Posted May 24, 2023 by Marsha in Cozy Mystery, Kensington Books, Mystery, NetGalley, Paranormal Cozy Mystery, Series / 0 Comments
Josie is eager to show off Wilfred’s delights to her visiting sister, Jean—even though Josie must conceal her magic from her. In any case, Jean is excited to attend Cookie Masterson’s trademark “Ready-Set-Go!” workshop on becoming a life coach. Then there’s the grand reopening of Darla’s Café, where the doors are thrown open to reveal . . . a dead man, stabbed in the back. That was definitely not on the revamped menu…
Even more worrisome, the sheriff receives a report of a fresh corpse at the retreat center. Maybe murder isn’t so uncommon in Wilfred anymore, but two unfamiliar bodies within an hour certainly is! Josie’s willing to let law enforcement take the lead—after all, she’s gotten into some trouble from the hints the library’s spellbound books keep feeding her about the patrons. But when her sister receives the killer’s chilling calling card, she’ll use everything within her otherworldly powers to divine just who in town has homicide as his new slogan . . .
Titles in the A Witch Way Librarian Mystery series include — Bait and Witch —♦— Seven-Year Witch —♦— Witch and Famous —♦— Witch Upon a Star —♦—
NetGalley ARC
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Tags: A Witch Way Librarian Mystery #4, Angela M. Sanders, Kensington Books, NetGalley ARC, Witch Upon a Star
Posted April 29, 2023 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Crime, Mystery, Owned, Paranormal Romantic Suspense, Romantic Suspense, Series, Sexual Content, Thriller / 0 Comments
True evil never dies. It only waits in the dark.
All book editor Megan Law wants is to bury the memory of her brutal kidnapping and move on with her life. So when her publisher asks her to spin her hellish experience into the next bestseller, Megan agrees only because it might help keep other women safe. Then a mysterious, gruesome package arrives in the mail—a reminder that the nightmare isn’t over just yet.
FBI investigator Ragnar Johnson is running out of time. He knows in his gut there’s more to the recent Embracer killings, and he needs Megan’s help. Even with their rocky past behind them, working together now isn’t going to be easy. But when things take a deadly turn, Megan and Ragnar discover a deep connection that they’ll have to use, because something is trying to tear them apart…forever.
Titles in this trilogy portion of the entire series include — Sound of Darkness —♦— Aura of Night —♦— Voice of Fear —♦—
The entire Krewe of Hunters series includes — Phantom Evil —◊— Heart of Evil —◊— Sacred Evil —◊— The Evil Inside —◊— The Unseen —◊— The Unholy —◊— The Unspoken —◊— The Uninvited —◊— The Night Is Watching —◊— The Night Is Alive —◊— The Night Is Forever —◊— The Cursed —◊— The Hexed —◊— The Betrayed —◊— The Silenced —◊— The Forgotten —◊— The Hidden —◊— Haunted Destiny —◊— Deadly Fate —◊— Darkest Journey —◊— Dying Breath —◊— Dark Rites —◊— Wicked Deeds —◊— ♦Fade to Black —◊— Pale as Death —◊— Echoes of Evil —◊— The Summoning —◊— The Seekers —◊— The Stalking —◊— Seeing Darkness —◊—Deadly Touch —◊—Dreaming Death —◊— ♦ The Unforgiven —◊— The Forbidden —◊— The Unknown —◊— ♦ Sound of Darkness —◊— Aura of Night —◊— Voice of Fear —◊—
While I’ve read the entire Krewe of Hunters series over the years, I have not reviewed each novel, and to go back now would be quite daunting and time-consuming. So, I stick to reviewing the more current trilogy.
This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.
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Tags: Aura of Night, Heather Graham, Krewe of Hunters #37, Owned, Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Posted April 27, 2023 by Marsha in A TBR Read, Connection to another series, Crime, Mystery, Owned, Paranormal Romantic Suspense, Series, Thriller, Trilogy / 0 Comments
The cries of the dead are deafening
Women are being taken in Virginia, and FBI agent Mark Gallagher is determined to put a stop to it. Certain he’s closing in on the killer known as The Embracer, Mark is less than thrilled when he’s partnered with rookie agent Colleen Law, worried she’s a liability when there’s so much at stake.
But like everyone in the Krewe of Hunters, Colleen has talents that extend beyond the usual investigative toolbox. She can hear the voices of the victims in her head, and they’re telling her she and Mark are near to uncovering the truth.
When Mark’s prime suspect takes a liking to Colleen, he’s surprisingly protective of his new partner, even as he admits her connection to the victims is key. But tense interrogations turn dangerously personal when someone close to Colleen goes missing, luring the agents deep into the shadows of wooded rural Virginia, where nobody can hear them scream.
The Krewe of Hunters world is vast; most of the novels are part of a trilogy which then moved on to the next case that will begin a new trilogy.
Titles in this trilogy portion of the entire series include — Sound of Darkness —♦— Aura of Night —♦— Voice of Fear —♦—
The entire Krewe of Hunters series includes — Phantom Evil —◊— Heart of Evil —◊— Sacred Evil —◊— The Evil Inside —◊— The Unseen —◊— The Unholy —◊— The Unspoken —◊— The Uninvited —◊— The Night Is Watching —◊— The Night Is Alive —◊— The Night Is Forever —◊— The Cursed —◊— The Hexed —◊— The Betrayed —◊— The Silenced —◊— The Forgotten —◊— The Hidden —◊— Haunted Destiny —◊— Deadly Fate —◊— Darkest Journey —◊— Dying Breath —◊— Dark Rites —◊— Wicked Deeds —◊— ♦Fade to Black —◊— Pale as Death —◊— Echoes of Evil —◊— The Summoning —◊— The Seekers —◊— The Stalking —◊— Seeing Darkness —◊—Deadly Touch —◊—Dreaming Death —◊— ♦ The Unforgiven —◊— The Forbidden —◊— The Unknown —◊— ♦ Sound of Darkness —◊— Aura of Night —◊— Voice of Fear —◊—
While I’ve read the entire Krewe of Hunters series over the years, I have not reviewed each novel, and to go back now would be quite daunting and time-consuming. So, I stick to reviewing the more current trilogy.
This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.
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Tags: Heather Graham, Krewe of Hunters #36, Owned, Paranormal Romantic Suspense, Sound of Darkness
Posted March 13, 2023 by Marsha in Author ARC, Bookouture, Crime, Mystery, NetGalley, Thriller / 0 Comments
My parents seem to be the perfect couple. But no one knows what I know…
Everyone in the small Midwestern town of Henderson looks up to my perfect parents. With dependable jobs as a midwife and the town sheriff, they help this close-knit community feel safe.
But the locals didn’t grow up in my parents’ house. They don’t know what I know. And they wouldn’t believe me if I told them…
After my best friend vanished when we were just fifteen, I left town and never looked back. I couldn’t prove it, but I think my parents killed her.
Now, years later, my little sister has vanished. I have no choice but to go home and play happy families again. Because I have to find out what my parents have done to her. I have to try to save her.
But when bones are discovered on a local farm, and all the evidence leads back to our front door, I realize I was wrong about absolutely everything. And that coming back was the deadliest thing I could do…
This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.
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Tags: Bookouture, mystery, NetGalley ARC, The Night She Vanished, thriller, Wendy Dranfield
Posted March 9, 2023 by Marsha in Cozy Mystery, Crime, Kensington Books, Mystery, NetGalley, Series / 0 Comments
Winter in Sea Harbor is a feast for the senses. This year, the Seaside Knitters have a sackful of obligations in addition to their usual Christmas preparations. Izzy is so overloaded with knitting classes that she hires an extra salesperson. Cass, juggling the stresses of running her lobster fishery, has finally found a nanny for her active toddler. Molly Flanigan seems practically perfect in every way—until she suddenly disappears, taking Cass’s beloved rescue mutt with her . . .
Meanwhile, the holidays are kicking off in style at the mayor’s holiday party, with a celebrity chef catering the event. An additional treat for Ben and Nell Endicott at the festive affair is reconnecting with a dear college friend, Oliver Bishop. But it’s not just reunions and the appetizers that are to die for. Before the partygoers can toast the beginning of Sea Harbor’s festive season, the chef—and young wife of the Endicotts’ old Harvard friend—is found dead in the snow . . .
Izzy, Birdie, Nell, and Cass must uncover the pattern to these mysteries to remove suspicion from those they love, bring a murderer to justice—and keep Sea Harbor’s holiday magic from vanishing into the chill winter air . . .
Titles in the A Seaside Knitters Society Mystery series include — Murder Wears Mittens —◊— How to Knit a Murder —◊— A Murderous Tangle —◊— A Crime of a Different Stripe —◊— A Dark and Snowy Night —◊—
There are eleven (11) titles in the A Seaside Knitters Mystery series, a connecting set of stories to the “Society” mysteries. Some sites combine them all, while others do not. Yet they all are in the same “world,” so you make that judgment for yourself. 🙂
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Tags: A Dark and Snowy Night, A Seaside Knitters Society Mystery #5, Cozy Mystery, Kensington Books, NetGalley ARC, Sally Goldenbaum
Posted January 4, 2023 by Marsha in Mystery, Owned, Paranormal Romance, Series, Thriller / 0 Comments
…a night that changed three women forever—but that none of them can remember.
Seven months ago, Pallas Llewellyn, Talia March, and Amelia Rivers were strangers, until their fateful stay at the Lucent Springs Hotel. An earthquake and a fire partially destroyed the hotel, but the women have no memory of their time there. Now close friends, the three women co-host a podcast called the Lost Night Files, where they investigate cold cases and hope to connect with others who may have had a similar experience to theirs—an experience that has somehow enhanced the psychic abilities already present in each woman.
After receiving a tip for their podcast, Pallas travels to the small college town of Carnelian, California, to explore an abandoned asylum. Shaken by the dark energy she feels in the building, she is rushing out when she’s stopped by a dark figure—who turns out to be the women’s mysterious tipster.
Ambrose Drake is certain he’s a witness to a murder, but without a body, everyone thinks he’s having delusions caused by extreme sleep deprivation. But Ambrose is positive something terrible happened at the Carnelian Sleep Institute the night he was there. Unable to find proof on his own, he approaches Pallas for help, only for her to realize that Ambrose, too, has a lost night that he can’t remember—one that may be connected to Pallas. Pallas and Ambrose conduct their investigation using the podcast as a cover, and while the townsfolk are eager to share what they know, it turns out there are others who are not so happy about their questions—and someone is willing to kill to keep the truth from coming out.
Titles in The Lost Night Files series include — Sleep No More —◊—
This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.
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Tags: Jayne Ann Krentz, Owned, paranormal, Sleep No More, suspense, The Lost Night Files #1, thriller
Posted September 19, 2022 by Marsha in Crime, Mystery, Owned, Police Procedural, Series, Sexual Content, St. Martin's Press / 0 Comments

New York, 2061: The place called the Pleasure Academy is a living nightmare where abducted girls are trapped, and trained for a life of abject service while their souls are slowly but surely destroyed. Dorian, a thirteen-year-old runaway who’d been imprisoned there, might never have made it out if not for her fellow inmate Mina, who’d hatched the escape plan. Mina was the more daring of the two—but they’d been equally desperate.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get away fast enough. Now Dorian is injured, terrified, and wandering the streets of New York, and Mina lies dead near the waterfront while Lt. Eve Dallas looks over the scene.
Mina’s expensive, elegant clothes and beauty products convince Dallas that she was being groomed, literally and figuratively, for sex trafficking—and that whoever is investing in this high-overhead operation expects windfall profits. Her billionaire husband, Roarke, may be able to help, considering his ties to the city’s ultra-rich.
But Roarke is also worried about the effect this case is having on Dallas, as it brings a rage to the surface that she can barely control. No matter what, she must keep her head clear–because above all, she is desperate for justice and to take down those who prey on and torment the innocent.
Desperation in Death is the 55th title in the “in Death” series. A complete list of all the titles in this futuristic police procedural mystery series can be found on our J. D. Robb page.
This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.
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Tags: __in Death #55, Desperation in Death, Futuristic Police Crime, J D Robb, mystery, St. Martin's Press, suspense
Posted May 12, 2022 by Marsha in Cozy Mystery, Kensington Books, Mystery, NetGalley, Paranormal Cozy Mystery, Series / 0 Comments
Spirit Canyon’s annual Spirit Spooktacular weekend is on, and for local amateur sleuth Zo Jones, it’s boomtime for business at her Happy Camper gift shop . . . until a murderer drops in for a browse.
To celebrate Halloween at the Happy Camper, Zo schedules a talk by successful author and self-proclaimed witch Marianne Morgan. Although Marianne’s benign brand of witchcraft is more about feminine empowerment than black magic, her presence is still not welcomed by everyone. Then on a midnight stroll home, Zo spots what seems to be a new Halloween decoration propped up outside the Happy Camper. What she finds is not a mannequin but a dead Marianne, her lifeless body dressed in traditional witch’s garb. But why would someone send this good witch back to the spirit world permanently?
Soon Zo realizes that plenty of folks have motives for murdering Marianne. What’s worse, nosy TV newsman Justin Castle plans to broadcast a report associating Marianne’s murder with the Happy Camper. Zo calls on her partner in sleuthing, local forest ranger Max Harrington, to help her find the culprit before Justin’s report airs. Otherwise, Zo’s business just might go bust. But to catch this killer, Zo will have to risk much more than just her reputation . . .
Titles in A Happy Camper Mystery series include — Open for Murder — Midnight Spells for Murder — Mining for Murder —
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Tags: A Happy Camper Mystery #2, Cozy Mystery, Mary Angela, Midnight Spells Murder, Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Posted April 27, 2022 by Marsha in Modern Western Romance, Mystery, NetGalley, Romantic Suspense, Sexual Content, Small Town Romance, St. Martin's Press / 0 Comments
Is he an enemy?
Dillon Young is proud that she inherited her aunt’s ranch. The problem: someone is trying to run her off and is willing to do whatever it takes. Strange, dangerous things keep happening. Dillion suspects her no-good neighbor and fellow wealthy rancher, Hank Stephens. Never a man to get his hands dirty, he sends others to get the job done. So, when the irresistible Cal Bennett is found passed out drunk on her property, Dillion is on high alert. Until someone takes a shot at her and Cal springs to her rescue. When the hard-bodied, no-nonsense-talking cowboy points out that she may need some help, Dillion is inclined to reluctantly agree.
Or a lover?
Waking up on a stranger’s property with a shotgun in his face is not Cal Bennett’s idea of a good time. Never mind that the person on the other end of the barrel is one of the most fiercely beautiful women he has ever seen. Things get more interesting when he finds himself shielding her from flying bullets. It’s clear that this smart, savvy woman could use a hand and Cal is all too happy to lend any part of his body she requires. His proposal: pose as lovers until they find out who is after her ranch. As the danger rises and secrets are revealed, the passion explodes between them and there is no turning back.
This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.
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Tags: Donna Grant, Romantic Suspense, St. Martin's Press, That Cowboy of Mine
Posted April 11, 2022 by Marsha in Author ARC, Mystery, Series, Tule Publishing / 0 Comments
She’s pursued the most dangerous news stories around the world. But can she survive going home?
Injured in a bombing, war correspondent Kate Tessler returns to her hometown in Arizona to recover. For the first time in her life, she’s starting to feel her age of nearly fifty despite living like a teenager again: staying in her childhood bedroom with only a cat for company, trying to understand why her sister resents her so much and running into people who still refer to her as Kitty. The hardest part? Seeing her once-sharp and witty mother stuck in an Alzheimer’s unit.
When an old friend asks her to investigate suspicious deaths at the nursing home, Kate limps into action. Is a self-appointed “Angel of Mercy” killing patients to end their suffering? Are family members hastening their inheritance? Is an employee extorting money and removing the witnesses? Kate uses her journalism skills to track clues, but the puzzle pieces simply won’t fit.
If Kate can’t uncover the truth quickly, her mother could be next on the killer’s list.
Titles in The Accidental Detective series include — Something Shady at Sunshine Haven – Something Deadly on Desert Drive –
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Tags: Kris Bock, mystery, Something Shady at Sunshine Haven, The Accidental Detective #1, Tule Publishing
Posted February 9, 2022 by Marsha in Crime, Mystery, Owned, Police Procedural, Romantic Suspense, Series, Sexual Content, St. Martin's Press / 0 Comments
The woman’s body was found in the early morning, on a bench in a New York City playground. She was clean, her hair neatly arranged, her makeup carefully applied. But other things were very wrong—like the tattoo and piercings, clearly new. The clothes, decades out of date. The fatal wound hidden beneath a ribbon around her neck. And the note: Bad Mommy, written in crayon as if by a child.
Eve Dallas turns to the department’s top profiler, who confirms what seems obvious to Eve: They’re dealing with a killer whose childhood involved some sort of trauma—a situation Eve is all too familiar with herself. Yet the clues suggest a perpetrator who’d be roughly sixty years old, and there are no records of old crimes with a similar MO. What was the trigger that apparently reopened such an old wound and sent someone over the edge?
When Eve discovers that other young women—who physically resemble the first victim—have vanished, the clock starts ticking louder. But to solve this case she will need to find her way into a hidden place of dim light and concrete, into the distant past, and into the cold depths of a shattered mind.
Abandoned in Death is the 54th title in the “in Death” series. A complete list of all the titles in this futuristic police procedural mystery series can be found on our J. D. Robb page.
This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.
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Tags: Abandoned in Death, Crime, Futuristic Thriller, in Death #54, J D Robb, Police Procedural, Romantic Suspense