Thursday, November 21, 2019

Coming Up Murder by Mary Angela | Blog Tour with Review and Giveaway



The Blurb


Everything’s coming up roses for Professor Emmeline Prather. Her scholarly book is finished, spring term is coming to a close, and her love life is blossoming. Then the festival surrounding the exhibit of Shakespeare’s First Folio opens, bringing with it a tempest more dramatic than the bard’s.

In his panel presentation, actor and grad student Tanner Sparks contends Shakespeare isn’t Shakespeare, boasting that he can prove the long-debated theory that an aristocrat actually penned the sonnets and plays. His bombshell sets off an acrid debate among scholars. But were they upset enough to kill him? That’s what Em wonders when Tanner is found dead in Shakespeare’s Garden, his macabre pose inspired by a scene from Hamlet.

At her department head’s urging, Em sets out to find the killer. Suspects abound, and Em finds herself targeted by Shakespeare-themed threats. Undaunted, she persists, determined to solve the case before the end of the semester.


Coming Up Murder by Mary Angela
Series: A Professor Prather Mystery, #4
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Camel Press
Publication Date: November 12, 2019
Paperback: 258 pages
ISBN-10: 1941890784
ISBN-13: 978-1941890783
e-Book File Size: 1191 KB
Digital ISBN: 9781941890912
ASIN: B01M622C3B


The Review


Thursday, September 19, 2019

Murder: Double or Nothing by Lida Sideris | Blog Tour with Excerpt, Guest Post, Review, Giveaway

Murder: Double or Nothing:
A Southern California Mystery
by Lida Sideris


The Blurb

Murder: Double or Nothing: A Southern California Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Level Best Books (July 22, 2019)
Print Length: 285 pages
Digital ASIN: B07VMB2DSN
Add to Goodreads

Corrie Locke, newbie lawyer and daughter of a late, great PI, is learning the ropes at the Hollywood movie studio where she works—and where things are never what they seem. Life imitates art when a fictional murder attempt turns real—right before her very eyes. With more than a little help from friends and a crazy movie legend, Corrie trips down a trail littered with wisecracks, mysterious messages, and marginally legal maneuvers to track down the killer. Meanwhile, clues keep disappearing and Corrie makes an enemy whose deadly tactics keep escalating. Will her impromptu sleuthing skills be enough to catch the mysterious assailant before he takes her down?


The Excerpt

Thursday, June 27, 2019

Mistaken Identity Crisis by James J. Cudney | Blog Tour with Excerpt, Review, and Giveaway


The Blurb


A clever thief with a sinister calling card has invaded Braxton campus. A string of jewelry thefts continues to puzzle the sheriff, given they’re remarkably similar to an unsolved eight-year-old case, back when Gabriel vanished one stormy night.

When a missing ruby, and a body, are discovered at the campus, Kellan must investigate the killer's motive to protect his brother. As if the latest murder isn’t enough to keep him busy, Kellan partners with April to end the Castigliano and Vargas crime family feud. What really happened to Francesca while all those postcards showed up in Braxton?

The mafia world is more calculating than Kellan realized. If he wants to move forward, he’ll have to make a few ruthless sacrifices. And as the summer heat begins to settle in Wharton County, a couple more surprises are also in store.


Mistaken Identity Crisis by James J. Cudney
Series: Braxton Campus Mystery, #4
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Academic Mystery
Publication Date: June 30, 2019
Publisher: Creativia 
Paperback: 277 pages
ISBN-10: 1072282968
ISBN-13: 978-1072282969
Digital ASIN: B07Q6YSTPN
Add to Goodreads



The Excerpt


Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Flower Power Trip by James J. Cudney | Blog Tour with Review and Giveaway


The Blurb


Braxton College is throwing the Heroes & Villains Costume Extravaganza to raise money for renovations to the antiquated Memorial Library. While attending, Kellan stumbles upon a close family friend standing over a dead body that’s dressed as Dr. Evil. Did one of Maggie’s sisters kill an annoying guest at the Roarke and Daughters Inn or does the victim have a more intimate connection to someone else on campus? 

As Kellan helps the school’s president, Ursula, bury a scandalous secret from her past and unearth the identity of her stalker, he unexpectedly encounters a missing member of his own family who’s reappeared after a lengthy absence. When all of the peculiar events around town trace back to the Stoddards, a new family who recently moved to Wharton County, the explosive discovery only offers more confusion. 

Between the special flower exhibit that’s made an unplanned stop on campus and strange postcards arriving each week from all around the world, Kellan can’t decide which mystery in his life should take priority. Unfortunately, the biggest one of all has yet to arrive at his doorstep. When it does, Kellan won’t know what hit him.


Flower Power Trip by James J. Cudney
Series: Braxton Campus Mystery, #3
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Academic Mystery
Publication Date: March 30, 2019
Publisher: Creativia 
Paperback: 265 pages
ISBN-10: 109081237X
ISBN-13: 978-1090812377
Digital ASIN: B07NDK76WF
Add to Goodreads



The Review


Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Chutes and Ladder by Marc Jedel | Blog Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway


The Blurb


When a camping trip uncovers a murder, this amateur sleuth is stuck putting out the fire …

Marty Golden enjoys time with his nieces, but he wanted to spend the weekend with his new girlfriend — not chaperone a Girl Scout camping trip. Once he stumbles upon the corpse of a friend in the woods, the outdoors adventure becomes an open-air disaster. When the police label it an accidental death, the meticulous Marty vows to investigate the murder. After all, it’s poor manners to let your friend’s death go unsolved.

On the hunt for clues the cops ignored, Marty uncovers a disturbing connection to himself. And as he digs deeper, a misbehaving pup, a kooky cousin, and a maniacal ninja put his survival skills to the test.

Will Marty unravel the mystery before the killer, or his imagination, gets to him?

Chutes and Ladder is the side-splitting second novel in the Silicon Valley cozy mystery series. If you like quirky sleuths, wacky side characters, and laugh-out-loud moments, you’ll love this offbeat whodunit.

Buy Chutes and Ladder to decode a great mystery today!


Chutes and Ladder by Marc Jedel
Series: A Silicon Valley Mystery, #2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publication Date: March 8, 2019
Publisher: BGM Press
Paperback: 213 pages
ISBN-10: 1732716412
ISBN-13: 978-1732716414
Digital
ASIN: B07NFDYZX8
 Add to Goodreads




The Guest Post


Wednesday, February 20, 2019

The Puppy Who Knew Too Much by V.M. Burns | Blog Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway


The Blurb


Lilly Echosby and her toy poodle Aggie find a fresh start in Chattanooga, Tennessee, spoiled by the scent of murder . . .

Having solved the shooting death of her cheating husband, Lilly's left behind the drama of Lighthouse Dunes, Indiana, to start over in the hometown of her best friend, Scarlett "Dixie" Jefferson. As she gets settled in her new rented house, Lilly gives Aggie, short for Agatha Christie, her own fresh start by enrolling her in the Eastern Tennessee Dog Club, where Dixie is a trainer.

But drama seems to hound Lilly like a persistent stray. Her cranky new neighbor appears unfamiliar with Southern hospitality and complains that Aggie barks too much and digs up his prized tulips. But what the poodle actually unearths is the buried body of a mysterious man who claimed ownership of the lost golden retriever Lilly recently rescued. Now it's up to Lilly and Dixie to try to muzzle another murderer.


The Puppy Who Knew Too Much by V. M. Burns
Series: A Dog Club Mystery, #2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publication Date: February 12, 2019
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Paperback: 190 pages

ISBN-10: 1516107918
ISBN-13: 978-1516107919
Kindle ASIN: B07D233MVK
Amazon | B&NIndieBound | BAM! | Kobo
 Add to Goodreads



The Guest Post

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Past Due for Murder by Victoria Gilbert | Blog Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway


The Blurb


Has a curse fallen on the small town of Taylorsford, Virginia? After a young woman goes missing during a spring bonfire, library director Amy Webber must wade through the web of lies only to find a truth that she may not want to untangle.

Spring has sprung in quaint Taylorsford, Virginia, and the mayor has revived the town’s long-defunct May Day celebration to boost tourism. As part of the festivities, library director Amy Webber is helping to organize a research project and presentation by a local folklore expert. All seems well at first — but spring takes on a sudden chill when a university student inexplicably vanishes during a bonfire.

The local police cast a wide net to find the missing woman, but in a shocking turn of events, Amy’s swoon-worthy neighbor Richard Muir becomes a person of interest in the case. Not only is Richard the woman’s dance instructor, he also doesn’t have an alibi for the night the student vanished — or at least not one he’ll divulge, even to Amy.

When the missing student is finally discovered lost in the mountains, with no memory of recent events — and a dead body lying nearby — an already disturbing mystery takes on a sinister new hue. Blessed with her innate curiosity and a librarian’s gift for research, Amy may be the only one who can learn the truth in Past Due for Murder, Victoria Gilbert’s third charming Blue Ridge Library mystery.


Past Due for Murder by Victoria Gilbert
Series: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery, #3
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publication Date: February 12, 2019
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Hardcover: 304 pages

ISBN-10: 1683318749
ISBN-13: 978-1683318743
Kindle ASIN: B07D2GYM25
 Add to Goodreads



The Guest Post

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

The Novel Art of Murder by V.M. Burns | Blog Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway


The Blurb


Mystery bookstore owner Samantha Washington is trying to keep her grandmother from spending her golden years in an orange jumpsuit . . .

The small town of North Harbor, Michigan, is just not big enough for the two of them: flamboyant phony Maria Romanov and feisty Nana Jo. The insufferable Maria claims she's descended from Russian royalty and even had a fling with King Edward VIII back in the day. She’s not just a lousy liar, she's a bad actress, so when she nabs the lead in the Shady Acres Senior Follies — a part Nana Jo plays every year in their retirement village production — Nana Jo blows a gasket and reads her the riot act in front of everyone.

Of course, when Maria is silenced with a bullet to the head, Nana Jo lands the leading role on the suspects list. Sam’s been writing her newest mystery, set in England between the wars, with her intrepid heroine Lady Daphne drawn into murder and scandal in the household of Winston Churchill. But now she has to prove that Nana Jo’s been framed. With help from her grandmother's posse of rambunctious retirees, Sam shines a spotlight on Maria’s secrets, hoping to draw the real killer out of the shadow


The Novel Art of Murder by V. M. Burns
Series: A Mystery Bookshop Mystery, #3
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publication Date: November 27, 2018
Publisher: Kensington
Paperback: 256 pages

ISBN-10: 1496711858
ISBN-13: 978-1496711854
Kindle ASIN: B07B7B4C8Q
 Add to Goodreads



The Guest Post

Friday, February 1, 2019

A Murderous Marriage by Alyssa Maxwell | Blog Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway


The Blurb


Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady’s maid, Eva Huntford, are preparing for a wedding, but it may not be the happy occasion everyone hopes for . . .

Since the Great War, some family fortunes have suffered, including those of the Renshaws. Despite being the granddaughter of an earl, Julia Renshaw is under pressure to marry for money — and has settled for Gilbert Townsend, a viscount and a wealthy industrialist. He is decades older than Julia, and it’s clear to her sister Phoebe — and to Eva, who has been like a surrogate mother to the girls — that this is not a love match. Nevertheless, the wedding takes place — and in a hurry.

At the reception aboard the groom’s yacht, there appears to be tension between Gil and several guests: his best man, a fellow veteran of the Boer War; his grouchy spinster sister; and his current heir, a nervous young cousin named Ernest. The bride is also less than pleased when she discovers that her honeymoon will be more crowded than expected — with Gil’s pretty secretary, among others, coming along.

That very night, Julia pounds on her sister’s door, brandishing a bandaged hand and reporting a hot-tempered outburst on her new husband’s part. Julia is feeling doubt and regret about her hasty decision, but returns to the boat. Then the next morning, before the yacht can depart the harbor, Gil’s body is found in the water below — and Phoebe and Eva must discover who pushed him over . . . before the Renshaws’ social standing is irreparably stained by Julia’s arrest for his murder . . .


A Murderous Marriage by Alyssa Maxwell
Series: A Lady and Lady’s Maid Mystery, #4
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Historical Mystery
Publication Date: January 29, 2019
Publisher: Kensington
Hardcover: 304 pages

ISBN-10: 1496717392
ISBN-13: 978-1496717399
Kindle ASIN: B07CWDMR33
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay
 Add to Goodreads


The Guest Post

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Broken Heart Attack by James J. Cudney | Blog Tour w/ Review, Character Guest Post, Giveaway


The Blurb


Who killed Gwendolyn Paddington?

When an extra ticket becomes available to see the dress rehearsal of King Lear, Kellan tags along with Nana D and her buddies.

When one of them dies of an apparent heart attack in the middle of the second act, Nana D raises her suspicions and asks Kellan to investigate the death. With family members suddenly in debt and a secret rendezvous between an unlikely pair, Kellan learns that the Paddingtons might not be as clean-cut as everyone thinks.

But can Kellan find the killer, or will he get caught up his own stage fright?


Broken Heart Attack by James J. Cudney
Series: Braxton Campus Mystery, #2
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Academic Mystery
Publication Date: November 25, 2018
Independently Published
Paperback: 270 pages
ISBN-10: 1731310501
ISBN-13: 978-1731310507
Digital ASIN: B07KGGJX1T
Add to Goodreads



The Review


Thursday, January 10, 2019

Academic Curveball by James J. Cudney | Blog Tour with Review and Giveaway


The Blurb


Who killed Professor Abby Monroe?

When Kellan Ayrwick returns home for his father’s retirement, he finds a dead body in Diamond Hall’s stairwell. Unfortunately, Kellan has a connection to the victim, and so do several members of his family. 

Soon after, the college's athletic program receives mysterious donations, a nasty blog denounces his father and someone attempts to change students' grades.

Someone is playing games on campus, but none of the facts add up.

With the help of his eccentric and trouble-making nana, Kellan tries to stay out of the sheriff’s way. But who is behind the murder?


Academic Curveball by James J. Cudney
Series: Braxton Campus Mystery, #1
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Academic Mystery
Publication Date: October 14, 2018
Independently Published
Paperback: 281 pages
ISBN-10: 172877876X
ISBN-13: 978-1728778761
Digital ASIN: B07HMYSQFH
Add to Goodreads



The Review