Category: Cozy Mystery

Review: The Book Club Murders

10/7/2016

The Book Club Murders
The Oakwood Mystery Series
by Leslie Nagel

Synopsis

In a charming cozy mystery series debut, Leslie Nagel’s irrepressible small-town heroine finds that her fellow book club members may be taking their Agatha Christie a bit too literally—and murder a bit too lightly.

Charley Carpenter has poured heart and soul into her clothing store, Old Hat Vintage Fashions. She’ll do anything to make it a success—even join the stuffy Agathas Book Club in order to cultivate customers among the wealthy elite of Oakwood, Ohio.

Although mixing with the most influential women in town has its advantages, Charley finds the endless gossip a high price to pay. But after two women with close ties to the Agathas are brutally murdered, everyone falls under threat—and suspicion. When key evidence indicates that both murders are the work of the same hand, Charley realizes that the killer has arranged each corpse in perfect imitation of crime scenes from the Club’s murder mystery reading list. She uses her membership in the Club to convince Detective Marcus Trenault to use her as an inside informant. Not that he could stop her anyway.

Intelligent, fearless, and every bit as stubborn as Marc is, Charley soon learns the Agathas aren’t the only ones with secrets to protect. Passions explode as she and Marc must race against time to prevent another murder. And if Charley’s not careful, she may find herself becoming the killer’s next plot twist.

Review

I'm still a newbie when it comes to cozy mysteries, but this mystery is in a league of it's own! I'm also very hesitant to call it a cozy (more about that later). Charley is an owner of an vintage clothing store and is a part of the networking Agathas group - a mystery-reading book club. After women associated with the Agathas are being found dead, one by one, Charley starts seeing some connections. On the flip side, Marc is a detective using Charley as an informant - even though they have a rocky history.

As I said before - I hesitate to call this book a cozy mystery even though the cover of it very much screams COZY! What makes this story different is the added layer of romance. Sure, cozies have love stories, but this one has a steamy kind of love story. It was truly welcomed by THIS reader since I am a huge fan of both genres. I was happily surprised to find that both of these styles fit so well together.

Also, Charley has such a fantastic personality in that she is intelligent and clever as well as warm and caring. She makes for such a wonderful protagonist. I will definitely look into more titles from this series!

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Review: Killer Librarian

7/18/2016

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Killer Librarian
by Mary Lou Kirwin

Synopsis

FILE “M” FOR MURDER. . . .

Champion of the mystery section at a small-town Minnesota library, Karen Nash is about to embark on a dream trip to London—a literary tour inspired by every murderous intrigue, wily suspect, and ingenious crime found in the pages of the British mysteries that she devours. But she’s clueless why the love of her mid-life, Dave, would dump her hours before takeoff—until she spies him at the airport with a young honey on his arm! She decides the best revenge (for now) is to get on that plane anyway . . . and entertain schemes for Dave’s untimely demise while crossing the pond.

After touching ground in the hallowed homeland of Christie, Sayers, and Peters, she checks into a cozy B & B run by charming bibliophile Caldwell Perkins. Soon she’s spilling tears in her pint at the corner pub, sharing her heartbreak saga with a stranger. That night, a B & B guest drops out of circulation—permanently. And when Dave and his cutie turn up in London, Karen realizes they are an assassin’s target. With the meticulous attention to detail that makes her a killer librarian, Karen sleuths her way through her own real-life mystery—in which library science meets the art of murder.

Review

I've become enamored with cozy mysteries. I'm quite specific about them though - they must involve books in some way. Killer Librarian has so far been the best cozy mystery (involving books) that I've read. The book concerns Karen Nash, a librarian readying herself for her first trip to London with her boyfriend Dave...except Dave chooses hours before their departure to break up with her.

Much to my happiness, Karen decides to go to London anyway, and stays at the B&B where she had scheduled their stay. There, she meets a variety of characters including Caldwell, the B&B's charming owner, and his other boarders. While she's there, someone is found dead - and that's only the beginning of Kate's problems while in London.

Oh, I loved this book. I fell for the quirky characters and appreciate the care and detail that went into Kate's character. I think it's wonderful that this story was not just a murder mystery, but was also a tale about betrayal, love, and of course, books. I won't tell you whodunit...but if you enjoy some more character depth to your mysteries - give this one a try.

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Review: Death by Diploma

4/7/2016

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Death by Diploma
Chalkboard Outlines Book One
by Kelley Kaye

Synopsis

Emma Lovett leaves her philandering husband and crosses the country to begin her teaching career at a high school in Pinewood, Colorado. There, she meets Leslie Parker, a fellow teacher given to quoting Shakespeare to fit all situations, and the two become fast friends.

Arriving at work early one morning, Emma discovers the body of the school custodian, a man who reminds her of her late father. When the police struggle to find the killer, the ladies decide to help solve the murder. Their efforts lead them to a myriad of suspects: the schizophrenic librarian, the crude football coach, the mysterious social studies teacher, and even Emma’s new love interest.
 
As Emma Lovett discovers the perils of teaching high school, she and Leslie learn more than they ever wanted to know about the reasons people kill.

Review

I love cozy mysteries and I found this one to be quite a fantastic read! Emma finds out her husband has been cheating on her and decides to leave him (Go Emma!). She then crosses the country and starts working at Thomas Jefferson High School where she gets mixed in with a bit of trouble. The night janitor, who reminds Emma of her father, is found dead by Emma. Along with a co-worker friend, Emma decides to play detective and find out who the killer is.

The story was filled with kooky characters that certainly made this a fun read. I love getting into these hometown mysteries because they offer some warmth along with their mystery. It's what draws me to their plots, and Death by Diploma is no exception. I recommend this book to all mystery lovers and especially to those who want to be introduced to the genre of the cozy mystery. You're gonna love it!

About the Author

Kelley Kaye taught High School English and Drama for twenty years, but her love for storytelling dates back to creating captions for her high school yearbook. Maybe back to the tales she created around her Barbie and Ken — whatever the case, the love’s been around for a long time.

Kelley is married to this amazing man who cooks for her, and they have two funny and wonderful sons. She lives in Southern California.

http://www.kelleykaybowles.com/
On Twitter: @kelkay1202
Check out the book trailer for Death by Diploma: https://youtu.be/CAMXkR3kA-8

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Review: Plateful of Murder

2/24/2016

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Plateful of Murder
A Terrified Detective Mystery
by Carole Fowkes

Synopsis

Claire DeNardo is scared of a lot of things. Ordinary objects like roller coasters and men's hairpieces make her knees knock loud enough to be a band's rhythm section. Unfortunately, the only job Claire can find is working for her Uncle Gino in his seedy detective agency. Until now, her cases have all be middle-aged men with trophy wives who needed watching. But when Gino retires and leaves her in charge, Claire gets swept up in a murder case despite her fears. Both the client who hired her and the handsome police detective want her off the case. When the wrong person is charged, it's up to the terrified detective to summon all the courage she can to find the true killer.

Review

*this review may contain spoilers - I warned you!*

I've become quite the fan of the "cozy mystery" - with my favorites being the ones that take place around books. Books about books are awesome! Anyway - I digress.

Claire is so used to the typical "cheating guys" private eye deal that she's honestly scared with a real mystery falls into her lap. Someone has been threatening Michael's sister and when she ends up dead - Claire realizes that she may be in way too deep on this case.

This book really pulled me in! In a way, I contradict myself. On one hand, I feel like it might have gone too fast and that there could be a steadier pace that fits better with a mystery. On the other hand, however, I feel like the fast-pace of it is what really drew me into the story of Claire helping Michael with his sister. It was easy to read and get lost in, and Claire is a likable character - no doubt about it. I think any fan of the cozy mystery would love to read this!

About the Author

Carole Fowkes is the author of the cozy mystery series, "The Terrified Detective." She has also had stories in a number of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books and other similar anthologies. She is a registered nurse and lives with her husband in Dallas, Texas. She is a member of Sisters in Crime.

Find the Author Online

Website: www.carolefowkes.com

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaroleFowkes

On Goodreads: http://ow.ly/Wt1qs

Excerpt

On the way over, I rehearsed how to back out of our contract. I was scared. Now that this case had morphed into a murder investigation, I wanted out. The police could handle Constance’s slaying. My role would be to offer my sincere condolences and a full refund.

Fearfulness was a familiar feeling. I come from a long line of anxious Italian women. My mother’s screams of “Don’t do that, you’ll hurt yourself,” still ring in my ears.

It might seem strange for someone as faint of heart as I am to be a PI, but my investigatory career started with me playing the part of an administrative assistant to my father’s second cousin, Gino Francini, who owned the PI firm. Later, Gino taught me how to take pictures of people in situations they shouldn’t have been in. Patience and a good long-range lens were the only things needed. That suited me fine.

Two years ago, Gino got tired of the harsh Cleveland winters and retired to Miami. He left the agency to me. Since my Master’s degree in Mass Communications didn’t put me high up on any employer’s list, I took it on. Not that it was much at that point. The profitable worker’s compensation cases had slipped through Gino’s fingers after he got into a fistfight with a deadbeat, claiming a back injury. Since I’d been the one photographing cheating spouses, it made sense for me to carry on the business. Despite some dry spells, it was enough for me to eke out a living without jeopardizing my life.

But staying on this case put me too near that line between making a living and getting killed. The most danger I cared to face was driving through the wild and busy intersection at W. 25th and Clark.

Then, one look at Michael convinced me resigning from his sister’s case just then would be cruel. Poor guy looked like someone took out his spine and left his body to flop about. Sort of like those balloon men snapping in the wind at grand openings of car dealerships. His red-rimmed eyes and drooping shoulders showed the depth of his sorrow. Sympathy tears sprang to my eyes and I blinked them back. I’m a hugger but this time I restrained myself. “Michael, please accept my condolences.”

Poor guy reminded me of Raymond, a kid in my third-grade class everyone picked on. That boy also wore thick glasses. I should have stood up for him. Before he climbed that tree to escape and fell. Fear stopped me, like it had so many times since. Maybe helping Michael Adler would be my chance at redemption.

The guy with Michael, looking every inch a police detective with his strong jaw and ‘sweat a confession out of them’ attitude, spoke up. “And you are?”

I peered into the bluest eyes I’d ever seen outside of a Paul Newman movie. Too bad their owner was staring at me over a dead body. Any other time I’d be batting my eyelashes for all they were worth. Better to play it straight. “Claire DeNardo. Mr. Adler hired me to protect his sister.”

I could’ve sworn he muttered, “Yeah, hell of a job.” The scowl on his face was loud and clear. “Don’t get in my way.” He flashed his badge. “Detective Corrigan, Cleveland PD. This is our investigation now.”

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Review: Books Can Be Deceiving

10/11/2015

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Books Can Be Deceiving
{A Library Lover's Mystery}
by Jen McKinlay

Synopsis
Lindsey is getting into her groove as the director of the Briar Creek Public Library when a New York editor visits town, creating quite a buzz. Lindsey's friend Beth wants to sell the editor her children's book, but Beth's boyfriend, a famous author, gets in the way. When they go to confront him, he's found murdered-and Beth is the prime suspect. Lindsey has to act fast before they throw the book at the wrong person.

Review
Okay - confession time: I have always been curious about those mystery books that have covers with cats, pies, or puns (or all of the above). Apparently, they have their own "genre" - "cozy mysteries." I don't know if it's because I needed some comfort or something short, but I found myself picking up Books Can Be Deceiving from my local library's bookstore. I thought, for $1.50 - why not? It is possibly one of the best things I've ever done! This particular title caught my eye because it is a Library Lover's Mystery. I adore the library, so I figured this would be the perfect title for me! The story is about Lindsey who is the new director of the public library in a small town. This book totally made me want to live in a small town out east, by the way. She has a book club going on, friends in almost all places in town, and even a "lemon" of an enemy in her own library. Then one of her close friend Beth's boyfriend is found murdered and guess who is suspect #1? Lindsey, with the help of some townsfolk, makes it her mission to prove her friend's innocence. It is a smart mystery and I love how the love of books is woven into every crevice of this book! Lindsey tends to remember what most of the townspeople like to read and what they put on hold at the library which makes for a really fun sidenote to the story. If you like mysteries, definitely look into the cozy mystery genre if you don't already. Everyone else - most readers like books about books - definitely give this series a try (I already bought the second book!).

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Review: The Book Club Murders

Review: Killer Librarian

Review: Death by Diploma

About the Author

Review: Plateful of Murder

About the Author

Review: Books Can Be Deceiving

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