Death a Sketch (A Paint & Shine Mystery Book 3)

Author:    Cheryl Hollon

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496725288

Kensington Cozies

288 Pages

$7.16; $6.80 Amazon

July 26, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐

In eastern Kentucky, Miranda Trent runs a unique tour company called Paint & Shine, but sometimes the peaceful mountains play host to murder...  

Miranda's business -- combining Appalachian adventure tours with art and a bit of moonshine -- is the perfect place for an outdoor sporting goods company to hold an employee retreat.  It'll be a challenge, but the money they're paying will definitely help with building her new distillery.

Miranda has lots of teamwork fostering activities planned, from sketching classes to Southern cooking, but the executive running things prefers a more competitive spirit.  In fact, after the workers are split into teams, they're told that only the winners will keep their jobs, and tensions begin to spike.  Even after a participant is found dead, the contest continues -- while Miranda starts drawing her own conclusions about the ambitious attendees.  Now she just has to find the proof...

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Miranda Trent inherited her uncle's farm -- with a stipulation.  She has three months to make her business (formerly his) profitable.  The business?  Making moonshine (legal, of course).  The problem?  She's an artist, and has never done this before.  So, she came up with a unique hook: While making shine and cocktails out of it, she hosts company events -- tours around the Daniel Boone Forest, and so far, it's been working well.

Currently, she's hosting a group from a sportswear company, and thinks things are going well.  That is, until one of the group is killed, and now the man's replacement not only has divided the group into two teams, but the losing team will go home -- without a job.  While she knows it's unfair, she's being paid to do her job, and continue with the plans.

But something goes wrong along the way, and someone in the group is being suspected of murder.  Also, Miranda notices what she suspects is someone not wanting anyone to do well.  But how can she figure this out by herself?  With the sheriff's blessing Miranda works to keep an eye on her people, and hopes to find out the truth and stay alive in the process...

This is the third book in the series and I have read them all.  I have found that I love the premise of this book, that our protagonist isn't exactly broke, and has decided to keep her uncle's legacy going while living in a lovely farmhouse.  Although I'm not all that interested in the shine part (I don't drink), I still find it quite intriguing to read about.  It's a detailed process and Miranda has her hands (and time) full doing both.

The people on the two groups are competing for management positions, and there's in-fighting which isn't pleasant to anyone; but there are also the meals that her two kitchen helpers provide which sound delicious.  But we're here to find a killer, and it's not as easy as it sounds.  There are very few clues, but you have to put together what everyone is saying to get it right.  And our Miranda does just that, with the help of Forest Ranger Austin.

When the murderer is discovered, everyone is surprised, and none more so than the person who trusted them the most.  It's a nice climax, and the epilogue is done well also.  I highly recommend this book and look forward to the next in the series.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Sketch-Paint-Shine-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09KP3TJ8F/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5512460694

More on Cheryl Hollon's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/cheryl-hollon/

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.

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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/

Still Knife Painting (A Paint & Shine Mystery Book 1)

Author:  Cheryl Hollon
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496725240
Kensington Publishing
352 Pages
$7.99; $6.89 Amazon
June 30, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

After inheriting her uncle's Red River Gorge homestead in Eastern Kentucky -- smack dab in the middle of the Daniel Boone National Forest -- Miranda comes up with a perfect business plan for summer tourists: pairing outdoor painting classes with sips of local moonshine, followed by a mouthwatering sampler of the best in southern cooking.

To Miranda's delight, Paint & Shine is a total success -- until someone kills the cook.  As the town's outsider, suspicion naturally falls on Miranda.  Murdering the best biscuit baker of Red River Gorge is a high crime in these parts.  Miranda will have to prove her innocence before she's moved from farmhouse to jail cell faster than she can say "white lightning"...

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When Miranda Trent discovers she's been left her Uncle Gene's farmhouse and belongings in Eastern Kentucky, she's surprised as can be.  But then she decides it can be an opportunity for her to start her own business, and not have to struggle to make it as an artist.  She opens Paint & Shine, where people can learn to paint and then return to her farmhouse for an authentic country meal, accompanied by moonshine tastes for each course.  However, not everyone is glad she's starting her business, since a lot of people are still against consuming alcohol in this town.

The first outing seems to go well, with six customers who are enjoying it.  But when they go back to the farmhouse, Miranda has an argument with one of the cooks, Mrs. Childers; and when Miranda goes to check on the meal a few minutes later, she finds the woman lying on her kitchen floor, stabbed with a butcher knife. 

Now Miranda's business is dwindling, and she's the main suspect in the murder.  If she's going to survive -- and keep the farmhouse and land -- she needs to find out who killed the woman and why.  But only if she can stay alive long enough to do so...

This is the first in a new series, and I really enjoyed it.  There were only a few things that bothered me, so I'll get those out of the way first.  I would have liked to know why Miranda didn't confront the reporter after the newspaper came out, but she ignored it, which couldn't be a good thing in anyone's book; she didn't even mention it to Austin, which I thought she at least might have done.  Then, she stated how Austin was going to stay at her place while a killer was on the loose, but we never saw any indication of this happening, so I'd like to know if he did or not.  The first deputy who passed out seemed ridiculous -- if you're going to pass out seeing a dead body, you need to find another profession -- I can't even imagine an officer like that stopping people to give them tickets. 

I also didn't get the scene between Dan and Miranda when she grabbed at him; it seemed out of character for the person she was starting to be portrayed as, since she never acted this way and the comment he made shouldn't have set her off like that.  But as Miranda states as how she's an introvert it didn't make sense; I am too, and I would never react this way to anyone.  I also control my tongue a lot better, since I'd rather not draw attention to myself.

Aside from that, I liked some of the secondary characters.  Mrs. Hobb grew on me early even though she's not in the book much, and I hope to see more of her in the next one.  I also like the idea that our protagonist isn't mooning over a police detective, which usually happens in most cozies.  Since I realize this is the first in the series, hopefully there will be more character development of Miranda and the others in the next one.

The plot is written well, and it's an interesting decision to make her an artist who will also offer moonshine from a local distillery instead of wine pairings.  While I've never heard of this, that's probably because I'm a city girl through and through.  We don't get a lot of descriptions of the countryside, but we do get some, and I look forward to learning more about the area in future books.

While I guessed the murderer early on (I read a lot of mysteries), I enjoyed moving along with Miranda as she put the pieces together and discovered the reason for the murder.  While it was sad, we can't ever decipher motives from a killer or the future victim that they face.  Sad indeed, but believable just the same.  I did like the ending and look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Still-Knife-Painting-Paint-Mysteries/dp/1496725247/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3377577674

More on Cheryl Hollon's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/cheryl-hollon/

Batter Off Dead (A Southern Cake Baker Mystery #2)

Author:  Maymee Bell
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781683318781
Crooked Lane Books
304 Pages
$17.70; $9.99 Amazon
December 11, 2018

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Sophia Cummings may be unlucky in love, but she knows that the way to a man's heart is through his sweet tooth.  This evening, she plans to use that knowledge - and her skills as a New York City-trained pastry chef - to open the hearts and wallets of Rumford, Kentucky's richest men.  Sophia, proprietress of For Goodness Cakes, has been commissioned to cater the Heart of the Town Library charity fundraiser at Grape Valley Winery.  She's spent all her dough to make this a successful event, raise her profile, and win more plum catering jobs.

At first, the going is as smooth as an elegant chocolate ganache.  After nibbling Sophia's tasty treats, Ray Peel, the winery's landlord, announces he will pay off Rumford's library loan.  But the evening soon turns decidedly frosty when Ray is murdered - before he can make good on his promise, and before he can pay Sophia for her catering services.

For Goodness Cakes will collapse if Sophia can't collect what she's owed.  So Sophia once again puts on her sleuthing apron to figure out who iced Ray.

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Sophia Cummings has returned home to the small town of Rumford, Kentucky, where her mother rules the local society and her father is a successful attorney.  She's recently opened a bakery, For Goodness Cakes, and has been kept busy with catering jobs, special orders, and people wanting to buy her amazing pastries.  She's surrounded by her best friends Madison, who's a real estate agent, and Charlotte, who's a newlywed come to work for Sophia.

She's working on a charity fundraiser for the library, to be held at a local winery.  Although Sophia hasn't been paid yet for the treats she's created, she hopes to collect a check that evening from the winery's owner, Giles Dugan.  The librarian, Catherine Fraxman, is also excited because a local bigwig, Ray Peel, has offered a huge donation that will pay for the library's new addition.

When she arrives at the winery she runs into Madison, who seems excited about an upcoming meeting with Ray; and she also heads to Giles' office to collect her check, but finds him having a heated argument with his daughter, which she finds out due to an employee, is because Ray is planning on selling the winery immediately, which explains his meeting with Madison.

While shes' setting up Madison returns, obviously upset.  Unfortunately, she's not in a good mood anymore, due to the result of her meeting with Ray.  It seems Ray doesn't think Madison is right to sell his property, and she's understandably angry.  But when she goes looking for Giles in order to get her check, she literally trips over the body of Ray.

Someone murdered the man, in the middle of the party, in the vineyard, and Sheriff Carter Kincaid, now Sophia's boyfriend, isn't pleased that this is the second time she's found a dead body.  But then again, neither is Sophia.  According to her, all she wants to do is create the tasty pastries for the town and live a quiet life.

But that's not to be, especially since she learns that Madison is the main - and probably only - suspect in the murder, since what she said to Sophia about Ray was overheard.  When Carter refuses to eliminate Madison, Sophia feels that her only choice - with Madison and Charlotte begging her to help - is to try and figure out who hated Ray enough to kill him.  Once she starts looking, she finds out that there are several people who might have wanted him out of the picture.  But who had the best motive?  And which one of them were angry enough to kill?...

This is the second book in the series, and, I am glad to say, is just as good as the first.  I was delighted in the first book, Cakes & Punishment, and this one picks up shortly after the last.  The plot is again well thought out, with a host of suspects who all had a reason for Ray to be out of the picture.  However, it seems that Carter is only focused on Madison, which irritates Sophia no end.

When he asks her to stay out of the investigation, deep down he knows it isn't going to happen; and when her mother Bitsy seems to 'want in', it only makes it worse.  Carter accepts the fact his girlfriend isn't going to stop what she's doing, but only hopes that she doesn't try to expose herself to danger, and insist she share all her information with him.

The characters are a lively bunch, and Sophia and her friends and family have a believable relationship with each other.  You can practically feel the rapport between the three women, their closeness with each other coming through the pages.  Her relationship with Carter is also very well done.  He's an intelligent man who follows the clues and does a thorough job, even if it's not fast enough for Sophia.  He knows he can't change her and doesn't try, and she never imagines herself smarter than him or a better sleuth.

There were a couple of things that bothered me, even as I didn't allow them to spoil my enjoyment of the book.  I was a tad uncomfortable with some of Sophia's blatant questioning of people and then going so far as to search offices while there were people right down the hall (not a smart move); and I did get tired of everything being 'mouth-watering.'  Really, I don't think I've ever in my lifetime had any food make my mouth water thinking about it or seeing it, yet this happens a lot to her.  (Maybe I just don't have tons of saliva in my mouth, but hey...)

When the ending came and the killer was revealed, it made sense in a twisted sort of way, although I didn't feel that we were given any clues to the murderer (although I may or may not have hidden a few in my review).  Although the ending was put together well, it would have been nice to have a couple of clues at least that led us in the right direction.

Ms. Bell has given us a tale with crisp writing and a great deal of southern charm, people you'd like to know and a town you'd like to visit.  All in all, a worthy second entry to a series that I hope will be around for a good long while.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Batter-Off-Dead-Southern-Mystery/dp/1683318781/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2676719396

More on Maymee Bell's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/maymee-bell/

Cakes & Punishment (A Southern Cake Baker Mystery #1)

Author:  Maymee Bell
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781683315711; 9781683317968
Crooked Lane Books
336 Pages
$18.35; $10.99; $9.99 Amazon
May 8, 2018 (TP November 13, 2018)

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Bucolic Rumford, Kentucky has glowing fields of bluegrass, a fine selection of bourbons, and now a professional pastry chef.  Broken-hearted Sophia Cummings has come home from New York city.  She's not there a minute before she's charmed into making her high school friend Charlotte's wedding cake.  The kitchen at the Rumford Country Club seems perfect until Chef Emile's body is discovered, sprawled near the stove, a cast iron skillet on the floor close by.

With one look at the shiny, new frying pan, Sophia knows it's not Emile's.  She offers her knowledge to Sheriff Carter and her talents to Evelyn, the manager, who needs an interim chef.  The mood in the country club is grim:  Emile's peppery personality had burned members and staff alike.  Sophia wonders which one of them burned him?

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Sophia Cummings is a pastry chef at an upscale restaurant in New York.  After catching her live-in boyfriend making whoopee with the Maitre'd at their restaurant, she took some time off and went home to visit her mother and father in small-town Rumford, Kentucky.

But rest isn't about to come her way.  While at a Junior League meeting at the local country club with her mother, she runs into some old friends, one of whom is about to be married.  Charlotte Harrington is beside herself because her baker has bailed on her.  But then she practically begs Sophia to make her wedding cakes, and Sophia reluctantly agrees.  When she goes the next day to the club to meet Charlotte, Sophia heads to the kitchen to check it out, but instead discovers that the club's chef Emile has already been checked out instead, hit over the head with an iron skillet.

When Sheriff Carter Kincaid arrives, she's summarily questioned and released; and even though she's not happy about having to work in the kitchen, she's even less happy when she finds out that Evelyn Moss, the director of the club, is the main suspect.  She refuses to believe that Evelyn, for all her gruff exterior, could kill anyone.  So when Evelyn asks her to temporarily help with meals until another chef can be found, she once again agrees, finding her vacation to be a working one, whether she wants it or not.

Just when she thinks her plate can't get any fuller, even more complications arise; and when she's determined to find Emile's killer before Evelyn can be charged with the crime, she discovers that someone out there knows what she's doing, and wants her to stop...even if it means that they'll have to stop her permanently...

This is the first in a new series and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.  It takes place in a small town in Kentucky, but that's where the similarity to many cozy mysteries end.  There were no 'tried and true' clichés throughout the book: our protagonist didn't run home broke and out of a job, she merely took a leave of absence and has money in the bank; she didn't decide to start a business she couldn't afford and then struggle and hope she can eat the next month.  She actually wears makeup; she doesn't just 'throw on a little lip gloss' and have everyone tell her that she's hot (not that there's anything wrong with that); and I loved the fact there was no 'evil nemesis' out to destroy Sophia and her life, nor the dreadful love triangle that permeates so many of them (rant over!).

What I didn't like: she was a little invasive on people during her 'investigating', sometimes saying and doing things that weren't exactly danger-free, not even trying to hid the fact of what she was doing (however, it did show that she knew she wasn't very good at being a sleuth, which she also admits to herself) so it was to be expected that the killer would figure out sooner rather than later what she was doing.  (Example: when she went investigating Patrick).  She also writes out a 'suspect list' and isn't above practically bald-faced accusing people, which isn't smart and could very well alienate some from her forever.

However, she was smart enough to share anything she discovered with Carter instead of keeping information to herself, and I did like that.  It showed that her only goal was truly helping Evelyn, and not some misguided idea that she was better than the sheriff was at his job.  An intelligent move on the part of the author.

I found the mystery to be well thought out; the dialogue was witty and fun; the characters felt real as well as the friendship between Sophia, Charlotte and Madison; Sophia's mother Bitsy definitely ruled her little town, and even though Bitsy seems a bit manipulative, I never got the feeling that she was pushy or that Sophia minded one bit.  I actually like Bitsy as much as the rest of the characters.

When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, the reason made perfect sense, and the fact that the murderer had thought out how to frame someone else actually added to the plot because they weren't sloppy, which made it more difficult to detect who they were, and that was an added bonus.  I will say that while I had my suspicions, I liked the fact that the clues never directly pointed toward that person.

All in all, this was a delightful beginning to a new series, and it held my interest throughout.  I think I could easily become attached to the characters in this book and look forward to the next in the series, hoping to spend time with them again.  There are also some yummy-sounding recipes at the end that I will definitely be making.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Cake-Punishment-Southern-Baker-Mystery/dp/1683317963/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2673812368

More on Maymee Bell's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/maymee-bell/

Pet peeves (A Haskell Blevins, P.I. Mystery #1)

Author:  Taylor McCafferty
Genre:  Mystery

Paperback
ISBN #:  9780671728021
Pocket Books
216 Pages
Various Prices
October 1, 1990

✮

In Pigeon Fork, Kentucky, it's not easy to be a hard-boiled detective...

Being as how my office is over my brother Elmo's drug store, it's kind of tough getting the right private-eye atmosphere.  Fact is, since I'd left Louisville homicide four months ago, my biggest case was the mystery of the stolen feed sacks.

But things sure got interesting quick when Cordelia Turley sashayed up my stairs and hired me to find out who killed her old Grammy.  Not to mention Grammy's cat and a parakeet named Sweety-bird.  For one thing, Cordelia was real pretty - a Pigeon Fork 10, which was maybe a 7 or 8 anywhere else.  And she was willing to pay my standard rates.

Then came the slashed tired.  The threatening letters.  The folks who said Cordelia's dear old Grammy was a looney, and the ones who said she was a brazen, shameless hussy.  It was a real interesting case all right.  But nothing Haskell Blevins, P.I., couldn't handle...

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When newly minted P.I. Haskell Blevins is approached by an attractive woman to solve the case of who killed her dear Grammy, he jumps at the chance.  But after meeting Grammy's relatives, it seems that there may be more than one suspect.  Not to mention a crazy woman in town is claiming that someone is threatening her because she was concerned about Grammy's dead cat...

Okay, I read this book because it sounded interesting.  And the fact that the cat was already dead when I started the book didn't change that fact, since it was, well, after the fact as it were.  But the more I read, the less I enjoyed it.

It might have sounded cute, but Haskell comes off as a hillbilly (no offense to hillbillies).  It made the book less interesting to me.  But the reason I only gave it one star is because the author apparently has no problem with animal cruelty.  Killing cats isn't humorous.  And I'm not talking about the dead cat at the beginning.

I should have known right away when I read how the first cat died (and it wasn't nice) but I continued on.  Even when I realized that the cat was only trying to survive.  I wish I hadn't.  What kind of person thinks it's perfectly fine to write a humorous mystery that includes the killing and torturing of pets?  It's horrible.  I don't trust people that don't like animals, and this author obviously doesn't care about them...or thinks it's okay to abuse them.

I didn't like the ending, either, but I'll let that one pass.  This is not a book I would recommend to anyone.

https://www.amazon.com/Pet-Peeves-Taylor-McCafferty/dp/0671728024/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2419115498

 More on Taylor McCafferty's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/barbara-taylor-mccafferty/

Dead as a Doornail (A Kenni Lowry Mystery Book 5)

Author:  Tonya Kappes
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Audio CD; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781635113341; 9781974907120
Henery Press Publishing
266 Pages
$15.95; $29.99; $4.99 Amazon
May 15, 2018

✮✮✮✮✮

Beauty is skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone.  And doesn't our Sheriff Kenni Lowry know that?  Well, she knows a lot of things.

Lucy Lowell takes great pride in writing negative reviews in the local newspaper for anything that does not go her way.  When Lucy is found dead, it appears to be from natural causes.

But Sheriff Kenni Lowry knows there is more to it because the ghost of her grandfather, the ex-sheriff, is standing over the body.

His presence can mean only one thing: Murder !

Since Kenni's relationship with Deputy Finn Vincent has heated up, Kenni is having trouble conducting the investigation without Finn questioning her every move.

Can Kenni unravel the mystery on her own or will she have to tell Finn the real reason she knows it was murder - the ghost of her poppa?

It's blowin' up a storm and only Kenni knows how it'll end.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Kenni Lowry is sheriff in the small Kentucky town of Cottonwood.  She's taken over where her grandfather, Poppa, left off after he died.  Except he's not really dead, not to her: whenever there's a murder, he shows up to help her out.

Right now, Kenni has problems.  When she's given a gift certificate to a day spa from her boyfriend, Deputy Finn Vincent, she expects to have a relaxing afternoon getting a manicure and pedicure.  While it starts out that way, it sure doesn't end the same.  While there, local Lucy Ellen Lowell shows up demanding that Tina, owner of the spa, give her a color, manicure, and anything else her little heart desires.  Tina refuses, and her employee Cheree adds that Lucy keeps cancelling appointments, so they can't make time for her, especially since Polly Parker and her entire wedding party have shown up to get their nails done for a 'pre-wedding preview' of color.

Lucy isn't happy, and when she leaves she tells Tina she's going to write a review of her shop.  It seems Lucy is well known for writing her bad reviews, and has cost businesses customers by them.  In fact, it seems the only person who even likes Lucy is her husband Darnell.  So when Lucy is found murdered by Darnell, Kenni has a whole stack of suspects to sift through.

But it's not going to be easy, nor is it going to be comfortable.  It seems Kenni has been volunteered by her mother Vivian and best friend Tibbie to be the maid of honor in Polly's wedding after the original one backed out.  And Kenny - reluctant as she is - has pretty much figured out why.  It appears that Polly wants a Gone with the Wind-themed wedding, and the dress Kenni has to wear looks like the famous dark green curtain dress, and it is Ug-ly with a capital U. 

So now Kenni is juggling a murder investigation along with trying to avoid her mama at all costs.  Then things get even more heated when Finn asks her to come home to Chicago for Christmas, and she sure doesn't want to face her mama over that; and just when she thinks she has the murder all sewn up she knows it can't be right because Poppa hasn't left.  Yes, Kenni's in a whole heap of trouble, and she'll need all the help she can get to figure this one out...

Once again Tonya Kappes has written another delightful Kenni Lowry mystery.  This one is packed with plenty of action and Kenni wrestling with problems - like those mentioned above and also the fact that she knows she's going to have to come clean with Finn about her Poppa's ghost eventually.  It leaves her very little down time, and a multitude of suspects who may or may not be telling her the entire truth. 

It's a magnificent romp of a mystery that shows us Kenni has what it takes to be sheriff in this town full of looney characters, and one of the best books I've read this year.  I can't say enough about this series except that while this can be read as a stand alone, I hope that you'll start at the beginning to get the full effect of Kenni and the eccentric people of Cottonwood.  I loved every minute of it and look forward to the next installment.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Dead-As-Doornail-Tonya-Kappes/dp/1635113342/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2340488865

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

Six Feet Under (A Kenni Lowry Mystery #4)

Author:  Tonya Kappes
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback
ISBN #:  9781635113082
Henery Press Publishing
  Pages
March 13, 2018

(More Information to Come)

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The residents of Cottonwood, Kentucky are sent into a tizzy when the Culinary Channel comes to town to film an episode of Southern Home Cookin' with celebrity chef Frank Von Lee.

Especially Sheriff Kenni Lowry.

Her mama's award-winning chicken pot pie is what brought Frank to town, and they don't make hair in the South bigger than her mama's ego after the news.

When Frank Von Lee is found dead from food poisoning and the most likely culprit is Mama's chicken pot pie, Kenni's poppa, the former sheriff, comes back from the Great Beyond to assist in the investigation.

But nothing's prepared Kenni for such a personal tie to a case, and she finds herself pushing the limits of the laws she's sworn to protect.

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Kenni Lowry is the sheriff of small-town Cottonwood, Kentucky.  She's happy in her job, taking over from her Grandfather 'Poppa', who's now a ghost and shows up to help when something bad is about to happen in their tight-knit community.

Her mama Vivian is over the moon because having won a contest for her chicken pot pie, it's now bringing to town Chef Frank Von Lee, who has a show on television and Vivian is one of two contestants to be interviewed, with the chef picking the best dish.

As if that's not enough, people are being seen all over town with pink handicapped stickers for their cars which are obviously illegal; someone is running an illegal Botox ring, and she's also navigating her new romantic relationship with her deputy Finn Vincent, and hasn't decided on a way to tell him about her Poppa; which, while they're still figuring it out, will have take second place to the fact that shortly after Frank arrived - he died.

Kenni received a call from the inn where he was staying, and it appears at first that he died from a heart attack.  But while in his room, she notices what's left of a pot pie and a memo he left behind stating it was from Vivian, and that from all appearances, it was store-bought.  While Kenni doesn't believe it for a minute, her mother has been acting strangely - including getting Botox injections, and now has a black eye she won't talk about.

So with Viv being the main suspect, Kenni is pulled from the case and Finn takes the lead.  But this is her mama and she's not going to sit back and watch her being railroaded for something she didn't do.  Once Kenni starts her own investigation, she learns that there's more than one person who might have had a finger in the pie and wanted Frank dead; but in order to pull Viv's fat out of the fire, they need to sift through the suspects and figure out which one wanted him cooked for good...

As always, Ms. Kappes has turned out a top-notch mystery about another murder in this little Southern town.  The usual residents make an appearance, of course, with the focus shifting on her mother this time around.  While, for the most part, the townspeople don't think Viv killed a man, there's still the circumstantial evidence - even if it doesn't make sense to Kenni and Finn.  Still, they need to strike quickly before a killer gets away.

There's so much going on that it's hard to decide what the best part of the book is.  I can honestly say that I enjoyed this one as much as the others, and that's quite a bit.  The author pulls us into Cottonwood's quirky characters' lives, making you either want to visit there or decide to keep your sanity and just stay away altogether!

When the ending comes and the killer is discovered, I have to say that it was done nicely.  The clues were all there, but it was interwoven in a delightful manner so that unless you were actually looking for them, you may miss them entirely.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2207452110

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

Ax to Grind (A Kenni Lowry Mystery Book 3)

Author:  Tonya Kappes
Genre:  Mystery/Suspense

Hardcover; Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781635112504; 9781635112474
Henery Press Publishing
256 Pages
$31.91; $15.95; $4.99 Amazon
September 19, 2017

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Ever daydream about taking a little revenge?  Lifting a corner of that precious rug everyone's busy sweeping secrets under?  Well, let me tell you about Beryle Stone.  She was a bestselling author and the most famous citizen to ever come out of Cottonwood, Kentucky.  She knew everyone in town and they knew her.  And when she died, she put all her worldly possessions up for auction.  All but one.

She left behind a hidden tell-all about Cottonwood that's got more gossip than a ladies' luncheon.  Oh, Lordy, does that make the town hot.  I'm not talking Deputy Finn Vincent hot, I'm talking hot under those Southern collars hot.  And since revenge is a dish best served cold, things turn ugly.  Someone gets an ax to the back and the only witness gets put in a coma.

Enter Sheriff Kenni Lowry.  She reckons someone in town will do anything to keep the manuscript from seeing the light of day.  And it's her job to find out who.  She starts uncovering as many secrets as there are suspects.  Of course her poppa's ghost returns to help.  He pieces together the life of the Beryle he once knew, but his memory's a little foggy, and any misstep could cause them a world of trouble.  Can Kenni sort through the secrets buried in Beryle's books, or will this be her final chapter?

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Kenni Lowry, Sheriff of Cottonwood, Kentucky, has her hands full.  On top of her attraction to her deputy, Finn Vincent, her ex-deputy Lonnie Lemar is running against her.  Cottonwood's most famous citizen, Beryle Stone, has died and left her estate to various charities - with her cousin Ruby Smith as executor - which is causing an influx of tourists and problems among the locals.

Beryle had an assistant, Cecily, who's insisting there's a missing manuscript that needs to go to the publisher and not be part of the estate to be auctioned off.  It seems the manuscript is possibly a 'tell all' about people in the town.  Beryle, a famous writer, based her books on the people of Cottonwood; even though she changed names and altered details, someone doesn't want the truth known - enough to kill.

So late one night Beryle's assistant Cecily is found dead in an alley, and Lonnie's wife Paige injured inside Ruby's antique shop, sending Lonnie into a frenzy and Kenni up to her ears in suspects.  What she discovers along the way is that Beryle's mentally disabled sister, thought long dead, is still alive and being cared for at a local inn - and Kenni (and the town) have known her for years under another name.  Then there's also the little thing about an unpublished manuscript that Beryle left...the one everyone seems to be after, and Cecily was probably killed for.  But no one knows where it is, and with the help of her Poppa's ghost, Kenni learns that nothing good can occur when buried secrets are unearthed, and she needs to find a killer before they have a chance to permanently write her off...

Cottonwood, Kentucky is a small town with an eccentric population.  Kenni followed in her grandfather's footsteps to become sheriff and nearly sent her mother into an apoplectic fit.  But since she's running for re-election, her mother is her staunchest supporter.  Her mother is a hoot and the purest form of Southern lady I've ever known.  The interaction between these two is alone worth reading the book.

But it's the ghost of her grandfather 'Poppa' that gives life to the story (see what I did there?) as he helps her solve the crimes.  In this book, Kenni has figured out a key fact about her Poppa being there that neither of them knew, and her relationship with Finn is undergoing some major changes along the way.

This is the third book in the series, and it keeps getting better as it progresses.  Kenni is capable, smart, stubborn and attractive to boot; and Finn seems to have settled into Cottonwood quite nicely after moving from Chicago.  The mystery is written well and plenty of curve balls along the way to keep it going.  Once we learn about Beryle's sister being alive, it's interesting to watch all the pieces come together slowly, until it's almost too late.

When the murderer is revealed, it comes as a complete surprise.  While the clues were there (and I figured out those pretty quickly since I read a lot of mysteries) the identity of the killer was still a little staggering.  What seems to be the truth isn't, and what seems hidden is sometimes right out in the open.  The reason for the murder was a little sad; it all seemed so senseless in the end.

All in all, an excellent mystery with believable and convincing characters.  Ms. Kappes has written another tale that is suspenseful and enjoyable.  The books just keep getting better and I hope this series stays around for a long time.  I look forward to reading the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Ax-Grind-Kenni-Lowry-Mystery/dp/1635112478/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2177120204

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

Fixin' to Die (A Kenni Lowry Mystery Book 1)

Author:  Tonya Kappes
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Paperback; Ebook
ISBN #: 9781635110401; 9781635110371
Henery Press
224 Pages
$31.95; $14.40; $2.99 Amazon
June 14, 2016

Five Stars

Kenni Lowry likes to think the zero crime rate in Cottonwood, Kentucky is due to her being sheriff, but she quickly discovers the ghost of her grandfather, the town's previous sheriff, has been scaring off any would-be criminals since she was elected.  When the town's most beloved doctor is found murdered on the very same day as a jewelry store robbery, and a mysterious symbol ties the crime scenes together, Kenni must satisfy her hankerin' for justice by nabbing the culprits.  With the help of her poppa, a lone deputy, and an annoyingly cute, too-big-for-his-britches State Reserve officer, Kenni must solve both cases and prove to the whole town, and herself, that she's worth her salt before time runs out.

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Kendrick 'Kenni' Lowry is the sheriff of small town Cottonwood, Kentucky, and has been so for the past two years...the past two quiet, peaceful years - but that's about to end.  One early morning she gets a call on her radio that Doctor Ronald Walton has been found dead in his home.  Kenni is stunned; this is the doctor that delivered her and served the town loyally.  But when she arrives, she's not prepared for seeing her first dead body - especially this one.  Doctor Walton has been killed in a most brutal way, and she knows she's going to need help in solving the murder, so she calls the Kentucky State Reserves for help, and they send her one Finn Vincent, who shows up in an out-of-place suit and by-the-book look.

Even though she also has the help of her jailer, Wyatt Granger, it doesn't seem enough when there is also a break-in at White's Jewelry.  When Kenni goes to investigate, she finds not the owner, Viola, but Polly Parker, who had offered to take her place due to Viola's being ill.  When Polly tells her that she had to use to key to enter and found the place in a mess, Kenni becomes suspicious and decides to watch Polly in the future.

Soon the townspeople are talking about a serial killer on the loose, and it's all Kenni can do to keep her wits about her while trying to solve the two cases and wondering if they're related.  Then she learns something from the coroner that convinces her they are, but she still doesn't know who would want Doc Walton dead, and rob the jewelry store to boot.

But Kenni doesn't realize just how complicated her life is about to become: at least not until the ghost of her grandfather (and former sheriff) shows up right in the middle of the investigation.  Once she realizes he's really there (after several incidents where various townspeople are sure she's about to pass out) she embraces the fact that her beloved Poppa is there to both help her and guide her through the investigation, even if it means that others might think she's suffering a tad from the stress of trying to solve the murder...

When I first started reading this book, I thought 'oh, great, stereotypes' but as I kept reading I really began to enjoy it.  Kenni is used to being the sheriff in a small town - one so small the local movie theater is someone's basement - and feels out of her league with the occurrence of a murder.  But she's determined to solve it, partly because she wants to prove to the town she can, and partly because she wants to make her late grandfather proud.  What isn't helping is there's a slight problem with her mother, who wants her to give it all up and become a hairdresser, and also the teeny fact that she's attracted to her newly appointed deputy Finn.

But Kenni plods on, even though she knows some of the townspeople aren't happy with her questions, and with the help of Poppa, who can go places that she can't, she begins to put together the evidence to solve the murder and the robbery, which she knows are tied together.  But what is, isn't; and there are red herrings aplenty which almost lead her down the wrong path.  When the killer is finally revealed, it comes as a surprise, and the clues weren't even thought of as such, which is how it was supposed to be.

Ms. Kappes has put together a group of quirky characters in a small-town setting that absolutely works and would make us feel right at home in Cottonwood, having coffee at the local diner to start our day.  An altogether delightful book that makes me eager for the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Fixin-Die-Tonya-Kappes/dp/1635110408/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1662100384

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