All Done With It (A Dreamwalker Mystery)
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
7th in Series
Publisher: Camel Press (August 11, 2020)
Number of Pages 211 pages

 

Synopsis

 

A Jane Doe jogger homicide near the swamp mystifies Dreamwalker Baxley Powell. The petite woman carried no ID, and no one recognizes her. Worse, a shadow passes from the body to a deputy, rendering him unconscious. The deputy and the corpse are dispatched to the hospital and morgue, respectively.

With summer heat and pending childbirth on her mind, Baxley’s dreamwalks into the spirit world fail to yield leads, frustrating Baxley and her deputy husband, Native American Sam Mayes. Days later, Jane Doe’s description matches a missing Mississippi woman. Turns out, her new husband is missing too. Jane’s sketchy brother-in-law and her aunt arrive, full of secrets. At Jane’s campsite, the team encounters a terrifying anomaly, nullifying Baxley’s senses. With such danger present, they must protect their unborn child. No more dreamwalks will occur until Baxley gives birth.

When her friend Bubba Paxton vanishes, Baxley sights him in a mirror, trapped between worlds with other souls.

Meanwhile, the shadow invades other hosts, demanding to see Baxley. Mayes and Baxley ignore the shadow as they rescue Bubba, untangle the Jane Doe case, and handle missing persons reports.
To free the trapped people, Baxley must outwit a powerful foe. Can she stop this super villain before he steals her soul?

In this 7th Dreamwalker Mystery, female sleuth and psychic crime consultant Baxley Powell works a homicide case that leads straight to an evil force in the spirit world. The stakes? Her soul, her unborn child, and humanity’s freedom.

 

 

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Guest Post

 

The Shadow

 

By Maggie Toussaint

 

In the first chapter of ALL DONE WITH IT, a shadow entity makes its appearance. Much to everyone’s horror, the shadow decamps from the murdered jogger and invades Ronnie, one of the sheriff’s good-ole-boy deputies.

My sleuth, Baxley Powell Mayes, and her family have never encountered the like. It boggles their minds that a swamp vapor could pass from person to person. Worse, when the deputy awakens, the shadow entity controls his consciousness.

This sentient villain alters the host’s personal behaviors, critical thinking, and even their gait. Ronnie, for instance, a solid young man of little ambition, suddenly improves his grooming, his clothing, and the healthfulness of his food. However, the personality upgrade comes at a price. Ronnie speaks sentence words out of order.

Clearly the entity is trying to rewire his brain but it’s not a good fit. Ronnie’s best friend and fellow deputy, Virg, is beside himself with anxiety. He orders Baxley to get it out of him. Only, how does one drive out a dusky vapor without harming Ronnie? Baxley and her Dreamwalker team network among their associates for help.

To make matters worse, Shadow Ronnie demands to see Baxley in person. Her husband, Deputy Sam Mayes, forbids it. After all, Baxley is nine months pregnant with their son. In fact, Mayes suggests it would be best for the baby if Baxley didn’t return to the swamp or dreamwalk until after she gives birth—and she agrees.

Then the unspeakable happens. People begin to vanish from all around the county. No one knows why, and Baxley can’t search the afterlife for them. Malignant forces are at work, and humanity’s best-suited sleuth is sidelined. The Dreamwalker is left to wrestle with her choices and to answer this question: what can she do?

 

 

About the Author

 

Southern author Maggie Toussaint writes cozy and paranormal mysteries, romantic suspense, and dystopian fiction, with twenty fiction novels published. A three-time finalist for Georgia Author of the Year, she’s won three Silver Falchions, the Readers’ Choice, and the EPIC Awards. She’s past president of Mystery Writers of America-Southeast chapter and an officer of LowCountry Sisters In Crime. She lives in coastal Georgia, where secrets, heritage, and ancient oaks cast long shadows.

 

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The Key Lime Crime: A Key West Food Critic Mystery
Cozy Mystery
10th in Series
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (August 11, 2020)
Hardcover: 320 pages

 

Synopsis

 

National bestselling author Lucy Burdette’s tenth Key West Food Critic mystery is piping hot with pie-enthusiasts and murder suspects.

 

When a fierce rivalry between key lime pie bakers leads to a pastry chef’s murder, food critic Hayley Snow is fit to be pied.

During the week between Christmas and New Year’s, the year-round population of Key West, Florida, faces a tsunami of tourists and snowbirds. It doesn’t help that outrageously wealthy key lime pie aficionado David Sloan has persuaded the city to host his pie-baking contest. Every pie purveyor on the island is out to win the coveted Key Lime Key to the City and Key Zest food critic Hayley Snow is on the scene to report it.

Meanwhile, Hayley’s home life is turning more tart than sweet. Hayley’s new hubby, police detective Nathan Bransford, announces that her intimidating mother-in-law is bearing down on the island for a surprise visit. Hayley offers to escort Nathan’s crusty mom on the iconic Conch Train Tour of the island’s holiday lights, but it becomes a recipe for disaster when they find a corpse among the glittering palm trees and fantastic flamingos. The victim–Au Citron Vert’s controversial new pastry chef–was a frontrunner in Sloan’s contest.

It’s bad enough that Hayley’s too-curious mother-in-law is cooking up trouble. Now, the murderer is out to take a slice out of Hayley. Can she handle the heat of a killer’s kitchen?

 

 

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About the Author

 

Clinical psychologist Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib) has published 16+ mysteries. Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and a past president of Sisters in Crime. She blogs at Jungle Red Writers and shares her love for food with the culinary writers at Mystery Lovers Kitchen She lives in Madison CT and Key West FL.

 

 

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Synopsis

 

Beck O’Rourke and her grandmother own Beach Reads bookstore and coffee shop, a gathering place for locals and tourists, a block off the ocean in Manatee Beach, Florida.

They live above the bookstore with Beck’s feisty younger sister, Lizzie, a lifeguard. Beck is excited to host the country’s bestselling cozy mystery writer for a book signing event until a member of the audience turns up dead later that night.

Afterward, Beck decides to pursue her lifelong dream of being a detective to try to catch the killer. The amateur sleuth finds several suspects, but the murderer isn’t happy about her interference.

Neither is the town’s handsome new police detective who has a history with Beck.

 

 

 

 

Review

 

This may be the start of a new series, but if you have read Somebody in the Neighborhood you will recognize the town and some of the characters including Scratchoff and Dorothy.

This new series features Beck and her grandmother Alice that run a bookstore and cafe in Manatee Beach Florida. Beck has always wanted to be a detective and now she is getting her chance to investigate (on the side) a murder that happened close to their bookstore and was someone they had met.

I enjoyed this cast of characters and I think this will make a wonderful series in this sleepy town in Florida.  I foresee a possible romance between Beck and Devon, who is a new detective to the force and someone she knew from college despite the fact that he wants her to stay out of the investigation so she doesn’t get hurt.

The list of possibilities for who the murder might be isn’t too long.  There are many that could potentially have a good motive and I wasn’t sure who was the most likely candidate.  Let’s just say this person was on my list but I couldn’t figure out why they would be the killer until it was revealed in the end.  There are a few clues that might point you in this character’s direction, but not many.  You will have to piece together the different clues to get you there.

And for you dog lovers, there is a Great Dane named Coquina (which is the name of a very small shell) and Dorothy’s poodle, Fifi, that we see on a couple of occasions.

Overall a fantastic start to a new series and we give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Judy Moore is the author of the popular thriller, “The Mother-in-Law,” as well as three mystery novels: “Somebody in the Neighborhood,” “Murder in Vail,” and “Murder at the Country Club.” She has also written numerous novellas, including the Christmas anthology “Christmas Interrupted,” which contains three novellas: “Airport Christmas,” “The Holiday House Sitter,” and “The Hitchhiker on Christmas Eve.” She has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida and worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine feature writer, and publications editor for several years. A former tennis pro, Ms. Moore’s writing background also includes sports writing, and athletes from various sports are sprinkled throughout some of her novels. A lifelong resident of Florida, she currently resides in Vero Beach.

 

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Death at High Tide: An Island Sisters Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Minotaur Books (August 18, 2020)
Hardcover: 304 pages

Synopsis

 

Death at High Tide is the delightful first installment in the Island Sisters series by Hannah Dennison, featuring two sisters who inherit an old hotel in the remote Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall and find it full of intrigue, danger, and romance.

 

When Evie Mead’s husband, Robert, suddenly drops dead of a heart attack, a mysterious note is found among his possessions. It indicates that Evie may own the rights to an old hotel on Tregarrick Rock, one of the Isles of Scilly.

Still grieving, Evie is inclined to leave the matter to the accountant to sort out. Her sister Margot, however, flown in from her glamorous career in LA, has other plans. Envisioning a luxurious weekend getaway, she goes right ahead and buys two tickets—one way—to Tregarrick.

Once at the hotel—used in its heyday to house detective novelists, and more fixer-upper than spa resort, after all—Evie and Margot attempt to get to the bottom of things. But the foul-tempered hotel owner claims he’s never met the late Robert, even after Evie finds framed photos of them—alongside Robert’s first wife—in his office. The rest of the island inhabitants, ranging from an ex-con receptionist to a vicar who communicates with cats, aren’t any easier to read.

But when a murder occurs at the hotel, and then another soon follows, frustration turns to desperation. There’s no getting off the island at high tide. And Evie and Margot, the only current visitors to Tregarrick, are suspects one and two. It falls to them to unravel secrets spanning generations—and several of their own—if they want to make it back alive.

 

 

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About the Author

 

Hannah Dennison was born and raised in Hampshire but spent more than two decades living in California. She has been an obituary reporter, antique dealer, private jet flight attendant, and Hollywood story analyst. For many years Hannah taught mystery writing workshops at the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program in Los Angeles, California.

Hannah writes the Honeychurch Hall Mysteries and the Vicky Hill Mysteries both set in the wilds of the Devonshire countryside where she now lives with her two high-spirited Hungarian Vizslas.

 

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Fowl Murder: A Cozy Mystery with a Determined Female Amateur Sleuth (A Kenya Kanga Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Kanga Press (July 21, 2020)
ebook, 190 pages

Synopsis

 

A shooting on the savannah. A tragedy she’d rather forget. When past and present collide, will she survive to see her future?
Kenya, 2016. Semi-retired vet Rose Hardie just wants to enjoy her golden years and care for her disabled husband. But her peace of mind shatters when a forgotten confidant returns and reopens a case where Rose pulled the trigger. With her memories of the poacher’s shocking death flooding back, she barely catches her breath before her childhood friend is brutally murdered.

Braving blackmail and entrenched corruption, the tireless woman dives headfirst into helping the victim’s son solve the crime. But when the lead suspect is killed, Rose’s plans for a peaceful life end up dead and buried…

As her own traumatic history unravels, can Rose catch a killer before she becomes the next victim?

Foul Murder is the first book in the compelling Kenya Kanga Mystery series. If you like determined heroines, unpredictable twists and turns, and vivid African settings, then you’ll love Victoria Tait’s pulse-pounding tale.

 

 

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Guest Post

 

Today we welcome Victoria to StoreyBook Reviews and she shares some of her experiences in Kenya which contributed to the writing of this mystery.

 

Kenya, Language, and Phraseology

 

I began writing Fowl Murder in April 2018, four months after returning to the UK from Kenya, where we lived for eight years.  My youngest son was only eighteen months old when we moved out and he was like a native white Kenyan with brown tanned skin, blonde hair, a western Kenyan accent–courtesy of his Ayah (nanny) Esnas, who he still misses terribly–and a penchant for brightly coloured cotton kikoi trousers.

My main character, Rose Hardie, is sixty-five years old.  She was born in Kenya, although her parents were immigrants.  They left Britain after the Second World War seeking a better way of life and buying land under the British colonial post-war resettlement scheme.  They became farmers near a town called Molo, in western Kenya.

 

 

I have had a number of discussions with my editors, advanced readers and my husband about the words and phrases used in the book.  Rose spoke English with her parents and brother Matt.  Her mother died when she was only three and Matt was sent to boarding school, so Rose was brought up by her Ayah, Mary, who spoke to Rose in her tribal tongue, Kipsingis.  At the local school, and with her farm and village friends, Rose spoke Kiswahili.

The British colonised Kenya between 1888 and 1962 when the language taught in schools was British English.  There are some older Africans who cannot speak Kiswahili, now the national language, as they spoke their tribal language at home and English at school.

Rose attended a prestigious school in Nairobi, Kenya Girls School, which followed a British curriculum.  French and Latin were taught but Rose did not excel at them, or any academic lessons.  Aisha Onyango, the victim, attended the same school and it is where she and Rose met and became friends.  Despite Rose being four years older than Aisha, they were both outcasts which drew them together: Rose was a country girl who preferred running around the sports field rather than doing her hair or make-up, and Aisha was the first African girl to attend the school.

Both Rose and Aisha can speak and write English and speak Kiswahili, and Aisha can write it.  Rose still speaks Kipsingis with her house girl Kipto and Aisha speaks her tribal Kikuyu language.

The story is written through Rose’s eyes and follows her experiences and view of events.  A few chapters are in Thabiti’s voice: he is Aisha’s son and was also educated in English.  The language and phrases I have used are British English and some of the phrases are slightly old fashioned, being language Rose, and her husband Craig, would use.  I believe that this is the most authentic way to write the book, although I know some American readers will be unhappy with the use of unfamiliar words, such as car park instead of parking lot and car boot instead of trunk.

 

 

I have also used a smattering of Kiswahili words, which again add to the authenticity of the story.  When I lived in Kenya I meant to learn Kiswahili and attended six hours of lessons but became bored by the grammar.  I wanted to learn the common phrases used in the streets around Nanyuki and I did begin to understand the meaning of conversations, if not the individual words, but I was confused when people switched to their tribal languages.

Even with my limited knowledge of Kiswahili, there are everyday terms I used regularly, especially to greet and thank people.  ‘Habari’ is a form of greeting used like ‘hello’ but actually meaning ‘what’s new?’.  I think it is a great word/phrase adding a personal touch and enquiring about the person you meet.  The standard answer is not hello but ‘I am well’, ‘Mzuri sana’ followed by ‘how are you?’ or ‘habari yako’.  ‘Thank you’ is ‘asante’ or ‘asante sana’ being ‘thank you very much’.

Kiswahili is a wonderfully expressive language.  We continue to use phrases back in the UK: ‘dawa’ when referring to medicine; I call ‘kuja hapa’ when I want my children to come, especially if they are doing something they shouldn’t, and they call me ‘kali’ meaning cross or severe.

Fowl Murder uses British English sayings, expressions and spellings.  There is a glossary at the front of the print book explaining the meaning of Kiswahili words in the story.  I have tried to link the Kiswahili words with the glossary in the e-book format so it is easier to understand what words mean.  I hope this approach works and readers enjoy the experience and become immersed in the story, in spite of, and because of the unfamiliar words and phrases.

 

 

Thank you for hosting me and Fowl Murder.

 

 

About the Author

 

Victoria Tait is an exciting new author launching her Kenya Kanga Mystery series.  She’s drawn on 8 years living in rural Kenya with her family to transport her readers to a world of curiosity, community and conspiracy.  The Kenya Kanga Mystery series brings to life the beauty of the Kenyan landscape, the magic of its wildlife and the warmth of its people.

 

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Tea & Treachery (Tea by the Sea Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Kensington (July 28, 2020)
Hardcover: 304 pages

Synopsis

 

In this charming new cozy mystery series from nationally bestselling author, Vicki Delany, a New York City expat-turned-Cape Cod tea shop owner must solve the murder of a local real estate developer to help her feisty grandmother out of a jam . . .

As the proud proprietor and head pastry chef of Tea by the Sea, a traditional English tearoom on the picturesque bluffs of Cape Cod, Roberts has her hands full, often literally. But nothing keeps her busier than steering her sassy grandmother, Rose, away from trouble. Rose operates the grand old Victorian B & B adjacent to Lily’s tea shop . . . for now. An aggressive real estate developer, Jack Ford, is pushing hard to rezone nearby land, with an eye toward building a sprawling golf resort, which would drive Rose and Lily out of business.

Tempers are already steaming, but things really get sticky when Ford is found dead at the foot of Rose’s property and the police think she had something to do with his dramatic demise. Lily can’t let her grandmother get burned by a false murder charge. So she starts her own investigation and discovers Ford’s been brewing bad blood all over town, from his jilted lover to his trophy wife to his shady business partners. Now, it’s down to Lily to stir up some clues, sift through the suspects, and uncover the real killer before Rose is left holding the tea bag.

 

 

 

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Review

 

Such an enjoyable new series!  I can just imagine visiting Cape Cod and having tea at Lily’s tearoom or even staying next door at Rose’s B&B.  It is very picturesque and the descriptions provide the motivation to visit that area at some time in the future.

Since this is the first in the series, the author does a wonderful job of sharing the character’s past and how they ended up here since they were not born and raised on the Cape.  I felt like that added to the depth of the characters to have information about how they ended up here and even some past situations that enhance the character’s portrayal.  Lily is sucked into helping solve the murder of Jack Ford especially since he was found dead on Rose’s property and the ineffective police detective wants to railroad her into a conviction.  Thankfully, there is a new detective on the force and she has the experience to know that perhaps something isn’t right.

The mystery itself is well written and there are some clues to point you in the killer’s direction but not many.  The list of possible suspects is small but I couldn’t figure out the motive until it was revealed.  Let’s just say it is one of the oldest reasons in the world, but I’ll let you figure out what that reason is so I don’t spoil anything for you.

I really like Lily.  She is probably the most level headed character in the book.  Her best friend, Bernie, is kind and caring but a bit scattered when it comes to her writing. I will admit that I don’t really like Rose.  I found her to be selfish and perhaps a bit too blunt.  I felt like she expected everyone to cater to her whims with no questions asked.

There are a couple of potential romantic twists but no love triangle and I look forward to seeing these potential relationships develop.

This is a series that I will look for the next book to see what Lily is up to this time around.  We give the book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than thirty-five books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Tea by the Sea mysteries for Kensington, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series for Crooked Lane Books, the Year Round Christmas mysteries for Penguin Random House, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates) for Crooked Lane.

Vicki is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It Crime Writing Festival. She is the 2019 recipient of the Derrick Murdoch award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. Vicki lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

 

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Risky Whiskey (Bohemia Bartenders Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Velvet Petal Press (July 21, 2020)
Print Length: 250 pages

 

Synopsis

 

Stirring up trouble in New Orleans …

Eager to shake up her drinks and her life, mixologist Pepper Revelle jumps at an invitation to join the elite Bohemia Bartenders. Leader Neil thinks she’ll be the perfect advance gal for his team at a colorful cocktail convention in her hometown of New Orleans, but the job turns out to be more bananas than a drunk monkey. Setting up the key tasting for their distiller client, she and Neil discover their whiskey has gone dangerously bad. But how? And was this shocking poisoning more than an accident?

As Pepper and Neil try to figure out what happened, keep the drinks flowing and help distiller Dash Reynolds survive the weekend, they find themselves the target of increasingly scary attacks. Maybe it’s the danger, or maybe it’s the drinks, but Pepper also can’t help an inconvenient attraction to cocktail nerd Neil as they stir up trouble and try to figure out who’s out to get them — before they’re sliced and squeezed like a lemon twist in a Sazerac.

Risky Whiskey is the first book in the Bohemia Bartenders Mysteries, funny whodunits with a dash of romance set in a convivial collective of cocktail lovers, eccentrics and mixologists. These cozy culinary comedies contain a hint of heat, a splash of cursing and shots of laughter, served over hand-carved ice.

 

 

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Guest Post

 

Craft cocktail culture is an intoxicating setting for mysteries

 

by Lucy Lakestone

 

When readers think of culinary cozy mysteries, they usually think of chefs and bakers — delicious food accompanied by devious plots. In my new Bohemia Bartenders Mysteries, I couldn’t resist focusing on the drinks that, ideally, accompany all that cuisine — craft cocktails.

Cocktails have experienced a renaissance in recent years. As my heroine, mixologist Pepper Revelle, points out, “The newly minted foodies who watched chefs on TV all day long were only just waking up to how wonderful cocktails could be with their cuisine, and I wanted to show them the way.”

In Risky Whiskey, Pepper joins a team of bartenders at a New Orleans cocktail convention to help promote whiskey made by a distiller from their Florida town. Dangerous and sometimes funny complications ensue. But always at the heart of the story is the idea that cocktails have come into their own as a culinary art.

 

 

While my mysteries are humorous, Pepper and her friends take craft cocktails seriously. Perhaps the character who is most serious about them is her geeky counterpart Neil. And the fact that he’s totally opposite in personality to the exuberant Pepper makes her attraction to him all the funnier.

It’s not like modern mixologists invented the craft cocktail. In many ways, the cocktail revival is deeply rooted in the past — from elegant classics (like the Manhattan) to complex tiki drinks (a Mai Tai). New Orleans has long been home to delicious cocktails, and I’m not talking about the neon-colored sugar bombs popular on Bourbon Street. I’m talking about cocktails that are closely identified with the Crescent City, including the Sazerac, Vieux Carré and French 75.

 

 

New Orleans is also home to bars old and new that serve these beautifully balanced potions, and, of course, Pepper and her friends sample many of them.

One bar they visit is Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29. Jeff Berry is known for unearthing the lost drink recipes that made midcentury tiki bars so popular. He helped lead a revival that is alive and well, not just in his bar but in a thriving tiki culture — which plays a big part in book two, Wrecked by Rum, set in Fort Lauderdale.

Of course, the Bohemia Bartenders do a lot more than drink. They make cocktails. I’ve been to cocktail conventions like my fictional one, and I’m lucky to have a great home bar (especially now!), where Mr. Lakestone shakes up wonderful concoctions. In short, I love craft cocktails, and I really enjoyed writing about tricks of the craft (like hand-carving ice cubes) and insider lingo (such as boomerangs — drinks bartenders send from one bar to another as a friendly gesture).

Given my characters’ devotion to crafting perfect cocktails, these novels are true culinary mysteries. Pepper and Neil and friends make wonderful drinks as they navigate danger and figure out who did what. Mixologists are chefs with shakers. And in the case of the Bohemia Bartenders, they make pretty clever sleuths, too.

 

Learn more about Lucy and her books at LucyLakestone.com

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Lucy Lakestone is an award-winning author who lives on Florida’s east central coast, among the towns that serve as an inspiration for the hot romances of her Bohemia Beach Series and the jumping-off point for the Bohemia Bartenders Mysteries. She’s been a journalist, photographer, editor, and video producer but prefers living in her imagination, where the moon is full and the cocktails are divine.

 

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A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery)
Historical Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher: Kensington (July 28, 2020)
Hardcover: 288 pages

 

Synopsis

 

In Dianne Freeman’s charming Victorian-era mystery series, Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, finds her sister’s wedding threatened by a vow of vengeance.

 

London is known for its bustle and intrigues, but the sedate English countryside can host—or hide—any number of secrets. Frances, the widowed Countess of Harleigh, needs a venue for her sister Lily’s imminent wedding, away from prying eyes. Risings, George Hazleton’s family estate in Hampshire, is a perfect choice, and soon Frances, her beloved George, and other guests have gathered to enjoy the usual country pursuits—shooting, horse riding, and romantic interludes in secluded gardens.

But the bucolic setting harbors a menace, and it’s not simply the arrival of Frances’s socially ambitious mother. Above and below stairs, mysterious accidents befall guests and staff alike. Before long, Frances suspects these “accidents” are deliberate, and fears that the intended victim is Lily’s fiancé, Leo. Frances’s mother is unimpressed by Lily’s groom-to-be and would much prefer that Lily find an aristocratic husband, just as Frances did. But now that Frances has found happiness with George—a man who loves her for much more than her dowry—she heartily approves of Lily’s choice. If she can just keep the couple safe from villains and meddling mamas.

As Frances and George search for the culprit among the assembled family, friends, and servants, more victims fall prey to the mayhem. Mishaps become full-blooded murder, and it seems that no one is safe. And unless Frances can quickly flush out the culprit, the peal of wedding bells may give way to another funeral toll. . . .

 

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About the Author

 

 

Dianne Freeman is the acclaimed author of the Countess of Harleigh Mystery series. She is an Agatha Award and Lefty Award finalist, as well as a nominee for the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award from Mystery Writers of America. She spent thirty years working in corporate accounting and finance and now writes full-time. Born and raised in Michigan, she and her husband now split their time between Michigan and Arizona.

 

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Quiche of Death (A Sugar & Spice Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher: Lyrical Press (July 21, 2020)
Print Length: ~254 pages

 

Synopsis

 

When editor Sugar Calloway and baker Dixie Spicer went into business creating cookbooks, they found a sideline as amateur sleuths. Now a bitter family grudge could leave a fatal aftertaste…

At Sugar & Spice Community Cookbooks, the friends and business partners have secured a tasty new commission: producing a cookbook for the Arbor family. The Arbors have made their fortune in quiches, and Sugar and Spice have been invited to a weekend gathering where all the siblings, along with crusty matriarch Marta, will be in attendance. But it’s soon clear that this trip will come with a hefty slice of drama.

Theo, the only grandson, arrives with his flaky fiancée, Collette, who quickly stirs up trouble . . . and is found dead the next day. As the investigation unfolds, secrets—and recipes—are shared, and Sugar and Spice realize just how messy and murderous the situation may be. As another family member falls ill, can they solve the case without getting egg on their faces . . .and a target on their backs?

* Includes delicious recipes! *

 

 

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Excerpt

 

“Quiche me, you fool.”

The demand was followed by hoots of laughter as the sister—Jezzie, I think her name was—leaned into her spouse for a smooch. He hesitated but obliged.

I smiled at the boisterous group who clearly shared some inside joke about quiche and kissing. The warmth of the table and the sibling love melted my heart like butter on a biscuit. Taking a sip of water, I glanced over at Dixie, who sat across from me at the huge oak table.

She rolled her eyes.

“What?” I mouthed.

Dixie shrugged. Jezzie had perhaps a teensy bit too much wine, but still: When did my best friend and business partner get so darn stuffy? Maybe it was the inside-joke part that she found off-putting.

But we did know quiche was the family’s stock-in-trade, so it wasn’t that much of a stretch to figure out the expression had something to do with the Arbor family’s food business. After all, that was why we were here.

 

Guest Post

 

 

Is it real?

 

One of the things that I’m often asked is whether St. Ignatius, where the Sugar & Spice mysteries are set, is a real place. It’s very real to in my head, but I’m guessing that’s not what the person is asking me. And, I have to say, that I’m thrilled to find that many readers think it’s a real town.

Pampered Pets Mysteries, the other cozy series that I co-write as part of Sparkle Abbey, is set in Laguna Beach, a very real place in Southern California. A great pet-friendly community that was such fun to get to know and to write about.  However, in a constantly changing world, it was sometimes difficult to keep up with changes in the community. Streets don’t move, but businesses close, buildings are torn down, or new developments change the landscape.

So, when I started writing the Sugar & Spice mysteries, I deliberately choose to use a fictional town.

I’m from a small town in rural Madison County, Iowa and wanted to choose a place much like the area I grew up in. However, I hoped to avoid the problems inherent in using an actual town.

Readers who are from similar backgrounds will often ask if perhaps St. Ignatius is modeled after a particular town they know.

In truth, it’s a composite of many different small towns that I’ve visited. I’ve borrowed different pieces of those real places to create my fictional St. Ignatius.

• It has a town square with a central courthouse flanked by local businesses. I keep a map of the town square so I don’t accidentally move shops around as I’m writing.
• News travels fast and it is often shared at the local diner on the square. In St. Ignatius that’s the Red Hen Diner.
• It’s not large enough to have its own police force, so the county sheriff and his deputies handle law enforcement. Which can mean a noise complaint, a missing goat, or a murder.
• There’s a strong sense of community, where people in town look out for each other. Sometimes that means people know a lot about other people’s business. I guess it’s all in your perspective, right?
• There are families who have lived there for several generations and though newcomers are welcome, it may take a while to not be considered “new.”

I’ve had so much creating St. Ignatius for the Sugar & Spice Mysteries and I like to think if I’ve done it right, the town feels as real to readers as it does to me.

 

 

About the Author

 

Mary Lee Ashford is a lifelong bibliophile, and avid reader, and supporter of public libraries. In addition to writing the Sugar & Spice mystery series for Kensington Books, she also writes as half of the writing team of Sparkle Abbey, author of the national bestselling Pampered Pets mystery series from Bell Bridge Books.

Prior to publishing Mary Lee won first place in the Daphne du Maurier contest, sponsored by the Kiss of Death chapter of RWA, and was a finalist in Murder in the Grove’s mystery contest, as well as Killer Nashville’s Claymore Dagger contest.

She is the founding president of Sisters in Crime – Iowa and a current board member of the Mystery Writers of America Midwest chapter, as well as a member of Novelists, Inc., Romance Writers of America, Kiss of Death the RWA Mystery Suspense chapter, Sisters in Crime, and the SinC internet group Guppies.

Mary Lee has a passionate interest in creativity and teaches a university level course in Creative Management to MPA candidates, as well as presenting workshops and blogging about creativity. She loves encouraging other writers and is a frequent presenter on a variety of topics at workshops, conferences, and writers’ groups.

In her day job, Mary Lee is a Deputy Chief Information Officer. She currently resides in the Midwest with her husband, Tim, and Sparkle, the rescue cat namesake of the Sparkle Abbey pseudonym. Her delights are reading and enjoying her family and especially her six grandchildren.

 

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Giveaway

 

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Synopsis

 

Freelance writer Alex Vlodnachek hasn’t had a vacation in ages. So when her sister invites her—and pup Lucy—for a girls’ get-away to Miami, it’s too tempting to resist.

Big sister Annie wants Alex to savor a little fun in the sun at her South Beach condo. Redhead Alex just wants to escape complications at home, enjoy a little R&R and find an industrial-sized bottle of sunscreen. But trouble is hot on her heels—along with a few stray friends and relatives.

On the eve of the condo association’s hotly contested election, everything in the luxury high-rise is going haywire. But board president and social butterfly Leslie McQueen seems curiously absent amidst the chaos. Along with a good chunk of the association’s cash.

When several of Annie’s friends are left holding the bag, Alex jumps in to help—and discovers the tony condo tower offers no shortage of shady characters, murder, and mayhem.

But when her brother, Nick, arrives—with their irrepressible grandmother, Baba, and Alex’s pal Trip, in tow—is the gang riding to the rescue? Or plunging Alex into more hot water?

 

 

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Review

 

There is something about this series that draws me in each time.  Perhaps it is the family dynamics, maybe it is the mystery, or maybe it is Baba – the Russian grandmother that loves to make goulash for the family.  Whatever it is, I am definitely a fan of the series.

This installment takes us to South Beach Miami where something is amiss with the HOA board where Annie has a penthouse.  Annie brings Alex and Lucy (the pup) for a bit of a vacation and to help figure out what is going on.  They don’t expect to stumble across the death and mystery that ensues of who killed Leslie McQueen.

I stayed up way too late finishing this book.  That is the good (and bad) thing about an eReader is that it tells you how much more time is left in the book.  So when I see I only have 20 minutes, of course I’m going to finish the book before turning out the light.  The mystery moves along at a nice pace and while there are a few clues that might tip off who the murderer is, it wasn’t obvious, at least not to me.  There were several possibilities and as the truth was revealed it was quite fascinating to see how all of the pieces fit together.

I was amazed at the deviousness of Leslie McQueen.  It is no wonder she ended up dead!  I was tickled at some of the other tenants in the building and of course the dogs.  One is named Mrs. Pickles, that just cracked me up.

I was glad to see Gabby make an appearance (Nick’s ex) and she was quite useful with her criminal know-how.  We didn’t see much of Ian, but then they were out of town and he was back home.  I hope that Alex and Ian are able to come to terms in future books and resume their relationship.

If you are looking for a fun cozy series to read, then check this one out.  We give it five paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Dana Dratch writes and the fast, funny “Red Herring” mysteries — featuring redheaded coffeeholic and reluctant sleuth Alex Vlodnachek. CONFESSIONS OF A RED HERRING, SEEING RED, and her new mystery, RED HOT, are available now from Kensington Books.

Dana’s currently working on a fresh pot of coffee — and her next Alex Vlodnachek mystery adventure.

 

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