cozy mystery – Page 2 – Rosepoint Publishing

Trick or Thief: A Humorous culinary Cozy Mystery Short Read (Death by Cupcake) by D E Haggerty #BlogTour #BookReview #cozymystery

I am so delighted to provide a review for you today at my blog stop for Trick or Thief by D E Haggerty on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour.

Trick or Thief: A Humorous Culinary Cozy Mystery Short Read (Death by Cupcake)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Independently Published
Digital – 120 pages
ASIN: B0878QF5V9

A little haunting sounds like innocent fun until a ghost plunders your stockroom.

Kristie is convinced ghosts don’t exist until food starts disappearing without a trace from the Youth Center storage. There are zero clues as to who’s been inside the building. The security guard hasn’t seen a thing, and the security tapes are mysteriously blank. When the ghost widens his hocus-pocus to include Kristie’s office, the gals of Callie’s Cakes jump in to find the culprit before Kristie can get in a whole mess of spooky trouble.

Will the gals of Callie’s Cakes expose the ghost before Kristie’s facility is destroyed?

Cupcakes not included, although recipes for all the delicious cupcakes Anna bakes are.

My first short read by the author and this the sixth of the series. Callie and Anna and co-owners of Callie’s Cakes. They specialize in beautiful and very tasty cupcakes and are the two best friends of Kristie Larson who took over management of the local youth center.

Kristie likes to think she is the more sane of the three, but Callie is a also a bit on the reticent side, following Anna who tends to leap into whatever situation is confronting them at the moment and at the moment that would be the mysterious thefts at the youth center. Who would steal bread and peanut butter at 4 am? More than once?

It is approaching Halloween and Kristie has plans for the kids, but Anna and Callie are all in the investigation of the penny ante thefts. Then it starts getting more serious and Anna and Callie have to become more subtle in their plans if they are to keep their activities a secret from their police detective significant others. Kristie’s guy, Tyler, is a fireman and working odd hours, so she reluctantly goes with the plans of “Lucy and Ethel.”

They do manage to solve the mystery and no one gets maimed or murdered and the narrative stays light-hearted, humorous, and well-fed. Lots of cupcake recipes following the conclusion.

A fast, easy read, a promised romance, and clean mystery (no filters needed here). I received the digital download for the blog tour and these are my unbiased opinions.

About The Author: D.E. Haggerty is actually just plain old Dena, but she thinks using initials makes her sound sophisticated and maybe even grown up. She was born and raised in the U.S. but considers herself a Dutchie and not only because it sounds way cooler. After a stint in the U.S. Army, she escaped the US to join her husband in Holland. She fled Holland over ten years ago when she couldn’t stand the idea of being a lawyer for one single second more. Turns out Bed & Breakfast owner in Germany didn’t do it for her either. When the hubby got a job in Istanbul, she jumped ship and decided to give this whole writer thing a go. She’s now back in Holland, which she considers home. Sorry, Mom.

Author links

Website: http://dehaggerty.wordpress.com

Blog: https://dehaggerty.wordpress.com/category/mymusings/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dehaggerty

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dehaggerty

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dehaggerty/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7210211.D_E_Haggerty

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/D.E.-Haggerty/e/B00ECQBURU/

Newsletter signup: https://mailchi.mp/027b2768aa1c/newsletter-sign-up-for-a-writers-life-by-de-haggerty

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/denahaggerty/

Bookbub author page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/d-e-haggerty

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/d-e-haggerty-4b49a29/

Purchase Link – Amazon

Thank you for visiting my stop on the tour and please visit the other stops listed below!

Tour Participants:

August 20 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

August 20 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

August 21 – Nadaness In Motion – REVIEW

August 21 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

August 22 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 23 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, GUEST POST

August 24 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 25 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

August 25 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

August 26 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

August 27 – Books to the Ceiling – GUEST POST

August 28 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

August 28 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

August 29 – Here’s How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT

August 30 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

August 30 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

August 31 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 1 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT

September 1 – ebook addicts – REVIEW

September 1 – Reading Authors Network – SPOTLIGHT

September 2 – Gimme The Scoop Reviews – RECIPE

September 2 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this short cozy mystery!

Act of Deception: A Medical Thriller (A Doc Brady Mystery Book 2) by John Bishop MD – a #BookReview – #Medical Fiction

Medical malpractice lawsuits–Big, Big Bucks

Book Blurb:

Is it medical malpractice, or is the attorney just another ambulance chaser?

It’s 1995, and Houston orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jim Bob Brady has been sued for medical malpractice; a mysterious infection caused a knee replacement to end up as an amputation. Donovan Shaw, a ruthless plaintiff’s attorney, has taken the case and doesn’t seem bothered by the fact that he and Brady share a number of friends. “It’s not personal!” Shaw says. But it feels personal—especially when Shaw threatens, “I will do anything, and I mean anything, to win the case, even if I have to destroy you and that pretty wife of yours. I will stop at nothing. You remember that!”

And Brady isn’t the only one in his practice being sued. How is Shaw getting his inside information? Can the patients afford to say no to filing lawsuits, even if the claims aren’t valid? Through a series of twists and turns, and with the support of his wife Mary Louise and their professional investigator son J. J, Brady once again doggedly goes into “sleuth mode” to get to the truth of the matter—even after his life is put in jeopardy. Will he survive, only to find himself at the mercy of the wild and wooly Houston court system? Is this whole mess his fault? Or is there an act of deception involved?

My Review:

Dr James Robert Brady, Jim Bob to you Southerners, is a valued orthopedic Houston surgeon with a reputation for excellent work when he discovers himself being sued by one of his patients. William (Billy) Jones had his right leg amputated above the knee after a deadly infection sets in five months following Dr Brady’s original knee replacement. He’d previously had infections that Dr Brady treated with apparent success and is shocked to see him back with further complications.

The storyline examines the murky world of malpractice lawsuits, the difference between barratry and solicitation, ambulance chasers sometimes involved, and the insurance company’s role in the escalating problems of insurance coverage and medical-legal support.

Feeling with absolute certainty that he did everything according to the book and as his colleagues concurred at the time, he now seems to be faced with the uphill battle of proving his lack of culpability in the tragic resulting surgery to Mr. Jones. Not that he’s being hung out to dry all by his lonesome, but everyone soon begins to advocate his settling. Just make it go away.

Nope!

Won’t do it.

Something is off.

Brady’s reputation has taken years to build. This would destroy him. Moreover, with the hospital facing increasing expenses and several other doctors facing lawsuits, their group and his affiliated hospital are facing a crisis. They go to trial.

Plaintiff’s lawyer is a sleaze, the kind of attorney who gives the profession a bad rap. But he’s good. He’s very, very good. Moreover, his investigator is a despot. He is bad news; very, very bad. Dr. Brady collaborates with his sleuthing son, engages any help he can find, and desperately searches for the missing connection.

The author introduces a number of well-fleshed support characters, both protagonists and antagonists. Jim Bob is well-developed, also a musician of some note, given dimensions in his personal as well as professional life. An unexpected twist occurs which momentarily knocks the plot off the rails, but much occurs off-stage and quickly brings you back up to speed. It is a well-paced and plotted story into the reveal, which hands the reader one last little twist.

There are sufficient medical explanations and terminology to convince the reader of the expertise of the author and between that and the insight into the world of medical insurance and malpractice lawsuits, quite the eye-opener. I liked the way the courtroom scenes unfolded (loved the judge!) and the doctor’s theory advanced into the satisfying conclusion.

I received this digital download from the publisher and NetGalley in the expectation of an honest review and appreciated the opportunity to read Book 2 of the series. I’ll be interested to see what develops in Book 3. Recommended.

Book Details:

Genre: Medical Fiction, Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Mantid Press

ISBN-10:1734251123
ISBN-13:978-1734251128
ASIN: B087HHY69X

Print Length: 276 pages
Publication Date: June 10, 2020
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(s): Act of Deception (on Pre-Order Now at)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rosepoint Publishing: Four of Five Stars

The Author: [John Bishop MD] Lost for over 20 years, Act of Murder is the first rediscovered novel in a new medical thriller series set in the changing environment of medicine in the mid-1990s. Bishop’s sense of humor and surprising wit create a story of medical miscreants capable of murder, mayhem, and greed. His 30 years as a practicing orthopedic surgeon give the reader a unique glimpse into the medical world with all its problems, intricacies and complexities, while at the same time revealing the compassion and dedication of most health care professionals.

Killing Time by Suzanne Trauth #BlogTour #Excerpt #BookReview #Giveaway

I am so delighted today to provide a review for you at my blog stop for Killing Time by Suzanne Trauth on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. Scroll down to enter your chance to win the Giveaway!

Killing Time by Suzanne Trauth

Book Details

Killing Time (A Dodie O’Dell Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Publisher: Lyrical Press (June 2, 2020)
Number of Pages: 215
Digital ASIN: B07W8ZX8JV

Book Blurb

With Halloween just around the corner, Dodie O’Dell is making preparations to transform the Windjammer Restaurant on the Jersey Shore into a haunted house, while the Etonville Little Theatre is staging Dracula. But casting the titular Transylvanian is proving challenging. The amateur actors in the company are not shy about chewing the scenery, but who among them can convincingly sink their fangs into a victim’s neck? When a mysterious newcomer with a transfixing Eastern European accent lands the part, rumors that he might be an actual vampire start to take flight—not unlike the bat who’s recently been spotted in the town park.

But everyone’s blood really runs cold when a stranger is found in the cemetery with a real stake in his heart. Dodie decides to put her Halloween theme menu on the back burner and stick her neck out to bring the killer into the light of day. She’d better keep her wits about her, though—or Dodie may be the next one to go down for the Count . . .

Excerpt

“It sure looks haunted,” Edna murmured to no one in particular, to the cast of Dracula in general. They were grouped around her on the sidewalk that ran past the old Hanratty place that Carlos and Bella had rented. I’d never been inside though once I’d driven by it when I first moved to Etonville on my way out of town. The house stood on half an acre of scruffy lawn with patches of dried dirt, surrounded by a few straggly trees—minus leaves at this time of the year—and no neighbors. The nearest houses were on a side street some distance away. The three-story building looked as if it might collapse at any moment, its outer walls covered with weathered, gray shakes, the steps to the front door supported by concrete building blocks. There was no handrail. Light leaked out of windows on the first floor. Curtains covering small, circular panes on the third story—an attic room?—quivered. Was someone up there watching us? I shivered. A turret rose upward from the right side of the structure, giving the house a smidge of outdated dignity. A drain pipe dangled loosely from the gutter.

“Let’s go.” Penny corralled actors and nudged everyone forward to the front door. There were six company members, Renfield saying he’d be along later, plus Penny, Lola, Pauli, and me. Strength in numbers.

We crept across the porch cautiously, aware of the creaking beneath us as the flooring shifted with each individual’s footsteps. Penny put out a hand to knock on the door. Before she could hit knuckles to wood, it flew open. “Welcome everyone!” Bella stood in the doorway, a silhouette backlit by muted foyer lighting.

Behind her Carlos stood silently, observing the group huddled in his entryway, like deer caught in headlights.

Lola took the lead, moving graciously into the house. “Thank you. So nice of you to invite us to your home.”

I’m not sure what the members of the Etonville Little Theatre were expecting. Given the exterior and location of the Hanratty homestead, I anticipated something out of a late-night classic horror film.

My Review

Fall is closing in, Halloween is upon the town of Etonville and the Etonville Little Theatre has decided on running with Dracula. They have a great new actor who is playing Dracula as if he is one–his wife and the cast party at their old, creepy home part of the mystique. Problem is, someone in a Grim Reaper costume is found in the local cemetery with what appears to be a stake through his heart. This definitely carries the whole Halloween production too far.

Dodie O’Dell is manager of the Windjammer Restaurant on the Jersey Shore. Because of the season and the scheduled play, they are very busy in the restaurant promoting a theme menu. She definitely has a capable chef in the kitchen and bar and restaurant staff are more friends than employees. But this one strikes too close for comfort and she’ll have to “look into it.” Not the first time she’s taken on sleuthing duties.

Dodie is also engaged to the local police chief, Bill, and while not having reservations about him, is dragging her feet getting into the whole wedding planning thing with BFF Lola. So distracting herself with the current mystery is not too difficult.

In the meantime, we are introduced to the restaurant regulars, the town’s recurring characters, and some description of the area and contiguous small villages.

It’s a cozy mystery. They do tend to begin a bit slow for me. I’m as bad as the next mystery reader waiting anxiously for something to happen. Dodie has a fine way, however, of handling the restaurant while beginning with questions surrounding the details of the victim’s death then zeroing in on the weirdly perceived Dracula actor.

As Dodie begins sifting through clues and building on instinct, the reader is treated with the eccentricities of some of her closest buddies, Edna the police dispatcher who speaks in code–police code–and Penny who enjoys famous quotes, but always gets them wrong.

“What doesn’t kill you makes you live longer.”

Not character-driven really, as Dodie makes steady progress with her investigation and interviews, but the characters really start growing on you. The description of the restaurant setting is easy to imagine and becomes warm and comfortable with the smells of the kitchen wafting into the dining area.

Dodie’s quandary regarding Bill isn’t really hammered out until the conclusion (but then very satisfactorily), and the climax ramps up the excitement considerably with a real surprise you probably didn’t see coming. (Well, okay, I didn’t.) The sixth in the Dodie O’Dell mystery series, this can function fine as a standalone, and is certainly a series with premise and characters you’ll enjoy.

I received this digital download from the publisher through NetGalley for this book tour and greatly enjoyed the opportunity to read and review. Recommended cozy mystery.

Giveaway

Sign up for your chance to win one of three print copies (US only) in this Rafflecopter giveaway

Four-point Five of Five Stars

About The Author: Suzanne Trauth is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and a former theatre professor at a university. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, the Dramatists Guild, and League of Professional Theatre Women. When she is not writing, Suzanne coaches actors and serves as a celebrant performing wedding ceremonies. She lives in Woodland Park, New Jersey.

Author Links

Webpage: www.suzannetrauth.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneTrauth/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuzanneMTrauth

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6187623.Suzanne_M_Trauth

Purchase Links

Amazon – B&N – Kobo

Thank you for visiting my stop on the tour and please visit the other stops listed below!

Tour Participants:

May 19 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

May 19 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 20 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 20 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

May 21 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

May 22 – Laura’s Interests– CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 22 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

May 22 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 23 – Christy’s Cozy Corners– CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 23 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

May 24 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

May 25 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 25 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

May 26 – Dee-Scoveries – SPOTLIGHT

May 26 – Reading Is My SuperPower – GUEST POST

May 27 – Ascroft, eh? – GUEST POST

May 28 – eBook Addicts – REVIEW

May 29 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

May 30 – Gimme The Scoop Reviews – REVIEW

May 31 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW

May 31 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 1 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this cozy mystery!

Here Comes the Body (A Catering Hall Mystery) by Maria DiRico – a #BookReview – #Cozy