Grounds for Murder

 

Grounds for Murder (A Coffee Lover's Mystery) by Tara Lush

About Grounds for Murder

Grounds for Murder (A Coffee Lover's Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (December 8, 2020) Hardcover: 320 pages ISBN-10: 1643856189 ISBN-13: 978-1643856186 Digital ASIN: B0871KTTMC

When Lana Lewis' best -- and most difficult -- employee abruptly quits and goes to work for the competition just days before the Sunshine State Barista Championship, her café's chances of winning the contest are creamed. In front of a gossipy crowd in the small Florida town of Devil's Beach, Lana's normally calm demeanor heats to a boil when she runs into the arrogant java slinger. Of course, Fabrizio "Fab" Bellucci has a slick explanation for jumping ship. But when he's found dead the next morning under a palm tree in the alley behind Lana's café, she becomes the prime suspect.

 

Even the island's handsome police chief isn't quite certain of her innocence. But Lana isn't the only one in town who was angry with Fabrizio. Jilted lovers, a shrimp boat captain, and a surfer with ties to the mob are all suspects as trouble brews on the beach.

 

With her stoned, hippie dad, a Shih Tzu named Stanley, and a new, curious barista sporting a punk rock aesthetic at her side, Lana's prepared to turn up the heat to catch the real killer.

 

After all, she is a former award-winning reporter. As scandal hangs over her beachside café, can Lana clear her name and win the championship -- or will she come to a bitter end?

What I Thought:

This is the first in a new cozy mystery series, A Coffee Lover's Mystery Series. This is also the fist I have read by this author and I was not disappointed. In this one, Lana has left her job as a journalist to open a coffee shop in Devil's Beach, FL called Perkatory. Her best barista quits days before a big competition to go to work for a rival coffee shop. When this employee is found dead after a big argument with Lana, Lana becomes the main suspect. So Lana has to investigate to clear her name. The setting of this story is great, an island off the Gulf Coast of Florida. There are some funny and quirky characters in this one, like Lana's yoga loving, hippie like father, the police chief and cute doggie. The plot was well thought out. It was very believable that Lana would investigate the murder with her journalism background. This one was well written and flowed well and kept me turning the pages. I look forward to the next book in this series. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About Tara Lush

Tara Lush is a Rita Award finalist, an Amtrak writing fellow, and a George C. Polk Award-winning journalist. For the past decade, she's been a reporter with the Associated Press, covering crime, alligators, natural disasters, and politics. She also writes contemporary romance set in tropical locations. A fan of vintage pulp-fiction book covers, Sinatra-era jazz, and 1980s fashion, she lives with her husband and two dogs on the Gulf coast.

Author Links WEB: www.taralush.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/LushBooks GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20274256.Tara_Lush INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lush_books/ Purchase Links AMAZON - KOBO - BARNES AND NOBLE - ITUNES - INDIEBOUND a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fishing for Trouble

 

Fishing for Trouble (An Alaskan Diner Mystery)
by Elizabeth Logan

About Fishing For Trouble

Fishing for Trouble (An Alaskan Diner Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Alaska
Publisher: Berkley (November 24, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0593100468
ISBN-13: 978-0593100462
Digital ASIN: B085BW1KCK

Something fishy is going on at a local seafood processing plant, and Charlie Cooke is on the hook to solve the case in this new Alaskan Diner Mystery.

 

Summer has come to Elkview, Alaska, bringing twenty hours of sunlight every day, not to mention a surge of tourists and seasonal workers. Chef Charlie Cooke is eager for a busy yet relaxing season, but when a young man working a summer job at the local fish processing plant dies moments after walking into the Bear Claw Diner, she’s quickly swept into the investigation.

 

Soon, through her best friend Annie Jensen, Charlie learns that another student worker at J and M Processing has disappeared, leaving more questions and fewer answers. The near-endless sunlight gives plenty of time to search for clues, but Charlie will have to work with Annie and local reporter Chris Doucette to net the killer before anyone else gets hurt.

About Elizabeth Logan

Camille Minichino is turning every aspect of her life into a mystery series. A retired physicist, she’s the author of 28 mystery novels in 5 series, with different pen names. She writes the Alaskan Diner Mysteries as Elizabeth Logan. She’s also written many short stories and articles. She teaches science at Golden Gate U. in San Francisco and writing workshops around the SF Bay Area.  Details are at www.minichino.com.

Author Links – Website – Facebook –  GoodReads –

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N  – Kobo– IndieBound 

FISHING FOR TROUBLE TOUR PARTICIPANTS

November 24 – Reading Reality – REVIEW

November 24 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

November 25 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

November 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

November 26 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

November 27 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

November 27 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE

November 27 – I Read What You Write -SPOTLIGHT

November 28 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

November 28 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

November 28 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

November 29 – Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

November 29 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

November 29 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

November 30 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

November 30 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW, GUEST POST 

December 1 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

December 1 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

December 2 – Christy's Cozy Corners - REVIEW, GUEST POST

December 2 – My Journey Back – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

December 3 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – GUEST POST

December 3 – ebook addicts – REVIEW

December 3 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT

December 3 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW

 

Paws for Concern

 

Paws for Concern (A Canine Confections Mystery) by Amy Hueston

About Paws for Concern

 

Paws for Concern (A Canine Confections Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Publisher: Donelson Press (August 22, 2020) Paperback: 264 pages ISBN-10: 1944066373 ISBN-13: 978-1944066376 Digital ASIN: B08GJBM98M

Life is good for Samantha Armstrong. She left her cheating boyfriend, settled into her cozy cottage on her Aunt Mary’s Palm Beach estate and is finally opening Canine Confections, her dream dog bakery on the ritzy Worth Avenue.

 

But Samantha’s happy new life goes doggone crazy when Palm Beach resident and pastry shop owner Whitney Goodwin is found dead on Canine Confections’ floor, whisking Samantha into the middle of a murder investigation. The only bright spot is that she finds herself adopting Whitney’s loveable dog Sweet Pea.

 

As the killer strikes again, it’s obvious that the shopkeepers on Worth Avenue are the target. Samantha’s impatience won’t let sleeping dogs lie. She takes it upon herself to move things along by padding around town with Sweet Pea and sniffing out clues to clear her name and Canine Confections’ reputation—before it is too late …

 

Includes a recipe from Chef Sarah Deters at the test kitchen of Three Dog Bakery, the original bakery for dogs!

What I Thought:

 This is the first in the Canine Confection cozy mystery series. This story was a light read that flowed well and kept me turning the pages. Samantha has moved to Palm Beach and is opening her dog bakery, Canine Confection. On the day of the grand opening, fellow baker owner, Whitney is found dead in Samantha's shop. Samantha becomes the main suspect, and when another shop owner is attacked, Samantha takes the investigation into her own hands. This story was well written. The author did a very good job with setting descriptions, she made me feel as if I was really in Palm Beach. Character development was also great as Samantha is a great protagonist and Aunt Mary lends the story a breath of fresh air. But the Sweet Pea was the winner of greatest character. I enjoy a cozy that keeps me guessing till the very end and this one did just that. I look forward to more in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About Amy Hueston

Author Amy Hueston writes mini-mysteries for Woman's World when she isn't writing mysteries and suspense books. Paws for Concern is the first book in A Canine Confections Mystery series. Author Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.hueston.73 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyhueston/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/HuestonAmy Website: https://amyhueston.com Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20626879.Amy_Hueston Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N My CD Download on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Talk-Love-Amy-Hueston/dp/B08C252M8D a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

On Borrowed Crime: A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery by Kate Young

On Borrowed Crime: A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery
by Kate Young

The mystery is cleverly plotted, and the writing voice is very engaging.
~Reading Is My SuperPower

I think a lot of what I liked was the Southern Charm. I loved
Lyla and her friends and family.
~My Reading Journeys

On Borrowed Crime definitely kicks the Jane Doe Book Club Mystery Series off in a good way! Fans of Aurora Teagarden and Veronica Mars will like this mystery solving book club/PI focused story! I can’t wait for the next book!
~Christy’s Cozy Corners

A surprise reveal for the most with some odd twists that really pulls it all together making for a satisfying conclusion. A nice change of pace from other cozies making for an enjoyable read. Lots of plot twists mixed with details about the town that really pulls it all together.
~Books a Plenty Book Reviews

On Borrowed Time is a fun and exciting mystery with a Southern heroine that you will instantly adore.
~Moonlight Rendezvous

About On Borrowed Time

On Borrowed Crime: A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (October 6, 2020)
Hardcover
ISBN-10: 1643854623
ISBN-13: 978-1643854625
Digital ASIN: B083RZ3ZRR

A shoe-in read for fans of Ellery Adams and Kate Carlisle, On Borrowed Crime is the first in Kate Young’s new Georgia-set, sweet tea filled, Jane Doe Book Club mysteries.

 

The Jane Doe book club enjoys guessing whodunit, but when murder happens in their midst, they discover solving crimes isn’t fun and games…
 
Lyla Moody loves her sleepy little town of Sweet Mountain, Georgia. She likes her job as receptionist for her uncle’s private investigative firm, her fellow true crime obsessed Jane Doe members are the friends she’s always wanted, and her parents just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. But recently, with her best friend Melanie on vacation, and her ex-boyfriend and horrible cousin becoming an item and moving in next door to her, her idyllic life is on the fritz. The cherry on top of it all is finding Carol, a member of the club, dead and shoved into a suitcase, left at Lyla’s front door.
 
Unusual circumstances notwithstanding, with Carol’s heart condition, the coroner rules Carol’s death undetermined. But when they discover the suitcase belongs to Melanie, who had returned from her vacation the following morning, Sweet Mountain police begin to suspect Lyla’s best friend. Determined that police are following the wrong trail, to clear her friend’s name, and to not allow Carol become one of the club’s studied cold cases, Lyla begins to seek out the real killer. That is, until she becomes the one sought after. Now, finding the truth could turn her into the killer’s next plot twist, unless she wins the game of cat and mouse.

What I Thought:

This is the first installment in the Jane Doe Book Club Mystery Series. I enjoyed this book as I have enjoyed Kate Young's other series. The setting is charming and most of the characters are likable. Lyla works as a receptionist for her uncle's PI firm, so she is kind of a wannabe PI. When Lyla finds her friend and fellow book club member dead in a suitcase outside of her door. When it is determined he suitcase belongs to another friend who just came home from vacation,  Lyla, of course, has to investigate. There were several twists and turns in this story that once I thought I had it figured out I would be thrown for a loop. Lyla's relationship with her mother adds another dynamic to this cozy that gave the cozy a different edge. All in all, I did enjoy this story and look forward to more in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

 

About Kate Young

Kate Young writes southern mystery novels. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Guppy Chapter. Kate lives in a small town in Georgia with her husband, three kids, and Shih Tzus. When she is not writing her own books, she’s reading or cooking.

Author Links

       Website- https://www.kateyoungbooks.com

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

Twitter – https://twitter.com/kayoungbooks

  Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/kateyoungbooks/

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6527572.Kate_Young

 

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound 

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Hollyberry Homicide

 

Hollyberry Homicide (A Berry Basket Mystery) by Sharon Farrow

About Hollyberry Homicide

 

Hollyberry Homicide (A Berry Basket Mystery) 

Cozy Mystery 5th in Series Publisher: Kensington (September 29, 2020) Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages ISBN-10: 1496722620 ISBN-13: 978-1496722621 Digital ASIN: B082WQTC18

A cold wind is blowing off Lake Michigan, and murder is scaring the dickens out of everyone . . .

 

Considering her name, Marlee Jacob is an obvious choice for the role of Jacob Marley in Oriole Point’s production of A Christmas Carol. It’s just sad that the role has opened up because of the death of the elderly actor who’d originally been cast.

 

But Marlee, the proprietor of The Berry Basket, will do her best to keep spirits high—that is, until clues start mounting that there’s danger behind the scenes. There are accidents on set, the tree in the village square topples over, and worst of all, a body is found with a sprig of holly draped over it. If Marlee can’t wrap up the case, she may not have a berry merry Christmas . . .

 

Includes Berry Recipes!

What I Thought:

This is one of my favorite series, and this one did no disappoint me. I love cozies set during the Christmas season, and this on was very good. When Gillian, one of Marlee's employees of the Berry Basket finds an old man slumped over on a bench at the opening of the toy train exhibit, everyone assumes it was natural causes, after all he was 95. He happened to be the man who played Jacob Marley in the local production of a Christmas Carol. So of course, they ask Marlee to assume his role. The more Marlee learns about the old curmudgeon, the more she suspects he was murdered. I really enjoy the authors descriptions of the town of Oriole Point and I would really like to visit there. This cozy kept my attention for the time I started it till I finished it. There were just enough twists and turns in this one to keep me guessing, but I will have to say, I was not at all surprised by the ending. I really like the character of Marlee and the reveal of the killer was very exciting and satisfying to say the least.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About Sharon Farrow

Sharon Farrow is the latest pen name of award-winning author Sharon Pisacreta. A freelance writer since her twenties, she has been published in mystery, fantasy, and romance. Sharon currently writes The Berry Basket cozy mystery series for Kensington. The series debuted in 2016 and is set along the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline where she now lives. She is also one half of the writing team D.E. Ireland, who co-author the Agatha nominated Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins mysteries.

Author Links – WEB PAGE http://sharonfarrowauthor.com/ FACEBOOK @SharonFarrowAuthor TWITTER @SharonFarrowBB BOOKBUB @SharonFarrow Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Checked Out for Murder: A Haunted Library Mystery by Allison Brook

About Checked Out for Murder

 

Checked Out for Murder: A Haunted Library Mystery Cozy Mystery 4th in Series Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (September 8, 2020) Hardcover: 320 pages ISBN-10: 164385447X ISBN-13: 978-1643854472 Digital ASIN: B082738ZNV

Carrie Singleton and Evelyn the ghost sleuth the slayings of a starlet and a star-crossed psychic in Agatha Award nominee Allison Brook's fourth Haunted Library mystery.

 

Daphne Marriott strolls into Clover Ridge and informs librarian Carrie Singleton that she's a psychic. But had she foreseen what fate awaited her, Daphne would have steered clear of the quaint Connecticut town. Evelyn, the library ghost, tells Carrie that there's more to Daphne than she lets on.

 

The mysterious woman grew up in Clover Ridge with her no-good dad, who apparently met his end at the hands of Daphne's brother, Billy. Still, Daphne proves a welcome distraction when Carrie's overbearing mother hits town. Mom's much younger husband, Tom, is in a movie that's lensing locally, and she's there to keep an eye on him: Tom's costar, sultry Ilana Reingold, is also his ex-fiancée, and there's no denying the chemistry is still there. Soon after mingling with the moviemakers at a meet-and-greet, Daphne is found dead.

 

Carrie and Evelyn investigate, assisted by bushy-tailed library cat Smoky Joe. But the suspect list could overflow the library shelves. Has Billy killed another relative? Is their long-missing mother involved? Or Daphne's mean ex-husband? Carrie's sure she knows who committed the crime, but can she bind together the clues before the culprit Dewey-decimates the town?

What I Thought:

This is the fourth installment in the Haunted Library series, and this one was just as good as the first in the series. In this installment, a psychic had come to town along with Carrie's mother is who is there to keep an eye on her younger husband and his co-star. When Daphne is found murdered, Carrie becomes involved much to the chagrin of her boyfriend the sheriff, but at the urging of her overbearing mother. I thought this book was well written just like the others in the series. I find the character of Evelyn, who is a ghost to be very refreshing of course the setting is awesome, who does not love a library, right. There were twists and turns in this book that kept me guessing till the very end, which is what I like about a cozy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About Allison Brook

A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook she writes the Haunted Library series. DEATH OVERDUE, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series and the Twin Lakes series.

Author Links Website: http://www.marilynlevinson.com Amazon: http://bit.ly/Amazon_MarilynLevinson Facebook: http://bit.ly/MarilynLevinson_Facebook Goodreads: http://bit.ly/Goodreads_MarilynLevinson Twitter: @MarilynLevinson; @AllisonBrookML Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marilev/ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/allison-brook BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marilyn-levinson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marilev4/ Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - IndieBound a Rafflecopter giveaway