What to Read in August?

Summer is slowly coming to an end - where did the days go? Seems like it was just June a couple of days ago, and here we are in August!

I hope that you all had a chance to pick up some great cozy mysteries to enjoy during the sun-and-fun days of summer. August has a great lineup of titles to check out as well - so grab a few, your sweet tea and enjoy these waning days of the season!

Have a happy rest of your summer, and Happy Cozy Reading!

August Highlight Book Of The Month:

REMNANTS OF MURDER: A Southern Sewing Circle Mystery #8
Elizabeth Lynn Casey (Berkley Prime Crime)

REMNANTS OF MURDER

Those sassy sewing ladies of Sweet Briair are up to their usual hijinks again in Elizabeth Lynn Casey's latest Southern Sewing Circle novel, REMNANTS OF MURDER. Librarian Tori Sinclair and her sewing circle buddies once again find that murder has crept into their quiet little town and its up to them to put their needles and thread down and find out who is stitching up a bunch of trouble and causing mayhem.

I absolutely love Elizabeth Lynn Casey's charming series and highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys a well-written, character driven, and definitely cozy mystery.

Here's a little more about the book -

When a cantankerous Sweet Briar resident ends up six feet under, the ladies of the sewing circle have to deal with a town full of suspects. With the library's budget dwindling, Tori Sinclair is forced to let go of her predecessor, and fellow sewing circle member, Dixie Dunn. After losing her job a second time, Dixie decides to volunteer for Home Fare, delivering meals to the homebound.

Less than a week after Dixie starts, her client Clyde Montgomery is found dead. The police think he died of old age, but with most of the town badgering Clyde to sell his picturesque land, his passing seems a little too convenient. Determined to prove that Clyde was murdered, Dixie asks Tori for some sleuthing assistance. But with so many Sweet Briar residents in possession of a compelling motive, the sewing circle ladies will have to needle out the truth to find the killer.

August Debut Book of The Month:
CLOCHE AND DAGGER: A Hat Shop Mystery #1
Jenn McKinlay (Berkley Prime Crime)

CLOCHE AND DAGGER

This promise to be a fun series. With hat fashion being all the rage since the Duchess of Cambridge and her royal family has made it so chic, what better place to set a new series about a hat shop but in London! Jenn McKinaly is one of my favorite cozy authors and I'm delighted to see this new series from her!

Here's more about the book -

Not only is Scarlett Parker's love life in the loo—as her British cousin Vivian Tremont would say—it's also gone viral with an embarrassing video. So when Viv suggests Scarlett leave Florida to lay low in London, she hops on the next plane across the pond. Viv is the proprietor of Mims's Whims, a ladies' hat shop on Portobello Road bequeathed to both cousins by their beloved grandmother, and she wants Scarlett to finally join her in the millinery business.

But a few surprises await Scarlett in London. First, she is met at the airport not by Viv, but by her handsome business manager, Harrison Wentworth. Second, Viv—who has some whims of her own—seems to be missing. No one is too concerned about the unpredictable Viv until one of her posh clients is found dead wearing the cloche hat Viv made for her—and nothing else. Is Scarlett's cousin in trouble? Or is she in hiding?

Hardcover:
HEIRS AND GRACES: A Royal Spyness Mystery #7
Rhys Bowen (Berkley Prime Crime)

HEIRS AND GRACES

As thirty-fifth in line for the throne, Lady Georgiana Rannoch may not be the most sophisticated young woman, but she knows her table manners. Its forks on the left, knives on the right—not in His Majesty's back.

Here I am thinking the education I received at my posh Swiss finishing school would never come in handy. And while it hasn't landed me a job, or a husband, it has convinced Her Majesty the Queen and the Dowager Duchess to enlist my help. I have been entrusted with grooming Jack Altringham—the Duke's newly discovered heir fresh from the Outback of Australia—for high society.

The upside is I am to live in luxury at one of England's most gorgeous stately homes. But upon arrival at Kingsdowne Place, my dearest Darcy has been sent to fetch Jack, leaving me stuck in a manor full of miscreants - none of whom are too pleased with the discovery of my new ward.

And no sooner has the lad been retrieved than the Duke announces he wants to choose his own heir. With the house in a hubbub over the news, Jack's hunting knife somehow finds its way into the Duke's back. Eyes fall, backs turn, and fingers point to the young heir. As if the rascal wasn't enough of a handful, now he's suspected of murder. Jack may be wild, but I'd bet the crown jewels it wasn't he who killed the Duke.

THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MURDER: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery #8
Nancy Martin (Obsidian)

THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MURDER

Someone's getting crossed off the register.

Nora Blackbird may have been to the manor borne, but these days money is so tight, she can't afford to lose her job as a society columnist. So when her new boss at the Philadelphia Intelligencer—Australian tabloid editor Gus Hardwicke—tells her to work the celebrity gossip beat or start checking the want ads, the choice is easy.

Now Nora's writing a profile on billionaire fashion designer Swain Starr, who recently retired to build a high-tech organic farm with his new wife, Zephyr, a former supermodel. But before Nora can get the story, the mogul is murdered. And now Gus wants her to snap up an exclusive on who killed Starr before the cops do. But solving a celebrity murder isn't easy with a home life as colorful as Nora's. Her sort-of-husband, Mick, a former mobster, is associating once again with unsavory characters. Her sister Libby is on a mission to get her diabolical twins on stage or screen with the help of an unscrupulous former child star. And the youngest Blackbird sister, Emma, just got kicked out of the house by Mick—who refuses to explain why.

If anything can bring the blue-blooded Blackbird sisters together, it's a murder investigation involving high-society events, glamorous people, and the disappearance of a genetically perfect pig that may or may not be basking in the sun at Blackbird Farm. They'll all have to pull together this time, because if Nora can't bring home the bacon, she might have to exchange her bucolic estate for a cramped walk-up.

Mass Market Paperback:

DEATH AL DENTE: A Food Lovers' Village Mystery #1
Leslie Budewitz (Berkley Prime Crime)

DEATH AL DENTE

The town of Jewel Bay, Montana—known as a Food Lovers' Village—is obsessed with homegrown and homemade Montana fare. So when Erin Murphy takes over her family's century-old general store, she turns it into a boutique market filled with local delicacies. But Erin's freshly booming business might go rotten when a former employee turns up dead.

Murphy's Mercantile, known as the Merc, has been a staple in Jewel Bay for over a hundred years. To celebrate their recent makeover as a gourmet food market, Erin has organized a town festival, Festa di Pasta, featuring the culinary goods of Jewel Bay's finest—including her mother Fresca's delicious Italian specialties. But Erin's sweet success is soured when the shop's former manager, Claudette, is found dead behind the Merc on the Festa's opening night. With rival chef James Angelo stirring up rumors that Fresca's sauce recipes were stolen from Claudette, Erin's mother is under close scrutiny. Now Erin will have to hunt down some new suspects, or both her family and her store might wind up in hot water.

DO OR DINER: A Comfort Food Mystery #1
Christine Wenger (Obsidian)

DO OR DINER

When Trixie Matkowski agrees to take over her aunt's diner, she pictures lakeside views and delicious comfort food in the small town where she spent summers as a child. But the sweet scene turns sour when someone puts murder on the menu.

Trixie is in need of a fresh start away from her cheating ex-husband, but she may be biting off more than she can chew when she moves to upstate New York to run her family's famed Silver Bullet Diner. Not only is she caught off guard by the small town's resident heartthrob, Deputy Ty Brisco, but her first health inspection turns into a nightmare - when the inspector keels over in his Blue Plate Special.

It seems someone made a deadly addition to an old family recipe, and Trixie is determined to find out whodunit. But between serving up orders and sniffing out clues, she'd better watch her back—or her next meal might be her last.

PALL IN THE FAMILY: A Family Fortune Mystery #1
Dawn Eastman (Berkley Prime Crime)

PALL IN THE FAMILY

The aptly named Crystal Springs is the destination for tourists seeking psychics, séances, and the promise of contacting the spirit world. In this small western Michigan town, everyone knows the Fortune family. Rose is gifted with tarot card readings. Her sister, Vi, is a self-proclaimed pet psychic. And Rose's daughter Clyde is.

A cop. A cop on leave from Ann Arbor, more specifically, who's come home to kooky Crystal Springs to reevaluate her life. Mom and Aunt Vi can't wait for Clyde to finally embrace her own psychic gifts and join the family business. Clyde would prefer the low-stress lifestyle of a dog walker and the low-key company of her nephew, Seth.

But when a local psychic is killed, leaving behind a traumatized Shih Tzu, it seems to be in the cards for Clyde to get involved. With her old flame Mac leading the investigation, that may prove awkward. Whether she uses her skills as a cop or her long-denied psychic abilities, it's up to Clyde to divine a killer's identity before someone else suffers more misfortune.

CROSS-STITCH BEFORE DYING: A Embroidery Mystery #6
Amanda Lee (Obsidian)

CROSS-STITCH BEFORE DYING

Embroidery shop owner Marcy Singer is about to find out that show biz and sew biz don't mix!

Marcy's mom Beverly is the costume designer for a lavish, Bollywood-style production...and she suggests Tallulah Falls as a great place to shoot part of the film. Everyone at the embroidery shop, and around town, is in a flutter that a glamorous movie production is taking place in their midst. But when the star of the film is found murdered, the police suspect Marcy's mom, who made it no secret she did not care for the diva's attitude regarding her wardrobe.

Marcy might as well issue an open call for suspects, because the star had a long list of enemies. To save her mom's career and keep her from accessorizing with handcuffs, Marcy and her friends will need to stitch together the clues to catch one crafty killer who may have designs on Marcy next.

IF BREAD COULD RISE TO THE OCCASION: A Country Cooking School Mystery #3
Paige Shelton (Berkley Prime Crime)

IF BREAD COULD RISE TO THE OCCASION

At Gram's Country Cooking School, Isabelle "Betts" Winston and her grandmother share their home-style culinary secrets. But what they keep to themselves are the secrets of Broken Rope, a quiet little Missouri town, that isn't nearly as quiet as it seems.

A fresh school year begins as Gram and Betts anxiously await the arrival of their new crop of students. But their enthusiasm is thwarted when a stranger named Freddie O'Bannon arrives and claims to have proof that he was accepted to the school despite what is in their files. And when the ghost of Cylas Gent, a young man who might have a romantic past with Gram, also appears, there are suddenly two mysteries demanding their attention.

But just as Gram and Betts start sifting through the past, one of their new students is murdered. Does the seemingly sweet Freddie O'Bannon have something sinister to hide, or are Gram's ghosts trying to teach her a lesson? Either way, it's up to the country cooks to catch a killer before another living soul gets burned.

SEED NO EVIL: A Flower Shop Mystery #14
Kate Collins (Obsidian)

SEED NO EVIL

Abby Knight's wedding is in less than two weeks, and everything is going wrong. The cooler in her flower shop is leaking, her neck has swollen to unnatural proportions, her groom is acting distant, and she still doesn't know where she's actually getting married!

But things go from bad to worse when the director of her favorite charity, Protecting Animal Rights, is murdered, and Abby's mother becomes the main suspect. Abby's wedding worries will have to wait until she—along with her fiancé, Marco, and an adorable mutt named Seedy—can nose out who wanted the animal activist put to sleep. But they'll have to sort through the long list of suspects quickly, or her mom may be tossed in the slammer before Abby tosses the bouquet.

COVER STORY: An Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery #3
Erika Chase (Berkley Prime Crime)

COVER STORY

Murder is nothing novel for the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society—but this time the police want to throw the book at one of their own. It's time to celebrate when club member Molly Mathews's childhood friend, Teensy Coldicutt, moves back to town—complete with a published book. But as the club plans Teensy's book launch, Molly is attacked and Teensy's books are stolen. Who would be so desperate for 150 copies of a sexy novel written by an elderly widow? Then Ashton Corners is hit with another shock when Teensy's publisher turns up dead—and fellow club member and former police chief Bob Miller is taken into custody.

Convinced that Teensy's missing books hold the key to the murder, Lizzie Turner and her band of readers are determined to hunt them down. But the plot thickens when their search leads them straight into a counterfeiting ring. Now they must unravel this surprise twist before the killer gets the chance to write someone else off.

FROM HERRING TO ETERNITY: A Deadly Deli Mystery #4
Delia Rosen (Kensington)

FROM HERRING TO ETERNITY

Streetcorner trumpeter Lippy Montgomery dies after eating at Murray's Pastrami Swami--poisoned by the herring. Even more perplexing, his battered trumpet case is stolen from the crime scene. Is someone close to Gwen "Nashville" Katz responsible? Is it the professional treasure hunter who sat beside him at the counter? The record producer who has a secret he doesn't want revealed? The sister who earns her living as a high priced escort? On top of that, a coven of Wiccans goes to war with an ambulance‑chasing attorney and an arrogant college professor over a Civil War burial ground...that just happens to lie under Gwen's house?

With both her deli and house on the line, Gwen also must catch a killer who wants to see her sleeping with the fishes!

MURDER ON THE ROCKS: A Mack's Bar Mystery #1
Allyson K. Abbott (Kensington)

MURDER ON THE ROCKS

Mack's Bar is one of those nice, friendly places where everybody knows your name. That's great when someone's buying you a round, but not so hot when you find yourself atop a list of murder suspects--with your fingerprints on the bloody knife!

Mackenzie "Mack" Dalton is a Milwaukee bar owner with a nose for trouble--literally. A neurological glitch has left her with extra perceptive senses. So when she stumbles upon a dead body in the alley behind the bar--the same spot where her own father was shot eight months earlier--she can tell right away there's something fishy in the air. The lead detective thinks there's a link between the two deaths, and he'll need Mack's help to sniff out the murderer amid the crowd of eccentric regulars. But when all the evidence points to her as the most likely culprit, it could be an early last call for Mack--and celebratory cocktails for a killer

BAGPIPES, BRIDES AND HOMICIDES: A Lissa MacCrimmon Mystery #6
Kaitlyn Dunnett (Kensington)

BAGPIPES, BRIDES AND HOMICIDES

Thanks to the Western Maine Highland Games, Moosetookalook, Maine, has never seen so many bare legs walking its streets. But instead of wondering who'll win the hammer throw, everyone's asking who got kilt. Especially Liss MacCrimmon, purveyor of the town's Scottish Emporium, since it's also her wedding weekend. And nothing scotches up nuptial bliss like a dead body. But who'd go medieval on a professor, no matter how nutty? As much as Liss tries to keep her fingers out of the sleuthing cake, she finds herself again dead center of a Moose tookalook murder mystery. If Liss doesn't solve this one, and quick, she might never say "I do," let alone "'til death do us part."