Sharon's Cozy Corner October

Fall is here, and with it comes a great harvest of cozy mysteries that are sure to satisfy the mystery lover's tastes. There are Halloween–themed tales, chocolate–laced stories, cat–influenced intrigues, and even a couple of early Christmas who–dun–its to choose from – and all are designed to keep readers on the edges of their seats as the suspense and the fun ensues.

Here are a few that piqued my interest this month!

One of my favorite cozy mystery writers is Laura Childs, and I was delighted to find out she has a new book in her Scrapbooking Mystery series! Not only do you get a dandy mysterious story with a lively heroine and a fun cast of characters, Laura gifts her readers with fun scrapbooking tips and projects as well. I highly recommend this series!

POSTCARDS FROM THE DEAD (A Scrapbooking Mystery #10) Laura Childs Berkley Prime Crime; $25.95

New Orleans is in the throes of another fantastic Mardi Gras celebration when the party gets crashed by a murderer. Now a scrapbooking sleuth is going to have to stop the partying to catch the killer.

There's a parade rolling through the historic French Quarter, with gigantic floats, silver beads, and dizzying lights—and Kimber Breeze of KBEZ–TV is broadcasting live from a small balcony on the fourth floor of the Hotel Tremain, interviewing locals and capturing the spectacle down below. Her next subject will be Carmela Bertrand, owner of Memory Mine scrapbooking shop. Carmela has never been a fan of Kimber, but she isn't about to turn down the chance of good publicity for her shop.

But before Carmela's shop gets its five minutes of fame, a killer slips onto the balcony and strangles Kimber with a cord, leaving her body dangling above the parade. Carmela is horrified, but she quickly discovers the nightmare isn't over. Because someone is now leaving strange postcards at Carmela's shop—signed by the dead Kimber. Now Carmela and her friend Ava will have to risk their own necks to find out who's posing as a ghost—and to expose a killer.

Also from Laura Childs this month – first time in paperback!

SKELETON LETTERS (A Scrapbooking Mystery #9) Laura Childs Berkley Prime Crime; $7.99

Is nothing sacred? The last thing Carmela Bertrand and her friend Ava expected to bear witness to in St. Tristan's Church was a crime. But now a beloved member of their scrapbooking circle lies lifeless next to a smashed statue of St. Sebastien—and a mysterious hooded figure has absconded with an antique crucifix.

As Carmela and Ava are drawn deeper into New Orleans' French Quarter in search of the missing crucifix, they may need the help of more than a few patron saints. Because this is one killer they don't want to cross.

Cat lovers will adore this new stand–alone novel from bestselling author Carolyn Hart!

WHAT THE CAT SAW Carolyn Hart Berkley Prime Crime; $25.95

Ever since the death of her fiancé, Nela Farley has found herself plagued by a sixth sense: she understands the thoughts of cats when she looks into their eyes. Nela knows that what she's experiencing is completely irrational and tries to convince herself that she is simply transferring her own thoughts that she doesn't want to face.

When her adventurous sister, Chloe, goes on a trip and asks for a favor, Nela welcomes the distraction and agrees to substitute at Chloe's job at a charitable foundation. Chloe has arranged a place for her sister to stay, but when Nela shows up, she encounters the previous tenant's cat and gets a flash of thought: ". . . dead . . . dead and gone . . . She loved me . . . board rolled on the second step . . ."

Nela wants to ignore what the cat saw, but the idea that the death of former tenant Marian Grant wasn't an accident is something she can't ignore. As Nela begins to do some research into Marian's life, strange events begin to occur, all seeming to lead back to the Haklo Foundation. But when a detective becomes suspicious of Nela's sister and a second murder occurs, Nela realizes she'll have to make the most of her unwanted ability to figure out what's really going on, before she meets her own untimely end.

Chocolate and mystery just seem to go hand in hand, and no one does the duo better than Oklahoma author JoAnna Carl!

THE CHOCOLATE MOOSE MOTIVE JoAnna Carl NAL Books; $22.95

When Lee hires a free–spirited employee with a tie–dyed, troubled past, she discovers that even the counter–culture can conceal a killer.

As much as the chocolate concoctions at TenHuis can tantalize people's tongues, Lee's newest hire is more likely to make them wag. Forsythia "Sissy" Smith is the granddaughter of Warner Pier's only remaining resident hippie, and lives out at the Moose Lodge—once an informal commune in the forest east of town. But the fact that Sissy is a third–generation flower child is the least of Lee's concerns.

The previous winter, Sissy's husband, Buzz, was found shot to death, and local talk named Sissy the number one suspect. Even though her alibi was airtight, the gossips are still pointing their fingers at her. Lee sympathizes with the young woman—even more so when Buzz's dad, a tough retired Army colonel, threatens to sue Sissy for custody of her son.

Then the chief gossip is found dead, with Sissy on the scene. Was she lured there? Or is she the killer? Lee has a sneaking suspicion that there is someone even more sinister to blame. Someone out to keep a dark secret from coming to light. And they would have no problem killing a certain clever chocolatier who might uncover the truth...

Wanting to get into the Christmas mood early this year – try out these two holiday–themed mysteries!

THE SNOW WHITE CHRISTMAS COOKIE (A Berger and Mitry Mystery) David Handler Minotaur Books; $24.95

The newest adventure featuring the mismatched romantic crime–fighting duo of New York City film critic Mitch Berger and Connecticut State Resident Trooper Desiree Mitry presents Des with her first taste of Christmas in the historic New England village of Dorset.

And what a taste it is. Three blizzards have blanketed the village in forty inches of snow. Bryce Peck, Mitch's blue–blooded neighbor out on Big Sister Island, has just been found dead of a drug overdose. Young Kylie Champlain has slammed her car head–on into an office building after she's caught trying to shoplift a pair of Ugg boots. And a grinch has taken to stealing the mail from Hank Merrill's postal route, which happens to be the main route through the historic district.

Stealing the U.S. mail is a serious federal crime, but Des soon discovers that she's onto something much bigger: a black–market prescription drug gang with ties to organized crime. And now a fourth blizzard is on its way. And so is another murder. And, somehow, the man in her life has managed to land himself smack dab in the middle of the whole mess. Not to mention that he's in way over his head with Josie Cantro, the beautiful and treacherous life–coach who just may be responsible for it all. If Des doesn't act fast, this will truly be a Christmas to remember–––but for all of the wrong reasons.

Sara Rossett writes a unique series featuring an Air Force wife who is also a professional organizer who stumbles upon the most fascinating mysteries! This holiday tale is one of her best, in my opinion!

MISTELTOE, MERRIMENT, AND MURDER (Ellie Avery Mystery) Sara Rosett Kensington Books; $7.99

Super organizer Ellie Avery could really use some Christmas cheer when Gabrielle Matheson, a grinchy professional rival, sets up shop in the same small Georgia town. But before the halls are even halfway decked with holly, someone uses Ellie's terrifically tasteless white elephant swap gift as ...a murder weapon! Ellie's now a suspect.

Besides playing Mrs. Santa for her Air Force pilot husband and their two kids, shielding her eyes from the garishly over–decorated house down the street, and helping a client who's a hardcore hoarder, Ellie also has to solve this ho–ho– homicide ...and find a killer who wishes her a very deadly Christmas.

DEATH IN THE FLOATING CITY: A Lady Emily Mystery Tasha Alexander Minotaur Books; $24.95

Years ago, Emily's childhood nemesis, Emma Callum, scandalized polite society when she eloped to Venice with an Italian count. But now her father–in–law lies murdered, and her husband has vanished. There's no one Emma can turn to for help but Emily, who leaves at once with her husband, the dashing Colin Hargreaves, for Venice.

There, her investigations take her from opulent palazzi to slums, libraries, and bordellos. Emily soon realizes that to solve the present day crime, she must first unravel a centuries old puzzle. But the past does not give up its secrets easily, especially when these revelations might threaten the interests of some very powerful people.

Let's hear it for big girls who are comfortable in their skins and with their smarts! I adore Sue Ann Jaffarian's Odelia Grey mystery series that feature the sassy, plus–sized paralegal Odelia who always manages to stumble upon the durndest murders! This is a fun series that delights time after time!

HIDE & SNOOP (Odelia Grey Mysteries, Book 7) Sue Ann Jaffarian Midnight Ink; $14.99

A merger at Odelia Grey's law firm has put her job in jeopardy, and her new icy– cold boss, Erica Mayfield, has it in for her. The humiliation doubles when Erica dumps her three–year–old niece with Odelia and disappears for the weekend. The nerve!

Primed for a confrontation, Odelia impulsively goes to her boss's house in the middle of the night—and finds Erica's sister murdered. Before she knows it, Odelia's madcap misadventure to prove her own innocence ends up in a cuddly cradle of crime.

Here is a charming new series from author Duffy Brown – these tales are set in a Southern consignment shop, and it promises to be a great series to look forward to!

ICED CHIFFON (A Consignment Shop Mystery #1) Duffy Brown Berkley Prime Crime, $7.99

There's always something to gossip about in Savannah, Georgia, and Reagan Summerside always seems to be in the middle of it. She's busy enough running her consignment shop, The Prissy Fox, with her vivacious Auntie KiKi, but now the gossip—and the sales—are about to pick up after a gruesome discovery.

Reagan's messy divorce has left her with nothing but a run–down Victorian and a bunch of designer clothes. Strapped for cash, Reagan makes use of the two things she has left, turning the first floor of her home into a consignment shop and filling it with the remnants of her rich–wife wardrobe.

Thanks to his cunning lawyer Walker Boone, her ex got everything else, including the Lexus—not to mention a young blond cupcake. When Reagan finds the cupcake dead in the Lexus, she's determined to beat Boone to finding the murderer. As it turns out, the gossip fiends flooding Reagan's shop will give her a lot more than just their unwanted clothes—they have information more precious than a vintage Louis Vuitton.

IF MASHED POTATOES COULD DANCE (A Country Cooking School Mystery #2) Paige Shelton Berkley (Prime Crime$7.99

At Gram's Country Cooking School in Broken Rope, Missouri, Isabelle "Betts" Winston and her grandmother share the secrets of delicious home–style recipes. But there's one secret they keep from their classes—their ability to talk to ghosts from the town's colorful past.

Betts and Gram agree to help their friend Jake at Broken Rope's Historical Society by accommodating some foodie tourists for the night and occupying them with cooking lessons. It couldn't be worse timing when the pair encounter the ax–wielding ghost of Sally Swarthmore, one of Broken Rope's legendary murderers, who pleads with Betts to help find her diary—a diary that could prove that Sally was really a victim, not a villain.

But they soon have a modern–day murder on their hands when one of the tourists turns up dead with a noose around his neck and two other tourists are nowhere to be found. Now Betts needs to put the cooking classes on the back burner to untangle two knotty mysteries and rope in a cold–blooded killer.

A FATAL STAIN (A Daring Finds Mystery #3) Elise Hyatt Berkley Prime Crime $7.99

Out damned spot!

As her wedding to detective Cas Wolfe approaches, Candyce "Dyce" Dare, sole owner (and employee) of the furniture refinishing business Daring Finds desperately needs to find something to do to avoid sitting down and planning the event with her mother and her best friend (particularly since she suspects their plans involve having her cat dress in a tuxedo). Working on a table she recently bought at a yard sale fits the bill.

Until her sanding efforts uncover a disturbing stain—one that looks like it might be blood. Dyce knows that, with a fiancé who's a policeman, parents who own a mystery bookstore, and a recent history of inadvertent involvement in murder cases, she can be prone to see things that aren't there. But then she discovers that the table's previous owner has gone missing—and once more, she is drawn into a solve–it–yourself mystery project. And when Dyce starts a project, she just has to see it through.

A GRID FOR MURDER (A Mystery by the Numbers #3) Casey Mayes Berkley Prime Crime; $7.99

Savannah Stone makes her living creating puzzles for logic lovers. But when a novice puzzle maker's number is up, Savannah has to fill in the blanks to solve a murder.

Savannah would almost rather drink poison than have tea with Joanna Clayton. Not only is the unpleasant woman one of the worst gossips in Asheville, North Carolina, over tea she flaunts her new assignment creating logic puzzles for a local newspaper—one that has repeatedly turned down Savannah's work.

But when Savannah's retired police chief husband, Zach, calls her later to tell her Joanna has actually been poisoned, she is more than puzzled—she's troubled. Will the police consider puzzle envy a strong enough motive and think she decided to eliminate the competition? It's time for Savannah to sort through Joanna's long list of enemies to find out who was bitter enough to poison the prospective puzzle maker.

Hopefully you will find something that grabs your attention among these fine mysteries available this month. Enjoy the beautiful fall season, and be ready for more mystery and mayhem next month here at the Cozy Corner!

Cozy reading, Ya'll!