After a delay of three years, I finally got a chance to attend a Kensington CozyClub Mini-Con! In 2019, the pandemic put paid to Kensington Publishing’s usual slate of CozyClub mini-conventions, aimed at lovers of cozy mysteries and held regionally on a regular basis. Now that it’s 2022 however, things have gotten safe enough to…
Before a big race, swimmer Michael Phelps listened to a playlist to amp up his energy, increase his focus, and get in the zone. Maybe you can picture him, headphones on, bopping his chin to a beat that was audible only to him. I’m exactly the same. You heard it here first. Michael Phelps and…
Chapter 1 After spending ten hours on my feet at the ice cream shop, I longed for a hot bath and a few hours curled up with an Agatha Christie paperback, a glass of pinot noir, and a cuddle with my cat, Rocky. But as the old New England saying goes, there’s no rest for…
A cozy mystery offers a comfort read that allows you to tap into your inner sleuth. It also includes a close (and usually quirky) community. Is there anything better than a pleasant whodunit? Yes, a cozy with a food theme. Culinary cozies, as they’re known, have mouthwatering descriptions and sometimes include tantalizing recipes in the…
A Note from Author Olivia Matthews A Taste of the Caribbean: Inspiration for Against the Currant My family immigrated to the United States from Grenada, West Indies, when I was very young. I have a vivid memory of walking with my father in my childhood neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, in the late 1970s.…
In this second book of the Aunties series, Meddelin “Meddy” Chan is finally marrying the man of her dreams. She and Nathan had been college sweethearts once but broke up and subsequently lost touch. Happily, they were reunited during the events of the first book, and are now set to be married in his hometown…
A locked-room mystery is the ultimate puzzle. Not only is the mystery plot fairly clued, so the reader can match wits with the detective, but the crime itself appears to be truly impossible. This style of mystery had its heyday in what’s known as the Golden Age of detective fiction, a period loosely defined as…
A Note from Author Mindy Quigley I am not known for my cooking. Or maybe I am, but not in a good way. When my girlfriends and I used to have regular potlucks, I got put in charge of bringing the salad. Then I was demoted to buying the bread. Finally, I was told that…
Welcome to the quiet northern town of Shady Hollow, populated by anthropomorphic woodland creatures peacefully going about their daily business. Gossip columnist Gladys Honeysuckle is on her way to work one morning when she spies something unusual in the waters of the millpond. Hovering closer, she discovers the floating corpse of town curmudgeon Otto Sumpf…
Part I The Lock Chapter 1 Tempest Raj tested the smooth, hardwood floor once more. Following the floorboards from the beaten-up steamer trunk with three false bottoms to the window letting in moonlight, she didn’t hear a squeak anywhere. Good. In the dim light, she walked the length of the room once more in her…
