A Curio Killing - A Review & Giveaway

Review

A CURIO KILLING by Mary Ellen Hughes

The Third Keepsake Cove Mystery

Spring is blossoming and Keepsake Cove is celebrating with its Spring Festival. After inheriting her aunt's music box shop, Callie Reed is looking forward to her first festival and while she won't have a booth at the event is anticipating big crowds checking out House of Melody. She's thrown for a loop when she hears a too familiar baritone voice in her shop. It turns out her ex-boyfriend Hank's new band is headlining the festival. The festival however, ends abruptly after the first night when the band's manager is found murdered and Hank is arrested. Hank may be many things, but Callie is certain he's no killer. With the police certain they have their man, Callie is determined to find the real murderer. It turns out that several people in town knew the manager, and none of them had good memories. Could the murderer be Lyssa's new landscaper, Delia's house guest with the hot temper, or Krystal the current small business association's president? Or could Hank be the killer after all?

How far would you go to help an ex? Callie has to walk a thin line as she doesn't want to encourage Hank to think there's a possibility of renewing their relationship and she doesn't want to upset Brian and ruin their burgeoning romance, yet, believing he couldn't be culpable and knowing he has no one else, Callie feels duty bound to help. And help she does, keeping Brian appraised of her actions as well as her reasoning and having Lyssa in the loop helping out.

The third Keepsake Cove Mystery had my brain engaged and kept me engrossed in the mystery. There are lots of interesting threads promoting several possible motives introduced to muddy up the investigation. The final confrontation had my heart pounding as I fought along with Callie.

A CURIO KILLING is a well plotted mystery filled with interesting characters. I enjoyed my time in Keepsake Cove and look forward to returning.

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A Curio Killing (A Keepsake Cove Mystery) by Mary Ellen Hughes

About A Curio Killing

A Curio Killing (A Keepsake Cove Mystery)  

Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series  

Setting - Maryland  

Midnight Ink (September 8, 2019)  

Paperback: 264 pages 

Callie finds treble in Keepsake Cove when her ex-boyfriend is framed for murder . . .

Callie Reed is looking forward to her first Keepsake Cove spring festival. But her excitement dims considerably when she learns that her ex-boyfriend, Hank, will be performing with one of the hired country-western bands. Callie vows to keep her distance, but that changes when the band's manager, Bobby Linville, is found dead, killed with the music box Hank bought at Callie's shop.

Hank is soon singing a sad tune in a detention center with Callie his only lifeline. Though thoroughly aware of his many faults, she knows violence and murder aren't in his blood. But that means one of her fellow Keepsake Cove residents must be hiding a dark secret—something Callie desperately needs to uncover.

About Mary Ellen Hughes

Mary Ellen Hughes is the bestselling author of the Pickled and Preserved Mysteries, the Craft Corner Mysteries, and the Maggie Olenski Mysteries, along with several short stories. The Keepsake Cove series begins with A Fatal Collection and continues with A VINTAGE DEATH and A CURIO KILLING.

Author Links:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MaryEllenHughesauthor  
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/mehughes13/  
Twitter – https://twitter.com/mehughesauthor  
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/402922.Mary_Ellen_Hughes  

Purchase Links: 
Amazon  
B&N  
Midnight Ink  
Mystery Love Company Booksellers 
BAM 
IndieBound

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A Vintage Death - A Review & Giveaway

Review

A VINTAGE DEATH by Mary Ellen Hughes
The Second Keepsake Cove Mystery

Callie Reed is delighted to meet Lyssa Hammond, the popular author of supernatural stories giving a book signing as part of Keepsake Cove's fall festivities.The two become fast friends, and become even closer when the overbearing B&B owner is murdered. Lyssa persuades Callie to work together to prove that the victim's estranged wife, Callie's friend Dorothy, is innocent. As evidence mounts against Dorothy and several people start badmouthing her, that task gets progressively more difficult. But, more than one person has motive to see the innkeeper dead, and several people are harbouring secrets...including Lyssa. With hints from her grandpa's music box Callie will risk her own safety to see that justice prevails. 

This second Keepsake Cove mystery begs the question, how well do you really know people? Could someone you like really be a murderer? Can someone truly start over? Does everyone have a secret?

I was pleased to return to this small Maryland town. I love shopping for collectibles so a town devoted to them is just my cup of tea. The variety of stores is as appealing as the various characters who reside there. Tabitha's costumes bring a unique bit of playfulness to the House Of Melody while the Jekyll and Hyde aspects of both proprietors of The Collectable Cook raise suspicion and a wish to not need their goods. My favorite new character has to be Lyssa Hammond. The author brilliantly plays up the unique aspects of writers into this fun character. I especially love how the music box chimes in to let Callie know she's on the right track. I could have used it myself as I was certain I knew the murderer, only to find I was wrong, although my theory had nuggets of truth.

A VINTAGE DEATH is an entertaining mystery with an engaging cast of characters and a hint of the otherworldly.

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A Vintage Death (A Keepsake Cove Mystery) by Mary Ellen Hughes

About the Book

 

A Vintage Death (A Keepsake Cove Mystery) 

Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series  

Midnight Ink (November 8, 2018)  

Paperback: 264 pages 

As the new music box store owner and resident of Keepsake Cove, a quaint town full of collectible shops on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Callie Reed is eager to get more involved in her community. She volunteers to plan the Fall street decorations and welcome a visiting author who's come for a special book signing. But the celebratory mood is cut short when the local B&B owner is found dead, killed by a pair of vintage scissors.

Suspicion is cast on the victim's estranged wife, Dorothy, who owns Keepsake Cove's vintage sewing shop. Callie is sure Dorothy is innocent, and the visiting author agrees. Together, they begin their own investigation, only to discover that many people in Keepsake Cove have secrets. Secrets that are worth killing to keep quiet.

About the Author

 

Mary Ellen Hughes is the bestselling author of the Pickled and Preserved Mysteries (Penguin), the Craft Corner Mysteries, and the Maggie Olenski Mysteries, along with several short stories. A Fatal Collection is her debut with Midnight Ink. A Wisconsin native, she has lived most of her adult life in Maryland, where she’s set many of her stories. Visit her at www.MaryEllenHughes.com.  

Author Links: 

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MaryEllenHughesauthor
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/mehughes13/  
Twitter – https://twitter.com/mehughesauthor
GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/402922.Mary_Ellen_Hughes  

Purchase Links – Amazon B&N Midnight Ink

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Currently Reading...

I just finished reading A Vintage Death by Mary Ellen Hughes. This book is the second in the Keepsake Cove Mystery series and was released last week.

Callie Reed is delighted to meet Lyssa Hammond, the popular author of supernatural stories giving a book signing as part of Keepsake Cove's fall festivities.The two become fast friends, and become even closer when the overbearing B&B owner is murdered. Lyssa persuades Callie to work together to prove that the victim's estranged wife, Callie's friend Dorothy, is innocent. As evidence mounts against Dorothy and several people start badmouthing her, that task gets progressively more difficult. But, more than one person has motive to see the innkeeper dead, and several people are harbouring secrets...including Lyssa. With hints from her grandpa's music box Callie will risk her own safety to see that justice prevails.

A Fatal Collection - Review & Giveaway

Review

A FATAL COLLECTION by Mary Ellen Hughes

The First Keepsake Cove Mystery

Needing some time away from her loser boyfriend, Callie Reed decides to spend some time visiting  her favorite Aunt Melody in charming Keepsake Cove. Their visit abruptly ends when Callie finds her aunt dead in her music box shop, apparently having accidentally fallen during the night. When Callie learns she is Melody's only heir and now owns her shop and cottage, she decides to leave West Virginia for good and start a new life in the Maryland town catering to collectors. Yet, the more time passes, the more Callie questions her aunt's death. What was she doing in the store in the middle of the night? Was it really an accident? Or did it have something to do with her nasty neighbor? Or the controversy she started with the Keepsake Cove Association? And why is her grandfather's music box suddenly playing when no one has wound it up? 

I love the exposition found in the first book of a series, meeting the characters and exploring their world. Mary Ellen Hughes does not disappoint. We meet interesting well developed characters who exist in a charming town. Being a collector, though not of music boxes or salt and pepper shakers, I wish I could walk the streets and browse the stores of Keepsake Cove. Callie Reed is a smart protagonist who doesn't go about deliberately putting herself at risk, although she does find herself in danger.

I enjoy the open ended possibilities we're left with at the end of the first Keepsake Cove mystery. There are lots of avenues to explore and three characters in particular I'm sure we haven't heard the last of!

A FATAL COLLECTION is a fantastic start to a new series. There's a well plotted mystery and a hint of otherworldiness that makes this series debut a hit!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading A Fatal Collection by Mary Ellen Hughes. This book is the first of the Keepsake Cove Mystery series and was released last week.

Needing some time away from her loser boyfriend, Callie Reed decides to spend some time visiting  her favorite Aunt Melody in charming Keepsake Cove. Their visit abruptly ends when Callie finds her aunt dead in her music box shop, apparently having accidentally fallen during the night. When Callie learns she is Melody's only heir and now owns her shop and cottage, she decides to leave West Virginia for good and start a new life in the town catering to collectors. Yet, the more time passes, the more Callie questions her aunt's death. What was she doing in the store in the middle of the night? Was it really an accident? Or did it have something to do with her nasty neighbor? Or the controversy she started with the Keepsake Cove Association? And why is her grandfather's music box suddenly playing when no one has wound it up?

Spotlight - The Pickled Piper

Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on a book released last year. The Pickled Piper by Mary Ellen Hughes is the first in the Pickled and Preserved Mystery series.

From the back cover:

After her dreams of romance are crushed, Piper Lamb decides to pursue her dream of opening her own shop of pickles and preserves, called Pipers Picklings, in the idyllic small town of Cloverdale. But she isn't in town long before she encounters a barrelful of trouble...

The Cloverdale Fair offers Piper a sweet opportunity to promote her business. With her new assistant, Amy, she sets up a booth centered around an eye-catching display of the ever-popular dills in an old-fashioned barrel of brine.

But things turn sour when fairgoers witness a fight between Amy's boyfriend, Nate, and teh town council blowhard-and bagpipe player-Alan Rosemont. When Rosemont is found floating in Piper's barrel, Nate becomes the prime murder suspect. With Amy's boyfriend in a pretty pickle, there's no time to dillydally. But as Piper searches for the real killer, she needs to be careful to preserve her own life...or she may end up a pickled Piper herself.

Recipes included.