Soft Serve Sleighing

Coffee & Cream Café Mystery, #5

by

Lena Gregory

When a blackmailing TikToker meets an untimely demise in the snow, Dani Delaney is unexpectedly involved in another murder investigation.

Soft Serve Sleighing is the fifth fun entry in author Lena Gregory’s outstanding, cozy Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries, and, once again, Dani Delaney finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. With its comfortable, familiar Long Island setting and its likable recurring cast of characters, I was quickly drawn into the latest story of murder and intrigue in the little town of Watchogue. 

Dani is the series’s main character and the owner and operator of the local ice cream and coffee café, having taken the business over from her Uncle Jimmie. Now, in the dead of winter, the addition of coffee and pastries to the former “ice cream only” parlor’s offerings is starting to pay off with a clientele of regulars from the local population when a blizzard hits the town and shuts everything down. When three young women appear at the closed café, Dani feels obligated to open up just for them, even after their leader, Brynleigh Star, a TikTok influencer, unjustly bashes the local B&B where they are staying. The three proceed to order numerous items from the menu and demand tastes of all the specialty ice cream dishes, then insinuate they’ll only post a 5-star review of the café if Dani subscribes to one of their outrageously expensive memberships. When Dani fails to take the bait, they walk their check. The next day, when Dani finds the instigator dead in the snow near the B&B on the town’s favorite hill for sledding, she begins to look like suspect number one! 

The plot progresses swiftly from setup to the discovery of the murder, and I didn’t want to put the book down at all as the fun amateurs followed their instincts. I appreciated how Dani has to walk a fine line between definitively clearing her name and staying on the right side of her police detective boyfriend, Jake Barlow, who wants her as far away from the case as possible. However, it was fun watching Dani, Gwen, and Eli dance around the rules and work through the clues they had, many of which had fallen into their laps via some other very talkative suspects. After four previous books in this fun series, I really felt like I knew these characters. There are some good suspects, with everyone having a bone to pick with the very unlikable victim, but the truth isn’t too obvious. It was an entertaining story all the way to the final reveal. 

I recommend SOFT SERVE SLEIGHING to cozy mystery readers, especially fans of the previous books in the series. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

A Grave Roast

Orchard Hollow, #1

by

A.N. Sage

An unusual supernatural world with engaging and unique main characters!

A Grave Roast is the first book in the new paranormal cozy mystery series, Orchard Hollow, by author A.N. Sage, and with its delightful main characters, cute small town, and unique "world," I hope we're in for a long run of follow-up adventures! Piper Addison feels she’s finally found her niche in life. She’s opened her own coffee shop and things are looking up despite being a little low on emergency funds. So, it’s a big problem when the espresso machine acts up but that’s nothing compared to the discovery of a dead body in the alley behind her shop and she looks like suspect number one. 

Piper is very likable as the new proprietor of her own coffee café, Bean Me Up, although she's lived in the town all her life. I liked that she's a mature woman (not quite 40 yet) and is open to finding a new romance after experiencing some real duds in her past. She's fun, and her less-than-proficient magic use had me laughing. Even though she was not friends per se with the victim, she was still compassionate enough to pursue looking into what happened and why he reached out to her (whether the police had her as a suspect or not!) I liked the fact that she has quite a unique familiar, although I'm not quite a Stella fan. I was completely taken by surprise and enjoyed how her furry nemesis, Harry Houdini, also gets involved and gets his point of view aired. 

The author's writing style is easy to read, very pleasing, and well-paced. I was immediately engaged by the story and the descriptions of the town with both water and mountains in view and enjoyed getting a real feel for the shops on Cliff Row and their owners. In other books, this initial reveal of the population of the cozy mystery town often gets overwhelming and tedious, but happily, that did not occur here; it was very natural and simply accomplished. Of course, my favorite spot in town is Brooks Books! 

The town exists on top of an accumulation of ley lines, so many supernatural or paranormal types have congregated in Orchard Hollow to call it home. I found it a unique twist that their magical abilities are not made public knowledge even with each other. It's personal and only shared with those one trusts. The fact that there are supernatural beings there is no secret, though, and even the humans are aware of their existence. I liked the idea of the coven of "mean girl" witches, even though Piper was their frequent target. 

With its unusual supernatural world, engaging and unique main characters, and solid puzzle to resolve, I recommend A GRAVE ROAST to cozy mystery readers who enjoy a paranormal element in their stories. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

Camp Coffee

Tales of a Wyoming Cowboy

by

Bob Sullivan

A fascinating, humor-filled, but most of all, loving tribute to a cowboy mentor and friend.

Camp Coffee: Tales of a Wyoming Cowboy by Bob Sullivan is a fascinating, humous, and loving tribute to a real-life cowboy hero. Grant Beck was a hero, not because of overt acts of derring-do, though there are some mentioned throughout the collection of stories, but for the positive impact he made on so many people with whom he crossed paths. 

The author met Beck in the summer of 1976 in a Pinedale, Wyoming bar; a young man at loose ends, and the older man offered him a job with his hunting guide business. Their serendipitous meeting resulted in a lifelong friendship. The author soaked up Beck’s many tales of his life growing up in Idaho, losing his parents at a young age, striking out on his own at age 13, and eventually ending up cowboying in Wyoming in the early 1940s, his marriages, and his 50-years of successful dude ranch and guiding operations. Beck’s stories are warm and wonderful, telling of a different time, a simpler life, and how he was able to share that with the hundreds of children who participated in his summer dude ranch experiences. He had a deep and true desire to give urban-reared children an understanding and appreciation of the great outdoors and the natural world and to build self-reliance and confidence in themselves. Grant Beck was known for his serious respect for all wildlife, especially his horses, and many of the collected tales feature on or more of his beloved mounts. 

The author’s own storytelling is vivid, easy to read, and a sincere tribute to a man who clearly meant a lot to him and many others. Sullivan includes the reminiscences of Beck from mutual friends and lots of candid photos of the man and the beautiful Wyoming scenery. Every page of the book is imbued with their deep regard for this singular man and readers will come away knowing that they missed out by never having crossed Beck’s path. 

I recommend CAMP COFFEE to readers of biographies, memoirs, and cowboy stories, especially those with an affinity for horses and the beautiful natural spaces in Wyoming. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through RABT Book Tours and PR.

Deadly When Disturbed

by

D.M. Barr

Fantastically twisty domestic thriller!

Desperate for help, super-realtor Dara Banks impulsively hires Merry Rafter to fill the position of her assistant, even though there’s just something “off” about the woman and her slim resume. What with her disabled husband sinking deeper and deeper into depression since his accident, a teenage stepson withdrawing from the family and leaning more toward undesirable companions, and a young stepdaughter with autism, Dara has her hands full; she’s stressed and certainly doesn’t have time to vet the woman’s past. But happily, Merry proves to be a quick study, a willing worker, and amazingly resourceful, even if she tends to sing her own praises a little too much. As she becomes indispensable at the office, her helpfulness begins to extend to the Banks’s household, with her winning over each one of the family members with elaborate and studied measures. When Merry copies Dara’s hairstyle and color and always seems to be taking her place at events or with clients, Dara realizes Merry’s real goal may be to take over her entire life. 

Deadly When Disturbed is a twisty new domestic thriller by author D.M. Barr, and it kept me on the edge of my seat from its shocking opening to its surprising, gasp-inducing resolution. With its clever characters and cunning, complex plot, this is one heck of a page-turner! 

The story unfolds from two points of view, Dara’s and, eventually, Merry’s, so readers get the inside track on what both of these women are thinking. From the start, Dara refers to “Celeste,” who is her psychological inner voice, guardian, and protector, and, at times, the one who is actually calling the shots. However, Dara was such a sympathetic character that I tended to forget about “Celeste” until Dara brought her up. Dara stepped into her marriage with Jason to help him after a work accident damaged his hands beyond use. She’s also the guiding light for a successful children’s autism non-profit in honor of her stepdaughter and devotes any free time she has to fundraising and volunteer work. She’s the top-producing realtor in her area for a good reason, though, as she’s absolutely ruthless in her dealings with buyers and sellers alike, with “Celeste” often pulling the strings. 

Merry Rafter is an odd character, and Dara is right when she senses something is “off” with her. She wears designer clothes, but they’re all either too tight, too short, or too low-cut, and she chooses to accessorize with gaudy or inappropriate baubles. Merry takes on any task, nothing is too menial, as she ingratiates her way into Dara’s life. But her background is a little murky until Dara starts looking into it, already regretful she didn’t do her due diligence. 

The plot is fast-paced and complex, with Merry always several moves ahead of Dara as she manipulates Dara’s and her family’s perception of what she’s up to. When Dara begins to question Merry’s motives and actions, her research into the other woman’s background reveals surprise after surprise. However, the women have a lot in common, and it is the way they choose to deal with their pasts that differentiates the two. The story becomes a race between the two to see who will come out on top. 

I recommend DEADLY WHEN DISTURBED to readers of domestic or psychological thrillers. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

The Desk from Hoboken

Genealogy Mystery, #1

by

M.L. Condike

Try NOT being surprised when delving into family history!

The Desk from Hoboken is the debut novel in M.L. Condike's riveting new Genealogy Mystery series, in which long-buried family secrets threaten the present. Who knew research into family history could be so fascinating … or so dangerous? 

The main character, RaeJean O'Leary Hunter, is an accomplished and skilled forensic genealogist with numerous successes to her credit. She accepts what she thinks will be a straightforward case of research to provide primary source documentation of the identity of the 180-year-old remains of an unknown female: her first commission after a tragic personal loss. Despite the red flags that indicate someone doesn't want old secrets uncovered, she's dogged in her pursuit of the historical records that may contain the proof she needs. I liked that, for the most part, she plays things safe and narrows the windows of opportunity the villains have to cause her harm. However, they had a lot of luck on their side, and she still gets in trouble. She also calls on contacts to provide backup to help lessen her risks. Her struggle with her recent loss was affecting, and I really felt for her and Sam. 

The plot is complex and intriguing, expanding as the scope of RaeJean's research hits one brick wall after another, only to open up another avenue of inquiry. I enjoyed her travels to locations that played a pivotal role in her subject's life, the story she was trying to build, and reading about her research methods. 

I enjoyed the desk's connection to the investigation into Mary Rogers's identity and fate. The supernatural aspect was appealing, and I wanted more every time this came up. I look forward to further books in the series to see how the spirits associated with the desk fit in. 

You would think that this story would be all about sitting in various library basements squinting at fragile, crumbling, hard-to-read records, and there is some of that, but for the most part, you would be wrong. This well-paced story includes a lot of face-to-face investigation and questioning of descendants interspersed with edge-of-your-seat, heart-pounding action. I recommend THE DESK FROM HOBOKEN to mystery readers who enjoy a historical cold case theme, genealogical research, and a touch of the paranormal.

*Read my review for Book Two of the series, The Doll from Dunedin, HERE!