Kensington Books

Frank Anthony Polito: Rehearsed to Death

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Domestic Partners in Crime #2

I have always insisted I don’t read fantasy novels, but I actually do, because I read cozy mysteries. While the stories themselves are set in more than recognizable places, the behavior of the amateur sleuths in most of them enters the realm of the fantastical.  I could care less.  The world is a hard cold place, and a cozy novel provides respite, comfort, and very often laughs.  Sign me up!  The best of them have characters that have emotional truth and often seem very much like our own friends and neighbors, with the added super power of solving crimes. read more

Alex Erickson: Death by Iced Coffee

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Bookstore Café #11

Alex Erickson’s most recent addition to the Bookstore Café Mystery series is Death by Iced Coffee. The story opens with owner of local Death by Coffee shop and amateur ‘just can’t help herself’ sleuth Krissy Hancock taking part in a marathon – during a heat wave. Like any sane person, she is regretting her decision, but, as a woman of integrity, she is determined to keep her promise to her friend Rita and do her part. However, she is surprised to spot Rita’s boyfriend display some rather suspicious behavior before the race even starts. Krissy does not want to jump to any conclusions, but her internal radar is pinged and she intends to look into what he could possibly be up to – but not until after the heat wave marathon of pain. Which is thankfully, but tragically, cut short when Krissy stumbles through the brutal heat and across one of the other runners lying dead on the ground. Despite the mild heat stroke, she is able to take in enough of the scene to decide that this poor man wasn’t a victim of heat stroke but rather of murder. read more

Ginger Bolton: Cinnamon Twisted

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Deputy Donut #7

Emily Westhill is the protagonist of Ginger Bolton’s Cinnamon Twisted, and owner of the Deputy Doughnut shop. Things start off simply enough for Emily, with the only oddity being a customer who is a little off. Then said customer asks to not only give a toy to Emily’s cat, Dep, but to also leave the store through the back. While Emily finds this odd, she chocks it up to the woman’s personal issues and helps her out, little knowing that interaction would turn her world upside-down and sideways. read more

Lauren Elliott: Dedication to Murder

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Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #9

Our story begins with heroine Addie Greyborne heading to her wedding to Dr. Simon Emerson. The air is filled with excitement and anticipation, and everyone couldn’t be happier for the couple. But everything comes crashing down around her with one announcement, and leaves her with three weeks of vacation to sort out her life. She distracts herself from her personal drama by investigating a new mystery in her attic regarding her beloved Aunt Anita. Soon, it turns out that project is much more complicated and involved than just the discovery of yet another secret room. In it, she finds all kinds of treasures of her past she did not expect to find, including something extra special. However, I will not spoil what that is and leave open to the reader’s interpretation, as there are quite a few things I could be talking about, but for me it was a certain set. That’s the only clue I’ll give. read more

Leslie Meier: Mother of the Bride Murder

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Lucy Stone #38

Leslie Meier’s 38th addition to her Lucy Stone Mystery series is Mother of the Bride Murder.  Lucy’s oldest daughter, Elizabeth, is going to have an extravagant wedding in France and the entire family is invited. Lucy is excited at the prospect of not only her eldest daughter getting married, but also of having an excuse to get her entire family together. There are several obstacles facing different members of the family, from financial constraints to just worrying about not fitting in with another culture. read more

Daryl Wood Gerber: A Flicker of a Doubt

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Daryl Wood Gerber’s whimsical cozy A Flicker of a Doubt blends the world of fairies and magic with the modern world. Anyone who reads modern fantasy novels knows that this is a very difficult thing to do effectively, and often times it comes off as childish or just simply difficult to believe. Fortunately, this is not the case here. This is the fourth book in the series, but not only are characters and setting clearly laid out for new readers, there is even a lovely index of who’s who and who’s what at the front. This is especially helpful when distinguishing between the cat named Pixy and the fairy named Fiona that both live with the main character, Courtney Kelly. The charming antics of Fiona and the other fairies, as well as their carefully worked in lore, accentuates and assists Courtney through her various adventures. read more

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

Darcie Wilde: The Secret of the Lost Pearls

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The Secret of the Lost Pearls is Darcie Wilde’s sixth mystery about Rosalind Thorne, a Regency gentlewoman fallen on hard times after her father abandoned his family.  (But see my note at the end of the review for more about series numbering.)  Rosalind undertakes discreet investigations for gentlewomen in distress, and her cases often involve solving murders.  Readers familiar with the series will know there is a cast of regular characters who help Rosalind with her investigations: most importantly her best friend Alice, a gossip columnist who has become a novelist, Rosalind’s resourceful maid Amelia, and her love interest, the handsome Bow Street Runner Adam Harkness. read more