Time flies by when you’re not looking. It’s almost Halloween, so here are my treats for you!

As always this is a multi-genre list which I try to add new authors to each month. I hope you find something that will tickle your fancy.

Nora-A

October 2021:

Week of Oct 1^st – 8^th

A Twist of Fate – A Stitch in Time Novel #2 – Kelley Armstrong

The Cure for what Ales You – A Sloan Krause Mystery #5 of 5 – Ellie Alexander

Good Catch – Harper Landing #2 – Jennifer Bardsley

God Rest Ye, Royal Gentleman – A Royal Spyness Mystery #15 – Rhys Bowen

Twisted Tea Christmas – Tea Shop Mystery #23 – Laura Childs

The Keeper of Happy Endings – A novel – Barbara Davis

Payback’s a Witch – The Witches of Thistle Grove #1 (LGBTQ) – Lana Harper

Hold Me Down – A Novel of Dark Suspense – Clea Simon

Mulled to Death – A Colorado Wine Mystery – Kate Lansing

Ambush or Adore – A Delightfully Deadly Novel #3 – Gail Carriger

Cackle – Gothic & Horror – Rachel Harrison

Playing Possum – The 2 Sisters Pet Valet Mysteries – Dane McCaslin

Week of Oct 11^th 

Best in Snow – Andy Carpenter Mystery #24 – David Rosenfelt

The Twelve Jays of Christmas – A Meg Langslow Mystery – Donna Andrews

Mrs. Jeffries and the Midwinter Murders – Victorian Mystery #40 – Emily Brightwell

Crashing Through the Snow – A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery #3 – Jacqueline Frost

Claws for Alarm – A Mrs. Murphy Mystery #30 – Rita Mae Brown

Mango, Mambo and Murder – Caribbean Kitchen Mystery #1 – Raquel V. Reyes

Were – Geeks Save the Middle of Nowhere – Were Geeks #3 – Kathy Lyons

Once Upon a Seaside Murder – Beach Reads Mystery #2 – Maggie Blackburn

Mistletoe Cake Murder – All-Day Breakfast Café Mystery #6 – Lena Gregory

Week of Oct 18^th

Riverbend Gap – Riverbend Romance #1 – Denise Hunter

The Dark Heart of Florence – Lady Emily Mystery #15 – Tasha Alexander

Litani – A Novel – Jess Lourey

It’s a Wonderful Woof – A Chet & Bernie Mystery #12 – Spencer Quinn

Dear Santa – A Novel – Debbie Macomber

Death at Greenway – A Suspense Novel – Lori Rader-Day

Litani – Crime Fiction Novel – Jess Lourey

Save Me – A Phoenix Novel – Stacey Kennedy

Best in Snow – Andy Carpenter Mystery #24 – David Rosenfelt

The Twelve Jays of Christmas – Meg Langslow Mystery #30 – Donna Andrews

Week of Oct 25^th

Getaway with Murder – The Mountain Lodge Mystery #1 – Diane Kelly

Where they Wait – A Novel – Scott Carson

It’s beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder – Catering Hall Mystery #3 – Maria DiRico

Deck the Donuts – A Deputy Donut Mystery #6 – Ginger Bolton

Christmas Dessert Murder – Hannah Swensen Mystery #28 – Joanne Fluke

Down the Hatch – Agatha Raisin Mystery #32 – M.C. Beaton

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder – Catering Hall Mystery #3 – Maria DiRIco

Strangers on a Skein – Black Sheep & Company #12 – Anne Canadeo

The Enemy You Gnocchi – Italian Chef Mystery #3 – Catherine Bruns

Murder at the Mistletoe Ball – Ferrara Family Mystery #6 – J.D. Griffo

Fortune and Glory – Stephanie Plum #27 (PB) – Janet Evanovich

To the Tome of Murder – A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #7 – Lauren Elliott

Holiday Ever After – A Compilation of Three Stories – Jill Shalvis

His Majesty’s Hidden Heir – Princess by Royal Decree #2 – Lucy Monroe

Death by Hot Apple Cider – Bookstore Café Mystery #9 – Alex Erickson

Fahrenheit 501 – Samantha Kidd Mystery #12 – Diane Vallere

Dinner on Primrose Hill – Honey Creek #3 – Jodi Thomas

Murder in an English Glade Beryl and Edwina #5 – Jessica Ellicott

The Pickwick Murders – A Dickens of a Crime – Heather Redmond

Murder at Mallowan Hall – Phyllida Bright Mystery #1 – Colleen Cambridge

Hypnosis is for Hacks – Eleanor Wilde Mystery #4 – Tamara Berry

I’m Skipping July and Going Right to August’s New Titles

Since I was preoccupied most of July and actually forgot to post the releases, I’m going to go right to August and let you start pre-ordering now from your favorite book sellers.

August 2015:

Week of August 1st. -7th.

Robin Hood: Demon’s Bane – Mark of the Black Arrow #1 – James R. Tuck
Magic Shifts – Kate Daniels #8 – Ilona Andrews
Dragonbane – Were-Hunter #9 – Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Veil – A Devil’s Isle #1 – Chloe Neill
Fudging the Books – Cookbook Nook Mystery #6 – Daryl Wood Gerber
A Dish Best Served Cold – An Italian Kitchen Mystery – Rosie Genova
If Onions could Spring Leaks – Country Cooking School Mystery – Paige Shelton
Berried Secrets – A Cranberry Cove Mystery #1 – Peg Cochrane
Crushed Velvet – A Material Witness Mystery – Diane Vallere
Better Homes and Corpses – Hamptons Home & Garden Mystery – Kathleen Bridges
Revenge of the Chili Queens – A Chili Cook-off Mystery – Kylie Logan
Murder in the Paperback Parlor – A Book Retreat Mystery – Ellery Adams
Kitty Saves the World – Kitty Norville #14 – Carrie Vaughn
Smoke on the Water – Summer of Witches #3 – Lori Handeland
The Cat, the Sneak, and the Secret – A Cats in Trouble Mystery – Leann Sweeney
Loom and Doom – A Weaving Mystery – Carol A. Martin
Grim Tidings – Hellhound Chronicles #2 – Caitlin Kittredge *
Public Enemies – Immortal Game #2 – Ann Aguirre *
Chase the Darkness – Alpha Pack #7 – J.D. Tyler *
Malice at the Palace – Royal Spyness #9 – Rhys Bowen
Deceptions – Cainsville #3 – Kelley Armstrong
Killer Wedding Cake – A Daphne Martin Cake Mystery – Gayle Trent *
Blood Call – Lilith Saintcrow *
The Joy of Witchcraft – A Jane Madison Novel – Mindy Klasky *
Code Grey – A Dulcie Schwartz Mystery – Clea Simon *
Give Em Pumpkin Pie to Talk About – Pumpkin Patch Mystery #1 – J & J Lavene *
Lord of the Wings – A Meg Langslow Mystery #19 – Donna Andrews *

Week of August 9th.

(Not all Princes are) Fearless – Pax Arcana #3 – Elliot James
Seaside Nights – Love in Bloom: Seaside Summers – Melissa Foster *

Week of August 16th.

Deceptions – Cainsville Vampires #3 – Kelley Armstrong
Killer Run – A Tourist Trap Mystery #5 – Lynn Cahoon

Week of August 23rd.

Gone but Knot Forgotten – Mary Marks *
Between a Vamp and a Hard Place – Midnight Liaisons #5 – Jessica Sims *
Threads of Evidence – A Mainely Needlepoint #2 – Lea Wait
Candy Corn Murder – A Lucy Stone Mystery – Leslie Meier
Nantucket – Contemporary Romance – Nan Rossiter
Thoreau in Phantom Bog – A Henry David Thoreau Mystery – B.B. Oak
Cancans, Croissants, and Caskets – A Happy Hoofers Mystery #3 – Mary McHugh
Mystic Park – A Finding Home Novel – Regina Hart
Shadow Strike – Immortal Guardians #6 – Dianne Duvall
On the Hunt – Alexandra Ivy, Rebecca Zanetti, Hannah Jayne, Dianne Duvall
The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall – Katie Alender
Wildest Dreams – A Thunder Point Novel – Robyn Carr
Breakout – The Dred Chronicles – Ann Aguirre
When a Scot Ties the Knot – Castles Ever After Novel – Tessa Dare *
“X” – A Kinsey Millhone Mystery – Sue Grafton *

Here is you list for Nov. 2014 releases

November 2014

Week of Nov. 1st. – 8th.

One Potion in the Grave – Magic Potion Mystery #2 – Heather Blake
Christmas Cozy – Zoe Donavan #11 – Kathi Daley *
Hell On Wheels – Odelia Grey Mystery #9 – Sue Ann Jaffarian *
Another One Bites the Dust – Jensen Murphy, Ghost for Hire #2 – Chris Marie Green *
On Borrowed Time – A Library Lover’s Mystery – Jenn McKinlay *
Lethal Letters – A Books by the Bay Mystery #6 – Ellery Adams *
A High-End Finish – A Fixer-Upper Mystery #1 – Kate Carlisle *
No Mallets Intended – A Vintage Kitchen Mystery – Victoria Hamilton *
Deeper Than the Grave – Tai Randolph/ Trey Seaver #4 – Tina Whittle *
Plagued by Quilt – A Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery #4 – Molly MacRae *
Reap the Wind – A Cassie Palmer Novel – Karen Chance
Waistcoats & Weaponry – Finishing School #3 – Gail Carriger *
Snow White Red- Handed – Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery #1 – Maia Chance *
Last Wolf Standing – Belinda Boring *
A Dog Gone Murder – Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper Novel – Elaine Viets *
Suede to Rest – A Material Witness Mystery #1 – Diane Vallere *
The Chocolate Clown Corpse – A Chocoholic Mystery – JoAnna Carl *
Chorus Line, Caviar and Corpses – Happy Hoofers #1 – Mary McHugh *
Dirty Deeds – Savannah Martin #9 – Jenna Bennett *
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie – A Sister Jane Mystery – Rita Mae Brown *
Knot in my Backyard – Quilting #2 – Mary Marks *
Knot Guilty – Crochet Mystery series #9 – Betty Hechtman *
Bloody Politics – A Molly Malone Mystery – Maggie Sefton *

Week of Nov. 9th.

Flesh and Blood – Kay Scarpetta Novel #22 – Patricia Cornwell *
Hell on Wheels – Odelia Grey Mystery #9 – Sue Ann Jaffarian *
If the Shoe Kills – A Tourist Trap Mystery – Lynn Cahoon E-book only *
Reap the Wind – Cassandra Palmer #7 – Karen Chance *

Week of Nov. 16th.

The Job – Fox and O’Hare #3 – Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg *
Bound by Ink – Living Ink #2 – Marcella Burnard *

Week of Nov. 23rd. – 30th.

Magic Steals – Jim and Dali Novella in Nigh shift Anthology – Nalini Singh and other authors
Betrayed – A Rosato & Associates Novel #13 – Lisa Scottolline *
Black Widow – Elemental Assassin #12 – Gini Koch *

Death on Eat Street is a Culinary Success

Death on Eat Street
Author: J.J. Cook
Copyright: April 2014
Publisher: Berkeley Prime Crime

Zoe Chase always wanted to own her own restaurant—but first, she’ll have to serve up a heaping helping of meals on wheels, with a side of mystery…

When she’s once again passed over for a promotion at work, Zoe decides to take the big leap and go for her dream. She quits, gives up her fancy digs, and buys a fixer-upper diner in a shady part of town. To keep above water during the renovation, she buys a used food truck to serve the downtown and waterfront of Mobile, Alabama.

Zoe starts to dish out classic Southern food—but her specialty is her deep-fried biscuit bowls that blow traditional bread bowls away.

After a promising start, things start to go downhill faster than a food truck without brakes. First, someone tries to rob the cash register. Next, Zoe is threatened by the owner of a competing food truck for taking their spot. And when the owner ends up dead inside Zoe’s rolling restaurant, Zoe and her sole employee, Ollie, find themselves hopping out of the frying pan into the fryer. They need to find the real killer, before both of them get burned.

Zoe has reached her breaking point. Between a cheating boyfriend, being constantly passed over for promotion at work, and the most pushy mother in the world she’s had it! Zoe is going to reach for her dream of owning her own restaurant.
She buys a closed diner and does enough to bring the kitchen up to code. But to raise the money needed for a full refit and updating she decides to run a food truck to raise the money to finish her dream plan. It’s hard work and she’s fighting against all the established operators and the interference of family. After an argument with one of the other truck owners who park down by the police station she comes back to the restaurant and has another unending fight with her ex.
To make matters worse she is out of the truck for maybe half an hour and comes back to find a dead body wedged into her truck cab.
This is just the start of J.J. Cook’s new Biscuit Bowl Mystery series and if you want to know more about this first adventure you’re going to have to beg, borrow or steal a copy. I find that the mix of characters (her family and street people) make for a great read. I’m not handing out any spoilers. LOL
FTC Full Disclosure: I received my copy of this book from the authors who only asked for a fair and impartial review.

Panthers Play for Keeps is a Sure Winner

Panthers Play for Keeps
By: Clea Simon
Copyright: April 2014
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

When Pru Marlowe takes a dog for a walk, she doesn’t expect to find a body. But Spot, a service dog in training, has too good a nose not to lead her to the remains of the beautiful young woman, and despite her own best instincts, Pru can’t avoid getting involved. The young woman seems to have been mauled by a wild cat – and Pru knows there have been no pumas in the Berkshire woods for years. And while Wallis, Pru’s curmudgeonly tabby, seems fixated on the idea of a killer cat, Spot has been sending strange signals to Pru’s own heightened senses, suggesting that the violent death was something more than a tragic accident. As motives multiply, a cougar of a different sort sets her eyes on Pru’s sometime lover, and another woman disappears. With panther panic growing, Pru may have to put aside her own issues – and her own ideas of domesticity – to solve a savage mystery.

 

Pru has found a new source of income and is now training a service dog for someone who will be losing his sight totally over the next few weeks. While out on a training session in a nearby wooded area Spot finds the body of a young woman who appears to have been attacked by a wild animal.
This time out Pru is dealing not only with a dog who is being trained, but the foster home that Spot is living in while training and the family that he will eventually be caring for. The cast of characters here are as varied as much as their hidden secrets. Not only do they have secrets that they share but also secrets from each other.
Pru has to work her way through a jungle of problems as the bodies begin to pile up and also deal with her personal life and her connection to the Detective in charge. She must learn to listen to Wallace, Spot and a host of other pets.
I’ll say it again, each new adventure in this series gets deeper and more intense as the author carries her creations to new heights of angst and anxiety. I highly recommend that you read this book. Beg, borrow or steal a copy, just read it and enjoy.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received my copy of this book from the publisher who only requested a fair and impartial review.

Playing with Fire is One Hot Read

Playing with Fire

By: J.J. Cook

Copyright: January 2014

Publisher: Berkeley Prime Crime

GETTING WARMER

Fire Chief Stella Griffin is working to solve the mysterious death of her predecessor, Eric Gamlyn—who also haunts her cabin. Yet the more she learns, the more burning questions she must answer. Just as Stella thinks she has a lead from Deputy Chum, someone snuffs her hopes—and the lawman.

Adding fuel to the fire, Stella’s parents soon arrive—with her ex-boyfriend—hoping to persuade her to return to Chicago. Now Stella is torn between the life she left behind and uncovering what happened to her ghostly friend. But she’d better think fast or more than her investigation could go up in flames.

Stella is being pulled from all sides. She needs to find out who murdered her predecessor and keep her parents at bay at the same time.  A retiring deputy visiting her with information he’d kept quiet about for years, exhuming the old chief’s body to find out who’s buried in the grave, and deciding whether to go back to Chicago are all weighing heavily on her.  On top of that her parents show up with her ex in tow to bring her home is really putting the cherry on top.

This second book in the Sweet Pepper series is bringing a lot of the storyline together in one book. I read this book with a sense of wonder and joy and pieces started to fall into place and the author’s talent takes us on a magical journey. I highly recommend this series to all lovers of cozies with a touch of the supernatural.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author who only requested that I write a fair and honest review.

Death of an Irish Diva is a Killer Read

Death of an Irish Diva

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan

Copyright: February 2014

Publisher: Kensington Mystery

 

Spring is in the air, but the ladies of the Cumberland Creek Scrapbook Crop hardly have time to stop and smell the roses. Not when famed Irish dancer Emily McGlashen is found murdered in her studio just after the St. Patrick’s Day parade–and one of the Crop’s own members is the prime suspect. Vera’s dance studio may have suffered when Emily waltzed into town, but the croppers know she’s not a vengeful murderer. Lucky for her, co-scrapbooker Annie is a freelance reporter eager to vindicate her friend. What she discovers is a puzzling labyrinth of secrets that only add question marks to Emily’s murder. Just when it seems they’ve run out of clues, an antique scrapbook turns up and points the croppers in the right direction–and brings them face to face with a killer more twisted than a Celtic knot…

What do you do when your friend’s property is found near a dead person, and she becomes the main “person of interest” to the police?  You call out the troops and find out who really killed the Diva from Hell.  Emily McGlashen came into Cumberland Creek and opened up her Irish Dance Studio. After which she started courting Vera’s students left and right. Poor Vera has had to rent out her house (to make the mortgage payments) and move into the small apartment over her studio.

Her friend Annie picks up the gauntlet and heads out to turn over every rock till she finds out just who this Emily really is and why she was killed (other than for being a totally disagreeable person)and bring the real killer to justice.

Mollie Cox Bryan has written two other books in this series but in my opinion this is the most daring and involved mystery to date.  The number of possible suspects and the fact that Emily was so well hated make this journey to justice extremely tortuous.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher who only asks for a fair and impartial review.

The Missing Dough Will Thrill Your Taste Buds

 

The Missing Dough

By: Chris Cavender

Copyright:  December 2013

Publisher: Kensington

Maddy’s ex-husband, Grant Whitmore, has come back to Timber Ridge, North Carolina claiming he wants to patch things up. It’s soon evident that he has another motive altogether—Grant’s late mother left Maddy something in her will. Maddy refuses to sign the quitclaim that Grant brought with him, despite his threats. But Grant won’t be threatening anyone much longer, for later that night, his body is discovered near the Founder’s Day festival.

Matters are complicated even further when Grant’s sister shows up, accusing Maddy and her fiancé of having a part in the murder. As Eleanor and Maddy investigate, they find a great many people who might want to see Grant dead. But can they unearth the culprit before false accusations burn their reputations to a crisp?

My review:

Just when you think you can enjoy a quiet evening out with your sister and the guys the fly in the ointment appears.  Maddy’s ex shows up to cause trouble.  Supposedly he claims he wants her back, but she puts an end to that quickly. Grant then informs her that his mother had died and that Maddy was named in the will. He tries to get her to sign a quitclaim and she again tells him to take a hike.  But that’s not the end of the trouble when he shows up dead and Eleanor and Maddy have to find the real killer to keep their boyfriends out of jail.

Next layer of aggravation for the girls is the appearance of Maddy’s ex sister in law who accuses Maddy and her fiancé of her brother’s murder.  Mix in another layer which includes gangsters and threats and you have the most outrageous and interesting story yet in the Pizza Lovers Mystery series.

I highly recommend this book and all the previous ones as a great series to follow and own.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my copy of this book from the publishers who only requested a fair and impartial review.

The Thrill of the Haunt is a Spirited Read

The Thrill of the Haunt

By: E.J. Copperman

Copyright: November 2013

Publisher: Berkley

 Alison Kerby’s guesthouse is already crowded with spirits. The last thing she needs is a whole new batch of haunts settling in.

As Alison’s reputation as “the ghost lady” grows, so does her business—and not always in a way she’d like. Tourists may be flocking to her guesthouse for a chance to glimpse her resident spirits, but her special abilities are also bringing unwanted private investigation cases to her door. And she has no choice but to take a case when the local homeless man is found murdered under mysterious circumstances, just hours after asking for help in exorcising a specter.

If that weren’t enough to deal with, Alison’s other PI case soon turns fatal, as the mistress she was spying on for a jealous wife turns up dead as well. The cases seem like they couldn’t possibly be linked, but with a mountain of clues, motives and suspects—both living and dead—Alison will have to think fast before someone else checks out for good…

My Thoughts:

Allison, her daughter and their resident ghosts are caught up in the life and death of a homeless man who had asked for Alison’s help in getting rid of the ghosts that were following him around and driving him a bit around the bend.  She begged off and refused to help. If only she’d gotten involved her life would not have gotten so hectic and full of danger.

This series is one of my favorites in the paranormal cozy genre. The author really does keep it real, even with the addition of ghosts in her guest house.  Let’s face it many of us have felt ghostly or spirit sensations at one time or another and just shrugged it off.  Heck, we had a family ghost living with us for years.   So I can enjoy this book along with the rest of the series knowing it all could actually happen one day.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received this book as a gift from a friend and decided that it was well worth reviewing.

All Fudged UP by Nancy Coco a Very Cute Read

All Fudged Up

By: Nancy Coco

Copyright: November 2013

Publisher: Kensington Mystery

Welcome to the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop–where life is sweet, revenge is sweeter, and murder is here to stay…

You Can’t Fudge an Alibi

Allie McMurphy is up to her neck in renovations at the grand old hotel that’s been in her family for generations. With its quaint Victorian charm–and world-famous fudge shop–the place is one of Mackinac Island’s most beloved landmarks.

Sure, every family has a skeleton or two in the closet. But Allie didn’t expect to find an actual corpse inside hers, especially one Joe Jessup, who had a long-running feud with her dear departed grandfather. Which makes Allie the number-one suspect.

Can she sniff out the culprit before another victim checks in?

Allie’s dream was to run the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop.  But her dream included her grandfather being there alive and well to show her the ropes before handing it over to her.  Finding a dead body in her second floor supply closet was definitely part of her refurbishing plan either.  So poor Allie is now caught up in not only her renovations but a feud that has the islanders’ split between supporting her or supporting the family of the dead man.

This is a fantastic first book in a series that I think is going to grab everyone’s attention.  I love the book and I think the island setting and the cast of quirky characters and neighbors will make it a fun read.  The recipes are of course a bonus that I think most people will also enjoy.

FTC FULL DISCLOSURE: I received this book from the publisher who only requested a fair and impartial review.