Category Archives: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

This is the second short story in one of my favorite cozy mystery series which is set in an Amish candy shop. The full length novels focus on murder mysteries while the short ones are about solving lesser crimes.

In this story, money for a charity has gone missing. Bailey King (who is not Amish), our candy-making sleuth, takes on the mission to try and figure out both whodunnit and how the crime was accomplished.

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I am a fan of both mysteries and books set in the Regency period of England. I found this book to be a fun read and the mystery was unusual and compelling.

Sometimes, the characters were out of step with the courtesies and manners of the period and were more in line with today. Even so, I enjoyed the book and look forward to more in the series.

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This is the first in a new series of cozy mysteries. Charlotte Finn has inherited a farm in California and has plans to sell it. However, a murder occurs and the body is found on the farm. She finds herself increasing of a mind to keep the farm and make a go of it.

There are a number of side characters, my favorite of which is a pig. Yes, a real pig but one who is smarter than many of the other two-legged characters.

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I have read all three books in this new series and have enjoyed every single one of them. This latest book “One Fatal Flaw”, is my favorite thus far.

Two things I really appreciate about this book are: 1) the focus on Miriam fford Croft and 2) the focus on the emerging science of forensics.

Miriam has become a comrade-at-arms with Daniel Pitt. He is a lawyer who was been called on to defend an individual who appears to be guilty of murder. He is convinced by a young woman to take the case on at no cost.

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This is the first book in this series that I have read. I have already purchased the first book to go back and understand who the characters ended up where they are now.

Even though it is ninth entry, it can be read-alone and you won’t miss any of the action due to lack of understanding. The author deftly brings in elements from prior books without giving anything away that would spoil reading those books.

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This is the first book that I have read in this series. I’ve been reading another series by Lee Hollis and this book was exactly what I would’ve expected from this author team.

The story picks up shortly after Haley has married. She and her husband are about to embark on their delayed honeymoon when her mother shows up out of the blue. They are still planning on going on their cruise but have worked out having her mother stay and take care of their pets.

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I have read almost all of the books in the series. It is a series that I have enjoyed. In this most recent book, the story is told a little bit differently than previous books. In this book, there is more dialogue than description. While that is not one of my favorite book devices, it does work for the story.

The lighthouse, which is by the cottage that Gethsemane Brown rents, has been taken over by a wedding entourage. The bride and groom-to-be are both social media influencers and are aiming to get the best photos for them to post. Although the bride is quite wealthy, she is still looking for sponsors to pay for much of her wedding and to get lucrative sponsorship deals for the future.

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I’ve read a couple of books in this series and have enjoyed them. I plan on going back to the first book and filling in all the continuing plot points that I have missed by not having read them all.

Still, this is a book that can easily be read stand-alone. It doesn’t rely on previous books and does give brief information of things that went before without giving spoilers for the earlier books.

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This is a really great start to a new fun mystery series. It is set in an old-time movie cinema in the town of Utopia Springs, Arkansas.

Halley Greer has just inherited the cinema from her uncle who she just barely remembers from a visit when she was quite young. She is both shocked at the bequest and then shocked again at the the condition of the cinema and the apartment she moves into which is on the upper floor of the cinema.

Let’s just say that Uncle Leon was the best housekeeper on the block. Maybe the worst but certainly not the best.

Halley doesn’t have much choice as she is unemployed and her former roommate had left her in the lurch without paying two months of rent.

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This series has quickly become one of my favorites. It is crazy funny with lots of characters who hi-jinks are outrageous. Each book is better than the last and since they are all great, that is saying something.

In this story, Val (the owner of Pie Town) has allowed one of her employees the use of Pie Town after hours for a poetry slam. There are a number of poets present, including Professor Starke. After the event, the professor is found murdered just a few steps away from the bakery.

Val and her fantastic pie crust specialist and landlord, Charlene are on the case. They are the Baker Street Bakers and usually solve much smaller crimes. However, when a murder threatens Pie Town, they gear up for the case.

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