Carla Schantz

Cate Conte: Witch Way Out

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Witch Way Out is the third book in Cate Conte’s A Full Moon Mystery series. Violet Mooney has had her life tossed upside down and sideways over the course of the past few books. For one thing, she’s had to face the sudden revelation that she is a witch. To clarify, a magic witch, not a woman with an attitude problem. Specifically, she’s a witch descended from two of the most powerful magical families around. Just because that wasn’t enough already, it appears that someone in her new magical community is out to get her and what remains of her family. Needless to say, Violet is in the midst of an emotional whirlwind when we join her in Witch Way Out. Things don’t slow down as it opens with her having to confront another magical crime. Luckily, she has her friend and mentor of all things magical, Blake, to keep her calm and help her figure out what to do next. But even he, an experienced witch as well as attorney, is unnerved by the discovery of another victim of genieing. This is a fun word referring to a genie’s curse that turns someone into a nasty pile of goo until either they run out of time and remain goo forever, or the curse is lifted and they get to return to normal. read more

Carlene O’Connor: Murder at an Irish Bakery

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Few protagonists have ever managed to draw me in as quickly as Siobhan O’Sullivan in Carlene O’Connor’s Murder at an Irish Bakery. The Garda of Kilbane is to provide security at a bakery competition at the old mill bakery called Pie Pie Love, which is a dream assignment for the pastry addicted Siobhan. While she takes her duty seriously, Siobhan is also delighted with the prospects of samples a-plenty of both confections and coffee. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and I found myself needing a little tasty treat as I read her very relatable internal musings about her sampling expectations. Sadly, things aren’t all cakes and lemon tarts. read more

Catie Murphy: Death in Irish Accents

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The fourth installment in A Dublin Driver Mystery series, Death in Irish Accents, has Megan Malone in the thick of a murder investigation over the course of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. Despite driving for Leprechaun Limos, Megan definitely ends up navigating more murders than back roads, much to her girlfriend Jelena’s ever-increasing dismay. Her trend for catching murder mysteries continues yet again when another literally falls into her lap during her morning coffee. Megan just can’t help but feel the itch to find the truth, to know the whole story of what happened to the poor victim and why. Yet at the same time, she is desperate to do whatever it takes to keep her girlfriend happy. Jelena isn’t pleased that the woman she loves keeps putting herself into harm’s way, and wants nothing more than for her to stay OUT of things. Unfortunately, everything seems to conspire against this. While some of her involvement is caused by Megan’s insatiable curiosity, most is genuinely just bad luck and happenstance. Even when she tries to go out of her way to avoid anything to do with the case, it seems to seek her out and drag her back in. read more

Kate Collins: Gone but Not For Garden

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Kate Collins’ fourth addition to her Goddess of Greene Street Mysteries is Gone but Not for Garden. Readers will find themselves drawn in by main character and detective Athena Spencer. She has only recently opened up her own detective agency with her boyfriend Case Donnelly, works for her family gardening store called Spencer’s, and also posts a blog as a way to vent about her family and personal life struggles and triumphs. However, she does remain anonymous in her blog, and it is amusing to see her family discuss it with such interest. Anyone who has a large family can appreciate and relate to how Athena has both love for her family as well as frustrations. While her family means well, they often push Athena’s boundaries and exasperate her. She does her best to be considerate and kind, while also remaining firm with her family. They mean well, and their pushing clearly comes from a place of love. Athena’s awareness of this makes her all the more relatable to those with more complicated families themselves. Athena also has a son and pet raccoon that add both a humorous element to the story, as well as interesting plot twists later on. read more

Traci Hall: Murder at a Scottish Wedding

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Murder at a Scottish Wedding by Traci Hall is a wonderful look into Scottish culture, and provides two very different mysteries that will have readers glued to the pages. Paislee Shaw is the detective in this series, and she owns a yarn business in Nairn known as Cashmere Crush. However, while Ms. Shaw has solved several murders in the three prior books, this one revolves around the wedding of her best friend Lydia. Thankfully, Paislee does not have to lose her best friend in order to prompt the investigation. Instead, the happy day is halted by the murder of a member of the wedding party. The death is also witnessed by an entire church full of wedding guests. When Paislee discovers that the victim was supposed to be Lydia all along.  When Lydia discovers this, she won’t be able to rest easily unless Paislee looks into the matter herself. Being a part of the wedding party gives Paislee access to both of the families involved, and gives her plenty of reason to speak with and look into everyone. read more

Maddie Day: Four Leaf Cleaver

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When looking for a murder mystery chock full of southern charm, look no further than Maddie Day’s Four Leaf Cleaver, the eleventh installment in her Country Store series. The main character and investigator is Robbie Jordan, owner of the local B&B Pans ‘N Pancakes. In an effort to give her B&B some publicity, Robbie is hosting a Saint Patrick’s Day themed cooking competition known as Holiday Hot-Off. From the start, the whole business shapes up to be more complicated and involved than Robbie had expected. From the staff of the show not getting along, to their manager and star Tara O’Hara being demanding and rude, Robbie is more than ready for it all to be over before it even begins. However, what no one expected was for the abrasive Tara O’Hara to be found dead in her upstairs room at Pans ‘N Pancakes on the morning of the big event. read more

Amanda Flower: Honeymoons Can be Hazardous

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Amanda Flower’s Honeymoons Can Be Hazardous gives readers not only a suspenseful mystery, but also a unique look into Amish life, particularly how they live alongside and interact with the Englisch (what Amish refer those who are not of their faith), in the shared town of Harvest, Ohio. The town has always been relatively peaceful, but recently things have become unstable as there has been an increase in drug trafficking and use among both groups in the community. In a lovely display of camaraderie in the face of this new threat, everyone works together to fund and staff a community center where troubled individuals can go to get the help that they need. Everyone wants to protect the youth of their community, and to offer them education to help to avoid making desperate choices that could ruin, or even take, their lives. read more

Laura Levine: Death by Smoothie

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Death by Smoothie, Laura Levine’s latest work, has Jaine Austen tossed into investigating two murders: that of a classic sitcom turned musical, and that of the lead actress starring in said musical. Jaine is approached by her friend and neighbor Lance Venable and asked if she would be interested in doing the screen writing for the musical remake of an old sitcom called ‘I Married a Zombie’. While she isn’t a fan of the sitcom or of the idea of a musical based upon it, she is definitely interested in the paycheck the job would bring. David and Becca are the couple who are funding and directing the project using the winnings from David’s recent lotto ticket. While she is hesitant about working on such a tacky project, Jaine is won over by the large pay out promised. read more

Winnie Archer: Bread over Troubled Water

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Winnie Archer’s Bread Over Troubled Water has aspiring photographer Ivy Culpepper racing not just to solve a murder, but to also to save her friends and her job at bakery Yeast of Eden from disaster. As the book opens, Ivy’s morning is focused on her normal routine of baking and on reflecting on her own to-do list for her impending wedding party. She does not have much free time, however, as the bread shop is a town staple and thus plenty of regulars and tourists pass through, keeping everyone busy. One such regular is Josh Prentiss. He is a well-known fixture in Yeast of Eden, working away most mornings on his laptop and offering charmingly flirtatious remarks to both customers and employees. After some light commotion in the shop resulting in dropped bread and a broken plate, he leaves the shop and Ivy does not think about him further, until her determined and charming pug, Agatha, sniffs out his body amongst flowers in the park and drags Ivy once more into a mystery. read more

Sarah Fox: Through the Liquor Glass

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Through the Liquor Glass by Sarah Fox is the fifth installment in A Literary Pub Mystery series and has local pub owner Sadie Coleman not only investigating a new murder but fighting to keep her boyfriend from taking the fall. Shady Creek, Vermont, is celebrating the fall weather with a festival called “A Taste of Shady Creek” which focuses on showcasing all the local eateries. Between preparing for the event at her Pub, The Inkwell, and for a booth at the event hall, Sadie is also having to prepare for the first-time visit of her mother to show her her new home and her new life. Between the pressures of wanting her mother to understand that this is where she belongs and The Inkwell is how she wants to make her living, she also must brace herself to also introduce her boyfriend Grayson Blake. Just when it seems there couldn’t possibly be anything more to add to her plate, Sadie learns that several food critics are present at the event as well. read more