Halloween Cupcake Murder

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Kensington Book Publishers is one of my favorite publishers.  It’s a family owned business, working on its third generation, and they publish a wide variety of books—including cozy mysteries.  For the last several years, they have been publishing holiday themed books with three novellas by three different authors.  I’ve found it’s a very good way to sample authors I don’t know and to be delighted by a new story from authors I do know. All the stories are standalones; no previous knowledge of a series is needed.

Halloween Cupcake Murder features Carlene O’Connor, Liz Ireland, and Carol J. Perry.  Since I love Perry’s Witch City Mysteries, picking this one up was a no-brainer. Her entry in the collection is “A Triple Layer Halloween Murder” and has Salem TV station manager and scryer Lee Barrett on the trail of a baker who disappears just before Halloween.  Aided by her beau, police detective Pete Mondello and her amazingly gifted cat O’Ryan, Lee tries to figure out just what has happened to the missing man.  The story was, as usual, well constructed, but the real appeal for me is the cast.  I like Lee a lot, in part because she actually does her job unlike some cozy heroines who can just take off at the drop of a hat; and I enjoy the peek behind the scenes at a tv station.  I also really like her aunt, Ibby, who is a reference librarian and I absolutely adore O’Ryan.  This story alone made the book worth buying for me.

I had been curious about Liz Ireland after reading reviews from Lesa Holstine’s blog, lesasbookcritiques.com.  Lesa is a retired librarian whose opinions I respect and when she said Liz Ireland’s Mrs. Claus books were a lot of fun, I took notice.  Yes, the heroine is that Mrs. Claus, married to the one and only Nicholas Claus and they live in Santaland. April was actually an innkeeper in Oregon before being swept off her feet by a man in a red suit, and now she has to adjust to elves, talking reindeer, and sentient snowmen.  I thought it sounded a bit daft, to be honest, but Lesa’s review made me want to take a look.  Having a novella seemed just the ticket.  After all, if I didn’t like it, there wasn’t too much to wade through.

Well, I found “Mrs. Claus and the Candy Corn Caper” was as delightful as promised.  In this adventure, Santaland is experiencing its first Halloween thanks to April. While the elves are trying to get the hang of candy corn, build a haunted ice castle, and put on a baking competition, elf Wink Jollyflake is found murdered in his employer’s bakery. It’s all a puzzle, including the murder weapon, but April Claus will figure it out!  And I am definitely reading more in this series.

“The Halloween Cupcake Murder” by Carlene O’Connor uses her Home to Ireland series as her basis.  Ex-New Yorker Tara Meehan has moved to Ireland and is opening an architectural salvage shop. Uncle Johnny sends her to Val Sharkey’s curiosity shop to pick up some Halloween decorations.  She finds some interesting items, but later Val turns up dead, his face smeared with a possibly poisoned cupcake.  Then someone turns up with a cupcake for Tara…. 

For me, this last one was the weakest story, even though I had read and liked the first book in the series.  The ending seemed rushed. I also suspect it suffered a bit by comparison, because I liked the other two so much.

There are other collections, including The Irish Milkshake Murder and The Christmas Cocoa Murders. Authors in the collections vary.

Nevermore: Wounds, We'll Prescribe You Another Cat, My Friends

 

Nevermore 9-23-25 

Reported by Rita

 

Wounds: A Novel by Sara Blaedel

When a body is discovered in an abandoned building, Denmark police investigators Liam Stark and Dea Torp are called to the scene to investigate. They learn that the victim has several shallow wounds all over his body that were inflicted over the span of several weeks.

With a pile of open cases, including two missing teenage girls, Liam and Dea are staggering under the weight of their already heavy case load. Tension in town heats up when two more bodies are discovered with the same shallow wounds as the first victim, and their suspect list has dried up. Liam and Dea come to the alarming conclusion that they have another serial killer on their hands. And it’s only a matter of time before they strike again.

As the investigation continues, Liam and Dea worry that the missing teens might be connected to the murders. As the clock ticks down, they have to uncover who is killing these victims and if they can bring the girls home before they’re next under the killer’s knife.

I found it convoluted with lots of repetition. I prefer Jo Nesbo.      - NH       3 stars

 

We'll Prescribe You Another Cat (We'll Prescribe You a Cat, #2) by Syou Ishida

It’s time to revisit the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul.

Though it’s a mysteriously located clinic with an uncertain address, it can always be found by those who need it. And the clinic has proven time after time that a prescribed cat has the power to heal the emotional wounds of its patients. This charming sequel introduces a new lovable cast of healing cats, from Kotetsu, a four-month-old Bengal who unleashes his boundless energy by demolishing bed linens and curtains, to tenacious and curious Shasha, who doesn’t let her small size stop her from anything, and the most lovable yet lazy cat Ms. Michiko, who is as soft and comforting as mochi.

This is so well-written. It was sweet and fun. I really enjoyed it.    -MS      4 stars

 

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.

This is the best book I've read all year! It's a fantastic story, absolutely incredible.       -MH     5 stars

 

 

Other Books Mentioned:

 

Bud Finds Her Gift by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Gutter Medicine: Twenty-six Years as a Firefighter Paramedic by Roger Huder

Yes, My Darling Daughter by Margaret Leroy

The Harvey Girls by Juliette Fay

10% Happier by Dan Harris

Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization by Bill McKibben

The Girl with Ice in Her Veins by Karin Smirnoff

 

New Books:

 

The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn Skye

The Girl in the Green Dress by Mariah Fredericks

The Peculiar Gift of July by Ashley Ream

No Ordinary Bird: Drug Smuggling, a Plane Crash, and a Daughter's Quest for the Truth by Artis Henderson

All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert

Creepy Cat by Cotton Valent

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

I love cats and I like creepy (not horror) so this title was a natural for me. A young woman named Flora moves into an old mansion with a supernatural vibe.  She soon discovers it’s occupied by big white marshmallow of a cat who can shapeshift and who likes to play tricks.  That’s pretty much the setup.  There’s no real storyline to it, though other characters are introduced, such as Oscar, a former schoolmate who has a crush on Flora.  His attempts to flirt with her are constantly undermined by Creepy cat.

Each page is sort of a vignette, a joke with a visual punchline usually provided by Creepy Cat. I’ll admit there are some I don’t get.  This is a manga style graphic novel, and while I have read a few manga I’m not a regular consumer.  I tend to get a little confused: I understand about reading back to front but the dialog always throws me—I read the last part of a sentence first.  I’m also a bit hampered because I’ve found volume 2 of the series but not volume 1 so I’m a little hazy on the backstory. (There are four volumes total.)  I do understand that Flora needs to keep Creepy Cat a secret, or else an organization dedicated to investigating Mysterious Animal Sightings might take him away.

What I’m not hazy on is how much I love this little book.  For me, the art is a cross between Charles Addams and Tim Burton: Flora reminds me of Wednesday.  All the human-ish characters tend to be thin and pale while Creepy Cat and friends are pudgy round creatures with never-changing smiles.  I am besotted.  Those faces!  That maddeningly adorable way they cheerfully cause chaos! They enlarge and fly and split into numerous little cats and do all sorts of strange and enchanting things. I may not understand all that’s going on but I do know one thing:

 I want my own copies of these books. 

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Kathy Valance’s father told her she had the Sadim touch.  That’s Midas spelled backwards.  He meant that everything she touched went bad and some days Kathy believes he might be right. She had thought things were looking up.  She’d finally found a job she loved and one she was good at—or had been good at until tonight.  As an employee for Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences (S.C.Y.T.H.E.), her job is to collect souls of the newly deceased and send them on their way before they turn into ghosts.  The problem is that while she has a body lying on a kitchen floor, the essence of that body is nowhere to be found. 

This is a problem. A big problem.

When she finally tracks him down in a meadow, she finds an angry teenager named Connor who refuses to leave.  He also insists he was murdered.

Murder victims are not Kathy’s department.  She’s Natural Causes.  And if she can’t get Connor to move on, she’ll lose her job, the one thing she feels good about in her life. So she has to find out if Connor was murdered and by who, and she has to do it before he turns into a ghost and is stuck here permanently.

Oh, and Kathy was in the process of divorcing Simon, the husband she really loved because she can’t talk about her job AND because she’s afraid of losing him. As the comedian says, “It makes sense if you don’t think about it.”

She’s also pregnant by Simon.  Her life can’t possibly get more messed up.

Oh, yes it can.

I found this to be one funny and delightful romp.  It as if Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan took a job as a soul collector.  Kathy’s observations are a delight—a teen’s wispy mustache is “the male equivalent of a training bra”—and I loved all the characters I was supposed to love.  Kathy is a funny, compassionate, and open-hearted.  Simon is no GQ model but he adores Kathy and is willing to do anything for her.  Kathy’s friend Jo is funny, sarcastic, and resourceful.  And Connor—Connor is a surly teen, angry at being dead, but underneath it all he’s a sweet kid and a literal lost soul.

There is a second book coming out in a few months, and I’ll be looking forward to it.

Nevermore Book List for 9-16-25

 

 

Books Mentioned:

 

The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy

Amelia Storm Series by Mary Stone

Fighting Angel by Pearl S. Buck

Clear Springs by Bobbie Ann Mason

Journey from Darkness by Gareth Crocker, Llewellyn Crocker

The Fourth Horseman by Randy Lee Eickhoff

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

Chemistry and Other Stories by Ron Rash

Ye Olde Cat Memes: The Original Book of Cat Humor by Eulalie Osgood Grover

Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne by Chris Sweeney

The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan

Now You See It by Carol J. Perry

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Newlywed Lee Barrett is taking on yet another new job at WICH-TV, Salem’s aptly-lettered local TV station. This time she is “Historical Documentary Chief Executive,” working on features that deal with the town’s storied past. Of course, this is in addition to all her other jobs at the station, but at least she’s getting a chance to be in front of the camera again. A new museum dedicated to New England history will be opening soon, so Lee is covering the final renovations and installations for their first exhibit, “Seafaring New England.” There will be some dazzling exhibits, including some very rare and near priceless items: Chinese porcelain, jewels from India, and more.

Lee’s new husband, Detective Pete Mondello, is also taking an interest in the exhibit but not for the same reasons: a delivery man who was bringing in items for the exhibition is found murdered in a pile of leaves.  Oddly, nothing seems to have been taken. But then Lee’s psychic senses begin to show her images and she soon finds herself reporting on more than ships and cargo.

This is lucky number thirteen in the Witch City Mystery series, though you don’t necessarily have to read them in order. For me, part of the pleasure in these books is touching base with all the characters, who feel like old friends by now.  I adore O’Ryan, Lee’s cat who may be more than he seems; her Aunt Ibby, reference librarian and amateur sleuth who helps Lee with her research; and River North, who is a practicing witch and TV movie host who reads Tarot for Lee. You may notice that I left Pete out of the list, not because I dislike him but to be honest, I find him a rather bland character in the middle of so many interesting ones.

One thing I have always loved about this series is that I learn from it.  There’s always a look behind the scenes at a TV station, but usually there’s something else connected with the mystery.  This time there’s some fascinating background about the shipping trade viewed in part through family history of some of the characters.  The descriptions are always vivid: I could almost see some of the exhibits.  The solutions are clever and never come out of left field.

This is one of my favorite cozy series, and long may it sail!

New Fiction in October

 

Adams, Ellery  The Tattered Cover (Secret, Book, and Scone)

Albom, Mitch Twice

Andrews, Donna  Five Golden Wings (Meg Lanslow)

Armstrong, Kelley  The Haunting of Payne’s Hollow

Banville, John  Venetian Vespers

Beaton, M. C. Sugar and Spite (Agatha Raisin)

Brett, Simon Mrs. Pargeter’s Past

Briggs, Patricia  Blind Date with a Werewolf

Brunstetter, Richelle  The Amish Ballerina

Carr, Jack Cry Havoc (Tom Reece)

Child, Lee  Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories

Coben, Harlan & Reese Witherspoon  Gone Before Goodbye

Colgan, Jenny  The Secret Christmas Library

Connelly, Michael  The Proving Ground (Lincoln Lawyer)

Cornwell, Patricia  Sharp Force (Scarpetta)

DeMille, Nelson The Tin Men (Scott Brodie & Maggie Taylor)

Freeman, Brian  Photograph

Gish, Jen Bad Bad Girl

Graham, Heather The Sword of Light

Gregory, Philippa The Boleyn Traitor

Grisham, John  The Widow

Hannah, Sophie  The Last Death of the Year (Hercule Poirot)

Hannon, Irene  Out of Time

Hazelwood, Ali  Mate

Hill, Joe  King Sorrow

Hunter, Stephen  The Gun Man Jackson Swagger:  A Western

Karon, Jan  My Beloved (Mitford)

Kashiwai, Hisasi  Menu of Happiness (Kamogawa Food Detectives)

Kellerman, Jonathan & Jesse Coyote Hills (Clay Edison)

Klavan, Andrew  After That, the Dark (Cameron Winter)

Lee, Harper  The Land of Sweet Forever: Stories and Essays

Macomber, Debbie A Ferry Merry Christmas

Mackesy, Charlie  Always Remember: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse, and the Storm

McFadden, Freida The Intruder

Mizushima, Margaret  Dying Cry (Timber Creek K-9)

Newman, Catherine  Wreck

Patterson, James  The Picasso Heist

Penny, Louise  The Black Wolf

Peterson, Tracie  A Moment to Love

Reich, Christopher  The Tourists

Rose, Jeneva  Dating After the End of the World

Sparks, Nicholas  Remain: A Supernatural Love Story

Stevens, Chevy The Hitchhikers