BOOK CLUBBED by Lorna Barrett

SEVEN THREADLY SINS by Janet Bolin

BOOK CLUBBED 

Book 8 in the Booktown Mystery series 

by Lorna Barrett

The New York Times bestselling author of Not the Killing Type is back in Booktown with another page-turning mystery. Bookstore owner Tricia Miles and her sister, Angelica, must put their problems on the shelf to catch a killer who turns a bookcase into a murder weapon…

After cranky Chamber of Commerce receptionist Betsy Dittmeyer is crushed by a fallen bookcase, the next item to be read is her will, which is packed with surprises. It seems Betsy was hiding volumes of secrets behind her perpetual frown—one of which might have been a motive for murder.

While Tricia tries to help Angelica—the newly elected Chamber of Commerce president—solve the mystery, she discovers a hidden chapter in her own family history. And with her ex-husband and the chief of police vying for her affections, it’s doubly hard to focus on who buried Betsy in a tomb of tomes.

But Tricia and Angelica will need to watch their step carefully to make sure the killer doesn’t catch them between the stacks.

MY REVIEW

I was so excited to finally get my hands on this book! When I stared reading cozy mysteries several years ago, the Booktown series was one of the first I read. If it hadn’t been for this series and a few others, my love for cozies may have been short lived.

BOOK CLUBBED is now my favorite book in this series. It had all of the same wonderful storytelling as the volumes that came before, but amped up to a whole new level. Author Lorna Barrett held nothing back with this one, calling on al of her talent as a writer. Action packed with one exciting story twist after another, I was left breathless by the end.

And keep reading after the story is over for yummy recipes, and a sneak peek of the next Booktown mystery, A FATAL CHAPTER!

If you’re already a fan of the Booktown Mysteries, you are going to be blown away when you read BOOK CLUBBED. If you haven’t started this series yet, do yourself a favor and please do. But I suggest getting them all at the same time because you’re going to want to binge read this series! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SEVEN THREADLY SINS

Book 5 in the Threadville Mystery series 

by Janet Bolin

Fashion turns killer in the latest novel from the national bestselling author of the Threadville mysteries…
 
Threadville, Pennsylvania, is famous for its fabric, needlecraft, and embroidery, so it’s only natural that it would become the home of the Threadville Academy of Design and Modeling. While Willow Vanderling has certainly never wanted to be a model, here she is, voluntarily strutting her stuff in a charity runway show in outrageous clothing, all to support the Academy’s scholarship fund.
 
But the lascivious, mean-spirited director of the academy, Antonio, is making the fashion show a less-than-fabulous affair. After Antonio plays a shocking prank on Willow and her friends that doesn’t exactly leave the ladies in stitches, he mysteriously winds up dead—and someone is trying to pin the blame on Willow.
 
Now, she must do whatever it takes in order to clear her name, even if it means needling around in other people’s secrets.

MY REVIEW

Author Janet Bolin has embroidered another delightful creation in this latest addition of the Threadville Mystery series.

SEVEN THREADLY SINS in the fifth installment of this wonderful mystery series, and one of the best. It was a real page turner and kept me speculating all the way through.

This story was very well written and cleverly crafted. It contained lots of surprises and misleads, red herrings as they say, right up until the exciting reveal.

I want to thank author Bolin for writing a victim that all readers of this book will be happy to see killed off. LOL I almost didn’t care who the killer was because I was happy to see this gut done in. ;-) But on a serious note, because he was so unliked, it really opened up the suspect pool to make this mystery even harder to solve.

I don’t feel you need to know about needlecrafts to enjoy this book. Sewing on buttons is about all I can do, and I really liked it. But for those of you who do needlecrafts, there is a machine embroidery project at the end of the book, as well as some helpful tips from protagonist, Willow.

Both of these great titles are 

available for pre-order for their 

Tuesday, May 5 release date! 

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.

CATNAPPED

and

CHECKED OUT 

by Elaine Viets

CATNAPPED

Book 13 in the Dead-End Jobs Mystery series 

by Elaine Viets

The fur is really flying in this Dead-End Job Mystery from the national bestselling author of Checked Out.

No more pussyfooting around! Husband-and-wife PI team Helen Hawthorne and Phil Sagemont have barely scratched the surface of the world of show cats when a cornered kitty kidnapper’s claws come out.... 

The one thing celebrity Trish Barrymore and her no-account accountant husband, Mort, can agree on in their bitter divorce is shared cat custody. But when Mort is found brained by a mahogany cat tower and their pedigreed Chartreux show cat goes missing, Trish calls on Helen and Phil to find the feline filcher and let the cat out of the bag.

Discovering that Mort had some shady dealings within cat show circles, Helen goes undercover as an assistant for a woman who shows prizewinning Persians. As Phil and she get deeper into a high-pressure world of primping, posing, and purring to collar a killer, they get caught up in a cat-and-mouse game where the stakes are literally life and death.

MY REVIEW

Unlucky number 13? Not with this thirteenth book in the Dead-End Jobs Mysteries!

While I’ve read a few books in author Elaine Viet’s Mystery Shopper series, CATNAPPED is the first I have read in her Dead-End Jobs series. I could tell from the very beginning that this was going to be a fun book, and it was!

I love the character Helen and Phil, a husband and wife PI team, and Nancie, they lawyer for the firm they work for. Helene and Phil have a great relationship. I love the way they interact with each other. And Nancie, well, she’s a real piece of work. ;-)

I started laughing during the first chapter and kept laughing until the end. Ms. Viets has a wonderful sense of humor. But the humor in her writing didn’t diminish the wonderful mystery aspect of this story at all. It was tight and well plotted with plenty of twists in the story to keep me guessing. A real page turned that kept my brain working on the answer even when I was reading!

Because of CATNAPPED, I now have a new to me series that I will be adding to my TBR. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHECKED OUT

Book 14 in the Dead-End Jobs Mystery series 

by Elaine Viets

Shhh...in the newest hardcover in the national bestselling Dead-End Job Mystery series, Helen Hawthorne quietly goes undercover at a local library to search for a missing masterpiece.

Wealthy socialite Elizabeth Cateman Kingsley has hired Helen to find a missing John Singer Sargent painting, owned by her late father. After his death, many of Davis Cateman’s books were donated to the Flora Park library, and his daughter suspects the small watercolor—worth millions—was tucked away inside one of those dusty tomes.

To search the stacks, Helen applies for a position as a library volunteer and discovers the library director has a catalog of complaints—from a mischievous calico cat named Paris to the mysterious disappearance of various items that some of the more imaginative staff are attributing to a ghost haunting the building.

While her husband Phil sticks his neck out to find a missing necklace, Helen is on her own with no one to lend her a hand. When a dead body turns up in a parking lot, it appears someone is willing to go to any lengths to keep the treasure in the library quiet. Now Helen is bound and determined to find the killer as well as the painting—before she’s taken out of circulation herself.

MY REVIEW

For as much as I liked CATNAPPED, book 13 in the Dead-End Jobs Mysteries, I liked CHECKED OUT twice as much!

Husband and wife PI team Phil and Helen, are working on separate cases in this installment. Phil is searching for a missing necklace while Helen goes undercover as a librarian to find a missing water color, donated by mistake in a book to the library.

Author Elaine Viets has a wonderful writing style that flows so smoothly. She really knows how to draw the reader into her stories. Her mysteries are first rate and the humor she adds to her characters and situations only adds to the enjoyment of the books.

With suspects not being in short supply, I kept changing my mind over who the villain was. I’m proud to say I can sometimes guess who the “baddy” is, but I wasn’t even close with CHECKED OUT.

If you haven’t read any of the Dead-End Jobs Mysteries, I would suggest you check out CHECKED OUT. It will have you adding the rest of this series to your TBR shelves!

Both of these great titles are 

available for pre-order for their 

Tuesday, May 5 release date! 

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. 

It's

Cozy Food Friday!

That means it's time to share a recipe from 

another great cozy mystery!

Today's recipe comes from

THE COZY COOKBOOK

THE COZY COOKBOOK

More Than 100 Recipes From

Today’s Bestselling Mystery Authors

Avery Aames/Daryl Wood Gerber

Ellery Adams ~ Connie Archer

Leslie Budewitz ~ Laura Childs

Cleo Coyle ~ Victoria Hamilton

B. B. Haywood ~ Julie Hyzy

Jenn McKinlay ~ Paige Shelton

Great meals don’t have to be a mystery—but they can come from a mystery. Selecting the most delicious recipes from some of the most popular names in crime solving, The Cozy Cookbook serves up mouth-watering appetizers, entrèes, and desserts that will leave your family or book club group asking, “Whodunit?”

In addition to recipes, choose a sleuth du jour from our menu of mystery series and get a taste of each of our authors’ bread and butter—page-turning puzzles and stay-up-all-night suspense in excerpts from their bestselling works.

Whether you like your meals sautéed, roasted, baked, or served cold like revenge, The Cozy Cookbook has something to satisfy every mystery fan.
This book contains previously published material.

MY REVIEW

THE COZY COOKBOOK is a must have for every cozy mystery fan. You will see so many of your favorite authors included. And cookbook collectors will want to add this book to their collection as well. The mouthwatering recipes by these talented authors are simply amazing!

When I first heard this book was going to be published, I knew I had to have a copy. When I got my happy hands on it, I read it through, cover to cover in less than two days.

The chapters cover a wide range of recipes including Breakfast, Breads, Soups, Drinks, Appetizers, Main Courses, Desserts, and more! From super easy to a bit more work, but they all sound so fantastic!

Interspersed among the recipes are many excerpts from books by the contributing authors. I enjoyed getting to read these shared pieces. They helped me learn more about the series they were taken from and the characters involved.

I profoundly hope the publisher will do The Cozy Cookbook Part II!

The following recipe from 

THE COZY COOKBOOK 

first appeared in 

ESPRESSO SHOT

Book 7 in the Coffeehouse Mystery series 

by

Cleo Coyle

Book #7 in New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Mystery series...

Coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi has been hired to create a gourmet coffee and dessert bar for her ex-husband?s wedding. But her main problem is bridezilla Breanne Summour. When people close to Breanne begin to suffer fatal accidents, it?s Clare who may get burned. 

This culinary murder mystery includes delicious recipes from the story.

On to the recipe! 

Anginetti 

(Glazed Lemon Cookies)

A word from Cleo Coyle

The anginetti are a satisfying treat to have with coffee. Light and buttery with a sweet lemon glaze, they often make their appearance during the holidays, and the sprinkle of nonpareils (confetti in Italian) over the glaze makes them an excellent wedding cookie, too, since the colorful sugar balls call to mind the longstanding wedding tradition of giving guests almonds coated in hard-sugar shells as favor. (The bitterness of the almonds and the sweetness of the sugar represent the bittersweet truths of married life.) While recipes for anginetti vary---some bakers shape figure-eights or knots from a rope of dough, others simply create lemon drops---my version uses the ring shape in honor of Nunzio's wedding rings. My version is also a bit sweeter that the traditional recipes.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen, depending 

on size and shape of cookie

Cookie Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract 

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (grated from rind) 

1/8 teaspoon salt (pinch or two) 

3 large eggs 

1/4 cup whole milk 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted) 

4 teaspoons baking powder

Lemon Glaze Ingredients 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

4 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons lemon extract 

2 cups confectioners' sugar (sifted) 

Make Cookies

   With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together with vanilla and lemon extract, lemon zest, and salt. 

   Add eggs and beat for a minute or two until light and fluffy. 

   Add in the flour and baking powder, blending well with the mixer until you have a dough (be careful not to overmix the dough or cookies will be tough). Dough should be soft and sticky. 

   Chill for at least an hour---could dough is easier to work with. 

   Preheat the oven to 350° F.

   Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone sheets or spray surface with cooking spray. 

   With well greased hands, shape bits of dough into small ropes (about the thickness of a woman's wedding ring finger), make a ring with the rope of dough about 2 inches in diameter, and press ends together on the baking sheet. Or for lemon drops, simply roll pieces of dough about 1 inch in size and place on baking sheet.  (If you really want to go rustic, then don't even bother chilling the dough. Simply drop teaspoonfuls of the sticky dough onto the baking sheet.) 

   Bake about 10 to 15 minutes. Don't over cook. Baking time may vary, depending on your oven. 

   Let the cookies cool before glazing and decorating. 

Make Glaze

   In a nonstick saucepan, place the butter, water, and lemon extract over low heat. Stir until butter melts. 

   Add confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Wait until sugar dissolves before adding more. Continue until all sugar has been added. Stir or whisk until your glaze is smooth. 

   Use pastry brush to glaze your cooled cookies. (Optional: If you wish to add decorations to your cookies, such as nonpareils or colored sugar, be sure to sprinkle while glaze is still warm. I (Cleo Coyle) actually prefer the cookies without decorations, just the lemon glaze.) 

NOTE: The first two photo's are Cleo Coyles. 

All other images are from Google Images and/or Pinterest. Your cookies may vary in appearance. 

It's mentioned that these cookies are often seen at holidays. But I think they sound and look like the perfect spring/summer treat! 

Mmm...I can smell the lemon. :-)

Keep reading to check out my installments of 

Book Beginnings on Fridays

and

The Friday 56

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This week's Book Beginnings and Friday 56 

are from a different book than the one featured for Cozy Food Friday. 

BOOK CLUBBED

Book 8 in the Booktown Mystery series 

The New York Times bestselling author of Not the Killing Type is back in Booktown with another page-turning mystery. Bookstore owner Tricia Miles and her sister, Angelica, must put their problems on the shelf to catch a killer who turns a bookcase into a murder weapon…

After cranky Chamber of Commerce receptionist Betsy Dittmeyer is crushed by a fallen bookcase, the next item to be read is her will, which is packed with surprises. It seems Betsy was hiding volumes of secrets behind her perpetual frown—one of which might have been a motive for murder.

While Tricia tries to help Angelica—the newly elected Chamber of Commerce president—solve the mystery, she discovers a hidden chapter in her own family history. And with her ex-husband and the chief of police vying for her affections, it’s doubly hard to focus on who buried Betsy in a tomb of tomes.

But Tricia and Angelica will need to watch their step carefully to make sure the killer doesn’t catch them between the stacks.

Pre-order now.

Available 

Tuesday, May 5!

Book Beginnings on Fridays is a meme hosted by Rose City Reader

Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading

My Book Beginnings this week 

For once the winter weather seemed to be cooperating, meaning that unless any unforeseen complications arose, Tricia Miles, owner of the mystery bookstore Haven't Got A Clue, would get a lot accomplished on that particular Saturday in February. No ice, no snow, and though the sun had not yet made an appearance in Booktown, otherwise known as Stoneham, New Hampshire, the skies were due to clear before lunchtime---hopefully bringing plenty of book-buying customers with it. 

The Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda's Voice

Rules: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's okay.) *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you. *Post it.

My Friday 56 for this week (Page 56 is blank, this is from page 57)

Despite hearing the distressing news about a deceased ____ _______ the night before, Tricia slept heavily and ended up waking later than she'd anticipated. She tried to put those thoughts out of her mind as she went through her usual morning routine and concentrated on the tasks that needed to be accomplished during the day. 

Sorry about the blanks, but no spoilers allowed! ;-)

As always, please leave a comment and 

let me know what you think

Also, become a Follower of my blog by 

clicking on the link in the 

upper right hand corner of this page