Cozy

Catriona McPherson: Hop Scot

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Last Ditch #6

This hilarious breath of fresh air from Catriona McPherson has rocketed on to my all time favorite Christmas mystery list.  This series centers on Scot Lexy Campbell, who has settled in the strange land of California, and lives in a motel surrounded by an array of interesting characters who often help her solve crimes.  Her “real” job is working as a life coach, but honestly, sleuthing takes front and center stage for her.

In this outing McPherson has flipped the script, and sent Lexy and her buddies home (Lexy’s home, anyway) to Scotland for Christmas.  While it was a trip planned for just her and her fiancée, their buddy Roger the doc says he needs to get out of town and buys them all swanky airplane tickets – how can they refuse? read more

Victoria Laurie: Coaching Fire

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Cat & Gilley Life Coach #5

No one can claim that Victoria Laurie’s latest addition to her Cat & Gilley Life Coach series is a slow burn. This fifth book, Coaching Fire, starts off with Cat Cooper and Gilley Gillespie in the heat of things, and that sets the pace readers can expect. Cat and Gilley are in the lone star state of Texas for the famous Rose Festival, where Gilley’s new paramour, Stuart Jacobs, is heading the creation of all the royal court garb. But it isn’t all fun and games. A murder occurs on the very night Cat arrives in Texas and it puts pressure on Gilley’s new squeeze. At a time when he needs every last set of hands working on the Rose Queen’s court, he loses one set to police suspicion. Determined to help, Gilley and Cat join forces once again to help stop a killer before they get away with murder, or perhaps even commit another. read more

V.M. Burns: Murder on Tour

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Mystery Bookshop #9

There is a lot that goes into getting a book written and on shelves. After the author thinks it’s finally done, it then has to pass through the publishing gauntlet. Once it makes it through that, then the author must go about promoting their book to ensure sales stay up and their next book has a better chance of getting published. Often times they must promote at events with other authors who have many other books published and have a solid fan base. In Murder On Tour, V.M. Burns portrays our protagonist Samantha Washington’s struggle to be not just a published author, but a confident one. It does not help her ego any to be a last minute addition to a book festival, and that her table isn’t in a very ideal location. Luckily she has her grandma Nana Joe present to keep her confidence up and boost her morale. But, once behind the scenes, Samantha finds out that things are not all they appear to be. The infighting between these well-known authors is shocking and Samantha does her best to stay out of it. read more

Lauren Elliott: Murder in a Cup

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Crystals & CuriosiTEAS #2

Lauren Elliott’s second book in her Crystals & CuriosiTEAS series, Murder in a Cup, does not disappoint. Shay Myers is determined to make her new life in Monterey Peninsula a success and, given the popularity of her shop, that seems to be more than possible. With the help of her sister Jen, a local misfit teenager named Tassi, and of course her loyal dog Spirit, Shay has plenty of help in running Crystals & CuriosiTEAS. Serving tea and selling knick-knacks isn’t Shay’s only business, she also provides services as a Seer, such as reading tea leaves or palms. Given that she is a self-taught Seer, logical minded Shay is always a little nervous about exploring this more mystical side of herself. Luckily local pub owner and friend Liam has his Gran coming into town and she is a well versed Seer. Unfortunately for Shay, Gran is also more than a little pushy and has her committing to doing a group event reading before she’s really comfortable with it. read more

Kathleen Marple Kalb: The Stuff of Murder

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Old Stuff #1

It’s no secret I’m a big fan of Kathleen Kalb’s.  The fact that her maiden name was actually Marple might be reason enough to love her, but she’s also an incredibly adept and enjoyable cozy writer.  She kicked off her career with an historical fiction series featuring an opera singer, but she’s written various cozies, one based on her actual profession (radio host), one featuring a secret hit woman, and this latest one featuring historical society head and antiques expert Christian Shaw. read more

Maya Corrigan: A Parfait Crime

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Five-Ingredient #9

Two murders combine in Maya Corrigan’s ninth installment of her Five-Ingredient series,  A Parfait Crime. Val Deniston first gets drawn into this mystery when her boyfriend, firefighter Bram Muir, comes to her house for dinner. He’s distraught at finding not only a fire, but that the fire resulted in the death of a woman named Jane. Jane also happened to be a part of a play of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, along with Val’s grandfather. Val’s grandfather was also a member of Jane’s Agatha Christie book club and  has an in to the group, which helps Val learn more about the victim. Or victims, rather, as one more body is found in Jane’s basement. This poor victim is long dead and locked in a freezer. Needless to say, there are many questions and not nearly enough answers. read more

Diane Kelly: Snow Place for Murder

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Mountain Lodge #3

For those looking for a snow mountain getaway, but the weather isn’t quite cooperating or it might just be out of budget, look no further than Snow Place for Murder by Diane Kelly. This is the third in her Mountain Lodge series. Misty Murphy is our amateur sleuth, but she prefers her role as owner and caretaker of North Carolina’s Mountain Top Lodge. Misty is making a promising life for herself, forging her place in the community, and making connections. As the holiday season approaches, her two sons are coming to help out at the Lodge and take advantage of the ideal snowboarding conditions. Everything seems to be going well. Misty has a full booking at the Lodge, a blossoming relationship with her boyfriend Rocky, a loving family around her, friends a plenty, and of course her beloved cat Yeti. However, when a group that booked the whole Lodge arrives, things don’t go quite as planned. read more

S.K.Golden: The Socialites Guide to Death & Dating

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Pinnacle Hotel #2

This charming series follows Evelyn Elizabeth Grace Murphy in 1958 New York City.  Her father owns the swanky Pinnacle Hotel, where Evelyn lives, and he makes only occasional appearances in her life.  As the book opens, she and her boyfriend, Mac, are at a party she’s planned at the hotel.  It’s full of wealthy, prominent people, but as it’s wrapping up, Mac suggests they make a break for it and head to his place in Yonkers.  Evelyn, who is agoraphobic (but she’s working on it) reluctantly agrees to this plan.  Unfortunately, on their way out of the hotel garage, they find one of the guests, a Judge Baker, dead in his car of an apparent heroin overdose. read more

Carol J. Perry: Now You See It

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Witch City #13

Carol J. Perry’s thirteenth book in her Witch City Mystery series is the delightful addition Now You See it. In it, Salem’s local reporter and scryer, Lee Mondello, once more finds herself drawn into solving not just a murder, but a possible heist as well. As a scryer, Lee is both blessed and cursed with the gifts of sight. Mirrors, pools of water, and even the metallic surface of an elevator door can sometimes trigger images to appear before her. The images don’t always tell a comprehensive story, and sometimes they are just a still frame like a picture, but they all inevitably help Lee to unravel any mysteries surrounding her life. Her husband, Pete, is a local Salem police detective, and while he believes in his wife and her gifts, he prefers to deal in the real and provable. It makes sense – a police detective can’t very well arrest someone based on his wife claiming to have seen something in the nearby fishbowl. Lee isn’t offended, as she knows physical evidence is crucial to getting criminals to stay behind bars. But turning visions into evidence can be a little tricky. read more

Michael Falco: Murder in an Italian Village

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Bria Bartolucci #1

Few sights and experiences rival that of the coast of Italy, and the beautifully colored buildings of Positano balanced along cliff faces and overlooking stunning stretches of ocean. Michael Falco launches a new mystery series set in this idyllic place. The first book is Murder in an Italian Village and it follows widow and single mom Bria Bartolucci as she also starts a new life running a B&B called Bella Bella. While she has lived near Positano, she has only recently made it home for herself and her son Marco. She is not only striving to make her business thrive, but also to become an accepted part of the Positano community and not be seen as a tourist or outsider. read more