Final Exam (A Witch City Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Kensington (February 26, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages

Synopsis

A cold case update in Salem, Massachusetts . . .

Life at the house on Winter Street is abuzz with preparations for Aunt Ibby’s 45th high school reunion, and Lee Barrett is happy to pitch in, tracking down addresses and licking envelopes. But as a field reporter for Salem’s WICH-TV, her priority is to be on top of the town’s latest news before anyone else.

When the local police dredge up a vintage sports car containing human remains, Lee is thrilled to be the first reporter on the scene. Once she learns the car is connected to the cold case her boyfriend Pete happens to be working on, her powers of investigation are quickly alerted. But it’s her Aunt Ibby’s emotional reaction to Lee’s TV report that puts her on the case. With the help of O’Ryan, her psychic feline sidekick, she’ll have to unravel a tangled past of secrets and promises to stop a killer from making history again . . .

Guest Post

All of the Witch City Mysteries are set in—where else?–the famous Witch City itself, Salem Massachusetts. That magical city also happens to be my birthplace, and as the publicity folks at Kensington Publishing were delighted to learn, I was born there one dark and stormy Halloween eve!

I’m so glad I chose Salem for my background locale. Of course, it helps that I know my way around there pretty well, but mostly I’m finding that Salem’s rich history is a never-ending source of inspiration for plot twists and intriguing details for my characters to discover.

Many of the places I mention in the books are real. I actual streets and buildings as much as possible. Even the house on Winter Street where my heroine Lee Barrett and her tech-savvy librarian Aunt Ibby live is based on a real house. I enjoy sending Lee and her detective boyfriend Pete Mondello to restaurants Salem people recognize like Dube’s or Bill and Bob’s or Gulu-Gulu.  The couple often visits the Salem Willows Park or take long walks on Deveraux Beach in nearby Marblehead. Some of the places are made up, of course. Lee is a field reporter at WICH-TV. There is no such station—but shouldn’t there be?

Sometimes I rearrange things to suit my storyline. In Final Exam, I needed some deep old granite pits so I put some a lot closer to Salem than actually exist there. In the next book in the series, Late Checkout, I completely rearranged the interior of Salem’s main library. One of the joys of writing fiction is the ability to move things around in time and space.

Every cozy mystery heroine needs a dependable “side-kick.” Lee’s best friend is a practicing witch I named River North. (River’s name is a little “in-joke” for Salem readers. The North River flows through Salem!) River is also a Tarot Reader with her own show and the beautiful Tarot cards often provide clues for Lee to interpret—usually with the help of her wise (and maybe psychic) cat, O’Ryan.

Though I live in Florida, my husband Dan and I try to visit Salem at least once a year—preferably when the weather is pleasant. However, I still often use Google Earth to find my way around the city so that I won’t send Lee in her blue Corvette convertible up any one-way streets the wrong way.

I hope my readers will enjoy a fictional visit to my magical city along with a good mystery. Perhaps you’ll even want to visit there someday for real!

About the Author

Carol J. Perry knew as a child that she wanted to be a writer. A voracious reader, whose list for Santa consisted mostly of book titles, she never lost sight of that goal. While living in Florida, Carol was on assignment for Southern Travel Magazine, preparing an article on the world’s largest sand castle which was being built near her home. That combination of events inspired her first young adult novel, Sand Castle Summer. That book was soon followed by half a dozen more.

Carol has always been an avid reader of mysteries. Her debut mystery novel is set in Salem and involves O’Ryan, a most mysterious cat, several witches and some strange Halloween happenings. Appropriately enough, this Salem-born author celebrates her birthday on Halloween Eve! Carol and her husband Dan live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida with two cats and a Black Lab.

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One Feta in the Grave (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Kensington (February 26, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages

Synopsis

As summer comes to an end in her Jersey Shore town, Lucy Berberian continues to manage her family’s Mediterranean restaurant. The Kebab Kitchen also has a food tent at this year’s beach festival. But now a local businessman is under the boardwalk—dead by the sea …

With a sand castle contest and live music, Ocean Crest bids a bittersweet farewell to tourist season. Summer will return next year … but Archie Kincaid won’t. The full-of-himself store owner has been fatally shot, soon after a screaming match with Lucy’s best friend. Katie’s far from the only suspect, though, since Archie had some bitter rivals—as well as some relationships no one knew about. It’s up to Lucy to look into some seedy characters and solve the case before the wrong person gets skewered …

Recipes included!

Review

If you enjoy Mediterranean food (like I do) and like a good mystery, then this is a series you will want to read.  From the characters to the tantalizing dishes, everything falls into place and makes this a fantastic read.

This is the third installment in this series and I have enjoyed watching the characters develop, the family dynamics, and the mysteries being hidden in plain sight.  Well, maybe not quite in plain sight because I have yet to figure out the killer.  There are twists and turns that I didn’t expect which kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what could possibly happen next.

I enjoy the potential love triangle between Lucy, Azad, and Michael.  Granted, Lucy claims that Michael is just a friend but I think if he had his way they could be more.

This series continues to improve so we give it 5 paws up and perhaps one day I’ll try one of the delicious recipes that tease us in the book.

About the Author

Tina Kashian spent her childhood summers at the New Jersey shore, building sand castles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business where her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. She worked almost every job—rolling silverware and wiping down tables as a tween, to hosting and waitressing as a teenager.

After college, Tina worked as a NJ Deputy Attorney General, a patent attorney, and a mechanical engineer. Her law cases inspired an inquiring mind of crime, and since then, Tina has been hooked on mysteries. The Kebab Kitchen Cozy Mystery series launches with Hummus and Homicide, followed by Stabbed in the Baklava and One Feta in the Grave by Kensington Books. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two young daughters. Please visit her website and join her Newsletter to enter free contests to win books, get delicious recipes, and to learn when her books will be released.

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Synopsis

Letitia ‘Tish’ Tarragon has just moved to Hobson Glen and opened a new restaurant and catering business, Cookin’ the Books Cafe. So when her new landlord, Schulyer Thompson, recommends her to Binnie Broderick, the executive director of the local library, Tish is delighted. Binnie needs a last-minute caterer to create a literary inspired three-course dinner for the library’s annual fundraiser, one of the highlights of Hobson Glen’s social season.

But there’s a problem: Binnie Broderick is a notoriously difficult woman to please. And when she chokes to death from arsenic poisoning after dousing her main course in hot sauce, Tish suddenly finds herself fighting to save her business – and her reputation. It seems that very few of Hobson Glen’s residents escaped Binnie’s disapproval. But who would want her dead, and why?

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Excerpt

‘But everyone loves the way the “blood” gushes out when you bite into them,’ Julian Jefferson Davis argued. Tall, trim, and sporting an immaculately coiffed and gelled head of chestnut hair, he leaned against the display cases that separated the public part of the shop from the kitchen and pleaded his case.

‘I know they do, Jules. And I truly enjoy the squeals when people bite into them, but it takes some time and effort to pipe the center of each Tell-Tale Heart cupcake with raspberry preserves. Right now I can’t afford to hire staff, so I need to use my time wisely.’ Letitia ‘Tish’ Tarragon, dressed in slim, dark-wash cropped jeans, a black short-sleeve T-shirt, and a pair of leopard-print canvas sneakers, balanced herself on the top step of her vintage red kitchen step-ladder and went about mounting the last of eight whitewashed shelves upon the sage-colored walls of her new restaurant and catering business, Cookin’ the Books Café.‘

Honey, I live right down the road. I can help you. Mary Jo is just the next town over. I’m sure she’d help too.’

‘Hmm, maybe for Halloween? That’ll give me two months to settle in.

’‘Halloween would be perfect. The whole business district shuts down and parents bring their little ones for trick or treating. You’d make a killing! Er, no pun intended.

’‘I got it,’ Tish laughed.

‘You truly couldn’t pick a better spot for your business. It’s kismet.’

Located on a quaint main road halfway between Richmond and Fredericksburg and with access to the interstate, the early twentieth-century white clapboard building once served as the first general store for the town of Hobson Glen, Virginia. In time, the general store closed and the building was repurposed as a delicatessen, then a butcher’s shop and, in its most recent incarnation, a specialty bake store. Indeed, a sign reading Cynthia’s Baked Goods of Distinction still hung over the front porch.

‘From your mouth to God’s ears,’ Tish answered hopefully.

‘No need for prayers. Once people get a taste of your food, they’ll be lined up outside the door. What you got planned for opening day?’

‘A Hogwarts-inspired back-to-school menu: Dobby’s pasties, cheese broomsticks, Butterbeer cakes, Sorting Hat pita bread and hummus, and miniature steak-and-kidney pies. I’ll also have my usual range of salads and sandwiches.’

‘Sounds delicious. Kids and parents should love it.’ Jules fanned himself. ‘Just one little word of advice? Air conditioning. Switch it on. The only thing keeping me from fainting on the spot is the cool relief I feel by having my butt planted up against these refrigerated cases.’

Review

I have always loved cozies especially when paired with food/cooking and books and this new series wraps all those up into one tidy package.

This new series finds us in Hobson Glen with protagonist Tish and her two college friends, Jules and Mary Jo.  They are the three musketeers and find themselves embroiled in discovering who killed the unlikable Binnie Broderick.  There is no shortage of possible suspects and because Binnie was killed at a dinner that Tish was catering, she is on the hunt to make sure she or her business is not implicated in the murder.  In their quest for the truth,  there are many secrets revealed about various town citizens and Tish even finds a potential love interest.

I really enjoyed the characters, the town, the mystery, and the food!  I loved the names of the dishes that Tish comes up with for her cafe and while I’m not 100% sure on some of those sandwiches, the creativity is unique and worth exploring.  I wish there was a cafe like that in my town.

The mystery was cleverly disguised and I have to admit I didn’t figure it out until near the end.  Now that is my kind of book.

I think this is going to be a fantastic series and can’t wait for the next book to come out.  We give this 5 paws up and suggest picking it up next time you are looking for a new cozy series.

About the Author

Author of the critically acclaimed Marjorie McClelland Mysteries and the Stella and Nick VT Mystery Series, Amy Patricia Meade is a native of Long Island, NY where she cut her teeth on classic films and books featuring Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown.

After stints as an Operations Manager for a document imaging company and a freelance technical writer, Amy left the bright lights of New York City and headed north to pursue her creative writing career amidst the idyllic beauty of Vermont’s Green Mountains.

Now residing in Bristol, England Amy spends her time writing mysteries with a humorous or historical bent. When not writing – which is rare these days – Amy enjoys traveling, testing out new recipes, classic films, and exploring her new home.

Amy is a member of Sisters in Crime and The Crime Writers Association.

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Fatality in F

A Gethsemane Brown Mystery, Volume 4

by

Alexia Gordon

Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery

Publisher: Henery Press

Date of Publication: February 26, 2019

Number of Pages: 234

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Fresh from solving her third mystery—and saving Dunmullach’s firstborn males from a vengeful ghost—Gethsemane Brown’s ready to relax and enjoy her summer. Her plans include nothing more dangerous than performing in the opening ceremony of the annual rose and garden show and cheering on Frankie Grennan, who’s entered his hybrid rose into the competition.

But when a mysterious stalker starts leaving Frankie floral bouquets as coded messages, Gethsemane fears a copy-cat may be planning to recreate the still-unsolved murders of the infamous Flower Shop Killer. Then Frankie’s main competitor in the rose show—and the reason his marriage failed—turns up dead in Frankie’s rose garden. Frankie takes first prize in the category “prime suspect.”

So much for a relaxing summer.

As bodies start dropping like rose petals, Gethsemane must judge the other suspects and find the real killer. Or rose bushes won’t be the only things dead-headed in Dunmullach.

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PRAISE FOR THE GETHSEMANE BROWN MYSTERY SERIES

Book 1, Murder in G Major – Winner of the 2017 Lefty Award for Best Debut Novel, 2016 Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel,  Suspense magazine “Best of 2016” selection in Debut Novel category

Book 2, Death in D Minor – Runner-Up, 2017 Lone Star Bloggers’ Choice Awards, Best Mystery

Book 3, Killing in C Sharp- Starred review, Publisher’s Weekly, January 29, 2018

Today we learn what 5 whiskeys make Alexia’s list.  I have to admit none would make mine since I’m not a whiskey fan.  Give me a good vodka or tequila and I’m happy!

AUTHOR ALEXIA GORDON’S TOP 5 WHISKIES

1. Koval Single Barrel Bourbon
2. Few Bourbon
3. Laphroaig 10 Year Single Malt Scotch
4. Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey
5. Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon

A writer since childhood, Alexia Gordon won her first writing prize in the 6th grade. She continued writing through college but put literary endeavors on hold to finish medical school and Family Medicine residency training. She established her medical career then returned to writing fiction. Raised in the southeast, schooled in the northeast, she relocated to the west where she completed Southern Methodist University’s Writer’s Path program. She admits Texas brisket is as good as Carolina pulled pork. She practices medicine in North Chicago, IL. She enjoys the symphony, art collecting, embroidery, and ghost stories.

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One winner receives a signed copy of Fatality in F and

a $30 Gift Card to David Austin Roses

FEBRUARY 26-MARCH 8, 2019

(US ONLY)

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Restaurant Weeks Are Murder (A Poppy McAllister Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Kensington (February 26, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages

Synopsis

Cape May, New Jersey, is the site of a big culinary competition—and the knives are out . . .

Poppy McAllister is happy about opening a Jersey Shore B&B—but working in a professional kitchen has always been her real dream. Now it’s coming true, at least briefly, as she teams up with her former fiancée, Tim—and his condescending partner, Gigi—during the high-profile Restaurant Week challenge. Poppy’s specialty is pastries, despite her devotion to a Paleo diet. But if anyone can make glorious gluten-free goodies, it’s Poppy.

Things get heated quickly—especially when some ingredients get switched and Tim’s accused of sabotage. Relatively harmless pranks soon escalate into real hazards, including an exploding deep fryer. And now one of the judges has died after taking a bite of Poppy’s cannoli—making her the chef suspect . . .

Includes Seven Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen!

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Review

I seriously love this series…I don’t know what it is about the characters or the setting (maybe it is the recipes), but I can’t wait to read these books as they are released!

Poppy is an engaging protagonist.  A mistake in her youth altered her future but she seems to be doing ok trying to get a B&B off the ground, baking gluten-free items for a coffee shop, and solving the murders that happen in her town.  It doesn’t hurt that she has two potential love interests – Gia, the owner of the coffee shop and a hot Italian and Tim, her college sweetheart who owns a local restaurant.  I am team Gia – just putting that out there – because, while Tim wants to be with Poppy, he lets himself get distracted by GiGi and other women.  Anyway, you can make your own decision on which team to belong.

I love to cook (which may be why this series appeals to me) and this one brings together cooking with reality TV.  Poppy teams up with Tim and Gigi to represent Tim’s restaurant in a cooking competition.  Gigi is not likable and she gets her due many times throughout the book.  I think my favorite is when the network decides that anyone on the team must cook one of the courses.  This infuriates Gigi because she doesn’t think Poppy is a chef because she didn’t attend culinary school.  Gigi is in for a rude awakening because not all great cooks have attended cooking school and Poppy knows her way around a kitchen which is more than can be said for Gigi.  As is to be expected, there is murder during the show and Poppy has to figure out the killer before she becomes the next victim.  I really tried to decipher the clues but I did not do a good job because I was quite surprised to learn who the murderer was and the reasoning behind the death(s).

There is a cast of quirky characters that liven up the storyline and of course, we can’t forget Aunt Ginny and her antics along with the rest of her Senior friends.  She knows how to liven up this book with her shenanigans.

We give this 5 paws up and suggest reading the whole series starting with the first book so you can understand the back story.

About the Author

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Herbs and Homicide (The Faerie Apothecary Cozy Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Novelwright Mysteries (September 27, 2018)
Paperback: 217 pages

Synopsis

Looking for a unique paranormal cozy mystery series that’s lighthearted and fun?

Settle into the cozy countryside of Moss Hill, where house-elves rent rooms, sprites live in gardens, a leprechaun is the best tailor in town, and a half-elf/half human named Carissa Shea owns a pharmacy known as The Seelie Tree Apothecary shop. Life couldn’t be more idyllic for Cari, but healing humans and fae folk proves challenging at times, especially when secrets unfold in The Faerie Apothecary Mysteries.

About Book 1: Herbs and Homicide
In the small town of Moss Hill, customers of all kinds visit Carissa Shea’s Seelie Tree Apothecary Shop. That includes tall and short, young and old, human and faerie. Being half-elf/half-human herself, Carissa personally knows and cares for them all. So, when a grumpy brownie, a type of house faerie, named Miss Morgan dies in her shop, Carissa is devastated. As she learns more about her customer’s death, she realizes Miss Morgan might have been the only thing standing between the Seelie, faeries of light and goodness, and the Unseelie, faeries of darkness and evil. On top of it all, the Sidhe guard, protector of all fae residents, rule it a murder and name Carissa as a suspect! Now she must prove her innocence and find the real culprit before it’s too late – not just for her but for all of Moss Hill.

Review

If you enjoy magical creatures, solving a mystery, and being transported between two worlds, this might just be the book for you.

Many times when I start a book I haven’t read the synopsis or it has been some time.  Many times I think that is better because it opens up many new worlds, characters, and situations that aren’t biased ahead of time.  I say this since books that are somewhat fantasy in nature aren’t what I read but I do enjoy expanding my horizons and since this is a cozy it was bound to be enjoyable.

I was intrigued by the various magical creatures – from elves to leprechauns to sprites.  They all added depth to the mystery and I might have learned a little bit about them.  I think I liked the sprites the best since they were quite comical especially Hiya, Cynth, and Chaos.  I think they made me chuckle because they didn’t speak but you could sense their emotions from the descriptions.

The mystery itself was well written.  I was surprised to discover “whodoneit” and never suspected this character.  Because there are magical beings there are characters that are spelled (or cursed) and Cari was always able to determine something was wrong even if she couldn’t fix the situation herself.  I think Cari also felt a little lost because she is part human and her magical capabilities are less than others.  She is very determined to solve the mystery and my guess is because she is the prime suspect since Miss Morgan dies in her shop.

The only thing that I didn’t like was that the author would use both Cari and Carissa in the same paragraph and I’m not sure why.  It would make more sense to use one or the other when close together.  But this didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book.

We give it 4 paws up.

About the Author

Astoria Wright is the author of The Faerie Apothecary Mysteries, including the bestselling prequel novella Chaos in the Countryside. Intrigued by myths and inspired by cozy mystery writers before her, Astoria tries to combine two worlds with human and faerie neighbors trying to solve puzzling crimes on the fictional island of Moss Hill. She’s also a poet, which shows in the Moss Hill poetry anthology “written” by the characters in the series. Her goal is to bring Moss Hill to life in her stories, because who doesn’t wish we lived in a town with magical faeries as neighbors?

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Eclairs, Scares & Haunted Home Repairs (Spells & Caramels)
Cozy Mystery
9th in Series
Self Published (February 15, 2019)
Print Length: 298 pages

Synopsis

A bakehouse in the making. A dangerous ghost in the tower. Will their welcome to the neighborhood be short-lived?

Imogen wants nothing more than to complete her sweet dream. With her adoring fiancé Hank at her side, the witch and her friends dive into renovations for their new home and soon-to-be bakery. But all their efforts seem futile when they wake to find the house eerily ripped apart all over again…

As Imogen examines her humble abode’s shady history, she discovers evidence for a malevolent spirit living inside. But with less-than-welcoming neighbors keeping a close, suspicious watch, she wonders if it’s not the dead but the living who pose the biggest threat…

Will Imogen root out the culprit, or will her culinary future collapse under the weight of an unsolved murder?

Eclairs, Scares & Haunted Home Repairs is the ninth book in the charming Spells & Caramels paranormal cozy mystery series. If you like lovable characters, chilling twists, and enchanting adventures, then you’ll love Erin Johnson’s marvelous tale.

Buy Eclairs, Scares & Haunted Home Repairs to solve a magical whodunit today!

Review

This is such a fun series that I was thrilled to be able to read the newest installment.  Imogen is a refreshing character and a bit crazy too.  I love how she injects the human world into her situations and interactions with those from the magical realm.  I noticed in this book there seemed to be more movie references.which was amusing and had me trying to guess the movie from the clues and lines.  I don’t think I guessed many of them!

Imogen, Hank, and the gang have been given a home that is haunted but they don’t know that until they start working on the home to repair it and bring it up to snuff for their new bakery and school.  Imagine their surprise when the house seems to implode on itself and undoes all of their hard work.  This sets them off on their latest adventure to determine who is trying to keep them out of the house and why.  The answer might surprise you.

I enjoy how the author finds a love interest for most of the characters.  It is fun to watch these new romances develop.  There is humor in the story and Iggy has the worst (or best!) timing when making his comments.  Iggy certainly doesn’t know how to curb his tongue and almost gets the gang in trouble with his comments.  But it is all in a days work for Imogen, Hank, and the gang.  We do see a little bit more of Horace and I’m wondering if perhaps he will be around more for Imogen (since he is her brother) and knowing that the Kingdom he fought to bring down might welcome him now that things have changed.

Overall I really enjoy this series and I do suggest starting at the beginning to follow the personal relationships of the various characters.

We give it 5 paws up!

About the Author

A native of Tempe, Arizona, Erin spends her time crafting mysterious, magical, romance-filled stories that’ll hopefully make you laugh.

In between, she’s traveling, napping with her dogs, eating with her friends and family, and teaching Pilates (to allow her to eat more).

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Past Due for Murder: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Crooked Lane Books (February 12, 2019)
Hardcover: 304 pages

Synopsis

Has a curse fallen on the small town of Taylorsford, Virginia? After a young woman goes missing during a spring bonfire, library director Amy Webber must wade through the web of lies only to find a truth that she may not want to untangle.

Spring has sprung in quaint Taylorsford, Virginia, and the mayor has revived the town’s long-defunct May Day celebration to boost tourism. As part of the festivities, library director Amy Webber is helping to organize a research project and presentation by a local folklore expert. All seems well at first—but spring takes on a sudden chill when a university student inexplicably vanishes during a bonfire.

The local police cast a wide net to find the missing woman, but in a shocking turn of events, Amy’s swoon-worthy neighbor Richard Muir becomes a person of interest in the case. Not only is Richard the woman’s dance instructor, he also doesn’t have an alibi for the night the student vanished—or at least not one he’ll divulge, even to Amy.

When the missing student is finally discovered lost in the mountains, with no memory of recent events—and a dead body lying nearby—an already disturbing mystery takes on a sinister new hue. Blessed with her innate curiosity and a librarian’s gift for research, Amy may be the only one who can learn the truth in Past Due for Murder, Victoria Gilbert’s third charming Blue Ridge Library mystery.

About the Author

Raised in a historic small town in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Victoria Gilbert turned her early obsession with books into a dual career as an author and librarian.

Victoria’s first cozy mystery series, the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, garnered her a three-book deal with Crooked Lane Books, which has since been expanded to five books. The first two books in the series have been optioned by Sony Pictures Television, and the first three were or will be produced in audiobook by Tantor Media.

Victoria also just inked a 2-book deal with Crooked Lane for a new cozy series, the Booklovers B & B series, set in historic Beaufort, NC.

A member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime, Victoria is represented by Frances Black at Literary Counsel.

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Running from Arrows (A Running Store Mystery)
Cozy Mystery/Romance/Humor
2nd in Series
Better Mousetrap Books (January 7, 2019)
Print Length: 192 pages

Synopsis

One of Lacy’s beaus has a bow. Unlike Cupid, his arrows kill. There’s more than romance in the air this Valentine’s Day!

Running from Arrows is the fun, twist-filled, romantic cozy mystery romp you’ve been waiting for!

Valentine’s Day is coming up and Lacy is single. If that’s not bad enough, she has a secret admirer. Is it the compassionate, haunted detective, the ruggedly handsome businessman, the suave maître de, the guy in her running group who likes to stare, or maybe someone who’s not on her radar? She’ll find out soon enough because he’s invited her to dinner. Now the question isn’t how long Lacy will remain single but how long she’ll remain alive.

During the Sweetheart Run through the town of Cedar Mill a fellow runner is murdered and a notorious burglar called the Black Cat is found dead with an arrow sticking out of him. Somehow these strange murders are connected to the ladies of Run For It – Lacy the divorcee, Stax the quirky bookseller, and Ruby the old-time mystery novelist. They’re back in a race against time to catch an invisible killer and exonerate an innocent man!

If you love a delicious mystery dripping with romance, humor, and chills – and a Valentine’s Day dinner no reader will ever forget – then buy Running from Arrows now and run it right to the top of your TBR pile!

You’ll want to tell all your friends about Running from Arrows, but whatever you do, DON’T TELL THE SECRET OF THE SECRET ADMIRER.

Running from Arrows is part two in a series but can be read as a stand-alone.

About the Author

T.C. Wescott was born in Missouri but has lived in Oklahoma most of his life. Like pretty much every author who has ever breathed, he is an avid reader. His favorites are classic mysteries from the Golden Age, as well as just before or just after that period (which is widely considered the period between the two World Wars). His first mystery novel, Running from Scissors, was published in July 2018 and will be the first of at least three books in the Running Store Mystery series.

The Christmas Village Mystery series will launch in November of the same year with the debut title Slay Bells. The formula for his books is simple – mixing the classic, traditional detective fiction standards with all the trappings of the modern cozy mystery.

Wescott is also (under another name) the author of two award-winning non-fiction books as well as a slew of essays and articles.

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Valentine’s Day Anthology

Mystery.

Murder.

Lots and lots of chocolate.

Grab a cup of cocoa and get ready to spend Valentine’s Day with a heart-warming collection of ten Valentine’s themed Cozy Mysteries from some of the most popular authors in the genre. There are short stories, novellas and full-length books in the set, all of which are sure to grab you from the first page and take you on a thrill-filled ride through the sweetest holiday of the year.

Short Story: “Sweet Retreat” from The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series by Jodi Rath

Jolie Tucker wished she had gone on a one-time date while the going was good. Now she finds herself spending an entire weekend in adjoining rooms in a suite at Sweet Retreat’s Spa with none other than Detective Mick Meiser. Jolie had been trepidatious since she found out he had made the highest bid at the date auction fund-raiser for the village’s local pet adoption charity. But the possibility of romance disappears when they stumble upon a red silk glove in the parking lot…that has a severed hand inside! Instead, the unlikely duo must investigate who the hand belongs to…and where the rest of the body is.

Review

If you are looking for a quick read over lunch or while waiting at the doctor, this story will fit that description.  I was delighted to learn more about Joie and Mick and see what happened after Mick won Jolie at an auction for a date.  Obviously crime happened.  It was interesting to see how it all came together in a shorter time frame and fewer pages.  There are a few twists and turns that might surprise you as much as they surprised me!

I hope to read the rest of the stories in the book sometime soon.

We give this story 4 paws up.

Series Title: The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series

Book 1 Title: Pineapple Upside Down Murder

Synopsis

Welcome to Leavensport, Ohio where DEATH takes a delicious turn!

Introducing Jolie Tucker, an introverted yet passionate restaurant co-owner of Cast Iron Creations. When her grandma Opal becomes the prime suspect in the murder of Leavensport’s local chocolatier, Jolie goes on a search for answers—only to find out that her family’s secret recipes may not belong to the Tucker family at all. Jolie’s job, family, and livelihood are all on the line.

Release Date:  11/23/18

Check out my review here

Recipe

Cast Iron Creation Valentine’s Day Berry Cake

Use a mini cast iron when baking for one or two!

Recipe adapted from Toaster Oven Love

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup frozen berries (do not thaw)

Optional Toppings

• Ice cream, melted chocolate chips, whipped cream, yogurt

Instructions

1. Preheat toaster oven to 350 F and lightly oil a 3.5 inch cast iron skillet.
2. In a small bowl mix together the flour, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the milk, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil until well combined, and no oil is sitting on the top. Stir in mini chocolate chips.
3. Pour batter into prepared skillet. Top with frozen berries and sprinkle remaining brown sugar over fruit.
4. Bake at 350 F for 17 to 22 (times may vary depending on your oven) minutes until the cake is lightly golden and the fruit is bubbly. Allow cake to cool 5 to 8 minutes and serve warm with your favorite toppings.

Enjoy!

About the Author

Moving into her second decade of working in education, Jodi Rath has decided to begin a life of crime in her The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series. Her passion for both mysteries and education led her to combine the two to create her business MYS ED, where she splits her time between working as an adjunct for Ohio teachers and creating mischief in her fictional writing. She currently resides in a small, cozy village in Ohio with her husband and her seven cats.

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