This week I read Death in the Orchard by MK Graff.
This is the third in the Trudy Genova mysteries. Trudy is a nurse. In the previous two entries, she is hired as a medical consultant to verify the information in television productions.
Death in the Orchard is a little different. Trudy, and significant other Ned, are on their way to Schoharie County to visit Trudy’s family. Her brother and wife are having a baby.
But Trudy has another agenda. Her father was murdered years ago and she has always thought there was more to it. The reader knows there is. A recent parollee hires on because he is looking for money buried in the orchard.
Then his body is discovered shot on the steps. It doesn’t take much imagination to realize someone else might know about that money!
Now that Malice Domestic is over, I can review the books from the panel I moderated: the importance of setting.
Heather Weidner almost needs no introduction. The author of several series, Twinkle, Twinkle au Revoir is the latest in her Mermaid Bay series. And a funny book it is too. The Love channel (a thinly disguised Hallmark Channel) comes to town to film a new movie. Ruby, the owner of the B&B, is being driven crazy by all the quirks of the actors. But business is booming is the Christmas Shop run by Jade Hicks.
Then the body of an annoying reporter is found and someone tries to murder the male star, Raphael Allard. Laugh out loud funny.
Peril at the Pool House is also written against the setting of a beach community. Helen Morrisey, a realtor/detective, has sold a Victorian beauty to Elliot Davies and wife Allison. Elliot is running for office and holds his kick-off in the house.
But rumors that the house is haunted appear true when strange events begin happening at the house. Then the body of his assistant is discovered in the pool house, bludgeoned to death.
The case takes a turn when Helen discovers a connection to a cold case.
A twisty mystery and good characters make this one shine.
Hammers and Homicide by Paula Charles takes place in a hardware store – a pretty unusual setting. Dawna is struggling to keep her hardware store going after the death of her husband. The job gets much harder when she discovers the body of a murdered man in the store bathroom. Warren Hardcastle was not popular in town but now Dawna is one of the suspects. Dawna and her daughter April jump on the case.
A touch of the supernatural makes this one a little different. Funny and fun.
Finally, Cathi Stoler’s book is a little different. She wanted to become a spy as a child and that shows. Nick Donahue’s significant other Marina are drawn into a complicated mystery that starts out simply enough with the death of a horse. The location moves from New York City to Dubai to Kentucky as Marina and Nick, a professional gambler – now there is a profession you don’t see very often – investigate.
This series has a real Robert Ludlum – Bourne vibe. Enjoyable.
I met Mindy Quigley at Malice Domestic and, as usual, following my practice of reading something by every author I meet. I read Six Feet Deep Dish.
And what fun it was too.
Delilah O’Leary can’t wait to open her gourmet pizza restaurant in beautiful Geneva Bay, Wisconsin.. This has always been her dream. But the day before opening, her wealthy boyfriend dumps her, leaving her with an armful of bills.
Then, on opening night, Delilah finds her aunt’s caregiver Jeremy shot dead – and her aunt holding the gun.
To make matters worse, the detective, Calvin Capone (yes, the great grandson of THAT Capone) closes the restaurant while the investigation is ongoing. Needless to say, sparks fly between Delilah and Capone.
Written in a snappy style with several engaging characters – Delilah’s Aunt Biz is my favorite – this cozy is a treat.
I read two books this past week, but will save the one for Heather Weidner. She is on the panel at Malice Domestic that I am moderating. I will blog about all four of those books at the same time.
Speaking of conferences, I read the first in a series of my table mate at the Suffolk Mystery Festival.
Home is where the murder is
is the first in the Hometown Mysteries series.
Tessa Tresswell returns to Idaho after a twenty year career in the armed forces. Although Tessa is struggling to adapt to civilian life, she enjoys working on fixing cars with her Aunt Edna. Her family hopes she will stay, but Tessa isn’t sure.
Then Tessa finds a dead body in the park. She doesn’t know Augie That but her family does; he claimed that their property, including the garage and the store, was half his.
To make matters worse, the sheriff just happens to be Tessa’s high school love.
When Aunt Edna is arrested, Tessa knows she will have to investigate and make sure justice is done.
Lots of fun at the same time it deals with a serious subject: returning vets. Highly Recommended.
If you are a writer, especially an unpublished one, add the following program to your calendar. The panel will be discussing our differing paths to publication. This is not to be missed.
Register Here for Zoom link: https://upperhudsonsinc.com/event/mavens-roundtable-my-road-to-publication/
Business meeting for members only at 10:30 am Eastern.
Program (free and open to the public) begins at 11:15 am Eastern. Bethlehem Library, 451 Delaware Ave, Delmar, NY 12054
And now for Currently Reading
I read two more Bucket List mysteries this past week. These are very light and, although not Holiday themed, perfect for this busy season. The skinny dipping Grandmas are mixed up in murder once again
In Murder under the Covered Bridge, the ladies are planning a racy calendar. As Francine and her husband, suitably costumed in Victorian clothing, are acting out the illicit relationship between Francine’s ancestor and coachman, gunshots pepper the covered bridge. When the shooting stops, Jonathan goes out to investigate and discovered a severely wounded man who turns out to be Francine’s cousin William. Why did he crash the photo shoot and what secrets does he hold? A series of misadventures, including a fire and a seance, abound as the ladies stumble their way to the solution.
In Murder at the Male Revue, a male strippers troupe offers the chance for one of the ladies to cross off another item on her bucket list. But at the first performance, Camille is found stabbed to death. The first suspect – her nephew Eric who is the owner of the Male Revue. But as our intrepid women investigate, they discover their neighbors had many secrets and some the murderer was willing to kill for.
Last week I read Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings.
When Violet Manville’s Aunt Adelia leaves, she bequeaths her role as advice columnist Miss Hermione to Violet. One of the letters leads Violet into the death of one of the correspondents, Ivy Armstrong. At the same time, her sister Sephora is engaged in a very unsuitable relationship with Franklin.
Similar to some of the mysteries by Georgette Heyer.
Although I guessed the solution about halfway through, I didn’t mind. I thoroughly enjoyed this charming cozy mystery,
