Happy 125th Birthday, Agatha Christie

September 15, 2015September 15, 2015 ~ Erika K ~ 16 Comments

Today marks the 125th anniversary of Dame Agatha Christie’s birth, on September 15, 1890. She was always one of my favorite writers – I started reading Miss Marple stories in 4th grade, and have read 25 of her crime novels since then. At least, I’ve read 25 of them that I can remember reading – I think there may actually be a few more! I hope one day to actually finish all 82. (In addition to 82 crime novels and short story collections, she also wrote an autobiography, 6 romance novels using the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and 19 plays)

When I first discovered Agatha Christie’s novels, they had to be Miss Marple or I wouldn’t even pick them up. Tommy and Tuppence wouldn’t do, and I was not interested in reading about Hercule Poirot. I’m not sure what changed along the way, but Poirot is now my favorite Agatha Christie detective, and possibly my favorite fictional detective of all time. I love his interactions with Captain Hastings, Inspector Japp, the unflappable Miss Lemon, and Ariadne Oliver. As many books as I have left to read in her cannon, there are a few favorites that I re-read every so often. I can usually find some clue I missed the first time through, and it always feels like a visit to an old friend.

Are you a fan of Agatha Christie? If so, do you have a favorite or least favorite sleuth, or a favorite novel? I’d love to hear about it!

Cozy Review – Candy Corn Murder by Leslie Meier

September 4, 2015September 4, 2015 ~ Erika K ~ 5 Comments

Candy Corn Murder by Leslie Meier

Lucy Stone Mystery #23

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: *** (3 of 5 stars)

Description from Goodreads: Halloween is coming to Tinker’s Cove, Maine, and local reporter Lucy Stone is covering the town’s annual Giant Pumpkin Fest for the Pennysaver. There’s the pumpkin-boat regatta, the children’s Halloween party, the pumpkin weigh-in…even a contest where home-built catapults hurl pumpkins at an old Dodge! But not everything goes quite as planned…

This is the 23rd Lucy Stone mystery, but it works fine as a standalone story. You don’t need to have read any of the previous books to enjoy this one.

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New Release – Burnt Secrets by Barbara A. Martin

September 1, 2015September 3, 2015 ~ Erika K ~ 4 Comments

It’s Release Day for Burnt Secrets by Barbara A. Martin

Title: Burnt Secrets
Author: Barbara A. Martin
Series: Bodies Everywhere #2
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Genres: Clean Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Barbara A. Martin

I’m happy to help promote this one – a cozy for anyone who likes their mystery on the clean side (no graphic language, violence, sex etc…). While I do read grittier mysteries, I also enjoy books I can share with my daughter after I have read them! I’ll try to get my review posted sometime later this month.

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Cozy Review – Booked for Trouble by Eva Gates

August 18, 2015 ~ Erika K ~ 5 Comments

Booked for Trouble by Eva Gates

Lighthouse Library Mystery #2

Available 9/1/15 from NAL

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating **** (4 of 5 stars)

Lucy Richardson lives in and works at a lighthouse that has been converted into the Bodie Island local library. When her mother comes for a visit and tries to get Lucy to move back home to Boston, she has her hands full trying to convince her mother that she is not going to go back and marry her old sweetheart. Then one of her mother’s old high school classmates is murdered after a book club meeting at the library, and Mom becomes suspect number one. Lucy takes it upon herself to investigate in order to clear her mother’s name, and to make sure her mother will be allowed to leave town soon!

This is the second book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series, but you can jump right in without feeling like you have missed anything. I loved the lighthouse / library setting – it feels cozy and calm, at least until a murder takes place right outside. I also liked the cast of characters in this one. Lucy has believable problems, and the supporting cast are a likable bunch. The mystery itself was fast paced and not too obvious. I will definitely go back and read number one in the series.

With a home perched above a library full of books, a lighthouse, a murder, and a library cat – this was a perfect cozy read!

***NOTE: I received an advanced review copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review***

Review – Murder Your Darlings by J.J. Murphy

June 27, 2015June 27, 2015 ~ Erika K ~ 1 Comment

Murder Your Darlings by J.J. Murphy

An Algonquin Round Table Mystery #1

Genre: Cozy Mystery
My Rating **** (4 of 5 stars)

When the members of the Algonquin Round Table gathered for lunch, the last thing they expected to find was the dead body of a theater critic under their table. From Round Table, to speakeasy, and all over the city of New York, Dorothy Parker has to chase down a murderer before the police try to pin the crime on her or one of her gang. She has plenty of help from her friends Peter Benchley and a visiting Billy Faulkner.

Several members of the Algonquin Round Table are featured or make at least a brief appearance in this story. So who were they? Here’s a brief description from Wikipedia:

The Algonquin Round Table was a celebrated group of New York City writers, critics, actors and wits. Gathering initially as part of a practical joke, members of “The Vicious Circle”, as they dubbed themselves, met for lunch each day at the Algonquin Hotel from 1919 until roughly 1929. At these luncheons they engaged in wisecracks, wordplay and witticisms that, through the newspaper columns of Round Table members, were disseminated across the country.

The mystery was good, and the characters were larger than life, but there were so many characters that it did get a little confusing at first. Once I figured out who everyone was though, I really enjoyed it. I loved the banter between Dorothy and Peter – they reminded me a bit of Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn in Bringing Up Baby. I highly recommend this one if you enjoy a little humor with your mystery.

Visit the Algonquin Hotel’s website for more info on the Round Table.

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Review – Death by Coffee

June 11, 2015June 10, 2015 ~ Erika K ~ 5 Comments

Death by Coffee by Alex Erickson

Book 1 of the Bookstore Cafe Mysteries Series

My Rating: *** (3 of 5 stars)
Genre: Cozy Mystery

***NOTE: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Krissy Hancock has moved to Pine Hills with her best friend to open a coffee and book shop, Death by Coffee. When business doesn’t pick up right away, Krissy is concerned that it could be due to the death of a man who works in the building across the street – a man who had come in for a cup of coffee just minutes before his death. Determined to find the killer in order to squelch rumors that Death by Coffee may actually be serving tainted coffee, Krissy conducts her own investigation.

This was a well plotted and well written mystery, but I did have trouble believing people would tell Krissy as much as they did, with her confrontational way of interrogating her suspects.

The story was entertaining though, and cozy mystery fans should enjoy it. I’ll be watching for the next installment, Death by Tea, to come out this December!

Visit Alex Erickson’s website

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Review – The Devil’s Music by Pearl R. Meaker

June 10, 2015June 8, 2015 ~ Erika K ~ 1 Comment

The Devil’s Music by Pearl R. Meaker

Book 1 of the Emory Crawford Mysteries

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating **** (4 of 5 stars)

Synopsis from Goodreads:
When an acclaimed scholar and musician is found murdered on the Twombly College campus where her husband teaches chemistry and is a forensic scientist, Emory Crawford decides she can help. She’s a professor’s wife, not an official. People will talk to her. So she heads out with her knitting tote and emerges as the most inquisitive, persistent and clever amateur detective since Miss Marple.

***I was provided with a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review***

The Devil’s Music was a quick, easy read at only 218 pages, but also an enjoyable one. The story is sprinkled with plant lore as well as bluegrass and folk music tidbits that add interest to the story. I would suggest not reading this book on an empty stomach, however, as the descriptions of all of the delicious sounding food served at various functions are sure to leave you hungry!

The Sleuth, Emory Crawford, is a likable protagonist. Even though she aspires to be a young Miss Marple, she has her faults, and they add to her charm. Her occasional fumbling around after clues makes her seem all the more genuine. I did appreciate the fact that she wasn’t all-knowing despite the “gift” that she realizes she has part of the way through the story. She still had to rely on her wits and ability to make logical deductions, not solely on her intuition.

Overall, a nice start to a new cozy mystery series. I look forward to more of Emory in October, when the next book in the series, The Devil’s Hook, will be available.

Pearl R. Meaker – http://www.pearlrmeaker.com/

Author of The Devil’s Music

Order Now at Amazon Promontory Press Barnes & Noble

Chapters/Indigo Books-a-Million

Available May 1, 2015

Let’s keep in touch – subscribe to my newsletter 🙂 Pearl & Emory

What are you reading Wednesday – Death by Coffee

June 10, 2015September 17, 2015 ~ Erika K ~ Leave a comment

What are you reading Wednesday – 6/10/15

What Are You Reading Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Its A Reading Thing. To participate, open the book you are reading now to page 34 and answer the three questions listed below. If you have a blog, feel free to leave a link down in the comments so that others can visit and see your post. If you don’t, just leave a note with your answers.

The Questions are:
1. What’s the name of your current read?

2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share one complete sentence. (or two!)

3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

My Answers this week:
1. Death by Coffee – by Alex Erickson

Bookstore Cafe Mystery #1

2. I took a moment to brush away the worst of the mess, though some of it had stuck, thanks to the kitty slobber that acted like glue.

3. Pine Hills seems like a pleasant enough medium-small town, and on a normal, non-murder day, I think it would be an ok place to live.

What are you reading Wednesday – The Devil’s Music

June 3, 2015September 17, 2015 ~ Erika K ~ 11 Comments

What are you reading Wednesday – 6/3/15

What Are You Reading Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Its A Reading Thing. To participate, open your current read to page 34 and answer the three questions listed below. If you have a blog, feel free to leave a link down in the comments so that others can visit and see your post. If you don’t, just leave a note with your answers.

The Questions are:
1. What’s the name of your current read?

2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share one complete sentence. (or two!)

3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

My Answers this week:
1. The Devil’s Music by Pearl R. Meaker

2. The witch accusations all eventually fizzled out, but the Twombleys never lost their reputation for strangeness. They usually seemed to get what they wanted without becoming tyrants in the process.

3. I already live in Illinois, but not in a college town. I think I would enjoy this serene university environment, as long as the murder had been solved long before I arrived, and I could live on campus as a professor rather than a student! 🙂

May 2015 New Releases I’m Looking Forward To

April 27, 2015 ~ Erika K ~ 3 Comments

My shelves are all full and the TBR pile on my nightstand is about to topple over, but I just can’t help myself. I get excited over upcoming releases even though I don’t know when I’ll find the time to read them. Here are a few I’m looking forward to picking up when they are released next month.

I, Ripper by Stephen Hunter
Published by Simon and Schuster, release date May 19th
Mystery / Thriller

A new twist on the Jack the Ripper tale, told from the perspective of both Jack and the Irish journalist who is tracking him.

Pre-order from the publisher

Kingdom of Darkness by Andy McDermott
Published by Penguin Random House, available April 28th (not May I know, but close!)
Mystery / Thriller

Another adventure in the Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase series. Is there a fountain of eternal life hidden in the tomb of Alexander the Great?

Pre-order from the publisher

Murder at Beechwood: A Gilded Newport Mystery by Alyssa Maxwell
Published by Kensington Publishing, release date May 26.
Historical Mystery

In this addition to the series, Emma finds an infant left on her doorstep and must try to locate the baby’s mother.

Pre-order links on the publisher’s site

Flourless to Stop Him by Nancy Parra
Published by Berkley Prime Crime, release date May, 2015
Cozy Mystery / Culinary Mystery

A Baker’s Treat Mystery, #3 – I haven’t read any in this series yet but I like the sound of this one. A dead man is found in a hotel room registered to the heroine’s brother, so she has to figure out who set him up. (while baking delicious goodies, of course!)

Pre-order links on the publisher’s site