Book Review and Giveaway - Murder by the Millions (A Literary Dining Mystery) by Daryl Wood Gerber

My Review

Allie Catt  works as a caterer and part-time bookstore employee in Bramblewood, North Carolina, just outside Asheville.  She combines her two loves by catering book theme events.   She is working on a big party with a Great Gatsby theme.  The event host, Jason Gardner, even has a Gatsby-ish life.  When he ends up dead, Allie works to solve the mystery.

I wanted to read Murder by the Millions because I like Daryl Wood Gerber's cozy mysteries and absolutely loved the first book in this series.

This mystery was a delightful read too!  The Great Gatsby is my favorite classic novel, and I loved the party theme, the Gatsby allusions, and the little Gatsby quotes at the start of each chapter.  I love the book and catering/food tidbits that intersect in this mystery.  The food history information was  especially interesting.

The mystery aspect of this book is well done, with several suspects and an enjoyable detecting process to follow.

I like Allie Catt, her friends and neighbors.  I appreciate the Cast of Characters pages - very helpful!

I recommend Murder By the Millions for other cozy mystery fans.  You will enjoy this series!

Book Synopsis

In a beautiful mountain community near Asheville, North Carolina, caterer and personal chef Allie Catt serves up mouthwatering, literary-themed dinner parties inspired by her clients’ favorite  books. Her next event is sure to be a roaring success—if a murderer isn’t a killjoy . . .

If it were true that the best thing a girl can be in this world is a fool, then Allie Catt would be out of luck. Fortunately, Allie’s business is a smashing success. And following her Pride and Prejudice event, grander plans await . . .

Feast for the Eyes bookstore manager and Allie’s best friend, Tegan, is hosting a book club soiree and wants it to be a glittering affair based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic Jazz Age-set novel, The Great Gatsby. Soon, Art Deco table settings and visions of flappers are dancing the Charleston in their heads. Even Tegan’s prickly sister, Vanna, is on board. And surely, Allie’s tuxedo cat, Darcy, thinks it’s the cat’s meow.
Amid the planning, charismatic developer Jason Gardner arrives in town to buy some historic buildings on Main Street. He, too, has plans: to create a modern mall. Allie is more than concerned. She even wants to protest. But when Jason invites her to cater a lavish party, she finds him surprisingly likable. Then she’s summoned to his estate for a meeting—and finds him dead.

Once again Allie’s landed in the middle of a crime scene. Worse, one of her earrings is later discovered near the body. And when police learn she was upset about the mall, she’s suspect #1. Allie’s blossoming sleuthing skills once cleared Tegan’s name, but can she save herself—before a killer writes her a not-so-great Gatsbyesque ending . . .

Author Bio

Daryl Wood Gerber is the Agatha Award-winning, nationally bestselling author of the Literary Dining Mysteries, the Fairy Garden Mysteries, the French Bistro Mysteries, and the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, as well as the Cheese Shop Mysteries written under the name Avery Aames. She also writes standalone suspense novels and the Aspen Adams Novels of Suspense. Prior to her career as a novelist, she was an actress with roles in television shows including “Murder, She Wrote,” and she wrote for the popular TV sitcom “Out of this World.” Originally from the Bay Area, she now lives in Southern California, where she likes to cook, garden, and spend time with her frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky.

Author Links

WEBSITE: https://darylwoodgerber.com

FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/darylwoodgerber

BOOKBUB: https://bookbub.com/authors/daryl-wood-gerber

YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/woodgerb1

INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/darylwoodgerber

GOODREADS: https://goodreads.com/darylwoodgerber

TIKTOK: www.tiktok.com/@daryl_wood_gerber

AMAZON: https://bit.ly/Daryl_Wood_Gerber_page

NEWSLETTER: https://darylwoodgerber.com/contact-media/

Purchase Links 

AMAZON    BARNES AND NOBLE     BOOKSHOP.ORG    KOBO      MYSTERIOUS GALAXY

Giveaway

Book Review - Death on Dickens Island: A Books on the Beach Mystery by Allison Brook

My Review

Delia Dickens has recently moved home to Dickens Island, a small town off Long Island, New York.  She has reunited with her 15 year old son, who was being raised by her parents, and she is living in her grandmother's old home and working in her father's general store.  When a family friend is murdered, she starts looking into the murder - only to discover another decades-old mystery.  

I wanted to read Death on Dickens Island because Allison Brook's Haunted Library series is one of my favorites.  I was excited to see that she has a new cozy mystery series!

Wow!  What a start to a cozy series.  I read this book in a couple of days because I couldn't put it down.  I loved the setting - a quiet, sleepy little island with Victorian homes and lots of small town charm.

I really like Delia, who has just come back home to reconnect with her past - including, very importantly, her fifteen year old son Connor.  She also reconnects with her high school sweetheart, who broke her heart years ago.  He's now the trusted town vet - but can she trust him with her heart again?  We also meet her father, who runs an old fashioned general store, her aunt and uncle (often at odds with each other), her mother (now living in NYC), and her ghostly grandmother, who only appears to Delia in the secret room - a little library - of her home.  There is even a lovable rescue dog, a Bearded Collie named Riley.

The initial mystery is set up early on, and it deepens and becomes more complicated (and more dangerous) as Delia investigates.

I really look forward to future books in this series.  I enthusiastically recommend Death on Dickens Island for other cozy mystery readers.  It has a charming small town, an intrepid amateur detective, a ghostly relative (who helps with and adds to the mystery), and even a secret room!

Book Synopsis

A divorced sleuth in her thirties must bring peace back to her small town after a murder tears neighbors and family members apart in this series debut from Agatha Award nominee Allison Brook, perfect for fans of Cynthia Riggs and Eva Gates.

Delia Dickens has come home to Dickens Island, a small island in the Long Island Sound, after a twelve-year stint in Manhattan. She’s looking forward to helping her father revitalize the general store that the family owns as well as curating a small book nook. Most importantly, she wants to reunite with her fifteen-year-old son. But Dickens Island isn’t the peaceful town Delia remembers–and she might be in more danger here than she ever was in the big city.

Delia’s Aunt Reenie and Uncle Brad, both prominent community leaders, are at odds over the sale of a farm and its future use. This has created friction, not only in their marriage, but amongst the citizens of the town. When a young woman, new to the town council and friendly with Brad, is found murdered, everything escalates and reaches a new boiling point.

With Reenie and Brad both suspects in the case and at each other’s throats, the townspeople start to take sides. When the ghost of her grandmother visits her, Delia learns how past events have impacted the present, and it is up to her to expose the farm’s sordid secrets in order to catch a murderer and restore peace to her beloved island.

Author Bio

A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, novels of suspense, and  books for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook she writes the Haunted Library series. Death Overdue, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series, the Twin Lakes series, and Giving Up the Ghost. Her suspense, Come Home to Death, was released in April 2024, and her suspense, Dangerous Relations, will be republished in 2025. Death on Dickens Island is the first book in her Books on the Beach series.

Marilyn’s juvenile novel, Rufus and Magic Run Amok, was an International Reading Association-Children’s Book Council Children’s Choice and has recently come out in a new edition. Rufus and the Witch’s Drudge, the second book in the series, has been released, and the third, Rufus and the Dark Side of Magic, will be out later this year. And Don’t Bring Jeremy was a nominee for six state awards. Her YA horror, The Devil’s Pawn, came out in a new edition in January 2024.

Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place. She loves traveling, reading, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, chatting on FaceTime with her grandkids, and playing with her kittens, Romeo and Juliet.

Author Links

Website/Newsletter Sign Up: http://www.marilynlevinson.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.levinson.10

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/161602.Marilyn_Levinson

X: https://twitter.com/MarilynLevinson

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marilyn-levinson

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/allison-brook

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marilynlevinsonauthor/

Purchase Links: Amazon

Vintage Book Review and Giveaway - Merry Merry Merry Murder (Cuddle Farm Mysteries) by Paty Jager

My Review

Andi Clark lives with her therapy animals in the small town of Auburn, Oregon.  At the annual Christmas festival, a young girl is upset to see her mother kissing Santa Claus (a/k/a not her father) and later her mother is found dead with Christmas lights around her neck.  Andi works to solve the mystery, while also providing comfort with her therapy animals.

I wanted to read this book because I love cozy mysteries.  I enjoy Christmas settings and found the therapy animals appealing.

Of course, I loved the animals in this book, especially Andi's pets - a Chiweenie, a Border Collie, and a Golden Retriever/Great Pyrenees mix.  A pygmy goat, mini donkey, rabbit, and silky chicken round out Andi's menagerie.

The mystery aspects of this book were well done, with well developed characters and several good suspects.  I enjoyed detecting along with Andi!  

This is the first in a new series and I look forward to reading more!  I recommend Merry Merry Merry Murder to other cozy mystery fans - and especially to animal lovers.

Book Synopsis

In the close-knit town of Auburn, Oregon, Andi Clark’s therapy animals bring comfort to the community, especially during the holiday season. As the annual Christmas Craft Bazaar draws near, Andi agrees to set up a Petting Zoo with her beloved animals, bringing smiles to the faces of children and adults alike.

But when a young girl seeks solace from Athena, Andi’s therapy dog, after witnessing an unsettling scene behind the sleigh, it marks the beginning of a much darker holiday. As the town gathers for the Tree Lighting Ceremony, a scream shatters the festive atmosphere. Cocoa, Andi’s loyal Border Collie, pulls her toward a chilling sight: a woman standing over the lifeless body of the girl’s mother, strangled with Christmas lights.

Determined to help the grieving girl and her town recover from the shock, Andi, her therapy animals, and her niece, a county deputy, take it upon themselves to investigate. As they uncover secrets and untangle clues, they stay one step ahead of the new sheriff and worry that the killer lurking in their midst could be someone they know.

Author Bio

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of murder mysteries, western romance, and action-adventure. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes in eastern Oregon, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

Author Links

Website: https://www.patyjager.net
Blog: https://writingintothesunset.net/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Paty-Jager/e/B002I7M0VK
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/patyjag/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1005334.Paty_Jager
Newsletter- Mystery: https://bit.ly/2IhmWcm
Bookbub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/paty-jager
Instagram –Paty Jager (@patymjager) • Instagram photos and videos
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@authorpatyjager

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N

Giveaway

Book Review and Giveaway - Thanks for Muffin: A Merry Muffin Mystery by Victoria Hamilton

My Review

Merry Wynter is opening her inherited castle as a performing arts center.  After the lavish opening celebration, one of the guests is discovered dead.  There have been previous problems with murders there, so she is determined to help solve this mystery and save the castle’s reputation.

I wanted to read Thanks for Muffin because I love cozy mysteries.  The castle setting was intriguing, and I was interested in the baking aspect of the story.

This is my first read in the series.  I greatly appreciated the cast of characters list and referred to it several times.  The mystery was different than I anticipated, but not in a bad way.  I thought it would be a cozy with a good deal of baking, given the book title.  There was less baking than I expected, and this was more a classic mystery - with a cast of characters that would make Agatha Christie proud.

There were many characters in this book - performers, their hangers-on, and towns people.  As a result there were a number of viable suspects, which made this a challenging mystery for Merry, and a very interesting reading.

I recommend Thanks for Muffin for fans of cozy mysteries that harken back to old fashioned classic mysteries.  It was a fun read!  

Book Synopsis

When Merry Wynter’s festive gala takes a fatal turn, she’ll have to grill her guests to catch a killer . . .

After years of planning and hard work, Merry Wynter was finally ready to host the grand opening gala of the Wynter Woods Center for the Performing Arts. With musicians, entertainers, members of the media and even influencers on the guest list, the event went off without a hitch—until a particularly nasty journalist posted a criticism of the gala and everything Merry was trying to accomplish. Still reeling from the review days later, Merry wasn’t sure what to feel when she discovered the reporter’s dead body on the grounds of Wynter Castle.

With many of her guests staying on at the castle for the weekend, Merry realizes they’ve got a murderer in their midst. Going from celebrating to sleuthing, she discreetly questions each of them, trying to weed out the culprit. She quickly learns that the victim had heated arguments with several of the people at the gala, and it turns out those people were all connected by a tragedy in the past. Certain the killer is among them, Merry will have to unearth the final clue that nails the killer—before the killer decides she’s getting too close.

Author Bio

Victoria Hamilton is the pseudonym of nationally bestselling romance author Donna Lea Simpson. Victoria is the bestselling author of three mystery series: the Lady Anne Addison Mysteries, the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, and the Merry Muffin Mysteries. She also wrote a Regency-set historical mystery series, starting with A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder.

Visit her website at victoriahamiltonmysteries.com and sign up for Victoria’s newsletter.

Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.VictoriaHamiltonMysteries.com (Sign up for her newsletter for all the latest!)

On  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaHamiltonMysteryAuthor

On BlueSky: @mysteryvictoria.bsky.social Check out my ‘Cozy Mystery Authors’ Starter Pack on BlueSky!

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mysteryauthorvictoriahamilton/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/598635.Victoria_Hamilton

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Hamilton/e/B007T7LGAU

 Purchase Links: 
Amazon.com – Amazon.ca – Barnes & Noble – Kobo – Smashwords

Giveaway 

Book Review and Giveaway - Grave Words: A Deadly Deadlines Mystery by Gerri Lewis

My Review

Winter Snow is an obituary writer in a small town in Connecticut.  When the body of a local homeless man is found in a burning building, her best friend Scoop is a suspect.  Winter works to clear his name, even as she may be in danger herself.

I wanted to read this book because I love cozy mysteries.  The Halloween theme cover (and the adorable puppy) also really appealed to me!

This is the second book in the Deadly Deadlines series.  I had not read the first, and it took me a few chapters to get to know the characters, but then I enjoyed this mystery as a standalone.  There are a lot of characters and a "cast of characters" page would be helpful.

I enjoyed Grave Words.  It's well written, a fast paced read, with several plot twists, and smart dialogue that moves the mystery along.

I enjoyed Winter as an amateur detective;  I also liked her boyfriend Kip, friend Scoop, Uncle Richard, and of course her Great Pyrenees puppy Diva.  Her occupation is interesting and unique, and I like the details about her work as well.

I recommend Grave Words for other cozy mystery fans.  Fans of small town mysteries will especially enjoy this book.

Book Synopsis

Winter Snow has had it! With her business in a death drought, her best friend Scoop implicated in a string of arsons, and an obituary listing Winter herself as deceased, her life is heating up. But just as she’s trying to cool things down, she receives her newest assignment: an obituary for Chester, a homeless man found in a burning building.

Promising the local funeral home manager that she will have the obituary by the deadline, Winter is stonewalled at every turn, failing to discover Chester’s last name, or where he came from. When it is discovered that Chester was murdered and that the fire was set to cover it up, all fingers immediately point to Scoop. Not only is Scoop a person of interest in the arsons, he was also the last person to see Chester alive.

As more nails are pounded into Scoop’s coffin, Winter’s uncle Richard hopes to help by inviting the notorious town gossips, The Nosy Parkers, to a neighborhood food fest. Unfortunately, the breadcrumbs they toss set murder in motion.

More determined than ever, Winter must figure out the twists and turns of the case to clear Scoop’s name, putting her on a deadly deadline to solve the murder and avoid meeting the same grave consequences

Author Bio

GERRI LEWIS is the author of The Last Word (2024) and Grave Words (June 10, 2025), the first two books in her Deadly Deadlines Mystery series published by Crooked Lane Books.  Set in her Hallmark-worthy hometown of Ridgefield, Connecticut, this cozy mystery is about obituary writer Winter Snow, who solves murders along with a cast of lovable characters.  During her career as an award-winning reporter, columnist, and feature writer, Gerri has become a go-to person in her community for obituaries. When she is not helping her protagonist solve mysteries, she writes magazine features and is the Public Information Officer for the Ridgefield Office of Emergency Management.  She lives with her husband in Ridgefield, Connecticut, the picture-perfect setting for her books.

Author Links

Website:  https://gerrilewis.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/gerri.lewis.author/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/gerrilewisauthor/

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Bookshop.org – PenguinRandomHouse – Kobo – Apple – 

Giveaway