Cosy Summer Mysteries Reviews: Bodies, Baddies, and a Crabby Tabby, by Sherri Bryan

This one’s a good old-fashioned British cosy mystery – similar, of course, but in some aspects also a little different from most American cozies. British country life IS something special!

Right on page one, we get confronted with a murder – at the Comedy Club in Bliss Bay, no less! Andy Cochran, the owner of the club, has been brutally stabbed with a pole during the night; on his cheek, traces of a yellow powder are found which are identified as pollen.

Two months later, Megan Fallon who’s just been dumped by her fiancé and lost her job, is coming home to Bliss Bay to organise her parents’ celebration of renewed marriage vows; she hasn’t been home in a long time because she wants to avoid her ex-husband and his new wife. And when she and her sister arrive at the diner outside town early in the morning, what should they find but another murdered man in his car! Victor Canning, 74, has been strangled – and the pollen on his cheek points to a connection with the other murder two months earlier.

The little village is all upside down now – which one of the peaceful inhabitants could be a murderer? That’s not the only thing that worries the townspeople, though; the old school building is going to be torn down and a new hypermarket will be built, which they aren’t keen on at all. Nevertheless, Megan decides to stay in town for a while and take care of her parents’ house while they go on a cruise – and of Cat, a very clever tabby whom they’ve adopted. The idyll is soon disturbed again, though, when a third murder happens! Now, Megan and her Uncle Des start investigating on their own in order to restore peace and quiet to Bliss Bay…

There’s a wonderfully strange contrast between the cosy country life and the series of murders that starts right on the first page; the people (apart from Megan’s ex and his wife) are all perfectly loveable – and yet, one of them has got to be a devious murderer! With a lot of warmth and sympathy, Sherri Bryan paints the picture of a sleepy little English village which is suddenly disturbed by unbelievable events. An enjoyable read from start to finish!

https://www.amazon.com/Bodies-Baddies-Crabby-Tabby-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07D67YSH9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532088499&sr=8-1&keywords=bodies+baddies+and+a+crabby+tabby

Cosy Summer Mystery Reviews: Dial Meow for Murder, by Bethany Blake

Next on my list is Bethany Blake’s “Dial Meow for Murder” – and as you’ve probably guessed, many of the characters in this story are animals!

Daphne Templeton works as a pet sitter in a quiet little town in Pennsylvania; she helps out at a ‘Fur-ever Friends Pet Rescue’ gala to raise money for dog and cat care, on the biggest estate in town, Flynt Mansions, which belongs to Lillian Flynt, a spinster who is big on charity. To her surprise, she finds her estate agent mother in the mansion who’s just about to show it to a possible buyer – and to her horror, she finds Miss Flynt dead in her bathtub, electrocuted by a CD player!

Detective Jonathan Black and his colleagues arrive at the crime scene; and here we learn that Daphne already knows the charming cop, because she’s found a body before, and help solve the crime! And not only that: Jonathan’s ex-wife Elyse is the potential buyer of Flynt Mansions… Other suspects besides her are Bea Baumgartner, who manages a run-down cat shelter and turns out to be Miss Flynt’s sister, Pastor Pete, who’s been embezzling money from the church funds, Asa Whitaker from the Historical Society who seems to have found out something about the past of the Flynt family, and a strange young woman who appears to be stalking Daphne.

Things become even more complicated when Daphne learns that she’s inherited a portrait from Miss Flynt that turns out to be worth a fortune – what is she supposed to do with it? And, even more important, who killed Lillian Flynt? Then a second murder occurs; and on Halloween night, Daphne sets out to find the murderer…

A very clever and intricate story keeps us on the edge of our seats with a lot of suspense, but also a good deal of humour; dogs and cats are to be found everywhere and play their part in the plot. And at the end of the book we can find the recipes for dog and cat treats that are mentioned in the novel. A treat for all fans of cosy mysteries involving pets!

https://www.amazon.com/Dial-Murder-Lucky-Petsitting-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01MR1SVWX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531938431&sr=8-1&keywords=dial+meow+for+murder

Cosy Summer Mysteries Reviews: Murder on Pointe, by C.S. McDonald

The second cosy mystery on my list is “Murder on Pointe” by C.S. McDonald – murder and intrigues in the beautiful world of ballet dancing!

Kindergarten teacher Fiona goes to see her old friend Silja dance in “Coppelia” (she’d wanted to be a ballet dancer herself, but she had to give up after a skiing accident); they meet backstage after the show – and find Silja’s colleague Alexis murdered in her dressing room! And not enough with that: later that night, there’s an attack on Silja as well – suddenly, all the young ballerinas in the troupe seem to be in mortal danger!

Nevertheless, Fiona agrees to play a part in the plan that handsome young Inspector Nathan Landry has worked out: she takes over the dancing part of the dead girl! While she is taking express lessons to get back into dancing, we get to know the suspects; who did it, David Sheppard, the ageing star of the show, his wife Cynthia, a former prima ballerina who was crippled in a car accident, Calvin the caretaker who admires Cynthia like a goddess, or the ambitious and bitchy young dancer Monroe McCarthy? Fiona gets deeper and deeper into the mystery – and into danger…

This book is a real joy to read, it’s got a clever story with some very nice twists and interesting characters; there’s a bit of a love interest on the side, too – and a completely unusual feature for a murder mystery: the ghost of Fiona’s grandmother Evelyn, who resides in the attic of her house and protects her when things get tough!

This very engaging first the series of mysteries starring Fiona Quinn definitely leaves us wanting to read more – and there are six in the series so far!

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Pointe-Fiona-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01J60J96K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531827852&sr=8-1&keywords=murder+on+pointe

Cosy Summer Mysteries Reviews: Booked for Murder, by CeeCee James

This summer, I’ve decided to put together a to-read list of cosy mysteries; it’s one of my favourite subgenres, they’re easy to read, not too long, and a lot of fun. I’ll publish a review of each one of them here; I hope they’ll give you some ideas, too, for a nice and easy summer read! First on my list is “Booked for Murder”, by CeeCee James.

Maisie, the new manager of the prestigious Oceanside Hotel in Florida, soon finds out her new job is rather demanding: a comic-con convention is scheduled, and hundreds of guests come pouring in all at once. She doesn’t want to mess it up; after all, she’s got her mother to support, too. But, besides all the usual little problems with the guests, something much worse happens in the middle of the convention – Maisie finds Norman Olsen, a famous computer deviser, dead on an inflatable armchair in the hotel’s swimming pool.

All hell breaks loose, of course, police arrive, interviews take place, Maisie’s boss is shocked. Soon, there’s a whole list of suspects – the young and pretty widow, the son and business competitor, the young fellow who’d just been fired by Olsen, his girlfriend and her friend, the hotel’s young tennis instructor, even the receptionist… And, since Maisie also happens to be a mystery writer, she just can’t resist doing a bit of sleuthing of her own!

A lovely read for every fan of cosy mysteries; a most likeable protagonist, a wonderful sense of humour, moments of real suspense and even of thoughtfulness and emotion as well. Makes us want to read more of Maisie’s adventures!

https://www.amazon.com/Booked-Murder-Oceanside-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B072PCJMP5/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531775561&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=booked+for+murder&psc=1

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Review: Barbatus, by A. Drew

Once upon a long time ago, when the gods still ruled the Earth, vulture shifter Barbatus lived with a small group of exiled shifters in a very hostile area somewhere in Anatolia; they take on the form of birds, goats and other animals. They are isolated, but the great goddess Cybele still protects them. They are a closely-knit community who love and care for each other.

Quite in contrast to the human town close by, where sin and violence prevail. Aylin, a young girl who had been sold into prostitution by her own uncle, escapes them and, wounded and sick, makes her way up the mountain to the ‘forbidden’ area of the shifters – with the help of Cybele herself. Barbatus finds her and nurses her back to health, and they fall in love. Can there be a future together for them, though? Will Barbatus’ community accept her – and are there still dangers from the past lurking for Aylin?

A really fascinating story, wonderfully told, imaginative and tender and at the same time immensely suspenseful. Skilful allusions to ancient mythology mixed with a good dose of sex and also deep and honest emotions; a must for every fan of supernatural romance!

https://www.amazon.com/BARBATUS-Drew-ebook/dp/B078SXVB79/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1516466916&sr=8-1&keywords=a+drew+barbatus

New book discussion group on Facebook

Roberta Franklin just created a new discussion group on Facebook: Romancelovers
https://www.facebook.com/groups/141009069893753/