A Wytch's Book Review Blog

The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies: A German Cozy Mystery (The Homeswappers Book 1)

Etta and Dora, both newly retired teachers, travel from their home in Southern Italy to a fairy-tale German town for their first home swap holiday, delighted by their neighbours’ warm welcome. But the welcome turns sour when the Night Watchman of Rothenburg is brutally murdered while his tour group takes photographs nearby, a halberd buried in his chest and a peculiar iron mask by his side.

When the murderer claims a second victim and the son of their hospitable neighbours becomes the number-one suspect, Etta’s analytical mind goes to work. Why was a shame mask left at the scene of each murder? Is there a clandestine trade going on behind the scenes of apparently upstanding local businesses? And why does every lead take her back to the sinister Devil’s Ale pub and the terrifying gang who lurk within?

Meanwhile, Dora has a puzzle of her own – how can she persuade Etta that a loveably disobedient Basset Hound called Napoleon is now a permanent part of their lives?

 

Once the Watchman dies this turns into a regular page turner, make sure you have nothing planned as you will want to finish it!

At first I wasn't sure about this book, but as I started reading and got past the grumpiness at the beginning then the book flowed and flowed and I wanted to find out what happens next! We start with two disparate friends trying to find the house they are supposed to be staying at in Rothenburg, when they do they then can't find the key to get in! By this time Etta is really wishing she hadn't been chivvied into trying out houseswapping, luckily (for Etta's sanity and possibly Dora's life expectancy) the neighbour has arrived home and sees their trouble and helps out (oh also extends an invitation to dinner which is much appreciated!).  Although the two ladies would just like to relax for the evening Etta's daughter had booked them into a walking tour that evening, run by "The Night Watchman", the tour starts wonderfully (although Dora to Etta's displeasure ends up walking the Watchman's dog Napoleon aka Leon - Etta is NOT a great animal lover), but near the end Leon suddenly tugs Dora frantically and she and Etta discover the dead body of the Watchman!

Now with the son of their helpful, temporary, neighbours in the frame for murder Etta and Dora need to find out who killed the Watchman and why (and Etta also wants to find a home for Leon as Dora brought him back with them to the houseswap!)

 

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name?

Concetta Natale Passolina, but I’m simply Etta to family and friends.

What is your Profession?

I’m a newly retired teacher. [It shows in her voice that Etta doesn’t much like the word ‘retired’. When your curious blogger asks why, she explains that in Italy, retirement tends to mean you’re well over sixty, and as she says, she’s “against aging”. Whatever that means!]

What is your current favourite movie?

Bread and Tulips. I’m sorry, I’m naming an Italian movie that most readers in the English-speaking world won’t be familiar with. It’s a wonderful romantic comedy featuring a typical Southern Italian housewife, with a selfish husband and careless children, who’s left behind at a petrol station during a coach trip. Instead of taking a train back home, she hitchhikes her way to Venice and finds a job – in a quaint flower shop, at that. She ends up loving her new life as she realises who she really is. 

As a divorced woman who had to bring up my only daughter alone, I find the movie empowering and inspiring, and I love Venice so much. I hope Dora, my friend and sidekick in The Homeswappers Mysteries series, and I find a homeswap there soon.

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

Etta: “You promise you won’t tell anyone?”

Blogger (solemnly), “I promise.” [Then she adds in a whisper, “They might read what you say, but I won’t tell anyone”.]

Etta: “My guilty pleasure is Anne of Green Gables. It sets me at peace with the whole world, and we red-haired women rock! As for my comfort movie, I’m still waiting for Rhys Bowen’s Molly Murphy Mystery series to be adapted for the screen. Again, it features a red-haired woman. And a red-haired sleuth at that.

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

I wanted to say Nicole Kidman because she has the same red hair as me, though I’m not quite as thin… But my friend Dorotea Rosa Pepe (you can call her Dora) told me it’s a fun question, so she gave it some thought and said, “Jack Nicholson in As Good as it Gets.” She’s not usually the sarcastic type, so I was shocked by her answer. I can’t really see what we have in common – he’s such an unbearable guy, saying all sorts of nasty things, no matter whom he’s speaking to. I’m not like that. At all. GRUMPH!

What is your ideal evening?

I confess, my best time of day is the morning. Evenings are mostly for curling up on my armchair, reading a book, Leon, our Basset Hound, snoring nearby, Dora baking some biscuits. And preferably, no one in the vicinity being murdered! 

Please leave a message in the comments and we will pick a winner for an eBook of The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies.

All  my links:

Free eBook: https://adrianalicio.com/murderclub  

Website: https://adrianalicio.com  

BookBub: https://bookbub.com/authors/adriana-licio

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19378391.Adriana_Licio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adrianalicio.mystery 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/adrianalici 

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

September 14 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

September 14 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST

September 14 – Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 15 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

September 15 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 15 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

September 17 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

September 17 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

September 17 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

September 18 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 18 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT

September 19 – Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

September 19 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 20 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 20 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 21 – My Reading  Journeys – REVIEW

September 21 – Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW 

September 22 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

September 22 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 23 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

September 23 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 23 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW, GUEST POST

Dead Wrong (Agatha's Amish B&B #1) by Vannetta Chapman

When Agatha Lapp’s brother and sister-in-law are tragically killed in a buggy accident, Agatha relocates to the new Amish community in Hunt Texas, nestled in the Texas Hill Country. She’s there to make a success of her brother’s dream--an Amish B&B. Agatha is friendly, efficient, and capable. She's also a fifty-five year old widow who has learned to be independent. When she discovers Russell Dixon’s lifeless body in Cabin 3, she runs next door where retired detective Tony Vargas lives. The police determine that her guest died of natural causes, but as Agatha and Tony put together the events of the previous two days they become convinced that the police are Dead Wrong.

This looks like the start of another great Amish Cozy series by Vanetta Chapman.

We open with a sort of prologue, Agatha Lapp (an Amish widow of about 10 years) is being driven by an Amish Bishop to the B & B her youngest brother and his wife were setting up in Texas, before it even opened the doors they were both killed in a tragic buggy accident and now Agatha is coming to take it over.  When they arrive mind you it looks in a sorry state!  The book proper opens with a full house (we are not told but I guessing the local Amish rallied round and helped with fixing it up), everything seems to be going smoothly when Agatha opens one of the cabins and finds it a mess and a lifeless body! Without thinking she hurtles over to a neighbour and asks him to help.  As luck would have it the neighbour (Tony Vargas) is a retired detective and so he is able to help out.  Agatha and Tony both think there is something wrong, but the local police think it is just an unfortunate accident, so Tony and Agatha (along with Agatha's Englisch assistant Gina) start hunting to find out the truth.

Jokers Wild (Mah Jongg Mysteries #6) by Barbara Barrett

“The show must go on.” That applies even to playwright Marianne Putnam, when the director of her one-act play, “Jokers Wild,” fails to show for curtains up on opening night at the community theater in Serendipity Springs, Florida. When the director’s wife begs Marianne to accompany her to their home to check on him, they find the man floating in his pool. Dead.

Though not known for his pleasant disposition—her relationship with him had been tense since nearly ramming into his car in a parking lot, but after all, he was the director—who would have wanted to murder him? Surely no one in the production crew, cast or the staff of the community center where the play was to be staged. Maybe it was the wife, who Marianne had overheard arguing with him. Or perhaps someone from his theater connections back in the Big Apple.

Since she was there when the body was discovered, Marianne is considered a suspect. That doesn’t mean she can’t help her three Mah Jongg friends—Syd, Micki and Kat—assist the sheriff with the investigation. But who’s there to help her when her path crosses the murderer’s.

Another fantastic page turner from Barbara Barrett, and it makes me wish for friends like these, that are there whatever the circumstance!

With this story the focus is on Marianne, one of her one act plays has been picked up by the Serendipity Springs Community Theatre and she will be tied up with that for a few weeks, although the director the theatre has hired seems determined that she will have no input, then again he is putting the backs up of most of the people he has to interact with! If that wasn't bad enough though someone is messing with the props for the play, and on one occasion the food and drink that was the directors!  Even so they all struggled on and finally the night arrived, only the director didn't and Marianne ends up headed to his house along with his semi-estranged wife, only for them to find him dead in the swimming pool!

Now Marianne is one of the suspects in his death and so her three friends (along with two husbands and a male friend) are joining forces with the Sheriff's department to find out who disliked the director enough to end his career so totally!

 

JOKERS WILD TOUR PARTICIPANTS

September 15 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

September 15 – Dee-Scoveries – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW

September 17 – Christy's Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

September 17 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

September 18 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

September 18 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

September 18 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

September 19 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 19 – Author Elena Taylor's Blog - AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 20 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

September 20 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 21 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

September 21 – eBook Addicts – SPOTLIGHT

September 22 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 22 – Reading Authors Network – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

September 23 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

September 23 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

Dough or Die (A Bread Shop Mystery #5) by Winnie Archer

People come to the beach town of Santa Sofia as much for the healing properties of Yeast of Eden's breads as for a vacation getaway. And now a cable food channel has selected the bakery as a featured culinary delight for a new show. Baking apprentice Ivy Culpepper is excited as the crew arrives, ready to capture all the ins and outs of the renowned bread shop. But instead they capture something much harder to stomach: the attempted murdered of the show's cameraman just outside Yeast of Eden . . .

With no motive and no clues, and the town craving answers, it will be up to Ivy to sift through the evidence to find the truth. But she'll have to move quickly before someone else is targeted or the wrong person gets the heat--and the business collapses like a deflated souffl�, right before her eyes.

Winnie Archer has written another book that pulls you into the story until you can feel yourself right there in the midst of the action!

Reality TV has come to Santa Sofia, or more to the point to Yeast of Eden. with a show about America's Best Bakeries, a local presenter is one of the two co-presenters on the show but she seems determined to muscle her way to the top spot which leads to tensions within the filming team.  No one though expects one of the team to be mown down by a hit and run driver!  That would be bad enough but then another member of the team is murdered, now Ivy along with her neighbour Mrs Bamford (and of course Santa Sofia's finest in the form of her best friend Emmeline) before more people end up six feet under!

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name?

Ivy Culpepper

What is your Profession?

I’m a photographer, but since I moved back to Santa Sofia, I’ve become passionate about baking, specifically bread. I work part time for Olaya Solis at Yeast of Eden. 

What is your current favourite book or movie?

All my favorite books right now are cookbooks! 

My all-time favorite movies are: Chef, The Hundred Foot Journey, and Julie and Julia. 

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

I’d definitely put on Chef. The food truck, the cuban sandwiches, the brilliant kid with his social media. It’s probably my all-time favorite.

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?

Oh, Emma Stone, for sure. We’re like twins. 

What is your ideal evening?

Miguel Baptista runs Baptista’s Cantina & Grill. We were high school sweethearts and have rekindled our relationship twenty years later. He’s an excellent cook. An evening at his bungalow, which has an amazing view of the Pacific, for a dinner he cooked—and with bread I baked, followed by a walk on the beach with my sweet pug, Agatha, would be my perfect evening.

 

DOUGH OR DIE TOUR PARTICIPANTS

September 10 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

September 10 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW

September 10 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 10 – MJB Reviewers - SPOTLIGHT

September 11 – Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 11 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

September 11 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

September 11 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 12 – Baroness' Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

September 12 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 12 – I Read What You Write - SPOTLIGHT

September 13 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 13 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

September 13 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

September 14 – Christy's Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 14 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

September 14 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

September 15 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 15 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – GUEST POST

September 15 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 16 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – Gimme The Scoop Reviews – SPOTLIGHT/ RECIPE

September 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

Jealousy Filled Donuts (Deputy Donut Mystery #3) by Ginger Bolton

When a firecracker becomes a murder weapon, Emily Westhill pursues a killer with a short fuse …

It is a truth universally acknowledged—cops and donuts go together. Exhibit A: Deputy Donut Café, owned and operated by detective's widow Emily Westhill and her father-in-law, the retired police chief of Fallingbrook, Wisconsin. Named after Emily's adored and adorable tabby, the donut shop is a favorite among cops, firemen, and EMTs, as well as tourists and townspeople. So when Fallingbrook needs donuts for their Fourth of July picnic, Emily's shop gets deputized.

But a twisted killer has found another use for Emily's treats. At the picnic, a firecracker is hidden in a stack of raspberry-filled donuts and aimed at the unwitting queen of the festivities. When it explodes, she is killed. Having her jelly donuts involved puts Emily in a sticky situation, and when a shady shutterbug tries to frame her with incriminating photos, she finds herself in quite a jam. To preserve her freedom and her shop's reputation, Emily needs to solve this case—before the fuse-lighting felon goes off again …

The 4th of July, a time for family, fun and fireworks - oh and in Fallingbrook a parade with a King, Queen, Duke and Duchess! This year Deputy Donut are using their delivery car as one of the parade vehicles, more to the point they (or rather Emily) will be driving the King and Queen in their mock cop car.  There is one minor (okay major problem) the Queen is late to to parade (over an hour late!) she refuses to get in the arranged car and so Emily's friend Misty (the cop) has to drive Taylor's (the Queen) tiny convertible car in the parade with the King and Queen in it whilst the Duke and Duchess get the comfy seats in the mock cop car! Finally though the parade happens and then Emily can park up and quickly join their new hire Jocelyn at the table they have set up to serve donuts outdoors in the park.  One thing, or rather one person, is creeping Emily (and apparently Jocelyn) out and that is a photographer who seems to be following her around. Still she shrugs this off, goes back to the shop, and makes a dozen more donuts to share with friends whilst watching the fireworks that evening, but what starts out as a wonderful evening rapidly goes downhill when a tower of donuts is turned into a missile and the creepy photographer says he saw Emily light it!

Now photographs are in the paper showing Emily in a bad light and she rapidly needs to find out the truth so she can get on with what she loves, with friends and family (and of course her cat Dep).

A Plain Death (Appleseed Creek #1) by Amanda Flower

Welcome to Appleseed Creek, the heart of Ohio’s Amish Country, where life is not as serene as it seems.

While her Cleveland friends relocated to Southern California and Italy, 24-year-old computer whiz Chloe Humphrey moves with some uncertainty to Appleseed Creek to direct technology services at a nearby college. Her first acquaintance is Becky, an ex-Amish teenager looking for a new home.

While driving Chloe’s car, Becky collides with a buggy, killing an Amish elder. But what looks like an accident is soon labeled murder when police discover the car’s cut brake line.

Now, Chloe must take on the role of amateur sleuth to discover who the real intended victim was before the murderer makes a second attempt. Becky’s handsome Amish-turned-Mennonite brother, Timothy, a local carpenter, comes in handy along the way. With God’s help, they’ll solve the mystery that’s rocking this small community.

Hmm I normally enjoy reading about Amish country when it comes to  cozy mysteries but for some reason (and I think it may be the overt Christian messages), this one grated on me.  Add in the fact that the MC seemed to be running around like a headless chicken and getting into trouble without solving the crime (and upsetting people left, right and centre!) and this one left me cold.  If I need another book for another bingo round I might read another, but at the moment (sadly) this is at the bottom of my list, ah well I enjoy Amanda Flower's Amish sweetshop mysteries so I will stick with them!