There are several publishers that keep the wonderful world of cozy mysteries going for us readers.
One of those is
Kensington Books!
Here are two I think you're going to enjoy!
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PRUNING
THE DEAD
Book
1 in the Garden Squad Mysteries
by
Julia Henry
Post-retirement aches and pains can’t prevent sixty-five-year-old Lilly Jayne from keeping the most manicured garden in Goosebush, Massachusetts. But as a murder mystery blooms in the sleepy New England town, can a green thumb weed out a killer?
With hundreds flocking to her inaugural garden party, meticulous Lilly Jayne hasn’t left a single petal out of place. But the picture-perfect gathering turns unruly upon the arrival of Merilee Frank, Lily’s ex-husband’s catty third wife. Merilee lives for trouble, so no one is surprised after she drinks too much, shoves a guest into the koi pond, and gets escorted off the property. The real surprise comes days later—when Merilee is found dead in a pile of mulch . . .
Lilly wishes she could stick to pruning roses and forget about Merilee’s murder—until her best friend and ex become suspects in an overgrown homicide case. Now, aided by the Garden Squad, an unlikely group of amateur crime solvers with a knack for planting, Lilly knows she has limited time to identify the true culprit and restore order to Goosebush. Because if the murderer’s plot isn’t nipped in the bud, another victim could be pushing up daisies!
With hundreds flocking to her inaugural garden party, meticulous Lilly Jayne hasn’t left a single petal out of place. But the picture-perfect gathering turns unruly upon the arrival of Merilee Frank, Lily’s ex-husband’s catty third wife. Merilee lives for trouble, so no one is surprised after she drinks too much, shoves a guest into the koi pond, and gets escorted off the property. The real surprise comes days later—when Merilee is found dead in a pile of mulch . . .
Lilly wishes she could stick to pruning roses and forget about Merilee’s murder—until her best friend and ex become suspects in an overgrown homicide case. Now, aided by the Garden Squad, an unlikely group of amateur crime solvers with a knack for planting, Lilly knows she has limited time to identify the true culprit and restore order to Goosebush. Because if the murderer’s plot isn’t nipped in the bud, another victim could be pushing up daisies!
Author
Julia Henry aka J. A. Hennrikus aka Julianne Holmes, sure knows how to pen a
tale no matter what name she uses. If this first book in the Garden Squad
Mysteries is any indication of what the rest of the series will be like, I need
to clear my shelves for the next installments!
One
of the things about PRUNING THE DEAD that will stand out to many readers is the
protagonist, Lily Jayne and her cohorts are older than most series leads and
besties. While I enjoy the thirty somethings starring in most cozies (They make
me feel young), I enjoyed spending time with a more mature group of characters.
The
writing in PRUNING THE DEAD is first rate. The further into the story I read,
the harder it was to tare myself away. I was so involved in this book, I didn’t
know how late it had become until I realized I could no long see the pages. Not
only was it a spectacular mystery with more twists and turns than ivy vines, it
was an entertaining story from cover to cover.
And don’t miss the gardening tips at the end.
I learned so many new things, I just may be able to keep plants alive now!
Available January 29!
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Book 4 in
the Wedding Planner Mysteries
by
Stephanie Blackmoore
Professional wedding planner Mallory Shepard knows her job is challenging under any circumstances. But when the groom is your ex and someone invites murder, there may never be another tomorrow . . .
Mallory’s fine—really—handling the wedding arrangements for her ex, Keith. But his fiancée, Becca, has at the last minute decided to switch from a Japanese-cherry-blossom theme to a Gone with the Windtheme. She wants to honor her ailing grandmother, who owns an impressive collection of GWTW memorabilia—and who is fiercely at odds with the groom’s mother over the nuptial plans.
But among other complications, Becca gets into a fight with an old childhood rival over a replica Scarlett O’Hara wedding gown. She wins the dress—but soon becomes a murder suspect when the other woman is found dead in Becca’s swimming pool. And it’s up to Mallory to solve the mystery behind this unhappy occasion, before a different kind of civil war breaks out . . .
Mallory’s fine—really—handling the wedding arrangements for her ex, Keith. But his fiancée, Becca, has at the last minute decided to switch from a Japanese-cherry-blossom theme to a Gone with the Windtheme. She wants to honor her ailing grandmother, who owns an impressive collection of GWTW memorabilia—and who is fiercely at odds with the groom’s mother over the nuptial plans.
But among other complications, Becca gets into a fight with an old childhood rival over a replica Scarlett O’Hara wedding gown. She wins the dress—but soon becomes a murder suspect when the other woman is found dead in Becca’s swimming pool. And it’s up to Mallory to solve the mystery behind this unhappy occasion, before a different kind of civil war breaks out . . .
I read
the first book in the Wedding Planner Mysteries, ENGAGED IN DEATH, but I didn’t
read the second or third books. The first took me some time to warm up to. Now
having read GOWN WITH THE WIND, I remember it’s some of the characters I
couldn’t connect with. Those characters still aren’t my favorites, but I had an
easier time reading them.
As the
title suggests, the theme of Gone With
The Wind is represented in this book, and mentioned often. So GWTW enthusiasts will certainly enjoy
that.
GOWN WITH
THE WIND is a creatively thought out tale with more than one mystery going on.
Murder, attempted murder, attacks, theft, and general mayhem are all present
and handled well by author Stephanie Blackmoore.
Fans
of this series are going to love GOWN WITH THE WIND.
Available Now!
Two more great books to add to your shelves! Yay!
As always, please leave a comment and
let me know what you think!
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Thanks, Lisa. Happy Sunday!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your reviews on "PRUNING THE DEAD" by Julia Henry and "GOWN WITH THE WIND" by Stephanie Blackmoore. More food for my TBR list. :)
ReplyDelete2clowns at arkansas dot net
Thanks these are in my list to read
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reviews.
ReplyDelete