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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated Haunted House Murder in Books
Aug 30, 2019
Cozy Halloween Hauntings
This collection of three novellas focuses on Halloween. The book opens with the title story featuring Leslie Meier’s protagonist Lucy Stone. A couple has moved into the old abandoned house in town, but they are rebuffing efforts from Lucy and others to welcome them to town. Then strange things start happening and rumors start flying. What is happening? Up next is “Death by Haunted House” by Lee Hollis which takes up back to 2009 and shows us what life was like for Hayley Powell while she was married. When the house next door, which is rumored to be haunted, gets a new family, Hayley’s husband Danny is certain that they are up to something. The discovery of a dead body in the nearby woods just confirms his theory – at least to himself. Is he right? Finally comes “Hallowed Out” from Barbara Ross. The local Haunted House tour is gearing up for Halloween, trying to bring some more people to town in the fall. However, when a reenactment of a crime leaves an actor dead, Julia Snowden must figure out what happened.
As you might expect in a collection of stories by various authors, some are stronger than others. Personally, I found the opening story to be the weakest – I think it might have worked as a short story, but even as a novella is was too long. The middle story was better, with some fun scenes and a good twist to the mystery. I adore Barbara Ross’s Maine Clambake mysteries, so it was the reason I picked up the book. It also means I found the third story to be the best, with some good twists and a very fun sub-plot. While each story has plenty of fall atmosphere, these stories aren’t that spooky – they are by cozy mystery authors after all. Still, fans of these authors will enjoy picking up the book.
As you might expect in a collection of stories by various authors, some are stronger than others. Personally, I found the opening story to be the weakest – I think it might have worked as a short story, but even as a novella is was too long. The middle story was better, with some fun scenes and a good twist to the mystery. I adore Barbara Ross’s Maine Clambake mysteries, so it was the reason I picked up the book. It also means I found the third story to be the best, with some good twists and a very fun sub-plot. While each story has plenty of fall atmosphere, these stories aren’t that spooky – they are by cozy mystery authors after all. Still, fans of these authors will enjoy picking up the book.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated Long Island Iced Tina in Books
Feb 24, 2021 (Updated Feb 24, 2021)
Reappearing Painting and Murder
Mia Carina is thrilled for her friend Nicole, who is expecting her first baby. Nicole has chosen Mia’s catering hall, Belle View, as the location for one of her baby showers. Despite Mia’s best efforts, the baby shower is interrupted by a fight between Nicole’s mother and step-mother. Then, one of Nicole’s presents turns out to be a valuable painting stolen years before. Things only get worse when Mia finds the body of a shower guest the next morning. Is the murder linked to the painting?
I enjoyed the first book in the series, and this one was great as well. The painting added a fun element to the mystery, and I really enjoyed seeing how that played out. The mystery had some great zigs and zags along the way. The climax was a bit complicated, but I was able to think it through, and it did make sense. All the characters were wonderful, with some interesting growth for the series regulars. Mia’s grandmother provides a very funny sub-plot, and there are other great moments of humor throughout the book. At the end, we get four recipes and a hit for hosting events yourself. The series is set in Queens, and Mia’s family is involved in the mob. Even so, this is most definitely still a cozy series. Grab some ice tea and enjoy this delightful book.
I enjoyed the first book in the series, and this one was great as well. The painting added a fun element to the mystery, and I really enjoyed seeing how that played out. The mystery had some great zigs and zags along the way. The climax was a bit complicated, but I was able to think it through, and it did make sense. All the characters were wonderful, with some interesting growth for the series regulars. Mia’s grandmother provides a very funny sub-plot, and there are other great moments of humor throughout the book. At the end, we get four recipes and a hit for hosting events yourself. The series is set in Queens, and Mia’s family is involved in the mob. Even so, this is most definitely still a cozy series. Grab some ice tea and enjoy this delightful book.
Past Due for Murder
6.0
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Has a curse fallen on the small town of Taylorsford, Virginia? After a young woman goes missing...
Fiction Mystery Cozy
Blizzard
9.0
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Imagine loving someone with your whole heart, only to find out after they’re gone that you never...
Lesbian Romance Crime Suspense
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated Wreathing Havoc in Books
Sep 29, 2021 (Updated Sep 29, 2021)
The Drama of Theater
Thanksgiving week has opened on a somber note since it starts with the funeral for Leon Tompkin, the owner of the local theater. Lilly Jayne and the rest of the Garden Squad aren’t the only ones in town mourning his passing, and it even brings some of the people who used to work with Leon at the theater back to town. When one of the visitors is murdered, Lilly can’t help but wonder if Leon’s death was from natural causes. If it wasn’t, are the two deaths connected?
Thanksgiving isn’t usually a setting for fall themed cozy mysteries, but I enjoyed seeing this book starting with November’s holiday, although we do get a few early Christmas activities as the book goes along. The mystery takes a little while to set down roots before it starts to fully grow, but once it does, we wind up with a wonderful mystery. I love how everything came together. Lilly and the rest of her friends in the Garden Squad are as delightful as always, and the new characters are equally likeable, making it hard for me to pick out the killer. Late autumn isn’t the best time for gardening, but we still get a bit of that and a few gardening tips over the course of the book. This is an entry that fans of the series will be thankful for.
Thanksgiving isn’t usually a setting for fall themed cozy mysteries, but I enjoyed seeing this book starting with November’s holiday, although we do get a few early Christmas activities as the book goes along. The mystery takes a little while to set down roots before it starts to fully grow, but once it does, we wind up with a wonderful mystery. I love how everything came together. Lilly and the rest of her friends in the Garden Squad are as delightful as always, and the new characters are equally likeable, making it hard for me to pick out the killer. Late autumn isn’t the best time for gardening, but we still get a bit of that and a few gardening tips over the course of the book. This is an entry that fans of the series will be thankful for.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated Candy Canes of Christmas Past in Books
Dec 9, 2023
Murder in Lucy’s Past
This story takes us back in time to the first Christmas that Lucy Stone spent in Tinker’s Cove, Maine. Lucy is trying to deal with her husband's project, fixing up their home. So when town librarian Miss Tilly is nice to Lucy, Lucy looks for some way to repay her new friend. And that's how she begins trying to uncover the circumstances surrounding Miss Tilly's mother's death almost 50 years before. Was Mrs. Tilly murdered? If so, how can Lucy find out what happened after all these years.
This story is as much about Lucy's struggles to fit into a new town and live in an old house as it is about the mystery. Lucy and her husband are really struggling, which gives most of this story a darker tone for a cozy. It is also a weak mystery. The solution was very coincidental and almost an after thought compared to the resolution to the other story line. But I liked the characters. They are vivid and seem like people I would love to get to know better. While it didn’t turn out that way, this story lets me see the appeal for those who do like them.
NOTE: This story was originally part of the anthology Candy Cane Murder, so if you’ve read that book, there is no need to pick up this story a second time.
This story is as much about Lucy's struggles to fit into a new town and live in an old house as it is about the mystery. Lucy and her husband are really struggling, which gives most of this story a darker tone for a cozy. It is also a weak mystery. The solution was very coincidental and almost an after thought compared to the resolution to the other story line. But I liked the characters. They are vivid and seem like people I would love to get to know better. While it didn’t turn out that way, this story lets me see the appeal for those who do like them.
NOTE: This story was originally part of the anthology Candy Cane Murder, so if you’ve read that book, there is no need to pick up this story a second time.
Sticky-Fingered Books
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It isn’t every day that you find a body at your kids’ school. Unless you’re Jolie Gentil. Then...
mystery cozy mystery bookbuzz
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated Murder on Devil’s Pond in Books
Jul 11, 2024
Murder of the Town Recluse
Hannah Solace has returned to her small town in Vermont to help her sister run a B&B. The only person she’s really reconnect with is Ezra Grayson, the town’s eighty-year-old recluse that most people want to see sell the house he’s lived in most of his life. Then Hannah finds his dead body on the pond that borders the B&B. When she finds herself on the suspect list, Hannah begins to investigate. Is his death related to a secret from the past? Or was one of his heirs, who are staying at the B&B, too impatient to inherit?
I’ll admit, it took me a couple of chapters to fully get pulled into this new world, but once it did, I was fully hooked. The mystery is complex with a variety of motives. I figured one thing out early, but the rest, including the killer, kept me guessing. The characters, including the suspects, grew more complex as I read as well. There are some relationships I’m looking forward to seeing explored further as the series goes along. The environmental themes are well done, and the recipe at the end sounds delicious. This book is a little more on the serious side for a cozy mystery, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. If you are looking for a new series you can dig into, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
I’ll admit, it took me a couple of chapters to fully get pulled into this new world, but once it did, I was fully hooked. The mystery is complex with a variety of motives. I figured one thing out early, but the rest, including the killer, kept me guessing. The characters, including the suspects, grew more complex as I read as well. There are some relationships I’m looking forward to seeing explored further as the series goes along. The environmental themes are well done, and the recipe at the end sounds delicious. This book is a little more on the serious side for a cozy mystery, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. If you are looking for a new series you can dig into, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper in Books
Jul 12, 2025 (Updated Jul 12, 2025)
Sandy’s Cruising Toward Another Murder
Sandy’s agent has booked his next job on the comeback trail. He’s joined by his sister and a band, and his job is to provide two shows a night on a week-long Caribbean cruise. It should be easy enough, right? Complicating things is the dead body that Sandy finds in his dressing room the first night of the cruise. The victim was part of another show on board the ship. Sandy doesn’t feel like the cruise ship’s security is taking the murder seriously, especially if they consider him a suspect. Can he figure out what really happened before the cruise ends?
This is another fun mystery with Sandy. The mystery could have kicked off sooner, but the setup was still entertaining and did set up some subplots. Once it did get going, we had some nice twists before the logical solution. I did figure part of it out a little early, but not too much before the big reveal. I enjoyed watching Sandy develop more here, especially in his relationship with his sister. And I liked how her blindness came into play in the story. There was one reference to something that happened after the book is set, but it’s a minor issue. I’m glad I finally started this series. If you are looking for a new cozy series, you’ll be glad you picked it up as well.
This is another fun mystery with Sandy. The mystery could have kicked off sooner, but the setup was still entertaining and did set up some subplots. Once it did get going, we had some nice twists before the logical solution. I did figure part of it out a little early, but not too much before the big reveal. I enjoyed watching Sandy develop more here, especially in his relationship with his sister. And I liked how her blindness came into play in the story. There was one reference to something that happened after the book is set, but it’s a minor issue. I’m glad I finally started this series. If you are looking for a new cozy series, you’ll be glad you picked it up as well.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated And Then There Were Crumbs in Books
Nov 22, 2019
Unfortunately, the Mystery Got Crumbs
Looking for a fresh start, Kate McGuire packs up and moves from New York City to Coral Cay, Florida, where she lands a job working at The Cookie House. On her first day on the job, Stewart Lord stalks into the bakery. He is a real estate developer who has decided to buy up Coral Cay and turn the entire island into a resort for the rich and famous, and he has The Cookie House in his sites as his first purchase. He makes the owner, Sam, a rock bottom offer, but only leaves with some cinnamon rolls he demanded from Sam. A few hours later, Stewart is dead, and Sam’s cinnamon rolls are the culprit. The police arrest Sam, but Kate doesn’t think her new boss is a killer. Can she prove he didn’t poison Stewart?
Between the fact that this is a culinary cozy and it is set in the Florida Keys, I was ready to sit back and enjoy. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. I was captivated at first. The setting is very real and fun and comes to life. Kate quickly makes a lot of fantastic friends, and I enjoyed hanging out with all of them. The further I went into the book, the more frustrated I became with the pacing of the mystery. We spend significantly more time watching Kate work to save and transform the bakery while Sam is in jail than we do getting clues to who might have killed Stewart. It’s a shame because there is a good mystery here; we just needed more of it. All the baking certainly made me hungry for bread and cookies, but there aren’t any recipes at the end of this book. Plenty of people seem to love this book, so if the premise interests you, I recommend you pick it up and judge the results for yourself.
Between the fact that this is a culinary cozy and it is set in the Florida Keys, I was ready to sit back and enjoy. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. I was captivated at first. The setting is very real and fun and comes to life. Kate quickly makes a lot of fantastic friends, and I enjoyed hanging out with all of them. The further I went into the book, the more frustrated I became with the pacing of the mystery. We spend significantly more time watching Kate work to save and transform the bakery while Sam is in jail than we do getting clues to who might have killed Stewart. It’s a shame because there is a good mystery here; we just needed more of it. All the baking certainly made me hungry for bread and cookies, but there aren’t any recipes at the end of this book. Plenty of people seem to love this book, so if the premise interests you, I recommend you pick it up and judge the results for yourself.