This week we have reviews of 4 food mysteries for you to enjoy for your Mother's Day celebrations-Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust: A Deep Dish Mystery by Mindy Quigley, Cinnamon Twisted: A Deputy Donut Mystery by Ginger Bolton, Death by Chocolate Marshmallow Pie: A Death by Chocolate Mystery by Sarah Graves, and Death by Iced Coffee: A Bookstore Café Mystery by Alex Erickson.
Vermillion Parish, Louisiana, is a fascinating, if not, dangerous place rich with myths and legends of creatures and spirits stalking the bayou as well as the evil only man can perpetrate. LaShaun Rousselle’s psychic ability, passed down in her family thru the centuries, gives her a unique perspective when confronted by that which often can’t be explained, especially to her husband and skeptic Chief Deputy Broussard.
It’s 1921, Bangalore, India, and nineteen-year-old Kaveri Murthy has become known locally as a detective after she successfully uncovered the killer of a disreputable man who preyed on vulnerable women; a scar on her neck is an unfortunate souvenir. Her doctor husband, Ramu, is supportive of her various pursuits, efforts to expand her education, and even getting a driver’s license.
That first night opened the door … to what, exactly, she wasn’t quite sure. But that was the night it all began—the rappings on the walls, the floorboards that creaked under invisible feet.
Barbara Loraine’s stout figure filled the doorway of Karen’s art studio as I came up the walk. “Right on time,” she snapped.
I didn’t reply. This was the last place I wanted to be.
One of the really important themes that comes out of Without Saying Goodbye is that being a good mother is something we learn. It’s not innate in that we can just rely on instinct to make it all happen for us. There’s a widely quoted African proverb: ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ In the developed world, we have sometimes lost that sense of the importance of aunties, grandmothers, and older women feeding into our collective knowledge of how to raise our children.
After her friends proved to be unfriendly, Dena Russo relocated to Sugar Mill, Colorado, with plans to open a used bookstore. What could be more fun? The old sugar mill has been partially torn down and the remainder made into a mall. The first floor is rented for now, phase two will take care of the second floor. There will be a bakery, candy maker, a specialty cheese shop, and a photography studio where clients can dress up in the costumes provided. Cowboys are sure to be a hit. There’s also a resident Cat in Charge, Balaam.
After thirty years of living in an unhappy and abusive marriage, Mai-Lin Song is ready to place all of her hopes in a vial promising her regained youth and beauty. What pushes her over the edge and desperate enough to take the fortune teller’s potion is an anonymous phone call informing her that her husband was taking an offer from witness protection and leaving her behind at the mercy of his criminal bosses. With Feds, criminals, and then an apartment fire trapping her in, downing the wish-fulfilling potion seems like an easy choice.
René Jones was only five minutes older than her twin sister Robin, but their personalities made them seem years apart. Growing up in Chicago, René had always been studious, earning good grades and honors. She graduated college, and finally with hard work, her childcare business in Greensboro, North Carolina, is becoming a lucrative venture. Despite the consequences, some devastating, she always felt obligated, even pressured, to help her sister when opportunities arose, and they rose often.
Poker Face, the television show launched in January 2023, is a murder-mystery-of-the-week series featuring an offbeat, quirky premise. Its great episodic storytelling hearkens back to the classic TV crime shows like Colombo. In other words, these are fun “howcatchem” adventures.
