Paws, Claws, and Curses (A Purr-fect Relic Cozy Mystery Book 1)

Author:    Deanna Drake

Genre:     Mystery/Paranormal/Fantasy

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781964418339

Tule Publishing

204 Pages

$11.99; $4.99 Amazon

June 5, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐

What are cursed artifacts, a talking cat, and a dead body doing in the sweet little town of Citrus Grove?  That's what spirited shopkeeper Rebecca Cuthbert wants to find out and she had better do it ast because she's the prime suspect in the murder of the town's shadiest antiquities dealer.

It's a troubling start to her reunion with her long-lost grandfather and a far cry from the Southern California vacation she was expecting.  So far, nothing in Citrus Grove is quite what it seems.  Not her grandfather, who suspiciously disappears at the strangest times, not his curious antique shop, which has more secrets than customers, and certainly not the oddball neighbors, with their hidden motives and questionable connections.

As Rebecca races against time with her new feline friend to uncover the truth behind a mysterious murder, she finds herself tangled in a web of danger and deceit as captivating as Queen Cleopatra herself.  With help from unexpected allies and an often-exasperating, yet undeniably handsome detective, Rebecca must outwit the cunning killer before she becomes the next victim.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Rebecca Cuthbert has just discovered she has grandfather.  Unfortunately, it was because of sad circumstances she's recently experienced that allowed her to do so.  She packed up her life from Montana to California for a visit, but since she's arrived, strange things have happened.

Her grandfather's manager stole from him, and one of the artifacts has turned up at a shady dealer's home.  He's offered to give it to her, but when she arrives the man is dead.  The police think she killed him.  She also has a surprise in the form of a tiny, ragged kitten that needs her help...about that kitten...is it her help, or will the kitten help her?  Anyway -- she has to find out who the killer is to save herself from a permanent vacation in jail...

This is the first book I have read by this author and I enjoyed it very much.  Which is saying a lot, since I normally don't read fantasy.  Guess I'm just too rooted in reality.  Oh, well...but I loved it.  I loved all the characters, especially the fact there's no 'evil nemesis' (a real bane for me).  The characters are well-drawn and most of them have depth, but when the book centers on a main character, it takes time to flesh everyone out.

The mystery was done wonderfully, with enough questions that deserved -- and found -- answers throughout the book.  And I loved, just loved, little Aneksi and her arrogance.  Being a lover and owner of cats, I know what arrogance they can, and do, have.  Discovering more about her throughout the book was indeed fun.

When the murderer was revealed, I discovered it right around the same time as Rebecca, which is very good, since I usually guess the killers early on in the book.  The ending came together nicely, and gave us a hint of what to expect in the next book.  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/Claws-Curses-Purr-fect-Relic-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0D2M32C3G/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6562866077

 More on Deanna Drake's Books:    https://www.amazon.com/stores/DeAnna-Drake/author/B0CJ9X4KSC?ref

Robert Preston: Forever The Music Man

Author:    Debra Warren

Genre:     Biography/Entertainment

Hardcover; Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9798986311029; 9798986311005

Independently Published

542 Pages

$28.00; $21.99; $19.99 ($1.99)

August 6, 2022

⭐⭐⭐

Born Robert Preston Meservey in the suburbs of Boston in 1918, Preston moved with his family to Los Angeles as a toddler.  He caught the acting bug in high school and continued as an actor with a Shakespearean acting troupe and at the Pasadena Playhouse before being discovered by Paramount Studios in 1938 at the age of nineteen.  After languishing in B-movies for over a decade, he made the decision to seek success on the Broadway stage.

The song "Seventy-Six Trombones" from The Music Man would forever link Robert Preston to the Broadway musical and the iconic 1962 film that would establish him as a Hollywood and Broadway star.  His role as Harold Hill in The Music Man was a pivotal moment for the actor who appeared in dozens of films as well as theater and television productions.  Although Harold Hill was admittedly not Preston's favorite character, it was this singular, spectacular role that catapulted him to stage and screen stardom and ensured he would forever remain the Music Man.

In a film and stage career that spanned five decades, Robert Preston managed to survive the studio system and the fickleness of the film industry while maintaining his integrity and calling his own shots.  A master at shielding his private life, Robert Preston was a distinguished actor and gifted artist on the public stage, yet remained a reclusive, enigmatic man in his private life.  Extensive archival research, and interviews with Preston's family members and fellow actors including Rosemary Harris, Christopher Walken, Lesley Ann Warren, Loretta Swit, Bob Gunton, Neva Small, and others, has unveiled a richly detailed portrait of the gifted actor's personal life as well as an overview of the films and Broadway productions to which he lent his talent.

Despite some fits and starts in both is professional and private life, what emerges from the fabric of Preston's life is the undeniable truth of his versatility as a performer, one who possessed the innate ability to perform superbly in a variety of genres -- drama, comedy, westerns, or musicals.  As a testament to his skill as an actor, Preston continued to deliver remarkable performances on stage and screen and strived to reach new apogees, even when cast in flawed projects, up until his untimely death in 1987.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Robert Preston has always been one of my favorite actors.  Since I watched him in How the West Was Won, one of his later projects, I instantly 'fell in love' and couldn't understand why Debbie Reynolds would choose Gregory Peck instead.  Oh, well...

I have seen (and own) almost all of his movies (except those I cannot find on disc), and his acting has always enthralled me.  The way he moves, the way he speaks -- it's like watching a restless panther ready to stalk its prey.  He was a consummate actor, tall, strong, well-built, yet easy-going, and willing to give the stage to someone else without over-acting.  He didn't need to.  He had a commanding presence, and one can't help but notice him instead of others.

Sadly, I wasn't old enough to see any of his Broadway performances, but I would have liked to do so.  From the statements of costars, he was someone who took over the stage without even trying.  He sold out performances many times.  Even in bad plays, his acting was stellar.  He loved to work, and he did almost until his death.

Robert Preston's wife, Catherine, was an actress in her own right but gave it up to care for her husband and his career.  She was the rock he needed, the comfort he wanted to come home to -- even when he had other plans, (which I won't go into here), Catherine was there, always.  

I really looked forward to reading this biography, as I have always hoped there would be a good one out there.  Unfortunately, this isn't it.  For one, there is a dearth of photographs, just a few pages (I do feel that there should have been more than just a few photos), but that is my own opinion.  Secondly, if you haven't seen all of his movies and wish to do so, you might want to skip much of this book.  I say that because it goes on ad nauseum of every single plot of every single play and film he was in; the costars and all their backgrounds (I still don't know who many of the stage actors are since I have never heard of them); and it drags the book down roads it doesn't need to go.

The beginning is excellent, with Robert's family background and how he came to be an actor, but then it drowns in the above-mentioned areas, which made the reading take longer than it did as it lost my attention somewhere past that.  The last hundred pages or so is a bibliography of information in the book (which we expect) and every performance he was in along with all his costars (wasn't that information already given?).

In the end, this could have been a much better book, but it will have to suffice until (or unless) another biography of this wonderful actor comes along.

https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Preston-Forever-Music-Man-ebook/dp/B0BBLQX1G4/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6526875515

More on the author:    https://www.amazon.com/stores/Debra-Warren/author/B0B8XQD8FF?ref

The Deadly Dealer (A Gamblin' Granny Cozy Mystery Novella)

Author:    Chelsea Thomas

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B0C6B5QMWW

Independently Published

90 Pages

$2.99 Amazon

April 30, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Granny solved a huge mystery in Toluca Lake, and then she disappeared.  The woman is gruff, tough, and no nonsense.  But it's not like her to vanish like that.

Something serious must have happened...

...like murder.

Everywhere Granny goes, she's got poker on the brain.  In line at the grocery store, she's reading people, trying to figure out who can be trusted.  She tests out her bluffing skills on family and friends just to keep everyone sharp.  Sometimes she bets on the weather, or how long until the dog barks, or how many minutes until a newscaster clears their throat on air. 

She is a woman who craves excitement, who lives on her tippy-toes, and who runs toward danger with a determined look in her eye.

She's also a woman with secrets.

This time, the secrets of Granny's past have come back to haunt her if she doesn't get past all the lies and find the truth, she could end up dead.  And so could the people she loves.

Will Granny manage to quit while she's ahead?  Or is she about to place her last bet?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Granny Petunia is heading to Florida to see her boyfriend Chip, who owns a riverboat.  Along for the ride is her new dog, who saved her from being killed back in California.  She thinks she knows why the man was trying to kill her, but not who hired him.  So heading on west, she and her new friend are trying to stay under the radar.  When she arrives she greets an old friend who also happens to be able to help her disguise herself with a new 'do and other things to make her less recognizable.  She also finds out that Chip has been arrested for murder -- right when she arrives at the riverboat.  Now she wonders if she'll be able to stay under the radar while trying to find out who the murderer is...and who wants her dead...

This is a spin-off novella of the Dog Groomer Mysteries, with Petunia getting her very own story.  I honestly have to say that while I love the former mysteries, I was skeptical that Petunia could hold her own on a new series.  Mainly because she's snarky and mean-spirited.  I know she means well in the long run, but sometimes she runs over the top.  Saying that, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this mystery.

There's plenty of action, and although we don't get to see a lot of Chip in the book, we do get Petunia in full form solving a mystery without the help of her California crew.  It's interesting, fun, and full of plenty of action.  There's enough of everything to keep people reading, and Petunia does what she does best -- being full of energy, ideas, and, of course, snark.  Recommended.

I received a copy from the publisher and Book Sprout but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Dealer-Thrilling-Adventure-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0C6B5QMWW

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6541137934

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

A Dark and Stormy Knit (Knit & Nibble Mysteries Book 11)

Author:    Peggy Ehrhart

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496749574

Kensington Cozies

336 Pages

$8.99; $7.99 Amazon

August 20, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pamela Paterson and Bettina Fraser call their crafting group Knit and Nibble, in honor of its two main activities.  But on a stormy Halloween night, their peaceful chat over spiced cider and cookies is interrupted by homicide...

With the houses of Arborville, New Jersey, decked out in festively frightening decorations, it's easy to mistake a real dead body for a fake.  But Pamela and Bettina are alerted by the screams of teenage trick-or-treaters to the corpse next door.  Their neighbor Adrienne's sister, visiting from New York City, is slumped on the porch, fatally stabbed.  And with countless people traipsing around in costume, the killer might be as elusive as an apple in a bucket of water.

The victim was a charismatic college professor and fierce feminist, and soon the women are infiltrating her social and academic circles to collect clues.  But some scandalous local gossip also suggests that Adriene, not her sister, might have been the target.  Now, Pamela and Bettina will need all their creative skills to solve this ghoulish crime...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Pamela Paterson is lucky enough to work from home, a place she shares with her three cats and the occasional visit from her daughter, Penny.  She spends a lot of time with her best friend Bettina, who lives across the street.  Halloween night she, Bettina, and Bettina's husband Wilford, are enjoying the evening together when they hear a scream.  Going outside, they discover a group of teens who tell them that there is a dead body on the porch of Bettina's neighbor, Adrienne. 

Finding out that the dead woman is Adrienne's sister, Mel, everyone is wondering who could have killed her, and why; especially Adrienne herself.  She asks for Pamela and Bettina to help her, and of course, their curiosity allows them to agree.  Looking into Mel's current associates in the city, they discover that she was the head of a feminist group that eschewed men, and they wonder if one of the women could have killed her.  But there's more at stake here when they start looking deeper, and now Pamela thinks that something -- or someone -- in Mel's past may have the answer...

I have read all but one of these books, and have followed Pamela along her journey of solving crimes.  I did like the book, but I have to be honest and say: do we really need to know over and over again that Bettina has sage green pottery, Pamela constantly uses her wedding China, grinds her coffee beans for a pour over, and toasts multi-grain bread?  Saying it once is enough; saying it as often as Pamela does is completely redundant and unnecessary.

Having gotten my 'little rant' out of the way, I found the mystery to be quite interesting.  We have the usual meetings of the Knit and Nibblers, with their own snippets of gossip (sorry, Nell), that give Pamela some of the needed clues.  There are, of course, plenty of descriptions of everything that is happening and everything everyone is wearing, so we have no questions in that area.  

The pace starts out slow, but as the book progresses it moves forward, and, I am glad to say, that I connected the dots before Pamela as far as the motive for the murders; but -- and this is a big but -- I didn't know who the murderer was until they were unveiled, which is a very good thing indeed.  In the end, it all came together well, and I enjoyed the book.  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/Dark-Stormy-Knit-Nibble-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0CNYJLP95/ref

Goodreads:   https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6525930829 

More on Peggy Ehrhart's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/peggy-ehrhart/

A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor (Food & Spirits Mystery Book 1)

Author:    Darci Hannah

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496747440

Kensington Cozies

320 Pages

$27.00; $12.99 Amazon

August 20, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It isn't how chef Bridget "Bunny" MacBride imagined her own cooking show unfolding.  But, if preparing historic meals with a modern flair is what it takes to get her cooking on the air, she can deliver, even if her dinner guest is a ghost.  That's the premise of the new reality TV show, Food & Spirits, where Chef Bunny teams up with ghost hunter Brett Bloom and psychic medium Giff McGrady to visit haunted locales around the world and tempt lingering spirits back to the table with a beloved meal.  For their first episode, the Food & Spirits team sets off to investigate Bramsford Manor, a historic house turned famously haunted hotel.  In picturesque Hampshire, England.  The sprawling estate is said to be home to the Mistletoe Bride, a young woman who died in the 18th century, the victim of a tragic accident on her Christmas wedding night.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Bridget "Bunny" MacBride is a Scottish chef who's come to live in the USA.  She's part of a cooking show with a famous chef, having her own segment.  But when she clashes with the woman, suddenly her life has changed.  She's offered her own show -- Food & Spirits, -- and jumps at the chance.  What she doesn't know until later is that the "spirits" part isn't about alcoholic beverages.  It's about actual spirits.  In other words, ghosts.

Bunny isn't happy about this, since she left Scotland to get away from ghosts of her old life.  But soon enough she finds out that they're traveling to England to contact the Mistletoe Bride -- a woman who died on her wedding night at Christmas -- and there's no way out for her.  What she really doesn't expect is to see the ghost of her white rabbit, Hopper, or to need the help of her grandma, who is an actual psychic.  But here, the unexpected becomes reality, and she soon finds that reality isn't all what it's cracked up to be...

This is the first book in a new series by Darci Hannah, one of my favorite authors.  It's a sort of a spin off from the Beacon Bakeshop Mysteries, in that Brett Bloom, who was a 'guest' ghosthunter in that series, and turns up again in this series, as part of the group.  Saying that, let's get to the story without giving away any spoilers (if I can).

The crew is invited to the Manor by a historian who is chronicling the past of the manor and the tale of the Mistletoe Bride, and wants them to attempt to contact her.  But on the night of the dinner -- being made magnificently by Bunny, and filmed by the ghosthunters, she sees the ghost of Hopper, and her life changes.  Suddenly she's now a murder suspect, and calls her grandma for help.  During the investigation, she doesn't know who believes her and who doesn't; but it doesn't matter anyway because she and grandma -- and the crew -- are trying to figure out who killed the person.

Unfortunately, it has to be someone who was at Bramsford Manor that night, which includes all of the staff, and even the owners.  Can Bunny figure it out?   But what's even more important, can she figure out what is going on with her, and can she stop running from herself at last?

I have to say that I just loved this book.  It had all the elements of a good story -- a protagonist with a tragic background (explained in the book so no cliffhangers!); interesting characters all around, and the best, a little paranormal activity to keep you interested.  And interested I was, finishing this book far too soon and wanting more!  Giff is a hoot, and when he's with grandma, you have two hoots and a half...if I may say so (ha).  Brett is a bit more skeptical, but being a ghosthunter, he'd better figure it out, and he does; but I think unwillingly, anyway.  I also liked many of the secondary characters as well, which is a big plus.  

When the ending comes and we finally figure out the murderer, I have to say that I was completely surprised by this.  That's a good thing.  I read far too many mysteries where I figure out the killer way before our protagonist does.  But this also was intriguing in the fact that we find out more than the motive -- the killer gives us enough reasons to wonder how anyone in the manor couldn't even suspect them.  They go to great lengths to keep it all hidden, and do so magnificently.

In the end, we are given a hint of what is to come in future books (which I hope will happen soon) and some truly delicious-looking recipes that I plan to try myself!  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1496747445?tag=speculativefic05&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6482654471

More on Darci Hannah's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/darci-hannah/

Murder at the Rusty Anchor (A Cozy Capers Book Group #6)

Author:    Maddie Day

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496740571

Kensington Cozies

336 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

June 25, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A rainy July weekend in Westham means the beaches are empty and business is dead at Mac's Bikes but couldn't be livelier inside the Rusty Anchor Pub.  But come Monday morning one patron is no so lively when the chef opens up and finds a body behind the bar.  It's last call for Bruce Byrne, an elderly high school teacher who's been around so long it seems like he taught everybody.

When Mac's friend Flo, the librarian, makes the list of suspects, Mac gathers the Cozy Capers Book Group to clear her name.  With no end in sight to the rain, the group has plenty of time to study the clues and sort through a roll call of suspects to determine who decided to teach Mr. Byrne a lesson.  But with a killer desperate to cover their tracks, Mac and the group will be tested as never before...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Mac Almeida is happy in her new marriage to Tim, the local baker, and her bike shop, which unfortunately, isn't doing a lot of business because it's been raining.  Since it's slow, she's out and about when chef Yvonne of the Rusty Anchor is in a panic and asks for her help.  When Mac arrives inside the pub, she notices a dead man behind the bar.  Not any dead man -- this man was a high school teacher named Bruce Byrne, and not a popular man at that.  After calling the police, Mac figures out that someone had poisoned him.  But when she discovers her friend and member of the book group, Flo, is a suspect, she's determined to find a killer, even if it costs her...

This is the sixth book in the series, and I have read them all.  Mac is very good at finding out information from people; they seem to gravitate toward her personality.  She's pleasant and outgoing, and obviously cares about others, which stands in her stead well.  Unfortunately, it also draws the attention of a killer, who isn't above using her to find out just how much she knows.

The mystery is done well, and the clues are there if you care to look for them.  I discovered the killer before Mac, but then again, I read a lot of mysteries so know what to look for.  It is apparent that Mac cares for family as well, when she's quickly roped in to help plan her parents' 40th anniversary -- in two days.  Is it enough time?  Will she be able to solve the murder first?

I do like the fact that when she comes across information she shares immediately with the police.  It is so unnatural when a sleuth decides to keep it to themself, and then gets upset when the police get angry.  Yean, so.  Mac is smart enough to do the right thing, and I appreciate that.

What I don't appreciate, however, is the social justice warrior running around telling me how to think.  I read books to escape from the real world for a little while and not be preached to.  Unfortunately, as these books progress, so does the preaching.  Just being truthful here.  This is why I can't give it more than three stars.  Please get back to telling the tale and keep social issues at bay.

Now that I've done my own little rant, I will say that the ending was very good, and everything occurred just as it should.  The killer was caught in a nice climax that held together well.  The book itself was well-written and has very good characters.  

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/Murder-Rusty-Anchor-Capers-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CFGGD38K/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6477750501

More on Maddie Day's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/maddie-day/

Battered and Buried (An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery Book 7)

Author:    Lena Gregory

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781960511584

Beyond the Page Publishing

188 Pages

$14.99; $5.99 Amazon

March 19, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Never one to let a day off work go to waste, cafe owner Gia Morelli and a friend head out for a blissful kayaking trip through the local national forest.  But the peacefulness of the day is soon shattered when they come across Cole, her head cook, standing over a dead body.  Worse still, the victim was a lifelong enemy of Cole's, and clues found on the body point to the cook as the culprit.  When the police take Cole in and subject him to an intense grilling, Gia vows to do everything she can to prove his innocence.

As even more incriminating evidence surfaces -- including when the murder weapon itself is found hidden at the cafe -- Gia knows she's up against someone brutal enough to kill and devious enough to frame Cole for the deed.  With the police ready to make an official arrest and wrap up what they consider an open-and-shut case, Gia turns for help to an old friend who's not above breaking the law himself.  Because ifs he can't find the killer, Cole may go from serving up hot dishes to serving a life sentence...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Gia Morelli is working the day at her cafe when her friend and waitress Savannah tells her that a man wants to see her.  When she goes to the front, he complains about how bad the meal was.  No matter what she offers, he continues his rant, and when her cook Cole comes to the front, he makes derogatory remarks to him about his cooking, and leaves.  Gia later finds that the man, Rusty, is an old enemy of Cole's and Rusty's never happier than when ruining businesses so he can open the same ones in the same area.

When Gia discovers that Rusty wants to open a cafe down the street, she's dismayed.  But later, while kayaking with her friend Trevor, they see Cole and his friend Cybill on the shore and Cybill looks distressed.  When they reach her, they find that Cole found Rusty's body -- and now Cole is the main suspect in his murder.  Determined to prove Cole innocent, she and Savannah set out to find clues they can give to Gia's fiancé, a homicide detective and Savannah's cousin.  But doing this might be harder than they think, since the widow isn't talking, and neither is anyone else -- for now.

Sifting through clues as they can, Gia enlists help from a computer hacker, and what she discovers only makes things more tangled.  Will she be able to untwist the lies long enough to find a killer?  Or will she finally meet her end?

This is the seventh book in the series and just as good as all the others.  Ms. Gregory is a talented writer who is able to pull you into the story and experience life with the characters.  While never having been to Florida (not sure if I want to, either, after all the critters show up), I still get an idea of the area and how Gia's life is progressing; she's happy in her new life -- until murder slows her down.

When she finally starts putting things together, she's sure she has the end result locating a killer, until an unexpected situation arises that puts her back at square one.  While I knew the killer before Gia did, this did not diminish my enjoyment of the story at all.  I loved how it played out, and in the end, we get an epilogue that gives us something to look forward to in the next book.  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/Battered-Buried-Lena-Gregory-ebook/dp/B0CW18PPSQ/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6407515651

More on Lena Gregory's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/lena-gregory/