{I've Been Reading} Purple Blame Game

 Joanna Campbell Slan (who, full disclosure, is a friend of mine) has a new book out in the Kiki Lowenstein series! I stumbled across her books when I found the third one available for Kindle Unlimited, immediately headed to the library to catch up on the first two, and have read every single one that came out soon. And absolutely oodles of the short stories because I love spending time in the world of characters she's created. 

Purple Blame Game, the latest, has Kiki and her friends at Time in a Bottle scramblikng to crochet a hundred bunnies for hospitalized children. The book opens with the discovery of a murder victim in the alley behind the store, then the plot doubles back to the conflict filled days before the event, a tactic I think works really well in cozy mysteries. We're not spending the whole book waiting for the shoe to drop, and we still get all of the important information when we need to get it. There's a lot more I'd like to praise, but I'm avoiding spoilers here. There's lots of crafting, a situation that gets misinterpreted and causes problems, friction between the charcters. And Myrt is back -- which I love because I missed her when the was gone from the series!  

And then there at the books by people I don't know that publishers sent me to review....

A Cultivated Corpse by Debra Sennefelder

I've manged to miss one or two of the Food Blogger mystery series over the years, but I've enjoyed every one that I've read. This time around, members of the local garderning club are clashing over how to restore the grounds of a historic house. The conflict quickly escalates to murder and Hope and her friends are drawn into the investigation. The mystery is compled and satisfying. I enjoyed this one, but it felt like a couple of characters were absent. One of the biggest draws for me has always been Hope's bustling day to day life. 

{I've Been Reading} It Came From Neverland

 Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney 

The second book in the Ravensea Castle series of cozy mysteries gives readers a more detailed look at the dungeons and sacred spring. Ghost hunters and treasure hunters have both descended on the castle, just as the family is preparing for Viking Fest, an event which will bring even more strangers to the property. I'm absolutely loving this series. Ghosts wander the dark old halls, the characters feel like people you'd actually want to visit, and the setting fascinates me. I look forward to the next book. 

It Came from Neverland by Cynthia Pelayo

Wendy Darling teaches at a home for orphaned children and volunteers in a hospital, telling stories to terribly injured soldiers. For twelve years, she's tried to forget what happened to her and her brothers when they disappeared and were later found in Kensington Garden. Now the children at the home are behaving oddly. Shadows stretch and loom and there's something wrong with the birds. One of the soliders whispers the last name she wants to hear and, even before a child goes missing, she can no longer ignore the signs that he's back. This book is wonderfully dark and creepy. The backdrop of the great war and the glimpses of Wendy's time with Peter and the Lost Boys paint a haunting picture of stolen youth. I got caught up in the story and couldn't put it down until I was done. 

Marion by Leah Rowan 

The cover copy had me expecting a 1960s setting with Marion Crane and Norman Bates -- and that's exactly why I picked it out to read. As soon as I realized that it's set in the present day, I was disappointed. But I got over that quickly. Some of the plot follows the basic structure of the movie and, now and then, there's a screaming moment that could've been lifted straight from the original Psycho. This author really knows how to create suspense on the printed page. If you're not dead set on something that includes the original setting and characters, I think you'll enjoy this one. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies. 

{I've Been Reading} The Clock House Murders

The Clock House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

After reading a ton of cozy mysteries over the past few years, I've stumbled across honkatu fiction, Japanese mystery novels that stick to the traditional rules of "fair play" from the Golden Age of detective fiction. Every clue that the reader would need to solve the mystery is included. I lack the patience or attention to detail that would let me figure out the solutions, but I enjoy the journey, especially when I'm on the right track and come close to the answers. 

In this traditional locked room mystery, a magazine writer, a popular spirit medium, and a group of university students travel to the Kamakura Clock Mansion to hold a seance and investigate the reported hauntings. The odd layout of the structure means that they'll be locked in for several days, surrounded by a hundred and eight ticking clocks. When the killing starts, there's no escape.  

It took me a few chapters to adapt to the author's writing style and the slow pace as the story unfolds, but once I got caught up in the unfamiliar rhythm of it all, I couldn't put it down. In addition to the murder mystery, there's a supernatural mystery element with the seance and fascinating information about the history of timekeeping. The author includes multiple diagrams of the house's odd layout (something I definitely needed to make sense of things) and of the timelines that the characters develop as they're trying to identify the killer. As soon as I get my TBR list under control, I want to find the author's other books. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} Hot Wings and Homicide

 Hot Wings and Homicide by Carmela Dutra 

This book plunges the reader straight into the chaos and fun of a food festival -- then quickly puts a damper on things with Beth's discovery of her ex's body behind an out of the way building. I missed out on the first book in this series, but that didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying it. Beth is up to her ears in a murder investigation while also manning her own food truck (I'm still not entirely sure how she juggled the whole thing) and her twin and her best friend are wandering the festival grounds dressed as a cow and a chicken. Oh, and there's also a real chicken that's absolutely ADORABLE. 

Masher of Ceremonies by Victoria Hamilton

I started the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries when the first book came out, then missed a few titles somewhere in the middle. Now the series is up to book thirteen and I've probably read half of them. Jaymie is one of those characters who is active in her community and always surrounded by friends, which occasionally means being dragged into situations she'd rather avoid -- like confronting a blackmailer while she's already overwhelmed by preparations for the annual Tea With the Queen. The dead body doesn't turn up until well into the plot, but by that point tensions are already simmering. I particularly like that this one gave such a detailed look at the tea, whcih has featured in earlier titles. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies.