#BoookReview: The White Magic Five and Dime (Tarot Mystery #1) by Steve Hockensmith Lisa Falco

Synopsis: Much to Alanis McLachlan's surprise, her estranged con-woman mother has left her an inheritance: The White Magic Five & Dime, a shop in tiny Berdache, Arizona. Reluctantly traveling to Berdache to claim her new property, Alanis decides to stay and pick up her mother's tarot business in an attempt to find out how she died.

With help from a hunky cop and her mother's live-in teenage apprentice, Alanis begins faking her way through tarot readings in order to win the confidence of her mother's clients. But the more she uses the tarot deck, the more Alanis begins to find real meaning in the cards ... and the secrets surrounding her mother's demise.

#Promo: The Time for Murder is Meow (Purr N' Bark Pet Shop Mystery #1) by @RoccoBlogger

Synopsis: Shell and her two furry sidekicks must cat-ch a killer to save their pet shop

Crishell "Shell" McMillan sees the cancellation of her TV series as a blessing in disguise.

The former actress can now take over her late aunt's pet shop, the Purr N' Bark, and do something she loves.

While getting the shop ready for re-opening, Shell is asked to loan her aunt's Cary Grant posters to the local museum for an exhibit.

She finds the prospect exciting—until a museum board member, who had a long-standing feud with Shell's aunt, votes against it.

When she discovers the board member dead in the museum, Shell becomes suspect number one.

 Can she, her Siamese cat Kahlua, and her new sidekick—her aunt's Persian Purrday—find the real culprit, or will her latest career go up in kitty litter?

#BookReview: The Time for Murder is Meow (Purr N' Bark Pet Shop Mystery #1) by @RoccoBlogger @midnightinkbook

Synopsis: Shell and her two furry sidekicks must cat-ch a killer to save their pet shop

Crishell "Shell" McMillan sees the cancellation of her TV series as a blessing in disguise. The former actress can now take over her late aunt's pet shop, the Purr N' Bark, and do something she loves.

While getting the shop ready for re-opening, Shell is asked to loan her aunt's Cary Grant posters to the local museum for an exhibit. She finds the prospect exciting—until a museum board member, who had a long-standing feud with Shell's aunt, votes against it. When she discovers the board member dead in the museum, Shell becomes suspect number one. Can she, her Siamese cat Kahlua, and her new sidekick—her aunt's Persian Purrday—find the real culprit, or will her latest career go up in kitty litter?

#BookReview: The Third Mrs. Durst by Ann Aguirre

Synopsis: Some people just need killing. 

Marlena Altizer Durst lives in her husband’s shadow. He controls her every move—what she wears, the food she eats, and the friends she’s allowed to make. If she disobeys, there are… consequences. And he has all the power, so nobody would believe her.

Her Cinderella story has been well-documented and it seems that she leads a fairy-tale life. But nobody ever wonders if Cinderella was happy after she married the prince. Marlena has traded freedom and safety for luxurious imprisonment, and most days, that seems like a bad bargain. Death may be the only exit she’s allowed. Just like his first wife. And his second.

Unless she flips the script.

And gets away with murder…

#BookReview: A Gentlewoman's Guide to Murder (A Gentlewoman's Guide to Murder #1) by Victoria Hamilton

Synopsis: Scandal and slayings among Regency London's elite

The shocking murder of Sir Henry Claybourne leaves Regency London shaken and horror-struck.


But for genteel spinster Miss Emmeline St. Germaine, the crime slices far too close to home.

Just hours before the knight's death she held a dagger to him, threatening him to stay silent as she rescued a scullery maid he had procured for his pleasure.

Did the man—or woman—who murdered the knight know of her visit?

Her secret identity at risk, her reputation and life in jeopardy, Emmeline must solve the crime or face scandalous exposure and ruination, or worse—the hangman's noose—for a crime she did not commit.

#BookReview: Breaking the Dance (A World of Spies Mystery #2) by @clare_odonohue @midnightinkbook

Synopsis: Tango and torment await married college professors on an unwanted junket to Argentina 

Husband and wife college professors Hollis and Finn Larsson think their days as accidental spies are behind them. 

But, just weeks into a new school year, a mysterious envelope arrives containing two passports.

 The photos are of Hollis and Finn but the names are Janet and Tim McCabe. Within hours, the couple is forced onto a private plane headed to Argentina, with an Interpol mission to find Irish art thief Declan Murphy and a haphazard plan to get home with their lives, and marriage, intact. 


As clues take them from the mountainous north through the tango halls of Buenos Aires to the southernmost tip of Tierra del Fuego, they rush to find Declan and escape from the clutches of "the man who doesn't exist." 

#BookReview: Beyond the Pale (A World of Spies Mystery #1) by @clare_odonohue @midnightinkbook

Synopsis: Married college professors agree to help Interpol in Ireland, but a simple errand leads them into a deadly criminal enterprise

It's a simple, twenty-minute job. At least, that's the pitch from Interpol to married college professors Hollis and Finn Larsson. 

Going undercover to procure a priceless rare book manuscript means an all-expenses paid trip abroad. 

A little danger thrown into the mix may even spice things up.

Soon after landing in the Emerald Isle, they realize the job is anything but simple. Their contact is a no show and they're left with fifty thousand euros, some serious questions, and a possible death threat. 

Ducking and dodging their way across Ireland, Hollis and Finn must hunt down the priceless manuscript and a missing agent while trying to stay one step ahead of a dangerous and unknown enemy.

#BookReview: The Jean Harlow Bombshell (A Classic Star Biography Mystery #1) by Mollie Cox Bryan

Synopsis: When it comes to writing Golden Age Hollywood biographies, the pen is deadlier than the sword

Justine Turner is a world-famous biographer of Hollywood stars. She's also Charlotte Donovan's overbearing boss.

So it comes as no surprise to Charlotte when Justine requests an emergency meeting related to her latest in-progress biography. It is a surprise, though, when Justine up and dies before their urgent discussion can begin.

In the wake of such a tragedy, all Charlotte wants to do is finish the Jean Harlow biography that Justine had started. Instead, she finds herself in grave danger—stalked both online and in person by a drop-dead Jean Harlow look-alike. Together with police sergeant Den Brophy, Charlotte uncovers shocking revelations. But will these revelations be enough to catch the killer?

#BookReview: A Shot of Murder (A Lucky Whiskey Mystery #1) by J.A. Kazimer

Synopsis: When it comes to murder, sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

Ten years after leaving the small town of Gett, Florida, for Hollywood stardom, Charlotte "Charms" Lucky--who has never quite lived up to her surname--returns home to run the Lucky Whiskey distillery while her grandfather recovers from a heart attack.


Making whiskey is harder than Charlotte imagined, especially with longtime rivals and resentful townsfolk interfering at every turn. 


She'll need more than a lucky charm to keep the family afloat, especially when she discovers her high school boyfriend's pickled corpse in a Lucky Whiskey cask and her grandfather is arrested for the murder. 


Charlotte has one shot to clear his name and save the family business, and that is to find the real killer among a town full of suspects.

#BookReview for Foul Play on Words (Mystery Writer's Mystery #2) by Becky Clark

Synopsis: Between a kidnapping, a double booking, and a crew of hapless volunteers, Charlee is worried the writing conference will go to the dogs

Mystery author Charlee Russo agrees to speak at a Portland writers' conference organized by her friend Viv Lundquist. 

When Viv picks her up at the airport, she frantically explains that her daughter Hanna has been kidnapped. Unfortunately, Viv has a history of embellishing the truth and Hanna has a history of disappearing.

Charlee takes over the conference preparation so Viv can search for her daughter, but the situation gets tense when the hotel double-books the event with a dog show. 

Despite it all, Charlee is compelled to investigate after she learns shocking secrets about both Hanna and Viv. Can she find Hanna in time, or will a plot twist lead her to a ruff ending?

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#BookReview for Fiction Can Be Murder (Mystery Writer's Mystery #1) by Becky Clark

Synopsis: LIFE BECOMES STRANGER THAN FICTION WHEN CHARLEE'S LATEST NOVEL INSPIRES A REAL MURDER 

Mystery author Charlemagne "Charlee" Russo thinks the twisty plots and peculiar murders in her books are only the product of her imagination--until her agent is found dead exactly as described in Charlee's new, unpublished manuscript. Suspicion now swirls around her and her critique group, making her confidence drop as severely and unexpectedly as her royalty payments.

The police care more about Charlee's feeble alibi and financial problems than they do her panicky claims of innocence. To clear her name and revive her career, she must figure out which of her friends is a murderer. Easier said than done, even for an author who's skilled at creating tidy endings for her mysteries. And as her sleuthing grows dangerous, Charlee's imagination starts working overtime. Is she being targeted, too?
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#BookReview for Charity's Burden (Quaker Midwife Mystery #4) by Edith Maxwell

Synopsis: Quaker midwife Rose Carroll seeks the true cause of a young mother's death

The winter of 1889 is harsh in Amesbury, Massachusetts, but it doesn't stop Quaker midwife Rose Carroll from making the rounds to her pregnant and postpartum mothers.

When Charity Skells dies from an apparent early miscarriage, Rose wonders about the symptoms that don't match the diagnosis.

She learns that Charity's husband may be up to no good with a young woman whose mother appears to offer illegal abortions. A disgraced physician in town does the same, and Charity's cousin seems to have a nefarious agenda.

With several suspects emerging, each with their own possible motives, Rose and police detective Kevin Donovan race against time to solve the case before another innocent life is taken.

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#BookReview for Scot & Soda (Last Ditch Mystery #2) by Catriona McPhersonstar #ReleaseDay!

Synopsis: Scottish-born California transplant Lexy Campbell sails into trouble when her houseboat party ends on a deadly note.

Now settled in her little houseboat, moored in the slough at the back of the Last Ditch Motel, Lexy Campbell wants nothing more than to build her counseling business, avoid her mother's phone calls and--who knows?--meet a nice guy. 

But when she throws a Halloween party for her motley crew of motel pals, the only single man is too old for her, too wrapped up in the case of beer chilling in the slough, and--oh, yes--too dead.

The sensible choice is to leave it up to the cops to identify the body and catch the killer. 

So faster than you can say "Tam O'Shanter," Lexy and her friends jump into the case themselves, delving deep into their town's past for the roots of a mystifying crime.

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With a Kiss I Die (A Theater Cop Mystery #2) by J.A. Hennrikus

Synopsis: Will the kiss of death claim Romeo and Juliet--and Sully--before opening night?

When Edwina "Sully" Sullivan, a retired cop turned theater manager, learns that a production of Romeo and Juliet--which Cliffside Theater's Dimitri Traietti left town to direct--is in serious trouble, she sets aside her grant applications and heads to Boston to help.

Between managing Dimitri, consulting with costume and set designers, and schmoozing with potential funders, Sully puts on nearly every hat in the biz. 

But the one hat she doesn't expect to wear is that of her old job as a cop. 

When a socialite is murdered in Boston's Public Garden, Sully's ex-husband becomes the prime suspect. 

So she reprises her role as an ace investigator and once again steps into the spotlight to solve a crime.

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#BookReview for Foul Play on Words (Mystery Writer's Mystery #2) by Becky Clark

Synopsis: Between a kidnapping, a double booking, and a crew of hapless volunteers, Charlee is worried the writing conference will go to the dogs

Mystery author Charlee Russo agrees to speak at a Portland writers' conference organized by her friend Viv Lundquist. 

When Viv picks her up at the airport, she frantically explains that her daughter Hanna has been kidnapped. Unfortunately, Viv has a history of embellishing the truth and Hanna has a history of disappearing.

Charlee takes over the conference preparation so Viv can search for her daughter, but the situation gets tense when the hotel double-books the event with a dog show. 

Despite it all, Charlee is compelled to investigate after she learns shocking secrets about both Hanna and Viv. Can she find Hanna in time, or will a plot twist lead her to a ruff ending?

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#BookReview: The Second Goodbye (Pacific Homicide #3) by Patricia Smiley

Genres: Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Paperback, 312 pages

Published November 8th 2018 by Midnight Ink


Synopsis: Assume nothing—that's the touchstone for every homicide investigation Detective Davie Richards undertakes. She approaches her latest case the same way, determined to learn as much about the victim as she does about the killer. But there's nothing about thirty-four-year-old Sara Montaine or her death that makes sense.

Was Sara a saint caring for her dying husband or a gold-digger with a sketchy background? Did she commit suicide or was she murdered? Before her marriage, Sara lived comfortably without any obvious source of income, unusual for an orphan raised in foster care. As Davie digs deeper, she unearths Sara's troubled past and a viper's nest of villains who are willing to kill to keep their secrets hidden.

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#BookReview: Catch Me if Yukon (Passport to Peril #12) by Maddy Hunter

Title: Catch Me If Yukon

Series: Passport to Peril #12
Author: Maddy Hunter
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Cozy Mystery
Pages: Kindle Edition, 314
Pub Date: December 8, 2018
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Book Source: Publisher
My Rating: 4 Stars

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Synopsis: As tour escort Emily Miceli leads her globetrotting band of Iowa seniors into the wilds of Alaska, she discovers that, in the land of the midnight sun, whales aren’t the only killers on the prowl. When a tour member turns up dead on a mountainous hiking trail, Emily blames herself for the mishap—until she learns that something far hairier might be to blame. 

One of the seniors snaps a photo of what looks to be Bigfoot, raising many questions about what happened to the victim. But the illusive sasquatch is just a legend, isn’t it? Between whale-watching in the glacial waters near Seward and ziplining in the primal forests of Denali, Emily finds herself locked in a game of cat and mouse with a killer who’s too clever to be mere myth.

#BookReview: Fool's Moon (Tarot Cats Mystery #1) by @dianestuckart @midnightinkbook

Title: Fool's Moon

Series: Tarot Cats Mystery #1
Author: Diane A.S. Stuckart
Genres: Adult, Fiction, Mystery, CATS!
Pages: Paperback, 336 pages
Pub Date: November 8th 2018
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Book Source: Kaye Publicity, Inc.
My Rating: 4 Stars

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Synopsis: Two magical tarot cats and their tenderhearted human outwit a cruel criminal in South Florida

Most days, Ruby Sparks feels like the sign that says Tarot Card Reader Extraordinaire should say Tarot Card Reader Barely Competent. But as challenging as it is to take care of her half-sister's new age shop—and her growing menagerie of mystically inclined pets—Ruby never worries that she's bitten off more than she can chew . . . until a customer wants her to divine the truth about a murder.

When her own life is threatened with a double dose of danger, Ruby begins to wonder if she's being played for a fool. Luckily, she has Aphelia and Brandon—sibling black cats with a talent for tarot—and a feisty pitbull friend who all lend a paw in collaring the culprit before Ruby finds herself taking her final cat nap.

#BookReview: 19 Souls (Sin City Investigation #1) by @JDAllenBooks #Giveaway

About the Book:

Private Investigator Jim Bean is a straightforward, to-the-point man. When his latest client, Sophie Evers, asks him to find her brother Daniel, Jim has no idea how complicated his life is about to become.

Daniel is not Sophie's brother. He is her most coveted prey. Clinging to the belief that they belong together, Sophie kills Daniel's real sister to manipulate Jim into flushing Daniel out of hiding. She will create the "perfect life" for the only man she's ever loved, no matter how many people she must kill along the way.

When Jim discovers the truth about Sophie, he's driven to set things right before her delusional plan claims even more souls.

#BookReview: A Cold Day in Hell by @Lissa_M_Redmond #Giveaway

About the Book:

Lauren Riley is an accomplished detective who has always been on the opposite side of the courtroom from her nemesis, slick defense attorney Frank Violanti. But now he's begging to hire her as a private investigator to help clear his client of murder. At first Lauren refuses, wanting nothing to do with the media circus surrounding that case—until she meets the eighteen-year-old suspect.

To keep an innocent teen from life in prison, Lauren must unravel the conflicting evidence and changing stories to get at the buried facts. But the more she digs, the more she discovers that nothing is what it first appears to be. As Lauren puts her career and life in danger, doubt starts to lurk on every corner . . . and so does her stalker. 

This title will be released February 8, 2018.