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