cozy mystery

Review: Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas (Murder, She Wrote #59) by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran

~ megs14malloy

A Killer ChristmasA Killer Christmas by Jessica Fletcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

I’m rounding up for nostalgia, but either way, this was still an enjoyable Cozy Mystery. It’s set in Cabot Cove in the festive days leading up to Christmas.

While A Killer Christmas didn’t contain the most compelling mystery for me, taking over half the book to get to our murder, I still had fun sitting front row to all the town drama. You know I’m always down for that!

This is the 59th-installment of my all-time favorite Cozy Mystery series. I cherish my time with Jessica Fletcher; always have, always will. If I’m counting correctly, this is the 48th-book that I have read in this series.

In case you are new to the Murder, She Wrote books, these can be read in any order and can really be divided into two types: the Cabot Cove mysteries, which are set in Jessica’s hometown and involve a recurring cast of local characters, and the ones that are set around the world during the course of Jessica’s travels as a best-selling mystery author.

It would be difficult for me to select my favorite type. I think I prefer the travel ones, because I like to go along with Jess to the various places, however, there is something to be said about the comfort of returning to Cabot Cove.

In this one, as Christmas approaches, the entire town is getting into the holiday spirit. In fact, for the first time, the town is competing in a state-sponsored competition to be voted the Christmas Town of Maine.

With cash for the town’s non-profits and local businesses on the line, the locals are ready to put on the most festive holiday events that the town has ever seen.

In the midst of all this, local realtor and friend of Jessica, Eve Simpson has a marlin on the line, by way of Boston-based businessman, John Bragdon, who is hoping to buy the old Jarvis homestead. Eve is in a tizzy trying to impress Bragdon and see the sale through.

Eve organizes a dinner where Bragdon and his wife will be able to rub elbows with the who’s-who of Cabot Cove. Of course, as one of the most successful authors currently in the Mystery biz, Jessica secures an invite.

Although she’s not crazy about the idea, Jessica does agree to help Eve. A few of her other friends will be there too, so it can’t be all bad.

Dinner is going well, when the party is suddenly interrupted by the long-missing, and assumed dead, Kenny Jarvis. He heard his sister was putting their family home on the market and has returned to stake his claim. He announces that the Bradgons will never live in his house.

When Rose Marie Bragdon, John’s wife, dies unexpectedly days later, Kenny is quickly the number one suspect.

He was witnessed by many threatening her, but Jessica isn’t so sure it’s as simple as all of that. Doing what she does best, Jessica digs in, determined to find out the truth about what happened to Rose Marie.

As mentioned above, this mystery wasn’t super compelling for me, but everything else going on in the town certainly made up for it, IMO.

The realtor, Eve, a recurring character, always drives me a little batty. She’s abrasive, frequently steam-rolling over those around her. It’s just her personality. Jessica puts up with her in good grace, and I always feel schooled in the patience department.

Why she is even friends with this woman, I will never know.

Eve needed this sale. She reeked of desperation and was willing to do anything to get the Jarvis property sold. Bless Jessica and the others for being willing to help her out.

More than the sale though, the Christmas competition was providing quite a bit of tension in town as well. People were divided on where the winnings should go, if they were actually to win, and the planning of the events themselves got stressful.

Overall though, I did love the holiday vibes pouring from the pages. And all this stuff that I’m talking about, the stress, the tension, it did succeed in pulling me in. It made me invested. I love these characters and this town. I mean, at this point, even I feel like a local, so I was into it. It made me ready to start my own Christmas planning.

Terrie Farley Moran has done a great job with her contributions to this series. This is her 6th, I believe. I’ve read them all and I have really enjoyed them all.

I love how she has kept the original tone of the series, and she for sure has Jessica’s character and mannerisms down. I love this series with my whole heart. I will never, ever stop reading them. If you are looking for a Cozy Mystery series, a true Cozy, I can’t recommend this one highly enough.

I know for me there is a level of nostalgia that others may not have, but even without that nostalgia, I think these are still highly enjoyable mysteries.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I always look forward to the latest Murder, She Wrote. Please keep them coming!

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Review: Murder in the Scottish Highlands (An Ally McKinley Mystery #1) by Dee MacDonald

~ megs14malloy

Murder in the Scottish Highlands (An Ally McKinley Mystery #1)Murder in the Scottish Highlands by Dee MacDonald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up **

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Murder in the Scottish Highlands is the 1st-book in the all-new Ally McKinley Mystery series.

This series is set in the, you guessed it, Scottish Highlands, and follows recently retired, Ally McKinley, who fell in love with the small village of Locharran while on holiday. Shortly thereafter, she purchased the dilapidated old malthouse to transform it into a B&B.

After an extensive renovation, the B&B has now opened and Ally is slowly adjusting to life in Locharran. It’s quite a change of pace for her in comparison to bustling-Edinburgh.

Her new life is up-ended though when her first paying customer, an American tourist, Wilbur Carrington, is found dead with a dagger in his back in the Malthouse courtyard.

Murder is not good for business. Ally needs to get this mystery cleared up and quickly if she has any hope of actually making the Malthouse B&B a success.

The local police seem baffled, so Ally decides to take matters into her own hands. As a retired television researcher, Ally is used to digging deep to get answers. She doesn’t plan to stop until she figures out the truth behind Carrington’s murder.

This was so cute. IMO, a great start to a new Cozy Mystery series. I loved how quickly MacDonald kicked it off, delivering us a body in the 1st-Chapter, which was great as it left so much time for solving the mystery.

I also really enjoyed Ally as a main character. She’s smart and resourceful. Additionally, I found her reasons for being there and her motivations behind the B&B understandable.

The setting, as well, was really fun. I felt like MacDonald succeeded in bringing all the small village vibes. Even the landscapes were described beautifully. I had no issues picturing where we were and I was loving every minute of it.

It was occasionally wonky in places, but overall, it kept me smiling and engaged throughout.

I feel like, as with many Cozy Mystery series, I will enjoy each consecutive book more and more as I become attached to this quirky cast of characters. There’s a lot of room for this series to grow. I’m looking forward to it!

Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I love getting in on a Cozy Mystery series early, and I def plan to stick with this one!

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Review: The Perfect Cornish Murder (Nosey Parker Mysteries #3) by Fiona Leitch

~ megs14malloy

The Perfect Cornish Murder (The Nosey Parker Mysteries #3)The Perfect Cornish Murder by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Perfect Cornish Murder is the 3rd-book in Fiona Leitch’s Nosey Parker Mystery series. I love this series so much.

I read them a little out of order, so even though this is number 3 out of 7, it was actually the last one I had left to read, which makes me sad.

If you are unfamiliar with these books, let me give you a brief breakdown and perhaps inspire you to give them a go.

This is an Adult Cozy Mystery series that follows Jodie Parker, who resigned from the Metropolitan Police Force in London after a close call. She then returned to her native village of Penstowan in Cornwall, with her teen daughter, Daisy, and their Pomeranian, Germaine.

Jodie is now pursuing her love of cooking and has created her own catering company, which is starting to gain some traction in the local area.

Old habits die hard though, so any time a crime occurs in Jodie’s proximity, she’s gonna look into it. This has brought her into contact with charming DCI, Nathan Withers. This is one connection she’s hoping will continue to grow just as much as her catering business.

In this installment, a film crew has come to Penstowan and many regulars are getting involved in the process as extras, including Jodie’s daughter, Mom and best friend, Tony.

Even Jodie begrudgingly participates, swept up in all the hubbub. She’s hates her assigned costume and finds the set rather boring, but when things start going wrong, including the injury of their caterer, Jodie takes over that role and starts to feel much more in her element.

As more and more mysterious incidents occur on set, they delay filming, and rumors of a curse start to circulate. It’s not until someone ends up dead though, that Jodie actually begins to believe that may be true.

DCI Withers, never far away, arrives to investigate, but it’s Jodie’s work behind that scenes that could ultimately end up cracking the case.

Yet again I was absolutely swept up in this mystery and the drama of Penstowan. I have come to love this cast of characters so much over the course of these 7-books. I’m honestly hoping it never ends.

Every time I crack a new one, I can’t wait to see what sort of hi-jinks Jodie and friends and are going to get up to next. She’s such a good Mum and daughter. The relationship dynamics in these stories are one of my favorite elements.

This one was really fun too because of the whole idea of a film crew invading this small town, and all the high level people that were bandying about way outside their natural environments.

The mystery was well plotted and did succeed in keeping me on my toes. I definitely had theories, but it was fun watching all the pieces slot into place.

I also loved getting more with Jodie and Nathan. They were fairly new to each other at this point, so it was fun for me to get to go back and sort of relive how it all began.

If you love Cozy Mysteries, particularly those set in a village, or small town, that have humorous characters and happy vibes, you should definitely check this series out. It’s heart-warming, amusing and a great escape from reality.

I haven’t heard an announcement for an 8th-book yet, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this series continues for many years to come.

I will happily read each and every one!

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Review: Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop (Halloween Bookshop Mystery #1) by Emmeline Duncan

~ megs14malloy

Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop (A Halloween Bookshop Mystery Book 1)Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop by Emmeline Duncan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop is a Cozy Mystery set in a Halloween-themed town, Elyan Hollow, Oregon.

Yes, you read that right, Halloween-themed town. We’re talking 365-Halloween. Sounds like my life, actually.

.

In this story we are following Bailey, the owner of Lazy Bones Bookshop, who has recently organized Elyan Hollow’s first ever Literary Festival. She’s anxious for it to be a hit and has a good line-up of authors at the ready, including a hometown boy, Rex, who is now a popular Horror author.

Coinciding with the Festival, the crew of a ghost-hunting television show, Gone Ghouls, has come to Elyan Hollow and they want to use her shop as one of their filming locations.

After which, chaos ensues…

Just as she thinks things couldn’t get more out of hand, Bailey and her best friend, Colby, discover a dead body in the local hay bale maze. They’re quiet moment of relaxation exploring the maze is over before it ever truly began.

It’s clear the individual died by nefarious means, and unfortunately, Bailey then finds herself as the main suspect.

Bailey, along with her friends, must then try to find out the truth if they want to clear Bailey’s name. She knows she had nothing to do with the murder, but that means the killer is still out there, on the streets of Elyan Hollow and no one will be safe until they’re caught.

I thought this was really cute. I loved the small town setting and how everything felt Halloween-inspired. The names of the businesses, the foods and drinks served, as well as the way the whole town leaned into that vibe, it was fantastic.

The mystery was a little slow to kick off, but I did enjoy getting to know Bailey and what her life was like in Elyan Hollow. Her fabulous canine companion, a Great Pyrenees named Jack, was the icing on the cake of this one for me.

We love a doggo playing a large role in a Cozy story!

Once the dead body appeared, I was hooked. I wanted to know what had happened. I could see some motives, but who would have had the will to do it? Everyone seemed so nice!

I did enjoy following along as Bailey tried to figure it all out. I could have used a bit more substance in that area, but overall, I do feel like it had a fun mystery and that this is a great start to a series.

I feel like this was such a comforting read as well. It def pandered to my tastes and I’ve already recommended it to a few friends. It’s like a love letter to those of us who carry Halloween in our hearts all year round.

In addition to the aspects mentioned above, there’s also a bit involving Bailey’s family and her position within it. That part of the story def tugged at my heartstrings.

Bailey’s relationship with her mother is basically non-existent, for which there are many different reasons. I did really feel for Bailey in the moments that explored that and I appreciated the author including that in the story.

I am hoping as the series continues that we do get to see that whole aspect expanded on some more. I guess this would be a good time to say, if there are more books, I will absolutely be picking them up. I truly hope there are.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Kensington Cozies, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Duncan delivered exactly what I anticipated with this one.

I would recommend this for any Reader who loves Cozy Mysteries, bookshop-based stories, knitting, adorable dogs, and/or Halloween!

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An Unfinished Murder (Medlar Mystery #5) by Jude Deveraux

~ megs14malloy

An Unfinished MurderAn Unfinished Murder by Jude Deveraux
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

An Unfinished Murder is the 5th-book in the Medlar Mystery series by veteran author, Jude Deveraux.

This is the 2nd-book I’ve read from this series, the other being A Forgotten Murder, the 3rd-book in the series. I enjoyed it a lot and hope to eventually get to them all.

This series follows Romance novelist, Sara Medlar, who along with her niece, Kate, and their friend, Jack, tend to solve a lot of mysteries.

Like many other amateur sleuths before them, this trio seems to be at the right place, at the right time, when it comes to mysteries, particularly murder mysteries.

At this point, the trio has built up quite a bit of a reputation for themselves due to their superior sleuthing skills. Now known as the Medlar Three, in their small town of Lachlan, Florida, there’s no case they’re afraid to tackle.

This latest mystery arises after Kate, a real estate agent, is given a listing for the storied Lachlan House, a local property with a dark past. Alarm bells may ring, but it’s a substantial listing, one she has no intention of turning down.

Their first time visiting the property, the trio make a stark discovery, an actual skeleton in the closet. This one dressed in a rotting tuxedo. It’s this shocking moment that causes Kate to realize, she did spend some time there as a child.

This skeleton seems to have connections to her father, and it makes Kate wonder if the childhood she can’t remember may be one she’d rather not anyway.

As Sara, Kate and Jack dive deeper into the skeleton’s history, they discover it was a man who was last seen attending a lavish party at the Lachlan House in the 90s. Apparently, he had many enemies and most of them were in attendance that very night.

With multiple motives and a suspect list as long as the party’s guest list, the Medlar Three are determined to find the culprit and put an end to this decades long mystery.

I listened to this one on audio recently while embarking on a solo road trip. It was a great way to pass the hours and kept me fully-entertained while tackling Boston traffic.

I found it to be a little convoluted at times, with all the characters involved, some were hard to keep straight, but it could have just been my frazzled vacation brain.

I liked how the Medlar Three were pulled into the mystery at Lachlan House. It made sense to me how urgently they would want to solve it.

I also found their method, sort of recreating that decades ago lavish party, to be such a fun idea. The cast eventually assembled was vast and quite interesting. The culprit really could have been any of them.

Deveraux embraces the classic Cozy Mystery format that I tend to be drawn to and find to be so comforting. This type of book with keep you engaged, and on your toes, without requiring every single brain cell in your head.

This has inspired me to hunt down the rest of these books, because I do love this trio: Sara, Kate and Jack. I need more cases to solve with them.

As with many Adult Cozy Mystery series, these don’t necessarily need to be read in publication order. Clearly, I’m not reading them that way and I’ve never felt lost, or like I wish I had more information.

From the synopsis, this could be the final intended book in this series, which makes me sad, but on the bright side, I still have three more to go, which I’m excited for.

I’d recommend this to any Cozy Mystery fan, particularly if you enjoy friends, or family, solving mysteries together.

Thank you to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m stoked to wrap-up the rest of the published books in this series!

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Review: The Cornish Campsite Murder (Nosey Parker #7) by Fiona Leitch

~ megs14malloy

The Cornish Campsite Murder (The Nosey Parker Mysteries, #7)The Cornish Campsite Murder by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

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My new favorite of one of my go-to Cozy Mystery series. This was so much fun. At this point, this cast of characters feels like a part of my friend group. I adore them all.

These books follow Jodie Parker, who resigned from the Metropolitan Police in London after a close call and returned to her native village of Penstowan, in Cornwall, with her teen daughter, Daisy, and their Pomeranian, Germaine.

Jodie opened her own catering company, but old habits are hard to break. She’s ended up helping the local police with a few challenging cases. In fact, she’s now in a relationship with the handsome DCI, Nathan Winters.

In this installment, Jodie agrees to help a friend by taking his catering van, Pie Hard, for a weekend at a local music festival. The friend makes a killing that weekend, but this particular year he can’t make the event, so Jodie offers to run the van for him.

Nathan takes time off work to join her, and Daisy had already want to go for the weekend with some girlfriends. Then, you know, Jodie’s Mom will want to go too, so she rents a posh yurt on site with one of her friends.

The mystery involves a once famous singer being found dead on the beach on the second day of the festival. Jodie had actually witnessed him getting into an argument with some of his former bandmates the night before.

Could one of them be responsible for his death?

Even though he is on vacation, Nathan of course begins to loosely oversee the investigation. And surely, Jodie isn’t going to keep her nose out of it.

This is a classic whodunit-style of Cozy and I had so much fun with it. I love stories featuring musicians, and this one, set at a music festival, was perfectly catered ((pun-intended)) to my tastes.

I can’t recommend this series enough to other Cozy Mystery Readers. Particularly, if you enjoy stories with a fun family dynamic, or small town setting.

I truly adore this cast of characters. Jodie’s family, her Mom and daughter, and even little floof-ball, Germaine, bring so much humor and light-heartedness to these stories. It’s an absolute joy to read. Also, it has just the right amount of humor for my tastes.

It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s still incredibly well-written, paced and plotted. Fiona Leitch is a gem. I am really hoping for more in this series.

Thank you so much to the publisher, One More Chapter, for providing me a copy to read and review. I can’t wait to hear if there will be more books coming!

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Review: The Queen of Poisons (The Marlow Murder Club #3) by Robert Thorogood

~ megs14malloy

The Queen of Poisons (The Marlow Murder Club, #3)The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up **

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The Queen of Poisons is the 3rd-installment in The Marlow Murder Club Cozy Mystery series. I really enjoyed the first 2-books and have been anticipating this one.

This series follows Judith Potts, a septuagenarian crossword setter, and her two best friends, Suzie and Becks, as they nose around their community of Marlow solving mysteries.

This particular story is set amongst the world of local politics, as the Mayor of Marlow, George Lushington, died mysteriously during a town council meeting.

After traces of the poison, aconite, are found in his coffee cup, it’s clear to all that Mayor Lushington was killed on purpose. Known for a track history of barging in to solve crimes, the police preemptively bring in Judith, Suzie and Becks, from the start as civilian advisors.

The women are allowed to interview suspects and search for clues to their hearts’ content. The ladies are excited for their role and dig in with great gusto.

This is going to be a tough case to crack though, but aren’t they all? Who could have gotten the poison into the mayor’s coffee, and for that matter, who could have gotten a hold of the poison in the first place?

This is such a cute Cozy series. I do love this friend group and the dynamics amongst them. IMO, this was a bit of an odd whodonit, like some of the details at the reveal just seemed strange to me, but nevertheless, I enjoyed it a lot.

I’m in for the long haul with this series, and am def hoping for more books. I’ll admit, my mind wasn’t 100% on task with this one, since I’m traveling.

With this being said, I still found this engaging and fun. I would recommend this series to all Cozy Mystery fans, in particular if you enjoy friendship groups solving mysteries together, or elderly amateur sleuths.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press and Recorded Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’ll be waiting for more Marlow Murder Club!!!

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Review: Dead Tired (The Expectant Detectives #2) by Kat Ailes

~ megs14malloy

Dead Tired (The Expectant Detectives, #2)Dead Tired by Kat Ailes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

πŸ’šπŸ’—πŸ’šπŸ’—πŸ’šπŸ’—πŸ’šπŸ’—πŸ’šπŸ’—πŸ’šπŸ’—πŸ’šπŸ’—πŸ’š

Dead Tired is the 2nd-installment to the Cozy Mystery series, The Expectant Detectives. I had a lot of fun with the 1st-book and have been anticipating this release ever since.

The main character, and our narrator, is Alice, a new Mom, who lives with her boyfriend, baby, and high-spirited dog, Helen, in the quaint country village of Penton.

In the 1st-book, the couple had recently moved to Penton after discovering they were pregnant, and Alice ended up meeting the other characters, her now best friends, in a prenatal class. That’s where they solved their first murder.

As this story begins, it’s been a year and the women are closer now than ever. It’s on one of their regular picnics with the babies that they first encounter Rowan and Layla, eco-protesters, who are buck-naked at their first meeting.

In an awkward conversation, Rowan and Layla mention that they are prepping for a photo shoot to help bring awareness to a wind farm that will soon be overtaking this lush and vibrant natural countryside.

Alice and her friends agree to help with the protest, thus finding themselves shortly thereafter chained to trees on an overnight protest. Ah well, anything for a bit of rest, I guess.

The next morning, Layla is found dead, still chained to her tree and a new investigation begins. Can Alice and friends discover the killers before anyone else is cut down?

I had so much fun with this. As with the 1st-book, I listened to the audiobook and cannot recommend it enough. Kitty Kelly’s narration is Alice to me a this point. Her delivery, with the humor and everything else, is just so spot on!

I also love Ailes sense of humor. These books don’t take themselves too seriously and I cherish that. Ailes knows, we’re here for a good time. Let’s have some fun. Just because it involves murder, doesn’t mean it can’t be cute and cozy.

I’m so properly attached to these characters now, which is one of the best things about Cozy Mystery series. The longer they go on, the more attached to them I get.

Alice, Ailsa, Poppy and Hen (the other mum) are such a dynamic group of women. I love being with them and spending time with them. There’s a lot of differences among them, but they just fit so well together, as they navigate new motherhood, and amateur sleuthing, all at the same time.

This went by too quickly. I tried to savor it, but I just couldn’t. The mystery was so compelling, the hijinks and banter, so good, I just ate it up.

Additionally, Helen, Alice’s dog, is such a special treat. I appreciate so much the way she is written and Alice’s relationship to her. I can relate to the non-stop chaos those four dirty paws can sometimes bring. Even reading about Helen’s predictably wild ways puts a smile on my face.

Towards the final reveal, I did find it a little muddled. I was actually surprised by the whodunit, like so much so, I wondered what I missed; like, did we get all those clues?

Nevertheless, in the whole scope, I didn’t really care that much about all that. It was really the journey getting to that point that I loved the most.

The way this left off, I’m definitely anticipating a 3rd-book, and cannot wait for it. You’ll find me first in line!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This series is an absolute blast. I recommend it to all Cozy Mystery fans!

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Review: Murder, She Wrote: Murder Backstage by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran

~ megs14malloy

Murder, She Wrote: Murder BackstageMurder, She Wrote: Murder Backstage by Jessica Fletcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Murder, She Wrote: Murder Backstage is the 58th-installment in this long-running, much-loved Cozy Murder Mystery series, starring amateur sleuth, Jessica Fletcher.

This is the 5th-installment to be written by Terrie Farley Moran, who took over the series beginning with Killing in a Koi Pond back in 2021. I have read all of the books authored by Farley Moran, and have been so pleased with her contributions to the series thus far.

I feel she’s really captured the original tone and characterizations, sticking with the classic format that I think works so well for long-time fans of the series. You know what you’re getting when you pick up a MSW book and I appreciate that TFM hasn’t tried to change that.

In this installment, we go along with Jessica, as well as her closest friends, Mort Metzger, his wife, Maureen, and Dr. Seth Hazlitt, as they travel to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to reunite with Jessica’s cousin, Emma.

Emma is a theater actress from London, who long-time fans of the show may remember first meeting in an episode during Season 1 of the television series.

And before you come at me for being the biggest dork on the planet, the only reason I remember this so well is because they had Angela Lansbury play the role of both Jessica and Emma in the episode, which was a little strange, TBH.

The only difference really was Emma had red hair and a London theater actress accent. So, there was a scene where Jessica and Emma were having a serious conversation while riding in a car, and they could only show one of them at a time, and it’s slightly choppy and hilarious.

Anyway, I digress. Back to this book. I was delighted that TFM decided to include such a classic character from the series. I’ve never forgotten cousin Emma and it’s always lovely to see her. She’s energetic and a lot of fun.

In this, Emma is going to Canada to star in a theater production featuring an internationally famous star, Derek Braverman, who has created his own old-fashioned musical review. Approaching the end of his career, he wants to go out on his own terms, performing his own show.

Emma contacts Jessica and extends an invitation to her and her friends, thinking it would be a great time for them to reconnect. While Edmonton is a long way from Cabot Cove, Jessica and crew jump at the opportunity.

The mystery involves the death of stagehand, whose body is discovered in the theater after hours, but of course, Jessica and Emma are there.

From that point on, Jessica puts her master-sleuthing skills to the test, as she yet again sets out to solve the murder, and find the killer, before the tables are potentially turned on her and her loved ones.

Y’all know, I cherish my time with Jessica Fletcher. This is my all-time favorite Cozy Mystery series. It’s my go-to as a way to escape life for a while. These stories are so pure and fun. I always know what I am going to get when I pick one up, and there’s real comfort in that.

This is the 43rd-book that I’ve read in the series. I still have a way to go, but I will never stop. As long as they keep being released, I will keep picking them up and I certainly hope that Terrie Farley Moran sticks around the long-run as well.

This did take over my life while I was reading it. Once we had our body, I was hooked. Everyone was suspicious and a lot of people had motive, but whodunit?

I enjoyed the whole cast of characters, as well as the setting of the hotel and theater. Jessica and her friends took full advantage of being in Edmonton, managing to get in a lot of touristy things, even whilst solving a murder.

In fact, if I’m honest, there’s was a bit too much of the sight-seeing bits for my taste. It tended to drag down the pace of the story a little.

While I am glad the friends had the opportunity to see some sights, and learn some history of the city, I didn’t necessarily need to go along with them on every excursion.

With this being said, I still really enjoyed this. I thought the mystery was fun and the full cast of characters was great; a nice mix of theater, and non-theater people. The conclusion was exciting and my heart was full by the end.

For the uninitiated, these books can be read in any order. If you are interested in checking any of them out, I would recommend just reading a few synopsis and deciding which one sounds most intriguing to you. Once you found it, just give it a go. You could end up loving them as much as me!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’ll never turn down a Murder, She Wrote Mystery, so please keep ’em coming!!

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Review: Murder by Candlelight by Faith Martin

~ megs14malloy

Murder by CandlelightMurder by Candlelight by Faith Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Murder by Candlelight is a Historical Cozy Mystery set in the village of Maybury-in-the-Marsh, in the Cotswolds, in 1924.

Arbie Swift is an author, who has found new found success after the publication of his book, The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-Hunting. He’s the kind of famous now, where since he’s an expert in all things ghost,has individuals seeking him out, asking for assistance with their own hauntings.

For example, he gets asked to the Old Forge, where the lady of the house, Amy Phelps, believes she is being haunted by a spectre. Arbie should know what to do, right?

Hesitant at first, both with his new-found fame, and with the idea that he can actually help Amy with her problem, Arbie finally agrees to go stay at the Old Forge. After all, it could provide good content for his next book.

Unfortunately, while Arbie is there, Amy is murdered. Now Arbie finds himself in the unlikely position of detective, along with his dear friend, Val.

As the two dig into Amy’s life and family, they discover all sorts of potential suspects and motives. It’s a race against the clock as they try to discover the identity of the killer, supernatural or not, before anyone else falls victim…

I have been in such a mood for Cozy Mysteries lately. I’m not sure what it is, the changing of the seasons, or the amount of stress that I have been under at work and in my life, but either way, I am eating them up.

I picked this one up on a whim and devoured it in a day. I loved the quaint setting and Arbie as a main character. I think this story set-up a perfect jumping off point for a potentially long-running series.

As with many other Mystery series, I feel like this is the kind of story where you would just get more and more attached to the characters as the installments add up. It also had a distinct Christie vibe, which really worked for me.

I loved that Arbie was an author of a ghost-hunting book, and whether or not he truly believes in all that, is something you’ll have to discover for yourself upon reading. However, whether he does or not, it certainly sets him up to meet a lot of interesting people.

I also really enjoyed the relationship between Arbie and Val, which definitely deserves some more attention. I’m not sure if there are plans for this to be a series, or not, but I certainly hope so. I would be genuinely excited to continue on.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Cozy Mysteries, particularly if you enjoy Historical Cozy Mysteries, Mysteries set in a small town/village, or even if you are just a fan of Agatha Christie’s work.

I feel like Martin did a great job plotting this story, and keeping the Reader engaged, while also creating likable, believable characters.

Thank you to the publisher, HQ Digital, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I truly hope this isn’t the last I see of Arbie and Val!!

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