Death by Caramel Macchiato by Alex Erickson - 4 stars!

When Pine Hills, Ohio hosts an intertown murder mystery game, bookstore café owner Krissy Hancock assumes it’ll all be in good fun, that's until Krissy winds up at the one location where there is a real dead body. Police immediately stop the competition while they conduct a real murder investigation. Can Krissy shuffle through the suspects and draw out the real killer before another player takes their final turn.

This was a very enjoyable cozy mystery surrounding a murder mystery theater game. I love escape rooms and would enjoy something like this, but without a real murder. Krissy is a great amateur sleuth who uses her observational powers and intelligence to solve a mystery faster than the police can, which definitely annoys them. The plot was confounding, and I couldn't figure out who done it until the big reveal in the end. The romantic subplot made this story even more enjoyable. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this advanced reader's copy. This review is my honest opinion.

 

Easier Dead Than Drawn by Bailee Abbott - 3 Stars!

When the town council hires Chloe Abbington's friend, wall muralist Lana Easton, to paint a mural advertising the return of the floating amphitheater, not everyone in Whisper Cove is happy about the theater or Lana. Naysayers think the noise from concerts and visitors will disrupt their quiet community. It doesn't help that a lot of money taken from the town's budget is being used to pay the muralist for her services. The mood turns even more grim when Lana is found dead, and since Chloe was there alone to discover her body, that makes her the prime suspect. Can Chloe and her sister, Izzy find the true culprit among several suspects?

This cozy mystery had great characters and a wonderful plot that kept me confounded until the very end. One of the things that confused me was the number of suspects. There were too many to keep them straight in my mind. I love the idea of having a business like this that caters to parties where people can be creative using paints and other crafts. Thanks to NetGalley and Level Best Books for this advanced reader's copy. This review is my honest opinion.

 

Defender After Dark by Charlene Parris - 4 stars!

When a CEO is assaulted at his own construction site, Detective Mark Hawthorne is determined to catch the culprit. He finds a welcome distraction in bakery owner Britt Gronlund, who rebuffed the CEO’s threat to take over her business. But when the CEO winds up dead, Mark needs to find out who killed him. Can he defend Britt from the accusations that she is behind the murder? And can he find the real killer?

This Harlequin romantic suspense was an enjoyable read with great characters and a mysterious plot that kept me guessing until the very end. This story was a great mix of mystery and romance. And I didn't feel the need to cringe at overused tropes. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for this advanced reader's copy. This review is my honest opinion.

 

A Dark and Stormy Knit by Peggy Ehrhart - 3 Stars!

The houses of Arborville, New Jersey are decked out for Halloween when Pamela Paterson and Bettina Fraser are alerted by the screams of teenage trick-or-treaters to the corpse next door. Their neighbor Adrienne’s sister, visiting from New York City, is slumped on the porch, fatally stabbed. And with countless people traipsing around in costume, the killer might be as elusive as an apple in a bucket of water. Can these best friends find the truth behind the murder?

This was a very interesting cozy mystery with characters that I love to read about. It's like visiting with old friends. Although, I wished for more time with the other Knit and Nibblers. The plot was okay. I understood why Pamela and Bettina got involved with the mystery, I just felt that the solution to the mystery came out of left field. I didn't understand fully how they figured out whodunit. I do want to read more from the series. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this advanced reader's copy. This review is my honest opinion.

 

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman - 4 Stars!

In a peaceful retirement village, four friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a killing takes place on their doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty, but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?

I felt so many emotions while reading this murder mystery. Many readers recommended this book to me. The mystery itself was well plotted and confounding to the point where I didn't know whodunit until the end. The characters were written with such a grace and had different idiosyncrasies, and I found them lovable and funny at times. But I also found them sad at times as well. These characters, although living in England, could be the old couple living down the street. Or the old gentleman who sits on the bench in my local park. I will definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery with a bunch of interesting characters.