Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.  Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.  ~ Groucho Marx

New series by Kathy Reichs

Kathy Reichs of Bones fame is stepping into the world of young adult (YA) fiction!  Adoring Temperance Brennan and her exploits both on TV and in the bestselling novels, I'm thrilled that Virals is being released on November 2nd.  According to the very brief description, the series will center around Tory Brennan, Temperance's niece, who lives on an island off South Carolina.

I'm seriously tempted to pre-order it for my Kindle.  So many books, so little time...{sigh}

How to Crash a Killer Bash

 Penny Warner's second outing with her new series of party- planning mysteries was a party not to be forgotten anytime soon.  We catch up with Presley Parker at a famous art museum during their murder-mystery charity gala that she's organized.  Things were running fairly smoothly until the gala's host, Mary Lee Miller, is found dead during the event.  Presley's best friend Delicia is soon arrested because of an earlier argument she had with the victim and is the prime suspect.

Now, Presley must depend on her sharp organizing skills and abnormal psychology background to help her railroaded friend from being put on trail for a murder she did not commit. 

The pacing and intricately woven plot were spot on and kept me entertained throughout.  The museum back drop was not only interesting but clearly well researched.  While I did solve the murder quite early on (I blame it on my viewing a recent episode of Bones in assisting me with picking out the murderer), I wasn't 100% sure of my suspect choice almost until the end.

I also enjoyed the secondary plots (Presley's mom & her Alzheimer's), the romantic tension (Brad the crime scene cleaner & his mysteriousness) and humor, all add to this cozy.  I can't wait till the next installment!

New York Public Library Reading Room

To sit alone in the lamplight with a book spread out before you, and hold intimate converse with men of unseen generations - such is a pleasure beyond compare.    ~Kenko Yoshida

A Deadly Deli Mystery

This new cozy mystery series by Delia Rosen unfortunately doesn't completely cut the mustard.  While the premise was fantastic, a mystery set in a Kosher deli in the heart of Nashville, the writing felt disjointed at times.  The tale opens suddenly and proceeds to introduce practically every character seemingly in the first few pages of chapter one, so my head was spinning to keep everyone straight.

Gwen, the cozy's amateur sleuth, has recently inherited her Uncle Murray's troubled deli. Having uprooted herself from NYC after a bad divorce, she finds herself with an unruly staff, while trying to run a deli she knows virtually nothing about. Throw a murdered patron on Kosher Karaoke Night into mix and you've got a real recipe for disaster.

While I enjoyed the interesting characters peppered throughout and the mystery plot, I did sometimes feel there was a great deal of let's get to the point already moments, which slowed down the pacing of the novel.  I eventually warmed up to Gwen and the author's writing style, but not before having to put the book down once.

Since this is Rosen's first outing, I'm willing to give the series another go when One Foot in the Gravy, the next deli mystery, comes out next fall.  I recommend the book for those with an open mind and don't mind a sleuth with chutzpah.

The smallest bookstore still contains more ideas of worth than have been presented in the entire history of television.  ~Andrew Ross

Next up on the review schedule

So many mysteries, so little time!  While perusing my local Barnes & Noble this morning before picking up my morning shot of Earl Grey, I stumbled upon some new releases that caught my eye. I succumbed since they were both new in a series of cozies.

One is a Deadly Deli Mystery entitled, A Brisket, a Casket, by Delia Rosen and the other is a Museum Mystery - Fundraising the Dead, by Shelia Connolly, who also wrote the Orchard Mysteries series.

Should I flip a coin or do eeny meeny miney mo?  Here's hoping that not only do I decide, but I do so before my lunch hour! ;-)
 

Paperback Parade

Title: Dirty Rotten Tendrils
Author: Kate Collins
Published: October 2010
Format: Paperback/Kindle

Collins continues to entertain me with her tenth tale of Abby Knight, flower shop owner and amateur sleuth.  While Abby, also the narrator of the series, waxes poetic about how lovely it is to live in a small town things begin to change courtesy of singer, Cody Verse, who won a reality show contest and calls New Chapel, Indiana his hometown along with Abby.  The town rolls out the red carpet for Cody who is being accused of stealing another local resident's song and turning it into a chart topper.

As always, a body turns up and Abby needs to help her friend and former, employer, lawyer Dave Hammond clear his name and weed through the growing list of suspects to find the real murderer.

While the murder investigation takes centerstage, plenty of secondary stories abound -- including an enagement ring mix-up, a social commentary on stardom and reality shows with family concerns thrown in to keep everyone on their toes.  The mystery was deftly written and I was kept in suspense to almost the end trying to solve the puzzle along with Abby.  New Chapel's charming residents and Abby's boyfriend, Marco keep this series entertaining and fun.  I highly recommend it.

To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life. 
~W. Somerset Maugham

Found - Great Blog re Mysteries!

I was browsing Blogger in search of other like-minded bloggers and stumbled upon a real gem called Killer Characters.  It's a fabulous resource on cozy mysteries brought to you by some of your favorite cozy authors.  What could be better?  I highly recommend you check out the blog filled with new releases, cozy insights from the authors and information on their book tours, contests and the like.

Up next on my review list is Dirty Rotten Tendrils by Kate Collins, which was just released on October 5th.

With Halloween on the Horizon...

...I thought it would be cool to pass along some appropriate reads in case the gloomy NYC Monday isn't creepy enough!

Novel Appraisal's Halloween reading list:

Audrey's Door by Sarah Langan - it's a Bram Stoker Award winner horror/suspense tale about a young Manhattanite who finds a beautiful apartment cheap.  If it looks to good to be true, it probably is, as this thriller illustrates.

Wicked Witch Murder by Leslie Meier is the 16th installment of the Lucy Stone cozy mystery series.  Lucy is not only dealing with a drought, her children and the harvest festival, but now with the murder of a a local businessman, her witchy ways are being blamed for every problem in the town.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shelia Jackson (of "The Lottery" fame) is an oldie, but a goodie.  It's quite a disturbing haunted house tale with a psychological/paranormal twist.

Books are lighthouses erected in the great sea of time. 

~E.P. Whipple