Book Review: Body and Soul Food

Book: Body and Soul Food (A Books & Biscuits Mystery book #1) by Abby Collette

Cover Art by Tofunmi Yosola
Book Design by George Towne

Edition: Paperback

Description:

In this page-turning new mystery series, fraternal twins Keaton and Koby will pull double duty when they take down a killer while preparing to open their new bookstore and soul-food café, Books & Biscuits.

When Koby Hill and Keaton Rutledge were orphaned at age two, they were separated, but their unbreakable connection lingered. Years later, they reunite and decide to make up for lost time and capitalize on their shared interests by opening up a well-stocked bookstore and cozy soul-food café in the quaint Pacific Northwest town of Timber Lake. But this new chapter of their lives could end on a cliffhanger after Koby's foster brother is found murdered.

The murder, which occurred in public between light-rail stops, seems impossible for the police to solve. But as Keaton and Koby know, two heads are always better than one, especially when it comes to mysteries. With just a week to go before the grand opening of their new café, the twins will use their revitalized connection with each other to make sure this is the killer's final page.

Book Review: Hex Hall

Book: Hex Hall (Hex Hall book #1) by Rachel Hawkins

Cover Design by Jennifer Jackman
Cover Photo by Brian Doben (model) and Corbis (forest)

Edition: Paperback

Description:

On Her 12th Birthday, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. Three bumpy years later, after a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, she's exiled to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Then when a mysterious predator begins attacking students, and Sophie's only friend is the number-one suspect, a horrifying plot begins to surface. Soon, Sophie is preparing for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

Book Review: The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo: The Monster Mall

Book: The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo volume #2: The Monster Mall by Drew Weing

Cover Art by Drew Weing
Cover Design by Drew Weing and Andrew Arnold

Edition: Paperback

Description:

In this second volume of The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo, graphic novelist Drew Weing delivers a fresh and funny take on the age-old battle between kids and closet-dwelling monsters.

Charles meets a lot of monsters in his line of work. While assisting Margo Maloo on her assignments, he’s had close encounters with trolls, ghosts, imps, and ogres. And lately, they’re all saying the same thing: living in Echo City is getting harder.

As the human population of the city grows, monsters are being forced to abandon their homes. Teenagers are creeping into their territory, smartphones in hand, eager to photograph paranormal activity. Some monsters are tired of hiding and ready to fight. How can Margo and Charles keep Echo City’s monster community a secret, when it’s teetering in the brink of war?

Book Review: Murder on Cape Cod

Book: Murder on Cape Cod (A Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery book #1) by Maddie Day

Edition: Paperback

Description:

A Cape Cod shop owner and her book club must find a crafty killer in this charming new series from the Agatha-nominated author of the Country Store Mystery series.

Summer is busy season for Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida’s bicycle shop, nestled in the quaint, seaside hamlet of Westham, Massachusetts. She’s expecting an influx of tourists at Mac’s Bikes; instead she discovers the body of Jake Lacey. Mac can’t imagine anyone stabbing the down-on-his-luck handyman. However, the authorities seem to think Mac is a strong suspect after she was spotted arguing with Jake just hours before his death. Mac knows she didn’t do it, but she does recognize the weapon—her brother Derrick’s fishing knife.

Mac’s only experience with murder investigations is limited to the cozy mysteries she reads with her local book group, the Cozy Capers. So to clear her name—and maybe her brother’s too—Mac will have to summon help from her Cozy Capers co-investigators and a library’s worth of detectives’ tips and tricks. For a small town, Westham is teeming with possible killers, and this is one mystery where Mac is hoping for anything but a surprise ending…

Book Review: Velvet vol #3

Book: Velvet volume #3: The Man Who Stole The World (issues #11-15) by Ed Brubaker with illustrations by Steve Epting, color by Elizabeth Breitweiser and letters by Chris Eliopoulos

Cover Art by Steve Epting and Elizabeth Breitweiser

Edition: Trade Paperback

Description:

The strands of the mystery finally bring Velvet back home to the US, and to Washington DC, for the explosive finale to the first big Velvet story arc.

Book Review: The Library of the Dead

Book: The Library of the Dead (Edinburgh Nights book #1) by T.L. Huchu

Cover Art and Design by Leo Nickolls

Edition: Paperback

Description:

Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker. Now she speaks to Edinburgh's dead, carrying messages to the living. A girl's gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead begin to whisper that someone's bewitching children--leaving them husks, empty of joy and life. It's in Ropa's city, so she feels honor-bound to investigate. But what she learns will change her world.

She'll dice with death (not part of her life plan), discovering an occult library and a taste for hidden magic. She'll also experience dark times. For Edinburgh hides a wealth of secrets, and Ropa's gonna hunt them all down.

Book Review: Murder is Binding

Book: Murder is Binding (Booktown Mysteries book #1) by Lorna Barrett

Cover Art by Teresa Fasolino
Cover Design by Diana Kolsky
Interior Text Design by Laura K. Corless

Edition: Paperback

Description:

The streets of Stoneham, New Hampshire are lined with bookstores...and paved with murder.

When she moved to Stoneham, city slicker Tricia Miles met nothing but friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased-and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries-and hunt down someone who isn't killing by the book.

Book Review: Lulu Dark Can See Through Walls

Book: Lulu Dark Can See Through Walls (Lulu Dark book #1) by Bennett Madison

Cover Design by Lauren Monchik
Cover Illustration by Lulu

Edition: Paperback

Description:

Lulu Dark is not like other girl detectives. She doesn't speak Arabic, she doesn't have a helicopter pilot's license, and she has never used a nail file for anything other than its intended purpose.

so when someone nabs Lulu's favorite purse—a one-of-a-kind, and stunningly tacky, knock-off—she isn't exactly pleased about being thrust headfirst into a mystery. After all, she's already got her hands full with her outrageous best friends: karate-chopping space cadet Daisy and sweet-but-oblivious Charlie.

But Lulu refuses to let some purse-snatching fink take what's hers, so she dives deep into the fray.

There Lulu finds herself grappling with some complicated questions and a number of sketchy characters, including a rock star, a rich socialite, a loony landlord, and a serious case of mistaken identity.

Book Review for Tackle Your TBR Read-a-Thon book #1: Sweet Valley Twins: Lois Strikes Back

Book: Lois Strikes Back (Sweet Valley Twins book #38) created by Francine Pascal and story written by Jamie Suzanne

Cover Art by James Mathewuse

Edition: Paperback

Description:

Winner takes all...

Lois Waller has always been too shy about being overweight to join in school activities. When the Sweet Valley PTA decides to have a bike-a-thon, Lois finds the courage to ride. It's a chance for her to win a brand-new mountain bike—and it's the perfect opportunity to put snooby Bruce Patman in his place.

Everyone at Sweet Valley Middle School knows how much Bruce bullies Lois. Although Jessica Wakefield thinks that anything Bruce does is perfect, her twin sister Elizabeth disagrees and is on Lois's side. Elizabeth thinks Lois has a good shot at winning. But she doesn't know how far Bruce Patman will go to see Lois lose!

Book Review for The Book Girl's Book Club for September: Supernatural: Nevermore

Book: Supernatural: Nevermore (Supernatural book #1) by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Edition: Paperback

Description:

Twenty-two years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America...and he taught them how to kill it.

Sam and Dean have hit New York City to check out a local rocker's haunted house. But before they can figure out why a lovesick banshee in an '80s heavy-metal T-shirt is wailing in the bedroom, a far more macabre crime catches their attention. Not far from the house, two university students were beaten to death by a strange assailant. A murder that's bizarre even by New York City standards, it's the latest in a line of killings that the brothers soon suspect are based on the creepy stories of legendary writer Edgar Allan Poe.

Their investigation leads them to the center of one of Poe's horror classics, face-to-face with their most terrifying foe yet. And if Sam and Dean don't rewrite the ending of this chilling tale, a grisly serial killer will end their lives forevermore.

Book Review: Nancy Drew: The Triple Hoax

Book: The Triple Hoax (Nancy Drew #57) by Carolyn Keene

Cover Design: Bob Silverman
Cover Illustration: Garin Baker

Edition: Paperback

Description:

Aunt Eloise invites Nancy, Bess, and George to New York to help a friend who has been swindled out of a sizable sum of money. There, the girls see a performance of a magicians' group who stun their audiences with clever sleight-of-hand tricks. Because the magicians temporarily remove people's wallets and handbags, Nancy feels the actors aren't above suspicion. Her hunch is borne out and a whirlwind chase ensues.

Book Review: Tarnished and Torn

Book: Tarnished and Torn (A Witchcraft Mystery book #5) by Juliet Blackwell

Edition: Paperback

Description:

As the owner of a popular vintage clothing store, Lily Ivory can enjoy a day of antique jewelry shopping and still call it work. But as one of San Francisco’s resident witches, searching for hidden treasures can sometimes lead to dangerous discoveries…

When Lily arrives at an antique jewelry fair, her bargain sensors go off left and right—but she also picks up a faint vibration of magic. Could the hard-bargaining merchant Griselda be a fellow practitioner? It certainly seems that way when a sudden fire sends panic through the crowd, and Lily discovers Griselda murdered in a way that nods to an old-fashioned witch hunt…

A crime that hits close to home turns into an unwelcome flash from the past when the police bring in their lead suspect—Lily’s estranged father. Though he may not deserve her help, Lily is determined to clear her father’s name and solve a murder that’s anything but crystal clear.

Book Review: Nancy Drew: The Haunted Bridge

Book: The Haunted Bridge (Nancy Drew book #15) by Carolyn Keene

Edition: Hardcover

Description:

Mr. Drew is on the trail of an international ring of jewel thieves and asks Nancy to assist him. The trail leads to a summer resort area. Before Nancy has a chance to start work on her father’s case, a golf caddy tells her a frightening tale—in the dense woods nearby is an old wooden footbridge guarded by a ghost! Intrigued by the caddy’s story, Nancy decides to investigate. Several riddles confront the young detective as she attempts to solve the mystery of the haunted bridge and track down a woman suspected of being a key member of the gang of jewel thieves.

Book Review: The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman

Book: The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman by Ben H. Winters

Cover Art by Sam Nielson
Cover Design by Alison Klapthor

Edition: Hardcover

Description:

Ms. Finkleman is just our boring old music teacher. Or is she?

It all started with a Special Project: Solve a mystery in your own life.

For seventh grader Bethesda Fielding, one mystery is too tempting to ignore. She’s convinced that her mousy Music Fundamentals teacher is hiding a secret life. But no one is prepared for what she discovers. Ms. Finkleman used to be . . . a rock star? Soon the whole school goes rock crazy, and a giant concert is in the works, led by none other than timid Ms. Finkleman!

But is the case really closed or could there be even more to the story of Ms. Finkleman? With the help of her rock-obsessed classmate, Tenny Boyer, Bethesda won’t stop until she solves this mystery once and for all!

Book Review: Frozen Heat

Book: Frozen Heat (Nikki Heat book #4) by Richard Castle

Cover Art by American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.

Edition: Paperback

Description:

NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat arrives at her latest crime scene to find an unidentified woman stabbed to death and stuffed inside a suitcase left on a Manhattan street. Nikki is in for a big shock when this new homicide connects to the unsolved murder of her own mother. Paired once again with her romantic and investigative partner, top journalist Jameson Rook, Heat works to solve the mystery of the body in the suitcase while she is forced to confront unexplored areas of her mother's background.

Facing relentless danger as someone targets her for the next kill, Nikki's search will unearth painful family truths, expose a startling hidden life, and cause Nikki to reexamine her own past. Heat's passionate quest takes her and Rook from the back alleys of Manhattan to the avenues of Paris, trying to catch a ruthless killer. The question is, now that her mother's cold case has unexpectedly thawed, will Nikki Heat finally be able to solve the dark mystery that has been her demon for ten years?

Book Review: The Nancy Drew Files: Secrets Can Kill

Book: Secrets Can Kill (The Nancy Drew Files case #1) by Carolyn Keene

Edition: Hardcover

Description:

Nancy poses as a student and goes undercover to investigate a series of thefts at Bedford High.

Book Review: Guidebook to Murder

Book: Guidebook to Murder (A Tourist Trap Mystery book #1) by Lynn Cahoon

Edition: Digital

Description:

In the gentle coastal town of South Cove, California, all Jill Gardner wants is to keep her store--Coffee, Books, and More--open and running. So why is she caught up in the business of murder?

When Jill's elderly friend, Miss Emily, calls in a fit of pique, she already knows the city council is trying to force Emily to sell her dilapidated old house. But Emily's gumption goes for naught when she dies unexpectedly and leaves the house to Jill--along with all of her problems. . .and her enemies. Convinced her friend was murdered, Jill is finding the list of suspects longer than the list of repairs needed on the house. But Jill is determined to uncover the culprit--especially if it gets her closer to South Cove's finest, Detective Greg King. Problem is, the killer knows she's on the case--and is determined to close the book on Jill permanently. . .

Book Review for The Book Girl's Book Club for January: Brownies and Broomsticks

Book: Brownies and Broomsticks (A Magical Bakery Mystery book #1) by Bailey Cates

Edition: Paperback

Description:

Katie Lightfoot's tired of loafing around as the assistant manager of an Ohio bakery. So when her aunt Lucy and uncle Ben open a bakery in Savannah's quaint downtown district and ask Katie to join them, she enthusiastically agrees.

While working at the Honeybee Bakery—named after Lucy's cat—Katie notices that her aunt is adding mysterious herbs to her recipes. Turns out these herbal enhancements aren't just tasty—Aunt Lucy is a witch and her recipes are actually spells!

When a curmudgeonly customer is murdered outside the Honeybee Bakery, Uncle Ben becomes the prime suspect. With the help of handsome journalist Steve Dawes, charming firefighter Declan McCarthy, and a few spells, Katie and Aunt Lucy stir up some toil and trouble to clear Ben's name and find the real killer.

Book Review for The Book Girl's Book Club for October: Wicked

Book: Wicked by Joanne Fluke

Edition: Paperback

Description:

A Killer Rivalry. . .

When Eve Carrington is chosen to participate in an exclusive writers workshop, she knows it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For one month, she will live, write, and share her work with nine other aspiring authors. The top three will get a chance to be published. But when the building they're staying in isn't ready and Eve sees the old mansion they'll be moved into, she starts having second thoughts. Not only is the mansion isolated but the deadlines are tight, the pressure intense, and the competition incredibly fierce. Her biggest rival, Angela, is writing a murder mystery based on the workshop and its participants. It's a brilliant idea. Until life begins to imitate art -- and death begins to knock out the competition . . .

Book Review: Heat Rises

Book: Heat Rises (Nikki Heat book #3) by Richard Castle

Edition: Hardcover

Description:

The bizarre murder of a parish priest at a New York bondage club opens Nikki Heat's most thrilling and dangerous case so far, pitting her against New York's most vicious drug lord, an arrogant CIA contractor, and a shadowy death squad out to gun her down. And that is just the tip of an iceberg that leads to a dark conspiracy reaching all the way to the highest level of the NYPD.

But when she gets too close to the truth, Nikki finds herself disgraced, stripped of her badge, and out on her own as a target for killers, with nobody she can trust. Except maybe the one man in her life who's not a cop: reporter Jameson Rook.

In the midst of New York's coldest winter in a hundred years, there's one thing Nikki is determined to prove: Heat Rises.