Hauntings and Homicide (A Ghost Tour Mystery #1)

Author:    Ava Burke

Genre:     Mystery/Paranormal

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781639109289

Crooked Lane Books

272 Pages

$29.99; $14.99 Amazon

January 21, 2025

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lou Thatcher is haunted by ghosts -- friendly ghosts -- but when she finds herself involved in a murder investigation, she's in for the fright of a lifetime.

Tallulah "Lou" Thatcher has a gift: she can see dead people.  But in New Orleans, Louisiana, this is not a drawback.  On the contrary, her ability to see ghosts helps her host viral ghost tours through the historic Garden District.  When rival tour guide Adam Brandt -- who accused her of faking her encounters to undercut his business -- is found murdered, Lou is the only one who can see him...his ghost, that is.

It's no secret Adam and Lou were feuding and with the absence of a suspect, she's the only one with a clear motive.  After detective Dylan Finch, Lou's longtime crush, reveals the murder weapon was a ceremonial dagger from Lou's shop, she's officially declared the prime suspect.  Determined to prove her innocence, Lou starts investigating right away.

Weaving her way through Adam's business partnerships, friendships, and kinships, Lou must uncover who wishes to see him dead before the killer tries to silence her forever.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Lou Thatcher hasn't had the most stable upbringing.  But she's finally living back with her beloved Nan, her grandmother, in New Orleans, where she spent the first nine years of her life.  Lou has always felt at home here, mainly because she has a gift -- she can see and communicate with ghosts.  So she's done the most natural thing she can -- she's started ghost tours, and her friendly spirits occasionally liven things up.

Unfortunately, this is what irritates rival tour guide Adam Brandt.  He's sure that Lou is using trickery to get customers, and he's determined to figure it out and expose her.  But one night when Lou is visiting one of her ghostly friends, she sees Adam across the street.  When she goes to confront him, he runs away.  But when she trips over something, it turns out to be Adam's body.  Now Adam, her erstwhile enemy, wants her to find out who killed him.  Lou really has no choice -- since the only other option seems to be that the police think she murdered Adam...

I have never read anything by Ms. Burke before, but I wish I had.  I love books with ghosts (friendly ones, that it), and this one definitely had me enamored throughout.  She writes with a supernatural flair, if you can call it that; one feels as if they are transported to New Orleans and visiting the spirits right along with her.

That's one of the many positives I can say about this book  It's enchanting, mysterious, and full of a plethora of suspects (even if the police seem to not notice anyone else).  Lou is trying to keep both herself and her business alive, while dodging those that want to do her harm.  Along with this, her Nan has hurt her arm, and her sixteen-year-old brother turns up on her doorstep looking for help.  Not even her live-in ghost Kenneth can do everything, though he tries.

Sifting through the people who wanted to do harm to Adam isn't easy, and the more Lou discovers, the more it disheartens her.  It doesn't help that she's had a major crush on the lead detective, who also happens to be the brother of her best friend.  Where will it all end?

But end it does, and the ending is just as surprising as the rest of the book.  I had no idea who the murderer was until nearly the end, and that's part of the charm of it all.  The red herrings are everywhere.  The clues are few and far between.  But it's one of the best reads that I've come across this year, and I would definitely hope others will think so, too.  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Haunting-Homicide-Ava-Burke-ebook/dp/B0D2C54943/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6830322782

More on Ava Burke's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/ava-burke/

Chaney's Baby

Author:    Bill Fleck

Genre:     Biography/Entertainment

Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9798450666204

Independently Published

226 Pages

$6.99; $2.99 Amazon

September 23, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐

On April 22, 1948,noted horror film star Lon Chaney, Jr. (THE WOLF MAN) tries to commit suicide.  While his life hangs in the balance, his wife, attorney, and agent attempt damage control.  But the question remains: why would one of the more successful actors in Hollywood history -- aged only 42 -- try to take his own life?  Author and lifelong Chaney fan Bill Fleck believes he has the answer.  CHANEY'S BABY tells this heartbreaking story.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

As a lifelong classic movie fan (thanks to my Dad), I own thousands of them.  I don't even watch new movies.  They're just not as good.  But every Halloween season, I watch my beloved horror films, and how can you have that without Lon Chaney, Jr.?  In Chaney's Baby: Lon, Jr., The Wolf Man, 1948, and the End of a Dream, author Fleck gives us the background story of how Lon became one of Hollywood's finest horror stars, even though he didn't really want to be.

It's the story of Lon Chaney, Jr's signature Wolf Man, his baby if you will, and how he made the part his own.  I have seen all the Universal horror films countless times and own them all, and it is only the Wolf Man's story that is sad..  What people might not know -- beginning with Dracula and Frankenstein in 1931, and ending with House of Dracula in 1945, there is a story there.  I would urge you to watch them all in order.  In the beginning, The Wolf Man does not want his fate and only wants to die, making him a sympathetic creature as he tries over and over, but somehow survives; and his constant attempts to find either help or death is nonetheless sad, but I will not tell you the end of the tale.  Watch the films.  It's worth it.

Having said that, I must also add that this is a very sad book.  Born Creighton Tull Chaney, Lon had a rather sad childhood, never having a stable one until he was nine.  He never really felt that his father, famous silent actor Lon Chaney, loved him, and he struggled with this throughout his life.  When he became an actor he tried using his own name, but it wasn't until he changed it to "Lon, Jr." that he received acclaim.  It was his role as Lenny in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men that those in Hollywood began to sit up and take notice.  Here was a tall, striking, dark-haired man who could act, and it was Universal who decided to put him to good use.

Chaney was happy at first, and enjoyed it.  But his personal life wasn't as happy; he had a failed marriage and two sons; however, his second marriage was happy, so he was at least given something in that.  But pain and insecurity followed him, and it shows in Mr. Fleck's writing.  I was actually depressed for Mr. Chaney throughout a lot of the book, but I knew some of his background so kept reading.

In the end we have book that tells the story of how Chaney came to be the Wolf Man, and his life in film afterward.  The book ends in 1948, but does tell us the rest of Mr. Chaney's life in brief.  The author has done a lot of research, and while the book is short, I would still recommend it to others who love reading about the actors in the Golden Age of Hollywood.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Chaneys-Baby-Wolf-1948-Dream-ebook/dp/B09GGZDZBJ/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6823246092

Irish Soda Bread Murder

Authors:    Carlene O'Connor/Peggy Ehrhart/Liz Ireland

Genre:       Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496751089

Kensington Cozies

352 Pages

$27.00; $13.77 Amazon

December 24, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's almost time for the delicious warmth of Irish soda bread, but be careful where you bite -- some of these recipes call for murder in this delicious collection of cozy mystery novellas featuring the popular St. Paddy's Day treat.

IRISH SODA BREAD MURDER by CARLENE O'CONNOR

There's very little time left before her wedding, but nonetheless Tara Meehan is helping out at her Uncle Johnny's salvage mill for the day.  Aunt Rose set up a convention for local psychics, including a bake sale to raise money for charity, but now she's sick and available only via an iPad Johnny is carrying.  The event promises to deliver a real pot of gold until Rose's biggest rival shows up.  Before Tara can utter a simple "top o' the morning" to the man, he drops dead -- with Johnny's soda bread in his hands.  It's up to Tara to identify the deadly baker before another victim ends up chasing the rainbow straight into a grave...

AN IRISH RECIPE FOR MURDER by PEGGY EHRHART

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year, the Arborville, New Jersey, Advocate is sponsoring a soda bread-baking competition.  Bettina Fraser is excited -- her bake-off idea was the one to get the green light!  But when a town councilman acting as a judge keels over after sampling an entry, the party atmosphere dies just as quickly.  Now it's up to Bettina and her Knit and Nibble knitting club bestie, Pamela Paterson, to find the killer responsible for the murderous morsel. 

MRS. CLAUS AND THE SINISTER SODA BREAD MAN by LIZ IRELAND

When April Claus arrives in Cloudberry Bay, Oregon, to check on her flooded inn, her biggest worry is to keep everyone from realizing her three companions -- Jingles, Juniper, and Butterbean -- are elves.  But soon enough she has more serious worries -- it looks like her hapless caretaker Ernie has been storing stolen goods at the inn!  The none of Ernie's shady pals is found dead, and the murder weapon turns up in a decorative loaf of soda bread at April's craft fair booth.  It's up to April to uncover the killer before she spends St. Patrick's Day in the county jail!

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

This is an anthology of short novellas by three authors who are fairly well-known in the cozy world.  (And if you don't, you should pick up on of their other books!)  Of course, we all have our favorites, but I do love anthologies as you can finish them very quickly and they are interesting.  That is, if they are done well, which these three certainly are.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Irish Soda Bread Murder:  When Tara Meehan moved from the states to Ireland to scatter her mother's ashes, she discovered her Uncle Johnny, who owns a salvage mill and welcomed her into his life.  Since then, she's been running a successful business and has acquired a fiancé as well.  On this day, though, there is going to be a psychic fair that will benefit charity.  There is also a bake sale, and since her Aunt Rose is ill, it was up to Johnny to bake the soda bread.  But all is not well when the first person to try the bread -- another psychic, Ronan Stone, eats it and is found dead.  Now everyone present is a suspect, and it's up to Tara to find the killer, as the police are stumped.  

This is a very good mystery.  With all the psychics as suspect, and all seem to have motives, including Rose, Tara needs to find out who hated Ronan enough to kill him.  She listens in to the police interviews to gather clues, and then has a chance to figure it out later in the night, with everyone present.  The murderer was well hidden, and I didn't figure it out until Tara did.  A worthy read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐An Irish Recipe For Murder:  When Bettina and Pamela are at a soda bread bake-off, it doesn't last long.  The man tasting the bread falls over ill from the first bread offered.  He later dies, and the woman who baked it is riddled with guilt.  But is she a killer?  Neither Bettina nor Pamela think so, and they must put their heads together to figure it out.

A good mystery.  I have read all the books in the original series, and enjoyed them.  This addition is enjoyable as well.  I have my own issues with Pamela, but it did not color my enjoyment of this.  The clues are hidden well, and the murderer was a complete surprise.  This was the best part, as figuring it out wasn't easy, and the reason for the murder was rather sad.  Recommended.

⭐⭐⭐⭐Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man:  When April Claus is called away early from the North Pole to her inn in Oregon, it's due to a broken pipe that has leaked everywhere.  When she arrives with three of her elves, not only is there water everywhere, but a foul smell no one can figure out.  Also, her caretaker Ernie seems to be missing.  Since her main goal is to keep the elves from being recognized, she's surprised when people liken them to leprechauns and want them to appear in their St. Paddy's day parade.  With that solved, there's a new riddle: who sent her a text, and why is there a dead body inside her front door?

Although I'm not big on fantasy, I really enjoyed this story.  The elves bring a little laughter to the tale, and April is up to her ears in both getting her inn ready for summer and trying to figure out who killed the man.  It doesn't help that her local nemesis is making her life miserable as well.  But when the ending comes, it's all that one would desire, with a nice resolution to everything, and another story well worth reading.  Recommended.

In the end, I enjoyed all three tales and these are perfect for St. Patrick's Day stories.  I would definitely recommend them to others.  

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

https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Bread-Murder-Carlene-OConnor-ebook/dp/B0CZGHNYY7/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6813348226

More on Carlene O'Connor's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/o/carlene-oconnor/

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

More on Liz Ireland's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/i/liz-ireland/

Murder at the Lemonberry Tea (A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Book 6)

Author:    Darci Hannah

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book; (Audiobook Available) 

ISBN #:    9781496747402

Kensington Cozies

306 Pages

$8.99; $7.99 Amazon

November 26, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lindsey's patrons have a new outdoor patio where they can eat their treats in the glorious summer weather.  But even more exciting is that the Beacon Bakeshop is going to host British celebrity chef Vivi Lemonberry -- and what could be a more appropriate event than a tea party?

What Lindsey didn't realize is that Vivi is here to put some distance between herself and her recent professional and personal scandals.  Despite assurances that Vivi is as sweet as a chocolate-dipped strawberry, Lindsey is cooling rapidly toward the culinary icon...especially after she banishes Lindsey's beloved dog, Wellington, from the bakeshop and then flirts outrageously with Lindsey's boyfriend.

She's not the only one feeling hostile, though.  While Vivi's in the middle of making a tart in front of the cameras, a woman runs up and slaps her.  Soon, Vivi's nowhere to be found, and folks are speculating on whether she's run off with her secret lover or just laying low due to embarrassment.  That is, until Lindsey finds a body bobbing near the surface of Lake Michigan.  It's a our ending for the diva, but Lindsey is determined to squeeze the truth out of every clue until she finds the killer...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Lindsey Bakewell owns the Beacon Bakeshop, a bakery inside a delightful lighthouse that sits on the edge of Lake Michigan.  She's excited because a British celebrity baker, Vivi Lemonberry, is coming to her shop to bake Vivi's famous Bakewell Tart as part of a promo for her new cookbook.  She's had her share of scandals, but is now ready to start anew with a new attitude as well...but it doesn't last long.  Lindsey soon finds out that Vivi is a diva of the first water and expects Lindsey to change everything to her own specifications.  This includes banning Welly, Lindsey's beloved Newfoundland, from his home until she leaves. 

On top of this, Rory, Lindsey's love, also moves out because Lindsey's best friend, Kennedy's family, is coming to stay at the lighthouse -- her grandmother, mother, and sister Pippa.  This is almost as complicated as it gets, until while filming, a woman comes up and slaps Vivi, sending her off in hysterics, not to return.

Now everyone wants to know where Vivi is, and when -- or if -- the show will continue.  Unfortunately, while learning to scuba dive with Rory, Lindsey is thrown into a terror by finding a body just below the surface of the water.  Now there's a search for a killer, and even the police are so stumped that Sergeant Murdock has asked for Lindsey's help.  What else could go wrong?...

This is the sixth book in the series and I have read them all.  I have also loved them all.  This one has just as much appeal as all the others.  While the search is on for a killer, it's obvious that the murderer has intended to frame someone else, and that doesn't sit well with Lindsey or her friends.  Unfortunately, Kennedy's sister "wants in on the action", which doesn't sit well with Kennedy, but what can she do?

Once they start investigating, they discover that everyone has secrets.  But which ones led to the murder?  And with so many people with motives, how to sift through the suspects to find out who had the nerve -- and anger -- to kill in such a fashion?

The book is filled with enough intrigue, secrets, and lies to keep anyone interested, but there are not so many people that you can't keep the suspects straight.  I pretty much had most of it figured out before Lindsey did; but in the end even I was surprised by the whole truth.

At the last, we are given a wonderful ending that leaves us wanting to read the next book in the series right now.  I am not-so-patiently waiting for that!  There are also some yummy recipes in the back on the book that I can't wait to try.  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/Murder-Lemonberry-Beacon-Bakeshop-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CWLHGYCZ/

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6796009966

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

This Way to Murder (The Board Game Cafe Mysteries #1)

Author:    Shelley Shearer

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781958321010

Tannhauser Press

211 Pages

$12.99; $4.99 Amazon

February 9, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Remi McKenna is co-hosting a letterboxing event, but her weekend plans are not all fun and games when best friend Trace Cooper is the target of a stalker.  An inheritance of a stone manor house means she hopes this will be the start of her new life in Northern Virginia.  Can Remi juggle the event, start planning her game-themed B&B, and solve the mystery of Trace's strange messages?  Things escalate into a real-life game of Clue when Remi finds a dead body in the garden.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Remi McKenna quit her job and left the state when she inherited a huge old home from her late aunt.  Along with her is her best friend Trace Cooper, and they're off to their new adventure...somewhat.  It seems that Trace's downstairs neighbor has been found murdered, and that's not a good start.  Even though neither of them knew him, they had no idea this was just the beginning to a bigger mystery...

Remi has agreed to cohost a letterbox event with her friends Alice and Jason at their farm, which they are trying to turn into an inn.  Unfortunately, there's also an alien event going on in town, which means the inn is full, and the barn and yard is full of tents with people who are attending one event or the other.  Remi only hopes she can keep up with it all.

But it's soon apparent that Trace has a stalker who knows her every move, even here at their getaway.  Trace acts nonchalant, but Remi is worried, and doesn't want her to go anywhere alone.  Then 'accidents' are occurring to people who are around Trace, and Remi is more than alert, especially when she finds the body of a man who hit on Trace.  Can she find the killer and get through the weekend unscathed, or will this be her first -- and final -- event?

This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I have to say that I enjoyed it.  I know nothing about letterboxing, but the best way I can explain it is that it's like Geocaching, but with written clues instead of coordinates, less intricate, and using rubber stamps.

That being said, it was an interesting plot line and I thought that it was written well with enough intrigue to keep one interested throughout.  There are plenty of suspects, and also a lot of red herrings.  After all, there is only one killer, but they are not that easy to figure out, which I appreciated.  I love a good mystery that keeps me on my toes.

When we discovered the murderer, it came as a complete surprise, which it should, and the reason for the killing was insane; but then again, this is a killer and they never make sense anyway!  The only thing I have to wonder is if a gaming B&B could make money; but you see, when I go to one, I do so to relax and just enjoy what is around me, not to do what it is I do all the time anyway.  Those, of course, are just my thoughts and we will have to see what the author does in the next book, right?

In the end, very good mystery, surprise of a killer, and very good writing.  I will read the next in the series.

https://www.amazon.com/This-Way-Murder-Board-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0CVDMS3ZC/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6782919692

More on Shelly Shearer's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/shelley-shearer/

Mrs. Morris and the Venomous Valentine (A Salem B&B Mystery #9)

Author:    Traci Wilton

Genre:     Mystery/Paranormal

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B0CZGPZQMJ

Kensington Cozies

304 Pages

$8.54 Amazon

December24, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cupid's taking aim at Charlene Morris's historic Salem B&B, which is brimming with models for a contentious photo shoot, but his arrow goes astray when someone is murdered on Valentine's Day...

A full house is nothing new to Charlene and her ghostly friend, Dr. Jack Strathmore, but this Valentine's Day, their Salem, Massachusetts inn isn't filled with romantic couples.  Instead, every room is booked by formerly famous photographer Dane Stallone, for a Cupid-themed calendar he hopes will jumpstart his sagging career.  Though Charlene's hands are full with a dozen gorgeous models, Dane is the only diva -- pitching fits, making unreasonable demands, and generally being a mood killer...until a real killer strikes and puts the whole shoot on ice.

With more suspects than a jumbo box of chocolates, Charlene, Jack, and Detective Sam Holden race to find the one person filled with murderous intent...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Charlene Morris moved from Chicago to Salem after her husband's sudden death, and bought the large mansion that is now her beloved B&B.  It also came with the ghost of the former owner, Dr. Jack Strathmore, whom Charlene has grown very fond of.  Only Charlene and her cat Silva can see and hear Jack, which makes her careful when others are around.

She's currently hosting twelve models from around the world and their photographer, Dane Stallone, for a photo shoot that must be done by March 1st, and it is nearly Valentine's Day.  However, Dane is acting like a real diva, with nearly unreasonable demands of both the models and Charlene and her staff.  While she doesn't like the man, she helps him anyway just to get it over with an him out of her house.

But then a murder occurs, and Charlene is stuck with everyone when the police -- namely newly promoted Detective Jimenez -- tells her no one can leave until she finds the killer.  Suddenly tempers flare and arguments break out, but Charlene is determined to make the best of it and hope the remaining guests will, also.

Then there's the problem of Sam, who can't get involved in the case but still wants to see Charlene, and her "daughter" Avery is due home from school for a few days.  With so much going on, will she be able to find time to gather clues to solve the case, or will this finally put an end to her sleuthing altogether?...

This is the ninth book in the series and I have read and loved them all.  This one was a bit more complicated, as you have a lot more suspects, and they're all gathered in one place.  Keeping the names straight was easy enough, but then you have to keep the countries straight as well.  Not as easy, but doable.

I loved how the mystery was laid out, and even the fact that each of the people at the B&B had secrets of their own that they wanted to keep hidden.  But it's not as simple as it seems when they must involve Brandy Flint, a powerful witch and owner of Flint winery, and Charlene's friend.  It all seems so complicated for Charlene, who asks Jack for help.

Through a twisty tale that interweaves mystery, loss, and intrigue, we are given new insights and danger abounds; and wait to see how it all turns out.  It is indeed a delicious mix of a tale, and while the ending is very good, I have to say that I am Team Jack (yes, I know he's a ghost, but such a delightful one); so Charlene has that to deal with as well (which is no spoiler as it's been in previous books).  

\

Another fine tale from Ms. Wilton, and the ending alone is worth reading the entire book (but don't peek!).  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Morris-Venomous-Valentine-Salem-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CZGPZQMJ/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6782000840

More on Traci Wilton's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/traci-wilton/

Scooping Up Scandal (A Little Dog Diner Mystery #7)

Author:    Emmie Lyn

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781964703220

Tule Publishing

258 Pages

$11.99; $4.99 Amazon

August 5, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Turning thirty can be murder!

When a body is discovered next to the Little Dog Diner on her milestone birthday, Dani Mackenzie finds herself scooping up a scandal instead of cutting cake.

The prime suspect is the new owner of the Blueberry Bay Grapevine, but the victim's stepbrother and ex-girlfriend also have means, motive, and opportunity.

With this trio of suspects, it will take a good nose to uncover whodunnit.  At least Dani has her best friend -- her Jack Russell, Pip -- at her side to help sniff out the killer!  But in the meantime, her kick-off to her thirties is turning into more of an upside-down cake than a celebration as she uncovers money, a business scandal, and thwarted love at the core of this crime.

It will take the victim's black Labrador and finding a winning lottery ticket to solve this mystery, but Dani never throws in the towel!  Will she and Pip once again use their experience at solving mysteries to bring justice to Misty Harbor, Maine, or will they be caught in the crosshairs of the killer?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Dani Mackenzie is awakened early one morning by a call from Cam, who owns the local newspaper, the Grapevine.  Cam tells her that someone is trying to break into Dani's restaurant, The Little Dog Diner.  But when Dani arrives, she gets a different surprise -- it's her thirtieth birthday and her friends and family have planned a celebratory breakfast for her.  But there's another surprise waiting -- the body of Thorne Waite is in Cam's office, and she claims she has no idea how it got there or who killed him.

Now Cam, along with others who knew Thorne, are suspects in the murder, and Dani's right in the middle of it.  Will she be able to find a killer?  Will she survive her birthday?  Not to mention her best friend Maggie has fallen in love with the dead man's dog and refuses to give it back to the breeder, who isn't happy about it.  Dani doesn't know what's going on, but when she receives an unexpected surprise on her birthday -- from an unexpected source -- she begins to figure out that she might be the next target of a killer....

This is the seventh book in the series, and I am sad to say that I have not read them all.  But I found this so delightful that I fully intend to correct that and read the ones I missed.  Poor Dani only wants a quiet birthday, but that's not going to happen; and she's stuck in the middle of another murder investigation, much to the dismay of Detective AJ Crenshaw.

Then there's the victim's lab, whom both Maggie and the breeder want.  Which one will get the dog?  And why does the victim's brother hang around town after the murder, acting suspiciously?  Or the ex-girlfriend annoying everyone she comes across?

Dani has her hands full, not only with her diner, (which she's not able to spend a lot of time in, but that's okay, she has her grandmother Rose saving the day there), so worrying about the diner is at least on the back burner for awhile.

Needless to say, this mystery is full of twists and turns, full of people who aren't the nicest, and questions about why the dead man was in Cam's office.  Dani dives full on into the murder, and we watch as she gathers and deciphers clues along the way.  It's a lot of fun with a lot of intrigue, a few secrets being unveiled, and an ending that was and wasn't unexpected (you'll find out!).  All in all, I really enjoyed this and hope you will, too.  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/Scooping-Up-Scandal-Mystery-Little-ebook/dp/B0D4MN9RQT/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6762369550

More on Emmie Lyn's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/emmie-lyn/