Oboist Sara Baron is settling nicely into her new life back in her hometown, but when a friend goes missing under suspicious circumstances, her newfound equilibrium is thrown off balance. The police don’t suspect foul play, but Sara gets a bad vibe when she finds her friend Micah blew off a meeting with his dissertation chair and has been ghosting his girlfriend. Playing amateur sleuth, she uncovers secrets from Micah’s past which make her wonder if she ever knew her friend at all. Meanwhile, Sara has a secret of her own. One which could change her life forever.
Diane Weiner, the award-winning author of The Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mysteries, The Sugarbury Falls Mysteries, and The Sara Baron Tuned-in Mysteries, is a veteran public school teacher and mother of four grown children. Being an animal lover, she is a vegetarian and shares her home with two precious cats—a calico named Callie and a gray tabby, Chelsea. In her free time, she enjoys running, shopping, attending theater productions, watching British mysteries on Britbox, and spending time with her family. A favorite way to destress involves turning down the lights, cranking down the air-conditioning (she lives in Florida), and getting lost in the scenery and mystery of Wales, Scotland, or England by watching shows such as Hinterland, Shetland, and Vera.
My Review
I am never disappointed when I pick up a Diane Weiner Cozy Mystery, no matter what series. Bad Vibes is the third book in her Sara Baron Tuned In Series. In Bad Vibes Sara moves back to her home town and as always, life is never what you expect when you go home again. Reconnecting with her family business in the craft of making custom oboes, she feels the warmth of being near her family but the death of a friend rocks her world. This mystery has romance, a family feel, and of course an enthralling mystery. Put on your amateur sleuth hat. As always with Ms Weiner’s mysteries, it is well-written and a good addition to the Sara Baron Tuned-In Mystery Series.
In a deeply emotional novel of family, cultural heritage, and forgiveness, estranged sisters wrestle with the choices they’ve made and confront circumstances beyond their control.
Nona “Peaches” Davenport, abandoned by the man she loved and betrayed by family, left her Natchez, Mississippi, home fifteen years ago and never looked back. She’s forged a promising future in Chicago as a professor of African American Studies. Nona even finds her once-closed heart persuaded by a new love. But that’s all shaken when her father’s death forces her to return to everything she’s tried to forget.
Julia Curtis hasn’t forgiven her sister for deserting the family. Just like their mother, Nona walked away from Julia when she needed her most. And Julia doesn’t feel guilty for turning to Nona’s old flame, Marcus, for comfort. He helped Julia build a new life. She has a child, a career, and a determination to move on from old family wounds.
Upon Nona’s return to Natchez, a cautious reunion unfolds, and everything Nona and Julia thought they knew—about themselves, each other, and those they loved—will be tested. Unpacking the truth about why Nona left may finally heal their frayed bond—or tear it apart again, forever.
ASIN : B09PBJDR5G
Publisher : Lake Union Publishing (August 30, 2022)
Publication date : August 30, 2022
Language : English
Print length : 297 pages
Page numbers source ISBN : 1542031214
MY REVIEW
Nona “Peaches” Davenport is a complex woman. She finds one can never put the past behind them when she travels back to her home in Natchez, Mississippi to bury her father. Peaches relationship with her family, fraught with emotions and misunderstandings, reaches the core of our being as we experience them with her. It touches on the feelings many have experienced in their own lives.
As the story unfolds, it also reveals differences in culture that many of us don’t think about or turn a blind eye to because we don’t want to see, always through the years unspoken but silently simmering. The characters come to life, working together so the reader can visualize every scenario.
Where Wild Peaches Grow is by far my favorite book by this author. It has heart, it has soul, and is memorable. I would also put it as one of my top favorite books of the year. I highly recommend it.
THE AUTHOR
About Abby L Vandiver/Cade Bentley
Abby Vandiver
WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY, and internationally best-selling author, Abby L. Vandiver, is a hybrid author, being both self and traditionally published. She writes as Abby L. Vandiver/Abby Collette and Cade Bentley. Abby has always enjoyed writing, and combining that with her gift for telling stories and love of mystery, she became an author.
Starting in 2013, and prior to 2018, Abby self-published more than twenty books. Her debut novel, In the Beginning and its sequels, Irrefutable Proof and Incarnate are fact mixed with fiction, mystery/sci-fi novels not written as action packed or fast paced, but as “what-if” alternative history stories. After those books were published, Abby switched to writing cozy mysteries, she has four self-published series so far, Logan Dickerson Cozy Mystery, Normal Junction Cozy Mystery, Tiny House Mysteries and ABC Cozy Mystery Series. Although she writes mostly mystery, Abby has co-written a historical/women’s fiction novel with author and friend, Kathryn Dionne under the pen name Kathryn Longino, In 2017, she contracted with Henery Press for a 3-book deal to pen the series Romaine Wilder Mysteries. After signing with an agent in 2018, she authored two traditionally published cozy mystery series, both pubbed by Penguin Berkley: An Ice Cream Parlor Mystery’s and A Books & Biscuits Mystery. Again switching genres, Abby has penned a women’s fiction book, published by Lake Union, Where Wild Peaches Grow, due out August 30, 2022, which has received a starred review from Booklist. Abby acted as agent and editor for an anthology comprised of twenty authors of color titled, Midnight Hour published by Crooked Lane.
During her non-writing life, Abby obtained a bachelor’s in Economics, a master’s in Public Administration, and a Juris Doctorate. She is a former attorney and Economics professor, but now writes books full-time for the past nine years. As part of her writing journey, Abby teaches writing classes at her local library, Literary Cleveland, and the International Women’s Writing Guild. She will be the Writer in Residence at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Public Library’s William L. Skirball Writer’s Center for 2022-2023.
Abby resides in South Euclid, Ohio, and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, all of whom are her favorite.
Abby’s got many more books to come, so stay tuned!
When a retired teacher and her bestie join a training class with the goal of walking a breast cancer charity race, they run into a speedbump when a member of the group is murdered in the park. He had no shortage of enemies. Blackmail, harassment, and smuggling top the list of motives. Susan and Valerie both have detective daughters who for once request their mothers’ help. Their inroads with the training group put the amateur sleuths in a position to gather and pass along information. Meanwhile, Susan receives a mysterious gift on her doorstep and has no idea what it is or who sent it. Valerie questions whether or not it’s time to start dating again after losing her husband. And Susan’s daughter has a secret of her own.
My Review
Murder in Training is a welcome addition to the Susan Wiles Cozy Series by Author Diane Weiner. I’ve read every book in this series. I anticipate and anxiously wait for the next one. I was not disappointed in the continuation of the series.
Each book takes you deeper into the background of the characters, drawing you in and making you care about their lives. I was hoped the author would keep the characters of Valerie and Jazzy from her previous book and she did. They are the perfect pairing for Susan and her daughter Lynnette, adding a level of friendship we all yearn for and can identify with.
As always, Susan and her friends are smack dab in the middle of trouble, sometimes involving their unwilling families. How many of us have experienced that? I’m not a walker and one thing this book made me want to do was join a walking club, not to get healthier but to experience the joys of the friendship it brought. However, I’ll not be dropping into any murders. Added to my enjoyment was the description of goodies to bake. I wish the author had included some of the recipes in the back of the book, perhaps in the future?
I recommend this entire series. It keeps getting better and better. I can’t wait to see what Susan Wiles is up to next.
About the Author
Diane Weiner, award-winning author of The Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mysteries, The Sugarbury Falls Mysteries, and The Sara Baron Tuned-in Mysteries, is a veteran public school teacher and mother of four grown children. Being an animal lover, she is a vegetarian and shares her home with two precious cats—a calico named Callie and a gray tabby, Chelsea. In her free time, she enjoys running, shopping, attending theater productions, watching British mysteries on Britbox, and spending time with her family. A favorite way to destress involves turning down the lights, cranking down the air-conditioning (she lives in Florida), and getting lost in the scenery and mystery of Wales, Scotland, or England by watching shows such as Hinterland,Shetland, and Vera. To learn more about the author, visit her website http://www.dianeweinerauthor.com, or follow her on Facebook (dianeweinerauthor), Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub. Contact the author at dianeweinerauthor@gmail.com.
If DNA is the blueprint of life, what happens when we change the instructions? When deputy Sam Thurston responds to a report of a dead body on the side of the road, he’s completely unprepared for what he’ll find: a pregnant woman, womb cut open, baby missing. So soon after his own wife’s miscarriage, Sam is drawn in to the case. In his search to find both the baby and the young woman’s killer, Sam uncovers a hidden world of rogue scientists, genetic editing, and pregnant college students. Meanwhile, Ava Newman learns she’s pregnant, accepts a scholarship to a school founded by a biotech billionaire, and unknowingly moves into the room previously occupied by the roadside victim. There, Ava discovers secrets about life and death and her own DNA. In order for Ava and Sam to uncover what really happened, they must confront their fears, their families, and secrets someone is willing to kill for. Lives are not the only thing at stake. They’re fighting to determine what it means to be human.
MY REVIEW
The Lines We Cross is in my top twenty if not top ten books of the year. I loved this book.
I’m familiar with this author and read many of her previous works with Harlequin so The Lines We Cross was a surprise to me. It challenged everything I though I believed about DNA, science, gene editing and life. I came away from this mystery changing my mind about various scientific studies, and it left me with certain what-if’s.
I could not put this mystery down. When does science go too far? What are the repercussions on those left behind or those coming after us in the future? And then…what part does faith play in this? Can science and faith come together? Or is faith a separate entity? Who are we as people and what dictates the choices we make? Do we throw aside faith when questioning how far is too far if the end justifies the means and it makes a difference in our health and safety? I thought I was pat in my answers to those questions until I read this book and made me look at why I believed what I believed.
And yes, this is a mystery, and it is fiction and it is a page turner. Find out for yourself. So far, my best book of this year.
About the Author
Rachelle McCalla plays with words like some kids play with fire. When she’s not writing, she can be found digging deep research holes, setting up ideas like lightning rods to catch the next big bolt to shoot from the sky. Please use caution when picking up her books, as some may emit dangerous sparks.
With its sweeping sandy beaches and rolling emerald hills, the island of St. Morwenna is an idyllic escape. But behind the perfectly pruned primroses and neighborly smiles a killer lies in wait…
When librarian Jemima Jago is offered the opportunity to catalogue Cornwall’s largest collection of antique shipwreck records it is a dream come true. The only problem? The collection is housed on the island of St. Morwenna, the childhood home she left years ago and vowed never to return to.
Shortly after Jem arrives back in town, island busybody and notorious grump Edith Reddy is found dead, with duct tape clamped over her mouth and nose. Jem, caught seemingly red-handed at the scene of the crime, mistakenly becomes the police’s number one suspect. The handsome Sergeant Hackman in particular can’t seem to leave Jem alone…
Jem must take matters into her own hands if she wants to clear her name. Snooping around Edith’s once-grand home, she is struck by the mess before her. The bedroom is completely ransacked and in the living room all the photographs have been removed from their frames. Was Edith’s death simply a break-in gone wrong, or is there more to the mystery that the police are missing?
Jem has a sharp eye for a clue and she soon realizes that many of the island’s eccentric residents had reason for wanting Edith out of the way. Could Declan, the curious café owner, or Bart, the fishy ferryman have killed Edith? Jem won’t rest until she uncovers the truth, but doing so will put her right in the killer’s line of sight…
A totally charming cozy mystery from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Emma Jameson. Brimming with intrigue and warm humor, fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands will love A Death at Seascape House.
My Review
I wasn’t sure when I chose this book whether it would be my cup of tea perse. The plot intrigued me but I am on the fence when I read British Mysteries.. It is a personal taste or perhaps some of the ones I have previously read were not up to par. I took a chance and I was not disappointed. This is one of those British Mysteries that will hook readers and leave them wanting more.
Jemima Jago is a flawed person having been judged wild and unfit as a teenager. This wild teenager became a librarian and now returns to her hometown to catalogue Cornwal’s largest collection of antique shipwreck records. Small communities have long memories and are quick to point fingers when Jemima finds a body of a former nemesis.
A Death at Seascape House has strong characters with a history of heartbreak and friendship which weaves a tale of murder, mystery and human feelings drawing you in and keeping us reading long into the night.. This may be a work of fiction, but the real emotions will touch a readers life reminding us that we are all flawed with pasts that shape who we are, and if we can’t escape them, our destinies.
What more could we ask for with our reading pleasure?
About The Author
Emma Jameson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Lord & Lady Hetheridge cozy mystery series. Book #1, ICE BLUE, Book #2, BLUE MURDER, Book #3, SOMETHING BLUE, Book #4, BLACK & BLUE, Book #5, BLUE BLOODED, and Book #6, BLUE CHRISTMAS are available now.
Her newest venture with digital publisher extraordinaire BOOKOUTURE is the Jem Jago cozy mystery series. Book 1, A DEATH AT SEASCAPE HOUSE, will be published in April 2021.
Ms. Jameson is also the creator of amateur sleuth Dr. Benjamin Bones. Set in Cornwall during the Second World War, book #1 is MARRIAGE CAN BE MURDER; book #2 is DIVORCE CAN BE DEADLY. Dr. Bones fans will also want to read the companion series, Magic of Cornwall. This includes DR. BONES AND THE CHRISTMAS WISH and DR. BONES AND THE LOST LOVE LETTER, two charming novellas set in untamed, romantic Cornwall.
The #1 New York Times bestselling author presents a new novel of a mother and a daughter, of ambition and romance, and of a traumatic past reawakened by a terrifying threat…
Adrian Rizzo was seven when she met her father for the first time. That was the day he nearly killed her—before her mother, Lina, stepped in.
Soon after, Adrian was dropped off at her grandparents’ house in Maryland, where she spent a long summer drinking lemonade, playing with dogs, making a new best friend—and developing the stirrings of a crush on her friend’s ten-year-old brother. Lina, meanwhile, traveled the country promoting her fitness brand and turning it into a billion-dollar business. There was no point in dwelling on the past.
A decade later, Adrian has created her own line of yoga and workout videos, following in Lina’s footsteps but intent on maintaining creative control. And she’s just as cool-headed and ambitious as her mother. They aren’t close, but they’re cordial—as long as neither crosses the other.
But while Lina dismisses the death threats that Adrian starts getting as a routine part of her daughter’s growing celebrity, Adrian can’t help but find the vicious rhymes unsettling. Year after year, they keep arriving—the postmarks changing, but the menacing tone the same. They continue after she returns to Maryland and becomes reacquainted with Raylan, her childhood crush, all grown up and as gorgeously green-eyed as ever. Sometimes it even seems like the terrifying messages are indeed routine, like nothing will come of them. Until the murders start, and the escalation begins…
My Review
Family dynamics are never easy, and Nora Roberts portrays this perfectly in Legacy. It’s a question we all ask ourselves at one time or another. Do we become our parents because of what is modeled to us or are the traits that shape our character ones we can’t escape because they’re in our genes?
A traumatic incident with her father when Adrian Rizzo was a child set the pace for her life. When she decides to take a different path after the death of her Grandmother, Adrian finds herself a new meaning of family in the community of Traveler’s Creek. Living with her Grandfather, having friends near, she finds life would be perfect except for the poems and the letters anonymously sent to her, reminding her she has a stalker.
Nora Roberts does not disappoint her readers in Legacy. It’s a well-written mystery that will tug at your heart and leave you reading deep into the night or all day long. Though the mystery is compelling I found the family and friends component, along with some romance, is what drew me in. Family changes, people evolve, and the key is forgiveness. The message is clear in the dynamics of this book. It has my recommendation. I gave it five stars.
Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Shelter in Place, Year One, Come Sundown, and many more. She is also the author of the bestselling In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than five hundred million copies of her books in print.
Abby Collette is one of the pen names for Author Abby Vandiver. I recently had the privilege of interviewing Abby on my YouTube channel, The Pink Percolator. I hope you take the time to meet Abby too.
Recent MBA grad Bronwyn Crewse has just taken over her family’s ice cream shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and she’s going back to basics. Win is renovating Crewse Creamery to restore its former glory, and filling the menu with delicious, homemade ice cream flavors—many from her grandmother’s original recipes. But unexpected construction delays mean she misses the summer season, and the shop has a literal cold opening: the day she opens her doors an early first snow descends on the village and keeps the customers away.
To make matters worse, that evening, Win finds a body in the snow, and it turns out the dead man was a grifter with an old feud with the Crewse family. Soon, Win’s father is implicated in his death. It’s not easy to juggle a new-to-her business while solving a crime, but Win is determined to do it. With the help of her quirky best friends and her tight-knit family, she’ll catch the ice cold killer before she has a meltdown…
My Review
A Deadly Inside Scoop
Within the first few chapters of this book, I craved ice cream, not just any ice cream but ice cream from Crewse Creamery in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Popcorn Ice Cream, Cherry Amaretto Chocolate Chunk, and ice cream made from snow made my lips tingle with anticipation. Bronwyn Crewse was home and bringing her family’s ice cream shop back to life
Author Abby Vandiver writes under the pen name Abby Collette for her Ice Cream Parlor Mysteries. This was the first in this series that I’ve read but knowing her talent from her previous works, I had no doubt this one would hold my attention and bring me a few hours of reading pleasure. I was right.
Immediately we are drawn into the murder with a wide variety of suspects, some in Bronwyn’s own family, and since she was the unfortunate person to find the body, they include her in the group of suspects. Her family comprises unique personalities that enhance the mystery, along with quirky friends who add moments of fun.
One trait of this mystery I liked was the closeness of family. They still have dinners together. There is something about a family dinner that brings us close and bonds family members, but in this book, it also bonds us to the family.
This is an excellent read by a talented author. I highly recommend it. And if you’re like me, craving ice cream after reading this book, Grandma Kay’s Snow Ice Cream recipe in the back of the book might be one you want to try along with the others. Happy reading.
About The Author
WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY, and internationally best selling author, Abby L. Vandiver, also writing as Abby Collette, has always enjoyed writing, combining that with her gift for telling stories and love of mystery, she became an author.
Abby’s an hybrid author. Her debut novel, In the Beginning and its sequels, Irrefutable Proof and Incarnate are fact mixed with fiction, mystery/sci-fi novels not written as action packed or fast paced, but as “what-if” alternative history stories. After those books were published, Abby switched to writing cozy mysteries. Finding much success, she has three series so far, Logan Dickerson Cozy Mystery, Normal Junction Cozy Mystery and Tiny House Mysteries, all self-published. In 2017, she contracted with Henery Press for a 3-book deal to pen the series Romaine Wilder Mysteries. Her new #ownvoice cozy mystery series, An Ice Cream Parlor Mystery by Berkley Penguin will debut in May 2020. The first book in the series is A Deadly Inside Scoop. Abby is represented by Rachel M. Brooks at Bookends Literary Agency.
Although she writes mostly mystery, Abby has co-written a historical/women’s fiction novel with author and friend, Kathryn Dionne under the pen name Kathryn Longino, and a Kindle World, historical/sci-fi fiction book, Countdown to Atlantis. That book was inspired by the A.G. Riddle’s book, The Atlantis Gene.
Abby, a former lawyer and college professor, has a bachelor’s degree in Economics, a master’s in Public Administration, and a Juris Doctor. A lifetime resident of Cleveland, Ohio, Abby spends all of her time writing and enjoying her wonderful grandchildren.
Abby’s got many more books to come, so stay tuned!
The Pink Percolator 