Steeped to Death by Gretchen Rue

September 03, 2022

Sometimes, the cover art is better than the mystery itself. That’s not the case with the first book in Gretchen Rue’s Witches’ Brew Mystery series, Steeped to Death. Rue gives us one of the best amateur sleuths I’ve read in a cozy mystery...

The Fragrance of Death by Leslie Karst

July 31, 2022

What do you do if you’re a restaurateur who has lost your sense of smell? In the case of Sally Solari, the amateur sleuth in Leslie Karst’s The Fragrance of Death, she sticks her nose in everyone’s business. It was only a cold, followed by a sinus...

Something Fishy This Way comes by Gabby Allan

July 26, 2022

It’s time to go back to Catalina Island with the second fun Whit and Whiskers Mystery by Gabby Allan, Something Fishy This Way Comes. Whitney Dagner, owner of a gift shop on Catalina Island, is hiding a treasure chest on the golf course for a customer when she...

The Paper Caper by Kate Carlisle

July 25, 2022

Kate Carlisle’s publisher, Berkley, has some of the best cover artists in the business, and, whoever they selected to illustrate the cover of The Paper Caper excelled at the job. Because I read an egalley, I can’t give credit to the artist, but I wish I...

Peppermint Barked by Leslie Budewitz

July 19, 2022

Leslie Budewitz’ Spice Shop mysteries are somewhere on the spectrum between cozy mystery and hardboiled ones. Peppermint Barked, with its recipes and holiday-themed book cover, tends toward the cozy end. But, Budewitz’ books have a depth of character that...