Mumbo Gumbo Murder - A Review & Giveaway

Review

MUMBO GUMBO MURDER by Laura Childs with Terrie Farley Moran

The Sixteenth Scrapbooking Mystery

Carmela Bertrand and her best friend, Ava, are celebrating Jazz Fest in the French Quarter when a crashing disturbance interrupts the revel making. The two friends rush to where the commotion seems to be happening only to discover the window of their good friend Devon Dowling's antique shop smashed. With only Devon's dog responding to Carmela's calls she enters the building only to face another destructive onslaught, and the discovery of Devon's body. But Carmela's detective  fiancé may have more to get mad about that Carmela insinuating herself in his investigation. Good looking Quigg Brevard has opened up shop right next door to Memory Mine, and has a proposition for her. Will a killer, or a guy with killer looks put Carmela in hot water?

I love Carmela Bertrand, I really do, but in this sixteenth Scrapbooking Mystery she really made me mad. It's one thing to drag her feet about setting a date for her nuptials, or anything else to do with her upcoming wedding, but her behavior really puts her whole relationship with Detective Babcock at risk. What on earth was she playing at with Quigg? Still, I could overlook that, I was a little irked but I could kind of see where she was coming from. However, when she figures out the real reason Devon was murdered, I was aghast at what she did and literally screamed out loud, "You are so stupid!" inadvertently scaring my cats.

Despite thinking Carmela's done lost her mind in her need to seek out adrenaline rushes and simply accepting how over the top Ava is, I did enjoy the book. The mystery itself was excellent and I loved all of the red herrings and various other complications.

MUMBO GUMBO MURDER is a fast paced fun read showcasing many of the wonderful events that make New Orleans so special. I don't know how Carmela and Ava find time for all that fun, but I enjoy being able to experience it vicariously though them. 

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

Mumbo Gumbo Murder (A Scrapbooking Mystery) by Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran

About Mumbo Gumbo Murder

Mumbo Gumbo Murder (A Scrapbooking Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 16th in Series Berkley 
(October 1, 2019) Hardcover: 320 pages 

A shocking murder strikes a sour note during Jazz Fest in the latest New Orleans Scrapbooking Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.

It's Jazz Fest in New Orleans, and the giant puppets from the Beastmaster Puppet Theatre are parading through the French Quarter. Some are very spooky and veiled, others are tall and gangly, like strange aliens.

As the parade proceeds, Carmela Bertrand and her best friend, Ava, follow behind, down Royal Street and past the food booths. Suddenly, they hear a terrible crash from Devon Dowling's antiques shop. They rush inside to find Devon collapsed with blood streaming down the side of his face. Has he been shot? Stabbed? 911 is hastily called, and the police and EMTs show up. After the police examine Devon's body, they tell Carmela and Ava that their friend was murdered with an icepick. They're shocked beyond belief—and now Mimi, Devon's little pug, is left homeless.

Carmela and Ava are determined to catch the murderer, but the list of suspects is long. How long do they have before they find themselves on the killer's list?

About The Authors

 

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries - set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries - set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

Laura’s Links:  
Webpage - http://www.laurachilds.com/  
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/laura.childs.31

Recipient of both the Agatha and the Derringer awards, Terrie Farley Moran is the author of the beachside Read 'Em and Eat cozy mystery series; co-author of Laura Childs’ New Orleans scrapbooking mystery series; and has published numerous short stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly Magazine and numerous anthologies. The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is hanging out with any or all of her seven grandchildren who reside in New York and Florida.  
Terrie’s Links:  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrie.moran.9  
Blog: www.womenofmystery.net  
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/23186092-terrie-moran

Purchase Links: Amazon B&N Kobo Google Play IndieBound

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Not Another Murder! - A Read and Buried Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm happy to welcome Charles the Library Cat to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Charles on the pages of the Lighthouse Library series by Eva Gates. Read and Buried is the sixth book in the series and will be released October 15, 2019.

Not Another Murder!

By Charles the Library Cat, from the Lighthouse Library series by Eva Gates

Not again! Once again one of those blasted humans has interrupted the peace and quiet of my library by getting themselves killed. Come on people: I work hard all day being the library cat. I allow people to fuss over me and stroke me. I let small children pull my tail (most amusing). I comfort the old and the lonely. I do my very best to keep Lucy out of trouble. Although, I have to admit that sometimes even my very best isn’t quite up to the task.

I expect a lot of fuss and bother during the day, but a cat needs his rest in the evening. (Besides, any comings and goings in the evening dissuades the mice from tentatively venturing out of their hiding places.)

Case in point: In the midst of all the noise and fuss and bother going out on outside where work is being done to repair the crumbling foundations of the lighthouse, they dug up an old box. A box! Much ado about nothing, I say.

In this box they found an old journal containing a hand-drawn map and a page written in some sort of code. So that caused more fuss and bother as everyone jostled for a peek. And then at closing time more people came in for more jostling for a peek.

Finally, Bertie sent them all away, and locked the box in her desk. Lucy and Connor left for their dinner date and peace and quiet fell over my library. As for Lucy and Connor, it’s long past time they realize how much in love with each other they are and get on with it. Does anyone listen to me? Ha.

I digress. I was settling down next to where I think the mice are hiding, when the door fell down. Yes, the front door actually fell down! As you can imagine that sent any mice scurrying deeper into the walls.

Two people entered through the broken door with flashlights. They didn’t bother switching on the library lights, so that told me right away they were up to no good. They tip-toed through the library and into Bettie’s office. I followed them of course. Like typical humans up to no good, almost immediately they began fighting. Much yelling and throwing things and then one of them fell down, hit his head, and now he isn’t moving!

Oh, my goodness. Before I could check if he was okay, the other fled. Shutting the office door behind him. So now I’m trapped in Bertie’s office.

I hate it when that happens.

Hold on, is that the sound of little mice feet I hear?

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

Read and Buried: A Lighthouse Library Mystery by Eva Gates

About Read and Buried

Read and Buried: A Lighthouse Library Mystery  

Cozy Mystery 6th in Series  

Crooked Lane Books (October 15, 2019)  

Hardcover: 325 Pages

Librarian Lucy Richardson unearths a mysterious map dating back to the Civil War. But if she can't crack its code, she may end up read and buried.

The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library Classic Novel Book Club is reading Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne while workers dig into the earth to repair the Lighthouse Library's foundations. The digging halts when Lucy pulls a battered tin box containing a Civil War-era diary from the pit. Tucked inside is a hand-drawn map of the Outer Banks accompanied by a page written in an indecipherable code.

The library is overrun by people clamoring to see the artifact. Later that night, Lucy and Connor McNeil find the body of historical society member Jeremy Hughes inside the library. Clearly Jeremy was not the only one who broke into the library--the map and the coded page are missing.

Lucy's nemesis, Louise Jane McKaughnan, confesses to entering the library after closing to sneak a peek but denies seeing Jeremy--or his killer. When Lucy discovers that fellow-librarian Charlene had a past with Jeremy, she's forced to do what she vowed not to do--get involved in the case. Meanwhile, the entire library staff and community become obsessed with trying to decode the page. But when the library has a second break in, it becomes clear that someone is determined to solve that code.

About Eva Gates

Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than thirty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Tea By The Sea mysteries for Kensington, the Year Round Christmas mysteries for Penguin Random House, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series and, as Eva Gates, the Lighthouse Library books for Crooked Lane.

Vicki is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It crime writing festival. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

Author Links

• Website: www.vickidelany.com www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor;
• Twitter: @vickidelany @evagatesauthor
• Instagram: vickidelany

• Purchase Links - Amazon B&N Kobo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Currrently Reading...

I'm currently reading Mumbo Gumbo Murder by Laura Childs with Terrie Farley Moran. This book is the sixteenth book in the Scrapbooking Mystery series and was released on the first on this month.

Carmela Bertrand and her best friend, Ava, are celebrating Jazz Fest in the French Quarter when a crashing disturbance interrupts the revel making. The two friends rush to where the commotion seems to be happening only to discover the window of their good friend Devon Dowling's antique shop smashed. With only Devon's dog responding to Carmela's calls she enters the building only to face another destructive onslaught, and the discovery of Devon's body. But Carmela's detective  fiancé may have more to get mad about that Carmela insinuating herself in his investigation. Good looking Quigg Brevard has opened up shop right next door to Memory Mine, and has a proposition for her. Will a killer, or a guy with killer looks put Carmela in hot water?

My Typical Writing Day - A Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

I'm happy to welcome Heather Day Gilbert back to the blog today. Heather writes the Exotic Pet-Sitter Mystery series. BELINDA BLAKE AND THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING is the second book in the series and was released on the first of this month.

My Typical Writing Day
By Heather Day Gilbert

I know some people wonder what the illustrious author life looks like, so I thought I'd pull back the curtain and give you a peek at my author workday. I'm a stay at home mom, so writing IS my day job (although this summer I took a break from writing so I could spend time with my three college-aged kids).

-7 am: Wake to get my five year old ready for her day at kindergarten. Make coffee and drink it as soon as possible. Throw on jeans and on cooler days, one of my husband's old oxford work shirts. They're not a fashion statement, but they're comfy.

-8 am: Catch up on any important emails, do marketing work. My "office" is now in my son's bedroom, now that he's moved out to college.

-9 am: Run to post office to mail out any giveaway books. Drink a second cup of coffee.

-10 am: Usually by this point, I'm ready to settle into writing. I recently completed a proposal for another cozy mystery series, as well as the first three chapters, which were edited by my critique partner Becky Doughty and my agent Julie Gwinn.

-Noon: I usually take a lunch break around this time, in which I generally watch a tiny bit of a mystery series on TV (latest finds have been My Life is Murder with the Xena: Warrior Princess actress Lucy Lawless, or Shakespeare and Hathaway, which is set in England. Both are on Amazon Prime channels). Sometimes I'll read a bit, but lately I've been doing most of my leisure reading at night before bed.

Some weeks I pick up my daughter from school, so I write until that afternoon. Quite often, my writing day might look like six hours straight of writing, especially if I'm on a deadline. I do have to remind myself to take breaks and I try to get outside for some vitamin D at some point each day.

Around 5 pm: Supper prep and hang out with my youngest and my hubby.

I haven't been writing at night, but sometimes I do when I have a deadline to meet. I'm that strange author who kills herself to meet every deadline and even turns her stuff in early. ;) I find that's kind of rare in writing circles.

Writing isn't the most glam job, although it does require hours of effort. I'm thankful for my husband's hard work at his job so I have the opportunity to do what I love. Thanks for joining me in a day in the writer life!

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

Review

BELINDA BLAKE AND THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING by Heather Day Gilbert

The Second Exotic Pet-Sitter Mystery

Although used to dealing with all manner of exotic animals, Belinda Blake hesitates when offered a temporary position at the White Pines Wolf Preserve. With bills mounting, however, the decision becomes easier. After all, Belinda would just have to assist the primary feeder for eight days while the owner was out of town, what could be easier? But when a jovial young tour guide is found dead, bloodied and surrounded by wolves inside one of the enclosures, Belinda has second thoughts. When the wolves are accused of more violent acts, Belinda admits that things aren't adding up. Are the wolves truly to blame, or are they being framed?

Wolves tend to get a bad rap. Maligned by many, these majestic beasts are often misunderstood and vilified. Even Belinda Blake is wary about working with them. Yet, even when suspected of killing and maiming the people trying to care for them, the wolves at White Pines Wolf Preserve are shown to be friendly and loyal. At least readers are afforded the ability to see them in that unprejudiced way, some of the characters may have different opinions.

The second Exotic Pet-Sitter Mystery looks at wolf sanctuaries and the sad ways many of its residents arrive. It also looks at family, loyalty, and bravery, traits associated with wolves as well as humans. I appreciate how Belinda keeps an open mind and is smart enough not to jump to conclusions...for the most part. The dynamics of the characters is riveting, both at the preserve and outside of it. We learn more about Red, and see Belinda face some important romantic decisions.

BELINDA BLAKE AND THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING is an engrossing mystery with many different angles. I, for one, would love to meet the wolves I read about in this story, especially Freya and Njord. The two most important themes running through this book are that love shows itself in many forms and people are not always what they seem. Beware the wolf in sheep's clothing.

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

Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (An Exotic Pet-Sitter Mystery) by Heather Day Gilbert

About Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing  

Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series  

Lyrical Press (October 1, 2019)  

Number of Pages ~195 

Exotic pet-sitter Belinda Blake is nervous about her new job at the White Pine Wolf Preserve, but it turns out that the care and feeding of wild carnivores may be the least dangerous part of the gig . . .

Pet-sitter Belinda Blake is no stranger to dealing with wild animals, but she’s wary when the owner of the Greenwich, Connecticut, preserve asks her to help out with her “fluffy darlings.” Her caution seems justified on her very first day, when she discovers a tour guide—dead, bloodied, and surrounded by wolves in the enclosure.

Was it death by predator or something more sinister? The body count rises, but something’s not adding up. As she gets to know the rescued wolves and wolf-dog hybrids better, Belinda realizes that her human colleagues are not above suspicion. With help from her own “pack”—her pregnant sister, Red the chauffeur/bodyguard, and hunky farmer Jonas—Belinda is hot on the killer’s tail, but if she doesn’t find him soon, he’ll do more than muzzle her to keep the truth from escaping.

About Heather Day Gilbert

Heather Day Gilbert, an ECPA Christy award finalist and Grace award winner, writes contemporary mysteries and Viking historicals. Her novels feature small towns, family relationships, and women who aren’t afraid to protect those they love. Like Belinda Blake, Heather plays video games, although so far she hasn't done any exotic pet-sitting or hunted any murderers.

Author Links:
Website: http://heatherdaygilbert.com  
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Q6w6X  
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/heatherdaygilbert  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherdaygilbert/  
Twitter: @heatherdgilbert  
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/heatherdgilbert/  
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7232683.Heather_Day_Gilbert  

Purchase Links Kindle Nook Kobo AppleBooks Google Play

a Rafflecopter giveaway