A Wytch's Book Review Blog

Seas the Day (A Seafood Caper Mystery #1) by Maggie Toussaint

Caterer River Holloway cooks like a dream and is known on Shell Island as a "finder" of things. Which is why a desperate mother begs River to track down her grown son, Chili Bolz, who's vanished.

Deputy Lance Hamlyn can't find the missing man, so he teams up with River. The missing person case boils over into something frightening when Chili's mother falls victim to a brutal assault. Worse, her dying words incriminate River's friends in both kidnapping and, now, murder. River soon finds herself caught in an unsavory recipe for disaster.

Despite catering events and the return of her absentee boyfriend, River finds the number of suspects growing longer than her food shopping list. Along the way she befriends a black cat who becomes her crime-solving partner. River must locate Chili and discover who killed his mother before her own goose is quite literally cooked!

PHEWEEEE!!! What a humdinger to the start of a series (at least I hope it will be a series!)

River Holloway lives on Shell Island in Georgia, her brother served a brief stint in prison but is turning his life around by going to technical college to train as a general contractor come handyman, and their mother died a few months before this book is set.  River has started a catering company (ranging from 2 person celebration meals to grand buffets!) and her boyfriend (Pete) travels as a troubleshooter for different companies.  Everything seems hunky dory until River gets a phone call from an old friend sobbing that her son is missing and the police don't seem bothered, as River has a knack for finding items Estelle Bolz has called on her (and as River was always known by the Bolz boys as their Little Sis she can't refuse!), before too long though she seems to be waist deep in trouble and wondering who she can trust, and can she keep her catering business going when Pete is prepared to go anywhere - what will give? her relationship. her business or her life?

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name?

Delores River Holloway, but everyone calls me River. There used to be such an awkward moment for me on the first day of school when the teacher would call out Delores. Soon it wasn’t just me saying back to her that I went by River, everyone said it. I come from a coastal Georgia island named Shell Island. I live in my grandmother’s house now, and I have a great relationship with my brother, who is my only surviving family member. My mom died a few months ago, and my boyfriend moved across the country.

What is your Profession?

Catering is my profession but it’s also my passion. I love to cook meals and desserts and appetizers. You name it, I love to prepare it. My specialties are seafood dishes, pies, cakes, and cookies. I also have another profession, an unpaid one. I’ve always been good at finding things. So far, I’ve found keys, shoes, and even a lost dog.

What is your current favourite book or movie?

“Julie and Julia” This 2009 movie is dated now but it’s a classic to me. I watched it with my grandmother, and she’s the one who shared her passion for cooking. Preparing food was love at first sight for me. Some people get tired of cooking after making one dish. I just want to keep going and going. One day I hope to have daughter who shares my love of cooking and finding things.

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

Every cookbook I own. I love to thumb through them and become inspired by the photos.

If someone was to play you in a movie who would it be?

I’d love for Amy Adams to play me in a movie!

What is your ideal evening?

Cooking a meal for family and friends. I enjoy lowkey evenings so this would be absolutely perfect!

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

April 22 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 22 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 23 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

April 23 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 24 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST

April 24 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW

April 25 – Here’s How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT

April 25 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

April 25 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – SPOTLIGHT

April 26 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 26 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 27 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, GUEST POST

April 27 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

April 28 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW  

April 28 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 29 – Dee-Scoveries – SPOTLIGHT

April 29 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT

April 30 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 30 – eBook addicts – SPOTLIGHT

May 1 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 1 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT

Lowcountry Boomerang (Liz Talbot Mystery #8) by Susan M. Boyer

Private investigators Liz Talbot and Nate Andrews are all set to enjoy some quality time on the beach. That’s until they get the news about Darius. Darius DeAndre Baker, star of the hit TV show, Main Street USA, has had enough of the Hollywood highlife. After ten years of visiting everyone else’s hometown, he returns to his own—Stella Maris, South Carolina.

But the moving trucks have barely unloaded when Trina Lynn Causby, Darius’s high school girlfriend, turns up dead, and the entire town reels as Darius is arrested.

Despite the mounting evidence against him, Liz and Nate believe Darius is innocent. They dig through a scandalously long list of suspects, including Darius’s three ex-wives—who have all arrived in Stella Maris—and his love child with Trina Lynn.

But Trina Lynn led a complicated life. She had at least one stalker and two suitors—one with a jealous wife who recently made a deliciously outrageous scene when Trina Lynn turned up at a charity ball.

As the danger mounts, Liz and Nate race to find a killer and clear Darius’s name—and keep him alive.

Things should be free and easy for Liz and Nate, they have just finished a case and Nate is handing the information over to the lawyer whilst Liz heads to the local diner to catch up with the gossip over lunch with the diner's owner Moon Unit, Moon Unit has been seeing a Charleston police officer by the name of Sonny Ravenel (who is also Liz and Nate's first point of call with the Charleston police force), he sent a semi cryptic message via Moon Unit as he has a new partner who doesn't think that PI's should be anywhere NEAR anything to do with a police case, but Liz trusts Sonny and more to the point the current Stella Maris guardian spirit (aka Colleen, Liz's friend who was killed in high school) has turned up and is very interested!  Before too much longer Liz and Nate's idea of a relaxing couple of months have gone by the wayside as they have a new client in the form of Darius Baker who is accused of killing his former girlfriend the local investigative reporter Trina Causby.

Now Liz and Nate need to dig deep, Colleen needs to keep Darius safe whilst he is (regrettably) locked up and everyone needs to try and keep family and friends safe, because if Darius didn't do the deed (and Colleen swears he didn't) then there is still a cold blooded killer out there.

 

Passion, Poison & Puppy Dogs (A Danger Cove Pet Sitter Mystery #1) by Elizabeth Ashby, Sally J. Smith, Jean Steffens

When Lizzie Jones, pet sitter extraordinaire, is asked to watch over her best friend's two spoiled dogs at the posh gated community of Craggy Hill Estates, the last thing she expects is to wind up in the middle of a homicide. But that's exactly what happens when she finds her best friend's cheating husband and Danger Cove’s celebrity bodybuilder champ, Mr. Jupiter, floating facedown in his hot tub. To make matters worse, the police aren’t looking any further than the wife for a suspect—isn’t it always the wife? Well, not in this case—at least Lizzie refuses to believe it.

Between dealing with Craggy Hill's hot security guard, Tino Morales—who also just happens to be the man who broke Lizzie’s heart in high school, caring for her grieving friend, and watching three rambunctious dogs, Lizzie has her hands full. So she recruits her famous granddad, retired network field correspondent, Jimmy John Jones, to help her put two and two together to find the real killer. Was Mr. Jupiter murdered by one of his women on the side? A jealous, disgruntled employee? Or someone with a bitter and deep-seated hatred of the superstar? It's up to Lizzie, Jimmy John, and Lizzie's own pug, Vader, to crack the case before the killer claims another victim...this one much closer to Lizzie’s own heart!

Lizzie is seriously busy, she is slowly training for a Doctorate in Veterinary Science, volunteering at the local animal shelter and funding the former by being a live in pet sitter for Danger Cove, her latest job involves her and her pug Vader (so called because of his wheezing!) moving into a gated community whilst a body builder Mr Jupiter (stage name) is off on the BB circuit and his wife (Caroline) is away. The only problem is the two spoiled dogs keep howling and when the local security guard turns out to be the hot boy (now man) who turned her down for the Sadie Hawkins dance and the two of them discover a dead body then Lizzie's life starts spiralling out of control!  The thing is Tino seems determined to make up for that disappointment and he and Lizzie, along with Lizzie's Grandfather/Guardian Jimmy John Jones start digging a little more deeply that the police chief has done - can they protect Caroline from ending up spending the rest of her days in an orange jumpsuit?

Killer Colada: a Danger Cove Cocktail Mystery (Danger Cove Cocktail Mystery #2) by Elizabeth Ashby, Sibel Hodge

It's been a stressful couple of months for bartender, Hope Foster, so her best friend Ruby treats her to an afternoon of holistic pampering with therapist Pandora Williams. But what should be a relaxing getaway turns into a murder scene when Hope and Ruby stumble across Pandora’s lifeless body in the kitchen next to a killer cocktail.

Hope is convinced that the police are barking up the wrong tree when it comes to suspects. But as she digs further into Pandora's past, it's seems she's opening the proverbial box. Twenty years ago, Pandora’s daughter, Jenna, disappeared one night after arranging to meet her fiancé, Tim, to break off their engagement. Pandora had always believed that Tim killed her daughter, although she’d never been able to prove it. Is Pandora’s murder connected with a decades-old family tragedy? Or has someone used the past as a convenient way to frame the fiancé? With the police wearing blinders, it’s up to Hope, Ruby, and ex-FBI agent Vernon to find out the truth...at any cost!

The new owner of The Smuggler's Tavern, Hope, is back in the thick of it again! The daughter and nephew of the late, previous, owner have given up the fight for the bar and her underwater archeologist boyfriend (Harvey) is back in the UK for a while, so Hope's good friend Ruby decides to treat Hope to a few hours of holistic TLC with the semi recluse Pandora.  So far, so great ... only when Ruby and Hope arrive they witness the local pharmacist (Tim) running hell for leather out of Pandora's house, and when they get inside they discover her dead at the kitchen tables.  Now the inept police chief has arrested Tim (who swears he is being framed) and he isn't looking into any other possibilities, so Hope, Ruby and their friend Vernon start snooping around.  Well it gives Hope something to concentrate on other than the fact that Harvey has arrived back in town with his stunning ex girlfriend who obviously doesn't want to be an ex any longer!

Asbury High and the Thief's Gamble: (Asbury High YA Cozy Mystery Series, Book 1) by Kelly Brady Channick

Asbury, although a haven to shoobies (tourists) in the summer, is a divided coastal town. With the rich half living in the East, and the rest living in the West, most friendships stay within their boundaries. Luckily for a spunky-smart tomboy, a clever billionaire athlete, a gossipy-in-the-know cheerleader, and a wrong side of the tracks technological genius, boundaries are a foreign concept. In fact, Maddie, Cornelious, Carly and Pilot have been Asbury’s strongest quartet for years, despite their vast differences. Nevertheless, after a few weeks of starting high school, the foursome’s friendship is tested.
After a string of burglaries in East Asbury, the gang decides to solve the crime as a reason to make time for each other. The further they investigate, the more they find themselves constantly side-stepping tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum-like policemen, outsmarting local bully JB and his gang of misfits, and dealing with Cornelious’ billionaire father and Governor---who has disapproved of his son’s choice of friends for years. In addition to these obstacles, the foursome must also adapt to their evolving friendship with each other and their peers.
With upperclassmen, teachers, and teammates vying for their attention, the gang must work even harder to root out the red-herrings from the true thief. Aided by Carly’s gossip, Maddie’s boldness, Cornelious’ quick-wit, and Pilot’s knack for technology, the gang soon discovers its edge over the local police department.

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name?

My full name is Cornelious Jeremiah Gibbz.

What is your Profession?

I’m a student athlete at Asbury High school, and although I’m the only heir to my family’s billion-dollar-fortune, I’m thinking I might want to be a social worker when I grow up… or something that directly helps others to have a better life.

What is your current favourite book or movie?

My current favorite movie would have to be Knives Out. Ask anyone in Asbury and they’ll tell you my friends and I are always knee-deep in some sort of mystery around here… but I have to admit I enjoy a good laugh and this film really kept me laughing, and guessing the entire time.

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

My go to comfort book is, without a doubt, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I’m a sucker for all things Potter… and in order to get into my well-barricaded room you may or may not have to detect a certain Harry Potter item. I don’t want to go too into detail… I don’t want a bunch of weirdos breaking into my room after all.

If someone was to play you in a movie who would it be? OR what would be the character you would want to be in a book?

Obviously, someone good-looking… just kidding (kind of). I can’t really think of any teenagers who’d play me in a movie---but I know who I’d want to be in a book. Darrow, from Red Rising! He’s awesome! And he’s pretty selfless too, but as my best friend Maddie pointed out (because she recommended I read the series), he always learns from his mistakes and I think that’s pretty admirable.

What is your ideal evening?

This one is easy! It would be far away from my house, so definitely in West Asbury… and I’d be hanging out with Maddie, Carly, and Pilot--- so, most likely at Maddie’s house with all her crazy siblings and awesome grandma La. Oh! And somehow, we’d get Brady’s Taco Pancakes delivered. If you haven’t tried them yet, you're missing out! Haha, and if Maddie had a say, we’d find ourselves in the middle of a mystery by the end of the night. Although if Carly had a say, it’d be the end of the mystery and Officer Chip would be safely informed of everything.

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

April 15 – I’m All About Books  SPOTLIGHT

April 16 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 17 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW

April 18 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

April 19 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 21 – Reading Is My SuperPower – GUEST POST

April 22 – Diane Reviews Books – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 23 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, GUEST POST

April 24 – t’s stuff – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT

April 25 – Diary of a Book Fiend – REVIEW

April 26 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

April 27 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

April 27 – Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW

April 28 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

This Magick Marmot by Sharon Pape

Kailyn Wilde, owner of the Abracadabra potion shop, feels some dread anticipating her ten-year high school reunion at the new hotel in New Camel—but it turns out even worse than she feared. Running into her very first boyfriend is pleasant enough. Chatting with Ashley—who still can’t let go of a tragedy that happened on prom night—is a bit more uncomfortable. But the worst part comes when one of Kailyn’s oldest friends is found dead in the ladies’ room.

Soon this upstate New York town is in an uproar. And with some help from time-traveling wizard Merlin—who has adopted an unusual and alluring creature as his familiar—it’s up to Kailyn to identify the alumnus most likely to commit murder . . .

An Interview With A Character

My name is Kailyn Wilde. I come from a long line of sorcerers who emigrated from England to start a new life in the New World. They arrived here before this was a country and settled in an area that would eventually be known as Upstate New York. 

I guess “sorcerer” would be my profession. I come by my abilities genetically, but have had to work hard to strengthen them and stretch my limits to include telekinesis and teleportation. In This Magick Marmot, the new book about me, I add another extremely rare ability. On a more mundane note, I make my living selling natural lotions, potions, unguents, and creams as well as magick spells in my family’s store, Abracadabra. 

I read a wide range of books. I recently enjoyed Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. It was set in Korea back during WWll and was a fascinating story about a poor family, about their culture and how they survived. It may not sound exciting, but I couldn’t wait to pick it up whenever I had the time. That’s good writing for you. I have very eclectic taste in films. I liked the last Star Wars movie as well as Knives Out, a clever mystery. 

My go to comfort books are cozies, especially when they have a paranormal element. 

I’d be so excited if they made a movie about me based on the Abracadabra series! And if Catriona Balfe played me, I’d be ecstatic. I think we look a bit alike. I’m ten years younger than she, but she has such a timeless beauty.

Since I started solving murders in the  quaint tourist town of New Camel, my life has been packed with more than enough excitement and adventure, so  my ideal evening would be simple – dinner out with the man I love, followed by a quiet evening together at home. 

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

April 6 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

April 6 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

April 7 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT

April 7 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

April 8 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST

April 8 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

April 9 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW

April 9 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

April 10 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 10 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

April 11 – Nadaness In Motion – SPOTLIGHT

April 11 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

April 12 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

April 12 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

April 13 – ebook addicts – REVIEW

April 13 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 14 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 14 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW

April 14 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

April 15 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 15 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

April 15 – Dee-Scoveries – SPOTLIGHT

All We Buried (Sheriff Bet Rivers) by Elena Taylor

Deep in the woods surrounding the Cascade mountain range, a canvas-wrapped body floats in a lake, right in Elizabeth "Bet" Rivers's jurisdiction. Bet has been sitting as interim sheriff of Collier after her father's--the previous sheriff's--death six months ago. Everyone knows everyone in a town like Collier. She has made it her duty to protect the people she's come to see as family. And she intends to hold her title in the upcoming election, but she's never worked a murder investigation on her own before and her opponent and deputy, Dale Kovac, isn't going down without a fight.

Upon unwrapping the corpse, Bet discovers the woman is from out of town. Without an identification, the case grows that much more puzzling. Determined to prove herself worthy, however, Bet must confront the warped history of Collier. The more she learns, the more she realizes she doesn't know the townspeople of Collier as well as she thought, and nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover.

Character Guest Post

Bet Rivers: The Sheriff of Collier

My father wasn’t supposed to die. 

He called me from Collier, my tiny hometown in Washington State, to tell me about his diagnosis.

Cancer, he said. I’ll be fine, he said. Just come home for a little while. You can fill in as interim sheriff while I recover.

Not a request I could say no to. 

So, I packed up my little apartment in Los Angeles, took an extended leave from the police department, and arrived back in town, put on the brown hat, and ended up with a lot of unresolved issues.

Then he fell. 

That’s what the report says. He fell, from a trail he’d hiked on his whole life. My father didn’t make those kinds of mistakes.

I think he knew exactly what he was doing. Drawing me back here to pick up the pieces when he broke.

Collier has a population of less than a thousand hearty souls. We live high up in the Cascade Mountain Range, with a bottomless lake where people go missing, and an old coal mine where a lot of people died.

Hard to believe anyone would consider us a tourist destination, but we are. People come from all over the world to see our historical downtown, all two streets of it. Our cemetery, full of twenty-six different ethnic groups, each outlined with fences and shrubs and wrought iron gates.

Ghost hunters and people looking for Sasquatch show up in droves, along with Seattleites wanting to get out of the city, but not have to go further than over Snoqualmie Pass into Eastern Washington. Exotic, yet only a few hours away.

When I left to go to college and then on to Los Angeles, I thought I would stand on my own two feet. Be someone other than Earle Rivers’ daughter. Now I’m back here again, still trying to fill his shoes and live up to his reputation.

Even his dog looks at me sideways. It’s bad enough the station secretary thinks I’m not up to the job, but Schweitzer, Earle’s Anatolian shepherd, still doesn’t look at me the way he looked at Dad.

But then. I’m not Dad. I know that. I never will be. But I’m all this town has got between them and anarchy.

Okay, maybe not anarchy. After all, we rarely have any serious crimes. I’m not 100% sure anyone would notice if I just faded away.

Except for my deputy, Dale Kovac. He would certainly notice. He’s gunning for my job after all. If I turned tail and ran for Southern California, he wouldn’t miss me one bit. He’d plop himself down in Dad’s chair and post his photo behind the desk with his name on the plaque.

Maybe that’s part of my problem. I still think of it as Dad’s chair.

Dad will never sit there again. I might as well get used to the idea.

I always thought I would be Sheriff Rivers some day. Just not today. I pictured twenty years or so on the force in LA. Rising through the ranks. Then retiring as Sheriff of Collier. Take over for my Dad when his hair turned completely white.

He’d be there, in his old Craftsman house, waiting to give me sage advice and go on the occasional patrol with me. He’d spend his time fly fishing in our valley. Still tall and only a little stooped.

Dad wasn’t supposed to die. But he did. 

Collier is my responsibility now. 

And we just had our first murder in a very long time.

I guess it’s time to find out if I’m Rivers enough to sit in this chair.

I am my father’s daughter. It’s time Collier knew that too.

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

April 7 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

April 7 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 8 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 8 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

April 9 – The Power of Words – REVIEW

April 9 – Gimme The Scoop Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 10 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

April 10 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 11 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 11 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

April 12 – TBR Book Blog – REVIEW

April 13 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

April 13 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 14 – eBook addicts – REVIEW

April 14 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 15 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

April 15 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

April 16 – The Book Diva’s Reads – GUEST POST

April 16 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

April 17 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 18 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

April 18 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – GUEST POST  

April 19 – That’s What She’s Reading – REVIEW

April 19 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 20 – Here’s How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT

Staging Wars (A Laura Bishop Mystery #2) by Grace Topping

Laura Bishop's new home staging business is growing in popularity, though not with her nemesis. Laura has long suspected established interior designer Monica Heller of sabotaging her fledgling company--and having an affair with her late husband.

When the ultra-chic Monica is caught at the scene of a murder, Laura is plenty happy to imagine her languishing in a prison cell with bedsheets far from her normal 600-thread Egyptian cotton. But her delight is short-lived.

When Laura's friends land on the police's radar, Laura must overcome her dislike of Monica to help solve the crime. Not an easy task since Laura and Monica have been at war since the second grade.

Review to follow when the book is released

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name?

Laura Bishop

What is your Profession?

Professional home stager and small business owner. I recently started Staging for You, a small home staging business. At the moment, Tyrone Webster, a young college student, is my only employee.

What is your current favourite book or movie?

It would be hard to pick just one book. I particularly enjoy mysteries with strong female characters in historical settings, especially those by Jacqueline Winspear, Charles Todd, Anna Lee Huber, and Frances Brody.

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

When I need a movie to comfort me, I turn to any romantic comedy with Meg Ryan, especially, “You’ve Got Mail,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” and “Kate and Leopold.” And if I really need a pick-me-up, the humor of “Galaxy Quest.”

If someone was to play you in a movie who would it be? OR what would be the character you would want to be in a book?

I would love to have Alison Sweeney, who stars in the Murder She Baked series on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, play me. If she could bring along Cameron Mathison to play hunky police detective Alex Spangler, that would be even better. 

What is your ideal evening?

My ideal evening would be to curl up on the sofa with my black cat, Inky, cover myself (and Inky) with an Aran wool afghan, and leaf through decorating magazines for home staging ideas. If it’s a really cold night, I would build a fire, sip on a small glass of Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry to warm myself, and read a good mystery. Since I live alone and can easily get spooked, it would have to be a mystery that wouldn’t have me keeping the lights on after going to bed.

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

April 5 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 5 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

April 6 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

April 7 – eBook Addicts – SPOTLIGHT

April 7 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW

April 8 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 8 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 9 – Mysteries with Character – GUEST POST

April 10 – The Book Decoder – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 11 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

_____

April 20 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

April 20 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

April 21 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

April 21 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

April 22 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

April 23 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

April 24 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – REVIEW

April 25 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

The Body in the Apartment (A Jazzi Zanders Mystery #4) by Judi Lynn

Jazzi married her gorgeous contractor Ansel—not his family. But somehow she keeps living with them. So she's delighted to help Ansel's brother Radley move out of their home and into his own place, in the same building as his work supervisor, Donovan. But when Donovan is shot and his apartment ransacked following an argument with Ansel and Radley's older brother Bain, their sibling becomes a suspect—especially after his missing gun turns up as the murder weapon.
 
Told not to leave town by Detective Gaff, big brother moves in with . . . Jazzi and Ansel. Now Jazzi needs to prove Bain's no killer, not only to keep him out of jail—but to get him out of their house. What was the killer looking for in Donovan's apartment? And what will happen to the next person who gets in the way?

Jazzi and Ansel are very happily married, with one TINY downside, Ansel's brother Radley is still staying with them so when he finally a) earns enough and b) finds an apartment they are happy to help him move, what they are NOT happy with is Ansel's other brother Bain has turned up, had a major argument with Radley (basically telling him to shift himself back to the farm as they need his unpaid labour!), Bain also gets into an argument with Radley's boss Donovan who also has an apartment in the building, but no one was expecting Donovan to be shot with Bain's gun!

Now Detective Gaff has told Bain to stick around, so less than a few hours after Radley moved out of their house Jazzi and Ansel are moving Bain in! Now whilst Radley would muck in and help and was almost as easy going as Ansel, Bain is very much the opposite, so if Jazzi and Ansel want their home back then Jazzi will need to team up with Gaff again and help him find out the truth, because whilst Bain may be surly and argumentative they can't believe he is a cold blooded killer.

Pudding Up With Murder (Undercover Dish Mystery #3) by Julia Buckley

Secret chef Lilah Drake has a killer casserole to deal with in the latest Undercover Dish mystery from the author of Cheddar Off Dead....

Customers trust Lilah Drake to keep her mouthwatering meals under wraps, but when a millionaire meets his untimely end, some sinister secrets become the main course. . . .

Spring is right around the corner, and with the warmer temperatures come plenty of food requests from Lilah Drake's covered-dish clients. Lilah pulls out all the stops with a sweet new casserole for the birthday party of Marcus Cantwell, a wealthy curmudgeon who has some angry ex-wives and more than a few enemies.

When he's found facedown in Lilah's casserole, it's anyone's guess as to who might have wanted the old man dead. A possible new heir to Marcus’s fortune adds some unexpected spice to the investigation, but Lilah fears that the old adage is true, and "the proof is in the pudding."

Another great story from Julia Buckley with Lilah Drake up to her elbows in ingredients and murder! This time Lilah along with her chocolate lab Mick has been invited to a birthday party and she has made a rice pudding for her good friend Ellie to claim as her own (Ellie finds it hard to cook these days because of arthritis), what Lilah doesn't expect is the birthday celebrant to keel over shortly after eating the pudding! Luckily a detective is on hand (sadly NOT Jay Parker, Ellie's son and Lilah's boyfriend), and so things move on apace (well apart from one of the dead man's sons being huffy and obstructive).  When Jay arrives back from a training course he has to jump in and take over and now he and Lilah need to find out who killed Marcus Cantwell, why he was killed and even more importantly discover things about themselves and their relationship!