CAT AMONG THE PUMPKINS by Mandy Morton

THE SKELETON PAINTS A PICTURE by Leigh Perry

PERILOUS POETRY by Kym Roberts

CAT AMONG THE PUMPKINS

Book 2 in the Hettie Bagshot Mysteries

by Mandy Morton

Cat lovers, rejoice! The second installment in Mandy Morton's cat-driven series has arrived with Cat Among the Pumpkins, where crime-solving is in the capable paws of felines. And these cats haven't been declawed.

As All Hallows’ Eve approaches, Hettie Bagshot of The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency has more than just a ghost and warlock tart on her plate. Along with her faithful sidekick, Tilly, the tabby duo set out to investigate an old crime and a spate of new murders.

Why is Mavis Spitforce dressed as a pumpkin? Can Irene Peggledrip really talk to cats from the spirit world? Did Milky Myers murder his family on Halloween, longer ago than anyone can remember? All questions the pair must answer before the case can be solved. As the November fog closes in, where will the killer strike next―and will there be enough catnip to go around?

MY REVIEW

A cat-tastically original cozy mystery.

It’s safe to say I have never read a book like this one before. In the Hettie Bagshot Mysteries, author Mandy Morton has created a cozy mystery is no humans. None. The entire cast of characters is made up of cats. I have read para-cozies, but this is more of a fantasy cozy . . . Fanta-cozy?

Once you get use to the idea that everyone is feline, and start to embrace it, CAT AMONG THE PUMPKINS is a cute mystery. In my mind while reading, I kept thinking the film studio, Dreamworks, would have a blast making this into a move.

Cat lovers with vivid imaginations will find this tale a treat. Also, the simplistic writing style makes CAT AMONG THE PUMPKINS a great read for ages as young as tweens.

🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁

THE SKELETON PAINTS A PICTURE

Book 4 in the Family Skeleton Mysteries

by Leigh Perry

Georgia Thackery, adjunct English professor, has a new job teaching at Falstone College of Art and Design, known as FAD to its students and faculty. Living in a borrowed bungalow during winter in the snowiest part of Massachusetts, Georgia feels her isolation weighing as heavily as the weather. Then she receives a package containing her best friend, Sid, a walking, talking skeleton who has lived with the Thackery family since Georgia was six. With Georgia working out of town, Sid was lonely too. 

The two of them make plans for a cozy semester together, and it might have worked out that way if Sid hadn’t snuck out in the middle of the night to play in the snow and spotted a crashed car. When he drags Georgia out to investigate, they find the driver behind the wheel, apparently dead from the collision. 

Initially, police think it’s an accident, so Georgia and Sid think that’s the end of it―until Georgia finds out the body hits closer to home than she’d realized...

MY REVIEW

Make no bones about it, you’re going to love THE SKELETON PAINTS A PICTURE!

I can’t begin to describe how happy I was when I heard there was going to be another book in the Family Skeleton Mysteries. The wait was excruciating, but totally worth it!   

It was delightful to be back with Sid the skeleton, and his living flesh and blood besty, Georgia. This fourth installment finds Georgia living in a new town for her work. A lonely Sid surprises Georgia by having himself shipped to her. It doesn’t take long after Sid’s arrival for death to be on their doorstep again, and the buddies are off on the hunt for answers.

THE SKELETON PAINTS A PICTURE is fantastically fun, and fast paced mystery. With more twists and turns than there are bones in the human body, Leigh Perry had me guessing with every turn of the page. I was holding my breath as through the exciting reveal, and was smiling as I read the final sentence. 

With this series finding a new publisher, a few things have changed. One - the cover graphics. But they’re still delightful and capture the mood of the series. Two – you won’t find this book in “mass market” paperback. It is in print, but in “trade” (larger, and thinner) paperback. Three – the writing has changed . . . for the better! That’s something I would not have thought possible, but author Leigh Perry really outdid herself with, THE SKELETON PAINTS A PICTURE!

🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁

PERILOUS POETRY

Book 3 in the Book Barn Mysteries

by Kym Roberts

Charli Rae Warren doesn't plan on striking it rich as the owner of an independent bookstore in Hazel Rock, Texas-especially one with a pink armadillo as its mascot. But when an ingenious advertising campaign puts her business on the map, it ropes in some deadly publicity . . .

Charli can't believe writer Lucy Barton has agreed to promote her latest Midnight Poet Society novel at The Book Barn Princess-or that there's only a week-and-a-half to prepare for the signing. It's all because of The Book Seekers, a smartphone app created by her cousin Jamal exclusively for Charli's bookstore, which sends fans on a virtual scavenger hunt around town for a chance to meet the bestselling author. But as soon as it goes live, people turn up dead . . .

Someone's using The Book Seekers to track victims and copycat the fictional Midnight Poet Society homicides, and horrified locals suspect Jamal could be the mastermind behind the crimes. While Charli readies the Barn for a stampede of new customers, it'll take true grit to shelve the culprit before her brainy cousin gets locked behind bars, Ms. Barton backs out of the visit, and she finds herself up a creek-with a serial killer holding the paddle!

MY REVIEW

I’m not sure how I missed the first two books in this series, but I’m happy to have found it now.

With PERILOUS POETRY being the third book in the Book Barn Mysteries, I thought I’d have to play some catching up. However, I fell into step with the series and characters rather quickly. I really enjoyed protagonist Charli, her family, and of course pet armadillo, Princess. Such an original choice for a cozy pet! The entire cast of characters was so eclectic. Really great fun to read.

Mystery, mayhem, and murder were abundant in this tale. Author Kym Roberts was generous with the action and excitement as well. Page after page I was drawn further into this story. Each time I thought I knew who had “dunit”, I changed my mind and picked someone new. The reveal was a complete surprise to me.

After reading PERILOUS POETRY, I’d like to go back and read the first two installments of this series.

All of these titles are now available!

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.