Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library - An Interview, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Amanda Chapman to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Amanda writes the Mrs. Christie Mystery series. MRS. CHRISTIE AT THE MYSTERY GUILD LIBRARY is the first book in the series and will be released next week.

Kathy: In MRS. CHRISTIE AT THE MYSTERY GUILD LIBRARY we meet Tory Van Dyne who works as a book conservator at Manhattan’s Mystery Guild Library. Is this a job that you would be interested in having?

AC: Honestly, I can’t imagine any job better than the one I’m doing now (i.e., writing mysteries). But if I had to choose another one, it would absolutely be book conservator. I love books. I particularly love old books (which explains why I still have all my Nancy Drews and all my mother’s Agatha Christies). What could be more rewarding than to bring a book back to life? Even if it sometimes means literally vacuuming up silverfish and bookworms (yes, they are a real thing!) hiding between the pages. 


Kathy: Tory meets a woman who claims to be the ghost of Agatha Christie! Do you believe in ghosts? 

AC: Well, as Agatha Christie once wrote in her short story “The Hound of Death,” “the supernatural is only the natural of which the laws are not understood.” Goodness knows, I don’t understand them. That being said, I stand with the great British master of the ghost story, M.R. James himself: “Do I believe in ghosts? I am prepared to consider evidence and accept it if it satisfies me.” 


Kathy: If you could have someone who has crossed over come back to help you, who would you choose? 

AC: Let’s see… Oh yeah, I know. Agatha Christie. Definitely Agatha Christie. 


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries? 

AC: Well, it wasn’t so much what as who. And the who was my mother, a lifelong mystery addict who passed her habit on to me. For which I will be forever grateful.

But what keeps me going back to mysteries (and writing mysteries) was perhaps best said Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim had a deep fascination with mysteries (which he often used in his work), pointing in particular to “Agatha Christie’s mysteries, the kinds of things where you know that it’s all going to be neatly wound up at the end and everything’s going to make logical sense. I think that’s why murder mysteries are popular, is this defense against chaos.” I’m with Mr. Sondheim on that! 

Kathy: Do you write in any other genres? 

AC: No, I am and always will be married to mysteries. 


Kathy: Tell us about this first book in your new series. 

AC: In short, it’s about Tory Van Dyne, a book conservator at Manhattan’s Mystery Guild Library, and a woman claiming to be Agatha Christie on holiday from the Great Beyond joining forces to catch a killer.

The longer version is that Tory is really not thrilled when she discovers a woman in the library’s Christie Room who then calmly introduces herself as Agatha Christie, politely requests a cocktail, and announces she’s there to help solve a murder—that has not yet happened.

But as soon as Tory determines that this is just a fairly nutty Christie fangirl, her socialite/actress cousin Nicola gets caught up in the suspicious death of her less-than-lovable talent agent. Nic, as always, looks to Tory for help. Tory, in turn, looks to Mrs. Christie. The woman, whoever or whatever she is, clearly knows her stuff when it comes to crime.

Aided by an unlikely band of fellow sleuths—including a snarky librarian, an eleven-year-old computer whiz, and an NYPD detective with terrible taste in suits—Tory and the woman claiming to be her very much deceased literary idol begin to unravel the twists and turns of a murderer’s devious mind. Because, in the immortal words of Miss Jane Marple, “murder is never simple.” 


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

AC: I love them all. But I have to admit that Tory is closest to my heart. For one thing, she’s the most down-to-earth member of a decidedly eccentric old-money New York family, in that she actually has a job. Plus, she’s not yet over a fairly recent trauma. As a result, she’s determined to leave up-town society -- and that trauma -- behind and live basically as a recluse. Or what she calls “a safe, sane, sensible life.” But it’s not long before Tory realizes that “my safe, sane, sensible life was as dead as a body with a knife in its back in one of Dame Agatha’s own mysteries.” To watch Tory come back to life and back into life has been such a joy for me. 
 

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

AC: On the dead side, the Queen of Crime (obviously) and Dorothy L. Sayers (creator of the wonderful Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane mysteries). On the living side, Louise Penny (for her delightful -- and a little bit supernatural -- Three Pines/Inspector Gamache mysteries) and Anne Cleves (Vera anyone?). 


Kathy: What are you currently reading? 

AC: I’ve just discovered via my Kindle a wonderful series, the Mr. and Mrs. North mysteries, written in the 1930s and ‘40s by the husband-and-wife team of Frances and Richard Lockridge. Every book is clever and witty and features a remarkable number of cocktails imbibed while sleuthing. (I should point out that there are also more than a few cocktails imbibed in Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library.) I’m only on number 5 in the series out of 26 (!), so I am set for at least a couple of weeks (I read really, really fast.) 


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

AC: Honestly, I’m the most boring person on earth. All I do is read. Mostly mysteries. 


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

AC: Cold-brew coffee, because how can anyone write a book without coffee? Real parmigiano Reggiano cheese to be freshly grated over pasta, because pretty much all I cook is pasta. A bottle of pinot grigio, because all that cocktail talk aside, I don’t really like cocktails. But I really like wine. And Irish butter, because it’s the best butter in the world and when there’s absolutely nothing left in the fridge to eat, you can always make pasta with butter and cheese. And have it with a glass of pinot grigio.

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

AC: I’m already writing (actually, I’m almost finished with) Book Two of the series, which I am absolutely loving. And I’m coming up with ideas for more… Stay tuned!

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

AC: Honestly, my favorite thing about being an author is writing. It’s an absolute joy. I love coming up with new ways to kill people (haha, just kidding). But most of all, I love my characters. I have so much fun with them. Just wait until you meet Tory’s flighty actor cousin Nicola Van Dyne. (As Nic herself would say, “I love love love her.”) And Tory’s best friend, the exceedingly well dressed and very snarky librarian, Adrian Gooding, “who believes in exactly nothing, not even the keto diet.” And “the hot detective” as Adrian refers to Detective Sebastian Mendez-Cruz, kindly not taking off points for the unfortunate suits. And our eleven-year-old Irish computer whiz, Mairead Butler, unofficial secretary of what she insists on referring to as “Agatha Inc.” And finally, that absolutely charming crime-solving genius, Mrs. Christie herself, “whoever and whatever she might be.” I’ll leave that up to you… 


Kathy: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

It’s been an absolute pleasure! As Nic would say, I loved loved loved your questions.

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Review

MRS. CHRISTIE AT THE MYSTERY GUILD LIBRARY By Amanda Chapman
The First Mrs. Christie Mystery

Tory Van Dyne lives a quiet stable life. While she has some issues, that she is working through thank you very much, she is the normal one in her eccentric wealthy family. She's happy living and working in the townhome her grandmother gave her running the Mystery Guild Library on the main floors, working as a book conservator in the basement, and living in private quarters on the top floors. Tory starts to question her sanity when she meets a woman in the Christie Room, a woman who claims to be Agatha Christie herself! To top it off she says she's there to help solve a murder mystery! A poisoning sets off warning bells and when Tory's effervescent cousin, Nic's, agent dies they wonder. Could it be murder? When a second person dies under mysterious circumstances there's no longer much doubt. With the help of Mrs. Christie, Tory and her friends start to piece together the clues and work to solve a murder mystery!  

I loved, loved, loved this book! Agatha Christie coming back to help solve a murder mystery. Quirky friends. Monied old New York. A smidge of romance. What more could you ask for? Oh yeah, an incredibly complex, intricately plotted mystery. MRS. CHRISTIE AT THE MYSTERY GUILD LIBRARY delivers on all accounts! 

I was delighted to meet Tory, a protagonist who's vulnerable, yet strong, naive, yet knowledgeable. Flighty Nic is charming, despite her faults, the hot detective is smart and kind in addition to being hot, Adrian is a wonderful foil, and Mairead is a very special kid! And then there's Agatha Christie herself. From Tory thinking Mrs. Christie must be a fan girl, well, fan woman, to Adrian who doesn't believe in anything, the progression of belief in Mrs. Christie is wonderful. More than helping solve a murder or two, Mrs. Christie helps people become better. The characters are all incredibly unique, each with their own foibles and strengths. Even the minor characters. I was most impressed with Norman and I can't forget the drag stewardesses. 

I love how quotes are incorporated, not only at the start of a chapter, but in actual dialogue! The amount of research necessary to find just the right Agatha Christie quote to seamlessly and appropriately fit in conversation is somewhat awe inspiring! 

Smart, funny, and able to tug at the heartstrings MRS. CHRISTIE AT THE MYSTERY GUILD LIBRARY is a phenomenal start to a new series. 

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 Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library (Mrs. Christie Series) by Amanda Chapman

About Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library

Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - Greenwich Village in New York City (primarily near Washington Square)
Publisher: ‎ Berkley
Publication Date: ‎ August 26, 2025
Print length: ‎ 368 pages

Book conservator Tory Van Dyne and a woman claiming to be Agatha Christie on holiday from the Great Beyond join forces to catch a killer in this spirited mystery from Amanda Chapman.

Tory Van Dyne is the most down-to-earth member of a decidedly eccentric old-money New York family. For one thing, as book conservator at Manhattan’s Mystery Guild Library, she actually has a job. Plus, she’s left up-town society behind for a quiet life downtown. So she’s not thrilled when she discovers a woman in the library’s Christie Room who calmly introduces herself as Agatha Christie, politely requests a cocktail, and announces she’s there to help solve a murder— that has not yet happened.

But as soon as Tory determines that this is just a fairly nutty Christie fangirl, her socialite/actress cousin Nicola gets caught up in the suspicious death of her less-than-lovable talent agent. Nic, as always, looks to Tory for help. Tory, in turn, looks to Mrs. Christie. The woman, whoever or whatever she is, clearly knows her stuff when it comes to crime.

Aided by an unlikely band of fellow sleuths —including a snarky librarian, an eleven-year-old computer whiz, and an NYPD detective with terrible taste in suits—Tory and the woman claiming to be her very much deceased literary idol begin to unravel the twists and turns of a murderer’s devious mind. Because, in the immortal words of Miss Jane Marple, “murder is never simple.”

About Amanda Chapman

Amanda Chapman (aka Amy Pershing) is a lifelong mystery lover and wordsmith. Under the name Amy Pershing, she is also the author of the Cape Cod Foodie mysteries. An enthusiastic fan of traditional mysteries and of New York City, she found herself wondering, “What if someone recreated Agatha Christie’s personal library -– even to the furnishings and architecture — in New York City? What would happen in that space?” And thus MRS. CHRISTIE AT THE MYSTERY GUILD LIBRARY -- the first in a new series -- was born.

Author Links: 

Website www.amandachapmanauthor.com  

Follow Amanda Chapman on Facebook  

Follow Amanda Chapman on Instagram 

 Follow Amanda Chapman on Goodreads

Purchase Links PenguinRandomHouse - Amazon - B&N - Bookshop.org - Kobo

 

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman. This book is the first in the Mrs. Christie Mystery series and will be released next week. 

Tory Van Dyne lives a quiet stable life. While she has some issues, that she is working through thank you very much, she is the normal one in her eccentric wealthy family. She's happy living and working in the townhome her grandmother gave her running the Mystery Guild Library on the main floors, working as a book conservator in the basement, and living in private quarters on the top floors. Tory starts to question her sanity when she meets a woman in the Christie Room, a woman who claims to be Agatha Christie herself! To top it off she says she's there to help solve a murder mystery! A poisoning sets off warning bells and when Tory's effervescent cousin, Nic's, agent dies they wonder. Could it be murder? When a second person dies under mysterious circumstances there's no longer much doubt. With the help of Mrs. Christie, Tory and her friends start to piece together the clues and work to solve a murder mystery! 

Murder, She Wrote: A Body in Boston - A Review & Giveaway

 Review

MURDER, SHE WROTE: A BODY IN BOSTON
By Jessica Fletcher & Terrie Farley Moran
The Sixty-First Murder, She Wrote Mystery 

Jessica Fletcher is happy that she has time in her busy schedule to accept an invitation to go to Boston. Not only will she be speaking at a library function, she'll get to meet up with several old friends and get some sightseeing in too! She'll also have a travel companion as Seth is also headed to Boston for a medical lecture. Their happy reconnection with old friends is tainted, however, when Cookie's daughter Aileen rushes into the pub with bloodstained hands saying that her boyfriend is dead. Now Jessica, her PI friend Harry, and Seth will do what they can to provide the police suspects other than Aileen. The group soon learns that Aileen's young man was not so upstanding and there's more than one possible motive for murder. Will they find a killer in the midst of Boston while still managing to enjoy the sights of this historic town? 

I feel the same joy as Jessica does when she meets up with Harry, Cookie, and her other Boston friends, as I consider Jess and Seth my old friends, though I know there'll be a murder whenever we get together while Jess may just suspect it! This sixty-first outing is an enjoyable mix of friendship, murder, and healthy dose of Boston tourism. I enjoyed visiting vicariously, seeing the statues of Tadeusz Kościuszko and the Marquis de Lafayette as well as the tour of the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, though I say forget the kids-I want to throw the tea overboard! I like that Jessica and Seth managed to fit in fun time with their work and their investigation. I also appreciated how everything dovetailed seamlessly.

I enjoyed how Jessica quietly went about solving the mystery. She didn't even intend to solve it, just drum up more suspects, but solve it she did. While I liked seeing Jessica's old friends I really enjoyed meeting some new ones as well. I loved Mahmood and his take on Jessica's adventures in particular.

MURDER, SHE WROTE: A BODY IN BOSTON brings familiar characters to Beantown where pharmaceuticals, libraries, and murder combine to make an enjoyable mystery.

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 Murder, She Wrote: A Body in Boston by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran

About Murder, She Wrote: A Body in Boston

Murder, She Wrote: A Body in Boston
Cozy Mystery 61st in Series
Setting - Boston, Massachusetts
Publisher: ‎ Berkley (July 1, 2025)
Paperback Print length: ‎ 304 pages

Jessica Fletcher has dinner with her old pal Harry McGraw and gets pulled into a puzzling murder case.

Invited to deliver a lecture at the Boston Public Library, Jessica Fletcher excitedly makes plans to see local friends. Naturally that includes dinner at Gilhooley’s with PI Harry McGraw. Harry excitedly talks about his latest client, the CEO of Cure All Pharmaceuticals, who’s received anonymous blackmail demands and wants Harry to identify the culprit. Cookie, Gilhooley’s longtime bartender, also has something he wants to tell Jessica: he asked Harry to investigate his daughter Aileen’s boyfriend, who Cookie thinks is too slick by half, but now Harry is too wrapped up in this new case. While Jessica wonders how best to approach Aileen, the young woman stumbles into Gilhooley’s covered in blood. She just discovered her boyfriend’s corpse -- and quickly becomes the chief suspect in his murder!

About the Authors

Terrie Farley Moran is the bestselling author of the Read 'Em and Eat cozy mystery series, including the Agatha Award-winning Well Read, Then Dead. Along with Jessica Fletcher, she co-writes the Murder She Wrote mystery series. She also co-writes the Scrapbooking Mysteries with Laura Childs. Terrie's short mystery fiction has been published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly, and numerous anthologies. "A Killing at the Beausoleil" was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Short Story. "Inquiry and Assistance" received the Derringer Award for Best Novelette.

Author Links – Webpage, Facebook  

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org – PenguinRandomHouse  

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Murder on the Books - A Review & Giveaway

 Review

MURDER ON THE BOOKS by T.C. LoTempio
The First Cozy Bookshop Mystery 

 

Burn out and a case of writer's block cause Charlotte (Charley) James to turn her back on New York City and life as bestselling author C.J. Barrett, much to the dismay of her agent. Deciding on an extended stay in her hometown of Austin, Pennsylvania Charley is delighted to spend time with her good friend Zane. When Charley learns Zane's business partner left abruptly she offers to take over the bookstore portion of the business allowing Zane to open her dream bakery. But when a trip to the basement leads to the discovery of a body and Zane becomes a suspect, Charley puts her mystery knowledge to use while getting closer to the grumpy and taciturn detective on loan to the town.

 

I really enjoy when the protagonist of a mystery happens to be an author of mysteries and such is the case in the first Cozy Bookshop Mystery. Not only that, she's going to own a bookstore! It's fun seeing the insider knowledge come out, but what makes it even more fun in this book is that hardly anyone knows that Charley is an author. I can't wait for people discover the truth and I have a feeling she won't be able to hide this fact from Detective Grant for long. I love the dynamic of high school acquaintances grown up and forced to deal with each other for better or worse and it's especially fun to see Barbie as a police officer and watch her attempt to rise in the ranks while keeping her man hunter ways. The addition of Poe is delightful and I hope Charley pays attention to his opinions of other characters. I appreciated how the mystery played out, especially the ending.

 

A smart protagonist, an intriguing detective, and a lucky black cat make MURDER ON THE BOOKS a delightful series opener. I can't wait to see the new shops flourish and watch Charley and Ian get cooking, both literally and figuratively!

 

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 Murder on the Books (A Cozy Bookshop Mystery) by Toni LoTempio

About Murder on the Books

Murder on the Books (A Cozy Bookshop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - Pennsylvania
Publisher: ‎ Severn House
Publication date: ‎ July 1, 2025
Hardcover Print Length: ‎ 240

Newly retired mystery writer Charley James returns to her small hometown only to find herself amidst a real-life murder mystery in this first book in the brand new Cozy Bookshop mystery series by award-winning and national bestselling author T.C. LoTempio.

Thirty-year-old Charlotte James, better known to her mystery fans as C.J. Barrett, decides to take a break from writing her popular Steve Sheppard mystery series. Leaving New York City, she moves back to her hometown of Austin to wind down, recuperate, and maybe come up with some new ideas for her books.

Settling into her new life, Charley reunites with her long-term friend and baker Zane who is about to open a charming double store front. But while Zane is ready to open her café, her business partner Sheila unexpectedly departs town, bailing on her bookshop and leaving nothing but a note behind.

Charley is more than happy to take over, but when she finds Sheila’s body in a chest in the store’s basement, things take a dramatic turn. Now Charley has to juggle the opening of her bookshop, a stoic but attractive Philadelphia detective, and a stray cat, all while solving Sheila’s murder Sheppard-style before the killer can strike again!

Fans of Jenn McKinlay, Ellery Adams, Lucy Connelly, Lauren Elliott, and Ellie Alexander will love this cozy mystery “featuring a plucky, likable heroine, plenty of suspense [and] unexpected twists” (Booklist).

“I was hooked from start to finish!” Laura Childs, New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop mysteries, on Eat, Drink and Drop Dead

About Toni LoTempio

• T.C. LoTempio is the award-winning, nationally bestselling author of the Nick and Nora Mysteries, the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries, and the Cat Rescue Mysteries. Born in New York City, she now resides in Phoenix, Arizona, with her two cats, Maxx and Rocco. Rocco prides himself on being the inspiration for her Nick and Nora series! For more information, check out her and her cat Rocco's blog at www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com and visit her website at www.tclotempio.net
• FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/toni.lotempio.5
• TWITTER/X: ROCCOBLOGGER
• WEBSITE: https://www.tclotempio.net/
• Purchase Links - Amazon - B & N - Bookshop.org - Kobo -

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Currently Reading...

I just finished reading Murder on the Books by T.C. LoTempio. This book is the first in the Cozy Bookshop Mystery series and was released last week.

Burn out and a case of writer's block cause Charlotte (Charley) James to turn her back on New York City and life as bestselling author C.J. Barrett, much to the dismay of her agent. Deciding on an extended stay in her hometown of Austin, Pennsylvania Charley is delighted to spend time with her best friend Zane. When Charley learns Zane's business partner left abruptly she offers to take over the bookstore portion of the business allowing Zane to open her dream bakery. But when a trip to the basement leads to the discovery of a body and Zane becomes a suspect, Charley puts her mystery knowledge to use while getting closer to the grumpy and taciturn detective on loan to the town.

By Hook or By Book - A Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway

 Review

 

BY HOOK OR BY BOOK by Misty Simon
The First Charmed Inn Mystery 

Roxy Gleason comes from a gifted family. Her Aunt Helen is a respected tasseomancer capable of leading seances while Uncle Vince can scry. Roxy is not as happy being a bibliomancer. Getting cryptic phrases from books she feels that her gift is passive and not always correct. The family not only share paranormal gifts, they also run the Charmed Inn. This weekend they're hosting the writers group that has been visiting annually for decades. When Roxy takes a walk before the welcoming dinner she sees one of her guests on the deck of the ferry, a place he shouldn't have been. When she tells him he needs to move, she discovers he's dead. Now the officer in charge thinks Roxy is involved, the writer's group are chomping at the bit to investigate, and Roxy is getting messages from her books. Will she be able to find the real killer, prove her innocence, all while successfully managing her inn?

A gathering of writers, a family well versed in divination, a possible lost treasure, and murder make for a delightful debut to a new mystery series. Roxy is charming, self deprecating, and an all around fun protagonist. I love how she keeps saying Dean is her best friend, but nothing else. And just when I thought things may be percolating, I got very, very worried. 

As Roxy tries to solve the murder she also tries to get to the bottom of a few other things, notably her bibliomancy and what happened between her aunt and uncle that has them always at loggerheads. The more Roxy tries to solve the murder the more mysteries pop up! 

Murder with a hint of romance and brushed with the paranormal BY HOOK OR BY BOOK is an entertaining and engaging mystery. I enjoyed getting to know the wonderful characters and I can't wait to see Roxy learn and appreciate her gift even more.

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BY HOOK OR BY BOOK

by Misty Simon

June 2-27, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

The Charmed Inn Mysteries

 

Roxy Gleason, an innkeeper by trade and a bibliomancer by birth, has lived in the same small town on the Susquehanna River in Central Pennsylvania for her entire life. Tradition is strong here. Roxy understands the rules and is willing to play by them most of the time. She runs the Charmed Inn, which has been in her family for decades.

The inn is all set to host a writers’ professional business weekend that’s been planned down to the very last hand-folded napkin, and Roxy is ready for the influx of creatives. She knows she’ll have a lot of different and sometimes unusual personalities to deal with, but this is a yearly function, so she’s not expecting anything to go awry.

Her expectations are completely tanked when she finds a dead body on her daily walk by the river’s shore. Owen Schultz had checked in for the conference a few hours ago, and she’d last seen him having tea with her aunt in the dining room.

How did he get down here on the ferry, and who killed him?

Fans of Lucy Score, Melissa F. Miller, Dianne Harman, Lynn Cahoon, Deany Ray, Kathi Daley, and Merryn Allingham will enjoy Misty Simon.

Book Details:

Genre: Rom Cozy (Paranormal Cozy mystery with Romantic elements)
Published by: Rowan Prose Publishing
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
Number of Pages: 300
ASIN: B0D98KM21B
Series: The Charmed Inn Mysteries, Book 1
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookBub | Goodreads

Books 2 & 3 of The Charmed Inn Mysteries are due out later this year:

Learn More: Amazon & Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

Chapter 1

They called him Cheezy Rider—and with good cause.

I stood at the wide front window of the Charmed Inn with a cup of coffee in hand. I watched my great uncle toddling around the corner onto Chestnut Street, pedaling steadily on his old Beach Comber. The picture he made was something to behold. His bright orange vest perfectly matched the small caution flag waving from a tall pole attached to the back of the bike. His silver bullet helmet matched his thinning silver hair peeking out from underneath. But nothing matched his teal and red-flowered Hawaiian shirt.

His legs, covered in khakis, pumped away as he came up the block waving to anyone who happened to be on the short street in our small town on the shore of the Susquehanna River. The bicycle had a big wire basket on the front that he filled with a box of donuts from Delilah’s Donuts every day, a place that had been in the same family for seventy-five years, like so many other businesses here. Those donuts were heading right for my work and then right to my hips. But I had never said no to pastry, and I wasn’t going to start today. In fact, I needed the pick-me-up. Things were busy at the inn, with everyone checking in for the writers’ extended working weekend, and sugar was always welcome. The staff wouldn’t say no, either.

“I’m going to take a break,” I said to my Aunt Hellen as I passed her in the hallway leading to the dining room. She was technically my great aunt, and she could keep things moving for a few minutes while I stepped out into the beautiful April afternoon sunshine. What I really wanted to say was that I was trying not to break, but that wouldn’t be good for business. It had been one heck of a morning already, and I needed a moment to collect myself in the downtime before the festivities really began. Donuts were a great distraction, even if my erstwhile uncle did bring them every day.

“All righty, Ms. Mighty!” Aunt Hellen yelled back. This highly respected tasseomancer and seance-leader had a set of lungs that should never be allowed near a microphone. “I just finished having tea with Owen, so I’m free if you want to go on your walk, too. His phone rang in the middle of our tea, and it must have been important because he hightailed it out the door after making an excuse.” She situated herself behind the desk and placed her hands on the computer screen like it might fly away if she didn’t keep it locked down. “Hey, one thing before you go.”

I held steady, waiting for the inevitable question. My life seemed to be filled with questions.

“What kind of afternoon do you think we’re going to have? Should I restock the printer?”

Showing my teeth in what should have been a smile, I flipped open the book I held in my other hand, shaking my head at the ridiculousness of it all. Why, oh why, did I have to have this particular book with me? And why was my aunt always trying to force me to use my “gift”? I had no real power to do anything, just predict the future or get guidance from the text. Sometimes it was right, sometimes not. Either way, it was not high-powered magic in the least.

While poking my finger at the text, I said, “No need to stock the printer, but be prepared to deal with many irritations.” There’s nothing like trying to give a vague answer to a mundane question when the page you opened to was a spicy-hot scene between the hero and heroine in a recently released romance novel.

“I could have told you that. You have to try harder if you want to own your power, Roxanne Gleason. This is not a game.” Peering at me over her bifocals, she twitched the classic “Mom finger” in my general direction and then tsked.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, but only because I knew it wouldn’t do me any good. It would probably get me a lecture, and I didn’t have time for that today. Plus, those donuts were calling my name.

“Yes, Aunt Hellen. Sorry, Aunt Hellen.”

“Cheeky,” she said under her breath, but I still heard it and smiled.

“Is Owen’s nephew here yet?”

“No, Owen said he had to back out at the last minute, so we have a free room if we need it.”

I sighed because as much as I liked Andrew, that was one less eccentric I’d have to deal with. Owen was a character all on his own, but he knew when to rein it in, Andrew not so much. Plus, his room would still get paid for even if he wasn’t going to use it.

“Okay, thanks for letting me know. Keep an eye out for Paddy McGruver,” I said. “He hasn’t checked in yet, and sometimes he likes to come in the back door to avoid what he assumes are the paparazzi.”

“Oh my, Paddy’s coming in today? Will he be here all four days?” Aunt Hellen smoothed down the front of her shirt over what she jokingly called her shelf since it pretty much caught any crumbs she dropped while eating. She then pulled her peach cardigan closed over her stomach.

“Yes, and yes. Try to keep your hands to yourself this time. You read tea leaves, not rumps. No one is falling for that I’m-a-rumpologist-bit, no matter how hard you try to sell it.”

With that, I walked out the door and left her to primp and prime herself for one of the more problematic creatives who was going to be here for four whole days. Well, not quite four, since it was more like seventy-two total hours from check-in to check-out. But who was counting?

With ten of the writers showcasing their intelligence and posturing over who had the best book and which classes were not to be missed, it would be enough time for me to need a vacation afterward.

The hotel hosted this event every year, but this was my first as the owner of this fine establishment. I had been told to give myself the seven days following the event to only host boring people, so I could rest, relax, and restore my faith in down-to-earth people. I had taken the advice since it had come from the previous owner, my grandfather. We would have guests checking in on Sunday after everyone left, but there wouldn’t be a pen and paper or laptop in sight as far as the guest list went. I had made sure of it.

Uncle Vince was racking his bike at the side of the building and removing his helmet when I stepped out onto the wide veranda that encircled the inn. I looked forward to his visits and had for all the years he’d been in my life. I wasn’t sure exactly how far away on my dad’s family tree he was, just that he was there and always had been.

He was like a beacon in the middle of the day, everyone stopping as they strolled along the sidewalks to say hi and ask about his health. It kept him busy until I could reach him, which worked in my favor. As long as he didn’t give away any of my donuts.

“I see you got two boxes this time,” I said as I approached the old man in his loud get-up.

“Roxy, my love, my dove, how are we on this fine afternoon?” His smile was far cheekier than anything I had ever sported, and I immediately wondered what he was up to. It was almost never good. Or rather, it usually was good for someone but almost never good for me.

“What are you hiding?”

He slapped his hand to his chest and feigned hurt. “I would never -”

“You do. Always,” I shot back, but a smile was trying to come out on my lips that I did not want to give in to. If I indulged him, he always had to see exactly how far he could take it.

“I’m offended.”

“Only because I’m catching you before you can even begin. Hand over the donuts, and I might be able to see my way to just watching for any missteps instead of thwarting you before you even get started.”

At first, he looked defeated, but I knew for a fact that was a lie. He’d just figure out a different way to get around me. It was a game he liked to play, and since he was an uncle and someone who had watched over me since I was a toddler, I knew, and so did he, that I had a weak spot for him and his antics. As long as they didn’t hurt anyone.

Sure enough, that smile popped back out on his face. As I knew it would.

“I saw you in my scrying bowl this morning.”

Ack, that was the last thing I wanted him to say. I would have preferred almost anything else, even the practical jokes he sometimes liked to indulge in. He wasn’t very good at them, but I laughed, even if it was just a big fake spider on my porch. His visions were some of my biggest fears, though. Or it might be better to say his visions had brought about many of my stumbles in life.

***

Excerpt from By Hook or By Book by Misty Simon. Copyright 2025 by Misty Simon. Reproduced with permission from Misty Simon. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Misty Simon always wanted to be a storyteller…preferably behind a Muppet. Animal was number one, followed closely by Sherlock Hemlock… Since that dream didn’t come true, she began writing stories to share her world with readers, one laugh at a time.

Touching people’s hearts and funny bones are two of her favorite things, and she hopes everyone at least snickers in the right places when reading her books. She lives with her husband in Central Pennsylvania where she is hard at work on her next novel or three. She loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at misty@mistysimon.com.

Catch Up With Misty Simon:

MistySimon.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub - @MistySimon
Instagram - @mistysimonwrites
Threads - @mistysimonwrites
Facebook - @misty.simon.18

 

 

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Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading By Hook or By Book by Misty Simon. This is the first book in the Charmed Inn Mystery series and was released last week.

Roxy Gleason comes from a gifted family. Her Aunt Helen is a respected tasseomancer capable of leading seances while Uncle Vince can scry. Roxy is not as happy being a bibliomancer. Getting cryptic phrases from books she feels that her gift is passive and not always correct. The family not only share paranormal gifts, they also run the Charmed Inn. This weekend they're hosting the writers group that has been visiting annually for decades. When Roxy takes a walk before the welcoming dinner she sees one of her guests on the deck of the ferry, a place he shouldn't have been. When she tells him he needs to move, she discovers he's dead. Now the officer in charge thinks Roxy is involved, the writer's group are chomping at the bit to investigate, and Roxy is getting messages from her books. Will she be able to find the real killer, prove her innocence, all while successfully managing her inn?

Whisper of Treasure and Lies - A Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Sandra to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Sandra on the pages of Whisper of Treasure and Lies. This is the third book in the Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery series and was released earlier this month.

The Secret Backstory Behind Sandra 

Hi all, my name is Sandra. In Whisper of Treasure and Lies, antique-dealer Edie Brown is forced to let me join her crew. I’m not saying she doesn’t like me, but she definitely wasn’t planning on adding a dog to her already hectic life. Yes, I am a dog—more precisely a golden retriever. And Edie wasn’t the only one not planning on having a dog appear in the next Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery book. The author, Trish Esden, was also surprised by this turn of events, though she’s darn happy about it now.

My surprise arrival happened a year ago when Trish had an online contest. The winner got to have a character named after them in the next Scandal Mountain book. The winner’s first name was Sandra. But she didn’t want a new human character named after her. Sandra loves dogs and—as much as she enjoyed reading the series—she thought it could benefit from the addition of a canine character. She didn’t care if the dog was good or a villain. Actually, she preferred the idea of a naughty dog over one that was perfectly behaved. Sandra’s very favorite breed is the golden retriever. It also happens to be Trish’s favorite…And, so I was born.

I hope you enjoyed learning a bit of my backstory.

Licks and kisses,

Sandra

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

 Whisper of Treasure and Lies: (A Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery)  

by Trish Esden

About Whisper of Treasure and Lies

Whisper of Treasure and Lies: (A Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery)
Traditional Mystery 3rd in Series
Setting - Vermont
Publisher: ‎ Patricia AR Esden (May 5, 2025)
Paperback: 308 pages

Some secrets die with their owners. Others hide in silence, waiting to be set free.

Edie Brown despises the bigwig antique and art dealer Felix Graham. She even suspects he had a hand in her mom being set up for the art forgery charge that sent her to prison. However, when Graham is drugged and robbed after purchasing a valuable antique bottle and a box of local historical items, Edie agrees to hunt down the thieves for him. In payment, she wants one thing: everything Graham knows about her mom being set up—who was involved, how they did it…all the information that could lead to her mom’s freedom.

But the number of possible thieves is as plentiful as the potential motives. Graham’s womanizing ways and slippery business practices barely outweigh the stolen pieces’ rarity and value. As Edie, her uncle Tuck, and enigmatic employee, Kala, dive into the dangerous search, evidence that the crime is tied to the stolen pieces’ history surface. Both the bottle—known as the Glass Widow—and the box of ephemera are related to a tragedy that occurred the night before the grand opening of a Victorian-era hydropathic resort, a shocking fragment of Vermont history that involved a peculiar dowry, concealed murder, and a fire that claimed lives and gutted the lavish resort.

With her mom’s mental health rapidly declining in prison, Edie must fight against the clock to expose the thieves by untangling a mystery with roots that stretch from the Victorian-era to the recent robbery, and perhaps into Edie’s own past as well.

About Trish Esden

Trish Esden is an award-winning author of mystery novels that deliver feisty heroines, devious criminals, and as many twists as a back-country road. Set in contemporary, small-town New England, Trish’s stories promise skillfully-crafted whodunnits fraught with secrets, cunning schemes, and sometimes a touch of romance. Though a dead body or two might surface, Trish’s novels tend to focus on crimes other than murder. If you’re a fan of traditional mysteries with a diverse cast of friends and adversaries, you are in the right place. Immerse yourself today in an atmospheric world where danger, mystery, and a passion for justice collide.

Author Links: 

Website: https://trishesden.com  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066846565777  

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/patesden 

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/trish-esden  

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The Library Game - A Review

 Review

THE LIBRARY GAME by Gigi Pandian
The Fourth Secret Staircase Mystery 

 

Former stage magician Tempest Raj has gone through many challenges and changes recently, but she's content now, working with her dad in his Secret Stairway Construction business. One of their current projects is transforming Gray House into a library. Before they complete the project, it will become a stop on Hidden Creek's summer stroll where visitors will participate in an interactive murder mystery event. But when the disappearance of one of the actors turns into murder, it's more than one impossible crime that has Tempest and her friends perplexed. Someone is toying with them, but who is playing games? Will Tempest be able to solve the mystery and prove that the impossible is truly possible? 

 

An invisible intruder, sabotage, and a missing actor will have you scratching your head as you try to solve the mystery of THE LIBRARY GAME. Is Lucas dead? Is Harold alive? Just who is pulling the strings? Just when you think you have the answer, you realize there are more questions. It's like trying to fight the Hydra!

 

I really like how Tempest, Ivy, Gideon, and Sanjay work together. True friends, they complement each other and also call one another out. I also appreciate how they use their combined talents and brain power to solve the mystery. My favorite character remains Ash, Tempest's grandfather. Aside from being a font of information and a truly kind person, I wish I lived near him so that I could enjoy some of his food, knowing he would send me cookies if I was having a bad day!

 

Confounding mysteries converge in THE LIBRARY GAME creating a puzzle reminiscent of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Grab something good to eat and flex your mental muscles to see if you can solve this tricky mystery!

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading The Library Game by Gigi Pandian. This book is the fourth in the Secret Staircase Mystery series and was released yesterday.

Former stage magician Tempest Raj has gone through many challenges and changes recently, but she's content now, working with her dad in his Secret Stairway Construction business. One of their current projects is transforming Gray House into a library. Before they complete the project, it will become a stop on Hidden Creek's summer stroll where visitors will participate in an interactive murder mystery event. But when the disappearance of one of the actors turns into murder, it's more than one impossible crime that has Tempest and her friends perplexed. Someone is toying with them, but who is playing games? Will Tempest be able to solve the mystery and prove that the impossible is truly possible?

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Carousels and Characters by Elizabeth Pantley. This is the ninth book in the Magical Mystery Book Club series and will be released January 15, 2025.

Paige Erickson is just getting used to the fact that her best friend, who also happens to be her aunt, is gone. Not gone for good, but gone just the same  After an unexpected visit from her mom, who is her usual unhappy unaccepting self, Paige is more than ready for the Snapdragon Book Club's next adventure. Remembering happier times of her youth Paige picks a mystery set in a theme park. When the gang arrives Forrest is ready for the rides and Zell the food while everyone finds the animal themed park extraordinarily realistic. They soon realize their mission: to discover why things are disappearing-before the characters themselves cease to exist!

Madrigals and Mayhem - A Review

 Review

MADRIGALS AND MAYHEM by Elizabeth Penney
The Fourth Cambridge Bookshop Mystery

Molly Kimball is happily settling into life in Cambridge. A close set of friends, including a wonderful boyfriend, makes everything better and she's eagerly awaiting her first Christmas in England. As she, her aunt, and mother begin to deck out Marlowe - Manuscripts and Folios for the holidays the trio are delighted to see life in the toy shop across the way. Charlotte Pemberly is preparing to reopen the shop she inherited from her grandfather. Unfortunately, a very expensive doll is missing and Charlotte thinks her grandfather's new family is trying to steal it away from her. Add a break in and a poisoning and Molly is certain that Charlotte needs help. But is she truly an innocent victim? With a clear head and good friends by her side Molly will do what she can to uncover the truth and have a very happy Christmas!

I love the holiday season and really enjoy books set at this magical time. Adding a bookshop, a toy store, and a great group of friends increases that pleasure and setting it in England makes it even better. The characters in the Cambridge Bookshop series are a delight. They are people who really enjoy each other's company. They support and love each other bringing warmth even on a cold winter night. I like that Molly is eager to make a new friend, but doesn't blindly jump in, especially when murder is involved.

The mystery is as enjoyable as the characters, with various crimes and a treasure hunt. I loved how everything eventually came together with an amazing reveal!

New friends, frightful family, and the joys of Christmas along with a sprinkling of romance make MADRIGALS AND MAYHEM a delightful read at any time of year.

A Basket Case - A Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Spike to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Spike on the pages of A Basket Case by Lesley A. Diehl. This book is the second in the Maddie Sparks Mystery series and was released last month.

My name is Spike. I’m not human and I’m certainly not a dog. I don’t care much for dogs. I’m a cat, a mystery solving cat. I came to live with Maddie Sparks, the protagonist in the Maddie Sparks mysteries in the bedroom of a man who she discovered had been murdered. I was crying, loudly. She thought I missed my owner, but she soon came to understand that cats do not have owners. Cats have people who indulge them, admire them, pet them, feed them, love them and let them get away was the beginning of our relationship and pretty much describes how it has gone since then. I was crying because I was hungry. I’m always hungry. Maddie looked like a soft touch for food, so I let out my most pathetic cry and gave her my cutest round-eyed look.

We found my owner, but my owner was unable to care for me, so I went to live with Maddie. And Zack. He’s Maddie boyfriend, although it’s odd calling a guy in his sixties a boyfriend. They seem to like one another a lot. They sometimes go up to her bedroom and shut the door. That I don’t like especially if I’m hungry and, as I said, I’m always hungry. They both feel so bad about shutting me out, that they give me a special treat like chicken breast or albacore tuna. Then I forgive them.

Like many cats, I have the ability to read people well. Like children, I don’t simply listen to what humans say, but I listen to their tone of voice, their body positioning, and like other animals, I can smell anger, anxiety and fear in humans. I have the uncanny ability to know if people are keeping secrets especially if that secret is murder. I am a formidable crime fighting force. You may think I’m exaggerating but read the Maddie Sparks mysteries and see how clever I am. I may not have opposable thumbs, a gun, knife, bomb, rifle, shotgun, baseball bat or other manufactured weapon to take down a bad guy, but I do have teeth, claws and the element of surprise in my favor. I once jumped on a fellow’s head when he threatened Maddie. Boy, did that surprise him. He dropped his gun.

I’m not necessarily at Maddie’s side when she ferrets out clues, interviews someone or searches a house, but I am usually there in the end. I’m not just a handsome face. I know Maddie and Zack are impressed with my feline contributions to their cases, and I will continue to come to their aid if and when they investigate future murders. I am quite reliable at rescuing humans especially if I’m fed well.

You may think I am simply bragging about my skills, but my creator, the author, decided she wanted a cat in her stories but not simply as a furry backdrop. She wanted one who could work as part of the team investigating the murder. So I applied for the job, and she hired me. As I said before, I’m not in these books because I’m cute or handsome. I’m part of the team. And I’m hard to resist unless you’ve got murder on your mind. Growl and hiss.

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

 A Basket Case (Maddie Sparks Mystery Series) by Lesley A Diehl

About A Basket Case

A Basket Case (Maddie Sparks Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series
Setting - Upstate New York
Publisher: ‎ Camel Press (November 12, 2024)
Paperback: ‎ 250 pages

Maddie Sparks believes she has found the perfect balance in her life-Zack, the man she loves, a book she loves writing and volunteer work at a local museum with a granddaughter she adores. An old flame from Zack's past arrives and drives a wedge into Maddie and Zack's romance, her writing stalls and someone murders the museum's director just as the museum is about to return a collection of Native American artifacts to the Onondaga and Oneida nations. Standing over the dead body of the museum director is an Indigenous man from neither group who insists one of the baskets in the collection belongs to his family. The authorities believe he is the killer, but Maddie does not. With her love life on hold, Maddie and her granddaughter set out to identify the killer, but their search reveals thefts at the museum and a two-hundred-year-old family secret that is the key to the motivation behind the killing. When Maddie uncovers the history behind the feud over the basket, she knows the identity of the killer, making Maddie his next target.

About Lesley A. Diehl

Cows, Lesley learned growing up on a farm, have a twisted sense of humor. They chased her when she herded them in for milking, and one ate the lovely red mitten her grandmother knitted for her. Determining that agriculture wasn’t a good career choice, instead, she uses her country roots and her training as a psychologist to concoct stories designed to make people laugh in the face of murder. Unusual protagonists appear in many of Lesley’s works including Desdemona the crime-fighting potbellied pig, a hobo turned county sheriff and Lesley’s zany back-home-on-the-farm relatives (The Killer Wore Cranberry, all six anthologies). She is the author of several cozy mystery series (The Eve Appel Mysteries, Laura Murphy Mysteries, The Big Lake Murder Mysteries, and her newest, Maddie Sparks Mysteries, featuring a senior sleuth and her rescue cat). Her cozy mysteries have won several Readers’ Favorite Awards and a short story Sleuthfest Award. Find out more at www.lesleyadiehl.com.

Author Links: 

Website www.lesleyadiehl.com  

Blog www.lesleyadiehl.com/blog  

Facebook www.facebook.com/lesley.diehl.1  

GoodReads www.goodreads.com/3414925.Lesley_A_Diehl  

Amazon www.amazon.com/author/lesleydiehl  

GoodReads www.goodreads.com/3414925.Lesley_A_Diehl  

Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - Bookshop.org -

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The Tell-Tale Homicide - A Review

 Review

THE TELL-TALE HOMICIDE by Daphne Silver
The Second Rare Books Mystery

Juniper Blume is excited and a bit nervous starting her new job for the Calvertons. While she's been a librarian for a few years, even working at the Library of Congress, she's never started a museum from the ground up. She's never even managed staff! Her first day is off to an inauspicious start when she's confronted by protesters at the entrance to the Calverton Estate. Once inside things don't get much better when she learns she only has two staff, one of whom is decidedly unhappy with Juniper's appointment. Not only that, her boss, Leo Calverton, is the only member of the family or board of trustees that is in favor of the museum. After a nightmare of a board meeting she returns to the archives only to discover the body of Big Al Cooley, the town's used book shop owner and one of the protesters who accosted her that morning. The board may not want the museum, but they do want Juniper to find a killer. Will she be able to solve a murder and also sway public opinion in favor of the Calvertons? And herself?  

The second book in the Rare Books Mystery series really hits its stride. The fast paced story is one of redemption, rejection, and revenge. Ever nomadic Juniper is looking to put down roots, mend familial ties and take on a new dream job. But that dream job is turning into more of a nightmare. Insolent staff, stolen books, and being generally looked down upon and unwanted, Juniper may have bitten off more than she can chew. Not to mention that she has to stifle any romantic relationship with Leo, who is now her boss. Of course, everyone thinks they are in a relationship and that's the only reason she has the job. Never quite knowing who to trust, I liked how Juniper navigated the various people she encountered.

I'm a huge Edgar Allan Poe fan so I really loved the ties to his work showcased in the mystery. I'm also glad that Howard has more of a role in this second book. I hope his role continues to expand along with that of his old partner.

THE TELL-TALE HOMICIDE is an exciting mystery full of suspicious characters and literary fun.  

Crime and Parchment - A Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway

Review

CRIME & PARCHMENT by Daphne Silver
The First Rare Books Cozy Mystery

The lure of an ancient artifact has rare books librarian Juniper Blume heading to her sister's inn in Rose Mallow, Maryland, a place she hasn't visited since their grandmother's death. A message from her soon to be ex brother in law saying that he found the covers of the Book of Kells, treasures that have been missing for centuries, was enough to get her to leave the Library of Congress with her dog Clover. But when Juniper arrives at the designated meeting place instead of Rory she finds the body of the young barista she just met. With Rory missing and a professor with a television crew saying he has the covers Juniper will have to dig up the truth all while mending fences with her sister.

I'm a sucker for rare books, especially ones with such history, like the Book of Kells, so discovering CRIME AND PARCHMENT was a real treat. It took me a while to warm up to the characters, however. Juniper was constantly apologizing and Azalea was almost bipolar in her attitude toward her sister. Neither of them was in the right. In a way I understood where Azalea was coming from, and Juniper's whole clandestine meeting with Rory was a bit much. Meet in the cemetery at midnight? That being said, the characters grew on me and I really enjoyed the mystery. 

With fascinating historic details and an engaging mystery CRIME & PARCHMENT is a satisfying start to a new series.

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

THE RARE BOOKS COZY MYSTERIES

by Daphne Silver

November 25, 2024 - January 3, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads

CRIME AND PARCHMENT

 

Rare books librarian Juniper Blume knows this much… an ancient Celtic manuscript shouldn’t be in a Maryland cemetery. But that’s exactly what her brother-in-law claims.

Last year, Juniper saw the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells in Ireland. She learned how their bejeweled covers were stolen centuries ago, never to be seen again. So how could they have ended up in Rose Mallow, a small Chesapeake Bay town? Being Jewish, the Book of Kells might not be her sacred text, but as a rare books librarian, the ancient book is still sacred to her, making it important to Juniper to find out the truth.

Rose Mallow is the same place where Juniper used to summer with her sister Azalea and their grandmother Zinnia, known as Nana Z. Ever since Nana Z passed away, Juniper’s avoided returning, but her curiosity is greater than her grief, so she heads down in her vintage convertible with her rescue dog Clover.

Juniper discovers that her sister Azalea has transformed their grandmother’s Queen Anne style mansion into the Wildflower Inn, backing up to the Chesapeake Bay. Although Juniper isn’t much of a cook, Azalea has kept their grandmother’s legacy alive, filling the house with the smells of East European Jewish treats, like sweet kugels and tzimmes cake. Will coming back here feel like returning home or fill Juniper with a deeper sorrow? Can she apologize to her sister for not being there when she was needed most?

 

Amazon | Goodreads

THE TELL-TALE HOMICIDE

 

Rare books librarian Juniper Blume lands her dream job: creating a new museum in her Chesapeake Bay town of Rose Mallow, Maryland. But on her very first day, she makes a shocking discovery - a dead man clutching a book by Edgar Allan Poe, stolen from the collections!

As Juniper gets closer to cracking the coded message hidden inside the book, she realizes someone is desperate to keep its literary secrets buried… even if that means burying her too.

Dressed in her signature vintage style with rescue pup Clover by her side, the fearless bookworm must hunt down the culprit before becoming the next victim. But can she solve the case without jeopardizing a budding romance with her boss, the dashing Leo Calverton? And can she help her sister Azalea perfect their grandmother's legendary blintz recipe before the Rose Mallow Festival?

A delightfully deadly page-turner, The Tell-Tale Homicide continues the charming Rare Books Cozy Mystery series by Agatha award-winning author Daphne Silver. Fans of Kate Carlisle and Jenn McKinlay will love tagging along with the whip-smart, book-loving Juniper on her adventures.

Series Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Published by: Level Best Books
Series:The Rare Books Cozy Mysteries
Series Links: Amazon | Level Best Books

Read an excerpt from Crime and Parchment:

CHAPTER 1

My 1965, robin’s egg blue convertible backfired as I parked in front of the Wildflower Inn. The noise set off Clover barking in the backseat. Not exactly the quiet homecoming I’d hoped for. I jumped out of my Karmann-Ghia – or “KG” as I’d nicknamed her – to check under the hood, hoping I wouldn’t need to get the roadster serviced yet again. No idea where that money would come from.

A screaming, ranting madwoman poured out of a neighboring house. Maybe in her late seventies, she brandished a large umbrella. I dropped the hood to find the umbrella pointing at me. Clover – all twenty pounds of him – jumped out and started growling.

“Easy, boy,” I said.

“You shoot something off, Missy? Here to cause trouble? Because I’m on the board of the Friends of the Rose Mallow Police.” the woman said. She wore a perfectly fitted Mamie Eisenhower pink skirt suit with enormous pearls – straight out of the 1950s. Her white bouffant billowed around her head. She reminded me of a researcher I’d helped earlier that day at the Library of Congress. That woman had been a murder mystery author looking for books about early detectives. This woman looked like she wanted to murder someone – namely me.

Suddenly I remembered her: Cordelia Sullivan. She was my late grandmother’s arch-nemesis. After my Nana Z had moved to Rose Mallow, they’d competed to be the president of almost every board in town. Nana Z had called it a “friendly rivalry to garner the most civic goodwill,” but I don’t think Cordelia saw it that way. To her, the Blume family were – and always would be – outsiders in her perfect Chesapeake Bay town.

“What’s going on?” My sister Azalea appeared on the wraparound porch of the Wildflower Inn. Although I was two years younger at twenty-eight, she looked like my twin, except that her hair was much longer and darker than my slanted bob. She pushed her bangs back and brought a hand up to her forehead when she saw me. “Juniper? What on earth are you doing here?”

“Well, I…” My words faltered. I’d spent the past hour driving and trying to figure out how to tell Azalea about why I’d finally returned, but every time I tested the words out loud, they failed. Clover had listened with confused curiosity before giving up and falling asleep.

“You know there’s a noise ordinance,” Cordelia said as she waved her umbrella around. Clover barked at the offending instrument. However, I think he wanted to play with it more than anything else. Occasional growling aside, he’s not exactly attack dog material.

“Yes, Mrs. Sullivan. Not until 10 p.m., and it’s not even 8 o’clock yet.” Azalea’s exasperated voice led me to suspect that she’d had this conversation more than once.

“Hmph. I plan on taking your ‘halfway house’ to the zoning board. What a travesty to do to our pristine historic district. You know I’m president of the Rose Mallow Historical Society.” Cordelia wagged a finger at my sister. I closed my eyes before rolling them.

“Mama! Mama!” A young bundle of legs and a mop of nearly black hair appeared next to Azalea on the wraparound porch. I couldn’t believe how big Violet had grown. She was almost four years old now.

She latched onto Azalea’s legs and held on tightly. I wanted to run up to my niece and smother her in hugs and kisses, but I wasn’t sure how I’d be received. Clover apparently did too because he took off after her. The little girl squealed with laughter as he covered her in licks.

“Go inside, Vi. It’s past your bedtime,” Azalea said. She turned to us. “I don’t have time for this. As you can see, I have a young child requiring my attention. Plus, I have a house full of guests. Mrs. Sullivan, it sounds like you have a plan in place to handle my zoning and noise issues. I’ll leave you to it. And Juniper, if you’re here, then let’s get you inside.”

Violet ran inside, letting Clover follow. I took that as a positive sign, so I grabbed my suitcase from the trunk and followed quickly, as Cordelia monitored us. Her umbrella remained held out in the air. She reminded me of Don Quixote in pearls.

“You’ve done an incredible job restoring the place,” I said as I walked across the perfectly manicured lawn. Azalea had recently converted Nana Z’s Queen Anne style mansion into a boutique hotel. After so many years away, I hadn’t been sure what to expect.

She eyed me with uncertainty. I could tell she was debating whether to chew me out for not being here for any of the work, let alone the hotel’s grand opening earlier in the spring. But my sister is much better at maturity than I am.

“It’s been a journey. Not an undertaking for the faint of heart. Repairing that turret alone had me almost give up and put up the for sale sign.” Azalea pointed up to the three-story round tower protruding from the side of the house. As a kid, I used to pretend Nana Z’s home was a castle and fought many dragons racing up that tower.

“You wouldn’t.”

“I said ‘Almost,’” she replied with a laugh.

“I love how bright the yellow siding is. I bet that color really pops in the morning against the Chesapeake Bay.” I walked up the stairs to the wraparound, past garden beds bursting with purple coneflowers and Black-Eyed Susans, Maryland’s state flower.

“You know what’s funny is how much I hated canary yellow when we were little. Every time we came here, I’d always wished Nana Z’s house was more like Cordelia Sullivan’s with her dark greens and rich reds. But now that Nana Z’s gone, I couldn’t stand to change it,” Azalea said.

“But it’s such a cheery color. Why would you want something so drab as Cordelia’s place? ” I asked. As a kid, Cordelia’s house had been as scary as the owner. Losing a ball into her yard meant it was never coming back. Neighborhood kids claimed her house was haunted.

Azalea shrugged. “Yeah, the yellow’s growing on me.”

“You kept this mess?” I said when I spotted the clunky clay mezuzah on the doorpost. I’d made the case at Jewish day camp as a kid. Inside was a tiny parchment scroll inscribed with biblical verses in Hebrew. The painted clay design was supposed to be a bunch of zinnias in honor of Nana Z’s first name, but it looked more like a lumpy mud puddle than a bright firework of flowers.

Azalea shrugged with a smile. “Oh, there are a few of my own masterpieces on some of the other doors inside. Maybe I’ll get Violet to make some new ones.”

The inside was as exquisite as the outside. I don’t think my memories did the place justice. The stained glass above the front door also sported Black-Eyed Susans, while those above each window featured a different native wildflower.

Azalea had kept our grandmother’s lush red carpets with ornate gold and white floral patterns. Polished mahogany inset panels gleamed from the walls. A staircase with beautifully carved spindles fed into the large lobby.

On the left was a parlor that Azalea had turned into the registration space. On the right was the library, overflowing with leather-bound books. It was in this room I had discovered my love for stories and books as a child. I wouldn’t have become a rare books librarian at The Library of Congress without Nana Z’s library. I sighed, wishing things were going better there. Nana Z would have been proud of me, but my job had become so difficult since I lost that promotion to Greyson. A little birdie had told me not to expect another chance for a long time, which meant I was stuck with someone Nana Z would have described as a “shlemiel.”

A narrow hallway disappeared between the registration area and the staircase, which led back to the dining room and kitchen. I remembered how those overlooked the back garden, public boardwalk, and the Chesapeake Bay. I could imagine how ornately she’d decorated the upstairs bedrooms.

Clover sniffed at everything in sight. I monitored him, but he was having a grand time exploring. Just not too grand of a time. I tried sending the message to him telepathically. He lifted his nose at me, as if to say, “Who, me?”

“I love that you hung some of Nana Z’s watercolors,” I said. My eyes grew misty as I gazed at her paintings of native flowers, including dwarf crested irises, ironweed, columbine, and, of course, the rose mallow for which the Maryland town was named. I shook my head, pushing the grief down deep.

A teenager hunched over a thick book sat at the registration desk. She had long, bluish-green locs that looked beautiful against her sepia brown skin. Her large glasses were rimmed in a matching turquoise color. She looked up from the book and said, “Sorry, Azalea. Vi got away from me.”

The teen didn’t seem alarmed, but then again, neither did Azalea. I wondered if this happened frequently. Maybe Vi was a regular escape artist. Nana Z would have been pleased. I held back my smile.

“I’m Juniper, Azalea’s sister,” I said to the teen as I extended my hand.

“You have a sister?” she asked Azalea with a look of surprise. Then she recovered, shook my hand, and said, “I’m Keisha Douglass. I’ve been helping Azalea with the Wildflower Inn. But, uh, we’re all booked up tonight.”

“I’ll figure it out,” said Azalea. “Although giving me some sort of a heads up you were finally coming would’ve been nice, Juniper.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I smiled awkwardly. Clover raced over to the desk to check out Keisha. The desk was higher than him, so he couldn’t quite see atop. Fortunately, she came around to pet him. “Oh wow! A dog? We’re allowing dogs now?”

I turned to check with Azalea, who massaged her temples. She breathed deeply but then simply shrugged. Great. Not only had I shown up out of the blue, but I hadn’t checked to make sure pets were allowed. I was pretty sure I knew the root cause of her sudden headache. I smiled sheepishly.

“No worries, Keisha. Clover’s the exception to the no dogs rule. Vi’s fine. I’m going to put her to bed,” Azalea said, as she ushered the bouncing kid down the narrow hallway and turned abruptly right before the kitchen. Unsure of what to do, I followed. There was a small sitting room there, which she had reconfigured into a bedroom. It was a tight space. Azalea caught me staring. “It’s a temporary solution. I’m still working on updating the Carriage House in the back garden. Once I’m finished, Vi and I will move there.”

Vi ran around the room, fighting Azalea’s attempts to return her to bed. My sister paused mid-chase and said, “This may take a bit. You know where the kitchen is. Why don’t you go there, start a kettle of tea, and I’ll meet you there when we’re done? I was getting ready to pull a kugel out of the oven anyway.”

That was my sister, always gently commanding, whether it was an unruly neighbor, an energetic preschooler, or me, the surprise guest. I thought of her like a duck. Above the water, she appeared to be smoothly sailing along, but below, it was a mad fury of management to keep everything afloat.

“A kugel?” I asked with excitement. Nana Z had made plenty of the baked noodle casseroles each summer. Sometimes they were savory, but more often, they were sweet, made with lokshen, or egg noodles, and various cheeses.

Azalea looked pleased. “I’ve been trying to perfect her recipe. You’ll have to tell me what you think.”

I knew immediately she meant Nana Z. As we headed down the hallway, I caught the aroma of the decadent noodle pudding. I could already detect the cinnamon she’d used. My eyes watered slightly at the memories the smell produced.

The kitchen was both familiar and new. No longer was it the 1890s meets 1970s chic that Nana Z had employed. Azalea had replaced most of the yellowed appliances with updated stainless-steel, upgraded the laminate countertops to granite, and removed the harvest gold wallpaper to paint the in vogue “greige” along with a matching subway tile backsplash. Someone had been watching a lot of HGTV. But it was still Nana Z’s kettle on the stovetop, her handcrafted cookie jar on the counter, and a variety of favorite teas in the same cabinet location. Being here felt like being at home, but only if that home had been completely renovated when you weren’t looking.

The view out back remained the same, looking past a blooming garden of blue hydrangeas and the small Carriage House, to the public boardwalk separating the garden from the Chesapeake Bay. On good days, you could make out the shoreline on the Eastern Shore. Being early June, the sun was beginning to set beyond the Bay’s edge, so the view became a Tonalist painting with its atmospheric blues, grays, and browns.

Clover found an embroidered tea towel to play with. I tried pulling it away from him, but he decided that meant the game was afoot. I dug into my suitcase and found his food. I borrowed a couple of low rimmed bowls to fill with his dinner and water. He quickly abandoned the towel for something to eat.

According to the timer, the kugel still had a few minutes left in the oven. I caught the kettle before it whistled and filled up two mugs. Given the abundance of Darjeeling black tea, I assumed it was still Azalea’s favorite and prepped it for both of us. Within a few minutes, she came in, plopped down on an empty seat, and dropped her head to the table. I sat up in alarm, afraid that my cool as nails sister might be about to cry.

***

Excerpt from Crime and Parchment by Daphne Silver. Copyright 2023 by Daphne Silver. Reproduced with permission from Daphne Silver. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Daphne Silver is the Agatha Award winning author of the Rare Books Cozy Mystery Series. Her first novel, Crime and Parchment (Level Best Books, 2023), won the Agatha for Best First Mystery Novel. Her latest book, The Tell-Tale Homicide, comes out November 2024 from Level Best Books. She’s worked more than twenty years in museums and symphonies and has the great fortune of being married to a librarian. When she’s not writing, she’s drawing and painting. She lives in Maryland with her family. Although she’s not much of a baker, she won’t ever turn down a sweet lokshen kugel.

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