Short Mystery By: A Friend

A quick murder mystery, that manages to include twists within twists.  The author is entering this for consideration for an upcoming anthology. 

Shock and Paw By: Cate Conte

The holidays are always a stressful time, but when you add a corpse, an electrician and a whole bunch of rare bred cats, you'll be pulling your hair out. Maddie and the rest of the denizens of Daybreak Island manage to keep the spirit of the holidays while solving a multilayered mystery.  This is such a wonderful cozy series, and each outing gets better and better!

New Mystery/Thriller By: 1st Time Auhtor

A new writer entrusted his first manuscript to me, and I'm very grateful.  Its always fantastic to hear from a new voice.  This is a tightly plotted mystery/thriller that with a few tweaks here and there, the author should have no trouble shopping this to an agent and then a publisher! 

Claws for Alarm By: Cate Conte

I love Maddie and how she does what's right even when she knows she shouldn't get involved! A fantastic money raising venture lands in Maddie's lap, along with two movie stars, and a corpse.  Too many suspects have Maddie and and the rest of her family (birth and work) running in circles, but she and Grandpa Leo manage to apprehend the real culprit and save a rare cat in the process.  Wonderful characters, great small town, and intricately plotted.  

Purring Around the Christmas Tree By: Liz Mugavero

This was the last book I needed to read to complete this series, and I obviously read it out of order, but I'm so glad I finally got it!  Stan and the McGee clan are in a terrible pickle at the holidays in this tightly plotted cozy.  Nothing and no one are what they seem: a dead Santa; two missing men; a ruined Grand Opening; international intrigue and family. Happy Holidays!! 

 

The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop By: Takuya Asakura/Translated By: Yuka Maeno

A sweet and touching look at the power of books to bridge time and heal wounds and help us move forward.  Simply charming.

The Treacherous Teddy By: John J. Lamb

The last in this delightful series, is rife with devious characters, Brad's bad puns, and a lot of heart.  Brad, Ash, Tina and the rest of the characters face too many prime suspects in the death of a local farmer.  Any one of them could have done it, and with ample reason, but the fun of this series is watching the actual police work being done to solve the crime.  The wonderful descriptions of the teddy bears are always fantastic!  I so wish this series had continued.

The Clockwork Teddy By: John J. Lamb

A trip back to California for a deposition finds Brad and Ashleigh visiting their daughter, participating in an outdoor teddy show and getting embroiled in corporate espionage. Isn't retirement fun?!

The Crafty Teddy By: John J. Lamb

The third installment of this delightful series, has the Lyon's being burgled, a spate of counterfeited teddy's, a corpse, and some Japanese gangsters.  Cuz, doesn't every cozy, have Japanese gangsters! Yet, Lamb makes it all work in this edge of your seat mystery with a gasp inducing twist!

The False-Hearted Teddy By: John J. Lamb

The second book in this wonderful series, doesn't pull any punches!  The impetus for several of the shenanigans are morally and ethically reprehensible acts perpetrated by very unsympathetic characters. Despite this Lamb manages to infuse the story with charm, warmth and much needed humor.  The more I read and in this case, re-read, the more I realize that I am very similar to Brad-frighteningly so! This series is such a delight!