from home, a place she shares with her three cats and the occasional visit from her daughter, Penny.  She spends a lot of time with her best friend Bettina, who lives across the street.  Halloween night she, Bettina, and Bettina's husband Wilford, are enjoying the evening together when they hear a scream.  Going outside, they discover a group of teens who tell them that there is a dead body on the porch of Bettina's neighbor, Adrienne. 

Finding out that the dead woman is Adrienne's sister, Mel, everyone is wondering who could have killed her, and why; especially Adrienne herself.  She asks for Pamela and Bettina to help her, and of course, their curiosity allows them to agree.  Looking into Mel's current associates in the city, they discover that she was the head of a feminist group that eschewed men, and they wonder if one of the women could have killed her.  But there's more at stake here when they start looking deeper, and now Pamela thinks that something -- or someone -- in Mel's past may have the answer...

I have read all but one of these books, and have followed Pamela along her journey of solving crimes.  I did like the book, but I have to be honest and say: do we really need to know over and over again that Bettina has sage green pottery, Pamela constantly uses her wedding China, grinds her coffee beans for a pour over, and toasts multi-grain bread?  Saying it once is enough; saying it as often as Pamela does is completely redundant and unnecessary.

Having gotten my 'little rant' out of the way, I found the mystery to be quite interesting.  We have the usual meetings of the Knit and Nibblers, with their own snippets of gossip (sorry, Nell), that give Pamela some of the needed clues.  There are, of course, plenty of descriptions of everything that is happening and everything everyone is wearing, so we have no questions in that area.  

The pace starts out slow, but as the book progresses it moves forward, and, I am glad to say, that I connected the dots before Pamela as far as the motive for the murders; but -- and this is a big but -- I didn't know who the murderer was until they were unveiled, which is a very good thing indeed.  In the end, it all came together well, and I enjoyed the book.  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/Dark-Stormy-Knit-Nibble-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0CNYJLP95/ref

Goodreads:   https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6525930829 

More on Peggy Ehrhart's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/peggy-ehrhart/

A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor (Food & Spirits Mystery Book 1)

Author:    Darci Hannah

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496747440

Kensington Cozies

320 Pages

$27.00; $12.99 Amazon

August 20, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It isn't how chef Bridget "Bunny" MacBride imagined her own cooking show unfolding.  But, if preparing historic meals with a modern flair is what it takes to get her cooking on the air, she can deliver, even if her dinner guest is a ghost.  That's the premise of the new reality TV show, Food & Spirits, where Chef Bunny teams up with ghost hunter Brett Bloom and psychic medium Giff McGrady to visit haunted locales around the world and tempt lingering spirits back to the table with a beloved meal.  For their first episode, the Food & Spirits team sets off to investigate Bramsford Manor, a historic house turned famously haunted hotel.  In picturesque Hampshire, England.  The sprawling estate is said to be home to the Mistletoe Bride, a young woman who died in the 18th century, the victim of a tragic accident on her Christmas wedding night.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Bridget "Bunny" MacBride is a Scottish chef who's come to live in the USA.  She's part of a cooking show with a famous chef, having her own segment.  But when she clashes with the woman, suddenly her life has changed.  She's offered her own show -- Food & Spirits, -- and jumps at the chance.  What she doesn't know until later is that the "spirits" part isn't about alcoholic beverages.  It's about actual spirits.  In other words, ghosts.

Bunny isn't happy about this, since she left Scotland to get away from ghosts of her old life.  But soon enough she finds out that they're traveling to England to contact the Mistletoe Bride -- a woman who died on her wedding night at Christmas -- and there's no way out for her.  What she really doesn't expect is to see the ghost of her white rabbit, Hopper, or to need the help of her grandma, who is an actual psychic.  But here, the unexpected becomes reality, and she soon finds that reality isn't all what it's cracked up to be...

This is the first book in a new series by Darci Hannah, one of my favorite authors.  It's a sort of a spin off from the Beacon Bakeshop Mysteries, in that Brett Bloom, who was a 'guest' ghosthunter in that series, and turns up again in this series, as part of the group.  Saying that, let's get to the story without giving away any spoilers (if I can).

The crew is invited to the Manor by a historian who is chronicling the past of the manor and the tale of the Mistletoe Bride, and wants them to attempt to contact her.  But on the night of the dinner -- being made magnificently by Bunny, and filmed by the ghosthunters, she sees the ghost of Hopper, and her life changes.  Suddenly she's now a murder suspect, and calls her grandma for help.  During the investigation, she doesn't know who believes her and who doesn't; but it doesn't matter anyway because she and grandma -- and the crew -- are trying to figure out who killed the person.

Unfortunately, it has to be someone who was at Bramsford Manor that night, which includes all of the staff, and even the owners.  Can Bunny figure it out?   But what's even more important, can she figure out what is going on with her, and can she stop running from herself at last?

I have to say that I just loved this book.  It had all the elements of a good story -- a protagonist with a tragic background (explained in the book so no cliffhangers!); interesting characters all around, and the best, a little paranormal activity to keep you interested.  And interested I was, finishing this book far too soon and wanting more!  Giff is a hoot, and when he's with grandma, you have two hoots and a half...if I may say so (ha).  Brett is a bit more skeptical, but being a ghosthunter, he'd better figure it out, and he does; but I think unwillingly, anyway.  I also liked many of the secondary characters as well, which is a big plus.  

When the ending comes and we finally figure out the murderer, I have to say that I was completely surprised by this.  That's a good thing.  I read far too many mysteries where I figure out the killer way before our protagonist does.  But this also was intriguing in the fact that we find out more than the motive -- the killer gives us enough reasons to wonder how anyone in the manor couldn't even suspect them.  They go to great lengths to keep it all hidden, and do so magnificently.

In the end, we are given a hint of what is to come in future books (which I hope will happen soon) and some truly delicious-looking recipes that I plan to try myself!  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/dp/1496747445?tag=speculativefic05&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6482654471

More on Darci Hannah's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/darci-hannah/

Murder at the Rusty Anchor (A Cozy Capers Book Group #6)

Author:    Maddie Day

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496740571

Kensington Cozies

336 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

June 25, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A rainy July weekend in Westham means the beaches are empty and business is dead at Mac's Bikes but couldn't be livelier inside the Rusty Anchor Pub.  But come Monday morning one patron is no so lively when the chef opens up and finds a body behind the bar.  It's last call for Bruce Byrne, an elderly high school teacher who's been around so long it seems like he taught everybody.

When Mac's friend Flo, the librarian, makes the list of suspects, Mac gathers the Cozy Capers Book Group to clear her name.  With no end in sight to the rain, the group has plenty of time to study the clues and sort through a roll call of suspects to determine who decided to teach Mr. Byrne a lesson.  But with a killer desperate to cover their tracks, Mac and the group will be tested as never before...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Mac Almeida is happy in her new marriage to Tim, the local baker, and her bike shop, which unfortunately, isn't doing a lot of business because it's been raining.  Since it's slow, she's out and about when chef Yvonne of the Rusty Anchor is in a panic and asks for her help.  When Mac arrives inside the pub, she notices a dead man behind the bar.  Not any dead man -- this man was a high school teacher named Bruce Byrne, and not a popular man at that.  After calling the police, Mac figures out that someone had poisoned him.  But when she discovers her friend and member of the book group, Flo, is a suspect, she's determined to find a killer, even if it costs her...

This is the sixth book in the series, and I have read them all.  Mac is very good at finding out information from people; they seem to gravitate toward her personality.  She's pleasant and outgoing, and obviously cares about others, which stands in her stead well.  Unfortunately, it also draws the attention of a killer, who isn't above using her to find out just how much she knows.

The mystery is done well, and the clues are there if you care to look for them.  I discovered the killer before Mac, but then again, I read a lot of mysteries so know what to look for.  It is apparent that Mac cares for family as well, when she's quickly roped in to help plan her parents' 40th anniversary -- in two days.  Is it enough time?  Will she be able to solve the murder first?

I do like the fact that when she comes across information she shares immediately with the police.  It is so unnatural when a sleuth decides to keep it to themself, and then gets upset when the police get angry.  Yean, so.  Mac is smart enough to do the right thing, and I appreciate that.

What I don't appreciate, however, is the social justice warrior running around telling me how to think.  I read books to escape from the real world for a little while and not be preached to.  Unfortunately, as these books progress, so does the preaching.  Just being truthful here.  This is why I can't give it more than three stars.  Please get back to telling the tale and keep social issues at bay.

Now that I've done my own little rant, I will say that the ending was very good, and everything occurred just as it should.  The killer was caught in a nice climax that held together well.  The book itself was well-written and has very good characters.  

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/Murder-Rusty-Anchor-Capers-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CFGGD38K/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6477750501

More on Maddie Day's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/maddie-day/