Category: Mystery

Review: Death by Diploma

4/7/2016

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: Holding Court

3/5/2016

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Holding Court
by K.C. Held

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Jules Verity knows exactly what's in store at her new job at castle-turned-dinner-theater Tudor Times. Some extra cash, wearing a fancy-pants dress, and plenty of time to secretly drool over the ever-so-tasty-and completely unavailable-Grayson Chandler. Except that it's not quite what she imagined.
For one, the costume Jules has to wear is awful. Then there's the dead body she finds that just kind of...well, disappears. Oh, and there's the small issue of Jules and her episodes of what her best friend calls "Psychic Tourette's Syndrome"-spontaneous and uncontrollable outbursts of seemingly absurd prophecies.
The only bright side? This whole dead body thing seems to have gotten Grayson's attention. Except that the more Jules investigates, the more she discovers that Grayson's interest might not be as courtly as she thought. In fact, it's starting to look suspicious...

Review

I don't mean it to sound offensive when I say that I was surprised as to how thoroughly I enjoyed this book! I'm not big on stuff having to do with the medieval times...which is something that I actually really want to delve into. Anyway - Jules is this teenage girl who has a very...um, unfortunate talent/gift - she can foretell the future, but only in these Twitter-like nonsense sentences. They sound like riddles to tell you the truth. The unfortunate part is that she cannot seem to control these messages and they turn out to be outbursts in the most horrible of situations - like being face to face with her crush Grayson.

I was enjoying the story with just those tidbits, when all of a sudden - a mystery! Jules clumsily finds herself in a hidden passageway in the castle. That's fun and all, but what she sees there isn't - the body of a dead girl! She finds her way out only to collide with Grayson. When the king of the castle (literally) goes in to check - no body is to be found. Just who is behind this? Or was Jules having some type of hallucination? Hmmm...

This book turned out to be so wonderfully different than other young adult books - the mystery twist is what did it! I was expecting a romance but got so much more. I recommend this lovely read to anyone who enjoys young adult and mysteries!

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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: Love me, Love Me Not

2/22/2016

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Love Me, Love Me Not
by Alyxandra Harvey

Synopsis

Dating isn’t easy when you’re in the middle of a blood feud.

Anastasia Vila’s family can turn into swans, but just once she’d like them to turn into responsible adults.

After hundreds of years, they still cling to the blood feud with the Renard family. No one remembers how it started in the first place—but foxes and swans just don’t get along.

Vilas can only transform into their swan shape after they have fallen in love for the first time, but between balancing schoolwork, family obligations, and the escalating blood feud, Ana’s got no time for love. The only thing keeping her sane is her best friend, Pierce Kent.

But when Pierce kisses Ana, everything changes.

Is what Pierce feels for her real, or a byproduct of her magic? Can she risk everything for her best friend? And when the family feud spirals out of control, Ana must stop the fight before it takes away everything she loves.

Including, maybe...Pierce.

Review

I enjoyed reading this book that is loosely based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. I really enjoyed the magical realism in making the characters be swans (this is not a spoiler, you find out on the first page). Ana is the main character of the story and she comes from the family of Vilas. In order for a Vila to turn into a swan, she needs to fall in love. Ana is a pretty busy human and has absolutely no idea that her best friend Pierce is actually super adorably in love with her. I loved Pierce for his bookishness and all around - niceness. It was also such a great thing to read about a boy falling in love with the girl and the girl being oblivious.

Due to the story being based on Romeo and Juliet, the opposing family turns into foxes (get it?). There is reason to believe the treaty between the two families is broken, but both parties deny it. So what is causing things to go wrong? That is what Ana decides to find out.

I recommend this read to anyone who enjoys magical realism. I don't come across it that often - and my best example of it is Francesca Lia Block. If you find yourself a fan of hers or would like to try it out, you will be happy you did!

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Book Blitz: The Dead Dance Faster

2/17/2016

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The Dead Dance Faster - Spirit Breaker
By Julie Ann Hacker

Synopsis

After stumbling upon a misguided trip into her horror-filled childhood in book #1, The Dead Dance Faster - Unsacred Awakening, the quagmire of secrecy and terror continues to unfold. Jael's mind boggles under the dense, manipulative charade of a reprobate, thriller religion. Spirit Breaker takes off where Unsacred Awakening's thrills twisted into a disquieted prologue of what's held within the pages of Spirit Breaker. The intensity of Jude's 'Screaming-Ego' lure has reached Jael revealing the seductive persuasion it wields as it continues to follow her through the next stage of her life.

Moving to Lousiana garners short-lived relief before Thomas Jude and Annalise hatch another conniving plan, which becomes seductively clear to the one closest to her, Shane--her partner, lover, and friend. Jael's thwarted back to Seven Hills, NY, the small town from which she escaped not long ago, and back to her childhood home, uncovering new lengths to which her divorced religion will go. 'DDF' (Dead Dance Faster) and 'Diversus' determinations were only the beginning. The war to keep Jael from freedom, to keep her reeling, to keep her mind imprisoned by fear, has established a battle for one coveted idol. And, the idol's priceless, the most precious--one she will not willingly give up--one to die for. Once she steps into this spiritual realm once again, she may never make it back home.

Allow Pastor Jude's shrouded mind bring to light hidden conjurings of life. Allow Jael's courage to break free and inspire you.

A saga filled with horror, mystery, suspense, drama, fear, diabolical wickedness, truth & love.

About the Author

Julie Ann Hacker is the authorpreneur of Screaming Ego Books and author of The Dead Dance Faster – Unsacred Awakening, the first book in The Dead Dance Faster series which debuted with 5 star reviews; The Dead Dance Faster - Spirit Breaker, book #2 in the series; and, My Name Is Sacrifice, a short story series soon to be published as a novel, also debuting with 5 star reviews. She will also be releasing a memoir in February 2016, Underground Neighborhood, a true-life story of childhood sexual abuse.

She honed her writing skills alongside a few good people, notably her college creative writing and literature professors. She whetted her curiosity for life and its subtleties alongside her sociology and psychology professors, not to mention through her own life homilies, the greatest teacher of all. Born and raised in Western Pennsylvania, Julie has lived her life near the Laurel Mountains where her imagination spurned and twisted stories of intrigue, mystery, and suspense. Taking an “early retirement” from non-profit and religious ministry work, Julie now fills her days writing fiction and non-fiction. When not spending her ‘free time’ with family and friends, she also enjoys reading, knitting, biking, running, yoga and Starbucks. And, she loves to travel when she gets the chance.

http://www.facebook.com/julieannhacker

http://twitter.com/julieannhacker
www.julieannhacker.com

Purchase: The Dead Dance Faster - Book #1 - Unsacred Awakening http://amzn.to/1PuuLDM

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