Historical Culinary Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting - Las Vegas, New Mexico, in June 1929 Publisher: Artemesia Publishing, LLC Publication date: May 6, 2025 Print length: 228 pages Paperback
ISBN-10: 1963832051 /
ISBN-13: 978-1963832051 Digital
ISBN-13: 978-1963832242 /
ASIN: B0DZC47WJQ
At the Castañeda Hotel you'll find romance, gourmet dining, bootleggers, and murder!
Bored with her conventional middle-class life, Prudence Bates escapes Cleveland by heading west to qualify as a Courier for the Southwestern Indian Detours. On the California Limited she meets Jerry Begay, a charming Navajo school teacher. They feel an instant rapport, but he's headed for Gallup, so it's but a brief encounter.
In Las Vegas, New Mexico Prudence is befriended by Castañeda Hotel Harvey Girls Martha and Anne and desk clerk Clara. They take Prudence under their wing and invite her along to dances and the local hot springs.
Four days later, Martha's brother, Tom, is found murdered. Was it because of his bootlegging activities? Or his amorous relationship with Liz Kearney, daughter of the richest man in the area and rumored mob boss? And was that really Jerry Begay whom Prudence saw meeting with Tom in secret the day before he was killed?
Following in the footsteps of her favorite fictional detectives, Tommy and Tuppence, Prudence is determined to solve the murder. But one wrong step and she may end up in the sights of the bootleggers.
After 20 years as a librarian and 20 as a professor of library science and library historian, Suzanne Stauffer has moved on to a third career as a mystery novelist. She currently lives in Albuquerque with her Australian husband and brown and white spotted rat terrier dogter, Treme. Her debut novel, Fried Chicken Castañeda (Artemesia Publishing, May 2025), won the CIPA EVVY Bronze Medal in Mystery/Crime/Detection and the New Mexico Book Award for Cozy Mystery.
Please welcome Suzanne Stauffer, the author of today's featured book, to the blog!
Plaza Hotel
Hello! Thank you for stopping by. I’m Suzanne Stauffer, author of the 2025 New Mexico Book Award for Cozy mystery winner, Fried Chicken Castañeda, a historical cozy culinary mystery set in 1929 Las Vegas, New Mexico. Yes – there is a Las Vegas in New Mexico. At one time, it was the largest city in the Southwest, and it had the reputation of a “wide-open town.” Billy the Kid was held in the jail there in 1880, after being captured by Sheriff Pat Garrett. The Plaza Hotel, built in 1882, was known as “The Belle of the Southwest.”
Castañeda Hotel
It and the
Castañeda Hotel, a Fred Harvey hotel built in 1898, are still open for
business.
Las Vegas Public Library
When my husband and I stayed at the Castañeda Hotel and toured the city, including the Carnegie Library that is a scale model of Jefferson’s Monticello, I knew that I wanted to set a story there. It is such a unique little town with such an exciting history.
Indian Detour
A few years
before, on a visit to the Grand Canyon, I had learned about the Indian Detours
of the late 1920s and early 1930s and the Couriers, the women who guided them.
I remarked to my husband that they would be an excellent setting for a cozy
mystery series when I retired.
I bought the only book written about them, The
Southwestern Indian Detours by Diane H. Thomas, and discovered that the
Detours originally left from the Castañeda! Now I had my setting – I just
needed to retire. LOL! And then COVID happened and lockdown and, while I was
still teaching online (library science at Louisiana State University), I wasn’t
doing any service (aka committee meetings) or much research (I couldn’t get to
the libraries, archives, and other repositories of historical materials) ...
so, I started work on what would become Fried Chicken Castañeda.
Painted Desert
The works of
Tony Hillerman were another influence. Although my father was in the military
and we moved around quite a bit when I was young, we had settled in Utah by the
time I was in junior high school. My father’s family had settled in northern
Utah in the 1850s and I was even born in Salt Lake City. We spent our summers
at the National Parks in the Southwest and visiting relatives (on my mother’s
side) in Holbrook, Arizona. Hillerman’s descriptions of the natural wonders of
the Southwest always made me homesick when I read them while working in New
York City. I wanted to share that beauty with others who have not yet
experienced it, and encourage them to discover it.
So, with
lockdown, I had the time and I had a setting – Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1929. I
just needed a main character, an amateur sleuth. I decided on Prudence Bates, a
25-year old librarian in Cleveland, Ohio. They say write what you know, and I
was a working librarian for roughly 20 years. Prudence, who reads mysteries voraciously, is bored with her job. She
wants excitement, glamour, intrigue. She attends the promotional meeting on the
Indian Detours given by Anita Rose in 1929 (yes, Anita Rose is a real person
and she promoted the Detours through the East and Midwest in 1929, stopping in
Cleveland), learns about the Couriers, and decides that this is what has been
missing in her life. Unfortunately for her, while she was the right age (at
least 25), and a college graduate, she was not a native of New Mexico, and that
was another requirement.
La Fonda Hotel
Our Prudence is
not discouraged by this. She decides to head out to La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe
to plead her case in person.
Along the
route, she’ll spend a week at the Castañeda soaking up local atmosphere. It’s
1929, so of course, she takes the train from Chicago (where she makes a point
of eating at the Fred Harvey restaurant), sleeping in a Pullman berth and
eating in the Fred Harvey dining car. Her dining companion for one meal is
Sally Johnson, a Harvey Girl at the La Fonda. And ... unexpectedly, she meets
Jerry Begay, a thirty-something Navajo school teacher on his way to Gallup ...
so it’s a brief encounter between strangers on a train, two ships passing in
the night, and, in 1929, a forbidden love.
Montezuma Hotel
Once in Las
Vegas, she tours the town, visiting the landmarks and monuments that constitute
the pride of Las Vegas, including the Plaza Hotel. She makes friends with
Harvey Girls Martha and Anne and desk clerk Clara, who invite her to a YMCA
dance and to soak in the hot springs above Las Vegas at the Montezuma Hotel.
Before she
knows it, she finds herself embroiled in bootlegging, murder, and mystery. Who
killed Harvey Girl Martha’s brother, Tom, and why? Was it because he was
selling poisoned bootlegged liquor to the local Indians? Or was it because of
his amorous activities with Liz Kearney, daughter of the richest man in town
and rumored mob boss? And was that really Jerry whom Prudence saw meeting with
Tom the day before?
Faith-forward cozy murder mystery with a delectable culinary theme.
Case of the Curved Staircase is the second book in author S.K. Derban's delectably culinary-themed and faith-forward Macaroni on Wheels Mystery series, featuring San Diego's Little Italy community chef Terza Tiepolo and her best friend, Hawaiian transplant Moheenie Lakalaka Brickman. Terza and Mo are compelled to investigate when Terza discovers the wife of one of their clients dead from an apparent fall down her home's magnificent staircase on the morning after her surprise birthday party, and the officers on the scene disregard obvious clues that her death was no accident.
Terza Tiepolo is a hard-working, conscientious young woman, dedicated to making her catering business a success. She's part of a large, extended Italian-American family, and I loved her continuing and nurturing relationship with her parents and how she maintained close ties with her older siblings and old friends. Her best friend, Mo, is warm and fun-loving, bringing her own feeling of ohana to the story. Her marriage to lifeguard/bartender, Ranger Brickman, seems like a match made in heaven.
This second book in the series focuses heavily on friendships, family, and Terza's two possible romantic interests, with the women's detective work squeezed in between cooking and catering jobs. I liked how Terza enlisted the assistance of Ian, the computer guru, who lived in her client's neighborhood. Single and working from home in an older neighborhood, I could imagine the attention he garnered from the older people on the street, especially the widows. In real life, he'd been certain to have a freezer full of ready-to-heat casseroles and a steady supply of sweets he'd received in exchange for helping the neighbors with phone and computer problems. Miss Marilyn was THAT quick to sic Terza and Mo on him! But he was seriously sweet and good-natured and really came through for the two women with the information they needed.
While the investigatory storyline was fun, the narrative felt a bit heavy with random details about Terza's daily life, which I thought took away from the mystery's momentum. Terza has a nice morning routine, but it was described in detail several times, with little variation and no advancement of the plot. It did vividly cement the loving relationship she had with her parents and demonstrated her dedication to her spiritual life.
Terza and Mo outline the facts of their case on a murder board in the Macaroni on Wheels kitchen, and they start with a couple of possible suspects, but I felt that clues in the narrative clearly pointed to the culprit well before the resolution. Still, Terza is such an engaging character, with so much going on in all aspects of her life, that I didn't want to put this book down until the big reveal confirmed my solution and ironed out Terza's romantic dilemmas.
I recommend CASE OF THE CURVED STAIRCASE to cozy mystery readers who enjoy a faith-forward story, culinary-themed mysteries, and tales of warm and strong family relationships.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.
Brisk and energetic new cozy mystery featuring two enthusiastic amateur sleuths!
Case of the Bayfront Murder is the first book in author S.K. Derban’s Macaroni on Wheels Mystery series, and it is a unique debut story for a couple of reasons. With its pair of very enthusiastic amateur sleuths who get involved just because they want to, and a faith-forward foundation underlying the plot, the book offers fresh perspectives on the cozy mystery genre.
Terza Tiepolo, the owner of a catering business called Macaroni on Wheels, and her BFF and coworker, Moheenie Brickman, are the two amateur sleuths hot on the trail of a murder mystery. When Terza discovers the body of her catering client dead on his kitchen floor, she and Mo immediately agree they must conduct their own investigation into his murder. It’s not that they feel the detective assigned to the case is lame. In fact, it’s quite the opposite! The truth is, it’s just because they’re in a murder mystery book club that they adore and are proficient at guessing who-dun-it in the books they love.
Terza comes with a lively Italian family that gathers for a weekly Sunday dinner with all the siblings, spouses, children, and any stray friends. While Mo is married to Ranger, a San Diego lifeguard, Terza is still unattached, and the attraction to Detective Nicolas Garza is keen from the start. Another viable romantic interest is DEA Agent Conner Reeves, but as of this book, he’s firmly stuck in the friend zone.
The plot is well-paced, with the murder occurring early on and the women’s investigation starting the very next day. Terza is aggressive in her approach to digging up information, which both benefits and harms her. There are a couple of good suspects to consider and rule out, and the final resolution makes sense. I really enjoyed the women’s ingenuity and creative stretching of the truth and cover stories about what they were up to, which made for some fun and anxious moments!
I recommend CASE OF THE BAYFRONT MURDER to cozy mystery readers who enjoy a fun, light story with a faith-forward foundation.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.
It's Christmas. It's cozy. It's culinary. It's chaos! It's the fourth book in this fabulous mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Ellen Byron.
Have yourself a merry little . . . murder?
Ricki James-Diaz gets the best present ever when her parents arrive in New Orleans for the holidays. Not only is it a chance to catch up, it’s also an opportunity to jog her mom Josepha’s memory about Ricki’s adoption. The details have always been shrouded in mystery. And Ricki understands why when she learns her mother was blackmailed for years, simply for not wanting to lose her precious daughter.
But digging into the past soon lands the James-Diaz clan in water hotter than a big pot of gumbo! When the woman who extorted Ricki’s mom is found dead at her home, Josepha becomes the primary suspect. Now Ricki has another murder to solve, and tracking down a killer in Crescent City is going to take a miracle.
Luckily, ‘tis the season! And Ricki has all the staff at the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum on hand to help. Can she prove her mother’s innocence and have the case wrapped up in time for Christmas?
Since Eugenia was possibly the last purist on the planet who refused to put up a single strand of Christmas lights before Thanksgiving, the day after turned into an all-hands-on deck day of decorating for the holidays instead of Black Friday. Ricki was grateful to landlady Kitty Kat for hosting her parents, freeing her up to turn Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware into a must-shop holiday destination.
Olivia Felice, Eugenia’s granddaughter—which made her another of Ricki’s newly discovered cousins—blew into the shop through its mullioned glass French doors. Miss Vee’s was located in a lovely room formerly known as the nineteenth century mansion’s “Ladies Parlor.” Pale green damask covered its walls and ornate molding painted white encircled the room. A glistening chandelier dangled from an intricately carved ceiling medallion. The instant Ricki had stepped foot in the parlor it felt like the perfect home for a gift shop dedicated to sharing the culinary past with fans of all things vintage.
“Ugh, I’m so glad to be here and out of the school library. Can I tell you how much I hate finals?” Olivia accompanied the statement with an eye roll and flip of her thick, dirty blonde ponytail. A junior at Tulane majoring in Communication, she’d added a minor in Psychology, motivated by a recent misjudgment of someone’s character that had almost led to her death. She’d transitioned from intern to Ricki’s sole part-time employee and lifetime young friend as well as relative.
“I’m glad you’re here. I could use help decorating this.” Ricki motioned to an artificial Christmas tree that exceeded her petite height by a foot. “I think I’ve bought up food-themed ornaments at every thrift shop in town. I thought we could fill in with smaller kitchenware items like these old measuring spoons.” She held up a set of nesting tin spoons. “Every item on the tree will be for sale, so I’m going with white lights. Colored lights would be too busy.”
“I’m on it.” Olivia reached into one of two big boxes loaded with holiday paraphernalia. She pulled out a long strand of tiny white lights. “And no, I haven’t heard anything from a krewe.”
“I was afraid to ask.”
While Ricki was born in the Big Easy, she’d moved to Los Angeles as a child when Josepha met and married Luis. She was still learning the ways of the quirky city she now called home. Olivia had educated her on the machinations of krewes, the organizations responsible for the city’s elaborate Mardi Gras parades and balls. The krewes chose local young women, mostly debutantes, for their courts. While carnival season didn’t officially kick off until January 6th—Twelfth Night—invitations to join the courts were delivered much earlier via a “court call” paid to the future queen and maids by representatives of the krewe. New Orleans may celebrate the winter holidays in a big way, but to Ricki, the local greeting of “Happy Almost Mardi Gras!” made the city’s priorities clear.
Olivia threaded the lights through the tree’s branches. “I honestly don’t care if I get a court call or not. I might even say no if they ask me to be on one.”
“Liar,” Ricki teased.
A fierce squawking disrupted the conversation. Ricki and Olivia dropped what they were doing to peer outside the shop’s bay window, where they saw Bon Vee’s resident peacocks Gumbo and Jambalaya chasing co-worker Theo Charbonnet—Eugenia’s nephew and yet another cousin to Ricki—across the mansion’s verdant green side yard.
“You OK?” Ricki called to Theo.
“I read somewhere that the Victorians put stuffed peacocks on top of their trees instead of stars or angels,” he called back. “Think about it.”
He disappeared around the corner.
The women left the window and resumed decorating. “Have you noticed Cousin Theo’s been acting more weird than usual?” Olivia asked as she added a second strand of lights to the tree.
“I wouldn’t call it weird,” Ricki said. “More like he’s being squirrelly. Secretive. I think he’s up to something.”
“That’s a scary thought.”
Ricki nodded in agreement. While she and Theo had achieved a rapprochement, she still wasn’t sure she could completely trust him.
“So, your parents are really nice,” Olivia said, providing a change of subject.
“Oh, thanks. They’re the best. I’m so glad you got to meet them.”
“Are you going to do anything special while they’re here? Like, a swamp tour or something?”
Ricki, who was about to hang a ceramic beignet ornament, paused. “Actually . . . since Dad will be busy on the TV shoot, I thought Mom and I could work together and dig up clues about my bio mom.”
Ricki had been abandoned as an infant New Orleans’ infamous Charity Hospital, her teen mother disappearing after giving birth. She thanked the universe for Josepha, a NICU nurse who fell in love with the parentless baby and adopted her, parenting as a single mother until she met and fell in love with Luis, who happened to be in town working on a film.
Ricki adored her parents beyond belief, but questions about her past drove her to seek answers. So far, she’d learned that Genevieve Charbonnet had secretly given birth to a baby who would have been Ricki’s grandparent. Her friend Mordant, who’d added private investigator to a list of occupations that included haunted tour guide and Bon Vee handyman, had tracked down the father of Genevieve’s baby. Sadly, he’d died at the age of twenty-four of a rare heart condition.
Ricki resumed hanging ornaments. “Mordant hasn’t been able to come up with any leads since he discovered my great-grandfather’s grave. And I haven’t come across any new connections on my genealogy sites. I thought I’d drive Mom around to some of the places from when we lived here and see if anything jogs a memory that might be useful.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’m starving.”
Ricki grinned, amused by Olivia’s 180-degree turn to her own needs. “You keep decorating, I’ll get us a snack.”
She left the shop and headed down the mansion’s capacious center hallway. Cookie waved from the beautifully appointed living room, which she was showing off to a group of tourists. Bon Vee was currently low on both tour guides, who were paid part-timers, and docents who volunteered their time, so Cookie and other staff members had been drafted to lead tours.
Ricki gestured to her and Cookie detached from her group. “I’m making a run to the café. You want anything?”
“An iced coffee would be great. It’s on me.” Cookie reached into the phone pocket of her leggings and extracted a twenty. She gave it to Ricki. “Plenty more where this came from,” she said in a low voice. “This group’s a mix of Houston and Dallas-ites, or whatever you call ’em. We just started the tour and they’re already trying to out-tip each other to prove their city is better.”
“Nice.”
“I want to buy Nat the best Christmas present I can, so I need these groups to make it rain.” Cookie rubbed her thumb to her index and middle finger, indicating money. She was dating the neighbor next door to Bon Vee and determined to make him the future Mr. Cookie Yanover. “Any idea what you’re getting Virgil?”
“Not a clue,” Ricki said. “I better get to the café before it closes.”
Ricki continued down the hallway, embarrassed by her obvious change of subject and feeling guilty because she hadn’t even thought about getting Virgil a gift. It’s because our relationship is so new, she told herself, batting back the insecurity that led her to fear she and the handsome, successful chef weren’t destined to go the distance.
*
By the time Olivia reluctantly left a few hours later to continue studying for finals, Miss Vee’s was decorated to the point of kitschy. No shelf was left untouched by thrift shop Santas, nutcrackers, ornaments, and a variety of small artificial trees in materials ranging from silvery mylar to one made of oyster shells wired together as branches. Ricki’s favorites were the items that were Louisiana-themed, like the alligator nutcracker wearing a Santa hat, which claimed a space next to a ceramic ornament of Santa riding an alligator.
“You could put together a whole display of gator items.”
Ricki started, not realizing she had company. She turned to see Josepha. “Mom, hey.” The women hugged.
“I thought your dad might wanna have dinner, but he and Virgil still have a lot to go over. He’s taking a break, though.”
Josepha indicated the bay window. Ricki glanced out of it and saw Luis doing a series of choreographed movements in slow motion. “Dad’s still doing tai chi?”
“Yup. It relaxes him. And Lord knows that man could use some relaxing.” Josepha delivered this in a droll but affectionate tone. “Anyhoo, I thought me and my darlin’ daughter might go out for dinner.”
“A giant yes to that.” A thought occurred to Ricki. “I just want to make one stop on the way.”
Ricki locked up the shop and led her mother to the small staff lot where she parked her Prius. They followed Washington Avenue past lovely historic homes swathed in holiday lights and garlands, eventually reaching Claiborne Avenue, a much less scenic thoroughfare of dollar stores, gas stations, and fast-food restaurants. Ricki made a right on Tulane Avenue, followed by two more right turns that placed them in front of what was once Charity Hospital, rendered uninhabitable after Hurricane Katrina and now on the cusp of a new life as Tulane University’s new downtown medical school. Scaffolding covered the center of the massive twenty-story edifice, but even at the tail end of twilight much of the building’s 1930s structure was still evident and impressive despite years of decay.
Josepha stared out the car window, her expression unreadable. “Why are we here?”
“You haven’t been to New Orleans in so long. I thought maybe seeing Charity again might bring back memories.”
“About your bio mom.”
Ricki nodded. Josepha clasped her hand and held it tight as she continued to stare out the window. She and Luis had been nothing but supportive in Ricki’s quest for answers about her past but Ricki sensed her mother’s pain as she took in the abandoned monolith where she’d once pursued a career she loved.
The two were silent for several minutes. “I wish I could remember something that would help,” Josepha finally said in a husky voice. “All I keep seeing is your tiny body in the NICU and how my heart broke for you and how that turned into burning, all-consuming passion to be your mama.”
“Oooh . . .” Ricki fought back tears. “I’m sorry, Mom. I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
“Nothing to be sorry about, baby girl.” Josepha gave Ricki’s hand another squeeze then released it. “I’m glad to see the old place and know it’s gonna be brought back to do good things in this city. Hey, we’re not too far from Mother’s restaurant here. I could go for one of their oyster po’boys.”
“Let’s do it,” Ricki said, knowing a change of subject when she heard one.
Ricki circled back to Tulane Avenue. As they drove, Josepha cheerfully recalled memories inspired by locations they passed. Ricki noted that none involved Charity or her experiences as a nurse. Ricki mused that perhaps it was too painful for Josepha to recall that time in her life. But another thought loomed larger: Josepha was hiding something.
And what she was hiding was tied to Ricki’s birth.
***
Excerpt from Crescent City Christmas Chaos by Ellen Byron. Copyright 2025 by Ellen Byron. Reproduced with permission from Ellen Byron. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Ellen Byron is a USA Today bestselling author and recipient of multiple Agatha (Best Contemporary Novel) and Lefty (Best Humorous Mystery) awards for her Cajun Country Mysteries (published by Crooked Lane), Vintage Cookbook Mysteries (Berkley and Severn House), Catering Hall Mysteries (Kensington, as Maria DiRico) and Golden Motel Mysteries (Kensington). She is also an Anthony Award nominee and an award-winning playwright.
Byron spent twenty-five years writing TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents, plus pilots for all the major networks, before segueing into writing humorous mysteries. She blogs with Chicks on the Case, is a lifetime member of the Writers Guild of America, and serves on the national board of Mystery Writers of America. But she’ll always consider her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for the iconic Martha Stewart.
A native New Yorker, Byron is a graduate of Tulane University and lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, daughter, and a rotating crew of rescue pups.
This holiday season in the Big Easy is anything but easy!
When Virgil surprises Ricki by hiring her father out of
retirement as the cameraman for his upcoming cooking show special, she’s
ecstatic to be reunited with her adoptive parents for the holidays, and as they’ll
all be busy with the show and working at the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum,
they’ve planned their visit to extend into the New Year. Ricki wants to take
the opportunity to pick her mother’s brain about her memories of Ricki’s first
days, when she was left at Charity Hospital as a newborn by her teenage birth
mom. Josepha had always been supportive of Ricki’s quest to learn more about
her birth parents, but this time, she’s uncharacteristically vague and resistant
to delving into the past, especially when Ricki stumbles across the name of one
of Josepha’s former coworkers who worked in the Records Department at that
time. Tracking the older woman down proves simple, but Ricki gets creepy vibes
from her the minute she mentions her mother is in town, and terminates the
visit before asking about her memories of the teenager who gave her up for
adoption. However, when the woman is found dead in her home under suspicious circumstances
the next day, Ricki and her parents become prime suspects in her death.
Crescent City Christmas Chaos is the fourth book in
author Ellen Byron’s intriguing New Orleans-set Vintage Cookbook Mystery
series, and features vintage shop owner Miracle “Ricki” Fleur de Lis James-Diaz
and her friends, family, and coworkers at the city’s beautiful Bon Vee Culinary
House Museum. Ricki has established a unique and successful small business that
she loves and has embarked on a lovely new romance with celebrity chef and neighbor
Virgil Morel. Their relationship is still in the early stages, and Ricki is
quite taken with Virgil’s innate goodness, especially after her past romantic experiences.
They really fit well as a couple, as do her adoptive parents, Josepha and Luis
James-Diaz, who met, married, and relocated to Los Angeles when Ricki was small.
While the main plot follows Ricki’s well-done personal
investigation into Phyllis Gibbs’s death, some interesting subplots vie for
attention, including Virgil’s cooking special, the Bon Vee staff’s cookbook project,
and Theo Charbonnet’s curiously secretive activities. Ricki’s search for her birth
parents has been a theme running through the series since the beginning, and
little pieces of the puzzle have been revealed in each successive mystery. This
book does not disappoint.
With its crush of great subplots involving a plethora of engaging
recurring characters, I recommend CRESCENT CITY CHRISTMAS CHAOS to cozy mystery
readers, especially those who’ve read the previous novels in the series and
those who enjoy a New Orleans setting or adoption theme.
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A delightful start to this new cozy mystery series featuring books and baked goods.
Murder on the Page is the first novel in author Daryl Wood Gerber’s new Literary Dining Mystery series and features books, baked goods, and best friends trying to solve a murder. Engaging characters experiencing real dramas and traumas, and the tragic murder of a beloved relative, had me invested in finding out who was responsible from the very start.
The main character, Allie Catt, is smart, talented, and cool under pressure, which is a good thing because she is presented with a lot of opportunities to prove it when her best friend Tegan’s beloved aunt is murdered inside her bookstore. I loved Allie’s energy and determination, which she attributes to her literary role models and her genuine desire to help, especially when law enforcement is eyeing the wrong person as their number one suspect. She’s set on uncovering the truth behind the murder, even though it may hijack a potential romantic relationship that is slowly forming.
I enjoyed the author’s comfy world-building of the small town of Bramblewood, North Carolina, and I liked that a map of the town was included. In the opening alone, the description of the downpour and wet, slick sidewalks had me imagining the chill and dampness. So, too, were the descriptions of the various confections Gabby prepared, so tantalizing that I mentally inventoried the contents of my kitchen and came up disappointed. The author kindly includes a number of recipes, including gluten-free alternatives, at the end of the book.
The plot moves quickly, with the death occurring early in the story. From there, it is a treat of interestingly appropriate Pride and Prejudice quotations, literary figures, and famed titles, along with tasty baked goods, as Allie and Tegan work to clear the names of the innocent and find the real killer. Allie does so much and is such an engaging character; I look forward to the next installment in the series.
I recommend MURDER ON THE PAGE to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy a literary or culinary-themed story.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.
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Cozy Mystery
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Publication Date: September 1, 2025
Page count: 280 pages
SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!
SYNOPSIS:
Roxy Constantine and
Nate Robicheaux are into weddings, both for work and family. But when the
obnoxious father of the bride is murdered at the engagement party, they find
out more about his business than they bargained for.
Now someone wants to stop Roxy from investigating even as she pulls out all the
stops on a super New Year’s Eve wedding celebration for her uncle.
She’ll need more than wine jelly favors and wedding cake to stop the killer.
As I stepped onto the landing, I heard something that
sounded like a sob. “Did you hear that?”
“What?”
“That sound. It was over…” As I started across the landing
toward the stairs, I heard another sob, much louder this time, coming from the
stairs leading down to the lower floor. “Is anybody there?” I called.
“Roxy?” It sounded like Thalia, but a very different Thalia
from the normal, terrifyingly efficient woman we’d been working with. I stepped
quickly to the landing and peered toward the lower floor.
And saw Thalia Rosenberg leaning over Emerson Pollack, who
lay spread-eagled on the concrete floor.
From where I stood, he looked very dead.
I ran down the steps. The stairwell was very dark although
the light from above streamed down on Pollack’s body where it lay. Nate was at
my heels.
Thalia knelt beside Pollack, her face the color of the snow
still falling outside. “We need to call an ambulance,” she said. “He’s…hurt.”
Judging by the way Pollack was splayed on the floor, I
didn’t think an ambulance would do much good. I put my hand on her shoulder.
“Come on, Thalia. Step away from him now.”
Nate had climbed up the stairs and was now speaking urgently
into his phone. I heard the words “accident” and “serious injuries,” which
might well be true, as far as the “serious injuries” went. I was less certain
about the “accident” part.
Thalia looked like she might faint or have hysterics,
neither of which I wanted to deal with right then.
She leaned toward me, her brown eyes huge in her pale face.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “My God. He’s dead, isn’t he?”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Meg Benjamin is
an award-winning author of romance and cozy mysteries. Meg’s cozy mystery
series, Luscious Delights from Wild Rose Press, concerns a jam-making sleuth
based in the mythical small town of Shavano, Colorado. Her Konigsburg series is
set in the Texas Hill Country and her Salt Box and Brewing Love trilogies are
set in the Colorado Rockies (all are available from Entangled Publishing and
from Meg’s indie line). Along with romance and cozies, Meg is also the author
of the paranormal Ramos Family trilogy from Berkley InterMix and the Folk
trilogy from Meg’s indie line.
Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including
an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion
from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance Writers, the Carly Crown Jewel of
Books from the Mid-America Romance Authors, and the Award of Excellence from
Colorado Romance Writers.
A hurry-up wedding rushes Roxy and Nate into the midst of
another murder.
The Wine Jelly Murder is the fifth book in author Meg
Benjamin’s clever, cozy, and culinary-themed Luscious Delights Mystery series,
and this time, a hurry-up wedding catering job puts Roxy and Nate at the scene
of a murder once again. When the obnoxious father of the bride is found
murdered after an engagement party and Madge Robicheaux’s friend, wedding
planner extraordinaire Thalia Rosenberg, becomes the prime suspect in his
death, Madge begs Roxy to work her investigative magic to find out who all had it
in for Emerson Pollack and get her friend off the hook.
Roxy and Nate are a fun couple, slowly moving closer to a real
commitment, and both are working their tails off to build their respective
businesses. The upcoming holidays are critical to their success as catering
opportunities abound and the demand for Roxy’s gourmet jams and jellies for
gifting booms. I enjoyed how they consciously tried to spend additional time
together, even if it meant working evening events or completing unplanned tasks
to move the arrangements for Uncle Mike’s and Madge’s wedding to each other
along to do so.
As is usual for this series, there is a lot of discussion of
delicious food and Roxy’s processes for inventing jams and jellies, all worked
into the story between wedding preparations, catering events, community
dinners, and amateur sleuthing. Roxy’s involvement garners results, though,
with twists and turns along the way to keep readers guessing. I enjoyed the appearances
of recurring characters and the variety of new ones, especially the awful
father of the bride and his daughter, Jennifer. Although this is the fifth book
in the series, each one can be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel.
I recommend THE WINE JELLY MURDER to cozy mystery readers,
especially those who are fans of culinary-themed stories.
*See my review of book one in the Luscious Delights Mystery series, The Pepper Peach Murder,HERE!
**See my review of book three in the Luscious Delights Mystery series, Tangerine Marmalade Murder, HERE!
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY
Meg Benjamin will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift
card to a randomly drawn winner.
A televised cooking competition puts Sherry, a successful
cooking competitor, in the spotlight, especially when the final challenge calls
for catching a killer.
A Holiday For
Homicide
A Cook-Off Mystery #9
by Devon Delaney
Genre: Cozy Murder Mystery
A televised cooking competition puts Sherry in the spotlight,
especially when the final challenge calls for catching a killer . . .
Despite being a seasoned competitor, nothing could have prepared Sherry Oliveri
for the thrill of being chosen for a three-day cooking challenge on national
television. She’s dying to tell her friends, but she and everyone else involved
in the contest has been sworn to secrecy until it airs. Still, that’s not
stopping someone from penning cryptic notes about the show for the whole town
to read, which has the production crew on edge—right up until one of them is
found dead.
Determined to root out the killer, Sherry suspects the truth lies with
whoever’s behind the mysterious notes—which have now turned dark with menacing
comments on the murder and suggestions of buried secrets. Trying to unravel it
all while focusing on her recipes, Sherry’s stopped dead in her tracks when the
cook-off host drops a bombshell. With no time to spare, she’ll have to unearth
the one missing ingredient that will ensure the killer’s cooked . . .
Includes recipes from Sherry’s kitchen!
Praise for the Cook-Off Mysteries:
“The Cook-Off Mystery series by Devon Delaney is a very tasty treat!” —Cozy
Mystery Book Reviews
“This is a very fun and rollicking mystery that stays light-hearted even as the
case gets more complicated . . . Cooking, holiday celebrations, and moving
family drama all make for the perfect escape.” —Kings River Life
"This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't
feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really
enjoyed this book!" – Netgalley Reviewer
Devon Delaney is life-long resident of the Northeast and
currently resides in coastal Connecticut. She is a wife, mother of three,
grandmother of two and accomplished cooking contester. She taught computer
education and Lego Robotics for over ten years prior to pursuing writing. Along
the way Devon has been handsomely rewarded for her recipe innovation over the
last twenty-plus years. Combining Devon’s beloved hobby of cooking contesting
with her enthusiasm for writing was inevitable.
When Devon is not preparing for her next cook-off, she may
be found pursuing her other hobbies, including playing competitive USTA league
tennis, gardening, needlepointing, painting, jarring her produce, and hooking
rugs. Her standard poodle, Rocket, is her pride and joy and keeps her on the
path of sanity.
Who is trying to frame Dani for the death of one of her customers?
Rocky Road to Murder is the sixth book in veteran author Lena Gregory's consistently delightful Coffee & Cream Café Mystery series, featuring café owner and barista Dani Delaney and her tight-knit circle of friends, as well as the murder of a local woman during her annual Fourth of July soiree. Dani is elated when Cressida Rutherford hires her to provide parfait desserts for her upcoming Fourth of July dinner, not only for the business but also because she has always wanted to attend the prestigious event. However, success takes a turn for the worse when the hostess is discovered dead during the festivities with one of Dani's parfaits on the ground beside her.
This latest adventure is another delightful addition to the cozy mystery series and is somewhat unique for the genre, particularly in how the victim is introduced and the subsequent amateur investigation is conducted. While the victims in many cozy mysteries are unlikable, nasty individuals or otherwise apt targets for the fictional murder, Cressida Rutherford is a relative unknown to the reading audience, never appearing alive in the story or directly introduced to readers prior to the discovery of her corpse. Her death is handled more like a homicide in a more traditional mystery or police procedural, where the story starts with the discovery of a body, and the victim's identity is established after the fact, with the detectives building a picture of the victim as they conduct their investigation. Dani and her fellow amateur sleuths jump straight to unraveling the clues to the murderer's identity in order to clear Dani's name. While a little information about Cressida's life emerges, the case is clearly focused on the clues and disproving Dani's and Eli's possible involvement in her death. It's a fine and interesting mix of mystery subgenres, and it really worked for me. Like Dani and her friends, I was kept guessing the entire time.
With its cast of regulars, well-paced murder investigation, and romantic storyline, I recommend ROCKY ROAD TO MURDER to cozy mystery readers.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.
Dotty’s return to the Cotswolds is marred by murder!
Tartan, Treasures and Troubles is the 12th book in veteran author Victoria Tait’s awesome cozy Dotty Sayers Antiques Mystery series and picks up with Dotty’s return to the Cotswolds and her home at Meadowbank Farm and job at Akeman’s antiques business. She and her best friend, Sergeant Keya Varma, have teamed up to host a traditional Burns night dinner at the Waterwheel Café at the auction house, but the sudden death of one of the attendees was very much NOT on the menu.
Dotty has become a serious and settled young woman, and she’s dealing with some very big issues during this story. Her father’s cancer has progressed, and the doctors have judged it to be inoperable, so every time she visits with him may be her last. The anguish when she learns of his prognosis is palpable. Dotty is also still uncertain about her relationship with Zach, and he is having a difficult time grappling with his findings of this family’s history. Still, there is a treasure to be found.
The plot is well-paced, incorporating multiple storylines with Dotty’s and Keya’s plans for their Burns night celebration, which is fast approaching. As Dotty picks up her life in the Cotswolds again, the story blooms with the names and appearances of many characters from the previous books in the series. It promises to become quite a reunion with people coming out for the Burns night dinner. Having read the earlier books may make sorting all these characters out somewhat easier. hen a character close to those central to the series dies suspiciously in front of everyone at the dinner, other familiar faces make their way onto the suspects’ list, so there are plenty of red herrings to cross off on the way to a surprising resolution. Sharp-eyed armchair detectives may be able to settle on the correct perpetrator in advance as the clues are there.
I recommend TARTAN, TREASURES AND TROUBLE to cozy mystery readers, especially those who have enjoyed the previous books in the series.
Award-winning author of the Annalisse series, Marlene M. Bell, brings distant friends together in the rural South only to have one of them become the victim of a brutal crime of passion.
Once celebrated for her show-stopping pastries and irresistible desserts, former celebrity chef Laura Harris is now making headlines for a far darker reason.
Laura has been accused of murder.
How could this petite chef have brutally smothered the beloved small-town matriarch, World War II ferry pilot veteran, Hattie Stenburg? Hattie wasn't just a pillar of the community; she was Laura's confidant and mentor. The shocking twist? Hattie’s will contained recent changes, bypassing next-of kin and leaving her entire fortune and historic estate to Laura.
As Laura scrambles to clear her name, she uncovers sinister secrets lurking beneath the town’s idyllic surface. The real murderer is always one step ahead, leaving taunting clues and threatening Laura to leave Texas—or face deadly consequences. With time not a luxury, Laura must untangle the web of deceit before the killer makes her the next victim.
In A Hush at Midnight, Marlene M. Bell twists an amateur sleuth crime mystery into a race against the clock to solve her mentor's murder.
Marlene
M. Bell is an award-winning author of the
Annalisse romantic suspense series. She’s also an acclaimed artist and
photographer using her pictures for descriptive prose that eventually lands in
her mysteries. Marlene lives with her husband of 42 years on their East Texas
ranch with numerous sheep. When she’s not writing, drawing or painting, she is
shepherdess to their Katahdin hair sheep and ranch kitties.
