Double Twist (A Mia Murphy Mystery Book 1)

Author:    Stephanie Rowe

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781940968940

Authenticity Playground, LLC

386 Pages

$14.99; $5.99 Amazon

May 3, 2022

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All Mia Murphy wants is an ordinary, law-abiding life.

Accidentally marrying a drug kingpin?  Easily fixed with an anonymous tip to the FBI...which resulted in a not-so-voluntary, surprisingly stressful stint as an undercover spy against him.

But with her ex finally in prison and assassins in her rearview mirror, Mia is off to Diamond Lake in Bass Derby, Maine with King Tut, her rescue (aka purloined) cat, to start over.

Upon arrival, Mia quickly finds a couple of soulmates in a blue-haired "I'll show you what old is" café owner and a baton-twirling mail carrier.  Life is headed in the right direction...until the trio stumbles across a dead body during a slightly illegal but well-intentioned home invasion.

When one of her new besties is arrested for the murder, Mia is the only one with the skills to ferret out the real killer...but she can't afford to resurrect her morally flexible past.  Can Mia keep her life on the straight and narrow with so much at stake?  Or will a homicidal, jet-skiing moose, a dead Mr. January firefighter, and an overzealous mayor take them all down?

Mia has to step up, or she'll lose her chance for the life she's always wanted and the friends she's never had.  Even worse, she might wind up dead.

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Mia Murphy is finally out of hiding.  Growing up with a con artist mother, she learned to pickpocket (among other things) at an early age.  And when she married, she had no idea her husband was a kingpin drug dealer.  But in giving a tip to the FBI, it only made things worse -- she had to work with them for nearly two years to take down the man -- and leave her open to hitmen.  But when things are finally over, Mia decides to move to Bass Derby, Maine, and open a marina.

Unfortunately, the pictures are nothing like what she just bought: a run-down dilapidated wreck that definitely needs some TLC to open.  Did I mention that she brought along King Tut, a massive Maine Coon that she rescued (purloined) from its previous owner?  

What she also finds is that she only has one tenant, a woman named Hattie who runs a café, is somewhere south of sixty and drives like a maniac.  That, and Lucy Grande, a mail carrier who's new to Mia's route and wants to be her friend, not to mention an employee that's named Cargo that Mia isn't even sure exists.  Mia doesn't know what to make of all this, but she's willing to try and make everything work.

Unfortunately, there was a slight accident coming into town that didn't put her in the best light.  And people are starting to figure out that she's the 'drug lord's wife' even if she did change her hair color.  The sheriff (younger than her) doesn't like her, and the deputy (definitely hot) is curious about her, but suddenly things go south.  When she's kind of pushed into helping her new friends get Lucy's truck back from her ex, they find the truck...and his dead body.  Now Lucy is the main suspect, and Mia vows to keep her out of prison.  After all, she put her ex Stanley in prison, so this will just be in reverse.  If she can avoid jet skiing moose who are trying to kill her...

This is the first in a new series and I have to be honest and say that I have never read any of Ms. Rowe's books before.  But given the chance to read this I found it extremely intriguing.  Believe it or not, there were some things said that brought tears to my eyes (Trust me, this is rare for me), a lot of laughter, and images of some people (the old ladies, e.g., but you have to read the book) that might have me wanting to wash my eyeballs.  

This is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time.  It also brought sadness for Mia, who just wants a new life -- but maybe not the current one.  The descriptions are some of the best I've ever been shown, and the people who live in Bass Derby are beyond quirky; some of them are downright insane.  But Mia is determined to keep the new life she's made for herself, even if it means skirting the law (sort of) to help her new friend.

What ensues is actually two days of pure havoc in Mia's new life.  Two days of eluding police, rabid killers, and refusing to sleep in her new apartment because of the smell (you'll get there).  Then there's King Tut, who surprises me at every turn and makes me want to make him my own (I love cats).  He's just strange and special...really strange.

In the end, when the killer is found, it really is an unexpected surprise, but it brings everything together full circle in the most delightful way possible.  I loved this book so much that I want to read the next in the series right now.  Kudos to the author.  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Double-Twist-Mia-Murphy-Mystery/dp/1940968941/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4621563443

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More on Stephanie Rowe's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/stephanie-rowe/

Book Nerd

Author:    Holly Maguire

Genre:     Humor

Hardcover

ISBN #:    9781523510269

Workman Publishing

112 Pages

$9.74 Amazon

April 13, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

You know you're a book nerd when,,,

• You have a minimum of five books on your night table.
• You never once thought the movie was better.
• Your favorite mug says "I'd rather be reading."
• You use words like librocubicularist in casual conversation (though no conversation about books is ever "casual").

Charming, affectionate, and unabashed in its celebration of bookishness, this little love letter is for every avid reader.

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When I saw the title of this little book, I knew I had to have it.  It's whimsical nad funny, and oh, so correct about book nerds.  I've been a book nerd my entire life.  I read Gone with the Wind when I was nine years old, and read the dictionary just "for fun" when I was pre-teen.  Yeah, I'm that kind of book nerd.  And proud of it, too.  As far back as I can remember, I've loved and read books.  Ever since my mother or father read one to me, I was hooked.

So this little book is perfect for that.  It gives you words and definitions of words you might never know or have heard, or ones you've actually used that others have never heard.  It tells you what type of 'shelver' you are; (I shelve books by subject); has tons of quotes by people, tells you about the oldest and largest libraries in the world.  Just little bits of information here and there, and every page has illustrations that are both humorous and fun.  

The very best part is at the back of the book: there are three tear-out bookmarks (as if I don't have enough already - no, I don't) that are just so cute.  This book should be read by every book nerd, and cherished.  If my husband questions why I love books, I'm going to tell him to read this!  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Book-Nerd-Holly-Maguire/dp/1523510269/ref

Goodresads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4278449385

Pranks and Poison (A Mira Michaels Mystery #3)

Author:    Julia Koty

Genre:      Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B091S5XJDP

Busstop Press

$2.99 Amazon

May 4, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mira's dream of fixing up the new house is put on hold while she works at the diner to make some much-needed cash.  So, when a patron of the Soup and Scoop is poisoned and Mira's famed mushroom soup is called into question, she'll stop at nothing to find the real killer.  But as business dwindles and the hope of cash-flow fades, her change in tactics backfires when the head detective wants her arrested for obstruction.  Her cat Arnold believes a simple call to her sister could clear up the mess, but Mira steadfastly refuses.  As the walls crumble around her, will Mira be able to pick up the pieces?

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Mira Michaels moved to a small town in Pennsylvania mainly to get away from her overprotective sister, who's also a famed (and real) psychic.  She's found herself working at the Soup and Scoop diner to make money to fix up the house she bought so that she can flip it.  But on the day she's made her homemade mushroom cream soup, the first person to order it falls over dead, and the second person to order it has fallen ill and needs to be taken to the hospital.  To make matters worse, it was Chelsea, who is Jay's girlfriend - the brother of her employer and best friend, Aerie.  Now both Aerie and Mira are in a real pickle, because neither of them believe the soup was poisoned, but they're both under suspicion and the diner remains closed.  Since they know they're innocent, and without an income for either of them, they need to figure out who the killer is pronto.  But with Detective Dan Lockhart appearing around every corner they do, and the threat of jail right behind him, they need to move fast...

When a man who turns out to be a food critic drops dead in the diner right after eating a bowl of Mira's homemade soup, everyone thinks it was poisoned.  It effectively closes the diner, since no one will eat there now.  So Mira and Aerie do the only thing they can -- investigate the murder.  It also doesn't help that Aerie's brother's girlfriend was also poisoned, and he knows that Aerie can't stand her.  And, it also doesn't help that the detective on the case is dogging their every step, seeming knowing what they're going to do.  So they have a triple reason to get to the bottom of things..

This is the third book in the series, and the mystery itself is interesting.  Mira isn't a person to sit back and just allow things to roll over her, but she takes action, even if it gets her in trouble.  Like her mouth.  Which she opens far too much and that gets her in trouble, too.  She knows it, but just can't seem to stop herself.  It's rather humorous altogether.  Oh, and did I mention that she talks to her cat Arnold and he talks back?  It's all telepathic, but it occurs just the same.  Speaking of which, I do wish that Arnold would have been in this book a bit more.  He's sensible and fun to be around.

I really don't want to say any more about this book, as it hasn't been published yet, but I will tell you that the ending was quite satisfying, giving us a hint as to what is to come in the next book; and it's a fun ride all the way through.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope others will, too.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Pranks-Poison-Michaels-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B091S5XJDP/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/57731496

More on Julia Koty's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/

Catch Me If Yukon (A Passport to Peril Mystery #12)

Author:  Maddy Hunter
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780738753973
Midnight Ink Publishing
312 Pages
$15.99; $11.99 Amazon
December 8, 2018

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As tour escort Emily Miceli leads her globetrotting band of Iowa seniors into the wilds of Alaska, she discovers that, in the land of the midnight sun, whales aren't the only killers on the prowl.  When a tour member turns up dead on a mountainous hiking trail, Emily blames herself for the mishap - until she learns that something far hairier might be to blame.

One of the seniors snaps a photo of what looks to be Bigfoot, raising many questions about what happened to the victim.  But the illusive sasquatch is just a legend, isn't it?  Between whale-watching in the glacial waters near Seward and ziplining in the primal forests of Denali, Emily finds herself locked in a game of cat and mouse with a killer who's too clever to be mere myth.

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Emily Andrew-Miceli and her husband Etienne own a tour company that caters to a lively group of Iowa seniors, along with others who may sign up - and usually do.  This time out they're traveling through Alaska, along with members of a local book club who are 'first timers' on the tour.

While Emily doesn't want any problems along the way, she always expects them, because that's pretty much been the luck of this luckless group.  This time out the seniors are being a usual rambunctious bunch, as they always are, and along with the group are Emily's parents, Margaret and Bob.  Margaret is there because she thinks she needs to keep an eye on Emily's Nana, her mother, who doesn't need help from anyone.

Yet while on a whale watching boat, Margaret is the one Emily needs to keep an eye on.  When she senses danger ("Run for your lives!") where there is none, Emily fears that from this moment on the tour is going to be a disaster...and she's not far off.

Then there is an argument on a tram between a particularly nasty guest - Thor Iverson (who thinks he's smarter than anyone else) and a retired newspaper owner, Delpha Spillum, that doesn't end peacefully.  Later that evening Delpha doesn't arrive for dinner and Emily is worried.  But after texting her, Delpha texts back that she's decided to walk back to their lodgings instead.

So Emily relaxes for a little while...which is the wrong thing to do (of course) when Delpha's body is discovered on the trail.  Yet no one seemed to have a reason to kill the woman, and while the investigation is ongoing, they continue on with their tour.

Along with this Emily's life is about to get even more complicated by her ex-husband Jack who's now female friend Jackie and an employee of their company.  Emily has given her a fairly easy assignment:  travel with a different group of seniors to a new Iowa amusement park that's centered around farming (yes, around farming).  She thinks that will be easy enough...until the calls start coming in.  It seems one of the seniors has had a slight skin reaction to one of Jackie's makeovers and is in the hospital.  But that's minor compared to the rest of them...

Then there's the fact that a traveler whose wife had an emergency at the last minute and couldn't come isn't able to be reached; one of the travelers is making goo-goo eyes at Emily's hired tour escort Alison and won't let her out of his sight; her father seems to have inadvertently taken a picture of Big Foot and the press are following the group everywhere trying to get him to talk (which won't be easy considering the man doesn't make coherent sentences very often); and as if this wasn't enough, one more member of their group makes a trip with Destinations Travel a final destination...

While it seems like I've given a lot of background on this book, it's not enough.  As you can tell, there's plenty going on, and I'm surprised poor Emily isn't in a wheelchair by now with everything her seniors put her through.

I've read every single one in this series so far, and I have to say that I've never been disappointed in any of them.  The conversations between the seniors have me laughing out loud at times ("Hush, you Muskies!") and while they're quite a handful, I'd have the time of my life traveling with them anywhere they go.

I've actually become quite fond of Nana, the two Dicks, Tilly, and the others (even Bernice) and love being a part of their world.  If this is your first foray into the domain of the Windsor City, Iowa seniors you're in for a real treat.  If not, you probably feel much the same as I do.

While Emily is worried - because the police aren't sharing any information at this time - that Delpha's death wasn't merely an accident, she's not letting on to anyone except her ex-policeman husband Etienne.  And if he knows anything more than her, he's not telling. 

As always, Ms. Hunter does not disappoint in either humor nor action, and there are plenty of both.  She writes with a definite flair and gives enough background on wherever they are at the moment that you almost feel as if you are traveling along with the group.  The writing flows easily off the page and the tale is spun nicely.

In the end, when everything is starting to come together, there are more than a few surprises.  Yes, there are a couple of things you can start to figure out on your own, but I will say that still I was surprised at the ending, and that's a good thing.  The only problem I have is having to wait so long for the next installment of the series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Catch-Yukon-Passport-Peril-Mystery/dp/0738753971/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2475962993

More on Maddy Hunter's Books:

Lethal in Old Lace (A Consignment Shop Mystery)

Author:  Duffy Brown
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781683315353
Crooked Lane Books
304 Pages
$26.99; $10.69 Amazon
March 13, 2018

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There are two social functions in Savannah guaranteed to get people talking: weddings and funerals.  And just as consignment shop owner Reagan Summerside agrees to marry the hunky Walker Boone, her neighbors, sisters Annie Fritz and Elsie Abbot, step up their business as professional mourners.  They are so successful that the Sleepy Pines Retirement Center has hired them as a part of their retirement package.  But the celebration over good business is cut short when the residents at Pines suddenly begin dying at an alarming rate.  And the sisters are the first suspects.

Reagan has her doubts, however, and begins to look into the strange phenomenon.  But then something even stranger happens: a body winds up in the sisters' pink Caddy.  The evidence begins to pile up and the suspicious case of Willie Fishbine, who swindled the sisters out of a fortune and coincidentally died prior to the Pines case, is reopened.

Not wanting Willie to be buried until they can find the killer responsible for the murders, Reagan must catch the culprit in time to walk down the aisle.

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When Reagan Summerside is blindsided by a proposal of marriage from attorney Walker Boone - the same attorney who took her to the cleaners in her divorce - she thinks she's the happiest woman on earth.  And she is - for a few minutes or so.  At least until she sees a dead body in her neighbors' Caddy.  A dead body that suddenly isn't there, and neither is the car.  But when she heads back home to her old Victorian that doubles not only as her living quarters but her consignment shop the Prissy Fox, she sees the same body...in her front window with her mannequin.

Now alarmed, by the time she convinces her Aunt Kiki to come look, the body has once again disappeared.  But it's not just a case of the roving body that has her up in arms, it's the fact that she knows her neighbors, the elderly Annie Fritz and Elsie are involved.  While she doesn't believe for a minute that they've murdered anyone, it's become a case of who is the old woman and where is she? for Reagan.

However, things are never that easy for her, and this is another time that proves it to be true.  Because she also has another problem - due to her aunt's sweet tooth, she now has to find out who murdered a young teen's grandfather, and she only has three days to prove it.  Even though the coroner labeled it natural causes she's suspicious.  So suddenly Reagan has to figure out the problem with the deceased Bonnie Sue (the Caddy lady), Willie Fishbine (the grandfather) why Dexter Thomas is hanging around her sleazy ex-husband Hollis, her Aunt Kiki going undercover in a funeral home, Walker trying to renovate her home, people managing to unexpectedly become part of her wedding party, and her mother doing her best to plan it all.  Just another day in the life of Reagan Summerside, Disaster Area...

I have to say that this book is one of the funniest I've read in a long time.  There is so much going on, and the author pulls you in from the first page.  How Reagan finds herself in these situations is beyond me, but I sure am glad I'm not her best friend.  I'd never get any rest.

While Reagan still can't believe that Boone wants to marry her, she knows she has to help her elderly friends before they're railroaded for something they didn't do.  But finding out who killed Bonnie Sue and dumped her body in the Caddy isn't going to be an easy task, especially when the more she digs, the more it becomes apparent that there are all sorts of people who might have wanted her gone.  Except the two men who were keeping company with her and are now willing to fight a duel to see who gets to give her eulogy...

See what I mean?  Humor throughout.  Who knew Savannah could be such a hotbed for frisky seniors?  Ms. Brown writes with a mean pen in this series.  She keeps you laughing (even though murder isn't at all funny) and the Case of the Traveling Casket is hilarious indeed.

Reagan is a delightful woman; she's funny (without meaning to be), generous, caring, loving, and thoughtful.  Sadly, she's prone to unfortunate situations as well.  Boone is a hunky male specimen.  All the rest of the characters have depth and are way past the point of quirkiness.  Closer to insane is what I'd say.  But in a good way.  I think.  No, I'm sure of it.  These are people that have a tight bond with each other, in good times and in bad.  People that will do anything for each other (and it shows).

The book is a nice blend of hijinks and mystery, never losing the fact that there's a murderer on the loose, and Reagan would rather find them sooner than later.  It is the process of this, however, that makes the book so good and gives it a unique essence.

When all is said and done and the murderer is revealed, I can say that I was surprised.  There were plenty of red herrings throughout, and it was lots of fun trying to discover the truth, but the ending was indeed worth it all.  I eagerly look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Lethal-Old-Lace-Consignment-Mystery/dp/1683315359/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2297989722

More on Duffy Brown's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/duffy-brown/

The Boyfriend Swap

Author:  Meredith Schorr
Genre:  Romance/Christmas

Hardcover; Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781635112740; 9781635112719
Henery Press Publishing
288 Pages
$31.00; $15.95; $2.99 Amazon
November 7, 2017

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First meet Robyn Lane.  She's always dated struggling creative types, including her current squeeze (Perry, an actor).  For this year's Chrismukkah celebration, her parents would love her to bring someone stable, reliable, steadily employed.  You know, with health insurance and a 401(k).

Now let's meet Sidney Bellows.  Her parents already plan her professional life (she's an attorney at her father's law firm).  If she brings her current boyfriend (Will, an attorney) to the family Christmas extravaganza, her parents will have their wedding planned by New Year's Eve.

Leave it to a mutual friend (and copious amounts of wine) to find a playful solution:  Swap those boyfriends, fool the parents, and enjoy the holidays.  It's perfect!  Robyn can show off a successful attorney boyfriend, and Sidney's high-society family won't ring those wedding bells when they meet a flaky actor beau.

The fun isn't in the theory, it's in the practice.

Will turns out to be the boy-next-door Robyn crushed on hard throughout her teenage years.  Sidney's family fawns all over Perry like he's an Oscar-winner rather than a D-list wannabe.

Fool the parents?  Enjoy the holidays?  Swapping boyfriends never sounded so good or went so bad.

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Robyn Lane is a music teacher who, along with her roommate, Anne Marie, is having a girls' night out wine party.  Asked to attend is Anne Marie's boss, Sidney Bellows, a driven attorney who needs to get away from her office and an annoying co-worker for awhile.

Both women are dreading the coming Christmas festivities with their families.  Robyn's parents hate anyone she's interested in - laid back, artistic types; and Sidney's father, also an attorney and head of the firm she works for, lives, eats and breathes law.  Her current boyfriend is also an attorney, but Sidney doesn't want to subject him to her father, because she knows it will be all work and no fun.

After imbibing a few too many, Sidney comes up with a foolproof plan:  What if, just for a few days, they swap boyfriends to fool their parents?  Robyn can bring Sidney's boyfriend Will, and Sidney can bring Perry, Robyn's actor boyfriend - it's perfect.  While Robyn balks at first, Sidney is used to getting her way - after all, she's been formally trained just for that.

When Robyn agrees to the exchange, the next step is to have everyone meet each other and propose the plan to Will and Perry.  Robyn's surprised when she recognizes Will as someone she grew up with and had a crush on in high school; and Sidney, seeing Perry, thinks he's the most gorgeous man she's ever seen.  While Perry is willing (thinking he can hone his acting skills), Will is harder to convince, until he "overhears" a staged conversation Sidney is supposedly having with her father.

With everything in place, it all seems like it's going swimmingly.  Robyn's parents are glad to have Will back into the fold, and unfortunately for Robyn, mention her girlhood crush...which she still has, unbeknownst to Will.

Sidney, on the other hand, is stunned when she realizes that her parents absolutely love Perry.  Her firm's specialty is entertainment law, and her father offers to help him; her mother thinks he's charming.  Sidney, however, isn't pleased by the fact that Perry isn't 'sticking to the script' and unhappily begins to realize this is one situation she's losing control of, which angers her. 

What ensues is a comedy of errors while the two women try to get through their time at home and return to their former lives.  But what they're soon figuring out is that going back to the way things were before isn't as easy as they thought it would be; and maybe they don't want to do so after all...

On the one hand, I thought this book was pretty cute.  It's a nice semi-sweet tale of what we think we want and discover it's not what we really want at all.  Although I felt that Sidney's transformation was much greater than Robyn's - Sidney's had a lot to do with wanting a piece of her own life to remain just that, while Robyn's appeared to be that she had been stuck in an eternal one-sided relationship for years; I did think that having truthful conversations with their respective sets of parents might have been in order for some time coming.

However, I also felt it was perfect for a quick Christmas feel-good read; and quite a nice story.  Recommended if you need something to cozy up to on a cold winter evening.

https://www.amazon.com/Boyfriend-Swap-Meredith-Schorr/dp/1635112745/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2211288133

More on Meredith Schorr's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/meredith-schorr/

Say No Moor (A Passport to Peril Mystery)

Author:  Maddy Hunter
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780738749617
Midnight Ink Publishing
336 Pages
$15.99; $11.99 Amazon
January 8, 2018

✮✮✮✮✮

Hoping to reach an expanded clientele of senior travellers, Emily Miceli, travel agency owner and tour escort, offers discounted fares to a handful of bloggers in exchange for highlighting her group's tour of Cornwall, England.  But when the quarrelsome host of their historic inn dies under suspicious circumstances, Emily worries that the bloggers' coverage of the situation will torpedo her travel agency.

To make matters worse, Emily is roped into running the inn, and not even a team effort from her friends can prevent impending disaster.  As one guest goes missing and another turns up dead, Emily discovers that well-kept secrets and family treasure can provide more than enough motive for murder.

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Emily Andrews Miceli's senior tour group is at it again, this time in 'Merry Olde England', on the Cornwall coast.  Trying to get more business for her tours, Emily has invited along five (very strange) travel bloggers - at a deeply discounted rate that only rancors her regulars - to give daily updates on the pleasures of touring with their agency.

But no sooner do they arrive at their destination than disaster befalls (did we expect anything else?).  The abrasive chef dies shortly after serving tea, and when it's discovered it wasn't an accident, the group is informed they must stay where they are.  But it gets worse when the co-owner of the inn (and life partner of the chef) is arrested and there's no one to cook or clean.  But then they discover there's a thief among them:  not only is money being stolen, but things like...wigs...and shoes.  Who would want to do such a thing?  It only escalates when one of Emily's seniors disappears, and no one seems to know where.

With a missing tourist and personal items, the body count mounting, suspicious bloggers, and Emily unwillingly running an inn that's apparently crumbling around them, nothing more can happen to them now...or can it?

As always, Ms. Hunter has given us another chapter in the topsy-turvy life of Emily Andrews Miceli and her (practically) insane seniors, who are more concerned with getting the best seat at the breakfast table than finding another dead body among them.

She brings you into their world so beautifully that you begin to wonder if you could survive a trip with them without needing medication yourself.  The story is fast-moving and event filled, helped along by plenty of humor and more than one mystery to be solved.  Emily's frustration is almost palpable, along with her fondness for each and every one of these irascible golden-agers who are having the time of their lives while finding reasons to argue with and attempt to one-up each other.

When the many mysteries are solved, they are woven together tautly and delightfully, giving us a conclusion not only believable but rewarding in itself; the pieces come together nicely and everything is just as it should be.  I eagerly await the next tour and spending time with Emily's seniors (as I have come to know them).  While this is part of a series, each book is written in a way that it can be read as a stand-alone; however, I will tell you that after reading the first in the series, Alpine for You, I was so enamored that I wanted to read each and every one, and I have no doubt that you will too.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Say-Moor-Passport-Peril-Mystery/dp/0738749613/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2161881311

More on Maddy Hunter's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/maddy-hunter/

Double Mint (A Davis Way Crime Caper Book 4)

Author:  Gretchen Archer
Genre:  Mystery

Paperback
ISBN #:  97819419627705
Henery Press
267 Pages
$15.95 Amazon
July 21, 2015

Five Stars

It's convention season at the Bellissimo Resort and Casino and Davis Way Cole barely notices.  It's hard to pay attention when you live in a Jambalaya Junkyard.  But when Special Events Coordinator Holder Darby walks off the job just as five hundred Alabama bankers pour in the front door, Davis steps up.

Or would that be in?  Definitely in.  Davis steps in.

Not only has the convention director vanished, but a certain Bellissimo guest is missing.  One who forgot to pack the million dollars he left in the bathtub.  It looks like our redhead newlywed Super Secret Spy's lazy summer is over when the Bellissimo's vault is robbed.  Can Davis connect the dots before it's too late?  Can she get her Taser gun back from Bianca Sanders?  Will she be stuck with Eddie Crawford's 1962 Cadillac forever?  What Davis needs is a little faith.  And a lot of luck.

********

Davis Way Cole is newly married to Bradley, the General Manager of the Bellissimo Casino.  Because of this, along with other factors, they have to temporarily reside in the mini-mansion upstairs which is, to Davis, Creole Hell.  She also refers to herself as the casino's Super Secret Spy, often disguising herself when going out 'on a mission'.

When the casino's wedding/events planner, Holder Darby, quits, Davis has to step in as the "temporary Holder".  And when things start to get sticky, she goes looking for Holder, but only finds her cat - or not.  Taking the cat home with her, it turns out to be the cat from hell, screaming through the apartment at warp speed...

There is also the fact that a bankers' convention is taking place, and have installed their own slot machines, named Double Mint, and the security assigned is from Paragon, who has brought in their own techs to install the machines...

And the fact that Davis discovers a million dollars in counterfeit money in the room of a missing banker, and more than that in counterfeit platinum in the casino's vault...

And the fact that Davis' refrigerator is again on the fritz (a huge red monster), and she's smelling magnolias in her home, insisting to anyone around that the wife of the former general manager, the nutcase who designed the interior, Magnolia Thibodeaux, is coming in and snooping around looking for something.

Now we have laid the groundwork for an intricate mystery indeed.  I hesitate to give you any more information, but will tell you that while it all starts out so simple - Holder quitting after having the mother of the groom put her in a headlock and Davis having to take her place - it turns into something more twisted and crazy than could be imagined.  And no matter how Davis tries to convince everyone she knows what's going on (or possibly going on), no one believes her and tells her she's imagining things...which we know isn't the case.  

Davis has a sixth sense when it comes to JDLR - just doesn't look right.  And she's not above using subterfuge to find out the truth, even when it gets her into trouble.  And trouble comes her way, in droves.  Yet she pushes on, convinced that the missing real platinum is still on the hotel premises, that Paragon is trying to pull a fast one, that Magnolia is after something in Davis' mini-mansion, and that her friend and coworker Fantasy is getting in over her head...well, hopefully you get the picture.

This is not a quick read, nor should it be.  Because it's like a chain that that you have to put together yourself, link by link.  You get one piece, which leads to another, and another, etc.  Yet through it all, Davis manages to maintain her sense of humor (which is hilarious), and my favorite scene in the book is the one with moonshine between her and Fantasy.  Priceless!  

Ms. Archer is one of the most talented writers I've come across, and this series is definitely a winner.  Highly recommended, and I eagerly await the next in the series.

http://www.amazon.com/Double-Mint-Davis-Crime-Caper/dp/1941962777/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1328275662