Book Review and Giveaway - A Whale of a Crime (A Yorkshire Coast Cozy Mystery) by Mona Marple

My Review

Ten years after his husband, a pop star, died under mysterious circumstances, Ryan Kennedy returns home to Flamborough in Yorkshire.  He spends time with his beloved grandmother, Iris, at her bookstore.  When there is a murder at a community gathering on the beach, Ryan and Iris set out to solve the mystery.

I wanted to read this book because I love cozy mysteries.  I enjoy British mysteries with village settings.  The dog on the cover also appealed to me!

This is a unique mystery.  It is told in alternating chapters by Ryan and by his grandmother Iris.  There are also a few chapters that read like a message board for Siren Call, the band Ryan's husband led.  I found the alternating viewpoints intriguing but it also made the book read a bit more slowly to me.

The author does a wonderful job with descriptions and I could really visualize Flamborough and the residents.  The mystery aspect of the book is compelling and there were several twists in the story that added intrigue!

I really liked Ryan and Iris and enjoyed their detecting.  Ryan works as a dog walker and I liked the dog details in the book - including his Bernese Mountain Dog, Bracken.

I recommend A Whale of a Crime for other fans of cozy mysteries and especially for readers who enjoy a British village setting.

Book Synopsis

After ten years away, Ryan Kennedy never planned on returning to Flamborough—the tiny Yorkshire village he once called home. But when his fiercely independent gran, Iris, needs him, he finds himself back behind the counter at her chaotic seaside bookshop, wrestling with jammed tills, nosy villagers, and the memories he’s spent years trying to forget.

What Ryan doesn’t expect is to be swept straight into the heart of a murder investigation.

When a mysterious boat appears on the beach and a body turns up at the exclusive Whale Watch Weekend picnic, all eyes turn to the cliffs—and to the secrets the village has been keeping. As Ryan and Iris dig into the tangled history of the victim, long-buried truths begin to surface, not just about the case… but about the night Ryan’s own husband died.

With the tide cutting them off, a killer on the loose, and a very observant dog named Bracken by their side, Ryan and Iris must work fast—because in Flamborough, the past doesn’t stay buried, and the sea has a habit of washing everything to shore.

For fans of twisty village whodunits, seaside charm, and heartfelt mysteries with a slow-burning emotional pull, A Whale of a Crime is the unforgettable first instalment in a brand-new series.

Author Bio

Mona Marple writes charming cozy mysteries filled with quirky characters, twisty whodunits, and settings you’ll wish you could visit—especially if you love a bit of seasonal sparkle. Best known for her beloved Candy Cane Hollow series, Mona creates worlds where murder meets mistletoe and sleuthing pairs perfectly with a cup of tea. When she’s not writing, Mona can be found walking her Labradoodle, Coco, plotting her next murder (on the page, of course), or hosting reader parties in her cozy online community.

Author Links

WEBSITE: WWW.MONAMARPLE.COM

FACEBOOK: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MONAMARPLEAUTHOR

FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/332562544209625

INSTAGRAM: WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/MONAMARPLE

Purchase Link – Amazon

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New Book Review and Giveaway - Campfires & Corpses: A Maine Campground Cozy Mystery by Nikki Weber

My Review

Noelle Cooper unexpectedly loses her job and moves home to Maine to manage her family's old fashioned campground.  Just as she is settling in, a body is found on the beach and she finds herself a suspect ... so she works hard to solve the mystery and clear her name.

I wanted to read this book because I love cozy mysteries.  The cover drew me in with the camper and the cute beagle!

This is the first book in a new series, and it was very enjoyable!  I loved the setting - an old fashioned campground, spending summer in a camper.  I liked Noelle as a character.  She's smart and resourceful, even when facing the difficult situation of being a suspect.  

I loved Corny, the rescue beagle, and (as a longtime pet rescue advocate) also loved the rescue message the author conveys in this story.

The mystery aspect of the story is well done, with fast paced storytelling.

Also: woohoo for the campground map in the book! It was fun and helpful.

I enthusiastically recommend Campfires & Corpses to other cozy mystery fans. It is a fun summer read!

Book Synopsis

When the campground becomes the scene of the crime, will Noelle’s peaceful summer go up in flames?

Down on her luck event planner Noelle Cooper is returning to rural Maine to do the one thing she swore she would never do: run her family’s campground. But it’s only for the summer, and the timing couldn’t be better–she’s lost her job and has nowhere to live. She hopes that a change of scenery will be the thing she needs to regroup and reinvent herself.

But Noelle’s plans go up in smoke on her first morning back when she stumbles upon the body of her high school rival. She barely has time to process this before she comes face-to-face with her ex-boyfriend, meets the handsome county sheriff, and is questioned by an intimidating state trooper who gives her the creeps.

While she’s busy dealing with a group of pushy campers who insist that the murder means she must cancel the annual bonfire, Noelle becomes the prime suspect in the murder investigation. She’s convinced that someone is feeding false information to the police and is determined to clear her name.

With the help of her podcast-obsessed cousin, her anxious rescue beagle, and a few eccentric campers, Noelle compiles a list of other suspects and pokes around to uncover the real killer.

Can Noelle prove her innocence before getting tossed in jail? Or is she playing with fire? Read Campfires & Corpses now to find out.

*** This clean, contemporary cozy mystery is set in a small town with quirky characters and lovable dogs. Cozy mystery fans will enjoy dissecting the suspects’ alibis and following the clues along with Noelle and her gang. ***

Author Bio

Nikki Weber was born and raised in Maine, and spent her childhood summers camping with her family and their beagle. She loves to read, listen to podcasts, travel, and play tennis. Campfires & Corpses: A Maine Campground Cozy Mystery is her first book, and there are many more in the pipeline.

Author Links

Website: https://nikkiweberbooks.com/

Sign Up for Nikki’s Newsletter:  Join the Cozy Book Club! | Nikki Weber

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/nikkiweber

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nikkiweberbooks

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nikkiweberbooks

Purchase Links

Universal Book Link  – Amazon – B&N – Bookshop.org – Kobo –

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Book Review and Giveaway - A Pawsome Summer For Murder (Samantha Davies Mystery) by S. A. Kazlo

My Review

In Wings Falls, a small town in New York, Samantha (Sam) Davis is excited about the annual fishing competition which she is attending with her cousin, her dachshund Porkchop, and her fiancé, Hank.  The competition is a fundraiser for the local pet rescue, with several of the rescue dogs attending.  When an animal rights activist is found dead in the lake, she works to solve the mystery.

I wanted to read A Pawsome Summer for Murder because I love dachshunds!  This is my second read in the Samantha Davies Mystery series.  It would work fine as a standalone.

This was a fun mystery.  It's fast paced with strong, distinct characters.  The author has a fresh, lively writing voice and the book has an enjoyable light style.  I enjoy Sam's sleuthing, her friends, her relationship with Hank, and of course, Porkchop.

I recommend A Pawsome Summer for Murder for fans of cozy mysteries, and especially for anyone who also loves dogs.

Book Synopsis

It’s summer in Wings Falls, New York and Samantha Davies is geared up for the annual trout tournament sponsored by Al Gorman, owner of the Sport’s Shop. Sam, along with her Southern Belle cousin, Candie Parker-Hogan, are determined to beat the pants off their significant others, Sam’s new fiancé, Hank Johnson, a detective on Wings Falls police force and Mark Hogan, Candie’s husband. The ladies feel they have a secret weapon-they learned from the best fisherman in Hainted Hollar Tennessee, Grandpop Parker. Sam once won a trophy for the largest fish in the Fins and Tails Fishing Derby.

To Sam’s surprise instead of reeling in the day’s biggest catch, she “hooked” into the body of the town’s most vocal activist, Luna Wheeler.

Raylene Carrigan, owner of a traveling doggie daycare Sam uses for her lovable dachshund, Porkchop, becomes a prime suspect, when it becomes known Luna tried to shut down the town’s doggie park she depends on for the pets in her care. Since Sam has successfully helped solve murders in the past, Raylene begs her for help to prove her innocent.

Sam reluctantly agrees but knows her fiancé won’t be happy with her involvement in yet another murder case.

Determined to help Porkchop’s buddy, Sam starts digging for clues only to discover that Luna, with her over-zealous demands to many of the town’s businesses to recycle, upset more than a few of her friends. Can Sam land Luna’s murderer before she gets ‘hooked’ by the killer?

Author Bio

Syrl, a retired teacher, lives in upstate New York with her husband and two lively dachshunds. She writes the Samantha Davies Mystery series, featuring Samantha Davies and her loveable dachshund, Porkchop. When not writing she is busy hooking, rug hooking that is, and enjoying her family. Her newest  book, number seven in the series, A Pawsome Summer For Murder, was released May 1, 2025

Author Links

Website – https://www.sakazlo.com/

Blog – https://www.sakazlo.com/blog

Twitter-@sakazlo

Instagram- sakazlo

Facebook- sakazlo

LinkedIn- sakazlo

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Smashwords – Kobo – Bookshop.org  

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Book Spotlight and Giveaway - Murder on Oak Street (A South Shore Mystery) by I. M. Foster

Book Synopsis

New York, 1904. After two years as a coroner’s physician for the city of New York, Daniel O’Halleran is more frustrated than ever. What’s the point when the authorities consistently brush aside his findings for the sake of expediency? So when his fiancée leaves him standing at the altar on their wedding day, he takes it as a sign that it’s time to move on and eagerly accepts an offer to assist the local coroner in the small Long Island village of Patchogue.

Though the coroner advises him that life on Long Island is far more subdued than that of the city, Daniel hasn’t been there a month when the pretty librarian, Kathleen Brissedon, asks him to look into a two-year-old murder case that took place in the city. Oddly enough, the case she’s referring to was the first one he ever worked on, and the verdict never sat right with him.

Eager for the chance to investigate it anew, Daniel agrees to look into it in his spare time, but when a fresh murder occurs in his own backyard, he can’t shake his gut feeling that the two cases are connected. Can he discover the link before another life is taken, or will murder shake the peaceful South Shore village once again?

Author Bio

I. M. Foster is the pen name author Inez Foster uses to write her South Shore Mystery series, set on Edwardian Long Island. Inez also writes historical romances under the pseudonym Andrea Matthews, and has so far published two series in that genre: the Thunder on the Moor series, a time-travel romance set on the 16th century Anglo-Scottish Borders, and the Cross of Ciaran series, which follows the adventures of a fifth century Celt who finds himself in love with a twentieth-century archaeologist.

Inez is a historian and librarian, who love to read and write and search around for her roots, genealogically speaking. She has a BA in History and an MLS in Library Science and enjoys the research almost as much as she does writing the story. In fact, many of her ideas come to her while doing casual research or digging into her family history. Inez is a member of the Long Island Romance Writers, the Historical Novel Society, and Sisters in Crime.

Author Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IMFosterMysteries

X: https://www.x.com/IMFosterMystery

Threads: https://www.threads.net/imfosterauthor

Purchase Link – Amazon 

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Book Review and Giveaway - No Roast for the Weary (A Coffeehouse Mystery) by Cleo Coyle

My Review

Clare Cosi is worried about slow traffic post-pandemic at her beloved Village Blend coffeehouse in Greenwich Village.  When her staff brainstorms and comes up with idea of the Writer's Block Lounge at the coffeehouse, traffic picks up - and so does mystery!  A regular customer is found seriously injured and an old, decades ago, mystery surfaces.  Clare works to solve both mysteries.

I wanted to read No Roast for the Weary because I love the Coffeehouse Mystery series.  I enjoy the Greenwich Village setting and the coffeehouse ambiance.

This is an intriguing mystery!  I especially was interested in the decades old mystery.  Clare uses her amateur detective skills to solve the case after encountering a number of unlikely situations including a pet duck and a writers' gala including some of the most famous names in fiction.

I like the whole cast of characters, including Clare's fiance Mike, her mentor Madame, the baristas and staff, and her cute cats, Java and Frothy.

The mystery is fast paced with lots of short chapters, and readers will travel enjoy spending time in New York City with Clare as she solves this mystery.

I recommend No Roast for the Weary - and the entire Coffeehouse Mystery series - for other cozy mystery fans!

Book Synopsis

When the Village Blend opens a Writer’s Block Lounge, a cold case crime turns up the heat on Clare and her crew in this gripping new entry in the beloved Coffeehouse Mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.

As much as master roaster Clare Cosi adores coffee, the landmark shop she manages won’t survive if she doesn’t sell enough of it. So when the Village Blend’s customer traffic grinds to a halt, she turns to her staff for creative ideas, and the Writer’s Block Lounge is born.

Madame, the eccentric octogenarian owner of the shop, is upset by this news. Years ago, a group of accomplished writers used the shop’s second-floor lounge to inspire each other, but the group disbanded when something dark occurred. Though that history is shrouded in mystery, Clare presses forward…

Soon the Village Blend tables are filled with aspiring novelists, playwrights, and poets, all happy to be coaxed, cajoled, and caffeinated by her coffeehouse crew. Clare admires the stamina of these scribes, many of them toiling at night jobs—driving taxis, tending bar, ushering for Broadway—while penning projects during the day.

Then one of their fictions turns fatal when a shocking secret leads to a deadly end. Unless Clare can untangle this mystery, uncover the truth, and stop a desperate killer, she fears more of these weary writers may be marked for eternal rest. ~ Includes a knockout menu of recipes.

Author Bio

CLEO COYLE is a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. Both are New York Times bestselling authors of the long-running Coffeehouse Mysteries and Haunted Bookshop Mysteries, now celebrating more than 20 years in print. With more than one million  books sold, their works have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, and Czech; received multiple Best of Year selection honors from reviewers; and have been recommended by Booklist as among the best culinary mysteries for core library mystery collections. Alice and Marc are also bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, Toho, and MGM. They live and work in New York City, where they write independently and together, wrangle their rescue cats, drink a lot of java, and cook like crazy. Connect with Cleo at CoffeehouseMystery.com

Author Links
Webpage: https://www.coffeehousemystery.com/

Free Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cleocoylerecipes/newsletter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CleoCoyle/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CleoCoyle

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cleo-coyle

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/51488.Cleo_Coyle

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

Purchase Links:
Amazon     Barnes & Noble   Kobo     Google Play     Bookshop.org

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