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Amateur Sleuth

Review

Pushing Up the Daisies

by Brian Kenney

The Bromley Botanists are composed of quite the crew: eccentric academics, weepy archaeologists, affluent seniors, the truly grumpy, and a whole mish-mash of gardening folk. At the center of the group is middle-aged Gil, who led the Bromfield folk last year in restoring the garden, took over the “Chequered Lawns Golf Club”, and won the Golden Trowel Award. Overachiever much? Just as the Bromfield folk are planning to start digging up bulbs and converting the rich, beautiful soil, they discover the most shocking thing of all: a dead body. And one thing we know about the dead is that they are absolute geniuses at gumming up any project, the bigger the better. Can the botanists ever deliver on the promises they made? A fun read for gardeners and cozy fans alike.—Brian Kenney

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Review

The Claus Conspiracy

by Dodie Ownes

Don’t let the cover fool you: this is NOT a Christmas-themed cozy! Yes, there are bell ringers and trips to the mall, but the dead Santa Claus found in the trunk of a car is definitely not jolly. Badly beaten 19 year old Mal (short for Maleficent) cannot remember how she found her way to Seven Ponds Retirement Community, nor where she’s been, and before she can identify the man in the red suit, the body disappears. When a woman claiming to be Mal’s mom (“her name is Kiki!”) appears, everyone is suspicious. Podcaster Amber, her grandmother Jade, and the Death Comes Calling podcast crew dig into solving the mystery, much to the chagrin of local sheriff Eliana Vega, who might have to admit that Amber, just a credential short of being an official private investigator, is ahead of the law in putting the pieces together. An ex-Navy Seal band of brothers, tainted candy canes, and some of the worst Santas you’ve ever seen pile on the fun and intrigue as Amber races to solve the crime before anyone else gets hurt. Nothing can hold these octogenarian sleuths back when they put their minds to it, and their quick wits and quirky skills make this a delightful read from start to finish.—Dodie Ownes

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Review

Murder Unabridged

by Danise Hoover

Nelson, P.J. Murder Unabridged (An Old Juniper Bookshop Mystery #3). December 1, 2026. 352 pages. Minotaur Books. 

Dead bodies turning up in the Old Juniper Bookshop is nothing new, in fact it’s something of a local joke. Maddy opens the door of the shop after hours to an elderly man, who claims to have come to see Rose, Maddy’s aunt who willed the shop to her. He knew the house before it was a shop, and as it is late and cold, he is offered a bed for the night. His corpse is found in the morning. The cause of death is of course highly unusual, Maddy is accused, old nemeses reappear, current romantic interest is unreachable somewhere in California, and wintry gloomy weather inflicts southern Georgia. With Rev. Gloria and Professor Philomena as her sidekicks, Maddy explores the history of the house and her family. There is an enormous amount of charm and warmth in the descriptions of the individuals that she finds, except of course for the awful ones. As modern research and old-time story telling combine, a full picture emerges, unearthing the suspect. With wonderful local color and strong, appealing characters, this is a series worth continuing.—Danise Hoover

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Review

The Pumpkin Vice Cafe

by Danise Hoover

Lovely fall weather is giving way to a picturesque early November snow as baker Juliet, or Jules, who’s about ready to deliver her twin babies, is needed to help with friend Lance’s wedding. Though wedding planning is usually fraught, this one is really starting out as a doozie, as the first choice for planner, Maci, seems to flake out at appointments. Imperious and somewhat nasty planner Tippy is there to take over, but arguments and trouble follow, as does finding Tippy’s body in a rocky stream in the local park. Things are not as they seem, and Jules and Lance are determined to find the answers. All this occurs interspersed with Jules baking amazing and mouthwateringly described goodies (don’t read this while hungry), and friendly interactions with staff, family and locals. Each of the suspects is thoroughly vetted by our amateurs, and as expected, truth is found. This classic food-driven cozy that’s warm, inviting, and highly caloric is easy to enjoy.—Danise Hoover

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Review

The Paradox Club

by Dodie Ownes

Tess has never really felt like she belongs, and that intensifies after her father, Harry’s, tragic, and to her mysterious, death. Her mother is icy cold, and the closest thing she has to a relative, family friend Vivian, remains Tess’s only hope for getting some answers. After her current therapist (Tess recalls them as n-3 or n+2 depending on where they appear in her mental health journey) recommends a return to her childhood home to confront her ghosts, the gates begin to open to her past. Discovering the origins of The Paradox Club and its quest to protect the present from UFOs—untethered foreign objects—and her parents’ and Vivian’s roles blows Tess’s world apart. From Manhattan to South Dakota to Madison, Wisconsin, readers will gallop along with Tess, Vivian, Valentine 6, and other members of The Paradox Club, racing to protect (or is it pursue?) the most dangerous UFO known to personkind before it causes universes to collapse. This is a category-defying novel—a family story and a time-trippy exploration of the universe, populated with inept henchmen and eager helpers in strange yet familiar places, with a gracious bow to the greats of science fiction. Yes, that’s a lot, but Lovett absolutely delivers with humor and style. Fans of Douglas Adams, Matt Haig, and Jodi Taylor will find lots to love.—Dodie Ownes

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Article

Murder at the Movies

by Dodie Ownes

They say “write what you know” and Malone, a host on Turner Classic Movies, has certainly done that in this first title in the Movie Palace Mystery series. Audrey’s career in film in L.A. has crashed, giving her the perfect opportunity to return to Maine’s Pine Island to take over her recently deceased grandmother’s old-time movie theater, the Starlight. Despite an anonymous threat telling her to go back to L.A., she plans a grand reopening, which sadly draws a very small crowd to the showing of Hitchcock’s Suspicion. Then Liam Ross, a menacing presence in Pine Island, is found dead in the projection room, bringing into question everyone who attended the show. Audrey has to pull it together to save the financially strapped Starlight, but small town policing can be small-minded. Luckily, Detective Bailey, in town for a vacation, taps into Audrey’s amateur-sleuthing skills and other locals jump in to help. With quirky and oddly familiar characters, classic-movie quotes and tropes, Malone keeps readers guessing ’til the credits roll in this delightful fiction debut.—Dodie Ownes

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Review

You Had Me at Bigfoot

by Danise Hoover

With a title like this, how could a book be anything but a bit zany? Daphne, named for the Scooby-Doo character, fresh from a forensic journalism degree and a failed hope of a job, arrives in Reno. Her great-aunt is reviving a scandalous rag of a newspaper into something that reports high-society events. She has a classic meet-cute with her hunky fellow staffer, though strives to keep her libido in check and just be a colleague. Their first assignment is to cover a wedding at a rural Oregon resort famed for its sasquatch sightings. The owner of the lodge is marrying a woman nearly 30 years his junior and, despite a pre-nup, his family is outraged. Because of a booking error, our duo must share a lavish but outdated suite complete with a champagne-glass bathtub and a secret passage. Of course, there is a missing hotel maid, bigfoot sightings, and a whiff of (get this!) real-life fugitive D.B. Cooper. Our intrepid reporter ferrets out the clues and solves this in Scooby-Doo fashion with the assistance of dogs. Silly and light as a feather, sure, but lots of fun.—Danise Hoover

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Review

The Quilt Whisperer Investigates

by Danise Hoover

A lovely New England village, a charming, successful local museum, and the prospect of the loan of a historic quilt from a leading citizen; what could go wrong? Alas, the brunch meeting that museum curator Caroline Platte has with said leading citizen goes about as wrong as possible, with the discovery of the donor’s dead body and a missing quilt. Our lovely village is fraught with undercurrents of classism, real estate greed, and. of course, sexual misconduct. The morning coffeeshop coterie discusses and gossips hoping for clues, but it is our intrepid curator Caroline and her stalwart landlady Libby who face dangers to find the solution. Unfortunate arrests, false leads, and personal masks abound and lead our duo in fruitless directions. Like the best of cozies, this ends not with a recipe, but there’s a quilt pattern as well. Solid character development, a well-crafted plot with history and art pointing the way, and a heartwarming side-story make this a satisfying and enjoyable read.—Danise Hoover

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Review

Murder at University Park

by Chris Kahn

Academic life is notoriously difficult, and striving for tenure often proves arduous if not impossible, but in this case, it might be deadly. Lacey is in a particularly impossible position; she’s a woman in the sciences—nutrition—with a department chair who dislikes her, a troublesome student who is the son of a major donor, and a data set from the chair that doesn’t add up. She needs tenure because her husband’s job and children’s lives are to the town. Her best friend, a computer specialist who is helping unravel the data problem, is found dead, the abusive department chair also dies, and the interim chair is an unknown. But enemies and danger don’t end there—even the family dog is in jeopardy. Twists and turns and false friends abound, but a rare true friend emerges. This is set in the late 1990s, so the time frame is a bit strange, not current, not historic, but overall, Dellasega offers an interesting and engaging puzzle.—Danise Hoover

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Review

Shrink Solves Murder

by Danise Hoover

Book of the Week May 7, 2026

Patricia Phillips, formerly a Lawyer and now a psychotherapist, revels in her status as village curmudgeon. She lives on the Sussex Downs, swims in the cold English Channel daily, and lays down the law to tourists who venture too close to the edge of the cliff and people with their dogs off-leash. One of her patients is found washed up at the bottom of the cliff and is swiftly declared a suicide by the local incurious police department. Pat loudly and vehemently disagrees but has no success in getting the case reopened. She, of course, sets out to solve it, with the assistance of her friend Prichard. While she feels that her training will give her insights and make her readily able point out the killer, there are holes in her assumptions. She must face the changing local population (swingers and boho golf club planners) in addition to her own errors in thinking and lack of internet know-how. Pat is an extraordinary character, equally cranky and loveable, and the ending of her tale leaves open the chance for another installment. Readers can only hope.—Danise Hoover

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