Tag:

Cozy

Review

Countdown to Christmas Murder

by Dodie Ownes

Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone Mysteries continue to delight and entertain. Lucy, a crack reporter for the Tinker’s Cove newspaper, The Courier, always gets into the thick of it when a crime occurs, and this is a big one. Bert Cosgrove, bank president and all around good guy, is found dead by apparent suicide just days before the Merrie Olde Christmas event that draws crowds (and money) to the town. With a decades-old tragedy involving a bad plum pudding, family travails, sloppy police work, a Dickens re-enactment and flip-flopping editor, Lucy has her hands full. Meier addresses current concerns, such as doxxing and online fraud, against the backdrop of a community committed to being “merry and bright” no matter the circumstances. With characters for readers to love and loathe, Countdown to Christmas Murder offers holiday cheer and chaos alongside a solid small-town mystery and has an ending as satisfying as a Bûche de Noël.—Dodie Ownes

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

The Christmas Clue

by Dodie Ownes

The Second World War is grinding on, and it’s hard for anyone in Britain to be particularly cheerful this Christmas. Anthony and Elva Pratt will do their best to rise above the melancholy and give the guests at Tudor Close, an elegant hotel that has seen better days, a murder-mystery game that will puzzle and thrill. Before they ever reach their destination, the Pratts discover the body of Miss Silver, a local shopkeeper with deep roots in the village. Upon arrival at the hotel, they find guests Professor Rivers and his wife, former occupants of the building when it was a private home, arguing with manager Reg Browning over a room change. Tensions are running high, and the Pratts are not sure they will be able to pull off their planned mystery. Sharp observers, they quickly begin to question the Rivers’ intentions and the secrecy of the staff—and then another murder takes place, this time of Reverend Green, bludgeoned with a candlestick! Upson gives readers a clever locked-hotel mystery with relevant historical and social details woven into the plot and a final twist that may elicit a gasp. Any similarity to the game Clue™ is not accidental, as the real-life Pratts created the game Cluedo™, as it is known in the UK, in 1947! Best read during a snowstorm with a glass of sherry at hand.—Dodie Ownes

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder

by Jeff Ayers

Ella Chambers is barely scraping by, taking on odd jobs just to pay the rent. A few nights before Christmas, she attends a party at a mansion where her mother once worked as the housekeeper and comes face to face with Liam Montgomery, a man tied to her past in ways that she’d rather forget. Their argument that night sets off a chain of events she never could have predicted. She grabs a life-size nutcracker that she was gifted when she was younger and struggles to get it into her car trunk. Later, she’s detained by police who are convinced she killed Liam then disposed of his body. She knows she’s innocent and that he’s alive. But no one believes her, and the one person who could clear her name is determined to stay hidden. Just when Ella thinks that she might track him down, Liam collapses in her living room with a bullet wound, and the mystery deepens. Carter masterfully weaves together classic mystery and heartfelt romance, delivering a story that’s as clever as it is charming. Sharp, memorable characters and unexpected twists keep the pages turning, making this festive read impossible to put down. It’s the perfect pick for gifting to anyone who loves their rom-coms with a generous dose of intrigue.—Jeff Ayers

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Review

The Armchair Detectives

by Brian Kenney

They’re a charming bunch, these old geezers. And while it’s easy to dismiss them—with their jokes about their residence, Twilight Lodge, and their ill-operating prostates—something else keeps gnawing at Martin. He’s eighty-four years old, sophisticated, wary of the goings-ons around him, and has under his belt decades working in the Civil Service all over the globe. When several friends in the old home die off, it sets Martin off on sleuthing. Death is a part of life, as the retiree hears so often. But do we need it to visit with such regularity? This novel is pure delight from beginning to end. The characters are treated realistically, love is at least somewhat in the area, and Martin does what he does best: investigate. As comic as it’s thoughtful, this is a title ready for a large, thoughtful, humorous audience.—Brian Kenney

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
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

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
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

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
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

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
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

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Article

Dead Before Tea Time

by Brian Kenney

It’s a pleasure to share that this, the thirty-seventh title in the Agatha series, is as entertaining as any of the preceding titles, if not actually better. White it’s true that some readers recently introduced to the series might benefit from knowing  a bit more of Agatha’s past, Green–and, for decades, Beaton–have continued to develop the Aggie we know and love. And it is quite an achievement! Here, the Cotswolds are in an uproar, with many of the local pubs, which can’t afford  the raise in the rent, being converted into apartments. Add to this the attempts of Sir Charles Fraith to rekindle his passion for Agatha, while in the midst of one of the local historical recreations, this time of the 17th-century, a body is discovered. And the businessman who was shot has a connection with the bar. Could Agatha be the next victim? Cranky, funny, and all too real, this is a delightful tale sure to draw both new and older readers.—Brian Kenney

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
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

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail