Dairy Dairy Quite Contrary

 In this blog post, I reviewed Amy Lillard’s Dairy Dairy Quite Contrary, the first installment in the Sunflower Cafe Amish cozy mystery series. (I finished this book last month.) You’ll be enchanted and intrigued in this debut novel. For Sissy Yoder, she left her hometown of Tulsa to live with her aunt and her cousin Lizzie. In Yoder, Kansas. It was supposed to be a temporary visit, while she helped her cousin at the cafe, until she had gotten caught up in a mystery. Who killed Kevin, the local milkman? And when she was the first one to find him, she became the prime suspect, though she’s new to town? To clear her name, she gathered up clues on Kevin, and learned about his family life, while running into some unwelcomed guests who didn’t want to pry into their business. With help from Gavin, who’s a reporter from the local newspaper, they team up to discover the clues to lead them to the true culprit right under their noses, before it would be too late.

This Amish cozy mystery is quaint and pretty charming. I cared for Sissy who’s learning a bit more of the Amish life, and her cousin Lizzie. I could see Gavin is sweet on Sissy. Though Yoder could’ve been better named (other than from her last name and from other characters), it’s a nice small town with the perfect location and settings for this storyline.  The theme of this story is family comes from different places. 

If you like cozy mysteries with an Amish twist, non-stop drama, plenty of intrigue and lots of red herrings, and sparks of intrigue to leave you in suspense, Dairy Dairy Quite Contrary is the cozy mystery for you. This is recommended for fans who love Amish mysteries, Laura Childs, MC Beaton, and Amanda Flower.

To Dwell in Darkness

 In this blog post, I reviewed Deborah’s Crombieie’s To Dwell in Darkness, the 16th installment in the Duncain Kincaid and Gemma James mystery series. This latest story is dark and twisted as they come. It all started for Duncan Kincaid, when he was transferred to a new unit of officers to work with, on a very disturbing case. When they received the call about an explosion at St. Pancras International, it caused a ruckus and few people were exposed with white phosphorus, while one person ended up burnt to a crisp. It was up to Kincaid to find out who the unlucky victim was, and how the ecoterrorist protests had started there in the first place. For Gemma, it was up to her to find out more about Mercy Johnson’s tragic murder, and how to build a case against her prime suspect, Dillon Underwood. With many twists and turns leading to the conclusion, it would leave you speechless and shocked straight to the end.

This  compelling and gripping mystery is so enriched with drama-filled action and suspense. I cared for Gemma and Duncan’s blended family, and how they cared for each other, and their jobs with most compelling dark-natured cases. I loved the vast locations in the London area with the amazing scenic settings. The theme of the novel is don’t let jealousy leave you down a dark and violent path,

I rated this  amazing mystery four stars, for no reason. If you love heart-stopping mysteries with lots of drama, suspense, red herrings, and action, check out To Dwell in Darkness this summer. This book is recommended for fans of PD James, Jeffrey Deaver, and Michael Connelly’s mysteries.

Broken Ties

  In this blog post, I reviewed Shannon Baker’s Broken Ties, the 5th installment in the Kate Fox mystery series. This mystery keeps you in suspense from the first page to the last. It all started for Kate Fox, a sheriff in Sandhills Nebraska, when she covered for her ex-husband, Ted Conner, who’s a sheriff at another county, when he takes off to go on a fishing retreat. While she dealt with family issues at the heart, Roxy Conner, her ex’s new wife, had dropped off her baby boy at her home, she had disappeared and taken off to parts unknown, and couldn’t deal with being a mother. It’s up to Kate to find her, and to locate her missing niece Carly, who she haven’t seen in over a year. Every clue leads her to her late sister’s cabin in Wyoming when she reunited with Glenn Baxter,  a family fiend and private detective. But when she discovered what’s been going on lately, it brought her closer to danger and the possible truth on why her niece ran away and into hiding. It landed right on her own doorstep with the shocking realization that left aftershocks in her family.
 
This stunning mystery would keep you at the edge of your seat. It would leave you hooked and keeps you guessing.  I cared for Kate who wanted to search for the truth and the answers for those lingering burning questions that were linked to the past. I loved how she remained devoted to Poupon, the family dog, and temporarily cared for Beau.  I also loved how Poupon looked after Beau—sweet tender moments.  The dual locations  of Wyoming and the Sandhills district were mesmerizing and transported you there on the pages. The themes of the story is okay to let go of the past and to move on from there.

This intriguing mystery will give you goosebumps and chills.  I had no issues with this book.  I rated this book, four out of five stars for no reason.  If you love gritty mysteries with non-stop action, plenty of dramatic suspense, and lots of twisted turns, Broken Ties is the book for you. This book is recommended for those who love mysteries set in midwestern states and suspense novels.

Who She Was

 In this blog post, I reviewed Braylee Parkinson's Who She Was, the first installment in the Sylvia Wilcox mysteries series. This captivating mystery debut will keep you guessing right to the end. For Sylvia Wilcox, she's a young widow and a former cop, who received her first mystery case to solve a two-year-old unsolved murder of Liza Stark as a private investigator when her husband Carson Stark asked her to investigate into the mystery behind it. With her brother-in-law Martin working by her side, they delved into her background as a wife and mother and unraveled the threads of her past. Who could've killed her in the poorest neighborhood in Detroit and why? Was it her best friend? Her family and in-laws? Or someone unbeknown to them since the DPD believed it was an affair gone wrong? The deepest they dug closer to the truth, the most suspects they had to believe it could be as they separate the truth between the secrets and the lies. In the end, they pieced the together the puzzle with the biggest surprising twist of them all to receive closure to the case.

 This mystery debut had me on tenterhooks from start to finish, starting with page one. I instantly cared for Sylvia, who mourned her late husband Derek, so young into their marriage. I also liked how she worked well with Martin to help solve the case. The more I've gotten to know about Liza and her sordid past, the more I've felt sorry for her and what she'd gone through in the end before her untimely death in the most cruelest way. This pulled at my heart strings. I loved the scenic settings in Brightmoor and Northville Township, and in Detroit. It also showed how well it depicted how poor and rich both neighborhoods were in Michigan from the slums to a lavish lifestyle for the locations. The theme of the story is how well perceived we think and treat others.

If you love nail-biting mysteries that leave you hooked with non-stop suspense, plenty of gripping drama, and goosebumps to keep you up at night, check out Who She Was for a feel-good read.

Pint of No Return

(Due to unforeseen circumstances last month, I didn't get a chance to post this, though I finished it on 9/16/21. Sorry so late in the posting.)

In this blog post, I reviewed Dana Mentick's Pint of No Return, the first installment in the Ice Cream Shop Culinary cozy mystery series. This would hook you from the first compelling page to the last page in a sitting or two. It all started for Trinidad Jones, when she moved into Upper Sprocket, Oregon, a cozy little town to get away from her slimeball of a husband in more ways than one. She had plans on turning a former pet shop into her own ice cream parlor in the town to start her own small business. But things aren't what they cracked up to be when she ran into one of her ex's ex-wives Juliette in town and friended her. Then she met her business neighbor Kevin and later discovered his dead body when Juliette is the prime suspect. Along the way, she met some new people like Quinn and Doug who became her new friends and helped her clear Juliette's name to discover who the real culprit. Lo and behold, she ran into some obstacles on figuring out whodunit, until things came to a head when her shop and her life was endangered when the least unexpected suspect who killed Kevin was revealed in the end.

This was a charming introduction to this new culinary cozy series.  I loved the idea of having an ice cream shop open up in a small town--Upper Sprocket is an unusual and interesting name.  I cared for Trinidad and her Hispanic culture about being her independent self in Oregon when her family wants her back home in Miami. I do think Quinn is sweet on Trinidad and people would love her ice cream and shakes in her parlor. I liked the small town community of Upper Sprocket and what it had to offer for the location and the scenic settings. The theme of the story is don't be too jealous and getting greedy over one thing.

If you like small town culinary cozies with delicious recipes and heart-stopping action, non-stop drama, plenty of delicious intrigue, and topped with elevated suspense, Pint of No Return is for you.

Blunt Force

  In this blog post, I'm going to talk about my review for  Lynda La Plante's Blunt Force, the 6th installment in the Tennison crime thriller series. This crime thriller would have you at the edge of your seat. It all started for Jane Tennison when she received a call about someone finding a gruesome corpse in West End. She arrived at the scene with her partner DS Gibbs when they interviewed people in the neighborhood. Then she discovered the dead body belonged to Charles Foxley, a prominent agent in the film and modeling industry. As they dug into his background, they learned about his shady childhood, how he worked in the agency, and his relationship with his ex-wife Justine. Literally, everyone hated him and had a potential motive to want to see him dead. While Jane and her squad dug deeper into his past, she also signed up for lessons in a secret Rifle Club and later learned why they needed her for a special operation to take down a corrupt cop before he strikes again. In the end, the shocking truth on who did it and why it had come to a head with a startling revelation that would leave you speechless.

 This crime thriller had me in suspense and kept me intrigued, though it took me a bit longer to read from my TBR pile.  I instantly cared for Jane who only wanted to do things right by tracking down the killer and discovering loose ends and taking care of unfinished business too. She's tough as nails and would stop to nothing to throw no punches to see that complex investigation through. Gibbs was a great partner and friend to her who always had her back.  I loved the West End neighborhood in London for the location and the scenic settings from the crime scene and beyond. The theme is that if you don't do all right by others, they would do the same to you in the end.

If you love nail-biting crime noir thrillers that leave you hooked on every page with non-stop drama, plenty of action and suspense, and lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing, Blunt Force is the one for you. Check it out today!

 

Sworn to Silence

If you love mysteries with a great new twist, you'll enjoy Linda Castillo's Sworn to Silence, the first installment in the Kate Burkholder series. You would meet Chief of Police Kate Burkholder from Painter's Mill, a small Amish town in Ohio. For sixteen years, she kept a deep and dark secret that no one knew about, except her family. And when her town had been targeted by a serial killer, it brought back memories of their troubled time with the possibility of a copycat, making her question if he was dead or alive. Her father and religion had shunned her, the town council was out to get her, while she remained on the case. This mystery had thrown in some thriller elements and a hint of a romance. From Kate's POV, we saw everything from her eyes. We feel her pain and witness her not giving up to stop a serial killer. And before she knew it, it was right under her nose in her own turf. When the BCI sent over Agent John Tomasetti, we also watched things from his view as well. There was a love/hate relationship between him and Kate, when the sparks flew in the midst of a snow storm and serial killer spree. You'll root for Kate and John go after the bad guy, who's an unlikely suspect until the end.

This was an excellent mystery debut for the series. I cared about Kate and on how the Amish community shunned her and treated her as the new sheriff in town. I liked the Painter's Mill for a small Amish town set in Ohio, especially with the backdrop of a cold winter storm. I also liked how she worked well with John and see a possible love connection between them. Great drama, excellent suspense, intrigue, mystery with a hint of romance along the way.

Are you sworn to silence about this great mystery novel? If so, give it a go this weekend!

Stay away from the beaches

In James Patterson's newest thriller, Swimsuit, he introduces a new diabolical serial killer named Henri and a new hero named Ben Hawkins to his collection of characters. From Hawaii to Europe, from start to end, each chapter deals with lots of drama, crime, action for a good mystery, and in some scenes, a bit of gory, if you're not squeamish. This is the fourth book I've read from him. He keeps getting better in my opinion for a quick beach read. Happy reading!

Since it's been awhile I've updated my TBR list, here's where I stand as of now to match my Shelfari shelf. (If you prefer to see what I've read or to be read, let me know. Right now I'm currently reading When Darkness Falls and hope to finish it soon. I'll start reading Watermind and Wrong Place, Wrong Time tomorrow. Up next the book I'm going to read this weekend are Margin of Error, Low Country and Black Hills.