The 22nd Doyle & Action mystery is just as fresh and compelling as the first in this long-running series, which continues to delight readers. With Sir Michael Acton and Lady Acton married police officers, Acton’s way of handling justice often has the Irish Kathleen exasperated as she tries to rein him in.
Her fey nature is helpful to him, though, and Acton enlists the very pregnant Kath to ascertain when witnesses are lying. Aided at times by ghosts only she sees in dreams, she juggles two young boys at home with minimal help. This third child is a girl, and Kath’s imminent delivery has sidelined her to easier tasks.
So when Acton tells his beloved wife he is arranging a charity gala at his ancestral home, Trestles, where a play will entertain the guests, she is immediately suspicious that more is at work, as Acton is known for his devious ways of handling things. A cold murder case mixed with an art-rig gang are at the forefront, as is a fortune to be inherited. Kathleen knows this play is a ruse for more serious business.
The chosen play is a fictional court case revolving around the characters of Sherlock Holmes’s The Hound of the Baskervilles, and soon Kathleen can see parallels to their cases. There are romantic entanglements to sort, murderers to catch, blackmailers to halt–it’s all in a day’s work for this duo who remain devious and charming together. There’s even an evil man confined to a wheelchair whose silver-headed cane may or may not contain a gun.
Cleeland’s plot evolves as Kathleen tries to find out what her exasperating husband is really up to, and this time even she is surprised. A delightful addition to an entertaining series.
Please welcome Melissa Westemeier, whose second mystery in her Nun the Wiser Mysteries, DROPPED LIKE A BAD HABIT, debuts today!
Millennial women have crept into the cozy crime scene (we see you, Mabel Mora and Lila Macapagal), but what of their male counterparts? MIA for the most part, but you CAN find one in the Nun the Wiser Mysteries! Detective AJ Lewis gives Sister Bernadette Ohlson the assist—and occasional redirection—as they work together to solve murders in Old Habits Die Hard and Dropped Like a Bad Habit. When I started writing the series, I decided to base AJ’s character on my oldest son, which meant creating a man considerably younger than the male characters populating most modern mysteries.
Bernie’s former student, Andrew John Lewis, is 28 and he bears the characteristics of his generation’s counterparts. Tech-savvy? Check. Like everyone else his age, he’s got a smart phone and knows his way around the office computer system. AJ’s also an avid gamer and technology dominates his lifestyle. A typical weeknight involves ordering dinner delivered through the app on his phone before settling on his couch to play Red Dead Redemption II or Cyberpunk 2077 on his Xbox. He uses technology at work, for commerce, to stay connected with people, and to get his information.
Sensitive to female (and other) counterparts? Indeed! AJ’s partner, Taylor Jones, is a woman, as are many of his colleagues. Women in AJ’s world aren’t relegated to secretary-getting-coffee or femme fatales. Older generations engaged in intersex battles, but millennials view each other through a lens of greater cooperation. AJ’s not quite as prone to making snap judgements about people’s character based on gender stereotypes…or other stereotypes for that matter. His partnership with Bernie develops with huge respect for each other’s skill sets and appreciation for what it takes to work intergenerationally, which involves enormous amounts of patience and a sense of humor on AJ’s end!
Socially engaged and health-conscious? You betcha! By the end of Old Habits Die Hard, AJ’s ready to lace up a pair of running shoes and get himself in better physical shape. In Dropped Like a Bad Habit, he’s gained speed, endurance, and an improved resting heart rate through his dedication to eating healthier and getting regular cardio workouts. AJ’s social life is a mashup of family time with his parents and sisters, gaming online with his college roommates, and listening to local bands and catching a couple beers after work with colleagues. He’s single (typical), but not quite ready to rely on dating apps to find love (atypical).
Our star detective is a budget-savvy single man living in a one-bedroom apartment. He prefers investing in a little fun over home ownership. He’s also nostalgic. His soft spot for the past is common among millennials, and AJ steeps himself in fantasy worlds like Star Wars and Marvel comics to escape the turbulence of everyday life. Since childhood he’s enjoyed the heroic tales of superheroes and fantasy worlds and continues to as an adult. There’s always a new Marvel or DC movie coming out, endless spin-offs to stream, and new twists on beloved universes to keep him entertained.
A few faces come to mind as I generate a dream cast for the Nun the Wiser Mysteries. Ironically, my first picks to play AJ Lewis both played Spider-Man on the big screen, which is pretty cool since AJ LOVES Spider-Man. I can picture Tom Holland or Andrew Garfield taking the role, both have a lean, lanky build and gorgeous thick brown hair. Joseph Gordon Levitt would also fit the bill nicely. I can picture him sitting at a desk in the Eugene Police Station and giving the Boba Fett bobblehead a tap before logging into their laptop. To a man, Tom, Andrew, and Joseph are as wholesome and good-hearted as AJ, our millennial detective thoughtfully considering the evidence to solve murder cases with Bernie in the Nun the Wiser Mysteries.
Millennial women have crept into the cozy crime scene (we see you, Mabel Mora and Lila Macapagal), but what of their male counterparts? MIA for the most part, but you CAN find one in the Nun the Wiser Mysteries! Detective AJ Lewis gives Sister Bernadette Ohlson the assist—and occasional redirection—as they work together to solve murders in Old Habits Die Hard and Dropped Like a Bad Habit. When I started writing the series, I decided to base AJ’s character on my oldest son, which meant creating a man considerably younger than the male characters populating most modern mysteries.
Bernie’s former student, Andrew John Lewis, is 28 and he bears the characteristics of his generation’s counterparts. Tech-savvy? Check. Like everyone else his age, he’s got a smart phone and knows his way around the office computer system. AJ’s also an avid gamer and technology dominates his lifestyle. A typical weeknight involves ordering dinner delivered through the app on his phone before settling on his couch to play Red Dead Redemption II or Cyberpunk 2077 on his Xbox. He uses technology at work, for commerce, to stay connected with people, and to get his information.
Sensitive to female (and other) counterparts? Indeed! AJ’s partner, Taylor Jones, is a woman, as are many of his colleagues. Women in AJ’s world aren’t relegated to secretary-getting-coffee or femme fatales. Older generations engaged in intersex battles, but millennials view each other through a lens of greater cooperation. AJ’s not quite as prone to making snap judgements about people’s character based on gender stereotypes…or other stereotypes for that matter. His partnership with Bernie develops with huge respect for each other’s skill sets and appreciation for what it takes to work intergenerationally, which involves enormous amounts of patience and a sense of humor on AJ’s end!
Socially engaged and health-conscious? You betcha! By the end of Old Habits Die Hard, AJ’s ready to lace up a pair of running shoes and get himself in better physical shape. In Dropped Like a Bad Habit, he’s gained speed, endurance, and an improved resting heart rate through his dedication to eating healthier and getting regular cardio workouts. AJ’s social life is a mashup of family time with his parents and sisters, gaming online with his college roommates, and listening to local bands and catching a couple beers after work with colleagues. He’s single (typical), but not quite ready to rely on dating apps to find love (atypical).
Our star detective is a budget-savvy single man living in a one-bedroom apartment. He prefers investing in a little fun over home ownership. He’s also nostalgic. His soft spot for the past is common among millennials, and AJ steeps himself in fantasy worlds like Star Wars and Marvel comics to escape the turbulence of everyday life. Since childhood he’s enjoyed the heroic tales of superheroes and fantasy worlds and continues to as an adult. There’s always a new Marvel or DC movie coming out, endless spin-offs to stream, and new twists on beloved universes to keep him entertained.
A few faces come to mind as I generate a dream cast for the Nun the Wiser Mysteries. Ironically, my first picks to play AJ Lewis both played Spider-Man on the big screen, which is pretty cool since AJ LOVES Spider-Man. I can picture Tom Holland or Andrew Garfield taking the role, both have a lean, lanky build and gorgeous thick brown hair.
Joseph Gordon Levitt would also fit the bill nicely. I can picture him sitting at a desk in the Eugene Police Station and giving the Boba Fett bobblehead a tap before logging into their laptop. To a man, Tom, Andrew, and Josepsh are as wholesome and good-hearted as AJ, our millennial detective thoughtfully considering the evidence to solve murder cases with Bernie in the Nun the Wiser Mysteries.
Melissa Westemeier is a Sister in Crime and teacher from Wisconsin. She uses humor to explore serious subjects, and her published books include murder mysteries, rom-cons, and a trilogy loosely based on her years tending bar on the Wolf River. She likes her coffee and protagonists strong and prefers to work barefoot with natural lighting.
Mandy Morton’s 14th mystery in her No. 2 Feline Detective Agency brings readers into her delightful world of cats, which Publishers Weekly notes: “The world that Morton has created is irresistible.”
In this outing, Hettie and Tilly have decided to have a seaside vacation. Booked into the Sandscratchers Villa in Felixtoe, Suffolk, their hotel is right on the beach, and with a fairground to entertain them, their good friend Bruiser drives them there on his motorbike and sidecar, Miss Scarlet, and stays over.
They soon find that Minnie, the owner of their Villa is, part of the large Meakin family, who own and run the Mewsment fairgrounds. A Sandscratcher is a showcat who stops traveling and runs a permanent fair. There are rides, games of chance, and dodgems among the stalls. Further down the beach, Wilt Dinsney runs the Wild West Show and romances Minnie.
But after only a few days of fun and ice lollies, their relaxation is cut short when several of the Meakin family go missing. Hettie and Tilly, along with Bruiser, are pressed into service to find the missing cats, fearing they are searching for bodies.
There are tons of Minnie’s malapropisms that add to the wry humor. Auntie M has read each book in this charming series, and she is always struck my how realistic the cats are, imbued by Morton with human emotions and frailties with her nuanced eye. After a while readers won’t notice the lack of humans and will become used to Tilly licking her paws clean and keeping notes as Hettie forges the investigation ahead, with Bruiser helping, too, as they unravel what has happened to half the Meakin cat.
Auntie M promises readers will become totally absorbed in this magical world Morton has created, which PD James called “original and intriguing.”
The fourth HOA mystery debuts next week and it’s already garnering great reviews!
Here’s a few words from Linda on her launch party, and if you follow the link to the great review from Kings River Life, you’ll see a way to enter to win an ebook~ Happy Book Birthday, Linda!
On Thursday, May 1st, I’m celebrating the launch of Beyond the Gates, my 4th HOA Mystery, with First Chapter Bookshop, Ram Cat Alley, Seneca, SC.
If you’re in the area, drop by anytime from 4-8 p.m. Enjoy soft drinks, mimosas, cookies & more. Come early to beat Jazz on the Alley crowds or later to enjoy a side of music with your bookshop visit.
I was surprised and delighted when Kings River Life, an online California magazine, emailed me this terrific review of Beyond the Gates. Here’s the link.
Carla Damron, award-winning author of The Orchid Tattoo, says, “Beyond the Gates is the perfect cozy mystery for readers who crave Southern charm, suspense, and more than a little danger.”
Allison Montclair’s new series starts off with a delightful bang with the charming The Right Sort of Man.
The second World War has just ended in 1946 London, and two young women who couldn’t be more opposite are thrown together. Iris Sparks is the unmarried, savvy woman with an Oxford education and a shady past; Gwen Bainbridge is the war widow with a young son, still grieving the loss of her handsome husband, and subjected to living with her staid in-laws.
The two meet at a wedding and agree to start a new business to cement their independence, and do it in one of the Mayfair buildings that escaped bombing with The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. They approach it in an organized manner, trying to match suitables, and even have had a few marriages from their pairings.
New client Tillie La Salle sets off Iris’ warning bells as someone who might have her own checkered past, but the women set her up with her first date. Then Tillie is found murdered, and the man arrested for the crime is Dickie Trower, the man they matched to Tillie, who claims he never met with her at all.
Now the duo have a two-fold problem: try to rescue Dickie from the hangman’s noose, and try to reclaim the reputation of their new business. The two will ennlist their friend, Sally, a budding playwright who reminded Auntie M of Stephen Fry, to cover the office as they take turns sleuthing Tillie’s life.
The thing that struck Auntie M about these two well-developed characters (make it three if you include Sally) was their snappy dialogue, which hums and zings off the page. The period details are spot on, and the the light-hearted feel is contrasted with moments of the realities of a post-war nation.
An assured start to what promises to be a wonderful and interesting series for fans of historicals, this one will be snapped up and not put down until it’s done.
Please welcome E. J. Copperman, who will describe the genesis of his new release, Dog Dish of Doom, and yes, it’s just as charming and hilarious a mystery as you think~
By E.J. Copperman
So there was this dog, see.
A friend of mine who lives in New York City has a dog, and it came about in conversation one day that the dog (his name was Fred) was a stage actor before my friend Chris Grabenstein (accomplished author of mysteries and middle grade supernatural stories) adopted him. In fact, Fred was featured in the cast of the Broadway production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. On Broadway.
Fred in Chitty:
Once the show closed and Fred was between gigs, he ended up being brought by his agent (oh yes, Fred had an agent) to Chris and his wife, who fell in love with Fred and adopted him.
That story stuck with me. Fred had been a stray, found by the agent/trainer in an ASPCA shelter and brought in to audition for his role. He turned out—with a good deal of training—to be a natural and got the job. A star was trained.
Somewhere in the recesses of my diseased author mind Fred’s story became a murder mystery because that’s what I do. And the main character of the book became the dog’s agent because . . . well, a theatrical agent working with animals is rife with possibilities.
The book is called DOG DISH OF DOOM and it begins the Agent to the Paws mystery series from Minotaur Books.
It’s not like I knew Fred well, or actually at all. But I’d heard about him and seen pictures of him on Chris’s web site. And the truth is, the more facts I knew, the worse it would be for my story. With only the basic information of Fred’s journey in my head I could make up pretty much anything I wanted without feeling obligated to be accurate.
So in the book Fred, who was a rather small terrier mix, became Bruno, a very large, very shaggy dog of indeterminate breed who had already been adopted when my agent character Kay Powell took him on as a client. Bruno is up for the role of Sandy in a Broadway revival of Annie because find me a role for a dog people know better. Okay, besides Lassie.
I don’t know if that counts as “inspiration” of if I just let my mind wander until it came across an idea lying in the road, but either way the book started with Fred. He has, sadly, since passed on after a very good life, but Bruno, having the advantage of being fictional, can hang in there for as long as people decide to read my book.
So it’s up to you, readers: Keep Bruno going! And say a quick thanks to Fred along the way.
E.J. Copperman is the author of DOG DISH OF DOOM, the first book in the Agent to the Paws mystery series, as well as the Haunted Guesthouse series, the Asperger’s mystery series (with Jeff Cohen) and the Mysterious Detective mystery series, making E.J. a very busy writer who owns a beagle named Gizmo, who has no theatrical ambitions.
Being a dog lover, David Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpernter Mysteries are some of her favorites.
This summer he’s back with Collared, his newest entry starring lawyer Andy who also runs the Tara Foundation for dog rescue.
Married with an adopted son, Andy is contemplating not renewing his law license, which sends wife Laurie into a tailspin. Then he gets a call from the Tara Foundation and suddenly he’s working again.
Andy’s newest stray at his rescue has a chip the lawyer recognizes. He’s the “DNA” dog, and he’s related to a single mom, Jill Hickman, whose dog and her adopted baby were kidnapped and never seen again.
With Jill’s former boyfriend convicted of the kidnapping, it would seem case closed after evidence was found at his apartment, including dog hair which DNA testing showed as belonging to the missing dog.
Only now that same dog has surfaced, reopening the case and the hunt for the missig baby. Is the real kidnapper in jail or still on the loose? Can the missing boy still be alive?
With his wife, Laurie, urging him on, Andy and his wonderful team investigate. There are chuckles along the way in this satifying read that will please dog lovers and mystery afficionados who like a good puzzle. There’s plenty of suspense to keep you flipping pages through this satisfying read.
Shirley Rousseau Murphy returns with the twentieth installment in her popular Joe Grey Mystery. Welcome to the world of cats this time, and Cat Shining Bright opens with Joe becoming a dad to three adorable kittens in coastal California.
Being a dad means no more helping solve village crimes, until the local beautician, along with a customer, are found dead in her salon. Surely he must take on this investigation, although he’s unaware at first the kittens trail behind him.
There will be gang of thieves, a new cat shelter, and an intriguing neighbor, along with Wilma Getz, the human for Dulcie, mother of the kittens. That the cats speak to a few humans adds to the charm of the series.
The sequel to The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules is just as funny when readers crack open The Little Old Lady Who Struck Lucky Again!. Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg must enjoy writing about the crew of elder Swedish criminals she’s created, the League of Pensioners, a modern-day Robin Hood band.
Wanted for an art heist, the League travel to Las Vegas to lie low. Despite things like electric wheelchairs complicating their movements, they become luckier than they’d thought possible. Then Brains, their talented gizmo person, finds new ways to take on the casino, until a gang of jewel thieves cross their path and somehow they find themselves with diamonds to take back to Sweden along with their hefty winnings.
There will be losses, a motorcycle gang, and a decent bank job before it’s all over, until Martha has one more great idea for the gang. Enough antics to keep you smiling just from picturing this crew of seniors at work.
Auntiemwrites Crime-Mystery Author M K Graff 