Lisa Ks Book Reviews

TELLING TAILS by Sofie Ryan

ASSAULT AND BERET by Jenn McKinlay

POP GOES THE MURDER by Kristi Abbott

THIRD TIMES A CRIME by Diana Orgain

TELLING TAILS

Book 4 in the Second Chance Cat Mysteries

by Sofie Ryan

The New York Times bestselling author of A Whisker of Trouble returns as secondhand shop owner Sarah Grayson and her rescue cat, Elvis, get caught up in a case of she said, she said....

When Sarah Grayson opened a secondhand shop in the quaint town of North Harbor, Maine, she was expecting peace and quiet. Then she was adopted by a rescue cat named Elvis and a kooky trio of senior sleuths known as Charlotte’s Angels. Now she has nine lives worth of excitement…

Sarah’s friend and employee Rose is delivering a customer’s purchase when the quick errand becomes a deadly escapade. Rose arrives just in time to see the customer murdered by his wife, but before she can call the police, she is knocked out cold. When she wakes up, no one believes her, especially after the woman claims her husband is very much alive and has left her for someone else—and has a text message and empty bank account to prove it.

Despite her convincing story, Sarah is sure something is fishy—and it’s not Elvis’s kitty treats. Sarah, Elvis, and the Angels are determined to unravel this mysterious yarn, before the feral killer pounces again...

MY REVIEW

Sarah, Elvis, and Charlotte’s Angels are once again on the hunt for the truth in this fourth installment of the Second Chance Cat Mysteries.

I really enjoyed my time spent reading TELLING TAILS. Murder and mayhem, lies and, action filled mystery loaded with enough twists and turns to make you dizzy . . . everything readers loved from the first three books are found in abundance in this story

Sophie Ryan’s mindfulness to details makes reading her stories even more entertaining and satisfying. She knows what it takes to grab and hold the reader’s attention.

Check out TELLING TAILS and the entire Second Chance Cat Mystery series, and you will see, when it comes to writing a good mystery, Sofie Ryan is the cat’s meow.

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ASSAULT AND BERET

Book 5 in the Hat Shop Mysteries

by Jenn McKinlay

Allons-y to Paris for more hats and homicide from the New York Times bestselling author of Copy Cap Murder!

London milliner Vivian Tremont and her American cousin and partner, Scarlett Parker, tip their caps to their beloved shop on Portobello Road in Notting Hill and set off for Paris, where Viv can’t wait to teach a hat-making class. But she has another reason to travel to the City of Light: to find the man she impulsively eloped with years ago and have their marriage annulled.

William Graham is not only handsome and charming, but he also has a glamorous job as an insurance investigator who works with priceless pieces of art, most recently a small Renoir that has been discovered in a junk shop. But when both Will and the masterpiece suddenly disappear, it’s up to the ladies from London to follow the trail of clues. They’ll need to hold on to their chapeaux, however, because someone is a master in the art of deception...

MY REVIEW

Hats off to (Not original, I know) author Jenn McKinlay for what has been another brilliantly entertaining series!

I was so shocked when I heard ASSAULT AND BERET was going to be the last book in the Hat Shop Mysteries. I seems like it just started! However, if it had to end, Jenn McKinlay ended it well.

Fans of the series will be delighted with the sendoff the author gives this in ASSUALT AND BERET. She tied up loose ends, and leaves readers in a good place.

Being the last book in no way changed McKinlay’s writing. Wonderful, and always witty, it felt as though the author put her all into ASSAULT AND BERET. It’s a great mystery that will leave you breathless by the end from the action, and the chuckling.

Thank you, Jenn McKinlay for another amazing ride. I look for to where your imagination takes us next!

And speaking of Jenn McKinlay’s wonderful, fun writing, take a look at the back of ASSAULT AND BERET, and read a sneak peek of CARAMEL CRUSH, the newest in the McKinlay’s Cupcake Bakery Mysteries (my very favorite series of hers) coming April 2017!

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POP GOES THE MURDER

2 in the Popcorn Shop Mysteries

by Kristi Abbott

Gourmet popcorn entrepreneur Rebecca Anderson and her poodle, Sprocket, are back on the case, in the second Popcorn Shop Mystery from the author of Kernel of Truth.

Despite Rebecca Anderson’s best efforts to distance herself from her ex-husband, the guy keeps popping up. When Antoine offers to feature her breakfast bars and popcorn fudge on his popular cooking show, she suspects he’s once again trying to butter her up—but the TV exposure for her gourmet popcorn shop, POPS, is too good to turn down.

Things take a shocking turn when the crew comes to Grand Lake to film in her shop, and Rebecca discovers Antoine’s assistant electrocuted in a hotel bathtub. Now the police want Antoine to come clean. Her ex may be a pain, but he’s no killer. So Rebecca decides to bag the real culprit. If she isn’t careful, however, she may be the next one getting burned.

INCLUDES POPCORN RELATED RECIPES!

MY REVIEW

Author Kristi Abbott has popped out a tasty addition to her Popcorn Shop Mystery series!

Ms. Abbott wasted no time buttering readers up with a long, drawn out beginning. She had us into the action of POP GOES THE MURDER in a jiffy. And the story just kept getting better.

A well written tale, with a mystery that was hard to solve, POP GOES THE MURDER was even better than book one in the series, KERNEL OF TRURH. I could really see the growth in the characters, and there was a nice flow to the story.

My only negative is, I can’t quite connect with the protagonist Rebecca Anderson. She seems a bit stuck up at times and be a little rude. Though, it could just be me. Some characters, like people in real life, can take a while to warm up to.

If you enjoyed the first in this series, you’re in for a treat with POP GOES THE MURDER.

Make sure to check out the back of the book for two yummy popcorn recipes!

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THIRD TIME'S A CHARM

Book 3 in the Love or Money Mysteries

by Diana Orgain

Ex-detective Georgia Thornton returns to reality TV in the third mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of A Second Chance at Murder—

POOL YOUR RESOURCES...

After two hit reality TV shows brought ex-detective Georgia Thornton into America’s living rooms, audiences can’t get enough of her quest for love and justice. Now producers have come up with an all-new show set in a haunted castle in Golden, California. Georgia and nine other contestants will need to solve the mystery of a young woman who disappeared at the castle in 1960.

Except there’s one rather substantial problem waiting for everyone when they arrive: a groundskeeper is found drowned at the bottom of the castle’s empty pool. Now Georgia and the other contestants will need to work together, because there’s a different sort of game afoot—and it’s not one they can afford to lose...

MY REVIEW

Reality TV is at its best worst can be found once again in the latest installment of the Love or Money Mysteries.

People . . . step away from your televisions and read a book! A mystery book! A mystery book about . . . well . . . television! J Trust me when I tell you, reading about a TV show is even more entertaining than watching one, as long as it’s written by author Diana Orgain.

THIRD TIME’S A CRIME is book three in the Love or Money Mysteries. And let me tell you, the third time certainly is the charm!

I watch Big Brother and Survivor, but other really shows don’t really appeal to me. Even the two I mentioned don’t thrill me. Now, if we could lift the show, Cold Case in the Castle, out of THIRD TIME’S A CRIME, I’d be glued to my TV. Diana Orgain captured the feel of reality TV, as well as giving readers a behind the scenes look that felt so believable! She masterfully blended the cold case in the story with the present death and investigation, and delivered a wonderful cozy mystery that readers with truly enjoy.

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