Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Tides, Lies, and Alibis by Taffy Beach . This book is the first in the Manatee Bay Cozy Mystery series and will be released May 4, 2026.

The 1998 Spring Berry Festival in underway and in order to help her best friend Kathleen Wade MacGregor is delivering Cindy's famous cream puffs to local businesses. Dropping off her final delivery at the Athens diner Kate runs into the repugnant Alexander Mudd, local principal, slob, and sleaze. When Mudd winds up dead, apparently poisoned, it appears that one of Cindy's cream puffs is to blame. A police chief with a grudge has Kate determined to investigate before the High Tides Bakery and Café is forced out of business. But while Kate prefers to work alone, her friends and family are bound and determined to help 

Catering to Nobody - A Spotlight

As an adult, what was the book that introduced you to cozy mysteries? For me it was Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson published in 1990. Please note that this is a new cover, quite different that the original.

 

Blurb: 

Even though working a wake isn’t Goldy Bear’s idea of fun, the Colorado caterer throws herself into preparing a savory feast featuring Poached Salmon and Strawberry Shortcake Buffet designed to soothe forty mourners. Her culinary efforts seem to be exactly what the doctor ordered . . . until her former father-in-law, gynecologist Fritz Korman, is struck down—and Goldy is accused of adding poison to the menu. Now, with the Department of Health impounding her leftovers, her ex-husband trashing her name, and her business close to being shut down, Goldy knows she can’t wait for the police to serve up answers. She soon uncovers more than one skeleton in the closet, along with a veritable slew of unpalatable secrets—the kind that could make Goldy the main course in an unsavory killer’s next murder.
  

Other covers:

I think this first one was the cover when I read it. 

 

 

 

The Well-Laid Trap - A Review

 Review

THE WELL-LAID TRAP by Kari Lee Townsend
The Second Wishville Mystery 

Wishville's Summer WishFest is underway, but half-human, half-Dweller Lyra Wells senses an uneasy undercurrent. As Guardian of the Well it's Lyra's job to make sure the festivals run smoothly and the Well grants one wish. Doing so ensures peace between Elarion, world of the Dwellers, and Wishville, Vermont, whose residents no longer remember the existence of the underground world. But in the midst of the bunting and the sugar is something much more dangerous. A breach in Elarion that holds an entity bent on destruction, an elixir that seems to be causing miraculous recoveries, and a missing townsperson have Lyra, Police Chief Holden Thorn, and Chief Enforcer of Elarion Calderis working together to discover who is behind the plot and stop them before evil is released and the worlds begin to battle once more.

I continue to be entranced by Wishville and Elarion. The second Wishville Mystery brings a hidden danger to both worlds and tests our heroes even more. There are more secrets involved and what looks to be perfect we find isn't. People aren't what they seem. Fortunately, our triumvirate are up for the task aided by some good friends. I'm not a fan of love triangles in general, but, sometimes they work. The triangle with Lyra, Holden, and Calderis is one such time. Instead of sniping and desperation, this trio brings out the best in each other.  

With the joys of a summer festival, the danger of a mysterious entity, and a whiff of treachery THE WELL-LAID TRAP is part cozy mystery, part fantasy, and all fun.  

Asylum Murders - A Review

 Review

ASYLUM MURDERS by Michael G. Colburn
The Second Lady Black Mystery 

Lady Edith Black made the mistake of intimating that she was bored. She soon gets wrapped up in an investigation that's exciting, dangerous, and deadly. The theft of the Parliamentary Mace, body parts being found around the city, and a woman beaten nearly to death and unlikely to regain consciousness has Detective McElroy feeling the pressure, especially as  most of the force wishes he'd stayed in London. Calling on his friend, Edie Black, to help him with the interviews he at least has a friendly face he can trust. Though she doesn't know it, people from Edie's London past are also residing in Melbourne. The dangerous and duplicitous Henderson, the tricky Rohwedder, now with a new persona and trade, and her good friend Britina. Britina, forced to enter the novitiate in London, has been transferred to Australia where she's been assigned to work at the Kew Asylum. Britina soon discovers that horrible things are happening at the asylum. Will she be able to help, or will she be the one needing help?

The second Lady Black Mystery is filled with seemingly disparate things - body parts washing up in the city, theft of a parliamentary mace, and a missing woman. What I like best is the way these separate mysteries meld together creating a complete mystery. I enjoyed the relationship between Edie and Detective McElroy, helping, protecting, and trusting. Britina's journey was fascinating and I'm happy she took on a major role in this story. I also really enjoyed the minor characters, who weren't minor at all. Ralphie and Sammy, Dr. Tharp, and Kirb are well drawn out characters who are vital to the story. 

ASYLUM MURDERS is a well plotted mystery containing thrills and the stark realities of 1890s Australia with enough humor to balance the horrors. As someone who currently works in a psychiatric center it was fascinating to read about the Kew Asylum, even a fictional version. I appreciated the look at "new" treatments and how surgeons were trained at that time.

With lots of moving parts ASYLUM MURDERS is a thrilling historical mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. 

A Poetic Pox - A Spotlight

Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on a book that has it's digital release today! A Poetic Pox by Samantha Larsen is the third book in the Lady Librarian Mystery series. You may have read Samantha's guest post for the release of the audio version of this book back in July and I hope you'll read my review which will be coming in March! 

 

Blurb:

1786, England. It is the twelve days of Christmas and Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop is happily juggling her duties as a new mother and a librarian to Catharine, the Duchess of Beaufort. Her employer receives a mysterious letter from an old paramour, the Marquess of Harwood, who is the biological father of Catharine’s son. He promises to leave his estate and fortune to Beau if he can see the boy before he dies.

Her elder son Thomas Montague has a terrible cold, so Catharine asks Tiffany to accompany her and Beau. When they arrive at the dilapidated abbey, they discover a dead body—only it isn’t the marquess, but his valet! Lord Harwood is alive, but unconscious with suspicious looking pox marks on his hands. Tiffany wonders if the marquess is really dying, or if it is all poetic revenge? Especially when she discovers the secrets that haunt Rosedean Abbey.

Between breastfeeding and dirty diapers, Tiffany must discover who killed the valet and attempted to murder the marquess before anyone else dies.

Currently Reading...

I just finished reading The Well-Laid Trap by Kari Lee Townsend. This book is the second in the Wishville Mystery series and was released last week.

Wishville's Summer WishFest is underway, but half-human, half-Dweller Lyra Wells senses an uneasy undercurrent. As Guardian of the Well it's Lyra's job to make sure the festivals run smoothly and the Well grants one wish. Doing so ensures peace between Elarion, world of the Dwellers, and Wishville, Vermont, whose residents no longer remember the existence of the underground world. But in the midst of the bunting and the sugar is something much more dangerous. A breach in Elarion that holds an entity bent on destruction, an elixir that seems to be causing miraculous recoveries, and a missing townsperson have Lyra, Police Chief Holden Thorn, and Chief Enforcer of Elarion Calderis working together to discover who is behind the plot and stop them before evil is released and the worlds begin to battle once more.

Cold Snap - A Spotlight

Since we're in the midst of an Arctic blast with plenty of snow I thought I'd shine a spotlight on Cold Snap by Maureen Jennings. This book is the third in the Paradise Café Mystery series and has been patiently waiting on my TBR pile.

Blurb:

November’s rain in Toronto 1936 has turned into December’s cold snap. Charlotte Frayne escapes being hit by a mud-splattered car racing round the corner at Queen and Spadina. The stranger who saves her turns out to be the man her boss, Mr. Gilmore, has helped to escape Germany and is now a refugee in need of shelter.

In a world still recovering from the War to End All Wars and the Spanish Influenza pandemic that killed fifty million people worldwide, and still in the throes of the Great Depression, Stephen Lucas is not just any refugee from the Nazi regime; he is in possession of information that could alter the course of history — but only if seen by persons in power and if acted upon. In a surprising twist of fate, Charlotte’s estranged mother reappears, wanting assistance in locating the son she gave up at birth twenty years before. Despite her turbulent feelings about her mother, Charlotte agrees to investigate, having no idea that the two cases will connect in surprising ways.

Back at the Paradise Café, Christmas draws near and Charlotte’s beau, Hilliard Taylor, and his partners are in disagreement about the holiday concert. With her beloved grandfather in the mix, there’s no telling whether the show will end in good tidings or anarchy.