Tag: Mystery

Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery

Dead Wrong by Tammy L . Grace

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Dead Wrong
  • Author: Tammy L. Grace
  • Series: Cooper Harrington Detective #3
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Location: Nashville, TN
  • Main Character: Cooper
  • Other Characters: AB, Ben, Chandler
  • Pets: Coop’s Golden Retriever Gus
  • Stars: 5

“Don’t blame yourself, let me do it,”

This is the 3rd book in the Cooper Harrington Detective series. I am enjoying this series. I did like the book prior better, but this one is good. I really like Coop and all the T-shirts he wears with funny sayings. It really brings some comic relief. Gus is my favorite, but I am a sucker for a story with a dog.

Coop is contacted by Chandler, a college acquaintance. Chandler’s business partner has been killed under mysterious circumstances and he is the prime suspect. He swears he didn’t do it and he wants Cooper to prove his innocence and find the really killer. With all the evidence pointing to Chandler, this may be a tough one for Coop. Coop wants to believe his friend but as he keeps investigating even he may doubt his innocence.

Turns out there are quite a few suspects but no proof as to who could have done it. It is looking like Chandler has motive and opportunity which doesn’t look good for him. As Coop keeps digging, he undercovers some secrets which leads him in the direction of the killer. This one takes some twists and turns with plenty of surprises to find a killer. Could Coop find out that Chandler really is a killer or does the evidence send him a different direction?

Even though this series could be read out of order, I strongly recommend reading them on order so the reader can really get to know Cooper and the other characters. In each book we are learning more and more about Coop and his family. I really love learning more about the characters and Cooper’s relationship with his aunt. I keep thinking the author is going to write a romance with Coop and AB but there is still a part of me that really likes their friendship and could a romance ruin that. I guess time will tell. I am looking forward to the next book.

“When I die, the dog gets everything”

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Mystery

Blackbird by Kay Bratt

Chapters & lattes

Title: Blackbird
Author: Kay Bratt
Series: Hart’s Ridge #9
Location: Hart’s Ridge, Georgia
Genre: Mystery
Main Character: Taylor
Other Characters: Caleb, Allison
Stars: 5

Kay Bratt is a master storyteller; she never lets you down. I have loved this series from the very first book and Blackbird is no exception. To fully understand the characters in this series, it is recommended that you read them in order.

In the small town of Hart’s Ridge, Taylor Gray serves as the deputy sheriff. She leads a hectic life juggling her family and her career. She has a strong work ethic and doesn’t give up until she obtains the information she needs. There are moments when her personal life and her work as a deputy can get blurred. She is kind-hearted and eager to assist when she can.

In the ninth episode of the Hart’s Ridge Series, Taylor is trying to help Allison, an abused mother, and her two children escape her abusive husband. What makes this so challenging is her mother’s constant interference. A mother’s job is to protect her children and instead Allison’s mom is hindering her escape. Will Allison be able to escape her abusive ex and her mom to find the family she has always wanted?

This book continues with a story that was introduced in book eight of the series. As you may recall, Caleb works as a deputy and is a collegue of Taylors. His wife Lydia was kidnapped from a local Walmart and presumed dead even though they never found her body. After talking to a local psychic, he just feels like something is off so he continues to search for answers in his wife’s disappearance. He needs to find her one way or another even if it confirms she is really dead.

This is a very dramatic and gut-wrenching book. The reader is drawn in by the author’s ability to make the characters appear incredibly genuine and like they are a part of the narrative. I was completely engrossed by the story and was able to imagine what each character must be going through. There wasn’t as much family involvement in this book as the others, which I missed, but I was utterly captivated by both of the stories. The plot was left open for the story to continue in book ten, which is scheduled for release in the summer of 2024.

The author draws inspiration for her writings from actual events, which is one of my favorite things about her. Even though it is fictionalized in the book, the author’s note at the conclusion tells you where she found inspiration for this story, so make sure to read it.

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

The Bloodline by Robert J. Walker

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: The Bloodline
  • Author: Robert J. Walker
  • Series: A Riveting Kidnapping Mystery Series
  • Genre: Mystery, Thriller
  • Main Character: Jaques Tillery
  • Other Characters: Stuart, Denzel, Lieutenant Talbot, Keith Hatchet, The Captain, Shane
  • Stars: 5

This book grabbed me from the very beginning. I couldn’t put it down.

A woman sees a picture of of a man on the news and is convinced it is her son who was kidnapped decades ago when he was 12 years old. The authorities don’t believe her but a special Private Investigator does and decides to take her case to prove it. A current kidnapping has the same MO so he thinks the two may be connected in some way. As he researches these cases, he uncovers much more than he ever expected.

This book had great character development and the plot was great. It was fairly fast moving with a lot of detail. There were a lot twist and turns while the plot unravels as to what is happening and who is behind this. I had never read anything by this author before but I know I will read more. If you love a great suspense thrill and you don’t mind a little bit of bad language (the bad language isn’t a lot but there is some) you will love this book.

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Midnight Abduction: A Small Town Reveting Kidnapping Mystery Thriller by Marie Wilkins

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Midnight Abductions
  • Author: Marie Wilkins
  • Genre: Mystery, Thriller
  • Takes Place:  Nevermore, North Dakota
  • Main Character: Nicole, Brad
  • Other Characters: Danny, Jessica, Blake, Kinder, Richard, Pam
  • Stars: 5

This is the first book I have read by this author and I could not put it down. It was exciting, suspenseful and & thrilling from the first page until the climax.

Nicole and Brad live in a small quiet suburban neighborhood with their two young children. They are happy, in love and appear to have everything they want in life. Then the unimaginable happens, their young daughter Jessica, doesn’t get off the bus after school. It is soon discovered that she has been abducted.  Brad’s brother, Blake, is a member of the local police department and appears to be more interested in how this affects their community rather than finding his niece. Nicole decides to enlist the help of the FBI. Nicole is determined to find her daughter, while at the same time, she trying to come to terms about something that happened in her past that she has even hidden from her husband. As her past comes back full circle will her family come together and find Jessica so they can heal and move forward!

Plan to lose some sleep when you read this book, because you will not be able to put it down. If you love a great mystery in a small town with 3-dimensional characters, you are going to love this book.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Movie Stars & Mayhem by Avery Kent

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Movie Stars & Mayhem
  • Author: Avery Kent
  • Series: Bishop’s Landing Cozy Mystery #4
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Bishop’s Landing
  • Main Character: Annie, Jake
  • Other Characters: Casey, Maggie, Christopher, Alistair, Bradley, Arthur, Mickala, Jamieson, Mandy, Dexter, Janet, Carl, Allison, Izzy, Clyde, Tanya
  • Pets: A Golden Retriever named Cookie
  • Stars: 4

This is the 4th book in the Bishop’s Landing Cozy Mystery.

Once again, Annie and Jake are caught up in a vicious crime spree. The residents of Bishop’s Landing are thrilled that a Blockbuster movie is being shot in their quaint little town. Annie is hired as the caterer for the cast & crew. The issue is that there is a lot of tension on the set, especially between the male lead and the female lead. With a Phantom haunting the theater, a robbery, a dead body and an actress who is missing, things really start to spiral out of control. Is it the same person or is there more than one person involved?

This is a one-of-a-kind story that will keep you guessing until the end. It started out slow, but then it really took off and I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Disclaimer: I received this book free as part of an ARC. This review is my opinion only and was freely given.

Happy Reading,

Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Romance

Starting Over by Kay Bratt

Chapters & lattes
  • Starting Over
  • Author: Kay Bratt
  • Series: Hart’s Ridge #8
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery, Romance
  • Takes Place: Hart’s Ridge GA
  • Main Character: Taylor
  • Other Characters: Sam, Cate, Sutton, Alice, Shane, Caleb, Corbin
  • Pets: Diesel along with several rescue animals
  • Stars: 5

This is another great read by Kay Bratt and the 8th book in her Hart’s Ridge Series.

We return to visit the Gray’s once more in this story about family dynamics, romance, secrets, helping where needed, balancing a busy life with family and of course, Mysteries.

A kidnapping rocks the town of Hart’s Ridge when Lydia, the wife of a local sheriff deputy, goes missing from the local Walmart. Deputy Taylor Gray along with the local Sheriffs Department and the FBI are on the case to find this missing woman. This takes Taylor away from her fiance, Sam, as he is dealing with some family struggles of his own.

Cate is struggling with her romantic life and recovering from a gunshot wound she received at the end of book #7. We meet a new character, Sutton, who has been accused of embezzlement. She moves in with Cate to help with her recovery and has secrets of her own.

Most of the book revolves around the search for Lydia and Sutton’s secret. Two great mysteries that will keep you guessing throughout the book.

I love this series. It pulls the reader in and it is a ‘can’t put down’ read. The characters are all 3-dimensional with distinct personalities. I love their strength and no matter their struggles, they always have each others backs. I recommend reading the books in order so you can get to know the Gray family fall in love with them as I have.

Be sure to read the Author’s note at the end of the book. The kidnapping in the book was based on a real life kidnapping. Parts of it were altered a bit but her inspiration came from an actual event.

Although I enjoyed this book immensely, I did have one issue with the ending. I felt like there was no closure. I don’t want to spoil it so I won’t say more. This was supposed to be the last book in the Hart’s Ridge series but due to popular demand, there will be a 9th book. I am so glad we get to visit with the Gray’s one more time. I am looking forward to book 9.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Murder in the 1920s by Penny Brooke

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Murder in the 1920s
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: Green Oaks Bookbinding Cozy Mystery
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Green Oaks, Massachuttes
  • Main Character: Charlotte
  • Other Characters: Isla, Natalie, Brandonr, Kenan, Annette
  • Pets: Charlotte’s 2 cats Roma & Archimedes
  • Stars: 5

This is the first book in the Green Oaks Bookbinding Cozy Mystery Series. I love a good cold case and this book brought all the mystery that I love.

Charlotte inherits her grandmothers estate in the small town of Green Oaks, Massachusetts, a historic estate built in 1902 and purchased by Charlotte’s grandfather in the 1970s. Charlotte used to visit her grandparents there when she was a child. While exploring her grandmothers overgrown garden, she falls in a well. Imagine her shock when she stumbles upon a human skull. The medical examiner (who happens to be Charlotte’s best friend) determined that the skull belonged to a young woman who went missing in the 1920s. The authorities aren’t particularly interested in a century-old cold case since anyone involved would be dead but Charlotte’s curiosity has piqued so she decides to do her own investigating.

Will Charlotte’s sleuthing put her in danger? How is this mystery connected to the present day? All of this and more will be discovered as you read this cozy mystery that checks all the boxes. It is intriguing with lots of suspects and a surprise ending. It kept me engaged throughout the book and It left me wanting more.

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Mystery

First Victim by L.A. Larkin

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: First Victim
  • Author:L.A. Larkin
  • Series: A Sally Fairburn Crime Thriller #3
  • Genre: Mystery, Thriller
  • Main Character: Sally Fairburn
  • Other Characters: Paul Fairburn, Scott Fairburn, Harper Fairburn, Fiona Austin, Joseph Austin, Detective Fred Clarke, Olivia Wiesner, Esme Lin, Salvador Sobrai, Niall Pickerd, Bob Kerns, Robin Kerns
  • Pets: A dog named Jax & a cat name Pajamas
  • Stars: 5

Sally Fairburn is back in another top-notch book by LA Larkin. This is the third book in the Sally Fairburn Crime Thriller series. I really like Sally, She is always on a mission to solve the crime, and she doesn’t stop until she gets the answers she’s looking for. She’s also a great mother, and there’s nothing she won’t do for her son, even if it means protecting him from his own father.

Sally is a former police officer and an amateur detective. Initially, she believed that police work was a thing of the past. However, when her former employer requests her return to the force as a detective in order to assist in the investigation of Joseph Austin’s murder and the attempted Murder of his wife, Fiona, who is left comatose, how can she resist. This her chance to prove herself. With two more murders, including their top suspect for the Austin murder, Sally is in a race against time to connect the dots. Not helping matters is the fact that her abusive ex-husband comes back to the Franklin Police Department and attempts to obstruct the investigation. Fiona, who is in a coma & is the sole surviving witness to her husband’s murder, may possess all the answers.

I can’t get enough of this series! It’s got everything you want in a good mystery: secrets, compelling characters, an amazing protagonist, and plenty of twists and turns to solve a murder with an ending you won’t see coming! It’s a must-read!

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery

Peril in the Poolhouse by Judy L .Murray

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Peril in the Pool house
  • Author: Judy L. Murray
  • Series: A Chesapeake Bay Mystery #3
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Port Anne, Maryland
  • Main Character: Helen Morrisey & her Detection Club
  • Other Characters: Eliot Davies & his wife Allison, Detective Joe McAllister, Liz, Shawn, Tammi, Diane, Ronnie, Maggie, Britany, Craig
  • Pets: A Golden Retriever named Rocky & 2 cats Trixie & Watson
  • Stars: 5

This is the 3rd installment of the Chesapeake Bay Mysteries series and Ms Murray does not disappoint. Helen Morrisey once again finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation and of course she has to try and solve it much to the chagrin of the handsome detective, Joe McAlister.

A haunted Bed & Breakfast, A party given by a State Senator Candidate and a dead body! What could go wrong! Despite the fact that the Victorian Mansion has been rumored to be haunted, Helen ultimately sold the property to Eliot Davies, who is running for the office of state Senator and his wife Allison. They’ve turned it into a Bed & Breakfast, and they’re getting ready to party. The party comes to a screeching halt when a dead body is discovered in the Pool House, with Allison standing over it. Of course, the main suspects are Eliot and Allison, so Helen is intent on proving that her friends could not have committed this murder. Did they do it and If they didn’t, then who did? When someone else dies, the conspiracy deepens to discover what the two victims might have in common. Is the past coming back to haunt them? Is this murder connected to a 50-year-old mystery? Helen and her world-renowned detection team are on a mission to discover the answer. But how will her involvement in yet another murder case affect her blossoming relationship with handsome detective Joe?

This is an amazing book! The Protagonist is genuine, a great friend, She loves her kids and she is funny. I just adore her detection club and the way she interacts with them as if they were real people. The term “detection club” is derived from Helen’s collection of Literary Amateurs Sleuths. Those who have read the preceding two books of the series are aware of her ‘Detection Club’. If you haven’t read them, then what are you waiting for!! I recommend that readers read the books in order to gain an understanding of the characters’ back story. It really helps to develop the relationship with the characters.

The author has a great way of building tension and pulling the reader in. What I like the most is that the book is full of twist & turns to solve the puzzle. Just when you think you have solved the mystery, she adds another twist that makes you rethink it. I must warn you, be prepared to lose some sleep because this book is hard to put down.

Real Estate Rule #3: It’s rare a buyer who wants to buy a haunted house”

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Killer in the Kitchen by Judy L. Murray

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Killer in the Kitchen
  • Author: Judy L. Murray
  • Series: A Chesapeake Mystery
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Port Anne, MD
  • Main Character: Helen Morisey
  • Other Characters: Lizzie, Detective Joe McAlister, Tammi, Adrian, Mariah, Dana, dolttie, Tara, Shawn and of course Helen’s cast of amateur sleuth’s who she calls her ‘Detective Club’
  • Pets: 2 cats named Trixie & Watson & a Golden Retriever named Rocky
  • Stars: 5

This is the second book in the Chesapeake Mystery series and I am really enjoying this series. I am a sucker for a great mystery, and this one checks all the boxes. It has suspense, drama, mystery, and 3-dimensional characters you will love.

Helen Morisey, our favorite real estate agent, finds herself in a predicament once again because of her sleuthing and her detective club cast of characters. This time her daughter is involved, which makes it personal.

In this installment we get to see more of Helen’s daughter, Lizzie. Lizzie is a popular home shopping network host. She has invited her mother to meet a world famous celebrity chef who will be appearing on her show. When Helen finds out this chef will be selling his multi-million dollar mansion, she sees an opportunity to obtain him as a client. Before Helen even has time to list his home, he drops dead minutes before ending the on-air presentation of his food segment, apparently from tasting his own cooking. Lizzie, who also tasted the food, falls ill. It becomes personal for Helen because her daughter was also involved and could have been killed. Much to the dismay of Detective Joe McAllister, Helen does her own sleuthing to find a killer.

The author has a way of developing 3 dimensional characters who you grow to love. Helen is a loving mom to 2 adult children and a savvy real estate agent, who has a love of Twizzlers and mystery novels. I especially love Her ‘detective club’ that involves a cast of her favorite literary sleuths, Miss Marple, Jessica Fletcher, Nora Charles, Agatha Raisin, and Nancy Drew. As she rushes to solve a mystery, she takes on the personalities of each of her literary characters which adds some humor. Detective Joe is always teasing her about her ‘detective club’ and you can visualize the budding romance between him and Helen. As much as the detective wants Helen to stay out of the investigation, he also knows that she has some valuable insight that he can use.

This book takes us on some twists and turns with several suspects as they try to determine the motive and who wanted the celebrity chef dead. There will be some surprises along the way and our Chef seems to be involved in more than just cooking.

“Motive plus opportunity plus chaos equals the perfect crime.”

Happy Reading!