Bookmarked for Murder

This is the most recent book in the Mystery Bookstore series by VM Burns.  This story finds Sam and her Senior Sleuthers in Chicago for a holiday weekend trip.  The bus trip ends with a bit of a nasty surprise and as Nana Jo describes it makes her feel like Gilligan.  The 2 hour bus ride home to North Harbor, MI turns into a 12 hour ordeal.  Of course this also comes with a mystery to solve.  Again the ladies are drawn into the investigation, but fortunately this one does not find any of them as suspects.  The character involvement in this book is limited to Sam, Nana Jo and the other ladies of Shady Acres.  There are some intermittent appearances by Zac and Christopher as well as Frank, but no Dawson or students from MISU since it is winter break.

As always there are some comedic moments in the story but in general the seriousness of the case seems to take on a more central role as the ladies find themselves struggling to figure out who committed the murder.  There are some side stories and dramas that find resolution in the end.  We get some glimpses at Frank and Sam's growing relationship and continue to hope that they will make it in the long run. 

The book seems to be set up for more installments but at this time, there are no further books in the series.  I do hope there will be more soon. I plan to check out some of the other works by VM Burns to see what those series are like.


Bookmarked for Murder by V.M. Burns
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the story in the latest installment in the Mystery Bookshop series. I will admit it is fun to read about books set in places you are familiar with and being a resident of the Chicago suburbs I was familiar with all the stops on Sam and the group's visit to Chicago. I also feel as though I know the area that North Harbor is in southwestern MI.

These cozy mysteries are always enjoyable and have comedic aspects to them as well as more serious undertones and plot lines. This book was no exception. Ms Burns does a wonderful job of providing clues and red herrings to keep the reader guessing til the end. Her characters are likeable and you cannot help but root for them to find love and happiness.

I cannot wait for the next book in the series.


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are: 

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #52
2. Cravings for a Cozy and Cloak and  Dagger #CloakDaggerChal : Book  #40
3. Cruising through cozies -  Free choice #10
4. Calendar of Crime-  #CalendarOfCrime2020  Jan #4  New Year's
5. Medical Examiner-  3 Toe Tag 
6. Six Shooter-  5th shot for VM Burns
7. Mystery Bingo: 
   • Red Herring : mysterious stranger
   • Crime Scenes: Stairs; Bus
8. Monthly Keyword-  #MonthlyKeyWordChallenge   "Book"
9. Around the Year in 52 Books- #20  20th cozy I read this year

Wed, Read & Dead

This installment in V.M. Burns' Mystery Bookshop series is centered around the Christmas holidays and family.  This book that focuses around the wedding of Sam's mother, Grace, as the name implies.  This book picks up where the last left off with a rush to plan the wedding in just 3 weeks.  Enter an overbearing Wedding Planner and some pretentious relatives.  The death of one of these annoying interlopers to the North Harbor group is not too heartbreaking but leads to Harold, the groom to be, being a prime suspect.

Of course Sam, Nana Jo and the ladies from Shady Acres have their hands full investigating this in addition to planning the wedding.  It ends up being an all hands on deck and we get to catch up with Sam's nephews, Dawson, the MISU girls as well as meet some new characters who tug at your heart strings.  The book definitively examines the concept that family is not only about blood and DNA.
There are plenty of comical moments to help offset the sad ones.

The series continues to be a fun read and I look forward to reading the next installment in the series.

Wed, Read & Dead by V.M. Burns


This installment in the Mystery Bookshop series is centered around the Christmas holidays and family. This book picks up where the last left off with a rush to plan the wedding in just 3 weeks. Enter an overbearing Wedding Planner and some pretentious relatives. The death of one of these annoying interlopers to the North Harbor group is not too heartbreaking. Of course Sam, Nana Jo and the ladies from Shady Acres have their hands full investigating this in addition to planning the wedding. The plot involves many comical moments and the reader cannot help but laugh at the way family members interact. All in all a fun story that introduces us to some new characters with secrets to keep.


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are: 

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book  #48
2. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge #26 by a WOC
3. Cravings for a Cozy and Cloak and  Dagger #CloakDaggerChal : Book  #37
4. Cruising through cozies -  Free choice #9
5. Calendar of Crime-  #CalendarOfCrime2020  June # 8 ( wedding cake on cover) & 9 (wedding figures prominently) 
6. Medical Examiner-  2 Toe Tag 
7. Six Shooter-  4th shot for VM Burns
8. Wizarding World Tour  
• Uagadou:  book with a symbol on the cover
9. What's in a Name #1 an Ampersand

Novel Art of Murder

This 3rd installment of the VM Burns Mystery Bookshop series continues to be engaging reads.  This book finds Sam and the Senior Sleuthers investigating to clear one of their own again.  It is always enjoyable to read about their antics and see if I can solve the murder before Sam does.  This book gives us a look at more of Nona Jo's character and her stubbornness and tenacity.  The ladies continue to have fun adventures while trying to solve the crime.  This book is full of  people with secrets to keep and that keeps Sam and the ladies guessing as to who is behind the murder.  Secrets have a way of coming out in the end and they do here as well.  Sam's relationship with Frank continues to develop and you cannot help but root for them to stay together.

All in all an enjoyable book and I look forward to finish catching up on the series.


The Novel Art of Murder by V.M. Burns
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another fun installment in the Mystery Bookshop series. I am growing to feel as though I am part of Sam's family and friend group. This book finds Sam and her family dragged into yet another murder, this time a bit close to home. The comical relationships between Nona Jo and her friends are front and center in this book and there are plenty of surprises, not just related to the murder.

Overall a good cozy mystery and I always enjoy the mysteries about Lady Elizabeth and family as well.


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are: 

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book  #47
2. Cravings for a Cozy and Cloak and  Dagger #CloakDaggerChal : Book #36 
3. Cruising through cozies -  Free choice #8
4. Calendar of Crime-  #CalendarOfCrime2020  December #3 Primary action takes place in this month
5. Medical Examiner-  2 Toe Tag 
6. Six Shooter-  3rd shot for VM Burns
7. Mystery Bingo: 
   • Red Herring :  key copied
8. Book List Queen #5 by an author of color
9. Color Coded:  # 9 implies color-  "Art"

Coconut Layer Cake Murder

This is the 25th installment of the Hannah Swensen mystery series by Joanne Fluke.   I really enjoy this series and I am caught up on the series after completing this book.  They are pleasant cozy mysteries set in Lake Eden, Minnesota.  Hannah runs a bakery and coffee shop with her business partner Lisa.  Lisa recounts all the stories of Hannah finding dead bodies.   In typical fashion, she gets mixed up in a murder, finds clues that allude the police, and ends up in a dangerous situation while solving the crime.  This series has been made into TV movies for Hallmark and Hannah is played by Alison Sweeney.  Also enjoyable to watch.

This series has recurring characters besides Hannah and there is an ongoing relationship triangle between her, Norman, and Mike.  Norman is the steady considerate type who is a dentist.  Mike on the other hand, causes Hannah to flutter when he comes around.  He is more the bad boy police detective with a past.  Problem is Hannah cannot make up her mind so she won't commit to either of the men, regardless of how hard they try to persuade her.  This is an ongoing relationship tension that has persisted throughout the series.   It is a given that at some point in the book Hannah will find herself seated between Mike and Norman at a dinner.   

In this particular book, Hannah is taking a much needed vacation in Southern California with her mother.  She is unexpectedly summoned home by her youngest sister, Michelle.  Apparently Michelle's boyfriend, police officer Lonnie, has inadvertently found himself a suspect in the murder of a high school friend of his.  Because he is Mike's partner, Mike is prohibited from working the case as is Lonnie's brother.  This means Hannah and her sisters and friends are left to do snooping while Mike sits on the sidelines.  In this case, Hannah actually has the blessings of Mike since he cannot be perceived to interfere in the investigation.  Thus, atypically, Hannah is running the investigation with little input from Mike and no objections.

This case has a bit more personal side stories and in depth detail than many of the books.  Of course it is full of recipes for both sweets and breakfast foods as are all of the books in this series.   All in all an enjoyable quick read despite the fact I felt the ending was a bit rushed to reach a solution to the case.


Coconut Layer Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another fun murder mystery with Hannah Swensen

Always fun to visit Lake Eden and this time we got an added bonus visit to sunny SoCal. Hannah's vacation was cut short when she had to rush home to clear Lonnie , her sister Michelle's boyfriend, of murder. The usual cast of characters helped Hannah solve the case. Following clues and leads led Hannah into a perilous situation as usual. My only complaint and why I have it a 3 was the ending felt rushed. The story was flowing along with good details character interaction but then suddenly the solution is just is just abruptly there. It felt a little unsatisfactory. Still all and all an enjoyable read


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #37
2. Literary Escapes-  MN
3. Finishing the Series-  #FinishingTheSeries2020   up on the Hannah Swensen series  Apr 2020
4. Cravings for a Cozy and Cloak and  Dagger #CloakDaggerChal : Book  #29; 13th cozy
5. Cruising through cozies -  Free choice #3
6. Calendar of Crime-  #CalendarOfCrime2020  February  #3 action takes place
7. Medical Examiner-  1 Toe Tag 
8. Mystery Bingo: 
• Weapons card :  pillow
9. Wizading World Tour  
• Ilvermorny:  Food on the cover

Word the the Wise by Jenn McKinlay

The tenth installment in Library Lover's Mystery does not disappoint.  McKinlay does a wonderful job of intertwining the everyday lives of the Briar Creek Library group and their families in with the mystery.  Unfortunately for Lindsay, even when she tries to stay out of trouble and the murder investigation she ends up embroiled in it.   This story has some good twists and turns and keeps the reader engaged throughout the story.

I am looking forward to hearing more about the personal stories of Lindsay & Sully,  Beth & Ryan and Emma & Robbie as well as the supporting characters in the story.  I am curious to see if Chloe is made into a recurring character as she seems to have a good relationship with the main characters of the stories.


Word to the Wise by Jenn McKinlay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is always enjoyable to read about Lindsey and her friends. This edition of the Briar Creek Library adventures is a delight as we visit Briar Creek, CT during a drought in June. Lindsay has a visit from a new town resident looking for gardening advice to save his roses. His thank you roses and more prove to be an unwelcome bit of attention. Fortunately her fiance', Sully and Robbie Vine are able to support her in confirming he lack of interest. This drags all 3 of them into a mystery that grows as the book progresses. We get glimpses of Lindsay and Sully's wedding planning and the lives of their friends and family during this book. I look forward to the next installment and see how Mrs. Cole's aka the Lemon's, new venture pans out.


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book  #27 
2. Finishing the Series-  #FinishingTheSeries2020   Library Lover's series 
3. Cravings for a Cozy and Cloak and  Dagger #CloakDaggerChal : Book  #19
4. Cruising through cozies -  Free choice #1
5. Calendar of Crime-  #CalendarOfCrime2020  Jun #3-  Primary action takes place this month
6. Medical Examiner-  2 Toe Tags 
7. Six Shooter-  2nd shot for Jenn McKinlay
8. Mystery Bingo:  
• Crime Scenes:  Library;  Bedroom
9. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge #30  Book on the cover
10. Beat the Backlist #BeatTheBacklist2020  Book #15 
11. TBR Book #18  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon
12. Wizarding World Tour  possible categories
• Durmstrang:  outdoors

Antics abound in the latest Hat Shop Mystery

My first finished book for March was quite a pleasant and quick cozy-  Buried to the Brim.  Jenn McKinlay's latest installment in her Hat Shop Mystery series continues to charm as always.  This book finds us catching up with Scarlett, Viv and Fee.  As well as Scarlett's now fiance, Harrison, his buddy Alistair whom Scarlett is determined to match up with Viv- much to her cousin's annoyance.   Andre and  Nick round out the friendship circle of the recurring characters.   The story centers around the millinery as they all tend to with lots of descriptions of very British hats and fascinators.

This story centers around Harrison's Aunt Betty and her Corgi, Freddy.   I mean what makes a book about a great group of friends even better than throwing in a bunch of cute dogs.  McKinlay's descriptions of the animals, their owners and the dog show reminded me of the movie, "Best in Show"   It was easy to visualize all the character and the goings on in the novel.  Of course there was the unexpected body of the arch nemesis of Aunt Betty and the drama that ensued as the group worked to clear her name.    The friends banter back and forth and their exchange of puns, this time very canine oriented, made the story a delight to read.  The guilty party was a well played secret until the closing scene when it is revealed by Scarlett.  All in all this is a fun read and those who love all things British or dogs will enjoy it especially.


Buried to the Brim by Jenn McKinlay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What's not to love about the adventures of Scarlett, Harrison, Viv and Fee. Oh yeah don't forget Nick, Andre and Alistair. This latest installment in the Hat Shop Mysteries does not disappoint. They even threw in a few cute dogs this time. All in all Jenn McKinlay does a great job telling a delightful story. She throws in just enough non mystery details to make the book fun and entertaining without being distracting. The who did it is a great twist as well.


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book 23
2. AtoZ and Alphabet soup challenge #AlphabetSoupChallenge-  "B"
3. Finishing the Series- #6   #FinishingTheSeries2020    Hat Shop Mysteries through 3/2020
4. Cravings for a Cozy and Cloak and  Dagger #CloakDaggerChal : Book  #16
5. Cruising through cozies -  #5  Series set outside the US
6. Calendar of Crime-  #CalendarOfCrime2020  Jan #6-  Original Publication Month
7. Medical Examiner-  1 Toe Tag 
8. Six Shooter-  1 shot for Jenn McKinlay
9. Monthly Motif   #MonthlyMotifGXO-  SubGenre sound off-  used Cozy Mystery as subgenre
10. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge  #5 Set in a city that hosted the Olympics- London
11. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #24 Title beginning with B

Queen of Suspense Does it again

I always enjoy reading books by Mary Higgins Clark and  Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry keeps up that trend.  I am saddened to know that she won't be writing anymore for us to enjoy.  Although I do enjoy the ones her daughter Carol writes as well so hopefully we have many more of those to look forward to.    My full review of Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry is linked below.  Overall I enjoyed the book



Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry by Mary Higgins Clark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book as I always do with stories by Mary Higgins Clark. I thought it was a good balance of addressing the MeToo topic without being too in your face on the subject. While I did figure out who was the guilty party, it took a while to surmise. The different aspects of the storyline worked well together and the story did a nice job of jumping between present day and going back in time to set up the current situation. My only complaint was the ending felt rushed. It was like the book was getting too long so Ms Clark felt she needed to rush to wrap it up. Other than that I really enjoyed the book


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book 20
2. Cloak and  Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal : Book  15
3. Calendar of Crime-  #CalendarOfCrime2020  Mar  #7 Title has a word beginning in M
4.  Medical Examiner-  3 Toe Tag 
5. Six Shooter-  New Target
6. Mystery Bingo:  
• Weapons card :  Drowning
• Crime Scenes: Island (Aruba); Bathroom
7. Around the Year in 52 Books- #49 Prompt that didn't win-  A book with a theme of discrimination, persecution or prejudice (eg. race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity)
8. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #11 A book that leaves you thinking
9. 2020 TBR  #2020TBRReadingChallenge #7 by a dead author
10. TBR Book #15    #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon 
11. Wizarding World Tour  
• Durmstrang:  Dark cover
12. Monthly Keyword-  #MonthlyKeyWordChallenge  "GIRL"

Someone we know

This is the 3rd novel I have read by Sheri Lapena and she continues to capture my attention and keep me guessing as to who is the guilty party.   This one didn't reveal itself til the very end and it was quite shocking.  Cannot wait to read the rest of her works.   This is an amazing thriller that will keep you up til the wee hours. 



Someone We Know by Shari Lapena
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazing thriller that keeps you guessing

Ms. Lapena writes amazing thriller with lots of possible guilty parties. She weaves the tale in such a suspenseful fashion that you cannot wait to pick up the book again. She is masterful at twisting the story and drawing the reader to believe in many different characters' guilt. She does a masterful job and creating sympathetic and despicable characters. Her story line ties all the loose ends together and shows how the different plot components come together. She kept regressing until the very end.


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book 17
2.  Cloak and  Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal : Book 13
3. Medical Examiner-  2 Toe Tag 
4. Mystery Bingo:  
• Weapons card :  Heavy blunt object, stocking/tie etc
• Clues:  fingerprints
5. Calendar of Crime-  #CalendarOfCrime2020  October #3 primary action takes place that month
6. Wizarding World Tour  possible categories
• Castelobruxo: Read a book that includes a troublemaker

Another Women's Murder Club book down

A quiet weekend withe only one hockey game to be in attendance.  Plus we got our new Sactional couch on Thursday and put it together on Saturday am.  What better excuse to sit and read than to test the new couch out, oh yeah we also watched a few episodes of the Mandalorian.  All in all a relaxing weekend.  What a great way to spend a winter day.

I logged some hours for the HPOOTP-Flourish and Blotts Hogwarts Castle Cozyathon.  Didn't make the targeted 12 but probably put in a good 6 hours.



The Medical Examiner by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyable quick checkin with the Murder club

Always a fun visit with the ladies of the Murder club. This shirt novella focuses on the supporting cast while Lindsay is off on a much needed vacation. There are several shocking twists to the story with a happy ending. Easily finished this in an afternoon


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Challenge Prompts:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book 8
2. TBR Book #7  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon
3.  Cloak and  Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal : Book 6 
4. Medical Examiner-  2 Toe Tag 
5. Six Shooter-  1 shot for James Patterson
6. Mystery Bingo:  Crime- Hotel
7. Finishing the Series-  #FinishingTheSeries2020   
8. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 #9  book from an author you chose for another category in this challenge
9. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge  #35 with a 3 word title
10. Book List Queen #3 Less Than 200 Pages
11. Around the Year in 52 Books- #50 A book with a silhouette on the cover
12. Calendar of Crime-  #CalendarOfCrime2020  August #3 primary action takes place this month
13. 52 Books in 52 weeks #46 By an author used in an earlier category
14. Beat the Backlist #BeatTheBacklist2020 #21 book that shares your zodiac sign (Cancer)
15. Wizarding World Tour  possible categories
• Mahoutokoro Read a book under 150 pages

Possible prompts 

I will decide as the year goes along which prompts I use it for on several challenges :

1. #Backlistreader 
• #4 book with less than 200 pages;
•  #15 the 4th+ book in a series

A cozy little Jack O Lantern mystery

Over the weekend we were quite busy running to different sport activities.  I decided to take along a paperback cozy instead of the hardback copy of the Ninth House that I am reading.

I read my library copy of Death by Jack O'Lantern by Alexis Morgan.  This is the 2nd book in the Abby McCree series.  I enjoyed this one as much as the first one I read in 2019.  My review is linked below.

This meets the October #8 category for the Calendar of Crime challenge.  I have completed my 3rd cozy of the year for my Craving a Cozy challenge and my 4th Cloak and Dagger mystery.  I also submitted another toe tag for the Medical Examiner challenge.  I have also journeyed to Washington for the Literary Escape challenge with this story. 

Death by Jack-o'-Lantern by Alexis Morgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was the second book in the Abby McCree series set in Snowberry Creek,WA. The book was a typical mystery set around the Halloween season. There were the typical clues and false leads found in cozies. The relationship between Abby and her tenant, Tripp, continues to develop awkwardly. This book did have a bit of a thought provoking undertone about how veteran are often misunderstood and the sad realities of the suffering some of them experience due to their times on active duty. All in all an enjoyable book


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Challenge Tracking:

Be sure to check out my Challenge tracker tab at the top of the page to see how I am doing on my different challenges.

1. Library Love-  Book 5
2. TBR Book #5  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon
3. Alphabet soup Author- #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge  "A"
4. AtoZ and Alphabet soup challenge #AlphabetSoupChallenge "D"
5. Cravings for a Cozy and Cloak and  Dagger: Book 4 
6. Cruising through cozies -  Holiday Cozy 
7. Medical Examiner-  1 Toe Tag 
8. Mystery Bingo:  
• Red Herring :  Dog didn't bark
• Clues:  Rain storm
9. Color Coded:    #8  Other color-  Orange
10. Finishing the Series- Book #4 -the Abby McCree series as of Jan 2020
11. Literary Escapes-  Snowberry Creek, WA
12. Calendar of Crime-  October #8 month related item on cover- scarecrow
13. Beat the Backlist #15 author who writes multiple genres
14. Around the Year in 52 Books- #18 A book by an author you've only read once before
15. 52 books in 52 weeks-  #8  Orange on the cover 
16.  Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge #12  passes the Bechdel test
17. NJM #NJMBookChallenge2020  #9 a book with a sassy heroine
18.   Wizarding World Tour  Uagadou-  Read a book that includes an animal

Women's Murder Club

I finally had a chance to read the latest installment in James Patterson's Women's Murder Club.  This means I am all caught up until the next book is published, thus adding another title to my #FinishingtheSeries challenge. 

The 19th Christmas is set back in the usual San Francisco environment and continues to center on Lindsay Boxer and her friends.  Although this story differs from many of the others as there really is minimal storyline involving the friends.  There are some basic attempts to weave Yuki and the others in, the stories were very extraneous compared to the other installments in the series.


The 19th Christmas by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While the main storyline involving Lindsay Boxer and Joe is a good story, it felt at times like a stretch to include the supporting friend characters. Their storylines are much more ancillary this time than in previous books in the series. I did enjoy the book and finished it in a single day. It felt like the authors were stretching to make it a Women's Murder Club versus a Lindsay Boxer story. The main mystery was a good twist and turn story though as always.


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Date Completed:  Jan 5, 2020

Back from vacay and got a few books read

Although I spent the time between 12/29 and 1/3 at Universal Studios Orlando, I did manage to get a bit of reading in while there.  I managed to start and finish 2 cozies while there, thus completing 2 books on the Cruising through cozies challenge.  I also began reading the Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff which is definitely keeping my interest.  I will certainly finish it in the next day or so.


The first book of 2020 I read was Eggs on Ice by Laura Childs.  This is the most recent addition to her Cackleberry Club series.  It is set at Christmas time and centers around the small town activities  of at Christmas such as the local actors' production of a Christmas Carol and the Cafe's Christmas Tea.  As always there were several twists and suspicions cast on various parties.  The guilty party was pretty much a surprise to me, although when revealed it is a very logical party, just not one you had any real clue was the murderer.

Eggs on Ice by Laura Childs  (Cackleberry Club #8)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Always a fun and quick read to hear about the events at the Cackleberry Cafe. This one had some fun twists and turns based around the Christmas happenings in Kindred, TN. Lots of old characters return in the storyline. The guilty party was a bit of a surprise. Enjoyable light read as always


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The second book which I read in a single day thanks to a flight home from Orlando was Three Widows and a Corpse by Debra Sennefelder.  This is the 3rd installment in her food blogger mysteries about Hope Early.  You can find my full review of the book here on Good reads.

Three Widows and a Corpse by Debra Sennefelder  (Food Blogger #3)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is always enjoyable to read about Hope Early and her adventures in Jefferson, CT. I enjoy the relationships she has with the different generations of characters from her older friend, Jane, to her relationship with her sister, Clare. The developing story line with her frenemy Meg and her new friendship with Kitty are always interesting to read as well. I did figure out who was the guilty party but Ms. Sennefelder did a good job of keeping the reader guessing through most of the story throwing lots of possible suspects into the mix.

The story had several twists and turns and it is always fun to read the descriptions of her blogging and food photography. The included recipes always sound yummy, even if I will probably never try them.

All in all a fun cozy mystery.


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#CalendarOfCrime2020

The Calendar of Crime challenge is being hosted over on myreadersblock.    It is a fun challenge based on reading mysteries that follow prompts for the calendar.   You do not have to read the books in the month of the prompt, just read 12 books covering the prompts through the year.

The challenge runs Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2020.   See the blog post for all the details and to sign up

My Book Selections:

Jan-

• #3 Primary action in  this month  
• Eggs on Ice by Laura Childs   Review on Goodreads and blog   Completed 1/2/20

• #6-  Original publication Month  
• Buried to the Brim by Jenn McKinlay blog  and Goodreads review Completed 3/6/20   

Feb-

• #9  Couple/Love Triangle play major role
• Contraband by Stuart Woods blog post and Goodreads review Completed 3/12/20  

Mar-

• #7  Book title has word starting in "M"
• Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry by Mary Higgins Clark  Completed 2/23/20
• blog post and Goodreads review

Apr-

• #4  Easter
• Toxic Toffee by Amanda Flower blog post and Goodreads review  Completed 2/3/20
• #5 Other April Holiday- April Fools Day
• Kiki Lowenstein and the Purple Passion  by Joanna Campbell Slan Completed 2/4/20
• blog post and Goodreads review

May-

• #9 Miltiary figure has major role
• Let's Fake a Deal by Sherry Harris  Goodreads review and blog Comp 1/16/20
• #7 Title has Letter "M"
• Mumbo Gumbo Murder by Laura Childs blog post and Goodreads review Comp 3/9/20 

Jun-

• #6 Original Publication Date in this month
• Toxic Toffee by Amanda Flower blog post and Goodreads review  Completed 2/3/20
• #3 Story takes place during this month
• Word to the Wise by Jenn McKinlay blog post and Goodreads review Comp 3/15/20 

Jul-

• #4  Independence Day
•  Treason by Stuart Woods  blog post and Goodreads review  Completed 2/11/20

Aug-

• #9 Summer Holiday Setting
• Three Widows and a Corpse by Debra Sennefelder Review on GR / blog Comp 1/3/20
• #3 Primary Action takes place in this month
• The Medical Examiner by James Patterson 1/25/20  blog post and Goodreads review

Sep-

•  #7 Book Title has a Word starting in "S"
• Stealth by Stuart Woods  blog post and Goodreads review Completed 1/27/20

October-

• #3  Primary Action takes place in this month
• Someone We Know by Shari Lapena  blog post and Goodreads review Completed 2/12/20

• #8 Month-related item on cover (pumpkin, mask, spooky scene, fall scene etc.)
• Death by Jack O'Lantern by Alexis Morgan Goodreads review and blog  Completed 1/13/20

• #9 Costume/disguise or mistaken identity
• Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie  2/19/20 blog post and Goodreads review

Nov-

• # 4 Thanksgiving
• An Appetite for Murder by Lucy Burdette blog post & GR review Completed 2/10/20

Dec-

•  #4 Christmas
• 19th Christmas   By James Patterson  Review    Completed 1/5/20