Book Review and Giveaway - Murder, She Wrote: Murder Backstage by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran

My Review

Jessica Fletcher travels to Edmonton, Canada with some of her Cabot Cove friends.  Her lookalike cousin, Emma MacGill, has traveled from Great Britain to Edmonton to appear in a play there, and Jessica looks forward to a leisurely vacation catching up with her cousin.  When they stumble upon a murder at the theater, Jessica decides to solve the mystery.

I wanted to read Murder, She Wrote: Murder Backstage because I love Murder, She Wrote (both the classic TV series and the wonderful series of mystery novels).  I also was intrigued by the theater setting.

This was such a fun read!  It has a lot going for it: Jessica and friends visiting a new place and exploring the history and culture of Edmonton, a theater setting, lively scenes with Jessica and her cousin Emma, and of course, an interesting mystery to solve.

The mystery aspects of this novel were well done, with events and clues popping up at a lively pace.  The characters were interesting and well rounded.  Jessica and her friends were like old friends - exactly as expected.  The answer to this mystery surprised me, which was fun as well.

I recommend Murder, She Wrote: Murder Backstage - and this entire series - for fans of the Murder, She Wrote TV series, and for anyone who enjoys well written cozy mysteries.

Book Synopsis

The newest entry in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series.

Jessica Fletcher’s British cousin, Emma MacGill, will be traveling to Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, to perform with internationally famous star of stage, screen, and television Derek Braverman in an old-fashioned musical review. Emma would love for Jessica to join her there and suggests she bring along some friends. Having just finished her latest book, Jessica is ready for a vacation and is delighted to agree. Dr. Seth Hazlitt and Sheriff Mort Metzger are huge fans of Braverman, so they are eager to tag along, and their fanboy behavior gives Jessica and Mort’s wife, Maureen, more than occasional cause to roll their eyes.

Upon arrival in Edmonton, Jessica is quickly outed as mystery writer J. B. Fletcher, and despite numerous protests, a hotel staffer arranges a book signing for her. This and touristy adventures arranged for the group make for a much busier trip than Jessica was expecting. When a hotel bartender, who also happens to be a stagehand for Emma’s play, turns up dead backstage at the theater, Jessica’s fun and relaxing vacation quickly becomes anything but.

Author Bio

Along with Jessica Fletcher, Terrie Farley Moran co-writes the Murder She Wrote mystery series including  Murder, She Wrote: Killer on the Court. She is the author of the Read ‘Em and Eat cozy mystery series and also co-writes the Scrapbooking Mysteries with Laura Childs. Recipient of both the Agatha and the Derringer Awards, Moran has published numerous mystery short stories. The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is hanging out with any or all of her seven grandchildren.

Author Links – Webpage   Facebook 

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org – PenguinRandomHouse – 

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Book Review - Just for the Summer by Melody Carlson

My Review

Just for the Summer is a beach read about two very different women.  Ginny Masters has a high pressure job managing a boutique hotel in Seattle.  Jacqueline Potter manages her grandfather's rustic fishing lodge in Idaho.  Both are unhappy with their lives and sign up at a job swap site.  They swap jobs for the summer - and find a new perspective on life as a result.

I wanted to read this novel because I enjoy Melody Carlson's books.  They never disappoint!

Ginny is a very sympathetic character, hard working and sincere.  She learns to relax and enjoy life more when she goes to work at the fishing lodge that needs a lot of freshening up and new energy.  She also meets a handsome river guide and romantic sparks fly!   Jacqueline is much less sympathetic.  She is someone who loves the finer things in life and she has not wanted to really work for those things in the past.  She is challenged when she goes to work in Seattle at the always busy hotel - with a very demanding boss.  She also encounters a possible romantic match.

This was a fun novel and a fast read.  It would be perfect for a weekend read or as a true beach read.

Book Synopsis

If you lived in a different place and had a different job, couldn't you have a different life?

Ginny Masters manages a popular boutique hotel in Seattle and manages it with aplomb. But the daily challenges and irritations of a fast-paced job and a demanding boss are starting to get to her.

Jacqueline Potter manages her grandfather's fishing lodge in Idaho because it was the only job she could find after graduating with her hospitality degree. She's grateful for the work but longs for a more sophisticated and cosmopolitan life she's just not going to find in this backwoods town.

The solution to both their problems seems obvious. Just for the summer, they'll swap jobs and lifestyles--and even love interests. But they'll soon find that there's more to finding happiness than just switching up the scenery.

Author Bio

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than 250 books with sales of more than 7.5 million, including many bestselling Christmas novellas, young adult titles, and contemporary romances. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, her novel All Summer Long has been made into a Hallmark movie, and the movie based on her novel The Happy Camper premiered on UPtv in 2023. She and her husband live in central Oregon. Learn more at MelodyCarlson.com.

Book Review and Giveaway - Battered and Buried (An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery) by Lena Gregory

My Review

Gia Morelli owns an all-day breakfast cafe in the small town of Boggy Creek, Florida.  When she goes kayaking with a friend on her day off, they discover a body -- and one of her friends and co-workers is a suspect in the murder.  Gia goes to work with her friend Savannah to solve the mystery.

I wanted to read Battered and Buried because I enjoy Lena Gregory's cozy mystery series.  She is one of my favorite authors in this genre.

I enjoy Gia's sleuthing.  She and Savannah make a great team, even though Gia's fiancé and Savannah's husband are the police detectives in their families.  There are several viable suspects, but Gia does a good job of solving the mystery ... and I enjoyed playing armchair detective to solve along!

As always, the pets in this mystery series add fun -- Thor, a Bernese Mountain dog and Klondike, a rescued kitten.

Gia's fiancé Hunt and her friends are great, and I also like the southern small town atmosphere in this series.

I recommend Battered and Buried for fans of cozy mysteries.  This is a great series!  I try to read all the books in Lena Gregory's All-Day Breakfast Cafe series and her Coffee & Cream Cafe series as well.

Book Synopsis

The best-laid plans may go awry, but the best-laid clues could frame a man for murder . . .

Never one to let a day off work go to waste, café owner Gia Morelli and a friend head out for a blissful kayaking trip through the local national forest. But the peacefulness of the day is soon shattered when they come across Cole, her head cook, standing over a dead body. Worse still, the victim was a lifelong enemy of Cole’s, and clues found on the body point to the cook as the culprit. When the police take Cole in and subject him to an intense grilling, Gia vows to do everything she can to prove his innocence.

As even more incriminating evidence surfaces—including when the murder weapon itself is found hidden at the café—Gia knows she’s up against someone brutal enough to kill and devious enough to frame Cole for the deed. With the police ready to make an official arrest and wrap up what they consider an open-and-shut case, Gia turns for help to an old friend who’s not above breaking the law himself. Because if she can’t find the killer, Cole may go from serving up hot dishes to serving a life sentence . . .

Author Bio

Lena Gregory grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full-time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.

Author Links

Newsletter.   Website    Facebook    Facebook Page

Twitter (X)   Goodreads   Pinterest    Instagram     Bookbub    Amazon

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org 

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Book Review and Giveaway - Daffodils And Deadly Deeds: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Amateur Sleuth (A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery) by Victoria Tait

My Review

Dotty Sayers is staying in Northumberland with one of her friends when she is offered the opportunity to work on an exciting project at the neighboring castle.  When her mentor, an older antique dealer, goes missing, Dotty works to solve the mystery.

I wanted to read Daffodils and Deadly Deeds because I really enjoy this series.  I like the British setting and Dotty's work as an antiques expert.

This was another great read in the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series.  I liked the little village setting.  Dotty's beloved cat Earl Grey appears in this book and her friend (and possible future love interest) Zach also is part of the story.  As well as working to find out what happened to her mentor, Dotty helps Zach as he hunts for some of his family history, namely a mysterious cottage in the area.

There is a theme of families in this book.  Dotty's mentor, Hazel, had a complicated family with a husband, stepson, and two inattentive adult children.  Dotty also struggles with her father's illness and her relationship with her brother, whom she isn't close to.

I recommend Daffodils and Deadly Deeds for fans of traditional British mysteries and cozy mysteries.  I think this is a wonderful series and am already anticipating reading the next book when it is available.

Book Synopsis

A fraught family reunion. A corpse by the coast. Can an amateur sleuth crack this egg-xtraordinary mystery or be left scrambling for answers?

Spring signifies new beginnings, yet rookie antiques expert, Dotty Sayers, feels uncertain about her future. A colleague’s invitation to Northumberland, in search of hidden family treasure, offers a fresh start. Once there, she immediately befriends her neighbour and assists with a prestigious project at a nearby castle. But when her mentor vanishes, and a body washes up in a secluded cove, Dotty wonders why so many people she knows end up dead.

Determined to assist, this budding amateur detective is hopping mad when the police ignore her insights. With the inquest approaching, Dotty must decide if she’s ready to crack open the case, even if it makes the local police inspector as mad as a March hare.

Can Dotty put aside her doubts and pull a rabbit out of the hat to ensure justice prevails?

Author Bio

Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England.  After following her military husband around the world, she drew on her life’s experiences, and a love of Agatha Christie, Father Brown, and Murder She Wrote, to write British based cozy mysteries.

Her determined female sleuths are joined by colourful and quirky teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and realistic.  As you’re compelled to keep turning the pages, you’ll be irresistibly drawn into a world where you’ll experience surprises, humour and sometimes, a tug on your heartstrings.

Do you like tea, mysteries, and books? Then why not join Victoria’s TeaCozy Club for regular news and updates, and download the free prequel to the Dotty Sayers Antique Mysteries series as a gift by visiting VictoriaTait.com

Who doesn’t like tea, cake, and a slice of murder!

Author Links 

Website: https://victoriatait.com/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/victoria-tait

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriataitauthor/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/VictoriaTaitAuthor/_saved/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20373879.Victoria_Tait

Purchase Links – Books2Read   Amazon 

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Book Review and Giveaway - Murder in the Tea Leaves (A Tea Shop Mystery) by Laura Childs

My Review

Theodosia Browning owns a charming little tea shop in Charleston.  When she works on a local movie set, she witnesses a frightening murder as the film's director is electrocuted.  One of her friends is a suspect, and Theodosia steps in to solve the crime - despite all the danger this entails.

I wanted to read Murder in the Tea Leaves because I have enjoyed the books I've read in the Tea Shop Mystery series.  I love the Charleston setting and the tea details.

This was one of my favorite mysteries in this series.  The murder happened early on and the pace of the mystery was brisk.  There were several plausible suspects, and I enjoyed Theodosia's sleuthing.  She is a fun amateur detective.  I also enjoy her relationship with her boyfriend Riley, her friends, and her lovable dog Earl Grey.

As always, I loved the tea shop details, like the Poetry Tea and the Breakfast at Tiffany's Tea.  The foodie descriptions in this series are sublime!

I recommend Murder in the Tea Leaves (and this entire series) for cozy mystery fans, and especially for anyone with an interest in tea or foodie mysteries.

Book Synopsis

When Theodosia Browning reads the tea leaves on the set of the movie, Dark Fortunes, things go from spooky to worse. Lights are dimmed, the camera rolls, and red hot sparks fly as the film’s director is murdered in a tricky electrical accident. 

Or was it an accident? Though the cast and crew are stunned beyond belief, nobody admits to seeing a thing. And when Theodosia’s friend, Delaine, becomes the prime suspect, Theodosia begins her own shadow investigation. But who among this Hollywood cast and crew had murder on their mind? The screenwriter is a self-centered pot head, the leading actress is trying to wiggle out of her contract, the brand new director seems indifferent, and nobody trusts the slippery-when-dry Hollywood agent. 

Between hosting a Breakfast at Tiffany’s Tea, a Poetry Tea, and trying to launch her own chocolate line, Theodosia doggedly hunts down clues and explores the seemingly haunted Brittlebank Manor where the murder took place. And just when she’s ready to pounce, a Charleston Film Board member is also murdered, throwing everything into total disarray. But this clever killer will go to any lengths to hide his misdeeds as Theodosia soon finds out when she and her tea sommelier, Drayton, get caught up in a dangerous stakeout. 

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!

Author Bio

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs. 

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:  

The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.  

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that takes place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!  

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

Laura’s Links:   Website –  Facebook 

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org – PenguinRandomHouse –

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