Tuesday, December 31, 2013

My Top 10 Books of 2013

This is the last day of 2013 and it was a great year of reading! So I have chosen my 10 favorites(which wasn't easy) but here they are:

10. A Finder's Fee by Jim and Joyce Lavene             A Finder's Fee (Missing Pieces Mystery Series #5)                 


9.Plum Deadly by Ellie Grant                                      Plum Deadly



8.The Witch of Little Italy  by Susanne Palmieri         The Witch of Little Italy


7.The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau                       The Testing 
 

6. Peach Pies and Alibis by Ellery Adams              Peach Pies and Alibis (Charmed Pie Shoppe Series #2)



5. Skeleton in the Family by Leigh Perry               A Skeleton in the Family



4. Yarn to Go by Betty Hechtman                        Yarn to Go (Yarn Retreat Series #1)



3. The Wrong Girl by Hank Phillipi Ryan             The Wrong Girl




2. Killer in Crinolines by Duffy Brown                Killer in Crinolines       


and my number one pick for 2013 is...


1. Cloche and Dagger by Jenn McKinlay          Cloche and Dagger (Hat Shop Mystery Series #1)


Do you have a few favorites for 2013? What books are you looking forward to in 2014?


Thursday, December 26, 2013

Thursday First -Fundraising the Dead by Sheila Connolly

Happy Thursday to you!!Today's first in a new series is..


Fundraising the Dead (Museum Mystery Series #1)


At The Society for the Preservation of Pennsylvania Antiques, fundraiser Eleanor "Nell" Pratt solicits donations-and sometimes solves crimes. When a collection of George Washington's letters is lost on the same day that an archivist is found dead, it seems strange that the Society president isn't pushing for an investigation. Nell goes digging herself, and soon uncovers a long, rich history of crime.

This book was released in October 5, 2010

Have you read this one? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you!!!





Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas!!

Author Spotlight Wednesday-- Betty Hechtman

It's Wednesday and that means we are spotlighting another FABULOUS author. Today's Spotlight goes to the Lovely ...

Betty Hechtman!!
Image of Betty Hechtman
Betty Hechtman was born in Chicago, Illinois and on a particularly eventful weekend graduated college, got married and moved to Los Angeles, California. She has a degree in Fine Arts and has had a variety of professions including being a volunteer farm worker on a kibbutz, Sunday school teacher, waitress, retail sales, editor of a finance company newsletter, telephone operator, associate publicist and freelance writer.
Her love of mysteries started with Nancy Drew and blossomed when she began to read Agatha Christie's books. She has been doing handicrafts since she was a child. It is like a dream come true to be able to mix mystery and yarn craft in her books.

Betty is the author of...

For Better or Worsted (Crochet Mystery Series #8) and her new series Yarn to Go (Yarn Retreat Series #1)

A Crochet and Knitting Series How great is that! 

Here's to you Betty for many Hours of fun-filled reading. 

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Alphabet Reading Challenge for 2014


It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to read one book that has a title starting with every letter of the alphabet.



alphabet 2014 500



What a fun Challenge this will be. Beginning Jan.1,2014 until Dec.31, 2014,  Starting with the Letter A and ending at the letter Z , you read books according to the letter. Leave out the A's and The's.

If you are having troubles coming up with the books , check out http://www.jandysbooks.com/tablecontents/ttlalph.html for a great list of books!

Doesn't this sound like fun! I am going to give it a try and hope you will consider trying it also! Who knows maybe at some point we will have read the same book.

I will be reading many other books in between this challenge as well so there will be much blogging happening in 2014. Contest, Author spotlights, Thursday First and much more.


Thursday, December 19, 2013

Thursday First--First Degree Fudge by Christine DeSmet

Happy Thursday to you! It's First in a new series day and today's first is ...



First-Degree Fudge (Fudge Shop Mystery Series #1)


First in a new mystery series--includes fudge recipes!

New candy store owner Ava Oosterling specializes in making heavenly homemade fudge and fresh starts. But she’s just found out that her newest flavor is to die for….

Between getting her store up and running and uneasily settling back into her charming Lake Michigan hometown, Ava Oosterling has her plate full. She hopes using local fresh dairy and her own flavorful imagination to cook up one-of-a-kind fudge will also create a brand-new start for her. And if she can tempt wealthy ex–film star Rainetta Johnson to try her newest creation, Cinderella Pink, at a local fund-raiser, maybe her road to big-time success will be short and sweet.

But when Rainetta chokes to death on a stolen diamond hidden in the fudge’s fluffy depths, Ava is pegged as the prime suspect. Now saving her business and reputation means investigating a batch of townspeople who had numerous reasons to hate disdainful, hard-bargaining Rainetta. With Ava’s best friend and her former flame in the suspect mix, she must figure out who the real culprit is fast or face a very bitter end.…


Includes Delicious Fudge Recipes and Fudge-Making Tips! 

First Degree Fudged debuted September 3, 2013

This would make a great stocking stuffer ! 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Author Spotlight Wednesday-- Isabella Alan

Happy Wednesday to you! It's  Author Spotlight and today's Author is Isabella Alan!!

Isabella is the Author of Murder,Plain and Simple(An Amish Quilt Shop Mystery)

Murder, Plain and Simple: An Amish Quilt Shop Mystery

Isabella Alan, an academic librarian for a small college in Ohio, grew up visiting the state’s Amish country with her family. Her 2010 debut, Maid of Murder, written under the name Amanda Flower, received an Agatha Award nomination for Best First Novel. 

Isabella has a new book coming out in June of 2014 called Murder Simply Stitched

Murder, Simply Stitched: An Amish Quilt Shop Mystery

If you haven't read the first book I encourage you to get it! You will love it!

Saturday, December 14, 2013

My review of Quilt Trip by Elizabeth Craig

This was such a great book and I have enjoyed my stay at the mansion getting to know the Ladies!!




Quilt Trip (Southern Quilting Mystery Series #3)



Elizabeth Craig has done it again with her newest Cozy mystery ! Beatrice and Meadow as well as a few other quilters are stranded in Muriel's mansion due to the winter weather, Muriel invite them to come because of her health condition and she needed to make a few things right. when Muriel is found dead the next morning the ladies believe it is because of her illness and that she just died in her sleep, but Beatrice doesn't think that is what has happened and does some investigating on her own when she realizes that it was murder. She has to find out who did it and why before it is to late.

You will have a great time getting to know these Ladies and loving them as I have. What a great book! And the cover is amazing and perfect for this time of year!


Have you read this book and series? 

Friday, December 13, 2013

Coming this Summer--Tempest in a Teapot

You will not want to miss this brand new summer read!!  Mark your Calenders for June 3, 2014!!

Tempest in a Teapot( A Teapot Collecting Mystery Series) by Amanda Cooper

Tempest in a Teapot


Tucked away in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York is the charming town of Gracious Grove, where time moves slowly, gossip spreads quickly, and the scones are to die for…
 
When her fashionable Manhattan restaurant goes under, Sophie Taylor retreats to her grandmother’s cozy shop, Auntie Rose’s Victorian Teahouse, where serenity is steeped to perfection in one of her many antique teapots. The last thing Sophie expects is a bustling calendar of teahouse events, like her old friend Cissy Peterson’s upcoming bridal shower.
 
Not everyone is pleased with the bride-to-be’s choice of venue—like Cissy’s grandmother, who owns a competing establishment, La Belle Epoque, and has held a long-simmering grudge against Rose for stealing her beau sixty years ago. Tensions reach a boiling point when Cissy’s fiancé’s mother dies while sampling scones at La Belle Epoque. Now, to help her friend, Sophie will have to bag a killer before more of the guest list becomes a hit list…


Isn't the Cover Beautiful!!! I am looking forward to this series!!! 

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Thursday First --Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs

It's Tea week here and our Thursday First is Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs.

Death by Darjeeling (Tea Shop Series #1)



When a man is poisoned by tea, Theo is the prime suspect. Now she has to prove her innocence and track down the real killer-before someone else takes their last sip. Just the right blend of cozy fun and clever plotting.

I have read this book and enjoyed every part of it. This is the book that inspired me to drink tea. 

Have you read this one? What did you think about it? are you a tea drinker?

Thank you Laura for really enjoyable books and series I am on the 3rd book in this series and am really loving it!!


Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Author Spotlight Wednesday--Laura Childs

It isn't Tea week without the Fabulous Laura Childs.


Image of Laura Childs


Gilt Trip (Scrapbooking Mystery Series #11)
Stake and Eggs (Cackleberry Club Series #4)Sweet Tea Revenge (Tea Shop Series #14)

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fund raising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:


The Tea Shop Mysteries - set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom
to service dog Earl Grey. She's also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn't rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries - a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans' spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries - set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the
cafe's undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.



These are some great books ! I have enjoyed many hours of fun-filled reading. Have you read any of these series? What is your favorite?











Tuesday, December 10, 2013

It's Tea week here!

Are you a tea drinker? Share with us your favorite blend. I love this cup, it is so beautiful!




Laura Childs tea shop mysteries have inspired me to drink more tea.

The Teaberry Strangler is her 11th book and is also my favorite cover.

The Teaberry Strangler (Tea Shop Series #11)


Do you have a favorite book in her series?Do you have a favorite cover?

Thank you Laura for writing this series!

Monday, December 9, 2013

Tea Week

This week is about a favorite winter drink! Tea! I have recently been enjoying tea and trying different ones to find my favorite. The one I really like right now is called Holiday Tea, have you tried it!

I have also been enjoying Laura Childs Tea Shop mysteries and as I have been reading them , I now want to have a tea party, How fun would that be.

Laura Childs newest book is called Tea for Three and it is the first three books in her series! Have you read this series? Do you have a favorite tea? Have you ever been to or hosted a tea party ? Do you have a favorite tea time sweet?

Tea for Three: The First Three Tea Shop Mysteries

I love all the covers in this series too. It is a great series and hope you have or are enjoying it too!

Leave me a comment and talk about tea.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Saturday Fun with Kate Parker

It's Chilly Saturday morning here so grabbed a cup of coffee or some tea and meet Kate Parker.

Kate is the Brilliant Author of The Vanishing Thief Just released on Dec. 3rd.

The Vanishing Thief

I had the honor of interviewing Kate and this is how it went.

About me: 

My mother has always enjoyed reading murder mysteries, and my first readers were Agatha Christie novels. They must have had quite an impact on my young mind, because I've never been able to write a story that didn't have a dead body by chapter five.
            Or maybe all those dead bodies in my stories are because I was born and raised in Washington DC. Living so close to Arlington National Cemetery and Congress might have warped my development.
            A few years ago, I moved from a huge metropolis to a small southern town. Life is slower here among the eighteenth century houses and slow, lazy rivers. I found the space here to develop my writing, and that has led to the Archivist Society mystery series and the first volume, The Vanishing Thief.
How did The Vanishing Thief come to life? 

The first scene came into my head, and the story grew from there. The setting, London in the 1890s, is a favorite of mine. The twenty years before the start of WWI was a time of great advances in science combined with the belief that through good works and good manners, the world was growing more civilized. It is a fascinating period, one that vanished along with its innocence. The story grew out of its time and place.
I've turned in the second in the series, The Counterfeit Lady, and am working on the third. I'm also working on a pre-WWII mystery set in London. You can guess I really like London.
Hobbies: I swim three days a week, dance two days a week, and lose myself in research when I'm not writing. Or doing housework, laundry, cooking, etc. I wonder if anyone has ever listed housework as a hobby? If you saw my house, you'd know I've never made a career out of it.
Dinner with any character?

 Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. He was well-educated, interested in a great number of things, and had hidden talents. He'd be a great conversationalist, plus he'd have that old Southern gentleman charm and manners. I can see us, dressed up and eating by candlelight while the ceiling fan slowly turns and the heat of the day dissipates.


Thank you Kate for joining us today, it was such an honor to have you!

Friday, December 6, 2013

Bitches of Brooklyn by Rosemary Harris book tour

Rosemary Harris has written a fantastic read. Her book Bitches of Brooklyn was released on Nov. 18th.

Bitches cover 2

















I really enjoyed reading this book.Rosemary pulls you in from the start and makes you want to keep reading. Her characters are witty and humorous. The story is about friendship, relationships and insecurities and how each one of the five friends handles the issues. And of course if you add a murder it throws a twist in the story. 


Ro heart 200 (2)
Rosemary Harris is a native Brooklynite, like some of the characters in The Bitches of Brooklyn.  A former bookstore manager and television executive, she’s the author of the Dirty Business mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Paula Holliday. Her debut novel, the Agatha and Anthony-nominated,Pushing Up Daisies (Minotaur), was followed by The Big Dirt Nap, Dead Head and Slugfest.  The Bitches of Brooklyn is the first in a new series. Rosemary is past president of Mystery Writers of America’s NY Chapter and Sisters in Crime’s New England Chapter.
She lives in New York City and Fairfield County, CT.
She blogs with seven other mystery writers at www.jungleredwriters.com.
Visit Rosemary at www.rosemaryharris.com
Like her on facebook at www.facebook.com/RosemaryHarriswriter

Purchase Links:  Amazon             B & N

Thank you for letting me be part of this tour.

great escape tour banner large BITCHES OF BROOKLYN448great escape tour banner small THE BITCHES OF BROOKLYN


Leave a comment here with your email for a chance to win your copy of this great book!


Thursday, December 5, 2013

Thursday First featuring Laurie Cass

It's First in a new series time and today's first is Lending a Paw(A Bookmobile Cat Mystery) by Laurie Cass. Lending a Paw was just released on December 3rd.


Lending a Paw: A Bookmobile Cat Mystery


With the help of her rescue cat, Eddie, librarian Minnie Hamilton is driving a bookmobile based in the resort town of Chilson, Michigan. But she’d better keep both hands on the wheel, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride…
Eddie followed Minnie home one day, and now she can’t seem to shake the furry little shadow. But in spite of her efforts to contain her new pal, the tabby sneaks out and trails her all the way to the bookmobile on its maiden voyage. Before she knows it, her slinky stowaway becomes her cat co-pilot!
Minnie and Eddie’s first day visiting readers around the county seems to pass without trouble—until Eddie darts outside at the last stop and leads her to the body of a local man who’s reached his final chapter.
Initially, Minnie is ready to let the police handle this case, but Eddie seems to smell a rat. Together, they’ll work to find the killer—because a good librarian always knows when justice is overdue.
FIRST IN A NEW SERIES!!

Sounds like great fun-filled hours of reading!  

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Author Spotlight with Krista Davis

Happy Wednesday! Our Spotlighted Author today is Krista Davis.



Krista Davis is the national bestselling author of the Domestic Diva Mysteries. Multiple books from that series have been nominated for Agatha Awards and have hit the New York Times extended list. Krista lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with a brood of cats and dogs, including a snoopy Jack Russell Terrier and a nosy Calico cat. Her friends and family complain about being guinea pigs for her recipes, but she notices that they keep coming back for more.



The Diva Frosts a Cupcake (Domestic Diva Series #7)    The Diva Haunts the House (Domestic Diva Series #5)  The Diva Digs Up the Dirt (Domestic Diva Series #6)  The Diva Runs Out of Thyme (Domestic Diva Series #1)


Krista also has a brand new series that was released on December 3rd called Murder She Barked.
Murder, She Barked: A Paws & Claws Mystery

Have you read this series? Have you picked up your copy of Murder She Barked? If not what are you waiting for, Krista is an amazing author and she will not disappoint!

Thank you Krista for many great reads!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Happy Release Day!!

It's December 3rd and that means Cozy Mysteries have been released for hours of reading fun! And what better time to release them just a few weeks before Christmas. They make the best gifts ever.



Murder She Barked by Krista Davis

FIRST IN A NEW SERIES
Murder, She Barked: A Paws & Claws MysteryThe Sugar Maple Inn in Wagtail, Virginia, is the country's premiere vacation hot spot for pet owners who can’t bear to leave their furry friends behind.  But this tourist town smells trouble when a killer goes on the prowl....
Holly Miller's life has gone to the dogs. She has no job, her boyfriend's former flame is sniffing around, and a scruffy but loveable Jack Russell Terrier is scattering crumbs all over her borrowed car. Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, a troubling phone call about her grandmother sends her rushing home to the family inn on Wagtail Mountain.
The staff—and a frisky Calico kitten named Twinkletoes—adopts Holly and her new dog on arrival.  But someone in this friendly town is bad to the bone. One of the employees at the inn has been killed in a hit-and-run accident—which is looking anything but accidental. Now Holly and her furry companions will have to nose out the murderer before someone else gets muzzled.
Delicious recipes for owners and pets included!

Merry Market Murder by Paige Shelton 
Merry Market Murder
Bailey’s Farmers’ Market is this season’s go-to holiday destination, but not all the vendors are feeling the Christmas spirit...
Jam and preserve maker Becca Robins is excited about the extra business that the Ridgeway Christmas Tree Farm is bringing to the market this holiday season. But when a competing tree farmer, Reggie Stuckey, arrives with a truck full of trees, angrily barking that he has exclusive selling rights at the market, Becca finds herself pining for more goodwill toward men.
After Reggie is found with a tree stake in his chest, she wonders when the Christmas tree business turned so deadly. Now Becca has to use the only clues she has to the killer’s identity—mysterious ornaments that begin to show up in her stall—to hook a sinister Scrooge who will go to any lengths to drive home a point….

Billionaire Blend by Cleo Coyle
Billionaire Blend (Coffeehouse Mystery Series #13)Landmark coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi has served her share of New York’s rich and famous, but even she is surprised by her explosive introduction to a mysterious Internet billionaire…
When a car bomb nearly kills tech whiz Eric Thorner, Clare comes to his aid and receives a priceless thank you. Not only does the billionaire buy her a barista’s dream espresso machine, he hires her for an extraordinary project: creating the world’s most expensive coffee blend.
The police quickly arrest Eric’s alleged attacker, yet death continues to surround the unlucky mogul, leading Clare to question whether a fatal fall and another lethal mishap are premeditated murders or merely freak accidents. Clare’s boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn, has a theory of his own—one Clare refuses to believe.
Meanwhile, Eric jets Clare around the world on a head-spinning search for the very best coffee, and Clare gets to know his world—a mesmerizing circle of money with rivalries that could easily have turned deadly. But is this charming young CEO truly marked for termination? Or is he the one making a killing?
Includes a wealth of delicious recipes!

Lending a Paw by Laurie Cass
Lending a Paw: A Bookmobile Cat MysteryWith the help of her rescue cat, Eddie, librarian Minnie Hamilton is driving a bookmobile based in the resort town of Chilson, Michigan. But she’d better keep both hands on the wheel, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride…
Eddie followed Minnie home one day, and now she can’t seem to shake the furry little shadow. But in spite of her efforts to contain her new pal, the tabby sneaks out and trails her all the way to the bookmobile on its maiden voyage. Before she knows it, her slinky stowaway becomes her cat co-pilot!
Minnie and Eddie’s first day visiting readers around the county seems to pass without trouble—until Eddie darts outside at the last stop and leads her to the body of a local man who’s reached his final chapter.
Initially, Minnie is ready to let the police handle this case, but Eddie seems to smell a rat. Together, they’ll work to find the killer—because a good librarian always knows when justice is overdue.
FIRST IN A NEW SERIES!

Home for the Homicide by Jennie Bentley
Home For the HomicideAvery Baker was a big city textile designer, until she inherited her aunt’s old Maine cottage and found her true calling—home renovation. But she never expected her latest job would come to such a bone-rattling dead end...
For Avery and her husband Derek, renovating the Craftsman Bungalow was like stepping back in time. The quaint old home was just as its original owners had left it—from the beautiful butler’s pantry to the surprisingly exquisite ribbon tile. But it’s the attic that yields the most heart-stopping surprise.
In a discreetly hidden antique crate, Avery finds a clue to a decades-old missing persons case. As Avery works on the house and delves deeper into the sinister story, it becomes clear that someone very crafty wants the Craftsman home’s secrets to stay that way!

Home for the Haunting by Juliet Blackwell
Home For the Haunting (Haunted Home Renovation Series #4)No good deed goes unpunished.

San Francisco contractor Mel Turner is leading a volunteer home renovation project, and while she expects lots of questions from her inexperienced crew, she can’t help asking a few of her own—especially about the haunted house next door…the place local kids call the Murder House.

But when volunteers discover a body while cleaning out a shed, questions pile up faster than discarded lumber. Mel notices signs of ghostly activity next door and she wonders: Are the Murder House ghosts reaching out to her for help, or has the house claimed another victim?

Now, surprised to find herself as the SFPD’s unofficial “ghost consultant,” Mel must investigate murders both past and present before a spooky killer finishes another job.

Buttoned Up by Kylie Logan

Buttoned UpFor Josie Giancola, owner of the Button Box shop, every button is a tiny work of art with its own story to tell—a story that just might end in murder…

Artist Forbis Parmenter has invited Josie to the opening of his latest exhibit of voodoo-inspired works. He plans to make a show of completing the centerpiece—a button- encrusted statue—when Josie arrives with the final button. But just as the big moment comes, Forbis bolts out of the gallery in panic. Is it another of his publicity stunts, or is something more sinister afoot?

Josie gets her answer when the eccentric artist is found dead—his lifeless body in the arms of a statue and his eyes and lips sealed with buttons. Now she’s using her expert eye to solve the mystery before a crafty killer slips through her fingers.
Includes tips on antique-button collecting!

The Sayers swindle by Victoria Abbott
The Sayers SwindleJordan Kelly is delighted to make money tracking down rare and valuable mystery novels for her employer, Vera Van Alst, an avid collector and the most difficult woman in  Harrison Falls, New York. But now her boss’s complete set of Dorothy Sayers is missing, and finding them may lead Jordan to a murder suitable for Sayers’s esteemed sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey…

When Jordan manages to locate her boss’s missing books, they are in the possession of Randolph Adams, an elderly man in a nearby town. Offering a valuable Hemingway first edition as an incentive, Jordan thinks she’s about to seal the deal—but some of Randolph’s relatives think he should hold out for more.

Then the entire family disappears—and a dead body shows up.  It’s up to Jordan to collect the clues—and make sure a killer gets booked. 

Staged to Death by Karen Rose Smith
Staged to DeathInterior designer Caprice De Luca has created a profitable subniche by becoming a home stager for clients preparing to sell their homes. Recently, Caprice has been working with an old friend, Roz, and her husband, Ted. Their castle-motif home features Ted's extensive knife and dagger collection. Unfortunately, one of those valuable daggers is used to kill him off. Disagreeable Ted had plenty of enemies: he was having an affair, his company has problems, and even the gardener hated him. Roz begs Caprice to help since the police suspect her, so Caprice starts poking around. Thanks to Caprice's large family and small-town connections, the clues pile up. In classic amateur fashion, there's a fair amount of blundering, but two good-looking guys, a couple of sisters, and a cooperative police department all make it work out. VERDICT Prolific series author Smith (Marrying Dr. Maverick) shows her romance chops with her debut cozy mystery set in small-town Pennsylvania. Her mystery plot leaves readers in the dark for a few too many pages, though, leading to a sudden, abrupt ending. That said, the ensemble cast is charming.

The Vanishing Thief by Kate Parker
The Vanishing ThiefGeorgia Fenchurch appears to be an unassuming antiquarian bookseller in Victorian London, but the life she leads is as exciting as any adventure novel. For Georgia is a member of the Archivist Society, a secret association of private investigators led by the mysterious Sir Broderick.
When a frantic woman comes to Georgia claiming that her neighbor, Nicholas Drake, has been abducted by the notorious Duke of Blackford, Georgia and the Archivist Society agree to take the case. But Drake is no innocent—he is a thief who has been blackmailing many of the leading members of London society. To find Drake and discover who is behind his abduction, Georgia and her beautiful assistant, Emma, will have to leave the cozy confines of their bookshop and infiltrate the inner circles of the upper crust—with the help of the dashing but dubious Duke of Blackford himself.
But the missing thief and his abductor are not the only ones to elude Georgia Fenchurch. When she spies the man who killed her parents years ago, she vows to bring him to justice once and for all…at any cost.

Add these to your list for gift giving this Holiday!!



First in Series- Miss Julia Speaks her Mind by Ann B. Ross

Happy Monday! This week's First in Series is Miss Julia Speaks her Mind by Ann B. Ross Released on August 22, 2000. Seri...