The second in the Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery series finds one of the book group’s own under suspicion of murder after a dinner party gone awry. Gin Malloy is the owner of Westham, Massachusetts’ titular taffy shop, so she naturally brings a box of candy with her as a hostess gift to a dinner…
Val Harris is a great boss, but even she’s beginning to reconsider her generosity in allowing Abril Rodriguez, one of her employees, to host a poetry slam at their pie shop. The poets are only moderately entertaining, even with the literal saber-rattling antics of the last performer, Abril’s English professor, Michael Starke. In fact, the…
Nell Valenti is running away almost as much as she’s running towards when she accepts the offer to help one of her culinary heroes, Chef Claudio Orlandini, turn his Tuscan kitchen into a farm-to-table cooking school. Leaving behind the East Coast and all the complications of her personal life, she figures she can get a…
I knew that I was in for a treat when award-winning author Ellen Byron debuted a brand new culinary cozy mystery series under the pen name Maria DiRico. I was so pleased when Here Comes the Body proceeded to exceed my every expectation—even given how much I already enjoy her Cajun Country Mystery novels! This…
It’s so hard for me to explain how invested I am in the Hannah Swensen mystery series. It’s certainly not just because I’ve read (and cooked my way through!) all 25 books to date, with each volume containing enough recipes to fill out a small cookbook. While the recipes have been consistently good—with only a…
The island village of Eastport, Maine, is in the throes of its annual Pirate Festival, and bakeshop owners Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and Ellie White are fully prepared to take advantage of increased visitor traffic to turn a profit selling delicious chocolate baked goods. What they’re not prepared for are the attentions of pushy podcaster Henry…
After the delightful debut novel of Christin Brecher’s Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery series, which featured a terrific manor-house-style murder mystery, the last thing I expected was for the follow up to turn into a spy thriller! But Ms. Brecher carries it off with aplomb, even if I did spend a good part of the proceedings…
It’s been a month since Berry Basket store owner Marlee Jacob brought a killer to justice, and she’s ready to put the whole thing behind her as she and her friends look forward to a summer of fun. The nearby Blackberry Art School is hosting its centenary and has invited all its previous students from…
After enjoying the latest two of Sharon Farrow’s terrific Berry Basket Mystery series, I decided to go back to the beginning and see where it all started for Marlee Jacob and her eclectic crew of family and friends. As Dying for Strawberries begins, town booster Piper Lyall-Pierce is busy, as usual, organizing a festival to…
The pet-loving town of Wagtail, Virginia, is all aflutter at the imminent arrival of Pippin, America’s Favorite Dog. Soon to star in a new sitcom, Pippin along with his handler, Jim, and the rest of the main cast of the show have been sent to stay at the Sugar Maple Inn for some quality bonding…
