ROCCO reviews Haunted Hibiscus (and Laura Childs does a FAST FIVE)

 Meow! Today I'm reviewing Laura Child's latest entry in the Tea Shop Mysteries, HAUNTED HIBISCUS!

Haunted Hibiscus

a tea shop mystery

Laura Childs

Berkley hardcover

March 2, 2021

Five Stars

Synopsis:

Tea maven Theodosia Browning brews up trouble in the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.

It is the week before Halloween and Theodosia Browning, proprietor of the Indigo Tea Shop, and her tea sommelier, Drayton, are ghosting through the dusk of a cool Charleston evening on their way to the old Bouchard Mansion. Known as the Gray Ghost, this dilapidated place was recently bequeathed to the Heritage Society, and tonight heralds the grand opening of their literary and historical themed haunted house.

Though Timothy Neville, the patriarch of the Heritage Society, is not thrilled with the fund-raising idea, it is the perfect venue for his grandniece, Willow French, to sign copies of her new book, Carolina Crimes & Creepers.

But amid a parade of characters dressed as Edgar Allan Poe, Lady Macbeth, and the Headless Horseman, Willow's body is suddenly tossed from the third-floor tower room and left to dangle at the end of a rope. Police come screaming in and Theodosia's boyfriend, Detective Pete Riley, is sent to Willow's apartment to investigate. But minutes later, he is shot and wounded by a shadowy intruder.

Timothy begs Theodosia to investigate, and shaken by Riley's assault, she readily agrees. Now, she questions members of the Heritage Society and a man who claims the mansion is rightfully his, as well as Willow's book publisher and her fiancé, all while hosting a Sherlock Holmes tea and catering several others.

But the Gray Ghost holds many secrets, as do several other key suspects, while this murder mystery plays out on the eve of Halloween.

ROCCO's review:

Who can resist a Halloween murder mystery?  Once again, a very pleasing entry in a spectacular series.  Theo wades through her list of suspects with her usual aplomb, with Drayton as her trusty sidekick.  There are plenty of twists and turns to satisfy even the pickiest reader, and as usual an ending you dont see coming.  We would like to add that Theo has vastly improved in the wardrobe destruction department as well.  A Five Paw tale (tail?).

ROCCO’S Fast Five for Haunted Hibiscus

by Laura Childs, New York Times bestselling author

What’s your favorite part of the day?

Late afternoon when the sun starts to slant in my office window. That’s when I get

my second wind and the ideas flow more easily. Maybe because it feels like the

pressure’s off, maybe because it suits my circadian rhythm.

What do you like to do to celebrate when you finish writing a book?

I kind of hate to admit this, but I don’t celebrate. Crazy at it sounds, if I finish a

book in the morning, I start a new one that afternoon. Compulsive, huh?

What food do you wish was calorie free?

Chocolate is my dark master. I’m addicted to chocolate covered peanuts, boxes of

Godiva, chocolate walnut fudge . . . well, you get the idea.

What was your favorite book as a child?

I adored the Sign of the Twisted Candles. It was a Nancy Drew Mystery that had

everything I love – spooky old inn, quirky characters, tantalizing crime, and three

BFFs out to solve a mystery.

What’s something that’s always in your refrigerator?

Diet Coke. I can’t get moving in the morning without a can of Diet Coke. And

though nutritionists would call me crazy, I feel it’s genuinely good for you. If

you’re hot, it cools you down. If you’re feeling crumby it settles your stomach.

And when you’re tired that little jolt of caffeine picks you right up!

Thank you, Laura!

Laura Childs will give away a signed copy of Haunted HIbiscus to one lucky commenter! to enter, leave your name and email address in our comments section below. US entries only, please.  Winner will be chosen using random.org. Contest ends midnight, March 28.

ROCCO's March Cozy reviews!

 Meow, it's time for our March cozy reviews!

ROCCO will review HAUNTED HIBISCUS ON HIS MARCH 15TH BLOG!

HAUNTED HIBISCUS

LAURA CHILDS

BERKLEY HARDCOVER

MARCH 2 2021

FIVE STARS

A Game of Cones

Abby Collette

Ice Cream Parlor Mystery

Berkley - Trade paperback

March 2, 2021

Four 1/2 paws

Bronwyn Crewse is delighted that Crewse Creamery, the ice cream shop her family has owned for decades, is restored to its former glory and serving sweet frozen treats to happy customers in the picturesque small town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. But when a big city developer comes to town intent on building a mall, a killer with a frozen heart takes him out.
 
 After literally stumbling across the body, one of Win’s closest friends becomes the prime suspect, and to make things worse, Win’s aunt has come to town with the intention of taking command of Crewse Creamery. Even though Win has a rocky road ahead to help her friend and keep her ice cream shop, it'll take more than a sprinkle of murder to stop her from solving the crime and saving the day.

Who doens't love ice cream, especially when it's connected to a mystery!!!!  Good second entry in this series!

FATAL FRIED RICE

A NOODLE SHOP MYSTERY

VIVIEN CHIEN

ST. MARTIN'S PAPERBACK

MARCH 9, 2021

Five Paws

Lana Lee returns for another delectable cozy set in a Chinese restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio in Vivien Chien's Fatal Fried Rice…

Lana Lee runs her family’s Chinese restaurant in Cleveland’s Asia Village like nobody’s business. When it comes to actual cooking, however, she’s known to be about a step up from boiling rice. So Lana decides to go to culinary school on the sly—and prove that she has what it takes in the kitchen after all. But when course instructor Margo Chan turns up dead after class, Lana suddenly finds herself on the case, frying pan in hand.

Since she was the one who discovered the body, Lana must do double duty in finding the killer and clearing her name. Now, with or without the help of her boyfriend Detective Adam Trudeau, Lana launches her own investigation into Margo’s life and mysterious death. Doing so leads her on a wild goose chase to and from the culinary school—and all the way back to the Ho-Lee noodle shop, where the guilty party may be closer than Lana thinks.

We love this series!  Every time i read one, the descriptions of the food make my mouth water!  And the mystery isn't bad either LOL.  Lana's foray into cooking doens't turn out too well, and as usual she's on the receiving end of a body discovery, much to the dismay of her main squeeze, Detective Adam Trudeau.  Watching Lana chase down clues is part of the fun of reading the book!  A definite five paw page turner!

MURDER AT THE TAFFY SHOP

A cozy capers mystery

Maddie Day

Kensington

March 30, 2021

Four and a half paws

Cape Cod bicycle shop owner Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida and her mystery book club find a certain accusation of murder quite the stretch . . .
 
When your mother is an astrologist and your dad is a minister, you learn to keep an open mind. Which is just what Mac loves to do—exercise her mind by puzzling out fictional clues in the mystery novels she reads and discusses with her Cozy Capers Book Group.
 
But now Mac’s friend Gin has found herself in a sticky situation. After wealthy genealogist Beverly Ruchart is found dead outside Gin’s taffy shop, the candy maker becomes a person of interest. When it’s revealed that Beverly was poisoned the night Gin brought a box of taffy to a dinner party at Beverly’s house, she’s bumped to the top of the suspects list. It’s up to Mac and her Cozy Capers crime solvers to unwrap this real-life mystery. But this time they might have bitten off more than they can chew . . .

Interesting series with good characters!  Looking forward to more.

SPOTLIGHT: THE OUTSIDE MAN BY DON BENTLEY

 

THE OUTSIDE MAN

A MATT DRAKE THRILLER

DON BENTLEY

BERKLEY HARDCOVER

RELEASE DATE: MARCH 2.

The fight for freedom has sent Matt Drake to some of the world's most dangerous spots. This time the war is coming to his front door.

Broad daylight on an Austin, Texas, street and DIA operative Matt Drake is fighting for his life against a highly trained team of assassins. Who are they? Why do they want him dead? How will he protect those closest to him?

The answers will take him into some of the most dangerous spots in the Middle East and will put him in the clutches of an old foe known simply as the Devil. It's a world of double crosses, with no boundaries between the guilty and the innocent. It will take all of Drake's wiles to get out alive.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[D]evoted action fans, will be right at home. All can benefit from Drake's insider tips: get military pepper spray if you can; the commercial stuff is a powder puff."—Booklist

About the Author

Don Bentley spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot, and while deployed in Afghanistan was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal with "V" device for valor. Following his time in the military, Don worked as an FBI special agent focusing on foreign intelligence and counterintelligence and was a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team member. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Author Debbie De Louise in ROCCO's hotseat!

 

Meow! My guest today is author and blogger Debbie DeLouise!

 

Debbie De Louise is an award-winning author and a reference librarian at a public library on Long Island. She is a member of Sisters-in-Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Long Island Authors Group, and the Cat Writers’ Association. Her novels include the five books and three stories of the Cobble Cove cozy mystery series, a comedy novella, When Jack Trumps Ace, a paranormal romance, Cloudy Rainbow, and the standalone mysteries; Reason to Die, Sea Scope, and Memory Makers. Her latest book, Pet Posts: The Cat Chats is a non-fiction pet book. She lives on Long Island with her husband, daughter, and three cats.

 

Debbie’s stories and poetry also appear in the Red Penguin Collections, What Lies Beyond, 'Tis the Season, and Standout:The Best of the Red Penguin Collection, Volume I. Her poems are also featured in the Nassau County Voices In Verse 2020 anthology and the 2020 Bards Annual.

 

 

Welcome Debbie!

 

 R:  Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became interested in writing.

 

1. It seems I’ve always been interested in writing. As a child, I loved to read and also make up stories. When I learned to write, my teachers told my parents they saw talent in my writing.

 

R:  Tell us about your latest release

 

2. My latest release is Pet Posts: The Cat Chats. It’s my first non-fiction book featuring feline health, behavior, and other topics told from 4 of my cats’ points of view. It’s also the first book I’ve self published. My other books, including my Cobble Cove cozy mystery series and several standalone mysteries are published by two Indie publishers.

 

R: What do you hope readers will most take away from your writing?

 

3. I hope that readers will relate to my characters and enjoy reading the mysteries in which they are involved. I hope that they are slightly surprised by the endings to my books but not shocked. I hope they find entertainment and enjoyable escapism from daily life within the pages of my novels.

R: What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

4.     I write mostly mysteries, both cozies and traditional ones, but I’ve dabbled in several other genres – romance, science fiction, horror, fantasy, and now non-fiction.

R: What have you had published to-date? Do you have a favourite of your books or characters?

5.     I’ve published 10 full-length books, 5 of them are part of my Cobble Cove cozy mystery series, and a dozen or so short eBooks along with short stories in anthologies, and pet articles for online and print magazines. All my published works are listed on my website: https://debbiedelouise.com. Most of them are available as paperbacks and eBooks. The eBooks are free on Kindle Unlimited and only available through Amazon.com. I also have two books in audio, large type, and hardcover. My award-winning psychological mystery, Sea Scope, is also translated in Spanish.

R: What are you working on at the moment / next?

6.     I’ve just signed a contract with Next Chapter Publishing for a time-travel thriller called Time’s Relative that should be released this spring.  KittyKai’s Easter Mystery, another short Cobble Cove cozy mystery eBook for Solstice Publishing that has an Easter theme, will be released March 5th.

R: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

7.     I’m mostly a pantster, but I try to plot a little. When I do, I tend to deviate from any outlines I create as my characters take over and lead the way.

R: What do you do when you’re not writing? Any hobbies or party tricks? :)

8.     No party tricks unless you call pulling my cats out of boxes – lol. I have been exercising to walking videos regularly and outdoors when the weather permits. I love to read, but I don’t have much time to do it while I’m writing. I also enjoy playing with my cats.

R: Where can we find out more about you and your work?

9.     I listed my website earlier. It’s https://debbiedelouise.com. I’m in the process of redesigning it. It also features my blog and newsletter sign up.

My cat character, Sneaky, from my Cobble Cove mysteries also has his own blog where he interviews pet characters from other mysteries and also hosts a column by my two real life cats. His blog can be found here: Sneaky the Library Cat’s blog: https://Sneakylibrarycat.wordpress.com

My other social media links are:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debbie.delouise.author/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Deblibrarian

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2750133.Debbie_De_Louise

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2bIHdaQ
All Author: https://allauthor.com/author/debbiedelouise/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debbie_writer/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiedelouise/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/debbie-de-louise

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/debbiedelouise

Debbie’s Character’s Chat Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/748912598599469/

 

R: You have also written several other books—tell us a bit about those. –

 

10.  My Cobble Cove cozy mystery series began with A Stone’s Throw that introduced the main character, Alicia, who is a librarian like me. In the first book, her husband has been killed in a strange hit-and-run accident. She travels to his childhood hometown of Cobble Cove (a fictional, upstate New York town) to seek out people who may have known him and accepts a job there as a librarian. She then discovers a secret about her husband that reveals his death wasn’t an accident. As the series continues, Alicia becomes involved in other mysteries along with Sneaky, the Cobble Cove library cat.

 

In my latest book of the series, No Gravestone Unturned, published in October, Sneaky is aided by two other cats in helping Alicia solve a murder in the Cobble Cove graveyard. While Sneaky has been a silent cat in previous books and only leading Alicia to clues and helping her like a regular cat, in the two eBook stories following the 4^th full-length book, Sneaky’s Christmas Mystery (the Cat Writers’ Association’s MUSE medallion winner) and Sneaky’s Summer Mystery, the readers became aware of Sneaky’s thoughts and that of the other pet characters in the series.

 

This past summer, I also published a medical thriller, Memory Makers, about a woman who volunteers for a clinical trial of a new memory drug hoping to recall the face of the man who kidnapped her and her sister as children and murdered her sister.

 

All my books usually include cats, if not in big roles, then in subplots. I sometimes feature other pets, too. There are two dogs in my Cobble Cove series, and I even feature a parrot in my thriller, Reason to Die, about the murders of handicapped people in a small town in Connecticut.

 

 Thank you for being a guest here, Debbie!  And for hosting our recent blog tour for HISS H FOR HOMICIDE! on your blog.

 

Giveaway time!

 

Debbie will acknowledge one lucky commenter in one of her next books and send that commenter a free copy of that book in eBook form when it’s published this spring.

 

To enter, leave your e-mail address along with a comment with your full name and choose one of the below titles that you would most like to read:

KittyKai’s Easter Mystery: A Cobble Cove Story (cozy mystery) or Time’s Relative (a time-travel thriller).

Entries without email will be disqualified.  Contest ends midnight EST , Sunday February 28th.

 

 

 

 

ROCCO's Fast Five with....JON LAND

 Jon Land, one of our favorite authors, has a new release!

n Margaret Truman's Murder on the Metro, Jon Land's first thrilling addition to the New York Times bestselling Capital Crimes series, Robert Brixton uncovers a sinister plot threatening millions of American lives!

"A roller coaster of a novel." —David Baldacci, New York Times bestselling author

Israel: A drone-based terrorist attack kills dozens on a sun-splashed beach in Caesarea.

Washington: America awakens to the shattering news that Vice President Stephanie Davenport has died of an apparent heart attack.

That same morning, a chance encounter on the Washington Metro results in international private investigator Robert Brixton thwarting an attempted terrorist bombing. Brixton has no reason to suspect that the three incidents have anything in common, until he’s contacted by Kendra Rendine, the Secret Service agent who headed up the vice president’s security detail. Rendine is convinced the vice president was murdered and needs Brixton’s investigative expertise to find out why.

In Israel, meanwhile, legendary anti-terrorist fighter Lia Ganz launches her own crusade against the perpetrators of that attack which nearly claimed the lives of her and granddaughter. Ganz’s trail will ultimately take her to Washington where she joins forces with Brixton to uncover an impossible link between the deadly attack on Caesarea and the attempted Metro bombing, as well as the death of the vice president.

The connection lies in the highest corridors of power in Washington where a deadly plot with unimaginable consequences has been hatched. With the clock ticking toward doomsday, Brixton and Ganz race against time to save millions of American lives who will otherwise become collateral damage to a conspiracy destined to change the United States forever.


"Margaret Truman’s Murder in the Metro is a spectacular international thriller of intrigue and conspiracy that I could . . . not . . . put . . . down." —Mark Greaney, New York Times bestselling author

We have to agree with the above reviews!  Land has once again crafted a spectacular thriller that will please fans of this series and keep readers on the edge of their seats!  A five paw read!!!!!!!!!

About the author:

Jon Land is the USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty books, over ten of which feature Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong. The critically acclaimed series has won more than a dozen awards, including the 2019 International Book Award for Best Thriller for Strong as Steel. He is also the author of Chasing the Dragon, a detailed account of the War on Drugs written with one of the most celebrated DEA agents of all time. A graduate of Brown University, Land lives in Providence, Rhode Island and received the 2019 Rhode Island Authors Legacy Award for his lifetime of literary achievements. 

And now...ROCCO's fast five with Jon Land!

If you won a million dollars, what's the first thing you would do?

 Wow, that’s actually a tough one. I think I’d just pay off all my debts. What a feeling that would be! I’m not a traveler, I don’t play golf, I just don’t have expensive tastes. It’s a blessing to enjoy the simplest things the most, a blessing when the things you enjoy the most don’t cost a lot.

 

What movie could you watch over and over?

 It’s a tie between JAWS and THE GODFATHER. Every time I’m flipping through channels and I come to one of those I start watching and then I can’t stop. Same thing with the Sean Connery Bond movies. And THE USUAL SUSPECTS which for me is the best screenplay of this generation. Interestingly, I remember as a kid watching AIRPORT starring Burt Lancaster, that takes place during a snow storm, during a snow storm. Now, whenever it snows, I have this urge to watch it again which I did just a few weeks ago after I finally bought the digital version from my cable company. Go figure.

 

Do you have a favorite movie quote and if so, what is it?

 I have a million! But at the very top of that list is from CASABLANCA when Claude Rains playing the cop speaks to the just arriving Nazi soldiers after Bogie shoots the Gestapo said: “Major Strasser has been shot!...Round up the usual suspects.” It’s flat-out perfect.

 

What is your favorite part of the day?

 I don’t have one. Different parts of the day represent different things for me, but I guess I’d go with evenings because there are less emails and no phone calls to distract me from working or anything else. Yup, evenings because that’s I have time all to myself and now, because Trump’s gone, I’m not chained to MSNBC anymore for my nightly therapy. Rachel Maddow should send me a bill for all the therapy she provided for those four impossible years with that lumbering piece of _______ in the White House.

 

If you could talk to any author, living or dead, who would it be and what question would you ask them?

 Well, as you know thanks to my association with the International Thriller Writers, many of my favorite authors are also very close friends, like R.L. Stine, Lee Child, David Morrell, James Rollins, Sandra Brown—too many to name. So I’d go with Stephen King who’s my absolute favorite author because I’ve been reading him for so long and he’s still at the top of this game. I don’t have a specific question I’d ask him—I just want to have a conversation. People always compliment me on the depth and breadth of my imagination. But compared to Stephen King, I’m a first grader.

Thank you Jon!!!!!  Folks if you are in the mood for a thrill ride, pick up a copy of Murder on the Metro today!

Jon will send a copy of MURDER ON THE METRO to one lucky commenter. to enter, leave your name and email address in our comments section.  US entries only, please!  Contest ends Feb. 20th.

 

ROCCO spotlights RELENTLESS!

 

Meow!

Today the spotlight is on Book 10 in Mark Greaney's popular Gray Man series, RELENTLESS!

The Gray Man's search for missing intelligence agents plunges him deep into a maelstrom of trouble in the latest entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

The first agent disappearance was a puzzle.

The second was a mystery.

The third was a conspiracy.

Intelligence operatives around the world are disappearing. When a missing American agent re-appears in Venezuela, Court Gentry, the Gray Man, is dispatched to bring him in, but a team of assassins has other ideas. Court escapes with his life and a vital piece of intelligence.

Meanwhile, CIA agent Zoya Zakharova is in Berlin. Her mission: to infiltrate a private intelligence firm with some alarming connections. The closer she gets to answers, the less likely she is to get out alive.

Court and Zoya are just two pieces on this international chessboard, and they're about to discover one undeniable truth—sometimes capturing a king requires sacrificing some pawns.

Don't miss the tenth instalment in this riveting series! On sale Today!!!!!!!

ROCCO's February Cozy Reviews!

 Meow!  It's time for our February cozy reviews!  We'll start with one of our Favorite authors!

EGG SHOOTERS

A Cackleberry Club mystery

Laura Childs

Berkley Prime Crime

Hardcover - 1/26/21

Five stars

Suzanne Dietz, co-owner of the Cackleberry Club Café, is visiting her fiancé, Dr. Sam Hazelet, when a masked gunman bursts into the emergency room. He shoots two people and would probably have done more damage had Suzanne not brained him with a thermos full of chili. Still, the gunman manages to escape.

Now the ladies of the Cackleberry Club are determined to find the killer before he finds them.

Suzanne and the gang are back in another spine-tingling mystery.  This series is becoming one of my can't miss!!!!!  Five paws!!!!!!

Undercover Kitty

Sofie Ryan

Second Chance Cat Mystery

Berkley - MM

January 26, 2021

Five Paws

Sarah Grayson and her capable cat, Elvis, go undercover in the newest installment of the New York Times bestselling Second Chance Cat Mysteries.

Sarah and Elvis can always be found at a charming secondhand shop in the village of North Harbor, Maine. Despite the small-town setting, the daring duo often find themselves wrapped up in murder, but luckily they have help--a quirky group of senior citizens runs an amateur detective agency called Charlotte's Angels out of the store.

The Angels are hired to look into who is sabotaging cat shows in the state, and they decide the best way to do that is to send Elvis the cat undercover as a contestant. But then one of the cat show volunteers is murdered just before the latest competition, and Sarah and the Angels have to catch a killer in two shakes of a cat's tail!

LIke its sister sereis, the magical cats, this one just keeps improving with each volume!  the characters are well defined and the plot appropriately twisty!  Five paws!

A PAIRING TO DIE FOR

Kate Lansing

Colorado Wine Mystery

MM - Berkley

January 26, 2021

Four and a half paws

A young winemaker is over a barrel when her new boyfriend is accused of murder in this delightful cozy mystery.

It's fall in Boulder, Colorado, and the leaves aren't the only things changing. Parker Valentine, owner of Vino Valentine, is finally settling in to her winery and her new relationship with Reid Wallace, a local chef. But their delicate pairing is endangered when Reid's estranged family comes into town to celebrate the opening of his new restaurant.

Reid and his family are immediately at loggerheads, given their often acidic temperaments, but Parker still wants to make a good first impression. However, her efforts might be in vain when Reid's sous chef is found dead in the alley behind the restaurant, and Reid is implicated in the murder. In order to save Reid, Parker will have to find the real killer, even if the truth is difficult to swallow.

Wine and a good mystery. Enough said. 

KILLER CONTENT

Olivia Blacke

Berkley Trade Paperback

February 2, 2021

Four stars

It's murder most viral in this debut mystery by Olivia Blacke.

Bayou transplant Odessa Dean has a lot to learn about life in Brooklyn. So far she's scored a rent free apartment in one of the nicest neighborhoods around by cat-sitting, and has a new job working at Untapped Books & Café. Hand-selling books and craft beers is easy for Odessa, but making new friends and learning how to ride the subway? Well, that might take her a little extra time.

But things turn more sour than an IPA when the death of a fellow waitress goes viral, caught on camera in the background of a couple's flash-mob proposal video. Nothing about Bethany's death feels right to Odessa--neither her sudden departure mid-shift nor the clues that only Odessa seems to catch. As an up-and-coming YouTube star, Bethany had more than one viewer waiting for her to fall from grace.

Determined to prove there's a killer on the loose, Odessa takes matters into her own hands. But can she pin down Bethany's killer before they take Odessa offline for good?

DIABOLICAL BONES

 Bronte Sisters Mystery

Bella Ellis

Berkley Trade Paperback 

February 16, 2021

Four Stars

Haworth Parsonage, February 1846: The Brontë sisters— Anne, Emily, and Charlotte—are busy with their literary pursuits. As they query publishers for their poetry, each sister hopes to write a full-length novel that will thrill the reading public. They’re also hoping for a new case for their fledgling detecting enterprise, Bell Brothers and Company solicitors. On a bitterly cold February evening, their housekeeper Tabby tells them of a grim discovery at Scar Top House, an old farmhouse belonging to the Bradshaw family. A set of bones has been found bricked up in a chimney breast inside the ancient home.
 
Tabby says it's bad doings, and dark omens for all of them. The rattled housekeeper gives them a warning, telling the sisters of a chilling rumour attached to the family. The villagers believe that, on the verge of bankruptcy, Clifton Bradshaw sold his soul to the devil in return for great riches. Does this have anything to do with the bones found in the Bradshaw house? The sisters are intrigued by the story and feel compelled to investigate. But Anne, Emily, and Charlotte soon learn that true evil has set a murderous trap and they've been lured right into it...

FURBIDDEN FATALITY

Deborah Blake

MM - Berkley

February 23, 2021

Four and a half stars

a lottery winner uses her good fortune to save a local pet sanctuary, but when a body is discovered on the property, she just might be in the doghouse in this first book in a new, charming cozy mystery series from author Deborah Blake.

Kari Stuart's life is going nowhere—until she unexpectedly wins the lottery. The twenty-nine-year-old instant multimillionaire is still mulling plans for her winnings when rescuing a bossy black kitten leads her to a semi-abandoned animal shelter. They need the cash—Kari needs a purpose.

But the dilapidated rescue is literally going to the dogs with a pending lawsuit, hard to adopt animals, and too much unwanted attention from the town's dog warden. When the warden turns up dead outside the shelter's dog kennels, Kari finds herself up a creek without a pooper-scooper.

With the help of some dedicated volunteers, a cute vet, and a kitten who mysteriously shows up just when she needs it, Kari must prove her innocence all while trying to save a dog on death row. Now she just needs to hope that her string of unexpected luck isn't about to run out

An interesting premise and a good start to a new series!

A SIDE OF MURDER

AMY PERSHING

CAPE COD FOODIE

FEBRUARY 23, 2021

MM-BERKLEY

4 1/2 paws

 Beautiful Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is known for seafood, sand, surf, and, now…murder.

 
Samantha Barnes was always a foodie.  And when the CIA (that’s the Culinary Institute of America) came calling, she happily traded in Cape Cod for the Big Apple.  But then the rising young chef’s clash with another chef (her ex!) boils over and goes viral. So when Sam inherits a house on the Cape and lands a job writing restaurant reviews, it seems like the perfect pairing. What could go wrong? Well, as it turns out, a lot.
 
The dilapidated house comes with an enormous puppy. Her new boss is, well, bossy.  And the town’s harbor master is none other than her first love.  Nonetheless, Sam’s looking forward to reviewing the Bayview Grill—and indeed the seafood chowder is divine. But the body in the pond outside the eatery was not on the menu. Sam is certain this is murder. But as she begins to stir the pot, is she creating a recipe for her own untimely demise?

Another promising new series.  can we dare hope Berkley is reviving their cozies??????  We hope so.

Four ad a half paws

And another debuting this month:

HISS H FOR HOMICIDE

A NICK AND NORA  MYSTERY

T. C. Lotempio

February 9, 2021

Kindle/Trade paperback

Beyond the Page Publishing

Nick and Nora are back in a tantalizing new mystery that’s far more dangerous than a game of cat and mouse . . .

Never one to turn away from a challenge—even when it goes against her better judgment—Nora Charles can hardly say no when an old friend of her mother’s comes to town seeking her help. The author of steamy romances has learned that her writing partner is severing their relationship and threatening to reveal dark and dirty secrets in a tell-all, and she pleads with Nora to intervene. Reluctantly agreeing to help, Nora pays a visit to the writing partner, ready to make her case—right up until the moment she discovers the woman’s lifeless body.

With the police convinced that Nora’s friend is the culprit, she and Nick begin delving into the dead woman’s past and her provocative tell-all. It soon becomes apparent that the woman had a knack for digging up dirt and wasn’t shy about exposing skeletons in closets, and before long Nora has a seemingly endless list of suspects who were at risk of having their darkest secrets revealed. With a police force intent on throwing the book at Nora’s friend and time running out, she and Nick must outwit a dangerous killer before they take their own secrets to the grave . . .

Unfortunately, we cannot review this mystery, but we sincerely hope that our fans will like it!!!!  Meow!

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