DEATH BY PUMPKIN by N. Granger_Review

Death by Pumpkin: The Rhe Brewster Mysteries by N.A. Granger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review of DEATH BY PUMPKIN
by N. Granger

An entertaining and highly intriguing Maine cozy, DEATH BY PUMPKIN is third in a series. Imaginative in premise, this mystery begins with a bang and strongly hooks the reader, and enwraps us with the characters and storyline. Rhe Brewster is an ER nurse, mother of an ADHD son, widow, and sister-in-law of the police chief of her community. She is also a part-time police consultant. The author warmly endears the characters, as murder rears its very ugly head (even though it's performed creatively), and emotions run high (and for some, even higher). DEATH BY PUMPKIN is a mystery delineating the adage “Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer.” I'll definitely be looking to review other mysteries in the Rhe Brewster series.

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MISS FEESENSCHNEEZEN IS ILL by David Parmelee_Review

Miss Feesenschneezen Is Ill by David Parmelee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review of MISS FEESSENSCHNEEZEN IS ILL by David Parmelee

Designed for middle grade readers, but a delightful read for adults who need a humour injection, this story is narrated by a member of a “troubled class,” a class of “misfits” perhaps, who nevertheless admire and respect their beloved teacher, Miss Feessenschneezen. A take-no-nonsense teacher who gives respect and expects respect, she is unexpectedly taken ill, and misses several days of school while physicians and specialists demand expensive testing of what is probably simple bronchitis. Her students' admiration of her doesn't extend to substitutes, who must be summoned from outside the school system, as no enrolled subs will agree to teach this class! In the end, the conclusion is delightful and heartwarming. Even troubled readers ought to warm to this story.

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DINING WITH THE DEAD by Carrie Marsh_Review

Cozy Mystery: Dining With The Dead by Carrie Marsh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review of DINING WITH THE DEAD by Carrie Marsh
(Millerfield Village Cozy Mysteries)

A delightfully tenderhearted “sweet cozy,” DINING WITH THE DEAD is part of the Millerfield Village Cozy Mysteries Series, but functions well on its own, so you needn't have read others in the series to enjoy this. Laura Howcroft had left Cambridge to work as restaurant manager at a village hotel, where she is popularly considered a “foreigner,” an outsider, and mistrusted, especially after another “foreigner,” a hotel visitor, is discovered in the very early morning, deceased in the restaurant Laura manages. Intrepid Laura puts aside her hurt feelings and becomes an anonymous amateur investigator. On the technical side she is aided by Dr. Lucas; she also has her cat Monty, with whom she communicates (an especially pleasant aspect of this story!). As Laura discovers, greed can make a murderer, and her life is on the line as well when she unravels the facts behind the death.

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