The Mountain View Murder by Patrick Kelly

 

The Mountain View Murder

by Patrick Kelly 

Paperback

Published May 11th 2021

Synopsis:

Guess who cried at Lou Thorpe’s funeral.

No one. His wife, grown children, and best friends all attended the service, but no one shed a single tear. Poor Lou. He was out for his morning walk when a crazed driver knocked him out of life. Crazed? With no car, no driver, and no witnesses, it’s difficult to say. Was it an accident or intentional?

Until that morning, Bill O’Shea was living the dream. After a career of fighting crime in the big city, Bill bought a condo in the beautiful mountain resort community of Wintergreen, Virginia. When he met his attractive new neighbor, Bill knew his retirement was off to a great start. But then the short-staffed police department asked Bill to help them investigate Thorpe’s death.

Soon, Bill fell into an old routine. Interviewing suspects. Checking alibis. Everyone had a secret to hide, but Bill lacked evidence to tie any of the suspects to the crime. He was missing something--like he had an itch he couldn’t reach to scratch.

Will Bill and his new friends solve the case, or will the murder of Lou Thorpe remain a mystery forever?

If you love beautiful mountain settings, a charming cast, and intriguing plot twists, you're going to love this new series!

***

4.5 Stars

This is what I can only assume is the first book in the Bill O’Shea/Wintergreen mystery series by by Patrick Kelley.

I really liked this story. I resonated with the character of Bill and how this ex-cop was trying to find a less stressful live in Wintergreen. But then circumstances happened and higher cops were unavailable and that left a newbie in charge and asking for Bill’s expert assistance.

I liked how the author handled the budding romance between Bill and his next door neighbor. But then the village gossip mill about broke them up before they even got started. Small town grapevines are mega fast.

I enjoyed following the mystery as Bill did the job and schooled the younger cop on how to be in charge. Such a well written book. Definitely going to check out more from this author!

If you love a cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. Great new must read book great series too!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. Opinions are completely my own.

Mocha, She Wrote (A Bakeshop Mystery #13) by Ellie Alexander

 

Mocha, She Wrote

(A Bakeshop Mystery #13)

by Ellie Alexander

Paperback, 320 pages

Published June 29th 2021 by St. Martin's Press

Synopsis:

When a barista competition comes to town, Torte's favorite pastry chef finds herself sleuthing once again—in the next installment of Ellie Alexander's beloved Bakeshop Mystery Series, Mocha, She Wrote!

Summer has ushered in a new season in the charming hamlet of Ashland, Oregon. Torte is bustling with tourists taking in star-drenched shows at the Elizabethan, setting out to hike in the surrounding Siskiyou Mountains, and sampling the bakeshop’s summer lineup of raspberry lemon tarts and mint mojito cold brews. Jules and the team are buzzing with excitement when they learn that Andy, Torte’s head barista, has been selected to compete in the West Coast Barista Cup.

The prestigious competition draws coffee aficionados from up and down the coast to Ashland. The winner will not only claim to be best-in-brew, but also be awarded a hefty cash prize. Andy’s nervous about his chances, but Jules is confident that her star barista will shine. However, things take a grim turn when head judge Benson Vargas spits out Andy’s first offering, claiming it to be the worst thing to ever touch his lips—and hours later, is found dead clutching Andy’s creamy latte. Suddenly Torte’s favorite barista becomes the number one suspect. There’s no roast for the weary. Jules will have to sleuth out whodunit to clear Andy’s name and catch a killer before she ends up with one foot in the grounds.

***

4.5 Stars

This is the thirteenth book in the Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander.

This was a real fun book to read. Andy gets the spotlight this time as he competes for a coveted title as top barista but there is all sorts of hijinks and manipulations going on behind the scenes. So, needless to say, it is hard to tell who killed the main judge, the Simon Cowell of Coffee, when you are in the midst of the story. Of course, Andy gets the brunt of the attention because it is his coffee drink that is laced with the poison. The guy can’t win for losing.

I love getting to see the glimpses of Jules’s life interspersed between the action scenes. Gives the rest of us hope we can rekindle a lost love like that and be successful at it. 

Love this series so much. Definitely going to dig into it more! So much fun to follow the action of Jules and Company!

If you love a cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. Great new must read book great series too!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. Opinions are completely my own.

Chai, Chai Again (Pebble Cove Teahouse #4) by Eryn Scott

 

Chai, Chai Again

(Pebble Cove Teahouse #4)

by Eryn Scott 

Kindle Edition

Published November 16th 2020

Synopsis:

Pebble Cove is known for giving tourists the cold shoulder, but a frozen body is something new. 

The people of Pebble Cove are thrown into a forced hibernation when the worst snowstorm in a decade hits the Oregon Coast. They expect to find damages once the snow thaws, but a frozen body down by the pier comes as a terrible surprise. 

Rosemary is keeping warm with an abundance of chai tea, wooly sweaters, and further research into Asher's past. But when a second body is found, she can't deny the chilling thoughts that the two deaths might be connected. Or that this might not be the end.

Readers, this is the fourth book in a new cozy mystery series by Eryn Scott. These books are all clean with no gore and no swearing. Starting from the beginning with this series will provide the best reading experience. The ghosts are the only paranormal aspect in the series. And there are definitely cats because ... well, there has to be. :) 

***

4.5 Stars

This is the fourth book in the Pebble Cove Teahouse mystery series by Eryn Scott.

I am really enjoying this series but I think the relationship between Asher and Rosie is a little odd. There will never be a way for them to get together romantically unless Asher somehow becomes a real boy in an upcoming book. Which I doubt will ever happen. Rosie was a little jealous of Asher’s new relationship with another ghost which I am happy to know she realized she was getting these feelings for him. I enjoy seeing them as working together to solve a mystery but when it gets past that point, it all just seems a bit odd.

The mystery itself was fun to follow and I loved seeing the police chief and Rosie’s mom getting air time and realizing that they just might be falling for each other. It made the mystery just that much more satisfying.

Great series to follow. Definitely going to dig into it more! So much fun to read!

If you love a cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. Great new must read book great series too!

A Glimmer of a Clue (A Fairy Garden Mystery #2) by Daryl Wood Gerber

A Glimmer of a Clue

(A Fairy Garden Mystery #2)

by Daryl Wood Gerber 

Paperback, 336 pages

Published June 29th 2021 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Synopsis:

From Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber, the second in an enchantingly whimsical series featuring Courtney Kelly, the owner of a fairy-gardening and tea shop in Carmel, California. It's a special place brimming with good vibes, lush greenery, miniature fairy accessories, and soothing fountains; the perfect venue for book club teas and home to a cat named Pixie. But in Carmel-by-the-Sea, things aren't all sweetness and fairy lights...

When Courtney's friend Wanda gets into a ponytail-pulling wrestling match in public with a nasty local art critic, Courtney stops the fight with the help of a garden hose. But Lana Lamar has a talent for escalating things and creating tension, which she succeeds in doing by threatening a lawsuit, getting into yet another scuffle--in the midst of an elegant fundraiser, no less--and lobbing insults around like pickleballs.

Next thing Courtney knows, Lana is on the floor, stabbed with a decorative letter opener from one of Courtney's fairy gardens, and Wanda is standing by asking What have I done? But the answer may not be as obvious as it seems, since Wanda is prone to sleepwalking and appears to be in a daze. Could she have risen from her nap and committed murder while unconscious? Or is the guilty party someone else Lana's ticked off, like her long-suffering husband? To find out, Courtney will have to dig up some dirt...

***

4.5 Stars

This is the sixth book in the Fairy Garden Mystery series by Daryl Wood Gerber.

This is a fun frolic into the fantasy realm of fairies. Courtney had a fairy friend and there are quite a handful of other fairies in this book too which kinda took the gruesome edge off the idea of murder making it much easier to swallow. Lana Lamar is a pretty decent pickleball player and wanted to bypass the rules when she couldn’t meet the minimum requirement of times playing during the season. She pretty much gets on the bad side of everyone so when she ends up dead, no one is really surprised.

Courtney searches for the killer with her fairy friend, Fiona, who assists with sprinkles of fairy dust and enchantments which is totally fun to read about. The mystery is an easy one to follow along with interspersed with classes that Courtney teaches about making fairy doors. Sounds like a fun thing to do in an afternoon and the gifts seem to brighten people’s day’s too.

Loving the whole concept of this series and just can’t wait to see what the author pulls out of her hat next. Such a fun and magical ride in mystery-land.

Great series to follow. Definitely going to dig into it more! So much fun to read!

If you love a cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. Great new must read book great series too!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. Opinions are completely my own.

Beauty Expos Are Murder (A Poppy McAllister Mystery #6) by Libby Klein

 

Beauty Expos Are Murder

(A Poppy McAllister Mystery #6)

by Libby Klein

Paperback, 464 pages

Published June 29th 2021 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Synopsis:

Gluten-free baker Poppy McAllister is about to see the ugly side of beauty expos...

Easter weekend on the Jersey Shore is hopping. Poppy's Bed and Breakfast is busier than ever, but she needs to leave things in the hopefully capable hands of Aunt Ginny--and paws of Figaro the black smoke Persian. She's selling her paleo muffins and keto cookies at the Health and Beauty Expo in Cape May's Convention Hall. Normally sharing a booth with the love of her life would be a treat, but she's recently discovered secrets that throw her new romance into chaos.

But more secrets are about to be exposed at the expo. In his keynote address, prominent cosmetic surgeon Dr. Lance Rubin reveals his breakthrough anti-aging technology. Unfortunately, someone has one-upped him with a truly foolproof anti-aging formula: murder. With the plastic surgeon dead under his own UV mask, and bedlam reigning in the hall and back at the B&B, Poppy needs to follow a twisted trail marked by glowing footprints to unmask a killer..

***

4.5 Stars

This is the sixth book in the Poppy McAllister mystery series by Libby Klein.

I thought this book was a good representation of how cases are solved in the real world. And the author took her time digging through the mystery to make it not only interesting to the reader but fun to follow too. I completely enjoyed myself. This book was quite a hoot to me. There was definitely a lot going on in this book that was more than just the main mystery. Someone was shooting at the blow up bunny and Sawyer’s strange behavior were two things that stood out to me. Nothing wrong with either of those things. Other reviewers seem to be complaining about similar instances in the plot, but I think such things are perfectly normal. No one is always going to agree with how the investigation is going  Things that happen outside the murder will still take people’s attention. Real world stuff always invades so this was a good reflection of real life to me.

I have been keeping up with this series but I had forgotten what had made Poppy want to take a break from relationships at the end of book five. I went and looked it up. Now I remember. The revelation came out that Gia had a wife he never told Poppy about. It just about killed her heart since she was so in love with Gia’s son, Henry. This plot continues in this book and Poppy is dealing with this conniving little blood sucker through most of the book. This Alex chick made me cringe and I was blown away at the fact Gia’s mother was touting her praises. Kinda discombobbled my mind, if I’m honest. I am glad that was completely discussed at the end since I felt so much better about things after that resolution. 

There is this fun Agatha Christie-like confrontation at the end that just makes the whole book payoff and all that struggle was deemed worth it. I’ll admit I wanted to strangle that Alex gal myself a time or three. There was a lot of this relationship stuff in this story which is what made the book so much bigger than others. It was a lot to wade through but it was totally worth it for the resolution it gave when the cliffhanger happened at the end of book five.

 

Great series to follow. Definitely going to dig into it more! So much fun to read!

If you love a cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. Great new must read book great series too!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. Opinions are completely my own.

The Dead of Winter (Allie Cobb Mystery #5) by J.C. Kenney

 

The Dead of Winter

(Allie Cobb Mystery #5)

by J.C. Kenney

Kindle Edition

Published June 22nd 2021 by Beyond the Page

Synopsis:

The charming coastal town of Bar Harbor, Maine, has a fancy new When her brother calls to say he’s been in an accident and needs her help, literary agent and amateur sleuth Allie Cobb doesn’t hesitate to go to him. And though she’s worried for his safety, her concern turns to confusion when she learns that he ran his truck into a ditch to avoid hitting a large safe sitting in the middle of the road. Stranger still, when the safe is opened, police discover the grisly remains of the local gun club president.

All the evidence indicates the dead man was poisoned by lethal injection, and that the drugs could only have come from Allie’s favorite veterinarian. Determined to prove the woman’s innocence, Allie’s digging reveals that the victim’s wife may have wanted him out of the picture, and also that he was embroiled in a long-running dispute with a local businessman. With no shortage of suspects and a very ominous sense of danger lurking around her, Allie will have to watch her back, because until the killer is caught, nobody’s safe . . .

***

4.5 Stars

This is the fifth book in the Allie Cobb mystery series by JC Kenney.

This story has quite an interesting premise. A guy runs his car off the road after swerving to miss hitting a safe in the middle of the road. His sister comes to his aid after the accident and they discover a dead body inside the large safe. And so begins this interesting and quite compelling mystery. I enjoyed the plotting and the whodunit aspect a lot.

A local vet is discovered to have a missing bottle of the exact poison that killed the victim and Allie is prompted to investigate. She does in fact do a lot of the leg-work that I believe the police should have been doing. Not sure why they weren’t. There was an odd comment about how shorthanded the police staff was. We’ll just let the civilians find all the clues. It’s fine.

I enjoyed the character interaction the most and it prompted me to want to read other books in this series. I think I have read one other and I enjoyed that one as well. Totally worth marathoning the entire series, I think. I am definitely going to put that on my to-do list right away!

 

Great series to follow. Definitely going to dig into it more! So much fun to read!

If you love a cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. Great new must read book great series too!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. Opinions are completely my own.

Death of an Italian Chef (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery #14) by Lee Hollis

 

Death of an Italian Chef

(Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery #14)

by Lee Hollis

Paperback, 336 pages

Published June 29th 2021 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Synopsis:

The charming coastal town of Bar Harbor, Maine, has a fancy new Italian restaurant--and a nasty new murder...

As the food and cocktails columnist for the Island Times, it's Hayley Powell's job to stay on top of the latest eateries in town. Just in time for the summer tourist season, Chef Romeo, a successful restaurateur from New York City, has opened an establishment called--naturally--Romeo's. But between his over-the-top temperament and his no-holds-barred diet, Chef Romeo may not live through the grand opening.

When the chef actually does suffer a mild heart attack, he ends up sharing a hospital room with Hayley's brother Randy, who's there for gall bladder surgery. Chef Romeo has tasted Hayley's cooking and asks her to take over his restaurant while he's laid up. But this temporary gig may turn permanent, after the chef dies from complications. Only thing is, Randy tells a different story. He might have been sedated, but Hayley's bro swears he saw someone come into their room and put Romeo out of his misery. Now it's up to Hayley to find the person who had no reservations about killing the chef...

***

4.5 Stars

This is the fourteenth book in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails series by Lee Hollis.

This series is already on book fourteen and it feels as fresh as it did in the beginning. I was gobsmacked after reading this and realizing it was the fourtteenth book. Wow, what a great writer with a similarly great vision for her series.

Hayley’s job has been one of a food reporter and columnist with a pretty popular foodie column in the Island Times. She goes to review a new restaurant and meets Chef Romeo. He discovers what a great cook Hayley is and on the eve of his grand opening the Chef has a heart attack and lands in the hospital in the same room as Hayley’s brother, Randy, who had a gallbladder attack. In the night, Randy sees someone murder Chef. And while Hayley is trying to takeover for Chef Romeo while he is in the hospital, she does some digging into who could have killed the new Chef in town.

Great mystery. I was hooked from the very beginning. Love the characters and the community in this one. The mysteries in Lee Hollis’ books are always intricate and fun to follow since there are red herrings all over the place. The plotting and pacing were bang on and the idea that this book is taking the series in a new direction really excites me. Looking forward to more from Hollis!

Great series to follow. Must read series for me!

If you love a cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. Great new must read book great series too!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. Opinions are completely my own.

Draw and Order (Paint & Shine Mystery #2) by Cheryl Hollon

 

Draw and Order

(Paint & Shine Mystery #2)

by Cheryl Hollon 

Paperback, 336 pages

Published June 29th 2021 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Synopsis:

Appalachian artist and local guide Miranda Trent opens a new murder investigation after her Paint & Shine tour group discovers the remains of a missing hiker along an ancient trail...

For her latest excursion, Miranda is thrilled to take a close-knit group of rock climbers, the Risky Business Adventurers, up the challenging Battleship Rock Trail to paint and sample moonshine. But the outing is cut short when they discover a skeleton near the trailhead. Even more startling, the bones belong to Howard Cable, Miranda's cousin...and a former classmate of the Risky Business group.

The sheriff chalks it up to a hiking accident, but Miranda isn't convinced that Howard, an experienced woodsman, died within sight of a well-marked trail. So, with the help of Ranger Austin Morgan, Miranda sets out on her own investigation and discovers that the Risky Business group is keeping plenty of secrets. But is one of them hiding the truth about Howard's death?

***

4.5 Stars

This is the second book in the Paint and Shine mystery series by Cheryl Hollon.

Miranda is back for book two of this new exciting series about an artist and local guide who has created a business called Paint and Shine. She takes people on excursions to unique places and teaches them how to paint or draw. Kind of a cool concept and when you pair it with the Appalachian area it is just a real winner of a series.

While she is guiding a tour, they uncover the bones of a dead man who ends up being Miranda’s missing cousin from years ago. Miranda’s mother comes in to assist her with her aunt and also help out as she has one accident after another as she tries to get her moonshine business up and running. It is kind of charming how the fix it guy and Miranda’s mother are sweet on each other. 

This mystery really keeps your attention while also getting you really familiar with the community you will continue to see as recurring characters. I am just loving this so much! I can’t wait for book three!

Great series to follow. Must read series for me!

If you love a cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. Great new must read book great series too!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. Opinions are completely my own.