It’s my favorite time of year…I get to choose my favorite
cozies released in the past twelve months! And yet, it’s the hardest thing to do, almost like
looking at all of the ornaments on my tree and trying to decide which ones I like the most.
Since they all belong to my kids and were gifts from my parents who have been gone for too
many years, it’s a monumental task, emotional and heart-warming.
Like our ornaments, each mystery I’ve featured, along with
the books featured on the Cozy Corner by guest authors, has a special place on my bookshelf.
Whether it be the hardback, paperback or the ebook, I tend to keep more than I should so that
I can go back and reminisce about the wonderful experience.
Maybe I should start a tree with book ornaments—my very
own Charli Rae and Scarlet would love that in the Book Barn, don’t you think? Princess the
armadillo, however, would probably root through the ornaments and knock over the tree.
Goodness, but I do see a holiday novella scurrying through my brain for next year!
Without further ado, I give you my favorite mysteries and
blogs of 2018!
Teen Drama at its Best…and Deadliest—a review of
S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett by young Gidget
in March 2018. Written exclusively in her own hand, I loved every word this middle-school
student wrote. I picked up the book myself after hearing about it and loved it!
My Spring for a Cozy blog featured one of my favorite series by Susan Wittig Albert,
Queen Anne’s Lace
. I can never go wrong with China Bayles!
Magick in the Barn a blog from May,
2018. Author Sharon Pape and I wrote a short story combining the characters from our series
to celebrate our release of
Magick Run Amok and Lethal Literature
that month. This was a unique experience that I thoroughly
enjoyed with a very talented author who has become a friend after our adventure together.
July’s blog written by guest blogger Rebecca Adler, author
of Cinco de Murder
—scrumptious!, about the
Dog Days of Summer featuring Mary Feliz’s
Disorderly Conduct. I learned about the
origins of dog day and picked up a great mystery!
Summer 2018 also featured Four Funerals and Maybe a
Wedding by Rhys Bowen. I am bound to Rhys
for life ;)
Mystery Weekend at the Poisoned Pen introduced me to Tamara Berry who wrote Seances are for Suckers
. Tamara has a fresh new voice on the scene this year
that will draw you in immediately!
Happy Holidays and we’ll see you throughout 2019. Until
then, get cozy and read on!
***
Passion. Mystery. Suspense. Catch the Wave! Because a little PMS can
change your world!
Kym Roberts is a retired detective sergeant who looks for passion, mystery and suspense in
every book she reads and writes. She can be found on the web at kymroberts.com, on
Facebook @KymRobertsAuthor911 and on Twitter @kymroberts911. You can also listen to her
new podcast Romance Book Chat with Kym and Misty on iTunes & Stitcher. Kym’s Book
Barn Mystery #5, Killer Classics is available now!
***
Kym’s Latest Cozy Mystery:
Book Barn #5
Small-town life in Hazel Rock becomes a Texas-size crime
scene when murder takes a page from Charli Rae Warren’s book
club’s latest mystery . . .Charli takes great pride in running one of the few
independent, family-owned bookstores in
small-town Texas. She vets everything carefully, with an eye
to the eclectic tastes of the locals. That includes the Book
Barn’s weekly book club selection. This time out it’s a
mystery whose characters bear a striking resemblance to
local citizens, including Charli’s friend Sugar . . . who’s
the prime suspect when her real-life nemesis is found dead
in a hotel’s water tank.
With help from her pet armadillo Princess, Charli campaigns
to clear Sugar’s sweet name—literally—when the
up-for-election mayor becomes a killer’s next target. Murder
and politics make scandalous bedfellows as Charli discovers
that fiction may be fatal, but reality could be just as
deadly . . .
Mystery
Cozy [Lyrical Press Underground, On Sale: December 4,
2018, e-Book, ISBN: 9781516106592 / eISBN: 9781516106592]
The best
installment yet in the series!
Murder and
mayhem in small-town Texas
Book Featured in this article:
Get ready for one deadly weekend in this twisting thriller for fans of Pretty Little
Liars and One of Us is Lying that explores just how far the elite at an English
boarding school will go.Greer MacDonald has just started as a scholarship student at the exclusive St. Aidan the Great
boarding school, known to its privileged pupils as STAGS. STAGS is a place where new things
—and new people—are to be avoided. And in her first days there, Greer is ignored at best and
mocked at worst by the school's most admired circle of friends, the Medievals.
So, naturally, Greer is taken by surprise when the Medievals send her an invitation to a
sought-after weekend retreat at the private family estate of their unofficial leader, Henry de
Warlencourt. It's billed as a weekend of "huntin' shootin' fishin'."
As the weekend begins to take shape, it becomes apparent that beyond the luxurious
trappings, predators are lurking, and they're out for blood.
Young
Adult Suspense [Delacorte Press, On Sale: January 30,
2018, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780525578468 / eISBN: 9780525578482]
***
China Bayles #26
A present-day ghost leads China Bayles to a secret from Pecan Springs's past in this
haunting mystery from New York Times bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert.While helping Ruby Wilcox clean up the loft above their shops, China comes upon a box of
antique handcrafted lace and old photographs. Following the discovery, she hears a woman
humming an old Scottish ballad and smells the delicate scent of lavender...
Soon, strange happenings start to occur in Thyme and Seasons: misplaced items, a ringing
bell, and the appearance of lavender sprigs in odd places. When a customer mentions seeing
a mysterious woman picking flowers nearby and then suddenly disappearing, China must
finally admit what Ruby has always known--their building is haunted. But by whom?
As China investigates, the tragic story of a woman in one of the old photographs unfolds.
Annie Laurie was a young widow who'd lost both her husband and her child in the same day.
She manages to survive through her lace-making business and finds happiness again only to
have a suspicious death overshadow her new life.
China delves into Annie's century-old mystery and realizes that solving it could have
unimaginable repercussions in the here and now.
Mystery Amateur Sleuth | Mystery Woman Sleuth | Mystery Cozy [Berkley, On Sale: April 3, 2018,
Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780425280058 / eISBN: 9780698190306]
What if a
mystery from the past could affect current day events?
China Bayles is
back in a haunting tale of forbidden love!
***
Abracadabra Mystery #3
The answer to whodunit may lie beyond the veil . . .November in upstate New York can be chilly, but Kailyn Wilde’s shop, Abracadabra, is a cozy
respite where you can find lotions, potions, and plenty of warm, feline company. But what
customers don’t know is that the proprietor has some unusual powers—and unusual friends,
including the renowned magician Merlin, who’s been transported into the modern world. All of
which comes in handy when there’s a murder to be solved . . .
Investigative journalist Ryan Cutler has perished in a car accident in New Camel, and his
friend, Travis, suspects foul play—especially when the reporter’s notes reveal a mysterious list
of dead men’s names. Kailyn wants to help, but she’s also got her hands full with the
curmudgeonly Merlin, who’s not exactly maintaining a low profile. Between keeping the wizard
under wraps and mixing up cold remedies that work like magic, she’ll have to tap into her
many talents to figure out a killer’s fatal formula . . .
Mystery | Mystery
Paranormal [Lyrical Press Underground, On Sale: May 1,
2018, e-Book, ISBN: 9781516100590 / eISBN: 9781516100590]
***
Book Barn Mystery #4
Running an independent bookstore in small-town Hazel Rock, Texas, doesn't sound like a
high-risk pursuit. But when a fundraiser reveals a story with a truly killer ending, Charli Rae
Warren will need to scramble to sort out the deadly plot…Sponsoring the literacy drive to benefit the foster care system should be a feel-good
endeavor, but one of Charli's helpers is definitely on another page. Charli's dad is distracted
and keeping something secret, which Charli suspects is a harmless flirtation with an attractive
county clerk who offered to lend them a hand. It's nothing to worry about—until the same
clerk winds up dead…
When nosy locals begin pointing fingers, Charli finds herself entangled in a race to uncover
the killer's identity—and to get to the bottom of a shattering family secret that could rewrite
her history in alarming ways. Suddenly Charli is facing her worst fears and her childhood
nemesis in order to unmask a murderer—before he silences her for good…
Mystery | Mystery Cozy
[Lyrical Press Underground, On Sale: May 1, 2018, Paperback /
e-Book, ISBN: 9781516106585 / eISBN: 9781516106585]
Fourth book in
the series continues to delight!
A little cozy and
a whole lot of mystery!
***
Taste of Texas #3
Tex-Mex waitress and part-time reporter Josie Callahan serves up more Lone Star justice in
this spicy mystery from the author of The Good, the Bad, and the Guacamole.
It's fiesta time in Broken Boot, Texas, and tourists are pouring into town faster than free beer
at a bull roping for the mouthwatering Cinco de Mayo festivities. Tex-Mex waitress Josie
Callahan, her feisty abuela, and even her spunky Chihuahua Lenny are polishing their
folklórico dances for Saturday's big parade, while Uncle Eddie is adding his own spicy event to
the fiesta menu: Broken Boot's First Annual Charity Chili Cook-off.
But Uncle Eddie's hopes of impressing the town council go up in smoke when cantankerous
chili cook Lucky Straw is found dead in his tent. And when Josie's beloved uncle is accused of
fatal negligence, she, Lenny, and the steadfast Detective Lightfoot must uncover who ended
the ambitious chilihead's life--before another cook kicks the bucket.
Mystery
Cozy [Berkley, On Sale: April 3, 2018, Mass Market
Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780425275955 / eISBN: 9780698166738]
***
Maggie McDonald #4
Professional organizer Maggie McDonald manages to balance a fastidious career with
friends, family, and a spunky Golden Retriever. But add a fiery murder mystery to the mix, and
Maggie wonders if she’s finally found a mess even she can’t tidy up...With a devastating wildfire spreading to Silicon Valley, Maggie preps her family for a rapid
evacuation. The heat rises when firefighters discover the body of her best friend Tess Olmos’s
athletic husband whose untimely death was anything but accidental. And as Tess agonizes
over the whereabouts of her spouse’s drop-dead gorgeous running mate, she becomes the
prime suspect in what's shaping up to become a double murder case. Determined to set the
record straight, Maggie sorts through clues in an investigation more dangerous than the
flames approaching her home. But when her own loved ones are threatened, can she catch
the meticulous killer before everything falls apart?
Mystery
Cozy [Lyrical Press, On Sale: July 10, 2018, e-Book, ISBN:
9781516105267 / eISBN: 9781516105267]
***
Royal Spyness #12
In the days leading up to her wedding to Darcy O'Mara, Lady Georgiana Rannoch takes on
the responsibilities of a grand estate, but proving she can run a household just may be the
death of her in the new Royal Spyness Mystery from the New York Times bestselling
author of On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service.If only Darcy and I had eloped! What I thought would be a simple wedding has been
transformed into a grand affair, thanks to the attendance of the queen, who has offered up the
princesses as bridesmaids. Silly me! I thought that withdrawing from the royal line of
succession would simplify my life. But before Darcy and I tie the knot in front of queen and
country, we have to find a place to live as man and wife...
House hunting turns out to be a pretty grim affair. Just as we start to lose hope, my
globetrotting godfather offers us his fully staffed country estate. Mistress of Eynsleigh I shall
be! With Darcy off in parts unknown, I head to Eynsleigh alone, only to have my hopes dashed.
The grounds are in disarray and the small staff is suspiciously incompetent. Not to mention
the gas tap leak in my bedroom, which I can only imagine was an attempt on my life.
Something rotten is afoot--and bringing the place up to snuff may put me six feet under
before I even get a chance to walk down the aisle...
Mystery Historical [Berkley Prime Crime, On
Sale: August 7, 2018, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780425283523 / eISBN:
9780698410268]
A comedy of
manners creates mystery in 1930s England
Utterly
delightful, engrossing, and writing to die for!
***
Eleanor Wilde #1
When something goes bump in the night . . . it’s most likely a plumbing problem, or
something equally mundane. But fake medium Eleanor Wilde is happy to investigate and
cleanse your home of spectral presences—for a fee. Hey, it’s a living . . .Ellie has an ailing sister to care for, and working as a ghost hunter who doesn’t believe in
ghosts helps cover the bills for both of them. When she’s lucky, it also pays for the occasional
tropical vacation. Her brother doesn’t exactly approve, but Ellie figures she’s providing a
service. On her latest job, though, she may be in for some genuine scares.
The skeptical, reserved, and very rich Nicholas Hartford III has flown her all the way to his
family’s ancestral estate in England - supposedly haunted by a phantom named Xavier.
Nicholas thinks it’s all just as much a crock as Ellie’s business is, but the fact remains that
something is causing the flashes of light, mysterious accidents, and other apparent pranks in
the chilly, eerie castle. His mother is sure that Xavier is real, and he’s willing to employ Ellie if
she can get to the bottom of it and put a stop to the nonsense.
While the food and accommodations are somewhat disappointing (dorm-room furniture?
Really?), Ellie is finding it an adventure to get to know this eccentric family and their
houseguests, and to poke around in the nearby village for clues. But when an actual dead
body appears—and subsequently disappears—at Castle Hartford, she’ll have to apply her
talent for trickery and psychological insight to solve a flesh-and-blood murder.
Mystery [Kensington, On Sale: October 30, 2018,
Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781496719621 / eISBN: 9781496719652]
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