A Wytch's Book Review Blog

Booked for Death (Booklover's B&B Mysteries #1) by Victoria Gilbert

Nestled in the historic waterfront town of Beaufort, North Carolina, Chapters Bed-and-Breakfast is a reader's paradise. Built in 1770, the newly renovated inn hosts a roster of special events celebrating books, genres, and authors. It's the perfect literary retreat--until a rare book dealer turns up dead in the carriage house during a celebration of Golden Age mystery author Josephine Tey.

The victim's daughter points the finger at forty-two-year-old widow and former schoolteacher Charlotte Reed, who inherited the B&B from her great-aunt Isabella. Charlotte is shocked to discover that the book dealer suspected Isabella of being a thief who founded Chapters on her ill-gotten gains. Charlotte has successfully learned the B&B business in a year, but nothing has prepared her to handle a death on the premises.

Armed with intelligence and courage and assisted by her vibrant older neighbor, a visiting author, and members of a local book club, Charlotte is determined to prove her innocence and to clear her great-aunt's name. But the murderer is still at large, and equally determined to silence anyone who might discover the truth behind the book dealer's death. Now, Charlotte must outwit an unknown killer--or end up writing her own final chapter.

Charlotte Reid has inherited her great-aunt's b & b and she has kept up with the literary theme weeks (as well as running the local book club). this particular week is based around the works of Josephine Tey, it appears to be going smoothly until one of the guests tries a touch of blackmail, only to wind up dead later that night!

Now with everyone under suspicion Charlotte joins forces with her neighbour in the hope of finding out the truth.

The Solace of Bay Leaves by Leslie Budewitz

Pepper Reece never expected to find solace in bay leaves.

But when her life fell apart at forty and she bought the venerable-but-rundown Spice Shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, her days took a tasty turn. Now she’s savoring the prospect of a flavorful fall and a busy holiday cooking season, until danger bubbles to the surface . . .

Between managing her shop, worrying about her staff, and navigating a delicious new relationship, Pepper’s firing on all burners. But when her childhood friend Maddie is shot and gravely wounded, the incident is quickly tied to an unsolved murder that left another close friend a widow.

Convinced that the secret to both crimes lies in the history of a once-beloved building, Pepper uses her local-girl contacts and her talent for asking questions to unearth startling links between the past and present—links that suggest her childhood friend may not have been the Golden Girl she appeared to be. Pepper is forced to face her own regrets and unsavory emotions, if she wants to save Maddie’s life—and her own.

We open with Pepper and her oldest friend Kristen out with their other halves, when they get contacted by a good friend Laurel, the Police are with her and she needs help! It turns out that another mutual friend has been shot and the gun used seems to be the same gun that killed Laurel's husband, so the police (and FBI) are going back over Pat's killing, meanwhile Maddie is lying close to death in the ICU.

Pepper starts to use her connections around the market area to see what she can dig up to help the local police, the only hope is that she won't dig so deep that she ends up digging her own grave - there is a killer out there and the last thing Pepper needs is for them to focus on her.

Peaches and Schemes by Anna Gerard

Nina Fleet might be new to the innkeeping business, but she's savvy enough to know that Cymbeline's tourists aren't enough to keep her fledgling bed and breakfast going. And so, Nina decides to tap into the destination wedding market by taking a booth at the Veils and Vanities Bridal Expo. The twice-yearly event is sponsored by the town's two wedding pros: Virgie Hamilton, the sixtysomething owner of Virgie's Formals, and Roxanna Quarry, a Gen X event planner and Nina's new friend. But everything goes wrong during the expo's fashion show, when Roxanna comes tumbling out of an oversized prop wedding cake, strangled to death by her own scarf.

Virgie is arrested for the crime, thanks to Nina's statement to the police about having overheard the woman accusing her partner of embezzlement. Meanwhile, the situation grows tense with her sometimes nemesis and current tenant, the dashing out-of-work actor Harry Westcott. Harry is concentrating on plugging his most recent side hustle ...but he's not too busy to break the news to Nina that her ex-husband is engaged to be married again.

Certain that Virgie's only offense is a bad temper, Nina decides to do her own investigating. First, however, she and Harry retrieve Roxanna's now ownerless dog, planning to foster him until a new home can be found. But local gossip soon convinces Nina that others beside Virgie might have had reason to murder Roxanna. As Nina gets close to the truth, she's putting her own life at danger. And when Virgie vanishes after being bailed out of jail by an unknown benefactor, Nina fears that if she can't find the dress shop owner in time, tying the knot will take on a whole new meaning for them both.

Nina has decided to boost her B&B by signing up for the Bridal Expo, she finds herself in a booth next to a local florist, who gives her some useful tips on how to set up and behave during the day long event (he is also prepared to watch her booth if she needs to head off for a few minutes!), he is really sweet and so Nina is surprised when one of the organisers has a spat with him, but then the same lady has a spat with the other organiser (which Nina inadvertently over hears), even so Nina is shocked when the 2nd organiser is killed and somewhat dramatically displayed!

Now along with her lodger, Harry Westcott, Nina needs to find out what happened to her friend, but as she looks deeper everything becomes murkier and the worry is that the wrong person is being set up to take the blame, or end up dead as well!