by Sarah Erwin, & Sandra Murphy

This week we reviews of three more mysteries to start off February-Haunting and Homicide:A Ghost Tour Mystery, Book One by Ava Burke, The Matter of the Secret Bride by Darcie Wilde, Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima (this one got lost during the holidays which is why it is so late). Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of all 3 books and links to purchase them from Amazon at the end of each review.

Haunting and Homicide: A Ghost Tour Mystery by Ava Burke
Review by Sarah Erwin

Three cheers for publisher Crooked Lane Books for introducing a new, delightful paranormal cozy mystery series. Haunting and Homicide is book one in Ava Burke’s A Ghost Tour Mystery series and serves as a great start.

Lou Thatcher lives in New Orleans and owns and operates her own ghost tour business through the historic Garden District. But what makes Lou especially unique is that she sees and communicates with ghosts, many of whom enjoy playing along to add extra flair to her tours.

Unfortunately, her rival tour guide Adam Brandt is found murdered, and due to their acrimonious relationship, Lou is the prime suspect. Lou’s teenage crush, now local detective Dylan Finch, finds even more reason to believe Lou is guilty when the murder weapon is found to have ties to Lou’s shop. Wanting to prove her innocence and be rid of Adam’s ghost, Lou dives headfirst into the investigation.

This was such a fun start to a new series. I was immediately drawn in by the story, and I especially enjoyed Lou’s interactions with the local ghosts. I thought I had the true culprit uncovered, but I was fooled! I found myself quickly turning the pages as I neared the ending, mentally biting my nails as I raced to the resolution.

While I very much enjoyed the character of Lou, the ghosts made the story for me. Each of them was unique, with wonderful personalities, and I especially loved that some of them got such a kick out of helping give Lou’s tours a spookier feel.

New Orleans is a great setting for a paranormal cozy mystery series, and I enjoyed all the details about the sights and sounds of the place. Such vivid writing brings the story and setting to life and makes for a true literary escape.

I’ll certainly be keeping my eye out for future additions to this series.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

Sarah Erwin started her career as a children’s librarian, later becoming a public library director and now she’s a stay at home mom. While her career might have changed, her love of reading has been a constant since 4th grade and she reads over 200 books a year. Read along with her on her blog Sarah Can’t Stop Reading or on Instagram. Sarah lives in St. Louis, MO with her two kids, her husband and a family dog and cat.

The Matter of the Secret Bride by Darcie Wilde
By Sandra Murphy

Rosalind Thorne is an impoverished woman, formerly of means, now in need of paying work without having an actual job. It’s 1820 and women’s lives are controlled by rules and etiquette. Rosalind is a Useful Woman. When a lady has a problem, blackmail for instance, Rosalind is called upon to make the problem go away without discovery or fanfare. This time, she’s afraid the case is beyond her capabilities.

The king has filed a petition for divorce and the queen has not gone quietly into seclusion. Parliament has been called into session to debate his petition. The queen has been abroad but is now returning home, much to the dismay of the gentry. A main problem is that the people from fashionable society to commoners favor the queen despite the king’s declaration that she’s been unfaithful.

There’s another problem, larger than the first. It’s rumored the king previously married his long-time companion, Maria Fitzherbert, in secret. She’s neither confirmed nor denied the rumors. When her safe box is broken into and a piece of paper is missing, it could upend the country. The paper is her wedding certificate, proof the king’s marriage to the queen is not legitimate.

If true, it would prove the king a bigamist and also destroy Maria’s place in society as well as the lives of her two charges who are on the brink of entering society themselves. Rosalind is called upon to find the paper and name the thief. This case may be one she cannot solve. With the help of her lover, Adam Harkness, and their friends, the search begins.

This is book three in the Useful Woman series. It’s a change of pace to read of a time when children run handwritten messages between adults instead of texting, when a servant goes in search of a carriage for hire rather than booking an Uber, and when ladies are expected to be ‘at home’ to receive guests a day or two a week.

Rosalind is clever, resourceful, and moves easily between the upper class and those who cook, clean, and manage their lives. I look forward to learning what’s next for Rosalind as the book ends with a teaser.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima
Review by Sandra Murphy

Deputy Mattie Wray, or Mattie Cobb until her marriage into the Wray family (only a week away), is part of a search and rescue team with her dog, Robo. Usually her work keeps her close to home but this time, she’s been requested to travel to the Washington peninsula to search for a lost child. His mother is Crystal Winter, the actress who stars in psychological thrillers. She and his father, a wealthy and somewhat overbearing man, are divorced and not on the best of terms. To add more tension, another child disappeared a year ago and was never found.

Snow is beginning to fall, about a foot of it, making travel more difficult although it will be chilling rain at their destination. The search area won’t be in any better shape since the terrain is rough. The dogs will have to air scent more than track the child.

Robo won’t be the only S&R dog on the search. The urgency of the situation means six dogs and handlers will rotate shifts and search only during daylight hours in a grid pattern. When one of the dogs becomes seriously ill, Maddie’s fiancé, Cole, a veterinarian, joins the group and suspects the dog has been poisoned.

To tell more about the plot would lessen the tension that radiates off the pages as they’re read. The child wasn’t lost but kidnapped and the stakes are higher than ever.

The weather, search area, and the dogs are so much part of the story, readers will feel the chill and aching fatigue of the searchers without the description interfering with the storyline. Mattie and Cole are more than a couple—they’re partners. Her love for his girls is obvious in every scene. They feel the same way about her. Mizushima’s knowledge of search and rescue and veterinary skills add to the realism of the reader being part of the story, not just reading it.

This is book nine in the series and it’s one I hope will never end.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of all 3 books, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “February” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 8, 2025. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s the editor for the upcoming Yeet Me in St Louis, an anthology with stories from twelve St. Louis writers. Her own short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, and anthologies such as The Perp Wore Pumpkin and I (Almost) Died in Your Arms. ‘Lucy’s Tree’, published in The Eyes of Texas, won a Derringer Award from the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She lives in St. Louis with Ozzie the Westie Impersonator and his sidekick in crime, Louie the Cat.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.