Dead Cat, Run

Dead Cat, Run By Annabelle Lewis
Buy Link: Amazon
Publication date: February 21, 2021
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Summary:

You’re where you’re meant to be. Run, if you can.

High school senior Jenny Gallagher’s psychic abilities have made life in her small New England town rocky. Her premonitions and déjà vu have given her a reputation, one she’s not happy with. Tragedy is about to strike, however, and oddly, this time, she doesn’t see it coming. Is her gift betraying her?

Not far from Jenny, Wellesley Professor Maximus Dyer also has a gift—a painful and useless one. His ability to see the past has brought him insight into history, but otherwise, he’s never known what to make of it. The psychic shocks he receives through his unprotected hands have made any genuine human relationships beyond his grasp. Then someone who doesn’t trigger a vision enters his life—a dog?

Sidrah Keeling runs determinedly optimistic throughout her life, trying hard not to ask the big questions about why. Her foresight, her ability to see glimpses of the future in her dreams, often drives her to follow a path she doesn’t understand. Alert and listening, with the guardrails of security she’s erected in place, she’s forced again to follow her dreams. This time to a man. Who is he?

Lurking deep in his sensory deprivation tank, Turner Black sees it all. Born out of the great chaos of time, he once again feels the forces of good gathering to move against him. Not in this life. This time, his darkness will reign supreme. The hunt for his antithesis will begin again now. He can’t wait to feel his opponent in destiny bleed.

A fast-paced contemporary mystery thriller with a supernatural hierarchy, Dead Cat, Run will keep you up all night, glued to your seat.

—

EXCERPT:

Max humped his way through the Wellesley College campus center, yanking his backpack onto his shoulder when it began to slide. Hungry—no, scratch that, ravenous—he snarled in frustration that he couldn’t jump in line at the pizza stand and grab a slice. He’d need to wait until he got home. He frowned, remembering he had no ready food there either. As he rounded past the heavenly smells from the greasy Chinese buffet, someone called his name, and he slowed.

“Professor Dyer,” a girl said.

Inwardly, he rolled his eyes but stopped, forcing a look of tolerance onto his face. He didn’t recognize the student, but then, he usually didn’t. It was better to avoid eye contact with the nubile freshmen. Many young girls throughout his career had presumed there was something other than scholarly interest lurking there. He tried everything he could to discourage them.

Photo Bombed (Bianca Wallace Mysteries, #1)

Photo Bombed (Bianca Wallace Mysteries, #1) By Daria White
Publication date: May 25, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery, Romance
Summary:

When a corpse crashes the party, Bianca is on the case.

Bianca Wallace is a work from home mom raising her teenage daughter as a single parent. She’s determined to stand on her own two feet in Edenville, Texas after her bitter divorce. 

When the town’s wedding of the year stars her friend as the bride, Bianca can’t wait to celebrate the nuptials. Neither she nor the guests expect a corpse! When the police suspect the bride, Bianca’s determined to prove her friend’s innocence.

Lamar Sims, the new police detective in Edenville, is investigating the murder case. Bianca’s “interference” is not helping, but she won’t stop when her friend’s freedom is on the line. 

He makes it clear he wants her to let the police do their job, so she has to find ways around him.

No one in Edenville is safe until the killer is behind bars. Bianca won’t let Detective Sims dismiss her hunches. They may have to work together before another dead body shows up.

—

EXCERPT:

“Bianca!” Nicole shrieked.

Bianca embraced her friend. “You look amazing!”

Nicole planted her hands on her slim hips. Her sundress flowed to her knees and flattered her waist. Long blonde hair, five seven, and flawless ivory skin. Her blue eyes shined. The woman could have been a model if she wanted to, but found her passion as a beauty blogger. “Thank you. Come on in.”

Looping her arm with hers, Bianca walked with Nicole to the kitchen after setting her gift on the designated table. When they entered the kitchen, Bianca spotted Judy.

“Bianca! Welcome.” Her red hair shined as always.

Murder at the Met (Penelope Harris Mysteries #2)

Murder at the Met (Penelope Harris Mysteries #2) By E.W. Cooper
Publication date: April 8, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Historical, Mystery
Summary:

November 1928, New York City. No one can keep a secret like high society – especially when that secret is murder.

There are two things Penelope Harris would rather do than get involved with another murder—sing opera and flirt with Thom Lund. When two tickets ensure Penelope and Thom get some precious time together at the Metropolitan opera, neither believes another murder will interrupt their romantic evening.

Fate has a different plan. Before the night is over a failed manufacturing tycoon is found dead at the bottom of a staircase, his poisoned and dying daughter nearby. Is it an accident? Suicide? Or murder? When a fellow soprano pleads for help, Penelope just can’t help her inquisitive nature.

As Penelope pulls back the cover on a diabolical crime, Lund rushes to complete the investigation of a suicide on the Gold Coast of Long Island. What they find will uncover the sordid underbelly of high society and put Penelope on the wrong side of her own gun.

—

EXCERPT:

“There are three sisters?” Penelope prompted.

“Clover, Ivy, and Tulip Warwick. Sisters, all of them.” Mary replied, happy to be the source of all the best gossip. “Ivy is the worst kind of child. Ill-behaved. Well, you saw, didn’t you? Her mother knows it too—keeps sending her away to finishing school. She must have just gotten back. Tulip would be the best of the three if she could just buck herself up. At least Ivy got to go away. Tulip had to stay behind and look after her mother. I see her from time-to-time volunteering at the library. She’s nice.”

“Only nice? Not the best recommendation, Mary darling.”

Safe (In Midsummer #5)

Safe (In Midsummer #5) By Jessica Frances
Publication date: January 8, 2021
By Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, LGBTQ+, Mystery, Romance
Summary:

One big day. One missing groom. One answer. One life-changing event. One life-threatening disaster. Multiple targets.

Conner:

I never pictured myself getting married, but then I met Rocky and knew I found my perfect match. So, why are so many people determined to ruin our happiness? Why can’t we just have some peace and quiet? And why has Rocky disappeared on our wedding day?

Rocky:

I never thought I would get married again, but that was because I never knew what true love really was until Conner. I never had a true partner who was always there for me. And now I can’t wait to be married to him. I can’t wait to start the rest of our lives together. But, just like our entire relationship has had hurdles, why should this event run smoothly for us?

Between sabotage, grabby fans, exes, and an unwanted wedding planner, our wedding is looking more impossible by the minute. However, we’re both determined enough to get down that aisle and say I do. We will be married, and not even a crazed killer will stop us.

I hope. Hell, are we going to survive this wedding?

—

EXCERPT:

“Rocky.” Conner moves onto his knees and faces me, cupping my face. I instantly rest my hands on his hips to prevent him from losing his balance and painfully knocking our heads together. “I love you so much that anyone can come through that door and say they want me, and I won’t even think about the offer for a second. You’re the one I want now, the one I’ll always want. None of my exes even begin to come close to how amazing you are. Henry Prince is someone universally considered to be the full package and even he didn’t compare to you. You’re perfect to me, and I will never want anyone else. You believe that, right?” His tone is pleading, as is his gaze.

I do see what he’s saying. I know how truthful it is. And while I’ve always known Conner would never cheat on me and that he loves me, there is something that clicks into place for me. A final piece that solidifies that we’re so solid that nothing that comes at us during this wedding or after it is going to rock us.

Book Blitz: Notorious Minds Boxset: Mystery & Thriller Crime

Notorious Minds Boxset: Mystery & Thriller Crime
Publication date: October 13, 2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Summary:

Delve into these dark and twisted tales by twenty USA Today and International Bestselling Authors. 

No matter what kind of crime story typically catches your imagination, there’s sure to be something for everyone. 

Conspiracies, political plots, and yes, even murder, are just a few of the crimes waiting inside this box set. 

Discover a narcissistic grandmother running an underground syndicate, or a support group bent on murder…and even a serial killer who turns his victims into fairytale creatures. 

Uncover the passion, jealousy, and fear lingering in every tale.
This box set is packed with thousands of pages that will hold you on the edge of your seat, crying for answers. 

Definitely a must for fans of Patterson, Lee, and Grisham.

—

 

Book Blitz: Separated (In Midsummer, #2)

Separated (In Midsummer, #2) By Jessica Frances
Publication date: July 3,2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, LGBTQ+, Mystery, Romance
Summary:

One jealous sheriff. One pushy Hollywood hunk. One threat. One undeniable attraction. One messy situation. One chance to fix it. 

I’ve guarded my heart the same way that I’ve guarded my hometown of Midsummer—with unwavering compromise and integrity. I’ve never even once been tempted to let my guard down. That is … until I met Conner Sherwood. 

It didn’t matter that I swore off all romantic relationships. Or that I wasn’t interested in opening myself up and likely getting hurt. Like a moth to the flame, I can’t resist him. I can’t stop myself from wanting something I shouldn’t. 

Even pushing him away didn’t stop me from wanting him. Unfortunately, I’m not the only one who wants Conner. He has caught the eye of a Hollywood heartthrob. How can I compete with that? 

But when Conner starts to receive death threats and an attempt is made on his life, I begin to realize that there is more at stake here than having my heart broken. Conner is in danger being in Midsummer, and whoever is threatening him won’t be satisfied until Conner is no longer breathing. 

What I know for certain is that I won’t stop until I catch the person responsible for harming the man I’m coming to realize that I cannot live without.

—

EXCERPT:

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to figure out who is threatening you.” Even I hear the frustration in my voice.

Why can’t this one just be easy? Why can’t I have this cleared up for Conner so he doesn’t have to keep suffering?

“I know you’re doing your best.”

“But it isn’t good enough.”

“Rocky,” he breathes my name, and I hate how much I love hearing it caress his lips. “Unless you can read minds, then I’m not sure there is any catching whoever it is. Everything they’ve done so far has led to a dead end.”

Book Blitz: The Monsters Within

The Monsters Within By Kody Boye
Publication date: June 15, 2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Horror, Mystery, New Adult, Romance
Summary:

Not all monsters can be seen.
When Dean McAllen wins a writing fellowship that offers him the chance to escape his abusive homelife, he boards the first plane out of Utah and prepares for a life free of dysfunction. 

Not long after arriving in the small town halfway across the country, he meets Brad Michelson. Kind, sweet, and caring, the fellow artist is everything Dean could ever want in a man. He’s also Dean’s first true shot at love.

But what Dean doesn’t know is that Brad harbors a darkness inside of him—and though Brad has struggled to hold it back his entire life, Dean will soon find that the monsters that dwell within Brad’s conscience are real, and out to destroy them both.

—

EXCERPT:

We drove along a dark road that night. Flanked by cars that slowly but surely fell behind, I watched the vehicles traveling alongside us disappear as we advanced out of the city limits and onto the lost stretches taken only by farmers and their equipment. Beside me, Brad drove with the window down, one arm braced along the frame, his free hand around the wheel. He drove without a care in the world, humming softly to Top 100 on the radio; and I, left only to observe, watched the fields before us extend forever into the distance.

“This is nice,” Brad said, tossing his fringe away from his eyes, “isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “It is.”

His hair—which was lengthier on the top but shorn along the sides of his head—blew haphazardly in the wind, creating the impression that we were two kids doing nothing more than enjoying the world for what it was. He was twenty-one, I eighteen, fresh and new and completely and utterly enamored. I tried my hardest not to watch him out of my peripheral, but found myself doing that regardless.
Remember, remember, the code to remember, I thought. Straight men get a pass because their love doesn’t last.

Book Blitz: Finding Forever

Finding Forever By Rachel Blake, RJ Gray, Stella Moore
Publication date: February 10, 2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Romance
Summary:

Three sisters, separated at birth, identical down to their DNA. For over thirty years, they lived without knowledge of the each other’s existence until one fateful night changed everything. 

Now, a new revelation is testing the bonds of their relationships. Hidden family secrets and broken promises threaten to tear them apart and destroy the family they’ve just begun to build. And it’s not just their relationships with each other on the line. 

Can they work past their differences and face these trials together? Or will these three sisters become nothing more than strangers who happen to look alike once again? 

Publisher’s Note: The conclusion of the Missing Pieces saga contains mystery, secrets, and a theme of power exchange. 

Previous books in the series:

—

EXCERPT:

Rowena turned back, resting her chin on the duvet. “I need this. We need this connection.” Hiding her smirk in the blanket, she let the next words fall from her lips, “Do your worst.”

His first spank connected as his chuckle bounced around the room. “Be careful what you wish for.” He focused first on her right cheek, smacking the same spot until she started to squirm and whine before moving to the left to give that cheek the same treatment.

When he paused, she clenched her cheeks. She knew her sit spot were about to receive the same treatment only to be followed by her thighs. “Bear?”

Book Blitz: What Lies in Paradise

What Lies in Paradise By Leah Cupps
Publication date: January 10, 2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Summary:

She’s got 400,000 fans. One of them could be the killer. 

Instagram Influencer Sydney Evans carefully curates her enviable public persona. Despite being freshly widowed, she’s eager to strike a pose at her best friend’s extravagant destination nuptials. 

But Sydney’s feed goes dark when she blacks out on the plane, awakening to discover another guest poisoned to death. 

With the FBI keen to use Sydney as an insider, she takes the arm of a rookie undercover agent hoping to capture something incriminating. But a deadly run-in exposes a shocking criminal underbelly lurking beneath her own picture-perfect marriage. And if she doesn’t solve the case before her friends tie the knot, the culprit will make sure her next selfie is her last. 

Can Sydney catch a murderer or will the wedding become a funeral? 

What Lies In Paradise is a fast-paced standalone thriller. If you like real-world issues, lavish socialite parties, and electrifying twists and turns, then you’ll love Leah Cupps’ provocative mystery. 

Buy What Lies In Paradise to join a deadly digital whodunit today!

—

PROLOGUE:

The circular steel barrel of a Glock nine-millimeter pushed roughly against Sydney’s left temple. The gun was searing her skin, still warm from the last bullet fired. One large, tan, muscular arm wrapped around her neck, threatening to snuff out her last few breaths.

I should have seen this coming, she thought. I should have known that if I agreed to go along with this ridiculous plan, something terrible would happen and I’d end up dead.

A series of images from her life began to scroll across her brain, like the snapshots from her Instagram feed. She in pigtails blowing out the candles for her sixth birthday. The fabulous pink satin dress that peeked out from her graduation gown, bright enough to match to her beaming smile. A picture of her at a café in Paris posing with a freshly baked chocolate croissant and a steaming cappuccino. She could see the images, but all she could think about were the choices she didn’t make and the people she neglected.

Book Blitz: The Contessa’s Brooch (Harmony Duprie Mysteries, #4)

The Contessa’s Brooch (Harmony Duprie Mysteries, #4) By P.J. MacLayne
Publication date: May 12, 2019
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Mystery
Summary:

A firebug is stalking Oak Grove and internet researcher Harmony Duprie is on the case. It starts as a simple data analysis project for Police Chief Sorenson, but things get personal when the house she renovated is targeted. 

The arsonist is in it for the glory, posting videos of his exploits on social media. So, Harmony calls for backup from her favorite computer hackers, Eli, Lando, and Scotty. 

Complications arise when Fiesker, a fire investigator with a chip on his shoulder, is brought in to unmask the culprit and put an end to the fires. Then there’s the mysterious emails being sent to the town’s firefighters. And who is leaving a trail of Celtic brooches behind? 

Harmony finally gets a break when Jake, her ex, stumbles across information that might lead to the guilty party. 

Can Eli, Lando and Scotty help Harmony track down the pyromaniac before someone gets hurt? Or, worse yet, killed?

—

EXCERPT:

I stripped off the flimsy plastic gloves that came with the dye and tossed them in the garbage can. Jake was still Jake, but a new and improved version with black hair. The beard might make a difference but would take a week or two to grow.

Still, I stepped back and walked around him to admire my work.

He studied himself in a hand mirror. “I hate it,” he said. “I don’t look like me. But I guess that’s the point.”

Book Blitz: The Forgotten Ones

The Forgotten Ones By Andrea Bills
Publication date: May 6, 2019
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Summary:

From the iBooks Bestselling Author of Hardwired comes
One small town.
One lost love.
One killer. 

Agent Caitlin Cade is called back to her hometown by a serial killer. She’s avoided the town for six years, trying to create a new life away from the painful memories of the sudden passing of her father and a love lost. 

Dean Campbell was given a mission that forced him to walk away from the only woman he had ever loved. Just as his mission is over and he can return to her news reaches him that a serial killer has Caitlin caught in a deadly game. 

Can Dean handle not being the one in control in order to show Caitlin he’s back for good? Can Caitlin not only face her past but also a killer who always seems two steps ahead of her? As a game of chess plays out using human bodies, secrets and lies come to see the light of day for the first time.

—

EXCERPT:

All the Gods, all the heavens, all the hells, are within you. —Joseph Campbell

“Have you ever heard the saying; ‘only the forgotten are dead’?”

The young girl shook her head. Tears welled up in her eyes, but they hadn’t fallen yet. This one was tough. She was fighting the terror that was undoubtedly coursing through her body. There was no point in fighting it; her death was inevitable.

“See, I will kill you, but if I remember you, then it’s like you’re not even dead.”

Book Blitz: Clearcut

Clearcut By Jack Mahoney
Publication date: December 6, 2018
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Summary:

Adrian Cervantes’s Ranger squad was betrayed and ambushed in Iraq, sent to deliver an embezzled payoff to a man who didn’t exist. The lone survivor, Cervantes went AWOL, returning to the States to distribute his purloined cash to the families of his squad. 

But it’s not as simple as leaving a check in the mailbox. Every family he visits has their own troubles. Law enforcement hunts him at every turn. And Cervantes’s need to see justice done earns him plenty of enemies. 

Cervantes’s first stop is the fading lumber town of Cullinan, WA. His plans to visit the Quinones family are complicated by the death of the father and the suspicions of the widow. 

Teaming up with a local lawyer, Cervantes uncovers enough questions to cast doubt that the father’s death was a drunken accident. 

But his investigation puts him in the sights of local bruisers, crooked cops, and the real power behind the lumber mill. In the end, Cervantes discovers a conspiracy that’s robbing Cullinan of its livelihood, and he puts it to rest the only way he knows how.

—

EXCERPT:

PROLOGUE

They were told to take care of the old man, but they weren’t told how, so they decided to have a little fun first.

There were three of them: Payden, the oldest at twenty-six, the acknowledged ringleader, slow to act but definitive; and the two Blaylock boys, Jimmy and Tommy, twenty-two and twenty, given to messing with each other if left untended, like a cigarette butt in a pile of dry leaves.

Even while they were waiting, in the muddy turnout across the lane from the roadhouse, they started fidgeting in the back seat of Payden’s truck. Jimmy accused Tommy of farting. Payden ignored it as long as he could until the squabbling turned to actual violence—the echoless smack of meat on bone, Tommy’s plaintive whine as he fought back—and he had to do something.

“Quit it,” he said. He had one of those deep, tired backwoods voices, the vowels hanging together. The Blaylock boys laid off.

About ten minutes later a rhombus of light cut across the roadhouse’s woodchip lot. A burst of classic rock followed it. Heavy footsteps chuffed across the chips: an irregular stride, weight shifting between worn Carhartt boots.

Book Blitz: Twilight's Last Glory

Sci-fi Mystery/Thriller

Date Published: September 2018

Publisher: Star Born Publishing LLC

A global spectacle of triumph and anguish. A grand pageant of violence and drama. In the future, it is more than just a game, and a mysterious secret society will use it to change the world. 

America's game has become the world's favorite pastime, and she is not just the WFFL's latest superstar but the future of humanity!

"Perkins pens eclectic and unpredictable works of fantasy that will keep readers clawing through the pages!" Amazon Self-Publishing Review

"Thrilling commentary on politics, sociology with a touch of supernatural and sci-fi!" Scarlett Jensen, Amazon 

*****

In a world secretly ruled by an organized crime pyramid known as the Octagonal, and while a legend who harbors a dark secret strives for one last shot at glory in the twilight of his career, crime lord Gigi Salerno is the sinister hand casting the ultimate fate of victory or defeat. 

And, he will utilize any means necessary to ensure the Octagonal remains in control of the world's most popular game.  But when a brilliant team doctor envisions WFFL rosters filled out with AI, Salerno's masters secretly decide he's expendable.

Book Blitz: A Heritage of Death

A Heritage of Death (A Reverend Cici Gurule Mystery, #2) By Alexa Padgett
Publication date: October 23, 2018
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Summary:

An unconventional pastor. A brutal murder. To solve the case, one reverend will look for help from beyond the grave… 

Reverend Cecelia “Cici” Gurule dreams of a bruised and bloodied woman who looks alarmingly like Cici. She’d like to pretend the dream is a nightmare and nothing more, but there are too many coincidences in her waking life to write it off. Like the baby that turns up on her porch–a baby that disappeared weeks before. 

Cici and Detective Sam Chastain race to find the woman, but the killer finds her first. As the trail grows cold, Cici’s only chance to solve the mystery before she becomes the next target may be a clue left by her ghostly twin. 

A Heritage of Death is the second novel in a compelling female sleuth mystery series for fans of Ruth Ware and Gilly MacMillan. If you like convention-shattering heroines, vivid Southwest settings, and a touch of the paranormal, then you’ll love Alexa Padgett’s twisty mystery. 

Buy A Heritage of Death and hold on tight for a white-knuckle thrill ride today!

—

EXCERPT:

She opened the door that connected to the kitchen to find both her dogs waiting, tails wagging, for her. While she hugged and pet them, she talked about her day.

“Ready for a walk?” she asked.

Strolling through the streets, Cici passed a few of her neighbors and waved. The heat stuck to her skin, coating her in sweat and an unwelcome, oppressive blanket.

She watched Mona frisk around, her plumed tail wagging. Rodolfo stayed close to her side, his pace sedate, his tongue already lolling. Poor boy. Recovering from near-death took time.

Book Blitz: Jackal

Jessica James Mystery, Book 4

Mystery

Date Published: September 30, 2018

Publisher: KAOS Press

With only an old photograph to go on, spunky heroine Jessica James is sent on a mission by her dying mother to find a washed up magician called the Mesmerizer. 

Along the way, Jessica gets way more than she bargained for when she stumbles into a black market organ ring and learns secrets about her mother that will change her own life forever. 

The cast of characters she meets on her whirlwind search of Las Vegas will have you laughing out loud. With wit and grit, Jessica and her posse take on the dangerous and deadly seamy side of Vegas.

The latest from Award Winning Author, Kelly Oliver will keep you entertained from beginning to end.

Other Books in the Jessica James Mystery Series:

WOLF

A Jessica James Mystery, Book One

Publisher: KAOS Press

Published: June 2016

Voted #1 Women's Mystery On Goodreads

Forward Magazine Award Best Mystery Finalist

IPPY Award Gold Medalist, Best Mystery/Thriller

Review by Melissa: "Scar Tissue"

Scar Tissue by M.C. Domovitch
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: February 10, 2016
Buy Links: Amazon

Book Description:

When successful model Ciara Kelly wakes up in hospital, remembering nothing of the weeks she has been missing, her only clues are the ugly words carved into her skin. 

According to the police she was a victim of the Cutter, a serial killer who has already murdered three women. For her protection the police and her doctors give a press conference, announcing that because her amnesia is organically caused, her memory loss is permanent. 

But, whether her memory returns or not is anybody’s guess. Overnight, Ciara’s glamorous life is gone. Her scars have killed both her modelling career and her relationship with her rich boyfriend. 

With nothing to keep her in New York, she returns to her home town of Seattle, moves in with her sister and goes about building a new life. But when her sister lets it slip that Ciara’s memory is returning, the killer comes after her again. If Ciara is to stay alive, she must keep one step ahead of the Cutter.

♥ ♥ ♥

“Scar Tissue” by M.C. Domovitch was a suspenseful read. For me, it was a murder mystery that was actually a mystery.

This was a book that kept me guessing as I was reading it. It seemed like everyone could literally be a suspect for the crime that was committed against Ciera Kelly. Ciara is our main character and a former model. The book opens with Ciara running for her life after being kidnapped and tortured. 

Now, scared and traumatized, her whole world has changed. Ciara’s memory of what happened to her is gone, and she can’t remember who did it to her or what all exactly happened. She can no longer be a model, and instead moves in with her sister and starts to work at a morgue as a makeup artist for the dead.

Review by Debby: Guilty as Cinnamon (A Spice Shop Mystery #2)

Guilty as Cinnamon (A Spice Shop Mystery #2) by Leslie Budewitz
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Release Date: December 1, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Murder heats up Seattle’s Pike Place Market in the next Spice Shop mystery from the national bestselling author of Assault and Pepper.

Springtime in Seattle’s Pike Place Market means tasty foods and wide-eyed tourists, and Pepper’s Spice Shop is ready for the crowds. With flavorful combinations and a fresh approach, she’s sure to win over the public. 

Even better, she’s working with several local restaurants as their chief herb and spice supplier. Business is cooking, until one of Pepper’s potential clients, a young chef named Tamara Langston, is found dead, her life extinguished by the dangerously hot ghost chili—a spice Pepper carries in her shop.

Now stuck in the middle of a heated police investigation, Pepper must use all her senses to find out who wanted to keep Tamara’s new café from opening—before someone else gets burned…

♥ ♥ ♥

Guilty as Cinnamon, the second book in the Spice Shop Mysteries by Leslie Budewitz, is a spicy combination of setting, interesting characters, mouth-watering dishes, and mystery that leaves you hungry for more.

Review: The Bitter Season (Kovac and Liska #5)

The Bitter Season (Kovac and Liska #5) by Tami Hoag
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Release Date: January 12th
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

A murder from the past. A murder from the present. And a life that was never meant to be... As the dreary, bitter weather of late fall descends on Minneapolis, Detective Nikki Liska is restless. After moving to the cold case squad in order to spend more time with her sons, she misses the rush of pulling an all-nighter, the sense of urgency of hunting a murderer on the loose. Most of all she misses her old partner, Sam Kovac.

Sam is having an even harder time adjusting to Nikki's absence, saddled with a green new partner younger than pieces of Sam's wardrobe. Sam is distracted from his troubles by an especially brutal double homicide: a middle-aged husband and wife bludgeoned and hacked to death in their home with a ceremonial Japanese samurai sword. Nikki's case, the unsolved murder of a family man, community leader, and decorated sex crimes detective for the Minneapolis PD, is less of a distraction: Twenty years later, there is little hope for finding the killer who got away.

On the other end of the spectrum, Minneapolis resident Evi Burke has a life she only dreamed of as a kid in and out of foster homes: a beautiful home, a family, people who love her, a fulfilling job. Little does she know that a danger from her past is stalking her perfect present. A danger powerful enough to pull in both Kovac and Liska and destroy the perfect life she was never meant to have.

♥ ♥ ♥

Fans of the Liska and Kovac series won’t be disappointed with this latest installment. Once again, Ms. Hoag delivers a tightly written mystery with solid three-dimensional characters.

If you haven’t already discovered this series, this is a great place to start. Ms. Hoag delivers the story in a way that readers can enjoy this book without having read the previous ones in the series and not feel like they are missing something.

Review: The Bitter Season (Kovac and Liska #5)

The Bitter Season (Kovac and Liska #5) by Tami Hoag
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Release Date: January 12, 2016
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

A murder from the past. A murder from the present. And a life that was never meant to be... As the dreary, bitter weather of late fall descends on Minneapolis, Detective Nikki Liska is restless. After moving to the cold case squad in order to spend more time with her sons, she misses the rush of pulling an all-nighter, the sense of urgency of hunting a murderer on the loose. Most of all she misses her old partner, Sam Kovac.

Sam is having an even harder time adjusting to Nikki's absence, saddled with a green new partner younger than pieces of Sam's wardrobe. Sam is distracted from his troubles by an especially brutal double homicide: a middle-aged husband and wife bludgeoned and hacked to death in their home with a ceremonial Japanese samurai sword. Nikki's case, the unsolved murder of a family man, community leader, and decorated sex crimes detective for the Minneapolis PD, is less of a distraction: Twenty years later, there is little hope for finding the killer who got away.

On the other end of the spectrum, Minneapolis resident Evi Burke has a life she only dreamed of as a kid in and out of foster homes: a beautiful home, a family, people who love her, a fulfilling job. Little does she know that a danger from her past is stalking her perfect present. A danger powerful enough to pull in both Kovac and Liska and destroy the perfect life she was never meant to have.

“Masterful…Authentic, dark and intense.” - Tess Gerritsen

♥ ♥ ♥

Fans of the Liska and Kovac series won’t be disappointed with this latest installment. Once again, Ms. Hoag delivers a tightly written mystery with solid three-dimensional characters.

Review: Peaches and Scream (Georgia Peach Mystery #1)

Peaches and Scream (Georgia Peach Mystery #1) by Susan Furlong
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Release Date: July 7, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

In the first Georgia Peach Mystery, when murder threatens her family’s orchard, Nola Harper is ready to pick out the killer and preserve the farm’s reputation…

To help run the family peach farm during her parents’ absence, Nola Harper returns to her childhood home of Cays Mill, Georgia, and soon discovers that things back at the farm aren’t exactly peachy. A poor harvest and rising costs are threatening to ruin the Harpers’ livelihood, and small-town gossip is spreading like blight thanks to Nola’s juicy reputation as a wild teenager way back when. But Nola really finds herself in the pits when she stumbles upon a local businessman murdered among the peach trees.

With suspicions and family tensions heating up faster than a cobbler in the oven, this sweet Georgia peach will have to prune through a list of murder suspects—before she too becomes ripe for the killer’s picking…

♥ ♥ ♥

I love it when I find a new series that delivers from the first page to the last.

This book gave me everything I want in a good book – strong characters, a small town that calls to me, and a mystery that keeps me guessing.