COLOR ME MURDER by Krista Davis
Pen & Ink Mystery #1

5 Star Review

I love that I have a fantastic new cozy series and new characters to love! The protagonist, Florrie Fox, manages the Color Me Read bookstore, sketches in her free time, and has her own adult coloring book line! How awesome is that! She moves into a gorgeous carriage house owned by her nice, wealthy employer, Professor John Maxwell, and becomes friends with his butler, Mr. DuBois, who has a flair for the dramatic! I chuckled at a lot of his scenes.

The story provides a compelling mystery which is all solved neatly at the end. I enjoyed all the secrets that come to light during the book. There’s humor, and a cute cat and dog to love. The book is a page-turner, and thrilling to lose yourself in, and I highly recommend this Debut to Cozy Mystery fans! The author includes delicious sounding recipes at the end.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing.

Release Date:  2-27-18

I KNOW WHAT YOU BID LAST SUMMER by Sherry Harris
A Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery #5

5 Star Review

Each time a new Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery releases, I wonder how amazing author, Sherry Harris, will top the previous book she wrote for the series. I’m never disappointed, and my hat’s off to Ms. Harris who consistently raises the bar for her readers’ entertainment.

Sarah Winston is busy organizing a swap meet in the high school gym when the lights suddenly go out and she’s badly beaten before the intruder steals some valuable antique and autographed sports items. A school official is later found murdered nearby with a vintage sports item used as the weapon leaving the police and district attorney’s office working overtime to find clues and suspects before anyone else is harmed.

Favorite characters from previous books make appearances such as Mike ‘the Big Cheese’ Titone, Seth, the handsome D.A., and Stella, Sarah’s landlord and friend. The story’s pacing is swift, and frequent humor adds to the reading fun. Ms. Harris always inserts nifty plot scenes into her stories that are totally unexpected and one of the many reasons I enjoy her books so much.

Sarah feels like finding the stolen sports items will lead them all to the killer. Building up to an awesome climactic ending; the police include Sarah in a sting operation set up that can only be called, “I Know What You Bid Last Summer.” I highly recommend this action-packed Cozy Mystery!

Garage Sale Tips included.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC provided by the author. 

SURVIVAL OF THE FRITTERS by Ginger Bolton
A Deputy Donut Mystery #1

5 Star Review

An entertaining debut featuring a great cast of central characters. Protagonist, Emily, opened the Deputy Donut Shop with her father-in-law after the death of her husband, Alec, a police detective. She has a clever, protective cat, ‘Dep’ who the shop is named after. When an elderly customer who is a knitter and a doll doctor doesn’t show up for a Knitpicker meeting at the shop, Em joins the other ladies in the group to go to her home and check on her. They find her murdered. Em, and her husband’s ex-partner, Brent; work closely with Lois, Georgia’s best friend; and some of Emily’s law enforcement contacts to establish a timeline of events before and after Georgia’s death. They must also figure out how her death could be related to the unsolved mystery of her son’s murder five years ago.

The story pacing is fast; the Wisconsin location is charming; there are red herrings galore; dry humor; and I didn’t realize the identity of the culprit until the protagonist put two and two together herself. I’m looking forward to reading book two.

DEATH BY WHISKER by T.C. LoTempio
A Cat Rescue Mystery #4

4 Star Review by Linda Langford
Chatting About Cozies

Syd McCall enjoys being the publicity person for Friendly Paws Animal Shelter, and works closely with her sister, Kat, who is the FPAS director.  The town is excited when Ulla Townsend, a former local who’s now a popular shopping channel host, agrees to attend a local fundraiser for the shelter and; hopefully, donate a percentage of her bestselling book sales to the floundering shelter.  Ulla loves cats!  However, it appears that someone doesn’t like Ulla when she goes into anaphylactic shock and expires.

I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag by giving more details on the murder, but will happily report that several felines find their furrever homes in this light and entertaining cozy mystery.  The author provides plenty of suspects for you to dish about their suspicious behaviors and activities, and the finale is a whopper of a reveal!  

I voluntarily read and reviewed a digital ARC provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books.

Release Date:  February 13, 2018

Crooked Lane Books

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Whisker-Cat-Rescue-Mystery-ebook/dp/B072395VJN/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1519833379&sr=1-1&keywords=LoTempio+Death+By