by Cynthia Chow, Sandra Murphy & Joan Leotta

As 2023 winds down, we are busy playing catchup with mysteries we have not yet had the chance to review. Here are four more delightful mysteries-Murder Uncorked by Maddie Day, Spoon To Be Dead: A Shake Shop Mystery by Dana Mentink, Knitmare On Beech Street by Peggy Ehrhart, and Murder in Drury Lane By Vanessa Riley. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of all 4 books and links to purchase them from Amazon at the end of each review–you may not see those links if you have adblocker.

Murder Uncorked by Maddie Day
Review by Cynthia Chow

Following the death of her less than faithful husband and the heartbreaking estrangement with her daughter, Cecelia “Cece” Barton moved to the wine-producing town of Colinas, California to pursue a new career as the manager of Wino y Vida Wine Bar. There she can also be near her fraternal twin sister Allie Halstead, the manager of a local bed and breakfast. During her usual shift Cece has the unpleasant task of serving Vincent Sardo, a member of the Vineyard Valley Association regional business group which is hosting an upcoming event. Almost as disturbing as the congenital condition that prevents him from having a sense of smell is his leering, sexist attitude, but not even those should have been enough to warrant his death.

Vincent Sardos’s body is found the next morning though, and with the cause of death uncertain Cece becomes an early suspect due to her having possibly served him his last drink. New suspects quickly arise with the arrival of his ex-ish wife, not to mention the suspicion that Vincent may have been embezzling from the VVA. Protective of her new life, the wine bar, and especially of the new community she has quickly grown to love, Cece begins to discreetly question those who may have had a reason to want Vincent dead. That still leaves time for her to enjoy vegetarian meals at Eddie’s restaurant next door and babysit for her twin sister’s own set of twin boys. Allie may also have a hand in helping to set Cece up with a hunky visiting accountant, and despite her assertions that she’s not yet ready to date she also can’t help but notice Ben Cohen’s appeal. Genetics, financial shenanigans, and predatory behavior all make for motives for murder in the tourist-attracting community that celebrates both wine and cuisine.

While this is the first of a new series, Cece Barton was earlier introduced in “Murderous Mittens,” one of the delightful stories included in the holiday anthology Christmas Mittens Murder. Then she was still living in Los Angeles and only visiting her sister for the holidays, just in time to solve a murder along with the help of the Local Foods Mystery series’ lead Cam Flaherty. Here Cece fully takes the lead in her queries, but she still must cope with her complicated personal issues. Allie’s twins being biracial and looking even more different from one another than Cece and Allie leads into compelling storylines, which could be explored even more in the future. While working for the State Department, her late husband engaged in a series of affairs in every country, and his death by either accident or suicide left a wake of anger and resentment simmering between Cece and her daughter.

Cece moved to Colinas in the hope that being closer to Zoe’s college would help to mend their relationship, but it may take a nearly fatal hit-and-run to finally bring them together. The setting of California’s wine valley allows for tense moments due to constant threat of wildfires along with tantalizing wine tastings, balancing the beauty of the area with danger. The author of numerous series under the names Maddie Day and Edith Maxwell creates another new cozy mystery that will have readers devouring the mix of romance, humor, and nature.

Spoon To Be Dead: A Shake Shop Mystery by Dana Mentink
Review by Cynthia Chow

Successfully opening an ice cream shop and food truck during the summer is one thing, but continuing its profits through the chilly winter in Eastern Oregon is another. That is why Shimmy and Shake Shop owner Trinidad Jones is anxious for the upcoming Christmas season, and also why she agrees to cater at an extravagant Christmas party on the Sprocket Steamboat. The guest list is mysterious and rumors are flying, but the one arrival Trinidad didn’t expect was her ex-husband Gabe Bigley. She and her friends Juliette and Bonnie have bonded over being his ex-wives, and they have similarly opened businesses with the money they received before he went to prison. Not only is he free and back in his hometown of Sprocket, Oregon, Bonnie announces that she and Gabe are going to get remarried. Trinidad and Juliette question Bonnie’s sanity, but despite her lack of enthusiasm she seems determined to once again walk down the aisle with Gabe. It looks as though she’s going to have to put a pause on that though, as Gabe lands on Trinidad’s doorstep looking a lot worse for wear and confessing to a possible murder. Although he has a muddled memory about exactly what happened, he does remember borrowing his mother’s car and then finding himself at the scene of an accident with the very dead body of birdwatcher Oscar Fuentes.

As much as she may wish that she had seen the last of her lying, cheating ex-husband, pleas from both him and Bonnie have Trinidad reluctantly pulled into the investigation. Complicating matters is Gabe’s sister, Police Chief Cynthia Bigley, who is unsurprisingly removed from the official investigation due to a conflict of interest. Trinidad’s current boyfriend Quinn has a lot to say about her involvement, especially when an attack on Gabe has him pleading to her for a safe place to stay. Now juggling jealous men while attempting to cater a Christmas party with last minute diet requests, Trinidad and her accomplice Juliette attempt to sift through the secrets of party guests and a morose Bonnie. The arrival of a celebrity sports star distracts Juliette by igniting her hormones, which means that it will be up to Trinidad to protect her friends and hopefully prove that their mutual ex-husband is not an actual killer.

This third in the series achieves the delicate act of introducing a much-maligned character who still somehow manages to earn the reader’s sympathy. Despite his many flaws, it’s still easy to see how he once charmed three intelligent women into marrying him. That doesn’t mean that Trinidad hasn’t grown and learned enough since divorcing him to see through his pretenses, which is why she and Juliette are baffled at Bonnie’s decision. Clever readers may pick up on some of the clues as to the reasoning, but the mystery delivers a much more surprising twist at the end. An afterword by the author seems to hint that this may be the end of the series, and if so, it’s a shame but readers are still rewarded with a very satisfying, fun resolution to all of the characters’ fates.

Recipes for tantalizing hot cocoa bombs as well as a traditional Congri recipe will delight cozy fans, as will the appearance by Trinidad’s Labrador Noodles. The relationships and witty banter between the three ex-wives continue to be the highlight of this series, with their unique bond uniting them as they successfully start over in their lives. This is a very entertaining mystery series fit for the holidays or any time one needs a foodie mystery treat.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

>Knitmare On Beech Street by Peggy Ehrhart
Review by Sandra Murphy

Pamela and Bettina are accompanying the Arborville Newcomers’ Group Welcomes You (ANGWY) members to Voorhees House to bestow a gift basket on Tassie Hunt, the dilapidated home’s new owner. They’ve arranged the date and time so why isn’t she answering the door? Bettina, who uses her position as a reporter for the local weekly newspaper, never holds back. This time, the back door isn’t latched so Bettina takes it as an invitation to go inside.

She soon regrets that decision because Tassie is dead on the floor. The house had a reputation for being haunted, as old houses do, but Tassie was a debunker and not worried. She should have been.

A nearby neighbor is full of information, most of it useless. A thorough examination of the house shows someone had been living in the attic and could be mistaken for ‘the ghost.’ No one knows who or why.

When a second body turns up shortly thereafter, suspicions run rampant but evidence remains slim. Bettina and Pamela decide asking questions here and there couldn’t hurt, but could it?

In her personal life, Pamela’s daughter Penny is off to Guatemala with Aaron, who could be either a friend only or boyfriend. Pamela has been having sporadic dinners with Pete the handyman and finds them enjoyable. Maybe she’s finally ready to date after years of widowhood. It would be a nice change from her years of set routines.

This is book ten in the series. Three additional shorter stories are included in anthologies. Since enough description and backstory are given in each book, readers can start anywhere and backtrack. Part of each book is the Knit and Nibble group—who meet, rotating hosting, to work on individual knitting projects. A snack, tea, and coffee is provided for their break. This book includes a knitting pattern for the toy donkey that Pamela donates for children at the women’s shelter. Also included is Pamela’s recipe for blueberry pie, and within the story itself, she included an update to the vintage lemon ice box pie recipe.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s editor for Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s, with twenty-two cozy stories. She also edited A Murder of Crows, twenty-one stories featuring animals and crime (no animals were harmed). She also writes for magazines, newsletters, and the occasional guest blog. Both anthologies are available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Murder in Drury Lane By Vanessa Riley
Review by Joan Leotta

In this second installment (my first time reading the author) in the Lady Worthing mystery series, Riley presents us not only with the less-often seen viewpoint of racial diversity in Regency England, but also offers wonderful information about the theatre scene of that era. I first tried to read the book online as a reader’s advance copy but found it difficult to keep up the with cast of characters. Reading it in hardback corrected that problem by allowing me to easily refer to the list of characters and check back to previous pages for information.

Riley’s ear for dialogue and her knowledge of how people act with one another transcends the era she writes about and makes the book a good read. Riley’s extensive research and knowledge of the era often comes through in the use of terms of that period. Whereas Jane Austin, writing during the Regency period, concentrated on the small, inner world of family and courting, Riley, looking back on the age, swings us into the Regency era’s politics, larger issues (slavery in particular), and the darker side of life in general, while keeping us apprised of the political situation regarding the abolition of slavery in England.

I was very interested in the history Riley presents, especially the descriptions of the book’s real people and her notes on the workings of the politics of the era. The book’s theme that “no good choice goes unpunished” is cleverly woven in and around the various information on theatre and the particulars of the murder at hand.

A good read.

To enter to win a copy of all 4 books, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “even more december 2023 catchup” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 30, 2023. 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. A new episode goes up next week.

Joan Leotta plays with words on page and stage. She performs tales of food, family, strong women. Internationally published as an essayist, poet, short story writer, and novelist, she’s a two-time Pushcart nominee, and twice a Best of the Net nominee. In she was a 2022 runner-up in Robert Frost Competition. Her work appears in Ekphrastic Review, Verse Visual, Verse Virtual, anti-heroin chic, Gargoyle, Active Muse, Silver Birch, Yellow Mama, Mystery Tribune, One Art, MacQueen’s Quinterly and others. Her poetry chapbooks are Languid Lusciousness with Lemon and Feathers on Stone. She is on the Board of the London Arts Based Research Centre and is an area representative for the North Carolina Writers Network.

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.