Ma-row! Here are our October Cozy Reviews!
A MERRY LITTLE MURDER PLOT by Jenn McKinlay
Berkley Hardcover Original; on sale October 8, 2024
‘Tis the season in Briar Creek in the newest installment in the Library Lover’s Mystery series from the New York Times bestselling author of Fatal First Edition. To try to spread some Christmas cheer, library director Lindsey Norris invites the new writer in residence, Helen Monroe, to join her crafternoon club. Helen politely refuses and when an altercation happens between Helen and another patron, Lindsey begins to suspect the author has been keeping to herself for a reason. When another newcomer, Jackie Lewis, reveals she’s visiting town to be near Helen (believing they are “destined” to meet), Lindsey feels compelled to tell Helen about Jackie as she suspects that Helen is unaware her “number one” fan is in town. When Jackie’s body is later discovered in the town park with a copy of Helen’s latest manuscript in her hand, the the reclusive novelist the prime suspect in the murder of her self-proclaimed mega-fan. Helen’s frosty demeanor melts when Lindsey offers her help, and now the librarian and her crafternoon pals must prove the author innocent before "The End" becomes Helen's final sentence.
Rocco's review: Another great entry in the Library Lovers mystery series. Lindsey Norris is at the top of her game when a 'number one' fan is murdered. Lots of action in this entry. However, for the future might we suggest another feline friend for Heathcliff?????? Five Paws.
THE KNIFE BEFORE CHRISTMAS by Kate Carlisle
Berkley Hardcover Original; on sale October 8, 2024
Contractor Shannon Hammer hopes for a peaceful Christmas with her fiancé, Mac, until murder throws a wrench in her holiday plans in this new installment of the USA Today bestselling Fixer-Upper Mystery series. Christmas has come to Lighthouse Cove, and Shannon has been contracted to renovate a local hotel owned by the Garrisons, a family that’s so devoted to the holidays they serve a seven-course dinner every night from Thanksgiving through Christmas. Last year’s festivities featured a train that transported guests around the breathtaking Cliffside property. This year, Shannon and her crew have been commissioned to build a Victorian-style carnival midway with games and prizes galore. Everyone in town loves the hotel’s spirit, except the Garrisons’ children and their spouses, who are hum-bugged by the money being wasted on holiday cheer while their inheritance goes up the chimney. Things turn nasty when a mischief-maker close to the family is found dead. It’s up to Shannon and Mac to catch a sinister Scrooge before all of Lighthouse Cove receives coal for Christmas.
Chazz Review: This is anohter good series and I have to admit I also enjoy the Hallmark movies based on it! We also love a Christmas mystery (one of these days the human must write one!) Who says murder and holidays dont go together? Five Paws
MURDER, SHE WROTE: A KILLER CHRISTMAS by Jessica Fletcher & Terrie Farley Moran
Berkley Hardcover Original; on sale October 8, 2024
This fall marks the 40th anniversary of the Murder, She Wrote TV series, and what a better way to celebrate than by diving into the newest entry in the USA Today bestselling series! Christmas is not an easy time to sell a house, but Cabot Cove Realtor Eve Simpson has finally found a buyer for the old Jarvis homestead—Boston tycoon John Bragdon. Unfortunately, Eve gets a lump of coal in her stocking in the form of Kenny Jarvis, who has been missing for years and presumed dead but has now come back to stop his sister from selling their childhood home. Eve presses on, organizing a welcome dinner for Bragdon and his wife, Marlene, to meet the leading citizens of the town, including Jessica Fletcher. Dinner is interrupted by an uninvited guest—not Santa but Kenny, who threateningly promises Marlene she will never live in his house. When Marlene is found dead a few days later, Kenny is the natural suspect. But Jessica isn′t so sure he′s on the naughty list…
Rocco's review: I mean, what can you say about a Murder She Wrote mystery? For fans of the longtime TV show, it's as if Jessica never left! Always a hoot to see how Jessica can take seemingly unrelated clues and weave a solution out of them! Five Paws!
All these books are out today! Run don't walk!
Chazz and Rocco
