Friday, June 26, 2026

Masher of Ceremonies - A Review

 Review


MASHER OF CEREMONIES by Victoria Hamilton
The Thirteenth Vintage Kitchen Mystery 
 
Unwilling to let Queensville's traditional Tea with the Queen die Jaymie Müller is determined to make this year's fundraiser the best ever, even if it kills her! Jaymie's already busy life gets even more chaotic when Nigel, her event partner and new owner of Stowe House, tells her he's being blackmailed and asks for her help. Does the dead body have something to do with the blackmail or is something else going on? Between making sure the Tea with the Queen is a success, dealing with volunteers old and new, including Nigel's entourage, opening her own shop, and caring for her family, Jaymie will also puzzle out just who killed Queensville's latest victim.
 
Jaymie has so much going on in the thirteenth Vintage Kitchen Mystery I don't know when she has time to breathe! I enjoyed reading about her many activities including opening her own shop and tea room with her best friend and seeing her home life, simple acts of cooking a meal and getting her daughter ready for school or watching her play with her cousins. These looks into Jaymie's life give readers a sense of who she is-someone who can organize and solve problems, whether it's where to locate  a vintage kitchenware pattern, how to deal with volunteers, or how to solve a murder!
 
MASHER OF CEREMONIES is a bit different in that the first major problem, aside from reining in was the blackmail situation. We know the identity of the blackmailer, we just don't know what he's capable of. The murder doesn't happen for quite some time and the motive, as well as the killer, is unknown. I like how Jaymie involves the police and asks for advice and help, yet still remains strong and independent. While events move at a slower pace, there are some heart pounding surprises and a few fast paced thrills.
 
With lots of moving parts MASHER OF CEREMONIES is a delightful blend of Michigan summer life and murder. 

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Ghost Cat and the Haunted House - A Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm pleased to allow Blaze the cat to take over Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Blaze on the pages of Ghost Cat and the Haunted House by Mollie Hunt. This book is the fourth in the Tenth Life Cozy Mystery series and will be released next week.


Excuse me. Can I say something?

I know you expected an essay from the heroes of Ghost Cat and the Haunted House. Camelia Collins possibly, or the ghost cat Soji herself. But they are busy infusing our author’s mind with stories yet to come. So you get me instead. Hello, I’m Blaze, Camelia’s companion cat.

I may not be a major character in the Tenth Life Cozy Paranormal Mystery Series, but I am important. As a real, flesh-and-blood cat (unlike tricksy Soji), I’ve been with Camelia for as long as I can remember. I am what Camelia calls a senior cat, so that’s a long time.

We lived in a city called Portland before Camelia decided to pick up and move to little Ocean Cove. She’d always dreamed of living on the Oregon Coast, and at the advancing age of seventy-something summers, I suppose she figured it was now or never. I was skeptical at first, hating change as much as the next cat, but I have come to appreciate the fresh air and quiet environment. Camelia loves it, and that counts more than anything, because she is my world. I need her, but she needs me too.

Soji the ghost cat has her moments— (Did I tell you Camelia’s little cottage is haunted? Well, no one told us either, so it was a surprise when the spirit of a cat from the early twentieth century turned up and started talking to us.) —but Soji is unreliable. I, on the other hand, am completely reliable, especially when it comes to mealtimes and naps.

In this newest book, I have an especially large role to play, though to be honest, it wasn’t really my idea. I kept disappearing to somewhere I couldn’t possibly be, like in a locked-room mystery. Only after several of those inexplicable excursions did Camelia discover the reason. It will astound you, I promise!

I also led Camelia to a place she needed to be just in time to prevent something bad from happening, hosted a feline houseguest she brought home unexpectedly, and sat on her lap when she was cold and scared.

I am quietly amazing.

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 Ghost Cat and the Haunted House (A Tenth Life Cozy Mystery) by Mollie Hunt

About Ghost Cat and the Haunted House

Ghost Cat and the Haunted House (A Tenth Life Cozy Mystery)
Cozy Cat Mystery 4th in Series
Setting - Ocean Cove, a fictitious town on the Oregon Coast
Independently Published
Print Length: ‎ 277 pages
Publication Date: ‎ June 30, 2026

Ghost cat Soji draws Camelia into an age-old web of secrets when a body turns up in the long-abandoned house on the hill.

Decades ago, Ida Jacks died a tragic death in her old ancestral home. Since then, the place has stood empty, just another of Ocean Cove’s moldering landmarks. Now paranormal investigator Griffin Gage is about to change all that. But Gage’s plan is to contact dead Ida takes a tragic turn when, instead of a spirit, he finds a corpse.

Ghost cat Soji has been acting strange, trying to tell Camelia something, but what, the octogenarian cannot discern. Is it about Ida? The Jacks House? The murder? And why does her own cat Blaze keep disappearing to the guesthouse with no apparent means of transport?

Handsome Sheriff Jamie can’t figure it out, and neither can Camelia’s clairvoyant confidant Vera nor her very special friend Ellery. Camelia is on her own to uncover the killer, but can she solve the mysteries in time to save innocent lives, and maybe a ghost or two?

About Mollie Hunt

 

Long: Cat Writer Mollie Hunt is the award-winning author of two cozy series: the Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries featuring a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip, and the Tenth Life Paranormal Mysteries involving a ghost cat. Her Cat Seasons Sci-Fantasy Tetralogy presents extraordinary cats saving the world. She also released a COVID memoir she calls, "an ode to the very real and healing presence of cats." Her cat health memoir, “Creating Comfort for Your Senior Cat: Stories, Poems, and Illustrations of Cats in Their Golden Years,” recently won a Certificate of Excellence from the Cat Writers’ Association.

Mollie’s cat writing has earned her various other honors, including CWA Muse Medallions and World’s Best Litter-ary Awards. She is the recipient of the prestigious Michael Brim Distinguished Service Award (CWA) and the Catalyst Council Connect to Care Award, celebrating a true story of the profound connection between a shelter cat and its adoptive pet parent. Her mystery, Cat’s Paw, was a CIBA Mystery & Mayhem Semi-finalist. Mollie is on the Board of Directors for Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA) as well as being the librarian for the Cat Writers’ Association. Additionally, she is a member of Sisters in Crime, Willamette Writers, and the Oregon Writers Colony. Mollie lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like her cat lady character, she is a grateful shelter volunteer.

Short: Cat Writer Mollie Hunt is the award-winning author of two cozy mystery series and a sci-fantasy tetralogy. She has also published a COVID memoir and a cat health chronicle, both of which won recognition from the Cat Writers’ Association.

Mollie is a member of the Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA), Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, the Cat Writers’ Association, and Willamette Writers. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like the cat lady character in one of her cozies, she is a grateful shelter volunteer.

Author Links

You can find Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer on her blogsite: https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/  

Follow Mollie's Amazon Page: www.amazon.com/author/molliehunt  

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/MollieHuntCatWriter/  

Instagram: @molliehuntcatwriter  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7768987.Mollie_Hunt  

Purchase Link - Amazon

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Currently Reading...

I just finished reading Deadly Ruse by Kate Parker. This book is the fourteenth in the Deadly Series and was released yesterday.

In July 1943 with her husband assigned to North Africa Olivia Redmond and their son Stevie are living in the Coswolds with her good friend Esther. That is until she gets a call from British spymaster Sir Malcolm. Livvy is to report to Trent Park House just outside of London. The house has been turned into a Prisoner of War Camp for German generals, completely bugged with German speakers listening in the basement. Livvy is to teach sketching classes to the generals in the hopes of getting them relaxed and talking. The first surprise is seeing Oberst, now General, Bernhard as a prisoner. The second is the discovery of one of the POWs killed and stuffed in her art cabinet. Livvy soon finds herself dealing with stolen jewels, a plot against England, and another assault. Will she be able to convince the Germans she's merely an art teacher as she tries to solve the secrets of Trent Park House and a murder? Or will she be the next to be silenced? 

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

The Twilight Toxin - An Interview & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Holly Bell to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Holly writes the Amanda Cadabra British Urban Fantasy Mystery series. Amanda Cadabra and the Twilight Toxin is the ninth book in the series and was released earlier this year.

Kathy: In Amanda Cadabra and the Twilight Toxin, covert witch Amanda and her irascible feline familiar return to the Cornish land of her birth. What makes this location a perfect spot for a mystery?

HB: In the South West of Britain, jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, it is a remote peninsula and is a land rich in mythology. It has its own Celtic language, which predates English, and as a location, has literary heritage in the shape of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca and Jamaica Inn. The landscape has both the dramatic north coast and the wildness of Bodmin Moor. The Cornish themselves are a separate nation. What more could you ask for?


Kathy: Your series is described as "a British urban fantasy with a side of cosy mystery, a dash of adventure, and a healthy helping of humour". If you are able to divide your writing, which portion is your favorite to write?

HB: Urban fantasy. This is where the mines are, the deep literary seam of mystery, suspense and even danger. Love the idea of someone with supernatural powers having to move unseen through the ordinary, the everyday, covertly helping, rescuing, solving. I enjoy the challenge of the limitations it imposes on the whodunnit and how much paranormal skills could be used to solve it without being discovered, because their magical nature puts them at constant risk, and the lives of others. The dark undercurrent that runs though all of the books and deepens through the series is the one that I find the most satisfying, especially with humour and the ‘side of cozy’ with its counterpoint.


Kathy: If you had the chance, would you like to have magical powers?

HB: Yes. Amanda’s gift of levitation would be extremely handy. Yet in a way, we do all of us have magical powers; our sixth sense, the inexplicable way knowledge, in flashes of enlightenment, comes to us out of the blue without tangible evidence at that moment.


Kathy: What first drew you to paranormal mysteries?

HB: A phone call. Back when I was strictly a non-fiction writer, an author friend called in great excitement, having just learned of this new genre of cozy paranormal mystery.

I adored Agatha Christie, and Tolkien was my favourite author. I’d read all of the Terry Pratchett and Dick Francis collections, so the idea of combining the two great literary loves of my life was tremendously attractive. And, which was a huge part of it, my friend had absolute faith that I could do it. And once I started ... I couldn’t stop.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

HB: Currently no. But I have written nonfiction, which I would like to return to, to update and create new editions of those books.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

HB: Amanda Cadabra is a covert witch with a comically grumpy feline familiar in a village of Normals (muggles) and solves murders by the use of her magical skills, without revealing them in order to preserve her safety. She is assisted in various degrees by the by-the-book Detective Inspector Trelawney, who is not at all comfortable with the world of magic.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

HB: Amanda. She has so much of me in her, or perhaps I should say there is so much of her in me. We have the same challenges, especially with regard to social interaction, and we share many of the same strengths when it comes to problem-solving. I did train in furniture restoration for a year and a half, so we have that in common too, but Amanda’s much better at it than I am. I think she has great capacity to continue to develop, and I’m looking forward to seeing how that happens and what she does next.


Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?

HB: The short answer is no. It came out of the ether. Initially, I learned about the then formula for cozy paranormal mystery, which is the genre where the series started out, and it just grew from there: covert witch, English village, familiar who is a grumpy but powerful cat, Cornish history, Tudor village, old buildings, history, old stories.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

HB: The ease of doing so on Kindle Direct Publishing. For me, it was a no-brainer. When I was 19, I did make a foray into science fiction writing and did have the book looked at by someone with connections to a publishing house, and the work they would have needed on it and the limitations on the amount of control I would have had put me off completely. But then Amazon changed the game and world of publishing, and then they were joined by Kobo, Apple, Google and more.


Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

HB: Tolkien, Christie, Dick Francis and Terry Pratchett.


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

HB: Non-fiction sources, researching for a future book and more.


Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

HB: I play an online multiplayer interactive game called World of Warcraft, and I love dancing whenever I can.


Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

HB: Peppermint tea, cheddar, kvarg, and Swiss dark chocolate.


Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

HB: Yes, I already have the plot down for the next book in the Amanda Cadabra series, I have ideas for spin-off series based on one of the supporting characters that will spring from Book 6, Amanda Cadabra and The Strange Case of Lucy Penlowr, and I have the plot of another of the prequel Philip Rayke Mysteries. Plus, I would like one by one to bring out all of the existing books as audiobooks, with the second one coming out around this time.


Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

HB: The wild ride of creativity when a new book is coming to me. 

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 Amanda Cadabra and The Twilight Toxin (The Amanda Cadabra British Urban Fantasy Mysteries) by Holly Bell

About Amanda Cadabra and The Twilight Toxin

Amanda Cadabra and the Twilight Toxin 
Paranormal Cozy Mystery 9th in Series
Setting - Cornwall, and an English village
Publisher: ‎ Independently published
Publication Date: ‎ April 29, 2026
Print Length: ‎ 422 pages

Someone is Watching

A body is discoveredin a troubling location, just as the killer had intended, the crime scene drawing covert witch Amanda and her irascible feline familiar back to the Cornish land of her birth. Inevitably, Detective Inspector Thomas Trelawney is drawn in to help her unravel this perplexing crime.

At the heart of this heinous murder lies an unknown weapon, a device possessing an extraordinary and lethal power. Worse still, the killer remains, somewhere close by ... waiting. Who can it be? Can a daring venture into the past, to reclaim a distant memory from the curious Lucy Penlowr, bring Amanda and the inspector any closer to the truth?

Trelawney, determined to solve the case by normal methods, finds every turn a blind alley until a perilous path leads to two fateful hours at a secret gathering. Now, Amanda's mounting temptation to embrace a dark revenge, and the ultimate test of her burgeoning magical skills, risk everything in a race for survival

Can Amanda and Trelawney unmask the killer and discover the true meaning of The Twilight Toxin?

A British urban fantasy with a side of cosy mystery, a dash of adventure, and a healthy helping of humour, The Twilight Toxin is the ninth standalone whodunnit in the Amanda Cadabra series.

About Holly Bell

Humorous and quintessentially English with excitement and magic.

Cat adorer and chocolate lover, British author Holly Bell’s life changed in a day. A best-selling author friend convinced Holly that she could write cozy mysteries, after many years' experience with non-fiction, photography and video making.

Holly devoured all of the Agatha Christie books long before she knew that Miss Marple was the godmother of the Cozy Mystery. Her love of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings meant that her first literary creation in this area would have to be a cosy paranormal. Over the series the books have grown to straddle urban fantasy mystery too.

Having derived immense delight from the adventure of writing Amanda Cadabra and The Hidey-Hole and its 8 sequels, and a prequel to date, Holly has more in the pipeline.

Her favourite feline is a black cat called Bobby. He is black. Like her favourite hat. Purely coincidental.

Holly loves to hear from readers. She always responds in person.

The Amanda Cadabra Cozy Paranormal Mysteries (in order): Amanda Cadabra and The Hidey-Hole Truth Amanda Cadabra and The Cellar of Secrets Amanda Cadabra and The Flawless Plan Amanda Cadabra and The Rise of Sunken Madley Amanda Cadabra and The Hidden Depths Amanda Cadabra and The Strange Case of Lucy Penlowr Amanda Cadabra and The Hanging Tree Amanda Cadabra and The Nightstairs Amanda Cadabra and The Twilight Toxin Author Links  

Join the newsletter for updates http://amandacadabra.com/come-on-in/  

Website https://amandacadabra.com/  

Book https://amandacadabra.com/book-9-the-twilight-toxin/  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Holly-Bell-923956481108549/  

X https://twitter.com/holly_b_author  

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.co.uk/hollybell2760/ 

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hollybellac  

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hollybellfantasy/  

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hollybell-amandacadabra/  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18387493.Holly_Bell  

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/holly-bell  

Purchase Links Amazon Universal links Kobo Google Google Play Barnes & Noble Apple Books2Read Bookshop.org

Sunday, June 21, 2026

Recipe for Murder - A Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to let Mel O’Rourke take over Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Mel on the pages of the Pine Cove Mystery series by Marla A. White. RECIPE FOR MURDER is the second book in the series and was released last week.

It Sucks To Be Jessica Fletcher

Remember back in the 80s and 90s, when “Murder She Wrote” was on TV and the big joke was that people should stop inviting the main character, Jessica Fletcher, to parties because someone always dies? Let me tell you from experience, it sucks to be that person.

We’d barely re-opened the old B&B my family helped me purchase when a guy dies in my lobby. Thanks to some help from Jackson Thibodeaux, I was able to sneak it out before word got out and stash the body in his spare freezer, but still it wasn’t a great first week of business. Especially when another guest fell to their death shortly after, but neither one was my fault, I swear.

Not that long after, Poppy Phillips, my nemesis when I was on the force, comes asking for help when she’s been framed for murder. It kills me to admit it, but while Poppy is guilty of plenty of things she’s never even so much as carried a weapon, let alone kill someone. Of course, not long after that, another body turned up. I could hear the whispers starting even before a maniac blew up one of my cabins.

Thank God people are kind of morbid, and the news of all the murders seem to have actually driven business up. Go figure. I have to confess; I wasn’t much of a cozy mystery reader before moving up to this one-stop-light town. I mean, I was living the crime thing, the last thing I wanted to do was read about it. But lately my grandmother as well as my good friend, Doc Hart, have turned me onto the genre. It was fun reading at first, but by now I’m wondering how the heck do all these bakers, bookstore owners, chocolatiers, cheese store owners, and yes, inn keepers stay in business with book after book of murder and mayhem all around them? And don’t even get me started on the small towns in England where they have more murders than actual residents.

So, here’s my suggestion for all small business owners who also seem to be death magnets; get a boyfriend who is an actual cop. Not that I’ve been successful doing that. I’m not even sure I want Deputy Gregg Marks that embedded in my life. But it seems to me, if you have a cop hanging out around your business it will discourage the stabby-stabby killer types. Of course, that would put a cramp in my relationship with Jackson, my sweet and hot café owner neighbor.

The only other thing I can think of is a little advice from Bill Shakespeare and, “Get thee to a nunnery.” One of my aunts is a nun, she seems to like it? I don’t think it’s in the cards for me with my potty mouth, but at least it would get me out of the tension of this love triangle. And the only bodies dropping would likely be of natural causes. On the other hand, Sister Boniface saw so many murders, she set up her own forensics lab at the abbey. Ugh. I guess there’s no getting out from being a murder magnet.

****************************************************************************

Bio: Mel O’Rourke used to be an LAPD uniformed patrol officer before her brilliant career came to a screeching halt thanks to pursuing cat burglar Poppy Phillips in a rooftop chase. One crushed ankle later, she started her “Second Act” (although she hates that term) as the part owner of a B&B in quirky Pine Cove, California. She’s not a writer but hopes to have one stay at The Brook one day. She only took a stab at this article when her cousin, the head of their social media, had another fire to put out. Literally.

***************************************************************************** 

Review

RECIPE FOR MURDER by Marla A. White
The Second Pine Cove Mystery

Hurt that Jackson Thibodeaux has remained in New Orleans former LAPD officer turned innkeeper Mel O'Rourke is spending more time with Deputy Sheriff Gregg Marks and is enjoying it, much to her annoyance. Jackson suddenly returns with a wild story that he found a fellow student murdered at their culinary school, the same woman his mother says he was dating. Police have ruled it a suicide, but Mel has her doubts, especially with someone taking shots at Jackson. But how can she look into the situation when she's over a thousand miles away and no longer a cop? How can she deal with both Gregg and Jackson back in her life? Not to mention plumbing issues! Mel will have to juggle it all along with her wacky family and the music festival coming to town. Finding a killer might be easier.

I absolutely love this series and this second installment is even better than the first. Though it certainly works well as a standalone mystery, you'll love it even more if you've read the first book. While I'm not fond of love triangles, and hope this one doesn't last too long, it works, and I have to giggle at Grandma's advice! 

RECIPE FOR MURDER's murder is quite different in that the murder occurs in a different state and isn't considered a murder by law enforcement on the scene. The mystery is not just cerebral as some one has followed Jackson from New Orleans to California and is intent on silencing him...and Mel! I love how Mel and Gregg are on the same wavelength. As a former police officer myself it's true that there are some things only fellow cops can truly understand. He can be a stick in the mud, and can be a bit too by the book at times, but we're starting to learn that there's a lot more to him than meets the eye. I can't wait to uncover more about his past. Mel has to walk a fine line between helping a friend, figuring out her feelings, and worrying about loved ones leaving.

A fine mystery that's laugh out loud funny while still providing all the feels RECIPE FOR MURDER is an entertaining read that's certain to leave you smiling.

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 Recipe for Murder (A Pine Cove Mystery) by Marla A. White

About Recipe for Murder

Recipe for Murder (A Pine Cove Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series
Setting - Pine Cove, a fictional version of Idyllwild, 
a tiny town on top of a Southern California mountain
Publisher: ‎ Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: ‎ June 17, 2026
Print Length: ‎ 328 pages  

Mel O'Rourke traded her LAPD badge for the quiet life, running a bed-and-breakfast in tiny, quirky Pine Cove.

But when Jackson Thibodeaux, the charming café owner who broke her heart, stumbles back into town, her tranquil second act is toast. While attending a culinary academy in New Orleans, Jackson found the body of a classmate. The police rule it a suicide, but Mel’s instincts—and Jackson’s near miss with a bullet—scream murder. Between a cooking school full of shady suspects, a reformed cat burglar for a sidekick, and a complicated love triangle involving the deputy sheriff, Mel has her hands full.

Perfect for fans of the sweetness of Jenn McKinlay and the snark of Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan.

About Marla A. White

Marla White kills people for a living—on paper, at least.

An award-winning mystery and suspense author with roots in Hollywood, Marla White made a striking debut with Cause for Elimination, earning recognition from Killer Nashville, the RONE Awards, Reader’s Favorite, and a second-place finish with the Orange County Romance Writers in Romantic Suspense.

Originally from Oklahoma, Marla carved her path through multiple states before landing in Los Angeles, where she built a career in television development and now teaches screenwriting at UCLA Extension—including the fine art of script coverage and story analysis.

When she’s not plotting her next murder (fictional, we promise), she can be found in her garden, on a hiking trail, cheering for the LA Kings, or field-testing craft cocktails in the name of research. 
 
Social Media Links: 
 
 

Friday, June 19, 2026

Death in the Dillweeds - A Spotlight

Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on a book I happened across that looks quite interesting! Death in the Dillweeds by Kristy Tate is the first in the Apothocary Shop Mystery series and was released this week!

Blurb:  

Welcome to Blue Heron Bay, where the tea is herbal, and the gossip is lethal.

After years as a cruise ship chef, Amelia Bellamy returns home to inherit her grandmother’s Victorian house, a bad-tempered Maine Coon, and an apothecary shop full of strange old remedies.

Then a local football coach turns up dead in the herb garden during Gram’s funeral wake.

Now Amelia, her first-love-turned-sheriff, and four meddling septuagenarians known as the Silver Sisters are hunting a killer in a town where everyone has secrets—and some recipes were never meant to be uncovered.

Because in Blue Heron Bay, even innocent herbs can leave a bitter aftertaste.

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Recipe for Murder by Marla A. White. This book is the second in the Pine Cove Mystery series and today is its release day!

Hurt that Jackson Thibodeaux has remained in New Orleans former LAPD officer turned innkeeper Mel O'Rourke is spending more time with Deputy Sheriff Gregg Marks and is enjoying it, much to her annoyance. Jackson suddenly returns with a wild story that he found a fellow student murdered at their culinary school, the same woman his mother says he was dating. Police have ruled it a suicide, but Mel has her doubts, especially with someone taking shots at Jackson. But how can she look into the situation when she's over a thousand miles away and no longer a cop? How can she deal with both Gregg and Jackson back in her life? Not to mention plumbing issues! Mel will have to juggle it all along with her wacky family and the music festival coming to town. Finding a killer might be easier.