Tag: cosy mystery

Book Review: Death By Greed (A Josiah Reynolds Mystery 18) by Abigail Keam

Categories Abigail Keam, Cosy, cozy mystery, Mystery, Nancy Maloney-Mercado, Noureddine HifadLeave a Comment on Book Review: Death By Greed (A Josiah Reynolds Mystery 18) by Abigail Keam

Book Details:

Author: Abigail Keam
Release Date: 27th March 2023
Series: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery (Book #18)
Genre: Cosy Mystery, Murder Mystery
Format: E-book 
Pages: 210
Publisher: Worker Bee Press 
Blurb:
Josiah is working in her honeybee yard when she hears a commotion coming from a horse pasture. She rushes toward the uproar and comes upon a huge, enraged Texas Longhorn bull. The massive beast is angrily snorting, pawing the turf, and threatening a prized Thoroughbred stallion, Comanche. Getting the bull to calm down is no small task and in the end, Josiah has a busted fence and a barn door ripped off its hinges. Once the bull is secure, Josiah hurries to confront the bull’s owner only to discover he is dead and lying in a pool of his own blood. 
The police naturally assume the bull is responsible for the man’s death, but Josiah has her doubts. She is convinced foul play is involved and works to save the Texas Longhorn from being “put down.” Will she solve the murder and save the Longhorn in time?

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Death By Greed by Abigail Keam is the 18th book in the Josiah Reynolds Mystery series and is every bit as riveting as one can expect from an intriguing cosy mystery read. This book had a really intriguing and alluring plot. The author’s tense writing style weaved the book’s basic concept and the entire plot line so brilliantly that putting down the book got simply impossible for me and I had to read it in one go.

The book opens on a high note and right from the beginning the reader can sense that the story will only get better by the page (something that is quite important when it comes to a mystery novel, especially Cozies.) The mystery itself was very satisfying and I am planning to read the other books in this series. So yes, this book CAN also be read as a stand-alone!

I would strongly recommend this book to all mystery readers, especially readers of the cosy mystery genre.

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Book Review: Murder Under A Bridal Moon: A 1930s Mona Moon Mystery by Abigail Keam

Categories Abigail Keam, Historical, historical-fiction, Mystery1 Comment on Book Review: Murder Under A Bridal Moon: A 1930s Mona Moon Mystery by Abigail Keam

Book Details:

Author: Abigail Keam
Release Date: 27th May 2019
Series: A Mona Moon Mystery (book #10)
Genre: Historical Mystery
Format: E-book 
Pages: 268 pages
Publisher: Worker Bee Press 
Blurb:
Mona Moon is planning her wedding to Robert Farley, Duke of Brynelleth, when her preparations go haywire after one of her maids is found murdered. With just days before the blessed event, unwanted guests invade Moon Manor throwing a wrench into Mona’s plans and making it more difficult to seek the truth. Now Robert is a suspect in the maid’s murder. A missing gold brooch and twenty five-dollar bills are the only clues Mona has to find the murderer. She must clear Robert from suspicion or he will call off the wedding, saying he refuses to taint Mona’s good name. Can she discover the killer before the wedding, or will the murderer witness the breakup between Mona and Robert? Was that the intention all along? 

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Murder Under A Bridal Moon: A 1930s Mona Moon Mystery by Abigail Keam is a cosy historical mystery that will take you on a fun rollercoaster of ups and downs of interesting twists and turns.

This book is a well-written mystery in an ongoing series but it can very well be read as a stand-alone novel. At least, that’s the impression that I got while reading it, since the characterisation was rich and well-developed, I didn’t think that I was missing out on anything.

The story begins with a murder and pulls the readers in from the beginning hooking them for good till the very end where the ending blows the mind just like any reader of mystery might expect, but what really makes this book an excellent and phenomenal read is the vivid descriptions, rich settings, fully-fleshed-out characters and a brilliantly executed plot that has been well-thought out and perfectly plotted. Being a long-time reader of the mystery genre, I could not find a single fault in the book’s carefully woven mystery.

I’d strongly recommend this book to all mystery readers especially those who like their mysteries set in cosy historical settings.

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Book Review: An Embarrassment of Itches: An Animal Lovers Cozy Mystery (Ginny Reese Mysteries Book 1) by M. K. Dean

Categories Cosy, cozy mystery, M. K. DeanLeave a Comment on Book Review: An Embarrassment of Itches: An Animal Lovers Cozy Mystery (Ginny Reese Mysteries Book 1) by M. K. Dean

Book Details:

Author: M. K. Dean
Release Date: 17th July 2021
Genre: Cosy Mystery
Series: Ginny Reese Mysteries (Book #1)
Format: E-book 
Pages: 297 pages
Publisher: Redclaw Publishing
Blurb:
It’s Diagnosis Murder meets All Creatures Great and Small…

As a house-call vet, Ginny Reese has seen her share of the weird and wacky. But nothing in her previous experience could have prepared her to find one of her clients floating in her own swimming pool.
Local artist Amanda Kelly was extremely wealthy with her share of secrets. By naming Ginny as her heir, not only did she make Ginny the number one suspect, but she painted a big bull’s eye on her friend’s back as well.

With her trusty German Shepherd at her side, it’s up to Ginny to find the real killer and prove her innocence to the sheriff. The new sheriff. Who happens to be her ex.

Piece of cake, right?

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

An Embarrassment Of Itches by M.K. Dean is a wonderful new cosy mystery series that is tailor-made for pet lovers – as the protagonist is an on-call vet!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it was fun, interesting and very entertaining. The characters are well-developed, especially the protagonist Ginny Reese and I was able to not only connect but also relate to the character being an animal lover myself. The plot is really good and kept me engaged throughout the story. The writing is simple yet effective making this book a very quick read.

I would highly recommend this book to all cosy mystery lovers and animal lovers in general.

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Book Review: Family Matters (The Island Expats #3) by Deb McEwan

Categories Cosy, cozy mystery, Deb McEwan, MysteryLeave a Comment on Book Review: Family Matters (The Island Expats #3) by Deb McEwan

Book Details:

Author: Deb McEwan
Release Date: 7th August 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: The Island Expats (Book #3)
Format: E-book 
Pages: 112 pages
Publisher: –
Blurb:
A troubled daughter. A heinous crime. A vengeful woman.
When Matt’s daughter, Kayleigh takes a job in Souvia to escape her abusive ex, she’s horrified to be a victim of a malicious crime that goes disastrously wrong.
Matt has no idea why his daughter and her new boss have been targeted, but he’s determined to protect Kayleigh and to ensure her safety from those who want to harm her.
Elena and Kayleigh find themselves right in the firing line as the investigation progresses. Will they err on the side of caution, or will Kayleigh’s skills stop the criminals in their tracks?
Family Matters is the third novella in The Island Expat series. A two-hour crime fiction read with a touch of romance, set on the fictional Mediterranean island of Souvia. 

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Family Matters by Deb McEwan, the third book in The Island Expats series and the sequel to Bondu and Beyond.

This book was just as good as the first two books in this series and I am so glad I got to read them all. I liked this book because the writing was great, the plot and the concept were very refreshing and the characterisation was well done. So, all in all, this book had all the things that I had expected and then some. I’ve come to like the author’s narrative voice and it made reading this book very quick affair for me, not to mention, the well-executed pacing of the book helped in that too.

I’d definitely recommend this book and the series (so far at least) to all the readers of cosy mystery and mystery genre.

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Book Review: The Tribunals by David Spivak

Categories David Spivak, Post Apocalypse, Young Adult1 Comment on Book Review: The Tribunals by David Spivak

Book Details:

Author: David Spivak
Release Date: 28th April 2021
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult
Series:
Format: E-book 
Pages: 222 pages
Publisher: New Degree Press
Blurb:
“Justice is about all of us.”

New Boston was born out of a series of nuclear wars after the devastating results of climate change rendered the US eastern seaboard uninhabitable. The city kept peace through its self-governing tribunal system and was thriving. But what started off as an egalitarian society began to divide along economic lines. The rich moved into the upper levels of the city and the poor masses retreated below ground. Food became rationed and tensions erupted…
The Tribunals follows Jaym, a teenager bursting with youthful energy who grew up in the dark alleys of the Furrows. When a job takes him to the upper levels of the city, he soon faces the most powerful family in New Boston, the Chief Justice and his children, Piers and Gwen. Gwen is intrigued by this Furrows boy, Piers feels threatened by the intrusion.
As the city goes through political upheaval, Jaym finds himself fighting forces greater than himself to try and save his friends and, ultimately, the city from a corrupt system. Can New Boston be stopped from complete collapse?

Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The Tribunals by David Spivak is a young-adult post-apocalyptic read packed with action and intrigue.

I liked the concept of the book, though not exactly unique, the world-building so-far moved the plot forward well. The characterisation was good, but I believe we’ll see more development and build-up of characterisation in the next instalments of this series. Still, for the first book in a series (hopefully it is a series) it is a decent enough book.

The story had many twists and some intriguing aspects that kept me turning the pages. I liked the ending and I am looking forward to reading more books by the author, preferably in this series.

I’d recommend this book to all YA and dystopian as well as post-apocalyptic readers.

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Book Review: Bondu and Beyond (The Island Expats #2) by Deb McEwan

Categories Cosy, cozy mystery, Deb McEwan, Mystery4 Comments on Book Review: Bondu and Beyond (The Island Expats #2) by Deb McEwan

Book Details:

Author: Deb McEwan
Release Date: 28th May 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: The Island Expats (Book #2)
Format: E-book 
Pages: 132 pages
Publisher: –
Blurb:
A new life. A shocking discovery. A missing woman.
When Jenny the rescue dog finds more than she bargained for in the Souvian countryside it triggers Matt’s illness, and the night horrors return. He knows the only way to deal with it is to tackle matters head-on and to seek justice for those involved.
Elena will do everything in her power to help the man she loves, even if it means putting herself and others at risk from men whose only motivation is money.
Matt and Elena are unaware of the depths to which the criminals will plummet to reach their goals; so are the unsuspecting victims.
Bondu and Beyond is the second novella in The Island Expat series. A two-hour crime fiction read with a touch of romance, set on the fictional Mediterranean island of Souvia.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Bondu And Beyond by Deb McEwan, the second book in The Island Expats series and the sequel to New Beginnings, serves as a perfectly entertaining cosy mystery taking things ‘up’ a notch as compared to the first book in this series.

I loved reading this book as much as, in fact even more than, the first book in this series. The author’s writing style only made the book a faster read and complimented the well-crafted plot very well. The characters were well-developed and relatable and made the plot come alive with their unique flair.

I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series and would definitely recommend this one and the previous book in the series to all cosy mystery fans.

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Book Review: New Beginnings (The Island Expats #1) by Deb McEwan

Categories Cosy, cozy mystery, Deb McEwan, Mystery1 Comment on Book Review: New Beginnings (The Island Expats #1) by Deb McEwan

Book Details:

Author: Deb McEwan
Release Date: 29th May 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: The Island Expats (Book #1)
Format: E-book 
Pages: 114 pages
Publisher: –
Blurb:
A chance meeting. A Mediterranean island. A dead body. 
When damaged ex-detective Matt Elliott stops to help a stranger in the drizzly English weather it’s the catalyst for changes in his life he could never have imagined.  
Elena Lacey accepts Matt’s help and her safe, predictable future is thrown upside down. Neither of them knows what new beginnings are signalled on the beautiful island of Souvia, especially their association with a crime borne out of passion, revenge, and jealousy.
New Beginnings is the first novella in The Island Expat series. A two-hour cozy mystery read with a touch of romance, set on the fictional Mediterranean island of Souvia.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

New Beginnings by Deb McEwan, the first book in The Island Expats series, is a well-written and very entertaining cosy mystery.

I loved reading this book because it had a great plot, well-written story and nicely developed characterisation. This book had everything I expected when I started reading it and successfully delivered on the promise it made – a fun-filled Mediterranean Island cosy mystery.

I liked the characters and was able to connect to most of them, including the side characters. I would definitely recommend this book to all cosy mystery readers.

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