Book Review and Giveaway - All Aboard for Murder (A Golden Motel Mystery) by Ellen Byron

My Review

All Aboard for Murder is a cozy mystery set at the Golden Motel, a renovated retro motel in California’s Gold Country.  Dee Stern runs the motel with her ex-husband turned best friend, Jeff Cornetta.  It’s Halloween and they are anticipating a big spooky season at the motel.  They don’t anticipate murder though.  Moses Sprockles, who runs the town’s old railroad, is discovered dead.  Dee begins sleuthing, with a number of suspects, including a pair of spoiled former child stars who are staying at the motel.

I wanted to read All Aboard for Murder because I love this series.  It’s one of my favorites!  I really love the retro motel setting, and the California Gold Rush town is fun.  

This is a fast paced mystery with a lot of characters.  The author has included a Cast of Characters section listing all the characters and their place in this little corner of the world.  It’s very helpful!

I like Dee as a sleuth.  She’s smart and as she states herself, “I’m obsessed with people’s backstories.  You know, people’s pasts.” (eBook location 2760)

Her coworker Ma’am adds, “That’s what makes you a good writer.  And a good snoop.”  (eBook location 2761).

I like the extended cast that recurs in this series, including Dee’s father Sam, who plays Prospector Pete for family groups visiting the motel; her folksy older coworkers Ma’am and Mister Ma’am; her hound dog Nugget; and of course Bud the Bear!

I enthusiastically recommend All Aboard for Murder for other cozy mystery fans.  Anyone interested in Mid-Century motels or folksy American road trips will absolutely adore this mystery.  Do yourself a favor and read the entire Golden Motel series - it is great fun, and you will enjoy seeing the characters interact over the different books.

Book Synopsis

Dee Stern is starting to feel at home running her Golden Motel in the quaint California village she moved to, leaving behind her LA life as a sitcom writer. But a killer sees the town’s Halloween celebration as a golden opportunity to write a script for murder . . .

It’s October in Gold Rush country and all manner of tricks and treats are happening in the lead-up to Halloween. October also happens to be the birthday of Angus Sprockles, the man responsible for the town being designated a historic landmark, and the residents are celebrating his memory as well. His only living descendant, Moses Sprockles, runs the narrow-gauge railroad—once used to ferry lumber from the mountains to the sawmill, now a tourist attraction. The Sprockles Railroad is hosting a Halloween-themed fundraiser for the Historical Society.

But when a body is found on the tracks, it’s not a Halloween prank. It’s Moses himself, seemingly felled by a fallen tree branch. Dee’s dad Sam is convinced his friend is the victim of foul play and urges his daughter to apply her sleuthing skills. Dee’s train of thought leads her to suspects ranging from a former child star and one-hit wonder, the owner of a nail salon with her claws in everything, and even the mayor. When a self-proclaimed ghost hunter throws his hat in the ring and claims to know who did it, the investigation really goes off the rails. No matter how crazy things get, Dee is determined to blow the whistle on a runaway killer with a one-track mind.

Author Bio

Ellen is a bestselling author, Anthony nominee, and recipient of multiple Agatha and Lefty awards for her Cajun Country Mysteries, Vintage Cookbook Mysteries,  Catering Hall Mysteries (as Maria DiRico), and Golden Motel Mysteries. She is also an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents, but considers her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart.

A native New Yorker, Ellen is a graduate of Tulane University and lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, daughter, and a rotating crew of rescue pups. Visit her at http://www.ellenbyron.com/.

Author Links

Newsletter: https://www.ellenbyron.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellenbyronauthor/ https://www.facebook.com/CateringHallMysteries/

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

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ellen-byron https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maria-dirico

Goodreads:  Ellen Byron (Author of Plantation Shudders) | Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19130966.Maria_DiRico

Purchase Links – Amazon – Kensington – Bookshop.org – B&N – Hudson Books – Target – Walmart 

Giveaway

Book Review and Giveaway - Crying in the Chapel: A Swinging Sixties Mystery by Teresa Trent

My Review

In August 1965, Dot Morgan is planning her wedding to Ben Dalton.  She's at church, working on wedding plans, when the body of the church caretaker is discovered on the lawn.  Dot becomes involved in juggling amateur detection with wedding planning.

I wanted to read Crying in the Chapel because the Swinging Sixties mystery series sounds so appealing.  I love 1960's settings and also am a cozy mystery fan.

This was a fun mystery!  It is my first read in the series, but read fine as a standalone ... although I do intend to read future books in this series.

Dot is an interesting character.  She's a secretary, an amateur detective, and she wants to maintain her identity after marriage ... despite the wishes of her more conventional future mother-in-law.  Dot works to solve the mysteries that pop up in her small town with the help of her very pregnant cousin Ellie (who is also her future matron of honor).  I enjoyed Dot's sleuthing skills.

The mystery has a refreshing 1960's feel, something I don't see often in cozy mysteries.  I recommend Crying in the Chapel for other cozy mystery fans, and especially for anyone who also enjoys '60's settings.

Book Synopsis

It’s August 1965, and Dot Morgan is finally getting married to the dashing reporter Ben Dalton. Her wedding day, August 14th, promises to be perfect—if only it didn’t follow Friday the 13th. What could go wrong? Planning a wedding with the members of the Camden Chapel, Dot thinks she’s overwhelmed, but then it gets worse when a body is found on the church lawn. Dot decides to focus on her wedding to Ben, but when police reveal the victim didn’t jump from the belfry—he was pushed—she can no longer look away. Her suspects aren’t hardened criminals; they’re the same church members who bring casseroles and ask about her family. With her wedding day fast approaching, Dot must unmask a killer hiding in plain sight, or the secrets of Camden Chapel will remain buried in the summer heat.

Author Bio

Teresa Trent has been writing and publishing mysteries since 2011 starting with the Pecan Bayou Mystery Series and followed by the Piney Woods Mystery Series. She presently writes the Swinging Sixties Mystery Series and the Henry Park Paranormal Series. When Teresa isn’t writing novels and short stories, she spends her time creating narrated excerpts on her podcast, Books to the Ceiling, where she gets to use all that community theater experience from her teens and twenties along with a little audio editing she learned from her daughter. Teresa is a former English teacher, but also spent many years teaching music to preschoolers, working with children of all abilities. Teresa makes her home in Texas with her husband and son.

Author Links

Website:  https://teresatrent.com

Blog/Podcast: Books to the Ceiling   https://teresatrent.blog

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

X:   https://twitter.com/ttrent_cozymys

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5219581.Teresa_Trent

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

BookBub – Teresa Trent Books – BookBub

Threads – https://www.threads.com/@teresatrent_cozymys

Purchase Links

Amazon    Barnes and Noble      Kobo      Bookshop.org      Bookbub

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Book Spotlight and Giveaway - The Case of the Christie Wedding Affair (The Detection Club) by Kelly Oliver

Book Synopsis

Scotland, 1930: Agatha Christie is getting married. She invites fellow members of the Detection Club to the windswept Isle of Skye for a quiet break while the banns are read. But tranquility proves elusive when the formidable Lord Blackwood, leader of a hunting party sharing their lodge, vanishes from the moors.

Sharp-eyed assistant to the Detection Club secretary, Eliza Baker, suspects foul play as the strange occurrences pile up: a mysterious grave in the churchyard, a missing rifle, and late-night excursions across the rugged island. There may be no body—yet—but someone at Dunmara Lodge is hiding a deadly secret.

As a storm cuts them off from the mainland, Eliza and her friend Theo must navigate lies, half-truths, and a treacherous landscape… but can they uncover the killer in the stalking grounds… or will the moors keep their secrets forever?

Head to the remote Isle of Skye in this delightful and gripping golden-age mystery series, perfect for fans of Helena Dixon, Verity Bright and T. E. Kinsey.

Author Bio

Kelly Oliver is the Agatha award-winning and bestselling author of four mystery series: The Jessica James Mysteries, The Pet Detective Mysteries, The Fiona Figg Mysteries, and The Detection Club Mysteries.

The Fiona Figg Mysteries have been on the most anticipated list of Mystery Magazine and won the Mystery and Mayhem Award and the Silver Falchion Award for Best Historical Mystery. And The Case of the Christie Conspiracy, Detection Club Mystery book one, is currently nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Historical Mystery.

Kelly is Past President of Sisters in Crime National, current Education Coordinator for SinC Guppies, and a Distinguished Emerita Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University.

To learn more about Kelly and her books, go to www.kellyoliverbooks.com.

Website  Bestselling Author Kelly Oliver

BookBub  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelly-oliver

Amazon Author Page   https://www.amazon.com/Kelly-Oliver/e/B001HN3HCM/

INSTAGRAM @kellyoliverbooks

Pinterest Kelly Oliver Books   https://www.pinterest.com.au/oliver743

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

Pinterest Kelly Oliver Books   https://www.pinterest.com.au/oliver7431/

Purchase Links
Amazon US   Amazon CA    Amazon UK     Amazon AU     Amazon IN    B&N

Giveaway

Book Review - In the Spirit of French Murder By Colleen Cambridge (An American in Paris Mystery Series)

My Review

In 1950, Tabitha Knight is enjoying life in Paris with her "messieurs" - her grandfather and uncle, and her friend (and fellow ex-pat) Julia Child.  She has a startling encounter with a medium.  Then she attends a dinner for former Resistance fighters along with her messieurs, and witnesses the aftermath of a murder.  Tabitha becomes involved in solving the mystery, with the help of Julia, and also her crush, Detective Merveille.  

I wanted to read In the Spirit of French Murder because I have loved the earlier books in this series.  It has so much that I enjoy - historical fiction, a cozy mystery, and life in Paris!  I love the atmosphere in this series, with passages like:

"We were silent on the short walk back to his car. The night had turned colder, and the air was still, carrying only the faintest tinge of cigarette smoke. A spray of stars glittered above, joined by a chunk of moon that had dipped lower since we’d walked along the quai hours ago." (eBook location 191).

Tabitha is a wonderful amateur detective.  She has sharp intuition and often discovers clues even before Merveille.  I especially enjoyed the scenes of their forays into Paris at night, looking for clues in quirky and unexpected places.  And of course I enjoyed their chemistry - they both seem to want to get together, but they are also both reticent.

Julia Child is a delightful character in this book.  I love her rhapsodies about fresh strawberries and the produce market, and her excitement to try new recipes and new cooking techniques.  The food descriptions in this series are unparalleled!

The mystery aspect of this book was interesting, with a glimpse back at the French resistance movement, and several plausible suspects.  The murderer took me by surprise!

I highly recommend In the Spirit of French Murder, and this series, for other fans of historical mysteries, cozy mysteries, Paris settings - and Julia Child.  Five stars!

Book Review and Giveaway - Death of an Antiquarian: A Mia Reid, Archaeologist, Mystery by Rose Kerr

My Review

Archaeologist Mia Reid is busy working on a new exhibit at the Lakeview City Museum in Ontario.  When she goes to an antique shop sale with her grandmother, she meets a local antique dealer ... who dies suddenly afterwards.  His daughter asks Mia to look into the case, and she becomes involved in solving the mystery of his murder.

I wanted to read Death of an Antiquarian because I have a lifelong interest in antiques.  The details in this book - antiques, Mia's archaeology work, Luke's Interpol work, and antiquities smuggling, were all absolutely fascinating!

Mia is such a smart protagonist.  I loved the way she approached the mystery with such a calm, methodical manner.  

This is the second book in the Mia Reid series but I had no problem at all enjoying Death of an Antiquarian as a standalone read.

The mystery aspect of this book was well done, with strong suspects and some unexpected plot twists.  I enjoyed this read and look forward to future books in the series!

Book Synopsis

When archaeologist Dr. Mia Reid takes a contract position at the Lakeview City Museum, she expects artifacts, exhibitions, and research notes, not murder. The death of a local antique dealer, with unexpected ties to artifact smuggling, draws Mia into a dangerous mystery.

As chatter of an international smuggling ring surfaces, Mia and Luke race to uncover the truth. The stakes rise when threats reach her—and her beloved grandmother.

With lives in jeopardy and artifacts at risk of vanishing forever into the black market, Mia must use all her skills to piece together the puzzle. Can she expose a killer before the next artifact or person disappears?

Author Bio

Retired in Southern Ontario with her husband, Rose spends her days crafting mysteries featuring strong, smart women who use their resourcefulness to solve crimes. When she’s not writing, she enjoys discovering the hidden gems of the region and indulging her lifelong curiosity.

Author Links

Website: https://rosekerr.com/

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/r.m.kerr/?hl=en

Pinterest: https://ca.pinterest.com/RoseKerrauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22146877.Rose_Kerr

Amazon Author Central page:  https://www.amazon.com/author/rose-kerr-mysteries

Purchase Links:  Amazon  Barnes and Noble    Kobo    Bookshop.org

Giveaway 

Book Review and Giveaway - Masher of Ceremonies: A Vintage Kitchen Mystery by Victoria Hamilton

My Review

Jaymie Müller is planning a big fundraiser in her Queensland, Michigan hometown called Tea with the Queen.  It is a week long event, even including townspeople dressed up as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.  In the midst of this festival, her friend's assistant is found murdered.  Jaymie works - on her own and with the police's blessings - to find the killer and solve the mystery.  

I wanted to read Masher of Ceremonies because of the Vintage Kitchen Mystery theme.  I love all things vintage, and especially kitchenware, cookbooks, etc., so I was intrigued.  

This is my first read in this series, but there is a wonderful, descriptive Cast of Characters list included.  This helped me to jump right in and enjoy Masher of Ceremonies as a standalone read.  I wish more cozy mysteries would include a character listing - it is always so helpful!

This is a fun, leisurely paced read.  (The murder occurred almost half way through the book.)  

I really like Jaymie.  We see her home life with her husband, daughter, cat, and little Yorkie Hopalong (Hoppy).   We see her doing event planning, working with vintage kitchenware, and also as an amateur detective.   The author did a wonderful job at creating a fully rounded character with a lot of nuance.  

Jaymie has a gift of detecting, following her hunches, and having great intuition.  I really enjoyed solving the mystery along with her.

I found the details of the weeklong Tea With the Queen festival interesting as well!

I look forward to reading more books in the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series.  I recommend Masher of Ceremonies to other cozy mystery fans.  It's an engrossing, well written mystery.

Book Synopsis

A fundraiser for the local historical society nearly goes bust when someone fills the coffers with blackmail and murder . . .

The annual Tea With the Queen fundraiser always makes for a festive weekend in Queensville, drawing visitors from far and wide and giving local shops a welcome boost. This year, vintage kitchenware collector Jaymie Müller is running the event, and she’s got her hands full organizing old and new volunteers along with a surly catering crew. Then her master of ceremonies tells her he’s being blackmailed but can’t go to the police, and before Jaymie can sort that out she stumbles over a dead body at the tea.

Despite the demands of keeping the event up and running, Jaymie can’t help puzzling over the murder. There’s no concrete evidence linking the cretin behind the blackmail scheme to the dead body, so she begins questioning everyone connected to the blackmail, hoping to expose the killer. And just as she discovers a web of relationships that leads her to the culprit, she realizes that the Tea With the Queen may have been a royal pain, but outwitting a blackmailer and catching a killer may be the death of her . . .

Includes a vintage recipe!

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 writes a Regency-set historical mystery series, starting with A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder. Visit her website at victoriahamiltonmysteries.com.

Social Details:

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

On Substack (Sign up for newsletter… always FREE!): Go to: https://substack.com/@victoriahamiltonmysteries and ‘Subscribe’ for the FREE Victoria Hamilton Mysteries newsletter!

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

On BlueSky: @mysteryvictoria.bsky.social

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

Ebooks:

Amazon CA     AmazonUS      Kobo      Barnes & Noble      Smashwords     Google Play Books

Giveaway

Book Review and Giveaway - Murder, She Wrote: Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early

My Review

Jessica Fletcher travels to Los Angeles with her friends Seth Hazlitt and Maureen and Mort Metzger to compete in a new pub trivia show on television.  They are having fun staying with her niece and nephew in an interesting but spooky old Hollywood home and eating out at old Hollywood spots.  Then a crew member is murdered and Jessica works, with her friends, to solve the mystery.  

I wanted to read Murder, She Wrote: Murder Most Trivial because I love Murder, She Wrote - both the TV series and the book series.  I try to read all the books as they are published.

I usually prefer the Cabot Cove setting but I absolutely loved reading about Jessica's adventures in Los Angeles with her old friends.  There were several interesting layers to this book:  the mystery itself, the spooky old mansion they are staying in, and references to favorite TV detectives, including Monk and Columbo.

This was a fun and fast-paced read.  The mystery is well plotted and intriguing.  I enjoyed sleuthing along with Jessica.

I thoroughly enjoyed Murder, She Wrote: Murder Most Trivial and am sure that other cozy mystery fans will enjoy it too.  It is one of my favorite books in this series.

Book Synopsis

The newest delightful entry in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series, featuring mystery novelist Jessica Fletcher.

Jessica Fletcher and friends Seth Hazlitt and Maureen and Mort Metzger team up for pub trivia and crush the competition, then are stunned to learn that the prize is a chance to appear in a five-day trivia tournament filming in LA.

No one expects life-or-death stakes! But on day one of the tournament, a crew member is murdered. Who would benefit from derailing the show? Jessica has to come up with the ultimate answer.

In a metafictional twist, the investigation takes Jessica and the gang to the filming locations of their favorite mystery shows, where they discuss how Columbo, Monk, or Jim Rockford might go about solving the case.

Author Bios

Jessica Fletcher is a bestselling mystery writer who has a knack for stumbling upon real-life mysteries in her various travels. Barbara Early coauthors this volume.

Barbara Early earned an engineering degree, but after four years of doing nothing but math, developed a sudden allergy to the subject and decided to choose another occupation.

Before she settled on murdering fictional people, she was a secretary, a schoolteacher, a pastor’s wife, and an amateur puppeteer. She lives in Western New York State (Go Bills!), where she enjoys cooking, crafts, classic movies and campy seventies television, board games, and spending time with her granddaughters.

​Before teaming up with Jessica Fletcher, she previously wrote the Vintage Toyshop Mystery series and the Bridal Bouquet Shop Mysteries (as Beverly Allen).

Author Links

Website   Facebook

Purchase Links

Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org – Penguin Random House 

Giveaway

Book Review and Giveaway - Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused (The Empty Nest Mystical Cozy Mystery Series) by Marcy Blesy

My Review

Juli Tully is having a hard time with her sons growing up and moving out -- so she attends the Empty Nest Retreat in a remote estate in Michigan.  No technology, no contact with family - but that isn't the hard part.  There is a murder at the retreat, and fingers point at Juli.  She is determined to solve the mystery ... as she uncovers more mysterious (and magical!) happenings.

I wanted to read this book because I love cozy mysteries.  The gentle magical twist was unique and intriguing.

This was a fun read!  Juli is a likable and empathetic protagonist.  She resists the retreat but ends up meeting a few other empty nesters who help in her sleuthing - and who become friends.

The magic details are fun -- especially, of course, Prudence, the talking cat!  I liked the surprises around the estate too;  they kept me guessing.

The mystery is well written, fast moving, and a light, enjoyable read.  It is the first in a new series that I look forward to.  I recommend Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused to other cozy mystery fans.  

Book Synopsis

The Empty Nest Retreat was supposed to help Juli find herself. Not question her sanity—or reality.

When Juli Tully’s kids fly the coop and she takes early retirement, the silence in her house is deafening—and not in a calming, spa-music kind of way. At her mother’s not-so-subtle urging, she signs for the Empty Nest Retreat at the Sand Bur Estate, a stately mansion perched on the windswept dunes of Lake Michigan.

Juli nearly bolts when she learns the retreat is phone-free. No texts. No doom-scrolling. No emergency updates from her kids. Instead, she’s stuck with an unusual group of fellow empty nesters: Nelle, a perpetually cheerful optimist; Kimmie, a bubbly influencer convinced the estate is magical; and Jedd, an arrogant dad who fancies himself Parent of the Year—and takes an instant dislike to Juli.

Then things get… strange.

Temperatures swing wildly. Lights flicker. Objects float. Juli can’t tell if her menopausal symptoms have gone off the rails or if rumors about the estate’s supernatural past are true.

Between meditation sessions and awkward financial-planning talks, one of the estate’s employees dies under suspicious circumstances. Thanks to Juli’s increasingly unpredictable “episodes,” she becomes the prime suspect.

With a murder to solve, a reputation to save, and a sarcastic talking cat who knows more than she’s letting on, Juli must uncover the truth—before this empty nest lands her in handcuffs.

If you love:

Empty nest reinvention

Midlife amateur sleuth

Retreat gone wrong

Isolated estate near Lake Michigan

Light paranormal elements

Self-help retreat chaos

Haunted (or is it?) mansion

Sarcastic talking cat

Humor with heart

Found family friendships

Wrongly suspected heroine

Cozy whodunit
You’ll adore this humorous cozy mystery set under along the shores of Lake Michigan!

Empty nests bring new beginnings… and unexpected secrets.

Author Bio

Marcy Blesy is the author of over thirty  books across genres, best known for her Tucson Valley Retirement Community Cozy Mystery Series and the Monthly Murder  Movie Club Cozy Mystery Series —humorous, heartwarming whodunits filled with senior sleuths, quirky characters, and animal sidekicks. Her cozy mysteries spotlight midlife reinvention, found family, and laugh-out-loud amateur sleuthing, perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, Finlay Donovan, and The Golden Girls.

Marcy also writes the Ghost Texter Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series, starring a kindergarten teacher-turned-reluctant sleuth, and the Secrets romantic mystery duo (The Secret of Blue Lake and The Secret of Silver Beach), transporting readers to the scenic and suspenseful shores of Michigan.

For younger readers, Marcy’s best-selling Be the Vet series offers interactive veterinary mysteries for kids ages 9–13. Her early chapter book series—Evie and the Volunteers, Niles and Bradford, Third Grade Outsider, and Hazel, the Clinic Cat—delight animal lovers and growing readers alike.

When she’s not writing, you’ll find Marcy treasure-hunting along Lake Michigan in search of rare red beach glass. She believes every story should offer heart, humor, and a hint of hope—whether it’s solving a mystery or chasing a dream.

Author Links

Website    Facebook    Instagram   GoodReads

Purchase Link – Amazon 

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