Book Review: In A Gilded Cage

Author: Rhys Bowen
Title: In A Gilded Cage
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publish Date: March 17, 2009
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Irish immigrant Molly Murphy and her New York City P.I. business are in the midst of a sweeping influenza epidemic and a fight for women’s suffrage that lands her in jail. Her betrothed, Police Captain Daniel Sullivan, finds her, but he hardly has time to bail her out, what with Chinese gangs battling for control of a thriving opium trade. The only consolation Molly can take from her vexing afternoon in the clink is that it made her some new friends among the Vassar suffragists---and brought her a pair of new cases.

For the first, Emily Boswell is convinced her miserly uncle stole her inheritance and wants Molly to uncover the truth behind her parents’ lives and deaths. Second, Emily’s college roommate Fanny Poindexter wants Molly to find proof of her husband’s philandering so that she can leave him without one red cent. But when Fanny dies and her husband claims she’s a victim of the epidemic, it’s more than Molly’s conscience can take.

Review: In A Gilded Cage is the 8th book in the Molly Murphy series. I absolutely love Rhy Bowen's writing. I've read several of the Royal Spyness novels, and I found one of the Molly Murphy novels at our library. Unfortunately they don't have all of them, so I'm reading them as I find them

This book is really fast paced and there are a quite a few subplots in both of the cases that really make you think.

I think what made this Molly Murphy book stand out for me, was the fact that the focus stayed on her solving her two cases, Emily's parentage and Fanny's death, after she had taken on Fanny as a client investigating her husband.

The absence for the most part of her beau, Daniel, made this book more enjoyable for me. I know that he's a huge part of her life, especially as the series goes on, but right now, I find him intensely unlikable and I'm glad, we really get to see Molly work her cases without him.

Emily's case is very interesting, as she was told that her parents were missionaries that died in a cholera epidemic in China.  The eventual resolution to her case was a bit obvious once Molly really started investigating.

Fanny's case was more interesting, as she wanted to find out if her husband was cheating and then ended up sick and then dead before her case could be resolved.

Then other friends of Fanny's from her Vassar days started to die mysteriously too.

That's when things start to get interesting.

They all seemed to die of the flu, but they all showed symptoms that weren't consistent with the flu.

The end result was really not what I was expecting, but it was perfect.

I absolutely loved this book, and can't wait to go on to the next.


Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Tell Me, Pretty Maiden

Author: Rhys Bowen
Title: Tell Me, Pretty Maiden
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publish Date: March 2008
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: It’s wintertime in New York, and for the first time since Irish immigrant Molly Murphy started her early-twentieth-century detective agency, she is completely snowed in with work. While she’s proving to be quite the entrepreneur and is very much in demand by some of Broadway’s brightest stars and Fifth Avenue’s richest families, she has to grudgingly admit that if she’s going to work more than one case at a time, then she’s going to need some help. Molly’s beau, the recently and wrongly suspended police captain Daniel Sullivan, would make an ideal associate, but before they can agree on the terms of his employment, they stumble upon a young woman lying unconscious in the middle of a snow-covered Central Park. When the woman wakes up she is disorientated and has and lost her ability to speak, the authorities are about to pack her off to an insane asylum when Molly can’t help but step in and take on yet another case.

Review: I am a huge fan of Rhys Bowen's 'Her Royal Spyness' series. My library doesn't have the first books in this series, so I'm starting at book 7.

I can safely say you can read these out of order. There is enough back story given so that you won't feel lost.

There is a lot going on in this story. Molly is a very busy private detective. She has at least three cases going on including the young woman that she finds in the snow drift in Central Park. It is Ms. Bowen's ability to have all these things going one without confusing her reader or let the story suffer, but that never happens here. Even the more insignificant case is important and oddly all of them tie together, and that's really what makes this an excellent read.

If you aren't familiar with the series, Molly Murphy is a young Irish private detective. She's very independent for a young woman in the early 1900s. Daniel is her beau. He's more old fashioned and definitely one that isn't fond of women working. There are times when his attitude is a little hard to take when combined with Molly.

When her caseload gets to be a bit much, Daniel takes on watching over a young gentleman to see if he is worthy of the young woman that desires to marry him, that way she's free to work for Blanche Lovejoy and her haunted theater. This case reminds me a bit of "Phantom of the Opera" or at least Phantom of the Musical.  It is through this case that she gets information on the young man she was investigating.

Then she's looking to clear the name of a young Yale student who is accused of stealing from a friend and killing the butler.

I loved how the piecing together of this mystery helps uncover the identity of the girl from the snow drift.

I really liked Molly. Her beau, Daniel not so much.

I'm looking forward to continuing this series to see how their relationship progresses.

Rating: 4 flowers

Great Escapes Book Tours Book Review: Terror In Taffeta

Terror in Taffeta: A Mystery
Cozy Mystery
Minotaur Books (March 22, 2016)
Hardcover: 288 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1250072566
E-Book ASIN: B014PELGRW

Wedding planner Kelsey McKenna is just a few hours away from wrapping up her latest job: a destination wedding in the charming, colonial Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende. The reception is all set up, the tequila donkey is waiting outside, and the bride and groom are standing on the altar, pledging their eternal love. But just as the priest is about to pronounce them husband and wife, one of the bridesmaids upstages the couple by collapsing into a floral arrangement, a definite wedding “don’t.” Kelsey soon discovers that the girl hasn’t just fainted–she’s dead.

Losing a bridesmaid is bad enough, but when the bride’s sister is arrested for murder, the demanding mother of the bride insists that Kelsey fix the matter at once. And although Kelsey is pretty sure investigating a murder isn’t in her contract, crossing the well-connected Mrs. Abernathy could be a career-killer. Before she can leave Mexico and get back to planning weddings, Kelsey must deal with stubborn detectives, a rekindled romance, and late-night death threats in this smart, funny cozy mystery debut.

Review:  I just read a romance about a wedding planner. I don't know how I manage to do stuff like that. Suffice to say I liked this cozy mystery a whole lot better than the romance. OK, I loved this book. It was amazing

This is Marla's debut novel and this is the first book in a new series. You really don't want to miss it. Kelsey does destination weddings. I have to admit I loved the crime.  Imagine your bridesmaid cocking up her toes into a floral arrangement at the ceremony! It really doesn't get much better than this.

The dead bridesmaid wasn't exactly the nicest person.  I think the best part of the story was finding out all the nasty stuff Dana has done to people over the years, and there really is a lot of stuff.  There's only one other character in this book that might have deserved to be dead as much as Dana did, and that was Mrs. Abernathy. Talk about a momzila. She is over the top obnoxious!

I really loved Kelsey's friends. Brody was all kinds of awesome and I even like Evan even though he was a bit of a jerk.

I liked how Kelsey jumped in to clear Zoe's name, especially when the San Miguel police seemed to think she was the killer

This is such a fun cozy mystery. It has actually pulled me out of a reading rut too, which is wonderful. I've been reading a bunch of books that were good but didn't excite me. This one did and I really needed that.

The story is fast paced and it really is a fun read. Its the kind of book you don't want to put down.

You will love Kelsey and the quirky cast of characters here. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Rating: 5 flowers

About The Author

As a freelance writer, MARLA COOPER has written all sorts of things, from advertising copy to travel guidebooks to the occasional haiku. But it was while ghostwriting a nonfiction guide to destination weddings that she found inspiration for her current series starring destination wedding planner Kelsey McKenna. Originally hailing from Texas, Marla lives in Oakland, California, with her husband and her polydactyl tuxedo cat.

Author Links

Webpage – www.marla-cooper.com

Blog: www.chicksonthecase.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Marla.Cooper.Author/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kindacozy

Purchase Links 

Amazon      B&N     Powell’s  IndieBound

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TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Branson Beauty

About The Branson Beauty

• Series: Sheriff Hank Worth Mysteries (Book 1)
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books (July 19, 2016)

The Branson Beauty, an old showboat, has crashed in the waters of an Ozark mountain lake just outside the popular tourist destination of Branson, Missouri. More than one hundred people are trapped aboard. Hank Worth is still settling into his new role as county sheriff, and when he responds to the emergency call, he knows he’s in for a long winter’s day of helping elderly people into rafts and bringing them ashore. He anticipates a lot of anxiety, many arguments, and extra costs for emergency equipment that will stretch the county’s already thin budget to the breaking point. But those are the least of his worries after he discovers high school track star Mandy Bryson’s body locked inside the Captain’s private dining room.

In her captivating debut novel, Claire Booth has created a broad cast of wonderfully compelling characters, and writes with a style that perfectly blends humor with the emotional drama and heartache of a murder investigation.

“Claire Booth hits the ground running in this debut novel set in the Missouri Ozarks. She writes with the assurance and clarity of a more seasoned pro.” – Edgar award-winning author Margaret Maron

“This contemporary take on a locked-room puzzle is chilling, compelling and completely entertaining, and Claire Booth is a wonderful new voice in crime fiction.” – Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony and Macavity award winner

“With nuanced characters and an intricately unfolding plot – and a bone-deep sense of cold in this snowy Ozark setting – this novel is reminiscent of William Kent Krueger or Giles Blunt. Claire Booth is a writer to watch.” – Anthony and Agatha award winner Sara J. Henry

.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books a Million | Barnes & Noble

Review: I love mysteries of all kinds. Usually I'm a cozy mystery kind of girl, but if it is a good mystery, it doesn't have to be an amateur sleuth.  

This is the first book in the Sheriff Hank Worth series and it is a great beginning. I love the setting of Branson and the river boat. I'm all about casinos etc, even though I can't afford to go to any. I still find something glamorous about being able to through away money to a slow machine or a turn of a card.

Claire Booth makes a great debut here. Hank is a great lead character. He's a professional, but he has a little bit of what I like in a cozy mystery lead. He's got a little bit of humor with some quirky characters hiding a lot of secrets. I adored the nicknames that he gave to some of the suspects. He called his one young deputy Pup.

The mystery involves a body found on the river boat that has run aground. What should have been a simple rescue operation turns into much much more including arson and the murder of a track star.

Mandy's murder is a lot more complicated than it seems too, and that's really what makes you keep turning the pages with this book. There are so many different people that could have possibly killed her, and there was something going on in her life that will point to who had the most motive.

The story had a good blend of Hank's personal life as well as his professional life. You'll definitely be invested in this character by the end of the book.

The plot has enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning and you don't guess the killer until it is revealed. You'll also be anxious to see how Hank chooses to handle his job after the little twist at the end with the former sheriff and the county commissioner.

This is definitely a series to keep up with.

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon

Author: Donna Andrews
Title: Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publish Date: Feb 16, 2014
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Poor Meg Langslow. She's blessed in so many ways. Michael, her boyfriend, is a handsome, delightful heartthrob who adores her. She's a successful blacksmith, known for her artistic wrought-iron creations. But somehow Meg's road to contentment is more rutted and filled with potholes than seems fair.

There are Michael's and Meg's doting but demanding mothers, for a start. And then there's the fruitless hunt for a place big enough for the couple to live together. And a succession of crises brought on by the well-meaning but utterly wacky demands of her friends and family. Demands that Meg has a hard time refusing---which is why she's tending the switchboard of Mutant Wizards, where her brother's computer games are created, and handling all the office management problems that no one else bothers with. For companionship, besides a crew of eccentric techies, she has a buzzard with one wing---who she must feed frozen mice thawed in the office microwave---and Michael's mother's nightmare dog. Not to mention the psychotherapists who refuse to give up their lease on half of the office space, and whose conflicting therapies cause continuing dissension. This is not what Meg had in mind when she agreed to help her brother move his staff to new offices.

In fact, the atmosphere is so consistently loony that the office mail cart makes several passes through the reception room, with the office practical joker lying on top of it pretending to be dead, before Meg realizes that he's become the victim of someone who wasn't joking at all. He's been murdered for real.

Donna Andrews's debut book, Murder with Peacocks, won the St. Martin's Malice Domestic best first novel contest and reaped a harvest of other honors as well. This is the fourth book in the Meg Langslow series, which features the intrepid Meg and her cast of oddball relatives. Their capers are a lighthearted joy to read.

Review:  I've read a few of the Meg Langslow Mysteries, mostly as I find them. Totally out of order, of course, but I read them. This book reminded me of a Hallmark Mystery that meets Big Bang Theory. that

Meg is helping out at her brother's computer game firm. When a much hated programmer ends up dead there's a murder to be investigated, because her brother is a prime suspect.

There's a lot to enjoy here and it usually involves the programmers that are all a little bit eccentric/crazy and some of the therapists that work in the same building.

Some of the funniest scenes in the book involve the "affirmation bears" that one of the  therapists created. When you press their bellies they say positive things. Needless to say by the end of the book, the programmers have given them a sort of make over.

But back to Ted, the dead programmer. As Meg starts her own investigation, we find there's a lot of people that might have a good reason to want him dead. He's not a nice guy.  In fact, he's pretty obnoxious and he's blackmailing a lot of the people that he works with or at least trying to.

I really loved the programmers.  Their personality quirks really made the story. You also can't forget the office's mascot, George, the buzzard.

There are some great subplots with the animals and with the therapists.

The best part is you won't guess who did it.  The reveal was a big surprise to me, considering how many people had cause to want Ted dead.

This was a really fun an entertaining mystery. I can't wait to find another book from this series.

Rating: 4 flowers

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours: Death Sits Down To Dinner

Death Sits Down to Dinner (Lady Montfort Mystery #2)

by Tessa Arlen
Publication Date: March 29, 2016
Minotaur Books
Hardcover & Ebook; 320 Pages

Genre: Historical Mystery





Filled with deceptions both real and imagined, Death Sits Down to Dinner is a delightful Edwardian mystery set in London.

Lady Montfort is thrilled to receive an invitation to a dinner party hosted by her close friend Hermione Kingsley, the patroness of England’s largest charity. Hermione has pulled together a select gathering to celebrate Winston Churchill’s 39th birthday. Some of the oldest families in the country have gathered to toast the dangerously ambitious and utterly charming First Lord of the Admiralty. But when the dinner ends, one of the gentlemen remains seated at the table, head down among the walnut shells littering the cloth and a knife between his ribs.

Summoned from Iyntwood, Mrs. Jackson helps her mistress trace the steps of suspects both upstairs and downstairs as Hermione’s household prepares to host a highly anticipated charity event. Determined to get to the bottom of things, Lady Montfort and Mrs. Jackson unravel the web of secrecy surrounding the bright whirlwind of London society, investigating the rich, well-connected and seeming do-gooders in a race against time to stop the murderer from striking again.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | INDIEBOUND | KOBO

Advance Praise

“Despite Clementine’s luxurious lifestyle, she’s got a head on her shoulders . . .and is as cagey as she is charming. A neatly crafted whodunit dripping with diamonds, titles and scandal . . .” -Kirkus Reviews

“The close, mutually respectful partnership between Clementine and Edith will remind Dorothy Sayers’s fans of the relationship between Lord Peter Wimsey and Bunter, his manservant. Arlen does a good job of depicting a period when class distinctions have become blurred by new money and more-relaxed manners. The plot, which includes a slew of red herrings, builds to a startling denouement.” -Publisher’s Weekly

“VERDICT Real-life Edwardian personalities abound in this period historical, and the upstairs/downstairs focus delivers a clash of temperaments. This title is bound to appeal to fans of historicals set in this period and of such authors as Rhys Bowen and Ashley Weaver.” -Library Journal

Review: If you like historical mysteries and if you are a fan of Downton Abbey then this this is the book and the series for you.

This book takes place before WWI and centers around a dinner party for Winston Churchill's 39th birthday. Lord Montfort is not a fan of Churchill at all and you see that in the opening pages of the book, but he goes to the party because he loves his wife.

The murder occurs at this party.  There's a wonderful mixture of fictional characters and real people in this story. (Besides Churchill, of course)

This book really made me long for the first season of Downton. I loved the feel of the book and how well the author brought the period to life and not all of it is pretty. You get the story from Lady Montfort's point of view as well as her housekeeper, Mrs Jackson's. Mrs. Jackson reminded me quite a bit of Downton's Mrs. Hughes, though Mrs. Hughes was a bit more progressive in her ways.

I loved how the two women worked to solve the mystery and I liked how things were definitely not what they seemed in many cases, especially involving the victim. You learned that there were some not so nice things going on in the charity and there was a time when I was really fearful for the Chimney Sweep Boys. I was very glad that though things weren't as rosy as they seemed my initial fear for them was unfounded.

This is a smart mystery that would definitely lead well to television, especially as the series progresses. That's a huge hint to the BBC and Masterpiece.

Definitely a must read for all of the Anglophiles out there!

Rating: 5 flowers

About the Author

TESSA ARLEN, the daughter of a British diplomat, had lived in or visited her parents in Singapore, Cairo, Berlin, the Persian Gulf, Beijing, Delhi and Warsaw by the time she was sixteen. She came to the U.S. in 1980 and worked as an H.R. recruiter for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the 1984 Olympic Games, where she interviewed her future husband for a job. DEATH OF A DISHONORABLE GENTLEMAN is Tessa’s first novel. She lives in Bainbridge Island, Washington.

For more information please visit Tessa Arlen's website. Read Tessa Arlen's blog at Redoubtable Edwardians. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Subscribe to Tessa Arlen's Newsletter.

Great Escapes Book Tours Book Review: Cinnamon Toasted

Cinnamon Toasted: A Spice Shop Mystery
(Spice Shop Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Minotaur Books (December 15, 2015)
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1250011060
E-Book ASIN: B00Y7S5222

Synopsis

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Case in point: Piper Prescott’s former mother-in-law Melly. Beneath her twin sets and pearls beats the heart of a geek—a geek whose programming changes for the point-of-sale software in Piper’s shop have the owners of the program ready to make her an offer she can’t refuse. “Trusty” Rusty Tulley and Chip Balboa swing by Brandywine Creek—just in time for the town’s annual Oktoberfest, which has cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom flying off Piper’s shelves in record numbers. News spreads faster than a text message, and Melly is the toast of the town.

But it isn’t long before Melly’s status changes to public enemy number one when Chip’s body is found at the foot of her basement stairs. Questions start to pile up when handsome police chief Wyatt McBride arrives on the scene and the coroner sets the time of death for the previous evening. McBride wants to know why it took Melly so long to report the incident—especially after she admits to arguing with Chip about the contract he wanted her to sign. Piper knows Melly would never hurt a fly, so she enlists the help of her BFF Reba Mae to clear her name—but can they find the real killer before Melly gets sent away for good? A mouth-watering entry in Gail Oust’s delicious Spice Shop series, Cinnamon Toasted is sure to delight cozy fans of all stripes.

Review:  I read the first book in the Spice Shop Myster series and absolutely loved it. Somehow I missed book two, so I'm going to have to go back and catch up. Gail Oust has really created a fun cozy Southern Mystery series. As a Northerner, I always find books set in the South to be great, its like a different world to me.

This book is such fun. I really love Brandywine Creek. Oktoberfest is happening and a local theater group is putting on Steel Magnolias. Piper's friend Reba Mae has a part too. Reba cracks me up. The antics they get up to while trying to help clear Melly's name are a hoot. There's a scene in a flea bag motel towards the end of the book that will have you rolling on the floor laughing.

Melly is Piper's ex mom-in-law and it seems she's adapted a software program that could make her loads of money. The only problem is one of the software owners ends up dead in her house, making Melly the prime suspect. Especially when she hadn't signed the contract they were bringing her.

I liked the unusual relationship Piper has with Melly. They like each other well enough, even though the relationship that brought them together is no more.

Now as for Piper's ex, CJ and his new wife Amber, they are really obnoxious. Amber is the totally typical trophy wife, that's much younger and a bit Barbie doll-esque.

Then there's Lindsey, who is still having issues dealing with the divorce and is trying to sabotage her new relationship.

There's a lot going on in this book, and the mystery is one that keeps you turning the pages. I mean there are several people that you think had motive to kill Chip, but when the big reveal comes...it really is a surprise. I know I was.

If you like mysteries with recipes and a lot of laughs, you can't go wrong here.

Rating: 5 flowers

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ARC Book Review: The Figaro Murders

Author: Laura Lebow
Title: The Figaro Murders
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publish Date: March 31, 2015
Buy: The Figaro Murders

Review Copy Provided By: The publisher
Book Blurb: 

In 1786 Vienna, Lorenzo Da Ponte is the court librettist for the Italian Theatre during the height of the enlightened reign of Emperor Joseph II. This exalted position doesn't mean he's particularly well paid, or even out of reach of the endless intrigues of the opera world. In fact, far from it.

One morning, Da Ponte stops off at his barber, only to find the man being taken away to debtor's prison. Da Ponte impetuously agrees to carry a message to his barber's fiancée and try to help her set him free, even though he's facing pressures of his own. He's got one week to finish the libretto for The Marriage of Figaro for Mozart before the opera is premiered for the Emperor himself.

Da Ponte visits the house where the barber's fiancée works--the home of a nobleman, high in the Vienna's diplomatic circles--and then returns to his own apartments, only to be dragged from his rooms in the middle of the night. It seems the young protégé of the diplomat was killed right about the time Da Ponte was visiting, and he happens to be their main suspect. Now he's given a choice--go undercover into the household and uncover the murderer, or be hanged for the crime himself.

Brilliantly recreating the cultural world of late 18th century Vienna, the epicenter of the Enlightenment, Lebow brings to life some of the most famous figures of music, theatre, and politics.

Review: Lovers of historical mysteries will devour Laura Lebow's The Figaro Murders. You get wonderful glimpses of Mozart as well as two mysteries that are intertwined.

Lorenzo finds himself in trouble after he does a favor for a barber friend, who is looking for his birth mother and through that mystery he gets caught up in the murder of a young prince who was working for the baron.

Lebow brings the historical figures to life while weaving a story full of intrigue, affairs and betrayal. Da Ponte is the librettist for Mozart and a court poet. For those not well versed in classical music, he really is the librettist for The Marriage of Figaro.

Da Ponte is instantly likable because things aren't all rosy for him. He's working hard to make Figaro a success and he has a lot of enemies that would like to see him fail. But it is his loyalty to his barber that will endear him to readers. His crush on the baroness is really sweet too.

He has only a small box of items that may or may not help him find his barber's family. This hunt leads him from pawn shops to schools for the deaf. I felt that this search was more important than his search for the killer.

There are many twists and turns along the way and it is virtually impossible to figure how whodunit as well as who the barber's mother was. When you finally get the big reveal, I guarantee that you'll be surprised.

A wonderful read. Highly recommended.

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Murder At Honeychurch Hall

Author: Hannah Dennison
Title: Murder at Honeychurch Hall
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publish Date: May 13, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Book Blurb: 

Kat Stanford is just days away from starting her dream antique business with her newly widowed mother Iris when she gets a huge shock. Iris has recklessly purchased a dilapidated carriage house at Honeychurch Hall, an isolated country estate located several hundred miles from London.

Yet it seems that Iris isn’t the only one with surprises at Honeychurch Hall. Behind the crumbling façade, the inhabitants of the stately mansion are a lively group of eccentrics to be sure—both upstairs and downstairs —and they all have more than their fair share of skeletons in the closet.

When the nanny goes missing, and Vera, the loyal housekeeper ends up dead in the grotto, suspicions abound. Throw in a feisty, octogenarian countess, a precocious seven year old who is obsessed with the famous fighter pilot called Biggles, and a treasure trove of antiques, and there is more than one motive for murder.

As Iris’s past comes back to haunt her, Kat realizes she hardly knows her mother at all. A when the bodies start piling up, it is up to Kat to unravel the tangled truth behind the murders at Honeychurch Hall.

Review: I love English mysteries and this is a rather great one. It isn't your typical cozy. It is the first in a new series and one I'll definitely keep up with.

Kat is a tv host trying to get out of the business. She comes to Honeychurch Hall to see the home her mother has purchased. Things definitely aren't what they seem. The cottage house is falling apart and she learns that her mother has some really big secrets. One of them has to do with her mom's career, that Kat didn't know about until arriving at Honeychurch Hall. There's really a book within a book here at times, and that made for an interesting read.

I loved the aristocrats from the hall especially Countess Edith and young Harry, who is Rupert's son. Harry is totally precious, even though he has an obsession with WWII. Then there's Kat's boyfriend, who is married to her nemesis, Trudy. There's some hilarity there too.

It takes quite awhile for the mystery to get going, but there's enough intrigue with the quirky family members from The Hall and Kat's family and boyfriend.

There's a lot going on with her mother Iris, who is hiding quite a bit from her daughter, not only a career but a rather unusual family life from before her marriage to Kat's father.

The story is fast paced and fun a great start to a new series! I look forward to seeing how things progress at The Hall.

Rating: 5 flowers

Great Escapes Book Tours Guest Post & Book Review: Rosemary And Crime

  Guest Post by Gail Oust, author of Rosemary and Crime

I went over to the other side.  Switched gears.  Changed horses.  I stopped being a romance writer—historical romance to be exact--and became a mystery writer.  I never sat down with pencil and paper and charted a new career path.  It sort of just happened, and I couldn’t be happier.

Writing as Elizabeth Turner, I’ve had nine historical romances published.  Nine!  The number amazes me when I remember dreaming of just having one book in print.  Over the years, the historical market has grown soft.  Today the majority of historicals are set in England during the Regency or Victorian eras.  My stories take place closer to home in locales such as Tidewater Virginia, New Orleans, Tucson, or my home state of Michigan.  So, after we retired to South Carolina, I resigned myself to the fact my writing days were, in all probability, behind me.  I played golf (though not very well,), joined a book club and a Red Hat group, played bunco, and regularly attended the Ladies Lunch Bunch.  But all the time, a vague feeling persisted that something was missing.

Inspiration to write my first mystery came--of all places--on the golf course.  As I mentioned, my golf game leaves a lot to be desired.  My ball had landed in a weed-filled gulley nowhere even close to the green.  As we hunted for my ball, one of my friends wrinkled her nose at the smell and uttered the words, “maybe it’s a dead body.”  That was all I needed to hear.  What if…a group of women really did find a dead body while golfing?  What if…they only found part of a body?  Maybe it’s a dead body turned into the three-book contract for the Bunco Babe series.  In Whack ‘n Roll, four women golfers discovered a severed arm in a Walmart bag.  The rest, as they say, is history.  When the Bunco Babes officially retired, my market-savvy agent suggested the possibility of another series, this one involving a spice shop. The first, Rosemary and Crime, debuted December 17th. 

Romance and cozies, I’ve discovered, have a lot in common.  Character development is key in both genres.  The heroine may be flawed, but she absolutely must be likeable.  No reader wants to spend their precious time in the company of someone they dislike and can’t relate.  Both types of books benefit from an interesting cast of secondary characters though they tend to be quirkier in cozies which I think is more fun.  I once had a romance editor tell me she didn’t care for plot.  I happen to disagree.  Plot forces characters to go through their paces, to showcase their strengths and weaknesses, to demonstrate their growth.  In a whodunit, a strong plot full of twists and turns is a necessity. I learned valuable lessons while writing historicals, things like setting, pacing, and voice, all of which has served me well in a different genre.  Probably the greatest difference comes in the area of research.  I no longer pore through costume books obsessing over corsets, crinolines, and hoop skirts, hats versus bonnets.  It’s forensics not fashion that merits my attention.  These days I’m more interested in time of death, rigor mortis, and the various ways to kill people.  My husband worries over my choice of reading material when he spots A Writers Guide to Poisons casually resting next to an issue of Bon Appetit.  I smile.  I’ve found my niche.  

Rosemary and Crime
Cozy Mystery
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books (December 17, 2013)
ISBN-13: 978-1250011046
E-Book
ASIN: B00DA7A0BO

Synopsis:

Piper Prescott, a transplanted Yankee living in the South, has got her sass back.  She might be down, but don’t count her out.  “Change of life?” she asks.  Bring it on.  Recently divorced, Piper decides to pursue a dream she’s secretly harbored:  owning her own business.  Spice It Up!, a spice shop in her adopted hometown, Brandywine Creek, Georgia.  But Piper’s grand opening goes awry when the local chef who’s agreed to do a cooking demo is found stabbed.  Not only did Piper find the body, she handled the murder weapon and doesn’t have a witness to her alibi, making the case look like a slam dunk to brand new police Chief Wyatt McBride.  Desperate to uncover the truth—and prove her innocence—Piper enlists the help of her outspoken BFF Reba Mae Johnson to help track down the real culprit.  The pair compile a lengthy list of suspects and work to eliminate them using their own creative brand of sleuthing techniques including stakeouts, breaking and entering, and one very unorthodox chocolate pie.  When Piper narrowly avoids being a victim of a hit-and-run, she knows she’s getting closer to the truth, but can she catch the killer and clear her name before she becomes the next victim?

Review: This was such a fun read. Gail Oust's writing is a bit like JoAnne Fluke and Leslie Meier. It is a wonderful small town cozy, filled with quirky characters and down home fun.

Piper and her BFF, Reba Mae will really find their way into your hearts. They are such opposites, with Piper running Spice It Up and Reba Mae running a beauty parlor.

What I loved about Rosemary & Crime was how quickly things happened. A lot of cozy mystery series start out slow, introducing the reader to the cast of characters, but not here, and guess what? It works.

There's a possible love triangle going on too. Piper and the vet...or Piper and the police chief? Hmmm. As long as there's not a chance of her getting back together with her ex, cos he's obnoxious. (And so is his new gal, Miss Peach Pit, Amber)

All of Gail's characters are well rounded, even the secondary ones. The one character that really impressed me was Piper's daughter Lindsey. Gail really has her nailed as a typical teenager, with all the angst that goes along with it.

Then there's Casey, the little dog Piper saved. I absolutely loved him. I've always been a sucker for books with animals.

The mystery was great too, with so many possibilities for the whodunit. I had no clue who the killer was until it was revealed.

A great start to this series!

Rating: 5 flowers

About This Author

Gail Oust is often accused of flunking retirement. While working as a nurse/vascular technologist, she penned nine historical romances under the pseudonym of Elizabeth Turner. It wasn’t until she and her husband retired to South Carolina that inspiration struck for a mystery. Hearing the words “maybe it’s a dead body” while golfing fired her imagination for writing a cozy. Ever since then, she spends more time on a computer than at a golf course. Author of the Bunco Babe mysteries, she’s currently working on a new Spice Shop mystery series.
Author Links:  www.gailoust.com, Goodreads

Purchase Links:
AMAZON      Book World     B&N

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Cozy Mystery Book Tours Book Review: A Murder At Rosamund's Gate

Author:Susanna Calkins
Title: A Murder At Rosamund's Gate
Publisher: Minatour Books
Publish Date: April 23, 2013
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 
In Susanna Calkins's atmospheric debut novel, a chambermaid must uncover a murderer in seventeenth-century plague-ridden London For Lucy Campion, a seventeenth-century English chambermaid serving in the household of the local magistrate, life is an endless repetition of polishing pewter, emptying chamber pots, and dealing with other household chores until a fellow servant is ruthlessly killed, and someone she loves is wrongly arrested for the crime. In a time where the accused are presumed guilty until proven innocent, lawyers aren't permitted to defend their clients, and--if the plague doesn't kill them first--public executions draw a large crowd of spectators, Lucy knows she may never see this person alive again. Unless, that is, she can identify the true murderer.

Determined to do just that, Lucy finds herself venturing out of her expected station and into raucous printers' shops, secretive gypsy camps, the foul streets of London, and even the bowels of Newgate prison on a trail that might lead her straight into the arms of the killer.

In her debut novel, Susanna Calkins seamlessly blends historical detail, romance, and mystery into a moving and highly entertaining tale.

Review: A Murder At Rosamund's Gate is the first book in a great historical cozy mystery series. Lucy Champion is a chambermaid in Restoration England.

I fell in love instantly with this book, much like I did Sam Thomas's The Midwife's Tale. The attention to detail in this book is fantastic. The mystery almost takes a back burner to that detail, but don't let that keep you from reading this book. It is wonderful.

It paints a unique picture of the upstairs downstairs world of England at the time, in a household that is a little bit progressive. The plot is a little slow at the beginning, but I think perhaps it is the author's way of letting the reader get to know the characters and the household.

Lucy finds herself trying to solve the mystery of her friend Bessie's killer and clear her brother's name, as he's charged with her murder.

While she does this there is a touch of romance that starts between her and the magistrate's son Adam. This is an unlikely romance as Adam is above her in station, but you really have to read to see how things develop there.

As for the mystery, I love how the author really led you to believe it was one of the other characters that was the killer, but when you reached the end, you found out that you were wrong.

I'm really eager to see how Susanna takes this series. Lucy is a very strong heroine, smarter than your average chambermaid/ladies maid from that period, which is 1665. I also want to see how her relationship with Adam progresses as the series continues.

Rating: 5 flowers

Historical Fiction Book Tours Book Review: The Midwife's Tale

ABOUT THE BOOK

Author: Sam Thomas

Title: The Midwife's Tale
Publication Date:  January 8, 2013 | Minotaur Books | 320p

Review Copy Provided By: Historical Fiction Book Tours & the publisher

SYNOPSIS:  In the tradition of Arianna Franklin and C. J. Sansom comes Samuel Thomas’s remarkable debut, The Midwife’s Tale.

It is 1644, and Parliament’s armies have risen against the King and laid siege to the city of York. Even as the city suffers at the rebels’ hands, midwife Bridget Hodgson becomes embroiled in a different sort of rebellion. One of Bridget’s friends, Esther Cooper, has been convicted of murdering her husband and sentenced to be burnt alive. Convinced that her friend is innocent, Bridget sets out to find the real killer.

Bridget joins forces with Martha Hawkins, a servant who’s far more skilled with a knife than any respectable woman ought to be. To save Esther from the stake, they must dodge rebel artillery, confront a murderous figure from Martha’s past, and capture a brutal killer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks. The investigation takes Bridget and Martha from the homes of the city’s most powerful families to the alleyways of its poorest neighborhoods. As they delve into the life of Esther’s murdered husband, they discover that his ostentatious Puritanism hid a deeply sinister secret life, and that far too often tyranny and treason go hand in hand.

Review: I wish this hadn't been one of the first books I'd read in the new year. 

No wait, not because it is so bad, but because it is so good.

It has all the elements of a great historical novel, fantastic characters that are set in a wonderful backdrop of history, oh and the most important element, the ability to make the reader want to learn more about something in the novel, in this case the practice of the midwife.

There was so much about this job that I learned about through this book. You might think that being a midwife is only about delivering children, but there is so much more to it, and that plays a huge part in the mystery of this story.

Of course there's the civil war that's going on in England, and that also helps the action of the story move along.

I don't want to give anything away, but I will tell you, that once you start reading this book, you won't want to put it down. There's more than one murder involved in this book, but the main one is the death of Stephen Cooper.

I absolutely loved Bridget. Her way of thinking might seem a little modern for her time, but she was spunky and smart and knew her own mind. Her servant Martha is another wonderful character, because she's just so different. Both women were strong and unlike the women in cozy mysteries, neither did anything that you'd consider silly, in order to find the killer.

This is definitely a book not to be missed!

Rating: 5 Flowers

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sam Thomas is an assistant professor of history at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He has received research grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Newberry Library, and the British Academy. He has published articles on topics ranging from early modern Britain to colonial Africa. Thomas lives in Alabama with his wife and two children.

http://samthomasbooks.com/

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Book Review: Murder With Peacocks

Author: Donna Andrews
Title: Murder With Peacocks
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publish Date:Jan 15, 2000
Rating: 4 Stars
Book Blurb: THREE WEDDINGS...AND A MURDER

So far Meg Langslow's summer is not going swimmingly. Down in her small Virginia hometown, she's maid of honor at the nuptials of three loved ones--each of whom has dumped the planning in her capable hands. One bride is set on including a Native American herbal purification ceremony, while another wants live peacocks on the lawn. Only help from the town's drop-dead gorgeous hunk, disappointingly rumored to be gay, keeps Meg afloat in a sea of dotty relatives and outrageous neighbors.

And, in a whirl of summer parties and picnics, Southern hospitality is strained to the limit by an offensive newcomer who hints at skeletons in the guests' closets. But it seems this lady has offended one too many when she's found dead in suspicious circumstances, followed by a string of accidents--some fatal Soon, level-headed Meg's to-do list extends from flower arrangements and bridal registries to catching a killer--before the next catered event is her own funeral...

Review: This is the first book in the Meg Langslow Mysteries series, and it is a cute, fast, and fun mystery.

The cast of characters is vast. It includes Meg and her family and love interests, her best friend and soon to be husband and his brother Barry, who won't leave Meg alone, and the Bridal store owner's son, who everyone thinks is gay.

The reader is instantly drawn into every wacky predicament that Meg runs into while trying to organize three weddings, while people start dropping dead and accidents start happening to people close to her.

I loved the way this book was written. It was part chicklit and part mystery and the mystery was so good that it kept you guessing right up to the last page.

The relationship between Meg and Michael (the bridal shopkeeper for the summer) is sweet, especially because it doesn't quite get off the ground.  Every time Michael tries to tell her he isn't gay, something interupts him, so all the reader sees is a great friendship building between the two.

The brides add to the humor of the book, as each one gives new meaning to the term Bridezilla, and I'm not sure if that was even a word at the time this book was written, but OMG! each bride was obnoxious!  I think the worst was the mom, even though she didn't quite seem as demanding as Eileen who kept changing her mind on things and not having a dress chosen two months before the wedding or Samantha who was just simply a bitch.

Of course, without these brides, the book wouldn't be any fun and the same can be said for some of their soon to be husbands. Meg's mom has the oddest of the bunch. Jake is just not what you'd expect for Margaret, who is the most outgoing of the bunch, and his sister-in-law is a bit crazy and likes to stir up trouble. Of course, she's the first one to end up dead.

The amateur sleuthing between Meg, Michael and her father is great fun. This was a really entertaining book and I hope to find others in this series soon.