To Slip the Bonds of Earth (Katharine Wright Book # 1) by Amanda Flower

While not as famous as her older siblings Wilbur and Orville, the celebrated inventors of flight, Katharine Wright is equally inventive – especially when it comes to solving crimes – in USA Today bestselling author Amanda Flower’s radiant new historical mystery series inspired by the real sister of the Wright Brothers.

December 1903: While Wilbur and Orville Wright’s flying machine is quite literally taking off in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina with its historic fifty-seven second flight, their sister Katharine is back home in Dayton, Ohio, running the bicycle shop, teaching Latin, and looking after the family. A Latin teacher and suffragette, Katharine is fiercely independent, intellectual, and the only Wright sibling to finish college. But at twenty-nine, she’s frustrated by the gender inequality in academia and is for a new challenge. She never suspects it will be sleuthing…

Returning home to Dayton, Wilbur and Orville accept an invitation to a friend’s party. Nervous about leaving their as-yet-unpatented flyer plans unattended, Wilbur decides to bring them to the festivities . . . where they are stolen right out from under his nose. As always, it’s Katharine’s job to problem solve—and in this case, crime-solve.

As she sets out to uncover the thief among their circle of friends, Katharine soon gets more than she bargained She finds her number one suspect dead with a letter opener lodged in his chest. It seems the patent is the least of her brothers’ worries. They have a far more earthbound concern—prison. Now Katharine will have to keep her feet on the ground and put all her skills to work to make sure Wilbur and Orville are free to fly another day.  (Summary via Goodreads)

I love when I am reading a book and I cannot put it down !!!  I hate when I am reading a book and I cannot put it down !!!  And I know other readers feel exactly what I mean !!  As much as you love the book and cannot stop reading it, you are also torn because you don't want to get to the end because then it will be over.....

To Slip the Bonds of Earth is the first book in the new Katharine Wright Mystery series by Amanda Flower and it is a HIT !!

In To Slip the Bonds of Earth Flower writes about the Wright Brothers and their family but have their sister, Katharine, as the focal point.  Katharine's brothers Orville and Wilbur are away working on their flying machine and send a telegram home stating that they have achieved their goal !!  Soon after the telegram is received the two Wright brothers return home for the Christmas holiday and to celebrate. 

Unfortunately things do not go as planned as Katharine's best friend Agnes invites her to a holiday party at the Shaw's grand estate.  Katharine would love to stay home because she had to discipline Benny Shaw, one of her students, right before the holiday break.  So she gets her brother Orville to attend the party with her.  Sadly neither of the Wright siblings knew that they would come across a dead body in the billards room, Orville will lose important papers, and Benny will be arrested for the murder !!!

Katharine should be spending her holiday break getting in the Christmas spirit shopping, baking cookies,  and spending time with her family.  But she finds herself looking into the murder because she knows that Benny is innocent and Orville has asked her to help him find the missing papers so he doesn't have to disappoint and upset Wilbur.

Readers will LOVE this story ... there is so much going on that you will be roped in immediately and unable to unravel yourself ... not that you would want to.  You will love the storyline, the characters, oh who am I kidding .... you will love everything !!!  I cannot stress it enough ... this is a book and a series that you didn't know you needed in your life until now !!!!

  

Death at the Spring Fling (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Book # 21) by Rosalie Spielman

From author Rosalie Spielman comes a killer new beach read!  It's springtime in Aloha Lagoon, Hawaii, and romance is in the air! Along with murderous intentions…

The dive shop where Kiki Hepburn works is sponsoring the first annual Aloha Lagoon Resort Spring Fling Dance, and naturally is in charge of the "Under The Sea" themed décor. In between hanging crepe paper jellyfish tentacles and paper mâché honu, Kiki witnesses an argument between two men, and is unsurprised to see her old foe Ruby Nakasoma right in between them. But what does surprise her is when, during the dance, Kiki and her boyfriend Dex find one of the men dead, with Ruby leaning over him holding a vicious looking murder weapon! Kiki thinks Ruby's true nature has finally caught up to her, but when Ruby makes a heartfelt appeal for help, Kiki starts looking for a murderer who may or may not be finished…

With Dex undercover and suspects as bountiful as springtime hormones, bike-riding delivery men, a tree-trimming cougar on the prowl, and a nose-booping jack-of-all-trades make their way under Kiki's magnifying glass. Will she find the murderer before they find another victim?

What critics are saying "Death on a Cliff Earns 5/5 Vacation Photos…

Engaging Twist & Turns! Cozy Gem!"~ Kings River Life Magazine

"You are going to want to visit Aloha Lagoon Resort as much as possible, and you will not want to leave!"~ Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

About Aloha There's trouble in paradise...Welcome to Aloha Lagoon, one of Hawaii's hidden treasures. A little bit of tropical paradise nestled along the coast of Kauai, this resort town boasts luxurious accommodation, friendly island atmosphere...and only a slightly higher than normal murder rate. While mysterious circumstances may be the norm on our corner of the island, we're certain that our staff and Lagoon natives will make your stay in Aloha Lagoon one you will never forget!  (Summary via Goodreads)

I don't think that I really need to say anything when it comes to the Aloha Lagoon Mystery series published by Gemma Halliday Publishing seeing as there are twenty-one books in this amazing series with the twenty second being released soon !!!  But I will seeing as I LOVE this series and everything about it.

First I believe it needs to be mentioned that this series is written by numerous authors.  These authors write about their own characters and storyline with a few things in common with the other books ... they all center around the Aloha Lagoon Resort on Kauai in Hawaii, the businesses are the same in every book and the detective assigned to each murder is always Detective Ray Kahoalani .... and yes there is ALWAYS a murder to solve.

In Death at the Spring Fling by Rosalie Spielman main character Kiki Hepburn is just trying to spend time with her gorgeous boyfriend Dex, work with him and his father at the Aloha Lagoon Dive Shop, and hang out with her landlady Auntie Akamai, who is Dex's aunt.  

Unfortunately at the Spring Fling, which Kiki and Dex helped decorate, they come across a dead body and Kiki's kind of enemy Ruby standing over the deceased holding the murder weapon !! Of course Ruby denies killing Riley who is her ex-boyfriend.  But she doesn't make things better when she goes in hiding !!

Kiki has no intentions of looking into the murder like she has in the past.  The only reason she has done it before is because she needed to clear someone she loved or she was asked.  There is no way Ruby will ask her to look into Riley's murder especially seeing as the two do not get along.  So I am sure everyone will be shocked when Ruby does ask for help ... Kiki's help !!

So Kiki decides to look into Riley's murder but in order to do that she is going to have to rely on Dex.  Dex ends up going undercover by getting a job doing deliveries on his bike, even though he could do it with his Jeep, to help see what Riley was doing.

Readers will be hooked from the beginning of this book as well as all the previous books in this amazing series !!  It is always a treat when you can get lost at the Aloha Lagoon Resort with whichever characters and author you pick !! This will easliey become a favorite of yours and you will be on the look out for future books so that you can dive right in !!!

To learn more about this series, go to :

https://www.gemmahallidaypublishing.com/aloha-lagoon-mysteries

Better Safe Than Sorry (A Sgt. Windflower Mystery Book # 14) by Mike Martin

Winston Windflower is enjoying his retirement from the RCMP in Grand Bank, Newfoundland, happily spending time with his young family, but feeling a little restless. Corporal Eddie Tizzard is running the Marystown detachment and struggling with the demands of the role while his own family grows.

When a new drug threatens the community a body -- the wrong body -- is found dead in a hearse, and then another drug-connected death occurs, and Tizzard knows he's dealing with a deadly menace in their quiet, close-knit community.

Windflower finds himself inexorably and not unhappily drawn back into the action, first in an unofficial role to help snare the drug dealers and then back to active duty in a community that desperately needs his steady hand and good judgement.

Our favorite Mountie, Sgt. Windflower and his fellow courageous cops in small-town Grand Bank, Newfoundland are back to fight a new threat in this compelling page-turner. Award-winning author Mike Martin once again brings us a stirring story, blending down-home Newfoundland charm with the warmth of family life.

“Windflower is a cook, a storyteller, a family man with contacts that stop you in your tracks with that special Windflower phrase or relationship. The setting is a story by itself. Together the author, Mike Martin, spins a tale centred in Grand Bank Newfoundland with colour, winter storms, crime, and Mounties that live on their stomachs.” 
— Don Graves, Canadian Mystery Reviews

“Be prepared to be charmed by Windflower, a food-loving sergeant who could possibly be Canada’s most polite Mountie.”
— Halifax Chronicle-Herald

“Dangerous Waters is an engaging thriller with a superb cast”
— Kirkus Reviews  (Summary via Ottawa Press and Publishing)

Better Safe Than Sorry is the latest book in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series by Mike Martin and if you are a fan, you know that you are in store for an entertaining and captivating story.  With fourteen books in this series you know Martin is doing something right !!

The Sgt. Windflower Mystery series follows Winston Windflower who works for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, his family and friends in Grand Bank, Newfoundland.  As the series progresses there are a lot of changes in Windflower's life, some good, some bad and others great.

In Better Safe Than Sorry Windflower who is now the community safety office in Grand Banks and the surrounding areas is informed that there is a new deadly drug being distributed called Green Monsters.  He begins to circulate and get the word out about this drug and the dangers of using it.  And Windflower's close friend who is currently the Acting Inspector, Edward Tizzard, is looking into a dead body in a hearse.  Once the hearse arrived to the funeral home, the funeral directed found out that it wasn't the body he was expected.  The body, which is a young woman, has also not died of natural causes.

The office that Windflower works out of in Grand Bank was actually closed and the new detachment office is in nearby Marytown.  The Marytown office is where Tizzard is stationed along with his wife Office Carrie Evanchuk.  And things are going to get complicated and exciting soon with Tizzard having to look to Windflower for help .... lots of help.  Unfortunately Windflower and his wife Sheila have a comfortable life with their two young daughters, Stella and Amelia Louise, and the bed and breakfast that is open in season and Windflower is safe in his new career.

Windflower will do anything for the law and his Mountie family as long as he isn't in danger and Sheila has given the green light on whatever he is being dragged into.  And in Better Safe Than Sorry he is going to be dragged right into the middle of everything as his drug concerns will intertwine with things going on in Marytown with Tizzard.

Readers cannot get enough of Windflower and this series ...whether it is when Windflower is just walking around town with his dog, Lady or playing with the girls, or making dinner, or deep into a case and is on the job, you are HOOKED !!!  You fall in love immediately with everything and everyone !! You will love the relationships, the cases, the town and when they talk about food ... and there is a lot of food mentioned.  So I highly encourage you to grab a snack and a drink, go to your comfy seat and dig in .....

To preorder this book, go to https://www.ottawapressandpublishing.com/

Molten Death (An Orchid Isle Mystery Book # 1) by Leslie Karst

A glimpse of a quickly melting corpse at the foot of a volcano has amateur sleuth and food enthusiast Valerie Corbin shocked. But how can she investigate a murder, when there's no evidence the victim ever existed?

The first Orchid Isle cozy mystery, set in tropical Hilo, Hawai'i, introduces a fun and feisty LGBTQ+ couple who swap surfing lessons for sleuthing sessions! Retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen have come to the Big Island of Hawai'i to treat themselves to a well-earned tropical vacation. After the recent loss of her brother, Valerie is in sore need of a distraction from her troubles and is looking forward to enjoying the delicious food and vibrant culture the state has to offer. 

Early one morning, the couple and their friend - tattooed local boy, Isaac - set out to see an active lava flow, and Valerie is mesmerized by the shape-shifting mass of orange and red creeping over the field of black rock. Spying a boot in the distance, she strides off alone, pondering how it could have gotten there, only to realize to her horror that the boot is still attached to a leg - a leg which is slowly being engulfed by the hot lava. Valerie's convinced a murder has been committed - but as she's the only witness to the now-vanished corpse, who's going to believe her?

Determined to prove what she saw, and get justice for the unknown victim, Valerie launches her own investigation. But, thrown into a Hawaiian culture far from the luaus and tiki bars of glossy tourist magazines, she soon begins to fear she may be the next one to end up entombed in shiny black rock . . .The amiable characters, stunning backdrop and culinary delights make this the perfect cozy of fans who enjoy a tropical vacation with a twisty murder mystery and compelling Hawai'ian culture - paired with an added bonus of recipes of local Hawai'ian dishes!  (Summary via Goodreads)

Molten Death is the first book in the new Orchid Isle Mystery series by Leslie Karst.  And if you know Karst, I know her via Facebook, you shouldn't be surprised that she is centering this new series in Hawaii.

In Molten Death Valerie and her wife Kristen are vacationing in Hilo, Hawaii at Kristen's friend Isaac's house.  They are there to relax and allow Valerie to grieve the death of her brother Charlie which she lost in a horrible accident.  Unfortunately when they go to visit the site of an active volcano flow, Valerie sees a boot and part of a leg being covered by the hot lava and disappearing.  And sadly Kristen and Isaac were no where near her when she witnessed this so they do not believe her when she tries to explain.  Because this traumatic siting is so close to the way her brother died, Valerie cannot stop thinking about it.

So instead of having a nice, relaxing vacation taking in the sites of Hawaii, Valerie is unable to stop thinking about the boot and when she learns of a local reported as missing, she goes full force into learning everything she can about the missing person.  Unfortunately Kristen and Isaac do not believe her and think that she is wasting her time and vacation looking into something that didn't happen.  This puts a lot of tension on their relationship and Valerie knows that she cannot stop with things until she gets to the bottom of everything.  This makes things difficult as Valerie doesn't know anyone and when she begins asking questions about people she doesn't know, people become on edge.....

Readers will love this series and luckily Karst has a glossary in the back of the book defining all the Hawaiian words and slang she uses throughout the book so readers can use slang as well.

Readers will thoroughly love this story and for once this book does not have the main character fighting with the police or detectives throughout the "investigation" which is a nice change but doesn't take anything away from the story,  And knowing how familiar the author is with Hawaii makes the readers feel like they are there along for the ride.  Happy traveling readers !!!

'Bout to Dye in Birmingham (A Cousins Cozy Mystery series ) by Beth Hamer Miles

From author Beth Hamer Miles comes a hilarious take on the worst year of your life...It’s March 2020 in Birmingham, Alabama, but Maggie Baxter and her cousin Hugh Lee Pinkston are facing problems even bigger than the quarantine. While navigating her home health job, along with shutdowns, face masks, and toilet paper shortages, Maggie stumbles upon a dead man—snipped in the bud with his own set of monogrammed scissors!It's a salon scheme gone south, and now, Maggie and Hughley are in the midst of a murder investigation. Missing hair salon owners, disappearing patients, destructive raccoons...and why does everyone have purple hair? It’s a mystery fit for Shear-Lock Combs! Can Maggie and Hughley find a killer and survive 2020...or will this be their last bad hair day?

"Realistic dialogue, good character development and interesting setting. Looking forward to reading next one! 5 Stars!"~ So Many Books  (Summary via Goodreads)

I love when authors make the story as real as they can or throw some real life things into make believe stories and Beth Hamer Miles does just that in her new Cousins Cozy Mystery series !!

In 'Bout to Dye in Birmingham main characters Maggie and Hughley, who are cousins, are about to test their relationhip and friendship ... and Maggie is going to test her sanity a bunch of times !!  It is March in the year 2020 and it's the beginning of when the coronavirus begins to affect people in the United States.  The colleges have closed forcing Maggie and Sam's twin daughters, Anna and Jenna, to move back home.  Now they will have all three kids, Anna, Jenna and their son, Evan all under one roof along with Sam who already works from home.  The only one that will be impacted the most will be Maggie who is an at-home speech therapist so she will continue to visit clients in their homes.

But right before everything closes down Maggie is going to get one more luxury treatment and get her hair done.  She is referred to Lula's Locks by one of her client's who is Lula's mother.  Unfortunately Maggie takes the back entrance to the salon which is a long dirt road with a dead naked body in the way.  Little does Maggie know that she will be getting herself and Hughley in the middle of everything !!

Not that finding a dead body isn't bad in itself but Maggie and Sam are going to have to move everyone into Hughley's house when their house ends up having a lot of problems and issues where they are unable to continue staying there.  Luckily Hughley has a huge house and doesn't mind the company.  Plus the house next door to Hughley becomes a project for him when he becomes friends with Dean who is going to be staying there and fixing it to put it on the market.

Readers will fall in love with this book instantly !!  This was one story that I did not want to end.  I was having so much fun staying at Hughley's huge house hanging out with Maggie and crew.  It was also interesting to read a story that included the coronavirus ... as horrible as that was, it is a part of our lives and knowing that it affected everyone helps.  I think readers will really feel for this story and will be on the lookout for future books for sure !!!

Murder Marks the Page (Tomes & Tea Mystery series Book # 1) by Karen Rose Smith

The first in a new series spun off from the Daisy Tea Garden Mysteries, Daisy’s daughter Jazzi Swanson has opened her own book and tea shop, providing a variety of literature and flavored beverages for a rural New York community. But Jazzi has not only inherited her mother’s gift for brewing tasty drinks—she also has a nose for sniffing out murder.

New York State’s Belltower Landing is a lakeside resort town where tourists spend their summer days boating, floating, and paddle-boarding on the water. It’s also the perfect place to cuddle up with a good book and enjoy a cup of tea, courtesy of Tomes & Tea. Owned and operated by Jazzi and her best friend Dawn Fernsby, the book bar is beloved by vacationers and locals alike, but browsers grabbing brews in the off season aren’t enough to help them make ends meet.

Between brainstorming social media publicity ideas for the shop and fending off flirtatious men she has no interest in or time for, Jazzi befriends a woman named Brie who has recently made contact with her biological father. As an adopted child herself, Jazzi is more than happy to give Brie emotional support, especially as her wealthy father’s wife and children see her as a threat.

But Brie is also looking to start a family of her own. Unfortunately, all the potential princes she’s met through a dating app turn out to be frogs. Then, when Brie is found murdered, Jazzi finds herself playing detective. With a list of suspects ranging from jealous half-siblings to less-than-suitable suitors, Jazzi may need to consult some of her shop’s bestselling mysteries to help her uncover a killer . . .  (Summary via Goodreads)

Right after I finish writing my review for Murder Marks the Page by Karen Rose Smith, I am going to go pack because I am moving to Belltower Landing immediately ... as soon as I find out where this fictional town is located.  Murder Marks the Page is the first book in the Tomes & Tea Mystery series by Smith and boy does she set the stage beautifully !!!

In Murder Marks the Page readers are introduced to Jazzi and Dawn who are longtime friends having met in college at a group for adoptive children.  They bonded over the fact that they were both adopted and became roommates and then moved back to Belltower Landing where Dawn is from and where Jazzi would spend her summers.  Now they are business owners as well as roommates.  They own Tomes & Tea where they sell tea, baked goods and books.

Jazzi and Dawn are introduced to Brie by their friend Delaney who knows about their adoptive pasts and feels that Brie, who is looking for her adoptive father, will benefit from their experiences.  Unfortunately shortly after they meet, and before they can begin to help her with her quest, Delaney finds Brie's body.  This was right after Jazzi had dinner with her and was getting to know her so her and Delaney are questioned by the police.

Jazzi knows that she should focus on the shop and not murder but she is drawn to Brie's case because that is what Jazzi's mom would do.  And even though she needs to convince Dawn not to share her part of the business and this is the time of year that the town relies on tourists, Jazzi can not say no the Brie's mother when she asks for help.

There is a lot going on in the town of Belltower Landing and readers will love every part of it.  Getting to know a new town, the businesses, the people and the relationships is always fun with a new series and Karen Rose Smith does not disappoint !!  She is spot on with this debut book and you will become a fan as soon as you open the book.  You will want to move there also ... and if you find Belltower Landing, please let me know .... we can be roommates !!

Chilled to the Dog Bone (A Samantha Davies Mystery series Book # 5) by S.A. Kazlo

It's Saint Patrick's Day weekend in chilly upstate New York, and Samantha Davies, children's picture book author and sometime sleuth, is excited to attend the annual outdoors games put on by the local Wings Falls fire company. It will be a weekend filled with fun activities such as a skillet toss, four-wheeler race, and the ever-popular decorated wooden outhouse race across the ice. Sam is looking forward to dancing the night away with her beau, police detective Hank Johnson at the Firefighter's Ball. Sam's rug hooking group, the Loopy Ladies is sponsoring one of the outhouses and their senior member, Gladys O'Malley, will have the honor of riding on the "throne" to the finish line.

Only not all goes as planned when the neighboring fire company's chief is found in Gladys' place—frozen solid and dead as a doornail! To make matters worse, both Gladys' and Sam's fingerprints are all over the evidence at the murder scene, taking them from attendees to suspects. Now it's up to Sam to clear their names and get to the truth. The only problem is the victim had disagreements with almost everyone in town, from the Wings Falls fire chief to a sexy blonde named Sunny Foxx—with two xx's—and a slew of other suspects. Can Sam find the killer before the Luck of the Irish runs out for her? Or will she become chilled to the bone when the killer catches up to her...

"A doggone entertaining mystery filled with small town scandals! Funny and entertaining!"~ Fresh Fiction  (Summary via Goodreads)

Chilled to the Dog Bone is the fifth book in the Samantha Davies Mystery series by S.A. Kazlo and boy is this series a HOOT !!!  

Samantha and her lovable dog, Porkchop, are just trying to enjoy life.  Sam just published her first book, a children's book about Porkchop, titled Porkshop the Wonder Dog, and they are going to be doing their first appearance promoting the book at the local library.  Sam is also enjoying her relationship with Police Detective Hank Johnson as well as her time hanging out with her cousin, Candie, and their friends in the Loopy Ladies rug hooking group.  

Unfortunately another murder is going to take time for her to try to solve when the outhouse races at the local Firemen's Convention are postponed when a neighboring fire department's chief is found dead in the Loopy Ladies outhouse .... and Sam and her neighbor (also Hank's aunt) Gladys are on the suspect list !!!  And when Hank is taken off the case, Sam knows it's just a matter of time before her childhood enemy Joe "Sandy" Peters will try to put the cuffs on her whether she is innocent or guilty.

Sam and Candie begin their investigation even though they have been warned off by Hank.  They know that they have to do whatever they can to prove that Sam and Gladys are innocent, however, this will not be an easy case to solved as the suspect list is longer than they imagined.  It seems like nobody liked Ivan Kline and the more they dig, the deeper they get ....

Readers cannot help but fall in love with this series !!  There is so much to love, even the murders are interesting !!  You will love Wings Falls, the businesses, the people, and the relationships and friendships.  There are plenty of times that I have read a book and wanted to jump into the story and live in the town and the Samantha Davies Mystery series is one on the top of that list !!  I know you will love it as much as I did.  The only sad part is when you close the book when you get to the end .... but hopefully a new one will be coming out soon and we will be happy again !!!