Hawaiian Holiday Homicide (Aloha Lagoon Mystery Book # 26) by Rosalie Spielman

 From author Rosalie Spielman comes a cozy Christmas caper !

For marine biologist Nelly O’Hare, "Mele Kalikimaka" on the island of Kauai means enjoying the holiday with her cute golf pro boyfriend, Jack Frango, getting ready for her bestie, Kiki Hepburn’s, wedding, and lots and lots of Hawaiian rain. Nelly is excited for it all—even the rain.

Mr. and Mrs. Barrington, Kiki’s high society parents, have come to Aloha Lagoon for the holiday and the wedding. Unfortunately, they've brought along some not-so-welcomed guests in tow. But when the rude and cantankerous couple create havoc among the wedding party, everyone is shocked when they're found dead on the golf course. Even more shocking is that the only people present at the scene at the time of the crime are Mr. and Mrs. Barrington—and Jack.

Nelly tries to stay out of the ensuing investigation, but despite her best efforts, she's soon drawn in by the murderer on the loose. The victims' adult children, their conniving female friend, and the family’s big-tipping lawyer all had a reason to want the couple gone, but it’s going to take some careful snooping to figure out who the putter-wielding killer really is. Will Nelly be able to find the truth before her friend's nuptials? Or will the wedding be derailed as the murderer strikes again...

What critics are

"This cozy series will hook you so you’ll want to read all that came before!"
~ Book review Crew

"Spielman has a magnificent imagination!! She sure has a knack with creating stories that have you coming back for more!! "
~ Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

"This was such a fun mystery with the perfect setting for armchair travel. I wish I could visit Aloha Lagoon (without the murder). I read this quickly and was sorry to say goodbye to the characters and setting. Thankfully there are many books available in the series and more publishing in the future."
~ Kings River Life Magazine


About Aloha
There's trouble in paradise...
Welcome to Aloha Lagoon, one of Hawaii's hidden treasures. A little bit of tropical paradise nestled along the coast of Kauai, this resort town boasts luxurious accommodation, friendly island atmosphere...and only a slightly higher than normal murder rate. While mysterious circumstances may be the norm on our corner of the island, we're certain that our staff and Lagoon natives will make your stay in Aloha Lagoon one you will never forget!  (Summary via Goodreads)

With twenty-six books in the series and a website dedicated to it, readers cannot help but love the Aloha Lagoon Mystery series.  This series has a number of authors who write for it, most with multiple books.  Each book, regardless as to who the author is, has a few things in common ... the resort and the businesses surrounding it and Detective Ray Kahoalani because there is always a murder.

In Hawaiian Holiday Homicide, the twenty-sixth book, written by Rosalie Spielman main character Nelly O'Hare is preparing for her best friend's wedding.  Nelly and Kiki have known each other since college, and both chose Kauai in Hawaii to live and work.  And they both met the loves of their lives there even though Kiki and Dex are farther along since they are going to be married on Christmas Eve.

When Kiki's parents arrive in their private jet, they have more people than expected.  They have brought friends Mr. and Mrs. Stronzo, her son, his son and a girlfriend of one of them.  Kiki is going to just go with the flow and let nothing upset her or get in the way of her special day.  Unfortunately, no one knew there would be a DOUBLE murder !!!

Nelly's boyfriend Jack, who is a golf pro for the resort golf course agrees to caddie for the Barrington's and the Stronzo's but somehow while Jack is on an errand to get waters and the Barrington's have stepped away to look at the ocean, both Mr. and Mrs. Stronzo turn up dead.  It is apparent that Mr. Stronzo is murdered due to the injury to his head, but it is unclear as to how Mrs. Stronzo died.

All Nelly should be doing is working as well as making sure Kiki stays calm and her wedding goes off as planned. But somehow, she cannot help herself and she is soon suspecting everyone .... except the person she should have until it is almost too late !!

The Aloha Lagoon Mystery series has so much to love.  Having multiple authors contributing to it keeps it fresh and interesting.  And you will find yourself loving Detective Ray even though he is there to solve a murder.  It is too bad that the Aloha Lagoon Resort isn't real because this girl, even though I hate traveling, would totally go there !!

Tea & Trouble (A Bookstore Cozy Mystery Book # 3) by Lucinda Race

Bookstore owner Lily Michaels still doesn’t know which kind of witch she’s going to be. She’s planning to read fortunes at her parents’ tea booth at the Fall Festival in the small town of Pembroke Cove, Maine. Is that her gift? Her snarky familiar, Milo, isn’t a lot of help. Lily’s mother warned her that reading the leaves would change someone’s life. Lily’s ready to make some changes of her own. Her relationship with Detective Gage Erikson—a.k.a. Detective Cutie— seems to be stuck in the perpetual friend zone. Maybe it’s time she went on a real date with someone else, like the new guy in town, Dax Peters.

Gage would like nothing more than to go on a real date with Lily, but romance will have to take the back burner when he’s is called to investigate another murder. Someone cut short the life of successful rose grower, Dean Hartley. Since when does horticulture lead to homicide?

Gage would be thrilled if Lily stuck to reading tea leaves and stayed out of trouble, but that’s just not in her puzzle-loving personality. Why were all the garden club members arguing with Dean at the festival? When Lily teams up with Gage once again in the race to resolve the rose-grower’s murder, can she continue to keep both her feelings and her magic a secret from Gage? Or will roses finally lead to romance for them?  (Summary via Goodreads)

I fell in love with Lily and Gage in the first book in the Bookstore Cozy Mystery series, Books & Bribes written by Lucinda Race and couldn't wait to see what trouble Lily would get into in Catnaps & Crime, the second book.  And now I have just finished Tea & Trouble, the third book and the trouble continues to boil over !!

In Tea & Trouble we get right into ... Lily recently found out she was a witch , her cat is her familiar and talks, and there are more witches living in Pembroke Cove, Maine then she realized .... including her aunt and her best friend, oh and her dad !!!  But I am getting away from the point.  So Lily is working a booth at the Fall Festival, they are selling her mom's homemade tea blends and Lily is reading customer's tea leaves, for fun. (not a lot of people know who are witches and that they have special "powers") 

After observing a commotion at anothet booth, Lily decides to intervene and suggests to Dean, who has a flower booth there, to come have a cup of tea and she would read his tea leaves.  Neither of them had any idea how spot on Lily's reading would be when she saw a broken sword and he shows up dead later that dad from a pair of pruning shears to the chest !!!

Even though Lily has been successful in helping her best friend Detective Gage Erikson in the past, he continues to lecture her to stay away from his crime scenes and investigations.  This time she has a loophole, she insists that she will not go alone to the scene .... and she doesn't, she gets her other best friend Nikki to tag along.

Readers will love this series and everything within.  You will love Lily as the main focus as she tries to come to terms with being a witch as well as learning who else is a witch in her town,  To learn that your cat can talk ... yes please !!!  Also you will love Gage and the way he handles Lily.  You cannot help but also love their relationship and seeing it unfold !!  And having chapters dedicated to each of their viewpoints is genius !!  It really allows readers to see the story from both of them.  

Death on Dickens Island (The Books on the Beach Mysteries Book # 1) by Allison Brook

A divorced sleuth in her thirties must bring peace back to her small town after a murder tears neighbors and family members apart in this series debut from Agatha Award-nominee Allison Brook, perfect for fans of Cynthia Riggs and Eva Gates.

Delia Dickens has come home to Dickens Island, a small island in the Long Island Sound, after a twelve year stint in Manhattan. She’s looking forward to helping her father revitalize the general store that the family owns as well as curating a small book nook. Most importantly, she wants to reunite with her 15 year old son. But Dickens Island isn’t the peaceful town Delia remembers–and she might be in more danger here than she ever was in the big city.

Delia’s Aunt Reenie and Uncle Brad, both prominent community leaders, are at odds over the sale of a farm and its future use. This has created friction, not only in their marriage, but amongst the citizens of the town. When a young woman, new to the town council and friendly with Brad, is found murdered, everything escalates and reaches a new boiling point.

With Reenie and Brad both suspects in the case and at each other’s throats, the townspeople start to take sides. When the ghost of her grandmother visits her, Delia learns how past events have impacted the present and it is up to her to expose the farm’s sordid secrets, in order to catch a murderer and restore peace to her beloved island.  (Summary via Goodreads)

I am a fan of The Haunted Library Mystery series by Allison Brook so when I saw that she had started a new series, I knew I had to check it out.  And seeing as The Books on the Beach Mystery series is centered on an island and also has a ghost, I couldn't wait !!  And the first book Death on Dickens Island does not disappoint !!

In Death on Dickens Island readers are introduced to Delia Dickens who has returned to the island named after her family.  She has been away for too long and is back to live in the house her grandmother left to her and to raise her fifteen year old son, Connor.  When she was divorcing Connor's abusive dad, she left Connor with her parents on the island to keep him safe not knowing it would be twelve years before she took him back ... and now she is back on the island also.

Delia is working with her father at the family's general store trying to get him to modernize it a bit but he is fighting her with her every suggestion.  Not only is there conflict between them but her aunt Reenie kicks her uncle Brad out of the house after they have been fighting a lot.  Aunt Reenie is the town manager and Brad is the head of the town council so they tend to argue but with a huge piece of land coming up for sale on the island, they both want different things for it.  Then a woman that Brad is friends with ends up murdered and Delia needs o know what is going on with her family and the island.

The Books on the Beach Mystery series is sure to be a huge success .... this first book sets things nicely for future books.  You will love the characters, they live on an island, there's a ghost, Delia has a secret room in her house, there's a murder and so much more !!!  I could tell you more about Death on Dickens Island but I think you should go grab your copy and dig in ......

Killer Commission (Cindy York Mystery series Book #7) by Catherine Bruns

Sometimes a commission check comes with a price that’s too high to pay…

After a hectic summer, real estate agent Cindy York is ready to relax and enjoy the autumn season with her family. She’s especially looking forward to a second honeymoon vacation with her husband to celebrate their silver anniversary.

But business must come before pleasure. When Cindy sends agent Olivia Lamphere in her place to show a house and the woman turns up dead, she promises her husband to stay out of the investigation. After another agent Cindy knows is murdered, she's forced to break that promise. What is the connection between the two women and why is she receiving threatening notes as well?

Can Cindy discover who’s making the deadly deals before she winds up the next victim?  (Summary via Goodreads)

The Cindy York Mystery series by Catherine Bruns will give you anxiety ... in a good way.  This series is full of so much excitement that you will breeze through reading it and will be shocked when you get to the end ... for two reasons, one because you are at the end already and two for the ending.  Bruns always has nail biting endings !!  

In Killer Commission Cindy and her husband Greg are celebrating their twenty-fixth wedding anniversary and going to go on a cruise.  That is if they can get through the next week .... easy peasy.  Not .....

Cindy gets a call to show a house that she has listed for sale.  She is a realtor at her best friend Jacques' real estate office.  The caller is very insistent, unfortunately both Cindy and Jacques have other obligations so they ask a fairly new co-worker to do.   Later that night Cindy gets a call from a neighbor of the house for sale regarding a car in the driveway. When Cindy goes over to check, she is shocked to find Olivia dead in the car.

Officer Brooks, who is well aware of the trouble that Cindy and Jacques can get into regarding his cases, is adamant that they stay out of it.  They agree until something else happens that makes Cindy realize that she was most likely the intended target ......

Catherine Bruns is one of my favorite authors.  Her books and series are such fun to read.  You can relate to the people (hopefully not the murders), they are people you would love to know and hang out with.  The jobs and careers that they have seem like tons of fun also. And yes she does have a knack with making you want to solve the murders as well.  And with Killer Commission being the seventh book in this series there is a lot to love !!!!

Dying Cry (Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Book #10) by Margaret Mizushima

A killer lurks in Colorado’s snowy high country in Dying Cry, the tenth thrilling installment of award-winning author Margaret Mizushima’s Timber Creek K-9 mystery series.

Newlyweds Mattie and Cole Walker are teaching Cole’s daughters how to snowshoe in a remote canyon when a shattering scream pierces the air. They know that somewhere ahead, someone has been injured or worse. Cole takes the girls while Mattie and Robo go deeper into the canyon to search for the source of the scream. 

From a distance, Mattie and Robo see a shadowy figure at the base of a cliff, but a rockslide buries the person under layers of stone and shale before they can provide help. Desperate to uncover the individual in case they’re still alive under the rock, their efforts are in vain. The victim is already dead. When they investigate the canyon rim from which the person fell, they discover evidence that indicates the fall was no accident. To make matters worse, the victim was one of Cole’s friends. 

The Timber Creek County investigative team springs into action, uncovering a trail of greed that leads to a killer who threatens Mattie’s cherished new family and tests her with the most difficult task she’s faced in her duty as a K-9 handler. (Summary via Goodreads)

With ten book in Margaret Mizushima's Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series I am happy to say that I have read most of them, only missing out on a few.  And I can tell you that I am a huge fan, love the characters, the town, the relationships, and the drama and murders !!

Dying Cry, the latest book, starts with main character Mattie spending a weekend with her new husband Cole, his two daughters and their dogs doing wintery activities at a local resort.  Unfortunately their weekend ends with them hearing a scream while snowshoeing and when Mattie goes to see what it was, she notices a human form in the snow.  But before she can get to it a rock avalanche occurs burying the person.

Luckily with help Mattie is able to uncover the person.  But Cole recognizes it as the husband of his veterinary assistant.  Tess is at the resort with her husband Tom who is there for work seminars through his job as manager of the local bank. Tom was supposed to be at a building used for seminars and such a ways away from the cliff he fell from ... which brings up lots of questions for Mattie and her team.

When Tom's death is ruled a homicide, Mattie has to put personal feelings aside and focus on why someone would want to kill Tom.  Cole, being the supportive partner and husband that he is, does whatever he can to help .....

Readers cannot get enough of this series !!  You fall in love with Mattie and her partner Robo and as soon as you start reading one of the books, you cannot help but w
ant a murder to occur so you can see them in action.... knowing it isn't real.  

A Wonderful Christmas Crime (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery Book # 6) by Jacqueline Frost

Innkeeper Holly White has a lot to be joyful about this season, until an attempted robbery throws the town into suspicion in the sixth installment of the Christmas Tree Farm mysteries from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.

As Christmas descends on Mistletoe, Maine, Holly White has an extra gift for the a new baby on the way. Her husband, Sheriff Evan Gray, has been worried about her elevated blood pressure and Holly has agreed to take this year easy. Being idle has never been one of Holly’s gifts, so when Evan surprises her with tickets to the town-wide dinner, she and her many cravings thank him. But when a thief tries and fails to steal an antique ornament from the dinner’s holiday display, it’s clear that someone is on the naughty list. 

The thief manages to escape, but after dinner, Holly spots their lifeless body. It’s clear that someone in town was keen to kill them. Evan is less than jolly to find his wife at the scene of yet another holiday homicide and asks her to promise that she’ll leave the investigating to the police. But Holly has never been one to turn down a challenge and has to get creative with the help of a few of her friends in order to find this killer.

Will she and her friends be able to stop the killer, and uncover the motive behind the attempted robbery, or will the killer strike again and paint the town a bloody red?  (Summary via Goodreads)

The Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series written by Jacqueline Frost is definitely a fall tradition for me .... seeing as the series is published in the fall, it gets you in the Christmas spirit early and adds the extra touch of solving a murder.   A Wonderful Christmas Crime is the sixth book in this series and hopefully you have read all of the previous books and a huge fan as well.  If not I can guarantee you will want to start reading them and catch up.

In A Wonderful Christmas Crime main character Holly and her friends and family are busy with everything Christmas as the family business is centered around the holiday.  Everyone, that is, except for Holly's husband Evan who is the local sheriff.  Fortunately Mistletoe, Maine is usually low with crime .... except for Christmas time it seems.

Holly and pretty much everyone in town is participating in the progressive dinner but when they are at their friends cafe, they witness a fight.  Holly, Libby, Cookie and Caroline decide to go back to the cafe and check on Alice but they end up finding a dead body and Alice with blood on her hands !!

Holly knows that Alice is innocent but Evan has insisted that she sit this investigation out and stay safe.  We all know she will try but she can't help it .....

I would read this series even if there wasn't a murder to solve.  I could hang around the tree farm drinking hot cocoa and playing all the fun games they have scheduled.  And I could shop in Santa's Village and eat at Caroline's cupcake shop and just hang out with everyone !!!    

There is so much to love within this series, there is something for even the pickiest reader to enjoy !!  So grab your copy, a hot beverage and a sugary treat and settle in ......

The Write Way to Die (Murder By the Book Mystery series Book # 1) by Beth Prentice

From USA Today bestselling author Beth Prentice comes a brand new series filled with humor, romance, and deadly deceptions...

A writing retreat. A famous author. A deadly fall.

Aspiring novelist Aubrey Jackson never expected her big break to be wrapped in crime scene tape. Invited to an exclusive writer’s retreat hosted by the legendary author Willow Fox, Aubrey was excited to sharpen her plot twists and finally finish her first book. But when Willow is found dead—pushed from a third story window—the peaceful getaway turns into a real-life investigation.

With a retreat full of suspects, and the police pointing the finger at one of her best friends, Aubrey’s instincts kick in. After all, she’s read enough murder mysteries to know this wasn’t an accident! So with her writer buddies, Ellie and Spencer, by her side, she sets out to find a killer!

Only problem? The sharp detective with gorgeous eyes and enough muscles to be on a magazine cover, who has a frustrating determination to arrest the wrong person.

Can Aubrey uncover the truth before the killer writes her off for good? Or will her first big break end in a plot twist she never saw coming?

And don't forget to pick up Aubrey Jackson's debut novella, Murder for Shore!   (Summary via Goodreads)

The Write Way to Die is the first book in the Murder By the Book Mystery series by Beth Prentice and it has a lot to love .... a story that grabs you instantly, a cast of strong characters, one stronger than the other as they are a murderer, a great setting for this first of hopefully many in the series, a story within a story, plus much more !!!

In The Write Way to Die main character Aubrey is going on a weekend writing retreat with her best friend, Elle and another good friend Spencer.  Another good friend of Aubrey and Elle's is co-hosting the event with a popular author that they cannot wait to spend time with and learn from .... unfortunately Willow, the author, is found dead outside and Aubrey is the one to find her !!!

It is soon ruled murder as she was pushed from her third floor room window.  And with the retreat consisting of authors and individuals that want to be authors, everyone is talking and they all have their own ideas.  Except one of them is most likely the murderer so .....

Aubrey is there to work on the story that she is writing, a cozy mystery, so when she can't focus on her writing she wonders about Willow's murder and cannot help but start to do her own investigating.  And Elle and Spencer are just as bad and go along with it all.  Even though Aubrey gets in too deep and the handsome detective is constantly telling her to stop !!

Prentice has a great foundation with this first book in this series.  There is so much to love as I stated already.  And the way that she ends this story, you know you are in for it all and be waiting for the next book ... I know I will be.