Murder in Bloom

 Murder in Bloom

Maybridge Murder Mysteries #3

Liz Fielding

Reviewed by Helen

This series just gets better and better, I love Abby Finch and when Abby enters the Maybridge Flower Show she is thrilled to meet gardening legend Daisy Dashwood and when she wins a gold medal for her garden Daisy invites her on stage to be have a chat on the TV show The Potting Shed but before that can happen Daisy is rushed to hospital and pronounced dead.

The sleuth in Abby is determined to find out what happened, there are a lot of rumours going around about Daisy and Abby befriends Daisy’s PA Fay and Fay is very willing to open up about what is happening in Daisy’s life at the moment and there are many suspects, is it someone from her past or the young TV presenter who wanted Daisy’s job could it be the agent and Daisy’s boyfriend and of course there are secrets from Daisy’s past but first the police and Abby have to discover what actually happened to Daisy did someone tamper with her homemade herbal teas?

I am loving my visits to Maybridge and I love Abby and her family and friends, Liz Fielding this one is awesome you had my head spinning with trying to work out who the killer was and then with the second death things ramp up, there are some not so nice people in this one. If you love a good cosy mystery then this is the series to read the characters are fabulous the setting wonderful and they are not put downable reads, they will have you turning the pages and doing your best to work out who the killer is and I didn’t work out who that was till the end, I loved this one.

I can’t wait for the next book in this series, I do highly recommend this one to any lovers of a cosy mystery, it is a must read.

My thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

July 30, 2024 by Joffe Books

Something Deadly on Desert Drive

 Something Deadly on Desert Drive

The Accidental Detective #2

Kris Bock

Reviewed by Helen

Book two in this great series and Kate is at it again investigating another a case that involves one of her father’s coffee friends, Larry who has married a younger woman and his friends are getting very worried with the way his new wife, Pamela is treating him and now telling them all that Larry has dementia, Kate agrees to see if she can find out what is happening with her bunch of misfit investigators, The Coffee Shop Irregulars but when there is a murder the investigation steps up.

Kate is a very good investigator but when the The Irregulars step in and sneak Larry out to get a doctors opinion they put themselves in on the line by perhaps becoming suspects in the murder, Kate has her ideas on who the killer is but will they get the facts before one of them is hurt or the police arrests one of them?

This is another great story that had me guessing till the end, fabulous characters The Coffee Shop Irregulars are witty and smart, Kate is such a great character with all she has been through and her injury still gives her curry she never gives up and there is also Todd a friend from school who is spending more time with her, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and look forward to the next one.

I highly recommend this one to anyone reader who loves a good cosy mystery that will keep you turning the pages.

4 stars

June 21, 2022 by Tule Publishing

Something Shady at Sunshine Haven

 Something Shady at Sunshine Haven

The Accidental Detective #1

Kris Bock

Reviewed by Helen

Kate Tessler has been in some dangerous situations, her job as an investigative journalist has taken her around the world into war zones and she loves it, she has her family at home in Arizona and visits when she can, but when she is injured she knows it is time to go home and heal and a visit with her mum who has just entered an aged care facility because of her diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is what is needed but when a friend asks her to help with an investigation maybe she is putting herself in more danger.

Her mum is in Sunshine Haven and as it happens, Kate’s friend from school, Heather is director, when Heather tells Kate that there have been three suspicious deaths in the home, Kate immediately thinks of her mother and is on the case, she soon has a team of eager investigators to help and she is in danger herself as she gets close to solving the case, but will she make it to the conclusion in one peace?

This is a really good cosy mystery that had me trying to uncover the culprit, wonderful characters and fabulous setting, Kate enjoyed her investigation so much it looks like she is staying in Arizona and already has another case and I look forward to book two.

I do highly recommend this one to any lover of a good cosy mystery.

4 stars

April 7, 2022 by Tule Publishing

A Long Shadow

 A Long Shadow

Chief Inspector Shadow Mystery #1

H.L. Marsay

Reviewed by Helen

Chief Inspector John Shadow works in the town he grew up in, the City of York, he knows the area and people really well, stuck in his ways he plods along and gets the job done, when a young homeless woman turns up dead in a doorway closely followed by a years old skeleton and then two more homeless people the pressure is on to get answers are they linked?

Inspector Shadow and his new young sergeant, Jimmy Chan are on the case what they uncover will surprise a lot of people questioning people from all walks of life as York is such a busy tourist town there is always a lot going on, but will they get the answers they need before more bodies are found?

I loved this one Shadow is such a layback fellow and he loves the old ways pen and paper and Jimmy is into technology, Shadow likes his meals never cooks himself and is constantly being barraged with Jimmy’s ideas. They really are a good working pair and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. This is witty and fabulous and one I highly recommend.

4 stars

May 13, 2021 by Tule Publishing

The Body Under the Stage

 The Body Under the Stage

A Georgina Drake Mystery #3

Kate Hardy

Reviewed by Helen

I do love Georgina, Doris and Bert, this episode takes them to London as daughter Bea makes her first starring role in Macbeth and Georgia has agreed to take the photos for the production, but as we have gotten to know Georgie nothing every runs smoothly and again there seems to be bodies showing up everywhere and Georgie is back to sleuthing.

First dress rehearsal and one of the main characters is found stabbed, not only that but you gotta love Bert he discovers bones under the floor, there seems to be a few contenders for murderer but one of them is Georgie’s daughter Bea but Georgie knows that is not the case and will go to all lengths to find the killer or could it be killers.

Georgie also has her sidekick Doris on board who is very good at helping uncover old deaths and Georgie is in her element uncovering some things about the victim and the suspects, with Colin not around Georgie is offering her help to the main lead detective but soon Colin has arrived in London.
This one is fast paced with a lot going on, deaths, past mysteries and with so many suspects will the play go on and will Georgie be safe this time.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and I do really hope that there are more in this series, I am sure there will be lots of deaths for Georgie and I am loving Colin and Georgie.

My thanks to Storm Publishing for my digital copy to read and review via Netgalley.

4 stars

June 18, 2024 by Storm Publishing

Tangle of Lies

 Tangle of Lies

C.J. Carmichael

Reviewed by Helen

This is a story with a lot going on in it, a small town called Tangle Falls in Canada, when retired science teacher Bobbie Galloway discovers the body of one of her ex-students in the river, this opens up a mystery that involves a lot of people and Bobbie is determined to get the answers and ensure that the wrong person is not accused, first another ex-student arrives back in town, Hadley Hooper, questions arise as to why she is now home and then the arrival a new comer to town Fern Sinclair opens up more suspicions, Bobbie will not give up.

Are all of these people linked to a suspicious fire that took the lives of three people twenty years ago, Bobbie suspects that some of them are as for Fern who has just bought an old property and is asking a lot of questions Bobbie has her thoughts on that but will they turn out to be correct?

This is a story that kept me thinking about who and why throughout the story, it is a fabulous setting and the characters are so good, I did love Bobbie and her mum and the never give up approach she has and George he is just so easy to love. This is one that I do highly recommend a great mystery with some twists and turns along the way.

My thanks to Tule Publishing for my digital copy to read and review.

4 Stars

May 16, 2024 by Tule Publishing

The Cryptic Clue

 The Cryptic Clue

The Tea Ladies #2

Amanda Hampson

Reviewed by Helen

We are back with Hazel, Betty and Irene the intrepid super sleuth tea ladies, back to Surry Hills in Sydney as they come across another mystery or three to solve. It is 1966 and Australia has just converted to decimal currency, The Opera House is being built, there are lots of changes happening and the ladies are in the thick of it.

Nothing gets past these ladies and first off Irene gets a cryptic message that is left to her from her husband and then things are looking bad for Hazel keeping her job as tea lady at Empire Fashion wear with the advent of the Café-Bar and things go really bad when national security is threatened around the Opera House and this looks like it has links to the local Catholic Church, where Hazel’s young neighbor Maude has taken on the role of housekeeper to the Priest after the sudden death of Aunty Vera, danger is growing and the ladies are not giving up.

It is not long before Detective Dibble who they met in their last escapades is there and asking for help to solve a plot against national security, Oscar Sorenson, sound engineer who is working on the acoustics for the Opera House and very good friend to Hazel is there with his expertise as well and the ladies of course throw themselves into solving the mysteries without thought to the danger they put themselves in, will all questions be answered and will they all be safe?

This is another fabulous story in this awesome series the setting is fabulous, the characters are the best there are laughs and danger and mysteries to solve and they do it so well all with the thought growing that the tea ladies may be out of a job very soon, strikes are organised to save their jobs, but for Hazel, Betty and Irene perhaps they will always have jobs as super sleuth detectives.

I do highly recommend this one and the series and I am really looking forward to more mysteries to solve with The Tea Ladies.

5 stars

April 3, 2024 by Penguin Group Australia