eBook – Carol's Notebook

Murder at Castle Vyne by Louise Marley

July 21, 2025July 28, 2025 by Carol2 Comments

Fourteen years ago Natalie Grove found her older sister, Sarah, dead in a lily pond at Castle Vyne. The murderer was never caught and now Natalie, a best-selling author, has written a book based on the mystery. She wants to find the truth about what happened to Sarah. If you've read and enjoyed Marley's other English Village Mysteries, this one, while it takes place in the same area, happens before the other book and features different characters. I thought I might find that disappointing, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The new characters are fully developed, if not all that likeable, and the setting still feels like a claustrophobic small town. Natalie has certainly stirred a hornet's nest by redrawing attention to her sister's death. There are so many twists here. The town, her friends, her family are all holding on to major secrets, and just when you have some idea of what's going on, there's another surprise. It kept me...

Murder Most Wilde by Helen Golden

July 20, 2025July 19, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I love a good theater mystery. This time around, Perry is paying Algernon in an amateur production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Theaters are one of my favorite mystery settings, by the way. Actors are usually fabulously dramatic and I like the glimpses behind the curtains. But, this being the 12th Right Royal Cozy Investigation, of course someone ends up dead- Noel, the actor playing Jack. The police are stretched thin and ask for Bea and Perry's help. This one does work as a stand alone, but they are all such fun characters that really you should read some of the others too. The whole gang gets to work on the case. Perry has insider info from being on the cast and Bea sits in on the police's interviews. Simon, Perry's husband/former detective/crime writer/chef, and Rich, Bea's fiancé/police superintendent, add the professional perspective, as always. I like how everyone works together so well. And of course Daisy, Bea's...

Autumn Harvest Murder by R.M. Murphy

April 9, 2025April 9, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I'm not a fan of how these mysteries are framed, but I guess it makes them a little unusual. Denny is in a nursing home, telling one of the workers about the murders he helped solve. This time around, Denny is serving up pizza at the annual Harvest Festival and his Autumn Harvest Pie, with roasted organic butternut squash, carrots, garlic and kale, along with a three cheese blend is quite the hit. Unfortunately, when he goes back to the farm to pick up more veggies, he finds the owner, Flora, dead. By now, Denny is developing a bit of a reputation, so people assume he'll look into it. It's a short mystery so we obviously have limited suspects. The clues were decent, although once Denny makes a certain connection, it becomes very clear. Is he eventually just going to move back to town? Is he going to keep staying in a mediocre hotel? Does he take his food truck to other...

I Kill Always Love You by Helen Golden

April 4, 2025April 1, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

Bea, Perry and their families are taking a much needed holiday on the beach in Portugal. There are three villas in the complex and the security is good, but the neighbors are famous Hollywood people, which is a little concerning. Bea certainly doesn't want the press showing up. But then the director ends up dead in the pool at a party Perry and Simon are attending and the press becomes the least of Bea's worries. The man was not universally liked, but the police are focusing on the maid who Bea and her team are sure is innocent. To prove she's innocent, Bea, Perry, Rich, and Simon need to figure out who the real killer is. They definitely have their work cut out for them - turns out almost everyone is lying though and the clues point in different directions. The characters are fun and I love how well our main group get along and work together. Even the kids...

Music Festival Murder by R. M. Murphy

February 28, 2025February 28, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

Music Festival Murder is the second in the series. It could work as a stand alone, but they're quick so I'd probably just go back and read the first before starting this one. Denny and his pizza truck are back in his hometown, this time for JamFest. His friend Jerry's band is going to be playing on the mainstage, which is exciting. But of course someone gets killed - a boutique owner who is also the retired school band director. Denny starts asking questions. Thankfully he has hired a young man, Graham, to help at the truck so he has some freedom to traipse around the festival grounds looking for clues and talking to people. This one was another fun, quick mystery. I feel like the motive in these tend to be a bit weak. I read this a couple of days ago and I remember who the killer was but not why they did it....

Mozzarella Murder by R.M. Murphy

February 26, 2025February 28, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I love pizza - extra cheese, no pepperoni if it's from DiCarlo's, add some veggies if it's from another pizza place, which is more or less why I picked up Mozzarella Murder. Denny, our main character/amateur sleuth, is a widower in his 40s who has left his job as a copy editor to open a pizza truck. He is back in his hometown in Eastern Pennsylvania to sell pizzas at the annual Summerfest. His first stop in town is at the cheese shop run by his old friend Ruben. In the shop, the two find the dead body of motivational speaker and former classmate, Charlie Sampson. Denny decides he needs to investigate because it looks like Ruben might be the chief suspect. It turns out Charlie had more than one enemy. Denny has been out of town for a while, but he reconnects with several old friends and knows enough people in town that he still fits in well. He has...