Title: A Corpse and a Cat (Cass Peake #4) Author: Rena Leith Genre: Cozy Mystery, Contemporary Publisher: The Wild Rose Press Source: Publisher Format: Ebook Release Date: October 28, 2024 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
What’s a ghost to do when she needs a little excitement? In Doris’ case, she hitches a ride inside her human roommate’s big black cat Thor. But she didn’t intend to find a dead body.
With her smarmy ex-husband in town trying to cozy up to her, romance with a local cop cooling, and a St. Patrick’s Day party to plan, Cass Peake already has her hands full.
But the loss of her most lucrative client yet and the near-loss of her ghost pal forces Cass to consider a shocking idea. Is there a killer among the DNA relatives vying for a lucrative conservatorship? And did she really see someone load a body-sized canvas bag into a car?
Review:
This book is an entertaining cozy mystery! Cass lives in a house with a ghost named Doris, who likes to inhabit Cass’s cat Thor so that she can leave the house. This is the fourth book in the series so it took a few pages to figure out what was going on with Doris. This book could be read as a stand-alone. Though this was a murder mystery with a lot of characters and suspects, it was quite funny at times.
A Corpse and a Cat is a fun cozy mystery!
Thank you The Wild Rose Press and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign!
Content warnings: death, asthma attack, murder
Have you read A Corpse and a Cat? What did you think of it?
Title: The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder Author: C.L. Miller Genre: Mystery, Contemporary, Cozy Mystery Publisher: Simon and Schuster Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: January 10, 2024 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
In this irresistible and thrilling debut novel, a former antique hunter investigates a suspicious death at an isolated English manor, embroiling her back in the dangerous world of tracking stolen artifacts.
What antique would you kill for?
Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances. She has spent the last twenty years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate—sent just days before his death—Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind.
Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya follows clues and her instincts to an old manor house for an advertised antiques enthusiast’s weekend. But not all is as it seems. It’s clear to Freya that the antiques are all just poor reproductions and her fellow guests are secretive and menacing. What is going on at this estate and how was Arthur involved? More importantly, can Freya and Carole discover the truth before the killer strikes again?
Review:
When Freya Lockwood’s former mentor, Arthur Crockleford, dies under mysterious circumstances, she returns to her hometown. She has avoided her hometown for the past twenty years, when she had a falling out with Arthur and gave up her dream of hunting for antiques. When she returns to her aunt’s home where she grew up, Freya discovers that Arthur left a letter for her saying that his death was not accidental and he asks her to investigate. Freya and her Aunt Carole follow Arthur’s clues to an antique enthusiast’s weekend getaway, where only Freya can find the truth behind Arthur’s death.
I didn’t know anything about antiques or the business of antique forgery before reading this book, so it was fascinating to read about. It was a dangerous world with murders happening over reproduced antiques or pieces of art, and lots of money behind the business. The ending of the story suggests that this is the beginning of a series, so I’m excited to see what adventure Freya goes on next!
The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder is an entertaining cozy mystery!
Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me a copy of this book!
Content warnings: death, fire, gun violence
Have you read The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder? What did you think of it?
Title: God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen (Her Royal Spyness #15) Author: Rhys Bowen Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Cozy Mystery Publisher: Berkley Books Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: October 12, 2021 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Georgie is back and hanging the stockings with care when a murder interrupts her Christmas cheer in this all-new installment in the New York Times bestselling Royal Spyness series from Rhys Bowen.
Georgie is excited for her first Christmas as a married woman in her lovely new home. She suggests to her dashing husband, Darcy, that they have a little house party, but when Darcy receives a letter from his aunt Ermintrude, there is an abrupt change in plans. She has moved to a house on the edge of the Sandringham estate, near the royal family, and wants to invite Darcy and his new bride for Christmas. Aunt Ermintrude hints that the queen would like Georgie nearby. Georgie had not known that Aunt Ermintrude was a former lady-in-waiting and close confidante of her royal highness. The letter is therefore almost a royal request, so Georgie, Darcy, and their Christmas guests: Mummy, Grandad, Fig, and Binky all head to Sandringham.
Georgie soon learns that the notorious Mrs. Simpson, mistress to the Prince of Wales, will also be in attendance. It is now crystal clear to Georgie that the Queen expects her to do a bit of spying. There is tension in the air from the get-go, and when Georgie pays a visit to the queen, she learns that there is more to her request than just some simple eavesdropping. There have been a couple of strange accidents at the estate recently. Two gentlemen of the royal household have died in mysterious circumstances and another has been shot by mistake during a hunt. Georgie begins to suspect that a member of the royal family is the real target but her investigation will put her new husband and love of her life, Darcy, in the crosshairs of a killer.
Review:
Georgie is preparing for her first Christmas with her husband, Darcy, when he receives a letter from his aunt inviting them to visit for Christmas at her home on the Sandringham estate. They bring Georgie’s mother and brother with them. When they arrive, they find the Prince of Wales and Mrs. Simpson are there too, as she is not permitted to be with the Royal Family for the holiday. Georgie soon discovers that there have been mysterious fatal accidents on the estate over the last year, which makes her keep an eye out for danger. Then, a couple of near misses make her suspect that a member of the Royal Family is being targeted. She must investigate these accidents before it’s too late.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a cozy mystery, and this one was the perfect book to jump back into the genre. I loved the setting of England in the 1930s. The Royal Family played an important role in the story because the King was a distant cousin of Georgie. I love any story with the Royal Family in it!
Though this book is number 15 in the series, I could follow it. The characters and their relationships as well as past events were described thoroughly in the first few chapters so I knew who they were right away. It is easy to read this book even if you haven’t read the previous ones.
The mystery part of this cozy mystery didn’t start until about the final third of the story. There was a lot of foreshadowing before it happened, so I was prepared for something dramatic to happen. I enjoyed the historical elements of the story that weren’t about the mystery.
God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen is a great historical holiday story!
Thank you Berkley Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
The Last Mrs. Summers (Her Royal Spyness #14) by Rhys Bowen
Love and Death Among the Cheetahs (Her Royal Spyness #13) by Rhys Bowen
Have you read God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen? What did you think of it?
Title: Dial Meow for Murder Author: Bethany Blake Genre: Cozy Mystery Publisher: Kensington Books Source: Silver Dagger Book Tours Release Date: September 26, 2017 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Even an experienced pet sitter like Daphne Templeton can be fooled by animal behavior: how can an adorably tiny fuzz ball named Tinkleston be capable of sudden flying leaps with cat claws bared? But human behavior remains even more mysterious, especially when Tinkleston’s owner is murdered on the night of a gala fundraiser for Fur-ever Friends Pet Rescue.
Accompanied by her unflappable basset hound, Socrates, Daphne plans to take charge of Tinks the Terror and leave the crime-solving to handsome detective Jonathan Black. But while luring the prickly Persian out of hiding, she uncovers clues that might take suspicion off her own mother. Maeve Templeton already has a reputation as a killer—in real estate. How far would she go to bag Sylvan Creek’s most coveted property, the Flynt Mansion?
To expose the truth, Daphne finds herself donning a deranged clown costume on an autumnal adventure that might just be crazy enough to work—if it doesn’t get her killed.
Review:
This is my first cozy mystery, and I loved it. This is a sequel, but everything was recapped and introduced so well, that I didn’t feel like I was missing anything.
The characters were great. There were some very eccentric older characters, and quirky young characters. Many of them were stock characters, but it worked in this story. There was also a hint of romance, but it didn’t overpower the story.
The mystery part of the story was so good. I really had no idea how it was going to end. The Halloween setting also increased the spooky atmosphere. The story kept me guessing till the end, which is what I think makes a good mystery.
I had to laugh at how much of the town was pet-oriented. There were pet stores and petsitters galore in that town! That didn’t seem very realistic but it was entertaining to see the town that was so focused on animals.
I loved this story! After reading this story, I would love to read another cozy mystery.
About the Author:
Bethany Blake lives in a small, quaint town in Pennsylvania with her husband and three daughters. When she’s not writing, cooking for pets and people or riding horses, she’s wrangling a menagerie of furry family members that includes a nervous pit bull, a fearsome feline, a blind goldfish, and an attack cardinal named Robert. Like Daphne Templeton, the heroine of her Lucky Paws Mysteries, Bethany holds a Ph.D. and operates a pet sitting business called Barkley’s Premium Pet Care.
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