The Bookshop of Murder

Title: The Bookshop of Murder
Author: Merryn Allingham
Published: July 26th 2021 by Bookouture
Format: Kindle Edition, 256 pages
Genre: Historical Cozy
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Flora Steele Mystery #1

First Sentence: Locking the shop door carefully behind her, Flora heaved the last parcel of books into the basket.

From the Publisher: The young man with the shock of white-blond hair lay spread-eagled on the floor, surrounded by fallen books. His hand reached out to the scattered pages, as though he was trying to tell her something.

But who is he? How did he come to be killed in Flora’s ordinary little bookshop? Flora finds out he was staying at the Priory Hotel, and when the gardener suddenly dies in its beautiful grounds only a few days later, she is certain that something untoward is happening in her quiet village by the sea.

But are the two deaths connected? And is someone at the hotel responsible – the nervous cook, the money-obsessed receptionist, or the formidable manageress?

Determined to save her beloved bookshop’s reputation and solve the murder mystery, Flora enlists the help of handsome and brooding Jack Carrington: crime writer, recluse and her most reliable customer.

As the unlikely duo set about investigating the baffling case, guilty faces greet them at every door. And they soon realise there’s more than one person hiding secrets in Abbeymead (Goodreads)

My Opinion: Set in the 1950s and trying to keep the diction straight, Merry Allingham introduced readers to a first in a series volume surrounding Flora Steele and her new ownership of her recently deceased aunt’s bookshop. With the body of a man found in her shop, neighbors begin to chat about ghosts and other oddities; this is when a reclusive author retrieving peculiar research materials enters her life. Flora may be in desperate need of a long and much-denied vacation, but first, she must find out why her shop was broken into before her business dries up, leaving her with nothing.

Other than the strained attempts to fit in expressions and phrasing, I found myself enjoying The Bookshop of Murder. Following the tried-and-true approach of returning home to a family business, a new possible love interest, and interesting neighbors, Merryn Allingham has found a new home in the historical-cozy genre to coincide with her tenure in the romance field.

Day of the Demon

Title: Day of the Demon
Author: Julie Kenner
Published: April 29, 2021 by Martini & Olive
Format: Kindle, 263 Pages
Genre: Paranormal
Series: Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom #7

First Sentence: I always knew that parenting a teenager would be like living with a demon from hell.

From the Publisher: Mom and Demon Hunter Kate Connor can never catch a break.

She may have just helped save the world from a full-on apocalypse, but there’s still the problem of her dead ex-husband having come back to life in the body of another man. And her current husband wanting to reconcile after walking out on her so recently she can still taste the pain. Granted, he’d been knocked sideways by the news of her secret vocation, but that didn’t change the fact that they were still on shaky ground.

To make matters worse, her toddler’s sudden refusal to sleep at bed-time isn’t helping Kate’s mood. But that’s really just an annoyance. After all, if she can handle demon hordes, a cranky toddler’s a no-brainer. (Goodreads)

My Opinion: Another series which has taken too long between books causing a bit of confusion. For me, the muddling happened between the current husband’s name and the first husband currently inhabiting the body of a high school teacher, causing him to have two identities depending on who is interacting. If that confuses you, and it can, then you must start at the beginning to follow the wacky adventures of Kate and her demon-hunting past and present.

The downfall of this book is the editing and continuity. Since this book is a full release and not an ARC, there were way too many missed issues (time frame, repeated words, repeated descriptions, missing words, etc.).

Will I come back for the next book, “How to Train Your Demon” (2022), most definitely since the humans, and their humor, make the editing flubs bearable, annoying, but bearable.

Murder at the Lakeside Library

Title: Murder at the Lakeside Library
Author: Holly Danvers
Published: July 13th 2021 by Crooked Lane Books
Format: Kindle, 336 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 Lakeside Library Mystery #1

First Sentence: The road ahead spanned like an endless ribbon leading to nowhere.

From the Publisher: Rain Wilmot has just returned to her family’s waterfront log cabin in Lofty Pines, Wisconsin after the untimely death of her husband. The cabin is peaceful compared to Rain’s corporate job and comes with an informal library that Rain’s mother, Willow, used to run. But as Rain prepares for the re-opening of the library, all hopes for a peaceful life are shattered when she discovers the body of Thornton Hughes, a real estate buyer, on the premises.

The community of Lofty Pines starts pointing fingers at Willow, since she has been unusually absent from the library this summer. A fishy rumor surfaces when Rain learns that Willow had been spending a lot of time with Thornton. The town even thought they were having an affair.

While theories swirl about Thornton’s death, Rain takes it upon herself to solve the case to exonerate her mother. As more clues surface, Rain will have to piece together the mystery. But if she isn’t careful, she may be the next to end up dead in the water.... (Penquin Random House)

My Opinion: What began as an appealing introduction to a new series quickly fell apart with repeated usages of 'as if', unnecessarily over descriptive situations, and a plot that grew stagnant to the point I began to wonder if the author lost direction. Fortunately, by the end, everything was tied up and retold since I had resorted to skimming.

I hope the second book in the series, Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library (2022), will have a better flow and tighten up the sluggish parts since Murder at the Lakeside Library started with such great potential.

Playing for Dead

Title: Playing for Dead
Author: Matthew Costello, Neil Richards
Published: July 31st 2014 by Bastei Entertainment
Format: Kindle, 107 pages
Genre: Mystery
Series: Cherringham #9

First Sentence: Getting into the deserted theater had been easy.

From the Publisher: When Cherringham Drama Society invite a local TV celebrity to direct their Christmas show, they get more publicity than they bargained for. Someone's out to sabotage the event, and rehearsals spin into chaos. Jack and Sarah are asked to investigate and soon discover that there's a darker mystery taking place behind the scenes ...

My Opinion: I can’t emphasize enough how perfect these short novellas are when you can’t quite decide what you want to read next but know a small break and revisit to Cherringham will fill the reading gap.

When it came to this story, I am pretty sure I stopped focusing on the mystery itself and more on the budding attraction between Jack and Sarah. Barely a third of the way through this series; their relationship has become the center of my focus. Would it be so bad? Sure, there is an age gap in which one or both might not see their way around, but they work so well together.

But back to the story and the twist, I didn’t see coming. I’m not sure if others had since they will certainly focus on other things, but I liked how it snuck up on me and perfectly tied everything together.

A Cup of Silver Linings

Title: A Cup of Silver Linings
Author: Karen Hawkins
Published: July 6th 2021 by Gallery Books
Format: Kindle, Paperback, 352 pages
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Dove Pond #2

First Sentence: Standing beside her daughter’s open grave, Ellen Foster dug her fingernails into her palms as the annoying sound of a kazoo wafted through the wintry, pine-scented air.

From the Publisher: Ava Dove—the sixth of the seven famed Dove sisters and owner of Ava Dove’s Landscaping and Specialty Teas—is frantic.

Just as her fabulous new tearoom is about to open, her herbal teas have gone wonky. Suddenly, her sleep-inducing tea is startling her clients awake with vivid dreams, her romance-kindling tea is causing people to blurt out their darkest secrets, and her anti-anxiety tea is making them spend hours staring into mirrors. Ava is desperate for a remedy, but her search leads her into dangerous territory, as she is forced to face a dark secret she’s been hiding for over a decade.

Meanwhile, successful architect Ellen Foster has arrived in Dove Pond to attend the funeral of her estranged daughter, Julie. Grieving deeply, Ellen is determined to fix up her daughter’s ramshackle house, sell it, and then sweep her sixteen-year-old granddaughter, Kristen, off to a saner, calmer life in Raleigh. But Kristen has other plans. Desperate to stay with her friends in Dove Pond, Kristen sets off on a quest she’s avoided her whole life—to find her never-been-there father in the hopes of winning her freedom from the grandmother she barely knows.

Together, Ava, Kristen, and Ellen embark on a reluctant but magical journey of healing, friendship, and family…. (Simon and Schuster)

My Opinion: It seems forever ago the first book in the series (The Book Charmer, 2019) debuted, and it took a couple of beats for me to remember all the characters and their relationships with the Dove sisters. Once I got past the reacquainting hurtle, I was able to dive right back into the sweetness of Dove Pond; and the deep caring shared among the residents.

There is sadness, joy, laughter, and intrigue, but the feeling of belonging is what carries this book from beginning to end. Karen Hawkins does a remarkable job of holding her characters together and, as they say, “slowly peels the onion” so each layer is defined and the characters imbue their importance to each other and the community.

Ill Wind

Title: Ill Wind
Author: Nevada Barr
Published: April 6th 1995 by G. P. Putnam‘s Sons
Format: Hardcover, 309 pagess
Genre: Mystery
Series: Anna Pigeon #3

First Sentence: No graveyards; that botheredAanna. People died. Unless you ate them, burned them, mailed them to a friend, the bodies had to go somewhere.

From the Publisher: Lately, visitors to Mesa Verde have been bringing home more than photos–they’re also carrying a strange, deadly disease. And once it strikes, park ranger Anna Pigeon must find the very human source of the evil wind. (Penguin Random House)

My Opinion: Molly. It is always going to be Molly which brings me back to this series with her humor and spot on sisterly advice. Ranger Anna Pigeon may not always have her life together, but her battered heart is always in the right place. Ill Wind is part travelogue, part history lesson, part mystery, and part human interest where Nevada Barr brings her readers a story with no winners but maybe Anna will find the healing which is desperately needed.

Fallen

Title: Fallen
Author: Linda Castillo
Published: July 6th 2021 by Minotaur Books
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Kate Burkholder #13

First Sentence: She knew coming back after so many years would be difficult, especially when she’d left so much hurt behind when she departed.

From the Publisher: When a young woman is found murdered in a Painters Mill motel, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is shocked to discover she once knew the victim. Rachael Schwartz was a charming but troubled Amish girl who left the fold years ago and fled Painters Mill. Why was she back in town? And who would kill her so brutally?

Kate remembers Rachael as the only girl who was as bad at being Amish as Kate was—and those parallels dog her. But the more Kate learns about Rachael's life, the more she's convinced that her dubious reputation was deserved. As a child, Rachael was a rowdy rulebreaker whose decision to leave devastated her parents and best friend. As an adult, she was charismatic and beautiful, a rabble-rouser with a keen eye for opportunity no matter who got in her way. Her no-holds-barred lifestyle earned her a lot of love and enemies aplenty—both English and Amish.

As the case heats to a fever pitch and long-buried secrets resurface, a killer haunts Painters Mill. Someone doesn’t want Rachael’s past—or the mysteries she took with her to the grave—coming to light. As Kate digs deeper, violence strikes again, this time hitting close to home. Will Kate uncover the truth and bring a murderer to justice? Or will a killer bent on protecting a terrible past stop her once and for all—and let the fallen be forgotten? (Macmillan)

My Opinion: There is always a twist. When you think you have it all figured out, and you may have early on, Linda Castillo will hit you with one final part that knocks the breath out of you. This book branches off when the author talks of inherited psychological traits, which I don’t know are real or just a plotline, but used in a fascinating way to bring cohesion to the story.

Fallen has just enough rabbit holes and side stories to keep the reader engaged, and while the same cast of Painters Mill Police Department makes their appearance, there is a new depth when it comes to how they look out for each other.

Be warned, there are a few triggers in this book, and those who are sensitive to storylines involving assault or gory beatings should be aware.

Magic and Macaroons

Title: Magic and Macaroons
Author: Bailey Cates
Published: July 7th 2015 by Penguin Random House
Format: Paperback, 304 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Series: Magical Bakery Mystery #5

First Sentence: "Abracadabra?", Mimsey snorted. "Lord love a duck. No one who can so much as cast a circle would use that word in an actual spell."

From the Publisher: For magical baker Katie Lightfoot, the only way to beat the Savannah summer heat is to whip up some cool treats for the Honeybee Bakery’s patrons. But when a meeting of the spellbook club is interrupted by a stranger collapsing on the floor of her shop, mumbling something about a voodoo talisman, Katie drops everything to begin investigating.

Her search for answers quickly leads her into a dangerous blend of Savannah’s infamous voodoo queens, a powerful missing charm—and a deadly witch who seems to be targeting the city’s magical community. And with the case getting hotter by the second, Katie will have to work fast to track down the talisman and the killer before the timer runs out.. (Penguin Random House)

My Opinion: I cannot say the Magical Baking series is my favorite, but after five books, I can say it is growing on me. This time, Magic and Macaroons takes a hard left turn by bringing in the darker side with the introduction of voodoo and a formidable Savannah queen. Her reach might trip up Katie and her friends, but in the long run, when their good magic is combined, evil does not stand a chance.

There is a sweetness with romantic touches throughout the book, but I do not find it bogging down the book. Then again, is this a book about magic with romance on the side, or a romance book with a bit of magic thrown in? I think it could go either way, and that is what draws people to the series.

Ruby Red Herring

Title: Ruby Red Herring
Author: Tracy Gardner
Published: June 8, 2021 by Crooked Lane Books
Format: Kindle, 328 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Avery Ayers Antique Mystery #1

First Sentence: Avery Ayers rushed through the kitchen of her parents' upstate New York home, grabbing a bagel from the spread Aunt Midge set out everyone morning.

From the Publisher: After her parents' deaths, Avery Ayers takes over the family business, Antiquities & Artifacts Appraised, from the home office in Lilac Grove and a branch in Manhattan. Now living back at home with her younger sister Tilly and their newly moved-in, eccentric Aunt Midge and her Afghan hound, Avery's life is filled with jewels, tapestries, paintings, and rare finds. But their world is rocked when Avery learns that the theft of a priceless ruby may be connected to her parents' demise.

The trouble starts when the Museum of Antiquities hires Avery to appraise a rare, resplendent ruby. It bears a striking similarity to a solitary stone in the museum's prized Xiang Dynasty bejeweled dragon medallion exhibit, which has long been missing one of its ruby eyes. Now, Avery and her colleagues--ostentatious Sir Robert Lane and fatherly Micah Abbott--suspect they may have the missing gem. But facets of the case remain cloudy. Security guard Art Smith is always underfoot but is not what he appears. Another body turns up connected to the appraisal. And Avery receives mysterious notes that begin to put her life in danger.

Avery enlists possible ally Art's help in cutting the list of suspects who might have polished off her parents and swiped the jewel. Was it art collector Oliver Renell? Curator Nate Brennan? Acquisitions Liaison Francesca Giolitti? Actor Tyler Chadwick? Was the crime impersonal or perpetrated by someone all too close to Avery? If she can't find the culprit, lovely Lilac Grove may be the setting for Avery's own death. (Penguin Random House)

My Opinion: At first, I wasn’t sure where this was going. Was Avery Ayers walking into a business, complete with her college degree in hand but no practical experience, which her parents had spent their lives cultivating, or was she the real deal and more than capable? Not until midway through the book did I have confidence in her -- and I know that wasn’t the point -- but I could now concentrate on the other ongoing escapades surrounding a recently found ruby that has brought misfortune to those who encounter it.

Tracy Gardner stirs up a diverse set of characters; fortunately, they are well defined and easy to follow. Of course, there isn’t a cozy mystery without the requisite love interests and a devoted dog, but they both work without too much stress.

I will keep a lookout for the next in the series since I want to see more Aunt Midge. There is something about her that remains a mystery, and now that one missing piece of the Ayers' puzzle has been found, I am convinced that there are more. And that more will be coming from Midge herself.