#cozymystery

Review & Giveaway: PURLS BEFORE SWINE by Rebecca McKinnon

~ CassidySalem ~ 4 Comments

This week, Rebecca McKinnon is celebrating the release of Purls Before Swine and I was lucky enough to received an ARC of this cozy mystery. Although this is the third book in the Clear Creek Mystery series, it can be read as a standalone (I haven’t read the previous books yet).

About the Book

Autumn has arrived in the Rocky Mountains. The resort that was almost the death of the small town of Clear Creek is trying to mend relations by hosting a local artisan show.

Jemma has been asked to create a display showing beginner projects all the way up to expert. Hoping to knit up attention for the shops in Clear Creek, she agrees. The last thing she expects is to trip over a body in the middle of the exhibits.

Curiosity piqued, she wants to know how someone was killed under the watchful eyes of the resort’s security staff — headed by the man she loves.

Even though her past experiences have taught Jemma she doesn’t want to be anywhere near a killer, when Deputy Chase surprises everyone by asking for her help she can’t bring herself to say no. Because if the killer isn’t bound off before the resort guests leave, someone will get away with murder.

My Review

Set in a small town in Colorado, where everyone knows each other’s buisiness (or at least thinks they do), this mystery follows Jemma as she investigates another murder in Clear Creek.

Jemma is smart, likeable, and easy to identify with. She does a good job rooting out the truth, with help from her friends. One quirky character in particular, Granny (not her grandmother) adds a bit of spice and humor to the character mix. And the charming man in her life is, of course, ready and willing to help in any way he can – as long as it doesn’t mean a conflict of interest, given his job at the resort.

The story is well written and the plot unravels at a nice pace, with twists and turns along the way. The closeknit community and light-writing style make this a good choice for cozy mystery lovers. BTW, if you are on the fence about reading a knitting-themed mystery, don’t be. Unlike some craft-themed cozies, there is just enough detail to appreciate the craft without getting tedious.

FTC Disclosure: I received an advance review copy from the publisher. This has not affected the content of my review.

Giveaway

Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card from the author.

About the Author

Rebecca McKinnon enjoys playing with her imaginary friends and introducing them to others through her writing. She dreams of living in the middle of nowhere, but has been unable to find an acceptable location that wouldn’t require crossing an ocean.

Website/Social Media Links:

Purchase Link – Amazon

Spotlight & Giveaway: TUESDAY TRASH AND TROUBLE by Joanna Campbell Slan

~ CassidySalem ~ 1 Comment

Joanna Campbell Slan’s Tuesday Trash and Trouble features a down-on-her-luck divorcée whose passion for solving crimes lands her in the arms of a secretive cowboy–and the cross-hairs of a vengeful killer. Tuesday Trash and Trouble is the third book in the Friday Night Mystery Club Series by Joanna Campbell Slan.

About the Book

The year is 1986, the place is…pitiful. It’s Decatur, Illinois, known for high unemployment, striking unions, the pervasive stink of soybean processing, and seven railroad crossings at one intersection.

A wrong turn along life’s marital highway has left Catherine “Cragan” Collins stuck in Decatur. With a mountain of post-divorce bills to pay, Cragan takes a job selling high-priced newspaper advertising. If she’s lucky, her commissions will cover the cost of her grandmother’s stay in a nearby retirement home.

After the divorce, Cragan swears off men, but she’s a sucker for a guy in a nice suit. She falls hard for a man who publicly snubs her. On the rebound, she accepts an invitation from Ross Gentry, a quiet hunk who favors pearl snaps and cowboy boots. Cragan reasons that her heart is safe, because she and Ross come from two different worlds. But one night in his arms might be enough to prove her wrong.

Without warning, everything blows up in Cragan’s face. Her boss threatens to take away her accounts, a friend’s little sister is kidnapped, and an overnight guest is shot. Cragan’s best friend, Pru, is accused of attempted murder. After all, Pru’s gun was used in the crime.

Cragan calls an emergency meeting of the Friday Night Mystery Club. These mystery-loving career women are a group of smart cookies. Can their combined talents prove that Pru is innocent? And will they find an answer in time to save Cragan from the wrath of a vengeful shooter?

It takes a club to solve a mystery!

Giveaway

Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win a $10 gift card from the author.

About the Author

Joanna is a New York Times Bestselling, USA Today Bestselling, and Amazon Bestselling author as well as a woman prone to frequent bursts of crafting frenzy, leaving her with burns from her hot glue gun and paint on her clothes. And the mess? Let’s not even go there.

Otherwise, Joanna’s a productive author with more than 80 written projects to her credit. Her non-fiction work includes how to books, a college textbook for public speakers, and books of personal essays (think Chicken Soup for the Soul).

Currently, she writes six fiction series: The Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series (Agatha Award Finalist, contemporary, St. Louis setting, crafting), the Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series (contemporary, Florida setting, DIY, and recycling), the Jane Eyre Chronicles (Daphne du Maurier Award Winner, 1830s England, based on Charlotte Brontë’s classic), the Sherlock Holmes Fantasy Thrillers (late 1800s, based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s books), the Tai Chi Mystery Series (featuring a mature female amateur sleuth!) and the Friday Night Mystery Series (set in Decatur, IL in 1986 with a spunky female heroine.)

A former TV talk show host, college teacher, and public relations specialist, Joanna was one of the early Chicken Soup for the Soul contributors. She won a Silver Anvil for her work on the original FarmAid concert to benefit farmers.

In her ongoing quest never to see snow again, Joanna lives with her husband and their Havanese puppy, Jax, on an island off the coast of Florida. You can email her at jcslan@joannaslan.com or visit her website at https://linktr.ee/jcslan

Author Links 

Purchase Link – Amazon 

Guest Post, Spotlight & Giveaway: MURDER SERVED NEAT by Michelle Hillen Klump

~ CassidySalem ~ 1 Comment

I am happy to have as my guest today, Michelle Hillen Klump, as she celebrates the release of Murder Served Neat, the second book in the Cocktails and Catering Mystery series. In her guest post, she tells about one of the sources of inspiration.

Inspiration from a City
Guest post from Michelle Hillen Klump, Murder Served Neat

When I sat down to write my first cozy mystery series, I knew I wanted to set it in my adopted hometown of Houston, Texas. As the fourth-largest city in the US with its twelve-lane freeways and massive sprawl, it wasn’t the likeliest setting for a cozy. But there is a lot of charm here that is overlooked by those who associate it only with its chemical plants and oil refineries, its big-city grittiness and traffic.

The city is full of interesting neighborhoods where you can find people and food from nearly every country in the world; a tremendous arts community with theater, ballet, opera and the symphony; and beautiful parks where people from all corners of our city come together to play and have fun.

In my series, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite parts of the city and show it off to those who may only have preconceived notions of Houston. In my first book, A DASH OF DEATH, I focused on the quaint historical community of the Highlands, my fictional stand-in for the Houston Heights neighborhood. The Heights is full of old Victorians and bungalows and even a little shopping district of galleries and boutiques that could rival any small town main street found in more traditional cozies.

In my second book, I wanted to pay homage to another aspect of the city that I have always loved – the access it provides to mix and mingle with people from so many different cultures. On any given Saturday in Houston, you can stumble into a cultural festival where you can learn about international cuisines and traditions that you may otherwise have never encountered before. At these festivals, you can learn Bollywood dance moves, hear music from the Caribbean or watch a cooking demonstration from South America.

MURDER SERVED NEAT takes place during one such festival hosted by the German-Texan lodge. Though the lodge in my book is purely fictional, dozens of these cultural heritage societies exist in Houston with the goal of celebrating and preserving their unique traditions and what they represent to the community at large. German settlers in particular made many contributions to Texas culture, influencing everything from beer and brass bands to barbecue.

I hope my book captures a flavor of the fun to be found at these festivals, sampling unique foods listening to traditional music and watching traditional dance performances. I frequent them often with my family, and every time we leave, I’m left with an appreciation of how much richer our lives are because of the cultural melting pot that is Houston.

About the Book

Reporter-turned-mixologist Samantha Warren has already thwarted one murder. Now, her world is shaken—definitely not stirred—once again as another killing throws her world into chaos.

Samantha is mixing up traditional cocktails at the German Texan Lodge’s Fourth of July festival—a gig she was roped into by her mother. But amidst the bratwurst and brass bands, trouble is brewing. Lodge loyalties are divided over a proposal to build a private, country-club-style tennis center on the lodge grounds. Her mom’s best friend Patty Davis is vehemently opposed to the plan. Society matron Angela Clawson is all for it. At the festival, they’re seen in a heated argument—and hours later, Angela is found dead, killed by one of the ceremonial shovels intended for the groundbreaking.

Samantha’s mother begs her to help clear her best friend’s name, but can she handle another murder case or will the whole investigation go bottoms up?

Giveaway

Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win a signed copy of Murder Served Neat + some cocktail accessories.

About the Author

Michelle Hillen Klump began her writing career as a newspaper reporter, traveling the back roads of central Texas and Arkansas, reporting on everything from natural disasters to crime and corruption. She’s interviewed former presidents, covered a midnight manhunt through the Ozark Mountains, and learned the finer points of how to break a car window from a looter while covering a hurricane. Now, she uses her experiences as fodder for fiction, writing a cozy mystery series about a former reporter turned craft cocktail caterer.

Michelle lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and young daughter. When she’s not writing or working her day job, she enjoys gardening, reading, exploring Houston’s neighborhoods, hiking and biking, and creating craft cocktails for friends and family.

Author Links

Purchase Links – Amazon –  Barnes & Noble – IndieBound  

Review & Giveaway: BORN TO BEAD WILD by Janice Peacock

~ CassidySalem ~ Leave a comment

I recently had the pleasure of reading an advance review copy of Born to Bead Wild, a Glass Bead Mystery, by Janice Peacock. Gotta say, I loved the dog on the cover – such expressive puppy dog eyes. This is the fifth book in a successful series that began with High Strung, which I reviewed on this blog several years ago.

About the Book

Something is strange at Full Moon Farms—and it isn’t just Val’s Eggplant Surprise for dinner.

Jax, Tessa, and the rest of the arts and crafts retreat attendees are shocked when they find charred bones in a glass kiln. Are the remains human or animal?

The camp owners insist the bones in the coffin-sized kiln are from a deer, but Jax finds a clue that leads her to believe the owners are lying. After Tessa’s least favorite person turns up dead, there is no doubt that a killer lurks somewhere in the deep forest of the Olympic Peninsula. As clues lead Jax and Tessa down mysterious paths, they hope they live long enough to find the culprit and make it out alive.

My Review

Jax and her pals, Tessa and Val, join fellow glass bead-making enthusiasts at purposed camp – the traditional kind without all the creature comforts – and with questional food choices, to boot. The weeklong workshop starts off with a few minor glitches, and goes downhill with a rash of increasingly suspicious incidents at the camp.

As in other books in this series, the bead-makers in the story are a quirky group. Of course, Jax, the main character, is snoopy; she wants to know the truth, and she won’t leave well enough alone until sbe knows what’s going on and why. Tessa is great friend, and both women are quick to pitch and help others when the need arises. The mystery was an interesting one and well paced, with the clues revealed gradually as the story progressed in an unexpected way. Sorry, no spoilers here.

For my review of High Strung, the first book in the series, click here.

Giveaway

Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win a paperback set of all five Glass Bead Mysteries and a glass bead bookmark from the author.

About the Author

Janice Peacock is a cozy mystery author who specializes in craft and hobby mysteries. She loves to write about artists who find new ways to live their lives and perhaps catch a criminal or two in the process. While working in a glass studio with several colorful and quirky artists, she was inspired to write the Glass Bead Mystery Series. The Ruby Shaw Mysteries, which are set in a small hillside mining town, were inspired by her trips to Jerome, Arizona, and Jacksonville, Oregon.

When Janice isn’t writing about amateur detectives, she wields a 2,500-degree torch to melt glass and create one-of-kind beads and jewelry. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, an enormous white dog, and an undisclosed number of cats. Visit Janice online at www.janicepeacock.com.

Author Links

Purchase Link – Amazon 

Spotlight & Giveaway: IN THE FRAME by Lyn Farrell

~ CassidySalem ~ 2 Comments

In the Frame, the third book in the Rosedale Investigation cozy mystery series by Lyn Farrell, was released last month. Sounds like an interesting read.

About the Book

Rosedale Investigations team has two cases this time: a missing woman and a client who wants a provenance created for an antique painting. The missing woman dies in an accident but the team doubts it was accidental. Researching the century-old painting reveals that it’s considered cursed and then it’s stolen.

Giveaway

Click to enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win a digital copy of In the Frame from the author.

About the Author

Writing as both Lia Farrell and Lyn Farrell, I’ve been publishing books since 2013. I decided to become a writer in the seventh grade. My home life was chaotic and I found peace spending summers at my grandmother’s dairy farm. With little supervision, I wandered the hundred-and-twenty-acre farm and discovered the beauty and healing power of nature. Today, when I need inspiration for my stories, I take long walks. My memories of the time I spent at the farm resulted in a novel “The Cottonwoods” released on 8/21.

My first marriage ended in divorce, leaving me with two young children. Five years later, I fell in love with a divorced professor with six children. Raising that many kids required working full-time. When I retired from Michigan State University, I returned to my original dream of becoming a writer. My daughter, Lisa, and I wrote the “Mae December mysteries” using the penname of Lia Farrell. They are amusing, mental puzzles called cozies, with an element of romance. Cozies are the gentlest subset of the broad genre of crime writing. It’s a comfort read that leaves you satisfied and at one with the world.

Now writing solo as Lyn Farrell, I recently published “The Blind Switch” (January 2021). It’s the first in a series about a private detective agency, Rosedale Investigations. Two of my readers’ favorite characters from the Mae December mysteries, Dory and Wayne Nichols, have starring roles in these books. “The Blind Split” (released 1/11) is the second in the series. In The Frame is the third book in the series.

Author Links

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo 

Review: MURDER UP TO BAT by Elizabeth McKenna

~ CassidySalem ~ 1 Comment

I read and enjoyed the first book in the Front Page Mystery series by Elizabeth McKenna, so I looked forward to reading this next in series. Needless to say, I was happy to accept and read an advance review copy of Murder up to Bat.

About the Book

After falling in love with the quiet lake life and a certain police detective, former Chicago Tribune reporter Emma Moore trades interviewing jocks for chasing champion cows at the county fair. As a small-town newspaper reporter, she covers local topics both big and small, but when her friend Luke is arrested for the murder of the head coach of his club softball team, she’ll need to hone her investigative skills to clear his name. Emma calls up best friend Grace for help, and together the women go up against cutthroat parents willing to kill for a chance to get their daughters onto a premier college sports team.

The game is tied with bases loaded, and murder is up to bat. Can Emma and her friends bring the heat and win the game?

My Review

In this well-written mystery, reporter-turned-amateur-sleuth Emma Moore is trying her best to figure out who killed the kids’ softball coach and why. The characters in general, and Emma in particular, are likeable and relatable. Suspects abound, from romantic entanglements to overly involved parents of the team players who are uncompromising in their determination that their children be selected for sports scholarships.  The suspect pool is slow to drain, leaving the identity of the killer a mystery until almost the end.   

I enjoyed this nicely paced mystery, with its unique backdrop and subject matter, which is likely to please fans of cozy mysteries.

FTC disclosure: I received an advance review copy from the author. This has not affected the content of my review.

For my review of The Great Jewel Robbery, the first book in the series, click here.

About the Author

Elizabeth McKenna’s love of books reaches back to her childhood, where her tastes ranged from Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys to Stephen King’s horror stories. She had never read a romance novel until her sister gave her the latest bestseller by Nora Roberts. She was hooked from page one (actually, she admits it was the first love scene).

Her novels reflect her mercurial temperament and include historical romances, contemporary romances, cozy mysteries, and dark mysteries. With some being “clean” and some being “naughty,” she has a book for your every mood.

Elizabeth lives in Wisconsin with her understanding husband and Sidney, the rescue dog from Tennessee. When she isn’t writing, reading, editing, or walking the dog that never tires, she’s sleeping.

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Buy Links:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords

Review & Giveaway: DIAL M FOR MEOW by Ruth J. Hartman

~ CassidySalem ~ 1 Comment

As a bookwom and a confessed fan of almost all things furry, I was happy for the chance to read Dial M for Meow, a recent release by Ruth J. Hartman, and the first book in the new Bookshop Kitties Mysteries.

About the Book

When children’s book author, Christy Bailey, receives a call from her aunt Betty to help out at her bookshop, she drops everything to go. Christy packs up her two cats—Milton and Pearl, the stars of her children’s mystery books—and leaves busy Philadelphia for tiny Green Meadow, Indiana. The timing of the call is perfect, as Christy’s letch of an ex-boyfriend has just cleaned out her savings, leaving Christy with a pile of unpaid bills and a desire to start over. And what better place to do that than a charming small town in Middle America?

But when Christy reaches her aunt’s bookshop, instead of small town hospitality she finds a dead body! Even worse, her aunt is passed out in the corner, hands covered in blood. The dead woman is an old frenemy of her Aunt Betty, and while Christy knows her aunt is innocent, the local detective isn’t so sure. With Milton and Pearl prowling for clues, Christy is determined to find the real killer and clear her aunt’s name… before her story ends in tragedy!

My Review

Christy has only just arrived when a body is found in her aunt’s apartment. Predictably, she is determined to provide her Aunt’s innocence. In the course of her investigative efforts, she becomes acquainted (in some cases reacquainted) with the key players in the small town. Christy is strong willed and decidedly enamored of her real-life cats, who happen to star in her children’s books as well. With the help of friends, she discovers several persons who were quite happy to see Nan dead and buried, suspense builds, and the identify of the killer remains a mystery until almost the very end.

Overall, the story is well written. I loved the cats and their antics, but I think some of the cat-centered narrative could have been trimmed down to focus more on the mystery and its human characters and improve the overall place and flow of the book.

Cat lovers will particularly enjoy the personalities of Milton and Pearl, playful kittens who do their part in bringing the culprit to justice in what I found to be an enjoyable mystery.

FTC disclosure: I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher. This has not affected the content of my review.

Giveaway

Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win one of four copies of Dial M for Meow from the author.

About the Author

Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people’s recliners. Not that the cats couldn’t get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else’s.

Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who seem to find trouble without even trying.

Ruth’s husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her despite her insistence all of her books have at least one cat in them. See updates about her cozy mysteries at Ruthjhartman.com.

Author Links

Purchase Link – Amazon 

Release Spotlight: MARRIAGE, MALICE & MURDER by Christa Nardi

~ CassidySalem ~ Leave a comment

I can honestly say I have read and enjoyed all of the books in the Stacie Maroni mystery series by Christa Nardi, which features a strong woman at a crossroads in her life who works with victims of domestic violence. And the eighth book in the series is now available.

About the Book

Love is in the air on what should have been the perfect day for a wedding, that is, until someone offs the wedding planner.

The wedding planner had done a great job. Predictably, he did his best to jack up the price with extras to please the mother of the bride who insisted on a traditional, monochromatic wedding. Even so, the bride prevailed and Trina and Bill’s wedding burst with color.

The victim also worked as event planner at the local country club, where he was popular with the men for his organizational skills and with the ladies for other reasons. Due to special circumstances, a detective is called in from county to run the investigation. Everyone is treated as a suspect – including Stacie, momzilla, the wedding party, and all the guests. With happy and less happy clients, an ex-wife, and more, the suspect pool seems endless.

As the investigation goes sideways, Stacie’s instincts kick in as she tries to identify the killer on her own. As a result, a series of suspicious incidents ensue with Stacie as the target. Can she figure out who killed the wedding planner?

The book is currently available on Amazon for just $0.99.

About the Author

Christa Nardi is an accomplished author of cozy mysteries. She has always loved mysteries – reading them, writing them, and solving them Christa’s background is in higher education and psychology, much as her protagonist, Sheridan Hendley in the Cold Creek mystery series. Christa also authors the Stacie Maroni Myseries and the Izzie Di Sante mysterries. She is a member of Sisters in Crime. When not writing or reading, Christa and her husband enjoy travel, three grandchildren, and their dogs.

Spotlight & Giveaway: DUMPSTER DYING by Michelle Bennington

~ CassidySalem ~ 3 Comments

Today’s post showcases the first book in a new cozy mystery series by an accomplished author – Michelle Bennington. I haen’t had a chance to read Dumpster Dying: A Hazardous Hoarder Mystery yet, but it sounds like a fun read to me.

About the Book

Birdie Harper is a widowed hoarder who lives with her husband’s ghost. The only thing she enjoys more than a good yard sale is a good dumpster dive. When she finds her latest treasure—a ceramic angel— she knows just who to bring it to.

Jenna Lawson is a cashier at the Blue Market convenience store where Birdie often shops. The two women have formed a strong bond to assuage the losses in their lives, and Birdie thinks of Jenna like the daughter she lost long ago. So, when Jenna goes missing, Birdie is determined to find out what happened to her.

As she works to unravel the mystery, a man at church, Neville Miller, shows interest in Birdie, leading her to wonder if the lonely days are finally coming to an end. But her ghostly husband, Walter, sure isn’t going to like it.

Birdie is on a hunt that may claim the ultimate price—her own life.

Giveaway

Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win an amazing prize package from the author: A mug, a paperback, candy, pen, and a home-made candle!

About the Author

Born and raised in the beautiful Bluegrass state of Kentucky, Michelle Bennington developed a passion for books early on that has progressed into a mild hoarding situation and an ever-growing to-read pile. She delights in spinning mysteries and histories. Find out more on her website: www.michellebennington.com

Author Links

Purchase Link – Amazon 

Review: EXERCISE IS MURDER by Bruce Hammack

~ CassidySalem ~ Leave a comment

Exercise is Murder. Well, I think so, too. That might be why this title caught my eye. Of course, it’s not really about exercise. Instead, this first book in the Smiley and McBlythe Mystery series by Bruce Hammack features an unlikely team investigative duo, a blind homicide detective and his new partner.

Description*

Found at the bottom of his exercise pool, police believe the death of Steve Smiley’s friend is an accident. Smiley doesn’t buy it.

There are a lot of things a blind man can do, but solve a murder alone isn’t one of them. He needs a partner… one who knows their way around a crime scene. In walks Heather McBlythe. She can help him solve the crime, but can she keep him out of danger? Steve doesn’t have a choice. Without her someone will get away with murder.

Armed with years of experience as a homicide detective and his new partner, Smiley sets out to find a killer. He knows he’s on the right trail when a bullet whizzes past his ear. Will Steve resurrect his life as a master crime solver, or will his sleuthing get them both killed?

*Description and cover from Amazon

My Review

This mystery features a blinded homicide detective Steve Smiley who teams up with a new partner, Heather McBlythe, to investigate the suspicious death of a friend.  The pair are interesting as characters and make an unusual team, a twist in and of itself.  Despite their many differences (he dislikes cats, for one), they work well together as they doggedly investigate every aspect of the case, and the banter between them is humorous and provides insight into their personalities. The murder mystery itself was a good one, with the requisite twists and turns en route to a satisfying resolution.  An enjoyable, well-paced read. 

Tip:  The last time I checked this book was free on Amazon.