March Cozy Reads

March certainly blew in like a lion – well, at least in North Texas it did – and with it came a windfall of cozy mysteries that will keep the winds at bay, at least while you're reading! There is a little something for everyone here this month.

Hardbacks:

AGONY OF THE LEAVES: A Tea Shop Mystery #13
by Laura Childs
Berkley (Prime Crime) $25.95

In the latest novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Scones and Bones, Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning finds herself in hot water when a body surfaces at the grand opening of Charleston's Neptune Aquarium...

The opening of the aquarium is a major Charleston event, and Theodosia has been hired to cater tea, scones, and sandwiches for the private party to honor dignitaries and big buck donors. Things are going swimmingly, until Theodosia escapes the party for a momentary rest, only to discover the body of a man entangled in a net, drowned in one of the aquarium's state-of-the-art tanks.

To make matters worse, the victim is Theodosia's former boyfriend Parker Scully. The EMTs on the scene think Parker's drowning was an accident, but when Theodosia notices what look like defense wounds on his hands, she realizes that someone wanted Parker dead. The local police aren't keen on hearing her theory—especially because of her ties to the victim—so Theodosia knows that if she wants Parker's killer brought to justice, she'll have to jump into the deep end and start her own investigation.

(Laura is one of my favorite cozy mystery authors. Her books are always fabulous, and this installment is fast-paced and thrilling as well as deliciously delectable!)

CAT'S CLAW: A Pecan Springs Mystery – Debut series
by Susan Wittig Albert
Berkley (Prime Crime), $25.95

Police Chief Sheila Dawson believes the death of Pecan Spring's computer guru, Larry Kirk, to be a suicide, perhaps triggered by his painful divorce. Further investigation reveals that Kirk's death wasn't self-inflicted. And the truth is reinforced by her friend China Bayles' news—Larry recently asked her for legal advice in regards to a stalker.

As a police chief in a male- dominated force, Sheila meets many challenges, especially when her theories rock the boat in high profile cases like that of George Timms. He was caught breaking into Larry's computer shop to steal his own computer back because of dangerous personal information it contained. Now that Larry is dead, she's sure it's connected to the burglary. And she's also sure she'll get plenty of resistance on her assessment.

Timms's time to turn himself in to the police comes and goes, and he's nowhere to be found. In her investigation, Sheila uncovers secrets, terrible secrets that would drive anyone to kill. So who then? It's up to Sheila to prove she's got what it takes to hunt down the predator that's loose on the streets of Pecan Springs.

(This new series goes hand-in-hand with Susan Wittig Albert's "China Bayles" series. Lots of the same characters appear with more of an emphasis on Police Chief Shelia Dawson. Promises to be just as delightful as Albert's previous novels!)


WHEN MAIDENS MOURN: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery #7 by C. S. Harris
Obsidian, $24.95

Tales of King Arthur and the Lady of Shalott provide inspiration for this latest gripping installment in the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series when, just four days wed, the aristocratic investigator and his fiercely independent bride, Hero Jarvis, find themselves caught up in a twisted intrigue of ancient legends and a deadly family curse. Regency England, August 1812:

Sebastian's plans to escape the heat of London for a honeymoon are shattered when the murdered body of Hero's good friend, Gabrielle Tennyson, is discovered drifting in a battered boat at the site of a long-vanished castle known as Camlet Moat. A beautiful young antiquarian, Miss Tennyson had recently provoked an uproar with her controversial identification of the island as the location of Camelot. Missing and presumed also dead are Gabrielle's two young cousins, nine-year-old George and three-year-old Alfred.

Still struggling to define the nature of their new marriage, Sebastian and Hero find themselves occasionally working at cross-purposes as their investigation leads from London's medieval Inns of Court to its seedy back alleys, and from grand country homes to rural enclaves where ancient Celtic beliefs still hold sway. As he probes deeper, Sebastian also discovers dark secrets at the heart of the Tennyson family, and an enigmatic young French lieutenant with a dangerous, mysterious secret of his own.

Racing to unmask a ruthless killer and unravel the puzzle of the missing children, Sebastian and Hero soon find both their lives and their growing love for each other at risk as their investigation leads to Hero's father, who is also Sebastian's long-time nemesis... and to a tall, dark stranger who may hold the key to Sebastian's own parentage.


CINNAMON ROLL MURDER: A Hannah Swensen Mystery #15
By Joanne Fluke
Kensington Books; $24.00

With the Cinnamon Roll Six jazz band heading toward Lake Eden for the Weekend Jazz Festival, Hannah Swensen is more than happy to bake up a generous supply of their namesake confections. But tragedy strikes when the band's tour bus overturns on its way into town. Among those injured is Buddy Neiman, the band's beloved keyboard player.

At first, Buddy's injuries appear minor, until his condition suddenly takes a turn for the worse—as in dead. Hannah's no doctor, but she suspects that the surgical scissors jutting out of Buddy's chest may have something to do with it.

Turns out Buddy Neiman isn't the victim's real name. In fact, no one is really sure who he is, or what secrets may be lurking in his past. Hannah isn't sure just how she'll unravel this mystery, but there's nothing sweeter than bringing a killer to justice.

(Not only does Joanne Fluke write a heck of a good mystery, she also includes some of the most luscious recipes to be found in the cozy mystery genre! Come for the story, stay for the recipes!)

Mass Market Paperbacks:


SKETCH A FALLING STAR: A Portrait of Crime Mystery #3 By Sharon Pape
Berkley (Prime Crime), $7.99

When the "Way Off Broadway Players" get swept up in a flash flood while sightseeing in Arizona, Rory McCain's aunt Helene and her fellow amateur thespians survive—with the exception of Preston Wright.

The victim was actually a womanizing scam-artist who duped nearly everyone in the troupe, as well as an ex-con who operated under various aliases. While Preston's death was deemed to be an "act of nature," Rory can't discount the possibility that human nature may have contributed to his drowning.

But even as she investigates the cast of characters to find out which one played the villain, Rory is finally on the verge of solving a cold case—the murder of her ghost partner, Zeke.

ADRIFT ON ST. JOHN: A Mystery in the Islands – Debut Series
by Rebecca M. Hale
Berkley (Prime Crime), $7.99

No one knows better than resort manager Pen Hoffstra that the idea of a tropical paradise is an illusion. So when a young woman named Hannah Sheridan disappears and a water taxi sinks mysteriously off the island of St. John, she is not surprised that all is not what it seems to be.

Pointing out Hannah's resemblance to the Amina Slave Princess from the 1733 Slave Revolt on St. John—whose ghost is rumored to haunt the island—the local community quickly latches on to the belief that her spirit is behind the sinking and disappearance.

Only one person on the island knows the whole truth, and it's not what anyone suspects.

DUE OR DIE: A Library Lover's Mystery #2
By Jenn McKinlay
Berkley (Prime Crime), $7.99

Answering tricky reference questions is excitement enough for library director Lindsey Norris. Until a murder is committed in her cozy hometown of Briar Creek, Connecticut, and the question of who did it must be answered before someone else is checked out—for good.

LITTLE SHOP OF HOMICIDE: A Devereaux's Dime Store Mystery – Debut Series
by Denise Swanson
Obsidian, $7.99

Devereaux Sinclair is the happy new owner of the adorable old-fashioned shop in her small Missouri town. But when a revenge-crazed cop accuses Dev of murdering her ex's fiancèe — and the murder weapon is found with her fingerprints all over it — Dev's store, and her life, quickly turn from charmed to troubled. If she doesn't find the real killer soon, this five-and-dime owner will be serving twenty-five to life.

FIRE ENGINE DEAD: A Museum Mystery #3
by Sheila Connolly
Berkley (Prime Crime), $7.99

When the entire collection of the Fireman's Museum ironically goes up in flames, Nell Pratt discovers one of the charred pictures isn't the one that was originally exhibited. But getting to the bottom of the mystery is bound to get Nell burned.

MURDER BUYS A T-SHIRT: A Haunted Souvenir – Debut Series
by Christy Fifield
Berkley (Prime Crime), $7.99

Glory Martine has inherited her uncle's Florida souvenir shop, one stuffed with collectibles, mementos of times gone by—and ghosts—who, like her customers, refuse to let go of the past. But things take an even more unexpected turn when a local football hero dies far too suddenly and suspiciously. Now, Glory has to uncover the truth before someone makes her history.

THE PROBABILITY OF MURDER: A Professor Sophie Knowles Mystery #2
by Ada Madison
Berkley (Prime Crime), $7.99

Dr. Sophie Knowles is a professor with a way of making even the most complex math problems fun for her students. But when the school's beloved librarian is found shot to death in the stacks, Sophie learns that her friend was more complex than she ever knew. Now, Sophie must take on some rigorous deduction homework before the chances for another murder on campus increase exponentially...

FASHION FAUX PAW: A Dog Walker Mystery #6
by Judi McCoy
Obsidian, $7.99

It's Fashion Week in New York and Ellie's in charge of the dogs' modeling outfits that match their mommy-models for a fashion competition. But before the first round closes, one of the designers drops dead of anaphylactic shock, her Epipen useless because someone's emptied it.

(Sadly, this will be the final book in the Dog Walker Mysteries. Author Judi McCoy passed away in February of this year after a long illness. The author of 22 romance and mystery books, she will be dearly missed in the Fpublishing community.)

This Spring promises to be warm and lovely, so grab a fresh new cozy mystery and get out and enjoy the sunshine and the flowers! Cozy reading, Ya'll!