spotlight - MURDER ON MUSTANG BEACH

Spotlight on new release:

MURDER ON MUSTANG BEACH

ALICIA BESSETTE

RELEASE DATE: MAY 16, 2023

HARDCOVER

FOUR STARS

Cattail Island in the Outer Banks is a popular destination for honeymooners and nature lovers alike. So it is a huge blow when the murder of a newlywed grinds the pre-summer season to a screeching halt. Bookseller Callie Padget launches her own investigation, after mysterious customer Geri-Lynn Humfeld, caretaker of the island’s protected wild horses, brings in an irresistible piece of information.

Determined to restore order and safety to her beloved hometown, Callie searches for answers—even as those answers cast suspicion on her soon-to-be boyfriend, Toby Dodge, whose martial arts studio was the scene of the crime. As she digs deeper, Toby becomes the police’s prime suspect. The truth raises troubling questions and sends her scouring the bookshop’s shelves for guidance.

Meanwhile, a well-loved member of the mustang herd—a pregnant mare whose anticipated foal is a symbol of summery hope for locals and visitors alike—may be facing dire circumstances. With help from Geri-Lynn, Callie unearths startling secrets surrounding not only the compromised mare, but the murdered newlywed, too. And when another body shows up, this time on isolated Mustang Beach, she must race against time to stop a killer from claiming any more innocent lives.

A fast paced mystery that readers will enjoy.  I am always partial to those that are set in a bookshop!  Callie is a combination of the best of Jessica Fletcher and Nancy Drew!  Four Stars

Win a copy of Murder on Mustang Beach!

Berkley has donated a hard copy for giveaway! To enter, leave your name and e-mail address in our comments section. Winner will be chosen via random.org.  US entries only please. Contest ends midnight, May 26.

ROCCO spotlights and reviews new Berkley cozy titles for may!

THE GHOST GOES TO THE DOGS

A  HAUNTED BOOKSHOP MYSTERY

CLEO COYLE

RELEASE DATE: MAY 2, 2023

BERKLEY MASS MARKET PAPERBACK

 A stray dog leads bookseller Penelope McClure and her gumshoe ghost on a chase for a clever killer in this brand-new entry in the "utterly charming" (Mystery Scene) Haunted Bookshop Mysteries from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.

Pet Mystery Week brings brisk business to Penelope's Rhode Island bookshop, but a real mystery comes barking at her door when a lost dog turns up in a panic. Pen and her son Spencer follow the furry fugitive to a wooded area where the dog's owner lies unconscious. Mrs. Cunningham is a warm-hearted widow who volunteers at the animal shelter and runs Buy the Book's pet lovers book club. Why would anyone shoot such a sweet soul?

The police believe it's an accident, a shot by a careless deer hunter, but Pen remains skeptical. To straighten out this doggone mess, she whistles for the ghost of PI Jack Shepard, an expert in hounding as well as haunting. Jack has a dog story of his own, a case from the 1940s that may help Pen sniff out clues to her present predicament. Yet even with Jack's hard-boiled help, Pen may not be able to stop the killer from striking again or letting this whole case go to the dogs . .

ROCCO SEZ:    WE love cleo Coyle's coffeehouse mysteries and now we also love the haunted bookshop! of course, it would have been nice if the title were the ghost goes to the cats but you can't have everythng merow!  Another well-plotted mystery that fans and newbies to the series will enjoy.  Five paws.

DRESSED TO DRILL

A FIXER UPPER MYSTERY

KATE CARLISLE

MAY 2, 2023

BERKLEY MASS MARKET PAPERBACK

Contractor Shannon Hammer’s new project, renovating an old church, reveals some old sins when a body is found on the premises in the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery from the New York Times author Kate Carlisle.

While Shannon Hammer is thrilled to attend the premiere of the movie based on her boyfriend Mac’s latest book, she can’t wait to trade her killer heels for work boots and start her next renovation project in Lighthouse Cove: a quaint Victorian church that has seen better days. And will see them again—as a museum—if Shannon, her talented crew, and her sister Chloe have anything to say about it.

But on the first day of demolition, work comes to a screeching halt when they stumble on the body of a beautiful young woman in one of the chapels. Who killed the assistant art director? Suspects crawl out of the woodwork as fast as Shannon can restore it. The church is hiding a century of secrets from the days that smugglers wreaked havoc on the California coast. But it’s a more recent secret that someone killed to protect. Shannon and Mac will use every tool in their toolbox to nail down the truth before any more lives are sacrificed.

ROCCO SEZ:  We became a fan of this series after seeing the Hallmark movie adaptation.  Once again, Shannon Hammer (appropriately named) finds herself caught up in a puzzling mystery as she begins her next renovation project!  We love the Shannon and Mac team! Five paws!!!!!

NEW SERIES FROM E.J. COPPERMAN! AND AN INTERVIEW

May 2 marks the debut of a new series from our friend E.J. Copperman (Haunted Guesthouse, Jersey Girl Mysteries).  Say hello to Fran and Ken Stein, PI's!

Meet Fran and Ken Stein - a private investigator duo who refuse to let a little thing like being not entirely human stop them from doing their jobs.


"Twisty and bonkers and fun" Multi award-winning author Catriona McPherson

After losing their parents when they were just babies, private investigators Fran and Ken Stein now specialize in helping adoptees find their birth parents. So when a client asks them for help finding her father, with her only clue a rare ukulele, the case is a little weird, sure, but it's nothing they can't handle.

But soon Fran and her brother are plunged into a world where nothing makes sense - and not just the fact that a very short (but very cute) NYPD detective keeps trying to take eternal singleton Fran out on dates.

All Fran wants to do is find the ukulele and collect their fee, but it's hard to keep your focus when you're stumbling over corpses and receiving messages that suggest your (dead) parents are very much alive.

Ukuleles aside, it's becoming clear that someone knows something they shouldn't - that Fran and Ken Stein weren't so much born, as built . . .

The Ukulele of Death is the first in a new series of light-hearted, paranormal tinged mysteries that are filled with off-beat humor, heart and the wry wisdom that's E.J. Copperman's signature style.

ROCCO's Review:  A different kind of cozy with a good plot, told in E.J. Copperman's inimitable style of blending in humor.  (Cat-ch the irony in the character names, LOL).  A definite five star debut!

Bonus:  E. J. Copperman interview!

ROCCO:  Welcome back, EJ!  Please tell us about your newest book and/or series.

 E.J.: Thanks for inviting me back! It’s always a pleasure.

UKULELE OF DEATH is the first book in a series about Fran and Ken Stein (I’ll give you a second), two very tall, very strong private investigators (and siblings) who are asked by a client to find a rare ukulele she thinks can help her find her birth father. Things go steadily downhill from there. And the fact that Fran and Ken aren’t exactly normal humans does play into the story…

 

 ROCCO  Readers always have a favorite character. Do you have a favorite from this book and/or series?

 

EJ: Well, Fran narrates so I spend most of my time in her head. But I think people will enjoy her friend the US Marshal, the accessible billionaire who offers to help and of course Fran and Ken’s “Aunt Margie,” who raised them after their parents were forced to flee New York City.

 

ROCCO:  Once you’re finished writing a book, how long is it before you start writing the next?

 EJ: It depends on whether I have a contract for something else. I’m writing the second Fran and Ken book now, to be followed by the sixth Jersey Girl Legal Mystery. So that’ll keep me busy for a bit.

 

 ROCCO:  Where do you do your best writing?

 EJ: Wherever I happen to be. Location doesn’t really enter into it. I do my MOST writing at my desk in my office, because I’m there most of the time.

 

ROCCO:  Any new projects in the works?

 EJ: Well, this is the first in a series, so that’s new, and the aforementioned Jersey Girl #6 (following AND JUSTICE FOR MALL), and then… there are possibilities.

ROCCO:  What do you love to do in your free time? LOL Do you get much free time?

 EJ: Not as much as I'd like LOL. I watch baseball games; I’m an ardent fan. I spend time with my amazing spouse and sometimes our children, who have had the nerve to grow up and move into homes of their own.

 

ROCCO: Where can readers go to learn more about you and your books?

 EJ: The easiest place is at http://www.ejcopperman.com of course. There you’ll find info, news (such as it is), reviews and anything else you might, for reasons I couldn’t imagine, want to know about me. I’m also on Facebook, Twitter and very occasionally Instagram. I’d be on TikTok but nobody wants that.

 

Thanks so much for an amazing interview, E.J.

 

Ukulele of Death debuts in bookstore today!

Amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/Ukulele-Death-Fran-Stein-Mystery/dp/1448309700/ref=sr_1_1?crid=11KZR8S2PMYDS&keywords=ukulele+of+death&qid=1681322334&s=books&sprefix=ukulelie+of+death%2Cstripbooks%2C202&sr=1-1

 

 

 Ma-Row!

Introducing a new series by the "human": Tiffany Austin, Food Blogger Mysteries!

It kicks off with Book #1, EAT DRINK AND DROP DEAD, this Tuesday, April 4th!

A former chef gets mixed up in murder when she moves back to her Southern home town in the first Tiffany Austin food blogger mystery - a culinary cozy that will make your brain work and your stomach rumble!

"I was hooked from start to finish!" Laura Childs, New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries

Food critic and blogger Tiffany Austin has the best job in the world: she gets to eat for a living. At least, she hopes she has a job. Her trial period at Southern Style magazine is up - and rumors are swirling that management are making a choice between Tiffany and a rival columnist: the ambitious Jenny Lee Plumm.

Former chef Tiffany knows she has a battle on her hands . . . but she didn't realize it was to the death! When her rival's body is discovered after the two have a very public argument, Tiffany finds herself the prime suspect in a murder investigation. The lead detective might be very hot - but Tiffany's definitely not ready to go down for a crime she didn't commit.

Ably assisted by Hilary, her best friend and partner in (non) crime, and bolstered by the unconditional love of her Siamese cat Lily and King Charles Cavalier puppy Cooper, Tiffany plunges into an investigation of her own. After all, she has a degree from the CIA - the Culinary Institute of America - and she's not afraid to use it. But can she find the real killer before she's served up to the cops on a silver platter?

purchase link:https://www.amazon.com/Drink-Tiffany-Austin-Blogger-Mystery/dp/1448310024/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1680365374&sr=1-1

Watch for our blog tour starting Wednesday, April 5th.  enter at the stops to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

ROCCO spotlights LEMON CURD KILLER!

 Lemon Curd Killer

A Tea Shop Mystery

by Laura Childs

.

Lemon Curd Killer (A Tea Shop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
25th in Series
Berkley HC (March 7, 2023)

ROCCO'S RATING:  FIVE PAWS!

High tea and high fashion turn deadly in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series.

 

Tea shop entrepreneur Theodosia Browning has been tapped to host a fancy Limón Tea in a genuine lemon orchard as a rousing kickoff to Charleston Fashion Week. But as fairy lights twinkle and the scent of lemon wafts among the tea tables, the deadly murder of a fashion designer puts the squeeze on things.

 

As the lemon curd begins to sour, the murdered woman’s daughter begs Theodosia to help find the killer. Tea events and fashion shows must go on, however, which puts Theodosia and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, right in the thick of squabbling business partners, crazed clothing designers, irate film producers, drug deals, and a disastrous Tea Trolley Tour.

 

About Laura Childs

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) 

Laura’s Links:   Website –  Facebook

ROCCO'S REVIEW!

Once again, Laura Childs takes us into the thrilling world of Theodisia Browning, tea shop  owner and amateur sleuth!  when a murder occurs during Charleston's Fashion Week, Theodosia is on the job along with Drayton, her trusty sidekick. Plenty of action and thrills in this one!  A defiinite five paws!!!!!

    GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Laura will give away an autographed copy of LEMON CURD KILLER TO ONE LUCKY COMMENTER!  To enter, leave your name and email address in our comments section!  ROCCO's brother Maxx will select one lucky winner at random!  Contest ends midnight, March 24.  US entries only please.  :)

ROCCO's February Cozy Reviews!

 Ma-Row!  Here are our cozies for February:

SIX SWEETS UNDER

A TRUE CONFECTION MYSTERY

SARAH FOX

MMPB/PENGUIN/Feb  7, 2023

4 1/2 STARS

n a cute new culinary cozy from USA Today bestselling author Sarah Fox, budding chocolatier Becca Ransom must solve a murder before she meets a sticky end.

Former actress Becca Ransom lived her dream in Hollywood for seven years before returning to her hometown of Larch Haven, known as the Venice of North America. The Vermont town has canals instead of roads, gondolas instead of cars, and charming cottages plucked from the pages of a fairy tale. It’s also where Becca is pursuing her newest passion as a chocolatier at True Confections, the chocolate shop owned by her grandparents, Lolly and Pops.
 
While Becca’s testing new flavors and reconnecting with old friends, the town is gearing up for the annual Gondola Races, popular with both residents and tourists, with one exception. Local curmudgeon Archie Smith wants nothing more than to keep tourists away from Larch Haven. He’s determined to derail this year’s event and does his best to stir up trouble for the organizers, including Becca’s grandfather.

Following a heated argument with Pops, Archie is found floating face-down in the canal, and Pops finds himself in hot water as one of the top suspects. Becca’s determined to clear her grandfather’s name, but when the case heats up, she could be facing a sticky end

Who doesn't like a mystery featuring chocolate? (and a cat)  four and a half paws!

WINED AND DIED IN NEW ORLEANS

VINTAGE COOKBOOK MYSTERY

ELLEN BYRON

MMPB/PENGUIN/FEB 7 2023

FOUR AND 1/2 STARS

The second in a fantastic new cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Ellen Byron.

It’s hurricane season in New Orleans and vintage cookbook fan Ricki James-Diaz is trying to shelve her weather-related fears and focus on her business, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop, housed in the magnificent Bon Vee Culinary House Museum.
 
Repairs on the property unearth crates of very old, very valuable French wine, buried by the home’s builder, Jean-Louis Charbonnet. Ricki, who’s been struggling to attract more customers to Miss Vee’s, is thrilled when her post about the discovery of this long-buried treasure goes viral. She’s less thrilled when the post brings distant Charbonnet family members out of the woodwork, all clamoring for a cut of the wine’s sale.
 
When a dead body turns up in Bon Vee’s cheery fall decorations, the NOPD zeroes in on Eugenia Charbonnet Felice as the prime suspect, figuring that as head of the Charbonnet family, she has the most to gain. Ricki is determined to uncover the real culprit, but she can’t help noticing that Eugenia is acting strangely. Ricki wonders what kind of secret her mentor has bottled up, and fears what might happen if she uncorks it.
 
In the second Vintage Cookbook Mystery, Ricki has to help solve a murder, untangle family secrets, and grow her business, all while living under the threat of a hurricane that could wipe out everything from her home to Bon Vee.  A good follow up to number one!  four and a halfpaws!

PLAYING DEAD

Peggy rothschild

HC/Penguin/2/7/23

four paws

Molly Madison is back to solve another doggone difficult murder in her California community in this mystery from the author of A Deadly Bone to Pick.
 
Molly Madison has barely had a moment to catch her breath after moving to the sleepy beach town she now calls home. But as a former PI, she can’t help but notice the odd chemistry between members of Playtime Academy on the first day she and her loyal Saint Bernadoodle, Noodle, and golden retriever, Harlow, visit. When a trainer’s body is found on-site, Molly knows it’s her duty to put her ex-police skills to use. She can’t say no to temporarily taking in the deceased woman’s dog, either—not with those puppy dog eyes.

Relationships at the training facility are not as clean as the prize-winning agility runs, making it difficult for Molly to get a leash on potential suspects. And her personal life is just as messy—her boyfriend is hiding something, her agoraphobic neighbor needs help, and her number of four-legged friends keep growing as she agrees to dogsit a wriggly local French bulldog.
 
When Molly’s friend is arrested for the murder, she’s not sure who to believe anymore. Is the case as simple as the local cops make it seem, or is something more devious afoot?

A good mystery - even if it does feature dogs!!!!!!  four paws.
 

 Ma-Row!  Here are the January cozies!

 

MURDER, SHE WROTE: DEATH ON THE EMERALD ISLE by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran

Berkley Hardcover; on sale January 3, 2023 | 

A trip to Northern Ireland becomes unexpectedly grim for Jessica Fletcher in this new entry in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series.

Jessica Fletcher is quick to accept an invitation to replace a speaker who couldn’t attend a Book Festival in Belfast, Ireland. When her Cabot Cove neighbor Maeve O'Bannon hears about the trip, she asks Jessica to deliver some paintings to her family in the village of Bushmills. Happy to extend her travels and see more of the Irish countryside, Jessica agrees.
 
The festival goes off without a hitch, and it seems like Jessica is in for a relaxing vacation. But then Maeve’s cousin Michael is discovered dead under suspicious circumstances. Jessica finds herself once again in the midst of a murder investigation, and she’ll have to dig into the O'Bannon family’s secrets to unmask the killer. 

Jessica is in as fine a form as ever and ardent fans will not be disappointed.  We do want to take this opportunity, though, to express our sadness of Angela Lansbury's passing in October.  she will be greatly missed and she will always be Jessica to us!  five paws
 

 

A MURDEROUS PERSUASION by Katie Oliver

Berkley Mass Market; on sale January 3, 2023 | 

 

Phaedra Brighton is back to sleuthing again when an innocent murder-mystery weekend turns into the real deal, in the newest Jane Austen Tea Society Mystery.

Phaedra Brighton has her life all figured out—she has a profession she enjoys, a wonderful (if exasperating) cat, and a cozy home on the grounds of her aunt's inn. She needs no Captain Wentworth to sweep her off her feet (though, she would not mind a Mr. Darcy).
 
But when Aunt Wendy decides she is selling Laurel Springs Inn, Phaedra faces losing her beloved carriage house. In a last-ditch attempt to drum up more business, Phaedra convinces Wendy to host an immersive Persuasion-themed murder-mystery weekend. It is a foolproof plan to draw attention to the establishment in the hopes of saving it. 
 
Until one of the participants winds up dead. 
 
With more suspects than she knows what to do with, Phaedra finds herself on the hunt for a killer once again. But with time running out, Phaedra quickly realizes with this investigation, there will be no second chances. 

A good mystery, perfect for snuggling up with a hot cup of cocoa (and your favorite cat!)  four paws

 

 

PLAYING DEAD by Peggy Rothschild

Berkley Hardcover; on sale February 7, 2023 |

 

Molly Madison is back to solve another doggone difficult murder in her California community in this mystery from the author of A Deadly Bone to Pick.

Molly Madison has barely had a moment to catch her breath after moving to the sleepy beach town she now calls home. But as a former PI, she can’t help but notice the odd chemistry between members of Playtime Academy on the first day she and her loyal Saint Bernadoodle, Noodle, and golden retriever, Harlow, visit. When a trainer’s body is found on-site, Molly knows it’s her duty to put her ex-police skills to use. She can’t say no to temporarily taking in the deceased woman’s dog, either—not with those puppy dog eyes.

Relationships at the training facility are not as clean as the prize-winning agility runs, making it difficult for Molly to get a leash on potential suspects. And her personal life is just as messy—her boyfriend is hiding something, her agoraphobic neighbor needs help, and her number of four-legged friends keep growing as she agrees to dogsit a wriggly local French bulldog.
 
When Molly’s friend is arrested for the murder, she’s not sure who to believe anymore. Is the case as simple as the local cops make it seem, or is something more devious afoot?

We are an equal opportunity reviewer and even though dogs are featured in this mystery as opposed to cats, it's still a pretty good read!  four and a half paws.