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Called to Justice (Quaker Midwife Mystery #2)
Called to Justice (Quaker Midwife Mystery #2)
Edith Maxwell | 2017 | Crime, History & Politics, Mystery
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Called to Justice is as much historical fiction as it is cozy mystery, and I found both aspects of the story to be riveting. A young, unmarried woman confides in Rose that she is expecting a child, and then ends up being murdered during the Independence Day fireworks celebration. Determined to find justice for the girl and her unborn child, Rose manages to squeeze in a little investigating, between birthing babies and checking on the well-being of her clientele of local women waiting to deliver.

There was a lot of attention to detail and historical accuracy where the births in the story were concerned. See what author Edith Maxwell has to say about midwives and the birthing process on <a href="https://booksthething.com/2017/04/06/called-to-justice-by-edith-maxwell-guest-post-and-giveaway/">my blog</a>.
  
Reading Up a Storm focuses more on characters outside of the library staff than the first two novels in the series, and Lucy has a new friend in this one who is accused of murder. Of course she doesn't trust that the police will see past her friend Stephanie's apparent motive for the crime, and is soon getting herself into trouble asking questions and trying to solve the case by herself. She probably figured it out long before I did, but it was gratifying to find that the killer was the person I suspected, for once.

And for those of you who enjoy a little romance with your cozy mystery - I love where the author has taken the romantic triangle that was developing in the first two books. I can't say anything more without spoilers, but I was very pleased with the outcome.
  
The Killer in Me (Benoit and Dayne Mystery #1)
The Killer in Me (Benoit and Dayne Mystery #1)
Winter Austin | 2021 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
What a cracking start to what promises to be an intense series!
    

    The Killer in Me is easy to get in to and hard to put down. I put everything on hold to keep reading and I don't regret it. There's mystery, murder and surprises, which always gets my vote, not to mention corruption and long standing fueds. I'd love to say I guessed everything straight away but I didn't, I had suspicions though (changed my mind a few times too!)

It's good to see some strong female characters. Sheriff Elizabeth Benoit and Deputy Lila Dayne form a good relationship and both show strength when needed.
    This could possibly be read as a standalone but there are unanswered questions for Lila.

I'd class this as an adult read, one to have a cozy evening in with.
  
A Skeleton in the Family By: Leigh Perry
Cozy Mystery 291 pages
Takes place in Penny Cross, Massachusetts

This is a mystery novel so I won't be going into much detail. I don't want to spoil anything.
This book is about a college Professor, Georgia, who hasn't been able to hold down a position for more than a year at time. Her boss's always want her to write a book but she can never find time with all she has to do.. She is a single mom of a teenage daughter, Madison.
She has received a teaching job at her hometown college where her parents teach. Her parents have tenured at this college and have taken a sabbatical for the semester. She moves back home to help with her finances.
Her daughter doesn't know that the family has a secret. That secret is the living, walking, talking skeleton called Sid. Sid followed Georgia home one day when she was 6 years old. He has been with them since. Sid doesn't want Madison to know that he is around. He does everything to keep himself away from her.
One day Sid talks Georgia into letting him out and have a little fun. He goes in disguise. He sees and recognizes someone while he out. This starts him to remember some of his pass but not enough. So they decide to start finding who he really is and what happened to him.
Who is Sid? Where did he come from? Why is he able to walk and talk? What happened to him?
All of questions are answered in this book. This is a good book and a fun mystery. I recommend that you give it try.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2623 KP) rated The Last Line in Books

Aug 16, 2025 (Updated Aug 16, 2025)  
The Last Line
The Last Line
Scott Lyerly | 2024 | Mystery
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Murder in a Teacup…Live on Stage!
The latest production at the theater Ellie Marlow owns is Murder in a Teacup. Unfortunately, the lead is Reginald Thornton IV, who seems to be going out of his way to alienate everyone. His character is supposed to die as part of the play, but opening night, he really dies. While the state detectives are quick to judge it natural, something doesn’t sit right with Ellie. Can she figure out what happened?

I picked this book up expecting a cozy, but it quickly became evident this is a bit more of a traditional than a lighter cozy. As long as you know this going in, you should be fine. The mystery is good, and I was fooled until the end. Ellie has Tourette’s, something that overwhelms at times and proves to be a distraction. On the whole, I did love her character and the co-lead as well, as well as how their marriages were shown. The story is told from several points of view, but at times, we have some head hopping. This feels like a standalone instead of a series opener, but if we get a sequel, I’d be interested in revisiting the characters.