An Appetite for Murder by Lucy Burdette

Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Publisher:
Obsidian Mystery

Release Date:
January 2012

Format:
Paperback

 

 

Hayley Snow loves food. Her dream is to be a successful food critic. She follows her boyfriend, Chad, from her hometown New Jersey to Key West, Florida. The move isn’t exactly a lucky one for Hayley. It’s not long before Chad dumps her and she’s left to build a new life for herself in Key West.

First thing to do is find a place to live, which she does. She moves in with her friend, Connie, on her houseboat. Then, a food critic position becomes available at the local newspaper, Key Zest. Hayley is quick to apply for the job, but is stunned to find that her potential boss is the same woman she found in bed with her boyfriend – Kristen Faulkner! Although an awkward situation, to say the least, Hayley is determined to get the job at all costs.

With things already looking bleak, it just keeps getting worse. Kristen is found murdered and the number one, and apparently only, suspect is Hayley. The police are doing absolutely nothing about finding any other suspects, so Hayley takes matters into her own hands. She fully intends to find the real killer and clear her name. When her search leads to her life being in danger and her cat missing, she knows she’s on the right track. However, will she live long enough to find out?

This is the first book in a new series of cozy mysteries, “Key West Food Critic Mystery” by Lucy Burdette, who also writes two other cozy mysteries under the name Roberta Isleib. It’s, also, the first book I’ve ever read by her (although her other series are in my TBR).

This series takes place in Key West. A place I had the pleasure of visiting a few years ago and absolutely loved. The setting itself would have attracted me to this book.

Each character is written to perfection. Hayley and her friends are extremely likeable and a group you will definitely want to read more about. The plot flowed through each page and captured the reader’s interest from the very first line to the very last line. There were several twists and turns along the way. The book even includes several recipes that look really delicious.

Appetite for Murder has everything I look for in a good cozy – small town, fun characters (a few bad guys, too, of course!) and an interesting storyline that kept you guessing. I was very sad to see this book end. It left me wanting more (not to mention very hungry!) The second book of this series comes out in September and I, for one, will be anxiously awaiting its release.

Since I loved it so much, it should come as no surprise that I’m giving it 5 kitties and my Socrates’ Great Book Alert!

FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

If you’d like to read more about this author, check out these links:

Q&A on the blog Jungle Red.
A pop quiz on Key West which appears on the author’s wonderful blog.

#Bookgiveaway and Review: Murder Buys a T-Shirt by Christy Fifield

Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Format:
Paperback

Publisher:
Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

Release Date:
March 2012

 

 

Glory Martine loves the quaint souvenir shop she inherited from her great-uncle Louis. Not only did she get a shop filled with collectibles and mementos, she also inherited his parrot, Bluebeard. The shop is situated in the small town of Keyhole Bay in Florida, where everyone knows everyone else’s business.

When the town’s football hero, Kevin Stanley, dies in a car accident, Bluebeard becomes uncontrollable. He’s destroying the shop and he begins uttering words that lead Glory to the conclusion that this death was no accident. She’s not about to tell the authorities or her friends that her shop is haunted and her pet parrot says it’s murder, so she has no choice but take matters into her own hands and search for the truth herself.

Glory manages to take some time for herself when she meets the new owner of the bookstore across the street. The attraction is mutual, but obstacles are continually thrown in their path.

This is the first book in a brand new series, “A Haunted Souvenir Shop Mystery” and it’s off to a delightful start. The characters in this book immediately feel like old friends. Sometimes new characters can feel stiff in a first book, but not this cast. They were all well written and realistic. I even loved the belligerent parrot. LOL

The storyline is a solid one with the mystery moving along at a good pace. I must admit, I wasn’t too surprised at “whodunit” , but that didn’t ruin the book for me. I enjoyed reading how they all got to the ending and how it all unraveled. Besides, there were a couple of other possibilities so I wasn’t 100% certain.

A nice feature – at the end of the book there are several pages of “Down-Home” dinner recipes. I wouldn’t mind trying a few myself, especially the banana pudding. It sounds yummy!

It’s a fun book that will make the dreariest of days a little brighter. I already miss the characters and I’m looking forward to the next book.

and it also gets…

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Would you like to get a copy of this book for your very own? Thanks to Berkley, I can offer one copy to one lucky winner. Check out the contest on my sister blog “Socrates’ Book Review Blog”.

Attention Cozy Authors and Publishers!

If any of you cozy mystery authors/publishers would like a review and/or to be interviewed here, please contact me. You can leave a message for me here in the comments section and I will respond (just please make sure there’s a way for me to contact you in your comment.) Or email me by clicking here.

Also, if you have a website dedicated to cozy mysteries, let me know and I’d be happy to feature it on this blog. If you have a cozy mystery being released soon, let me know and I’ll add it to the Upcoming Release page.

Please remember, this is only for cozy mysteries – no other genre. For other genres, my other blog Socrates’ Book Review Blog is still active! Just click on the button in my sidebar to get there.

Thank you! I look forward to hearing from all the cozy authors out there!

Chocolate Covered Murder by Leslie Meier

Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Format:
Audio Book

Publisher:
Dreamscape Media

Release Date:
January 2012

It’s Valentine’s Day in the small Maine town of Tinker’s Cove and the competition for being the best chocolate in town is becoming very bloodthirsty. Fern’s Famous Fudge has been an icon in Tinker’s Cove for years, but now in comes a new competitor, Chanticleer’s Chocolates, very fancy and expensive chocolates.

Reporter Lucy Stone is assigned to cover Chanticleer’s Chocolates with a newspaper article, but when she discovers that the manager of the new chocolate company is a flirt who appears to be interested in her husband and Lucy’s own daughter goes to work at the new chocolate store, she wonders what’s really going on at this new company. The situation becomes even more serious when the ex-husband of one of Fern’s chocolate makers is found dead.

Lucy’s article goes from being a fluff piece to an investigative news article. She’s hot on the trail of the killer, but she has to work fast before anyone else turns up dead. Her investigation takes a turn Lucy wasn’t prepared for and she finds her own life is on the line.

This is the first book in the series that I listened to on audio. I read the first couple of books and the rest of the series is in my TBR. I found I enjoyed listening to it very much. The narrator, Karen White, has the perfect voice to tell this story. Sometimes I can’t put the voice to the characters, but that wasn’t the case with Karen’s narrating. She was perfect for this cozy mystery.

I always loved this series and this book was no exception. Lucy’s children are grown up (I really need to go back and read the previous books to catch up with them. The last book I read they were very young children. LOL). The characters in Tinker’s Cove are all charming and they give readers the comfy feeling of going home and meeting old friends.

As for the story itself, it’s a quick, fast-paced plot with a few twists and turns thrown into the mix. It’s a cozy mystery series that all cozy fans will love. It was a delightful distraction during my commute to and from work.

FTC Disclosure: The publisher sent me a copy of this audio book for a review. This did not influence my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Interview and Book Giveaway: Chocolate Covered Murder by Leslie Meier

Please join me in welcoming Karen White to Socrates’ Book Review Blog Socrates’ Cozy Cafe.

Karen is a talented actress who narrates many popular audio books. Her latest is CHOCOLATE COVERED MURDER by Leslie Meier. This is part of the cozy mystery series “Lucy Stone Mysteries”. I’ve read the first books of this series and love it. Karen is nice enough to allow me to interview her and is graciously offering an audio book for a giveaway. Details about the audio book giveaway will follow the interview!

Welcome, Karen, and thank you for joining us. Get ready for the interview…

1) What made you decide to narrate audio books?

I am a lifelong lover of books — and was that annoying child who volunteered to read aloud in class, couldn’t wait for the Scholastic Book Orders to show up, and spent most of my adolescence hiding inside every book about animals ever written. I discovered audiobooks right around when I got married, and being a narrator has really sustained me (artistically and financially) during my mom years. The schedule is flexible so I can be around for my kids, but I still get to disappear into my studio and act out all the parts!

2) What was your first audio book and how did it all happen?

I actually started working as an editor for Dove Audio in Beverly Hills. I really didn’t know what I was doing, but I figured it out, and it was a great way to learn what works and doesn’t in an audiobook performance. That led to working for Books-on-Tape as an assistant to the Producer of their LA studio, where I continued editing, ran casting sessions, directed books and then started narrating as well (once my boss figured out I was an actor!). I think the first book I did was a tell-all book about the Kennedy family. The main thing I remember was that I was just a few weeks pregnant (so it was still a secret) but that I was nauseous and dizzy on top of being nervous. Luckily, things got better after that.


3) Do you listen to audio books? Any favorites?

These days we listen to a lot of kids books as a family – on trips and in the house. I am a big fan of the author Wendy Mass and I love the way Kathleen McInerney narrates her books. We listened to the HARRY POTTER books so much I felt like Jim Dale was living with us. The very first audiobook I listened to was A WIDOW FOR ONE YEAR by John Irving, narrated by George Guidall. That was one that had me sitting in the car quite a few times! Brilliant book and narration.

4) Is there any special training involved with narrating audio books?

I think it’s invaluable to be a trained actor. You have to know your “instrument” to be able to sustain reading for hours at a time without hurting it, but also so that your voice is fully connected to and expressive of what’s going on in your imagination. Most of us disconnect from our voices as we go through adolescence for self-protection – so we don’t reveal too much of what we’re really feeling. Actors have to go through a lot to uncover all that hidden stuff! It’s also helpful to work with an experience audiobook director to be guided on everything from how to turn pages efficiently or how far from the mic you need to be, to more creative things like pace and character.


5) What process do you go through before recording the book begins? Do you need to read the book first?

I almost always read the book first, unless there’s a real rush. Otherwise, you can run into some ugly surprises, like finding out that someone is actually from Namibia when you’d assumed they were from Cleveland. I’m a bit of a detail freak, so I make lots and lots of notes on the characters when I do my “prep” read and I make an Excel spreadsheet of all the words I need to look up for pronunciations.

6) Do you choose which books to narrate and, if so, how do you make that choice?

Honestly, I say yes to pretty much everything. I have turned books if I felt I couldn’t do a good job (as in, all the characters are from England, even though the book is set on Mars !!??). Or if it is just out of control violent and/or sexual, I try to stay away from those.

7) Do you have any favorite audio books from the ones you narrated?

I still love animal books so I’m always begging for those (Jill Shalvis’ ANIMAL MAGNETISM series was fun for that reason – cute pets and cute guys) and I really love doing books set in the Southeast part of the country. My adult life I’ve lived all over, but I grew up in VA/KY/NC, and my family is all there, so that’s still home. Narrating a book set in NC especially, is like wearing a favorite old sweater. Cozy and warm. I have the second of a pair of books by Joanna Catherine Scott coming out soon, CHILD OF THE SOUTH, a historical fiction set around the Civil War in NC. They are beautiful books and I’m very proud of them.


8) Do you work with the author at all when recording their books?

I love to talk to authors when they can spare the time – often they can be really helpful with pronunciations – but mostly because I am a big fan and I’m in awe of what they do!

9) Do you perform in any other venues besides audio books?

I do the occasional commercial, and I did a short film a couple years ago, but mostly I’m a narrator and a mom for now – which I’m grateful for.


10) What plans do you have for the future? What audio books do we have to look forward to?

I hope to do more mysteries – I love the challenge of pacing and tone that they offer. And I’m so glad to have discovered the “cozy” mystery. Too much violence gives me nightmares and I love a down to earth heroine, so the cozies are just right for me! I’ve done two of Charlotte Hinger’s books LETHAL LINEAGE and DEADLY DESCENT. I think she’s got another in the series and I hope I’ll do that. I loved Leslie Meier’s characters – hope I’ll get to do more of hers as well. Cross your fingers…

If you’d like to listen to a sample of the book, click here.

Thank you so much, Karen!

And now for a chance to win your very own audio book of Chocolate Covered Murder by Leslie Meier…Just stop by Socrates’ Book Review Blog to enter.

Two Cozy Mystery Bookgiveaways

I’m hosting two book giveaways on my Socrates’ Book Review Blog.

One is Little Shop of Homicide by Denise Swanson. The other is Hot Chocolate by Dawn Greenfield Ireland. Stop by and enter to win a copy of both both books. Just click on the covers on the right sidebar to enter!

http://socratesbookreviews.blogspot.com/

Hot Chocolate by Dawn Greenfield Ireland

Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Publisher:
Artistic Origins, Inc.

Format:
EBook

Release Date:
October 2011

The Story…

Madge, Dorothea and Lila Mae Alcott are middle-aged sisters who are heiresses to the Alcott Chocolate empire. When Dorothea can no longer care for their 92 year-old father, the sisters decide to fire his nurse, Bambi, and place him in an assisted living care facility where he can get all the care he needs.

Bambi Chaline is a blonde bombshell who worked for the Alcott’s for years and is more than happy when they give her a severance package along with excellent references. However, her husband, Jimmy Ray, isn’t quite so happy and hires a lawyer on behalf of his wife. Their lawyer files a lawsuit against the Alcotts for wrongful termination. Jimmy Ray smells a huge settlement, while Bambi is dismayed by the case.

Jimmy Ray is livid when the court throws the case out, but Bambi isn’t upset at all. As the Alcotts celebrate their success, Jimmy Ray doesn’t return home from his bowling alley. The Alcotts become the prime suspect in his disappearance.

My Review…

It was a nice change of pace to have characters in their 50’s. Sometimes I want to read about people closer to my own age then characters in their 20’s. I tend to be able to better identify with older characters. Plus, it made me feel as if I was reading a humorous Agatha Christie book.

I never read anything by Dawn Greenfield Ireland before, but she definitely knows how to write mysteries the way I like them. The story is filled with twists, turns and eccentric characters that are essential in writing a cozy mystery. It’s fast-paced and keeps the readers on their toes. There are also some giggles and a dash of romance thrown into the mix. At the end, she includes some yummy recipes that are featured in the book. Suddenly I’m in desperate need of a hot chocolate with some marshmallow fluff.

This book is delicious!

FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review for the blog tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

Author Interview: Denise Swanson

It is with great pleasure that Socrates’ Book Review Blog and Socrates’ Cozy Cafe welcomes author Denise Swanson for a visit. Denise is the author of the cozy series ‘Scumble River Mysteries’ and a brand new cozy series ‘A Devereaux’s Dime Store Mysteries’. For years I’ve been a huge fan of the Scumble River books and I was both surprised and delighted to see she began a new series. When asked if I’d like to review the first book, Little Shop of Homicide, I jumped at the chance. I’m so happy that Denise agreed to do this interview. Welcome, Denise!

Let the interview begin….

1) You were a school psychologist for a long time, what made you decide to write cozy mysteries?

I always liked to write. I wrote my first book in kindergarten and tried again in junior high, but back when I was growing up, no one talked about writing as a career. However, as I neared forty, I began to realize I hadn’t done what I wanted in my life. It took me a while to figure out that what I really wanted to do was write a novel. I looked at my bookshelves and decided to write the kind of books I liked to read—character driven with a little humor and a little romance.

2) Can you describe the process from the time you “get the call” that you will be published to the book appearing on the bookstore shelves?

After I dropped the receiver and accidently hung up on my agent, I almost don’t remember the rest. I recall not believing it was real until I held the actual contract in my hand. I got the call in March of 1999 and Murder of a Small-Town Honey came out in July of 2000. There were several revision requests from my editor—including writing a whole new first chapter—then the copy edit and the finally galley pass through. There was the quest for the perfect title—my original title was The Chokeberry Days Murder. Next up was the cover, which I loved, and finally getting the whole promotional machine started.

3) Do you have any say in the title or covers of your books? Is the decision-making process different from when you were a new author to now – a well-established author?

Most of the titles I’ve suggested are accepted by my editor and the rest of the NAL publishing team. Occasionally, they don’t think whatever I’ve called the book will attract readers and we go back and forth until we’re all happy. For my new series, I originally called it Sex and the Single Dead Girl, but the powers that be thought it sounded too much like a vampire book. My editor came up with Little Shop of Homicide, which I love!

The covers are a different story. I do see the cover sketches and can request small changes, but contractually, NAL has the final say.

4) Where did you get the idea for your new series?

The ideas for Little Shop of Homicide came from various sources. The setting was inspired by my love of the old dime store in my hometown. The idea of Devereaux’s previous profession came from the whole Bernie Madoff scandal. And the rest just sort of blossomed from various “what ifs.”

5) Do you outline the direction you’d like your books to go or do you just go with the moment?

When I started writing, and up until about my seventh or eighth book, I outlined using a sort of spider web approach—starting with the crime and going outward. But now I pretty much just sit down in front of the computer every morning and ask myself, “What comes next?”

6) How long does it take for you to write a book?

The first draft takes 3-4 months, then an additional 2-3 months for the second draft and final polish. After I get the revision letter from my editor, I usually have another 4-6 weeks of work.

7) Do you have any idea how many books will be in each of your series?

I really don’t. Sadly, often writers have little choice about ending a series. They can choose to end it, but they don’t always get to continue one they want to. That depends on sales (especially the first week a book is out). The publisher will only continue a series if it does well (better than the last book).

8) What do you think of the new “online” craze of “meeting” your fans and getting feedback to your work almost instantly? I’ve always loved meeting readers. I did over seventy appearances for my first book. I love the opportunity to interact with readers online. On my Facebook author page, I often ask their opinions and many have helped when I have research questions.

9) Do you have any opinions on the sudden explosion of ebooks and ereaders?

I’m such a novice about e-books, I still haven’t formed much of an opinion. NAL only recently acquired the e-rights to the Scumble River books and still haven’t gotten the entire series converted. And I got my first e-reader for Christmas—mostly to read friends of mine who had decided to publish books only electronically.

10) Can you give us any clues or hints to upcoming books?

Murder of the Cat’s Meow, Scumble River #15 is due out in September and the next dime store book is due out March 2013.

11) Are you planning any book signings in the near future?

I’ll be doing several signings for the release of Little Shop of Homicide. The first is at Aunt Agatha’s in Ann Arbor, MI Sunday, March 4, then one at the Coal City Library in IL Saturday, March 10 and the Barnes and Noble in Bolingbrook, IL Sunday, March 11. The details can be found on my website www.DeniseSwanson.com

Thank you so much, Denise, for taking the time from your busy schedule to join us!

Little Shop of Homicide by Denise Swanson

Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Publisher:
Obsidian (a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.)

Format:
Paperback

Release Date:
March 2012

Devereaux Sinclair makes a few life-changing decisions. She quits her city job, after a huge scandal rocks her company, moves back to her small hometown in Missouri, Shadow Bend, and buys an old fashioned five-and-dime store. Dev is quite happy until her ex-boyfriend’s fiancé, Joelle, turns up dead. The murder weapon just happens to be items Dev used in a gift basket that Joelle purchased, making Dev the number one suspect.

With her father already serving time in prison, Dev has no desire to join him there. She’s just begun a new life in Shadow Bend and everything was going along so well. She, also, is the only one who can take care of her grandmother. Determined to clear her name, Dev seeks the help of her best friends Poppy and Boone to find out who the real killer is. Not to mention the handsome U.S. Marshall, Jake Del Vecchio, who just arrived in town willing to assist in the search.

There is, also, a secondary mystery which looks to be drawn through this series. Dev’s father is in prison for a crime he insists he didn’t do and intends to prove his innocence. It will be interesting to see what direction this goes.

One of my favorite things about this series is that it’s set in an old-fashioned five-and-dime store which made me feel very nostalgic.

Sometimes it takes awhile to get used to characters in a brand new series, but I didn’t find that with this book. By the end of the book, I felt as if I knew the main characters very well. The mystery had me going in several directions – choosing the wrong culprit every time. LOL

This is a fast-paced mystery with quite a bit of romance thrown into the mix. Toss in Dev’s matchmaking grandmother and readers have a great adventure in store for them.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

If you’d like to win a copy of this wonderful book, check out the giveaway on my other blog Socrates’ Book Review Blog.

Showstoppers by Helen Smith

Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Format:
EBook

Publisher:
Tyger Books

Release Date:
December 2011

 

 

Emily Castles, once again, finds herself mixed up in mystery and murder in the second book of the ‘Emily Castles Mystery” series.

One of Emily’s neighbors, Victoria, is receiving threatening letters. Victoria immediately asks Emily for help. Victoria admits that she made a video back in her college days with her former boyfriend and is afraid he’s the one sending the letters. From what Emily learns, the tape is not anything x-rated so she doubts that is the cause of the threats and she wonders if Victoria might not be a bit paranoid.

Since Emily’s current job status is non-existent, she agrees to help Victoria at her local children’s theater and, at the same time, keep watch for anything out of the ordinary. When the theater’s landlord is found dead, Emily realizes something truly is going on and she’s determined to help her neighbor.

This is a short story – only about 70 printed pages – and it goes way too fast. I wanted more, much more. I enjoyed every minute of this story. The good thing about short stories is that you can pick one up, settle in for a few hours and enjoy it with a nice cup of tea (or whatever you’d like to drink – LOL). The bad thing is you can’t wait for the next book to be published. That’s how I feel with this one.

The characters are very well-crafted and Helen Smith is a master story-teller. The story takes many twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing along with Emily. I’d love to see several Emily Castles’ stories in one complete volume. That would be fun to read.

FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.