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Thursday 31 January 2019

Roberta's Reviews: Better Off Read, by Nora Page



Nora Page’s ‘Old Lady Sleuth’ cosy mystery “Better Off Read” certainly is one of the best in the genre that I’ve read so far.
Our heroine here is Cleo Watkins, aged 75, who’s trying to save the library of Catalpa Springs, Georgia, which has been damaged by a storm. The arrogant young Mayor Jeb Day, though, prefers tourist fishing piers and boat casinos to libraries and makes it clear to her he’s not going to give her any money for the repairs; and what’s worse, he even wants to take her library caravan “Words on Wheels” from her!
Together with her young colleague Leanne, she tries to get some money out of eccentric Buford Krandall, a friend of the library; he’s been reading a lot of books about murder recently, all written by local writer Priscilla Pawpaw… He says he’s got a plan against the Mayor whom he loathes, so together with her charming friend Henry Lafayette, who owns the local antiques and rare books shop, Cleo goes to visit Buford in his eerie old villa – but, what a shock, they find him dead in his library!
During the murder investigation, we get to know all the more or less suspicious characters in Catalpa Springs: Police Chief Culpepper, who’s a friend of Mayor Day; Buford’s neighbour Mary-Rose, an old friend of Cleo’s, who is rather pleased about his death; Cleo’s grandson Ollie and his girlfriend Whitney, an environmentalist (Buford had been polluting the spring waters, and his drill was destroyed on the night he was murdered), Bitsy, the local banker's wife and very active member of the ladies' club…
When Cleo and Henry finally get to talk to the real crime writer, Priscilla Pawpaw, they learn that Buford had been very interested in her notes for her latest book “Fatal Florida”! Next, the two amateur sleuths learn that Whitney actually is the daughter of Buford’s estranged half-brother; then, the library on wheels is being sabotaged – and then, another murder occurs…
A delightful read, both playful and enormously clever, a feast surely for all fans of the genre, with twists and turns and lovable characters – and, of course, at the end of the book the interested reader will find the recipe for a delicious cake!


https://www.amazon.com/Better-Off-Read-Bookmobile-Mystery-ebook/dp/B075QJRD2J/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1548950382&sr=1-1&keywords=better+off+read

Sunday 26 August 2018

Cosy Summer Mysteries Reviews: Brownies and Broomsticks, by Bailey Cates

After a long break, here’s the next cosy mystery in this summer’s series: A hilarious mix of murder mystery and Harry Potter!

With the help of aunt Lucy and uncle Ben, Katie realises her dream and sets up a bakery – but before it even opens, mean old Mrs Templeton practically forces her to host the local Business Association meeting there. Against all odds, Katie manages; but afterwards, Mrs Templeton refuses to pay the agreed sum for the event! Uncle Ben gets very angry with her – and a few minutes later, Mrs Templeton is found dead in her car with a broken neck; and, of course, Ben is the main suspect…

Not enough with that, though: soon after, Katie learns that aunt Lucy and her friends from the book club are witches, and that she herself has got magical powers as well! But while Lucy and the other ladies try out spells to keep Ben from being arrested, Katie sticks to a more realistic method: together with the handsome young fireman Declan she starts investigating. They come across Mrs Templeton’s arrogant nephew and heir, they find a run-down apartment building that belonged to the deceased; and soon it shows that there are quite a number of people who had a good reason to kill Mrs Templeton…


A most enjoyable read, with a good dose of humour, suspense, a big choice of suspects, and a bit of romance on the side – what more could a fan of cosy mysteries ask for? Tasty recipes are included as well, of course.

https://www.amazon.com/Brownies-Broomsticks-Magical-Bakery-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0072NWJFM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535317676&sr=8-1&keywords=brownies+and+broomsticks


Friday 10 August 2018

Treasures of the Deep Blue Sea is on Kindle now!


Treasures of the Deep Blue Sea is on Kindle!
Get your copy today for boundless thrills, sexy romance and gun-happy feud:
#adventure #romance #action #books #Amazon #Kindle #KU #newrelease




Sunday 29 July 2018

Cosy Summer Mysteries Reviews: Recipes and Revenge, by Cindy Bell


This story is proof that cooking can lead to murder – and Hugo, the rather pompous famous chef, really had it coming. He’s been so mean to his colleagues and pupils for so long that it’s no wonder he ends up stabbed one day after a cooking class. Lucy, who together with her sister Chantelle held the class, is shocked, though; she’s a sensitive soul  and people say she’s psychic. And somehow she feels she’s just got to find Hugo’s murderer, even though he wasn’t a nice man at all.

There are quite some suspects: Lauren, an old acquaintance of Hugo’s who’d always been treated especially mean by him because he saw that she actually was more talented than him; Sophia, the owner of the cooking school, who was his rival in creating  and selling dessert sauces; and Georgina, who thanks to Hugo’s demise got his role in a TV cooking programme.

Strange things happen during the next days, evidence disappears and the murder weapon turns up; at the same time, Lucy has strange dreams and visions about how Hugo was killed, but she can’t make out who’s the murderer...

An entertaining cosy bakery mystery (with the recipe for Lucy’s famous macarons added, too), with an unusual touch: instead of just investigating and trying to put the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together, like most amateur detectives do, Lucy can also call on her psychic abilities to help her solve the crime! An intriguing read indeed, short and crisp and sweet.

https://www.amazon.com/Recipes-Revenge-Macaron-Patisserie-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01N1WBLLN/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1532875195&sr=1-1&keywords=recipes+and+revenge



Thursday 26 July 2018

Treasures of the Deep Blue Sea is live!!


After their adventure in Anatolia that brought them together, Professor Nikos Angelopoulos and his young assistant and lover Sally go on their first holiday together on the Greek island of Crete. Very soon, though, they’re in for new adventures…

First, while scuba diving, Sally discovers some ancient figurines which Nikos identifies as Hittite; a very rare find. They call on Nikos’s Turkish friend and colleague Hasan to help them with the evaluation, and get a team of divers to search for more.

Then, when Sally goes for a midnight swim, she disappears! Nikos is completely shattered when he learns from the locals that she’s probably been kidnapped because she got involved in some way in a long-standing feud between two of the farmers’ families up in the hills…

Get your copy now for boundless thrills, sexy romance and gun-happy feud!




Monday 23 July 2018

Cosy Summer Mysteries Reviews: Mrs Thistlethwaite and the Magpie, by H.B. Hawker

Another cosy mystery featuring a loveable old lady with a wonderfully funny name: Mrs Tillie Thistlethwaite!

We get right into the criminal action here from the beginning: in the quiet town of Tillamook, teenage ballet dancer Honora is kidnapped one night after the dancing class by a mysterious stranger! Meanwhile, Tillamook’s inhabitants follow their usual routine: Tillie Thistlethwaite, 85, gives senior yoga lessons, her friend Slim Bottoms leads the Kazoo band. Tillie is well-known as the town’s agony aunt, too: when Olivette, who’s just moved into town with her husband, a retired pastor, asks her for advice about how to deal with his Alzheimer’s, she gives her the most wonderful tips; Tillie knows all too well about the illness: her husband had had it as well.

When the news about Honora’s disappearance spreads, though, and the police fear she might be the latest victim of the ‘Coastal Killer’, Tillie thinks she’s got a more important – and more dangerous – mission to carry out this time: from a tale of her friend Opal’s from her teaching days about a boy who used to steal things and leave wooden carvings of them behind instead, Tillie is certain she knows who the girl’s kidnapper is; and she and Slim set out to track the ‘magpie’ down and free Honora…


A wonderfully humane story with loveable characters who each have got their own personal backstory; as thrilling and suspenseful as any cosy mystery, but just a touch more sensitive. There are quite some gentle hints of religiousness, without overdoing it, though; it’s just a general kindness that prevails, a belief in the good in mankind. And Tillie is the best example of a kind old lady: she even tries to help a mentally disturbed kidnapper! A great read not only for mystery fans – this is actually one cosy mystery with a message.

https://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Thistlethwaite-Magpie-Tillamook-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0711NWMNS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532362910&sr=8-1&keywords=mrs+thistlethwaite+and+the+magpie


Saturday 21 July 2018

Cosy Summer Mysteries Reviews: Granny Hooks a Crook, by Julie Seedorf


This is definitely one of the wackiest cosy mysteries ever – prepare yourself for a LOT of fun with Granny Fiddlestadt!

Hermiony Fiddlestadt is better known in her village of Fuchsia, Minnesota as Granny. Fuchsia is an unusual, colourful town – and Granny is pretty unusual, too: she eats ice cream and donuts for dinner, reads “Fifty Shades of Grey”, drives a red 1957 Corvette, and works undercover in the town’s stores, helping to catch thieves!

She’s also got a cat named Fish, who starts bringing along friends to the house: a little white poodle, and the cat and dog of her new neighbour Franklin, a retired detective from New York, whom she finds quite attractive. Then, a series of burglaries begins in town; all the shops are robbed in turn with exactly the same method, a shop assistant is missing every time, and the loot starts turning up at Granny’s house! And the ‘shysters’, Granny’s and Franklin’s cats and dogs, seem to know what’s going on…

Prime suspect Granny, who in the meantime has also been stalked by a strange woman who resembles her and a handsome young man who keeps disappearing, decides to investigate on her own and find the burglar and the missing girls – and discovers an intricate tunnel system underneath the town! Despite the warnings from Franklin, her three children and the local cop, she ventures down into the hidden labyrinth…

The story and all its protagonists are just so hilariously funny, I laughed more than I’d ever done with any other cosy crime mystery! The names alone are wonderful (everything from Delight Delure to Cornelius Ephram Stricknine), Granny’s behaviour and that of most other people in Fuchsia beggars description; and as for her rocky romance with the serious gentleman Franklin… This seriously is the ultimate fun read for all fans of cosy mystery with a good sense of humour!

https://www.amazon.com/Granny-Hooks-Crook-Fuchsia-Minnesota-ebook/dp/B00DVL2CVU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532193928&sr=8-1&keywords=granny+hooks+a+crook