Needled to Death by Annelise Ryan

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am discussing "Needled to Death" by Annelise Ryan the first in  "A Helping Hands Mystery Series".  This is a new to me author and I found it to be a good beginning to a new series.

Print Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Kensington Books (July 30 2019)

As a colleague of deputy coroner Mattie Winston, social worker Clothilde “Hildy” Schneider is no stranger to unsolved murders at Sorenson General Hospital. Except this time, it’s up to her to crack the case . . . 

Motivated by her own difficult past, Hildy has an unparalleled commitment to supporting troubled clients through grief and addiction in Sorenson, Wisconsin. But when a distraught group therapy member reveals disturbing details about her late son’s potential murder, Hildy goes from dedicated mental health professional to in-over-her-head amateur sleuth . . .

Alongside her loyal therapy Golden Retriever, Hildy stumbles through incriminating clues—and an unlikely partnership with Detective Bob Richmond, the irresistibly headstrong cop who shares her passion for helping others. With signs of foul play surfacing all over town, can Hildy and Detective Richmond pinpoint the deadly traits of a sharp-witted killer before another seat gets filled at grief therapy?

Annelise Ryan is the pseudonym for the author of the Mattie Winston Mysteries written as Allyson K. Abbott and this is a spin off featuring one of its characters social worker Clothilde “Hildy” Schneider.  I enjoyed this book and the setting of  Sorenson, Wisconsin.

Protagonist Hildy is a complicated, messed up but loyal, and likable character and her sidekick Roscoe a golden retriever therapy dog is adorable.

There are plenty of twists and turns to keep me wanting to find out whodunit.  I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington Books 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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A Whisker in the Dark (The Oyster Cove Guesthouse Book 2) Leighann Dobbs

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am discussing "A Whisker in the Dark"  the second installment in the "The Oyster Cove Guesthouse Mystery Series" by Leighann  Dobbs  is quickly becoming one of my favourite series!

Print Length: 223 pages

Publisher: Bookouture (July 31 2019)

Discovering the 300-year-old skeleton of shipping tycoon Jedediah Biddeford in the ballroom wall is a big old hassle for Josie Waters, owner of the Oyster Cove Guesthouse. Especially when Biddeford’s descendants turn up, certain that a family legend about treasure buried nearby must be true.

Josie is too busy dreaming up the perfect cake for the Oyster Cove’s 250th anniversary celebration to worry about the Biddeford family – plus half the town – digging up her yard... until one of her guests is murdered in the guesthouse garden. 

With worries that her guesthouse will get a reputation for being the kind of place you only leave in a body bag, Josie must put her detective skills to work to find the killer. Lucky for her, Nero and Marlowe and their gang of cat sleuths are also on the case. 

From the old wharf, to the town common, to the guesthouse itself with its many nooks and crannies, the cats are sure to sniff out the killer… but can they help Josie stop the person behind the mysterious murder before they strike again?

The protagonist Josie is a likable, fun main character, with quirky supporting characters her mother Rose, her BFF Millie (prior owner of guesthouse) the cats Nero and Marlowe. I enjoyed this installment and was drawn in from the get go.  I love cats and ones that help solve the murder and you know their conversations who wouldn’t love that.

The mystery was well written with plenty of twists and turns and had a steady pace. I didn’t figure out whodunit until it was revealed at the end.  Also by the end you could sense a few of the characters have a crush on Josie...

I enjoyed this book and recommend to my friends and any fan of Leighann Dobbs.

I requested and received an advanced reader 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,

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Killer in the Carriage House Sheila Connolly

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am discussing  "Killer in the Carriage House" A Victorian Village Mystery by Sheila Connolly.

Print Length: 278 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books (July 9 2019)

The second book in the Victorian Village Mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly! 

After fifteen years away, Kate Hamilton never expected to end up back in her hometown of Asheboro, Maryland full time. And she definitely didn’t expect to be leading the charge of recreating the town as a Victorian village and tourist attraction. But as unexpected as the circumstances are, Kate is ready to tackle them.

The town, on the other hand, is going to take some convincing. Ever since Henry Barton’s shovel factory closed down, it’s started to seem like there are more tumbleweeds than tourists rolling down Main Street. Kate’s ideas are good, but ambitious—and her friends and neighbors are worried that finding the money for them would push the town even further into debt.

Luckily, Kate and the handsome historian Joshua Wainwright are two very determined people who may have come up with a solution. The Barton mansion, meant to be the centerpiece of the Victorian village, has proven to be a veritable goldmine of documents about the town’s nineteenth-century history, and Kate is convinced the papers hide something of value. When a dead body turns up in the town library—mere hours before the documents were meant to arrive there themselves—Kate begins to worry that the papers spell danger instead of dollars. It seems that someone doesn’t want these forgotten secrets coming to light, and they’ll do whatever it takes to keep Kate quiet…

Sheila Connolly’s Killer in the Carriage House is the second book in the Victorian Village Mysteries. I had not read the first book but had no problems following along.  I do plan on reading the first one.

The characters are well developed, and the protagonist Kate and her friends are likeable. The setting of a small historic Victorian town is detailed and I could picture it in my mind. 

As another reviewer stated you know the murder will be solved but the fascinating mystery in this series is one that continues to be open ended: will Asheboro be able to pull off transformation into an authentic Victorian Village.  I love the history in Connolly's books and this is no different.

I had only read one other Sheila Connolly’s Mystery and it definitely made me a fan!  I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves mysteries.

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Minotaur Books 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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