This new Beans & Barks mystery starts with a home and garden tour gone wrong when siblings Macy and Bo Hatfield come upon more than just dead leaves by the hostas in the memorial shade garden. If you are unfamiliar with the Barks & Beans series, that’s okay because Ms. Gilbert does a great job of giving enough backstory to get you into the loop without making you dizzy.
In book 8 of the Cook-Off Mystery series, it seems that strife and cold weather have come to the town of Augustin, Connecticut in the way of an age-old argument about progress versus tradition. As with all Sally Oliveri books, there is a new cooking contest for Sally to participate in when she isn’t solving the mystery, and wonderful recipes are shared at the conclusion of the mystery.
Welcome to the town of Starport Cove and the Bluffington Hills suburb, where Tarsey Quinston, an empathic sleuth, is getting ready for Christmas. Having taken time off from her nonprofit job, she looks forward to decorating her new home with her husband Steve and their fur baby Silver the fluffy feline. This second installment in the Pet Momma Cozy Mystery series is a cute Christmas cozy that comes complete with a spirit from the past and a Scrooge-like business magnate.
This edgy cozy wastes no time with the body drop. Butch Oldham, CEO of Mermaid Swimwear, has left a multitude of disgruntled people in his wake, including our sleuth, Holly “Swimsuit” Schlivnick, president of the private label division of Mermaid Swimwear. Butch’s murder is both personal and unusual, as he was wearing lacy black panties and pinned to a table, like the butterflies he collected. Holly’s BFF Queenie Levine is the “lucky” person who found the victim.
Set in picturesque Lake Tahoe, this series starter does an excellent job of bringing the beauty of the region to life. Rylie finds herself out of her permanent job due to a wildfire and in the middle of a mystery by the second day of her summer temp job as the caretaker at Whitaker Cottages.
