MURDER IN THE LOCKED LIBRARY by Ellery Adams_Review

Murder in the Locked Library by Ellery Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: MURDER IN THE LOCKED LIBRARY by Ellery Adams (Book Retreat Mysteries)

Discovering Ellery Adams' cozy mysteries has given me true delight. MURDER IN THE LOCKED LIBRARY is my first read in the Book Retreat Mysteries series, a love letter to books, reading, book clubs, and bibliophiles--so much that makes life worthwhile. Additionally, this novel is a riveting mystery, with history, deep emotions, friendships, family loyalty--and secret societies. And you can't beat that. Guardian Jane Steward is one admirable heroine, and the world is a better place for her {and for her author, Ellery Adams!}

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THE ADVICE COLUMN MURDERS by Leslie Nagel_Review

The Advice Column Murders by Leslie Nagel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: THE ADVICE COLUMN MURDERS by Leslie Nagel

I raced through this cozy mystery at practicality the speed of light. I love to read a cunning puzzle requiring me to think and think hard, one in which the number of clearly possible suspects is multiple, and one that wrings my emotions as well. This second in the Oakwood Mystery Series is set in real-life Oakwood, Ohio, a peaceful community near Dayton. Hard-charging heroine and amateur sleuths Charley is a delight, and far from the only empowered woman here. The male characters are pretty exciting, too, and the author knows how to paint with broad brushstrokes as well as how to pencil in the fine lines. Quite an enjoyable and fascinating mystery.

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SWIM, BARK, RUN by Brian Boyle_Review

Shoggoth by Byron Craft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review: SHOGGOTH by Byron Craft

For a Lovecraft devotee such as myself, to discover a new Mythos author is sheer delight. SHOGGOTH is my first reading of Byron Craft. I perhaps chose SHOGGOTH to read first, because I spent January invested in rereads (and listening) of Lovecraft' s "At the Mountains of Madness," in which those bizarre creations, the Shoggoth, figure so prominently.

In this novel, the setting is not the frozen wilds of early 20th century Antarctica, but the U.S. Naval Weapons Center at China Lake, California. Deep in the Mojave Desert are petroglyphs tens of thousands of years old, inexplicable hieroglyphs, and impossible monsters. For the history and science we learn in school missed out on a lot, including Elder Gods.

SHOGGOTH strongly resonates with HPL' s "At the Mountains of Madness" and "The Shadow Out of Time," with the latter's explication of a long-term "Walk-In" experience caused by a race of Elder Gods (regardless of the effect on the human recipient). Mr. Croft also strums one of Lovecraft' s most cherished themes: when science and philosophy's driving quest for knowledge meets that which humanity is not meant to discover, something's gonna break (usually sanity).

I had a totally enjoyable time reading SHOGGOTH. In fact, I found myself envying the characters their exploration of hidden prehistory and their Lovecraftian encounters.


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FIT TO DIE by Ellery Adams_Review

Fit to Die by J.B. Stanley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: FIT TO DIE by Ellery Adams (Supper Club Mystery #2)

Everything about this series is delightful: plots, characters, setting, suspense, writing. This time around we also get our emotions wrenched, more than once, as we're offered a glimpse into several sad lives. The villain here is really "villainous," self-centered, more white-collar crime than "down and dirty," but even negligence can result in fatality. We also watch the budding connection between two of our characters, growing friendships, and a beginning resolution to an ongoing situation for our protagonist, with a family member. I really am eager to continue on with this series.

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CARBS AND CADAVERS by Ellery Adams_Review

Carbs and Cadavers by J.B. Stanley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: CARBS AND CADAVERS by Ellery Adams
(Supper Club Mystery #1)

Back in July 2015, I came upon GIVE 'EM PUMPKIN TO TALK ABOUT by the late lamented author-duo Joyce and Jim Lavene. I was enraptured with the cozy mystery subgenre {sub-sub?} Anyway, along with reading Horror and Extreme Horror I find I also love Cozies. Last week I read the first two in the Blue Ridge Library Series by Victoria Gilbert, set in a quaint community in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. The other day I received from NetGalley the second in Ellery Adams' Supper Club Mystery series, FIT TO DIE, so I felt impelled to buy the first of the series! I loved it! I experienced so much empathy for the "Flab Five," as they call the Supper Club. I don't think one has to be overweight, as these folks are, to understand. Anyone who has undergone bullying, denigration, insults (or a controlling abuser) will feel right at home. Anyone who feels "different" can identify. The characters are very realistic and so is the small-town setting of Quincy's Gap, Virginia, also in the Shenandoah Valley. Protagonist James Henry is a former English and History professor, who has returned to his home town to live with his reclusive father following his mother's death, and is now Library Director. He joins the newly established Supper Club to impel weight loss and to form friendships. Unexpectedly, this involves solving mysteries, and danger. It's all wonderfully compelling and for me, fast paced. On to the next mystery!

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SHELVED UNDER MURDER by Victoria Gilbert_Review

Shelved Under Murder by Victoria Gilbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: SHELVED UNDER MURDER by Victoria Gilbert (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery #2)

In this second in the exciting and enticing Virginia-set cozy mystery series, we learn much about Art (our protagonist' s undergraduate degree was in Art History) and we get to meet some new villains. Some familiar villainous characters carry over, demonstrating new sides of themselves. As she does so giftedly, author Victoria Gilbert weaves in historical backgrounds and patterns. In this series, history--whether local, regional, national, or international--can always be counted on to play an impressive backdrop. I just can't put aside this series!

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A MURDER FOR THE BOOKS_Review

A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: A MURDER FOR THE BOOKS (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery #1) by Victoria Gilbert

I quickly fell in love with this cozy mystery series, set in a historic, quaint (and nearly economically depressed) community in a valley near Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Librarian Amy Webber has to leave her position at a university library after her emotions overrule good sense, and moves in with her widowed Aunt Lydia in Taylorsburg, and becomes the Library Director. On the surface, Taylorsburg and environs seem just the kind of community idealized by Norman Rockwell, but as Amy, Aunt Lydia, and new neighbor Lydia begin to uncover, there is bad history, bad blood--and insanity. Sometimes the culpability of the fathers IS visited on future generations.

I especially enjoyed this mystery' s delving into history and psychology. Deeper thought applied here than is often the case. Author Victoria Gilbert marvellously peeled off the layers of her characters, giving us glimpses at their cores, and providing villains unexpected but subsequently understandable. She also allows some gentle frissons of the possible paranormal, although protagonist Amy doesn't believe. The novel is riveting and encouraging, a true winner.

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Review: FATAL FLIP by M. E. Bakos

FATAL FLIP: A Home Renovator Mystery by M. E. Bakos
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: FATAL FLIP by M. E. Bakos

A fast-paced, intriguing yet character-endearing, cozy mystery, with a delightful frisson of clever humour and realistic ups and downs, FATAL FLIP is a Home Renovation Mystery. Our kindhearted yet feisty and self-respecting first-person protagonist has taken up "flipping" homes after losing out on her employment at a mega-hospital [Read, greed and ineffectual administration]. Katelyn "follows her bliss" into residence rehab and loves it--but meanwhile, she's got to endure the downtime waiting for that first rehabbed house to sell, and to feed herself and her beloved tuxedo cat Boots. Surely house sales would be speedier, if corpses stopped turning up, stashed inside abandoned or foreclosed homes.

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THE PEACOCK' S POISON by Ruby Loren_Review

The Peacock's Poison by Ruby Loren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: THE PEACOCK' S POISON by Ruby Loren (A Madigan Amos Zoo Mystery)

This lovable series continues to utterly delight and never disappoint. Zookeeper and animal welfare consultant Madigan (Madi) Amos is a warmhearted character who easily elicits both empathy and respect. She totally cares for all animals (and her rescue kitten) but she also cares for people as well, desiring and encouraging their best.

Back at Avery Zoo in Southeast England, after travels to France and Cornwall to consult, Madi is separated from mysterious and secretive boyfriend Lowell (temporarily? She doesn't know). A zookeeper for the nonce, Madi is supporting the new zoo owner, Auryn Avery, in the wake of his grandfather's passing. After a celebratory gathering, a death occurs, and the suspect list quickly stretches farther than an anaconda, as the deceased was prone to "love 'em and leave 'em." Madi is right in the center, as always.

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Review_MURDER IS A MONKEY'S GAME by Ruby Loren

Murder is a Monkeys Game by Ruby Loren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: MURDER IS A MONKEY'S GAME by Ruby Loren
(A Madigan Amos, Zookeeper Mystery)

I reiterate again how much I enjoy this series of cozy mysteries set in different zoos in varying locales! Ruby Loren is a talented writer, readily creating characters with whom I empathize, demonstrating that we all have many aspects; no one is either all good nor all bad, but a combination of traits and motivations.

In this installment, traveling zoo consultant Madigan {Madi} Amos is studying the animal welfare at a small zoo located near a tiny French village tucked away in a mountain valley. With an intriguing reader's hook, Madi and her devoted readers are "off to the races" as murder and other crimes, as well as simple but odd acts, rile the formerly peaceful village.

While Madi persists in investigating, a pair of agents from supposedly a secretive British government agency snoop around the community, with what Madi suspects are ulterior motives, and certainly incivility; and boyfriend Lowell, whom she first encountered during her first "case" develops some potentially odd behaviour. Throughout, Madi' s trademark intelligence and animal devotion shine through.

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DOG-GONE DANGER by Linda Joy Singleton_Review

Dog-Gone Danger by Linda Joy Singleton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: DOG-GONE DANGER by Linda Joy Singleton

A delightfully engrossing middle-grade mystery in the Curious Cats Spy Club series, DOG-GONE DANGER brings out serious issues which families may face, as well as focusing on the friendships and burgeoning life skills of three youngsters. When Kelsey's mom, the County Animal Control Officer, fails to meet Kelsey for a promised shopping date, Kelsey is distraught and angry. A concise text from Mom's phone convinces other family members, but not Kelsey, who with best friends Becca and Leo, proceeds to investigate, certain that Mom's absence is involuntary and connected to her work.

Designed for middle-grade readers, this exciting story is a fast read and a lot of enjoyment.




















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THE SILENCE OF THE SNAKES by Ruby Loren_ Review

The Silence of the Snakes: Mystery by Ruby Loren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: THE SILENCE OF THE SNAKES by Ruby Loren

This is the second in Ruby Loren' s Madigan Amos Zoo Mysteries, a series I joyfully recommend. The animal lore is enticing, and protagonist Madi Amos Is a delight. She is sometimes indecisive, quite often feckless, but she loves all animals and deeply cares for their well-being, so that makes her a winner in my view. After her stint at Avery Zoo, Madi, with Lucky, her rescue kitten, has become a itinerant zoo consultant, reviewing procedures and animal welfare on contract. At a private safari park near Hull, England, Madi is again confronted with thievery, treachery, and murder, at an ophidiophile' s dream.

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MURDER IN THE MANSION by Penelope Sotheby_Review

Murder in the Mansion: A Daniel Swift Mystery by Penelope Sotheby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review: MURDER AT THE MANSION by Penelope Sotheby [A Daniel Swift Mystery]

Attorney at Law Daniel Swift returns, defending a home health care nurse accused of murdering her wealthy patient, a Key West heiress. The widower, whom his wife wished to cast out, insists the nurse is both a jewelry thief and a killer. The deceased' s cousin, her caretaker, insists the husband--now widower--did the deed. Can Daniel sort out the truth prior to conviction?



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Review_MURDER AT THE INN by Penelope Sotheby

murder at the inn by Penelope Sotheby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: MURDER AT THE INN by Penelope Sotheby

Delightfully cosy, generously warm-hearted, this mystery novella has a lovely setting and empathetic characters. The beautiful setting at South Bay on Graham Island, off the Canadian West Coast, of the inn owned and operated by retirees Maureen and Daniel is dimmed when a guest is discovered dead. Maureen had inherited the property from her uncle, and the couple provides a pleasant venture, until this unforeseen and regrettable event. Readers who love cozy mysteries with twists, as for example Agatha Christie's Miss Marple village mysteries, will be attracted to MURDER AT THE INN.

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