Mischief, Murder and Merlot (A Wine Trail Mystery Book 8)

Author:    J.C. Eaton

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781958384077

Beyond the Page Publishing

252 Pages

$14.99; $3.99 Amazon

August 30, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Back at Two Witches Winery for a short stay, Norrie Ellington is warming to the holiday spirit and the upcoming Hallow Wine Weekend, and she's happy to steer clear of the writer from Wine Enthusiast magazine who's come to do interviews about this year's spectacular Merlot.  But then the critic's dead body is found slumped over a Halloween cauldron display, and despite a stern warning from the local deputy to keep her nose out of it, Norrie instantly switches into sleuth mode.

Intent on discovering why someone wanted to silence the victim, Norrie quickly learns that he was an unbearable snob and known womanizer who had no shortage of enemies.  But as one suspect after another leads to a dead end, Norrie's stumped -- until the one mysterious clue that's been haunting her turns the case around.  Now, as all the ghouls, goblins, and trick-or-treaters come out on Halloween, Norrie's ready to unleash her spirit of justice -- she just has to close in on the killer before the Grim Reaper closes in on her...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Norrie Ellington is a screenwriter in Manhattan, while her sister mans the family's Two Witches Winery.  But when Francine and her husband Jason are off again on another quest for an elusive insent, Norrie makes the journey to take over the winery until they return -- which, she hopes, will be soon.  No sooner does she arrive than she discovers that a writer from Wine Enthusiast magazine is visiting the local vintners to check out their Merlots.  Norrie is more than happy to leave him to Franz, her own winemaker.

She has more on her plate than writing a new screenplay, she has to make sure the Halloween decorations and events are running smoothly, along with her meetings with the other local vintners.  But one morning she gets a call from one of her workers who tells her that there's more than two witches near their cauldron decoration...someone has added a body and they're very much dead.  After discovering the man's identity, she's told to keep it under her hat -- easier said than done.  Now Norrie, along with her friends, is determined to find out who killed him.

But with people swarming the winery and others from the magazine, she's on the trail of a killer.  But then there's another problem or two that arises, the least of these being that Norrie herself might have to sell her own soul to solve the murder...

This is the eighth book in the series, and I have enjoyed them all immensely.  J.C. Eaton is indeed a talented author (and yes, I know it's a brother and sister team but I will refer to them as one) who can weave a story well, pulling the reader into the tale and making us see the winery and all the action surrounding it.

It is autumn, and you can almost smell the scents in the air as they bundle up for the season; trying to find a killer but stay out of the watchful eye of Deputy 'Grizzly' Gary, as Norrie has labeled him.  This time out she manages to stay under the wire, but just barely.  It was almost as if I wanted to ignore the fact of what she was doing at times.  

The mystery is so well-wrought that even I had no idea of the murderer right up until the point that Norrie began to put it together.  It is a taut tale of greed and murder, intrigue and secrets, and it is told well and leaves us wanting more.  I eagerly await the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

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

https://smile.amazon.com/Mischief-Murder-Merlot-J-Eaton-ebook/dp/B0B61TCMZY/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4885863543

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

Bacon, Bodyguards, and Ballistics (A Piper Sandstone Culinary Cozy Mystery)

Author:    Karen McSpade

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9798839900240

Independently Published

420 Pages

$10.99; $.99 Amazon

July 16, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Reeling with excitement over the opening of a private investigation agency and her budding romance with the sheriff, Piper Sandstone can't wait to launch her dream career and return to a somewhat normal life.  But danger lurks on the horizon -- the dirty cops back in Chicago still want her dead.  They are ruthless and on the hunt; no price is too steep for her head.

But Piper's already in a predicament of prodigious proportions when an art heist at the Bancroft Estate leaves a bodyguard dead...and she and her crime-fighting gal pals are at the center of the crime scene.  With more suspects than the hottie sheriff can shake a stick at, it's no surprise the Mayor has requested help from the new private eyes.

Tangled in another mystery in Savory, Alabama, Piper is determined to solve the case with the help of her quirky senior sleuth friends dubbed the Dentures and Diamonds Crime Squad.  These zany retirees traded in their female rock band glory to fight crime, but can they help Piper maintain her cover and catch the killer before she or another Savory resident winds up dead?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Piper Sandstone, aka Sharon, has just opened the Queen's Bees Private Investigation firm along with her senior sleuthing friends Doris, Rosemary, Patty Sue and Margie (aka the Diamonds and Dentures Crime Squad), and they're just off a case of finding a killer and a champion dog.  Now they're ready for business.  But before they do so, they're attending the dog show at the estate of a wealthy art collector.  Unfortunately, things don't go well -- the art is stolen right off the walls, and during the show.  So now they have to wonder who would have planned this?  It doesn't help when the owner, Henry Hughes, shows up, screaming at everyone, nor when the PIs find a dead security guard.

Someone had to know about the heist.  Was it the security guard they found, Marco Jenkins?  Or the IT guy who claims a hacker broke into the system?  Or was it someone close to Mr. Hughes, who might have thought this a good opportunity?  But Piper knows art like this can't be sold, and only another private investor will buy it.  So where do they go from here?

With the unwanted help of Piper's new bodyguard, Gemma Bianchi, hired by her uncle, Chief Hobbs, to protect her (really, how can a woman so small protect anyone?), and Gemma constantly telling her everything Piper does is a bad idea, she's still determined to solve the case.  If the PIs don't, they just might be relegated to finding more cases involving cows.  But just as things seem to be getting interesting, her Chicago friends Nancy and Morgan have surprises in store for themselves.

Piper's also trying to take time out for herself -- and her interest in the sheriff.  On a picnic together she's miffed that Gemma insists on tagging along, albeit 'being invisible'.  She doesn't even want a bodyguard!

Yet she has to work on the case, and when they may or may not have hit upon a major clue...and meanwhile, back in Chicago, Piper's friends are still having problems of their own -- and need to get to her...

We know that Piper has been hiding out in Savory, ever since she cornered dirty cops in the Windy City.  Until the case comes to trial, she's been living as Sharon in her PI business.  But unfortunately, a glimpse of Piper has hit the news because the ladies are investigation the high-end art robbery and two deaths.

The hit men are on the trail.  Her good cop friends from Chicago are following the hit men and trying to get to Piper first.  And Piper and her friends are trying to solve the heist and the murder.  How can her bodyguard Gemma keep Piper safe if she won't let her?...

This is a blast, watching the seniors at work while they try and stay by Piper's side.  Piper, meanwhile, is trying to do her job and not worry about anything else; but then again, she doesn't know the hit men are on their way.  Still, I have to say that the last is probably the best part of the book.  Everything comes together neatly, and we get a climax that's both intense and funny at the same time.  The book ties up all the ends together weaving the story to a satisfying conclusion, and Piper and her friends definitely have their hands full, leaving something else to look forward to...but I won't spoil it.  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Bacon-Bodyguards-Ballistics-Collection-Sandstone-ebook/dp/B0B61ZS4VP/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4881481218

More on Karen McSpade's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/karen-mcspade/

Dewey Decimated (A Haunted Library Mystery Book 6)

Author:    Allison Brook

Genre:     Mystery/Paranormal

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781639100903

Crooked Lane Books

336 Pages

$26.99; $13.99 Amazon

September 6, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Carrie Singleton is just off a hot string of murder cases centered around the spooky local library in Clover Ridge, Connecticut.  She could really use a break -- but no such luck, as she, Smoky Joe, the resident cat, and Evelyn, the library's ghost, are drawn into another tantalizing whodunit.

First, a dead body is found in the basement of the building attached to the library, and it turns out to be Carrie's fiancé's Uncle Alec, who Dylan hasn't seen in years.  But Alec has no intention of truly checking out and his ghost makes itself at home in the library, greatly upsetting the patrons.  Carrie and Evelyn work hard to keep Alec out of sight, but what was he doing in Clover Ridge to begin with?  And why was he killed?

Meanwhile, the town council of which Carrie is also a member, is embroiled in a hot-headed debate over the fate of the Seabrook Preserve, a lovely and valuable piece of property that runs along Long Island Sound.  Turn it into an upscale park?  Sell it to a condo developer?  Or keep it as protected land?

As the dispute rages, there's another murder, this time involving a council member.  Could the two murders be connected?  And could Carrie be next on the hit list?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Carrie Singleton works for the Clover Ridge library and is settling into her new life as fiancée of Dylan, her investigator boyfriend.  She loves her cat, Smoky Joe, who comes to work with her every day, and is beginning a new chapter as the newest member of the town council.

The library has bought the vacant building next door and people are anxious for the renovations to be finished, no more than Carrie, who is looking forward to the new auditorium, which will seat more people and she will be able to hold more programs as the Events and Programs Director for the library.  But things take a nasty turn when a body is found in the basement.  With no identification the police are having a hard time discovering who it is.  But the ambitious news reporter uncovers the name of the deceased, who turns out to be Alec Dunmore -- and the uncle of Dylan.  Now Carrie has to find a way to tell Dylan about Alec, and figure out why Alec hasn't crossed to the other side.  With the help of her resident library ghost Evelyn, who knows more than she's telling, Carrie is determined to figure things out.  

While she doesn't want to step on her friend John Mather's toes, the police detective isn't having as much luck as the reporter is.  So Carrie reluctantly teams up with her to discover exactly what is going on.  As Alec remembers more, Carrie becomes suspicious of a lot of people she's come in contact with recently.  And with a big vote on the Seabrook Preserve coming up on the council, it seems everyone has an agenda.  And they want her to vote their way.  Could one of them be a killer?  Or is it someone closer to home?...

This is the sixth book in the series, and I must say that I've enjoyed it the most.  We get to see a lot more of Evelyn, and she plays a larger part in this book.  We also get to see how Carrie's new relationships with the town council are playing out.  Carrie still has a reluctance to get married, seeing as how her parents' marriage turned out; but we learn more (through Alec and Carrie's relatives and friends) what Dylan's parents were like.  It's an insight that's been a long time coming, and it makes the characters become more real to us.

Getting insight on someone's background brings them into the world of reality; you can empathize with them and decide whether you like them or not, whether you agree with their decisions.  It's an important part of this book, and it makes things a little more whole in the big picture.

All Alec wants to do is move on, but realizes he can't do so until his murder is solved, which makes it a major part of the book.  We learn about the type of person he was in life, and it explains his relationship with Dylan.  There's also a couple of surprises in store for Dylan and Carrie.

But when we learn about the murderer and the way the murder occurred it makes us saddened, and finding out the reasons why are callous.  However, the book brings us satisfaction and makes us look forward to the next in the series (I'm waiting...).  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Dewey-Decimated-Haunted-Library-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09N6M1SNP/ref

Goodreads:      https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4879365040

More on Allison Brook's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/allison-brook/

Dead Velvet Cake (Apple Orchard Cozy Mystery Book 16)

Author:    Chelsea Thomas

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B08N55PX9J

Independently Published

$5.99 Amazon

July 31. 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When Chelsea moved back home to her family apple orchard, she expected to spend her days enjoying small town life, shopping on main street, baking apple pie, and chatting the night away with her aunt, Miss May.  Then the murders began, and they didn't stop, and life changed for everyone.

There was still apple pie, and plenty of small town charm, of course.  But Chelsea also found herself in one dangerous situation after another, tracking down cold-blooded killers with Miss May.

This victim deserved it.

That's right...word around town is that the most recent murder victim in Pine Grove got his comeuppance.  But Chelsea and Miss May don't believe anyone deserves to be killed, not now, not ever, no way, no how.

So they team up with their team of loyal sidekicks - including a bottle blonde diner owner who never backs down from a fight -- and they set off to catch the killer.

This time, they need to solve the murder before they leave for vacation in 48 hours.  Will the girls solve this one in time?  Or will the killer be the one who gets away?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Chelsea, Miss May, and Teeny are having a party celebrating their latest killer capture, when Rita, once Chelsea's nemesis now somewhat-friend, comes screaming that there's a dead body in another room of the diner.  Sure enough, they find a dead man slumped over a table and a partially eaten piece of Red Velvet cake in front of him.  Now there's a murder investigation going on, and the three women are sure they can solve it.

If they have the time.  It seems they've been planning a road trip to Southern California to see old friends and have a vacation including beach time, but this murder puts a damper on the plans.  If they're going to leave, they have just 48 hours to solve this murder, or a killer will be on the loose.  They can leave it to the police this one time, right?  Wrong.  When the three women get together, their curiosity and sheer determination push them forward.  And they aren't leaving town without capturing a murderer.  And they're going on their vacation.  The big problem is they have no real suspects.  But someone killed him, and they're going to figure out who it is...

This is the sixteenth book in the series, and I have enjoyed it quite as much as all the others.  When these three get together to solve a murder, it's rather hilarious.  Teeny wants to fight anyone and everyone, and Miss May has to talk her down.  But the conversations between them are quite witty, and funny to boot.

When the victim's wife comes to them to be questioned so she can be eliminated, they're on their game.  They may be suspicious of the woman, but she had no reason to want him dead.  Or did she?  Not to mention rumors of an affair, and some people outright hated him for one reason or another.  But which one killed him?

Short of breaking and entering, (not that it wasn't considered) they're low on clues and high on suspects.  And the clock is ticking.  And Chelsea's wondering what's wrong with Wayne, and if they're on the right track.  But when push comes to shove, the three women are always going to pull ahead in the race, and they're going to get the killer...or at least hope so...if the killer doesn't get one of them first...

I can't tell you how much I loved this book.  Plenty of action, plenty of suspects, and plenty of red herrings.  Lots of goings-on that shouldn't be going on, and when the three put everything together (as we know they will) it adds up to a fun journey that gives us not only the capture of a killer (as we know will occur) but an ending that gives us something to look forward to in the next book.  And it can't be soon enough for me.  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Velvet-Apple-Orchard-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09N55PX9J/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4872215264

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

The Curse of Sherlock Holmes: The Basil Rathbone Story

Author:    David Clayton

Genre:     Biography/Film

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B08DG6PJ7C

The History Press

231 Pages

$7.99 Amazon

August 3, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Basil Rathbone is synonymous with Sherlock Holmes.

He played the Victorian sleuth in fourteen Fox/Universal films of the 1930's and '40's, as well as on stage and radio.  For many people, he is the Holmes.

Basil Rathbone grew to hate Sherlock Holmes.

The character placed restrictions on his career; before Holmes he was an esteemed theatre actor, appearing in Broadway plays such as The Captive and The Swan, the latter of which became his launchpad to greater stardom.  But he never, ever escaped his most famous role.

Basil Rathbone was not Sherlock Holmes.

In The Curse of Sherlock Holmes, celebrated biographer David Clayton looks at the behind-the-camera life of a remarkable man who deserved so much more than to be relegated to just one role.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

This biography of Basil Rathbone is perhaps one of the best written, just behind Basil's own autobiography.  While Mr. Clayton clearly likes his subject, he doesn't pull any punches as to Mr. Rathbone.

In the beginning, Basil always knew he wanted to be an actor.  But he couldn't give this information to his parents, and instead at his school Repton, he excelled in sports of all kind while honing his skills in the theatre.  He was an ordinary scholarly student, struggling to keep his grades up because his interests were elsewhere.  However, when it was needed, he managed to keep them up enough to graduate.

Basil was an extraordinary man; so much more than what most people know of him.  He was a war hero, and there is several paragraphs which dictate just how fearless (or bored) he was; something that is normal today in the military was not familiar then.  I was surprised, but happily so.

He married twice, and while his first marriage suffered and ended, leaving his ex-wife with his young son Rodian (a sad story in itself), he managed to find a new wife named Ouida, who excelled herself in entertaining and loved lavish parties.  Perhaps this is the reason -- as the author speculates -- that Basil kept himself working after most of his prospects were done.

He was not only an accomplished theatre actor -- his first love -- but also an accomplished actor in film, and so much more than just Sherlock Holmes.  I have seen most, if not all, of his films, and am still amazed each time I see Son of Frankenstein, where there is a scene in which he does his own stunts.  I love his swordplay in the films.  I love his voice, so full of life and vigor, his body of regal bearing like a tiger about to pounce.

But it is Sherlock with which he is identified both, and this role made him rich, but took away much of his soul.  He will be forever identified in it; and I watch these films at least once per year.  While I enjoy them, I could enjoy them more if Nigel Bruce were not such a bumbling fool in them (no offense to Mr. Bruce's acting; it takes a good actor to be perceived so and get away with it).  If anyone knows the books as I do, Dr. Watson narrates them, and a fool could not do this.  But I find no fault with Mr. Rathbone's portrayal of Holmes.  It is indeed excellent, and just what I would consider Holmes to be.  Perhaps the only reason I prefer Jeremy Brett's Holmes to Basil's is because Dr. Watson in that series is more what Dr. Watson should have been in the first place.  I will never know the answer to this question.

But Basil was cursed by Holmes and unable to find decent roles when he had given it up, and it was this that he ended his career on; and a sad ending for such a jovial and talented actor.  We can surmise that he would not have had to take roles he despised if it were not for Ouida spending all his money; it is opined by the author that she controlled Basil at home; and if you see how his own son and grandchildren were treated, I can sympathize (my own stepmother attempted to erase my father's first family, too -- but without success, at least).  It caused sadness for Basil.

In the end, this biography details Basil's life -- both good and bad -- and gives us a better understanding of the man and the actor.  I am glad that I discovered it, and I would highly recommend it to others.

https://www.amazon.com/Curse-Sherlock-Holmes-Basil-Rathbone-ebook/dp/B08DG6PJ7Z/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4865476960

Bayou Book Thief (Vintage Cookbook Mystery #1)

Author:    Ellen Byron

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9780593437612

Berkley Publishing

304 Pages

$8.99; $8.99 Amazon

June 7, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Twenty-eight-year-old widow Ricki James leaves Los Angeles to start a new life in New Orleans after her showboating actor husband perishes doing a stupid internet stunt.  The Big Easy is where she was born and adopted by the NICU nurse who cared for her after Ricki's teen mother disappeared from the hospital.

Ricki's dream comes true when she joins the quirky staff of Bon Vee Culinary House Museum, the spectacular former Garden District home of late bon vivant Genevieve "Vee" Charbonnet, the city's legendary restauranteur.  Ricki is excited about turning her avocation -- collection vintage cookbooks -- into a vocation by launching the museum's gift shop, Miss Vee's Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware.  Then she discovers that a box of donated vintage cookbooks contains the body of a cantankerous Bon Vee employee who was fired after being exposed as a book thief.

The skills Ricki has developed ferreting out hidden vintage treasures come in handy for investigations.  But both her business and Bon Vee could wind up as deadstock when Rick's past as curator of a billionaire's first edition collection comes back to haunt her.

Will Miss Vee's Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware be a success...or a recipe for disaster?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Ricki James left Lost Angeles after her husband died in a freak accident.  Now moved to New Orleans, she embraces the city she where she took her first breath, and has found a position in the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum running their vintage kitchenware shop, sharing her profits with the museum.  She's happy enough with this, but doesn't like the bickering between the tour guides.  When one of the guides is fired after stealing, the staff is grateful, since he wasn't well-liked.  But the next day, an unexpected arrival of books is delivered...along with his body in a trunk.  

Ricki thinks the killer might be one of the employees, but she wisely keeps this to herself as she tries to figure out who killed the man.  After searching for clues, she doesn't think she's getting much closer to the killer until something unexpected occurs...and Ricki might find herself fatally bookmarked...

This is the first book in the series, and I will say that the cover is beautiful.  This is part of why I wanted to read the book, the second being that I absolutely love Ms. Byron's Pelican series.  I suppose I was hoping this would be more like that series, but it is as far away from it as can be while still taking place in Louisiana.  There are just too many characters to keep track of, and since I read this on my Kindle, it was too difficult to go back to the page listing characters and then back to where I was, so I finally just gave up.

While I give kudos for the writing, as Ms. Byron is a talented writer with a gift for description of the characters' surroundings, it was at the same time hard to care about any of the people since you didn't get a full description of them.  I would have liked to have known more about Lyla and her family, meeting both Kaitlyn and Dan; and why Theo is the way he is about everything.  What is the truth about Zellah and Mordant's relationship (if any).  I realize that it is hard to connect everything in a first book, but if there had been less characters, it would have been easier.  Oh, well.

At any rate, Ricki at first finds herself a fish out of water until she begins to make a few friends, and maybe a surprise one of the homicide detective herself, which I found both interesting and nice.  I do like Eugenia, her intelligence and grace showing; but found it hard to involve myself with Ricki.  

When we get toward the ending the killer is revealed, and the reason for the murder.  Understandable, if you know the saying about why the man was murdered -- but I am not going to reveal that here.  After all was discovered, there are a few chapters left in which we learn a little more about Ricki's new life, and a teaser chapter of the next book in the series.  Recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Thief-Vintage-Cookbook-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09FPJHVGK/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4856228537

More on Ellen Byron's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/ellen-byron/

Cookie Dough and Bruised Egos (Ivy Creek Cozy Mystery Book 6)

Author:    Ruth Baker

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book (Hardcover Also Available)

ISBN #:    9798840246047 

Clean Tales Publishing

168 Pages

$9.99; $2.99 ($14.99) Amazon

July 12, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐

When Lucy's asked to provide the treats at the book launch for a popular author, she's excited about the opportunity to be in the presence of this author who might just give her tips on becoming an author herself.

Things take a drastic turn for the worse when this popular author goes missing at her book launch...and is eventually found stone-cold dead.  It seems this tragedy was caused by an allergic reaction...or was it?

As Lucy begins to under the relationships this author had with several people in her life, she realizes that many people had a lot to gain by her demise.  Lucy feels her life is in danger as she pokes further into the affairs of the people closest to this author.

Will she discover a sinister plot motivated by greed, revenge and jealousy?  Or become the next victim of a killer who's not afraid to remove every stumbling block in their path?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

I have to first say that part of the blurb is wrong.  Lucy has no interest in becoming a writer, but she does stay for Paula Perk's book signing because she wants her bakery items to be tasted, which perhaps will bring her more business.

When Lucy Hale is asked by Clara Davidson to provide the treats for the speaking engagement, she's happy because it will bring in a large amount of money, as well as business for her bakery.  But while she is at the event, Paula goes to the bathroom and doesn't emerge.  After deputy sheriff Taylor Baker breaks the door down, Paula is found on the floor, and it's apparent a bee sting killed her.  But there was more than one bee in the bathroom, and how did it get there?  

Even with Taylor admonishing her not to investigate, Lucy is determined to find out who killed the woman and why.  Was it her apparently grieving husband?  Her anxious manager?  Or someone else in the crowd of people?  She wasn't well-liked in Ivy Creek, and Lucy is going to find her killer...if the killer doesn't find Lucy first...

This is the sixth book in the series, and I have to say that they are getting better with each book.  The characters are getting fleshed out, and we're seeing Lucy grow her business, along with her Aunt Tricia and her loyal employee Hannah.  It's nice to see that she's not struggling, as many protagonists do in cozies.

I like her character, as she doesn't overtly accuse people of murder; but studies clues and tries to come to the best conclusions.  In this book, she finds her clues in an unexpected place, and she never would have if it weren't for the inadvertent help of a new friend in town.  The ending is done nicely, with the antagonist explaining the reasons why and full of rage, and it also gives us something to look forward to in the next book.  Recommended.

I received a copy of this book from Clean Tales Publishing but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Cookie-Dough-Bruised-Creek-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0B29LNDPH/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4851692184

More on Ruth Baker's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/ruth-baker/