Series: A Tucson Valley Retirement Community Cozy Mystery #5
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Takes Place:Â Tuscon Valley
Main Character: Rosy,
Other Characters: Keaton, Stacy, Renee, Richard, Karen, Frank, Brenda, George, Amos, Jan, Alan, Officer Lona, Officr Dan, Zak, Lanie, Safia, Waylon, Mario, Celia, Lois, Tracy, Leo, Bob
Pets: Dog name Barley
Stars: 5
The residents’ shenanigans in this fifth episode of The Tuscon Valley Retirement Center will make you laugh out loud.
Everyone in the retirement community is giddy with anticipation as Rosi and Tracy prepare for a dance competition that will give residents the chance to perform alongside professional dancers. When the professional dancers arrive in the community, the locals are selected and matched with a dancer. Everything was going great until—you guessed it—an unexpected crime occurred. There’s always a mystery to solve when Rosy is around, and she has to apply her sleuthing skills to solve it. Will Rosy once again put herself in danger to find the culprit?
This book is funny and features an eccentric group of characters. Rosy is a fantastic protagonist and I am excited to see where her and Keaton’s relationship goes. I love Rosi’s parents and her relationship with them. You will be guessing until the very last page as the author skillfully crafts a compelling mystery.
Other Characters: Jake, Casey Alisson, Nicki, Ethan, Casey, Maggie, Francesca, Aunt Mildred, Connie, Lancer, Janine, phard name Sarge, Karl, Lance, Rhett, Maggie, Colin, Doc James, Principal Bell, Kurtis, Ty
Stars: 5
The sixth novel in the Bishops Landing Cozy Mystery Series brings us back to the quaint town of Bishop’s Landing. Catching up with Annie and her friends is always a pleasure. Annie is thrilled to have her Goddaughter, Nicki, coming to visit, and she is even more thrilled to have a surprise visit from her son, Ethan.
Annie is looking forward to her first date with Jake. Everything is set up for their sunset cruise on Jake’s boat, which is going great until they discover the high school coach’s dead body in the water. As if this isn’t bad enough, it gets worse when Annie’s son is the main suspect since he was observed having a heated argument with the deceased. Annie is determined to prove her son couldn’t have committed the crime. During her sleuthing, she discovers a series of secrets & lies that have been kept under wrap for a years which gives us several possible suspects.
It’s always nice to catch up with Annie in this series, which I absolutely love. The author is skilled at giving each character enough nuance and personality to give them dimension. I am really enjoying the slow-burn romance of Annie and Jake to see where that might lead. And of course there are dogs which is always entertaining. For a small town, there is a lot going on, which keeps the reader engaged. The reader is taken on a exciting journey through a compelling mystery that keeps them guessing until the very end.
Takes Place:Â Forest Haven Spa Resort in the Smoky Mountains
Main Character: Hadley Sutton
Other Characters: Liza, Carmella, Curtis, Willa, Jayla, Kim, Gwyneth, Charlene, Adam, Chef Hansen, Raven
Stars: 5
I received this novella by being a part of Emily Oberton’s Newsletter. If you don’t receive her newsletters, I highly recommend that you join. Even though this is part of the Hadley Home Design Mystery series, it is a standalone Novela and doesn’t contain any spoilers for the rest of the series.
This novela takes us to the Forest Haven Spa Resort in the Smoky Mountains for Hadley’s birthday celebration . She wants to celebrate her birthday with a spa & massage weekend. Her celebration takes a nasty turn when her masseuse is found dead. Turns out the deceased is not well liked so there are a lot of suspects who could have wanted her dead.
Despite the fact that this novela is short and a quick read, the author takes us on quite the roller coaster journey to find the killer. It keeps the reader guessing throughout the entire book. I found it engaging and suspensful. Her other works in the Hadley Home Design Series are also highly recommended.
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Pets: Golden Retriever named Woody and Carl the Tabby Cat
Stars: 5
The author does not let readers down in this sixth installment of the Callie Cassidy series. I loved it from the first to the last page. it was interesting, intriguing and made me want to keep reading to see how this mystery would unfold.
Known for hopping from one hobby to another, Callie’s mother has discovered a new one: grave rubbing. Who knew there was such a hobby! As her mother heads to the cemetery for her first excursion into her new pastime, Callie agrees to accompany her to tak photos. Callie brings her tabby cat, Carl and her golden retriever, Woody along for the adventure. After she is satisfied that she has taken enough photos, Callie, along with Woody & Carl, chooses to stroll around the cemetery when she notices a ghostly apparition emerging from the trees. When examined closely, it was a woman wearing a long white dress and bleeding from a head wound. The woman claimed not to know who she was or how she got there, but Maggie, Callie’s mother, recognized her immediately as a woman who vanished without a trace forty years prior. It is at that moment that Woody bolts for the trees, and when Callie catches up with him, she finds him standing over a dead body by a recent grave. it is quickly determined that this dead body is a man who has been dating her best friend Tonya’s mother. What might have occurred! Was it the mystery woman in the white dress who killed him? Was he killed by Lydia, Tonya’s mother? Callie finds herself involved in a murder investigation once again along with the mystery of the woman with no memory. What is the mystery behind this woman in the white dress and where has she been for the past 40 years?
Apart from attempting to unravel the two mysteries, Callie is also attempting to win over her boyfriend Sam’s parents.
There are numerous suspects in this intriguing mystery, which keeps the reader wondering right up to the very end. Callie has been my favorite protagonist throughout the entire series. She is intelligent, a devoted friend, and perpetually gets mixed up in a murder investigation. The remaining characters in the series are all well-developed and three-dimensional. From the moment I picked up her first book, this author has been a favorite of mine. She writes about places so vividly in her books that I can almost feel myself there. Her mysteries will always have unexpected turns that keep the reader guessing until the perpetrator is identified. The Callie Cassidy Mystery series is a great choice if you enjoy cozy mysteries with lots of twists and turns leading to unexpected conclusions. Although these books can be read as a stand-alone, I suggest reading them in order to fully get to know the characters and develop the same kind of affection for them that I have.
I received this book for free as part of the author’s ARC team. This Review is my honest opinion
Series: Tucson Valley Retirement Community Cozy Mystery #3
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Takes Place: Tuscon Valley, AZ
Main Character: Rosi
Other Characters: Tracy, Keaton, Zak, Mario, Leo, Brenda, Jan, Safia Dr Rafferty Smith, Me. Quinta, Officer Warren, Baily Adelain
Pets: Rosi’s Golden Retriever Barley
Stars: 5
Once again, Rosi gets to use her investigative abilities and we get to giggle at the retirement community’s antics in this episode of Another Tucson Valley Retirement Community.
Rosi, her supervisor Tracy, and a few of the interesting yet annoying senior community residents travel to Phoenix for the Senior Living Retirement Community Conference. Although it should be a time for leisure, that is obviously not the case. The group goes to the opening night festivities on their first night there. Much to Rosi’s humilation, she finds herself in a humorous scenario that has the potential to make her Tik Tok famous. To top it all off, later that night, Barley, her Golden Retriever, discovers a dead body in the most unlikely place. Once more, Rosi gets to use her investigative abilities as she finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation. Since there was no identification, they must first identify the victim and then determine the motivation before they can find who could have commited this heinous crime.
Though I particularly like the protagonist, all the characters are intriguing. The quirky residents of the Retirement Community and other people Rosi meets along the way provide some humor despite the fact that this is a murder mystery. Since Rosi is pursuing a suspect, could she be putting herself in danger? The author has a talent for creating mysteries that keep the reader interested and guessing the entire time. This engrossing cozy mystery has several twists to reveal the killer and a surprise conclusion.
Once again an outstanding book by Penny Brooke. After moving to Green Oaks, Massachusetts, Charlotte started restoring the home she inherited from her grandmother. When we last saw Charlotte, she had cracked a 1920s murder case. Her wish is to put murder mysteries behind her. Or at least that is what she thought.
Charlotte is going through boxes of her grandmother’s old books to determine which ones would be good candidates for her favorite pastime of bookbinding. One of the books has an envelope sticking out of it, which she notices. Inside the envelope she discovers a note written to a young woman, Lauren, who killed herself around a year ago. Since the cops are not interested in opening this cold case, Charlotte is sure that something else is going on and decides to investigate it herself. Through her investigation she discovers a mystery about a missing woman, her sister’s apparent suicide, and long-kept family secrets.
Another thriller in the Green Oaks Bookbinding series that will keep you guessing throughout the entire book. I read it in one sitting since I couldn’t put it down. This novel explores a family with many secrets by taking the reader through a number of events to an ending you won’t see coming. Will Charlotte be able to pull together the evidence to crack another unsolved mystery?
This is the second book in the Tuscon Valley Retirement Community series and I enjoyed it as much as the first one.
Rosi has made the decision to move to Tucson Valley and leave behind the cold winters of Illinois. She is settling into her new role At the Tuscon Valley Retirement Community Performing Arts Center. A farewell event featuring impersonators of some of the biggest stars of the 60s is being held for the community’s snowbird residents. Rosi handles the diva attitudes and outrageous requests without letting the performers’ disparate personalities get in the way of making this the greatest concert the community has ever seen. The concert is a success and Rosi is pleased with how everything turned out, up until one of the performers is found dead at the foot of the stage. Once again Rosi puts her sleuthing skills to work to to assist Detective Daniels in tracking down a murderer. She is aware that in order to preserve the community’s and the Performing Arts Center’s reputation, they need to discover this culprit as soon as possible. The plot takes a lot of turns and involves a number of suspects before the killer is identified because she unearths more secrets than she could have predicted while conducting her investigation.
I’m having a great time with this series since the characters are interesting and entertaining, with a wide range of personalities. In addition to the search for a killer, the side stories are just as interesting. Rosi is still getting to know Keaton and is excited to see where their new relationship goes. She is also looking for a new place to live so she can move out of her parents’ house. As a dog lover, I love Barley, her Golden Retriever.
I laughed out loud at some of the quirky characters in this series, which is lighthearted and entertaining along with a mystery that has a twist and an unexpected conclusion.
This is a new to me author and I had a great time reading the first book in Tucson Valley Retirement Community series. It was entertaining, unique, and had some amazing characters—well, minus the murder.
Rosi, whose full name is Rosisophia, is in Arizona visiting her parents who live in a retirement community. Her mother named her after each of the Golden Girls because she was an avid fan of the TV show in the 1980s. She goes by Rosi for obvious reasons. After going through a challenging divorce and losing her job as a reporter, Rosi chooses to spend some time supporting her father during his recuperation from knee surgery. This was supposed to be a quick getaway from the stress she had been experiencing, a chance to spend time with her parents, and assistance for her father as he recovered. She is even more stressed when she discovers the local bookshop owner deceased inside her own establishment. Since the inept investigator is unable to solve this murder, she turns to her experience as a reporter for leads that eventually result in the killer’s capture.During her investigation, Rosi runs into some of her mom’s eccentric friends, one of whom is attempting to hook her up with her nephew—something Rosi is trying to avoid. She also meets handome landscaper and Barley, an adorable golden retriever puppy. Could Rosi decide she needs a change of scenery, and will she make Arizona her new home.
I had a great time reading this. The ensemble of personalities and Rosi’s efforts to put her painful past behind her were enjoyable. It was entertaining, with a few unexpected turns that revealed a murderer. I am excited to see where Rosi ends up and what her next adventure will lead her..
Takes Place: Birch Creek Harvest Festival in Birch Creek, VT
Main Character: Claudia
Other Characters: Aunt Daisy May, Ellis, Parker, Phoenix, Holly, Joy. Flo, Ben, Noa, Detective Sterling
Pets: Jasper, Claudia’s black cat
Stars: 5
A Word Travels Mobile Bookshop cozy mystery series continues with Murder at the Festival, book seven, and the author never lets readers down. Her diverse range of personalities makes each of her characters interesting and the story is always engaging.
This story takes us to the village of Birch Creek, Vermont, about 2 hours from Greenwood, in time for the Birch Creek festival. Spending a stress-free weekend away from Greenwood excites Claudia. She has taken her mobile bookshop to the festival hoping is hoping to make some money selling her books. Vans come to the festival from all over to sell their products. Claudia’s friend Ellie is also there to promote her famous whipped coffee. Claudia is loving catching up with Ellie, and being away from murder investigations. She was loving it, however, until she heard a spine-tingling scream in the middle of the night from a neighboring van.. Aunt Daisy Mae and Claudia rush outdoors to find Holly yelling that her boyfriend, Phoenix, is dead. Claudia discovers herself smack dab in the heart of a murder investigation, just when she was hoping for a quiet weekend. As it happens, Phoenix isn’t very well liked as he is well-known for being a womanizer and and a cheater. Claudia calls Detective Sterling to run some background checks on Phoenix and Holly, despite the fact that this isn’t his jurisdiction. Holly and Phoenix appear to have secrets of their own. Is it possible Holly killed her boyfriend?
The author takes us on an exhilarating roller coaster ride to identify a killer once more. Every one of her books has a twist to an unexpected ending. Just when you think you have it all figured out, another twist is thrown in the mix. It is also enjoyable to see how Claudia and Detective Sterling have gone from being adversaries to becoming friends. And could Daisy Mae actually have a love interest. As of this writing, this is the last book in the series. I am hoping for more adventures with Claudia and I can’t wait to see where Daisy Maes new romance will lead.
A Word Travels Mobile Book Shop’s sixth book transports us to an Italian-style property approximately half an hour’s drive from Greenwood.
Claudia’s favorite novelist has asked her to a murder mystery dinner at her Italian-style villa. Claudia is ecstatic to get this invitation, and she plans to attend with her Aunt Daisy May. The hostess, Ardin Billings, greets them as soon as they enter. Claudia is a little star-struck because she is a huge fan of Ardin’s & her novels. lArdin introduces her to the other guests, each of whom has a quirky side. Their Murder Mystery Fun ended abruptly by one of the guests actually being murdered. Although all the evidence points to Arden as the murderer, Claudia is certain she couldn’t have done it. Claudia learns that Arden is keeping some secrets but was she willing to kill to keep them hidden.
Once again, the author pulls off a gripping story of mystery in the hunt for a murderer. The plot was exciting, and every character was interesting and well-thought-out. This narrative will appeal to readers who love a good cozy mystery with unexpected turns with a surprise ending.
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