Ma-Row! Here are my cozy reviews for August!
Starting off with an old favorite:
A TROUBLING TAIL
Laurie Cass
Bookmobile cat mystery
MMPB/Berkley/8/1/23
Five Stars!
When the owner of a local candy store is murdered, librarian Minnie Hamilton and her rescue cat, Eddie, prepare to find the sweet spot to solve a crime.
The charming town of Chilson, Michigan, is beautiful in the spring, and local librarian Minnie and her cat Eddie are delivering great reads far and wide on one of the first warm days of the year. But a chill sweeps through them when they discover that one of their favorite patrons, the local candy store owner, has been found murdered. Although Minnie can't understand who could have a motive to murder such a kind man, she determines that the sticky problem isn't hers to solve.
However, when rumors start flying around town and the police have no leads, Minnie decides to throw her investigative hat into the ring. The more Minnie investigates, the less certain she is that the victim's past is as wholesome as his reputation. But Minnie has plenty of experience unearthing inconvenient truths, and she and Eddie won't rest until they determine how the candy store owner met his bitter end.
We never tire of the adventures of Minnie and her delightful tabby cat Eddie, even after 11 volumes! Even though Minnie does the heavy lifting it's Eddie who steals the show! New and old fans alike will fall in love Five stars
A DEADLY DEDICATION
Margaret Louden
Open Book Mystery
MMPB/August 1, 2023/ Four and a half stars
When murder taints writer-in-residence Penelope Parish’s charming British bookshop, she must follow the clues to catch a killer before tempers boil over.
Penelope Parish thought she’d turned the page on her amateur sleuthing days but when the owner of Upper Chumley-on-Stokes’ proposed first high-end gourmet shop is poisoned, the American novelist starts to wonder if she and her quaint British town are in for another rewrite. It turns out that not everyone was a fan of Simeon Foster’s farm-sourced charcuterie and imported pastries—many of the locals were outraged by the potential new competition.
With a full menu of suspects on her hands, this just might be Penelope’s toughest case yet. Luckily, her friends at the Open Book are there to help with every twist of the poisoned pen.
A nice mystery, good for a rainy day, with a plucky sleuth, good characters and a charming cat. Who could ask for more?
HONEY DROP DEAD
LAURA CHILDS
A TEA SHOP MYSTERY
HC/8/8/23/ FIVE STARS
Theodosia’s Honey Bee Tea was an elegant affair set in Charleston’s new Petigru Park amid newly planted native grasses and a community beekeeping project. But when a phony beekeeper shows up and sprays toxic smoke at the guests, the party erupts in chaos. Worse yet, a shot rings out and Osgood Claxton III, candidate for state legislature, falls to the ground—dead.
Holly Burns, the gallery owner who asked Theodosia to cater the tea, is understandably heartbroken. A man is dead, her guests are angry and injured, and the paintings that were on display are left in tatters. When the police don’t seem to have a clue, when old-line politicos don’t want questions asked, Holly begs Theodosia to run a shadow investigation and help restore her gallery’s good name.
Between hosting a Wind in the Willows Tea and a Glam Girl Tea, Theodosia questions everyone that had a bone to pick with Claxton. This includes Booker, an angry outsider artist; Lamar Lucket, Claxton’s political opponent; and Mignon Merriweather, the dead man’s soon-to-be ex-wife. But the investigation becomes a political hot potato following a second murder, the revelation of a messy affair, a chase through a swamp, and a vandalized shop.
Note: This is the synopsis. We will review this book on a separate posting in August!
Theodosia’s Honey Bee Tea was an elegant affair set in Charleston’s new Petigru Park amid newly planted native grasses and a community beekeeping project. But when a phony beekeeper shows up and sprays toxic smoke at the guests, the party erupts in chaos. Worse yet, a shot rings out and Osgood Claxton III, candidate for state legislature, falls to the ground—dead.
Holly Burns, the gallery owner who asked Theodosia to cater the tea, is understandably heartbroken. A man is dead, her guests are angry and injured, and the paintings that were on display are left in tatters. When the police don’t seem to have a clue, when old-line politicos don’t want questions asked, Holly begs Theodosia to run a shadow investigation and help restore her gallery’s good name.
Between hosting a Wind in the Willows Tea and a Glam Girl Tea, Theodosia questions everyone that had a bone to pick with Claxton. This includes Booker, an angry outsider artist; Lamar Lucket, Claxton’s political opponent; and Mignon Merriweather, the dead man’s soon-to-be ex-wife. But the investigation becomes a political hot potato following a second murder, the revelation of a messy affair, a chase through a swamp, and a vandalized shop.This next one debuted in May, but we love this series so we're including it here!
THE DIVA DELIVERS ON A PROMISE
Domestic Diva Series
Krista Davis
HC/Kensington/May 23, 2023/five Stars
In the New York Times bestselling author’s enormously popular culinary cozy series featuring a young Martha Stewart in the making, the maven of entertaining and sometimes sleuth Sophie Winston. Delicious recipes and a picturesque setting make this a delight for fans of Diane Mott Davidson and M.C. Beaton as Sophie must see through the lies of the potential suspects and try to keep a killer at a convention of ghost kitchens from making a ghost of one of the guests…
Sophie is busy handling the first ever convention of the Association of Ghost Kitchens—restaurants that do delivery only—but she’s taking a little time out for a lunch meeting organized by A Healthy Meal. The group is dedicated to providing meals for children in need, and as a bonus, it’ll give Sophie the perfect opportunity to ogle the lavish Old Town home of socialite Geraldine Stansfield. Gerrie’s dining room is impeccably furnished, the table laden with gleaming crystal and prized china. If it weren’t for the dead man lying on the floor, everything would be perfect . . .
No one knows the victim—or at least, no one claims to. But a little snooping by Sophie reveals links to many local notables. In fact, not only was he a client of Geraldine’s late husband, an attorney—every member of the Stansfield clan knew the deceased. But only one knows what he was doing in Gerrie’s
house.
Gerrie’s elegant abode looks spotless, but there’s plenty of dirty linen in those family closets. Now Sophie will have to get the killer to come clean before he spoils another appetite—for good . . .
Sophie solves a mystery, makes delicious food, interacts with Natasha and may or may not be getting back with her ex-husband. Sounds like a good time to us!!!!! Love this series which never disappoints. So glad Kensington picked it up!!!!! Five paws!
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