Pineapple Upside Down Murder (The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
MYS ED llc (November 23, 2018)
Print Length: 130 pages

Synopsis

Introducing Jolie Tucker, an introverted yet passionate restaurant co-owner of Cast Iron Creations, who, at her best friend Ava’s request, steps out of her comfort zone which leads her into the shade of a killer in the small, cozy village of Leavensport, Ohio. The victim is the villages beloved Ellie Siler who runs the village sweet spot, Chocolate Capers. Jolie finds her grandma Opal is a prime suspect and goes on a search for answers only to find out that her families secret recipes may not belong to the Tucker family at all. Jolie’s job, family, and livelihood are all on the line. The answers are assuredly lethal.

Review

If you need a shorter cozy mystery to read on the go (in between appointments, etc) then this is one you might want to check out.  It has everything a full length cozy has but in 130 pages.

I always love a cozy that involves food and this is the first time I’ve seen one that centers around recipes that are cooked in a cast iron skillet.  (The recipes at the end look divine!)  Jolie is sort of a mess, I think she is an introvert so has problems talking to people or fitting in unless it is her family or best friend, Ava. Plus we get a peek into her past when it comes to her biological father and the emotional abuse he inflicted on Joie which has a lot to do with how she acts and reacts to people and situations.

Jolie and Ava have planned this restaurant since they were young children and are the best of friends and even live next door to each other.  They have a great relationship which hasn’t wavered even though Ava is in a relationship with Delilah – sometimes love interests get in the way of friendship.  Despite their friendship, there are some tense moments in several spots in the book but I’m not going to reveal why you’ll have to read the book and find out.

There is quite a cast of characters but even with the varied characters, I was able to deduce who is the killer.  I couldn’t tell you why, but something about this character’s actions and words clued me into their guilt.  Now that isn’t to say that a few other characters didn’t seem a bit suspicious.  There is also an attractive police detective that seems to have a thing for Jolie once they get past his initial brusqueness.

Overall a great start to a new series and we give this 4 paws up.

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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Check out the other blogs on this tour, some have #Giveaways!

December 6 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

December 6 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT

December 7 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

December 7 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

December 8 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

December 8 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY

December 9 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW, RECIPE

December 10 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

December 11 –Valerie’s Musings – GUEST POST

December 12 – Handcrafted Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

December 13 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST

December 14 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY

December 14 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW

December 15 – Here’s How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT

December 16 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER GUEST POST

December 16 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW, GUEST POST

December 17 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – REVIEW

December 18 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

December 18 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

December 19 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

Sparky of Bunker Hill and the Cold Kid Case
Young Adult Mystery
Mystery & Horror, LLC (October 9, 2018)
Paperback: 216 pages

Synopsis

Lots of characters have it bad, in my Bunker Hill neighborhood smack dab in the middle of Los Angeles, but I’ve had it rougher than most.
There may be something to this 13th business.

That’s my birthday, and I’m learning to dread seeing it roll around. My mother died on one birthday. The cousins dumped me on my last. This year, 1932, I found a dead kid on a park bench. It’s my eleventh birthday, and the day me, Sparky, ended up on the run, wanted for murder.

If the dead girl wasn’t enough, the dirty newspapers pinned every body in LA on me, and even blamed me for the Great War. I wasn’t even born then. The price on my head got bigger by the day.

It was up to me to find out who killed the girl and why I got framed, before I ended up dangling from the hangman’s rope.

Guest Post

Three Short Stories = One Mystery Novel

by Rosalind Barden

Readers often wonder how an author creates a novel. Do they just start writing in a burst of inspiration? Or do they carefully plan with an end vision in mind? For “Sparky of Bunker Hill and the Cold Kid Case,” the path was more meandering.

It started back in 1999, with no thought of a girl called Sparky wanted for murder. I read a 1902 short story called “A Study in Piracy” by Josephine Dodge Daskam, which was republished by “Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine” in April 1999. I so enjoyed I this story about the wacky misadventures of a group of kids, I saved it, tucked inside the cover of “Wodehouse on Crime,” no less.

This story rattled around in my head for years. As it rattled, it mixed with the strange and sad history of old Bunker Hill in downtown Los Angeles. Long before I knew its story, I was drawn to Bunker Hill and still am. Though I’ve lived most of my life in Los Angeles, I didn’t grow up here, so was startled to learn that Bunker Hill was once a wealthy enclave that fell out of fashion until it was razed and shortened in a burst of wild post-war redevelopment.

Perhaps I am fascinated with LA’s Bunker Hill because I spent my most of my elementary years in a place called Fairview Hill that rises steeply up from downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Before Bunker Hill was lopped off, I suspect it was a lot like my childhood home, Fairview Hill, which is populated with old houses and nooks and crannies begging for mischievous kids to explore.

I took the feeling of running around Fairview Hill as a kid, mixed it with the fun of “A Study in Piracy,” and of course I had to toss in a ghost story, because that’s what I do. The result was “The Monkey’s Ghost,” which appears in the short mystery anthology, “History and Mystery, Oh My!” published by Mystery and Horror LLC in 2015.

But the story didn’t feel finished to me yet. I knew I had to do more, and Sparky’s character began to come to life. But as Sparky took shape, another character also appeared, Tootsie, the reclusive silent screen vamp.

I wrote a short story about Tootsie’s early years, and how she came to Los Angeles, barefoot, when she wasn’t even sixteen. By story’s end, Tootsie’s life is quite a bit different, and she’s on her way to what she became, a star. That story, “Dolly Dear,” remains unpublished. I’m keeping it in my back pocket for now. I could expand it into another mystery novel. Who knows?

As the stories of Sparky and Tootsie wove together, more elements materialized. I took the Depression-ear Bunker Hill location from “The Monkey’s Ghost,” and moved it backwards a few years. Several characters from “The Monkey’s Ghost” demanded a role in “Sparky” too. Pampered Marigold is back, but older. Gossipy Mrs. Tomes returns along with her housekeeper, Mrs. Mabaline. And I couldn’t do without mysterious Old Bob and Dodger the Horse.

Of course, I had to add a nod to the story that started it all. In Chapter 12 of “Sparky,” she explores the cellar of Creepy House and finds, “. . . a brass ball that might be from an old horse harness.” That’s a bit I boldly borrowed from “A Study in Piracy.” I also tossed in a fancy brass harness that Dodger wears in “The Monkey’s Ghost” (hope Ms. Dodge Daskam doesn’t mind).

Maybe some mystery novels have a straightforward path from idea to finish. Not “Sparky of Bunker Hill and the Cold Kid Case.” It’s a tale that took a long, winding journey from three short stories to a full-length mystery novel that’s hopefully the start of a series.

About the Author

Over thirty of Rosalind Barden’s short stories have appeared in print anthologies and webzines, including the U.K.’s acclaimed Whispers of Wickedness. Mystery and Horror, LLC has included her stories in their anthologies History and Mystery, Oh My! (FAPA President’s Book Award Silver Medalist), Mardi Gras Murder, and four of the Strangely Funny series. Ellen Datlow selected her short story “Lion Friend” as a Best Horror of the Year Honorable Mention after it appeared in Cern Zoo, a British Fantasy Society nominee for best anthology, part of DF Lewis’ award-winning Nemonymous anthology series. TV Monster is her print children’s book that she wrote and illustrated. Her satirical literary novel American Witch is available as an e-book. In addition, her scripts, novel manuscripts, and short fiction have placed in numerous competitions, including the Writers’ Digest Screenplay Competition and the Shriekfast Film Festival. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

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Darkest Before the Dawn (Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series)
Supernatural Suspense Mystery
7th in Series
Ottawa Press and Publishing (September 27, 2018)
Paperback: 266 pages

Synopsis

Darkest Before The Dawn is the latest adventure in the Sgt. Winston Windflower mystery series, the popular Maritime tales about a Mountie who finds himself with a new family and a new life in tiny Grand Bank, Newfoundland. Ghosts, mysterious deaths, and a new, perplexing character confront Windflower, Tizzard and the other police officers in Grand Bank as they unearth secrets that have been lying hidden in the sleepy hamlet for decades. A fast-moving mystery, Darkest Before The Dawn is also a story of love, loss and learning how to grow old gracefully; a tale of family, community and looking after each other, of not giving up hope, just before the dawn.

About the Author

Mike Martin was born in Newfoundland on the East Coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a longtime freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand. He is the author of Change the Things You Can: Dealing with Difficult People and has written a number of short stories that have published in various publications including Canadian Stories and Downhome magazine.

The Walker on the Cape was his first full fiction book and the premiere of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series. Other books in the series include The Body on the T, Beneath the Surface, A Twist of Fortune and A Long Ways from Home.

A Long Ways from Home was shortlisted for the 2017 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award as the best light mystery of the year. A Tangled Web is the newest book in the series.

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One Taste Too Many (A Sarah Blair Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Kensington (December 18, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages

Synopsis

For culinary challenged Sarah Blair, there’s only one thing scarier than cooking from scratch—murder!

Married at eighteen, divorced at twenty‑eight, Sarah Blair reluctantly swaps her luxury lifestyle for a cramped studio apartment and a law firm receptionist job in the tired hometown she never left. With nothing much to show for the last decade but her feisty Siamese cat, RahRah, and some clumsy domestic skills, she’s the polar opposite of her bubbly twin, Emily—an ambitious chef determined to take her culinary ambitions to the top at a local gourmet restaurant . . .

Sarah knew starting over would be messy. But things fall apart completely when her ex drops dead, seemingly poisoned by Emily’s award-winning rhubarb crisp. Now, with RahRah wanted by the woman who broke up her marriage and Emily wanted by the police for murder, Sarah needs to figure out the right recipe to crack the case before time runs out. Unfortunately, for a gal whose idea of good china is floral paper plates, catching the real killer and living to tell about it could mean facing a fate worse than death—being in the kitchen!

Includes quick and easy recipes!

Review

I’m a cozy lover going back many years now and every now and then I am introduced to a new series that checks off all the boxes for me on what I expect – food/recipes, animals (prefer dogs but cats are ok), and many red herrings that keep me guessing until the very end.

Sarah Blair has a twin sister, Emily, that is a chef.  I’m in awe of Emily because I love to cook but could never be a chef.  Sarah is struggling to make it after her divorce from Bill.  Bill didn’t seem to give up much in the divorce, so Sarah is in a very small apartment with her ex-MIL’s cat, RahRah.  In a crazy turn of events after Bill is found dead is when all the craziness begins.  Sarah loses RahRah to Jane (Bill’s lover, girlfriend, partner?) and apparently, there is a trust that goes along with RahRah and a home in a carriage house that Sarah’s MIL lived in while alive.  So why is Sarah living in a tiny apartment with no income from the trust?  You guessed it in one, Bill is a slimeball and kept the money.

The author does a great job of throwing red herrings in your path.  I kept changing who I suspected but when the real murderer is revealed, I was shocked!  I did not see that one coming at all.  There are some other twists at the end about how Bill died which you might be able to figure out, but maybe not.  The clues are there but not all of them.

Definitely a series I plan to watch and we give it 5 paws up.

About the Author

Judge Debra H. Goldstein’s new Sarah Blair cozy mystery series debuts from Kensington Press debuts with One Taste Too Many. She also is the author of Should Have Played Poker: a Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Players Mystery and the 2012 IPPY Award-winning Maze in Blue. Besides novels, Debra writes short stories. Her short story, The Night They Burned Ms. Dixie’s Place, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine (May/June 2017) is an Agatha Award Short Story Nominee. In addition to being the Sisters in Crime Guppy President, Debra serves on the national Sisters in Crime board and is Vice-President of the Southeast Region of Mystery Writers of America.

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With a Little Bit of Blood (The Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Grainger Press (April 15, 2018)
Paperback: 352 pages

Synopsis

In the fourth book from the Agatha Award nominated writing team of D.E. Ireland, famous literary characters Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins find they may have brought trouble with them when they attend a country house party in With A Little Bit of Blood.

Eliza is not happy when Higgins buys a snazzy roadster. Her misgivings prove correct when he becomes injured in a motor car crash. Forced to play nursemaid, Eliza is thrilled to accept an invitation to a house party from Lord Ashmore and his bride, the former Clara Eynsford-Hill. But upon their arrival at Banfield Manor, Eliza is dismayed to see her sweetheart Freddy arm in arm with a beautiful actress. Higgins is shocked to learn the woman who once stalked him is also attending the party. Things grow even worse when spiritualist Madame Evangeline arrives and warns of impending danger. Her prediction comes true when someone is killed during the following day’s shoot in the forest.

Higgins and Eliza suspect it wasn’t an accident, but murder. Every guest hides a dark secret that involved the dead man. But who hated him more? The French aviator, the American cinema actress, a lady novelist, the Austrian count, or a knighted explorer of the Amazon? Madame Evangeline’s séance may reveal what is really going on. But her cryptic words deepen the mystery, especially after another guest turns up dead.

Who is behind these murders? And has Higgins himself been targeted? As the day of the fox hunt begins, it seems likely that more than the fox will die. Before that happens, Eliza and the Professor must discover who may have a little bit of blood on their hands.

About the Author

D.E. Ireland is the pseudonym of long time friends and award-winning authors, Meg Mims and Sharon Pisacreta. In 2013 they decided to collaborate on a unique series based on George Bernard Shaw’s witty play Pygmalion, which also inspired the classic musical My Fair Lady. At work on Book Four of their Agatha nominated series, they also pursue separate writing careers. Currently, both of them write cozy mysteries for Kensington under their respective pen names: Sharon Farrow with her Berry Basket series, and Meg Macy with her Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear series. The two Michigan authors have patient husbands, brilliant daughters, and share a love of tea, books, and history.

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Synopsis

Jocelyn Kross always imagined her life differently—more loft in Upper Eastside Manhattan, less burned down house in small town Montana. Her temporary digs aren’t much better, a tiny apartment off the side of someone’s house. When the owner turns out to be her sworn enemy, Cade Warner, it’s just the rotten cherry on her terrible day.

Strange things are happening in Strawberry Lake Estates. Cade cannot afford to be distracted by his new neighbor, someone he’s known his whole life, and yet doesn’t really know at all. When Cade’s employee turns up dead, solving the sudden crime wave in their town turns a lot more personal.

As Jocelyn and Cade work together to solve the murder and help their town, they look pasts old grudges and see each other in a new light. When the investigation puts their lives in jeopardy, they find love sometimes comes in the most inconvenient ways.

Review

This is the second book in the series and this follows Jocelyn’s journey to a new life after her home burned down in the first book. She has an adorable daughter Katie, a horrible ex-husband Nate, and several good friends that help support her during this crazy time. Then there is Cade. He was one of her closest friends growing up until Nate entered the picture. Nate is a jerk and a liar and I’m sure he is part of the reason that Jocelyn & Cade drifted apart. However, a crazy situation has Jocelyn and Katie renting an apartment attached to the back of Cade’s home. Neither of them knew that the other would be living there since the leasing agent was a 3rd party. It made for a funny situation when they realized they would be sharing the same space (in a way).

I remember enjoying the first book and the second did not disappoint. The interactions of the characters could be humorous at times and I started to remember more from the first book as I delved further into the story.

It should be no surprise that Jocelyn and Cade end up together. But the road to that union took some time. It didn’t help that Cade wins Katie over with a snow fort and a Pac-Man game in his game room.

There are some tense situations that just added depth to the story and it was quite surprising how a mystery revealed some dastardly characters. I was quite surprised and didn’t suspect anything until certain characters were doing nefarious things.

We give it 4 paws up

About the Author

Crissy Sharp is an author, runner, and sports enthusiast. She has a special knack for avoiding cooking and cleaning so she can focus on her true love: writing. She is in awe of people who can do a one-legged king pigeon without pulling something and detests everything about fat-free cheese. Though she’ll always be a Montana girl at heart, she also loves Tennessee, where she currently lives with her husband and three children.

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A Timeless Celebration (Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Self Published (October 25, 2018)
Print Length: 245 pages

 

Synopsis

 

A small town, a big party, a stolen gift. When an artefact from the Titanic is stolen before her town’s 150th anniversary celebration, it’s up to Lois Stone to catch the thief.

Middle-aged widow Lois has moved from bustling Toronto to tranquil Fenwater and is settling into her new life away from the dangers of the city. Then two events happen that shatter her serenity: her house is burgled and an antique watch belonging to a Titanic survivor is stolen from the local museum. Her best friend, Marge, was responsible for the watch’s safekeeping until its official presentation to the museum at the town’s 150th anniversary party, and its disappearance will jeopardise her job and the museum’s future. Lois won’t let her friend take the blame and the consequences for the theft. She’s determined to find the watch in time to save her best friend’s job, the museum’s future and the town’s 150th anniversary celebration.

And so begins a week of new friends, apple and cinnamon muffins, calico cats, midnight intruders, shadowy caprine companions and more than one person with a reason to steal the watch, set against the backdrop of century houses on leafy residential streets, the swirling melodies of bagpipes, a shimmering heat haze and the burble of cool water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest Post

Why does it matter?

 

People often ask writers where the ideas for their stories come from. I don’t know exactly where the idea for A Timeless Celebration came from, but one day a quirky idea for where a stolen item could be hidden popped into my head and this got my imagination racing. I worked back from that idea to decide what the item was, why it was important, where it was stolen from, and how and why my main character, Lois Stone, would search for it and get it back. The plot for A Timeless Celebration evolved from that one random thought about where it might be possible to hide a stolen item.

As I constructed the plot, two of the most important things I had to figure out were what the stolen item was and why it was important. I wanted the item to be something historic and titbits of information that I uncovered during my background research convinced me that the item should be a watch that had survived the sinking of the Titanic. The idea began to take shape as I browsed online through the artifacts collection of the local museum in the place that inspired my fictional town, Fenwater, hoping to find an item that would be suitable for the stolen item in the story.

 

 

I was excited to stumble across a pocket watch that was labeled as a possession of a Titanic survivor. But I felt a quick let down when I read the detailed description of the item and discovered that the survivor had owned the watch later in life and it had not been aboard the ill-fated ship. The watch lost its significance for me. But, although this item did not have the historical significance I had hoped for, it got me thinking and I knew that the stolen item in my story should be an artifact from the Titanic.

 

 

Although it’s more than a century since the sinking of the Titanic in April 1912, people are still fascinated by the tragedy and artifacts that have been recovered from the ship are prized.

My research revealed that since the Titanic’s resting place was discovered in 1985, several salvage operations have retrieved a huge number of artifacts from the seabed around the wreck. In fact, so much has been amassed that Guernsey’s Auctioneers & Brokers in New York, in a controversial auction, sold more than 5000 items estimated to be worth $190 million in a single lot in 2012. Included in the sale were watches, jewelry, clothing, a cook’s hat, binoculars, tableware and much more. The lack of light and air on the ocean floor, as well as the fact that goods were made to be durable a century ago, goes a long way to explain why so many of these items have survived in the depths of the ocean for so long.

A Timeless Celebration is set in 1983, before the Titanic’s resting place had been discovered, so there were fewer artifacts in existence at the time and they were rare and valuable.

But why did I choose a watch as the stolen item? When A Timeless Celebration is set, the artifacts in existence were items retrieved from the water near the wreckage when the ship sank, the personal possessions of survivors, and personal items found on the recovered bodies of victims. Of the many types of items that have survived the shipwreck, I think one of the most poignant is the pocket watch, a personal item that was often engraved and spanned the social classes. They were recovered from many bodies, including a wealthy businessman, John J Astor; second class passenger and Cornwall native John Chapman, who was traveling to America to start a new life with his bride, and third class passenger Mary Mangan from Addergoole parish, Ireland.

 

 

Pocket watches consist of many tiny components which can easily be damaged by rough use and the oil that greased the internal mechanism was prone to freeze at very low temperatures. So many of these watches stopped when their owners were thrown into the ocean as the ship sank. When the watches were recovered their hands still displayed the time they stopped, providing a chilling reminder of the tragedy.

 

 

After reading about some of the individual tragedies associated with these items, a pocket watch that had survived the sinking of the Titanic seemed the right choice for the artifact that would be central to my novel’s plot. It’s small and easy to conceal, which would make its theft practicable and it’s an item that has huge emotional significance. So an antique lady’s pocket watch became the starting point for A Timeless Celebration.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Dianne Ascroft is a Torontonian who has settled in rural Northern Ireland. She and her husband live on a small farm with an assortment of strong-willed animals.

A Timeless Celebration is the first novel in the Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries series.

Her previous fiction works include The Yankee Years series of novels and short reads, set in Northern Ireland during the Second World War; An Unbidden Visitor (a tale inspired by Fermanagh’s famous Coonian ghost); Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves: A Collection of Short Stories (contemporary tales), and an historical novel, Hitler and Mars Bars, which explores Operation Shamrock, a little known Irish Red Cross humanitarian endeavour.

Dianne writes both fiction and non-fiction. Her articles and short stories have been printed in Canadian and Irish magazines and newspapers. When she’s not writing, she enjoys walks in the countryside, evenings in front of her open fireplace and folk and traditional music.

 

 

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Slay Bells (A Christmas Village Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
Brand New Series
Better Mousetrap Books (November 23, 2018)
Print Length: 273 pages

Synopsis

‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through the village, the night settled in over swirling-smoke chimneys; the air was alive with pine and holly, with sugar and cinnamon and cider, by golly!

Along snowy lanes and through shadows it crept, past windows behind which each villager slept, where sleeping dogs lie and cats rest a’purring—

Tonight, in Christmas Village, a killer is stirring.

Welcome to Christmas Village, a magical hamlet where even in December the roses hold their luster and bees buzz among the bluebells. You’re just in time for the week-long Christmas Festival, and nowhere is Christmas celebrated with such unrestrained merriment as the village which bears its name. Mayor Cobblestone and Sheriff Fell will be somewhere nearby, doing all they can to make sure you’re safe during your stay.

Provided you haven’t booked a room at Plum Cottage.

Nestled betwixt an opulent garden with meandering footpaths and an ancient grove of plum trees, Rose Willoughby’s boarding house is plum-full with lodgers. There are no vacancies, but just wait. Soon there will be one…and another…and another.

Presently lodging at the cottage are: the juggler, the acrobat, the magician, the psychic, the strongman, the manager, and the pretty assistant. In town as festival entertainment they’ve each brought their own bag of tricks. And a closetful of skeletons.

When the entertainers begin dying in inexplicable ways, some villagers believe a beast from old village lore is the culprit. The sheriff knows better, but he’s just as helpless to catch the invisible killer as are the town folk with their eyes to the sky in search of a flying creature. But our mysterious murderer hasn’t counted on yet another lodger coming to the cottage: Maribel Claus.

Short as a stump, round as a wheel, sweet as a candy cane, and a sharp as a whip, Maribel loves a good puzzle. But has she finally met her match at Plum Cottage?

Can you figure out whodunit before Maribel does? If you’re up to the challenge, here’s your first clue—the key to unlocking the secret of the murderer’s identity lies in figuring out how the murders were committed. Good luck!

Review

This Christmas town has a lot going for it and its citizens until a murder occurs.  Then it is Maribel Claus on the case to help solve the mystery before the town sheriff – after all isn’t that how all cozies go?!

The writing and the setting reminded me a bit like Agatha Christie’s settings and characters.  Some might call it a Golden Age setting.  Plum Cottage and Maribel’s friend Rose, are the scene of the alleged murder and the curious boarders from the troupe visiting the town during its festival and entertaining everyone, but could one of them be a murderer?

This is the first book from this author that I have read but I was riveted by this town and the quirkiness that was the essence of the characters.  I also enjoyed the folklore rolled into the story, it added a nice touch but of course what Dr. Pontifex claims to see can easily be explained by Maribel, or at least her supposition.  I’ll leave it at that and you’ll have to read the book to understand how it plays out.

There were some clues that I picked up on but I still wasn’t sure how it all tied together until the all was revealed.  This is usually what happens with me – I might guess the culprit but never know the why.

I think this could be an interesting series and I give it 4 paws up.

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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Tandem Demise: A Cycle Path Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Independently Published (October 28, 2018)
Paperback: 298 pages

 

 

Synopsis

 

Smugglers on the hunt, a police chief on the run, lost loot and a dead wedding planner have the Mackinac Island regulars riding in circles

After solving two murders, bike shop owner Evie Bloomfield thought life on Mackinac Island would settle into boredom until she finds out Nate Sutter, island police chief and once-upon-a-time under cover cop is on the run. Some badass guys from Nate’s Detroit days think he stole money from them in a champagne smuggling operation and now they’re headed to the island to get their loot. Evie is determined to help Nate because he’s a good cop, Nate is determined to keep interfering Evie and island locals out of harms way, and the crooks are determined to get their money.

To add to the island’s problems there’s a dead guy on the dock and the new wedding planner is more interested in playing bedroom bingo than ordering bridal bouquets.
With the help of Fiona, Evie’s BFF and local newspaper editor, Evie is determined to prove Nate innocent, figure out how champagne smuggling, bodies on the dock and a bad wedding planner are tied together and not wind up taking a long walk off a short pier herself.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Duffy Brown loves anything with a mystery. While others girls dreamed of dating Brad Pitt, Duffy longed to take Sherlock Holmes to the prom. She is a National Bestselling author and now conjures up who-done-it stories of her very own. She has two series the Consignment Shop Mysteries set in Savannah along with rescue pup Bruce Willis and the Cycle Path Mysteries set on Mackinac Island with judgmental cats Cleveland and Bambino.

 

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COVEY JENCKS

by

Shelton L. Williams

Narrated by Kathy James

Genre: Mystery / Social Thriller

Publisher: Southern Owl Publications, LLC

Publication Date: February 10, 2018

Number of Pages: 229 pages

Audio Book Length: 6 hours, 38 minutes

Covey Jencks is a murder mystery with a social conscience. Set in West Texas with a cast of colorful and humorous characters, it follows a young lawyer from Washington, DC back to his hometown of Odessa, Texas. He wants and needs to solve a murder case from 1979 in 1993. The problem is that the Odessa Police Department has already found its man, and no one wants to re-visit the case of a black prostitute whose life was seemingly of no consequence to anyone. But Freddie Mae Johnson’s death matters to Covey, and eventually he discovers an old flame, JayJay Qualls, who also knew and loved Freddie. Together they undertake an investigation that uncovers not only the truth about Freddie but also the secrets of Odessa’s south side, Mexican gangs, a Boston mobster, and the fallacy of unexamined assumptions. Finding out who killed Freddie is one thing, but preventing their own demise is quite another!

 

Praise

Williams seamlessly braids a murder mystery with a love story and a drama about the pervasiveness of racism in the South… The author’s prose is buoyantly eccentric, both insightful and self-effacingly humorous. And the clues Covey and JayJay track down are meted out to readers with impressive judiciousness: The author never prematurely surrenders so much information that the conclusion is rendered foregone while the tale’s swift pace prevents it from becoming tedious. An engrossing crime drama that’s both entertaining and provocative. — Kirkus Indie

 

 

Covey Jencks is a delight from start to finish and if you aren’t familiar with West Texas (specifically the Odessa area) you might feel like you know the town to a degree. Whether you know the town or not, you are probably aware of the football team from Friday Night Lights. There are many references to their winning years and even Covey’s role on the team. There are also references to Texas oil – both the good and the bad.

This story has two different timelines – the 1970s when the murder occurred and the 1990s when Covey is back in town and feels like he needs to figure out who killed Freddie, a friend from his youth working at his father’s car wash and an intriguing woman in her own right. I enjoyed the back and forth between the times as the story unfolded and more details of the crime and the characters were doled out to the reader. I kept wondering how Freddie’s murder might have taken place and who was involved, and while you have a clue to the second, the “how” was a mystery until the details were revealed. I was actually surprised at the involvement of one character because he portrays himself differently earlier in the book and I think that throws Covey and JayJay off.

The characters are multi-dimensional and some might surprise you as the story progresses and their involvement in past and present events. The cast of characters leaves no race, gender, or affiliation out and we see everything from white, black, brown, straight, and gay. Each character meshed well with the story and take note that there are racial slurs in the book which are appropriate to the time and location. I had no problem reading these because I know that 40 years ago is not today. I especially enjoyed all the references to many things we take for granted – cell phones, internet (and not dial-up!), and the start of coffee shops (aka Starbucks). I also enjoyed the various town references especially when the characters headed to the “big city” of Dallas et al.

Besides the mystery portion, I found different situations within the story humorous. I enjoy a good chuckle now and then because any author that can find humor in a situation is one that I will want to read again. Life is too crazy to not have some laughter now and again.

I’m not sure if this is going to be a series or not, but I would enjoy reading more about Covey’s family life coming out in light of what we know about his dad from this book. We also had a little peek into JayJay’s life as a younger woman and it would be enlightening to learn more about her and how she came to be in Covey’s life. Either way, this is an enjoyable book and one you might want to pick up.

We give this 4 paws up

Shelton L. Williams (Shelly) is founder and president of the Osgood Center for International Studies in Washington, DC. He holds a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and he taught for nearly 40 years at Austin College in Sherman, Texas. He has served in the US Government on 4 occasions and he has written books and articles on nuclear proliferation. In 2004 he began a new career of writing books on crime and society. Those books are Washed in the Blood, Summer of 66, and now Covey Jencks. All firmly prove that he is still a Texan at heart.

 

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My first part-time job, while I was in high school, was announcing at the local radio station, and I had fun being “on the air” and using my sarcastic sense of humor.  I worked in the radio business for more than twenty years. My favorite pastimes are teaching figure skating, getting lost in a great book, and watching movies.  I narrate and produce audio books in my home studio, and I truly enjoy bringing an author’s characters to life with an audio book. I currently reside in Minnesota with my slightly overweight cat and two childlike golden retrievers.

 

 

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