Fate: A Doyle Witch Cozy Mystery (The Witches of Doyle)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
misterio press (November 15, 2019)
Number of Pages – 250

 

Synopsis

Something wicked this way comes…

Witch Jayce Bonheim has spent the last four months waiting for a horde of dark magicians to come to town.

Now, they’ve arrived.

And they’re bigger and badder than this ex-party girl could have imagined, wreaking havoc wherever they go.

When a murder rocks her small town, Jayce must stop the chaos. Battling her way through dark spells and past regrets, this Doyle witch struggles to divine her true friends…

…and her shadowy enemies.

But can she stop a murderer and prevent the opening of a portal that will transform their world forever?

Start reading Fate, book 6 in The Witches of Doyle cozy mystery novels.

This novel is a full-length, witch cozy mystery featuring true-to-life spells in the back of the book, a trio of witchy sisters, and a dash of romance. Though Fate can be read as a standalone, it’s best read in series order. It’s rated PG-13 due to mild language and some romance.

 

 

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Guest Post

 

RELAX. READ. RECHARGE. CONVERSE.

Starting this Saturday, Ground has changed its weekend hours, and our café will be open Saturdays! Thanks to Doyle and those who come from afar, we’ve been able to expand and add another day to our work week. (Sunday remains our fun day for the Ground staff to slow down, rest and recharge.)

We recognize things in Doyle have been a little tense lately, what with the murder and weird clouds and stuff. But we’ve looked into those weird lights in the sky (not that we don’t trust the sheriff – she’s awesome), and they’re only spotlights from the visiting circus. Really!

Anyway, we’re offering Ground as a communal space to come together and show everyone our support. Because after all, we’re in this together, right?

Ground has experienced overwhelming positivity from you, our customers, and we truly enjoy serving you. The atmosphere created in this space continues to blossom through your patronage.

So please keep following our feeds for updates. In addition to our new Magic Coffee Lotion✨, we have four new coffees from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Guatemala, to keep you intrigued and delighted with our unique offerings.

☕ ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕

Intrigued? Read more about Ground in Fate, book 6 in the Doyle Witch cozy mystery novels!

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Kirsten Weiss has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer re-runs and drinking red wine. The latter gives her heartburn, but she drinks it anyway.

Now based in Colorado Springs, CO, she writes genre-blending cozy mystery, supernatural and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create vivid worlds of fun and enchantment.

If you like funny cozy mysteries, check out her Pie Town, Tea and Tarot, Paranormal Museum and Wits’ End books. If you’re looking for some magic with your mystery, give the Witches of Doyle, Riga Hayworth, and Rocky Bridges books a try. And if you like steampunk, the Sensibility Grey series might be for you.

Kirsten sends out original short stories of mystery and magic to her mailing list. If you’d like to get them delivered straight to your inbox, make sure to sign up for her newsletter

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Synopsis

Mumbai, December 2016:

A young man found an ancient-looking piece of stone with strange images and Sanskrit inscriptions. A quest to know the origin of the stone brought him to the distant part of the country.

Chandannagar, December 2016:

A young vivacious historian woman read an old book on a century-old secret story about a little known part of the country. Her curiosity got the better of her as the book disappeared mysteriously before she could complete it. She reached a sleepy quaint state of the country to satiate her curiosity.

Eventually they both met and their search began from the city museum to a far-flung rock mountain which revealed a century-old story of a seductive danseuse, her enigmatic lover, a string of her admirers, a painter with a photographic memory, a bird that could speak in many voices, a benevolent king and a gruesome conspiracy. And the most important clue to decode the final secret was with the missing part of The Speaking Stone. But in the process of unearthing old secrets their lives were also in danger…

 

 

Excerpt

Chapter 1

 

December 2016, Mumbai

“Sir, we are about to close,” a courteous but curt voice materialized from near his shoulder. These words, however, had barely any effect on him as he just groaned sleepily, without budging even an inch.

The middle-aged man standing behind him hesitated for a moment before placing his fingers on his shoulder and tapping on it.

“Sir, it is well past one-thirty. We must close now at any cost. You know those Colaba police, na?” the man in uniform urged him. After all, he could not afford to speak in an authoritative manner with someone who frequented their pub, always drank enough to make the pub owner richer by a few thousand, behaved well with all the butlers unlike many other young men his age, and, above all, was always generous to give tips to the workers in the pub. He was quite a favourite with the staff of this famous pub, Voodoo, a little behind Hotel Taj Palace in Colaba. They looked up to him for another reason, too. It was his demonic capacity to drink and remain composed and collected even after that. Never before had it happened that he placed his head on the table, pillowed on his locked arms and slept blissfully. Whenever he visited Voodoo on weekends he was accompanied by one or two friends and the attendants in Voodoo knew that one of those friends, who didn’t drink, was always at the wheel while they returned from the pub. But tonight he was all alone and completely drunk. They were not sure as to how he would ride home.

“Sir,” the uniformed man called him again, tapping on his shoulder, a bit impatiently now. This time as he leaned to touch the young man’s shoulder the hanging end of his tie touched his ear and earlobe. What the earnest request and tapping of the attendant couldn’t do, the hanging end of the tie seemed to have done it effortlessly. Probably it sent a tickling sensation down his spine as he raised his head with a sleepy smile.

“Sorry,” said he, looking up.

“Sir, we are well past our closing time,” repeated the man. He passed a searching glance about and as he found the pub empty except for him a sheepish smile came over his lips.

“I am sorry,” said he, trying to get to his feet. A pleasant sweet smell of Black Label whisky issued from his mouth.

“May I use the toilet once before leaving?” he asked with his usual politeness and then headed to the Men’s with an unsteady gait.

He returned from the toilet after a few minutes, wiping his face with a handkerchief.

“Are you sure, sir, you can manage to go all by yourself?” asked the concerned attendant.

“I will,” replied he and staggered to the entrance of Voodoo.

The attendant watched his six-foot-tall frame leaving the pub and hoped he would reach home safely. He consulted the watch. It was a quarter to two.

Outside the pub the young man stood for a few moments, trying to gather his thoughts. He looked around then. The street in front of him was deserted. At the corner of the street, two stray dogs were sleeping, coiling themselves against each other to feel warm in the cold winter night. A thin wisp of smoke was spiralling up from a small heap of ashes. He knew the durwans from the nearby buildings might have lit the fire with the foliage and old discarded cardboard to warm themselves up. He did a mental calculation and tottered ahead at a slow pace. All that accompanied him was his hesitant footfall and a faithful shadow. He walked past Kashmir Emporium, Rustic Rajasthan, and an antique shop whose targeted customers were usually foreign tourists, and arrived behind the Taj Continental where scores of four-wheelers were parked. As he looked at the cars, parked in an astonishingly disciplined fashion to make the most of the space, a thought struck him. Most of the cars were white. He had no difficulty in finding his car. He opened the rear door of the car and plopped himself down on the seat. It was not long before he stretched at full length, occupying the entire back seat.

Soon he fell asleep when the crashing waves of the Arabian Sea, in front of Hotel Taj Continental, played a lullaby for him. It was the first night he slept in the car.

 

 

About the Author

Ratnadip Acharya is the author of two successful novels, Life is Always Aimless… Unless you love it and Paradise Lost & Regained. He is a columnist for the Speaking Tree in The Times of India. He contributed many write-ups in different collections of Chicken Soup for the Soul. He lives in Mumbai with his wife, Sophia and son, Akash.

 

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Coming Up Murder (Professor Prather Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Camel Press (November 12, 2019)
Paperback: 258 pages

Everything’s coming up roses for Professor Emmeline Prather. Her scholarly book is finished, spring term is coming to a close, and her love life is blossoming. Then the festival surrounding the exhibit of Shakespeare’s First Folio opens, bringing with it a tempest more dramatic than the bard’s.

In his panel presentation, actor and grad student Tanner Sparks contends Shakespeare isn’t Shakespeare, boasting that he can prove the long-debated theory that an aristocrat actually penned the sonnets and plays. His bombshell sets off an acrid debate among scholars. But were they upset enough to kill him? That’s what Em wonders when Tanner is found dead in Shakespeare’s Garden, his macabre pose inspired by a scene from Hamlet.

At her department head’s urging, Em sets out to find the killer. Suspects abound, and Em finds herself targeted by Shakespeare-themed threats. Undaunted, she persists, determined to solve the case before the end of the semester.

 

 

Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Indie Bound * Kobo

 

 

About the Author

Mary Angela is the author of two cozy mystery series that have strong protagonists with soft hearts. Emmeline Prather is the witty young teacher in the Professor Prather series, and Zo Jones is the sassy sleuth and shop owner in the Happy Camper series (coming from Kensington in 2020). When Mary isn’t penning heartwarming whodunits, she’s teaching, reading, traveling, or spending time with her family. She’s the proud mom of two beautiful daughters and the shameless owner of two very spoiled pets.

Webpage * Blog * GoodReads * Facebook * Twitter

 

Giveaway

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Synopsis

Former opera singer Emma Streat has survived the murder of her husband and the destruction of her beautiful old house. Now a full-time single mother, she struggles to move forward and make a home for her two sons. Because of her detection skills, she has become a go-to person for help―so, when her rich, feisty, socialite godmother is blackmailed, she turns immediately to Emma.

Soon, Emma finds herself thrust into the dark world of cybercrime. Mounting challenges take her to exclusive European settings where she mixes with the elite of the financial and art collecting worlds.

When she is targeted by a cybercrime network using cutting-edge technology, it takes all of Emma’s resilience and wits to survive and bring the wily, ruthless criminal she’s hunting to justice.

Action-packed and full of twists and turns, Firewall will keep you guessing until the end.

 

Review

I didn’t realize when I picked this book up that it was actually the third in a series.  I was wondering when I kept reading about references to Emma helping solve her husband’s murder, so I went to the author’s website and that is where I discovered there was in fact previous books.  Despite not reading the first two books, the author does a good job of summarizing what happened and how Emma came to work with various intelligence agencies.

In this book there are actually multiple crimes that Emma is brought into assist but they all tie in together and Emma finds herself in several countries at the behest of the various agencies she has been helping.  It starts with her godmother, Caroline, who is being blackmailed and that crime is solved in the first part of the book but is it really?  Emma is taken to Italy to assist Caroline with an art viewing and possible purchase and there were learn that Caroline may have had some lasting repercussions from an attack in the first portion of the book.  It is then a whirlwind journey through multiple countries trying to find the cybercriminal mastermind.

I thought this was an interesting approach to writing this book – there isn’t just one crime but multiple that need to be solved.  Many are tied together and as one crime is solved it leads Emma to the next one.  Emma has dalliances with different men, but will any of them be her true love?  Each of the men brought something different to her life and only future books will tell us if any of these men stay in her life on a romantic level.

The book is action packed and despite Emma wishing she didn’t have to be in a few of these places, she is able to help root out those that are involved in the crimes and make connections that the agencies or police aren’t able to put together.  This is mainly due to her conversations with the various characters and not ineptness by the police.

I enjoyed this book and we give it 4 paws up.

 

 

 

Excerpt

 

Chapter 1

 

March 25

A spring blizzard was cascading snow over Boston’s Public Garden. I poured my first cup of coffee and went to the living room window of my temporary apartment. People going to work struggled along the paths, heads bent, feet slipping. I watched, glad that in a few days I’d be on an island in the Caribbean. Lying in the sun with a man. Finding out if a dynamic former relationship could be renewed.

My phone on the counter sounded its little chime. I picked it up and saw that the call was from my godmother, Caroline Vogt. She never called before noon, but today the gravelly tuba voice reverberated in my ear.

“Emma, I need you, and I need you now.”

This was demanding, even for Caroline. I took a deep breath. “Why do you need me? Are you still down in the Keys?”

“I’m back in New York and something has happened.”

“What?”

“Oh God, I can’t believe it, but someone’s trying to blackmail me.”

“Blackmail? When?”

“Just now. I was simply sitting in my bed, eating my breakfast, and the doorbell rang. Minnie went to open it. No one was there, just a note shoved under the door telling me to pay a million dollars to an account in a Miami bank. Pay it today. If I don’t, my dirty little secret will go to the media tomorrow. All the media.” The tuba voice wobbled.

I shifted the phone. Caroline’s usual reaction to trouble was assault mode. Strike back. Never show weakness. This call for help was totally out of character—and the timing couldn’t be worse.

“Look. I can see why you’re upset,” I said, trying to apply calm. “Blackmail is nasty, but it happens. The dirty little secret bit— everyone has secrets and that person is just trying to scare you. If you’re really worried, I think you should call the police or a detective. Someone who has real expertise.”

“No. Absolutely not. I won’t have strangers prying into my business. You’re the person we all trust in a crisis. You found Lewis’s killer. You exposed those virus terrorists and saved your niece Vanessa. You have credentials. You have to find this bastard before he comes back and wants more.”

“Wait. Let me think.” I pushed back my hair. No way did I want to be the family detective, involved in another crisis, but Caroline was now in her eighties, a mega heiress from Chicago, a fixture in New York society. Divorced four times, no children. I was the closest thing she had to family and she was frightened. I must go, but with any luck I could still get to that island. Spend three days sorting her out, then fly there from New York.

“Emma?”

“I’m here. Listen. It’s snowing hard in Boston, a freak storm, but I’ll try for a flight today. Failing that, I’ll take the train. I’ll let you know. Relax, no need to be paranoid. Love you,” I said and clicked off.

A siren went shrieking down Arlington Street, the sound that signaled trouble. I sat down on the stool at the counter and reminded myself that I owed Caroline. She had been my unfailing support from the day I was born. She had taken the place of my dead mother. Fourteen months ago she had given me a stern lecture:

“You’re still young. You survived losing your rising opera career. You’ve done a superb job bringing up those two hunks of boys, but now they’re off to college. Cut the cord and let them go. You’ve got the money and the energy to do something important. Different.”

Good advice, but three days later, my husband was murdered and my world had gone up in flames along with my beautiful old house on the Connecticut River. I still had Jake and Steve, but creating a new life wasn’t easy. It was time, past time, to move forward.

I took a deep breath and picked up a pad of paper. First, call the airlines, then cancel this morning’s appointment for a haircut. Start packing.

By now experience should have taught me that one small incident can spiral into a tsunami of trouble. But no siren sounded, warning me that by helping Caroline I would be targeted by a network of cybercriminals. No way of knowing that her call would take me to many countries, lead to heartbreak, and nearly cost me my life.

Excerpted from Firewall: An Emma Streat Mystery by Eugenia Lovett West. Copyright © 2019 Eugenia Lovett West. All rights reserved. Published by SparkPress.

 

About the Author

Eugenia Lovett West is the author of Firewall: An Emma Streat Mystery. Eugenia was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Her father was Reverend Sidney Lovett, the widely known and loved former chaplain at Yale. She attended Sarah Lawrence College and worked for Harper’s Bazaar and the American Red Cross. Then came marriage, four children, volunteer work, and freelancing for local papers. Her first novel, The Ancestors Cry Out, was published by Doubleday; it was followed by two mysteries, Without Warning and Overkill, published by St. Martin’s Press. West divides her time between Essex, Connecticut, and Holderness, New Hampshire, where she summers with her large extended family.

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Suspect in High Heels (High Heels Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
10th in Series
Gemma Halliday Publishing (October 1, 2019)
Number of Pages: 200

Synopsis

When Maddie Springer—shoe designer turned amateur sleuth—tags along with her mother to the Antiques Extravaganza road show, the last thing she expects to have to do is pull her mom off of a celebrity appraiser after he calls her prized antique hatpin a phony. But things go from harried to homicide when the same appraiser is found dead just moments later—killed by Mom’s hatpin!

Now not even Maddie’s husband, LAPD Detective Jack Ramirez, can save Mom as the force’s two most bumbling detectives are assigned to the case. As if Maddie doesn’t have enough on her plate, her best friends, Dana and Marco, enlist her help to plan the most over-the-top Hollywood surprise party ever for Dana’s fiancé (who has a little surprise of his own up his sleeve), Maddie’s adorable twin toddlers are always up to no good, and the only thing that can calm her fashion-challenged and suddenly-a-suspect mom down are aura cleansing from her favorite Venice Beach psychic, Mrs. Rosenblatt. Whether they help or hurt, Maddie’s friends assist her in wading through a slew of murder suspects—none of whom are telling the truth and all of whom have ample motive to want the appraiser dead. Was it the frigid business partner with questionable ethics? The clown-collecting fan-turned-stalker? The auction house owner with a grudge? Or was the appraiser’s real business something much more sinister than his TV personality let on…and much more deadly?

Maddie and her eccentric gang of unlikely sleuths are under the gun to find out before the real killer strikes again…and Mom takes the fall!

 

 

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The High Heels Mysteries

#1 Spying in High Heels
#2 Killer in High Heels
#3 Undercover in High Heels
#3.5 Christmas in High Heels (short story)
#4 Alibi in High Heels
#5 Mayhem in High Heels
#5.5 Honeymoon in High Heels (novella)
#5.75 Sweetheart in High Heels (short story)
#6 Fearless in High Heels
#7 Danger in High Heels
#8 Homicide in High Heels
#9 Deadly in High Heels
#10 Suspect in High Heels
#11 Peril in High Heels – coming soon!

 

About the Author

Gemma Halliday is the #1 Amazon, New York Times, and USA Today bestselling author of several cozy mystery and suspense thriller novels. Gemma’s books have received numerous awards, including a Golden Heart, two National Reader’s Choice awards, a RONE award for best mystery, and three RITA nominations. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her large, loud, and loving family.

Gemma’s path toward becoming a bestselling author was not a straight line—more like a zigzagging path filled with obstacles! Prior to putting pen to paper, she worked as a film and television actress, a teddy bear importer, a department store administrator, an architect’s assistant, a preschool teacher, a temporary tattoo artist, and a 900 number psychic. Luckily none of these panned out.

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Storm of Secrets: A Haunted Bluffs Mystery
Paranormal Mystery
2nd in Series
Crooked Lane Books (November 12, 2019)
Hardcover – 327 Pages

Synopsis

A deadly storm, a missing three-year-old child, a suspicious death, and the eerie presence of the spirits of the dead set the stage for the second mesmerizing installment of Loretta Marion’s paranormal suspense series.

A powerful storm descends upon Cape Cod’s Whale Rock at the peak of tourist season–and the weekend Cassandra Mitchell’s and Daniel Benjamin’s wedding is set to take place at The Bluffs, the magnificent Victorian mansion Cassie inherited from her family. In the wake of the storm’s destruction, three-year-old Lucas Kleister goes missing–and the body of small-time drug dealer Lee Chambers is found in a restaurant dumpster. Now, the WRPD are faced with a murder to solve, a missing child to find, and the aftermath of one of the worst storms in recent memory.

While aiding with the clean-up and helping the displaced, Cassie has been receiving cryptic messages from the spirits of her great-grandparents, Percy and Celeste Mitchell, the original residents of The Bluffs. At first, the messages are benign, but soon, they begin to point to something more sinister. As Cassie works to decipher their meaning, the specter of a mysterious local legend surfaces. The tale of Barnacle Boy–and what happened to him during another destructive storm decades earlier–will weave through the desperate search to find Lucas and the identity of a killer.

 

“Modern and historic mysteries collide in Marion’s bittersweet storytelling.” —Kirkus Reviews

“[A] gripping sequel…Marion seamlessly weaves the multiple story threads together. Fans of tales of regional intrigue will be satisfied.” —Publishers Weekly

 

 

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Guest Post

 

The Lost Boy of Whale Rock, Who Was Raised by Dolphins

…and then Became One

 

There is a mention early in STORM OF SECRETS about Barnacle Boy – the young child whose sea-ravaged body washed up on the shores of Whale Rock decades earlier. The tragic story had become woven into local lore and the young boy was buried in the Mitchell family cemetery at The Bluffs. Cassie Mitchell, the main character in the Haunted Bluffs Mystery Series and current resident of the stately Victorian, was told wonderful made-up stories about Barnacle Boy by her Granny Fi – though she only ever referred to him as The Lost Boy of Whale Rock. The following is the one tale of Granny Fi’s that made the most lasting impression on young Cassie…

Many years ago, there was a shipwreck way out in the ocean, and a young boy became separated from all the others who’d been sailing on the boat. A school of dolphin found him clinging tightly to a floating piece of wood that had broken loose from the boat’s prow. The boy’s frantically kicking legs had drawn the attention of a hungry shark, and having observed this, the dolphins began circling the child as a barrier of protection from the predator. Finally the shark lost interest, and the dolphins whisked the little boy to the shores of Whale Rock at a place called Kinsey Cove.

The lost boy would spend every waking hour with his new adopted dolphin family, and they taught him how to swim and to fish for food. Over time he learned to dive deeper and deeper, holding his breath longer each time. He even learned their language, easily distinguishing between their whistles and vibrating clicking sounds, the trills and the squeaks. He learned their signals for danger as well as their sounds of happiness, and he loved laughing along with them, imitating their squeals of delight. In the evenings, when the dolphin family bid him farewell, the boy would lie on the beach and wish upon all the stars in the sky that one day he could leave with them. When he awoke each morning to gaze at his reflection in the sea’s mirror and seeing that it was the same little-boy-face that always looked back, he would lament: Why was I born a boy and not one of those beautiful sea creatures?

But then one day, a great storm suddenly came upon them as they were playing in the ocean. The winds became a great swirling force and the waves grew higher than the boy had ever seen. The dolphins grabbed the lost boy and dove deep to protect him from the howling angry squalls. The deeper they went, the faster he was able to swim, and oddly, he no longer felt the need to hold his breath. It was so dark in the depths of the ocean and yet he was able to see his dolphin family swimming alongside him. What seemed like an eternity passed before the lead dolphin signaled them to surface. The tempest had subsided, and the ocean had been left amazingly calm, allowing him a glimpse of his reflection in the water’s tranquil surface. The familiar face that the lost boy had wished away was no longer looking back at him. Instead, what he saw was a handsome young dolphin blinking curiously. He splashed at the water to erase the image, only to have the dolphin likeness return again and again. The other dolphins danced playfully around him, chirping joyfully, for that was the day his wish was finally granted. He had found a new family and would never again be left alone on the shores of Whale Rock.

Granny Fi always ended the story by telling Cassie, “Every time you see a family of dolphin dancing along the shore, make sure you wave. And if you look close enough, you just might just see the Lost Boy of Whale Rock waving back to you.”

 

 

 

 

About the Author

An author of fiction, Loretta Marion’s writing bridges the genres of mystery and suspense and women’s fiction, always with hints of romance and humor, sometimes delving into the psychological and paranormal. She creates strong but flawed and struggling characters as appealing as the rich atmospheric settings in which the stories take place.

Loretta is a true bibliophile and has loved reading and creating with words since she was a young girl. And that affection for the written word followed her like a shadow throughout her life as she put pen to paper crafting marketing and advertising copy, educational brochures, and newsletters. But her passion for writing fiction evolved from the unlikely world of hospice. As a volunteer, she set out to establish a Legacy Story program to honor and preserve the rich heritage of the fascinating people who were soon to leave this world. The meaningful experience inspired her to create her own interesting characters and stories. Her debut novel, The Fool’s Truth, was a twisty and suspenseful mystery with whispers of romance. Her newest novel, HOUSE OF ASHES – A Haunted Bluffs Mystery, is the first in a series published by Crooked Lane Books.

Though born and raised in the Midwest, Loretta fell in love with New England and has made it the setting for much of her writing. When not whipping out words on her laptop, she is traveling, enjoying outdoor pursuits, or is curled up with a delicious new book. Loretta lives in Rhode Island with her husband, Geoffrey, and their beloved Mr. Peabody, a sweet, devoted and amusing “Corgador” (Corgi-Labrador cross).

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Three Widows and a Corpse (A Food Blogger Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Kensington (October 29, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages

Synopsis

Food blogger Hope Early finds one item not on her scavenger hunt list—a dead husband . . .

Between developing her food blog, Hope at Home, and choosing low-cal recipes for a feature in Cooking Now! magazine, Hope has a full plate. Still, she’s never too busy to compete in a Jefferson, Connecticut, tradition—the town’s annual scavenger hunt.

But as she races with her team to check off the next item, Hope discovers a grisly surprise—the body of shady real estate developer Lionel Whitcomb, shot in a parking lot. His wife Elaine, who’s also in the hunt, gasps and nearly faints. But two other women on the scene cry out that their husband is dead.

It turns out this louse of a spouse was more than a little lax in legally divorcing his former wives. Did one of them put a bullet in the bigamist? Number one suspect and number three wife Elaine begs Hope to investigate. Now Hope is on a new kind of hunt—for a cold-hearted killer and triple widow-maker . . .

Includes Recipes from Hope’s Kitchen!

 

 

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Review

It is time for a trip back to Jefferson to see what Food Blogger, Hope Early, has new in her life.  Hope finds herself knee-deep in another mystery when she stumbles across another dead body while on a scavenger hunt.  The bigger surprise comes when two other women appear in town and claim to still be married to the deceased.  Who is the true widow?  Will Hope survive the search for the killer?  You’ll have to read the book to find out those answers and much more.

I’ve enjoyed this series because I love food and I am always intrigued at a look behind the scenes of what food bloggers do to create their recipes and posts.  I love to cook but have never really created my own recipe.  I have adapted some recipes but that is about all.  Several of the recipes in this book have chocolate in them so my mouth was watering just reading about the muffins, cookies, and cakes.  Recipes are provided and a few have caught my eye.

The mystery is intriguing and the author does a splendid job of hiding the killer in plain sight.  I’m not sure I suspected this character so I was surprised when the story came to a head and the killer was revealed.  There are several potential suspects and while I would have liked it to have been one character, no such luck.

Hope has multiple sides to her – she inserts herself into the case trying to solve the murder (despite her boyfriend the sheriff asking her to stay out of the investigation), she doesn’t know how to say no, and is a little insecure when it comes to her relationship with Ethan.  But all of these pieces come together to form a likable protagonist.

Overall I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one in the series.  We give it 4 paws up.

 

About the Author

Debra Sennefelder, the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series, is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in pre-hospital care, retail and publishing. Her writing companions are her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih-Tzus, Susie and Billy.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Women’s Fiction Writers Association and Romance Writers of America.

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A Legacy of Murder: A Kate Hamilton Mystery
Traditional Mystery
2nd in Series
Crooked Lane Books (October 8, 2019)
Hardcover ~336 Pages

Synopsis

American antique dealer Kate Hamilton’s Christmastime jaunt to a charming English village leads to an investigation of a missing ruby…and a chain of murders.

It’s Christmastime and antiques dealer Kate Hamilton is off to visit her daughter, Christine, in the quaint English village of Long Barston. Christine and her boyfriend, Tristan, work at stately-but-crumbling Finchley Hall. Touring the Elizabethan house and grounds, Kate is intrigued by the docent’s tales of the Finchley Hoard, and the strange deaths surrounding the renowned treasure trove. But next to a small lake, Kate spies the body of a young woman, killed by a garden spade.

Nearly blind Lady Barbara, who lives at Finchley with her loyal butler, Mugg, persuades Kate to take over the murdered woman’s work. Kate finds that a Burmese ruby has vanished from the legendary Blood-Red Ring, replaced by a lesser garnet. Were the theft and the woman’s death connected?

Kate learns that Lady Barbara’s son fled to Venezuela years before, suspected of murdering another young woman. The murder weapon belonged to an old gardener, who becomes the leading suspect. But is Lady Barbara’s son back to kill again? When another body is found, the clues point toward Christine. It’s up to Kate to clear her daughter’s name in Connie Berry’s second Kate Hamilton mystery, a treasure for fans of traditional British mysteries.

 

 

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Guest Post

 

CAN I DO IT AGAIN?

by Connie Berry

 

My agent once said that the hardest book you’ll ever write is your second. That’s probably true for many authors, but with all due respect—she’s an amazing, knowledgeable professional—no book could ever have been harder than my first. A Dream of Death took ten years and several massive revisions before it was ready for prime time. The learning curve was so steep, I often doubted I’d ever make it to the top. And this from a person with an M.A. in English Literature who’d been told from second grade on that writing was her gift. I’d read a thousand and one fine mysteries before sitting down at my computer and asking myself, “How hard could it be?” I found out.

I began writing my second book, A Legacy of Murder (a sequel) before I had an agent or a publisher. Writing was a pleasure. First of all, I didn’t have to make all those beginner mistakes again. Yay! Besides, I was writing about characters I had already learned to know and care about—plus some entertaining new characters as well. I loved my plot. And with no deadlines to pressure me, I had all the time in the world to polish, polish, polish (my favorite thing in all the world).

Then I sold two books to Crooked Lane. All of a sudden I was responsible to someone besides myself. I had deadlines. Then the other shoe fell. When A Dream of Death began getting terrific reviews, I couldn’t help asking myself, “Can I do it again?” Can I, in the next six months, produce another story people will like? After all, it took ten years for the first.

Helen Simonson didn’t help. She’s the author of the run-away best-seller Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, a sweet story of love conquering all. Then her eager fans (me included) had to wait six long years for her second novel, The Summer Before the War. Another excellent book, although she lost a star on that one. Her website gives no hint, but I hope she’s working on a third.

The bottom line was, I didn’t have six years. I had less than six months, so I got to work. And with only a month’s delay (graciously granted), I pushed send and my manuscript flew through cyberspace toward its destiny. I felt like I had when as a young mother, I watched my first son board the yellow school bus and wave goodbye as it chugged around the corner and out of sight.

Since then (as I write this, I’m working on book three in the series), I  have come to understand that just about every author asks the question, “Can I do it again?” They ask it every time they begin a new book. Here’s where fear creeps in: What if the plot never comes together? What if I need more time to finish? What if readers don’t connect with my characters? What if the pace is too slow—or too fast? What if…what if?

I love what the eighteenth-century English lexicographer, Dr. Samuel Johnson, once said: “Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be met.” That encourages me to push forward.

I’m glad to say that reviews for A Legacy of Murder have been wonderful so far. People are reading and enjoying the story. They are connecting with the characters and the wonderful Suffolk countryside setting. Now, with book three, I wonder: can I do it again?

Have you struggled with the fear of failure? What might you accomplish if instead of asking, “Can I do it again?” you asked, “What am I risking if I never try?”

 

About the Author

Like her protagonist, Connie Berry was raised in the antiques trade. After teaching theology for twenty-five years, she took up writing mysteries featuring high-end antiques and the legacy of the past. Connie loves history, cute animals, travel with a hint of adventure, and all things British. She lives in Ohio with her husband and adorable dog, Millie.

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Christmas Cupcakes and a Caper (Death by Cupcake)
Cozy Mystery Novella
4th in Series
Independently Published (November 1, 2019)
Number of Pages: 80

Synopsis

It’s all candy cane cupcakes and peppermint coffee until you find a dead elf on your doorstep.

Only the elf wasn’t a real elf, because elves don’t actually exist – not even at Christmas time. A college student dressed like an elf decided taking a nap in sub-zero winter temps was a good idea. It wasn’t. Anna, the pink-haired baker extraordinaire of Callie’s Cakes, is convinced the student’s death was not an accident. She drags Callie and Kristie along with her as she attempts to discover who killed the elf … um… student.

Will the gals of Callie’s Cakes find the killer before Christmas is ruined?

Cupcakes not included, although you’ll find recipes for all the delicious Christmas cupcakes Anna baked.

 

 

Review

I don’t think I have read anything by this author that I didn’t enjoy! This book is humorous and kept me engaged from the first page to the last.  I liked that it was a shorter read, it was just the right length to read before I went to sleep.

This series centers around three women that are good friends, they have hunky men that adore them and there is a cupcake shop involved with mouth-watering sweet treats.  All is going well until an elf shows up dead on the shop’s doorsteps.  It is then off to the races to find out who killed the elf and why.  The answer was a bit surprising to me and I truly didn’t suspect the killer.  Along with finding the killer, Callie is trying to figure out what is going on with her boyfriend Ben.  The answer is sweet but that is all I will say, you will have to read the book yourself to find out the answer.

Anna cracks me up – she is petite but a force of nature.  Let’s just say you shouldn’t mess with her.

This is the fourth book in the series and I didn’t read the first three but I don’t think that would keep anyone from enjoying this book, you just miss out on the character development.  I will have to go back and read the first three at some point to see what I missed.

Overall it was a great book and we give it 5 paws up.

 

 

 

About the Author

I grew up reading everything I could get my grubby hands on, from my mom’s Harlequin romances to Nancy Drew, to Little Women. When I wasn’t flipping pages in a library book, I was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories which have thankfully been destroyed. College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along, robbing me of free time to write and read, although on the odd occasion I did manage to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. After surviving the army experience, I went back to school and got my law degree. I jumped ship and joined the hubby in the Netherlands before the graduation ceremony could even begin. A few years into my legal career, I was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. I quit my job and sat down to write a manuscript, which I promptly hid in the attic before returning to the law. But practicing law really wasn’t my thing, so I quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out running a B&B wasn’t my thing either. I polished off that manuscript languishing in the attic before following the husband to Istanbul where I decided to give the whole writer-thing a go. But ten years was too many to stay away from my adopted home. I packed up again and moved to The Hague where, in between tennis matches and failing to save the world, I’m currently working on my next book. I hope I’ll always be working on my next book.

 

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Synopsis

Alex Simpson, an ex-police officer, decides after a bout of typhoid fever to take a break in a serene and therapeutic environment. The last thing he expects is to be called upon to solve a murder at the Kinging Guest Lodge. But that is what happens, when the delectable and vivacious Maria Marshall is found dead in her bedroom, murdered at midnight.

The gallery of characters living at the guesthouse and thrown into the mix, do not make his task of solving this chilling and brutal murder any easier

 

 

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Review

This is a short mystery set in Nigeria.  This is important to note since the language and flow of the book is written by someone that is multi-lingual so it might seem stilted if you only speak one language.  There were some phrases that confused me because I am from the US and the wording was not what I was used to reading.  For example, we use the phrase “million dollar question” and the book has it as “million Naira question”.  Naira is the currency in Nigeria so it would make sense to use that versus dollars since the book is not set in the US.

The cast of suspects is small but the author did a good job of leading the reader down multiple paths until the killer was revealed.  It was quite surprising because this was one character I didn’t suspect.  I felt that the author did a good job describing the scenery and I was able to picture the various characters in my mind.

If you are looking for a short read this might be a good choice.  We give this 3 1/2 paws.

 

 

About the Author

The author, John Ukah is a banker who was educated at the University of Benin in Nigeria. This is his first book.

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