MURDER OF AN OPEN BOOK by Denise Swanson 

CINDERELLA SIX FEET UNDER by Maia Chance 

MURDER OF AN OPEN BOOK

Book 18 in the Scumble River Mystery series 

by Denise Swanson

New York Times Bestselling Scumble River Series

A nasty faculty feud leaves one Scumble River teacher belly-up. . . .

Her honeymoon may have been less than relaxing, but Skye Boyd née Denison is still high on marital bliss with her new husband, Wally. The fact that their family is about to get bigger is even more exciting, even if Skye is dealing with morning sickness—and trying to hide the news from her ever-meddling mother, May.

But Skye quickly comes crashing down from cloud nine when the body of one of her coworkers, science teacher and volleyball coach Blair Hucksford, is found in the school swimming pool. The troublesome trainer was on the bad side of almost everyone on staff and many of the girls on her team, leaving Skye to sort through a huge roster of suspects. Now she must figure out which wronged party was mad enough to kill, and quickly—before someone else in town gets bumped off. . . 

MY REVIEW

Do you read the acknowledgements and dedications in books? I do. I love to know who inspired the authors I read. In this book author Denise Swanson thank her street team, the Swanson Sleuths. These are fans and friends who help promote books by handout bookmarks and other items, and by talking about the author’s book. Very cool of you, Ms. Swanson to remember your street team!

You would think after so many books in the same series, an author would run out of ideas. Not so for author Denise Swanson. MURDER OF AN OPEN BOOK was fresh and well written, while holding to the integrity of this long running series. After reading this book, any reader will see why the Scumble River Mystery series has enjoyed such longevity.

Skye is married, pregnant, and starting a whole chapter of her life, but some things never change, like finding a dead body and searching for a murder. As I mentioned above, this was an extremely well written story. It held my attention with every page turned. Ms. Swanson has a way with words and a plot that always leaves the readers coming back for more. I for one will return to Scumble River.

I have to mention the named chapters. I love it when an author does that! Reminds me of my Nancy Drew books. And with chapters entitled…AWHFY - Are We Having Fun Yet, and :-( - Frownie Face, I had as much fun reading the chapters titles as I did enjoying this wonderful mystery!

Get a sneak peek of BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE, book 5 in the Devereaux’s Dime Store Mystery series! 

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CINDERELLA SIX FEET UNDER

Book 2 in the Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery series 

by Maia Chance 

This Cinderella goes from ashes to ashes in the new Victorian-era Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery by the author of Snow White Red-Handed . . .

Variety hall actress Ophelia Flax’s plan to reunite her friend Prue with her estranged—and allegedly wealthy—mother, Henrietta, is met with a grim surprise. Not only is the marquise’s Paris mansion a mouse-infested ruin, but Henrietta has inexplicably vanished, leaving behind an evasive husband, two sinister stepsisters, and a bullet-riddled corpse in the pumpkin patch decked out in a ball gown and one glass slipper—a corpse that also happens to be a dead ringer for Prue. 

Strangely, no one at 15 rue Garenne seems concerned about who plugged this luckless Cinderella or why, so the investigation is left to Ophelia and Prue. It takes them through the labyrinthine maze of the Paris Opera, down the trail of a legendary fairy tale relic, into the confidence of a wily prince charmless, and makes them vulnerable to the secrets of a mysterious couturière with designs of her own on Prue’s ever-twisting family history.

MY REVIEW

I’ve mentioned this in several reviews…cozy mysteries are starting to add more and more historicals to the genre. Hmmm…a new subgenre, historical-cozies. But none of the others are quite like the Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery series.

Author Maia Chance is breathing new life not only into cozies, but into fairy tales as well. CINDERELLA SIX FEET UNDER is a delightfully murderous take on the well-loved story of Cinderella. This story starts off early into the book with the discovery of the victim’s body. What follows is a well plotted, wonderfully written mystery that kept me guessing.

Ms. Chance really did her research and captured the feel of her Victorian setting. Through her use of language and descriptions, I was transported back to Victorian times and found myself in the mystery/fairy tale and part of the investigation myself.

If you’ve read the first book in this series, SNOW WHITE RED-HANDED, I have no doubt you’ll enjoy this next installment. But, if like myself, you haven’t read the first book, no worries, you won’t feel lost in CINDERELLA SIX FEET UNDER at all.

Keep reading after the story is over for a sneak peek of BEAUTY, BEAST, AND BELLADONNA, book 3 in this great series!

Both of these great titles are available 

Tuesday, September 1! 

Pre-order now!

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