First of all...
Showing posts with label #cozymystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #cozymystery. Show all posts

Sunday, July 23, 2023

The Sunday Post- July is Winding Down

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

This week was very busy, my parents came to visit, the hubs had a work event overnight downtown, we went to a concert at a new concert venue, and Saturday we had a graduation party. Busy in a good way. This upcoming week is looking busy as well, so I am really embracing audiobooks. How are things by you?  It has not been very, very hot here --but if the forecast is correct this week is going to be in the 90-100 (mid to high 30s for those of you that use Celcius) I will have to be mindful about whether or not it is safe to walk our dog.  How about you?  How is your weather? 

Books I'll be talking about:











Sunday, April 23, 2023

Cozy Mystery Book Club April Live Stream- Tomorrow at 7PM EST!

 


Join me in the comments tomorrow at 7PM EST with lots of other readers of Cozy Mysteries! 
This month's selection is A Brush With Murder by Bailee Abbott.  I had an ARC of this book from Net Galley back in 2021 and reviewed it here on my blog.  Here is a link to that review: 


Each month people who comment in the live stream are entered to win books, so it's not only fun to comment, you can win a new book in the process!

Now on to a little food talk. I enjoy cooking, and a really enjoy eating good food, so about once a month I treat myself to a box from Blue Apron. This month one of the meals I picked was Oven-Baked Korean-Style Eggs & Rice. It was a meal that all you do is put together the ingredients and bake.  It was delicious and easy enough for me to make it myself in the future.  It's a good anytime of day meal. What do you think? Does it look good to you?



Monday, March 27, 2023

The Cozy Mystery Club March Edition --Tomorrow Night on You Tube!

 


It seems like I was just sharing the link for February's Cozy Mystery Book Club live stream, and here we are already on the cusp of March's live stream. This month's book is Murder in a Scottish Shire by Traci Hall. You can watch the live stream and join us for the fun in the comments where we all share what we loved (and what left us lacking) in this month's club selection. Angela enters all comments for a chance to win books so it's a good time to chat with your fellow cozy lovers! 

This book is the first book in the Scottish Shire series. The book is written with lots of Scottish dialect, which can be distracting, I got the vibe that the book was not written by someone who is Scottish. Our Amateur Slueth is Paislee who is a single mom of a 10-year-old who owns a knitting shop. There is a nice amount of knitting talk in the book and it factors into the murder, so that is what you want to see when you read a crafty cozy. 

The book was published in 2020, but the sensibilities of our main character were a real throwback. She often talks about the shame and embarrassment she has from having a kid out of wedlock.  She goes on to say that she has not had sex or dated since her son was born and won't do either of those things until he is finished with school. I don't want to go on about how that rankled me, so I'll leave it there.

There are several subplots going on throughout this book, and much is not resolved at the end of the book,  so if you enjoy Paislee or the town of Nairn,  you can go right on to the next book from this one and hopefully find out more about the Knitting Shop and Grandpa's missing son. 

I found the reveal of the murderer and circumstances in the book to be on the darker and more depressing side.  So keep that in mind if you are looking for a cozy, cozy. 





Saturday, March 18, 2023

The Official Start of Spring Is Almost Here- The Sunday Post!

 


The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

Spring is beginning soon but we had snow showers yesterday, March weather is usually doggone cold in the Chicago area, so the snow is no surprise. I am hoping April will be warmer with more days in the 50s (or 10s for Celsius).  As I mentioned last Sunday my husband I and I walked with our Congressman, Sean Casten, in the South Side Parade (Chicago) 
Here is a picture! 

I'm getting a Blue Apron delivery tomorrow so I'll be trying a couple of new tasty recipes. I like to treat us to a Blue Apron delivery once a month.  How about you? Are you treating yourself to something this week?

Books I'm finishing up and planning to write about:







Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Thank you NetGalley for the Latest Lynn Cahoon's Kitchen Witch Series!

 

This is the fourth book in Lynn Cahoon's delightful Kitchen Witch Cozy Mystery series. I was happy to receive an ARC from Net Galley and dive back into Mia's world. I thought this was a pretty good mystery.  This series has a substantial amount of scenes showing the day-to-day life of Mia and her catering business.  If you don't like reading about the interworking of a small business person who is also a kitchen witch, this is not the series for you.  For me, the scenes of daily life focused on the preparation and sharing of food is cozy to read.  I also find comfort in the idea of magic all around us. 

In this book, Mia has become a go-to source for Magical Springs when a mystery needs to be solved, so it is no surprise when Mahogany asks Mia to solve the death of her mother.  The police think her mother died of old age, but Mahogany is certain it is murder. Mia, of course, helps and ultimately solves the murder. Unlike many cozies, Mia doesn't confront the murderer herself in a desolate area, she calls the police. 

I was surprised at the ending point, we don't get any resolution to Mia's job situation and we don't get to see the wedding. I wonder if the next book will take place seconds after this one ends? 

My rating for this book is 4 stars. 

Thank you #NetGalley for this book! All opinions are mine! #FourCharmingSpells 

Sunday, February 26, 2023

This Month's Read for The Cozy Mystery Book Club

 




On YouTube on Tuesday at 6 PM Central Time Angela is hosting our monthly Cozy Mystery Book Club you can join me in the comments there. 
I'm looking forward to chatting about this cozy. I don't think we have read a book where we have a single mom of a teenager in quite a while. I enjoyed the family dynamic. Our Amateur Sleuth is a successful thriller writer so she is a very curious sleuth. In the book, she butts heads with the local sheriff that just happens to look almost identical to her main character. I loved that conceit--especially in the way Tamara Berry has Tess Harrow make notes to use what happens at the cabin in her book to overcome some writer's block.  It's the wink and a nod to us readers of cozy mysteries that amps up the fun while reading this book.

If you like humorous cozies, I recommend giving this book a read, I think you will find yourself laughing along!

4 Stars!


Saturday, February 25, 2023

This is the Shortest Month, #TheSundayPost End of Feburary!

  


The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 


Wow, it's the end of February already. Fortunately for my area, we had it pretty goes on the weather front. More often than not, our temperatures were above freezing. I've been spending some of my not reading time watching K-Dramas. They are SO ENTERTAINING! I'm so glad there are tons on Netflix, so much content I get to enjoy! From what I've been watching they also have a lot of eating scenes so now I'm really excited about a restaurant that is opening near me: Korean Hot Pot and BBQ. It's a whole AYCE thing where you cook your meal yourself it looks really delicious. 

How about you? Have you ever gone to a cook-your-own food place? Do you watch K-Dramas?

Here are the books I'll be talking about this week!








Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Mother of the Bride Murder ARC from Net Galley!




 Here is the tagline from the publisher: "As part-time Tinker’s Cove, Maine reporter Lucy Stone says “oui” to her daughter’s surprise wedding invitation in France, she must also make a different kind of vow—to catch a killer!"

If you've read my blog before,  you know I enjoy the Lucy Stone cozy mystery series. I've read many of the books over the last five years and I was delighted that Kensington and Net Galley provided me with an ARC for Mother of the Bride Murder which will be published April 25th. 

I am of the opinion that sometimes you connect with a cozy sleuth and sometimes you don't and that is A-OK.  I connect with Lucy Stone even though I don't always agree with her.  We live in Lucy's head in these books and so we really get to know her thoughts and opinions. After reading many of her adventures, I find that the reason I will read this series as long as Leslie Meier writes them is that Lucy and the Tinker Cove crew feel like real people. They are written with depth and the dialogue sounds just like you might have in your own daily life. 

Reading this book I was worried about Lucy's relationship with Toby more than I was about the actual murder. I'm glad that by the end of it, they were in a good place.  However because of what happens, now I'm pretty concerned that Molly is never going to want to move back to Maine.  I miss the days when Molly lived nearby. She's a great daughter-in-law. 

I was also reminded in this book that Elizabeth is my least favorite of the daughters, she always seems to be too interested in wealth. See, the characters are normal everyday middle-class-ish people you probably know. I could write a really long post going on about everything in the book like I was telling you about my neighbor, that's how Lucy feels after you read some of this series.

My rating for this book is 4. It's a good solid book, I liked that much of the drama involving the Stone family could have been avoided if Marie and Hugo had been upfront with their guests. I do prefer when the whole book takes place in Tinker's Cove. 

If you haven't read any of this series, you can read this book, you don't have to know all about the other books. 

Sunday, January 15, 2023

I'm Almost Completely Caught Up on Everything Ilona Andrews has Published.

 



I look at the Innkeeper Chronicles as being Sci-Fi Cozy Mysteries. On the one hand, I can't believe I read the first book in this series, Clean Sweep, and then didn't continue on--thank goodness I found my way back to this series.  I could read about the goings on at the Gertrude Hunt every day. It is such a great blend of what I like in a cozy mystery series and what I love in paranormal/fantasy all mushed together with Ilona Andrews's wonderful world-building and well-rounded characters. 

On to the reviews of books one and two in the series. In the first book we meet Dina who is an Innkeeper, but not a regular Innkeeper, her BnB caters to aliens from all over the universe. The thing is, no one on Earth can know that aliens travel to and from the earth all the time. Turns out Earth is a hub from which you can travel to many different worlds. Dina's job is to protect her guests and make sure earth people don't know about aliens.  We quickly met Sean and Arland. Sean is a werewolf who was born in the USA but his ancestors are from another planet and we met Arland who is a vampire. Vampires in this series are more like super-powerful humans than your classic vampire can't have kids and drain people to death type. I could go on and on because this story is so expansive, but I don't want to bore or spoil you. 

This series has elements of cozy mysteries in these ways:
1. Overarching mystery regarding the backstory of our MC. Her parents are missing
2. Dina has a cozy companion, her deceptively cute dog.
3. Dina runs a BnB that is historically old and she loves to garden. The Inn has a name- Gertrude Hunt- How Cozy is That~
4. A community of quirky recurring characters. 
5. Light romance 
6. Dina does sleuthing to figure out why various people were killed or how to stop a killing.


Tuesday, November 1, 2022

#NetGalley Review! The Second Book in The Pies Before Guys Series!

 As someone who enjoys cozy mysteries and all things cozy, I obliviously watch the Great British Bake Off.   I loved that A Good Day To Pie  takes place at the baking competition. What sets this book above other books with a baking or cooking competition is that it is the first time I've read a cozy that uses a reality TV competition vrs a one day baking competition.  Misha Popp's baking competition is like Great British Bake Off  meets the Lifetime TV show Unreal if Agatha Christie was the executive producer.  

Setting the second book in  a cozy series in a different location and introducing almost all new characters AND using swear words is a bold move. This series continues to break some of the classic cozy tropes, but I think it stays true to the genre at its heart. Having the baking competition taking place at a mansion where all the contestants and crew have to stay for the full two weeks of the show's taping is quite a clever closed room mystery.  

The baking scenes are also mouthwatering.  I could really go for a pie, cake or cupcake just thinking about these scenes. 

All in all this was a book I really enjoyed and I give it 5 stars. 

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are mine! #AGOODDAYTOPIE




Sunday, September 4, 2022

Harvest Cookies and Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder Thanks NetGalley!

Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder is the first book in a new series by Valerie Burns. I was able to read an ARC from NetGalley. The story takes place in a small town in Southwestern Michigan right on the shores of Lake Michigan. This is a charming area of the United States and a good place to set a cozy as there are many cute towns that cater to tourists with picturesque little downtowns and many people visit throughout the year. Tourists are always helpful in cozy mysteries when you don't want to kill off all the townspeople.

The star of this series is Baby the Bull Mastiff. Baby is left to Maddy in Aunt Octavia's will along with Aunt Octavia's "BabyCakes Bakery" and Aunt Octavia's gorgeous lakefront house. Maddy is pretty annoying at the beginning of the book, very self-centered, and materialistic.  She is very smart though and quickly realizes she is at a crossroads, she can continue to live off her father or she can be her own person. I liked her growth in this book. 

I look forward to seeing where things go in book two. There is a setup for more murders and betrayals ahead --and that's putting it mildly!

4 stars
#NetGalley #TwoPartsSugarOnePartMurder

****
Harvest Cookies
I used the Tastefully Simple Ah Sugar! Sugar Cookie mix--just add butter and milk and topped the cookies with candy corn.  Candy Corn is, of course, very controversial--but I will go out on a limb and just let you know I do like Candy Corn in the fall. How about you? 
The cookies came out flat because I used almost melted butter instead of just softened butter.  Live and Learn!




 

Sunday, August 28, 2022

Fun Cozy Mystery Audio Series, Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles

 


As autumn arrives, I am drawn to reading more paranormal stories, and I was happy to find this series of which at least a few books are included in my audible subscription.  The series has paranormal elements that we learn just a little about in this first book in the series. A couple of features of this series that made it stand out to me are that it takes place in South Dakota--not many cozies are set in the Dakotas. Secondly, our amateur slueth is a single mom with nine-year-old twins.  Single moms with young kids are also rare in cozies.  

I was concerned when I was just 30 minutes from the end of the book that one of the main storylines was not going to be resolved in anyway, but fortunately it was--this book ends without any cliffhangers and leaves you interested in what is going to happen next in Violet's life. Some reviewers found her kids annoying but I didn't mind. I would say if you don't like grade school kids in your mysteries this is probably not the series for you. 
3.5 stars from me.

Thursday, August 11, 2022

Thank you #NetGalley #MrsClausandtheEvilElves A Mrs. Claus Mystery by Liz Ireland!

The third installment of this funny and fanciful cozy mystery series is out September 27th and I was lucky enough to get an ARC to read and share my thoughts with ya'll! 

If you are someone who listens to Christmas music by the time Halloween rolls around, this book is for you. In fact, if you haven't already started this series and you are a Christmas fan, you are slacking and need to add this series to your list ASAP!

Because this is an ARC, they prefer that I don't share text from the book as it might change before publication, so you will just have to take my word that this book is filled with some funny lines. There are lots of good jokes to be made in Santaland. In this book, April's best friend from down south comes up for Christmas. I was glad that April had a best friend sidekick for this book, and hopefully, she will be back for future installments. We also got to see more interaction between April and Nick (aka Santa) in this book, it was enjoyable to read their scenes as they get more used to their unique married life. 

If you want a fun, humorous cozy mystery with all those Christmas vibes, this is the series to read, on a cozy afternoon, with a cup of cocoa in your hand! 
 

Sunday, August 7, 2022

Tired of the Heat? Try Reading This Book to Put You in an Autumn Frame of Mind

 

Book Nine in the long Lucy Stone Mystery series had lots to make me happy. As ya'll know I'm a Lucy Stone fan.  The Lucy Stone Mysteries, never fail to give me warm fuzzies of nostalgia, and a longing to hop on a plane and head to Maine. 

>> As an aside, imagine my surprise in finding out that Leslie Meier doesn't live in Maine! From all these books I had assumed she was born and raised in Maine>> 

This book starts with the Summer solstice, so it is a witchy book that spans all of summer and then climaxes at Samhain (aka Halloween) which I found to be delightful and why I recommend reading this now as we slowly march toward those crisp fall days. If you like a seasonal read and you enjoy the mythology of witches and some Wiccan discussion and lore, you will enjoy this cozy. You can read it without having read other books in the series, you shouldn't feel lost. 

As someone who has read other books in the series, I found this comment by Lucy to be pretty funny since a couple of years ago there was a series of murders in their subdivision- also Lucy was in a gangland shootout in Book four I think, and so on and so on.  People in Tinker's Cove REALLY need to start locking their doors!  Hazardous town to live in--especially if you are new to the area, ha!


Four stars for this installment. Lots of cranky Lucy and witchy stuff! 

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

July's Cozy Mystery Book Club Book: Murder, She Knit


Murder, She Knit was the book selected by the Cozy Mystery Book Club for July. On this month's live stream Angela is joined by Amanda who is an actual knitter, so that was nice to get a knitter POV on a book that focuses on a group of knitters.  You can watch the live stream here:


 


My thoughts on the book. There are some amateur sleuths I vibe with and those I just don't connect with and it doesn't even have particular reasoning to it.  Pamela the slueth in this book isn't someone I want to spend more time with, I found her to be fussy and judgmental. She was for me like an older more set in her ways Hannah Swenson, another sleuth I don't want to hang out with even though she has cookies 24/7.  Loads of people love Hannah, she's just not for me.  This series is now on at least book nine, clearly, many people like spending time with Pamela.

For me, Pamela and the majority of the characters in this book were too flat. As for the murder, I had a really hard time believing it was possible for that character to have killed that other character with the particular weapon used and that they would have been successful in the killing. Attacking yes, killing... no. 

Three stars for this book for me, but maybe you'll really dig it--it does have a great Thanksgiving vibe so if you are looking for a seasonal Thanksgiving cozy, this is a contender! 

Thursday, July 14, 2022

Busy, Busy, Busy and A #NetGalley review #Renovated to Death!

 I have been MIA for a while, but fear not, nothing bad has been happening and I haven't given up reading. I've read a bunch of books but I got really off track on blogging.

You see what happened was just after my last post on 5/13, I began canvassing for a local candidate for state representative. Canvassing is when you go knock on people's doors and if they answer you give information about the candidate you are canvassing for, and ask them if they will be supporting your candidate.

I did so much walking!!!! 15-20 thousand steps per day, and it was HOT and sometimes it rained.  But in the end, it was all worth it!  My candidate won his primary! It was hard work, and I was tired!  My knocking fist got sore, and one day I got a little sunburn, I think it was as hard as training for the marathon last year!  

Right after the primary was over, I traveled with the hubs to my mom's side of the family for a family reunion. It was wonderful to see family I have not seen in years!  Then we came back from that and boom! time for Youngest Child's college orientation!  Now, this weekend we are having a graduation party for Oldest Child's college graduation and Youngest Child's high school graduation!

I hope you are having a lovely July!

Here is my review of a new cozy mystery, which hopefully will be a long-lived series, Renovated To Death by Frank Anthony Polito.  When it comes to the first book in a new Cozy Mystery series it can be a little overwhelming for the reader who is meeting a whole cast of characters and looking for clues to solve a murder.  That being said I always cut the writers some slack when evaluating their first books. 

What makes Renovated to Death stand apart from most cozies is that this book is that our amateur is a gay man. In my experience, most cozies are from a straight female perspective. This book takes place in Michigan and the local gay community is integral to the story.  At first, I thought the characters were a bit on the stereotypical side, but then I realized this is a cozy with a healthy dose of humor. If you read this book, now you know going in to see the humor!

If you like home DIY and are a fan of HGTV, you'll really appreciate the home renovation talk in this book.  The main character PJ and his husband JP (ah, cute couple names!) are hosts of a home renovation show and there is lots of talk about home renovation projects and restoration. 

I found this to be a fun, fresh take on the genre and I look forward to future adventures with PJ and JP.

4 stars! 



 


Saturday, April 9, 2022

The Sunday Post! She found the dress!

 


The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 


Hi Everyone! Did you have a good week? I hope so! I finished reading some fun books, had a doctor's appointment in which the after-visit summary described me as pleasant, and my daughter found her prom dress.

fingers crossed that it arrives quickly and that we have time to get it altered should it need to be altered. The dress she tried on here was a size too big so maybe we'll get lucky and it won't need altering. She also agreed with me that it would be pointless to purchase heels to go with this dress as no one is going to see her feet and she might wind up putting a heel through some of this tulle! 
The color is lovely, don't you think? 



Thursday, April 7, 2022

Like A Sister by Kellye Garrett


 

Having enjoyed  Hollywood Homicide immensely, I was looking forward to the day it was my turn to check out Like A Sister from my library. Now this book is considered a thriller, not a cozy mystery, which is fine because I enjoy both genres.

Thrillers are usually tense, and this book does have tension--but there isn't the ticking clock countdown most thrillers have, and this book has more humourous lines than a thriller usually has, Like a Sister contains elements found in cozy mysteries in a thriller situation. 

One example of the descriptive humor in this book:

"Ms. Scott, you beat us." Green was behind me, joined by a standard-issue young white guy. The type who looked like he made daily use of his Planet Fitness membership but never whipped the machine down after. "My partner, Detective Zizza." 

This book was a fast read, I really don't like putting down thrillers if I can help it. I have heard that the audio version of this book is fantastic. As I said above, I borrowed the book from my library after having to wait a month on the holds list. The first option my library had was the physical copy of the book, so I grabbed it. 

This book is good it is entertaining and I rate it a 4.

I will say I have a couple of questions about the how of the murder and the why. I could have really used an additional paragraph or two from the killer explaining how they did it and why they felt they needed to--I think they could have resolved the issue easily without killing anyone. Two of the other suspects could have committed the murder more easily and with good very good motives.

I wonder if Kellye Garrett wrote any drafts with one of the other suspects as the killer but then decided to go with who is ultimately the murderer. This book could really have at least three different very plausible endings. I kind of wish this was a choose your own adventure book with several endings!

In any case, I look forward to what Kellye Garrett writes next! 

Sunday, March 27, 2022

The Cracked Spine --This Month's Cozy Mystery Club Selection


Have you read this cozy mystery? It's this month's book selection for the Cozy Mystery Book Club! If you have read The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton or if you don't mind spoilers, join us for the book club live stream on Tuesday, March 29th at 6:00 pm EST.  The link is below:




 


I enjoyed this book and will be reading on in the series!  Here are my bullet points of what I enjoyed:

*Great setting, A bookstore in Scotland, what's not to love! 
*There is a budding romance that doesn't involve the sleuth and a police detective. 
*Our sleuth quickly finds a real home and a community that embraces her
*Paige Shelton gives us a plenty of potential suspects but we are able to keep the characters straight.
* Delaney doesn't spend a bunch of time in her head worried about her weight!
*Possible hint of otherworldly happenings as one would expect in Scotland
*Men in kilts!

There is plenty of room for us to learn much more about the characters we met in the story, I liked them and I thought the mystery was good, but I don't feel that connection to Delaney or the other characters that move a cozy from a 4 to a 5. I hope that book two will give me that connection.

Overall a nice, cozy read! 4 out of 5 stars



Sunday, March 13, 2022

A Fatal Booking By Victoria Gilbert Thank You #NetGalley!

 Here is the description of this book from the publisher: 

"Victoria Gilbert’s third Booklover’s B&B Mystery, a treat for fans of Mary Daheim and Kate Carlisle, finds owner Charlotte Reed and her former spy neighbor, Ellen Montgomery, pitted against a tea-party poisoner.

Booklover Charlotte is delighted to welcome an eclectic group of guests to Chapters Bed and Breakfast for a book club retreat focused on fairy tales and classic children’s literature. But when one of the guests is poisoned at a Mad Hatter tea party, Charlotte realizes she’s fallen down a rather unpleasant rabbit hole
 
The victim – an opinionated busybody whose jewelry store sold original designs, along with some possibly “hot” merchandise – had plenty of enemies, spurring Charlotte and Ellen to offer their well-honed investigative skills to assist the local police. But as they delve deeper into each of the guest’s stories, they realize all of them had a motive, and the means, to close the book on the unfortunate victim.
 
Enlisting the aid of a few local residents, as well as their new ally, agent Gavin Howard, Charlotte, and Ellen vow to reveal the truth, even if the path to any sort of happy ending is strewn with deadly danger."


First of all, to answer the question, yes you can read this book without having read the first two. The main mystery of this book is who killed the victim and then there are subplots involving the background of the victim as well as some of the suspects.  I think it would be fair to say that this book is almost a closed-room mystery. The suspects except one are all guests at the BnB. I wasn't sure who the killer was until our sleuth was sure, so this book kept me guessing.

I enjoyed the literature discussions in the book, Victoria Gilbert interweaves the right amount of book talk in the story, and who doesn't love a good (method of killing --you have to read to know, I'm not going to spoil you) murder. 

Charlotte is also thinking about going back to school to teach, so that makes you wonder how the next book in the series will go.  As with the first two books, Charlotte works with the town detective and Ellen the retired spy next door. The climax in this one is some action hero stuff, which is fun. It reminded me of some of Lucy Stone's adventures in Maine. (Leslie Meier cozy series) 

Four Stars to A Fatal Booking by Victoria Gilbert!

Thanks to Net Galley for the digital ARC of this book, all the opinions are mine!