HOOKING FOR TROUBLE by Betty Hechtman

WE WISH YOU A MURDEROUS CHRISTMAS by Vicki Delany

DEATH AT FIRST SIGHT by Lena Gregory

MURDER ON ST. NICOLAS AVENUE by Victoria Thompson

HOOKING FOR TROUBLE

Book 11 in the Crochet Mysteries

by Betty Hechtman

Molly Pink can’t help seeing a pattern of trouble in the latest mystery from the national bestselling author of Seams Like Murder.
 
The Tarzana Hookers’ Yarn University has been a big success, and the classes have drawn in a slew of new crochet devotees. A less welcome arrival is the boxy monstrosity in the yard behind Molly’s house. She hasn’t met her new neighbors, but when she sees a couple struggling on the balcony and later spies what looks like someone lying on the ground, Molly wastes no time calling in her ex, homicide detective Barry Greenberg. 
 
To Molly’s shock, Barry reports that nothing is amiss with her neighbors and asks her to lay off with the amateur detecting. Molly knows she wasn’t just seeing things, but with no body to prove her case she’ll have to unravel the evidence on her own—because someone in Tarzana is tangled up in murder...
DELICIOUS RECIPES & CROCHET PATTERNS INCLUDED!

MY REVIEW

Author Betty Hechtman knows how to spin a yarn that will keep readers hooked.

With my fiftieth birthday just around the corner when I read this HOOKING FOR TROUBLE, the irony of protagonist Molly Pink celebrating her fiftieth wasn’t lost on me. Indeed, I felt energized by the fact.

HOOKING FOR TROUBLE was an excellent story. It had such a well thought out plot, and which was executed brilliantly. There were times when I was sure I knew exactly where things were leading, only to turn the page and find I was heading in a completely different direction. Betty Hechtman has a real talent for writing an intricate tale that twists and turns, slowly intertwining until the reader is totally tied up in the tale. Then, she expertly starts to unravel the knot to lead us through the exciting reveal and the ultimate conclusion.

It truly is hard to tell that HOOKING FOR TROUBLE is the eleventh book in the Crochet Mystery series. Hechtman’s ideas are still fresh and entertaining. I for am looking forward to volume twelve!

Make sure to check out the back of this book for a great crochet pattern, and as well as a couple tasty recipes!

~*~*~*~

WE WISH YOU A MURDEROUS CHRISTMAS

Book 2 in the Tear-Round Christmas Mysteries

by Vicki Delany

A grinch is spoiling the holiday cheer and causing fear in the latest from the author of Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen...

It’s Christmastime three hundred sixty-five days a year in Rudolph, New York, and as Christmas Day approaches, shop owner Merry Wilkinson is enjoying a rare evening off at the Yuletide Inn when she runs into owners Grace and Jack Olsen. With Jack's health failing, Merry is relieved to hear that his son Gord will be taking over the day-to-day running of the Inn. 

But then Gord reveals that his new plans have no room for Christmas at the Inn, and Merry and the other shopkeepers start to fret about the effect a bland franchise hotel could have on their livelihoods. 

When Gord is found stabbed to death, there’s an entire town of potential suspects—and it’s up to Merry to find whoever brought homicide home for the holidays...

MY REVIEW

With merry mayhem and mystery, WE WISH YOU A MURDEROUS CHRISTMAS is like getting the best present under the tree!

I adored the thought of this series when I first heard about it. I absolutely loved book one, REST YE MURDERED GENTLEMEN, and am thrilled to have finally read, WE WISH YOU A MURDEROUS CHRISTMAS.

Author Vicki Delany takes us back to Rudolph, New York, the town where Christmas never sleeps. I seriously need to investigate and find a town like this in reality because I want to live there! Well, you know, without the murder.

I like that author Delany took readers a little way into this story before having the victim killed. Speaking for myself, it gave me the time I needed to really dislike him. So much so, had I been there, I’d have been a suspect as well. ;-)

This wonderfully penned tale had me wrapped up by the end of the first chapter. Reading it was like removing the paper from a beautiful gift. The outside is lovely, but what’s inside is spectacular! With the skill of a true writer, Delany made her words come to life. I could smell the pine, feel the cold on my face, and I had the same sense of urgency to solve the murder as series lead, Merry Wilkinson had. When the reveal came and the book ended, I was satisfied, but also shaken to find myself at home in my chair.

Like a dream you don’t want to wake from, WE WISH YOU A MURDEROUS CHRISTMAS was a book I didn’t want to end.

~*~*~*~

DEATH AT FIRST SIGHT

Book 1 in the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries

by Lena Gregory

FIRST IN A VISIONARY NEW MYSTERY SERIES.

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see that something’s not right on Bay Island...

Since she left her psychiatric practice in New York City to open up a psychic shop in her hometown on Bay Island, Cass Donovan has given her fair share of readings to conflicted customers. But what she sees in Ellie Callahan’s future doesn’t bode well. 

When Ellie’s mother, Marge, publicly confronts Cass about the reading, the embarrassment makes her want to curl up and die. And when she later stumbles across Marge’s body—and is a suspect in her murder—Cass is suddenly the star of Bay Island’s rumor mill.

Cass is determined to prove her innocence and save Ellie from meeting the fate in her unfortunate vision. But even with the help of her friends Bee and Stephanie, Cass will have to channel some serious sleuthing instincts to find the real killer...

MY REVIEW

Very good start to a new mystical mystery series by author Lena Gregory.

I was hesitant about reading DEATH AT FIRST SIGHT. I’m not much into reading about psychics and such. However, something clicked on the very first page for me. I instantly liked protagonist Cass Donovan. I love when that happens. There’s just something about the way her character is written. And that connection continued as I was introduced to Cass’s friends. For a first is a series, the characters are very well thought out.

DEATH AT FIRST SIGHT was a really wonderfully written mystery. There was so much subterfuge going on, I thought I was going to need a crystal ball to figure it all out. But nothing could have prepared me for the shocking reveal. Even if I was psychic, I wouldn’t have seen it coming.

Cozy fans are going to love DEATH AT FIRST SIGHT. Para-cozy fans are going to be thrilled!

Take a peek at the back of the book for an excerpt of book two in the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries, OCCULT AND BATTERY.

~*~*~*~

MURDER ON ST. NICOLAS AVENUE

Book 18 in the Gaslight Mysteries

by Victoria Thompson

The author of Murder in Morningside Heights returns to nineteenth-century New York City to find Christmas in the air, a police detective and a midwife with love in their hearts, and a wealthy widow accused of murder…
 
Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy and Sarah Brandt aren't the only ones who’ve recently tied the knot. Family friend Mrs. O’Neill was delighted when her daughter, Una, wed the seemingly wealthy and charming Randolph Pollock. But there’s a problem. Una was found cradling her dead husband’s body. Rendered mute by the ordeal, she cannot explain what happened and now stands charged with murder.
 
Mrs. O’Neill would like Frank to investigate the case and save Una, yet with Frank and Sarah still on their honeymoon, it’s up to the other members of their newly formed household to do some detective work. But solving the mystery behind Pollock’s death means first discovering the truth about who he really is…

MY REVIEW

If you’re a fan of Historical mysteries, the Gaslight series may be just what you are looking for.

While I have enjoyed a few, I will admit, historical mysteries aren’t my favorites. My brain seems better suited for strong female leads of present time rather than more demur ladies of the past. That being said, I am happy to say that in the Gaslight Mysteries, has not just one, but several strong females. While this series normally centers around characters Frank Malloy and Sarah Brant. However, having married in the previous book, the Malloy’s are on their honeymoon. Author Victoria Thompson uses this in MURDER ON ST. NICOLAS AVENUE to bring to the forefront, Mauve and Gino. Readers of this series will know these characters from past installments. Having already established a wonderful team with Frank and Sarah, author Thompson shows Mauve and Gino more than competent to take the lead. 

This was an interesting mystery. I found myself really getting drawn into the story. A young woman thrown into prison for murdering her husband, and her distraught mother desperate to find help in proving her daughter innocent. All through the intriguing investigation I looked forward to learning each new detail. I had some moments when I thought I knew all, but I ended up falling short when the reveal came.

Victoria Thompson is an impressive author and certainly knows how to build suspense in her writing. Her fans are going to enjoy this fresh look into the series, even as they miss Frank and Sarah. But no worries, you can’t keep the Malloy’s away forever!

Pre-order today!

These wonderful titles release

November 1!

As always, please leave a comment and 

let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by 

clicking on the link in the 

upper right hand corner of this page.