When former FBI agent Cate Wilde moves back to Widow’s Island, she envisions a simpler life than the one she had in law enforcement. But Cate’s past has a habit of catching up with her. When she receives a mysterious package containing a child’s mandible, she finds herself thrust back into action.

The mandible leads Cate to an unsolved case she worked seven years ago—the kidnapping of a three-year-old girl. At the time, Cate suspected the girl was kidnapped by her overprotective father. But after they both vanished, the case went cold.

At the urging of the girl’s mother, Cate dives back into the case and learns her prime suspect may still be a threat. Armed with new clues and a fresh perspective, Cate must confront the possibility that the kidnapper is poised to strike again. But can she save his new child from the same fate before it’s too late?


Widow Island Series:

1 Close to the Bone
​2 A Bone to Pick
3 Whisper of Bones
​4 Bred in the Bone
5 Below the Bones
​6 A Broken Bone
​7 Buried Bones
​8 The Lost Bones

My thoughts:

Buried Bones is the seventh novella in Widow Island series authored by Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot. If you have been following the series, you'll be very happy to see the familiar faces and get a catch-up on their lives.

Deputy Tessa Black has acomplicated family life. Her mother has been diagnosed with an early onset dementia and, naturally, taking care of her is taking its emotional and physical toll on Tessaandher much younger half-sister Patience. Luckily, there's Logan, Tessa's  fiance, her rock of strength, who is helping out. The whole island community is pulling together to take turns to keep Tessa's mother company.

Patience and Tessa's hike comes to a quick end when they discover a half-buried body. The police quickly identify the victim and start a murder investigation which requires quick thinking and plenty of solid police work when several suspects emerge.

The pace is excellent and there is plenty of action packed into this fairly short story. Melinda Leigh has a very engaging writing style that kept me turning pages, Who would have thought a small island can become the setting for so much drama?

Looking forward to reading the next story in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the review copy. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Widow Island Series:

1 Close to the Bone
​2 A Bone to Pick
3 Whisper of Bones
​4 Bred in the Bone
5 Below the Bones
​6 A Broken Bone
​7 Buried Bones
​8 The Lost Bones

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for A Racing Murder, a new  cozy mystery by Frances Evesham.

A Racing Murder

The next thrilling Ham-Hill Murder Mystery from bestselling cosy crime author Frances Evesham.

A winning horse. A fierce rivalry. A sudden death. 

Belinda Sandford thrills to the cheers of the crowd as her beautiful grey racehorse, ‘Butterfly Charm’, thunders past the finishing post first at Wincanton Racecourse. She feels like the luckiest girl in the world.

But joy soon turns to despair as a stewards’ enquiry overturns the result and awards the race to her long-time rival, Alexandra Deacon.

When Alex is found dead in suspicious circumstances, a host of accusing eyes turn to Belinda and her distraught mother begs Adam Hennessy, her neighbour, retired police officer and publican, to help clear her daughter’s name.

As Adam, and local hotelier Imogen Bishop, dig deep into the murky and powerful undercurrents of the horse racing world, they lay bare the lives and loves of local jockeys, grooms, trainers and owners. 

They soon uncover a web of secrets hidden within the spectacular Somerset countryside as they strive to find the killer in time to prevent more murders.

A brand new cosy mystery series from the bestselling author of A Village Murder, perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Betty Rowlands and M.C. Beaton.

Purchase Link

My thoughts:

A Racing murder is the second book in Frances Evesham's new series called the Ham-Hill Murder Mysteries. If you are a fan of her Exham-on-Sea series or just like books set in small English towns, this is a book for you.

The protagonists/amateur sleuths in Agatha Christie Miss Marple style are Imogen Bishop, the owner of the Streamside  Hotel, and her friend Adam Hennessey, a former police officer, who runs the local pub in the village of Low Hembrow in South Somerset.

We join the villagers as they watch a horse race, which is unexpectedly won by a new horse Butterfly Charm. Then, there is a controversy, as the Steward Committee looks into what happened on the last stretch of the race and decides that the winning jockey Belinda Sandford obstructed the progress of the more experienced jockey Alex Deacon who had to pull back. Belinda isn't fined, but Alex, who isn't exactly a likeable character, is given the first place by the Committee. While Belinda is trying to forget what happened, learn from her mistake and move on, Alex is found dead, and, naturally, the police and a lot of other people suspect Belinda, who had a motive.

The mystery was really absorbing and it was fascinating to get this glimpse into the worldI had known very little about: stables, trainers, grooms, horse syndicates and, of course, jockey rivalry. I didn't guess the identity of the murderer (actually, it came as a complete surprise, as it was the person you would least suspect of murder), but I really enjoyed Adam and Imogen's investigation.  Both sleuths have likeable personalities and complement each other with their different life experiences. Adam's police background and connections also come in handy. Imogen and Adam are helped by Steph, a local journalist, and Daniel, a painter, both of whom are Imogen's old school friends. There is a bit of romance on the horizon, but, first and foremost, this is a cozy mystery. There's a whole range of secondary characters, as you would expect in a small town setting where everyone knows everyone and gossip is a national sport. The village of Low HemBrow has a lovely community and is a great setting for this series.
 The book is well-written with several unexected twists and a lot of attention to details. I was thoroughly entertained and I would like to continue with the series.

Thankyou to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Author Bio:

Frances Evesham is the bestelling author of the hugely successful Exham-on-Sea murder mysteries set in her home county of Somerset, and the Ham-Hill cosy crime series set in South Somerset.

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Thank you for reading the post ! Have a great Sunday!

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for this exciting legal thriller-espionage story!

Spider Hunting

It’s never what it seems.

A murder of a high-profile law partner on a Manhattan street should have made the front page of the news. And yet it didn’t. Drew Bradley’s murder was treated as just another senseless crime and relegated to page four of the evening edition. But what if the press had been privy to the fact that the murder was actually an assassination?

As the partners at Lannister and Stewart scramble to fill the vacuum left by Drew Bradley’s sudden death, Asia Blythe, a rising star in the firm is offered his coveted position. But this golden opportunity that brings with it power, prestige, and unlimited financial rewards demands adherence to a code. A code of allegiance to the firm with no exceptions. Catapulted into the world of genetically modified designer babies and state-sponsored espionage, is Asia prepared to deal with the intrigues of a world that will threaten her life and shatter her illusions?



Purchase Links
UK  /  US

My thoughts:

I'm always up for learning something new and this book proved to be an excellent choice for dipping my toes into the genre of legal thrillers and espinage stories. I was fascinated by the plot and the relentless pace, but, above all, by the way the main character's mind work when she tried to piece together the missing pieces of the mystery she had to solve.

Asia Blythe is a senior attorney in a prestigious legal firm. She is a hard worker and has billed staggering amounts of client fees for her company. When one of the partners stabbed in the street right in front of the office, Asia gets an offer she has been waiting for such a long time-she is invited to apply for a partnership. The only problem is that she needs to get a loan to buy her part of the equity) and she also needs to take over a few cases the murdered partner dealt with. Within a week Asia finds herself plunged into a spider web of lies, deceit, multi billion secret deals, global espionage conspiracies, and at least 6 murders!

Lawyers do get a lot of bad rep, but Asia is such a wonderful character whose charm is bound to grow on you. She has a strong moral compass and isn't afraid to walk away from her job if necessary. The cases she is juggling keep throwing curveballs at her and Asia has to learn a lot in a very short period of time and make up her opinion about lots of issues. Luckily, She is added by her faithful secretary Sylvia and her partner Sam who is a skillful investigator, and she does need all the help she can get.

The book was so fast-paced, I was glued to the pages, until suddenly the end was there. I really liked the way my attention never wandered off the book, although some of the issues were quite difficult to grasp (cryptocurrencies?!?).

This was my first book by the author, but now that I had a taste of her writing style, I would love to read more. If you are looking for a fast, entertaining read that will make you think through some thorny ethical issues, Spider Hunting is an excellent choice.

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources and the author for the review copy provided with no expectation of a favourable review. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Author Bio

K. J. McGillick was born in New York and once she started to walk she never stopped running. But that's what New Yorker's do. Right? A Registered Nurse, a lawyer now author.

As she evolved so did her career choices. After completing her graduate degree in nursing, she spent many years in the university setting sharing the dreams of the enthusiastic nursing students she taught. After twenty rewarding years in the medical field she attended law school and has spent the last twenty-four years as an attorney helping people navigate the turbulent waters of the legal system. Not an easy feat. And now? Now she is sharing the characters she loves with readers hoping they are intrigued by her twisting and turning plots and entertained by her writing

Social Media Links –
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Kathleen McGillick
@KJMcGillickAuth
 http://www.kjmcgillick.com/
https://twitter.com/KJMcGillickAuth

If you would like to see what other bloggers thought of this thriller, here is the full blog tour schedule:

Synopsis:

Junior-high school nurse Rebecca Newsome was an experienced hiker, until she plummeted to her death to the bottom of a ravine in a Columbus metro park. Her daughter, Maggie, doesn't believe it was an accident, and Rebecca's ex-husband is her prime suspect. But he's a well-connected ex-cop and Maggie is certain that's the reason no one will listen to her. Roxane quickly uncovers that the dead woman's ex is definitely a jerk, but is he a murderer?

As she pieces together the days before Rebecca died, Roxane finds a series of trips to Detroit and across the border into Windsor, Canada, major withdrawals from her checking account, and more contacts with a casino manager than a middle-aged school nurse from Toledo should reasonably have.

When the investigation leads to Leila Hassan, the cunning con artist who got away in What You Want to See, Roxane is determined not to make the same mistake twice by falling for Leila's lies--except she might actually be telling the truth this time. Roxane needs to figure out the connection between Leila, a secretive church group, a women's health organization, and Rebecca's fall in the woods...before a dangerous secret gets someone else killed.

My thoughts:
This is the fourth book in the series featuring PI Roxane Weary. Fans of Kristen Lepionka will be delighted with this newest instalment.
The mystery part was tightly-plotted and well-written. Rebecca Newsome had years of experience as a hiker. Not surprisingly, her 'accidental' fall shocks  and leaves many people perplexed. Rebecca's daughter suspects her mother's death might have been due to a foul play and would like Roxane to investigate Rebecca's ex-cop/ ex-husband. As soon as Rebecca starts investigating, she discovers plenty of other people might have got a motive to wish Rebecca dead. There are endless twists and turns, but the investigation part is solid and never ventures into implausible area.
The best part about the series is characters and here Kristen Lepionka never fails to deliver. Roxane herself is a fantastic protagonist - complex, flawed, and determined. If you are thinking of starting this series, it might be a good idea to start from the beginning to get a better idea of the characters' development and Roxane's private life.
As in all previous istalments so far, the pace is great and the book never feels boring or too twisty to get your head around, I can only hope Kristen Lepionka continues adding to this excellent series of mysteries.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Minotaur Books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

It had seemed so simple. Get in, get the information, get out. But now they were getting inside her mind and she didn’t know how to stop them…

When Detective Kim Stone is called to the home of Samantha Brown, she finds the young woman lying in bed with her throat cut and a knife in her hand. With no sign of forced entry or struggle, Kim rules her death a tragic suicide.

But a visit to Samantha’s parents rings alarm bells for Kim – there’s something they’re not telling her. And, when she spots a clue in a photograph, Kim realises she’s made a huge mistake. Samantha didn’t take her own life, she was murdered.

Then a young man’s body is found in a local lake with his throat cut and Kim makes a link between the victim and Samantha. They both spent time at Unity Farm, a retreat for people seeking an alternative way of life.

Beneath the retreat’s cosy façade, Kim and her team uncover a sinister community preying on the emotionally vulnerable.

Sending one of her own undercover into Unity Farm is high risk but it’s Kim’s only hope if she is to catch a killer – someone Kim is convinced the victims knew and trusted.

With Bryant distracted by the emergence of a harrowing case close to his heart, and an undercover officer in way over her head, Kim’s neck is on the line like never before. Can she protect those closest to her before another life is taken?
(From the blurb)

My thoughts:
After reading Book #11 Child's Play I really thought it couldn't get better. And, of course, I was mistaken! Angela Marsons comes up with another impressive plot and a new series of questions to ponder.
When the body of 21 year old Samantha Brown is found, everyone, including DI Kim Stone and forensic pathologist Keats, is convinced it's a clear case of suicide. No signs of struggle, no forced entry, the flat was locked from inside. The method may be unusual -the victim cut her own throat with a knife and bled to death, but not impossible. Kim breaks the news to Samantha's parents and here it is ...a fleeting phrase that suggests that they were not particularly sure Samantha was ready to live on her own. Something keeps bothering Kim about the crime scene, something she understnds only by looking at the photos and doing a little forensic experiment. Samantha's case gets reclassified as murder. Kims' team discover that Samantha stopped using social media three years ago after a particularly bad relationship break-up. Her parents give evasive answers and it quickly becomes apparent they are hiding something.
When a second body is discovered in a nearby park lake, Kim's team start looking for connections which lead them to the Unity Farm, an incospicuous spiritual commune. Samantha's parents are convinced it is a cult disguised as a spiritual retreat and wellness centre, but Kim is not convinced. After all, Samantha was an adult free to make her own life choices and capable of making independent decisions. Kim visits meets Jack Black, the man who founded the Farm. jack tells her a bit about their activities designed to provide shelter and help to vulnerable people in need of emotional support. In his opinion, Samantha didn't want to leave, she got snatched by force. Who did it? and is there really more to the Unity Farm than meets the eye? Kim decides to send of her own, an undercover police officer to get an insider view. The only problem is that undercover operations usually take a lot more preparation and special training.
As usual in Kim Stone novels, we also have another subplot. This time it is Bryant, Kim's right hand. He is haunted by one of his first cases, a brutal rape and murder of a 15-year old teenager Wendy Harrison. The perpetrator has served 26 years and has been given parole. He is about to leave the prison, but Bryant and Wendy's father are convinced Drake is going to kill again.
Every member of Kim's team is unique and contrubutes to the investigation in their way. As this case isn't as close to home for Kim as the previous one was, we get to see a much calmer, more detached version of her. She notices everything and is there for every member of her team, as a true leader.
It is obvious that a great deal of research has gone into this book which taps into our universal fear of being manipulated, especially whan we are vulnerable due to grief or emotional turmoil. Bryant's subplot comes with its own ethical dilemma: is it possible to find approach to and rehabilitate every criminal or some minds are bound to remain evil forever?   I just loved the title which reflects brilliantly both storylines with their big questions which get merged seamlessly in the end.
Finally, can it be read as a standalone? Yes. I enjoyed meeting the team and seeing the developments in their lives, but the book has an engaging plot, clear focus, and flawless writing style that can be enjoyed without having read the previous instalments.
Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

oung chef might bite off more than she can chew when she returns to her Alaskan hometown to take over her parents' diner in this charming first installment in a new cozy mystery series set in an Alaskan tourist town.

When Chef Charlie Cooke is offered the chance to leave San Francisco and return home to Elkview, Alaska, to take over her mother's diner, she doesn't even consider saying no. After all--her love life has recently become a Love Life Crumble, and a chance to reconnect with her roots may be just what she needs.

Determined to bring fresh life and flavors to the Bear Claw Diner, Charlie starts planning changes to the menu, which has grown stale over the years. But her plans are fried when her head cook Oliver turns up dead after a bitter and public fight over Charlie's ideas--leaving Charlie as the only suspect in the case.

With her career, freedom, and life all on thin ice, Charlie must find out who the real killer is, before it's too late.
(From the book blurb)

My thoughts:
An enjoyable first instalment in a new series of culinary cozies set in a little town of Elkview near Anchorage, Alaska. The protagonist of the series Charlotte (Charlie) Cooke grew up in her parents' diner The Bear Claw. Charlie went to a culinary school in San Francisco and worked for one of the best restaurants there. Unfortunately, her love life took a nose dive and Charlie came back to her home town and took over running the Bear Claw. Charlie is smart, friendly, and curious. She gets on well with everyone, if you don't count an occasional argument with Oliver, the diner chef, who is opposed to any changes and who seems to have a rather short temper. After Charlie decides to add a bit of chocolate to one of the diner's specialities, Oliver storms off.. and is murdered at the same time as Charlie stepped out of the diner for half an hour to go home and feed her cat, Eggs Benedict, AKA Benny. Obviously, Charlie needs to solve the murder mystery.

As any good first instalment, Mousse and Murder sets the scene for the series. I love the small-town setting in general (Isn't it ideal for cozies?), and I love reading about Alaska, so this was a match made in heaven for me. We get to know our protagonist, her best friend Annie Jensen who also runs a family business, a small inn which appears to be always full of tourists, Charlie's budding love interest, local journalist Chris Doucette, Charlie's family, and lots of other local people. It is not unusual for the first book to seem a bit overcrowded with characters, even if you take into account the necessity for red herrings. I'm sure some of these characters will become more prominent in future instalments.
As far as the mystery itself is concerned, although you might guess the culprit quite early in the book, the reason why Oliver was murdered doesn't become clear until the very end.
The pace could have been a bit faster, but I liked Charlie's sense of humour, and the whole atmosphere of the Bear Claw. I don't think I'll be trying to make moose meat loaf in the nearest future, but it was great to know I have a recipe for it, should an opportunity present itself.
I will definitely be looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank to Edelweiss and Berkley for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

My thoughts:

A Bad Day for Sunshine is the first book in Darynda Jones's Sunshine Vicram series, set in a small town of Del Sol, New Mexico. Fast-paced, entertaining, full of laugh-out-loud witty comebacks and Darynda's trademark quirky characters, thebook is fun,fun,fun to read from the beginning to the end. If anything, it grew on me as I kept reading and getting to know better Sunshine, her family, friends and enemies.

Sunshine Vicaram unexpectedly (for her) wins the post of sheriff in her home town of Del Sol without any recollection of having entered the election. Clearly, her parents had something to do with it, but Sun is a bit reluctant to look into this particular mystery. She is more than qualifed to do a great job in this position, having a degree in Criminal Justice and a stellar career in Santa Fe Police Department. Most of the book covers Sunshine's first day at work,parallel to her 14-year-old daughter Auri's firstday at Del Sol High. Fifteen years ago Sunshine fled Del Sol following a traumatic abduction which landedher in hospital in a coma. She doesn't remember much of her ordealorthe month prior to theevents, but Sun has never stopped investigating her own case without much success so far.

It seems that the worst crime she will have to deal with is the disappearance of a locally famous roosterPuff Daddy, when the news of a teenage girl missing turns everything upside down and the clock countdown to save her life begins.

Sunshine is such a likeable character! Darynda Jones has a very peculiar, quite snarky sense of humour, but you can't deny that Sunshine's witty retorts and chapter sub-headings/ fictional notices on Del Sol's various businesses are absolutely hilarious. There's much more to Sun than that- she is strong, independent, a caring mother and a loyal friend. Loved her bestie-Chief Deputy Quincy Cooper and, of course, Aurora Dawn Vicram a.k.a. Auri a.k.a. bean sprout. If you were (or still are!) a fan of Gilmore Girls, you know the formula- a single mother doing her best to raise a super smart, cool teenager. Auri's efforts in investigating Sybil's case will prove indispensable in solving the case.

Did I mention the romantic tension between Levi Ravinder, Sunshine's old (and current) crush? Levi's a classic boy from the wrong side of the tracks who's been trying to make his semi-criminal family walk on straight and narrow. There's  also a very handsome US Marshal in the town, trying to capture a fugitive (another entertaining plotline with a great twist in the end).

This was one of the most enjoyable reads for quite a long time. There is a thin line between being sassy and trying too hard, and I have to say Darynda Jones manages to stay on the right side. There is a great balance of funny and touching and funny again. Sunshine' is vulnerable, strong and capable at the same time, doted with great empathy and an infallible gut instinct, and yet she  works hard to do her homework and follow through on every single lead. All of this being a (very) single mother of a teenager which is an art in itself.

Can't wait to read the next book in the series!