Review - Chime and Punishment

I reviewed the debut novel in this new series, Just Killing Time (click here), 2nd book Clock and Dagger (click here) and had a guest post from the author (click here).  It has the running theme of a clock shop and all things fine clocks.  Check out this addition to the series.

Author: Julianne Holmes

Copyright: August 2017 (Berkley) 304 pgs

Series: 3rd in Clock Shop Mystery series

Sensuality: Mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy

Main Characters: Ruth Clagan, expert clock maker and owner of Cog & Sprocket

Setting: Modern day, Orchard Massachusetts (Berkshires)

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

From the book cover: "Years ago, the serenity of picturesque Orchard, Massachusetts, was shattered by a fire that destroyed the town's beloved clock tower. Ruth inherited the dream of repairing it from her late grandfather. Now that she’s returned home to run his clock shop, the Cog & Sprocket, she’s determined to make it happen, despite wrenches that are being thrown into the works by her least favorite person, town manager Kim Gray.

A crowd of residents and visitors are excited to see the progress of the tower at a fund-raiser for the campaign, until Kim is found crushed under the tower’s bell, putting an end to all the fun. The list of suspects is so long it could be read around the clock, and it includes some of Ruth’s nearest and dearest.

Time's a-wastin’ as Ruth tries to solve another murder in her beloved Orchard while keeping the gears clicking on her dream project."

Ruth is back and gearing up for the clock tower to finish restorations and have a celebration opening.  She is an every-woman who notices details and connects dots.  
Ben Clover, the romantic interest, is distracted by his ex-wife's manipulations.  Jeff Paisley, the by-the-book Chief of Police is put in the difficult position of having to officially question his Nancy (his girlfriend's mother).  This is probably my favorite cop portrayal in any of the cozy's I have read. 
Becket, who has been a thorn in Ruth's back side since book one has a few surprises.  Caroline, the step-grandmother is present but not much page time.  Of course, Bezel, the shop cat deserves a mention since he gets a spotlight in the story.  

The setting is a standard small town with the standard enclave of shops but you get more of the history of the City Hall which added to the overall feel of the town.  Pacing keeps steady with the sub plots of dealing with ex-partners for both Ben and Ruth.  

The plot is solid cozy mystery with several suspects, all of whom you don't want to be the killer.  The killer reveal was tame, but works since all the suspects were "nice" people.

I enjoyed my return to Orchard.  It feels like visiting good friends and the story is entertaining.  Win-win.

Rating:  Excellent - Loved it, it had a good grip on me! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

In case you missed it, Random House bought Penguin (who publishes a whole lot of cozy mysteries) and has decided they will stop publishing a significant number of the series in their lineup.  

Not only is this short-sighted, those authors can become independently published authors and take their readership with them!  But it is bad news for fans.  

Here is a list I understand is verified of what series are on the chopping block at this point:

Penguin Random House
Avery Aames - Cheese Shop mysteries

Ellery Adams - Book Retreat and Charmed Pie Shoppe.  May be moving to new publisher for Book Retreat.

Beverly Allen - Bridal Bouquet Shop Mysteries (not renewed) Now writing Vintage Toyshop Mysteries for Crooked Lane as Barbara Early.

Janet Bolin - Threadville Mysteries

Melissa Bourbon -Magical Dressmaking.  Is thinking of self publishing but not anytime soon.  Source: Author's FB page.

Jacklyn Brady - Piece of Cake mysteries

Lucy Burdette - Key West Food Critic series

Amanda Carmack - Kate Haywood Elizabethan mysteries

Maia Chance - Fairy Tale Fatal

Erika Chase - Ashton Corners 

Peg Cochran - Gourmet DeLite

Laura DiSilverio - Mall Cop

Monica Ferris - Betsy Devonshire Needlework series.  Is shopping for new publisher and has plans for future books.

Christy Fifield - Haunted Souvenir.    Owns rights, plans to self-publish. 

Shelley Freydont - Celebration Bay

Eva Gates - Lighthouse Library  (not renewed, possibly still hope). Is writing the Sherlock Holmes Bookstore and Emporium series for Crooked Lane under the name Vicki Delany. The year-Round-Christmas series by Vicki Delany is still continuing with Berkley. 

Kaye George/Janet Cantrell - Fat Cat mysteries (work for hire, cannot be continued by the author.)

Rosie Genova - Italian Kitchen mysteries

Victoria Hamilton - Vintage Kitchen mysteries (she is continuing the series with another publisher, ebook only.)

Mary Ellen Hughes - Pickled and Preserved mysteries. (She is starting a new series, the Keepsake and Collectibles mysteries, with Midnight Ink.)

Sue Ann Jaffarian - Ghost of Granny Apples. (plans to write more and self pub.)

Annie Knox -  Pet Boutique

Elizabeth Lee (Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli) Nut Shop Series

Meg London - Sweet Nothings Lingerie

Molly MacRae -- Haunted Yarn Shop  (plans to continue the series)

Leigh Perry - Family Skeleton.  Shopping for a new publisher. UPDATE - Sid Lives!!   Leigh has found a new publisher for the Family Skeleton series! 9/14/16

Cate Price - Deadly Notions

Paige Shelton -  Farmer's Market and Country Cooking School

Christine Wenger - Comfort Foods Mysteries (NAL, which was merged into Berkley); is considering self-publishing.

FIVE STAR (Gale Cengage)
Five Star has dropped their entire mystery lineup. 
Nancy Cohen - Bad Hair Day
Maggie Toussaint - Dreamwalker Mysteries 
Susan Van Kirk- Endurance Mysteries

Limitless Publishing
A E H Veenman -  Marjorie Gardens Mysteries (Limitless Publishing)
Kensington
Anna Loan-Wilsey - Hattie Davish

Macmillan / St. Martin's Press 

D.E. Ireland - Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins  (switching publishers)

If you would like to keep informed with news of this development, join the Facebook group "Save Our Cozies" (click here).  This group was formed to centralize efforts to persuade Penguin Random House to reconsider their decision to cull their cozy mystery offerings. It also offers a place for authors to update their fans on future plans.

Review - Just Killing Time

This is the first book in a new series featuring a clock shop and all things clocks.  Last Saturday I did the Soundtrack Saturday for this book (click here.)  I like fine clocks, I had a cool grandfather clock growing up, undoubtedly an inexpensive reproduction, but it still fascinated me.  So this new themed series peeked my interest.  See what you think.

Spooktacular Blog Hop is down a few posts.

Author: Julianne Holmes

Copyright: October 2015 (Berkley) 304 pgs

Series: 1st in Clock Shop Mystery series

Sensuality: mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy

Main Characters: Ruth Clagan, expert clockmaker, new owner of Cog and Sprocket

Setting: Modern day, Orchard Massachusetts (Berkshires)

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Ruth’s grandparents were her rock during her childhood, she adored her grandmother and grandfather Thom (G.T.) passed along his love of timepieces. But, after her grandmother died and G.T. remarried, Ruth and Grandpa Thom became estranged. After her disastrous marriage and divorce, she wanted to reach out, but hadn't done it yet.  Just out of a week-long retreat she finds out G.T. has died, and she missed her chance.  Her grandfather was found dead after a break-in at his shop—and the police believe he was murdered.

Ruth rushes to town and finds she inherited her grandfather's cherished clock shop, the Cog & Sprocket, in the small Berkshire town of Orchard, Massachusetts. As soon as she moves into the small apartment above the shop, she realizes G.T. had gotten involved in town politics and stirred up a hornets nest. She doesn't have much choice but to investigate because the shop is being searched and somebody really wants something  badly, probably bad enough to have killed her grandfather.

Ruth is a good heroine, recovering from a bad marriage and divorce, grieving over her grandfather's death. She was raised by her grandparents since her parents were never much for taking care of a child. Ruth is easy to like.  Pat Reed is a long time clock shop handyman who falls under suspicion. Ben Clover, is the owner of the neighboring hair salon and makes a fun potential love interest. Jeff Paisley, by-the-book Chief of Police who shows some interest in Ruth too.  Caroline, the step grandmother, who she hadn't met until now is an understanding lady.   Nancy and Moira Reed run the Sleeping Latte coffee shop diner and are old friends.  I have to mention Bezel, the shop cat who is simply a cool cat who lives at the storefront.

Orchard is a standard small town with it's share of city political strife.  The plot is good and the pacing, after the story gets established, is just right. The mystery unfolds the more Ruth settles in with subtle clues among the red herrings and the killer is a surprise.  Good job.  The wrap up is heartwarming.

I liked this debut novel.  It has depths that are surprising for a cozy. 

Rating:  Excellent - Loved it, it had a good grip on me! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list 

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Review - The Square Root of Murder

A brand new series with my favorite kind of heroine - a brainy one!  Ada Madison debuts a new mystery series, although the author has been a popular mystery author under different names (aka Margaret Grace and Camille Minichino.)

Author: Ada Madison

Copyright: July 2011 (Berkly) 304 pgs

Series: 1st in Professor Sophie Knowles Mysteries

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: cozy

Main Character:  Math Professor Sophie Knowles who creates puzzles for publication in her spare time

Setting: Modern day, Henley Massachusetts

Obtained Through: Publisher for an honest review.

Dr. Keith Appleton, a fellow professor, is widely disliked.  He is caustic, contentious, and mean spirited.  So it doesn't surprise Sophie when her assistant Rachel shares that Dr. Appleton is being difficult about her thesis for him.   When Dr. Appleton is found poisoned and the pages of Rachel's thesis are scattered around him it appears she killed him.  Sophie can't help herself as she starts looking into the case on her own.  What she finds surprises her in many ways.  Who knew Dr. Appleton had a soft side?

Sophie is a character I liked quickly.  She is smart in math but a little sheltered.  She actually concerns herself with caring about people and feels guilty that she felt Dr. Appleton was an ogre.  The story is in first person which isn't my favorite but this one was okay for me.  I liked how her best friend is more a free spirit and not as analytical but their relationship works.  Sophie's boyfriend Bruce seems like a good guy (Medevac helicopter pilot who is a movie buff) who isn't harping about her investigating - a plus in my book.

The plot is good, not overly complicated but there are plenty of suspects and Sophie approaches it logically. The climax had some tense moments as the killer confronts Sophie.  The wrap up was good.  I especially enjoyed the interaction with the Dean (who often censured Sophie) towards the end.  I liked that it is an easy read, inspite of the math, with just enough mystery.  Out of the gate it was a little slow as the reader is introduced to Sophie and the basic situation, but I thought it picked up once the murder occurred. 

I must be a geek myself because I enjoy brainy characters like this.  I enjoyed the Periodic Table Mysteries and was disheartened when that series came to a halt.  I also enjoy mysteries around academic settings with the micro world of campus life. This story brings the campus politics and professor-student as well as professor-professor relationships into the spotlight.  If you enjoy your heroine smart and not-too-complicated consider this mystery.

Now for some geek humor - this is considered a classic.

Review - Divine Circle of Ladies Tipping the Scales

It is springtime and some areas are seeing some evidence of warmer temperatures.  Lawns are beginning to show some green, buds are showing on tree limbs and so on.  But it is also time to catch up on my favorite paranormal mystery series.  So please join me in a little trip to Massachusetts to visit with some extraordinary women who solve mysteries in their unique way.

Author:  Dolores Stewart Riccio

Copyright:  August 2010 (CreateSpace) 412 pgs

Series:  7th in Divine Circle/Cass Shipton Mystery

Sensuality:  mild

Mystery Sub-genre:  Cozy, amateur sleuth

Main Character:  Cassandra Shipton, Herbalist and Clairvoyant

Setting:  Modern day, Plymouth Massachusetts

Obtained Through:  Library


I must provide a disclaimer right up front - this is my favorite paranormal mystery series.  I think of it as the trailblazer for this series started long before a paranormal mystery was the "in" thing.

Let me introduce you to the five phenomenal women who are the Divine Circle:

Cassandra, the viewpoint character, is an herbalist and reluctant clairvoyant. 

Phillipa, a cookbook author and poet who reads the Tarot a little too accurately.

Heather, an heiress and animal lover.  She makes magical candles and runs the local pet rescue.

Deidre, recently widowed who crafts dolls and magical amulets for sale in her boutique besides being a mother of four young children who now communicates with the dead.

Fiona, the eccentric librarian who dowses with a crystal and is a fount of information - the wise woman of the group with a hippie side.  Don't let her "mature" age fool you!

I am including Freddie, Cassandra's daughter-in-law who has telekinetic abilities is back in this adventure with the CIA wanting to recruit her.


Cassandra gets called up for jury duty in the gruesome case of a home invasion that ended in a double murder of a mother and daughter.  The two men being tried for the case seem obvious killers, but Cass being clairvoyant knows the case isn't so cut and dry as everybody thinks.  Even the elderly mother of the murdered woman insists justice isn't being done and pleads with Cass to get involved.  The murdered daughter starts making appearances to Deidre too.  Cassandra digs into the case more.

 Heather enlists Cass's time and talents to help hunt down a dog fighting ring and shut it down.  Freddie even does some remote viewing to scope out the location. But during a night-time covert reconnaissance they inadvertently tip-off the operator of the dog-fight ring.  Trouble is brewing with each passing day, but will it be the murderer or the dog fight operator who decides to stop the Circle's intervention?

In each book the circle helps a person in need, this time it is a domestic abuse victim who has some psychic talents of her own.  Ashling levitates without thinking about it and is being haunted by her recently deceased husband.  Ashling is another delightful addition and it appears she maybe back in the next book which I am looking forward to. 

The characters in this series seem to get better and better with each book. I must say I really missed Tip in this one since he is away at college.  This is what I mean, all of the characters become your book buddies and you want to spend time with them.  So even Tip was missed as he is part of this family. It is heartwarming to see that widowed Deidre may have a chance at love again with an old high school friend who has returned to Plymouth.  

Each one of the women in the circle are so well developed that you feel you could sit and have tea (or a nip of something stronger) with them and love every minute.

The dual plot is played out well, keeping the reader drawn in with each new development.  Each plot has its related consequences and danger involved.  Each plot touches me.  for instance, what would you do and how would you feel if you thought a sadistic dog-fight ring were running in your neighborhood? You experience what a vet feels as they treat a trained fight dog and try to rehabilitate it.  But you get to be one of the people snooping and getting photos to give to the police in this story as well.  Even the trial of the double murder - what would you do if you were in the jury box but clairvoyantly saw what happened and nobody else knows what the truth is? Wouldn't you want justice done?  You can tell the style of writing puts you in their shoes from my descriptions. 

The climax is realistic and gets a cheer from the reader and the wrap up is a set up for the next adventure hinting at Cass getting involved in one of hubby's Greenpeace jobs.  Hmmmmm.  I can't wait.

The book is fantastic.  A bit of everything from a touch of romance, suspenseful danger, adventure, a wee bit of magic, pets, cooking, family, sisterhood and close friends, varied characters of different ages and backgrounds all against the backdrop of the Massachusetts changing seasons.  This isn't a book to read, it is a story to experience with these five phenomenal women.