Killer Gumbo (Savory Mystery Series Book 4)

Author:    Karen McSpade

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B09HDW1P6Z

Newcastle Media

60 Pages

$2.99 Amazon

November 30, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Chicago detective Piper Sandstone is about to embark on her most dangerous mission ever while hiding in Savory, Alabama.  With a price placed on her head by some dirty cops, Piper is forced to go undercover as a waitnress at a local café.  But when a dognapping and murder shake up the local community, Piper finds herself tangled in the mystery,  Now, she must hide her unique talents and maintain her cover if she wants to make it home alive.

Savory, better known as Alligator Alley, is not your typical tourist Gulf Coast town.  Why?  Because it's home to the three-time AKC champion poodle Victory Cup Valentino, but this year bad things are about to go down,  Even before Piper can get unpacked, there is a murder, and the poodle goes missing right before the Westminster Dog Show.  But before she can get any answers, all hell breaks loose when a body turns up in the bayou and she's at the center of the crime scene.  To top things off, the handsome sheriff is asking too many questions.

Fortunately for Piper, a group of sweet older ladies known as the Dentures and Diamonds Crime Squad is on her side.  These quirky amateur sleuths are a force to be reckoned with and they've taken a special interest in Piper's unique skills,  Now, they must join forces to solve the mystery and catch the killer before another Savory resident winds up dead.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Piper Sandstone is a Chicago police detective who is currently hiding out in Savory, Alabama under an assumed name.  She works as Sharon, a waitress, at a local eatery, and is becoming fond of a group of older women who call themselves the Dentures and Diamonds Crime Squad.  These ladies are determined to find out the truth about a murdered dog trainer, and they've taken on 'Sharon' as one of their own.

But then a local man dies at the eatery and it's discovered that he's been poisoned.  Now these woman are wondering if the two are connected, and what they have to do with the recent dognapping that's taken place.  So in this vein, they've decided to go undercover to discover clues, but they may have gone just a tad too far this time...

This is the fourth episode of this series, and I have read every one.  Each time they get more interesting, and give you a little bit more in clues to work with.  There is suspense aplenty, and snippets of information given, both about Piper and what is going on in Savory.  In this, we are drawn into the town and its residents, wondering who killed both people and why.

Just when you get to the part you want to know more of, the book drops a small bomb and gives us something to look forward to in the next...which I want to read right away.  Ms. McSpade tells a mean story, and her books are always intriguing and worth the read.  Highly recommended.

I was given an advance copy from the author but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Gumbo-Sandstone-Mystery-contemporary-ebook/dp/B09HDW1P6Z/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4364199129

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

Rekindling Motives (Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Series Book 2)

Author:    Elaine L. Orr

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781948070027

Lifelong Dreams Publishing

252 Pages

$8.99 $.99 Amazon

October 2, 2017

⭐⭐⭐

Jolie Gentil appraises the vacant Tillotson-Fisher house and finds the skeleton of Richard Tillotson in an antique attic wardrobe.  He vanished after his sister married his business partner in 1929.  Jolie sees a link to the Fisher family's Prohibition era business and works with friends Scoobie and Ramona to gather clues from old photo albums and ledgers.  The present day murder of Richard's former girlfriend, Mary Doris, tells them they're on the right track.  Did the secret she kept all these years finally kill her?  Between running the food pantry at Christmas time and escaping a burning building, they hope to figure out who the modern killer is before someone else gets hurt.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Jolie Gentil moved back home to Ocean Alley after her husband was put in the witness protection program (another story) and works as a real estate appraiser for Harry Steele's agency.  When she's asked to appraise an old home she finds an attic filled with treasures...until a skeleton pops out from a closet and the head falls down the staircase with Jolie.

Now she's figured out the skeleton is that of Richard Tillotson, who vanished in 1929.  But finding out his killer is another problem, one her Aunt Madge wants her to leave alone.  But Jolie has a deep curiosity about the murder, and goes to see Richard's 94-year-old girlfriend in the hope that the woman can give her some insight.

With another murder more modern, and Jolie armed with old photo albums and ledgers, she's planning on figuring it all out.  But someone doesn't want her to, and they're willing to kill her to keep the family secrets...

In full disclosure, I haven't read any others in this series.  I actually picked this book up because it was supposed to be about the holiday season, which we are into.  While there is a mention or two of Christmas, this book could take place any time of the year and it wouldn't matter.  There are no decorations, no trees, no town decorations, no snow...no nothing.  Why?  Doesn't Jolie's family celebrate the holiday?  There isn't even any holiday shopping, or mention of meals.  All in all, this book didn't produce what it promised.  

In defense, I will say that yes, it had a mystery, but even so, there could have been some decent reference to Christmas in passing more than just moving on to where Jolie gets up on New Year's Day.  Say what?  What happened to the week between Christmas and New Year's?  This is what to expect.  There are also no descriptions of the B&B or any of the town.  It left me wondering exactly where Ocean Alley might be, and if anyone else lived there.

But, back to the murder:  it was done very well, and there were a few suspects on the line, but actually there were no clues leading to the murderer, which I found disappointing.  There were scenes of the food pantry and Jolie's introduction into it, and Scoobie, who is really odd and I don't know whether I like him or not yet; the characters I really like are Mary Doris and Lance.  They, at least, have stories to tell.  I do like mysteries within mysteries, and that is what saved this book for me.

Although I didn't feel that this book was a page-turner, it was done well enough that I will more than likely go back to the first book and continue on with the series.  Perhaps after reading a few more books I will warm up to more of the characters that people the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Rekindling-Motives-Jolie-Gentil-Mystery/dp/1948070022/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4360560776

More on Elaine Orr's Books:    https://www.amazon.com/Elaine-L-Orr/e/B001HD0X6K/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1

Death by the Finish Line (An Abby McCree Mystery Book 5)

Author:    Alexis Morgan

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496731272

Kensington Publishing

336 Pages

$8.99; $7.99 Amazon

December 28, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overcommitted Abby has once again been drafted to use her organizing superpowers -- this time for a 5K charity run that's part of the Founder's Day Celebration in Snowberry Creek, Washington.  At least she has help, albeit from an unlikely source: Gil Pratt, a member of her handsome tenant Tripp Blackston's veterans group and co-owner of a motorcycle repair shop with his brother.  Abby and Gil might seem like an odd couple, but they work great together.

The event seems to be running smoothly -- until city council member James DiSalvo is found murdered in a raving along the race route.  Unfortunately, Gil's brother Gary had a very public argument with DiSalvo minutes before the race, making him the prime suspect.  Now the two race organizers must again team up to prove Gary's innocence -- before the real killer makes a run for it.  But one wrong step and Abby may be the next one to come in dead last...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Abby McCree inherited her late aunt's Victorian home in Snowberry Creek, Washington.  It was fortuitous because after her divorce, she moved in and suddenly the town took to her right away.  Because of her business expertise, Abby has a habit of getting roped into events all year long by the mayor's assistant -- and her tenant, Tripp Blackston, is starting to become something more than just a tenant.

This time out she's working on the Salmon Scoot, a 5k run in which the proceeds of the event will benefit the high school.  Her co-chair is the unlikely Gil Pratt, co-owner of a motorcycle repair shop along with his brother.  Abby is surprised to find that Gil isn't scary at all, and they actually work well together.  But the day of the race, she witnesses an argument between Gil's brother Gary and James DiSalvo, a city council member.

Later, when DiSalvo's lifeless body is found along the race trail, Gary is arrested for the murder.  Gil is beside himself, knowing his brother isn't a killer.  Now Abby, even though she's promised both Tripp and Sheriff Gage Logan that she will stay out of it, is somehow dragged into the investigation anyway.  She's determined that any information she receives she'll turn over to Gage, but if the wrong person thinks Abby might know a little too much, it might also be the last thing she does learn...

This is the fifth book in the series and I have read them all and enjoyed every one of them.  I do like the fact that Abby's relationship with Tripp is progressing (albeit slowly), so there's that, but in this book she befriends biker Gil, who somehow develops a soft spot for Abby, and, of course, her baking skills.  We also get to see a little more of Gage's relationship with his daughter Sydney, and there's a sweet moment that should please anyone.

However, the dead man's daughter is haranguing Gage daily, and there's another woman who's muddying the waters, making it difficult for Abby to figure out the truth.  But her friends are around her, and their tidbits of information are giving her a clue as to what the dead man was truly like, and it might make things easier in the long run.

I will not give out any more information on the plot, but I will say that this book is chock full of action, and the clues are there, even if they are few and far between.  The murderer came as a surprise to me, and I am usually very good at this, so that was pleasant and enhanced my enjoyment of the book.  It was one that I read in one evening, and a very good cozy to keep you entertained.  We also get a hint as to what the next book will be like, and I truly wish I could read it now.  Ms. Morgan is a talented writer that knows how to pull in the reader and make them want to be part of the book itself, and I look forward to 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://www.amazon.com/Death-Finish-Line-McCree-Mystery/dp/1496731271/ref

Goodreads:      https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4346208916

More on Alexis Morgan's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/alexis-morgan/

Mystery on the Half Shell (Savory Mystery Series Book 3)

Author:    Karen McSpade

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B09DBY8JVD

Newcastle Media

61 Pages

$2,99 Amazon

November 16, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After solving a case involving dirty cops, Piper is forced to hide out in Savory, Alabama until the corrupt officers land behind bars.

Savory, better known as Alligator Alley, is not your typical tourist attraction Gulf Coast town.  Why?  Because it's home to the three-time AKC champion poodle Victory Cup Valentino, but this year bad things are about to go down.  Even before Piper can get unpacked, there is a murder, and the poodle goes missing right before the Westminster Dog Show.

Piper can't resist looking into the case, and she can't risk blowing her cover if she wants to make her way back home.  But before she can get any answers, all hell breaks loose when a body turns up in the bayou.  And she's at the center of the crime scene.

Fortunately for Piper, a group of retired ladies known as the Dentures and Diamonds Crime Squad is on her side, and they are a force to be reckoned with.  Now, they must work together to solve the crime and stop the murderer before they end up in a body bag.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

When Piper Sandstone moves to Savory, Alabama, it isn't her own choice.  It's because she's in the middle of a trial involving dirty cops, and it's for her own safety.  Since she's now Sharon, a waitress at the local diner, she needs to keep her identity secret.  But it doesn't stop her from investigating crime -- it's inbred in her as a cop -- and she's investigating the death of a young woman whose body was found in the swamp.  Joining her are a group of four retired ladies known as the Dentures and Diamonds Crime Squad, and they're just as concerned about justice for the dead woman.

But things get hairy when she's caught snooping by the local sheriff, who now doesn't trust her, and more involved when she finds something she didn't expect to find.  Now she's wondering why things aren't looking the way they should, and if there's more to the story.  But before she can do any more sleuthing, something occurs that stops everything temporarily...

This is the third installment in the series, and I have to say that I am really enjoying it.  While these are short reads, it is difficult to put them down, and it makes you want to finish the entire series in one sitting.  There is enough action to please anyone, and enough mystery to keep you guessing.  Since these are short, I hesitate to give you any more information than I already have, but urge you to read the series, beginning with the first book.  You won't be disappointed.  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Half-Shell-Sandstone-contemporary-ebook/dp/B09DBY8JVD/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4341163819

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

Howl to Get Away with Murder (Dog Groomer Mysteries Book 5)

Author:    Chelsea Thomas

Genre:     Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9798763335866

Independently Published

258 Pages

$12.99; $5.99 Amazon

November 9, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Amy Stewart moved back home to her small town of Toluca Lake, CA for the palm trees, the cute pets, and the relaxation.  She opened the world's cutest pet salon and quickly settled into life in a town where people are friendly, the weather is perfect, and everyone knows everyone else's dog by name.

She didn't anticipate solving so many murders.

But Amy and her grumpy granny have an incredible eye for detail, and they've got determination, they've got the persistence needed to solve any crime.  So when something goes wrong in town all eyes turn to them.

This time the body shows up at a local bar.

A dear family friend is targeted as the primary suspect, so Amy and Granny need to work fast in order to keep their friend out of jail.  But this case is dangerous and if they're not care our heroes could be the killer's next victims.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Amy Stewart moved home to Toluca Lake, CA after a disastrous relationship, and opened a pet salon along with her granny.  Her sole other employee is her best friend from school, Betsy.  In between making dogs look their best, the trio are off solving murder mysteries -- even when they don't want to.

When a friend at the local bank asked Amy to look into a missing Canadian man who was supposed to show up for a meeting at the bank but never arrived, she's not sure she's willing to do it, since they don't want to get involved in other crimes.  But Amy agrees, and while heading out one night to Little Canada,  Amy finds the man.  In a bathroom.  Killed with a hatchet.  Now there's another murderer on the loose, and Amy and her granny Petunia are out to find a killer once again.

The problem is that they don't know anything about him, so they have to start from scratch.  While the clues are all pointing to one person, Amy isn't sure that person is the guilty party.  But who else could be a suspect, when everything is steering her in that direction?

To top it off, both surgeon Jacob and detective Mike are pursuing Amy, and she's feeling both guilty and torn.  She hasn't given romance a thought, doesn't want to lead them on, and doesn't know who she likes better.  So what's a girl to do?

Meanwhile, her cat Fluffy is in a conundrum himself.  His love interest, Queen Elizabeth, has asked him a very special favor, and he wants to do everything he can to help her.  But even Fluffy has his limits, and he might have to ask someone else to help him.  It seems there are two in the household who are having romance problems, and neither one knows quite what to do...

However, finding a murderer this time out is different, with Amy having doubts and no help from the police, since she isn't able to either ask Mike or find him when she needs him.  So Amy and Granny are on their own, and Little Canada isn't the only place they wind up where they don't belong...

This is the fifth book in the series and just as delightful as all the others.  I do love the chapters with Fluffy, as he contemplates life and love in the feline masses.  It's always fun and interesting to read what he has to say.

Meanwhile, we have Betsy and her ever-changing screenplay -- all because she spent a night in jail and is now deciding she needs to sell her story to an agent so it can be made into a movie.  It's a hoot with the lines she comes up with, but at the same time, I'm grateful I don't have a Betsy in my own life.  I'd probably stop answering the phone after awhile...

Then there's Petunia, who's still playing poker and teaching her 'life skills classes' to unsuspecting males, all of whom are in need of dire confidence in themselves.  Those poor men.  It comes at a cost, but at least they're learning something worthwhile, right?

At the last, there's Amy, who is such a muddle inside that she can't think straight outside when it comes to men.  And murder keeps getting in the way.  Her professional life is just fine, because she's doing what she wants -- grooming the creatures that mean most to her -- but it's the humans she has troubles with, and never more so than when they commit murder...

In the end, the story was intriguing so much that I read it in one sitting.  It was almost exhausting with everything that was going on, and it was definitely hard to put down, which is just what a book is supposed to achieve.  What it also achieved was finding a murderer that came as a complete surprise.  We find out at the same time as Amy, so it was just like being there when it occurred (which, of course, we are).  It was unexpected and worth reading, and it all made sense when it came together.  All in all, the book was put together well with taut prose and a very good plot...and I have to say that I'm team Jacob -- which I usually don't take sides, but in this case I'll make an exception.  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/Howl-Away-Murder-Chelsea-Thomas/dp/B09LGNQYZ2/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4339216325

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

Thanksgiving Waffle Murder (Wicked Waffle Paranormal Cozies Book 3)

Author:    Carolyn Q. Hunter

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781981635733

Create Space Independent Publishing Platform

188 Pages

$7.99; $2.99 Amazon

December 11, 2017

⭐⭐⭐

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching in Haunted Falls, Colorado, and diner owner, Sonja Reed, is busy getting her new cottage ready for the big event.  This year she is playing host to a large crew of hungry people -- including her boyfriend Frank's parents, and is excited to host everyone in her very own home.

Unfortunately, the harrowing nightmare's she's been having seem to be overshadowing the event and Sonja is beginning to wonder if perhaps there are ghosts involved.  When the nightmares come true and another murder occurs, she finds herself plunged smack dab into the middle of another mysteyr.

Will Sonja be able to solve this latest case before it ruins the holiday and more, or will she be the next victim?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Sonja Reed is having the big Thanksgiving dinner at her own home, and she's invited both friends and family, and a lonely English transplant named Tabitha Rondo, who is away from her own family.  But they are barely into the celebration when Sonja goes to check on the turkey that her butler Gram is making when she finds a body in the old brick fireplace.  Now, with everyone gathered together in one room, it's up to Sonja to quietly try to figure out if her nightmares -- which involved a woman being strangled to death -- had anything to do with the present situation.

Her nightmares haunt her, and she discovered that indeed a woman was murdered on the premises in the early 1900's.  But how could the spirit of the sad young woman tell her anything about a present day killer?...

I like to 'read the season,' as it were, and this is the first Thanksgiving book that I settled upon.  While it wasn't a bad book, it wasn't enthralling, either.  It is a quick read and only took me about an hour to finish, but that's neither a minus or a plus.  I just felt that I didn't really get to know any of the characters involved, so I didn't really care when the murderer was found, and the reasons for the killing didn't seem to be rational to me, especially because of who the murderer was.  But it was a decent book, and easy to read, and I might very well try this author again, beginning with the first in the series and watch it progress.

https://smile.amazon.com/Thanksgiving-Waffle-Murder-Wicked-Paranormal-ebook/dp/B077DZYQ73/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4331319657

More on Carolyn Q. Hunter's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/carolyn-q-hunter/

Absence of Alice (A Sarah W. Garage Sale Mystery Book 9)

Author:    Sherry Harris

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496722539

Kensington Publishing

288 Pages

$6.96; $6.61 Amazon

December 29, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sarah's latest client, Alice Krandle, is sure she has a fortune in antiques on her hands.  She's already gotten a generous offer for the whole lot before her garage sale has even begun, but she thinks she can earn more with Sarah's expert help.  The problem is that while Sarah's sorting through items from decades past, her landlady, Stella, faces a clear and present danger.

Stella's kidnapper has contacted Sarah with a set of instructions, and "Don't call the police" is at the top of the list.  But they didn't say anything about Sarah's friend Harriet -- who happens to be a former F.B.I. hostage negotiator...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Sarah Winston is an ex-Air Force wife whom, after her divorce, decided to stay in Ellington, Massachusetts and run a garage sale business for others, which she's very good at.  But after a successful sale for Alice Krandle, a cantankerous elderly woman who's happy with Sarah's results, she receives a phone call from someone who tells her that he's kidnapped her landlady Stella, and she won't be returned unless Sarah does exactly what he says.  Part of that is to not contact the police nor her boyfriend Seth, who is the DA, so she's stuck in a precarious situation.

When she learns that Seth was almost abducted the same day, she's running scared, but willing to do whatever it takes to get Stella back alive.  She has Stella's phone, which the kidnapper is watching every text she sends, and he is following Sarah's every move.  She's given herself a time limit, and then whatever happens, she's going to the police.  But she has help in her assistant Harriet, who's an ex-FBI hostage negotiator, and the two are working together.

When Sarah finds the body of a woman dressed like Alice in Wonderland, she's horrified.  But when state police are called in, she's finding her adrenaline heightened and her sense of fear intensified.  But the kidnapper doesn't know Sarah, or what she's capable of when someone she loves is in danger.  It's Sarah's intrepid instincts that puts her ahead of the kidnapper's little game...

This is the ninth book in the series and I have read all of them.  I loved the plot line in this one.  It pretty much put Sarah on her own against someone with a sick mind who though they could use her as a pawn to get to someone else.  It shows Sarah's true strength, and the lengths she will go to to protect those she loves, even putting her own reputation on the line.

I have to say that it bothered me, though, how Pellner and Awesome reacted to her.  Would they not have done the same thing in the same situation?  Would Pellner have put his wife's life on the line?  I don't think so.  Cut her some slack, guys.  I did love the fact that it showed how loyal Sarah's friends are, and how loyal she is to them.  It warmed my heart.

When Sarah starts 'the game' as it were, she's worried and scared, but once she has help unknown to the kidnapper, things start to become more interesting, and that's when the book pulls you in.  I really couldn't put this one down and read it all in one sitting.

In the end it was definitely a twisted situation as well as a rather sad one, but there are other things that make it all worth the while.  I did enjoy this book immensely and look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Absence-Alice-Sarah-Garage-Mystery/dp/1496722531/ref

Goodreads:     https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4326273186

More on Sherry Harris's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/sherry-harris/