Tag Archives: valerie burns

Great Mysteries Part 2-Who Let the Dogs (and ducks) Out: For Duck’s Sake and Two Parts, Sugar, One Part Murder

6 Aug

For Duck’s Sake
by Donna Andrews
For Duck’s Sake is the latest in Donna Andrews long running Meg Langslow Mystery Series. Sometimes series when they run a long time can run out of ideas and become boring, but I always find Andrews stories full of charm. This novel certainly has a lot going on it. Meg must help with the town’s dog adoption festival including a doggie parade of the adoptable canines. On top of that her brother and his family are putting in a duck pond on their nearby property (hence the ducks in the title). When the digging for the pond unearths a body, a mystery about both who the body is as well as why they were murdered is added to the mix. Unlike some cozies the body is found early on in the story so if you are a new reader and like your mysteries focused on solving the crime, you will enjoy this story. There are plenty of appearances though of Meg’s quirky family and friends like New Age Maven Rose Noir, kind hearted vet Clarence, and Meg’s cantankerous grandfather for long term series fans to enjoy. All the various plot threads knit together nicely in the end. I’m looking forward to Meg’s next outing in the Winter holiday themed, Five Golden Wings, which will be available in October.

Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder
by Valerie Burns
I adored reading Valerie Burn’s latest in her Baker Street Mystery Series that I couldn’t resist going back and reading the first book, Two Parts Sugar, One Parts Mystery. I found this one equally charming and I didn’t find it detrimental to my enjoyment reading out of order. I loved seeing how Maddy went from urban social media influencer to moving to a small town in Michigan near the Great Lakes. Here we see her inheriting her Great Aunt’s home and business along with a gigantic English Mastiff named Baby (his full show name comes from a tribute to Hoboken’s own Frank Sinatra). It was nice knowing reading this one, that despite her heartbreak that caused her to take this plunge, that true love was in her future. I gave up on a long running mystery series that never felt like it progressed in a satisfactory manor a love triangle between the main character and her suitors, so I it was great to see that this series allowed for sufficient character development. The mystery about the death of New Bison’s mayor is intriguing and it is also nice to see another African American amateur detective; for those looking for more diverse, cozy foodie mystery reads you can check out Abby Collette’s Ice Cream Parlor Mystery Series and her Books & Biscuits Mystery Series as well as Valerie Wilson Wesley’s A Glimmer of Death and Olivia Matthews’s Spice Isle Bakery Mystery Series.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Great Mysteries Part 1: Celebrating with Tea with Jam & Dread and Icing on the Murder

30 Jul

Tea with Jam & Dread
Vicki Delany
I was new to Vicki Delany’s Tea by the Sea series of which Tea with Jam & Dread is the sixth book in the series. Most are set in Cape Code where Lily Roberts owns a tea shop next door to her grandmother’s Bed & Breakfast. However, in this novel, Lily along with her grandmother Rose and best friend head to England for a special 100th birthday gala for Rose’s former employer and dear friend Elizabeth, the dowager countess of Frockmorton, whose family’s castle is now running a hotel. Elizabeth’s family are loath to lose their blood blood status which provides plenty of drama. When there is first a murder and then a missing priceless necklace the trip becomes even more exciting than Lily could have ever imagined. I enjoyed the vivid way that Delany brings the setting to life and gives us an interesting postcard view of Yorkshire. I plan to check out other books in the series. If like me you are charmed by this story, Delany has written several other mystery series including The Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mysteries, The Year Round Christmas Mysteries, the Constable Molly Smith Mysteries and the Ashley Grant Series.

Icing on the Murder
Valerie Burns
The protagonist of Valerie Burns’ Icing on the Murder also has plenty to celebrate with her wedding day drawing near. But on top of baking her own cake and one for a bridal expo, Madison is soon drawn into the mystery of a diva of a wedding planner’s demise. This is the fourth in the Baker Street Mystery series, which I’ve been meaning to check out for awhile. Madison is a great and unique mystery protagonist, a young black woman who previously was a social media influencer, but is now running a bakery she had inherited along with a giant bull mastiff named Baby. There is a little something for everyone in this novel, a sweet romance between Madison and her fiancé, a curious crime with plenty of potential culprits, strong family and found family bonds, and even at the end some tempting apple recipes based on dishes mentioned in the book. You can enjoy reading this book without having read the previous in the series, but if you are curious about how it all started I’ll have a review of book 1 in the series in my blog post Great Mysteries Pt 2 out next week.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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