Bait and Swiss by Korina Moss

Bait and Swiss by Korina Moss

by CarolNo Comments
Curds & Whey has only been open two years and Willa needs to solve a sixth murder. Willa's ex-fiancé, Pierce, and his partner, Willa's former best friend, Riley, have opened a pop-up chocolate shop in the town's revamped bakery. Willa is, reasonably in my opinion, angry that the pair has chosen her town for their newest store, but when a reporter is killed by poisoned chocolates, she knows she's not guilty, even if the police chief isn't so sure. I felt a little bad for the character who got killed. We met him, saw he was pushy, and then he was dead. There was never much consideration that he was even the intended victim. The reader has several suspects to look at, although Willa would rather not believe any of them are guilty. And was destroying the business's reputation the point, or was someone trying to kill AJ, the newspaper editor, or Willa herself? Turns out Pierce is not a very...
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Haunting and Homicide by Ava Burke

Haunting and Homicide by Ava Burke

by Carol2 Comments
I love catching a new series at the beginning and Haunting and Homicide is a fun read and a good introduction to Tallulah “Lou” Thatcher and her family and friends, both living and dead. Lou lives with her grandmother in New Orleans and has a business doing ghost tours which makes perfect sense since she has been able to see and talk to ghosts since she was little. When a rival ghost tour guide dies Lou is unfortunate enough to stumble across his body. But now he's a ghost who begs her to make sure the police find out who killed him. She wants to help and she wants to clear her own name - she found the body, they were clearly not friends, and the murder weapon came from her store. The mystery is well-written with several twists and surprises. This is Lou's first outing as an amateur sleuth and she's not great at it yet, but she does...
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Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin

Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin

by Carol5 Comments
Paul, still grieving after the loss of his partner and not in a steady job, takes over a cookery class from his old friend, Christian, who has broken his arm. It's a residential cooking school held in an old mansion in Belgravia, just a short walk from Paul's own house. Paul is not thrilled with the situation, not only because he has no idea what he'll be paid, but all of the students are major Christian fans and are disappointed that Paul has taken his place. And then he discovers Christian's body, clearly murdered, and Paul becomes one of the main suspects. The mystery's good enough. Each of the students and even the cooking school owner have secrets and possible motives for wanting Christian dead. We have several clues and a few red herrings. It's a bit like a house party mystery, especially when Paul ends up having to stay there too. The suspects are limited to those in the...
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The Christmas Eve Murders by Noelle Albright

The Christmas Eve Murders by Noelle Albright

by CarolNo Comments
I don't know. The Christmas Eve Murders had a lot of what I'm looking for in a Christmas cozy - a warm fire, Christmas decorations, good food, too much snow, and quirky characters, but I never really bought into it. Maddie Marlowe, a reporter, is having the worst Christmas Eve ever. She's heading home to a town just outside of Edinburgh, but got a late start because she had to work late. Then a traffic tie up made her reroute taking her through the Yorkshire Dales, where her car breaks down. Due to the increasing snow, the auto club can't get to her until the next day, so she has to take refuge at the local pub, the Merry Monarch, which also has rooms for rent. For some reason, the pub hosts a Christmas Eve scavenger hunt, which she is convinced to join in on. And then of course, there's a murder. Maybe the fact that Maddie is an outsider,...
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A Holiday Homicide by Ellie Alexander

A Holiday Homicide by Ellie Alexander

by CarolNo Comments
This time around the Secret Bookcase bookstore is hosting a gingerbread house competition, with celebrity host, baking influencer Lily. Really, what could be more Christmassy than a decorate bookstore and gingerbread? The event is going well, with only a bit of minor drama, until Annie finds Lily's dead body. Of course she's been murdered, and Annie decides to start investigating, assuming the woman was poisoned. At least the local police detective/ Annie's mentor appreciates her efforts and insights. This is a series where the main character and the authorities work well together. I like Annie. She's smart and has made a couple life decisions that have been weighing on her for a book or two. This is the fourth in the series and does pick up strands from the previous installments. I'm not sure how I feel about her love interest, Liam, yet. I think he's supposed to be sweet and caring, but he totally overreacted a time or two. Turns...
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Who Slayed The Santas? by Leighann Dobbs

Who Slayed The Santas? by Leighann Dobbs

by CarolNo Comments
Who Slayed the Santas? is fun, short, quirky and a little silly, just like the rest of the Juniper holiday series. This time around Juniper is getting ready for her over-the-top Christmas party and hires a Santa and his troupe for entertainment. The next day, one of the resident ghosts finds Santa dead under the Christmas tree. And that's just the first dead Santa. Detective Mallard and Juniper are both intent on solving the case. I like Juni. She's exuberant and caring, but she can be a little too mean to people sometimes. This is a totally Christmas mystery - decorations, food, music, it's all there. The mystery itself was fine if rushed. I did listen to the audio version. At least this time I knew in advance that the narrator wouldn't be my favorite....
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