A Poisonous Page – Kitt Crowe

"Death is good for business." Welcome back to Confection, Oregon, with this second instalment in the Sweet Fiction bookshop cosy mysteries. The town might be full of sweet names, but there's also a killer on the loose! I really enjoyed Digging Up Trouble, where we first met Lexi, manager of her parent's bookshop, just as she …

A Fatal Booking – Victoria Gilbert

"The only thing constant in life is change." Welcome back to Chapters, the book-themed B&B run by Charlotte, who inherited from the great aunt who may or may not have been an international spy! This time, Charlotte is hosting a book club retreat. The organisers are a little more hands-on and exacting than she usually …

Buried in a Good Book – Tamara Berry

"'There are at least three dead bodies in there.'" Tess Harrow is a successful thriller writer. This means that her first glimpse of her grandfather's old cabin is met with thoughts about where the dead bodies might be hidden - her mind just works like that, much to the dismay of her teenage daughter, Gertrude. …

Killer Words – VM Burns

"'Bow chicka wow wow!'" We first met Sam Washington in The Plot is Murder, and we're now onto book 7 in the cosy mystery series. Sam was widowed young but decided to make her and her late husband's dream come true, by opening a mystery book store. Through the series she and her friends and family, …

Renewed for Murder – Victoria Gilbert

"One thing I loved about being married to someone who jumped out of bed wide awake was that he often made me coffee before I even stumbled downstairs." (We're on book six of the series, so if you don't want spoilers for the continuing background story look away now. Definitely no spoilers on the mystery, …

A Three Book Problem – Vicki Delany

"'You're sure we didn't go through a warp in the space-time continuum and end up in Jolly Old England?'" Gemma Doyle - not related to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - co-owns and runs a Sherlock Holmes-themed bookstore in Cape Cod. However, in this book Gemma, best friend Jane, and most of the action, takes place …

A Curious Incident – Vicki Delany

"'I am not a consulting detective.'" It's tough, in a mystery series, to come up with new reasons for the non-cop protagonist to get involved in a crime. This time, however, Gemma Doyle - no relation (probably) to Sherlock's author - is asked, and indeed paid (a whole $10 ;)) to investigate. Of course, the …

Death on the Shelf – Allison Brook

"'I can't believe it! This simply cannot be happening!'" We first met librarian Carrie Singleton in Death Overdue, where she met the library's ghost, got tangled up in a murder, and then solves it - with a little help. Life is going pretty well for Carrie, which is a nice place to start a cosy mystery. …

Digging Up Trouble – Kitt Crowe

"'You're a blasted idiot, is what you are,' the old man growled in a voice too loud for the middle of the popular downtown diner." I've got a real liking for a 'palate cleanse' of a cosy mystery in between more serious reads, and finding a new series to try is always exciting. I've got …

The Glitter End – Vivian Conroy

"'Watch out for the top of the door!'" We first met Delta Douglas back in Last Pen Standing, when she moved to a sleepy former Gold Rush town to open a craft supplies shop with her best friend. We rejoin them, two murders later (!), as the tourist town of Tundish hits the slow autumn/winter season. …