In the Bluegrass world of oak-cured bourbon, antebellum mansions, and Thoroughbred horse farms are secrets—deadly secrets! Kentucky is not called “the dark and bloody ground” for nothing!

Josiah has resigned herself to being alone. Her boyfriend, Hunter, has left her for an old flame, and Josiah vows not to interfere in his life. She cares for the man and wants him to be happy. So, it comes as a shock when Detective Drake informs her that Hunter has been arrested for the murder of his wife, Kathy Wickliffe. Josiah simply can’t believe Hunter would harm another human being. She must uncover the truth—and fast.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

“Your friends are vicious.” “Yes, they are— as you say— vicious, but they are fountains of information, innuendos, and observations.” “You mean they are gossips.” “Precisely,” answered Lady Elsmere,

Honey, she is more plugged in than MI-5 or the FBI. Of course, she knows something, but she won’t spill. The old biddy will tell me when she thinks the time is right.

“And how do you suggest we temper this behavior with a child that’s not even two yet, Miss Know-It-All?” I didn’t reply, since I had a daughter who frequently engaged in violence and loved guns. Maybe my parenting skills weren’t spectacular after all.

You even lie about your lies.

Remembering made me angry, and as the afternoon wore on, the memory turned into a blister.

My Review:

This was a quick, satisfying, and engaging read that kept me entertained and curious from start to finish. What more can one ask for? Ms. Keam manages to perceptively hit the feels as well as amuse in a smooth and wryly humorous manner. Her characters are realistically flawed and struggling, yet endearing and deserving of being known. I hope this series continues into perpetuity, as that is how long I plan to keep reading Josiah’s adventures.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

“Subtly is my middle name,’ says Albie, downing the remainder of his wine, then burping loudly before helping himself to a refill.

My musings are interrupted by a frantic beeping from the car behind us, and Albie digs me in the shoulder blade, then indicates the lights have changed with a sarcastic, ‘What shade of green were you waiting for?’

My Review:

This was good fun, I enjoyed this highly amusing tale from start to finish. How lucky am I? I unsuspectingly stumbled upon a well-paced murder mystery with a refreshingly original premise, a cast of quirky yet endearing and relatable characters, and adroitly laced together with clever, wry humor. Matt Dunn has crazy good word voodoo and a new fan girl.

Favorite Quotes:

Her appearance matched her personality to a pleasing degree. She had a creamy complexion, and her face had a soft plumpness, as if she were made of clouds and sugar and cherubs.

Although, now that she thought about it, it was odd that it was thought unseemly to speak ill of the dead, who were beyond caring what was said about them, but quite acceptable to talk badly about people who were actually living and breathing and capable of being hurt.

… compared to the tragic ends of Lewis and Matthew. I hope I go that way, she thought. A nice quick heart attack or stroke in my own bed. The thought wasn’t morbid or frightening. In fact, it was rather soothing. Julia had seen enough of life to be pragmatic about death.

My Review:

I always enjoy my time with Julia Bird; she is a clever and snoopy retiree who has a sharp eye for detail, even if her memory is becoming a bit cagey. As always with these clever scribes, their writing was engaging, easy to fall into, well-paced, and wryly amusing. Katie Gayle’s entertaining tales tickle my curiosity and scroll smoothly through my gray matter. While I would never have guessed the outcome, the colorful Aunt Edna knew all along. Aunt Edna tends to hold the vital clues; if you know how to listen, she parcels her tips out in a seemingly nonsensical yet profound Edna code.

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Favorite Quotes:

Fliss often looked as if she’d got up with two minutes to spare for work to discover someone had burned all her hairbrushes during the night.

Corrine lifted her eyebrows so high in disbelief they might have left her head entirely,

if Lucifer himself had wandered in wearing a pair of Speedos and asking for a bag of ice to cool down, she wouldn’t have been a bit surprised.

The only time I see all the heathens in church is today when there’s mulled wine afterwards.

My Review:

I have enjoyed this perceptively written and heartfelt series, populated with quirky and original villagers for the midwife and the clinic staff to serve. Ms. Tennant deftly traverses multiple family dramas, workplace tension, weather snafus, holiday complications, addictions, and competition pettiness, all with an easy-to-read, amusing, and engaging writing style.

A Very Bookish Murder
(Ally McKinley Mystery #3)
by Dee MacDonald

Welcome back to the tiny Highland village of Locharran, where Ally McKinley – guesthouse owner and accidental detective – is about to stumble upon another dead body… and her next case.

When Ally McKinley hears that well-known novelist Jodi Jones is going to host a writers’ retreat at the hotel just down the road, she’s delighted to offer rooms at her little guesthouse for some of the attendees. Ally is thrilled to join the group for one of their first sessions – but the retreat has barely begun before she finds the famous writer strangled in the ladies’ bathroom!

The cake tin and teapot come out at the little guesthouse in the Highlands as Ally begins to question her bookish guests. Accusations of plagiarism and infidelity start flying and it’s clear that more than one of the retreat attendees had a grudge against Jodi. But could any of them have resorted to murder?

When Ally discovers a diary in Jodi’s bedroom at the guesthouse with several pages ripped out of it, she thinks she’s close to cracking the case. But the plot thickens when another of the aspiring writers is found dead, only hours after she said she knew the identity of Jodi’s killer.

Not only is the murderer still in Locharran, but they’re desperate to stop Ally getting to the truth. With her faithful puppy Flora by her side, can Ally unravel the clues and solve the mystery before she’s written out of the story for good?

A totally gripping and bookish cozy mystery set in the Scottish Highlands from bestselling author Dee MacDonald. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin, and Clare Chase.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

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‘Your brother was hit by a bus?’ Ally asked again. ‘Ah told ye! The bus from Clachar! The driver, Ecky, wiz awful upset.’ ‘Well, he would be,’ Ally said, ‘but what about your brother?’ ‘Och, he was flattened. Flat as a flounder. Ye can see his grave if ye look in the churchyard, right near the gate.’ ‘So it killed him?’ Ally asked, horrified. ‘Of course it killed him– it wiz a big bus,’ said Queenie, taking the money for the salt and depositing it in the till. ‘But Charlie wid’ve been three sheets to the wind, so he probably widnae have felt much.’ She sniffed. ‘He liked a wee drink,’ she added by way of explanation.

Hamish was now fussing over his wife, wiping her brow and murmuring words of comfort which were completely inaudible due to Magda’s yelling and swearing. Ally was impressed with her considerable vocabulary of profanities.

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My Review:

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This series has been a fun and highly amusing diversion, and I have vastly enjoyed each installment. Dee MacDonald is a smooth and crafty storyteller and kept me guessing with a brain-teasing murder mystery, while she gleefully entertained me with her quirky and authentic characters. I am eagerly awaiting her next effort.

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Aged 18, Dee arrived in London from Scotland and typed her way round the West End for a couple of years before joining BOAC (forerunner of British Airways) in Passenger Services for 2 years and then as a stewardess for 8 years.

She has worked in Market Research, Sales, and at the Thames TV Studios when they had the franchise.

Dee has since relocated to Cornwall, where she spent 10 years running B&Bs, and only began writing when she was over 70!

Married twice, she has one son and two grandsons.

The Christmas lights twinkle in the town square as merry carolers bring good tidings. But when a festive feud turns fatal, Sarah Vane is on the case!

While snowflakes fall outside, Sarah Vane cosies up in her cottage with a book when a leaflet for the Christmas choir flutters through her letterbox. Keen to sign up, she pays a visit to choir master Daffyd Jones. But her festive cheer crumbles like a mince pie when she finds him dead in his office. With just a week to go until Christmas, Sarah has a festive case to solve.

As Sarah talks to the devastated choir members, she soon discovers many had a reason to dislike Daffyd. Was it the soprano who was humiliated by him in front of the choir for missing her high note? His long-suffering wife suspected an affair – are her floods of tears fake? And why was his picture-perfect forever home put on the market just days before his death?

But with her tinsel in a tangle, another body is found, this time on the beach. The police think the poor lad had one too many at a Christmas party and fell off the pier, but when Sarah looks closely, she sees a clear link to Daffyd. Can Sarah catch the culprit among the carollers, or will she be dashing through the snow to her demise this Christmas?

A delightfully cozy, utterly compulsive, and gripping murder mystery, perfect for fans of Faith Martin, J.R. Ellis, and Clare Chase who are looking for their next addictive read.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

‘Daffyd’s bark is worse than his bite.’ ‘Is it?’ said Sarah doubtfully. Both seemed to warrant a hefty rabies injection, from what she’d seen.

Privacy was a scarce resource in Merstairs, where the slightest bit of gossip gave you a brief edge over almost everybody, and flapping ears were an epidemic disease the likes of which she had rarely seen.

He was the most god-awful, jumped up little squit.

My Review:

I adore Alice Castle’s captivating cozy mysteries. She includes a healthy dose of amusing humor with her brain-teasing murders, which appear to happen more than expected for a small and quirky coastal village. And I scored a new entry for my Brit words and phrases list with squit, which Mr. Google informed is a dialectical British slang term for an insignificant person or for nonsense/rubbish. What fun!