Picture Perfect Frame

Title: Picture Perfect Frame
Author: Lynn Cahoon
Published: March 16th 2021 by Lyrical Press
Format: Kindle, 177 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Tourist Trap Mysteries #12

This book felt different than the last. There is a great deal going on – Jill’s best friend’s wedding planning and honeymoon shenanigans, a rehashing of previous books, Esmeralda in turmoil, finger-pointing, and then there is a murder. A murder that felt as if it was getting in the way of everything else going on.

To support the other businesses in the beachy town of South Cove, Jill Gardner decides, against her better judgment, to attend a sip and paint event down the street from her shop, Coffee, Books, and More. When a disagreement breaks out between another couple, the local police-detective arranges to have the couple escorted home. What no one expected was the discovery of the wife’s body at the art studio the next morning.

Of course, Jill starts her sleuthing, but surprisingly, compared to other books, she is much more laid back and not putting herself in the usual amount of danger. Lynn Cahoon does leave the reader with a bit of a cliffhanger leaving everyone wondering what Jill will do when presented with the next chapter of her life.

The Curse of Mabb's Farm

Title: The Curse of Mabb's Farm
Author: Matthew Costello, Neil Richards
Published: May 8th 2014 by Bastei Entertainment
Format: Audio, Kindle, 110 pages
Genre: Mystery
Series: Cherringham #6

Taking another weekend break I picked up The Curse of Mabb’s Farm and fell right into Cherringham where Jack and Sarah explore the legend of a farm with a dark past dating back to the 17th century.

It appears that all who have lived on the farm have been cursed. Currently, the inhabitants are dealing with crop failures, sick livestock, and fire, which is a bit hard to blame on the devil and witches which was the usual go-to in the past. Street tough Jack and inquisitive Sarah can’t let good folklore go unexplored and set out on a dark and stormy night, in the company of a local coven (of sorts) to see what is happening to the current residents and which mystical entities they can summon. Turns out, what is happening at Mabb’s is a little more modern-day than they had expected.

I highly recommend this series for both its doggedness and the usual twists.

Fatal Fried Rice

Title: Fatal Fried Rice
Author: Vivien Chien
Published: March 9th 2021 by St. Martin's Press
Format: Kindle, Paperback, 320 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: A Noodle Shop Mystery #7

There is something about this series, maybe it is the Mahjong Matrons, maybe it is the relationships within the Lee family, maybe it is how friends come together, I don’t know, but this series works for me.

Lana Lee, manager of her family’s Chinese restaurant, Ho-Lee Noodle House, in Asia Village doesn’t want to admit that she can’t cook. She has never needed to since she had no intention of running the business in the first place. But things haven’t worked out on that front and now she finds herself in desperate need of cooking lessons. The local adult learning center is offering a course and with any luck, she can learn and no one will be the wiser. Since this is the seventh book in the series, faithful readers know that luck doesn’t always favor Lana so on the first night of the class after everyone has gone home, Lana needs to return to the classroom to pick up a forgotten shopping list, there she finds instruction, Margo Chan, dead on the floor.

Lana is the prime suspect since she found the body, so to save her name and find the killer, all the while trying to not let her family know that she was taking a cooking class, Lana sets off with her best friends to track down a killer without becoming the next victim.

Seven books in and I am not bored with Lana Lee, Ho-Lee Noodle Shop, the matrons – definitely not the matrons, Asia Village, or Det. Adam Trudeau who always seems to be a bit late to the party. There is enough humor, twists, and good food to keep me eager for what these friends will be up to next.

The Postscript Murders

Title: Author: The Postscript Murders
Published: March 2nd 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 336 pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Harbinder Kaur #2)

To be honest, when I started this book, I did not know that it was the second in the Harbinder Kaur series. I had always thought that “The Stranger Diaries” was a one-off, which was fine with me since it did not resonate and I was fine saying good-bye to the characters. Then along came "The Postscript Murders” and something about the name Harbinder tickled a little part of my brain. Glad that I stuck with the book since I enjoyed "The Postscript Murders”, and the characters, considerably more.

When Peggy Smith is discovered by her care worker Natalka, the police immediately write it off as a heart attack considering that she was elderly and on medication, but Natalka wasn’t believing it. Not after she finds a postcard with the words, “We are coming for you” tucked next to where Peggy’s body was found. Natalka decides to run her theories past her friend’s -- café owner and ex-monk Benedict and former BBC employee Edwin. What finally convinces the trio is a business card with Peggy’s name and a job title of “murder consultant” combined with numerous murder mysteries being dedicated to her. Now with Peggy’s son, Nigel, in a hurry to sell off his mother possessions, and a book stolen out from under them, Det. Sgt Harbinder Kaur is starting to show an interest. But the trio can’t wait for Harbinder to get fully on board so they head out to a literary festival to round up their suspects. This is where the story takes all sorts of twists, both in Aberdeen, Scotland, and back home in Shoreham-by-Sea, England.

Elly Griffiths has built depth to the characters with background stories that are both explained and those that are left to the readers' imagination. The typical who-done-it is not obvious from the beginning so when all is revealed, there is a bit of a surprise for both the reader and in some ways, Harbinder herself.

The Museum Murder

Title: The Museum Murder
Author: Katie Gayle
Published: March 31st 2021 by Bookouture
Format: Kindle, 260 pagess
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Epiphany Bloom Mysteries #2

You would think that with the word murder in the title that the body would have shown up before the reader was halfway through the book. Or that murder was even relevant. Nope, not in The Museum Murder by the writing team of Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. The murder read more like an afterthought where the victim could have just as easily skipped town and the reader wouldn’t think twice about it. But no, it isn’t till the very end where it is slightly rehashed and the reader had already connected the dots.

Once again Epiphany “Pip” Bloom is in search of a job since her bumbling has landed her with no income and the rent due. Her farfetched snippets as to why the long string of previous positions hasn’t worked out are entertaining -- hamsters in onesies seem to be pushing it. By mere happenstance, Pip is in the Museum of Movie Memorabilia and Vintage Costumes when it occurs to Annabelle that she could use a new curator. Pip jumps at the idea not realizing what she will be doing is tracking down a missing iconic dress worn by non-other than Julia Roberts. How could no one see this going sideways quickly? With one month of training in her previous job as a private investigator, Pip sets out to find the dress and save the day. Little did she know that not everyone was telling the truth and that there is an actual underground full of baddies dealing in stolen Hollywood history.

This book is a bumbling Lucy and Ethyl escapade from the beginning. If it wasn’t for Flis and her mangling of words and terms, I would have put this book down long before the token body showed up.

Last Train to London

Title: Last Train to London
Author: Matthew Costello, Neil Richards
Published: April 10th 2014 by Bastei Entertainment
Format: Audio, Kindle, 106 pages
Genre: Mystery Short Story
Series: Cherringham #5

I enjoy the Cherringham series by the writing team of Costello and Richards. Sometimes an afternoon calls for a simple break and a revisit with ex-NYC police officer Jack and native Cherringham resident Sarah.

When adored resident Otto Brendl is found dead before he is to perform a Punch-and-Judy show with his much-loved puppets, the locals are devastated. But it turns out that Otto wasn’t who everyone thought he was and when Jack and Sarah do a little digging it turns out that Otto was a person to be despised and maybe his death, though heinous, was a type of justice.

The Cherringham stories aren’t obvious from the start, there is usually a twist or character turn that has the reader sitting up a bit and realizing that the path they thought they were on took a serious left turn and they are right back in the muck with Jack and Sarah as the story divulges the unexpected.

An Unexpected Peril

Title: An Unexpected Peril
Author: Deanna Raybourn
Published: March 2nd 2021 by Berkley
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 336 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Veronica Speedwell #6

Flat. That is the best word that I can use to describe this shallow and superficial sixth outing featuring Veronica Speedwell. Gone is the sexual tension and humorous retorts between Veronica and Stoker. There are a few quips, but so few and far between that you almost forget that there had been any.

Putting together an exhibit at London’s Curiosity Club to honor the late Alice Baker-Greene, a mountaineer from Alpenwald, Veronica comes to realize that all the pieces of the story are not melding. With the help of Stoker, they begin to realize that it was no accident that claimed Alice’s life. When Princess Gisela of the Alpenwald, who came to view the exhibit goes missing, Veronica is coerced to stand in her place. Little did she know that this would put her in the same room as her biological father.

In a panic, and with time running out and an assassin on her heels, Veronica needs to find the missing Gisela, solve a murder, answer a few nagging questions, figure out why she is feeling despondent, and ultimately decide if her life with Stoker is what would make her truly happy or does she need time away to rediscover her independence.

Not my favorite in the series. I found this book to be more of a turning point between Veronica and Stoker. Where will they go now that there is no underlying tension? Has Veronica scratched that proverbial itch and it is time to take her lepidopterist nets and search out new adventures?

A Pairing to Die For

Title: A Pairing to Die For
Author: Kate Lansing
Published: January 26th 2021 by Berkley Books
Format: Kindle, Paperback, 320 Pages
Genre: Cozy Foodie Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Colorado Wine Mystery #2

A middle-of-the-road cozy mystery featuring Parker Valentine, owner of Vino Valentine in Boulder, Colorado, who must take on the daunting task of meeting the parents. Camilla Wallace, Reid's mother, already disapproves of her son’s choice of becoming a chef and restaurant owner when his two brothers, attorney Ben and physician Tristan, are accomplished in their respected fields. When Reid is accused of murdering his sous chef Oscar Flores, a man the family knows and despises, the Wallace’s don’t bother to lift a finger to help their son. If he can’t live up to their expectation then he must live his own life -- without their money.

Parker can’t let this sit. With Reid in jail, and Parker unsure of their future, she enlists the help of her friends to investigate Oscar's murder. Turns out that the clues point closer to home than anyone, including the intolerable Camilla, could have imagined.

A Pairing to Die For is on par with a Killer Chardonnay, the first in the series. There may be more winemaking technique and food paring than most readers want to read over and over, but once you get past that, the friendships and conflicts keep you engaged and cheering on this cast of sleuths.

Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop

Title: Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop
Author: Darci Hannah
Published: February 23rd 2021
Format: Kindle, 280 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery #1

It is refreshing to come across a first in the series that grabbed my attention from the first page and didn’t let go until the end.

After finding her fiancé with another woman, Lindsay Bakewell leaves her Wall Street career to follow her dreams of opening a café and bakeshop in Beacon Harbor. Little did she know that purchasing the lighthouse sight unseen would spark the hatred of a local, Fiona Dickel, who was determined to preserve it as a historical site.

With protesters descending as the opening day of the bakeshop dawns, and Lindsay’s ex Jeffrey and his lover Mia appear, everyone it seems is determined to ruin all that Lindsay has worked for. What no one realized was that there was more undoing afoot and soon Mia was dead and Lindsay is the main suspect.

What you won’t see coming is a mystery ride full of detours, another death, a curious dog, a tantalizing neighbor, hilarious friends, underhanded devious plots, and a reconnecting with family. But what you will see is the beginning of a new series that will have you waiting impatiently for the next Lindsay Bakewell adventure.