Rocking Around the Chickadee : A Meg Langslow Mystery by Donna Andrews

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.

Rocking Around the Chickadee
A Meg Langslow Mystery
Donna Andrews
Minotaur 

Meet Meg Langslow, lady blacksmith, mother of twin preteens, wife to a drama professor (as in acting not the other sort of drama), assistant to the mayor of Caerphilly, and sometime sleuth. It is Christmas time in Caerphilly and Meg’s grandmother, Cordelia, has organized the Presumed Innocent conference for exonerates and family members of those in jail who may not belong there. This time of the year might seem like an odd time to host an event but it is the season of hope, joy, and love; and isn’t that what exonerates and the wrongly prosecuted are looking for? They certainly aren’t looking for Godfrey Norton, podcaster on a mission to make sure no one ever gets out of jail/prison regardless of innocence. The Gadfly, as Jamie and Josh, Meg’s tween twin sons refer to the contrarian podcaster, most likely registered under an alias so that he stir up trouble and harass the attendees. Thank goodness that Meg is good at heading off problems; she has past experience dealing with sticky situations including murder. So when the Gadfly turns up dead, behind the barn at Meg’s house, she does what she does best, help the Chief to figure out who did it, how they did it, and why they did it. 

 Meg is unlike most amateur sleuths in that she actually stays in her own lane but still manages to get the answers that are needed and she usually manages to do it without putting herself in danger. She is also the most organized amateur sleuth thanks to her notebook that “reminders her when to breath.” Oh and there is the amazing family network that I would LOVE to be adopted into because the Hollingsworths are that amazing and/or entertaining. 

As far as this mystery goes, the suspects are interesting, the victim is over the top obnoxious, the sheriff is meticulous, the twins are helpful, Delaney is about to burst, Kevin is a little smitten, and Meg has everything under control. This is a great series because not only does it entertain and often educate, but it is so good on a book by book basis that you can read them as a stand-alone but you really should take some time to check out the earlier 36 novels.

A Slay Ride Together With You : A Year-Round Christmas Mystery by Vicki Delaney

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.

 

A SlayRide Together With You
Year-Round Christmas Mysteries
Vicki Delaney

This is book number 7 in the Year-Round Christmas Mystery series. Merry Wilkinson finds herself sleuthing a mystery with Halloween vibes during the Easter season in the Christmas themed town of Rudolph New York. Not to worry, you do not have to be familiar with the series to be able to enjoy the story.

Merry’s BFF is Vicky Casey, a very gifted baker who is engaged to be married to an equally gifted chef named Mark Grosse, and together they purchased the fixer-upper known as the Cole House. Apparently the word around town is that Vicky and Mark must have lost their minds because the place has a sad and possibly cursed history. Not to worry the backstory for the Cole house is included in fact there is plenty of backstory regarding all of the characters to keep you in the loop. In addition to backstory there are some great interactions between characters. There are some truly interesting characters such as Merry’s parents. Her mom, Aline Steiner Wilkinson, is a real diva as in opera diva and a little bit of a regular diva. Noel Wilkinson, her dad, is the official town Santa Clause, complete with real beard and the jolly disposition. Merry takes after her dad a bit more than her mom, which is probably why everyone in town thinks that Merry’s store assistant, Jackie O’Reilly is indulged to the point that she gets delusions of grandeur. In Jackie’s defense, Merry is often running off to ask questions and hunt for clues instead of managing Mrs. Claus’s Treasurers. If it wasn’t for Merry, we the readers would not get to armchair sleuth.

Ms. Delaney does a great job of keeping the reader intrigued and turning pages while trying to reason out who could have killed the sue‑happy and obnoxious Jim Cole, cousin to the former owner of the Cole house. Instead of being able to challenge the will for ownership of the really run down house, he got blunt force trauma. Suspects include Jim’s own daughter whom he had nothing to do with since she was little and he left her mother. There is also an additional ex-wife and a current girlfriend, both of whom are “distraught” that such a financially well off and loving man has been murdered. The only reason Merry is involved is because Mark has a little bit of a temper and was the unfortunate person who found the body.   

The story moved at a good pace and the red herrings were well thought. I was able to figure out the “who” but not the “why.” I also enjoyed the little something extra that both Aline and Jackie add to the story. It might not be Christmas time but this was a great cozy for a year round Christmas town. Be sure to check out the recipes at the end of the story. I am adding the Coconut Sugar Cookies to my holiday baking list. The cookies are both easy to make and tasty to eat.   

A Limited Edition Murder : A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery by Lauren Elliott

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing. 

A Limited Edition Murder
A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery
Lauren Elliot
Kensington

Book number 10 of the Beyond the Page Bookstore series finds main character, Addie Greyborne, in    England, which is not her usual locale. On top of that this is a story within a story and the perfect way for Addie to get herself back into the swing of things. In fact this one reminded me of the Addie at the start of the series. If you haven’t “met” Addie, you should know that she is fiercely loyal and will not back down to anyone, yes that includes Detective Inspectors. She never backed down to the police back in Greyborne Harbor, so she sure isn’t going to start now just because she is on hiatus across the pond.  Speaking of Addie’s hiatus location, Moorscrag, West Yorkshire, is a wonderful place to get away from the crazy (see Dedication to Murder) by taking a month or two or twelve to get perspective and re‑center one’s self.  Addie does miss her besties and her beloved bookstore.

The vacation or escape as some might call it is a great distraction. Working for Mr. Pressman at the Second Chance Books and Bindery book store is a great distraction. The mystery of the long lost Bronte book/engagement gift/recovery is a great distraction. Finding a body that is missing a priceless necklace is a great distraction. Addie might be in England and the land of Sherlock Holmes but I got the feeling that she was channeling some Poirot and was making good use of those little grey cells. As I said, this is a story with a story because there are multiple threads running through this story with the reappearance of Lord Bentley’s missing first and quite limited edition of Wuthering Heights. So we have a story from the past that intersects with a murder in the present. Addie is on the hunt for clues and while he might not like it, DI Noah Parker has to respect Addie’s ability to find those crumbs that turn into clues. Addie just has a way about her that gets people to open up. It might also help that she is not a copper. Addie swears that she is just looking into what happened to the book from the past and how it ended up in a thrift store.  

Addie is the sort of character that you find yourself drawn to. Her emotions are almost palpable and will have you tearing up, laughing out loud, rolling your eyes, audibly sighing, and turning page after page. The interactions of the characters are natural and the story flows even with the backstory and interwoven subplots. I did not figure out the whole mystery but I was able to dodge a few of the red herrings to figure out who the culprit was. A Limited Edition was a great next chapter but the ending has me apprehensive, Lauren Elliott sure does a great job leaving us wanting more. She also left me wanting lemon tea cakes after Addie and Paige met with Mrs. Fenton for tea and clues so I looked up a recipe and made some.

Madrigals and Mayhem : The Cambridge Bookshop by Elizabeth Penney

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing. 

Madrigals and Mayhem
Cambridge Bookshop
Elizabeth Penney
Minotaur Books

Book four of the Cambridge Bookshop series starts out with Molly Kimball decorating the Thomas Marlowe – Manuscripts and Folios bookstore for the Christmas holiday. Taking her inspiration from the dollhouse at the Pemberly Toy Shop down the street, Molly makes a display of dollhouse related books. Dolls figure prominently in this cozy mystery, from a VERY rare Madame Alexander to the story book, Charlotte’s Dollhouse, which we get to read right along with Molly. Interestingly enough, Charlotte is the name of the girl who has inherited the Pemberly Toy Shop. Not only did Charlotte’s grandad leave Charlotte the shop but also a scavenger hunt that is supposed to lead to the rare Madame Alexander doll. In addition to the scavenger hunt there are a few poisonings, some toxic relationships, an engagement, a Madrigal song experience, a little mayhem, and a happy ending. 

Molly is an American of many talents who has joined her English mom and great aunt in running the family bookstore located in Cambridge, England. Things to know about Molly, she can research books and help run the family bookstore, she can think fast on her feet especially when asking tricky questions, and she apparently she can sing quite well. Molly is also a fast friend as demonstrated by her desire to help Charlotte not even an hour after meeting her. Poor Molly has a broad of vipers for a family, well a stepfamily of vipers, and they aren’t even that nice to each other. 

Elizabeth Penney has done a superb job of creating such unlikeable people that you instantly empathize with Charlotte and can’t wait to see how Molly will get to the bottom of the shenanigans. Shenanigans that include break-ins and messing with the toy store dollhouse. Molly knows that Detective Inspector Sean Ryan is more than capable of hunting down the clues and getting the bad guy, but Molly can’t help it if she seems to always be in the right place at the right time. Molly has the ability to pay close attention and she notices things, things that most people don’t notice. It is this attention to detail that has helped Molly in the past (I can attest to how enjoyable the previous books are) to solve more than one mystery.

Between the hidden doll mystery and the murder mystery you can’t help but to keep turning the pages of this holiday who-done-it that takes place in this picturesque English town. The clues are well laid out and the misdirection had me second and third guessing. The only thing missing is the recipe for Daisy’s cranberry white chocolate scone.

I'll Be Home For Mischief - A Christmas Tree Mystery by Jaqueline Frost

 Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing. 

I’ll BeHome For Mischief
Christmas Tree Farm Mystery
Jaqueline Frost
Crooked Lane Books 

It is Christmas time in the iconic town of Mistletoe as the residents make preparations to celebrate their 150^th anniversary and attempt to make a Guinness World Record worthy gingerbread man to weigh in at more than one thousand three hundred and eight pounds and eight ounces. I bet you will never guess where the body drop takes place.

Our sleuth is Holly Gray nee White, newlywed to the town’s sheriff, and inn keeper on her family’s Christmas tree farm known as the Reindeer Games Tree Farm. This season finds Holly being her usual busy self, with Christmas cards from the Tree Farm to be mailed, jewelry orders to be filled, the annual toy donations to be wrapped oversee Reindeer Games, and see to the needs of the important inn guests to be seen taken care of Evan who has a habit of doing amazing things and giving amazing gifts is ready for their big day. So obviously Holly couldn’t possibly have time to hunt down clues, make suspect lists, question people, and possibly irritate the murderer.

I think that this is the most harrowing book in the series yet in terms of Holly being threatened and she even remarks multiple times that Evan is going to have a stroke if not multiples strokes. Holly says that she isn’t going to investigate…at first. Holly has a strong desire to see justice for Elijah Snow even if he was arrogant but not she refuses to entertain the idea that Henry Moore could be a possible suspect. Who could possibly be a suspect since the Snows weren’t in town for even 24 hours before Elijah’s demise? I have no idea how Holly has the energy to sleuth, she is going all over town and even with her special parking spot (made me laugh out loud) I would be exhausted. She isn’t even supposed to be asking questions, she told her parents and Evan that she wasn’t going to get involved. At least that is how the story started out.

In Holly’s defense, everyone seems to be goading her into investigating, except for her mom, dad, and hubby Evan. Cookie tantalizes people including Holly, with some choir group gossip that includes a brief history lesson with a Romeo and Juliet angle. Don’t even get me started about the podcasters who pair murder with recipes and have nicknamed Holly the Gumdrop Gumshoe. Are they helping or hurting? I am not sure but what I do know is that they are driving Holly crazy which is reason enough to end up on her suspect list.  

This is a wonderfully entertaining holiday cozy that keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. It also has you craving sweet treats with such wonderful descriptions of seasonal sweets of all types. I am definitely looking forward to my next trip to Mistletoe and the Reindeer Games Tree Farm. Now I think I will go and make some Christmas cookies. P.S. check out the author name, Jack Frost!

Death at a Scottish Christmas - A Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing. 

Death at a Scottish Christmas
A Scottish Isle Mystery
Lucy Connelly
Crooked Lane Books 

It is Christmas time on the Sea Isle, one of the Scottish Islands and doctor Emilia McRoy is off for the entire month. Em hasn’t had Christmas off in years much less an entire month. What is she going to do to keep busy? Thank goodness Mara, best friend and manager of the Pig & Whistle, has plenty for Em to do in the way of festivities. Jasper, friend and owner of a local bakery, says that December is an entire month of cultural events and after all, Scots love a party. The last thing that Em figured she would be doing is an autopsy and helping to solve a murder. Big time band Bram and the Stokers have agreed to play at the Pig & Whistle. It turns out that lead singer Bram and band member Render (also known as Hamish) are local boys who have made it good. Bram is a charismatic lead singer who sang beautifully, was easy on the eyes, and such the charmer. It is a pity that someone ended his life earlier than necessary; in fact he did not have much time left. 

This cozy is sweet and a tiny bit tart, just like Cathan, the multi layered Scottish dessert that Em enjoys at the pub the night that the band played their last, and most amazing set. The entire band and the band’s manager Davy, agreed that the last set was magical and the all agree that they have no idea who could have killed Bram. So of course that means that the each band member is a suspect, especially Destinee, the only woman in the band who may have had feelings for Bram, feelings that weren’t taken seriously. The band manager, Davy, seems a bit cold and even Machiavellian with his ideas of how the band can continue to tour with Bram’s voice dubbed in for performances. Lastly, it seems that the Laird, Mayor, and constable, Ewan Campbell had history with Bram that included some infidelity on the part of Ewan’s then fiancée. No one believes that Ewan has anything to do with the murder, especially not the Doc, ask Ewan likes to call her, but with such a high profile case, the higher ups send Detective Inspector Bethany Thompson, to make sure the investigation is 100% by the book. 

This is another well written Scottish Isle Mystery that does a great job as a stand-alone. There is plenty of backstory to explain, for the most part, why Doc Em has left Seattle and taken up as the resident doctor on Sea Isle, Scotland. Em needed to start over and she has found a new place that feels like home. Em has friends who are there for her. They are there to help investigate, although Em repeatedly states that she is only investigating the medical side of things …right (said in a drawn out way). In addition to great friends, there is the back and forth between Em and Ewan that has all the makings of a slow burn. This cozy series has all the cozy feels and an accent that is really fun to try and replicate in my mind while reading. The one thing that I was successful in creating is the Cathan recipe which was as enjoyable as this story. 

The Gardener's Plot by Deborah J. Benoit

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing. 

The Gardener’s Plot
Deborah J. Benoit
Minotaur Books

This is a great series starter and well titled with a main character is a master gardener named Maggie/Margaret Walker. Maggie finds herself back in her hometown after 15 years, to settle her Gramma’s estate which included purchasing the family home where she spent so much of her life. While there was an offer on the house, Gramma’s heirs had right of first refusal and Maggie couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Maggie wasn’t the only one who wanted the house; annoying Cousin Simon and shiftless wheeler dealer Carl Henderson have been more difficult than invasive weeds each badgering her to sell for different reasons. Thankfully, Violet Bloom is keeping Maggie busy as her assistant for the city community park project. Maggie has never been busier, what with the disappearance of Violet, the death of Carl Henderson, and the endless nagging calls and certified letters from Cousin Simon. The other troublesome problem in the cozy town of Marlowe is that gossip is a major league sport and Catherine Walker is a heavy hitter. We have no idea why Catherine has such a strong aversion to Maggie but the past romantic high school history that Maggie shares with police Chief Sam Whitaker aka Catherine’s husband, doesn’t help.  

As I said, this mystery is well titled between the body drop location (a plot spot in the community garden) and the plotting that the killer must have done throughout the story to achieve their goals. At least they tried. The story does a great job of keeping you guessing and hoping against hope.  I was hoping that Cousin Simon would give it a rest. There is humor, angst, a smidge of sassiness, a touch of sarcasm, and some ride or die friendship. This was a great series starter; at least I hope it is a starter and that there are more in the works. An entertaining cozy it is also educational with some great gardening tips right alongside of the clues that are sewn into the story.