Murder In A Cup (A Crystals and CuriosiTEAS Mystery Book 2)

Author:    Lauren Elliott

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496739070

Kensington Cozies

304 Pages

November 28, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Self-taught "seer" Shay has much to learn as autumn hits the quaint coastal town of Bray Harbor.  Since attempting the art of blending herbs at her popular shop, Crystals & CuriosiTEAS, she's set on growing ingredients in the mysterious greenhouse on the second floor -- if only she can separate the medicinal plants from the deadly ones.  Her new skills are put to the test when she meets pub owner and ex-detective Liam Madigan's Gran.  A psychic from Ireland known for interpreting tea leaves and people, Gran encourages Shay to build upon her natural talents and hold her own group reading...

Despite Shay's reservations about putting herself in the spotlight, the evening goes off without a hitch.  At least, until she does a reading and a customer goes from chatty to dead in a flash, poisoned after sipping a toxic substance recently grown in the greenhouse.  Worse, Shay's assistant is suspected of intentionally serving the lethal brew and committing cold-blooded murder.  Now, aided only by Liam and her dog Spirit, Shay must exonerate her employee and save the future of Crystals & CuriosiTEAS.  But when clues start lining up like leaves in a teacup, she'll need to understand the signs right in front of her to catch the manipulative murderer before it's too late...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

When the local owner of a mystical shop dies, she leaves everything to Shay.  After Shay figures out why, she and her sister Jen proceed to turn the shop into Crystals and CuriosiTEAS, a teashop that also offers special blends to people needing help or guidance.  Occasionally, Shay will also do tea leaf readings, which has become popular amongst the locals.

One group, known as the white gloved ladies, has made the shop a weekly visit, and because they are so respected, Shay's new tearoom is booming.  Between her, Jen, and their teenage helper Tassi, they manage to make things work.  For a while, anyway -- until Tassi's dad shows up and declares that he's fighting her mother for custody.  Tassi dislikes her dad's fiancée, and refuses to go with him.  But one night, during a group reading, one of the women in the white glove group dies, prompting Tassi's father to get a restraining order against Shay and vowing to ruin her.

Shay is distraught, but when pub owner Liam Madigan returns from Ireland with his grandmother, known as 'Gran', the woman seeks out Shay and takes her under her wing.  To make matters worse, Liam is having troubles of his own, and his cousin shows up out of nowhere.

Shay has her hands full and her pockets temporarily empty, but will she be able to rectify the situation?  Will she be able to find out who really killed the woman?  And more so, will she be able to get her life back to where it was?...

This is merely the second book in the series but I am completely hooked on it.  I loved the first, and this one even more.  Shay is growing as a person, and being accepted for who she is.  Her life in this village begins to round out, until Tassi's unfortunate being of a father shows up.  She's sure he has an ulterior motive, but when he starts harassing her, she wonders why.

I love the character of Gran.  She's completely delightful.  A bit of the 'Old Country,' if you will.  I am pleased that the author brought her into the series, and hopefully will keep her there.  I did like Liam quite a bit, but as most men (don't get upset, we all know), he's a bit oblivious when it comes to certain things.  Read the book and you will know what I am talking about.

And let's not forget Spirit, the magical dog who appears just where he's needed most.  He's more than just a dog, but an intelligent friend who senses danger and knows just what to do to prevent it.  Ah, if only humans could understand what he is trying to say...

The murder itself is very well planned out, and quite a bit intriguing as well.  We watch as Shay tries to navigate her desire to help Tassi and figure out who the murderer might be at the same time.  While I knew who it was before Shay, it was entertaining to watch her figure it out and put the clues together.  In the end, it gives us a glimpse of what to look forward to in the next book, which, I think, will be just as enjoyable as this one.  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/Murder-Crystals-CuriosiTEAS-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B0BZBPVK1C/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5621410210

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/

The Pint of No Return ( A Sloan Krause Mystery #2)

Author:  Ellie Alexander
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781250108654
Minotaur Publishing
304 Pages
$26.99; $13.99 Amazon
October 2, 2018

✮✮✮✮

No other festival compares to Oktoberfest in Leavenworth, Washington.  The whole town is buzzing with excitement over this year's activities and eagerly awaiting Nitro's latest offering Cherrywizen, made with locally sourced cherries.  But local brewmaster Sloan Krause is tapped out.  Between trying to manage the pub, her pending divorce with Mac, and her mounting feelings for Garrett, she's fermenting in internal turmoil.

To complicate matters, dreamy movie star Mitchell Morgan and his production crew have arrived in the village to film during the authentic, Bavarian brewfest.  Mitchell has his eye on Sloan and a taste for Nitro's Cherrywizen.  Sloan escapes his advances for good when she finds Mitchell slumped over the bar.  Is this a case of one pint too many, or has Mitchell been murdered by microbrew?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Sloan Krause is settling into her new job as a brewmaster for Garrett Strong, who owns Nitro, a nanobrewery that's new in town.  It's Oktoberfest, and they're excited about the business it will bring in.  They also soon discover that there's a film crew in town doing a documentary on breweries, and they want to feature Sloan, as a groundbreaking female brewmaster.  She agrees, thinking the exposure will be good for Nitro.

But once she sees the emcee of the documentary - Mitchell Morgan - she tries to distance herself.  He's an egomaniac and a jerk who delights in making everyone around him miserable.  But it's no fun when she comes across his body one evening with a broken growler from Nitro nearby.  While Sloan isn't considered a suspect, she knows that April Ablin, a town realtor and self-proclaimed "town representative" and Mitchell got the growler before they left the bar.

Still, there's a girl who shows up at the scene named Kat who accuses Sloan's friend Lisa of the murder but Sloan can't believe Lisa capable.  But what does she really know about Kat?  Not much; but she and Garrett hire her anyway on the off chance that she's telling the truth that she's stranded and has nowhere else to go.

With all of this, her soon-to-be ex-husband Mac is striving to get her back and it seems will go to any lengths to do so, including putting himself right where Sloan doesn't want him to be.  Now with a murderer on the loose, and Sloan wondering about Lisa and Kat, can she help track a killer before anyone else is in danger?  Or has she already gotten too close and the killer has their sights set on her?...

I liked this book better than the first, although there were a couple of things that bothered me.  One is how April said how she's going to make it a bylaw that everyone in town has to wear traditional German outfits - with the men in lederhosen and the women wearing dirndl dresses.  Um, no.  You can't force a private business to do what you want them to.  She can't force them to decorate their interior the way she wants, nor can she force a dress code on them.  Anyway, I can't see anyone in town being stupid enough to want to walk around in lederhosen all the time.  I wouldn't call her a nemesis, as Sloan does, I'd call her a complete moron.

Also, since when do bars (and a brewery is a bar) serve meat and cheese trays?  As I've stated before, I eat at breweries (Las Vegas has great food anywhere you go) but their menus consist of food that actually go well with beer:  burgers, pizza, sandwiches, wings, etc.  Never have I seen any - even in towns I've visited with friends - meat and cheese trays.  I would guess people who drink beer don't say, "hey, you know what I'd like right now?  A meat and cheese tray!"  Just a thought...

Also, it's fine to think of Mac's family as her own, but eventually she'll go onto another relationship, (hopefully with Garrett) and so will Mac as one can hope; since he cheated on her and she forgave him he pretty much got away with it, so he'll do it again if she takes him back.  What happens then?  Are they going to leave their respective spouses to go 'have a family day?'  Or bring them with?  That would be an uncomfortable scenario, and I can't even imagine my husband doing something like that if he had a previous spouse.  I wouldn't be happy about it.  She needs to think about who's been there for her every time she needed someone, and it wasn't Mac.  Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying cutting ties because of her son Alex (whom I like very much) and who deserves to be around his relatives, but if she spends too much time with them it's less likely she'll be able to forge a new relationship.

Aside from these things (sorry, I'm big on details) this was definitely a step up from the first in the series, although that one wasn't bad at all.  I liked the mystery much better in this one; there were plenty of suspects to sift through, and a few clues here and there.  Everything had a nice continuity and made it an easy read.

We're getting to know the characters a little bit more each time and that's always a good thing; there was enough characterization to keep things going.  While we didn't get a lot of insight on the town businesses and people this time - it was Oktoberfest, after all, and that took center stage - still there was a little more information on the brewing process as there was in the last book, which was interesting.

There was also a nice subplot on Sloan's origins which I imagine will be expanded on in future books, and also her feelings for Garrett are beginning to grow; he obviously cares about Sloan and I look forward to seeing how their relationship progresses.

In the end, there were enough twists and turns to keep everything moving along nicely, and when the murderer was unmasked, it came as a surprise, which is a good thing.  I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Pint-Return-Sloan-Krause-Mystery/dp/1250108659/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2437895573

More on Ellie Alexander's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/ellie-alexander/

Black Cat Crossing (A Bad Luck Cat Mystery)

Author:  Kay Finch
Genre:  Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Audio CD; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425275245; 9781541465411
Berkley Publishing
304 Pages
$6.39; $17.38; $2.99 Amazon

✮✮

Sabrina has never been the superstitious type.  Still, when she moves to Lavender, Texas, to write her first novel and help her aunt, Rowe, manage her vacation rental business, Sabrina can't avoid listening to the rumors that a local black cat is a jinx - especially after the stray in question leads her directly to the scene of the murder.

The deceased turns out to be none other than her aunt Rowe's awful cousin Bobby Joe Flowers, a known cheat and womanizer who had no shortage of enemies.  The only problem is that Aunt Rowe and Bobby Joe had quarreled just before the cousin turned up dead, leaving Rowe at the top of the long list of suspects.  Luckily for Sabrina, she's got a new sidekick, Hitchcock the bad luck cat, to help her sniff out clues and stalk a killer before Aunt Rowe winds up the victim of even more misfortune...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Sabrina is an aspiring writer who moved to the Texas Hill Country to be with her aunt, who has a broken leg due to a fall.  She hears rumors that her aunt's cousin Bobby Joe Flowers is soon to arrive, and he's not going to be a welcome sight.  But when he arrives sooner than expected, he tells a tale that intimates Sabrina's grandfather had an affair with a relative and he's the product of that affair and therefore part owner of Aunt Rowena's business.  Rowena, or Rowe as she is known to friends, naturally doesn't take kindly to the tale and hits Bobby Joe with her cane, demanding he leave - after telling him he won't get a single part of anything.

Sabrina has also heard tales of the black cat around town that is supposed to be bad luck, and sees him for herself.  She doesn't believe in superstition, and follows the cat down to the river, where she discovers the body of Bobby Joe.  When she discovers that her aunt is suspected of the murder, Sabrina decides to look for the killer herself, but is the killer also looking for her?...

I wanted to read this because it's a book about a cat, and what could be better?  Anything, apparently.  I really wanted to read it because it takes place in the Texas Hill Country where my family lives, and I actually got to page 49 before I became disgusted with it.  For a character to state that black cats cause "bad luck, misery, disease and even death" is irresponsible, and portrays these people as being low-educated, superstitious rednecks.  I would really like to believe that Ms. Finch doesn't actually think Texans are that stupid, but I have my doubts.

I also didn't like the fact that everyone thought the cat was evil and wanted to get rid of it.  Who on earth in this day and age truly believes an old wives' tale about black cats being evil?  Drivel like this only enforces these type of beliefs.

I'm also tired of the stereotypical deputy who hates the protagonist for one reason or another - this time it's because Sabrina is trying to write a mystery and Deputy Rosales thinks she's asking the police too many questions.  Really?  The police don't want to help her in being accurate?  Sure, that's believable.  But then Rosales - after arriving at the scene of the crime - asks Sabrina if she's excited about seeing a dead body.  What kind of person does something like that?  Not only is in inappropriate, it's not professional.  You'd have to be a particularly rotten type of person to make that remark.  I couldn't even like her after that and was kind of hoping she'd get killed off immediately, but no such luck.

Below is a major spoiler of the ending which really killed this book for me; at least I'm grateful it was at the end and not somewhere in the middle, which makes it a little more palatable.

A man is so terrified of seeing Hitchcock the black cat that he runs screaming from the room. A grown man. Runs screaming. From the room. Because of the "bad luck cat". He was already having the worst luck he could possibly have, and he does this. The only good thing that came out of this book is the fact that Sabrina made Hitchcock her pet.

When all is said and done, the book wasn't terrible, which is why I gave it two stars; but to have people act like complete morons when they see a black cat?  I just couldn't get over the fact of how absurd it seemed.  I will read the second in the series to see if it's improved in any way - the deputy lightening up, and the same goes for the people in this town regarding black cats.

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Cat-Crossing-Luck-Mystery/dp/0425275248/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2425024274

More on Kay Finch's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/kay-finch/

Murder on Union Square (A Gaslight Mystery #21)

Author:  Victoria Thompson
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780399586606
Berkley Publishing
336 Pages
$26.00; $12.99 Amazon
May 1, 2016

✮✮✮✮

Sarah and Frank Malloy are enjoying married life and looking to make their family official by adopting Catherine, the child whom Sarah rescued and has been raising as her daughter.  The process seems fairly straightforward, but at the last minute, the newlyweds discover that Parnell Vaughn, Catherine's legal father, has a claim on the child, and his grasping fianceé is demanding a financial settlement to relinquish parental rights.  Even though exchanging money for a child is illegal, Frank and Sarah's love for Catherine drives them to comply.

When Frank returns with the money and finds Vaughn beaten to death, all evidence points to Frank as the culprit.  A not-quite-famous actor with modest means, Vaughn seems an unlikely candidate for murder, particularly such a violent crime of passion.  But Frank soon uncovers real-life intrigue as dramatic as any that appears on stage.

Sarah and Frank enlist those closest to them to help hunt for Vaughn's killer as Frank's own life - and the future of their family -- hang in the balance.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Frank Malloy is an ex-policeman who now owns a private detective agency.  He and his wife Sarah, a midwife, are planning to formally adopt a little girl named Catherine.  But they find out from an attorney that in the eyes of the law, Catherine's father is an actor named Parnell Vaughn, even though he's not the biological parent.  He was married to Catherine's mother at the time of her birth, so unfortunately he still has parental rights.

When Frank and Sarah visit Vaughn at the theater, they discover that he is perfectly willing to sign whatever papers need be in order to relinquish his legal hold on her.  He states quite soundly that she is not his child, and he is not in a position to raise one regardless.  But before Frank and Sarah leave, the young woman with Vaughn, Eliza, demands they pay one thousand dollars in order to gain custody.  While exchanging money for a child is illegal, they are still more willing to find out a way to do so in order to keep the girl; and set a date for Vaughn to sign the papers.

However, when Frank arrives at the theater upon the appointed time, he finds Vaughn's body covered in blood.  When he checks for a pulse, he manages to get some blood on himself, and Eliza arrives shortly after and starts screaming that he killed him.  When the police arrive, Frank is arrested and charged with the murder.  Now it's up to he and Sarah, along with friends Maeve and Gino, to clear Frank's name and find the true killer.

While I enjoyed reading this mystery, set in an historical era, I did feel that it was a tad bit slow going at some points.  Although I do understand that there is a lot to do with murders, and you must ask many people questions in order to find out the truth, I did find it odd that there was never a police officer about who was curious.  While I understand the lead detective believed Frank was the murderer, there was never anyone who even thought that the case might just fall apart unless their one witness was infallible (which, of course, we know she wasn't); and that they would question others just to make sure the case would stand.  But it seemed the only people questioning were the 'Malloy clan'.  Not one officer on the force (it seemed) was even considering that Frank just might be telling the truth and not be a murderer.  It doesn't say much about his time on the force if everyone thought he was guilty.  It seemed to me that if he wasn't liked by even one co-worker, how could he be likable by anyone, including his family and friends?  For people who have never read any other books in the series, this might be a huge question mark, in my opinion.

Aside from that, there was quite a bit of detail, and the separate questioning was thorough; I enjoyed the fact that Frank and Sarah work together a team.  Their talk sessions, where everyone gathers 'round and shares information, trying to sort out fact from fiction, was quite fun to read.

While it was enjoyable to read about theater people 'back in the day', I also found it nice to watch the Malloys as they traveled through their investigation.  While the clues were there it took time to decipher them; and while it wasn't a surprise as to who the murder was, it definitely was engaging in the process.

This is the 21st entry into the Gaslight Mysteries, but it can be read as a stand-alone.  There is nothing referencing earlier books so as to be confusing to the reader, aside from incorporating some characters from those novels.  When all is said and done and the killer is revealed, it was a satisfying ending to a very good book.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Union-Square-Gaslight-Mystery/dp/0399586601/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2372991417

More on Victoria Thompson's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/t/victoria-thompson/

No Farm, No Foul (A Farmer's Daughter Mystery #1)

Author:  Peg Cochran
Genre:  Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9780425282021
Berkley Publishing
303 Pages
$7.19; $7.19 Amazon
September 6, 2016

✮✭

On her blog, The Farmer's Daughter, Shelby McDonald is growing her audience as she posts recipes, garden tips, and her experiences raising two kids and running Love Blossom Farm in the small western Michigan town of Lovett.

Working the farm is demanding but peaceful - until that peace is shattered when the minister's wife is murdered on Shelby's property during a fund-raiser for a local church.  But the manure really hits the fan when Shelby's good friend veterinarian Kelly Thacker emerges as the prime suspect.  Shelby decides to dig in and find the murderer by herself.  As more suspects crop up, she'll have to move fast - before someone else buys the farm...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Shelby McDonald is a widow who lives on the family farm with her twelve-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son.  She's offered her farm for a church fundraiser, and everything seems to be going along swimmingly when she steps into her mudroom only to find the body of the minister's wife.  Stunned, she can't think who would want to kill the woman.

But she plans on staying out of the investigation until her best friend Kelly, the local veterinarian, asks her to investigate, because Kelly believes her fiancé Seth could have possibly committed the murder.  What's a woman to do?  Of course she agrees and hopes to find the true killer before the killer finds her...

Well, since this is the first in a new series, I usually give the author a pass and at least offer two stars if the book isn't up to par...and I did try, indeed I did.  But there was so much I just couldn't get past to give it any more than that.

She has her daughter - did I mention she's twelve? - sneaking out behind her back with a fourteen-year-old boy and everyone around her thinks it's just fine except for her.  Are her friends hillbillies who think girls need to be married at thirteen or they become old maids?  What the heck is the matter with them?  She's twelve, for heaven's sake!  I hope Shelby's not surprised when she's a grandmother in a year or two.  Mom doesn't want to confront her daughter figuring it's a phase.  Can you say spineless?  Because that's what Shelby is.  Tell your daughter no, and tell the boy's mother no.  Bad parenting is what it is.  Also, she might want to think about having her kids do a few chores around the farm.  They live there, too.  Would it be so difficult if they collected eggs or fed the chickens?

And speaking of bad parenting, someone steals her son's zucchini that he was going to enter in the county fair.  Her son is eight.  He's a child.  So when she finds out who steals it, she confronts the woman, and the woman's response is that her own son just needs to win the contest.  So that makes it alright?  Theft is fine as long as it benefits someone else?  Her son's feelings don't matter?  So what does she do?  She asks her about the murder!  That's right, asks her about the murder.  It's perfectly fine to steal her son's zucchini and break his heart as long as she gets information.  Are you freakin' kidding me?  I would have left, and as I was going out the door, I would have told her that she can forget about it because I was going to the fair judges to tell them what she'd done.  How many times has this woman done this in the past, and if she gets away with it once, she'll do it again.  But it's okay because she could ask questions about the murder, right?  Yeah, go home and tell your boy that you told her you knew what she'd done but you didn't do anything about it because you wanted to ask her a question.  That will make him feel better.

Then we come to the subject of Kelly who thinks her boyfriend is capable of murder.  Why is she marrying him then?  Are there no other men in this town?  Sorry, but if you believe the man you're going to wed has committed murder, then maybe you should back out of the marriage.  Don't make him mad or you could be next...

Sorry, but Shelby is a weak woman; she seems to be apologizing to everyone and walks on eggshells around her daughter.  Grow a backbone, woman!  So, in the end, I will read the next in this series and see if it improves.  Perhaps Shelby will have grown up by then.

https://www.amazon.com/Farm-Foul-Farmers-Daughter-Mystery/dp/0425282023/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2336215801

More on Peg Cochran's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/peg-cochran/

The Otter of Death (Gunn Zoo Series Book 5)

Author:  Betty Webb
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Trade Paperback
ISBN #:  9781464209901; 9781464209925
Poisoned Pen Press
$26.95; $15.95 Amazon
May 2, 2018

✮✮✮✮✮

While taking the yearly "otter count" at a marsh near Gunn Landing Harbor, California, zookeeper Theodora Bentley sees Maureen, her favorite otter, swimming around clutching someone's expensive smartphone.  When Teddy rescues the device, she discovers a photograph of a murder-in-progress.  A hasty search soon turns up the still-warm body of Stuart Booth, PhD, a local Marine Biology instructor.

Booth was a notorious sexual harasser of young female students, so the list of suspects is long enough to make Teddy wonder if the crime will ever be solved.  But when her friend, Lila, one of Booth's original accusers, is arrested and charged with his murder, Teddy begins to investigate.  This creates considerable tension with Teddy's fiancé, Sheriff Joe Rejas.  He believes the ever-inquisitive zookeeper might be putting her own life at risk, and so orders her to butt out.

Concerned for her accused friend, Teddy ignores Joe's ultimatum.  She questions not only members of Gunn Landing's moneyed social elite, but also the other side of the financial spectrum - the financially strapped young women willing to do almost anything to pay for their college tuition.  Alarmed by Teddy's meddling, Booth's killer fights back - first with a death threat, then via gunshot.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Theodora 'Teddy' Bentley, a zookeeper at the Gunn Zoo, is helping with an annual otter count when one of her particularly friendly otters shows up with a cell phone under its fin.  When she retrieves the phone, she realizes it belongs to Stuart Booth, a local Marine Biology instructor who's also helping with the count.  But then she looks at the last picture taken - a selfie - and realizes that Stuart was being murdered at the time.  When she calls the sheriff, her fiance Joe Rejas, their department searches until they find the professor's body.

Joe naturally tells Teddy to stay out of the investigation and she wants to, but her boss, Aster Edwina gives her different instructions.  She wants Teddy to quietly investigate and keep her updated on what's going on.  Stuck between a rock and hard place, Teddy has to figure out how to do it and keep Joe from finding out.

When Teddy's neighbor on the marina is arrested for the murder she asks her stepfather to intervene and help, because she knows the woman is innocent.  But then the park's ranger, Lex Yarnell asks Teddy to visit an old girlfriend of his who might know something about Stuart and he wants to keep her out of it if possible.

However, Teddy soon finds out that no one is grieving for Stuart - in fact, some are grateful he's gone; and the more she finds out about him, the more she realizes there are plenty of people who wanted him dead.  When a second murder occurs and is apparent it's tied to Stuart's death, things start to get serious - Teddy receives warnings to back off, her dog is injured, and if she doesn't find out who's behind it all, she may very well be the next victim...

This book was a true delight to read.  Ms. Webb has a knack for creating an atmosphere of mystery while reading about one - she pulls you into the story and keeps you there, even if it means reading into the wee hours of the morning.

This is the fifth book in the series, and each one seems to be better than the last.  We get to see a warmth from Teddy's mother Caro that isn't always apparent, and during one particular social occasion we understand why she left her high society life behind (I would, too).  We also get to spend time with Joe's family - his mother and two children - and even the fact that his Irish mother loves the color green seems rather endearing, in a way.

While Joe is doing his best to keep on the investigation, as sheriff he naturally has other problems as well and can't be two places at once.  He's also doing his best to get Teddy to the altar, and she keeps hedging on a wedding date, not wanting to completely give up her independence aboard her little boat.

There is plenty of action and suspense, enough to keep even the most die-hard mystery fan interested.  It seems that when Teddy does get a moment of calm, something else is lurking right around the corner which causes her to be drawn not only back into the investigation, but at times become part of it.

When we finally realize the identity of the killer it comes as a complete surprise.  The reasons for the murders make sense only to the killer; it is also rather sad in a way what drives people to do evil things.  This was a very good book indeed and I only wish that I were able to read the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Otter-Death-Gunn-Zoo/dp/1464209901/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2303764313

More on Betty Webb's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/betty-webb/

Arsenic and Old Books (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery #6)

Author:  Miranda James
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback; Audio CD; Paperback (LP); Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425257296; 9780425277539; 9781452618883; 9781410482273
Berkley Publishing
320 Pages
$18.78; $7.99; $30.52; $26.99; $7.99
February 2, 2016

✮✮

Lucinda Beckwith Long, the mayor of Athena, Mississippi, has donated a set of Civil War-era diaries to the archives of Athena College.  She would like librarian Charlie Harris to preserve and substantiate them as a part of the Long family legacy - something that could benefit her son, Beck, as he prepares to campaign for the state senate.

Beck's biggest rival would like to get a look at the diaries in an attempt to expose the Long family's past sins.  Meanwhile, a history professor is also determined to get her hands on the books in a last-ditch bid for tenure.  But their interest suddenly turns deadly, leaving Charlie with a catalog of questions to answer.  Together with his Maine Coon cat Diesel, Charlie must discover why the diaries were worth killing for before he too reaches his final chapter.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Charlie Harris, librarian, is surprised when Lucinda Beckwith Long, mayor of Athena, Mississippi, appears in his office one day with a bag of Civil War-era diaries written by an ancestor of her husband's.  She wants to donate them and have Charlie preserve them for future reference, and she also thinks it will help her son Beck win an election, although Charlie has no idea how.

He's also surprised when a young reporter, Kelly Grimes, shows up shortly after requesting to see the diaries, and not happy when he tells her that they aren't ready for public viewing as yet.  But then he's stunned when Professor Marie Steverton, a professor in the history department, also shows up and demands access to the diaries.  Again, Charlie tells her she needs to wait but Marie refuses to accept that answer and tells him that she will speak with Mayor Long herself to get access.

Charlie is still nonetheless surprised even more when the mayor calls him and tells him that Marie should have access to the diaries - so they strike a bargain:  give him one week to verify the diaries and then he will allow Marie first access, which seems to work for Charlie.  But before anything can be done, someone breaks into Charlie's office and steals the diaries.

While Charlie is pretty sure the thief is either Marie or Kelly, he has no proof.  And any further questioning of Marie isn't going to happen:  she's killed in a hit-and-run accident the night Charlie questions her.  But stranger still: the diaries are returned to Charlie's office as quickly as they disappeared.

Then Mayor Long appears with another diary in tow, one she insisted was hidden in another compartment in the trunk where her son found the others.  But what this diary contains could change everything for Beck's opponent Jasper Singletary and perhaps change the stakes in the election...but change it enough to kill?

In the end, the story wasn't riveting and it didn't seem to be enough to completely hold my attention.  It was fine as far as mysteries go, but the ending fell slightly flat for me.  Still, I've bought others in the series so I will read them but I won't purchase any new ones that haven't yet been published.

As it is, I've read six books in the series so far and at the least, found them semi-enjoyable, but something has been niggling at me yet I couldn't quite place it - until now.  I've added a spoiler regarding this, and be aware that it concerns all the previous books in the series including this one.  If you haven't read them and don't want to know the outcome, I urge you not to read it.

I have recently noticed after reading the first five books in this series that the women portrayed (aside from those close to Charlie) are always gossips or just plain nasty, evil people (even the 'nice' women have a ruthless streak). Yet when the man is supposedly evil, we never see any of it. In the first one, we are told that Gerald was mean, but never hear any first hand conversations. Ditto with Connor, the director. Only one occasion where he snapped at actors, but then he was defended by Charlie’s daughter Laura as just being stressed and how he was actually a nice person. But yet the women? We are treated to conversations that are anything but nice, and if you look back at the series thus far, you will see this.

The killers? Almost always women when statistics show that most murderers are men; all you have to do is read a newspaper to know this. But not in his books. Then there was the one time that a man who killed someone was unexpectedly ‘thrown into’ the story - and I say thrown in because we didn’t see him at all nor have any conversations with anyone, and he was only involved because his mother was...the killer. HE didn’t even have any reason to kill anyone, and it didn't make sense.

Of the two 'nice' women: his daughter Laura is so sweet to be almost saccharine; and Helen is alright; she's a baker who spent time in France learning to bake. Soooo....at random moments she spouts French phrases. Really? She's not French. Who does this? It seems pretentious somehow, especially in a small town, to just throw out foreign phrases if you're not a foreigner. What is supposed to be cute is annoying and pompous. (as in: 'I spent time in France. Have you?')

But what bothers me the most is we never get to know the male victims - we are told they’ve done horrible things, but are never privvy to any real conversations, yet with the women we’re given conversations and actions that go on for pages. When male victim #1 was killed, we were told of his bad actions, I never saw anything evil that he did to deserve dying. For male victim #2, he seemed like a nice man (he was nice to Charlie) even though we were told how horrible he was to everyone, but again didn't see any of it. When male victim #3 was killed, he had a bad temper, which directors often do. Nothing he did warranted death. We're not privvy to any real conversations that show us how truly horrible they are. But when the women are victims, there are conversations containing threats (even against his cat), physical violence, women screaming at Charlie, etc., as if to show us how bad these females are and how they deserve their fate. It's almost as if the author doesn't like women and has to put it to page to show us how truly disgusting they are.

Since I have several more books in the series (which I wish I'd never bought) I will finish them; but just out of curiosity, I glanced at the next in the series to see who the murderer was - and I wasn't surprised at all when I read it. Draw your own conclusions.

If you've read the spoiler, then perhaps you'll understand why I'm not thrilled with these books.  As I stated above, I've already bought a few more in the series (which I often do ahead of time) so there may be more reviews to come.  Please be aware that these are my own personal observations and my own opinions.  I am also aware that there are others who will disagree, and that's perfectly fine; there's always hope in a series that it will get better, so we will see.

https://www.amazon.com/Arsenic-Old-Books-Stacks-Mystery/dp/0425277534/

Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2295975910 

More on Miranda James's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/j/miranda-james/

X Marks the Scot (A Liss MacCrimmon Mystery #11)

Author:  Kaitlyn Dunnett
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496712592
Kensington Publishing
$17.19; $11.99 Amazon
304 Pages
November 28, 2017

✮✮✮✮

The old Chadwick Mansion on the edge of Moosetookalook, Maine, has been shrouded in mystery for generations - until Scottish Emporium owner Liss MacCrimmon uncovers a forgotten family secret.  But she never imagined that a little curiosity would lead her into such deadly territory...

While perusing auction items from the Chadwick estate, Liss purchases a painting of a bagpiper to add to her collection.  Her interest shifts from art to sleuthing upon a strange discovery - what appears to be a treasure map tucked behind the canvas.  She's even more intrigued when she links the scroll to an early Chadwick who smuggled goods across the Canadian border.

So during a business trip to Canada, Liss arranges a meeting with an archivist in hopes of pinning down the truth about the map and the Chadwick bloodline.  Before her quest moves forward, however, she finds the archivist's murdered body at a local genealogical society.  One thing is certain - Liss isn't alone on this treasure hunt...

Liss returns to Moosetookalook, terrified that the killer may have followed her home.  With her life in real peril and the map at risk of being stolen, she launches into full-scale investigation mode.  But as she deciphers clues and inches toward the dangerous culprit, Liss quickly realizes she's only a step away from ending up like the Chadwick clan -- permanently wiped out.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

When Liss Ruskin attends an estate auction, she doesn't expect the picture she bought to be so much trouble...Liss was taken by a painting of the Piper to the Laird of Grant, and successfully bid against two others.  But when she accidentally dropped it, the frame broke and revealed what appeared to be a treasure map underneath.  The problem was that it had no distinctive markings, so she didn't know where or what it was actually for.

All she could surmise was that it had something to do with the Chadwick family, and that there must be some sort of treasure on the estate grounds.  It was her Aunt Margaret who suggested they make a trip to Canada to see if they could discover anything about the family that would lead them to find the truth.  And that was her first mistake...

Upon arriving at her destination, the Chadwick Historical and Genealogical Society in Canada, Liss and Margaret entered the building and called out for Orson Bailey, the man they were supposed to meet.  And meet him they did, but not in the way they expected, for Orson was dead, underneath a table.  It didn't help when she discovered their hotel room had been ransacked, yet the only two items stolen were an iPad and brooch.

So when Liss eventually returned to her home in Moosetookalook, Maine, she was more curious than ever about the map, and Orson's murder.  She wondered if they were connected, especially since other things were occurring - things she knew were connected to the map.  And if there was a treasure involved, how many people were interested in it, and which one was interested enough to kill someone to get it?

This, as always, is another enjoyable book in the Liss MacCrimmon mystery series.  The author does a commendable job of keeping the plot moving along nicely, and the characters are well-drawn and vivid.  It says much for a book when you want to punch a character for being smug and self-satisfied.  It was an entertaining read, and the mystery itself was threaded nicely throughout, giving subtle clues along the way.

Although I pretty much had the murderer figured out early (I read a lot of these), it was still quite nice to see how everything was connected, and how Liss began to put it all together.  I did feel that this book probably wasn't actually suited to be read as a stand-alone since there are references to other books, it was still easy enough to read, and it will be interesting to see how the return of Liss's parents affect her life in Mooosetookalook.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Marks-Scot-Liss-MacCrimmon-Mystery/dp/1496712595/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2244758281

More on Kaitlyn Dunnett's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/kaitlyn-dunnett/

Death of An Honest Man (A Hamish Macbeth Mystery #33)

Author:  M.C. Beaton
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Audio CD; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781455558315; 9781478950257
Grand Central Publishing
256 Pages
$17.10; $23.03; $13.99 Amazon
February 20, 2018

✮✮✮✮✮

Nobody loves an honest man, or that was what police sergeant Hamish Macbeth tried to tell newcomer Paul English.  Paul had moved to a house in Cnothan, a sour village on Hamish's beat.

He attended church in Lochdubh.  He told the minister, Mr. Wellington, that his sermons were boring.  He told tweedy Mrs. Wellington that she was too fat and in these days of increasing obesity it was her duty to show a good example.  Angela Brody was told her detective stories were pap for the masses and it was time she wrote literature instead.  He accused Hamish of having dyed his fiery red hair.  He told Jessie Currie -- who repeated all the last words of her twin sister -- that she needed psychiatric help.

"I speak as I find," he bragged.  Voices saying, "I could kill that man," could be heard from Lochdubh to Cnothan.

And someone did.

Now Hamish is faced with a bewildering array of suspects.  And he's lost the services of his clumsy policeman, Charlie, who has resigned from the force after Chief Inspector Blair berated Charlie one too many times, and the policeman threw Blair into the loch.  Can Hamish find the killer on his own?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Hamish Macbeth has just met the most unpleasant man to arrive in his jurisdiction.  Paul English considers himself to be honest, but he is boorish, mean-spirited, and greedy.  In fact, this is what got him killed.  After an altercation at a local pub with some foresters, Hamish handcuffs the man but he manages to escape - handcuffs and all.  It is not long before his body is found in the bogs, handcuffs and all.  While it is considered an accident, Hamish doesn't believe it; and after examining the body himself, he finds marks of a stabbing.  Now it becomes a homicide investigation, and Hamish is up to his ears in suspects.

Unfortunately, then there's Chief Inspector Blair, who hates Hamish with a passion and wants rid of him.  When he comes nosing around, Hamish's policeman Charlie Carter is angered by something Blair does and throws him in the loch.  But Charlie is tired of being a policeman and decides to leave before he can be punished, which leaves Hamish in need of a new one.  Blair, in his deranged mind, sends Silas Dunbar - with instructions to report on everything Hamish does.  Hamish, in his wisdom, knows Blair and uses Silas for his own means...

Then there's the matter of Hamish's beloved cat, Sonsie.  Taking the wild cat to a sanctuary was the worst thing he's ever done, in his mind.  So he sets out to find her.  When he sees an injured cat, he assumes it's Sonsie and takes her to his vet for care.  While everyone insists the cat is not Sonsie but evil, Hamish refuses to listen.  The villagers believe it's evil and cast a spell, but Hamish persists - even when his dog Lugs is afraid of it.

These three events, seemingly unrelated, are tied together in this delightful mystery.  The plot is one event after another, all commingling seamlessly to create another excellent Hamish Macbeth mystery.

Hamish himself is an enigma - he's a very clever policeman who uses his instinct to solve crimes, yet he has no desire to leave his beloved village and be promoted, so he allows others to take the credit for his work - even while the 'others' is oftentimes Blair.

This book was sheer pleasure to read.  Ms. Beaton has shown herself time and again to be a talented storyteller, and this latest is no less enjoyable than the first in the series.  While the tale weaves its many threads together, we are drawn to not only the murder itself, but the many subplots within, not the least of these being his genuine sorrow at losing Sonsie and his desire to have her returned to him.  This alone was worth reading the book.

While I will say no more lest I give away too much, I will say that the ending was quite satisfying indeed.  In fact, I do believe that Death of An Honest Man is one of the best in the series, and I eagerly await the next.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Honest-Hamish-Macbeth-Mystery/dp/1455558311/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2227280889

More on M.C. Beaton's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/m-c-beaton/

Cancelled by Murder (A Postmistress Mystery #2)

Author:  Jean Flowers
Genre:  Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425279113
Berkley Publishing
304 Pages
September 6, 2016

✮✮

Cassie Miller returned to her sleepy hometown in the Berkshires to start over as the new postmistress.  But she soon finds that dead letters are nothing compared to murder victims...

With a massive storm about to hit North Ashcot, Massachusetts, floods and widespread wind damage, Cassie is forced to close up the post office, while the rest of the local business owners and residents batten down the hatches and brace themselves for the worst.

Although the storm proves to be not as bad as predicted, fabric shop owner Daisy Harmon is found dead, seemingly killed by a fallen branch.  But the police quickly determine that her death has nothing to do with foul weather and everything to do with foul play.  After Daisy's widowed husband approaches Cassie to help solve his wife's murder, she vows to find the killer before another innocent victim is taken by storm.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

It's the end of summer in North Ashcot, Massachusetts, and Cassie Miller has been postmistress for a year now, with a new boyfriend, Quinn, and a best friend in the local police chief.  She's even become a member of the local quilting group.

There's been a bad storm, and Cassie has just learned that one of the quilters has been a casualty...only she wasn't.  It seems that Daisy Harmon was murdered, and now there's a killer on the loose.  When Daisy's husband Cliff asks for Cassie's help, she feels she just can't turn away from him, even though she knows Sunni will be mad that she won't let the police department handle it.  So even though it's a reluctant decision, she agrees to help Cliff figure out who wanted his wife dead and why.  With little to go on, the police warning her away, and someone sending her warning notes, Cassie may be in over her head, but she;s not going to let a killer stay free; especially one who may have her targeted as the next victim...

This is the second book in the series, and I really, really wanted to like it better than the first.  I know that it's about the postmistress in a small town, but the endless chatter about everyone's mail and everybody's personal business (even though Cassie doesn't gossip, she sure was doing a lot to the reader) was bogging down the story.  So much so that I couldn't even stay interested for long periods of time.  Not to mention the cover has a cat in the post office...but there really aren't any cats in the story.  Hmm...

At any rate, the story just didn't grab me enough to seem like much of a mystery.  Yes, we have a murdered woman; but when it came right down to it, the reason she was killed didn't seem like any reason to kill her at all; and I didn't think the way Cassie escaped from the killer was believable enough; but I guess any port in a storm - just my own opinion.  Cassie also overthinks everything (we hear a lot of her thoughts) and seems to be bad at questioning people (they always know).  She just doesn't have any skill in doing this; it makes her seem nosy and inept.

The bottom line is this:  while the protagonist being a postmistress is mildly interesting, her constant telling us about everyone's mail, stamps, and the reasons people are on stamps seemed like fillers and unnecessary (nor interesting) to the story.  I also couldn't understand why she was still friends with Linda, who mocked small-town life every chance she got.  Who'd want a friend who made fun of your life choices?  I was also beginning to wonder if Quinn was on the up-and-up with her since he was on one really long business trip; but came to the conclusion that by being away, there was no reason to create any romantic involvement between him and Cassie.  At the last, you can't re-home Genets.  Once the Raleys had possession of them, there is where they would stay if they didn't want to harm them in any way.

So unfortunately, even though I have the third book in this series, right now it's a toss up as to whether I'll continue reading it.  I had high hopes, but I don't know how much more I can take reading about who's getting what mail from someone, or how busy her post office is on a daily basis.

https://www.amazon.com/Cancelled-Murder-Postmistress-Mystery-Flowers/dp/0425279111/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2208389933

More on Jean Flower's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/jean-flowers/

Mew is for Murder (A Theda Krakow Mystery #1)

Author:  Clea Simon
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781590581650; 9781464201172
Poisoned Pen Press
224 Pages
Various Prices
July 1, 2005

✮✮

Boston freelance writer Theda Krakow thinks the local "cat lady" Lillian Helmhold will make a good story.  But Theda's assignment takes an unexpected twist when she finds the old woman dead on the floor of her rambling old Victorian.  Of course, Theda immediately begins snooping - as milling cats and a ripe mystery pique her interest.

The victim's young friend, a punk rock waitress named Violet, tells Theda that someone has been breaking in to the house, but she couldn't say what they were looking for.  Adding to the complexities are Lillian's mentally challenged son and a greedy real-estate developer.  Yet, as Theda soon discovers, Lillian's breathtaking secret was hers alone - until a killer found out.  Curiosity may not kill any of the cats, but it might just prove fatal to Theda.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Theda Krakow is a writer who has quit a permanent job and taken a freelance one.  After having an encounter with an older woman over a kitten, she asks her editor if she might write a story about her.  She discovers the woman takes in unwanted cats and cares for them.  Trying to decide if the woman is truly caring for the cats or a hoarder, she soon finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation when what the police think is an accident seems more like something else.

First off, let me state that I love books with animals, so I was really looking forward to reading this.  But I just couldn't get interested in the plot nor in Theda.  She seemed rather boring, honestly.  And the plot, while intriguing, couldn't keep my interest.  It took me several times to finish this book, and that's never a good sign.

While I know that Ms. Simon is a prolific author, and this is the first in the series, I'm hoping that others will prove to be better (as they usually are); I at least plan on giving one more a shot in the hopes I'm right.  When we come to the end and all is discovered, it seemed okay, but sort of as if something was missing.  Not one of my favorites, but perhaps others will like it better.

https://www.amazon.com/Mew-Murder-Theda-Krakow-Mysteries/dp/1590581652/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2173025908

More on Clea Simon's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/clea-simon/

Thread the Halls (A Mainely Needlepoint Mystery #6)

Author:  Lea Wait
Genre:  Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496706300
Kensington Publishing
320 Pages
$7.99; $5.99 Amazon
October 31, 2017

✮✮✮✮✮

This Yuletide season, there's no time for Angie Curtis and Patrick West to linger under the mistletoe.  Patrick's being needled by his mother - movie star Skye West - to set the stage for a perfect white Christmas as she brings her costar, screenwriters, and director home for the holidays.  With his mother's long list of wishes, Patrick's becoming unraveled.  To help, the Mainely Needlepointers offer to decorate Skye's Victorian mansion and create needlepoint pillows as gifts for the guests.

But not long after the celebrity celebrants invade Haven Harbor, an unscripted tragedy occurs.  Then some questionable Christmas cookies make Patrick sick.  Before Santa arrives at the town pier on a lobster boat, Angie and the Needlepointers need to trim down the naughty list, catch a cold-hearted killer, and wrap up the case...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Moving back home to Haven Harbor, Maine after ten years away, Angie Curtis is getting ready to celebrate her first Christmas with her friends and family.  While having a tree decorating party at her home with everyone, her new beau Patrick West, son of famous actress Skye West, asks everyone's help in decorating his mother's mansion - Aurora - for the holidays.  It seems he just received a phone call from her where she's filming in Scotland, and she wants her costars, screenwriters and director to experience a 'real Maine Christmas.'  But with Christmas only days away, how can they get ready in time?

Everyone already has plans of their own, but with the offer to pay well and the fact they like Patrick, they agree.  Everyone in the Mainely Needlepointers has agreed to make small gifts for the guests, and others have offered what they can - knowing the extra money wouldn't hurt.  They've even convinced a local widow to become a live-in cook at Aurora during the visit.  It's not going to be easy, but Angie, with some trepidation and the help of her friends and family, thinks it can be done in time; although it means changing some of her own holiday plans.

Once everything has been done and the guests have arrived, Patrick asks Angie to come and meet everyone.  But before they enter the home, they decide to take a walk around the estate to look at the stars in the clear night sky.  On their way back, Angie sees something in the snow, and even though Patrick tells her it's probably nothing, her curiosity - and the fact that she worked for a private eye in Arizona for ten years and has a natural instinct - tells her to look closer.  She discovers that it's a body, and calls in the local police.

The dead man turns out to be one of the actors from the movie, but no one seems to remember him going outside or seems to have any reason to kill him.  Yet he's dead, so someone must have had a motive.  They soon realize that the murderer had to be someone from the house party, but who?  They were nearing the end of the film, and why would they jeopardize all their jobs for murder?

Angie tries to stay out of the investigation as she has other things to worry about.  A storm is heading their way, everyone has been invited to the Christmas Eve party at Aurora, and there's an annoying potential customer from Texas who's enthralled with Skye and keeps showing up at Angie's unannounced peppering her with questions and trying to get her to introduce her to Skye.  When it becomes apparent the killer has another target in mind, Angie begins to wonder if her life is going to crumble like Christmas cookies before she's able to wrap up a murder...

I love reading about Angie and her friends.  Although I do have reservations about the newest addition to her circle - Clem - who showed early on (no spoiler here since it's almost immediate) that she's not much of a friend at all.  Angie's grandmother Charlotte is settling into her new life as the wife of Reverend Tom, Angie and Patrick are well on their way to becoming a couple, and reading about the local trimmings - home grown trees, handmade wreaths, food, etc., is a nice way to bring you into the Season.

The mystery itself is done well.  We're drawn into the story early on, and looking for clues along with Angie into who would want Paul dead.  Even Angie herself is considered the main suspect at one point.  The mystery is interspersed with the sights and sounds of Christmas, including an old-fashioned (sort of) sleigh ride, a parade, and the arrival of Santa Claus by boat.  It's a delightful way to investigate a murder.

All that aside, there is enough action to keep one interested, a few red herrings and people of questionable behavior, and a tight little mystery to solve.  The characters are convincing, with a sweeping descriptions of Haven Harbor and what it must look like during Christmas.  We are brought into the town as if we were there, a place that would be wonderful to visit.  All in all, it's a pleasant way to spend an evening.

When we come to the end and the murder is solved (as we know it must be) it is satisfying and yet a bit sad.  There is also a bit of a surprise attached to it, and given the circumstances, I don't think anyone would know how they might react in the same situation.  This is the sixth book in the Mainely Needlepoint Mysteries, but can be read as a stand alone.  If you choose to go back to the beginning, the first book is titled Twisted Threads.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended. 

https://www.amazon.com/Thread-Halls-Mainely-Needlepoint-Mystery/dp/1496706307/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2169698871

More on Lea Wait's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/lea-wait/

Killer Party (A Tourist Trap Mystery #9)

Author:  Lynn Cahoon
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Audio CD; Digital Book; Audiobook
ISBN#:  9781601836366; 9781515968252
Lyrical Underground Publishing
188 Pages
$15.00; $23.02; $5.99 Amazon
July 18, 2017

✮✮✮✮✮

For a gang of old college buddies, the quaint resort town of South Cove, California, is the perfect spot for a no-holds-barred bachelor party.  But for Jill Gardner - owner of Coffee, Books and More - this stag party is going to be murder...

After a few months of living with her boyfriend Greg, Jill is still getting used to sharing such close quarters, but she's got no hesitation about joining him for a weekend at South Cove's most luxurious resort.  While Greg and his college pals celebrate their buddy's upcoming wedding, Jill intends to pamper herself in style.  But when the groom is found floating facedown in the pool, Jill must find the killer fast, or she might not have a boyfriend to come home to any more...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Jill Gardner, - owner of Coffee, Books and More - is still new to having her boyfriend Greg King, South Cove's police chief, living with her when they're invited to a weekend getaway.  Well, not so much of a getaway when it takes place at The Castle, which is only ten miles out of town.  But still, it's a weekend she doesn't have to work or think about anything but fun...or at least that's what she expects.

The reason they're even there is because Greg's friend Levi, a tech millionaire, is getting married and has rented the entire place for his close group of friends.  What Jill doesn't expect is how close this group is.  Greg's known everyone since he was a kid, and they pretty much stick together; albeit not the way she'd expect.  The girls are in one place, and the guys another.  No mingling with their spouses here!  Not something she likes, but it's only for a weekend, right?

Wrong...before Jill even has a chance to get to know anyone, Levi is found dead floating in the swimming pool, and since Greg knew the victim, it's the job of a neighboring town to investigate the murder.  However, since he can't officially investigate and doesn't want to jeopardize his own job, he calls on the sleuthing skills of his girlfriend to help him (surreptitiously, of course) find out who the murderer might be.  While he doesn't want to believe it's any of his friends, Jill isn't so sure.  She saw enough of the interaction to realize someone may have wanted Levi gone.

But finding out isn't going to be easy.  These people are keeping it close to their vest and not saying anything, for whatever reason.  And is Levi's girlfriend Jessica really grieving or is she just a great actress?  Since no one will talk, Jill's going to have to tap into the powers of the Internet and her own attention to detail to discover who killed Levi and why - and if there's another person on the agenda...

I have to tell you that this is one of the most delightful series I've ever read.  Each book is filled not only with an intriguing mystery, but several subplots as well that blend well with the story and keep it from having 'dead spots'.  And, if you're paying attention, they usually lead into the next installment of our narrative.

The characters are well-written, fully dimensional and it's a pure pleasure to spend time with them.  Watching the progression of Jill and Greg's relationship is a plus, too, along with the rest of South Cove's residents.  It doesn't hurt that there's a possibility of romance on the horizon for one of their community in a future book.

While we watch Jill unravel the mystery in her own unique way - not stepping on toes or being too invasive - we realize once again that things are not what they seem, and the answers we're looking for might be closer than we think.  When the ending comes close, and the killer is revealed at last, we realize that obsessions come in many different forms, and even the most obscure of them can be the most visible if we're paying attention.

This is the ninth book in the series, following Hospitality and Homicide, but can be read as a stand alone.  It is, as always, outstanding and an entertaining way to spend your hours reading.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Party-Lynn-Cahoon/dp/1601836368/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2163898896

More on Lynn Cahoon's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/lynn-cahoon/

Death and the Viking's Daughter (An Auction Block Mystery Book 4)

Author:  Loretta Ross
Genre:  Mystery, Suspense

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN E:  9780738752372
Midnight Ink Publishing
$15.99; $11.99 Amazon
288 Pages
February 8, 2018

✮✮✮✮✮

Auctioneer Wren Morgan and her private eye fiancé Death Bogart are ready to meet the parents and settle down together.  But their sleuthing days are far from over.  While Death and Wren are helping prepare auction items at an old supper club, a Viking reenactor nearly dies at the historical settlement next door.  The cause?  Seeing the ghost of his daughter, who went missing twenty years ago.

As Wren looks into what happened to the Viking's daughter, Death is hired to investigate the theft of historical items that have high sentimental value.  When their respective investigations turn out to be connected, the couple gets caught in a deadly conflict.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Ex-Marine private eye Death (prounounced "Deeth") Bogart and auctioneer Wren Morgan are ready to move in together, settle down and get married.  So in between working, they're house-hunting when they can, and Wren thinks she's found the perfect home for the two of them.  Perfect - except for the body buried in the rosebushes...

But it is nearing Thanksgiving, and Wren has a job to do; and it means cataloging the contents of an abandoned old supper club which will be auctioned off by her employers, the Keystone Brothers.  While in the process of doing so, she hears what sounds like a call for help, and finds two of the Keystones' grandchildren with a man who has apparently suffered a heart attack.

It turns out the man was struck suddenly when he saw the apparition of his missing daughter in the boat house on the supper club property.  The young girl disappeared many years ago in the 70's and Niels Larsen has never given up hope that he will find his daughter Ingrid alive.

While the present owner of the home explains away the presence of "Bob," the unknown man buried there, Wren's natural curiosity takes over and she wants to know more about him.  Of course, she goes right to her friend and employers, the Keystones, who seem to know something about everything going on in East Bledsoe.  She also wants to know more about the missing girl when ragged clothing stained with what appears to be blood is found in the boat house.

Meanwhile, Death has been hired to find out how an oil painting, protected 24/7 at a gallery, was able to be replaced with a forgery.  What makes it so odd is that the painting wasn't even very valuable in a monetary form, but had sentimental value for the owner.

To make things more complicated, Wren, having informed her parents of her engagement, expects them to be happy and supportive; but her mother has serious misgivings - especially while overhearing a potentially sensitive conversation by Death's ex-wife Madeline.  It makes her suspicious of the man her daughter's chosen to wed, and she's not happy about the situation at all.

But it isn't until several random facts seem to tie everything together that makes an already confusing situation even more complicated; but the real mystery is how to find the proof to permanently connect it all...

This is the fourth book in the Auction Block Mysteries, following Death and the Gravedigger's Angel.  Once again, Ms. Ross has enacted for us another intriguing mystery; this time centering around stolen artwork, invaluable artifacts, and the disappearance of an historical reenactor.  She has intertwined the stories seamlessly, so that each one, while at first seeming to have no connection to the next, is linked softly and almost imperceptibly.  By the time the fragments are pieced together, the story has come to a logical conclusion that shows the author has a talent for taking multiple story lines and uniting them as one.

I enjoyed this book no end, and loved the interaction between the characters, showing us the love and protection that Wren and Death feel for each other, both willing to do whatever it takes to keep the other safe.  There is no saccharine behavior between the two; but the love is still felt, still palpable and real.  It does take a while to warm up to Wren's mother Emily; but I liked her father much more quickly; he seemed that while a quiet man, he watched for signs and listened, while her mother was completely opposite.  However, many marriages are built on this and quite happy indeed.

The story behind the disappearance of Ingrid was a tad more interesting to me, although I, too, wondered why anyone would want what seemed to be others' mere junk.  When all is said and done, we may never know how far people will go to achieve their ends; and that one's idea of right and wrong can be convoluted in someone's mind.  

When the book was finished I found myself sorry it had ended so soon, as I enjoy spending time in the company of this group of friends and family.  Everything came together nicely, and I look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Vikings-Daughter-Auction-Mystery/dp/0738752371/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2161958689

More on Loretta Ross's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/loretta-ross/

Double Up (A Davis Way Crime Caper Book #6)

Author:  Gretchen Archer
Genre:  Mystery, Suspense

Hardcover; Trade Paperback; Audio CD; Ebook; Audiobook
ISBN #:  9781635111842; 9781635111811; 9781541453968
Henery Press
$29.90; $15.95; $17.40; $6.99 Amazon
262 Pages
March 21, 2017

✮✮✮✮✮

Fasten your seatbelts for non-stop action as stiff competition blows into town and the resulting turbulence threatens to take down the Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.  Super Secret Spy Davis Way Cole, who lives on the twenty-ninth floor of the hotel with her CEO husband and newborn twins, takes it hard.  If the casino goes belly up, she won't be a stay-at-home mom because she won't have a home.  Not to mention her husband won't have a job.  Davis can't find a way to stop the inevitable end of Bellissimo life she loves until her ex-ex-mother-in-law shows up, unexpected and definitely uninvited.  Davis makes the best of a bad Bea Crawford situation and recruits her for a little corporate espionage work, which would've been great, had Bea not turned out to be the world's worst spy.  Ever.  Seatbacks and tray tables in their upright positions as we prepare for a bumpy ride with babies, bankruptcies, besties, and shrimp.  (Shrimp?)  Enjoy your flight.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Davis Way Cole is the ex-Secret Super Spy for the Bellissimo Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.  'Ex' because she's retired - now taking care of two eight-month-old baby girls, Bex and Quinn - while her husband Bradley is left to run what's left of the casino.  I say this because there's a new sheriff in town:  The Blitz, which has been built right across the river from the Bellissimo, and they've not only taken the Bell's staff, but most of their customers as well.  They've become practically a ghost town on their own, and the owner, Richard Sanders (and his wife Bianca) have decamped for the lights of Las Vegas and left Bradley to salvage what he can.

Davis blames herself, because if she hadn't been so busy being pregnant and then motherhood, she believes she would have known what the Blitz was up to all along and none of this would have happened; she would have been at the top of her game and realized they were building a mega-casino instead of what she originally thought - a football stadium.  Why a stadium?  Because the person who now runs the Blitz is the grandson of the owner, Elias Johnson, and an ex-football player.

Because of this, Davis has refused to leave her lavish penthouse, and has become as reclusive as Greta Garbo.  That is, until her ex-ex-mother-in-law Bea Crawford shows up and refuses to leave.  At first Davis is horrified, but when things start going even further south, she realizes she can use Bea in her own scheme to put things right again, and that's when she turns Bea into a spy herself (sort of).  But just when Davis thinks things are starting to look up, she hasn't got a clue as to how dark they can become...

As a great fan of the series I was really looking forward to this entry, and for the most part, wasn't disappointed.  While it started out slow - it's not that interesting to follow a storyline of someone who spends all their time in an apartment with their babies - but once the plot got going - and so did Davis, it really took off (see what I did there?).

There isn't a lot I can say about the plot without giving away the crux of the story, so let it suffice to say that Davis is tired of what is going on around her and decides she's the one who needs to save the company (and her home).  She learns from Bea what is going on over at the Blitz; decides she can do something even better at the Bellissimo, and sets forth on a plan to save the resort and her husband's job in the process.   What ensues is quite humorous at times, suspenseful at others, there was even one scene between Fantasy and Davis that had me downright chuckling; plus Davis' reaction when she realizes why she's spending time with Bea is worth reading the book alone; not to mention what happens when Bea begins to take herself seriously as a spy.

In the end, it was a fun journey with an unexpected ending, and while not technically a murder mystery (although there is a murder, have no fear), it still gives you plenty to devour while you enjoy the book and wait for the next in the series to arrive.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Double-Davis-Way-Crime-Caper/dp/1635111811/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2031437398

More on Gretchen Archer's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/gretchen-archer/

Tightening the Threads (A Mainely Needlepoint Mystery)

Author:  Lea Waits
Genre:  Mystery

Mass Market Paperback, Ebook
ISBN #:  9781496706287
Kensington Publishing
304 Pages
$7.99; $5.99 Amazon
March 28, 2017

✮✮✮✮✮

In the coastal town of Haven Harbor, Maine,blood runs thicker than water - and just as freely...

Antique dealer Sarah Byrne has never unspooled the truth about her past to anyone - not even friend and fellow Mainely Needlepointer Angie Curtis.  But the enigmatic Aussie finally has the one thing she's searched for all her life - family.  And now she and long-lost half-brother, Ted Lawrence, a wealthy old artist and gallery owner in town, are ready to reveal their secret connection...

Ted's adult children are suspicious of their newfound aunt Sarah - especially after Ted, in declining health, announces plans to leave her his museum-worthy heirloom paintings.  So when Ted is poisoned to death during a lobster bake, everyone assumes she's guilty.  If Sarah and Angie can't track down the real murderer in time, Sarah's bound to learn how delicate -and deadly - family dynamics can truly be.

********

When Angie Curtis is invited to her friend Sarah Byrne's home for dinner, she doesn't expect bombshell news:  that Sarah is the niece of Ted Lawrence, an artist and gallery owner whose father was the famous artist Robert Lawrence.  It seems Robert had once had an affair during World War II that resulted in Sarah's father, and since he died when Sarah was a child, she has been searching for years for her family, which is the real reason she wound up in Haven Harbor all the way from Australia.

But it seems finding her uncle and cementing their relationship with DNA tests is bittersweet:  When his children - Abbie, her husband Silas, sons Michael and Luke - are summoned from their homes for a birthday party with their father, Ted tells them he is dying of cancer, and that this will be the last visit they will all have together.  But even more shocking - and more important to his children - is the fact that Ted tells them he is going to change his will and leave all of his father's paintings to Sarah.

But before he can do so, Ted dies, poisoned from a bad clam.  While at first it looks like it might be an accident, the police think it might have been murder, and when another family member dies, Angie is hired to find out who the murderer of the two of them might be.  With nearly everyone having a motive - the three children weren't close to their father and more than one had reason to hate him - Angie has her work cut out for her.  She knows it's only a matter of time before the offspring hire attorneys and clam up themselves...

This is the fifth book in the Mainely Needlepoint series, and in my opinion, the best one.  While I enjoyed the previous books in the series, in this new one we learn more about Sarah and her background, and how deep the desire to find one's roots can be in another human being.  I will say though that I didn't truly understand why the subplot of the discovery in Angie's yard was added; it didn't have any bearing on the story at all, unless it was to bring in one of the other Mainely Needlepointers, who were missing throughout most of this tale.

Aside from that, I found this book highly readable and the plot well written.  It shows the keenness that is felt when one wishes for something that is always slightly out of reach; and that what seems to be the overt reason for a murder might not be the true meaning after all.  When we reach the end and the killer is revealed, it comes to a satisfactory conclusion; and I await the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Tightening-Threads-Mainely-Needlepoint-Mystery/dp/1496706285/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1982235166

More on Lea Wait's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/lea-wait/