A TURN FOR THE BAD by Shelia Connolly

NO CATS ALLOWED by Miranda James

A TURN FOR THE BAD 

Book 4 in the County Cork Mysteries 

by Sheila Connolly 

The New York Times bestselling author of An Early Wake returns to Ireland where Sullivan’s Pub owner Maura Donovan gets mixed up with smugglers.

After calling Ireland home for six months, Boston expat Maura Donovan still has a lot to learn about Irish ways—and Sullivan’s Pub is her classroom. Maura didn’t only inherit a business, she inherited a tight-knit community. And when a tragedy strikes, it’s the talk of the pub. A local farmer, out for a stroll on the beach with his young son, has mysteriously disappeared. Did he drown? Kill himself? The child can say only that he saw a boat. 

Everyone from the local gardai to the Coast Guard is scouring the Cork coast, but when a body is finally brought ashore, it’s the wrong man. An accidental drowning or something more sinister? Trusting the words of the boy and listening to the suspicions of her employee Mick that the missing farmer might have run afoul of smugglers, Maura decides to investigate the deserted coves and isolated inlets for herself. But this time she may be getting in over her head...

MY REVIEW

Author Sheila Connolly has once again pulled me in with her masterful storytelling.

After reading A TURN FOR THE BAD, it’s plain to see why author Connolly is a New York Times Bestselling Author. I’m a fan of both her Orchard, and Museum Mysteries. But her County Cork series is a style all its own.

A great cozy, yet different from your average cozy mystery stories, A TURN FOR THE BAD, set in County Cork, Ireland, finds American protagonist Maura Donovan involved in a strange mystery when one man disappears, and another is found dead. The subject of smuggling comes into the story, and makes for a very exciting twist. Also, Maura finds out something about one of her friends that could ruin more than one friendship.

An amazing story, magnificently written, I finished this book in a matter of hours. Every paragraph I read felt more and more like I was play a part in a phenomenal story worthy of not just the printed word, but a classic mystery film.

All I can say is, Ms. Connolly, you have a lifelong fan in me!

Available February 2! 

Pre-order today!

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NO CATS ALLOWED

Book 7 in the Cat In The Stacks Mysteries 

by Miranda James

In the latest mystery in the New York Times bestselling Cat in the Stacks series, librarian Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat Diesel must clear a friend when the evidence is stacked against her…
 
Springtime in Mississippi is abloom with beauty, but the library’s employees are too busy worrying to stop and smell the flowers. The new library director, Elwyn Dillard, is a brash, unfriendly Yankee who’s on a mission to cut costs—and his first targets are the archive and the rare book collection.
 
As annoying as a long-overdue book, Dillard quickly raises the hackles of everyone on staff, including Charlie’s fiery friend Melba—whom Dillard wants to replace with someone younger. But his biggest offense is declaring all four-legged creatures banned from the stacks. 
 
With enemies aplenty, the suspect list is long when Dillard’s body is discovered in the library. But things take a turn for the worse when a threatening e-mail throws suspicion on Melba.
 
Charlie is convinced that his friend is no murderer, especially when he catches sight of a menacing stranger lurking around the library. Now he and Diesel will have to read between the lines, before Melba is shelved under “G” for guilty…

MY REVIEW

Charlie and Diesel are back with a new murder. This time it looks like murder is stacked against one of the libraries own!

I’m still rather new to the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries. The thing that has surprised me most with the ones I have read, has been the lack of action during the reveals in the books. However, in reading NO CATS ALLOWED, it occurred to me that an action packed ending doesn’t make or break a story. It’s the writing that is important, and the writing in this series is superb. So, please forgive me Maranda James for searching out something that didn’t need to be found.

Enjoyable characters, both human and feline, an excellent plot, and writing that draws a reader in are all present and accounted for in NO CATS ALLOWED. Author James captures the imagination with this clever tale of murder, making it a real page turner. A true mystery in every sense of the word, I was reminded of classic mystery heroes who use brain power, observation, and deduction to solve the crime.

Fan of this series are sure to be delighted with this newest installment!

Available February 23!

(Hardcover) 

Pre-order today!

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