Tag: Cozy Mystery

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Murder in a Cape Cottage (A Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery 4) by Maddie Day

322 pages September 27,2022 publish date Kensington publisher

About The Book

From Agatha-awarding winning author Maddie Day comes the latest novel in her Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery series set in a picturesque Cape Cod town, where resourceful bike-shop owner Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida” tackles a cold case with the help of her fellow book club sleuths—a treat for fans of fresh, clever, cozy mysteries and those who love Lorna Barrett’s Booktown series.
 
ʼTis the day after Christmas, following a wicked-busy time of year for Mac’s bike shop. It’s just as well her Cozy Capers Book Group’s new pick is a nerve-soothing coloring book mystery, especially when she has last-minute wedding planning to do. But all pre-wedding jitters fade into the background when Mac and her fiancé, Tim, begin a cottage renovation project and open up a wall to find a skeleton—sitting on a stool, dressed in an old-fashioned bridal gown . . .
 
As Mac delves into the decades-old mystery with the help of librarian Flo and her book group, she discovers a story of star-crossed lovers and feuding families worthy of the bard himself. Yet this tale has a modern-day villain still lurking in Mac’s quaint seaside town, ready to make this a murderous New Year’s Eve . . .
 
Includes Recipes!

Cape Cod travel sticker or luggage label

My Thoughts

Bike-shop owner Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida is at it again, amateur sleuthing that is.
She and her fiancée Tim are renovating their cottage just days before their wedding and a skeleton is found behind a wall of a young woman in a wedding dress. This is a cold case as it’s been there for more than eighty years.

Taking place in the Cape Cod area of Massachusetts, I was eager to read this book for several reasons. One being that we traveled to Mass on an anniversary trip last year in July. My first time to Mass and I love to read about places I’ve traveled to.

Would they be able to find anyone to talk to in town that remembered the details of this crime from so long ago. When they do, this person is in danger for daring to talk. I enjoy this author’s cozies the stories flow nicely and they’re not overly complicated.

Throw in a little help from the Mac’s fellow book club sleuths. Secrets are spilled and an old timer remembers the story of the star-crossed lovers whose feuding families didn’t want them together. I’m all in for the setting of this coastal town.

When the case is ready to break, and the clues come tumbling out will it prevent the newest couple from marrying this New Years Eve?
Fast paced with a great plot and setting. I’m in for reading more by this author.

Pub Date 27 Sep 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

About The Author

Maddie Day is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning author, Maddie writes the Country Store, Cozy Capers Book Group, and Cece Barton Mysteries, all from Kensington Publishing.

As Edith Maxwell, she write the Local Foods Mysteries (Kensington Publishing) and the Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Beyond the Page), as well as award-winning short crime fiction.

You can find all Maddie’s/Edith’s identities and work at http://www.edithmaxwell.com. She blogs every week day with the other Wicked Authors at wickedauthors.com and every second and fourth Fridays at mysteryloverskitchen.com. Look for her as Maddie Day/ Edith Maxwell on Facebook and @edithmaxwell and @maddiedayauthor on Twitter and Instagram.

You could make all the difference in someone’s life. Do your best. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by.

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A Murder of Aspic Proportions (A Sunflower Café Mystery Book 2) by Amy Lillard

259 pages June 27,2023 publish date Kensington publisher

Grab A Copy Here

About The Book

The award-winning author’s brand-new Sunflower Café Mystery series, set in small-town Kansas, features a twenty-something advice columnist turned café manager and sleuth, her loyal Yorkie, farm-fresh produce—and murder. Will appeal to fans of Charlotte Hubbard, Molly Jebber, Susan Lantz Simpson, and Kelly Long.

Twenty-something Sissy Yoder never imagined herself running her Aunt Bethel’s café, but her help is needed, so she’s making a go of it. And she must admit that life in tiny Yoder has been anything but
dull–she’s already solved one homicide—after being named the prime suspect in the case! Enjoying a peaceful respite after all that excitement, Sissy just wants to write her advice column, hang out with her loyal Yorkie, Duke, and procure some of local farmer Walt Summers’ scrumptious “To Die For” tomatoes for the Sunshine Café’s menu. But when the unsavory Summers–resented by just about everyone in town–turns up murdered in his garden shed, it’s up to Sissy to roll up her sleeves, dig for some clues, and weed out the culprit . . .
 
“A promising new sleuth whose lovable dog and incipient love interest combine nicely with Lillard’s trademark Amish lore.”
–Kirkus Reviews

My Thoughts

A Murder of Aspic Proportions is the second book in the A Sunflower Café Mystery series.
Sissy Yoder finds herself running her Aunt Bethel’s Cafe, but she also finds herself super sleuthing.
Yoder, Kansas has all the small-town charm, a popular cafe, a fierce produce competition to produce the best tomatoes, but one thing it has that’s not charming is a murder needing solved.
When a tomato grower, the most unliked man is town is found dead no one seems too surprised. There are many in the town who could have had a reason to do him in. When a young Amish woman admits to the crime Sissy finds herself taking the law into her own hands and trying to find out if she really did it and who she’s trying to protect. I loved Duke’s character, he’s Sissy’s tiny dog with a huge personality.
The ending of the story was surprising and quite funny. I recommend reading these in order. I really enjoyed this cozy mystery and I hope this series continues.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

https://www.eatortoss.com/holy-sprouts-whats-up-with-the-seeds-in-this-tomato/

The Author

Amy loves nothing more than a good book. Except for her family…and maybe homemade tacos…and nail polish. But reading and writing are definitely high on the list.

Born and bred in Mississippi, Amy is a transplanted Southern Belle who now lives in Oklahoma with her deputy husband, their genius son, two spoiled cats, and one very lazy beagle. Oh, and don’t forget the stray kitty that has taken up residence on her front porch. ^..^

When she’s not creating quirky characters and happy endings, she’s chauffeuring her prodigy to guitar lessons, orchestra concerts and baseball practice. She has a variety of hobbies, but her favorite is whatever gets her out of housework.

Amy also writes contemporary romances under the pen name Amie Louellen.

An award winning author, Amy is a member of RWA and ACFW. She loves to hear from readers. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest. For links to the various sites, check her website: http://www.amylillardbooks.com.

Have a wonderful day. Thanks for stopping by.

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Christmas in July Reads, Cozy Mystery-Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off by Darci Hannah (Beacon Bakeshop #2)

352 pages October 5,2021 publish date Kensington publisher

About The Book

Tucked away inside an old lighthouse in Beacon Harbor, Michigan, bakeshop café owner Lindsey Bakewell is ready to make her first Christmas in town shine bright. But her merry plans crumble fast when murder appears under the mistletoe…


With the spirit of the holidays wafting through the Beacon Bakeshop, Lindsey thinks she has the recipe for the sweetest Christmas ever—winning the town-wide cookie bake-off. Unfortunately, striving for a picture-perfect December in Beacon Harbor is a lot like biting into stale shortbread. Low on staff and bombarded by visits from family, Lindsey can barely meet demands at work, let alone summon the confidence to face fierce competition…
 
Self-appointed Christmas know-it-all Felicity Stewart is determined to take the top spot in the bake‑off, and she’s not afraid to dump a little coal in everyone’s stocking to do it. Just as the competition heats up, everything falls apart when the judge is found dead—and covered in crumbs from Lindsey’s signature cookie!
 
Solving a murder was never on Lindsey’s wish list. But with her reputation on the line during the happiest time of the year, she’ll need to bring her best talents to the table in order to sift out the true Christmas Cookie culprit.

My Thoughts

Beacon Harbor, Michigan, idyllic because of its new bakeshop cafe inside the lighthouse with the most delicious variety of Christmas cookies around. Bakeshop owner Lindsey Bakewell is doing everything right and has an outstanding customer base but is she also hiding something when her cookie is the one found in the hand of the murder victim?
With business booming a few days before Christmas and supplies in the display cases running out daily, she simply can’t keep up even though she is known as the best baker around.
When she gets word of a Christmas cookie bake off competition, she knows she must join in. After all what cook/baker doesn’t want to prove they’re the best at their craft?
Boy was the competition judge a slimeball! He flirted and more with the ladies in the competition and they thought they’d win because of it. This competition really pits the competitors against one another, and they take it very seriously.

Now when the judge is found dead under the mistletoe with a note on him and Lindsey’s competition cookie in his hand it seems pretty obvious who his killer is. There are a lot of suspects and Lindsey is out to super sleuth her way out of this one, she can’t have her reputation going down the drain. This kept me guessing as there were so many who would have had a reason to do this to the judge I found out as I was reading.

While this was a cozy mystery that I really enjoyed, I also enjoyed reading about all the Christmas baking as well. The many, many varieties of sugary delicious treats kept me reading and imagining myself making some of these for holiday treats. I enjoyed this book a lot and will read the next in the series soon.

Pub Date 05 Oct 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

About The Author

Cozy mystery author, Darci Hannah, is a native of the Midwest and currently lives in a small town in Michigan. Darci is a lifelong lover of the Great Lakes, a natural wonder that inspires many of her stories. When Darci isn’t baking for family and friends, hiking with her furry pals, Ripley and Finn, or concocting her next cozy mystery, she can be found wandering around picturesque lakeside villages with her hubby, sampling baked goods, and breaking for coffee more often than she should.

Darci’s books include:

MURDER AT THE BEACON BAKESHOP 1st in the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series (Kensington 2021), CHERRY SCONES & BROKEN BONES (Midnight Ink 2019), CHERRY PIES & DEADLY LIES (Midnight Ink 2018), THE ANGEL OF BLYTHE HALL (Ballantine Books 2011, 2nd edition by Piffle & Bombast 2016), THE EXILE OF SARA STEVENSON (Ballantine Books 2010)

You can learn more about Darci and her books at http://www.darcihannah.com

Connect with Darci on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDarciHannah

Are you reading any Christmas in July books this year?

Have a super day and thanks for stopping in.

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Hot Pot Murder (L.A. Night Market Book 2) A foodie Asian American cozy mystery by Jennifer J. Chow

284 pages June 6, 2023 publication date Berkley publisher

About The Book

Trouble is brewing for cousins Yale and Celine Yee after a hot pot dinner gets overheated and ends in murder in this second novel of the L.A. Night Market series by Jennifer J. Chow.

Yale and Celine Yee’s food stall business is going so well that they’ve been invited to join an exclusive dinner with the local restaurant owners association. The members gather together for a relaxing hot pot feast…until Jeffery Vue, president of the group, receives a literal shock to his system and dies. 

Everyone at the meal is a suspect, but the authorities are homing in on family friend Ai Ho, owner of the restaurant where Jeffery was killed—and Yale’s dad is a close second on their list. Yale and Celine step up to the plate and investigate the dinner attendees: the association’s ambitious VP, a familiar frenemy, a ramen king, a snacks shopkeeper, and a second-generation restaurateur. It’s up to the detecting duo to figure out what really happened before their friends and family have to close their businesses for good.

Grab A Copy Here

My Thoughts

I was so excited to see another book in the L.A. Night Market series. I adored the first book and this one is a charmer as well. Who better to write a culturally diverse book than an Asian American writer? As I was reading, I loved the genuine feel of the book from its setting to its delicious foods. There were so many foods mentioned at the Night Market and restaurants.


Cousins Yale and Celine Yee, one runs a food stall business and the other is from Hong Kong and an influencer. She is always snapping the most appealing food shots, and everyone loves them.


The cousins don’t always agree on everything, but they know they had better agree one thing. They’re about to become a detective duo after an exclusive dinner invite, they attend ends up with the president of the local restaurant owner’s association dead. It seems as though the pool of suspects is wide. Will they be able to sort through all the dinner attendees and find who did it before their friend’s restaurant gets closed down?


This book will leave you hungry and there are some very tasting sounding recipes in the back of the book. I am looking forward to reading more foodie cozies involving the cousins and the night market.

Pub Date 06 Jun 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

About The Author

Agatha, Anthony, and Lefty Award-nominated author. Jennifer J. Chow writes cozy mysteries filled with hope and heritage. Current President of Sisters in Crime. She lives in Los Angeles, where she hunts for all things matcha.

Her most recent series is the L.A. Night Market Mysteries (Berkley/Penguin Random House). Learn more about her other books at http://www.jenniferjchow.com.

Connect on Instagram and Facebook: @jenjchow

Enjoy your day and keep smiling

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Hiss Me Deadly (Cat in the Stacks Mystery Book 15) Another exciting cozy mystery by Miranda James

315 pages Berkley publisher June 27,2023 publish date

About The Book

Charlie and Diesel must catch a killer before he strikes another deadly note in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling Cat in the Stacks Mysteries.

Charlie Harris remembers Wilfred “Wil” Threadgill as one of the outsiders during high school in Athena. Although Wil was a couple of years ahead of him and his friend Melba Gilley, Melba had a big crush on Wil, who dropped out after his junior year. An aspiring musician, Wil hit the road for California and never looked back. Wil eventually became a star, fronting a band and writing award-winning songs. 

Coming back to Athena to work for two weeks with students in the college music department, Wil is now the big man on campus. Not everyone is happy to have him back, however. His entourage have been the target of several acts of petty harassment. At first they are easy for Wil to shrug off, but the incidents escalate and become more troubling. When one of the band members is killed Charlie worries that Melba, now deeply involved with the man at the center of the attacks, could be in deadly danger. It is up to Charlie and Diesel to find out who hates Wil Threadgill enough to silence his song . . . forever!

My Thoughts

Hiss Me Deadly is the fifteenth cozy mystery in the Cat In the Stacks series.
It’s great to see another book in the series after some time has passed since the last one.


I will admit to always being entertained by our amateur sleuth, but he wasn’t as hands on in this investigation. After splitting the scene during high school to form a band musical genius Wil is once again back but does this local boy have bad intentions?
When those having connections to him and his band are turning up dead it seems pretty obvious what’s going on.


A cozy with a cat that investigates everything as well, yes please. Diesel goes everywhere and is involved in the questioning as well. He’s a lap surfer but cats are smart, and he knows who to avoid as well.


I had a wonderful time reading this book and trying to piece together who did it with all the red herrings thrown in. The author has done a wonderful job of keeping me entertained. I look forward to more books in this series.

Pub Date 27 Jun 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

About The Author

I am a native of Mississippi and recently returned to live in Jackson after spending thirty-three years in Houston, Texas. I have loved mysteries since I discovered Nancy Drew at the age of ten. At twelve or thirteen I wrote a mystery and even submitted it to a publisher — and promptly received a form rejection letter. That dashed my hopes for a writing career for a while, but I went back to writing mysteries while I was in graduate school in Rice. My first published adult mystery was actually the second one I wrote: CRUEL AS THE GRAVE was published in 2000.

Since then I have published twenty additional mysteries, the latest of which is ARSENIC AND OLD BOOKS, the sixth in the Cat in the Stacks series. In my day-to-day life I am a librarian like Charlie (except my specialty is medical libraries) and I have two cats, neither of whom is a Maine Coon. I love reading and writing mysteries and taking care of two spoiled cats (that’s probably redundant–all cats are spoiled because they generally accept no less). I write mysteries to entertain readers and help them relax and get away from the pressures of daily life. That’s why I read them myself.

Grab A Copy Here

I hope you’re having a wonderful day. Thanks for stopping in.

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Irish Coffee Murder 3 novellas by Leslie Meier; Lee Hollis; Barbara Ross

311 pages January 24,2023 publication date Kensington publishers

About The Book

Headlined by New York Times bestselling author Leslie Meier, today’s top cozy mystery writers join forces for this St. Patrick’s Day–themed collection set in small-town Maine, sure to appeal to fans of Joanne Fluke and Peggy Ehrhart.

IRISH COFFEE MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
Part-time reporter Lucy Stone is writing a piece for the Courier about four Irish step dancing students from Tinker’s Cove on the cusp of making it big. But the story becomes headline news for all the wrong reasons when one girl’s mother is found dead in her bathtub . . .
 
DEATH OF AN IRISH COFFEE DRINKER by LEE HOLLIS
As owner of Bar Harbor’s hottest new restaurant, Hayley Powell offers to cater the after-party for popular comedian Jefferson O’Keefe, but it’s no laughing matter when Jefferson keels over after gulping down his post-show Irish coffee . . .
 
PERKED UP by BARBARA ROSS
It’s a snowy St. Patrick’s Day in Busman’s Harbor. But when the power goes out, what better way for Julia Snowden to spend the evening than sharing local ghost stories—and Irish coffees—with friends and family? By the time the lights come back, they might even have solved the coldest case in town . . .

My Thoughts

A delightful collection of novella length stories by mystery writer authors Leslie Meier; Lee Hollis; Barbara Ross. I will admit to having only heard of author Leslie Meier and before reading this had never read anything by any of them.
I thought this was a charming mystery book filled with St. Patty’s-themed stories. Perfect for Irish coffee lovers and it'll have your appetite roaring with plenty of talk of Irish soda bread, coffee cake and some Irish food recipes that sound easy to make.
All the stories are quick reads and entertaining and have I said coffee? They'll have you craving it while you're reading so settle in for an entertaining afternoon read with these quick-witted stories.

Pub Date 24 Jan 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

The Authors

LESLIE MEIER is the acclaimed author of over twenty-five Lucy Stone Mysteries. She has also written for Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, and like her series protagonist, Lucy Stone, she worked as a New England newspaper reporter while raising her three children. She is currently at work on the next Lucy Stone mystery and can be found online at LeslieMeierBooks.com.

LEE HOLLIS, the pen name for Rick Copp, is the author of the Desert Flowers Mysteries and the Maya and Sandra Mystery Series. He is also the co-author of the Hayley Powell Food & Cocktail Mysteries with his sister, Holly Simason. A veteran Hollywood screenwriter, he is the co-writer of The Brady Bunch Movie and has written for numerous television series, including The Golden Girls, Wings,Scooby-Doo, Teen Titans, and Barbershop. He also produces, writes, and stars in the hit web series Where the Bears Are. He lives in Palm Springs, California and can be found online at LeeHollisMysteries.com.

BARBARA ROSS is the author of the Maine Clambake Mysteries and the Jane Darrowfield Mysteries. Her books have been nominated for multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and have won the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. Barbara’s Maine Clambake novellas are included along with stories by Leslie Meier and Lee Hollis in holiday anthologies from Kensington Publishing. Barbara and her husband live in Portland, Maine. Readers can visit her website at BarbaraRossAuthor.com. –This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Do you enjoy cozy mysteries too ? Who are some of your favorite authors?

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Another book in the Lighthouse Library series by Eva Gates, Deadly Ever After

298 pages Crooked Lane Books Publisher May 11, 2021 publish date

About The Book

Librarian Lucy’s wedding is at stake when a murder interrupts her engagement celebrations. To make it down the aisle, she’ll have to find the killer to save the date in the 8th book in the Lighthouse Library mysteries.

They’re getting married! Lucy Richardson and Connor McNeil have announced their engagement. Their friends throw a party for the couple at Coquina Beach, close to Lucy’s beloved Bodie Island Lighthouse Library.

As they’re packing up the presents and the (few) leftovers from Josie’s Cozy Bakery, who should arrive, but Richard Eric Lewiston III, Lucy’s former almost-fiancé and his overbearing mother Evangeline. Push comes to love when Evangeline makes no secret of why she’s here: to get Lucy and Ricky back together.

Lucy isn’t temped in the least, and Ricky is nothing but embarrassed at his mother’s desperate ploy. Before returning to Boston Evangeline throws a dinner party at Jake’s Seafood Bar for a reluctant Lucy and her family. Lucy hopes to get the dinner over with and see Evangeline and Ricky returning to Boson. But when a body is found at the restaurant’s kitchen door, Lucy is again forced to unwillingly put on her detective’s hat and do what she can to save her family and her engagement. Meanwhile, the classic novel reading club is reading The Hound of the Baskervilles, and open war breaks out in the Lighthouse Library when Lucy agrees to temporarily take care of a dog named Fluffy, but Charles the library cat has other ideas.

My Thoughts

I will have to admit really enjoying reading the Lighthouse Library series.
I did read them out of order though reading more current ones in the series before this one but now I have answers on a few things and how they happened from more current books.
One thing that really makes it in this book is it taking place in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. For those of you who've visited there you know what I'm talking about. It's such a beautiful, relaxing area. A lighthouse with offices, a living area and a library? Yes please! I actually visited the lighthouse portrayed in this story and it's still in operation though sad to say it's not large enough to house all the extras. It was worth climbing the over 200 stairs for the view though. In this one Lucy and Connor announce their engagement and get shown a house on the Outer Banks that they decide to buy. If you'll remember in a more current book I reviewed, they discover this house is haunted and the body of an unknown to them man is found in it.
After a celebratory night at a Seafood Bar a body is found at the restaurants' kitchen door. Lucy once again dons her sleuthing hat and gets to work. There are many references to The Hounds of Baskerville as this is what the classic book club is reading. When Lucy decides to temporarily watch a little yappy dog, well let's just say Charles the library cat makes a quick disappearance.
The dog does play an important role in the story though, it would probably surprise you how it does. The outcome surprised me. Quick paced, I read this in an afternoon, and I'll be looking forward to the upcoming release.

Pub Date 11 May 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Grab A Copy Here

About The Author

Eva Gates is the pen name of Canadian author Vicki Delany. As Eva she writes the national bestselling Lighthouse Library cozy series for Crooked Lane Books, the latest of which is DEATH KNELLS AND WEDDING BELLS, coming June 2023.

Have a super day and thanks for visiting today.

Have you read this series? Do you have a favorite in this series?

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Spotlighting The Perfect Staging For Murder, A Hamptons Home and Garden Mystery by Kathleen Bridge

This beauty release tomorrow and Beyond The Page Publishing is releasing it.

About The Book

“Filled with riveting descriptions of posh homes and antiques, eccentric characters, and a smart, fast-paced plotline. Cozy readers will love every page!” —Ellery Adams, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author on A Design to Die For

As shooting concludes on the season finale of the TV mystery Mr. & Mrs. Winslow, interior decorator and set designer Meg Barrett can feel the hostility in the air. The show’s new director had already alienated the entire cast and crew, and now Meg’s boyfriend, Patrick, was ready to throttle him for taking liberties with the script. Meg thought the director was a very lucky man to have gotten out of there in one piece—until a few nights later when she stumbles over his dead body.

Meg knew it wasn’t her job to investigate every murder she came across, especially that of a man so universally disliked, but Patrick had no alibi for the time of death and has now disappeared. As she begins to dig into every facet of the victim’s life, she soon discovers that his children resented him for a lifetime of mistreatment, and his new fiancée had a history of leaving dead husbands in her wake. Certain that this was a family affair and that she was closing in on the killer, she’ll have to rely on all her wits and cunning to nab the culprit, because they’ve decided to set the stage for her final scene . . .

Includes tasty recipes and classic vintage decorating tips!

I can’t believe I haven’t read any books in this series or heard of this author until now. I do believe I have some catching up to do.

Thank you for stopping by my friends. Have you read any books in this series yet?

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First Line Friday

Happy Friday & welcome to the First Line Friday! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m featuring the first line of Death in Irish Accents by Catie Murphy. Being that I am Irish I always enjoy reading a few books like this to celebrate the day.

And the first line is……………..

A body fell out of the closet when the barista opened it. The barista screamed, throwing herself backwards, and landed in a sprawl across Megan Malone’s lap.

Pub Date 21 Feb 2023

About The Book

After a long streak of avoiding murder investigations, Dublin limo driver Megan Malone thought her life had finally settled . . . but even her Irish luck can’t keep her out of trouble forever in Catie Murphy’s fourth Ireland-set cozy mystery…

It’s been over a year since Megan found herself entangled in a murder—much to everyone’s relief, including her girlfriend Jelena and Detective Paul Bourke. So when a body of a young woman quite literally lands in her lap at her favorite Dublin café, Megan tries to do the right thing and leave the crime-solving to the police so she can enjoy the St. Patrick’s Day weekend. After all, she has no connection to the victim. Or does she?

Megan’s latest client, world-renowned romance novelist Claire Woodward, is fascinated by Megan’s own history of catching killers. Claire also just happens to be the murder victim’s literary mentor. So maybe Megan can just sort of stay on the periphery of the case while trying to help out? Just a wee bit without causing too much fuss? Even Detective Bourke would approve since he has personal reasons not to trust Claire. The investigation leads Megan to the victim’s writing group, who think that Claire has plagiarized the poor young lady’s work. And when another member of the group is found dead, Megan will have to step up her sleuthing before the killer decides to write her off for good.

Now let me know the first line of the book closest to you.

Have a super day! Thanks for stopping by.

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A Maple Syrup Cozy Mystery, A Doomful of Sugar by Catherine Bruns

278 pages Poisoned Penn Press October 25,2022 Publish date

About The Book

First in the new Maple Syrup cozy mystery series from USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns.

There’s nothing sweet about murder…

Leila Khoury has always believed that everyone loved her father as much as they loved his artisanal maple syrup. But when he’s killed, and she returns to Sugar Ridge, Vermont to take over his business, she starts to realize how much of his life she’s left untapped.

With her brother under suspicion, her mother just barely holding it together, and police not producing any leads, Leila will have to investigate herself if she wants answers about her father’s sticky end. But the more she learns, the more she worries that there won’t be a sappy ending to the story.

A cozy mystery perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke, this edition includes 5 delicious maple recipes for mystery readers with a sweet tooth!

What readers are saying about A Doomful of Sugar:

“There’s no shortage of twists and turns”

“Memorable characters, a charming setting…a well-plotted mystery”

“Developed characters, a strong plotline, and a few red herrings”

Grab A Copy Here

My Thoughts

A Doomful of Sugar is the debut book in the Maple Syrup Mysteries Book series. The descriptions of maple syrup bring back a lot of memories. When the children were younger, we took them to a maple syrup festival in Meyersdale, PA. There was the maple syrup tour and explanation of how the syrup was tapped and boiled and made, which is exactly what the book had as well.
It was an easy-to-read book with not too many characters that you can't keep them all straight.
I liked the idea of our main character inheriting the maple syrup business from her father upon his suspicious death. As a teacher out of state, she has no plan to stick around she is just there for the reading of the will. Her surprise is genuine when she realizes her father has left the business to her rather than his wife or son.
Her father has no enemies, she is sure of it, but having not been there in four years she shouldn't be so sure. Always quick to extend credit and the grandfatherly type he seems like the last person you would expect to see knocked off.
As we move through the book and start to see a backstory of this man and his financial dealing a clearer picture is painted for us.
The suspected killer seems very clear as the clues point right to them, but you'll have to read this to judge what you think of the suspects.
I loved all the cooking and mentions of food, it made for a delectable read. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

Pub Date 25 Oct 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Books In The Series

Book 2

Only a sap would try to ruin a bride’s special day…

Spring has finally come to Sugar Ridge, Vermont, and with it the end of syrup-making season. But Leila Khoury, new owner of Sappy Endings Farm, won’t be making like molasses any time soon. Her best friend Heather’s wedding is coming up, and Leila will do anything to make sure it lives up to all her sweetest dreams.

Even with Leila’s own romantic past stirring up trouble, everything is going to plan until the bridal shower ends up with a body count.

Heather’s rich and backstabbing aunt had a whole orchard of enemies, so Leila will have her work cut out for her. Can she tap the killer before Heather’s dream wedding becomes a nightmare?

Includes delicious Middle Eastern recipes!

About The Author

Catherine is the USA Today bestselling author of the Cookies & Chance mysteries. She lives in New York with her very patient husband, three sons, and several spoiled pets. Catherine has a B.A. in English and is a former newspaper reporter and press release writer. She also writes the Italian Chef mysteries, Cindy York real estate and Carrie Jorgenson (Aloha Lagoon) culinary series. Her book, For Sale by Killer, won the 2019 Daphne du Maurier award for Mainstream Mystery/Suspense.

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