by Sandra Murphy & Daryl Wood Gerber

This week we have a review of the first in a new series by Daryl Wood Gerber, along with a fun guest post by Daryl about pampering yourself. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Essence of Foul Play by Daryl Wood Gerber
Review by Sandra Murphy

Emma Brennan is ready to open her new spa. There are other spas in town but Emma’s offerings differ since they focus on the mind as much as the body. Of course, there’s always one person who has to be offended at everything. Willow, the owner of Mystic Waters, offers massages, scalp treatments, and seaweed wraps but Emma’s spa offers an eatery full of healthy foods and drinks, a gift shop, sound baths, and more.

After Willow throws her tantrum and stomps out, Emma feels guilty that her friend, well, grouchy friend, is so unhappy. She makes up a gift basket with calming treatments, candles, and the candlesticks to hold them, and delivers them herself. She can’t say Willow is completely calm when she leaves but it’s a lot better than it was before.

The next morning Emma has a double shock when her mother arrives at the spa, in a rush and a panic. That never happens—except now she has news. Willow was found in her shop, murdered. It was like a game of Clue—Willow in the spa with a candlestick—one that Emma gave her. Now Emma’s a suspect.

The police are investigating but Emma remains a suspect. To clear her name, Emma starts asking questions of her own. Will she find answers before another body—maybe her own—is found?

This is the first book in a new series. Readers of the five Fairy Garden mysteries will recognize Courtney, the fairy garden shop owner, Brady, the café owner and love interest for Courtney, Dylan the detective, and several fairies not everyone can see. It was a treat to read about new characters in the familiar setting of Carmel. Readers will look forward to seeing Emma succeed and find a fairy of her own!

Besides those books, she’s also written Murder on the Page, a literary dining mystery, and the French Bistro Mysteries, the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, and the Cheese Shop Mysteries written under the name Avery Aames. Most, if not all, have been reviewed in KRL.

As always, as a fun bonus, recipes are included: gluten free brioche bread, honey banana muffins with coconut flour, a kale banana protein smoothie, lemon butter cookies, oatmeal honey chocolate cookies (regular or gluten free), peanut butter maple protein bars, raspberry turmeric smoothie, and an avocado face mask for relaxing.

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.

Pampering Required
By Daryl Wood Gerber

Do you take good care of yourself? Do you treat yourself to a day at a spa? Do you get your nails done? Do you participate in any stretch or yoga classes? How about practicing deep breathing? Does this all sound too time-consuming?

It can be, but pampering is absolutely required in this day and age when all we do is go, go, go and face stress, stress, stress. As an author, I’m always busy. Writing a new book. Editing a previous book. Doing promotion after promotion. It’s draining.

When I started writing the Aroma Wellness Mysteries, I realized I needed to address all of these things. Put my life in order. Find inner calm. Tap into energy reserves. At the spa that Emma Brennan opens in Carmel-by-the-Sea, she leads customers in mindful meditation, provides sound baths, gives massages, and more.

To write her authentically, I needed to focus on these aspects, which meant I had to be extra good at pampering myself.

So how do I do it?

First off, I walk my darling Goldendoodle Sparky every morning. Walking helps me deep breathe. It gives me time to think.

I hydrate by drinking lots of water. Occasionally, I have herbal tea. I avoid caffeine, though I do enjoy decaf coffee. I’m not a soda person, but I like the occasional glass of wine . . . at the end of a long day.

Also at the end of a long day, after my writing goals are achieved, I read. If you read with regularity, pat yourself on the back. Reading something enjoyable has been proven to slow the heart rate. It reduces stress and promotes relaxation. Studies have shown that even short periods of reading can help the heart muscle relax. Woot!

Lastly, I often post inspiring and positive statements by my computer, on my kitchen desk, or on my mirror in the bathroom. Emma does the same at the spa and in her home. Self-affirming thoughts have been proven to boost self-esteem, reduce stress and anxiety, and enhance one’s well-being by promoting a positive outlook.

Here are a few for you to try:

I am worthy of love and respect.
I am worthy of happiness and joy.
I am capable of achieving my goals.
I am resilient.
I am beautiful, inside and out.
I am kind to myself.

I hope you will pamper yourself. You deserve it. Remember pampering doesn’t have to cost a lot. It’s all about making time. Breathing. Thinking positively. Striving for inner peace.

Enjoy!

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of Essence of Foul Play, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “essence” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen May 3, 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.

Daryl Wood Gerber is the Agatha Award-winning and nationally bestselling author of the Literary Dining Mysteries, Aroma Wellness Mysteries, Fairy Garden Mysteries and Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes suspense novels, including the well-received The Son’s Secret, Girl on the Run, and the popular Aspen Adams trilogy. Daryl has published a standalone Christmas romance, Hope for the Holidays, and her short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. Fun Tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in Murder, She Wrote. She loves to cook, garden, read, and walk her frisky Goldendoodle. Also she has been known to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. You can learn more on her website: darylwoodgerber.com.

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.