Fowl Prey

In Mary Daheim's Fowl Prey, the second installment in the Bed-and-Breakfast Cozy mystery series, this cozy will compel you to keep on reading to the last page. It's a few days before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, when Judith McConigle and her cousin Serena "Renie" Jones head to Canada for a brief respite. When they arrived in the Hotel Clovia, Judith bumped into an old high school friend named Maria. Due to a mix-up with registrations, Maria offered them a room on the fifth floor, due to the cancellation from two guests.  later met the "Elusive Eight" who were all actors at some time and formed an inner circle. That also included Kent "Spud" Forbisher who was Maria's high school sweetheart. During the first day of their stay, they discovered the dead body of Robin "Bob-o" O'Rourke, the popcorn vendor, dead in the elevator shaft. Later his parakeet was found dead too. Between the fog and the RCMP going on strike, it was up to Judith to dig deeper into everyone's lives and Robin's, too, in order to get home for the holidays. And before she knew it, she cracked the case and learned who was the true culprit was and why.


This was another intriguing cozy mystery from Mary Daheim. I cared for Judith and Renie and how they carried on to a new journey since the first book in the series. Thick as thieves, they do crack me up at some times. I also found some of the characters interesting like Spud and Maria, and how they led separate lives. I enjoyed the dual locations of Canada and Seattle with vivid scenic settings to paint the picture of the hotel and the tepid bad weather they had. This would keep you turning the page and guessing from start to finish with a shocking ending that would cinch it all.

Will you be a witness to Fowl Prey today?

Alpine Betrayal

In the second installment of Mary Daheim's Emma Lord cozy series, Alpine Betrayal, Emma Lord returned to solve another crime in her small town of Alpine Washington. When Dani Marsh returned to Alpine to shoot a film, it stirred up a lot of trouble and controversy. When her ex-husband, Cody Graff, ended up dead, it was up to Emma to find out who did it and why, while she maintained contact with Tom Cavanaugh, her son's biological father, to be in touch with her son Adam over in Alaska. The closer to the truth she ended up, the more she uncovered the truth of her father and other secrets came up to light, before this case could be considered closed.

This was another enjoyable Emma Lord cozy. I did care about Emma and her son Adam, and their relationship with Tom. I also liked the people at the newspaper. I didn't like Dani so much, or her mother, too. I did like the small town concept of Alpine, Washington to set the scenery.  This made me think a lot on whodunit and so would you. I liked the way it was wrapped up in the end. Good dramatic action, lots of tension and intrigue for this mystery.

Are you ready for a betrayal in Alpine?  Grab a copy today!

 

Alpine Advocate

If you love a good cozy set in a small town, you'll love Alpine Advocate by Mary Daheim, the first installment in the Emma Lord series.. Set in Alpine Washington, Emma Lord was a single, unmarried mother, who raised her son alone, and now was an editor of a small weekly newsletter, trying to make ends meet.  When her son's friend came to town, things did get complicated, since he was estranged with his family.  There were hidden innuendos, family secrets, and a lot of bitterness between them. When Mark Doukas wounded up getting killed, it stirred up a lot of trouble. Later, when there was another murder, things do get heated up with talk of scandals. When an old murder had been discovered, things did get interested. And before you know it, Emma was over her head and into trouble. This is a great start for a new series.

This was a great introduction to the Emma Lord series. You do get to care about her, since she was a single mother and a newcomer to a new town. We do get to know the town residents and the people she worked up with in small town, Alpine, Washington.  I also cared about Adam, especially since he didn't know his dad and his friend had gotten killed. This would make you second-guess everybody and question everything. Good drama, nice action and plenty of suspense with tons of history all around.

Will you check out Alpine Advocate? Give it a try today!

Just Desserts

In Mary Daheim's Just Desserts, the first installment in the Bed and Breakfast series, Judith McConigle owned a B&B, which had very old history, when the Brodie family came over, due to their home being fumigated. When she accepted them, it changed everything for Judith and her cousin Renie. And when Wanda, the fortune teller came to visit them with a fortune, things  do go bad to worse, when she died. And now everyone was a suspect, when Judith's ex-boyfriend, Joe Flynn, came on the scene, and brought back memories for Judith, a widow with a son from their past. It was up to Judith and Renie to figure out who was the killer in the middle of the snow storm, before they ended up the same way Wanda did. A delightful mystery.

This was an intriguing introduction to the Bed and Breakfast series. I did care about Judith and Renie, when they started their B&B and invited some guests into their building. I also could see how Judy still cared about Joe, too. I love the concept of having a B&B-themed series that included some delicious recipes, too, in another small town. I did feel bad for Wanda and became curious on the Brodie family.  Great drama, good action and suspense, and plenty of mystery to tie it all in.

Ready for your just deserts? If so, give it a read tonight!