Death in a Nutshell: An Anthropology Whodunnit Roxanne Varzi

Alex is on the verge of dismissal from her anthropology doctoral program when her luck turns and she lands a fellowship with a dioramist at the Museum of the Rockies. Only problem is, Alex hasn’t a clue about dioramas or dinosaurs, and, as she will soon find out, she’s not the only one faking it in this frozen landscape.

From New York City to Yellowstone National Park, we follow Alex, a whip-smart dyslexic-ADHD Margaret Meade cum Ms. Marple, and her friends—a Nature photographer, a Ranger, a Polish guest worker, paleontologists, poets and Iranian-elite dot-commers—as they explore friendship, identity, climate change, globalization, and a murder against the stunning backdrop of the Rockies in winter. An engaging read for adventurous mystery lovers.  (Summary via Goodreads)

Death in a Nutshell by Roxanne Varzi is an Anthropology Whodunnit and a very unique story.  This is a first for me .... while you are reading a story about a murder, the author is also educating the reader in between chapters with her Field Notes.  In the Disclaimer in the beginning of the story she tells readers that you can skip over the Field Notes as they have nothing to do with the story but offer the reader more insight in the field of Anthropology.  I, however, read all of them as I wanted to make sure I was getting everything I could out of the story and understanding as much as I could .... I will admit some things were over my head but I was still able to enjoy the story.

In Death in a Nutshell main character Alex is about the be kicked out of her doctural program.  Luckily she is accepted into a grant in the Rockies for a project studying new residents in Bozeman where she will make a diorama of the people she interviews.  She will make a little house in details after getting to know her subjects.

Alex's first diorama is going to be on Marta who is from Poland working at the Museum of the Rockies as an all around helper.  This will be an easy starting point for Alex seeing as her and Marta are the only ones living on the property, each in their own cabin.  Unfortunately before Alex can really get to know Marta, she finds her in another building on the property with a head injury.

Alex has also become friends with Will who is a Park Ranger and she tries to get his help in finding out who would want to hurt Marta.  But when they are at an event at the Museum and a photographer, Pete, is found dead in the center of the exhibit, they have more questions that answers.  Alex doesn't know who she can trust oer what to do but she knows she wants to stay and find out what is going on.

Readers will enjoy reading Death in a Nutshell and you may even come away having learned something also.

Beneath the Surface (Sam Lawson Book # 2) by David K. Wilson

Sam Lawson returns in a gripping mystery you won’t be able to put down.

When Detective Sam Lawson arrives in a sleepy East Texas town to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a young woman, he soon discovers everyone has something to hide. And the more he digs, the more questions he uncovers.

Are the scratch marks on the face of the woman’s arrogant husband really from a construction accident? Why is the rich investor suddenly so interested in the investigation? Who had been hiding in the woods behind the woman’s house? Why did one of the woman’s friends leave town the same day she went missing, and what was their real relationship?

With the help of a tough-as-nails sheriff’s sergeant, Liz Garcia, and his estranged girlfriend, medical examiner Carla Davenport, Sam must navigate the tangled relationships of this small community to find the truth before it’s too late.

Beneath the Surface is an exciting new addition to the Sam Lawson Mystery series. If you like colorful dialogue, surprising plot twists and page-turning suspense, then you’ll love this fast-paced whodunnit from David K. Wilson.  (Summary via Goodreads)

I did not want Beneath the Surface to end !!  Beneath the Surface is the second book in the Sam Lawson Mystery series by David K. Wilson and it is so good that as much as you love reading it, you will hate when you finish it and there is no more to read ... if that makes sense.

In Beneath the Surface Detective Sam Lawson is sent to Big Creek in Hawkins County to assist on a missing person's case.  Unfortunately the missing woman is the daughter of his old police chief who was forced into early retirement when he was involved in a case that Lawson uncovered and solved.  Neither Lawson or Ed Kaster are happy about this but they put personal feelings aside in order to work together to look for Jamie.

Nothing is adding up on the case and everyone is very frustrated.  Jamie's husband, Gary, being the spouse, is on the top of the suspect list but his alibi's for the day that Jamie went missing are tight.  However the list of suspects starts to grow as Lawson and his partner on the case, Deputy Garcia, start talking to friends and business associates of Gary.

Once there is a BIG chance in the case, Sheriff Monroe tells Lawson he is no longer needed on the case and that he can return home.  But when Jamie's father asks Lawson to stay on the case, there no way that he can say no.  Unfortunately he is only allowed to work on it for a very short time period and the clock is ticking.....

Readers will fall in love with Lawson and this series.  You are instantly pulled into the story as soon as you open the book and will not want to stop until you get to the end.  It feels like Wilson puts a magicla spell on you and you are powerless ..... all in a very good way !!!! 

Viviana Valentine and the Ticking Clock (Girl Friday Book # 3) by Emily J. Edwards

New York City, 1950. Viviana Valentine and Tommy Fortuna have a lot of resolutions for the new year—whether it’s continuing to build up their detective agency or planning their wedding, the two are looking forward to the future. On their way to Times Square to celebrate, the two witness a brutal stabbing. When Tommy tries to chase down the culprit, Viviana tries her best to save the man. She’s unsuccessful, but Viviana hears his final words: a whispered apology to an unknown friend.

Clues are hard to come by, with the only leads being the fraught last words and a few nondescript matchbooks in the victim’s overcoat. Their investigation is halted when Detective Jack Lawson of the New York Police Department arrives, immediately ruffling Viviana’s feathers and bumping chests with Tommy, who he nearly arrested for murder just months earlier. The two know there’s more to the story, but there are other pressing matters at hand.

Clients are clamoring to get the detectives to work on their cases: a man is being blackmailed by a criminal who only writes in code, Tommy’s old friend needs his fiancée tailed, and an investment banker has mysteriously vanished. To add to their work load, Viviana knows something strange is happening at her boarding house. Will of all this—plus planning for a wedding—be too much for one Girl Friday?  (Summary via Goodreads)

Viviana Valentine and the Ticking Clock is the third book in the Girl Friday Mystery series by Emily J. Edwards and Edwards knows how to whisk readers away to New York City in the 1950's with ease...

Viviana Valentine works with her fiance, Tommy, in his private investigation office.  She started off as his secretary and worked her way up to private investigator then fiance.  Betty, Viviana's one roommate at the woman's boarding house where they live is currently taking time off from being a nurse and is working for 
Tommy and Viviana as their secretary.

In Viviana Valentine and the Ticking Clock Viviana and Tommy are on their way to Time's Square on New's Year Eve to partake in the festivities but do not make it there when they witness a stabbing in an alley.  Viviana stays to try to save the stabbed victim and Tommy takes off after the man who did the stabbing.  Unfortunately Tommy loses the guy in the crowds and Viviana cannot save the victim.  The victim has no identification and mumbles an apology to Frankie.

Even though this isn't their case, they know that they are going to look into the murder as it is a bit personal to them as they witnessed it.  But they do have bills to pay so they take on other cases.  Mr. Floristan has hired them because he received a message in code and he cannot figure it out....this will lead them down a crazy path that will require assistance from Dottie, another roommate at the boarding house.  Then Mr. Bowen who works at a bank hires them to find an employee who hasn't shown up for work for a while and the outcome of that will be nothing that they could have imagined.  And then the last case is a friend of Tommy's, Mort, who wants them to trail his fiance when she goes out to see who she is meeting as he thinks she is cheating on him ... this one will make readers laugh.

Viviana and Tommy have their hands full trampsing around New York City in the cold winter weather trying to solve the cases they are hired for as well as the stabbed victim they witnessed.  And things at Mrs. K's boarding house are unsettling as well as they are working on the third floor apartment to turn it into something that Viviana and Tommy can live in once they are married and Mrs. K's brother is trying to get her and her son Olek to move somewhere safer.  And Viviana is trying to figure out the wedding and meeting Tommy's family......

Readers will love this latest book in this series as well as the previous two books.  Readers will totally want Viviana's energy and spunk !!  And you cannot help but LOVE all of the relationships and even the cases are entertaining in their own way.

In the Shadow of the Bull (An Ancient Crete Mystery Book # 1) by Eleanor Kuhns

In a world of Goddess worship, sacred snakes and sacrifice, human jealousy, resentment and betrayal still run wild . . .

Ancient Crete, 1450 BC .   When her sister Arge drops to the floor in convulsions and then dies at her wedding, fifteen-year-old Martis, a young poet and bull leaper in training, is certain she was murdered. The prime suspect is the groom, Saurus, a barbarian from the Greek mainland, but when Arge’s Shade visits Martis, swearing Saurus is not her murderer, Martis vows to uncover the truth.
As Martis begins asking questions, she discovers that while her sweet sister Arge may have had no secrets, many of the people around Martis certainly do… but if the murderer is not Saurus, then who is it? The Egyptian lady who frequents the docks, one of Martis’s other sisters, her father, or someone entirely different?
Martis is in a battle against time to save her sister’s Shade from eternal unrest and uncover the killer before they strike again . . .  (Summary via Goodreads)

In the Shadow of the Bull is the first book in the Ancient Crete Mystery series by Eleanor Kuhns and it is centered around Ancient Crete in 1450 BC .... I have not read a book from that time period before and I was thoroughly surprised at how captivating it was !!

In the Shadow of the Bulls follows Martis and her family.  Martis is preparing to be a bull leaper and entertain the High Priestess as well as everyone in her town ... unfortunately things shift after her sister Arge dies right before she is to be wed.  Arge is about to marry Saurus, a barbarian sailor, when Martis says a quick prayer to the Goddess trying to prevent the marriage from happening.  Martis believes that her prayer to the Goddess is what caused her sister to die.  Everything changes when Martis is visited by Arge's shade (ghost) insisting that she was poisoned and that Martis must find out who killed her.

Even though Martis did not like Saurus, she doesn't think that he should be executed for Arge's murder if he is innocent.  And after talking with him, she believes that he genuinely loved her sister and wouldn't harm her.  But who would want to kill her and how did they do it ?

When Martis finds out that Arge was poisoned, she has a lot to figure out.  Then when another sister, Nuia, helps Saurus escape and they flee on his boat, Martis is left with more questions than answers.

Martis continues to be visited by Arge's shade insisting that she will haunt the family if her murder is not solved and the murderer dealt with.  And when Nuia and Saurus are brought back and held in the caves until they will be executed, Martis knows her time is running out.

Readers will be on the edge of their seats reading this story.  It is so different from any other stories I have read and it was so fun getting down and dirty with Martis and her life.  Reading about how things were so different and difficult for her was quite a refreshing story.  It was very interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in a new series and look forward to more books to follow to see what will happen next for Martis and her family.

Syrup to No Good (Maple Syrup Mysteries Book # 2 ) by Catherine Bruns

Only a sap would try to ruin a bride's special day… Spring has finally come to Sugar Ridge, Vermont, and with it the end of syrup-making season. But Leila Khoury, new owner of Sappy Endings Farm, won't be making like molasses any time soon. Her best friend Heather's wedding is coming up, and Leila will do anything to make sure it lives up to all her sweetest dreams. Even with Leila's own romantic past stirring up trouble, everything is going to plan until the bridal shower ends up with a body count. Heather's rich and backstabbing aunt had a whole orchard of enemies, so Leila will have her work cut out for her. Can she tap the killer before Heather's dream wedding becomes a nightmare? Includes delicious Middle Eastern recipes!  (Summary via Goodreads)

In Syrup to No Good the second book in the Maple Syrup Mysteries series by Catherine Bruns readers are in for a treat !!  Not only are you going to have a nail biting, fast paced, on the edge of your seat story but you are going to be left with some yummy recipes to try yourself.  Throughout the story readers will find themselves hungry reading about the yummy foods that main character Leila's mother makes .... so I recommend having a tasty snack while you get lost in this book.

In Syrup to No Good Leila's best friend Heather is about to get married !!!  Leila is the maid of honor and has planned the best bridal shower .... one fit for the princess that Heather is.  Unfortunately at the end of the shower they discover someone left their purse behind.  When they look inside and find out it belongs to Heather's aunt, they cannot help but groan.  Heather's Aunt Monica, aunt only by marriage to Heather's father's brother Grant, isn't a very nice person.  She also has no filter on what comes out of her mouth and no one at the party really liked her.  Now Leila has to track her down to return her purse to her.  Luckily she notices that Moncia's car is still in the parking lot so she goes over to the car to see if she is in it.  Sadly Monica is in the car dead with a knife in her back !!!

As if things couldn't get any worse Heather finally admits to Leila that Monica and Grant had loaned her parents money so that she could have the elaborate wedding that she's always dreamed about.  Heather feels like she has to find out who killed Monica so that they don't have to call the wedding off.  So Heather asks Leila to help her look into who killed her ..... little did they know that the list would be long and a lot of secrets would be uncovered.

Leila decides that the best place to start is with Monica's family, mainly her husband Grant, her son from a previous marriage Devon, Devon's long-time girlfriend Lexi, Monica's store manager Jason, and Monica's best friend Belinda.  So with Heather's help they try to talk to all of them without causing suspicions.

All Leila wants to do is run the maple syrup farm her father left her, Sappy Endings, spend time with her boyfriend Noah and his daughter Emma and see Heather get married and live happily ever after.  Unfortunately she has to find a killer, deal with her ex-boyfriend Mark who returns and decides that he wants her back after their break up five years ago, and try to convince her mother that she is happy with her life as it is currently.  Gee that shouldn't be hard.

Even though Syrup to No Good is only the second book in this new series by Catherine Bruns, readers will fall instantly in love !!  The Maple Syrup Mystery series will be a series to watch for new releases and you will want to grab them as soon as they are released !!!  I promise !!!

 

Murder Uncorked (Cece Barton Mystery Book # 1) by Maddie Day

Raise a glass to Cece Barton, a widowed single mom and recent L.A. transplant to California wine country, who suddenly finds herself at the center of a murder investigation in this sparkling new mystery series from Agatha Award–winning and national bestselling author Maddie Day.

As the manager of Vino y Vida Wine Bar in Colinas, Cecelia “Cece” Barton’s first Alexander Valley harvest is a whirlwind of activity. Her twin sister, Allie Halstead, who owns a nearby Victorian bed & breakfast, is accustomed to the hustle and bustle of peak tourist season. But Cece barely has a moment to enjoy her new home in between worrying about her estranged college-age daughter, juggling her responsibilities at the bar, and navigating the sticky politics of the local wine association. Just when it seems things can’t grow any more intense, Colinas is rocked by a murder within the wine community . . . and Cece is identified as a possible suspect!

With her reputation and her livelihood on the line—and the Sonoma County deputy sheriff breathing down her neck—Cece has no choice but to open up her own murder investigation. Tensions are already high in the valley, as a massive wildfire creeps toward Colinas, threatening homes, vineyards, and the vital tourist trade. And now, with a murderer on the loose, and Cece’s sleuthing exposing the valley’s bitterest old rivalries and secret new alliances, Colinas feels ready to pop! But with Allie’s help, Cece is determined to catch the killer and clear her name before everything she’s worked so hard for goes up in flames . .  (Summary via Goodreads)

Murder Uncorked is the first book in Maddie Day's new series, the Cece Barton Mystery series.  However readers can learn how main character, CeCe Barton, was instrumental in solving a murder where her twin sister was the main suspect in the novella Murderous Mittens.  Murderous Mittens is the third novella in the holiday book Christmas Mittens Murders. The stories in that book all occur around the Christmas holiday and have mittens as a main denoninator.  Cece is visiting her twin sister and family in Colinas and with the help of a new friend solves the case.  This also leads CeCe to moving to Colinas and taking a job as a manager of a wine bar.

Now onto Murder Uncorked.....It is perfectly okay if you head right to reading this book and not the novella as Day brings you up to speed immediately.  

Main character CeCe is enjoying her new life in Colinas.  She has her adorable little cottage next to elderly Richard who she enjoys coffee or wine with, she is close to her sister and her twin boys, she has a nice job managing the Vino y Vida wine bar, she is making new friends and getting to know the area.

Unfortunately while working one night she overhears two gentlemen arguing at the bar.  She knows the one, Vincent Sardo, as they have been emailing each other regarding an event Vincent would like the wine bar to host and supply free wine for.  CeCe doesn't think the wine bar should supply the wine for free seeing as the organization is the Vineyard Valley Association.

When Allie, CeCe's twin sister, calls and tells her that Vincent Sardo was found dead in his apartment, her mind goes into overdrive .... and then the detective in charge of the case comes knocking on her door wanting to know about their relationship and wants copies of all of their correspondence, she again feels the need to solve the case .... this time to clear her name.

This case is not going to be easy to solve as it seems everyone that CeCe comes in contact with seems to have a reason to dislike Vincent and may have wanted his dead....including his wife, friends and the strange hot guy staying at the B & B that Allie owns.

I can already tell you that this is going to be a long running series for readers to get hooked on !!  Day knows how to hone into her craft and capture readers attention instantly and keep it engaged until the end of the story.  And she will always keep readers wanting more and more.....

Cold Turkey (Tish Tarragon Book # 7) by Amy Patricia Meade

Tish Tarragon is catering for Hobson Glen's annual Turkey Trot, and soon finds herself embroiled in a deadly race to the finish line . . .

Literary caterer Tish Tarragon is looking forward to opening the new Cookin' the Books cafe the day after Thanksgiving, but before then she has the small matter of catering for the Thirty-First Annual Colonial Springs Turkey Trot, a highlight in the Hobson Glen calendar.

With her food stall ready to go, Tish, the spectators and participating 'trotters' are eagerly awaiting the starter's pistol when they are confronted with the sound of rifle shots from the woods. Deputy Mayor Behrens is dead. But was he really the intended target, or could it have been Tish's ex, Mayor Schuyler Thompson? As Tish and Reade investigate, it seems there are no shortage of residents with an axe to grind against the town council their controversial policies. Can Tish finish first in her race against the killer?  (Summary via Goodreads)

Cold Turkey is the seventh book in the Tish Tarragon Mystery series by Amy Patricia Meade and even though this is a cozy mystery and someone gets murdered, I want to shift things a bit first.

The Tish Tarragon Mystery series is a series that enhances the friendship and relationship components in the story.  Main character Tish Tarragon owns a literary cafe where everything is book related, from the decorations to the names of the food dishes.  She has two amazing women that work for her, Celestine is the amazing baker and Mary Jo (MJ) helps with everytrhing else.  Mary Jo and Tish went to college with Jules who is a television weatherman.  The three are inseparable and readers LOVE their relationship !!  Celestine lost her husband of over thirty years and has started hanging out with an old high school sweetheart, Daryl, to which her adult children are not happy about.  Tish is finally dating the Sheriff in town, Clemson Reade, after a rocky past.  Mary Jo has two children, Gregory who is away at college and Kayla who is still living at home and in high school.  Jules, in Cold Turkey, has a steady boyfriend, Maurice, who has an infant son, Cassius.  Readers will love the relationships and how they flow and overlap and everyone, for the most part, get along.

Now ..... onto the murder ....  In Cold Turkey the town of Hobson Glen is getting ready for Thanksgiving and the story starts with the annual Turkey Trot.   The Turkey Trot is being held in Colonial Springs which has a lot of paths for people to enjoy.  The Turkey Trot has been moved to the week before Thanksgiving so that the Rod and Gun Club could host their event that day.  Tish and Celestine are providing sandwiches and soup with all proceeds benefiting the local food pantry.  At the start of the race the Mayor, Tish's ex-boyfriend, and the Deputy Mayor will both run into the woods where the race is to begin. Unfortunately right after they enter the woods and are unseen by spectators, shots rings out and when Sheriff Reade gets to the scene, the Deputy Mayor, Royce Behrens, is found dead by gunshot wounds to the chest.

Unfortunately it is unclear as to if Behrens was the intended target or the Mayor.  It is no secret that the Mayor, Schuyler Thompson, wasn't like by some but it is all about politics and not many politicians are liked.  So Reade and his assistant Officer Clayton begin the investigation.  Luckily they have Tish along as a consultant for the department to help.  (As a side note it should be mentioned that Tish is working on re-opening her cafe in a new location after being evicted from her old location by the Mayor after they broke up ..... and no I do not believe that she is the murderer .... but you never know.)

As they investigate the case it is clear that Behrens wasn't a nice person, personally and professionally.  Reade, Clayton and Tish have a lot of people to talk to and try to eliminate from the suspect list ..... and try to determine what is truth and what is lies.  Luckily they are able to go home and over take-out food take with the rest of the group to bounce ideas and theories off of.

Meade knows how to spin a web and branch off from it .... especially with this murder.  There is no way for readers to determine who the guilty party is ... you will need to turn a room in your house over to this case, with every wall space used for notes which will branch off.  And when the case is solved and the guilty is taken away in handcuffs, you will be left scratching your head is disbelief !!!  I know I was .....