Murder Once Removed by S. C. Perkins - #review #giveaway

S.C. Perkins’ Murder Once Removed is the captivating first mystery in the Ancestry Detective series, in which Texas genealogist Lucy Lancaster uses her skills to solve murders in both the past and present.

Except for a good taco, genealogist Lucy Lancaster loves nothing more than tracking down her clients’ long-dead ancestors, and her job has never been so exciting as when she discovers a daguerreotype photograph and a journal proving Austin, Texas, billionaire Gus Halloran’s great-great-grandfather was murdered back in 1849. What’s more, Lucy is able to tell Gus who was responsible for his ancestor’s death.

Partly, at least. Using clues from the journal, Lucy narrows the suspects down to two nineteenth-century Texans, one of whom is the ancestor of present-day U.S. senator Daniel Applewhite. But when Gus publicly outs the senator as the descendant of a murderer—with the accidental help of Lucy herself—and her former co-worker is murdered protecting the daguerreotype, Lucy will find that shaking the branches of some family trees proves them to be more twisted and dangerous than she ever thought possible.

GoodReads * IndieBound * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-a-Million

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MY REVIEW

I was bitten by the genealogy bug a long, long time ago.  My father took his brother-in-law to one of the world's largest repository of records, that was at the time in the basement of an office tower.  They had a life-size (well, about the size as a large poster board), copy of my mother's family 'Stammbaum", the original being in the museum in her home town of  Davos.

When I saw Murder Once Removed, come up for review, I jumped at the chance to dive into this book.  And let me tell you, the water is f.i.n.e.  The dialog is witty, the characters are solid and the genealogy tips are on the money.

I guess I have one little bone to pick with Lucy...that of telling Gus the two folks who might have killed his great-grandfather back in the day.  Because Texas billionaires (Gus) and Texas politicians (Daniel) are a breed apart.  Maybe Lucy was trying to give Gus some closure, after having revealed the murder of one of his ancestors.  But Gus chose to out the Senator publicly as the 'son of a murderer'.  Even if Daniel's ancestor turns out to be the one who committed the murder of Gus's ancestor ... who is going to hold someone who hadn't been born yet responsible?  Well ... Gus, that's who.

The book was so enjoyable I had to cook supper one night with one hand, because I wanted to keep reading!

Last but not least, I may have to rename one of our cats.

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MEET THE AUTHOR

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S.C. Perkins is a fifth-generation Texan who grew up hearing fascinating stories of her ancestry and eating lots of great Tex-Mex, both of which inspired the plot of her debut mystery novel. Murder Once Removed was the winner of the 2017 Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery competition. She resides in Houston and, when she’s not writing or working at her day job, she’s likely outside in the sun, on the beach, or riding horses.

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GIVEAWAY

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Click on the above banner to go to the tour site, where you will find other reviews of Murder Once Removed, as well as guest posts and author interviews!

(Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from the author and publishers via Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, in exchange for my honest review.)

The Scent of Waikiki by Terry Ambrose - #review #giveaway

Honolulu landlord Wilson McKenna can smell a scam from across the room. So when one of his tenants loses everything in a work-at-home scam involving a new perfume, he’s shocked. With his wedding just weeks away, McKenna has to make a tough decision. Does he evict a woman who’s down on her luck? Or take time out from wedding planning to help his tenant?

Murder in the Cards by Paige Sleuth - #review #giveaway

Tiffany Swanson is finally living the dream when she quits her stressful job to become a poker pro. Except her dream job doesn’t turn out to be so perfect when she picks up the troubling vision of a murdered man from one of her opponents. Even more disturbing, Tiffany didn’t know she was telepathic.

Murder Made to Order by Lena Gregory - #review #giveaway

To save her cozy Florida diner, Gia Morelli must choke down a heaping helping of murder . . .

Poison by Punctuation by Kelly Kaye - #review #giveaway

High school teacher Emma Lovett is finally recovering from her first year of teaching when she discovers another dead body. As if that wasn’t bad enough, this time, someone has killed a student, Kisten Hollis.

Murder Gone Missing by Lisa Sideris - #review

Newly minted lawyer Corrie Locke has taken a vow of abstinence. From PI work, that is. Until her best friend Michael finds his bully of a boss stabbed in the back after confronting him earlier that day. Michael panics, accidentally tampering with the crime scene…which could lead the cops to Michael instead of the real culprit. He turns to Corrie to track down the killer. She doesn’t need much coaxing. Her late great PI dad taught her the ropes…and left her his cache of illegal weaponry.

They return to the scene of the crime, but the body’s missing. Racing against time, Corrie dredges a prestigious Los Angeles college in pursuit of clues. All she finds are false leads. Armed with attitude and romantic feelings toward Michael, Corrie dives into a school of suspects to find the slippery fugitive. Will she clear Michael’s name before he’s arrested for murder?

GoodReads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble

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MY REVIEW

What do new lawyers, missing bodies and a pig pen in a pet sanctuary have in common?  Corrie's latest PI case in "Murder Gone Missing" by Lisa Sideris - that's what!

I think investigation must be like catnip for cozy heroines.  Corrie even became a lawyer to make a change, but can't resist being drawn back into the whodunit fold.  Of course, her friend Michael's unwitting visit to the crime scene, possible motive for killing the victim (his boss) and leaving evidence that points to him being the culprit could have something to do with Corrie's decision.

And finally, someone whose life is more crazy than mine! *LOL*

The craziness in "Missing" reminds me somewhat of the style of frenetic energy in Frank Capra's "Arsenic and Old Lace", which I also adored.  The exposition, action and dialog are witty - I do so love authors who like to play with their words!

I don't want to go into too much detail about the story, because that would deny you the fun of discovering 'whodunit' for yourself in this absolutely delightful book and series!

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MEET THE AUTHOR

Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter

Lida Sideris is an author, lawyer and all around book enthusiast. She was one of two national recipients of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America scholarship for her first novel, MURDER AND OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS. MURDER GONE MISSING is the second book in the Corrie Locke series. Like her heroine, Lida worked as an entertainment attorney in a movie studio. Unlike her heroine, she keeps her distance from homicides. To learn more about Lida, please visit her website: www.LidaSideris.com.

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Click on the banner above to go to the tour page, where you will find links to more reviews of this title, and also some guest posts, author interviews, and GIVEAWAYS!  You can also find out how to BECOME A BLOG HOST FOR FUTURE BOOK TOURS while you are there!

(Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from the author and publishers via Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.)

The Spook in the Stacks - by Eva Gates - #review #giveaway

Halloween in North Carolina’s Outer Banks becomes seriously tricky when librarian Lucy Richardson stumbles across something extra unusual in the rare books section: a dead body.

Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle - #review #giveaway

A new smartphone dating game turns the Village Blend into a hookup hot spot, until one dark night, when a gunshot leaves a dead body behind and the landmark coffeehouse becomes the center of a whole new scene–a crime scene.

Nun After the Other by Alice Loweecy - #review #giveaway

Nuns and murder and ghosts, oh my! Here comes Giulia Driscoll again, and boy, is she in for it this time.

It starts when a frenzied Chihuahua leads Giulia and Frank Driscoll to the body of a nun in the street near a convent. The nuns fear they’re being harassed by the biggest developer in town and quickly embrace Giulia as their savior.

Farewell, My Cuckoo by Marty Wingate - #review

Julia Lanchester must defend her love nest from an invasive species: her boyfriend’s sister. And then there’s the little matter of murder . . .

Killer Tied by Lesley A. Diehl - #review

Eve Appel Egret is adjusting to married life with Sammy and their three adopted sons in Sabal Bay, Florida. While still running her consignment stores, she is going pro with her sleuthing by becoming an apprentice to a private detective.

Until her marriage, Eve’s only “family” was her grandmother Grandy, who raised her after her parents died in a boating accident. Now, in addition to her husband and sons, she has a father-in-law who clearly dislikes her. Sammy’s father, a full-blooded Miccosukee Indian long presumed dead, has emerged from the swamps where he’s been living like a hermit, and he isn’t happy about Eve’s marriage to his half-Miccosukee, half-white son.

The Uninvited Corpse by Debra Sennefelder - #review

Leaving behind a failed career as a magazine editor and an embarrassing stint on a reality baking show, newly divorced lifestyle entrepreneur Hope Early thought things were finally on the upswing—until she comes face-to-face with a murderer . . .

Playing With Bonbon Fire by Dorothy St James - #review #giveaway

Chocoholic Charity Penn must smoke out the killer to stop her newly inherited beachside chocolate shop from going up in flames in Dorothy St. James’ decadent follow-up to Asking for Truffle.

Lethal in Old Lace by Duffy Brown - #review

Reagan Summerside returns in national bestselling author Duffy Brown’s fifth Consignment Shop mystery, now for the first time in hardcover.

There are two social functions in Savannah guaranteed to get people talking: weddings and funerals. And just as consignment shop owner Reagan Summerside agrees to marry the hunky Walker Boone, her neighbors, sisters Annie Fritz and Elsie Abbot, step up their business as professional mourners. They are so successful that the Sleepy Pines Retirement Center has hired them as a part of their retirement package. But the celebration over good business is cut short when the residents at Pines suddenly begin dying at an alarming rate. And the sisters are the first suspects.

Six Feet Under by Tonya Kappes - #review

Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth. And let me tell you, this broth is in trouble. Get ready for a Southern showdown.

The residents of Cottonwood, Kentucky are sent into a tizzy when the Culinary Channel comes to town to film an episode of Southern Home Cookin’ with celebrity chef Frank Von Lee.

Plum Tea Crazy by Laura Childs - #review #giveaway

Theodosia Browning investigates a Charleston steeped in tradition and treachery in the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.

While viewing the harbor’s Gaslights and Galleons Parade from the widow’s walk of Timothy Neville’s Charleston mansion, local banker Carson Lanier seemingly tumbles over a narrow railing, then plunges three stories to his death. But a tragic accident becomes something much more sinister when it’s discovered that the victim was first shot with a bolt from a crossbow.

At the request of the mansion owner, Theodosia investigates the tragedy and is soon neck deep in suspects. An almost ex-wife, a coworker, a real estate partner–all had motives for killing the luckless banker, but one resorted to murder to settle accounts.

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!

GoodReads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Google Play

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MY REVIEW

Before I get into the meat and taters of the book review, can someone please talk about how gorgeous this cover is?  When I opened the package, I think it actually took my breath away for a second or two!  I'm more of a smoky back room, family-run coffee bar kind of gal, but if I got to sit at a table that awesome, I could put on my "Sunday best" and learn to hold out my pinky!

And I'm just about in love with the tea shop and its staff.  They provide a level of product and service that is sadly lacking in the world today.  (Ask me about my ignored at Nordstrom's story sometime.)  I can definitely see myself as one of the regulars, or going there as my go-to reward for goal achieved!

Theodosia (such a great name), her partner, and the chef make a superb team - in the tea shop or when 'unofficially' investigating local crime.  And the first chapters present us with a doozy - a man is on the roof of a mansion, is shot by a crossbow arrow, falls over the rail, sails down a couple parts of the roof and finally is impaled through the neck on one of those pointy metal fences.

Me?  I'd probably be losing my lunch right there.  But Theo notices an open window in the B&B next door and takes off running after a possible suspect, followed closely by her business partner.  There is an exciting chase through the three stories of that business, which ends with Theo running into the investigating detective.  Normally, that would be her beau, but he is taken off the case because of their relationship.  But like a good cozy heroine's main squeeze, he no more stops investigating any more than Theo does.

There are actually a number feisty females in Plum Tea Crazy.  And anyone who thinks Southern belles have class but not a lot of fire, needs to read the scene where two of them throw down in the middle of a posh fashion show.  To paraphrase  W. Shakespeare, I would be "half stunned, half cringing and half *ahem* LMAO".

There are nearly as many Tea Shop Mysteries (19 - yes, you read that right - nineteen) as there are years in my marriage.  Maybe if I start 'hinting' now, more books from the series (and yes, I have a 'stretch yen' - for the entire set) for my 21st wedding anniversary in May! :D

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MEET THE AUTHOR

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Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

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GIVEAWAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Click on the banner above to go to the tour page where you will find links to more reviews of this title, as well as interviews, guest posts and spotlights!  You can also find out how to BECOME A BLOG HOST FOR FUTURE BOOK TOURS while you are there!

(Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from the author and publishers via Great Escapes Virtual Book tours in exchange for my honest review.)

Witch Way to Mintwood by Addison Creek - #review #giveaway

House falling down? Check. Pet sitting job with annoying clients? Check. Ability to speak to ghosts, which has the unfortunate side effect of having to listen to what they say back? Double check! Hot high school crush still in town being all successful and stuff while you protest his building projects? All kinds of checks! Did anyone say Witch of Mintwood? Yup! Just add murder and this will be a week to remember!

GoodReads  *  Amazon

Books in this series:

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MY REVIEW

Most cozy mysteries have the heroine (nearly all are female); many cozies have the heroine realizing a life-long entrepreneurial passion; a few cozies have reluctant MC's returning to a family business they fled to 'find themselves'.  Such is the case in Witch Way to Mintwood.  (On an interesting but not-really-related note, this was the first book I had read before it came up for a tour!)

The current (and newest) Witch of Mintwood had taken the job over when her grandmother had passed away, suddenly and somewhat suspiciously.  She was learning the ropes and trying not to compare her skills to that of her grandmother ... and wishing the townfolk would stop as well.

And she's not the only one who has returned.  Her highschool crush has returned.  And she is once again at odds with her high school rival, and all around mean girl.  That Gracie Coswell was and is a real piece of work.  Gracie made going after the crush her new pet project (as in thorn in the witch's side).  And she plays DIRTY - in great big letters with a brown and muddy-drippy letters

Gracie winds up getting the witch in trouble with many of the other supernatural and/or non-human denizens of Mintwood, adding more to her enjoyment of the situation and the witch's dismay.  Most of these other species go back and forth on whether or not they like/support the witch, who apparently acts as a sort of local LEO - hence she is called in when a dead body is discovered in a local hotel.  The descriptions of the zombie bartender were hilarious!

I got very definite visuals of the characters and settings while reading, which is something that adds to my reading enjoyment immensely.  The character of the witch grows over the course of the novel, becoming more competant and confident as time goes on.  

And just when you think things are resolved, gift-wrapped with a nice big bow, there is one last switcheroo that changes the situation entirely.  So it's very good this is a series.  Will she get the guy?  Or will Gracie win?  Only the author (well, and other people who have read the whole series may) know(s) for sure.  But one day I will know too, because I just added at least seven more books (all with the word witch on the cover, not-so-concidentally) to my TBR.

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MEET THE AUTHOR

Reading, writing, dark chocolate, and cheese.

 Hello! I’m the author of the Witch Way to Mintwood series and the Spooky Business series! I live in New England and love it. I survive the winter by layering, good-natured complaining, and more layering. In case you were wondering. Hearing from readers is always lovely, so come visit me here me on my blog or Facebook. 

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Click on the banner above to go to the tour site, where you will find links to more reviews of this title as well as interviews and guest posts.  You can also find out how to BECOME A BLOG HOST FOR FUTURE BOOK TOURS while you are there!

(Disclosure:  I received this book through the BookBub free-and-low-cost ebook daily newsletter in May of 2017.  There was no obligation to do a review, and the opinions are my own.)

Southern Discomfort by Caroline Fardig - #review #giveaway

Southern hospitality meets deadly deception in the start of a charming new mystery series from the USA Today bestselling author of the Java Jive novels.

Quinn Bellandini loves her life in Savannah, Georgia, where she runs her grandfather’s B&B with her sister, Delilah. From baking fresh scones and serving up grits every morning to ensuring the guests see the best of their historic city, Quinn can’t imagine doing anything else—even if it means dealing with nuisances like the occasional malfunctioning commode. But when Quinn drops by the local restaurant owned by her friend Drew Green, and stumbles upon a murder, her whole world comes crashing down.

39 Winks by Kathleen Valenti - #coverreveal

39 Winks

Former pharmaceutical researcher Maggie O’Malley is losing sleep. Her boyfriend Constantine’s aunt is a multitasking sleepwalker who prepares meals, folds laundry and, one winter night, stumbles across her husband with his throat slit.

It’s a rude and gruesome awakening that’s upsetting to Aunt Polly.

And interesting to the police.  Maggie and Constantine work to uncover who killed the cosmetic surgery mogul and why. As they dig into the lives of those who knew him best, they discover that doctoring perception has deadly side effects.

A gripping page-turner with more twists than a surgeon’s suture, 39 Winks is a tale of lies, betrayals, and greed that will keep you up at night—and looking over your shoulder.

 

Ready…..

                             

Set…..

                             

Reveal!!

                             

39 Winks by Kathleen Valenti is coming May 22 from Henery Press!

You can pre-order your copy this week!!

Kathleen's Amazon Author Page

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

When Kathleen Valenti isn’t writing page-turning mysteries that combine humor and suspense, she works as a nationally award-winning advertising copywriter. 39 Winks is the second of the Maggie O’Malley mystery series and follows her Agatha- and Lefty-nominated debut mystery, Protocol. Kathleen lives in Oregon with her family where she pretends to enjoy running.

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Learn more at www.kathleenvalenti.com.