REVIEW: Pie A La Murder by Melinda Wells

Della Carmichael owns a local cooking school and is the star of a cable cooking show. Her boyfriend, Nicholas, tells her out of the blue that he has an 18-year-old daughter, Celeste. He hasn't seen her since she was a baby and she now wants to come live with him. Celeste wants to be an actress. She arranges to have a photo shoot with a celebrity photographer who tries to exploit her. When he is found murdered, Nicholas is a prime suspect. Della must clear his name and stay alive as she becomes the target of the real killer. While doing this she deals with not only Celeste, a surly teenager, but Tanis, Nicholas' ex-wife, and the Prince she plans to marry. And if that isn't enough, she has to organize a baking contest for charity.

This is a series I love to read. The author does such a great job of creating believable characters and plotting out a story I can see happening. There are plenty of red herrings and twists and turns to keep you guessing until the killer is revealed. I love the cooking theme. The recipes included in the book sound very good. I hope to try some one day. This is a series I enjoy receiving the next book to read. I highly recommend this book!

Fiber & Brimstone by Laura Childs

Halloween in New Orleans. What could be better? Carmela and Ava are building a monster puppet for the Monsters and Mayhem Torchlight Parade and stumble upon the body of Brett Fowler.

Jekyl, Carmela's good friend, is a prime suspect because he argued with Brett shortly before his body was discovered. Carmela is convinced someone is framing Jekyl. Brett ran a ponzi scheme and owed Jekyl money. He wasn't the only person Brett owed. Suspects abound. Carmela and Ava set out to discover the real murderer. Can they do so without being the next victims?

Even though I've never been to New Orleans, I love reading books set there. This is one of my favorite cozy series. I feel as if I've been there after reading the books in this series. I love Carmela and Ava and the predicaments they find themselves in. I like the setting of her scrapbooking store and reading about the various projects.

Carmela is such a fun character. Ava is definitely a quirky character. The setting and Halloween really add to this cozy. The author does such a great job of plotting out the story that I didn't know who the killer was ahead. Made me want to keep turning the page.

I highly recommend this book and the complete series.

REVIEW: Tempest in the Tea Leaves by Kari Lee Townsend

This is the first in a new cozy mystery series, A Fortune Teller Mystery series.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are fun. The location was great. It was well written and kept me interested throughout.

Sunny has decided to make it on her own as a psychic. She buys an ancient Victorian house in Divinity, New York. She soon finds out the old house comes with a cat who just appears at the strangest times.

Sunny reads tea leaves and gives a reading to the librarian, seeing her death. She informs the police. Too late. She becomes the prime suspect.

Soon the chief pairs her up with Detective Mitch Stone to solve the murder. While they investigate the murder, sparks begin to fly between them. Can they find the killer and keep Sunny save? Can an unbeliever and a believer find love together?

I'm not into paranormal books unless they are on the light side. This is and it is a fun cozy to read. If you're looking for a serious mystery, this might not be for you. On the other hand, if you like to laugh when reading a mystery and want something light but that will hold your interest, I highly recommend this book. I look forward to reading the next one.

Flowerbed of State by Dorothy St. James

Casey Calhoun is an assistant gardener at the White House. The First Lady brought her in to make gardening at the White House more organic. While preparing the grounds for the annual Easter Egg Roll she is creating her plan to present to the Grounds Committee regarding her new organic ideas.

Weeding one of the park's gardens, she is attacked from behind and ends up face down in the garden. She notices some broken limbs on a tree while explaining what happened to a Secret Service Agent. She goes over to investigate and discovers a dead woman stuffed into a trash can.

She begins looking into the case and trying to discover the killer. Can she do so without putting herself in danger and not losing her job?

I really enjoyed this book. It is a fun, light cozy read. I have lived in D.C., so I love mysteries set around and in the White House. I hope there will be many more escapades with Casey Calhoun. She's a very likeable character and the other characters make for a believable story. The author did a great job of plotting and setting the scene.

I highly recommend this book!

Betrayal of Trust by J. A. Jance

I have been reading J. A. Jance for many years. I started reading her J. P. Beaumont series. Then I read her Joanna Brady series and now her Ali Reynolds series. I like all three. This book is the latest in the J. P. Beaumont series. I enjoyed it. I can see the growth of the writer through this series. Also J. P. has gone through a lot of personal growth and I like that. I like him much better now than in his earlier novels.

A video is discovered with a snuff film. At first it seems to be a childish game. Then the girl ends up dead. It was on the phone of the Washington State governor's grandson. The boy has a troubled past and swears he's never seen the girl before.

J. P. Beaumont and his partner (and wife) Mel Soames begin investigating. They follow the path of corruption to its end, hopefully before more innocent young lives are lost.

I thought the author did a great job with such a tough subject, especially with minors involved. She got across the seriousness of everything without having to be morbid or go into too many details. I found it hard to put this book down, as I do with most of her books. It will keep you wanting to find out who did it. I did not guess the perpetrators before they were uncovered.

I highly recommend this book and all three of her mystery series.

Dawn Dowdle

Working Stiff by Annelise Ryan

Mattie Winston caught her husband, Dr. David Winston, in a compromising situation with nurse Karen Owenby. She quit her job and moved out. Her best friend, Izzy, offered her a place to stay and a job as deputy coroner. Her first homicide turns out to be Nurse Karen. Even though she saw David in a heated argument with her the night before, she refuses to believe he could be a killer. She is soon investigating the murder and putting herself in danger.

This is the second in the series but the first one I've read. I really enjoyed the characters and their interaction. The author did a great job at creating characters the reader cares about and a plot that keeps you wondering who the killer can be until it is revealed. I look forward to reading many more in this series. Great job!

Retirement Homes are Murder by Mike Befeler

I really enjoyed this book. I don't know why I didn't read it sooner! I can't wait to read the other two in this series. The main character wakes up and doesn't know where he is. Turns out he moved into a retirement home the day before. He has short-term memory loss every time he sleeps. It's hilarious. The author did a fabulous job setting up this book. The characters are fabulous. HIGHLY recommend!!!! Let me know what you think if you read this book.