Trouble in the Tarot (A Fortune Teller Mystery)

Lately Sunny has been experiencing a period of big opportunity: her business in Divinity, New York, is thriving, and Detective Mitch Stone has finally agreed to take Sunny on a date. But thanks to her clairvoyant abilities, Sunny knows better than anyone that life deals out bad cards along with good. 

When Sunny agrees to read tarot cards at the annual Summer Solstice Carnival, she meets her Granny Gert's "arch nemesis" Fiona Atwater, and is overcome by a vision of Fiona in a violent argument. Sunny knows trouble is brewing when Granny and Fiona start having squabbles all over town. But the fighting comes to a head when a local backer gets run over by a big white Cadillac and Granny and Fiona are found at the crime scene. 

Sunny knows she should step aside and let Mitch handle the investigating, but she's not about to ignore her visions and leave her granny's life in fate's hands... 

Oh Sunshine Meadows... you might have actually outdone yourself this time! What a great book! This mystery kept me guessing from start to finish! I had an idea of who I thought did it but in the end.. I had no idea how deep this mystery really went! I also loved the mini sub plot involved too, it gave it a lot more twists and turns than your average mystery! Sunny's Granny & her "nemesis" Fiona had me cracking up at just about every hair brained idea they came across... and once again Morty, Sunny's "special" kitty steals my heart! I also can't wait to see how Sunny & "Detective Grumpy Pants" turn out... big steps in this book... hopefully even bigger ones will happen for them both in the next! :)

Buried in a Bog (A County Cork Mystery)

Honoring the wish of her late grandmother Maura Donovan visits the small Irish village where her Gran was born-though she never expected to get bogged down in a murder mystery. Nor had she planned to take a job in one of the local pubs, but she finds herself excited to get to know the people who knew her Gran. 

In the pub, she's swamped with drink orders as everyone in town gathers to talk about the recent discovery of a nearly half century old body in a nearby bog. When Maura realizes she may know something about the dead man and that he might be connected to another, more recent, death she fears she's about to become mired in a homicide investigation. Maura has a sinking feeling she may really be getting in over her head... 

Shelia Connolly is a well established author and this new series has the potential to be a great success much like her other cozy mystery novels, I can't wait to read the next addition!

Buried in a Bog is not your typical cozy mystery... no this one has a story within it. One that was set long ago, it's only now how Maura Donovan has discovered the truth behind it. It has great Irish charm and plays out exactly what one would think the typical Irish lifestyle would be like.

So I pretty much loved it! It was a little slow at times and didn't have the climax I had hoped for but all in all it was a great read. I am excited to see what's in store for Maura next and Sullivans Pub
and you'll see its no secret that even Officer Sean Murphy has a bit of a crush on Maura... let's hope she might not stay out of trouble for his sake... ;)

Tressed to Kill (A Southern Beauty Shop Mystery)

St. Elizabeth, Georgia offers charm, Southern hospitality and most recently, murder. Now, hairdresser Grace Terhune is ready to crack this case before things get snarled beyond repair...

Everyone at Violetta's salon including Grace Terhune and her mother, Violetta has their scissors at the ready for the influx of St. Elizabeth's high society ladies. Of all the snobs getting their hair done for the town meeting, the worst is Constance DuBois, a woman heartless enough to ruin people's livelihoods on a whim. And after a tinting accident leaves her hair with orange stripes, Constance vows she'll close down Violetta's... 

Hours after the threat, Grace and Violetta find Constance dead, and some including the police believe the mother daughter duo did her in. Grace sets out to clear their names, but with an accusing special agent, her lecherous ex on the police force, and the distraught daughter of the deceased all working against them, Grace is up to her perfectly shaped eyebrows in trouble... 

Not bad for a first in the series, it reads a bit like "Steel Magnolias" meets a "Who done it" mystery. I liked the characters and I liked the plot even though I think they should have stopped using last names after the first chapter lol! All in all it wasn't bad for 5 sassy southern beauticians and a crazy small town murder mystery. I am interested in seeing how the second book in the series is and am also excited to see who Grace my pick as her own southern gentleman caller... will it be quirky but sweet Atlanta journalist Marty Shears or talk dark and handsome lone ranger type Special Agent "Marsh" Dillion? Guess we will just have to wait and find out...

Arsenic and Old Cake (A Piece of Cake Mystery)

With business going stale at Zydeco Cakes, Rita Lucero has plenty to worry about. but when her friend, blind trumpet player Old Dog Leg Magee, asks for a favor, she can't say no. His brother, Monroe, disappeared forty years ago, and now someone has shown up claiming to be him. Old Dog Leg needs Rita to be his eyes-and see if the man really is his brother. 

Old Dog Leg sets Rita up with sexy Cajun bartender Gabriel Broussard to pose as newlyweds checking into the same bed and breakfast Monroe is staying in, only for them to discover that Monroe's true identity isn't the only mystery they'll have to solve. When another guest at the bed and breakfast turns up dead, it seems the mysterious man might also be a murderer... 


Oh Rita, Rita, Rita!!! She is back again with her scrumptious cake baking and mystery solving skills! This time she takes the role of Mrs. Broussard... to help Old Dog Leg solve a forty year old mystery! This time her shenanigans take place at "The Love Nest" a local Bed and Breakfast where she takes on the role of playing blushing bride to one sexy Cajun bartender Gabriel Broussard. While trying to unearth the old mystery that surrounds the Love Nest she also gets to know of some of its more eccentric long time residents. This time shes got to solve the mystery, find a killer, attempt to be a blushing bride, annnnnnd keep Zydeco afloat in the beginning stages of an economical hardship. Have no fear, Rita like always, keeps all together with witty thinking and her usual persistent gumshoe tactics. This book is a little slow in the beginning but it really picks up after the first few chapters and it will really have you reeling in the end to find out what or who is actually the mastermind behind whats going on at the Love Nest! I really enjoyed the mystery the usual cast and the new cast of characters of the "Love Nest" introduced in this book. I can't wait to see what trouble... mystery Rita will stumble into next. Hopefully we will get to read more about which sexy hunk she chooses as well... will it be sweet, sexy, smooth Cajun bartender Gabriel or Mr. Tall, Dark, Handsome and Strong Detective Stone? Only time and another great mystery will tell... :)

Alpine For You (A Passport to Peril Mystery)

Accompanying her grandmother on a seniors tour of Switzerland, Emily Andrew had envisioned a vacation straight out of a travel brochure: spectacular scenery, great food, and a classy European hotel, all worlds away from her rural Iowa hometown. But her dream trip quickly snowballs into mayhem when smooth-talking tour escort Andy Simon is found dead. To be sure, Andy was as randy as a mountain goat on Viagra, hitting on every miss -- Swiss or otherwise -- within striking distance. His constant advances were driving Emily cuckoo -- but had someone orchestrated his untimely death? 

For savvy, resourceful Emily, leading the tour in Andy's place is only natural. But she can't remain neutral when a fellow traveler takes a fatal plunge -- she's convinced a murderer lurks among them. With precision timing, sexy Etienne Miceli steps in to investigate, and Emily warms to the suave detective. Still, with the group roster suddenly sprouting more holes than the local cheese, Emily wonders: is there a safe haven anywhere in the shadow of the Alps?

This was my first book I read on my new Google Nexus 7 Tablet! It was an O.K. Mystery... It had some witty humor and a good plot but I really wasn't all that impressed. Mostly because it talked about a bunch of grumpy old people who probably shouldn't ever have left the comforts of their homes in small town Iowa. Like most books that I don't like, I will be willing to give this series a second shot and read the next one, hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised.

Bruja Brouhaha (A Mind for Murder Mystery)

Liz and nick are enjoying the sixtieth wedding anniversary celebration for their charming hosts, Paco and Lucia Rojas, devout Santeria practitioners who own the historical Botanica Rojas near MacArthur Park. But the small group of friends is left horrified and confused when the evening ends in tragedy. 

Devastated by loss, Lucia, a Santeria priestess, blames the locals for the escalating crime in her beloved community. She casts a vengeful hex on the neighborhood, leading strangers and friends alike to dub her bruja-Spanish for witch-and turn on the elderly woman. Lucia may be in harm's way, and it's up to Liz and Nick to unravel a mysterious disappearance and solve a murder before more lives are lost... 

A great follow up to Rochelle's "Who Do, Voodoo?"! I had a feeling though, when I finished her first book that I would get happily stuck on her series of "Mind for Murder Mysteries"! As usual, she kept me turning pages and racing to the end to see if I my guess "who did it" would be right... and just like before she through me for a pleasant loop! I liked everything about the book, the setting, the usual suspects... I mean characters and of course some new friends that were added in this book. I was also happy to read about a new aspect of occult and loved the strong influence of Santeria had the plot, it made the book very rich and detailed. Thanks for another GREAT read Rochelle! I am now dieing to read whatever you come out with next!

Corpse in the Crystal Ball (A Fortune Teller Mystery)

After clearing her name as the prime suspect in a murder, Sunny Meadows hopes she can finally enjoy some serenity in the idyllic town of Divinity in upstate New York. She'd also like a second chance with Detective Mitch Stone. But when Mitch's gorgeous ex-girlfriend Isabel Gonzales shows up, Sunny's not sure she can compete. Then Isabel mysteriously disappears. 

When the police turn to Sunny for help, her visions lead to the discovery of Isabel's corpse in the woods. Before she died, Isabel scrawled a message in the dirt implicating Mitch in her murder. Now Sunny must help the man she's falling in love with as she sets out to find the real killer. But this time Sunny's clairvoyant abilities might not save her- as what she doesn't see can hurt her...

YES! We are back in business in Divinity and Sunny's fortune telling industry is booming! I really loved this follow up to Kari Townsend's first edition (Tempest in the Tea Leaves) in her series of fortune telling mysteries! I think this is going to turn out to be a great series and I hope she writes tons more! I love Sunny's character and have grown and loved the people and town of divinity... even Detective grumpy pants aka. Mitch Stone... aka Sunny's some day boyfriend. I get it... it's complicated but "It's a start!"

There are some new characters that were introduced into this book as well and there is one granny in particular that I am glad to see that will be sticking around for a while! Sunny's granny comes to stay for a bit with her and oddly enough finds divinity and Sunny's house "Vickie" to be a perfect fit! She is spunky just like Sunny and has developed quite a bond with Morty who can usually hardly tolerate anyone besides Sunny. This story had a great plot and had a lot of leads which led me to think quite a bit, but in the end I must say I was totally blown away with the twisted ending!