The Cove (FBI Thriller #1) by Catherine Coulter

The Cove

(FBI Thriller #1)

by Catherine Coulter

Hardcover, 327 pages

Published November 10th 2003 by G. P. Putnam's Sons (first published April 1st 1996)

Goodreads synopsis:

The Cove is a quaint little postcard town made up only of old folk who sell the World's Greatest Ice Cream - a secret recipe that brings lots of tourists into town.

Into The Cove comes Sally Brainerd, daughter of murdered Amory St. John of Washington, D.C., seeking sanctuary, and FBI Special Agent James Quinlan who's undercover and after her. He's got a murder to solve, and he believes she's the key. But is she really? 

***

4.5 Stars

This is the first book in the FBI Thriller series by Catherine Coulter.

I started this book in July and put it aside in order to read some ARCs I needed to dig into first. I finally got a chance to finish it and I am glad I picked it back up again. In the beginning I felt like this was a bit old-fashioned. It almost seemed like some of the energy from Coulter’s Regency books was rubbing off on this one. But once the action left the Cove and got into the real world, I felt like the story really took off.

I had a Stepford Wives wives vibe the entire time I was reading this. There was a twist in this that I totally didn’t see coming and I applaud Coulter for surprising me so fully. When the main mystery wrapped up at about 85 percent, I knew they would have to revisit the Cove and ferret out what had truly been going on with all the missing travelers and the town’s sudden influx of money to keep it all perfectly clean and green.

Starting with book two of this series, it continues with FBI Special Agent Dillon Savich who is merely a secondary character in this book. I wonder what made Coulter transition from James Quinlan as the main character of the series and focus instead on Savich. I wouldn’t mind seeing Quinlan have his own book now and then in this series but I believe it is strictly a Savich/Sherlock series from this point forward.

Don’t skip this book merely because it doesn’t feature Savich/Sherlock in it. It is a great read and it really gives you a look into who Savich is before he met Sherlock.

If you love a good mystery, definitely check this one out. Don’t give up on this book. It is well worth it in the end.

Jealousy Filled Donuts (Deputy Donut Mystery #3) by Ginger Bolton

Jealousy Filled Donuts

(Deputy Donut Mystery #3)

by Ginger Bolton

Paperback, 288 pages

Expected publication: August 27th 2019 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Goodreads synopsis:

When a firecracker becomes a murder weapon, Emily Westhill pursues a killer with a short fuse ... 

It is a truth universally acknowledged--cops and donuts go together. Exhibit A: Deputy Donut Café, owned and operated by detective's widow Emily Westhill and her father-in-law, the retired police chief of Fallingbrook, Wisconsin. Named after Emily's adored and adorable tabby, the donut shop is a favorite among cops, firemen, and EMTs, as well as tourists and townspeople. So when Fallingbrook needs donuts for their Fourth of July picnic, Emily's shop gets deputized.

But a twisted killer has found another use for Emily's treats. At the picnic, a firecracker is hidden in a stack of raspberry-filled donuts and aimed at the unwitting queen of the festivities. When it explodes, she is killed. Having her jelly donuts involved puts Emily in a sticky situation, and when a shady shutterbug tries to frame her with incriminating photos, she finds herself in quite a jam. To preserve her freedom and her shop's reputation, Emily needs to solve this case--before the fuse-lighting felon goes off again ...

***

4.5 Stars

This is the third book in the Deputy Donut Mystery series by Ginger Bolton.

This is my first perusal into the Deputy Donut universe and I have to say that I really liked it!

We sort of had a dual storyline going on in this one. One plot was the entire mystery behind who killed the Queen of the fourth of July festivities by putting a dangerous firecracker in a 6-stack of Deputy Donuts. The other was the will they/won’t they between Emily Westhill and her late husband’s partner, Brent Fyne.

Emily used to be a 911 operator but after the death of her husband and her perceived part in it, she gave up that career and opened Deputy Donuts with her father-in-law Tom who had previously been the Fallingbrook chief of police, now retired. Because of her perceived part in her husband’s death, she fears moving forward, especially with anyone in the police department. She hasn’t even been able to visit her husband’s old office or drive on the road where the accident occurred. This gives the mystery a complex and fearful aspect. It is the feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop. This angst was pulled out longer than I thought necessary but sometimes I want conflict resolved  early and that inner need doesn’t always jive with a plot like this.

The community in this book was great. I like getting to see and know people you most likely will see in other books. Another blogger I follow, Dru’s Book Musings, sent out an email featuring this book and a Day in Life of Misty Ossler who is one of Emily’s good friends and a cop on the police force. Misty wasn’t featured a ton in this book and I applaud when a blogger can pull so much detail about a character and write it up on the page.

Reading this book and reveling in the complete ending of the two dual storylines gave me a happy feeling in my heart and made me want to delve into the previous two books in this series. I need a two book marathon and I need it right now!

Definitely check this book out if you love a great cozy mystery. You won’t be disappointed.

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.

Death by Jack-o'-Lantern (Abby McCree Mystery #2) by Alexis Morgan

Death by Jack-o'-Lantern

(Abby McCree Mystery #2)

by Alexis Morgan 

Kindle Edition, 304 pages

Expected publication: August 27th 2019 by Kensington

Goodreads synopsis:

Overcommitted committee member Abby McCree gets in a patch of trouble trying to solve the murder of a pumpkin farmer …

The small town of Snowberry Creek, Washington, is gearing up for the Halloween Festival, and naturally Abby is on the planning committee. As part of her duties, she's picking up a pumpkin order from ornery farmer Ronald Minter. But what she finds instead is the farmer in the middle of his corn maze with a knife in his back.

The police suspect a homeless veteran named Kevin Montgomery, who was seen arguing with Minter when the farmer accused him of trespassing and stealing pumpkins. Abby's tenant Tripp Blackston, a veteran himself who’s been helping Kevin, is sure he’s innocent. Together, Abby and Tripp follow the twists and turns of the case to corner the corn maze killer—before someone else meets a dead end …

***

4.5 Stars

This is the second book in the Abby McCree Mystery series by Alexis Morgan.

The book starts out with Abby’s neighbor Tripp offering her up as one of the heads of the Halloween Festival’s planning committee. She agrees only if Tripp co-chairs. She spies Tripp going out at night all dressed up in his combat fatigues and looking like he is ready to go out on patrol like he did when he was in the military. Abby follows him and gets the stuffing scared out of her when she is captured by one of his fellow Vietnam Vet guys (Kevin) who is living around a corn maze owned by curmudgeon Ron Minter. Tripp saves her from the misunderstanding. When Minter’s dead body is found at the center of his maze, they want to question Tripp’s friend Kevin. Tripp refuses to give away Kevin’s location since he has been having issues of PTSD and he didn’t want to spook the man. Tripp is put into jail. Abby makes it her job to discover the real killer before Tripp falls on his own sword and ruin’s his life.

I really enjoyed this book. The mystery was interesting. Not only the mystery of whodunit as far as the killing but who was carving all the very life-like pumpkins being left on people’s porches. The other thing I was digging was how well formed all the cast was. I could immediately tell who was who when they came onto the canvas. You don’t find that a lot with some cozy mysteries.

Abby has three possible love interests in this series and I find that fascinating: Detective Ben Earle, Police Chief Gage Logan, and of course, Tripp Blackston. She shares a kiss with Tripp at the end. And frankly, that is not enough PDA for me. I would have liked to see a tad more romance in this story, but it certainly didn’t lack in anyway without it. It is just a personal preference.

There are a couple of times in the story where you think they might have the culprit and then …. nope, it’s not them. Great red herrings. I like it when the plot surprises me. I wish there had been a bit of foreshadowing giving us that “ah ha” moment about the true killers and their motives. Maybe I just overlooked it when these people came on stage.

All in all it is a great cozy mystery that everyone should enjoy wrapping themselves up in for an afternoon. Definitely check this one out.

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.

Tilling the Truth (A Garden Squad Mystery #2) by Julia Henry

Tilling the Truth

(A Garden Squad Mystery #2)

by Julia Henry 

Paperback, 298 pages

Expected publication: August 27th 2019 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Goodreads synopsis:

It’s August in Goosebush, Massachusetts, and go-getter retiree Lilly Jayne and her youthful senior pals show no sign of slowing down during the lazy days of summer. But when murder mows over a pesky local, could a Garden Squad member be nurturing a deadly second act? 

While Lilly digs into a town beautification project, her friend Tamara O’Connor has greater concerns than well-pruned geraniums. The real-estate firm owner hasn’t been shy about blaming perennial grouch Gladys Preston for thwarting her many attempts to sell off a beautiful beachside property. But accusations fly when Gladys is suddenly found dead—and Tamara is caught standing over the body with a bloody weapon in her hand . . . 

As Tamara becomes the prime murder suspect, Lilly and the Garden Squad ladies set out to prove that someone planted the evidence. With a potpourri of alarming clues scattered around Goosebush, cracking this case means confronting a calculating culprit with a penchant for cutting down anyone who gets in the way . . 

***

3.75 Stars

This is the second book in the Garden Squad Mystery series by Julia Henry.

It seems like the retiree vibe is big in cozy mysteries right now. The book I read before this had a similar theme. There was a bit of a garden concept going on in that one as well.  Comparing this one to that, I felt the previous book did the mystery part of they story better. But I felt like this one did the friendships and the relationships better. That isn’t to say the mystery was bad. It wasn’t. It was a pretty good one. This is my first time reading a book in this series so I wasn’t as familiar with everything that was going on per say. I wasn’t sure who the permanent residents were as opposed to the people who were only here for this particular storyline. Not knowing made the mystery a bit harder to figure out. So, maybe not knowing was a good thing.

Basic premise: A group of ladies is meeting in order to organize what seemed to me was a dump site. A very organized dump site. Sort of half dump half recycled area. Donations everywhere but there is a method to their madness. One of the ladies, Tamara, came earlier and found the dead body of another in their group, Gladys. Gladys had been at odds with some people trying to sell off a specific beachfront property. And this kerfuffle lead to murder.

Tamara was found mere minutes after she found the body of Gladys holding onto an old rusted sink. The only reason the weapon was bloody as it says in the above synopsis was because she dropped the sink in the bloody pool around Gladys. This was after all the women found her standing over the body.

The normal gossip and innuendo surrounded much of the latter half of the book. This was merely to introduce us to all the players in the drama. I have to admit that I did get a tad confused from time to time remembering who was who. Maybe it was retiree brain. Two of these types of books in a row gave me what my Dad calls the CRS syndrome (can’t remember shit.). He blames this on being old. Not sure what my excuse is.

Overall this felt more like a good visit with a bunch of ladies you see at church every week and less like a mystery. The mystery was fine. Not bad at all in retrospect. But I think the winning part of this was the town and the feeling of how they interacted with one another. This alone is what will make people return to this series. Mysteries come and go but family and friends are forever. If you love hometown cozy mysteries with normal, regular people, this series is the butter to your homemade bread.

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.

Molded 4 Murder (Sophie "Phee" Kimball Mystery #5) by J.C. Eaton

Molded 4 Murder

(Sophie Kimball Mystery #5)

by J.C. Eaton 

Paperback, 320 pages

Expected publication: August 27th 2019 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Goodreads synopsis:

A view to a kiln ...

Sophie "Phee" Kimball enjoys working as a bookkeeper for a private investigator. If only her mother Harriet could enjoy her retirement at Sun City West in Arizona--instead of constantly getting involved with retirees being prematurely put out to pasture. This time Quentin Dussler, a prominent member of the clay sculpting club, was found dead, clutching a piece of paper scrawled with Phee's mother's name.

Terrified she's been targeted by assassins, Harriet begs Phee to investigate. What Phee uncovers is a complicated scheme that only the most diabolical of murderers would ever devise. And as she chisels away at confusing clues and potential suspects, Phee unearths something far more precious and valuable than she could imagine. Eager for answers, she takes a bold step--placing herself in the crosshairs of a stonefaced killer ...

***

4 Stars

This is the fifth book in the Sophie “Phee” Kimball Mystery series by J.C. Eaton.

I find the premise of this a bit humorous. Phee’s mother thinks she has been targeted by assassins because a dead body is found clutching a piece of paper with her name on it. Couldn’t it have been a list of whom the person wanted to soon visit? Phee works for an investigator and thus is called into action to help dear ole mom.

It turns out to be whole lot more involved than just assassins. Someone has targeted the funds of the elderly residents of a facility that is similar to a nursing home yet isn’t. If the person isn’t caught soon, the criminal may bilk the residents out of more than just their money.

As is with many cozy mysteries, Phee is so much smarter than every seasoned investigator and detective sharing the story with her. She pays attention to the little details others overlook and listens to the residents when they share information that turns out to be a great source of intel.

The mystery was a lot more complex than it seems on the surface. And I appreciated that about this mystery. It wasn’t dumbed down for me. I hope this story doesn’t give some schmuck an idea about how to take people for wads of cash right under their noses. Makes me fearful for my elderly friends.

If you are looking for a great cozy mystery to dig into, definitely try out this series. Since this is book five you have a plethora of stories to choose from. Why not start at book one.

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.

Risk the Burn (The Smokejumpers #3) by Marnee Blake

Risk the Burn

(The Smokejumpers #3)

by Marnee Blake

Kindle Edition

Expected publication: August 27th 2019 by Lyrical Liaison

Goodreads synopsis:

The fire within . . . 

  

A parachute jump gone horribly wrong nearly put an end to Hunter Buchanan’s smokejumper career. But with his body on the mend, the rugged firefighter is ready to get back to Oregon’s Redmond Air Center and his training. Except, while he’s conquered his physical injuries, he hasn’t been able to do the same for his panic attacks. Enter Charlotte Jones, aka Charlie, the trainer who tames his tension like nobody’s business. It doesn’t hurt that she’s easy on the eyes. Or that she stirs a hunger in him to deal with just about anything in order to be the man she needs . . . 

After four years of hiding from a violent man in her past, Charlie is ready to face the world again. She knows this has more than a little to do with the potent mix of strength and vulnerability she’s found in Hunter’s arms. But when a dangerous encounter convinces her the worst isn’t behind her, she’ll have to decide if she’s strong enough to accept Hunter’s help—and his love . . .

***

4.5 Stars

This is the third book in the Smokejumpers series by Marnee Blake.

Basic Premise: Hunter Buchanan was injured in a parachute jump that was sabotaged. He spent a year on the mend working in physical therapy where Charlie was a PT. He is working hard on his therapy in order to get back into Smokejumper training. Funny thing is now that he has attained his goal he isn’t sure he wants it any more. Then someone begins to target Charlie not long after she and Hunter get together romantically. Now they are rushing against time to discover who is out to do in Charlie before she gets spooked and leaves Hunter behind.

This is one of those books where you are going to have wait for it. And wait for it. And still wait for it before the two love interests get together. I swear I wanted to Gibbs-slap Charlie Jones on the back of the head a number of times during this book. Where Charlie was a ‘friady-cat jumping at her own shadow, Hunter was patient and kind. I found it hard to believe that someone in the healing profession would push someone away on purpose who was having a sort of PTSD experience. That is not what they called it in this book but I think the anxiety attacks Hunter experienced was exactly that. I was waiting for Charlie’s actions to put Hunter in full out panic mode.

It was hard to get a handle on what exactly Charlie was so afraid of during this book. She had changed her name before coming to Bend. I thought it was odd she told the policeman in the beginning of this face. You’d think if you went to all the trouble of changing your name you might want to keep it a secret, especially if you think someone might come after you in the future.

This book was good but frustrating to read. I spent most of my time angry at Charlie for pushing away this amazing man she had managed to snag. I wish she would have treated him with as much care as he gave to her.

If you love a good romantic suspense book, definitely check this one out.

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.

Mulberry Mischief (A Berry Basket Mystery #4) by Sharon Farrow

Mulberry Mischief

(A Berry Basket Mystery #4)

by Sharon Farrow

Paperback, 352 pages

Expected publication: August 27th 2019 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Goodreads synopsis:

Autumn has arrived on the shores of Lake Michigan, but Marlee Jacob, proprietor of The Berry Basket, is feeling a chill for other reasons …

With the Harvest Health Fair in full swing, Marlee makes sure to stock up on elderberry products for cold and flu season. But this year there's also a run on mulberry when an eccentric customer wants to use the dried berries to ward off evil forces. True, it's almost Halloween, but something else seems to be spooking Leticia the Lake Lady, Oriole Point's oddest resident. She believes someone plans to kill her—and the ghost. Only mulberries can protect them. Marlee doesn't take her fears seriously until a man named Felix Bonaventure arrives in the village, asking questions about a mysterious woman.

The next day, Marlee finds Bonaventure dead on Leticia's property—shot through the heart with an arrow made of mulberry wood. And Leticia has disappeared. Marlee soon learns the Lake Lady has a deadly past that is connected to the famous Sable family who are in town for the health fair. A bunch of clues start to come together—and figuring out what's going on puts Marlee in a real jam …

***

4.5 Stars

This is the fourth book in the Berry Basket Mystery series by Sharon Farrow.

Basic premise: Marlee Jacob owns a business called The Berry Basket. She sells all things berry themed: food, baked goods, fruit, etc. When the mysterious Leticia the Lake Lady approaches her one day to buy enough mulberries to cover her entire house, Marlee is intrigued. She is even more intrigued when the lake lady tells her that someone wants her dead.  Marlee delivers the mulberries to Leticia’s house and finds it mysteriously empty. Then she leaves an envelope of the money she had overpaid on the counter and spied a manuscript while there called Mulberry Mischief plus a Mac laptop.  Later both are found missing. The next day when the dead body of Felix Bonaventure is discovered in Leticia’s yard, everyone knows something fishy is going on in Oriole Point.

It seemed to take awhile to get all the players on the screen, so to speak, before the reader could get a good idea of who might have dun it. This is the first book I have read in this series so I was playing a bit of catch up when backstory items were mentioned. Nothing too taxing was revealed but I would have liked to know more about Marlee’s breakup. We were only given a vague glimpse into that. I feel I will need to read the previous 3 books in the series to ferret out all the nuances.

It seemed like the story didn’t really hit its groove until the halfway mark. I never felt like I had a good grasp on who the Sables were. There were so many of them and the Peter seemed to be on wife number three. How could I possibly keep up? I really enjoyed Atticus “Kit” Holt (Marlee’s beau) and Old Man Bowman. What a hoot that old dude was. That scene at the end with the shotgun was classic!

The characterization of some of Marlee’s friends seemed interchangeable at times. I had a hard time telling some of them apart from each other since they weren’t on the canvas of the story for very long. The mystery gave us a lot of options and suspects galore. It was interesting to hear the symbology and etymology of the different berry plants.

All in all, it was a great mystery that peaked my interest and made me want to read the other books in the series. If you love a good cozy mystery, check this one our for sure.

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.