A Wytch's Book Review Blog

Absence of Mallets (Fixer-Upper Mystery #9) by Kate Carlisle

Shannon could not be happier that her hunky thriller-writing boyfriend, Mac, has moved in, and it is a good thing they are living together because they are both busier than ever. Mac is hosting writing retreats at his now vacant lighthouse mansion, while Shannon and her crew build Homefront, a quaint Victorian village of tiny homes for veterans in need. Mac’s latest guests are proving to be a handful though, and Shannon has heard some grumbling from the luminaries of Lighthouse Cove about her latest passion project. But nothing can throw a wrench in their plans except a malicious murder.

When one of Shannon’s new friends is found brutally bludgeoned with a mallet near the lighthouse on Mac’s property, the couple hammers out a suspect list and searches for a motive. As they drill deeper for clues, more violence strikes and a new victim winds up in a coma. The pressure is on, and Shannon and Mac will have to move fast to find an unhinged killer dead set on demolishing anyone who gets in their way…

Another excellent episode in the Fixer Upper series, we have Shannon Hammer and Mac happily living together, Shannon's sister Chloe is engaged to Eric (the Chief of Police) and she is in the process of moving back to Lighthouse Cove, and to top this off Hammer Construction is restoring the lighthouse AND building a small settlement of tiny houses for Veterans (a cause close to the hearts of both Mac and Eric).  So everything in the garden is rosy? well sadly not so, as Mac is no longer in his house that has been turned into a writing retreat but the latest group are putting the backs up various people (Mac and Shannon among them), and the other thing that has gone wrong is the death/murder of one of the Veterans with one of the other Veterans being accused of the act.

Now with Eric being too close to the accused, his deputy, Tommy, has to take the lead (the only problem is that Tommy's wife wants the Tiny House project shut down and the Veterans moved on!), so Shannon, Chloe and Mac are determined to find out the truth, before anyone else is killed.

A Fatal Fettuccine (Undercover Dish Mystery #4) by Julia Buckley

Lilah Drake is back in this fourth Undercover Dish mystery. It's summer in Pine Haven, and Lilah is enjoying life: she's in love, she's a popular chef and caterer, she's surrounded by good friends. But her perfect summer has some troubling distractions.

The normally ebullient Angelo Cardelini, Lilah's ex-boyfriend and current boss, has appealed to Lilah for help with a problem in his love life. The always enthusiastic Serafina Drake, Lilah's sister-in-law, has embroiled Lilah in the problems of her friend, a noted historian named Enzo Montanini.

Enzo is researching an Italian serial killer known internationally as The Lake Killer. Enzo's theory is that the Lake Killer is hiding in America--specifically in Pine Haven. Though Lilah thinks this theory unlikely, she is troubled to hear that Enzo's office has been vandalized, and that someone has tried to kill his assistant. Suddenly Lilah and her boyfriend, Detective Jay Parker, investigate many disparate elements which seem to converge in one place: Pine Haven University.

Can a notorious murderer be walking the streets of Pine Haven, Lilah's shady, sleepy town? This question begins to dominate Lilah's life as she and Jay find themselves on a very dangerous trail that might bring them face to face with the Lake Killer.

Summertime and the living is easy, or so Lilah thinks! Things are going well between her and her boyfriend Detective Jay Parker, her Undercover Dish business is going well and she is getting on with her ex Angelo (luckily, as one of Lilah cooking gigs is working with him!), speaking of Angelo though, both Lilah and Jay are a little worried about him, he finally confesses that the lady he cheated on Lilah with had broken up with him (when she realised she was the other woman) and he has realised that he has real feelings for her and would like to win her back.  As well as this a friend of Lilah's sister in law is having problems at the local University and Jay offers to look into this for him, with all the suitable twists and turns that Julia Buckley puts into her mysteries this turned into a humdinger of a read and makes me want to read all her books again!

Boston Scream Murder (Deputy Donut Mystery #4) by Ginger Bolton

October 31st is just around the corner and Emily Westhill’s Boston cream donuts, carved with a scream, have made an indelible impression on local eccentric Rich Royalson. So much so that he’s ordered three dozen, with twice the fudge icing, for his 70th birthday—a special event in more ways than one. It’s to be held on fog-shrouded Lake Fleekom where, twenty years ago, his wife mysteriously drowned.
 
But the next day, when Emily arrives with her scrumptious screamers, she stumbles upon Rich’s corpse. The poor guy wanted a unique birthday bash—just not one to the side of his skull. With a guest list of possible perpetrators, and his last will and testament suspiciously left at the scene, Emily soon discovers that the Royalson closet is rattling with skeletons. As the fog thickens, motives mount, and the tricks outnumber the treats, Emily fears that Rich may not be the last one in Fallowbrook to go out screaming.

A cute cat... check! a feisty heroine... check! a murder... che ...... wait? WHAT!!

Halloween and the Deputy Donut team are gearing up making "scary" donuts, Fritter Critters, Long John Zombies and of course Boston Screams! The latter is picked by a local retired Bank Manager (Rich Royalson) to help celebrate his 70th birthday (although he wats standard Boston Creams, thank you very much) as he loves (and pontificates .... a lot!) Boston. Rich also would like help redecorating a cottage on his land and feels Emily and Nina can help. So far, so good ... Nina and Em check out the cottage and get a few ideas together and plan to run them by Rich in the next day or so, post the party, speaking of which, when Em turns up with the donuts and coffee she is surprised not to find Rich waiting, although she discovers why a few minutes later when she stumbles over his very dead body!

Now if her friends in the local police force are going to make her Halloween bash, Em first needs to discover who bashed Rich!

Pulp Friction (A Cider Shop Mystery #2) by Julie Anne Lindsey

Thanks to Winnie's new cider shop, Smythe Orchards is out of the red and folks can get their fix of the produce and other delectable products they love all year round. The locals are even booking the shop for events, including a June wedding! Winnie couldn’t be happier to see the barn filled to the rafters for the big bash—until her doting ex, Hank, is caught in a heated argument with the groom. Winnie plans to scold Hank after the party, but spots him running off instead. And when the groom turns up dead, apparently hit by the honeymoon getaway car, Hank is the main suspect. Now Hank is on the lam, and it’s up to Winnie to get to the core of the truth—before the real killer puts the squeeze on her . . .

Winona Mae Montgomery and her Granny Smythe have managed to turn the fortunes of the Smythe orchard around with the opening of the Cider House and they are glad to have it when a local family's daughter decides that instead of the huge wedding bash they were planning they want something simple and book the Cider House, the party is going well apart from a couple of things, but before the evening ends there is a corpse under a truck! Now much as Winnie would like to stay out of this (and Sheriff Colton Wise REALLY wants her to stay out of things!) her long time friend (and ex boyfriend) is in the frame for the murder, and as if that wasn't bad enough he has gone missing!

Now Winnie and her intrepid Gran need to find out the truth so that they can keep the Orchard running.

Death in a Budapest Butterfly (Hungarian Tea House Mystery #1) by Julia Buckley

Hana Keller and her family run Maggie's Tea House, an establishment heavily influenced by the family's Hungarian heritage and specializing in a European-style traditional tea service. But one of the shop's largest draws is Hana's eccentric grandmother, Juliana, renowned for her ability to read the future in the leaves at the bottom of customers' cups. Lately, however, her readings have become alarmingly ominous and seemingly related to old Hungarian legends...

When a guest is poisoned at a tea event, Juliana’s dire predictions appear to have come true. Things are brought to a boil when Hana’s beloved  Anna Weatherley butterfly teacup becomes the center of the murder investigation as it carried the poisoned tea. The cup is claimed as evidence by a handsome police detective, and the pretty Tea House is suddenly endangered.  Hana and her family must catch the killer to save their business and bring the beautiful Budapest Butterfly back home where it belongs.

Well Julia Buckley has done it again! This is a great start to a new series with some fun characters.  The main three are a Grandmother, mother and daughter who run a Hungarian tea house (with a fantastic pastry chef from France called François), on this day they are hosting a Hungarian Woman's club and as Hana (the daughter) has just purchased a stunning butterfly cup and saucer they decide to use that as the theme, the cup and saucer themselves will take pride of place on the table where Juliana (the Grandmother) will read tea leaves.  Everything seems to be going smoothly until Hana sees that her precious butterfly cup is missing, the next thing is the death of one of the ladies and the arrival of the police!

Before Hana knows what has hit her she is dragged into the murder investigation, led by the seriously distracting Erik Wolf, can Erik and Hana find out whodunit before the tea shop goes under or someone else is hurt?