A Wytch's Book Review Blog

Off the Books (Novel Idea #5) by Lucy Arlington, Susan Furlong (Review)

The Novel Idea Literary Agency has planned a wedding-themed week for Inspiration Valley, celebrating not only North Carolina’s best vendors but also some of the agency’s most popular bridal books. The fact that Lila can use the event to plan her own impending nuptials is just the icing on the cake.
 
But wedding bells turn to warning bells when Lila finds a dead man facedown in the frosting. Soon it’s discovered that the victim was connected to several Novel Idea authors, all of whom quickly become suspects in the case. It’s up to Lila and her fellow agents to find the real killer before one of their clients winds up scribbling stories from behind bars...

Lila and her fellow agents are arranging a Wedding expo, teaming up with a team of people who set up bridal fairs, Makayla is happy as she can get some ideas for her wedding to Ray and Lila can also get some ideas (now that Sean has popped the question - although still no ring!).  Lila is somewhat stressed mind out, the wedding fair organiser gets on people's nerves, Lila has found another body!, her Mama is being secretive (oh and is also at the Wedding Expo in her Amazing Althea mode) and Trey ends up dropping a bombshell of major proportions.

Now Lila needs to rein in Zach (and try and stop him calling her the Murder Magnet), figure out what is happening with her Mama, figure out what to do with Trey, solve a murder, solve the problem with Vicky (the office manager) and stay safe.  No problems then!

Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie (Review)

Thomas Charles Betterton, a famous scientist, has vanished. Conflicting reports of sightings of the missing man have come in from all over Europe. Then, his wife of six months decides to take a holiday to Morocco for a rest.

That's when a strange and surprising series of events begins to unfold. A superb and different mystery from a master at her best.

The Intelligence Service is looking into the disappearance of various high level scientists, the latest (Thomas Betterton) went to a conference in Paris and then, went! No one knows where, not even his wife (although Mr Jessop of the Intelligence Service is fairly sure she knows more than she is letting on), then Mrs Betterton decides to go on holiday (a rest cure) to Morocco.

Whilst all this is happening another lady by the name of Hilary Craven has her life falling around her ears, her husband has divorced her and her daughter has died, she is also heading to Morocco, but there she plans to kill herself, she is stopped by Mr Jessop who offers her a different way of dying (with the understanding that she might actually survive), this is where the two stories collide and the Mistress of Mystery takes us on a tour, with the final Destination Unknown!

The Case of the Brokenhearted Bulldog (A Thousand Islands Doggy Inn Mystery #2) by B.R. Snow (Review)

Suzy and Josie, owners of the Thousand Islands Doggy Inn, are attending an end-of-summer party and about to receive a sizeable charitable gift from one of their good friends, a local businessman with a love of dogs and a reputation with the ladies. A newly built yacht about to embark on a trip to Florida via the Inland Waterway is one of the party highlights, but when the engineer is killed, and Jackson, the Clay Bay Chief of Police, ends up in critical condition, the yacht becomes the focal point of the ensuing murder investigation.

In addition to trying to solve the murder, Suzy and Josie are forced to deal with a variety of other problems and distractions. Jackson’s bulldog, Sluggo, is despondent and not eating. And as Jackson fights for his life and attempts to recover from the attack, Suzy’s mom begins a new relationship she believes has the potential to go the distance. And if that weren’t enough, when Chef Claire threatens to take a new job out of state, putting a serious damper on the quality of food served at the house, Suzy and Josie are pushed to their limits.

The Thousand Islands Doggy Inn Mysteries features two of the smartest and funniest lead female protagonists to hit the cozy mystery scene in a very long time, and Suzy and Josie’s affection for food and their boundless love and devotion to their dogs puts this new series in the Don’t Miss category. The Case of the Brokenhearted Bulldog is another fast-paced and funny cozy mystery installment in this series that affectionately focuses on dogs, food, and the natural beauty of the Thousand Islands region.

5 stars or maybe even more! I am really glad to be revisiting the Thousand Island area, and more to the point the Doggy Inn, these books make me wish I lived around the corner and could visit on a regular basis.

The book opens with Chef Claire hoping to leave for warmer climes (and Suzy and Josie, the latter in particular hoping to get her to stay), there is also a fund raiser happening for the Doggy Inn, with the main prize being a boat, donated by a local, top of the range, boat builder (who has also brought along his latest boat which is about to be sailed down to Florida), whilst John (the boat builder) is presenting a rather large cheque (he matched the amount raised from the auction) there is a muffled scream and Jackson (the local Police Officer) heads off to investigate, a few minutes later there is the sound of a dog in distress and Suzy, Josie and various others head off to find out what has happened.  They find Sluggo, Jackson's Bulldog, howling, Jackson has been attacked and there is a dead body as well!

With Jackson on the sick list, Sluggo refusing to eat (and Josie as the local Vet can normally help any animal and even she can't get his to eat even a treat) Suzy and Josie step up and start to figure out what on earth happened.  Oh and they still need to keep Chef Claire around and just to add stuff into the mix work out what is going on with Suzy's mother!

Murder in Mesopotamia (Hercule Poirot #14) by Agatha Christie (Review)

When nurse Amy Leatheran agrees to look after American archaeologist Dr Leidner’s wife Louise at a dig near Hassanieh she finds herself taking on more than just nursing duties – she also has to help solve murders. Fortunately for Amy, Hercule Poirot is visiting the excavation site but will the great detective be in time to prevent a multiple murderer from striking again?

This is a book told from the point of view of one person (in this case Nurse Leatheran) which is something Agatha Christie does a fair bit (normally with Hastings - who I am glad to see is NOT in this one, I am probably in the minority but I find him annoying!), Amy Leatheran had gone out to Iraq to help a new mother travel, when she was about to head back she was asked it she would instead go out to an Archeology Dig as the Dig leader's wife has developed a nervous condition.  Amy is not told any more than that but a few days after her arrival Louise Leidner (the aforementioned wife) admits she is stressed because she has received threatening letters, Amy thinks that will be the end of it until Louise is killed, luckily Hercule Poirot is not too far away and can help solve the case.

As stated above I am glad that Hastings is not in this! I do like Amy Leatheran and would have liked to have seen more of her (maybe even instead of Poirot!)

Marinating in Murder (Dinner Club Mystery #3) by Linda Wiken (Review)

The Culinary Capers Dinner Club is planning a fall picnic for their next meeting. What could be better than sharing delicious food with friends under a beautiful autumn sky? But when club member Alison Malkovich opens the back of her SUV to load in the picnic supplies, she finds a dead body. To make things worse, it's the body of her ex-husband, and now she's the prime suspect. Because Alison is a police officer, she is suspended and warned not to do any investigating of her own. That's not about to stop J.J. and the Culinary Capers gang though. They know that Alison is innocent, and after all, they do have some experience solving crimes.

Autumn is on the horizon and so the Culinary Capers group decide to enjoy the last of the good weather by having a picnic for their latest meeting, everything is going fine until Alison unlocks her SUV and discovers a dead body, the problem isn't so much that (although that is bad enough), the real problem is that it is her estranged husband and this means that Alison is suspended from the Police force pending the investigations outcome, and even though she is one of their own Alison is worried that the Powers That Be (aka Detective Hastings/Hashtag) will look no further, this means that for once Alison is right behind J J and the rest of the Culinary Capers gang doing a little (err LOT) of snooping on the side.

So with this, a full work load and more that one man apparently wanting to take her for dates J J has a full life, so get the Bridezilla sorted, figure out who she wants to spend time with, sort out her neighbour's love life and figure out who is framing Alison, right so no problems then!

Another cracking tale from Ms Wiken, each of the Culinary Capers group are allowed to shine (although J J is the main character), add in some good food and time to settle down and just enjoy. 5 stars from me for this one!

Played by the Book (Novel Idea #4) by Lucy Arlington (Review)

The owner of the Novel Idea Literary Agency is thrilled when former local boy and popular television show host Damian York returns to Inspiration Valley, North Carolina, to launch his new gardening book. But Lila is less than excited about the hubbub when she sees her mounting to-do list. Between planning York’s gala and sprucing up her yard for another event, she’s spread too thin—especially after she finds a skull buried in her flowerbeds.

As Lila’s macabre discovery leads to other secrets hidden in Inspiration Valley’s past, a member of the local garden club is found slumped over her prize roses—murdered. Now it’s up to Lila to dig through old mysteries and new clues to unearth a murderer before someone else is found pushing up daisies…

I love Cozy Mysteries but even so there are few that I can binge read but this is one of them! This is a humdinger from start to finish with various people being accused of crimes.

This starts with Bentley arriving in Lila's office to inform her that as they have a local boy made good (a TV gardener and now published author with his books on how to transform your garden on a budget) her garden is to be on the local garden tour... there is a slight problem, she hasn't worked on it for a while (not since someone tried to kill her in it!), but her son and some of his friends agree to come over and do the heavy duty work in exchange for pizza, unfortunately they manage to unearth a skull so everything is on hold.  

On top of this Lila is stood up by Sean at a posh restaurant, oh and he appears to be jealous of the author (and okay Lila fanned those flames a bit!), with Makayla wondering if her book is any good, Lila trying to figure out her life, Lila's mum thinking Lila want;s to dump her in a home (oh and the Tarot Cards are not playing nicely for her), the President of the Dirty Dozen garden club seeming to have schizophrenia - oh and a murder, life is NOT a bed of roses for our Cozy Mystery agent!

Books, Cooks, and Crooks (Novel Idea #3) by Lucy Arlington (Review)

Inspiration Valley, North Carolina, is bubbling with excitement for the Taste of the Town festival, and Lila is right in the middle of it all. Along with her coworkers at the Novel Idea Literary Agency, Lila is organizing a grand celebrity chef event, featuring food television's biggest stars, complete with cooking demonstrations, cookbook giveaways, and even a culinary writing contest.

But just as the celebration is about to start, the demo kitchen blows up, taking one of the star cooks with it. With all the explosive egos of the cook’s colleagues, it’s hard to find someone who didn’t have a motive to eliminate the competition. Now Lila will have to scramble to figure out which of her clients is a killer—before someone else gets burned.

The new centre in Inspiration Valley is opening for business and the first thing on the agenda is the Taste of the Town Festival, Franklin (one of Lila's co-workers) has arranged for various celebrity chefs to be in attendance (Franklin mainly deals with cookbook deals) and they will be doing a cooking demonstration, as well as this there will be question and answer panels, with the chefs, food critics and food writers (including some from Lila's "stable" of Cozy Mystery writers, the start of the extravaganza is to be a meal with the chefs (and others), but before that there is a tour of the new facilities, as the Agents are showing the Chefs around they realise that herding cats would be easier that dealing with so many inflated egos in one place, it doesn't get much better over the dinner and one of the chefs storms out.  The next thing is an explosion from the new catering wing (luckily at a distance from the dinner!) and everyone is rushed out.  Then the firemen discover a body in the wreckage and that is just the start of a roller coaster of a time, with another death and people being arrested and then released.

With Trey home from college a week early and helping Makayla at the coffee shop (oh and she appears to have a secret admirer!), things hotting up with Sean and then vandalism it is another packed adventure for Lila.

Food and books, two of my all time favourites to read about and having Lucy Arlington putting them together like this is a winner, the pacing of the book hurtles along for a while and then allows you to catch your breath before the next installment, I love the fact that the other members of the town are gradually brought to the fore and we see their lives developing as much as Lila's does.  Another 5 star outing!

Every Trick in the Book (Novel Idea #2) by Lucy Arlington (Review)

Lila Wilkins has it all: the home of her dreams in the charming town of Inspiration Valley, North Carolina; a perfect police officer boyfriend; and a new job she absolutely loves. At the Book and Author Festival, which is sponsored by the Novel Idea Literary Agency, Lila expects to discover some talented new authors, but what she finds instead is the body of an editor to whom she bears an eerie resemblance.
 
Trouble is, the editor’s death isn’t the only literary murder taking place. Soon a blossoming author is also killed, and Lila has a gut feeling that the two murders are linked. Now she must hunt down the dark figure who killed these women—and to her surprise, she just might find the clues hidden in a manuscript…

Things are going pretty well in Lila's world, she has been made permanent at her job (reading books and partial books for a living - brilliant!), she has her new home and her new boyfriend (in the form of Officer Sean Griffiths), the only downside seems to be that Trey (her son) is still living at the commune/Co-operative and whilst she has been able to delay his college start date by a term, any more and he would have to start the whole application process again.  As part of her job she is involved with a Book and Author Festival, but even before she gets there she gets a creepy thriller pitch sent through to her (which she promptly forwards to a colleague - she deals with the Cozy Genre, not the hard core), at the Festival she meets a lady who, at first glance, could be her double.  This all seems fun until her double ends up dead and then there is another body.

Lila trawls through the manuscripts trying to find clues, at the same time Sean is working hard to catch the murderer, oh and Trey is worried about the commune. all in a new days work for this single mother!

I wondered if the second book would be as fun as the first, with Lila no longer having to worry about her job, her cash flow and everything else, but my slight worry was misguided, this is a fun, frenetic, frolic through crime and crime writers and I am only sorry that there seems to be 5 books only in the series!

Death Over Easy (Country Store Mysteries #5) by Maddie Day (Review)

Restaurateur Robbie Jordan is ready for the boost in business a local music festival brings to South Lick, Indiana, but the beloved event strikes a sour note when one of the musicians is murdered . . .

June’s annual Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival in neighboring Beanblossom is always a hit for Robbie’s country store and café, Pans ‘N Pancakes. This year, Robbie is even more excited, because she’s launching a new bed and breakfast above her shop. A few festival musicians will be among Robbie’s first guests, along with her father, Roberto, and his wife, Maria. But the celebration is cut short when a performer is found choked to death by a banjo string. Now all the banjo players are featured in a different kind of lineup. To clear their names, Robbie must pair up with an unexpected partner to pick at the clues and find the plucky killer before he can conduct an encore performance . .

Another 5 star offering from Maddie Day, in this the fifth outing for Robbie, she has finished all the work to allow her to open as a B & B and just in time for the annual Bluegrass Festival, which means some of the participants are staying above Pans 'N Pancakes (mind you she DID hold back the best room so that her father, Roberto, and his wife, Maria, can also stay), everything seems to be going smoothly until a few altercations happen at the Festival, all of which involve one particular person, the problem is she ends up dead, well and truly murdered the following day and with a Plethora of suspects (some of which are staying at the B & B!) that would be bad enough but then there is another death, and the Police need to figure out if this is a copycat killing or do they have a serial killer on the loose around South Lick.  

With Pans 'N Pancakes becoming an unofficial office for the local Police, Roberto and Maria ending up staying longer than they thought (although that bit was nice for Robbie) and even more suspects Robbie wants to find out what happened and why so that she and her assistants can get back to doing what they do best, cooking the best breakfasts and lunches in the area.

Murder, She Reported by Peg Cochran (Review)

A Park Avenue princess discovers the dark side of 1930s New York when a debutante ball turns deadly in this gripping historical mystery for readers of Victoria Thompson, Anne Perry, and Rhys Bowen.

Manhattan, 1938. Tired of being trapped in the gilded cage of her family’s expectations, Elizabeth Adams has done what no self-respecting socialite would think to do: She’s gotten herself a job. Although Elizabeth’s dream is to one day see her photographs on the front page of the Daily Trumpet, for now she’s working her way up as the newsroom’s gal Friday.

But fetching coffee isn’t exactly her idea of fun. So when veteran reporter Ralph Kaminsky needs a photographer to fill in for a last-minute assignment, Elizabeth jumps at the chance. At the Waldorf Hotel, Elizabeth is tasked with tracking down the season’s “It girl,” Gloria DeWitt, who will be making her society debut. Working her own connections to New York’s upper crust, Elizabeth manages to land an exclusive interview with Gloria.

Then Gloria’s stepmother is shot dead in a Waldorf bathroom, placing Elizabeth at the scene of a headline-worthy scandal: “Murder of a Society Dame.” Now Elizabeth will have to get the scoop on the killer before her good name gets dragged through the gossip columns—or worse. . . .

Peg Cochran has done it again, this time going for a historical cozy rather than the food orientated ones I am used to but trust me it certainly doesn't suffer for that! Here we have a young woman who should have followed the usual pattern, become a debutante, get married, have children, live well in New York City, however Elizabeth Adams wants to work and so she has got herself a job at the Daily Trumpet and whilst at the moment she is the Girl Friday, typing up stories and running errands, she hopes for more and then fate steps in.  The crime reporter lost a bet and so needs to cover the latest debutante ball at the Waldorf Hotel, he also needs pictures and he can't use a camera and so Elizabeth goes as his photographer, she ends up accidentally taking a rather dramatic photograph of the debutante of the season (one Gloria DeWitt) and it ends up being used as the headline picture after Gloria's stepmother is murdered during the ball.

Now Reporter Ralph Kaminsky and Elizabeth Adams (aka Biz as Ralph thinks Elizabeth is too much of a mouthful) start working together to figure out what happened, oh and to get a few good stories written at the same time along with staying safe.