A Death in the Dark by Ellie Alexander

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing A Death in the Dark by Ellie Alexander the 2nd instalment in the " Novel Detectives Mystery" series.  

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An assistant athletics coach is found murdered at Redwood Grove High School and all evidence points one way—but the Novel Detectives are about to face their most puzzling case yet. 

When beloved local teacher and track coach Josh Bynum stumbles into the Secret Bookcase distressed and with no memory of the previous night, Annie's and Fletcher’s instincts tell them something doesn’t add up. 

As the duo delve deeper into the tight-knit world of high school athletics, they uncover a web of secrets. Between ambitious parents, suspicious fundraising activities, and a star athlete with a lot to lose, everyone has something to hide.  

Annie and Fletcher will need all their investigative skills and the support of their Redwood Grove friends if they’re to solve this mystery. Has Josh been set up? And what if there’s a clever killer somewhere in their beloved hometown—who might decide to target them next? 

Perfect for fans of Lauren Elliott, Merryn Allingham and M.C. Beaton, this charming cozy mystery is brimming with small-town secrets and bookish charm that will keep you turning pages late into the night. 

I loved returning to the charming town of Redwood Grove and the Secret Bookcase bookstore.  In this instalment Annie and Fletcher will need all their investigative skills and the support of their Redwood Grove friends if they’re to solve this mystery. Has Josh been set up? And what if there’s a clever killer somewhere in their beloved hometown—who might decide to target them next?   

It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Annie did..  

Overall, I'm thoroughly invested in Annie and the Novel Detectives I’m excited to see where the author takes these endearing characters next!

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Storm Publishing and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

A Body at the Irish Book Club by Lucy Connelly

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing “ A Body at the Irish Book Club” by Lucy Connelly the 5th instalment in the " A Mercy McCarthy Mystery" series. 

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The Shamrock Cove Autumn Festival is filling the town with the delicious aroma of cinnamon-filled pastries, the cheerful sight of jaunty jack o’lanterns and… a body at the local book club

Mercy McCarthy is delighted to see old neighbors and new friends come to the bookstore to support her sister’s Autumn book club. But as Mercy closes the chapter on the evening, she stumbles across local grandmother Eva, lifelessly slumped in a squashy armchair at the back of the store.

Mercy recognizes Eva as one of the festival’s main organizers and though she looks to be at peace, the plot thickens when Mercy notices a suspicious mark on her neck. Mercy knows this was no accident. With so many people in the store that night, any one of them could be the killer.

Just as Mercy reads a suspicious-sounding entry for the festival’s fiction-writing contest, another body turns up on the beach. Is someone in Shamrock Cove dying for a bestseller?

It’s up to Mercy and her crime-solving canine companion Mr. Poe to sniff out the suspects before another victim is taken. Could the murderer be the garden center owner who dabbles in chemistry? Eva’s ne’er-do-well grandson-in-law? Or the local busybody who has an opinion about everybody?

Mercy has to hit the books—and the streets of Shamrock Cove—to solve the mystery before the killer has the last word.

An utterly addictive Irish cozy mystery in a small town full of quirky neighbors, charming festivals and one unstoppable amateur detective. Fans of Agatha Christie, Carlene O’Connor and Faith Martin will love meeting Mercy McCarthy!

I really enjoyed visiting Shamrock Cove, Ireland again. I enjoy the relationship between Mercy and Lizzie, and the other residents in the court.  I also love how the tension between detective inspector Kieran and Mercy slowly keeps building throughout each book.  I’m hoping they become an item in next book.

It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Mercy did.  
I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 6 to come out!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I requested and received an advanced readers copy from Bookouture and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

Please join the conversation and comment below.  Have you read… If so what did you think/like

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!

I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

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Here We Goat Again by Janna Rollins

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing Here We Goat Again Book 3 in A Zen Goat Mystery by Janna Rollins.  I found it to be enjoyable and entertaining full of loveable characters and Goats!. 

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Murder is anything but Zen…

Bobwhite Hollow is swarming with leaf-peepers. Mt. Washington is glorious in shades of yellow, red, and orange. Callie is loving teaching goat yoga in the cool, crisp autumn weather and is delighted renowned nature photographer Lucy Thorne’s entourage is staying in the guest cottage at the Zen Goat. Even the spat Lucy and her assistant have the moment they arrive doesn’t dampen Callie’s enthusiasm.

Callie jumps at the chance to perform Sun Salutations at a mountain overlook near where the photography group is meeting, but when Lucy is found dead beside a trail on the mountain, all Callie’s hard-earned Zen is shattered. The photographer’s death was no accident, and it soon becomes clear her life was full of secrets. As Callie channels her inner warrior to discover who sent Lucy to her final savasana, she’s going to have to watch her step, or the real murderer just might turn their focus on her.

What a great cozy mystery it was engaging, really well-written, set in a small town in Lupine County New Hampshire. My favorite character is Bugsy the goat and Callie.

The protagonist Callie was intelligent, likeable, and the friends she made were people I would like to hang out with especially her aunt and uncle. 

The mystery was well written and had plenty of suspects who wanted the victim dead.  I did suspect the killer early on but there were a few red herrings so I wasn't 100% sure until close to the end when the final piece fell into place.  There are a couple of sub-plots in this book that have me excitedly waiting for the next instalment !

I highly recommend this cozy mystery series to all my friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Level Best Books  and BookSirens. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Please join the conversation and comment below.  Have you read… If so what did you think/like

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

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The Widows’ Guide to Last Orders by Amanda Ashby

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "The Widows' Guide to Last Orders" is the 4th instalment in The Widows' Detective Club Mystery series by Amanda Ashby, and it's another entertaining read. Set in the charming village of Little Shaw, England, the story follows the bond between the four widows as they navigate another intriguing mystery.  

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Life in Little Shaw is as nice as pie for librarian Ginny Cole. She’s got a tentative truce with her grumpy neighbour Detective Inspector Wallace, and Sunday quiz nights at The Lost Goat with her friends (team name: The Merry Widows). Until the young quizmaster is found dead in the cellar. The police call it an accident; Ginny suspects murder. But with Wallace strangely impossible to locate and convince, she and the other widows must step – carefully, mind – into the breach.

The victim, it turns out, wasn’t just torturing locals with impossible trivia. He was hunting for his great-aunt who vanished from Little Shaw in 1963, along with what village gossips insist was a fortune in Cold War secrets. Now Ginny and her friends must decode a sixty-year-old mystery involving priest holes, spy scandals, and the competing egos of the local history society.

But when the killer strikes again, the widows need to solve this fast before someone calls last orders on them…

A brilliantly twisty cozy mystery perfect for fans of Fiona Leitch, Robert Thorogood and anyone who thinks retirement should come with a side of solving murders.

The characters are well-crafted and lovable, especially Ginny's mischievous cat, who steals the show with his charming personality.  

The quirky characters and sense of community in Little Shaw add to the novel's charm.

The mystery is well-plotted, with plenty of twists to keep readers engaged until the very end. I enjoyed guessing and second-guessing the outcome, and I managed to piece together the clues before Ginny did.

Overall, this book is a must-read for fans of cozy mysteries and heartwarming fiction. Amanda Ashby's writing is engaging, and her characters are lovable and well-crafted. I highly recommend this charming novel and look forward to the next instalment in the series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I requested and received an advance readers copy from NetGalley and the publisher.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

Murder at the Highland Games by Dee MacDonald

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Murder at the Highland Games” the 4th instalment in An Ally McKinley Mystery series by Dee MacDonald set in the in the quaint village of Loccharran.  

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When a fun day out in the Scottish Highlands turns fatal, there’s only one solution: call for Ally McKinley!

It’s the annual Locharran Highland Games and Ally McKinley has never seen her little village so busy or excited. Everyone’s enjoying the Scottish dancing, the bagpipes, and cheering the competitors on. But there’s a hitch in the proceedings when champion challenger Archie Armstrong drops dead in the middle of tossing the caber. Rushing to the scene, Ally is the first to spot that Archie’s death was no accident – this was murder!

Ally flings herself into a new investigation and soon discovers that more than one person may have had a murderous motive, including some of the current residents of her cosy little guesthouse. Patti, Archie’s glamourous wife, seems intent on acting like the perfect widow, but rumours of infidelity have been flying. Is her performance too good? Could her uncle, cranky gamekeeper Angus, have finally snapped, furious at Archie’s treatment of his niece? Or was it one of the frustrated local competitors, desperate to end Archie’s winning streak?

Determined to crack the case and fuelled by more than one piece of her famous shortbread, Ally begins to narrow down her list of possible culprits, but is thrown for a loop when her chief suspect is found dead by the loch, a mysterious and threatening note clutched in their fingers. With a killer at large, can Ally finally uncover the truth? Or, as the sun sets over the highlands, will this game be her last?

In this instalment, Ally welcomes the Armstrong family from Nova Scotia Canada, for the Highland Games.  But there’s a hitch in the proceedings when champion challenger Archie Armstrong drops dead in the middle of tossing the caber. Rushing to the scene, Ally is the first to spot that Archie’s death was no accident – this was murder!

It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Annie did..  

Overall, I'm thoroughly invested in this series and excited to see where the author takes these endearing characters.

I'm eagerly anticipating the next instalment to see how the series evolves. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, Scottish settings, or amateur sleuths, this book is a great choice.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Bookouture and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives by Jenny Kane

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives” the first instalment in The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives Mystery series by Jenny Kane set in Mousehole is a picturesque fishing village in Cornwall, England.  What a great start to a new series.

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Don't miss this brand-new cozy crime mystery series, perfect for fans of Clare Chase and Peter Boland - available to pre-order now!

There's some fishy business happening in the idyllic Cornish village of Mousehole. As a killer begins to make waves, can these new amateur detectives solve the mystery?

Maggie Tyson loves living in the utterly charming village, Mousehole. She spends her days walking the local coastal paths, solving the latest crossword puzzle, and working in the small town's only fish and chip shop.

Looking for a fresh start, Ryan Stepney is in desperate need of a job, and stumbles across a vacancy at the chip shop.

When a body is found by the harbour, shock ripples through the village. And as Ryan was the last person seen talking to the victim, he becomes the number one suspect in the investigation.

Maggie is certain that her new colleague had nothing to do with the murder, so swaps her apron for a magnifying glass, and starts to investigate herself.

Can Maggie prove Ryan's innocence and reel in the killer, before they strike again? 

The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives
Forty-eight-year-old Maggie is a lover of puzzles. When she's not working at Robbins' Fish and Chip Shop, she can be found on her sofa, nursing a cup of tea and solving the latest mystery thrown at the detectives in Death in Paradise, Midsommer Murders and more. Maggie finds an unlikely friend in Ryan, a recent graduate who has just moved to Mousehole and is trying to figure out what to do with his life. Together, they serve up the best fish and chips Cornwall has to offer, with an occasional helping of mystery solving on the side.

The Setting
Mousehole is a picturesque fishing village in Cornwall, known for its scenic harbour, winding streets, and tiny sandy beach. It's also home to Robbins' Fish and Chip Shop, the only chippy in town. Tourists and locals alike enjoy a battered cod whilst admiring the calm waterfront. Mr Robbins, the owner, is notoriously private - no one knows much about him. Perhaps that's another mystery for our Fish and Chip Shop Detectives to solve...

This is a new to me author and I will definitely be reading more from her.   I love the story and the I enjoyed the bond between Maggie and Ryan, they were witty, and authentic.   

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and had plenty of twists to keep engaged right to the very end. I kept guessing and second-guessing myself but I was right on who the killer was.

Overall, this book is a must-read for fans of cozy mysteries and heartwarming fiction. Jenny’s writing is engaging, and her characters are lovable and well-crafted. I highly recommend this charming novel and look forward to the next instalment.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I requested and received an advance readers copy from NetGalley and the publisher.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

The Barn Identity by Diane Kelly

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing “The Barn Identity” the 8th instalment in the House Flipper Mysteries series by Diane Kelly.  

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The eighth in the House-Flipper mystery series set in Nashville, where the real estate market is to die for.

In Nashville, carpenter Whitney Whitaker is ecstatic when she discovers an abandoned barn perfect for her next project. However, since the surrounding former farmland has now developed into a shiny new shopping center, it seems the decrepit antebellum barn that once served as a livery stable should be torn down to make way for something more modern. Even so, Whitney can’t help but think the barn should be preserved. While unproven, it’s rumored the building once served as a hiding place for escaped slaves as part of the Underground Railroad. She convinces her cousin to take a chance on the old property. After all, the barn would make a unique retail space or, with its high ceilings and wide walls, could be turned into an arthouse cinema. 

When a local print journalist reporting on the renovation is found dead on the property, investigators suspect he might have been murdered for any one of several exposés he’d published about local politicians, movers, and shakers. Whitney suspects there’s more to the story, and that the journalist’s fate might be tied directly to the stable renovation. Can she solve the murder and bring a killer to justice? Or might this goal be too lofty?

The characters of Whitney, Sawdust (cat), Buck, Collin and Collette are ones I have really come to love. I also enjoy the setting of Nashville, Tennessee. I like how the series continues to alternate chapters narrated by Whitney and her cat Sawdust.

This time around a pregnant Whitney and Buck are remodelling an old livery stable/barn with history that it once served as a hiding place for escaped slaves as part of the Underground Railroad. When a reporter who was doing a story on the renovation and history of the barn is found dead, Whitney decides to investigate.

The mystery is interesting and had lots of twists which kept me guessing. I did suspect who the killer was just before Whitney did. 

I highly recommend to all my cozy mystery loving friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from St.Martin Press and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!

I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs, 

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