Cozy Mysteries, Mini-Reviews #AudiobookReviews

During December, I did a lot of reading/listening, but did not get a lot of my reviews posted. It is the end of 2020, and I am trying to remedy that. These are 2 cozy mystery novels and 2 novellas. All were enjoyable, but I always like the full length stories more than the novellas. I listened to the audiobook of each of them, even though at one time, I had been provided the ebook of each through Netgalley. All ratings and opinions shared are my own.

A Page Marked for Murder (Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #5) by Lauren Elliott, Karen White (Narrator)

Published October 22nd 2020 by Kensington Books, Tantor Audio

4.5 Stars:

I enjoy reading about bookstores and libraries, and I love cozy mysteries, so this is a series that I very much enjoy and look forward to visiting with Addie Greyborne. It is winter in Greyborne Harbor, but they are all busy with the Fire and Ice festival on. Addie has her hands full in this story with not only a murder, but a missing first edition copy of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. When Addie’s friends are threatened (suspects in a murder) she jumps into action. As usual, she ruffles some feathers and puts herself in some danger as she hunts down the missing book and tries to figure out who the murderer is. There was no shortage of suspects in this one. Paige, Addie’s friend and co-worker and her mother are right in the middle of this one. The murder victim is someone from Paige’s past and the book belonged to her (although she did not know what it was worth).

I enjoy the setting of small town Greyborne Harbor. Lauren Elliott writes descriptively, so I could feel the cold weather, and see the bookstore, the town, and its quirky residents. This book gives us a look into Paige and Martha, two characters that play a large part in Addie’s life. The mystery was well-plotted and developed. There were enough red herrings to keep this reader guessing and when the final reveal came, I was surprised, yet it fit. I enjoyed this one and look forward to the next Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery. Karen White narrated this audiobook and she always delivers a well performed audiobook. I enjoy her delivery and have become accustomed to her voice and expression as she has narrated many other books I have listened to. I was gifted a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.

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Courting Can Be Killer (An Amish Matchmaker Mystery #2) by Amanda Flower, Vanessa Daniels (Narrator)

Published December 1st 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corporation, Tantor Audio

4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the second book in An Amish Matchmaker series and it was another great mystery. I love that this series takes place in the same town, Harvest Ohio, as Amanda Flower’s other series, the Amish Candy Shop Mysteries, with characters being mentioned and some making an appearance. Millie and Lois are once again together, trying to solve a crime. If you did not read the first book in this series, I recommend you do. You will learn about Millie’s background and how she and Lois became unlikely friends. I love seeing them together interacting considering their differing backgrounds. Millie is the local Amish matchmaker and Lois is a loud and proud Englisher, who is able to use technology and even cars that Lois would not be allowed to use. This story finds Ben and Tess trying to get Millie to intervene with Tess’ father. They want to get married, but her daed is against it and has forbidden them to court. When Ben ends up dead in a fire, Millie and Lois stick their noses in to figure out who the killer is.

I enjoy this series and its characters. Millie is a smart, capable woman of a certain age that knows how to take care of herself. Lois is an absolute hoot! She can pull just about anything out of her huge purse. The secondary characters play a role in solving the mystery and Amanda Flower does a great job creating realistic characters, some that I don’t like very much. Animals always play a huge part in these books and this one has Millie’s goats, Peter and Phillip, adding humour and warmth to the story. Even Jethro the pig makes an appearance and I always laugh at his antics. The mystery was well-plotted and had enough suspects to keep me guessing. There is a hint of romance for Millie and I am interested to see where that goes in future books. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Vanessa Daniels. I have listened to a few books that she voiced and once again, I was pleased with her performance. She uses her expression and intonation to differentiate characters. She has a pleasant voice and I enjoyed listening to this one. I was gifted a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.

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Chili Cauldron Curse (Kitchen Witch Mysteries #.5) by Lynn Cahoon, Angie Hickman (Narrator)

Published August 25th 2020 by Kensington Books, Tantor Audio

3 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐

I enjoy Lynn Cahoon’s writing, so when I saw that she had a new series beginning, I grabbed this one. Chili Cauldron Curse is a quick, fun novella to introduce the series and characters. We meet Mia Malone, a kitchen witch who is back in her hometown of Magic Springs, Idaho. She is there to assist her grandmother and her friend in getting the local food bank in order before the new school year begins. While there, they find the body of Dorian Alexander, the local coven leader and her grandmother’s boyfriend, dead in the foodbank. Mia wants to help her grandmother to find the culprit as well as get the foodbank up and running. There was not a lot to this one, but that is to be expected considering its length. I will see how the first full length book goes before I decide if this is a series I will follow. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Angie Hickman. She has a pleasant voice and I enjoyed this listen. It is hard to gauge her performance with such a short story. I was gifted a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.

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Candy Cane Crime (Amish Candy Shop Mystery #5.5) by Amanda Flower, Rebecca Mitchell (Narrator)

Published October 27th 2020 by Kensington Books, Tantor Audio

3.5 Stars:

I really enjoy the Amish Candy Cane Shop Mysteries and this one was a fun interlude to keep us caught up to what is happening with Bailey and friends while waiting for the next full length story. I liked this mystery did not involve a murder, especially in a short novella. This fun Christmas story is told from the POV of Bailey’s cousin, Charlotte, who has volunteered to run the Candy Cane Exchange fundraiser. Participants buy a candy cane and submit the cash and a note to the box in town. Charlotte, collects the notes and money and attaches them to the candy. It is hard for her not to look at the notes and when she finds a note with her name on it, she looks at it and finds out she has a secret admirer. Of course, she now has to find out who it is and starts snooping. This is a fun addition to the series. It was nice to get to know more about Charlotte and to see her as a woman, not just an employee of the store or Bailey’s cousin. There is also another mystery involving someone skulking around the town center and dipping into the box, which also adds a bit more mystery. As the mysteries are solved, it left this reader wondering what is in store for Charlotte in upcoming books. The audiobook was narrated by Rebecca Mitchell. I enjoyed her performance, as she has an easy voice to listen to. I felt she did a good job, using expression, inflection and tone to bring the reader into the story. Her voices for the characters were not all that much differentiated, but I was able to determine who was speaking in most situations due to intonation.