Cozy Mystery – Carol's Notebook

A Field Guide to Murder by Michelle L. Cullen

October 29, 2026October 29, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

I picked up A Field Guide to Murder because I won the second one in a Facebook group and thought, since there are only two, I'd go ahead and read the first. The setup is good. Harry is a widower recovering from a broken hip, and Emma is his caregiver. When one of Harry's neighbors dies, maybe poisoned, maybe not, Harry and Emma get caught up in figuring out who the killer is. Harry was interesting but annoyed me after a while. He spends a lot of time alternating between feeling sorry for himself and bragging about how amazing his career was before he retired. He seems to have gone everywhere, done everything, and taken an interest in every aspect of anthropology. It was a bit much. And Emma? I don't know why the women in the books I've read lately are all engaged to men they don't really want to marry but seem unable to stop the ball from rolling....

Jay to the World by Donna Andrews

October 23, 2026October 27, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

Yes, I might be starting my Christmas reading a little early this year. No, I don't care. Jay to the World is #40 in the Meg Langslow series, but I haven't read even close to all of them. I like that you can jump in and out of the series without feeling like you've missed much. It's almost Christmas in Caerphilly, and we all know that means family, food, and chaos. Meg's mom, Margaret, has a lot going on - family and old friends are in town, she's working on a playhouse for two-year old Brynn, is decorating a room in the annual "Show House." It's all (almost) under control, until Margaret finds the playhouse vandalized and is attacked. It turns out she has several potential enemies in town, and it's up to Meg and the police to keep her safe and figure out who the bad guy is. I like how well Andrews balances the mystery and cozy aspects of...

And Then There Were Bun by Vivien Chien

October 13, 2026October 13, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

I like Lana and her friends and family, but I've never been a huge fan of her detective boyfriend, Adam, and here he's the main suspect in the murder of her ex-boyfriend from college. Adam is suspended while the case is being investigated, which is even more awkward because Megan, Lana's best friend, is dating the chief, Adam's boss. I didn't necessarily love this one. The whole throwback to college people when you're 30 and haven't seen them since forever seems odd. It's weird that the ex even came to the party and Adam's behavior, both losing control during an argument and being so secretive about how he's spending his time recently, seemed out of character. Sometimes I just want characters, and people in real life for that matter, to act like grown ups. The mystery itself was fine. We had plenty of clues and several suspects. I'm not a fan of how quick Lana and Megan can be at jumping to...

Murders in the Marquee by Dana Mentink

October 5, 2026October 5, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

I didn't love Murders in the Marquee. The setting had potential, a fancy hotel in San Francisco in the early 1900s. The ducks, who paraded through the lobby on a daily basis, were cute. The rest of the book was kind of dumb. Our three amateur sleuths, Kitty, a hotel guest, Saul, the man who takes care of the ducks, and Henry, the elevator boy, were an unlikely team, given the era and Kitty's social class. Kitty herself is a bit annoying. Her clearly well-off and all she does is whine. I never really cared about Saul or Henry and felt like their personalities were rather superficial. The mystery was slow. All the clues added up in the end, but they're doled out one at a time and it's like the three have to deal with each clue before they're allowed to have the next. I will say I didn't pay attention to who the publisher was. This would definitely fall...

Middlebridge Mysteries 2 by Ken Cuperus

September 29, 2026September 29, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

This is a fun audio. We have three separate mysteries, each with two episodes-one involving Violet's mom, one involving Stuart, and one involving Professor Bellows. Violet is not the most organized person and juggling classes and the mysteries she keeps getting involved in is difficult. She's also not the most considerate person - she only pays attention to her boyfriend when she needs something. I like that her relationship with Stuart is turning a little more friends and less a pure rivalry. The mysteries fit into the college setting. They're not overly complicated since they're each only about an hour long. The characters are well-developed, even the annoying ones have their good points, and the voice actors are great. I'm usually not a huge fan of full cast, but since this was designed to be an audio, never a print book, it works well. I'm looking forward to the next installment, and Mistletoe Murders 5 comes out this November....

Murder in the Upper Crust by Mindy Quigley

September 25, 2026September 25, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

I love a good foodie cozy mystery and Delilah's pizzas sound delicious. This time around, she has reluctantly agreed to cater a wellness retreat led by an overly demanding mindfulness influencer. When a guest is found dead in her zen tent, it’s up to Delilah and her usual crew to track down the killer. There's a new police chief in town and she was quirky, I guess. I like it when the police and our amateur sleuths can get along and both are competent, but the way the chief brough Delilah into the case and setting up Capone undercover as a bartender in a town where literally everyone knows him, even if the retreat attendees don't, seemed odd. The mystery itself was put together well. We had several suspicious people, and a couple of motives floating around. I felt like Delilah could have put together a few pieces quicker than she did. I also don't love that her ex owns...