Double Grudge Donuts (A Deputy Donut Mystery Book 8)

Author:    Ginger Bolton

Genre:     Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496740212

Kensington Cozies

256 Pages

$16.95; $9.99 Amazon

February 20, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When the Fallingbrook Arts Festival rolls into town weeks before she's set to tie the knot, Emily expects talent and friendly competition at the week-long summer series to go together like coffee and double fudge.  But the fun crumbles fast after a lively bagpiper takes first place on day one and turns heads for the wrong reasons -- all before Emily and her tabby cat find him dead in a clear case of murder.  Along with a distinctive weapon at the crime scene, several strategically placed items leave distrubing clues about the killer's identity, including a broken piece of a Deputy Donut mug...

While detectives aren't sure who silenced the bagpiper's music, they don't trust Emily or her family to tell the truth.  With her nuptials and career on the line, Emily launches an unsettling investigation to save herself from trouble and bring a dangerous figure to justice.  The search not only brings too many suspects into the picture, but also leads to a strange discovery on Deputy Donut's rooftop.  A discovery that tells Emily she better get cooking, because someone may be watcring her every move...and carefully plotting to turn a wedding into a funeral!

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Emily Westhill is half owner of Deputy Donut, along with her ex-father-in-law Tom.  She's thriving and happy and about to marry her fiancé, Brent Fyne.  The Fallingbrook Arts Festival is in town, and she's getting more business with the competitors moving from business to business with their acts.  Life is good...or at least it was...

When she watches a bagpiper play, it's obvious he's very good and of course, wins one of the contests.  But he's also annoying, playing the pipes up and down the street, during other's acts.  After speaking with people, Emily finds out that he's not well-liked, either.  The next morning tragedy strikes when Emily finds the piper dead, and calls the police.  There's a list of suspects, and she's stunned to discover that both she and her parents are on the list.  With less than two weeks until her wedding, Emily knows she needs to figure this out now or wedding bells won't be ringing for her...

This is the eighth book in the series and I have read them all.  It's a delightful series, and the characters progress as it goes along; it's nice to see that things don't stay stagnant in the books.  Emily is a great character; she's strong, intelligent, and smart; Brent admires these things and doesn't berate her when she finds clues for him.  Her friends are interesting, as well as her employees, and we learn different things about them through the series.

In this one when the bagpiper dies, she doesn't know who the killer is, obviously, but she tries to find out (which is expected).  Is it someone she already knows, or a stranger to her?  And why was the piper killed?  Also, why, and this is a big one, was a Deputy Donut mug found next to him?  She's afraid it might implicate her parents in the murder, and she knows they didn't do it.  But looking for a suspect with so many people in town isn't easy.  Still, she manages to ask the right questions without antagonizing anyone, and that's a big plus in my eyes.

It isn't easy to write a review without giving away the plot line, mainly because this book has not been published yet, but I can tell you that Emily has a lot to do in this book, with the festival and wedding plans, and it might even be her cat Dep who gives her a clue, but you will have to read the book to find out.  The clues are there, but watch for the red herrings that pepper the book.

When the ending comes, the climax is worth it all as Emily needs to use her wits to figure it all out and stay safe (as we know she will).  It's practically the best part of the book and don't peek!  I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did, and I look forward to the next in the series.  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/Double-Grudge-Donuts-Deputy-Mystery/dp/1496740211

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5917478781

More on Ginger Bolton's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/ginger-bolton/

A Parfait Crime (A Five-Ingredient Mystery Book 9)

Author:    Maya Corrigan

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496734594

Kensington Cozies

304 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

October 24, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

At the site of a fatal blaze, Val's boyfriend, a firefighter trainee, is shocked to learn the victim is known to him, a woman named Jane who belonged to the local Agatha Christie book club -- and was rehearsing alongside Val's grandfather for an upcoming Christie play being staged for charity.  Just as shocking are the skeletal remains of a man found in the freezer.  Who is he and who put him on ice?

After Val is chosen to replace Jane in the play, the cast gathers at their house to get to work -- and enjoy Grandad's five-ingredient parfaits -- but all anyone can focus on is the bizarre real-life mystery.  When it's revealed that Jane's death was due to something other than smoke inhalation, Val and Grandad try to retrace her final days.  As they dig into her past life, their inquiry leads them to a fancy new spa in town -- where they discover that Jane wasn't the only one who had a skeleton in the cooler...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Val lives with her grandfather in the house he's owned forever, and they're both happy with the arrangement.  When Val learns that there's been a fire and her boyfriend Bram has been fighting it alongside others, she's worried.  But more so because both he and Grandad knew the victim -- a woman named Jane Johnston, who was in the play both of them were rehearsing.  But then there's a complication -- Val learns that Jane may have found a person who got away with a crime, and she was not happy about it.  This person works at the new spa in town, and Val wonders who it is and what crime was committed...

So begins a tight tale of murder, exposed crimes, vengeance, and suspicion.  It's woven tightly and with the threads difficult to unravel.  Just as Val and her grandfather think they've found one clue; another red herring pops up to move them in a different direction.  Or does it?  Are they being manipulated intentionally?  Or are there just that many things occurring at the same time?

When Val is roped into playing Jane's part, she meets the other people in the play, and it appears to her that they might have secrets of their own.  In fact, they may have known what Jane knew, so are they suspects or potential victims?

This time, Val might be playing a dangerous game with others' lives without even knowing it, and will she be able to figure it out in time?  Or will her personal life keep her on her toes, as Bram has been leaving small hints himself when he speaks to her.  Val knows one thing -- if there's been one murder, there could very likely be two -- or three.  Will she be able to prevent them or will she be a victim herself?

This is a delightful mystery, one that pulls you in from the death in the beginning to all the clues scattered throughout.  Ms. Corrigan is talented enough that she can weave a tale that keeps you guessing, and hoping that you have everything right.  After all, half the reason you read mysteries is to see if you can solve it before the protagonist.  Even if you do, you might not have the right answers as to why the murder was committed.  When we come to the end, and the murderer is revealed, it all turns into a very good mystery that kept me reading throughout the night.  I love this series, I love the author, and the story (and the others) are written well with plots that are indeed worth it all.  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/Parfait-Crime-Five-Ingredient-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B0BT8P2FYK/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5906242385

More on Maya Corrigan's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/maya-corrigan/

Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied The South

Author: Elizabeth Varon

Genre:   History/War/Biographies

Hardcover; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781982148270

Simon & Schuster

480 Pages

$32.55; $16.99 Amazon

November 21, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It was the most remarkable about-face in American history.  During the Civil War, General James Longstreet fought tenaciously for the Confederacy.  He was alongside Lee at Gettysburg (and counseled him not to order the ill-fated attacks on entrenched Union forces there).  He won a major Confederate victory at Chickamauga and was seriously wounded during a later battle.

After the war Longstreet moved to New Orleans, where he dramatically changed course.  He supported black voting and joined the newly elected, integrated postwar government in Louisiana.  When white supremacists took up arms to oust that government, Longstreet, leading the interracial state militia, did battle against former Confederates.  His defiance ignited a firestorm of controversy, as white Southerners branded him a race traitor and blamed him retroactively for the South's defeat in the Civil War.

Although he was one of the highest-ranking Confederate generals, Longstreet has never been commemorated with statues or other memorials in the South because of his postwar actions in rejecting the Lost Cause mythology and urging racial reconciliation.  He is being rediscovered in the new age of racial reckoning.  This is the first biography in decades and the first to give proper attention to Longstreet's post-Civil War career.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

I have to say that I love anything at all to do with the American Civil War.  This is because I married a man who grew up close to Gettysburg, and once I went to the battlefield, I was in awe.  Not only because of what I saw there, but because of the history that it tells.  Since then, I have collected hundreds of books on the war, and many of them are biographies.  However, this is the first one of Longstreet that I have read, and I have always wondered why no one has written anything -- until now.

The author gives us a complete history of this general, and how he came to be who he was in his later years.  As a southern gentleman, he went into the war with illusions, but came out with reality.  He was seriously wounded during the earlier Mexican-American war.  He came out of that with many accolades.

He was both a friend of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee.  General Lee called him "The Old War Horse." and he was a close confidant.  Perhaps if Lee had listened to Longstreet's warnings, the battle at Gettysburg may have gone differently; but we will never know.  While he began as a Democrat he later changed to a Republican, and this book details the reasons why.  He came to know that slavery was wrong, and tried to do the right thing as he aged.

This biography is detailed and done with great research; although somewhat dry at times, it is still worth the read, and not too hefty of a tome (weighing in at 480 pages); it has given me a new understanding of the man and both his personal and professional life. Indeed, it stands well with other military biographies that I have read.  Even those who revile the Confederates should understand that it was a different time with different mores.  The writing is done very well, and the author has done herself proud.  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Longstreet-Confederate-General-Defied-South-ebook/dp/B0BTZY4JLW/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5898020379

More on Elizabeth Varon's Books:    https://www.amazon.com/stores/Elizabeth-R.-Varon/author/B001JRYTGE?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref

Apple Orchard Cozy Mysteries: Ten Books Box Set (Books 11-20)

Author:    Chelsea Thomas

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B0CFN6MW7K

Independently Published

2,335 Pages

$9.99 Amazon

September 22, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When Chelsea Thomas returned to her gorgeous small town after getting dumped, she expected a great many things...

...getting caught up in a dangerous murder mystery wasn't one of them.

Within a couple days of returning to the family orchard, Chelsea is accused of murder and told not to leave town.  Luckily, she's staying with Miss May -- a former big city prosecutor -- which means she's got someone to help her through this.  When Miss May recruits her bottle-blonde best friend, Teeny, the trio begin their hunt for the killer...all the while baking the best apple pies in the state.

But one murder leads to another and another.  The ladies are constantly on the run from bad guys.  They're always doing beattle with the inept police force.  And they're trying, and often failing, to keep their love lives moving forward at the same time.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

First off, let me say that I love Chelsea Thomas (both the writer and the character, not to be confused with each other).  Chelsea the character has adventures that others can only dream about.  That is, if you dream about finding dead bodies and outrunning killers and outwitting the police force.  Something to think about, I guess...

Anyway, I have read all the books in the series and I can truthfully say that I enjoyed them immensely.  We see poor Chelsea as she goes from heartbroken left-at-the-altar bride to strong, willing-to-do-whatever-it-takes Chelsea, and it's a welcome transformation.  She grows with each book, and we watch the changes, however subtle they may be, as she becomes who she finally is in the final book.  I will not give away plots as I expect you will want to read and enjoy them yourself, but they are definitely worth the time.

The author(s) are talented, and allow us to see a little bit of the area where Chelsea grew up, and it's a delightful sight.  We also find that our friends Amy and Petunia (of the Dog Groomer series) make an appearance as well.  

As I have stated before, I love this series and hope that it continues.  Even if the trio of Chelsea, Miss May, and Teeny keep finding dead bodies, we, the readers, can enjoy watching them solve the murders.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Orchard-Cozy-Mysteries-Page-turners-ebook/dp/B0CFN6MW7K/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5864387929

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

A Case of Poison Problems (Willow Cove Mysteries Book 5)

Author:    Lily Rose Lane

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B0CGB52943

Whiskered Mysteries

155 Pages

$4.99 Amazon

August 21, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A date night is hard when you're starting a new business, even harder when a dead body shows up.

My boyfriend and business partner, Gavin, and I just wanted a night off to go to the movies.

Instead, we find ourselves in the middle of another investigation when the movie theatre owner is found poisoned.

And guess who the number one suspect is?

Me!  Aubrey Rose.

Now it's time to get to the bottom of this murder plot, before Gavin and I end up in a starring role in the Willow Cove jail.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Aubrey Rose moved back home after a disastrous marriage to help her mother run their B&B.  She started off rocky with their handyman, Gavin, but now she can't imagine life without him.  But even the best of partners has a problem or two at times, and she doesn't know if he's holding a grudge from their last case.  When her mother suggests they go to a movie, they both are happy to have the night off.  It all starts off well -- greeting Jasper, the theater owner, and Aubrey notices him sitting a few rows back during the film.

Yet it doesn't end well.  Jasper is discovered dead, and the police think it was a heart attack.  But Jasper's young widow doesn't believe it, and hires the two new PIs to investigate the crime.  While the sheriff warns them off (again), they both think Madison, the widow, might be right, and so they begin their investigation.  But it doesn't make it easier to find any culprits, when there are so many suspects.

This is the fifth book in the series, and I have read them all.  This one is just as delightful as the others.  It's Christmas time, and the duo just want to solve the case before Christmas Day rolls around.  There's a house full of guests, and Aubrey's trying to avoid one who thinks she's a better sleuth.  Then there's the matter of Gavin's mother coming to visit, and he worries that she might not like his life choices.  But all Aubrey wants to do is find the killer so they can relax and enjoy the holiday.

Of course, we have Sheriff Dobbs looking for the easiest suspect to nab (no surprise there!) and it's up to Gavin and Aubrey to show him the error of his ways.  What I do like is the fact that when they find information, they share it with him immediately instead of withholding evidence for their own gain.  It shows integrity on their part.  Good move, Ms. Lane!

The list of suspects grows, and just when they think they have eliminated one another one appears.  But when another suspect asks for their help, they're no closer than they were before.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it was rather sad; still, a murder was committed and there is a price to pay.  In the end, this was an enjoyable read that I loved, and I can't wait to read the next in the series.

I was given a copy of this book from Whiskered Mysteries and the author, but it in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Case-Poison-Problems-Willow-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0CGB52943/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5839839429

More on Lily Rose Lane's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/lily-rose-lane/

Murder At A Scottish Castle (A Scottish Shire Mystery Book 5)

Author:    Traci Hall

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496744371

Kensington Cozies

304 Pages

$16.95; $9.99 Amazon

January 23, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

With the summer days getting shorter in the seaside village of Nairn, the annual bagpiping competition at Ramsey Castle promises to be quite the end-of-season blowout.  Paislee has snagged a special invitation from the dowager countess, who wants to showcase her cashmere goods in the castle gift shop, and she's brought her son Brody, Grandpa, and their black Scottish terrier Wallace.

There's a fierce rivalry between Robert Grant, the Earl of Lyon, and last year's winner Jory Baxter, with Grant loudly vowing to show up the blowhard Baxter and claim clan bragging rights.  But the reigning champion has barely put the reed to his lips when he turns red and collapses, soon to take his dying breath.  DI Zeffer suspects foul play.

With a possible murderer in their midst, the rest of Nairn won't breathe easy until Paislee applies her sleuthing skills to make sure justice is served and the killer pays the piper...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Paislee Shaw owns Cashmere Crush, a yarn shop specializing in high-end products.  She also sells her own designs online and has garnered a following so well that the Dowager Countess of Lyon, Sorcha, has asked her to bring some items to sell in her castle's gift shop.  Paislee is surprised but happy, especially when it coincides with the annual bagpiping completion which is to be held at Ramsey Castle.  Along with her is her son Brody, her grandpa, and their Scottish terrier, Wallace.  All seems to be going well until one of the pipers -- last year's winner -- blows a couple of notes and collapses.  When he dies at the hospital, it's at first deemed an accident, but then DI Zeffer steps in and isn't so sure.

Neither is the Dowager Countess.  She asks for Paislee's help in proving her son Robert's innocence.  While Paislee isn't thrilled, she's rather stuck as she doesn't want to risk not selling her items, nor the displeasure of both the countess and her friend Lady Leery.  So Paislee agrees, but she doesn't expect what happens next...

There's an unavoidable disaster that puts part of her life on hold, and she starts falling into depression; but her best friend Lydia steps in and won't allow it.  Unfortunately, Lydia can temporarily fix one, but not the other, which means there's a killer still out there somewhere...

This is the fifth book in the series and I have read them all.  I also have loved them all.  I'm even reading Scottish idioms without a problem, and just breezing through these books.  The plot is done very well, and Ms. Hall is very good at what she does -- which is to bring the reader into her books and these in particular, almost as if we were visiting Scotland ourselves (not a bad idea!)

I have become quite fond of all of the characters and their quirks, and Paislee has begun to grow a little bit more, which is a good thing.  I hope to see her let go a little and let life happen, but time will tell.  The 'guest' characters -- those of Castle Ramsey -- are written as they should be, although like Paislee, I do believe that the earl is a bit arrogant, but then again, he was probably raised that way.  And I do like Zeffer quite a bit as well.  He's intelligent and knowing, but reserved; just as a DI should be.  

The murderer was unexpected and came out of left field, but that's what a good mystery should do, right?  In the end, the reason for the murder was as twisted as can be in a murderer's mind, but ah, well, it all turned out right after all, and I await the next mystery eagerly.  I cannot wait to see what is next in store for Paislee and her clan.  Highly recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book from Kensington and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Scottish-Castle-Mystery-Shire-ebook/dp/B0C3WTZYGT/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5837869486

More on Traci Hall's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/traci-hall/

A Well-Constructed Murder (A Bellbrook Murder Mystery Book 1)

Author:    Reagan Davis

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover: Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781990228414; 9781990228421

Carpe Filum Press

280 Pages

$19.99; $12.99; $3.99 Amazon

April 25, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Karla Bell is good at three things: running her successful concierge business, being fiercely independent, and detecting lies.

When her late grandmother is falsely implicated in two mysterious deaths, Karla is determined to uncover the truth and clear her family's name.  Even if she has to use every corporate skill she has, accept help from friends and family, and turn herself into a human lie detector.

Can Karla solve both mysteries and reveal the true culprit(s) before the small-town rumour mill grinds her family's reputation into dust?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Karla Bell left home to make a life for herself, and she has, as the owner of a well-respected concierge company.  But she's returned home for her grandmother's funeral, and discovers that she's now the owner of all the late woman's property.  Also returning is her prodigal mother, who has inherited the money, so Karla needs to make renovations with what she's acquired on her own.  The first thing she plans to do is renovate the two cottages -- Mirabel and Bellflower -- but when she goes to check on the contractor she's hired for the job, she finds him dead.  When there's a second body, no one knows what to make of it.

Now, with the help of her police chief father, her police officer sister, coroner best friend -- and reluctantly, her mother -- Karla must figure out who the murderer is and why these two were murdered...

This is the first book in the Bellbrook series, and the reason I decided to read it is because I have read the others and wanted to go back and see "where it all began."  I can say that I was not disappointed in this book.  It gives the full background of Karla and her family (other books reference it); and her troubled relationship with her estranged mother.  For her part, Karla's mom Lynn is trying to mend things, but Karla is resentful and reluctant -- at least at first.

The mystery itself is written well, with plenty of suspects.  There are a lot of red herrings, and things to throw you in first one direction and then another.  The clues are all there, and as we get closer to the end, we begin to see in which direction they are pointing.  What I love is Karla's ability to tell when people are lying.  An interesting trait indeed.

When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, it's all rather sad in itself, but as I stated above, a very good book indeed.

https://www.amazon.com/Well-Constructed-Murder-Bellbrook-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B09T4KCS3C/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5810659639

More on Reagan Davis's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/reagan-davis/