A Christmas Killing In Deed (A Cindy York Mystery series Book # 8) by Catherine Bruns

They say no good deed goes unpunished, but in real estate, a bad one can get you killed.

Real estate agent and super sleuth Cindy York is excited to end the year on a positive note by closing on a luxurious Victorian style mansion just before Christmas. Both she and her best friend/boss, Jacques Forte, are counting on the deal to provide some much-needed merry money for the holidays.

After attorney Ernie Simmons makes a foolish blunder and the closing is canceled, mild-mannered Jacques loses his cool. He may be playing Santa at the upcoming real estate Christmas party, but that doesn’t stop him from doing his best Scrooge imitation.

But when Ernie turns up dead at the party and surveillance footage reveals that his killer was dressed in a Santa suit, Jacques quickly becomes the prime suspect. It's up to Cindy to sleigh a killer before her friend winds up on the naughty list!  (Summary via Goodreads)

I am a huge fan of author Catherine Bruns and her books.  It is no secret that her Cookies & Chance Mystery series is my favorite, that is not to say any of her other books are any less favorable.

I really enjoy the Cindy York Mystery series which A Christmas Killing In Deed, the eighth book, has just been released, and I couldn't wait to dive in.  I am going to forewarn readers that if you have read the previous ones, I think this one is really going to tug on your heartstrings.  If you are new to this series, I promise you that you won't be disappointed.

In A Christmas Killing In Deed Cindy who is a real estate agent working for her best friend Jacques is counting on a house closing to go through so that she can give her husband and children a magical Christmas.  Unfortunately, there is a problem with some paperwork so that does not happen.

Cindy tries to shake it off and have a good time at the Upstate Realtor's Association Christmas party with her husband Greg and, of course, Jacques.  Jacques has agreed to play the role of Santa which a lot of people have been joking about and he is not happy about it.  Jacques is not in the Christmas spirit and things just keep getting worse for him.

At the party he has a confrontation with a lawyer that no one really likes, things turn physical and it looks like both will be put on Santa's naughty list.

Sadly, that isn't going to matter to Ernie as he is found in the cloakroom stabbed to death .... And Cindy is the one to find him right after seeing Santa going down the hallway.

Of course, Jacques being the only person dressed as Santa Claus allegedly, is arrested for Ernie's murder.  Thankfully he is released after spending the night in jail and before he can go home and shower and change, Cindy is already working to prove his innocence.

Come on .... everyone knows that Jacques is a lover and not a fighter. He is devoted to his husband and son, dedicated to his business and employees and loyal to everyone.  Thankfully he has Cindy as his best friend, the two will do anything for the other, and have, but he will not sit quietly and not help, especially when it is his reputation on the line.

MAN..... I was not expecting to get so emotional at the end of this book.  Yes, I love the relationships and the storylines Bruns thinks up but she knows how to go deeper into things and really get the reader invested.  You feel like a part of the family.  You want things to work out and have as close to a happily ever after as you can when reading a cozy mystery and Bruns accomplishes that.

I highly recommend reading this as well as all of Bruns books.  You will not be disappointed and will still be thinking about the people and the story long after you close the book for the last time.  She will leave you looking forward to the next book so you can visit them again.

Murder in Spa City (Sam Lawson Mystery Book # 7) by David K. Wilson

While visiting the idyllic resort town of Saratoga Springs, private detective Sam Lawson is thrust into a murder investigation of a wealthy businessman, and it isn’t long before he realizes the key suspects are every member of the victim’s dysfunctional family.

From the grieving widow harboring dark secrets to the scheming adult children with their own hidden agendas, everyone has a motive. But as Sam peels back the layers of deception amidst the backdrop of Saratoga Springs' historic landmarks and bustling nightlife, a mysterious stranger lurks in the shadows, casting doubt on everything he thought he knew.

Set against the historic landmarks and bustling nightlife of Saratoga Springs during horseracing season, Murder in Spa City unfolds as a riveting whodunit, brimming with colorful characters, unexpected twists, and Sam’s signature wit. With each turn of the page, the stakes escalate, leaving you guessing until the thrilling conclusion.

For fans of Agatha Christie, Murder in Spa City is a must-read. Author David K. Wilson delivers another masterfully crafted standalone novel in the acclaimed Sam Lawson Mystery series. If you enjoy classic mysteries with a modern twist, this fast-paced tale of intrigue, deceit, and suspense is the perfect addition to your bookshelf.

Grab your copy today and join Sam Lawson on his most challenging case yet.  (Summary via Goodreads)

I was very excited to read Murder in Spa City by David K. Wilson as the story is based in a town not far from where I live.  I was looking forward to spending time in Saratoga and who better to be with than Sam Lawson as he tries to solve a murder and not get into too much trouble.

Murder in Spa City is the seventh book in the Sam Lawson Mystery series and hopefully you know Sam as well as the rest of us devoted readers and know that when he is on a case, he is laser focused and will do whatever he needs to do to see it through .... even if he is warned off the case.

In Murder in Spa City Sam and his newlywed wife, Carla, are in town for Carla's sister's wedding so Sam has to be on his best behavior. 

While Carla and her sister are out doing wedding things, Sam decides to check out the racetrack.  There he meets the Cannon family and friends which he ends up partying with. Frank Cannon is well-known in the area as he has car dealerships all over.  He has two sons and a daughter, a loving wife, successful and rich but the morning after Sam meets them, he is called to the estate by the family lawyer.  It seems that sometime during the night, Frank got up and killed himself.

The family hires Sam to look into it seeing as they don't believe it and once Sam sees the scene, he tends to agree.  Sam begins his investigation by getting to know the family and close friends, trying to piece together what happened that night.  It seems that the family had dinner, argued, drank and everyone ended up spending the night, so the house was full of likely suspects. 

Wilson has a way of pulling the reader in immediately.  By the time you finish the first chapter, which sometimes is two and a half pages, you are hooked.  This is a captivating series with very interesting characters and the stories are crazy, good crazy !!!

Every time I finish a book in this series, I think that that one is my favorite.  Then I get the next book and forget it, that one is my favorite.   Let's just say that the Sam Lawson Mystery series is definitely one of my top series.  I love getting lost in Sam's world.....

Hometown Halloween Homicide (A Hometown Mystery Book # 7) by Rosalie Spielman

From author Rosalie Spielman comes hilarious haunt in a heartwarming hometown...

It’s the spookiest time of year in New Oslo, Idaho, and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Tessa Treslow is looking forward to spending time with her aunt and their friends as they give away candy at the New Oslo community Trunk-or-Treat event. But first she agrees to accompany local salon owner, Becky Baker, to a funeral home to style the hair of a recently deceased woman—where they are both in for a surprise! There’s a note addressed to Tessa in the decedent's bouffant do, asking Tessa to solve her murder. But was her death even a murder?

As odd as that is, things get weirder when the woman's body disappears...and then another body disappears from the funeral home as well! Where did they go? Who would take them? Tessa has barely has time to wonder before she and boyfriend, Nick, stumble upon yet another body—only this one is fresh, wearing a creepy clown mask, and has clearly been murdered. As Tessa realizes she knows the victim, she also realizes Becky's husband has a connection to all three of the recently deceased. Is it a coincidence or something more sinister? It's up to Tessa to find out before any more bodies pop up...or wander off.

Between a trio of “Grim Reapers” haunting the town, a glowing orb floating in the fields, a mysterious skeleton left on Tessa’s front porch, and a pup dressed like a hot dog, Tessa's hometown Halloween could not be wackier. Will Tessa and her friends find the murderer...before the killer makes clowns out of them all?


"Clever & Compelling Gem! An excellent read and high on my list for 2023 honors."
~Kings River Life Magazine

"You will also fall in love with New Oslo and its residents and businesses. You will want to pack a bag and jump in your car and head there as fast as you can!"
~ Cozy Mystery Book Reviews   (Summary via Goodreads)

It took me a while to collect myself after reading Homicide on the Range, the sixth book in the Hometown Mystery series by Rosalie Spielman.  So, it shouldn't have come as a shock when I started reading Hometown Halloween Homicide that things would have been any different.  Although with the storyline being centered around Halloween, I should have been prepared for the spooky aspects ...

In Hometown Halloween Homicide Tessa, Aunt Edna, Nick and the rest of the gang of New Oslo are gearing up for the Halloween activities.  Unfortunately, things get really spooky when Tessa is keeping her friend Becky company while she does hair and makeup for elderly Doris Gray who recently passed.  One of Becky's jobs is getting the deceased ready for their funerals.

While Becky is working on Doris' hair, she finds a note addressed to Tessa from Doris asking her to solve her murder.  But before they can do anything, Doris's body goes missing, ends up somewhere else in town and another body that was also at the funeral home ends up laying in the football field at the high school.

It doesn't take long to remember that Doris and the other deceased body, Pick, were high school sweethearts.  Questions arise whether it was murder or just a suicide pact.  But the fact that both bodies were originally at the funeral home but moved makes everyone uncomfortable.

Tessa and Aunt Edna begin to try to unravel things but it only gets spookier.  There are people dressed as the Grim Reaper showing up around town and the daughter of one of the "old coots' shows up in town right after it was said she would never set foot back in town.

I thoroughly enjoy this series, even with having to take a beat to recover from the story.  This is said in a very good way .... you want a story to affect you, that way you know it was a good book.  And with the books in this series, once you close the book for the last time, you will sit back, take a deep breath, and need a minute.  But don't worry, you'll carry on until the next book and get all the feelings again when you start it.

 

The Ghost and the Dead Librarian (Haunted Bookshop Detective Mystery Book # 1) by Cleo Coyle

 A Library Journal "Mystery Pick of the Month" In an utterly charming new mystery from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle, a smalltown Rhode Island bookshop owner investigates the death of an eccentric librarian with the help of a wisecracking, 1940s gumshoe ghost.

As a young widow, Penelope moved back to her quaint Rhode Island town to give her young son a safer home and her aunt’s dying bookshop new life. Using her late husband’s insurance money, Pen polished the store into a local treasure. But her updates did more than attract new customers. They roused a dead private eye from his big sleep.

With Pen’s affection for hardboiled detective stories, it’s no surprise she’s developed a fondness for the wisecracking yet oddly likeable spirit. Sure, Jack’s cold spots are exasperating, along with his proclivity for putting noir fiction in the cozy section. But murder was Jack’s business in life, and his PI skills come in awfully handy when the body of an eccentric librarian is found amid the bookshop’s aisles.

For years, Dory jokingly called herself “The Dead Librarian” because of her hobby of collecting and writing local obituaries. Now, in death, she’s discovered with her own eerily pre-written obit. Was it a suicide note? Jack and Pen say no and their certainty takes them from a ghost town’s ancient cemetery to a posh Newport mansion. Then another body drop and a mysterious stranger makes Pen a shocking offer, one that may change her life—and Jack’s afterlife. But unless Jack can help Pen prove who “checked out” the librarian, a ruthless killer may close the book on her.

"This spin-off of Coyle's 'Haunted Bookshop' series blends cozy mystery, supernatural intrigue, and classic noir influences into a suspenseful small-town murder mystery....Combining humor, literary references, ghostly interventions, and layered community drama, the novel explores how hidden truths from the past continue to haunt the present." —Library Journal (*Starred Review)

"INGENIOUS...EXCEPTIONALLY VIVID....Jack and Pen, along with a host of colorful characters, solve an assortment of crimes in a variety of places across nearly a century." —Kirkus Reviews  (Summary via Goodreads)

I haven't read any of the books in the Haunted Bookshop Mystery series by Cleo Coyle so I was a little concerned when I started reading The Ghost and the Dead Librarian which is the first book in the Haunted Bookshop Detective Mystery series.  This first book, they are saying is a spin-off of that series, but I wasn't lost at all.

In The Ghost and the Dead Librarian, we are introduced to Penelope who co-owns a bookstore with her aunt, has a young son, and she talks to a dead ghost.  Jack, used to be a private investigator in the 01940's and was shot and killed in Pen's family bookstore.  Now he is "stuck" at the bookstore but can communicate with Pen.  And if Pen leaves the store as long as she is carrying a certain coin, Jack will be with her.  Pen cannot see Jack, but they have long conversations in her head.

Okay now onto the murder .....  The bookstore is hosting an author event for a new release.  Dory, the Dead Librarian, who writes local obituaries has written a book that not everyone is happy to see it printed.  On the night of her book signing Pen finds her alone in part of the bookstore dead holding her own typed obituary.

Pen knows that there is no way that Dory was suicidal and would not have killed herself especially on such an important night.  So, Jack persuades her look into Dory's death, with his help of course.

There is a lot more that I can tell you, more avenues the book goes down, but I cannot tell you everything.  If I did that, there would be no point for you to read it.  

If you have read the other series, then you are most likely just getting together with old friends in a way.  However, if you are like me and reading this without the other series, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  

I know paranormal cozies aren't for everyone, but I like to get lost in them from time to time.  It's fun and different and they add something different to the story for sure.

Deck the Halls with Boughs of Murder (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery Book # 7) by Jacqueline Frost

Mistletoe and murder go hand in hand in the seventh installment of the Christmas Tree Farm mysteries from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.

New parents Holly White and Sheriff Evan Gray are sleep deprived, but incandescently happy to be celebrating their baby’s first Christmas. Their family, friends, and neighbors are spoiling the newest addition. Adding to the perfect holiday season is the recent completion of their newly built home. All that’s left to do is move in and send off those change of address cards. But their cup full of cheer turns sour when Holly discovers a dead body.

It all started with a sweet trip down memory lane–Candy Cane Lane and Toyland were two of Holly’s favorites as a child, and she had been looking forward to sharing them with her baby. Then she stumbled upon the body of Greysen, the animal keeper, left among the reindeer at the petting zoo.

Earlier in the day, Holly witnessed a fight between Greysen and a stranger. Stranger still, the reindeer petting zoo had originally been empty that day–no reindeer in sight until they reappeared along with a corpse.

As Holly fights to keep the Christmas spirit alive, she is Greysen’s only chance at justice–and her baby’s only chance at a happy first Christmas.  (Summary via Goodreads)

I love the Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series by Jacqueline Frost.  There is so much within this series that they don't really need to have a murder, readers will still love them !!   Although the murders and main character Holly getting involved are the backbone of it all I guess.

So anyway, Deck the Halls with Boughs of Murder is the seventh book in the series, and we have seen a lot of changes, mostly all good.  Holly moved back to her hometown of Mistletoe and helps at the family tree farm that has much more than trees, she married the Sheriff, Evan, they have a daughter, Joy, and are getting ready to move into the house they had built on land on the tree farm.  And that is just them....there is a lot going on with their family and friends as well. How Holly finds time to solve murders that occur in town is only something Santa Claus knows....

In Deck the Halls with Boughs of Murder Holly and Libby return to Toyland after Holly and her mom took Joy there during the day.  They are hoping to find mittens that Joy lost.  They do find the mittens but also hear the animals who seem agitated.  When they go to investigate to make sure the animals are okay, they find a dead body.

Holly, being the curious type, cannot help but ask questions and look into the death.  Even when she keeps getting threats to back off, they just push her in the wrong direction.

As with the previous books in this series, there is a lot going on and so much that you don't want it to end.  I would love to live in Mistletoe and hang out at The Hearth everyday drinking hot yummy beverages and eating all the cupcakes that Caroline makes.  (Caroline is Holly's best friend, owns a cupcake shop and has a dreamy boyfriend)  You will fall in love with everything within this series, and there is always a surprise or two to keep you hooked !!!  

A Field Guide to Death and Deceit (A Harry & Emma Mystery Series Book # 2) by Michelle L. Cullen

Widower and anthropologist Harry Lancaster and his Gen Z colleague Emma are back for more murder and mayhem when they stumble upon a dead farmer.

This delightful sequel to A Field Guide to Murder is perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Benjamin Stevenson.

When Harry Lancaster agrees to meet his former sweetheart Willow at a farm on the outskirts of town, Emma’s suspicions run high, and she insists on joining him. When they show up for Harry’s rendezvous, Willow is nowhere to be found—and they discover the farm’s owner dead, with a corn rake embedded in his back. 

After being interrogated by the police, Harry and Emma arrive at this house to find a bereft Willow, who admits she lost her life savings in a real estate scam involving the farm. Worried Willow will become the main murder suspect, Harry decides to help her, despite Emma’s concerns. 

To bring the swindlers—and murderer—to justice, Harry recruits his potentially shady, financial-whiz brother and a neighborhood teenage hacker. Then Willow’s realtor is declared missing, and Harry’s brother is caught up in the fray. 

As Harry, Emma, and team unearth clues, they increasingly dodge the police, stalkers, and danger in their race to save Willow and Harry’s brother before anyone else turns up dead.  (Summary via Goodreads)

A Field Guide to Death and Deceit is the second book in the Harry & Emma Mystery series by Michelle L. Cullen and it is just as captivating as the first, if not more.

In A Field Guide to Death and Deceit Harry and Emma have just returned from a three-month consulting job in South Asia and before they can write up their reports and findings, they are pulled into a case helping an old girlfriend of Harry's.  Harry hasn't seen Willow in over fifty years when he left home for a summer vacation which led to him finding his one true love.  However, when she calls and asks him to help her, he jumps at it.  Luckily Emma won't let him go and meet her alone, so she goes with him.

Unfortunately, when they get to the place where Willow asks him to meet her, all they find is a dead male. Before they can wrap their heads around anything, Harry's brother, Edgar, shows up in town.

As the group tries to piece together what is going on and how to help Willow, they realize there is a lot going on and getting to the bottom of things is going to take all of them working together ... but there are a lot of secrets and trust issues that need addressing as well.

Cullen really knows how to write a story keeping the reader on their toes.  You cannot help but love the story and the web she weaves.  You love the characters and their relationships.  

My advice is to let Cullen and her characters take you on their journey.  I tried to figure out who were the bad guys and the wrongdoings involved, but I decided to relax and let it go.  You will thank me.  

The Ghost Moon Tide (The Manatee Bay Cozy Mystery Series Book # 2) by Taffy Beach

Three holidays. Two ghosts.

And a town that knows how to take care of its own.

It’s October 1998, and Manatee Bay is swept up in the Spooks and Spirits Festival—a bold new autumn weekend where Halloween, Samhain, and the Day of the Dead share the same stage beneath a rare Ghost Moon. Main Street sparkles with skeletons dressed in satin and lace, food stalls perfumed with cinnamon and citrus, the sounds of Caribbean drums and salsa lessons, and a float parade that feels more Mardi Gras than small-town Florida.

But when a late-season hurricane exposes a skeleton long buried in the sand, whispers of the town’s Prohibition-era past begin to stir. And when the lighthouse ghost appears again—just as she has for more than half a century—the old stories suddenly feel far less harmless.

As a playful séance turns chilling and an unwelcome outsider’s arrival sparks deadly consequences, Kate finds herself caught between buried secrets and fresh bloodshed. With Police Chief Tom breathing down her neck, Kate realizes that Manatee Bay has its own way of handling those who slip through the cracks of the justice system.

Because in Manatee Bay, the past doesn’t stay buried.

And when the law falls short, the tide has a way of evening the score.

Under the 1998 Ghost Moon, some sins rise to the surface, and some are handled quietly.

A haunting coastal mystery filled with small-town secrets, family legacy, and festival-night danger, *The Ghost Moon Tides* is the second book in the Manatee Bay Cozy Mystery series. (Summary via Goodreads)

I don't know where to begin when talking about The Ghost Moon Tide by Taffy Beach.  This is the second book in her Manatee Bay Cozy Mystery series, and she knows how to pack a punch sorta speak.

If you have read the first book in this series, Tides, Lies and Alibis, you were introduced to a town and its residents. The town is Manatee Bay, and the residents are people who are dedicated to it.  A lot of the residents have been there for many years with generations before them establishing the town.

The people of Manatee Bay, some of them, have secrets, old and new, which we learn about in this second book.

In The Ghost Moon Tide Manatee Bay is gearing up for a three Halloween themed event which makes sense seeing as at the lighthouse they have a ghost.  This dates back to 1926, and the story is that a sister jumped off the lighthouse one night after her brother went missing.  She was having trouble with a gentleman and it's rumored that her brother went to defend her honor and was never seen after.

The story is brought to the present, which in this series is 1998, when a skeletal body is uncovered.  This gets everyone talking and where better to chat than at the High Tides Bakery where main characters Kat and Cindy are along with others in their crew.   There is a lot of speculation regarding the skeletal body but once it is confirmed that it is that of Mateo, the brother who went missing, everyone wants, no NEEDS to know, what is going on.

Mateo and his sister who jumped, Rosa, still have a sister living in Manatee Bay, Maria and she has something that everyone wants....Rosa's journal.  In this journal she writes about the advancements made toward her and how uncomfortable she was.

But how important is a case like this going to be ?  Well, when there are generations still living in Manatee Bay, it turns out to be very important.  And Kat and Cindy are really interested in finding out what happened as Kat's grandmother put the seed in their ears when they were teenagers .....

Now .... I could have went down a few other avenues regarding this story.  Like I said I didn't know where to begin and that is because there is a lot going on within this story.  It all falls into place as you read, and all makes sense in that "Aha" moment.  I chose to take you down one train of thought just to give you an idea of the story.  I leave it in your capable hands to pick up the book and get heading down the other avenues.