Kathleen Costa

Oct 2022 22

Crime Wave 2: Women of a Certain Age, A Canada West Anthology

2022 Articles, Kathleen Costa, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Kathleen Costa

What do you do when again a gaggle of Canadian Sisters in Crime write the perfect mystery short the public has to read to believe? You put “em in a book, call it Crime Wave 2, and release it in time for the Halloween season. These sixteen authors have run the gambit with their work from poignant to extreme with protagonists that illustrate perfectly women of a certain age, temperament, relationship status, and mental stability along with varying their motivations from righting a wrong to balancing the scales to wielding a bit of comeuppance.

Oct 2022 15

The Storyteller’s Death By Ann Dávila Cardinal: Review/Giveaway/Interview

2022 Articles, Kathleen Costa, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Kathleen Costa

Isla Larsen Sanchez was eight years old, in 1970, when her mother Elena took her to stay with her maternal relatives in Puerto Rico. It was the first time she would be left alone for an entire summer even though she begged to stay in New Jersey to help take care of her ailing father. She cried in the arms of her Tia Alma, her grandmother’s sister, asking her to tell her a story to help alleviate her sadness, but she’s met with “…I don’t tell stories. Abeula tells stories.”

Oct 2022 8

AcornTV Streaming: All the Right Ingredients Recipes for Love and Murder

2022 Articles, Kathleen Costa, Mysteryrat's Maze, TV

by Kathleen Costa

AcornTV is the perfect remedy for boredom! Whether you need a belly-laugh, a pluck on your heartstrings, a cringeworthy nail-biter, or good triumphs over evil karma, AcornTV has what you need. For a reasonable membership fee (monthly $6.99, or special annual $69.99), I have access to a wide range of programs from those I can’t live without to those…I guess I can’t live without!

Oct 2022 1

AcornTV Streaming: Iconic Pair in an Aussie Gem! Darby and Joan

2022 Articles, Kathleen Costa, Mysteryrat's Maze, TV

by Kathleen Costa

AcornTV is a harmless vice I plan never to drop. On the cusp of the baby boomer era, I grew up with television enjoying reruns from the “Golden Age of Television” to new shows that are now classics. I was introduced early to many British productions like The Avengers, but those Brit sitcoms and dramas were few and far between…until now!

Sep 2022 24

Steeped to Death By Gretchen Rue: Review/Giveaway/Interview

2022 Articles, Fantasy & Fangs, Kathleen Costa, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Kathleen Costa

Auntie Eudora Black was a tea connoisseur having traveled the world sampling blends from the every day to the exotic. After one such adventure, she returned to Raven Creek, Washington, and found her favorite used bookshop was closing. She jumped at the chance to rescue it, and after turning the large supply closet into a tearoom, The Earl’s Study opened.

Sep 2022 17

The Rising Tide A Vera Stanhope Novel By Ann Cleeves: Review/Giveaway

2022 Articles, Kathleen Costa, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Kathleen Costa

DCI Vera Stanhope has been the lead detective for the Northumberland Police Constabulary for many years although don’t comment on the amount of years it truly is. She is the epitome of a workaholic, rarely taking time off, as she is more comfortable in the middle of an investigation with the people she considers like family. Growing up she was always an outsider due to her short and plump stature and her father’s peculiar, if not illegal, pastime.

Sep 2022 17

A Deadly Covenant By Michael Stanley: Review/Giveaway

2022 Articles, Kathleen Costa, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Kathleen Costa

Every great detective started somewhere. Detective David “Kubu” Bengu had that defining moment when, as a new detective sergeant, he became involved in a large diamond heist and multiple murder investigation (Facets of Death). Many of his colleagues were suspicious of the young hefty man assigned to Botswana’s Criminal Investigation Department straight out of university, but his insights were key and put him on the path to promotion and a brilliant career.

Sep 2022 17

BritBox Streaming: Quirky, Clever Gem! McDonald & Dodds

2022 Articles, Kathleen Costa, Mysteryrat's Maze, TV

by Kathleen Costa

BritBox is my favorite go-to streaming entertainment option. I’ve been a member for several years and have zero complaints. For my membership (monthly $6.99; special annual $69.99), I can access a vast and varied library at anytime, anywhere, and on any of my devices.

Sep 2022 10

Murder and an Irish Curse By Melissa Bourbon: Review/Giveaway/Guest Post

2022 Articles, Food Fun, Kathleen Costa, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Kathleen Costa

Pippin is busy making her Sea Captain’s Inn a friendly destination, a feat the local paper was kind to highlight. So, why is local reporter, Moria O’Quinn, wanting to do another story about Pippin and the Inn? Well, she doesn’t and isn’t. She has become quite a nuisance, even insinuating Pippin may be a witch. She says she’s heard rumors of Pippin’s bibliomancy, somewhat unlikely, and knows much more than she should about the gift, which is suspicious, and Pippin is finding it difficult to maintain an evasive attitude.

Sep 2022 10

Guilty as Framed By Lois Winston: Review/Giveaway

2022 Articles, Kathleen Costa, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Kathleen Costa

Updating her “1950s suburban rancher” is long overdue, but accepting the kindness of strangers, namely her fiancé and her neighbor, is a challenge. Although when a tattered man, jawing a cigar, and wearing a fedora demands to see Johnnie D ‘cause “he’s got something of mine,” accepting a forceful hand to block the man’s entrance is a no-brainer.