Thursday, February 6, 2020

ROCCO's February Cozy Reviews!

Ma-Row!

This month we have two repeats, as they belonged on the February schedule for Berkley. We reviewed them last  month, but in case you missed it, here they are again along with some others:

CLAW ENFORCEMENT
SOFIE RYAN
BERKLEY, JANUARY 7 2020
SECOND CHANCE CAT MSYTERY
FOUR AND A HALF PAWS




Sarah Grayson and her feline ally, Elvis, are hot on the tail of a crafty killer in the newest installment of the New York Times bestselling Second Chance Cat mysteries.

Sarah Grayson owns a delightful secondhand shop in the small town of North Harbor, Maine, where she and her rescue cat, Elvis, are always finding themselves up to their whiskers in trouble. With the help of a quirky group of senior citizens—who call themselves Charlotte’s Angels and work out of the store—they solve crimes both new and vintage.

Local squabbles about property development have the town in quite a state of drama—and it seems like someone may even be upset enough to kill. When a local man involved in the real estate quagmire falls over dead at a reception to celebrate the harbor front’s redevelopment, Sarah gets roped in to investigate by her own IT expert, Mr. P., who has long known the victim’s stepfather. Between Sarah, Elvis and Charlotte’s Angels, the killer is sure to have claws for concern

Another good entryin this series. Four and a half paws!!!!!

BURIED TO THE BRIM
HAT SHOP MYSTERY
JENN  MCKINLAY
JANUARY 28, 2020
FOUR PAWS





New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay's beloved Hat Shop duo Scarlett Parker and Vivian Tremont return to don their sleuthing caps and solve a murder that's death in show.

London's most refined canines and their humans are gearing up for the Pets and Wellness Society's annual dog show--and Betty Wentworth, favorite aunt to Scarlett's fiancé Harrison and proud owner of corgi front-runner Freddy, knows that this could be their year with the right edge. Never one to turn away a corgi in need, Scarlett convinces her milliner cousin, Vivian, to design matching hats for dream team Betty and Freddy as they compete for Best in Show.

It's a tail wagging good time until the dog-food sponsor of the event is found dead and Betty is the prime suspect. Vivian and Scarlett agree to enter the competition in Betty's place and help Harrison catch the real killer before Betty is collared for a crime she didn't commit.

DEATH IN THE FAMILY
A Shana Merchant Novel
Berkley
Tessa Wegert
Hardcover/Feb 18, 2020
Four Paws



A storm-struck island. A blood-soaked bed. A missing man. Senior Investigator Shana Merchant believes it all adds up to a killer in their midst—and that murder is a family affair.

Thirteen months ago, former NYPD detective Shana Merchant barely survived being abducted by a serial killer. Now hoping to leave grisly murder cases behind, she's taken a job in her fiancé's sleepy hometown in the Thousand Islands region of Upstate New York.

But as a nor'easter bears down on her new territory, Shana and fellow investigator Tim Wellington receive a call about a man missing on a private island. Shana and Tim travel to the isolated island owned by the wealthy Sinclair family to question the witnesses. They arrive to find blood on the scene and a house full of Sinclair family and friends on edge.

While Tim guesses they're dealing with a runaway case, Shana is convinced that they have a murder on their hands. As the gale intensifies outside, she starts conducting interviews and discovers the Sinclairs and their guests are crawling with dark and dangerous secrets.

Trapped on the island by the raging storm with only Tim whose reliability is thrown into question, the increasingly restless suspects, and her own trauma-fueled flashbacks for company, Shana will have to trust the one person her abduction destroyed her faith in—herself. 


An excellent first in what looks to be a thriilling new series.  Definitely a notch up from a cozy.  four paws.



COCONUT LAYER CAKE MURDER
JOANNE FLUKE
KENSINGTON; HARDCOVER
HANNAH SWENSON SERIES, #25
FOUR PAWS




Bakery owner Hannah Swensen is leaving Lake Eden to help a friend in sunny California. But an unexpected phone call swiftly brings her back to a cold Minnesota winter . . . and murder . . .
 
When Hannah learns that her sister Michelle’s boyfriend, Detective Lonnie Murphy, is the prime suspect in a murder case, she goes straight from a movie studio sound stage to the Los Angeles airport.
 
Back in frigid Minnesota, she discovers that proving Lonnie’s innocence will be harder than figuring out what went wrong with a recipe. Lonnie remembers only parts of the night he went out to a local bar and ended up driving a very impaired woman home. He knows he helped her to her bedroom, but he doesn’t recall anything else until he woke up on her couch the following morning. When he went to the bedroom to check on her, he was shocked to discover she was dead.
 
Hannah doesn’t know what to believe—only that exonerating a suspect who can’t remember is almost impossible, especially since Lonnie’s brother, Detective Rick Murphy, and Lonnie’s partner, Chief Detective Mike Kingston, have been taken off the case. Before everything comes crashing down on Lonnie like a heaping slice of coconut layer cake, it’ll be up to Hannah to rack up enough clues to cat[ch the killer.


Cmon who doesn't love Hannah? and her recipes???????  25th volume!!!!!!!!!


PIES BEFORE GUYS
A PIETOWN MYSTERY
KENSINGTON
MARCH 1, 2020
FOUR PAWS




A poetry slam at a bakery? Why not! Even though Pie Town proprietor Val Harris would rather be spending time with her newfound half-brother, she knows her employee Abril is beyond excited to be hosting the event. Especially since it stars the apple pie of Abril’s eye, poet and professor Michael Starke. But the evening ends on a sour note when Professor Starke is found murdered mere moments after being accused of plagiarism.
 
Just like that, Pie Town is at the center of another criminal inquiry. At Abril’s request—and much to Detective Carmichael’s consternation—Val and Charlene decide to investigate Starke’s death. But the case is as tough as an overworked crust and the Baker Street Bakers are only coming up with scraps. If they don’t pinch the cultured killer soon, Pie Town’s reputation could crumble



BROKEN BONE CHINA
A TEA SHOP MYSTERY
LAURA CHILDS
PAPERBACK EDITION; BERKLEY
JANUARY 28, 2020
FIVE PAWS




It is Sunday afternoon, and Theodosia and Drayton are catering a formal tea at a hot-air balloon rally. The view aloft is not only stunning, they are also surrounded by a dozen other colorful hot-air balloons. But as the sky turns gray and the clouds start to boil up, a strange object zooms out of nowhere. It is a drone, and it appears to be buzzing around the balloons, checking them out. 

As Theodosia and Drayton watch, the drone, hovering like some angry, mechanized insect, deliberately crashes into the balloon next to them. An enormous, fiery explosion erupts, and everyone watches in horror as the balloon plummets to the earth, killing all three of its passengers.

Sirens scream, first responders arrive, and Theodosia is interviewed by the police. During the interview she learns that one of the downed occupants was Don Kingsley, the CEO of a local software company, SyncSoft. Not only do the police suspect Kingsley as the primary target, they learn that he possessed a rare Revolutionary War Union Jack flag that several people were rabidly bidding on.
Intrigued, Theodosia begins her own investigation. Was it the CEO's soon-to-be ex-wife, who is restoring an enormous mansion at no expense? The CEO's personal assistant, who also functioned as curator of his prized collection of Americana? Two rival antiques' dealers known for dirty dealing? Or was the killer the fiancée of one of Theodosia's dear friends, who turns out to be an employee—and whistle-blower—at SyncSoft?

Anoter winner in this great series!  Inever tire of watching Theodosia, assisted by Drayton, ferret out clues and catch a killer, often at great peril to her wardrobe. Five Paws.



YOU COULD WIN ONE OF ROCCO'S REVIEW COPIES!

Just leave your name and email address in the comments section.  Maxx will choose a winner at random!
US entries only, please. Contest ends Feb. 21


11 comments:

  1. Thanks again for the wonderful reviews, Rocco! And enjoy your human's retirement! aut1063(at)gmail(dot)com

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  2. Rocco you have picked some really great books to review. I know you will have fun with your human now at home with you. Enjoy your time together. robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  3. Rocco, thanks for another great group of books to look forward to! And congratulate your human on retirement. I speak from experience - it's wonderful!
    sallycootie(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey, Rocco. Well done, as usual.
    Am I missing it? I do't see a rating for the last book. How many paws?
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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    Replies
    1. Always a five star for the Tea Shop mysteries Meow!

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  5. I just love seeing when you send me an email it is one of the first ones that I open Rocco. I would love to read any one of the ones posted as I have not read them ptclayton2@aol.com peggy clayton Thank you again for having a print giveaway Rocco you and I like the same kind of books cozy and print!

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  6. Enjoyed your reviews! Thanks for the giveaway!
    Jana - turtle6422 at gmail dot com

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  7. OMG so many new books for those of us who enjoy cozies! They all look so good!! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com

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  8. Rocco, Maxx and Toni, thanks for the info on the upcoming new releases. Looking forward to reading all of them. Thanks for the chance.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for another great roundup, ROCCO! Marla: mbradeen [at] yahoo [dot] com

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