Dreidels and Dead Ends (Bad Hair Day Book # 19) by Nancy J. Cohen

 A daring holiday heist at the local history museum sends hairstylist Marla Vail on her most tangled case yet.

When salon owner Marla Vail agrees to speak at the local history museum’s gala opening for a new exhibit, she expects applause—not a catastrophe. But shortly after she takes the stage, a thief steals the featured diamond-studded hairbrush, leaving behind an empty display case and a badly injured security guard.

Marla’s friend, museum curator Becky Forest, begs for her help in recovering the prized heirloom before the mayor uses this scandal as an excuse to cut their funding. To make matters worse, the antique hairbrush comes with a curse, and suddenly bad luck is spreading through town faster than a botched dye job. As Hanukkah festivities begin, Marla would rather be lighting candles than chasing clues, but with Becky’s job at stake, she takes on the case.

Her trail leads to a knot of suspects including the hairbrush’s owner, his greedy cousin, shifty museum staff, and a reclusive collector of mystical antiquities. Instead of enjoying menorah lights and latkes, Marla discovers murder, lies, and larceny. She’ll need sharp wits and a holiday miracle to save the museum and to keep the truth from being brushed aside.  (Summary via Goodreads)

Dreidels and Dead Ends is the nineteenth book in Nancy J. Cohen's Bad Hair Day Mystery series and even though I haven't read all of the books in the series, the ones I have read, I love !!

In Dreidels and Dead Ends main character Marla is getting ready for the holidays, Christmas and Hanukkah, as her husband Dalton's family celebrates Christmas and her family celebrates Hanukkah.  It is very important that they celebrate both for themselves and their son, Ryder, and they will continue when they have their daughter which will be in a few months.

Even though Marla is extremely busy at home getting ready for the holidays and at her saloon, she cannot help but agree to help her friend Becky who works at the local history museum.  They are getting ready for a new exhibit featuring beauty tools but their keynote speaker ha an accident and won't be able to give a speech introducing the exhibit.  Even though the exhibit is going to be showcasing a hairbrush from the 1800's which is said to have a curse on it, she agrees to do it.

Sadly, right after Marla gives her speech, there is an accident that injures a guard on duty and the hairbrush is stolen.  Becky asks Marla and Dalton if they will do their own investigating even though the police are doing it.  She wants to be thorough and knows they have been successful in the past solving cases.

It doesn't take long before Marla feels that they are overwhelmed when it seems that everyone employed at the museum could be guilty as well as a few others.  She vows to keep going as it seems that Dalton, who just recently retired from the force, looks to be enjoying investigating.

I honestly do not know how authors can keep writing books when they have so many in the series but with nineteen in this series, it doesn't seem that Cohen is slowing down and that is perfectly fine with me !!!  As soon as I open one of these books, I am right alongside Marla, feeling her determination and enjoy every minute of it !!

Sifting Through Secrets (A Cookies & Chance Mystery Series Book # 16) by Catherine Bruns

From USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns comes the next decadently deadly Cookies & Chance mystery!

When full-time baker and reluctant part-time sleuth, Sally Muccio, agrees to cater a glamorous baby shower at a customer’s lavish home, she expects a day full of strawberry lemonade cookies, vanilla buttercream icing, and minimal drama.

What she doesn’t expect is for the grandma-to-be to offer her fifty thousand dollars to find out who’s trying to kill her.

Trudy Delvecchio is rich, pretentious, and without many fans, especially in her own family. While the money is tempting, Sal politely declines the offer. After all, she explains, she’s a baker, not a professional detective. But when Trudy turns up dead the very same evening, with no obvious sign of foul play, something about the entire situation leaves a bitter taste in Sal’s mouth. With a house full of suspects and lies rising faster than oven-proofed dough, Sal will need to sift through many secrets to uncover the truth, or she could be the one left in the dust.

Recipes Included!

What critics are

"A fantastic cozy mystery!"
~ InD'Tale Magazine

"I want to visit more with all of the quirky characters just to see what crazy and outrageous things they will do next!"
~ Fresh Fiction

"The Cookies and Chance Mystery series is more than just a series....it's a family !! Once you read the first book, you are hooked and feel like a member of the crazy Muccio family." ~ Cozy Mystery Book Reviews  (Summary via Goodreads) 

It's no secret, and I say this every time I write a review for this series, but the Cookies & Chance Mystery series by Catherine Bruns is my favorite of all time .... and I say it a lot seeing as the latest book, Sifting Through Secrets, is the sixteenth book in the series.

I could give you a quick summary of this series, but I hope that you are a fan and have read some, if not all, of the books, however, if you haven't, you'll catch on really quick.  And you can go back and read whichever ones you missed.

So ..... In Sifting Through Secrets main character Sally and her best friend Josie are hired to bake desserts and serve them at a baby shower by a very rich and not so nice person.  Trudy hired Sally's Samples for her daughter-in-law's shower even though it seems the two do not get along that well.  And after being at the party for a while, it seems nobody liked Trudy.  

At the end of the party Trudy calls Sally into her library, Sally thinks it's to pay her.  Unfortunately, that is not the case when Trudy wants to hire her to find out who is trying to kill her.  Even though she is offered a lot of money for this task, she turns it down not really believing Trudy's life is in danger.

She should have believed Trudy because later that night, Trudy is found dead in her bedroom.  At first glimpse the police look to rule it as accidental until Sally informs them of some issues and concerns to which they investigate deeper.

And we all know that Sally won't leave things alone, especially as Trudy did voice her concerns and ask for Sally's help. And we all know that Josie will try to help and Sally's husband Mike will protest.  But Grandma Rosa will be the one to keep everyone grounded and thinking clearly.

OMG I love this series !!!  I totally want to be a part of the Muccio family even with all their quirkiness.  I am not a very good baker, but I can follow a recipe and wait on customers so I can help out at Sally's Samples.  Hey, I'm not one to shy away from a funeral home so I can help Sally's dad at his. What I am trying to say is that you will LOVE this family and the jobs they have.  You will love the storylines and want to help solve the murders or just read along and enjoy.  

Whenever a new book releases in this series, I cannot wait to get my hands on it and once I open the book, I am powerless to stop reading it.  It is a very captivating series you cannot help falling in love with !!!

Murder in an Irish Pub (Irish Village Mystery Book # 4) by Carlene O'Connor

When competing card sharps stir up Siobhán O'Sullivan's quiet Irish village, a poker tournament turns into a game of Hangman . . .

Naomi's Bistro, managed by the many siblings of the lively O'Sullivan brood, is the place to go for a cuppa tea in Kilbane. For a pint or a game of darts, it's the pub you want. But when Dublin card sharp Eamon Foley is found swinging from the rafters of Rory Mack's pub, it's time for the garda to take matters into their own hands. Macdara Flannery would lay odds it's a simple suicide, but Siobhán suspects foul play. With conflicting theories abounding, tensions are running high between Siobhán and Macdara. Soon it's up to Siobhán to call a killer's bluff, but if she doesn't play her cards right, she may be the next one taken out of the game . . .

"The intricate puzzle and continuing Irish atmosphere make this the series' best to date."--Kirkus Reviews  (Summary via Goodreads)

 

Murder in an Irish Pub by Carlene O'Connor is the fourth book in her Irish Village Mystery series and after reading the previous three and this one, I am moving to the quiet Irish village of Kilbane and moving in with Siobhan and her siblings ... I can handle a murder every now and then, especially now that Siobhan is a member of the garda.

Okay ..... In Murder in an Irish Pub a poker tournament in being held in a local pub with some very popular players, kind of celebrities in their circle.  Unfortunately, things get out of hand with lots of participants and locals getting very drunk, betting things they shouldn't be betting as well as someone ending up dead.

When things get out of hand the tournament is moved to another pub where the next morning Siobhan goes to the new location to find the door opened.  Upon further investigating she realizes someone is in the locked storage room hanging from the rafters.  But there is a real problem, the door is deadbolted and there is a little window way up high that no one could get in or out of.  Even when they find a "suicide note" on the victim, Siobhan doesn't believe it is that simple.  Eamon Foley, the top poker player and winner doesn't seem like he was suicidal, he was winning a lot, and his wife is very close to giving birth to their child.

So, with the approval and guidance of her boss and boyfriend, Macdara, she proceeds under the assumption that it is murder and begins investigating.  Unfortunately, everyone was at the pub that night, including her twelve-year-old brother, and most were heavily intoxicated, and some could be seen as having reasons to want Eamon Foley dead.

So, Siobhan has her work cut out for her, which is always the case, but she will power through no matter what to solve the case.

I am a huge fan of this series, I love the little quaint Irish village and want to move there immediately.  I love the people, the stores, the food ..... even with the murders, I know Siobhan and Macdara will solve them and everything will be calm again. 

And can I just say the way O'Connor ends this book, you will definitely be waiting (im)patiently for the next book.

Whose Body in the Library (Lighthouse Library Mystery Book # 13) by Eva Gates

A new librarian’s first day goes terribly wrong when she finds a dead body on the front steps of the library.

While Lucy McNeil is enjoying her new job as the mother of twin boys and library director, new librarian Nichelle Gilchrest has just arrived at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, reporting for duty. But life throws a wrench on Nichelle’s first day when she finds a body on the steps–a body that bears a startling resemblance to her father who disappeared on a fishing trip to the Outer Banks thirty-eight years ago.

Fingerprints confirm the dead body is indeed Nichelle’s father, now living in Nags Head under the name Brian Saunders. Brian had been befriending older lonely women in exchange for money, but was he working alone?

Detective Rhonda Thomas is on the case, and the suspect list is only getting longer. Sorting through the wronged women and their relatives, Detective Thomas discovers Nichelle’s own brother Brad had been in Nags Head a few days before the murder happened and has been lying about his whereabouts.

Hoping to clear her brother’s name, Nichelle decides to investigate what happened. With seasoned sleuth Lucy’s gentle encouragement for the amateur, Nichelle is in for an exciting and dangerous first week at the library.  (Summary via Goodreads)

Whose Body in the Library is the thirteenth book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series by Eva Gates and not only does Gates provide a captivating story, but she introduces some new positive changes as well as a different aspect to her writing.

In Whose Body in the Library readers are introduced to two new characters, Detective Rhonda Thomas and new librarian Nichelle Gilchrest.  Detective Thomas is taking over the Detective role as Sam Watson has retired and Nichelle is taking over main character Lucy's job as Lucy is taking over as library director since Bertie also retired.

One of the perks for Nichelle is that she will be living in the small apartment at the top of the lighthouse where the library is.  Unfortunately, when she opens the library's door for her first day on the job, she finds a man slumped over outside the door.  Fortunately, Lucy is also on her way in so she is there to help Nichelle deal with the unexpected dead body.  

Once over the shock Nichelle thinks that she recognizes the man as being her father but that can't be because he died over thirty years ago during a fishing trip in her new hometown.  Detective Thomas is on the ball and after obtaining records from Rochester, she confirms that the deceased male is indeed Nichelle's father. 

Learning that her father has been alive all of these years living in North Carolina, the place that he supposedly disappeared from, has her questioning so many things.  Her brother comes to town to help but it looks like he may make things worse for her.

If you are a fan of this series I hope that you love the changes as much as I do.  The last change that Gates makes with this book is that she devotes a chapter to Nichelle with her viewpoint and then we get to see what is going on with Lucy in the next chapter and throughout the book we see things with both characters.  I love when author do this because I feel you really get to know the characters deeper.

It's no secret that I love this series and would totally move in the lighthouse apartment and live with Charles the library cat.  I would love working in the library in the lighthouse as well as walking the beach daily and enjoy the town.  I hope you do as well.