Faye Longchamp in Wrecked

I love the Faye Longchamp series about a smart, strong woman who’s trying to run her own business, raise her family, and protect her family home…and who just seems to end up with murders in her vicinity! In the latest, a close friend dies in a suspicious diving accident, Faye and Joe help their neighbors recover from a hurricane, and Faye navigates the tricky landscaping of raising a smart, strong daughter. Great story!

Wrecked is by Mary Anna Evans and published by Poison Pen Press.

I read a digital arc via Edelweiss+

Murder in the Bayou Boneyard

Murder in the Bayou Boneyard: A Cajun Country Mystery by Ellen Byron

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It seemed like a good idea at the time to Maggie Crozat, but she quickly comes to regret suggesting the Spooky Past vacation packages and employing her long-lost cousin at the B&B’s spa. Not only does the Cajun equivalent of a werewolf start appearing to scare guests, her cousin turns up dead and Maggie’s the main suspect.

With all the Southern hospitality you’d expect from Ellen Byron, Murder in the Bayou Boneyard is a nice addition to the Cajun Country Mystery series.

I received access to a digital ARC from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley.



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The Secrets of Bones

The Secrets of Bones by Kylie Logan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Secrets of Bones is book two in the Jazz Ramsey series. Though Jazz moonlights as a cadaver (or HRD) dog trainer and a dog is featured prominently on the cover, this book isn’t really about the dog (unlike the K-9 mysteries by Paula Munier, Margaret Mizushima, and Susan Furlong). Jazz and Wally, her HRD dog in training, are last minute substitutes on career day at the Catholic girls school where Jazz works, and of course they uncover some remains! Jazz is a change of pace as a protagonist, neither embittered nor on a mission, and I enjoyed reading about her exploits. I was able to figure out the key to mystery a few chapters from the end, so there aren’t any big surprises in store, but it is an enjoyable read. Though it was the second in a series, I had no difficulty getting into the story. I plan to pick up the first book, and don’t think there will be any letdown in reading the books out of order.

I received a digital ARC via NetGalley.



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Proof of Murder by Lauren Elliott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


With Proof of Murder, I have read all 4 books in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery Series. While I enjoyed the first two, I admit that I found the third a bit of a slog. I’m happy to say that this fourth book has brought the series back on track. In her personal life, Addie has made a choice (and no more love triangle nonsense to deal with), and professionally her bookstore is flourishing. In this outing, Addie is confronted with a locked-room murder mystery and the disappearance of some rare Sherlock Holmes books–that she may be the only one to have seen.

Addie is quickly named as the prime suspect in the untimely death of an unlikable appraiser, and must use her sleuthing skills to clear her name and identify the real culprit. Good, engaging read; I finished it in a day and was satisfied with the outcome. Recommended for all fans of cozies.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a digital ARC.



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A Body in the Bookshop

A Body in the Bookshop by Helen Cox

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is the second book in the Kitt Hartley series, but it works as a stand-alone (I haven’t read the first book, but I had little difficulty in picking up the threads of the characters). I found Kitt’s friend, Evie, to be the more compelling character which is good as the book is centered on her. Evie has been left physically scarred after the events in the prior story, and spends time re-considering who she actually is. She is outraged to hear that DS Charlotte Banks has been suspended on charges of police brutality and she makes it her mission to set things right. Some interesting twists and turns and an enjoyable read. I hope that Evie continues to grow and perhaps she can take center stage in future books as well.

I received a digital ARC via NetGalley.



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Brooklyn Legacies

Brooklyn Legacies by Triss Stein

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I had heard about Triss Stein’s Brooklyn series featuring historian Erica Donato and was pleased to have the opportunity to read the latest courtesy of Edelweiss+. I was not disappointed. Brooklyn is as much a character in the story as is Erica and her family and co-workers, and you can easily feel the gritty resurgence of the borough. This was a well-written and thoughtful excursion that blended history and mystery. Highly recommended for fans of Mary Anna Evans’ Faye Longchamp and Sheila Connoly’s Museum Mysteries.

I received a digital ARC via Edelweiss+.



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Fatal Cajun Festival

Ellen Byron captures the Cajun cadences so smoothly that I felt the steamy summer on the bayou. Fatal Cajun Festival is part of a series, but can be read without knowledge of the preceding books. Maggie is on the case to clear her friend, a talented young musician, from a murder accusation, in between making batches of pralines, helping her parents run their B and B, and watching her grandmother’s döstädning (Swedish for “death cleaning”). The book is humorous without devolving into farce, and the Louisiana atmosphere is evoked so well that I could hear the zydeco as I read. A must read for all lovers of cozy mysteries.

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital ARC.