Calamity in Camberwell

Calamity in Camberwell

Beth Haldane, SE21's answer to Miss Marple, worries she is losing a kindred spirit when her friend Jen, the only other single mum in the playground, suddenly gets married and moves to Camberwell.

Soon Beth has to face much more pressing fears. Has something gone horribly wrong with Jen's marriage? What is her husband really up to? Why is her daughter leading Beth's son astray? And where on earth IS Jen anyway?

As Beth's friends push her to start dating again, Beth turns to Met Police DI Harry York for help. But will they solve the mystery in time, or will it turn out that in south east London, not everyone gets to live happily ever after?
Purchase Link - MyBook.to/Cic



What I Thought:

This is the first book that I have had experience with by Alice Castle.  It is the third in her London Murder Mysteries series, and while it can be read without reading the others in the series, I wish I had read the others and gotten to know the main character a little more.  This one was a little different than most of the cozy mysteries I read as it dealt with the issue of domestic violence.  In this one, Beth's friend Jen has moved to Camberwell and Beth is soon worried about Jen and her marriage. When Jen goes missing, Beth enlists the help of the police and DI Harry York.  I thought this was a very well written book.  Like I mentioned, it is different that what I usually read but the author did well with the subject matter and the issue of domestic violence and how it affects those who experience and their family and friends.  I would love to read the other books in this series as this author is a very good writer and the story flowed well.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

Author Bio –
Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, set in Brussels and London, was a European hit and sold out in two weeks.
Death in Dulwich was published in September 2017 and has been a number one best-seller in the UK, US, Canada, France, Spain and Germany. A sequel, The Girl in the Gallery was published in December 2017 to critical acclaim. Calamity in Camberwell, the third book in the London Murder Mystery series, will be published this summer, with Homicide in Herne Hill due to follow in early 2019. Alice is currently working on the fifth London Murder Mystery adventure. Once again, it will feature Beth Haldane and DI Harry York.
Alice is also a mummy blogger and book reviewer via her website: https://www.alicecastleauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alicecastleauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DDsDiary?lang=en
Links to buy books: MyBook.to/GirlintheGallery
myBook.to/1DeathinDulwich
myBook.to/HotChocolate
She lives in south London and is married with two children, two step-children and two cats.
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Death on the Menu

Death on the Menu: A Key West Food Critic Mystery
by Lucy Burdette

About the Book

Death on the Menu: A Key West Food Critic Mystery
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Crooked Lane Books (August 7, 2018)
Hardcover: 295 Pages
ISBN-13: 978-1683317463
Digital ASIN: B078MBKH95

When a killer strikes just before flan time, beloved food critic Hayley Snow is forced to sniff out the killer before someone else bites the dust.

Hayley Snow, fiery food critic for Key Zest magazine, has just landed a ticket to one of the most prestigious events in Key West: a high-brow three-day conference at the Harry Truman Little White House. Even though she’ll be working the event helping her mother’s fledgling catering business, there’s plenty of spicy gossip to go around. But just before her mother’s decadent flan is put to the test, Key West’s most prized possession, Hemingway’s Nobel prize gold medal for The Old Man and the Sea, is discovered stolen from its case.

Unsavory suspicions point to Gabriel, a family friend and one of the new busboys working the event, who mysteriously goes missing moments later. Anxious to clear his name, Gabriel’s family enlists Hayley to help find him, but right as they begin their search, his body is found stabbed to death in the storeroom.

Hayley has no shortage of suspects to interrogate and very little time before the killer adds another victim to the menu in national bestselling author Lucy Burdette’s delectable eighth Key West Food Critic mystery, Death on the Menu.

What I Thought:

This is the  8th Key West Food Critics mystery and I have read a couple of the others, but it has been a while.  Even though I have not read the all and it has been a while since I read one, I wasn't lost and if a person has not read any of these books before they can pick this one up and not be lost.  I enjoyed visiting Hayley Snow again in the beautiful setting of Key West, she is a very well developed character.  In this one, Hayley is helping her mother get her catering business off the ground and has been invited to a prestigious conference at the Harry Truman Little White House.  But things do not go as planned when Hemingway's Nobel Prize is stolen and a friend is thought to be the thief.  When his body is found stabbed, Hayley has to find the killer. This was a good mystery that kept me guessing until the end.  The descriptions of the foods in this story was also very enjoyable.  I was totally surprised by the ending of this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About the Author

Courtesy Carol Tedesco

Clinical psychologist Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib) has published 16 mysteries, including the latest in the Key West food critic series, DEATH ON THE MENU (Crooked Lane Books, August 2018.) Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She's a member of Mystery Writers of America and a past president of Sisters in Crime. She blogs at Jungle Red Writers and shares her love for food with the culinary writers at Mystery Lovers Kitchen She lives in Madison CT and Key West FL. Read more at www.lucyburdette.com.

Author Links:

Facebook: WWW.facebook.com/lucyburdette

Twitter: www.twitter.com/lucyburdette

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lucyburdette

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/robertaisleib

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4781149.Lucy_Burdette

Purchase Links:

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Midnight Snacks are Murder

Midnight Snacks are Murder (A Poppy McAllister Mystery)
by Libby Klein

About the Book

Midnight Snacks are Murder (A Poppy McAllister Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Kensington (July 31, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1496713056
Digital ASIN: B0776HFC8V

When her sleepwalking aunt is accused of committing murder, Poppy McAllister finds out there's no rest for the weary . . .

Between trying to get her gluten-free baking business off the ground and helping her aunt remodel her old Victorian into the Butterfly House Bed and Breakfast in Cape May, New Jersey, Poppy is ready to call, “Mayday!” And now Aunt Ginny—who's a handful wide-awake—is sleepwalking on her new sleeping pill prescription and helping herself to neighbors’ snacks and knickknacks.

Even more alarming, a local humanitarian who worked with troubled teens is found murdered, and the police suspect the “Snack Bandit.” Other than a bad case of midnight munchies and some mild knickknack kleptomania, Aunt Ginny is harmless. Someone’s trying to frame her. Poppy will need to work tirelessly to uncover the killer and put the case to rest—before Aunt Ginny has to trade in her B & B for a bunk bed behind bars . . .

Includes Seven Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen!

What I Thought:

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, and this one was just as good.  I love Poppy, she is so relatable to me, as I am in my 40s and also overweight.  She is a character that I have come to love.  I enjoyed returning to Cape May and visiting with Poppy and Aunt Ginny again, and of course, there is trouble on the horizon again. This time Aunt Ginny is the one accused of murder and Poppy, of course, has to find the real culprit.  Aunt Ginny is a little eccentric and with her now sleepwalking, and walking off with neighbors knick-knacks, Poppy has her hands full trying to prove that Ginny is innocent of murder.  Along with all that, Poppy and Ginny are trying to get their new Bed-and-Breakfast up and running and Poppy is also trying to start her gluten-free baking business.  This one was just as laugh-out-loud as the first in the series and was a pure delight for me.  The mystery was well thought out and plotted really well, and I was left guessing till the very end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About the Author

Libby Klein dabbles in the position of Vice President of a technology company which mostly involves bossing other people around, making spreadsheets, and taking out the trash. She writes culinary cozy mysteries from her Northern Virginia office while trying to keep her cat Figaro off her keyboard.

Author Links

Website – https://libbykleinbooks.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/libbykleinbooks/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/LibbyKleinBooks

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/libbykleinbooks/

Purchase Links

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Melina’s book blog Character Guest Post by Sir Figaro Newton      

 Living with two single ladies is every cat’s dream. You’d think double the back scratches, double the tuna, double the catnip - but you’d be very wrong my friend. What it is, is double the drama.

I had it pretty sweet back in Virginia. Poppy was low maintenance as long as we didn’t run out of Haagen-Dazs or Pepperidge Farm. There were plenty of good napping spots. And Georgina hardly ever visited so that kept the number of hairballs down to a minimum. Then one day I was shoved into my prison cell and the torture-mobile brought us to a place Poppy calls “South Jersey.” It smells like pretzels rolled in coconut oil and seagulls here. I don’t like it.

Well apparently, we live here now. Either that or we’re being held hostage. I’m not sure, they are very similar. I just know that I’ve been more than fair about the change even though my vote counted for nothing. I did very little complaining when I had to listen to Poppy’s melodramatic ramblings about “killing a cheerleader” and “going to prison.” I’ve tried to make our surroundings more hospitable by carving my familiar artistic flair into each piece.  And my very generous contribution of moonlight serenades has gone completely unappreciated. I know that pillow was hurled by you Aunt Ginny!

I thought we’d put all that unpleasantness behind us and I was finally settling in when crazy number two started acting up. First Aunt Ginny let a bunch of strangers into my house and they started ripping apart my eating room and my other eating room. We had to take control and give everyone what for. Aunt Ginny and I disagreed about tactics, I felt we should hide the valuables like the can opener, but she insisted on splitting hairs over less important things that had nothing to do with eating. Like “don’t smash that family heirloom!” and “stop scratching my credenza, it’s an antique!” and other such nonsense.

At least we were a united front against a common enemy, the little hairless man. Every time I turned around, he’d track his saw-dusty paw prints into my napping place or leave one of his smelly tools in my other napping place. Enough was enough. A cat can only take so much. Just as I was about to suggest a conflab with Aunt Ginny, I catch her flopping down in front of the door in my loitering room. We get it. You want to be friends. Don’t be so dramatic about it!

Poppy rather overreacted, like she does, and Aunt Ginny was forced into the torture-mobile. They didn’t return for hours. I knew I was going to have a tough time calming them both down that night. I had to go from one lap to the other through half of Wheel and two episodes of Matlock. I like him. I bet he’s a cat person.

Things eventually settled down to a reasonable purr and life got back to normal. If your idea of normal is someone breaking into the neighborhood houses and stealing their most precious possessions. I told Aunt Ginny we needed to hide the can opener! If this so called “Snack Bandit” breaks in here and steals my can of Caribbean Beach Friskies I might just lose one of my lives.

Hmm. I hear the sound of Judge Judy in the sunbeam room. That means Aunt Ginny needs me to lie on top of the television, so she gets better reception. I like trying to swat Judy just as she rolls her eyes. I gotta go. If you live in the neighborhood, be sure to lock your door and hide your tuna. Something’s going on here and I haven’t quite figured it out yet. I’ve got a strange feeling in my whiskers…  But no. It couldn’t be…

The Vanished Child

The Vanished Child

What would you do if you discovered you had a brother you never knew existed?

On her deathbed, Freda Duckworth confesses to giving birth to an illegitimate child in 1944 and temporarily placing him in a children's home. She returned later but he had vanished. 

What happened to the child? Why did he disappear? Where did he go? 

Jayne Sinclair, genealogical investigator, is faced with lies, secrets, and one of the most shameful episodes in recent history as she attempts to uncover the truth.

Can she find the vanished child?

This book is the fourth in the Jayne Sinclair Genealogical Mystery series, but can be read as a standalone

Every childhood lasts a lifetime.

Purchase Link - myBook.to/

What I Thought:

The plot of this story was very intriguing, but I found he writing style very hard to follow. The author is a very good author but as he is British, he wrote using British terms and sayings that I am not really familiar with. As for the story itself, it was very intriguing. Jayne is a genealogical investigator, something I am not familiar with at all, and she is approached by her step mother to help locate a long lost brother. This story was based on true events of British orphans being relocated to Australia and the brutal treatments the endured. I thought this was a fascinating read and was not what I am used to reading. There are more stories int his series, but this book can be read as a stand alone and even though it is a series, I was not lost. The author did a very good job describing the characters and the locations. If not for the writing language this would have been a fast-paced page turner.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

Author Bio – Martin has spent most of his adult life writing in one form or another. As a University researcher in history, he wrote pages of notes on reams of obscure topics. As a social worker with Vietnamese refugees, he wrote memoranda. And, as the creative director of an advertising agency, he has written print and press ads, tv commercials, short films and innumerable backs of cornflake packets and hotel websites.

He has spent 25 years of his life working outside the North of England. In London, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai, winning awards from Cannes, One Show, D&AD, New York and London Festivals, and the United Nations.

When he's not writing, he splits his time between the UK and Asia, taking pleasure in playing with his daughter, researching his family history, single-handedly solving the problem of the French wine lake and wishing he were George Clooney.

Social Media Links –

Website: www.writermjlee.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/WriterMJLee

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/writermjlee

Shelved Under Murder

Shelved Under Murder: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery

by Victoria Gilbert

About the Book

Shelved Under Murder: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery

Cozy Mystery

2nd in Series

Crooked Lane Books (July 10, 2018)

Hardcover: 300 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1683315957

Digital: ASIN: B075QJHPR9

Autumn leaves aren’t the only things falling in the historic Virginia village of Taylorsford—so are some cherished memories, and a few bodies.

October in Taylorsford, Virginia means it’s leaf peeping season, with bright colorful foliage and a delightful fresh crew of tourists attending the annual Heritage Festival which celebrates local history and arts and crafts. Library director Amy Webber, though, is slightly dreading having to spend two days running a yard sale fundraiser for her library. But during these preparations, when she and her assistant Sunny stumble across a dead body, Amy finds a real reason to be worried.

The body belonged to a renowned artist who was murdered with her own pallet knife. A search of the artist’s studio uncovers a cache of forged paintings, and when the sheriff’s chief deputy Brad Tucker realizes Amy is skilled in art history research, she’s recruited to aid the investigation. It doesn’t seem to be an easy task, but when the state’s art expert uncovers a possible connection between Amy’s deceased uncle and the murder case, Amy must champion her Aunt Lydia to clear her late husband’s name.

That’s when another killing shakes the quiet town, and danger sweeps in like an autumn wind. Now, with her swoon-inducing neighbor Richard Muir, Amy must scour their resources to once again close the books on murder.

What I Thought:

This is the second book in the Blue Ridge Library mystery series and this series just got a little better.  It is the time of year for the Heritage Festival and when a renowned artist is killed with her own pallet knife, the Sheriff's department recruit's Amy to help investigate. Another murder shakes the town of Taylorsford to the core and leaves everyone on the edge, so Amy has to work fast to solve the crimes. This book was very well written and flowed really well.  I enjoyed reading about this town as I live close to the Blue Ridge Mountains of VA.  I thought the plot was well thought out and very believable.  There were enough suspects to keep the story interesting but not too many to make the story overwhelming.  I look forward to visiting Amy and Taylorsford again soon.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About the Author

Victoria Gilbert, raised in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, turned her early obsession with reading into a dual career as an author and librarian. She has worked as a reference librarian, research librarian, and library director.

When not writing or reading, Victoria likes to spend her time watching films, gardening, or traveling. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers, and is represented by Frances Black at Literary Council, NY, NY.

Victoria lives in North Carolina with her husband and some very spoiled cats. This is her first Blue Ridge Library mystery.

Author Links:


Website/blog: http://victoriagilbertmysteries.com/


Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaGilbertMysteryAuthor/


Twitter: https://twitter.com/VGilbertauthor


Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/VictoriaGilbert


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriagilbertauthor/





Purchase Links:


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Souffle of Suspicion

A Soufflé of Suspicion: A French Bistro Mystery

by Daryl Wood Gerber

About the Book

A Soufflé of Suspicion: A French Bistro Mystery

Cozy Mystery

2nd in Series

Crooked Lane Books (July 10, 2018)

Hardcover 296 Pages

ISBN-13: 978-1683315865

Digital ASIN: B075QMR44B

The buoyant mood at Bistro Rousseau deflates when Chef Camille’s sister, Renee, turns up dead in the chef’s kitchen, and Mimi Rousseau must tease the real killer out of a mélange of menacing characters.

Crush Week in Nouvelle Vie is a madhouse—in a good way. Tourists pour into town for the pressing of the Napa Valley’s world-renowned grapes and all the town’s businesses get a nice lift, including Bistro and Maison Rousseau. Mimi is raising the ante this year with a Sweet Treats Festival, a wonderland of croissants, cakes, tarts, and soufflés crafted with expert care by the area’s top talents.

Chef Camille’s sister Renee is managing the festival with a cast-iron fist, upsetting everyone, including her sister. Which is bad for Camille when Renee turns up dead in the chef’s kitchen. Mimi is still building her business, so her first course of action is to whip up answers and catch the unsavory perpetrator before Camille takes a dusting and gets burned.

What I Thought:


 This is the second in A French Bistro Mystery and it was just as good or better than the first.  Like in the first novel, there were a lot of characters to try to keep straight, therefore, making for a lot of suspects.  It is the time of year for the pressing of Napa Valley's grapes and Mimi has decided to have a Sweet Treats Festival which is being managed by Renee, Mimi's chef, Camille's sister.  Renee makes some enemies and turns up dead in the kitchen of the Bistro.  This was a fast-paced read that kept my attention from the beginning.  Like I mentioned, there were a lot of characters to keep straight, therefore making it hard to pinpoint who the killer was.  The writing was superb and the plot well thought out.  I enjoyed revisiting the town and characters of this well-written series and I look forward to more in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About the Author

Agatha Award-winning Daryl Wood Gerber is best known for her nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mysteries and CHEESE SHOP MYSTERIES, which she pens as Avery Aames. She will soon debut the new French Bistro Mysteries. Daryl also writes stand-alone suspense: DAYS OF SECRETS and GIRL ON THE RUN. Fun tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, and she has a frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky who keeps her in line!

Author Links


Visit Daryl or Avery at www.darylwoodgerber.com.


Daryl’s Blog – Avery’s Blog – Mystery Lover’s Kitchen – Killer Characters –


Facebook: Daryl Avery


Twitter: @AveryAames @DarylWoodGerber


Goodreads: Daryl Wood Gerber Avery Aames


Purchase Links


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Murder Made to Order

Murder Made to Order (All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery)

by Lena Gregory

About the Book

Murder Made to Order (All-Day Breakfast Cafe

Mystery)

Cozy Mystery

2nd in Series

Lyrical Underground (June 19, 2018)

Paperback: 196 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1516104666

Digital ASIN: B075WBZH6L

To save her cozy Florida diner, Gia Morelli must choke down a heaping helping of murder . . .


New York native Gia Morelli is just getting used to life in Florida when she gets word that the town government wants to shut down her pride and joy: the charming little diner known as the All-Day Breakfast Café. A forgotten zoning regulation means that the café was opened illegally, and hardboiled council president Marcia Steers refuses to budge. Gia is considering hanging up her apron and going back to New York, but before she gives up on her dream, she discovers something shocking in the local swamp: Marcia Steers, dead in the water. There’s a secret buried in the books at town hall, and someone killed to keep it hidden. To save her café and bring a killer to justice, Gia and her friends will have to figure out a killer’s recipe for murder . . .

What I Thought:

The was the second installment in the All-day Breakfast Cafe Mystery Series and it was just as good as the first in the series.  It was nice visiting with Gia and her friends again.  In this one, Gia is out for a walk and stumbles upon the body of a woman who wanted to talk to her the day before about a zoning regulation.  So Gia has to prove that she did not kill the council president and also find out what secrets are at the Town Hall.  I really enjoyed the read the writing was superb and made the story flow very well.  The plot was very well thought-out and believable and I was left guessing up to the very end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About the Author

Lena Gregory lives in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island with her husband and three children.


When she was growing up, she spent many lazy afternoons on the beach, in the yard, anywhere she could find to curl up with a good book. She loves reading as much now as she did then, but she now enjoys the added pleasure of creating her own stories.


Author Links:


Website: http://www.lenagregory.com/


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lena.gregory.986


Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lena.Gregory.Author/?fref=ts


Twitter: https://twitter.com/LenaGregory03


Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14956514.Lena_Gregory?from_search=true


Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lenagregoryauth/


Purchase Links

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• Kensington
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• Apple
• Google

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