ROCCO'S DECEMBER COZY REVIEWS!

 Meow!  Here are my December Cozy Reviews!

POPPY REDFERN AND THE FATAL FLYERS

TESSA ARLEN

BERKLEY PRIME CRIME

DECEMBER 1, 2020

FOUR STARS

Poppy Redfern is back on the case when two female fighter pilots take a fatal dive in an all-new Woman of World War II Mystery by Tessa Arlen.

It is the late autumn of 1942. Our indomitable heroine Poppy Redfern is thoroughly immersed in her new job as a scriptwriter at the London Crown Film Unit, which produces short films featuring British civilians who perform acts of valor and heroism in wartime. After weeks of typing copy and sharpening pencils, Poppy is thrilled to receive her first solo script project: a fifteen-minute film about the Air Transport Auxiliary, known as Attagirls, a group of female civilians who have been trained to pilot planes from factories to military airfields all over Britain.

Poppy could not be more excited to spend time with these amazing ladies, but she never expects to see one of the best pilots die in what is being labeled an accident. When another Attagirl meets a similar fate, Poppy and her American fighter-pilot boyfriend, Griff, believe foul play may be at work. They soon realize that a murderer with a desire for revenge is dead set on grounding the Attagirls for good. . .  Good second entry in this series.

MURDER IS A MUST

Marty Wingate

Berkley/Hardcover

December 1, 2020

Four stars

Determined to make the First Edition Library a success, Hayley Burke wasn’t expecting to have to solve an old friend’s murder in this all-new mystery from USA Today bestselling author Marty Wingate.

Hayley Burke, curator of Lady Fowling's collection of first edition mysteries, is settling into her position at the First Edition Library in Middlebank House. She's even made progress with Lady Fowling's former secretary, the ornery Miss Woolgar. The women are busily preparing for an exhibition that will showcase Lady Fowling's life and letters. Hayley knows the exhibition is a huge undertaking and decides, against her better judgement, to hire Oona Atherton, her former boss from the Jane Austen Centre to help with the planning.
 
     Oona is known for being difficult, but all seems to be going swimmingly until she and Hayley uncover a one-page letter that alludes to a priceless edition of MURDER MUST ADVERTISE signed by several Golden Age of Mystery authors. Oona feels this book could be the focal point of the exhibition and becomes obsessed with finding it.
 
     When they find clues that appear to point to the book being somewhere in the First Edition Library, Oona is certain she's unraveled the mystery and texts Hayley the good news, but upon arriving back at Middlebank, Hayley finds her old boss dead at the bottom of the stairs. Did her discovery of the rare book get her killed or was it some angry shadow from her past? Hayley must read between the lines to catch a malicious murderer.  Second in this series.

PREMEDITATED MORTAR

Kate Carlisle

Berkley/Mass Market PB

DEcember 1, 2020

Five Stars

Contractor Shannon Hammer gets tangled up in murder at a spooky old asylum in the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle. . . .

Shannon Hammer is about to embark on one of the biggest projects of her career. Her best friend Jane Hennessey has purchased one wing of the Gables, formerly the old state insane asylum, located on a bucolic hillside two miles northeast of Lighthouse Cove. Jane plans to turn her section into a small luxury hotel complete with twenty ocean-view rooms, a spa, and a restaurant.

Shannon is raring to get started on the enormous project and is shocked when a group of unruly protesters shows up at the groundbreaking ceremony and wreaks havoc. She’s even more freaked-out when someone pushes her into a pit of bricks in a closed-off room of the asylum. Despite her close call, Shannon wants nothing more than to get back to work . . . until she finds a body not far from where she was pushed. Now Shannon is determined to get to the bottom of the goings-on at the Gables even if it kills her. . . .

Shannon Hammer is back in another adventure and aren't we glad!  this is one of those series that just seemes to improve with each book!  A resounding five paws....

The Dead Season

Tessa Wegert

BErkley/ Trade Paperback

December 8, 2020

Four stars

Senior Investigator Shana Merchant has spent years running from her past. But she never imagined a murder case would drive her to the most dangerous place of all—home. 

After leaving the NYPD following her abduction by serial killer Blake Bram, Shana Merchant hoped for a fresh start in the Thousand Islands of Upstate New York. Her former tormentor has other plans. Shana and Bram share more than just a hometown, and he won’t let her forget it. When the decades-old skeleton of Shana's estranged uncle is uncovered, Bram issues a challenge: Return home to Vermont and solve the cold case, or the blood he spills next will be on her hands.

As Shana interviews members of her family and the community, mining for secrets that could help her solve her uncle's murder, she begins to realize how little she remembers of her childhood. And when Bram grows impatient and kidnaps again, leaving a trail of clues Shana alone can understand, she knows his new victim will only survive if she wins the psychopath’s twisted game. In order to solve one mystery, Shana must wade into her murky past to unravel another.

MURDER IN SEASON

A MURDER SHE WROTE MYSTERY

JESSICA FLETCHER AND JON LAND

BERKLEY, HARDCOVER

RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 24, 2020

FIVE PAWS!!!!!

ROCCO's note:  This was reviewed on an earlier blog, but it was so good, we're bringing it back for seconds!

Christmas has come to Cabot Cove, but a peaceful holiday season is not in the cards after Jessica Fletcher is pulled into a centuries-old mystery in the latest entry in this USA Today bestselling series.

With work on the reconstruction of her beloved home almost complete, Jessica Fletcher is in high holiday spirits, spearheading the annual Christmas parade and preparing for her nephew Grady and his family to come to town. The only thing dampening the holiday cheer is the discovery of two sets of bones on Jessica’s property: one set ancient, the other only about a year old. It’s concluded that they were both placed there during the reconstruction, and Jessica suspects that, despite the centuries between them, the remains might be connected. 

Soon tabloid reporter Tad Hollenbeck arrives in Cabot Cove to write a story about what he calls “the murder capital of the country.” But when Tad himself is murdered, Jessica speculates that his arrival, his death, and the discovery of the bones are all somehow linked.

As Jessica digs deeper to find the connection between the bones and Tad’s murder, everything seems to come back to a mystery that has long plagued Cabot Cove. If she wants to solve the case, she’ll need to delve into her beloved town’s dark history, or else this holiday season may be her last....

'Holidays can be murder, I tell you!"  Seth Hazlett delivers the opening line in this latest Murder She Wrote mystery, a line we often find all too true, although not for the same reasons as Jessica.

Once again, Jon Land comes through with a deliciously intricate mystery for America's favorite sleuth to solve.  I've enjoyed watching Jessica evolve through the last few books, her mysteries more thriller than cozy and reminiscent of the final seasons of MURDER SHE WROTE.  Land weaves a good tale, and the characters are as lively and in some cases as stodgy as ever (although I still feel there is just a tad too much bickering between Jessica and Mort!)  Fans of the series will love this.   A good read on a chilly afternoon (or any afternoon or evening, really.)   Five paws!!!!!

Want to win one of these review copies?????????

Leave your name and email address in our comments section!  Winner will be chosen at random by random.org (who else?????)  US entries only please. Contest ends midnight, December 28th!

Celebrating CRIME AND CATNIP!

 Four years ago today the third Nick and Nora mystery, CRIME AND CATNIP, was published by Berkley Prime Crime. Little did we know at that time it would be the last we'd see of Nick and Nora for four long years!!!!!

But thanks to the good people at   BEYOND THE PAGE publishing, Nick and Nora are getting a new life!  HISS H FOR HOMICIDE the fourth Nick and Nora mystery, will debut in February of 2021!

In the  meantime to celebrate the anniversaries of both book one (12/2/14) and book three (12/6/16)  I'm going to re-run the Meow contest since we didn't have a winner.  The prize will be a $15 Amazon gift card to the first person who can answer the below questions.  Post your answers in the comments section below along with your contact info (email addy) Contest ends midnight tonight! 

Good luck!

What is the name of the newspaper Nora wrote for when she lived in Chicago, and what was the title of her column?

What is the name of the online magazine Nora writes for now, and what is her boss's name?

And finally:

What is Nick Atkins' partners name, and what was Nick the cat's original name when he belonged to Nick Atkins?

Bonus question (doesn't count toward the prize, but I just want to see if you're paying attention)

What real life event is Meow if its Murder based on?

Celebrating MEOW IF ITS MURDER and the Return of Nick and Nora!

Meow!

Six years ago today a little cozy named Meow if its Murder debuted from Berkley Prime Crime, introducing ex-crime reporter turned sandwich shop owner Nora Charles to the world, along with her partner in solving crime, a tubby tuxedo cat named Nick.

As we all know Nick and Nora, along with many other wonderful cozy mysteries, was one of the casualties in the Great Cozy Massacre.  The human, however, had their adventures planned through Book 7, with outlines up to Book 12, and was not about to give up on what remains to this day her favorite characters.

Finally, after much blood, sweat and tears (and nagging to the human's agent)  Nick and Nora found another home!  HISS H FOR HOMICIDE, the fourth Nick and Nora mystery, will debut in February 2021 from Beyond the Page Publishing!!!!!!!!

To commemorate the sixth anniversary of the release of the book that started it all, the human will give away an autographed first edition copy to the first person to correctly answer the below questions.  US ENTRIES ONLY, PLEASE.   Put your answers in the comments section below along with your contact info (email address) and good luck!

What is the name of the newspaper Nora wrote for when she lived in Chicago, and what was the title of her column?

What is the name of the online magazine Nora writes for now, and what is her boss's name?

And finally:

What is Nick Atkins' partners name, and what was Nick the cat's original name when he belonged to Nick Atkins?

Bonus question (doesn't count toward the prize, but I just want to see if you're paying attention)

What real life event is Meow if its Murder based on?

Good luck, people!!!!!!!

ROCCO REVIEWS.....MURDER IN SEASON - A MURDER SHE WROTE MYSTERY

 

MURDER IN SEASON

A MURDER SHE WROTE MYSTERY

JESSICA FLETCHER AND JON LAND

BERKLEY, HARDCOVER

RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 24, 2020

FIVE PAWS!!!!!

Christmas has come to Cabot Cove, but a peaceful holiday season is not in the cards after Jessica Fletcher is pulled into a centuries-old mystery in the latest entry in this USA Today bestselling series.

With work on the reconstruction of her beloved home almost complete, Jessica Fletcher is in high holiday spirits, spearheading the annual Christmas parade and preparing for her nephew Grady and his family to come to town. The only thing dampening the holiday cheer is the discovery of two sets of bones on Jessica’s property: one set ancient, the other only about a year old. It’s concluded that they were both placed there during the reconstruction, and Jessica suspects that, despite the centuries between them, the remains might be connected. 

Soon tabloid reporter Tad Hollenbeck arrives in Cabot Cove to write a story about what he calls “the murder capital of the country.” But when Tad himself is murdered, Jessica speculates that his arrival, his death, and the discovery of the bones are all somehow linked.

As Jessica digs deeper to find the connection between the bones and Tad’s murder, everything seems to come back to a mystery that has long plagued Cabot Cove. If she wants to solve the case, she’ll need to delve into her beloved town’s dark history, or else this holiday season may be her last....

'Holidays can be murder, I tell you!"  Seth Hazlett delivers the opening line in this latest Murder She Wrote mystery, a line we often find all too true, although not for the same reasons as Jessica.

Once again, Jon Land comes through with a deliciously intricate mystery for America's favorite sleuth to solve.  I've enjoyed watching Jessica evolve through the last few books, her mysteries more thriller than cozy and reminiscent of the final seasons of MURDER SHE WROTE.  Land weaves a good tale, and the characters are as lively and in some cases as stodgy as ever (although I still feel there is just a tad too much bickering between Jessica and Mort!)  Fans of the series will love this.   A good read on a chilly afternoon (or any afternoon or evening, really.)   Five paws!!!!!! MURDER IN SEASON debuts Tuesday!  Get your copy now!

Note:  It is our understanding this is Land's last entry in this series.  You'll be missed, Jon! 

ROCCO'S NOVEMBER COZY REVIEWS!

 Meow, here are my November cozy reviews!

First up:

• MURDER IN THE MARGINS
• an Open Book Mystery
• Margaret Louden
• Berkley,MassMarket Paperback
• On sale October 27
• 4 1/2 stars

The plot thickens for American gothic writer Penelope Parish when a murder near her quaint British bookshop reveals a novel's worth of killer characters.

Penelope Parish has hit a streak of bad luck, including a severe case of writer's block that is threatening her sophomore book. Hoping a writer in residence position at The Open Book bookstore in Upper Chumley-on-Stoke, England, will shake the cobwebs loose, Pen, as she's affectionately known, packs her typewriter and heads across the pond.

Unfortunately, life in Chumley is far from quiet and when the chairwoman of the local Worthington Fest is found dead, fingers are pointed at Charlotte Davenport, an American romance novelist and the future Duchess of Worthington. Charlotte turns to the one person who might be her ally for help: fellow American Pen. Teaming up with bookstore owner Mabel Morris and her new friend Figgy, Pen sets out to learn the truth and find the tricks that will help her finish her novel.

Gothic mysteries, a fledgling writer/sleuth, a cozy bookstore with the requisite cat....all an auspicious start for this promising new series!  Penelope is easy to like and the mystery was well crafted. 4 and a half paws!!!!!!

• MIMI LEE READS BETWEEN THE LINES
• A SASSY CAT  MYSTERY
• JENNIFER CHOW
• BERKLEY TRADE PAPERBACK
• On sale NOVEMBER 10
• 4 1/2 STARS

When a local teacher is found dead, LA’s newest pet groomer Mimi Lee finds herself in a pawful predicament—with her younger sister’s livelihood on the line.

Mimi Lee is on top of the world. She has a thriving pet grooming business, the sweetest boyfriend, and a talking cat to boot. When she arrives at the elementary school where her sister Alice works, she's expecting a fun girls' night out—but instead finds a teacher slumped over in her car, dead.

Alice was the last one to see Helen Reed, which instantly marks her as the prime suspect. Unable to sit quietly and let the authorities walk all over her sister, Mimi starts snooping and talks to Helen’s closest contacts, including one jumpy principal, a two-faced fiancé, and three sketchy teachers. With the help of her sassy but savvy cat, Marshmallow, and a cute kitten named Nimbus, the clock’s ticking for Mimi to get to the bottom of yet another case before her sister gets schooled.

Mimi Lee and Marshmallow are back!  We enjoyed the previous mystery, MIMI LEE GETS A CLUE, so was eager to read the next.  This entry is another good one, especially for those of us who love cats (and especially talking ones!!!!!!)  Mimi Lee is an engaging heroine/sleuth and Marshmallow is the perfect compliment (as a matter of fact they remind me of another crime solving duo...can you guess which one????? Hint:  they share names with a popular husband and wife sleuth team).

Four and a half paws!

FISHING FOR TROUBLE

• An Alaskan Diner Mystery
• ELIZABETH LOGAN
• BERKLEY MASS MARKET PAPERBACK
• On sale NOVEMBER 24, 2020
• FOUR PAWS

Something fishy is going on at a local seafood processing plant, and Charlie Cooke is on the hook to solve the case in this new Alaskan Diner Mystery.

Summer has come to Elkview, Alaska, bringing twenty hours of sunlight every day, not to mention a surge of tourists and seasonal workers. Chef Charlie Cooke is eager for a busy yet relaxing season, but when a young man working a summer job at the local fish processing plant dies moments after walking into the Bear Claw Diner, she’s quickly swept into the investigation.

Soon, through her best friend Annie Jensen, Charlie learns that another student worker at J and M Processing has disappeared, leaving more questions and fewer answers. The near-endless sunlight gives plenty of time to search for clues, but Charlie will have to work with Annie and local reporter Chris Doucette to net the killer before anyone else gets hurt.

This is a charming cozy series with a unique background.  Elizabeth Logan makes you want to visit the Bear Claw Diner and help solve the mystery!  A good plot with a cast of colorful characters.  Four paws.

• GAME OF CONES, A LICKETY SPLIT MYSTERY
• CYNTHIA BAXTER
• KENSINGTON HARDCOVER
• ON SALE NOVEMBER 24, 2020
• FOUR PAWS

in Cynthia Baxter's fourth Lickety Splits Mystery, ice cream shoppe owner and amateur sleuth Kate McKAy doesn't waffle around scooping up new clientele at a historic hotel, but her hopes of becoming the Hudson Valley's reigning ice cream queen melt fast when murder checks-in!

From the moment Kate arrives at the imposing Mohawk Mountain Resort, not even luggage brimming with hot fudge can sweeten her stay. Instead of savoring alone time with her on-again boyfriend Jake and leading workshops on whipping together delectable frosty treats, she finds herself stranded at the isolated hotel with a small group of nutty characters--and a dead body.

When the corpse of wealthy cosmetics executive Bethany La Montaigne is suddenly found following a blackout, any of the five strangers trapped with Kate and Jake could be the killer. Chilled to the core, Kate vows to discover whether the victim's mortal enemy was a smooth-talking playboy, bubbly millennial, mousy librarian, charming Englishman, or the Mohawk's creepy general manager...

Bethany's life was chock full of scandals and there's little doubt that someone refused to endure another taste. With just a sprinkling of clues, it's up to Kate to bring justice to a culprit who believes that revenge is a dish best served cold...

A well plotted  mystery that moves along at a steady pace.  Recommended for those who like cozies and ice cream! (two of our favorites)

• DEATH ON WEST END ROAD (A HAMPTONS MYSTERY)
• CARRIE DOYLE
• POISONED PEN PRESS MASS MARKET PB
• ON SALE: NOVEMBER 24, 2020
• FOUR PAWS.

There are two things Hamptons innkeeper and sleuth Antonia Bingham can't resist―carbs and an unsolved murder!

Despite a busy high-season schedule and an inn booked to capacity, Antonia has agreed to investigate a cold case in her beloved adopted hometown, East Hampton, NY: the killing of Susie Whitaker, whose brutal 1990 slaying on a tennis court in the poshest part of town was never solved.

And the person who has hired Antonia? Prime suspect Pauline Framingham, a manipulative pharmaceutical heiress from a powerful family. As Antonia attempts to unravel the mysteries of the past she unearths even darker secrets and ultimately wonders if it would have been best to let sleeping dogs lie. To make matters worse, past acquaintances and love interests reappear in the Hamptons, disrupting Antonia's world and causing her to scurry to the fridge for comfort.

An entertaining mystery with quirky characters that keeps you guessing to the end!  Four Paws!!

WIN ONE OF ROCCO'S REVIEW COPIES!

To enter: Leave your name and email address in our comments section!  You MUST enclose your email address to be considered.  US entries only, please.

Winner will be chosen at random by MAXX!!!!!  Contest ends midnight, November 27.

A Five Year Anniversary

 Ma-row!

Today is not only the human's birthday, it is the five-year anniversary of the debut of #2 in the Nick and Nora series, CLAWS FOR ALARM!

Want to win an autographed copy to commemorate this event?  The first person to correctly answer both parts of the below two part question will win an autographed copy of CFA!  Post your answer in our comments column along with your email address to contact you.  Entries without an email address will be disqualified.

the Question:

#1: What is the name of Nora and Lacey's Aunt?

#2 What is the name of Nora's Aunt's pet parrot?

  And, don't forget....Book 4 in the Nick and Nora series, HISS H FOR HOMICIDE, will be out February 2021!!!!!

ROCCO spotlights WE HEAR VOICES

Ma-row!  Today we spotlight an interesting new novel:  WE HEAR VOICES by Evie Green.

An eerie debut about a little boy who recovers from a mysterious pandemic and inherits an imaginary friend who makes him do violent things...

Kids have imaginary friends. Rachel knows this. So when her young son, Billy, miraculously recovers from a horrible flu that has proven fatal for many, she thinks nothing of Delfy, his new invisible friend. After all, her family is healthy and that's all that matters.

But soon Delfy is telling Billy what to do, and the boy is acting up and lashing out in ways he never has before. As Delfy's influence is growing stranger and more sinister by the day, and rising tensions threaten to tear Rachel's family apart, she clings to one purpose: to protect her children at any cost—even from themselves.

We Hear Voices is a gripping near-future horror novel that tests the fragility of family and the terrifying gray area between fear and love.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Evie Green expertly blends the paranormal and the 'new normal' in a story that is both outlandish and eerily familiar...compelling, addictive and a perfect example of how we use stories to understand ourselves, the world, and our collective social experiences”
—Anna Downes, author of The Safe Place
"We Hear Voices is startling in both its prescience and premise. Deliciously chilling, this is also a book filled with heart—the terror experienced by Rachel when she discovers her little boy has survived a terrible virus, only to suffer from voice-hearing, is breathtaking in its realism. While the plot is perfectly-paced and races to a terrifying climax, the relationships between the characters are gorgeous, and stay with the reader long after their heart rate returns to normal."
—C. J. Cooke, author of The Nesting

About the Author

Evie Green is a pseudonym for a British author who has written professionally for her entire adult life. She lives by the sea in England with her husband, children, and guinea pigs, and loves writing in the very early morning, fueled by coffee!

WE HEAR VOICES IS ON SALE DECEMBER 1.  RESERVE YOUR COPY NOW.

ROCCO's Top Ten Halloween Movies

 Meow!

As a member of the black cat family, it naturally figures my favorite holiday is Halloween! Both the human and I love scary movies!!!!!!!!  And October is the best time to watch them, Meow!!!!!!

Here are my ten favorite scary movies:

#10:  A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET:   The first time I saw Freddy Krueger he scared the fur off of me, meow!  Also I had kittymares for a week.  The plot concerns four teenagers living on one street in the fictitious town of Springwood, Ohio, who are invaded and killed in their dreams, and thus killed in reality, by a burnt killer with a bladed leather glove.   Notable fact:  Johnny Depp's screen debut.

#9:  ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968):  A huge fan of the book by Ira Levin, and the movie definitely delivered.  Waifish Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) and her struggling actor husband Guy (John Cassavetes) move to a New York City apartment building with an ominous reputation and odd neighbors Roman and Minnie Castavet (Sidney Blackmer, Ruth Gordon). When Rosemary becomes pregnant she becomes increasingly isolated, and the diabolical truth is revealed only after Rosemary gives birth. 

#8:  THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975):  Once again, loved the book by Ira Levin and the original movie, starring Katharine Ross, gave me the chills.  Joanna Eberhardt relocates with her husband and children from New York City to the Connecticut community of Stepford, where she comes to find the women live unwaveringly subservient lives to their husbands.  The ending still gives me the willies whenever I watch it!!!!!!!  (all those crinoline skirts and picture hats!!!!!)

#7:  Psycho (1960)  Who hasn’t been scared to death by this movie? Anthony Perkins delivers a truly horrifying performance as Norman Bates, mother-lover supreme.  Phoenix secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), on the lam after stealing $40,000 from her employer in order to run away with her boyfriend, Sam Loomis (John Gavin), is overcome by exhaustion during a heavy rainstorm. Traveling on the back roads to avoid the police, she stops for the night at the ramshackle Bates Motel and meets the polite but highly strung proprietor Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a young man with an interest in taxidermy and a difficult relationship with his mother.  Interesting fact:  Janet Leigh remarked that after filming this movie, she swore off showers and only took baths.

#6:  SCREAM (1996):  Some debate on whether this is more of a comedy than a horror film, but Wes Craven’s send-up of slasher flicks had me quivering, especially after what happened to poor Drew Barrymore!!!!!  It follows the character of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), a high school student in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California, who becomes the target of a mysterious killer in a Halloween costume known as Ghostface. The film combines black comedy and "whodunit" mystery with the violence of the slasher genre to satirize the clichés of the horror movie genre. Interesting fact:  Courtney Cox and her husband, David Arquette, were both in this film.

#5:  SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991):  Who wants Chianti and fava beans after seeing this movie????   Jodie Foster plays Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee who is pulled out from her training to apprehend a serial killer, known only as "Buffalo Bill", who skins his female victims' corpses. For this she has to create a psychological profile and seeks the advice of the imprisoned Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer played to perfection by Anthony Hopkins. 

#4: MAGIC (1978):  A little known but very terrifying film starring Anthony Hopkins and Ann-Margaret.  Did Anthony know Hannibal Lechter was in his future?  Ventriloquist Corky Withers develops an unnatural attachment to his dummy, “Fats” and goes to the Catskills where he reconnects with old girlfriend Peggy (Ann-Margaret).Unfortunately, Corky has also turned into a serial killer at the behest of Fats.  A real chiller. Don’t watch alone.

#3:  HORROR HOTEL (1960): Also known as City of the Dead, this film stars Christopher Lee (who went on to fame in many Dracula movies) as a professor with an odd  hobby.  History student Nan Barlow visits a town where a witch was burned at the stake years ago on Candlemas Eve and ends up becoming a sacrifice.  Her boyfriend attempts to try and find out what happened to her at the peril of losing his own life.  One of the great early Hammer horror flicks of the 60’s.  Very scary in black and white.

#2:  BLACK SUNDAY (1960): One of the great horror flicks by Mario Bava, this tells the story of a witch put to death 200 years ago by her brother, only to return to seek her revenge.  Okay, it’s an Italian film dubbed in English, but it’s so scary you can overlook that.  Interesting fact:  this film launched the career of actress Barbara Steele, who does double duty as the witch and her look alike descendant. Also filmed in black and white, which I thinks adds to the errieness.

 

AND NOW MY VERY FAVORITE HORROR FILM

 

HALLOWEEN (1978)  Of course it has to be the original.  The music alone sends chills down my spine.  It had me jumping at every turn!  Michael Myers is committed to a sanitarium for murdering his teenage sister on Halloween night when he was six years old. Fifteen years later, he escapes and returns to his hometown, where he stalks a female babysitter and her friends, while under pursuit by his psychiatrist.  Interesting fact:  Jaime Lee Curtis’ screen debut!

 

There you have it!  My top ten horror flicks! What are some of yours???????

 

 

SPOTLIGHT ON THE SUN DOWN MOTEL

MEOW!

Today I'm spotlighting THE SUN DOWN MOTEL on the blog!

Welcome to Fell, NY. It’s no usual place.

For decades, the small town of Fell has been a place where girls grow up being warned by their mothers to be careful or they’ll end up like Cathy Caldwell, the girl who was murdered and found under an overpass, or Victoria Lee who was killed and dumped on a jogging trail on the edge of town. There are a lot of dead girls in Fell.

One particular unsolved missing persons case is the reason behind Carly Kirk’s visit to town. Carly has always been fascinated by her aunt Viv, who disappeared in the 80’s while working at the Sun Down Motel before Carly was born. Using a small inheritance from her deceased mother, Carly leaves college to go to Fell and figure out what happened to her aunt thirty-five years ago. 

Soon Carly is mirroring her aunt’s life, working the same night shift at the motel, which hasn't changed since 1982. The guest book is still handwritten, the rooms still have actual keys, and the Wifi is spotty at best. But that’s not the only unsettling thing about the Sun Down Motel. Doors are opening themselves. Someone prank calls the front desk every night with only static on the other end of the line. Lights go out. And then there’s the mysterious smell of cigarette smoke with no smokers in sight.

As Carly uncovers more about the mysterious happenings at the motel and Fell’s secrets, she discovers that Viv had been trying to unravel mysteries of her own—including a possible serial killer working in Fell targeting women. If Carly can find the answers Viv was searching for, she might be able to solve the mystery that has haunted her family for years. But as Carly digs deeper, she puts herself in front of the same dangers that faced her aunt all those years ago.

The story moves between Carly Kirk in 2017 and her aunt Viv Delaney in 1982—two equally fearless women determined to uncover the truth.  James seamlessly weaves together both time periods and crafts a novel so scary and propulsive that readers will find themselves at the edge of their seats, ripping through the pages to connect the dots while simultaneously never wanting the ride to end.

About the Author

Simone St. James is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls, Lost Among the Living, and The Haunting of Maddy Clare. She wrote her first ghost story, about a haunted library, when she was in high school, and spent twenty years behind the scenes in the television business before leaving to write full-time.

Grab your copy on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Book debuts today, October 20.  Trade paperback from Berkley.

ROCCO's October Cozy Reviews

Meow!  It's time for our October cozies!!!!

first up:
DYING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND
Year Round Christmas Mystery
Vicki Delany
Berkley
9/29/2020
five stars

n the town of Rudolph, New York, the Christmas season should make spirits bright, but as the year comes to an end, so does a life, in the fifth installment of this charming cozy mystery series.

Christmas has arrived in Rudolph, New York, and Merry Wilkinson is looking forward to a much needed rest. But before that can happen, Luanne Ireland walks through her door. Luanne had asked Merry to help make decorations for her wedding, but has suddenly moved the wedding months earlier and is now demanding that everyone follow her lead, regardless of the cost.

But that cost is much higher than anyone anticipated. When Luanne's fiancé is found murdered at their proposed wedding venue, Merry resolves to restore peace and calm to the community of Rudolph. But the closer she gets to the killer, the more personal the case becomes, and Merry begins to worry that a death knell could ring in the New Year.

This is one of my favorite series as I love Christmas! that and Halloween are my two favorite holidays.  Vicki Delany is a talented author and every one of her series is enjoyable, this is no exception. Five Paws.




Haunted Homicide
A Haunted Mansion Mystery
Lucy Ness
September 29, 2020
Berkley Mass Market
Four stars

Avery Morgan has been hired to breathe new life into the Portage Path Women's Club, but first she'll have to deal with a dead body and a meddling ghost.

Avery Morgan has had a harrowing first week on the job as manager of the Portage Path Woman's Club. Not only is she in charge of a grand old home with a mountain of maintenance problems and scheduling nightmares--thanks to a recent fire in the Marigold meeting room--but she's also got Muriel Sadler to deal with. Muriel is the current president of the club, the one "nay" vote when the rest of the board voted "aye" to hiring Avery.

After a morning of dealing with another one of Muriel's snits and a meeting with the delicious and delightfully unsettling Ben Harkness, who will be handling renovations in the fire-damaged portions of the house, the last thing Avery needs is for one of the fuses to blow. Again.

She grabs her handy flashlight and heads into the basement, where she stumbles across Muriel's body. She also stumbles across an unexpected helper, Clemmie Bow, the ghost of a young woman who was accidentally killed in the building almost a hundred years ago.

Together Clemmie and Avery are determined to solve Muriel's murder before the killer sends Avery to join Clemmie on the other side.

A good start to what looks to be an interesting new series.  If you like mysteries with a touch of the supernatural, this might be for you!!!!!  Four paws.

A DEATH LONG OVERDUE
A Lighthouse Mystery
Eva Gates (aka Vicki Delany)
Crooked Lane
October 10, 2020
Four Paws

When her former director is found dead in the water, librarian Lucy Richardson will have to get to the bottom of the mystery before the killer ends her tale.

It's summertime in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Bertie James's college class is having their 40th anniversary reunion. The opening night reception is held at the Lighthouse Library and Lucy and her colleagues have assembled an exhibit of library artifacts showing how libraries have changed over the years. After the reception, some of the women take a walk down the boardwalk to the pier, using flashlights to illuminate the dark path, but what's scarier than the dark is finding the former director of the Lighthouse Library floating lifeless in the water.

Helena Sanchez, the former director, wasn't much loved and spent the party being rude to almost everyone there. As a result, Lucy finds herself in deep water as she rocks the boat, questioning several suspects. But she'll have to batten down the hatches and fast before she's left high and dry...and right in the killer's crosshairs.

Crooked Lane picked up this popular series from Berkley and we are glad they did!  Four paws!!!!

A Crime of a Different Stripe
Sally Goldenbaum
Seaside Knitters Mystery
Kensington
October 27,2020
Four paws

As sleepy Sea Harbor, Massachusetts settles into the glow of autumn, a baby-on-the-way has the Seaside Knitters feeling warm and fuzzy. Only, these crafty ladies can’t get too cozy when sweater weather delivers an unexpected arrival—murder!

While no-nonsense mother-to-be Cass Halloran tries downplaying her pregnancy and her frequent doctor’s visits as an “older” mother-to-be, a softer side of the lobsterwoman emerges as she joins the Seaside Knitters in knitting an abundance of delicate hats and booties. But in contrast to the happy news, terrifying events unfold at the town’s art series that puts a real chill in their New England fall . . .

Izzy Perry’s husband Sam had reservations about inviting his one-time mentor Harrison Grant to speak at the opening reception, although he never imagined the famed and charismatic photographer would rudely embarrass his hosts that evening. But when a dead body turns up along the wooded shoreline the next day, startling secrets come into focus that could undo the tight-knit community of local artists . . .

With a mysterious murder pitting neighbors against each other, Izzy, Birdie, Nell, and a vulnerable Cass find themselves entangled in a dangerous hunt for answers. Can four best friends somehow tie together scattered clues and pacify a list of potential culprits before a cascade of fallen foliage buries the pièce de résistance of a ruthless killer?

Who wouldn't want to read this with that gorgeous cat on the cover?  and the story isn't bad either LOL.  Avid knitters will enjoy the many referneces.  

Four paws.

BENDING THE PAW

DIANE KELLY

PAW ENFORCEMENT MYSTERY

ST. MARTIN'S.

OCTOBER 27, 2020

FOUR 1/2 PAWS

Make way for the long paw of the law as police officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner Brigit investigate a baffling new mystery in Bending the Paw, by Diane Kelly.

A MURDER WITHOUT A BODY IS LIKE A DOG WITHOUT A BONE
A bloodbath is a shocking new challenge for Megan and Brigit when Detective Audrey Jackson calls them to the scene of what could only be a brutal murder. But the one thing the nightmarish scene is missing is a victim. The frantic homeowner’s husband is gone, seemingly without a trace—and so is the money he was holding. Has a vicious killer committed what might just be the perfect crime?

Meanwhile, it’s hailing cats and dogs all over Fort Worth, and roofing contractors have descended on the city in droves. With plenty of damage and continuing storms, work delays are building up like so much runoff, but Megan is suspicious that one roofer may be a scam artist. Determined to leash every lawbreaker she and her K-9 partner find, Megan is building a case for prosecution, all while Brigit has her nose to the ground for a murderer…

For a mystery starring a dog, it's pretty good. Top notch, actually. This series always delivers!  Four and a half paws.

AND A SPECIAL TREAT

A July release that we forgot to include!

WITCH HUNT

CATE CONTE

A FULL MOON MYSTERY

CATE CONTE

FOUR 1/2 PAWS

Murder isn’t always crystal-clear . . . especially when the prime suspect discovers she’s a witch.
 
Violet Mooney owns The Full Moon crystal shop in quaint North Harbor, Connecticut. Still grieving her beloved grandmother’s recent unexpected death, she takes comfort in her fat orange cat Monty and her work. Not everyone in town is thrilled with her business, however. When disagreeable town councilwoman Carla Fernandez picks a fight over Violet’s "voodoo shop," the two have a very public confrontation. Of course, when Carla turns up dead, Violet gets little sympathy from the police as suspect #1.
 
But the shock of two policemen showing up at her door pales in comparison to the sudden appearance of her estranged mother Fiona and a surprise sister, Zoe. What Fiona reveals will rock her world and her sense of self—and reawaken her long-dormant mysterious power. Good thing. She’s gonna need it . . .

new mystery series by the writer also known as Liz Mugavero!  I enjoyed Liz's other series and since I am also a fan of the supernatural, liked this one as well!

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