Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mysteries #1 – 4

Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mysteries #1 – 4

by Carol1 Comment
I was looking for a book set in Italy and found Murder in Tuscany. It was fun and I ended up listening to the first four in the series, one right after the other, from the library. Retired DCI Dan Armstrong is a fish out of water at a writing retreat in Tuscany. Yes, he's an aspiring writer, but definitely not of erotica. Then someone is killed and he's helping the local police solve the crime between writing classes and sight-seeing. I loved the setting, a large villa in the Italian hills. We have a closed circle of suspects, several of whom are hiding secrets. Dan is a bit sexist and a bit mopey, but it's a quick read and the dead guy was not a good person, by any stretch of the imagination. Dan is staying in Tuscany, has a house and a dog and everything. He agrees to help the local chief and his friend Virgilio catch the killer,...
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The Sea Turtle Did It by Kay Dew Shostak

The Sea Turtle Did It by Kay Dew Shostak

by CarolNo Comments
I discovered the Southern Beach mysteries last year when I was on vacation on Amelia Island, fictionalized here as Sophia Island. I absolutely loved the town, the beach, everything, and the author does a fabulous job with bringing the area to life in these books. Jewel is still new to the island but I love the women she's become friends with. This time around a young woman's body is found in a fake turtle nest and the police don't seem to be getting anywhere, so the lunch group start digging around for answers. The women each being their strengths and connections to the case. They get to the solution before I did, that's for sure. And I like seeing Jewel settle in and embrace her new home and life, even if her husband won't come visit. I need to order # 3 soon....
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Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

by CarolNo Comments
Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is a decent cozy murder mystery set on Chicago's south side. I love Savvy, who owns a soul food restaurant and does some catering. Business is good, until Grandy Jaspers drops dead while eating her famous sweet potato pie. Even though it was ruled an accident, people are avoiding the restaurant. And to be honest, while Savvy knows it wasn't her pie that killed Grandy, she does think he might have been murdered. Savvy is a middle-aged widow who is smart, sassy, and determined, but maybe not the best detective. This is her first case though. And it's a tough one. We have tons of characters, most of whom she knows from one place or another, and they all seem to have secrets, even her assistant/side-kick, Penny. I actually had a hard time keeping everyone straight, and since I listened to the audio, I couldn't exactly flip back to see who was who....
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Written in Stone by Paige Shelto

Written in Stone by Paige Shelto

by CarolNo Comments
I love Delaney and the crew at The Cracked Spine and this series always leaves me wanting to visit Edinburgh. And I love Delaney and her quirky friends/co-workers. It's also nice that she's happily married to someone who is not a cop. This time around a visiting professor who is attempting to sell a Pictish artifact is killed. We get some good background on the Picts and, randomly, dinosaurs, which was fun. This series always does a nice job weaving history with the current mystery, The whodunnit was a little too obvious and, while the 3D printing aspect added a contemporary touch, i just can't believe it would dupe anyone. There's no way 3D printed artifacts/ fossils would hold up to even a cursory look, so why bother with the printing part at all? Why not just bluff that you have them? I did enjoy the story, even if it wasn't quite as good as some of the others. It's...
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Murder Most Wilde by Helen Golden

Murder Most Wilde by Helen Golden

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...
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A High-End Finish by Kate Carlisle

A High-End Finish by Kate Carlisle

by CarolNo Comments
I've read at least one other Fixer-Upper mystery and watched the Hallmark shows, but I was looking for something free to listen to and found this one. I didn't love it to be honest. Shannon goes out on a blind date that ends badly, with her kneeing him and threatening to kill him - in front of a beach of witnesses. Of course, the guy later turns up dead - in one of the houses her company is remodeling, killed with one of her distinctive pink tools. She is, of course, a suspect and decides she needs to clear her name. Unfortunately, most of the other suspects are women too. The guy was jerk. I like Shannon in the tv show, but here she seems young. She doesn't learn and continues to threaten to kill people throughout the book (because doesn't everyone) but then is dismayed when they end up murdered, or almost murdered. She still has some kind...
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