Tuesday, October 6, 2020

 


Did you know all of these 
wonderful new releases are available today?!


Three more delightful holiday mini-mysteries from Lynn Cahoon's New York Times bestselling Tourist Trap series, together for the first time!

Sunny South Cove, California, is the perfect spot for Jill Gardner and her store, Coffee, Books, and More--except when "more" turns out to be murder . . .

Corned Beef and Casualties
Sunny South Cove is all abuzz preparing for their annual St. Patrick's Day festival. But the locals aren't exactly feeling the luck of the Irish, thanks to the rowdy behavior of some of the tourists who are pouring in--and also dying . . .

Mother's Day Mayhem
Jill's stock of Mother's Day cards is running low, but nerves about meeting her boyfriend's mother has distracted her from ordering more. Turns out Jill isn't the only one having feelings about mothers, especially ones who've just gotten out of jail . . .

A Very Mummy Holiday
Jill has left her shop behind to spend Thanksgiving in coastal Oregon with her cop boyfriend, her golden retriever Emma, and a crowd of friends and family--including the mummified remains of a human body . . .


For diner owner Gia Morelli, her seasonal fall menu calls for two main ingredients—maple syrup and murder . . .
 
While the first hints of autumn grace Boggy Creek, Florida, Gia misses the colorful harvest traditions she left behind in New York. On a scramble to make new fall memories—and promote her irresistible pumpkin spice waffles—things take a dark turn when she gets roped into the Haunted Town Festival, a spooky celebration held on deserted farmlands. The desolate area conjures plenty of eerie vibes at night, but Gia and her best friend, Savannah, are nearly frightened to death upon the discovery of the event organizer’s body buried in the nearby woods. More alarming, the local rumor mill says the woman’s shady dealings may have egged someone into sending her to an early grave. Now, there’s no shortage of creepy clues to feast on as Gia and her pals try to stop a killer with a very scary appetite . . .
 
Includes recipes from the All-Day Breakfast Café!


Welcome to Hazard Valley, population 113.

Marley Bloom couldn’t be happier. The grand opening of her juice truck, Juiced Around the Corner, went off without a hitch, and she’s ready to drum up more business not only for herself but also for all the other local businesses in town.

A stranger with a similar idea shows up looking for a place to host a writer’s retreat, thinking they’ve found the perfect spot. The folks of Hazard Valley are quick to judge and aren’t so keen on the idea of bringing any sort of hustle and bustle to the place they call home.

Disagreements are plenty, and when a body is found where Marley has been parking her truck and serving her customers, she’s forced to adjust her plans and is left wondering just how strange this stranger really is.

In Kiwi Killer, Marley races to solve the latest mystery before Hazard Valley is changed forever.



When her former director is found dead in the water, librarian Lucy Richardson will have to get to the bottom of the mystery before the killer ends her tale.

It's summertime in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Bertie James's college class is having their 40th anniversary reunion. The opening night reception is held at the Lighthouse Library and Lucy and her colleagues have assembled an exhibit of library artifacts showing how libraries have changed over the years. After the reception, some of the women take a walk down the boardwalk to the pier, using flashlights to illuminate the dark path, but what's scarier than the dark is finding the former director of the Lighthouse Library floating lifeless in the water.

Helena Sanchez, the former director, wasn't much loved and spent the party being rude to almost everyone there. As a result, Lucy finds herself in deep water as she rocks the boat, questioning several suspects. But she'll have to batten down the hatches and fast before she's left high and dry...and right in the killer's crosshairs.




A shoe-in read for fans of Ellery Adams and Kate Carlisle, On Borrowed Crime is the first in Kate Young's new Georgia-set, sweet tea filled, Jane Doe Book Club mysteries.

The Jane Doe book club enjoys guessing whodunit, but when murder happens in their midst, they discover solving crimes isn't fun and games...

Lyla Moody loves her sleepy little town of Sweet Mountain, Georgia. She likes her job as receptionist for her uncle's private investigative firm, her fellow true crime obsessed Jane Doe members are the friends she's always wanted, and her parents just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. But recently, with her best friend Melanie on vacation, and her ex-boyfriend and horrible cousin becoming an item and moving in next door to her, her idyllic life is on the fritz. The cherry on top of it all is finding Carol, a member of the club, dead and shoved into a suitcase, left at Lyla's front door.

Unusual circumstances notwithstanding, with Carol's heart condition, the coroner rules Carol's death undetermined. But when they discover the suitcase belongs to Melanie, who had returned from her vacation the following morning, Sweet Mountain police begin to suspect Lyla's best friend. Determined that police are following the wrong trail, to clear her friend's name, and to not allow Carol become one of the club's studied cold cases, Lyla begins to seek out the real killer. That is, until she becomes the one sought after. Now, finding the truth could turn her into the killer's next plot twist, unless she wins the game of cat and mouse.

😀📘😀📕😀📗😀

Which of these titles do you 
want to get your hands on?

As always, please leave a comment and
let me know what you think!

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Monday, October 5, 2020


Check out these giveaways at GoodReads!

There could be a mix of print and eBooks, so make sure to check before you enter.

Use the link below each book for a chance to enter.




ENTER



Jane Darrowfield and the Madwoman Next Door (Jane Darrowfield #2)


📚🕮📚🕮📚

Not cozy, but 
written by a cozy author.

The books I've listed are just some of the titles you can win!
There are not only more mysteries (of all types) but books in just about any genre you can think of.
What are you waiting for? Go enter!!!

NOTE: The giveaways on GoodReads are for both Print and eBooks copies. Make sure to enter only for the ones you want.

GOOD LUCK!

PS . . . While you're there, I'd love for you to friend me and check out my reviews! If you enjoy them, please make sure to Like them. Thanks!



As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by submitting your email in 
upper right hand corner of this page (on the side bar).

Reading from your phone? Scroll to the bottom of your page and click"View web version". Then follow the above directions.

Sunday, October 4, 2020

 BOOK TOUR

I'm so excited to be a stop on the book tour for
MISTLETOE, MOUSSAKA, & MURDER
Book 5 in the Kebab Kitchen Mysteries
by Tina Kashian


Not even her impending nuptials can keep Lucy Berberian, manager of her family-owned Kebab Kitchen, from the Jersey Shore’s annual Polar Bear Plunge. But her dive into the icy ocean is especially chilling when she finds a fellow swimmer doing the dead man’s float—for real . . .
 
Who would kill a man in cold blood during Ocean Crest, New Jersey’s most popular winter event? When Lucy learns the victim is Deacon Spooner, the reception hall owner who turned up his nose—and his price—at her wedding plans, she can’t help wondering who wouldn’t kill the pompous caterer . . .
 
Perhaps the culprit is the wedding cake baker whose career Deacon nearly destroyed? Or the angry bride whose reception he ruined? With her maid of honor, Katie, busily planning Lucy’s wedding without her, Lucy will have to get to the bottom of this cold-hearted business in time for Kebab Kitchen’s mouthwatering Christmas celebration—and before her hometown’s holiday spirit washes out to sea . . .

 
Recipes included!

📚🕮📚🕮📚

!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

3 lucky readers will each win choice
 of a print or digital copy of
 
MISTLETOE, MOUSSAKA, AND MURDER

Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.

Winner will be chosen after October 10 at the end of the tour.

USA only

This giveaway is through Great Escape Book Tours, not Lisa Ks Book Reviews.

After reading the first book in the Kebab Kitchen Mysteries, this series became one of my must reads. And in her latest addition, author Tina Kashian has solidified that place of honor. She has somehow managed to up her game, again, and write her best book in this series so far. That’s no easy feat considering how wonderful the first four books were. And yet, I have the proof before me in, MISTLETOE, MOUSSAKA, AND MURDER.

As with the characters in this book, I found myself pulled into wedding fever, which cooled right down when a body was found. I have always wanted to do a Polar Bear Plunge in my local beach town of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. I figured the hardest part for me would be running through all that sand to get to the water (I love the shore – not a fan of sand). But finding a dead body floating next to me? Yeah, worse than sand. Except for the way author Kashian writes it.

I loved every second of reading MISTLETOE, MOUSSAKA, AND MURDER. Spending time with these characters makes me feel like a part of the family. A part of the family that gets pulled into murder. LOL I wouldn’t have it any other way. I loved investigating along with Lucy. And as always, she was several steps ahead of me. I was still scratching my head in deep thought of who the killer could be, when suddenly, there is was laid out in front of me. I never saw it coming!

A big BRAVA to Tina Kashian for another well plotted, believable mystery filled cover to cover with twists and turns, false leads, and an all-around entertaining storyline that got better with every turn of the page.

You have got to add MISTLETOE, MOUSSAKA, AND MURDER to your reading list. 

About Tina Kashian

 
  Tina Kashian is an attorney and mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. She is the author of the popular Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean cozy mystery series for Kensington Publishing. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters. Please visit her website at www.tinakashian.com to join her newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more! Author Links Purchase Links: a Rafflecopter giveaway 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS 

October 1 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
'October 1 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
October 1 – The Cozy Pages – REVIEW
October 2 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, RECIPE
October 2 – Heart & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
October 2 – Christy's Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT
October 3 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT
October 3 – fundinmental – RECIPE POST
October 3 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW
October 4 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW
October 4 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
October 4 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 5 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
October 5 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 5 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW
October 5 – FUONLYKNEW - SPOTLIGHT
October 6 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf - AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 6 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
October 7 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 7 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – RECIPE POST
October 7 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
October 8 – Brianne's Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 8 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT


As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by submitting your email in 
upper right hand corner of this page (on the side bar).

Reading from your phone? Scroll to the bottom of your page and click"View web version". Then follow the above directions.

Saturday, October 3, 2020



In today's spotlight I'm joining 
Berkley Mystery
 
in celebrating the release of  
HAUNTED HOMICIDE
Book 1 in the Haunted Mansion Mysteries
by Lucy Ness


Avery Morgan has been hired to breathe new life into the Portage Path Women's Club, but first she'll have to deal with a dead body and a meddling ghost.

Avery Morgan has had a harrowing first week on the job as manager of the Portage Path Woman's Club. Not only is she in charge of a grand old home with a mountain of maintenance problems and scheduling nightmares--thanks to a recent fire in the Marigold meeting room--but she's also got Muriel Sadler to deal with. Muriel is the current president of the club, the one "nay" vote when the rest of the board voted "aye" to hiring Avery.

After a morning of dealing with another one of Muriel's snits and a meeting with the delicious and delightfully unsettling Ben Harkness, who will be handling renovations in the fire-damaged portions of the house, the last thing Avery needs is for one of the fuses to blow. Again.

She grabs her handy flashlight and heads into the basement, where she stumbles across Muriel's body. She also stumbles across an unexpected helper, Clemmie Bow, the ghost of a young woman who was accidentally killed in the building almost a hundred years ago.

Together Clemmie and Avery are determined to solve Muriel's murder before the killer sends Avery to join Clemmie on the other side.

Where do you get your ideas?

            Authors get asked that question all the time and although I can’t speak for other writers,  I know for me the answer is always the same, “Well, that depends.”

            Sometimes, a story idea will be sparked by something I see on the news.  Other times, I overhear a bit of conversation and it sends my imagination into overdrive.  A story idea can spring from pretty much anywhere, from an offhand comment my spouse makes to a person I pass on the street who looks interesting and different, and that sets my wheels spinning. “I wonder what that man does for a living.  Where does he live?  Who are his friends?”

            For my new Haunted Mansion mystery series I can say exactly when and where the idea originated.  I’d been asked to speak at a luncheon at the Akron Woman’s City Club, one of the oldest and largest women’s clubs in the country.  AWCC was established in 1923 and since the 40s, it has been housed is a lovely old mansion.  It was a pleasure being there with the club’s members, enjoying lunch, and talking about books.  After my talk, my hostess gave me a tour of the house that included a visit to the basement. 

            I know, doesn’t exactly sound enchanting, does it? 

            Until I learned that back during Prohibition when it was illegal to sell liquor in the US, the basement of that lovely, gorgeous, historic mansion housed a clandestine speakeasy.

            I dare any writer to hear that and not come up with a story idea!

            Naturally, my wheels started spinning.  I created my own club, the Portage Path Women’s Club, and made my heroine, Avery Morgan, it’s brand-spanking-new business manager.  Avery has definitely got her work cut out for her.  In addition to booking the mansion where PPWC is housed for things like parties and weddings, Avery needs to make sure that members stay engaged.  In book number one of the series, Haunted Homicide,” she learns her job would all be a darned sight easier if she didn’t have to deal with Muriel Sadler, the president of the club, the only nay vote when the rest of the board voted aye to hire Avery.

            That, of course, turns out to be the least of Avery’s problems when she finds Muriel’s body at the bottom of the basement stairs–and a ghost hanging around the old speakeasy.

            Back in the Roaring Twenties, Clemmie Bow was hired as a singer at the speakeasy, but her stage career was cut short when she died before she ever had a chance to warble a note. 

            In spite of the fact that Avery’s aunt is a medium in Lily Dale, New York (the largest Spiritualist community in the world), she’s never believed it’s possible to contact the dead.  Now, she has no

choice, and she needs to team up with her disembodied buddy and solve Muriel’s      murder . . . before the murderer catches up with Avery and she joins Clemmie on the Other Side!


As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by submitting your email in 
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Reading from your phone? Scroll to the bottom of your page and click"View web version". Then follow the above directions.

Friday, October 2, 2020

 


Autumn is here and
Halloween is around the corner.

That means it's time for . . .
Leaves changing colors and falling. Cooler temps.
The crisp, clean smell in the air.
Spooky decor being displayed. And . . . 
Reading the coziest of the cozies!

Here are 5 titles perfect for 
this time of year. 
I'll be adding more as the weeks go on.


Jim Qwilleran and his cats Koko and Yum Yum try to solve a haunting mystery in a historic farmhouse in this New York Times bestseller in the Cat Who series.

When Mrs. Cobb heard unearthly noises in the antique-filled farmhouse, she called Jim Qwilleran for help. But he was too late. It looked as if his kindly ex-housekeeper had been frightened to death—but by whom? Or what? Now Qwilleran’s moved into the historic farmhouse with his two cat companions—and Koko the Siamese is spooked. Is it a figment of feline imagination—or the clue to a murder in Moose County? And does Qwilleran have a ghost of a chance of solving this haunting mystery?


Carrie Singleton is just about done with Clover Ridge, Connecticut until she's offered a job as the head of programs and events at the spooky local library, complete with its own librarian ghost. Her first major event is a program presented by a retired homicide detective, Al Buckley, who claims he knows who murdered Laura Foster, a much-loved part-time library aide who was bludgeoned to death fifteen years earlier. As he invites members of the audience to share stories about Laura, he suddenly keels over and dies.

The medical examiner reveals that poison is what did him in and Carrie feels responsible for having surged forward with the program despite pushback from her director. Driven by guilt, Carrie’s determined to discover who murdered the detective, convinced it’s the same man who killed Laura all those years ago. Luckily for Carrie, she has a friendly, knowledgeable ghost by her side. But as she questions the shadows surrounding Laura's case, disturbing secrets come to light and with each step Carrie takes, she gets closer to ending up like Al.

Now it's due or die for Carrie in Death Overdue the delightful first in a new cozy series by Allison Brook.


Halloween means spooky scrapbooks for the Cumberland Creek Scrapbook Crop, but what's been happening around town is truly frightening. First a dead woman is found in the freezer at Pamela's Pie Palace, and the next day a second woman is found murdered by the river. Reporter Annie Chamovitz learns the victims were sisters and is certain their deaths are linked. Most bizarre of all, both women were found clutching scrapbook pages.

As their Saturday night crop quickly becomes an opportunity to puzzle out the murders, the ladies begin to wonder if Pamela is hiding more than her secret recipes for delicious pies--or if the crimes are related to the startling discovery that there are gangs in Cumberland Creek. As All Hallows Eve approaches, the crafty croppers must cut and paste the clues to unmask a deadly killer.

Includes tips and a glossary of terms for the modern scrapbooker!


As Halloween approaches South Cove, California, four couples get into the spirit of the holiday by conjuring up spirits. . .
 
The house has sat empty for fifteen years, taking up prime real estate along the picturesque coastline. Built by one of the founders of South Cove, its last known owner, Maryanne Demerit, vanished without a trace. Now her home will be demolished for a condo development, but until then, it’s the perfect spot for a Halloween haunted house.
 
Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More, her boyfriend, and three other couples are spending the weekend in the Demerit home. But what begins as an all-in-good-fun fright fest turns into a mystery begging to be solved as Jill is contacted by the ghost of Maryanne . . .


Halloween on Mackinac Island is a season of fun tricks, but finding a corpse is no treat for fudge shop owner Allie McMurphy . . .
 
NIGHT OF THE REALLY DEAD
 
It’s late October, off-season for tourists, but locals are up and lurching for the annual zombie walk charity event. Though everyone’s living it up, trouble is just a few pawprints away. Allie follows the bloody tracks of her calico cat, Carmella, to a body in the alley behind the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop. Unlike the island’s other walking dead, this one’s flatlined for good. It seems that someone is using the zombie fest as the perfect backdrop for murder. Now amateur sleuth Allie and dreamboat officer Rex Manning must use every trick in their treat bag to unmask a killer in disguise.

🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁

As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by submitting your email in 
upper right hand corner of this page (on the side bar).

Reading from your phone? Scroll to the bottom of your page and click"View web version". Then follow the above directions.