Murder Most Maine by Karen MacInerney

Murder Most Maine by Karen MacInerney is the third book in the “Gray Whale Inn” cozy mystery series.  Publisher: Midnight Ink, November 2008

The long-awaited third book in Midnight Ink’s bestselling series is finally here!

It’s springtime on Cranberry Island — and love is in the air. It seems like every woman has the hots for buff trainer Dirk De Leon. He and his equally-gorgeous business partner, Vanessa Black, are leading a weight-loss retreat at the Gray Whale Inn — forcing innkeeper Natalie Barnes to lighten up her butter-laden breakfast menu.

The mood on the island darkens when two grisly discoveries are made. The first is a skeleton walled up at the island’s lighthouse. The second is a corpse of the fresh variety — the handsome Dirk! Could the spirit that once embodied the skeletal remains — perhaps the lighthouse keeper who disappeared a century ago — be responsible for Dirk’s death?

The police pin the blame on Natalie’s boyfriend who — to her dismay — had a long-ago fling with Vanessa. To find the true killer and ease her own aching heart, Natalie must untangle the knot of jealous girlfriends and spurned admirers that once surrounded the hunky trainer.

Innkeeper Natalie Barnes is hosting a weight-loss retreat at her inn when on the first night the fitness trainer is found dead outside her property.  The cause of death is poison and there are plenty of suspects, namely Natalie’s boyfriend, John; the local lobster fisherman Tom; Vanessa who had previous relationships with the fitness trainer as well as the two men; and the assorted guests who’s attending the retreat.  There was a 150-year old skeleton mystery that was found in an old lighthouse that also made this story interesting.  I enjoyed this story where you got to see and feel the atmosphere of living on a coastal island in Maine. 

*new-to-me author

Mama Does Time by Deborah Sharp

Mama Does Time by Deborah Sharp is the first book in the new “Mace Bauer” mystery series.  Publisher: Midnight Ink, October 2008

Meet Mama: a true Southern woman with impeccable manners, sherbet-colored pantsuits, and four prior husbands, able to serve sweet tea and sidestep alligator attacks with equal aplomb. Mama’s antics — especially her penchant for finding trouble — drive her daughters Mace, Maddie, and Marty to distraction.

One night, while settling in to look for ex-beaus on COPS, Mace gets a frantic call from her mother. This time, the trouble is real: Mama found a body in the trunk of her turquoise convertible and the police think she’s the killer. It doesn’t help that the handsome detective assigned to the case seems determined to prove Mama’s guilt or that the cowboy who broke Mace’s heart shows up at the local Booze ‘n’ Breeze in the midst of the investigation. Before their mama lands in prison — just like an embarrassing lyric from a country-western song — Mace and her sisters must find the real culprit.

Mason Bauer, who works at a nature park, gets a call from her mama telling her she is jail because a body was found in her car trunk.  Mace being the middle daughter calls her two sisters and one by one they arrive at the jail house where they immediately butt heads with the new detective who insists upon keeping their mother in jail.  Because Mace is determined to find the killer who jeopardized her family, she is run off the road; someone threatens her mother’s prized pet and strange things are happening.  With the assistance of her sisters and lawyer cousin, Mace helps the police find the killer.  I really enjoyed this mystery with its funny cast of characters and Southern charm.

*new-to-me author

Now You Die by Roxanne St. Claire

Now You Die by Roxanne St. Claire is the sixth book (+ 2 novellas) in the “Bullet Catchers” romantic suspense series.  Publisher: Pocket Star, August 2008

Former Bullet Catcher and lone wolf investigator Jack Culver is on a mission. Thirty years ago, an innocent woman was convicted of murder. Jack believes he’s found the real killer — but to take down one of the highest legal authorities in the land, he needs access. Serious access. Unfortunately, the one person he knows with that kind of power is his ex-boss and ex-lover, the woman who still haunts his dreams.

Bullet Catchers owner Lucy Sharpe realizes she’s being used for her connections, and she intends to use Jack Culver right back. She’s determined to see justice served, even if that means partnering with the man who once found his way past her iron shields. This time, she’ll be strong enough to avoid Jack’s persuasive touch.

But when passion flares, and they become the killer’s target, Lucy and Jack don’t just break some rules — they shatter them. And that means risking everything: their jobs, their hearts…and their lives.

Jack Culver, former Bullet Catcher is on a mission to right a wrong and needs the assistance of Lucy Sharpe, owner of the Bullet Catchers to help him.  Eileen Stafford missed 30 years of her life in jail for a crime she didn’t commit. Her girl triplets were taken from her and Jack feels the need to give her freedom and bring her family back to her.  Jack has never stopped loving Lucy and while pursuing this case, their relationship becomes stronger.  I really enjoyed this book and plan to read the other titles in this series.

The Hiding Place by Karen Harper

The Hiding Place by Karen Harper. Publisher: Mira (Harlequin), November 2008

After spending nine months in a coma, Tara Kinsale awakes to devastating news. Her best friend, Alexis, has been murdered, leaving Tara as guardian to her daughter, Claire. And Tara’s husband has divorced her for another woman.

Forced to start over, Tara focuses on reopening her P.I. firm and caring for Claire. But soon her world is shattered again when Nick MacMahon, Claire’s uncle, returns from military service in Afghanistan to take guardianship of his niece. The bad dream turns unbearable when Tara learns that something precious was taken from her while she was in a coma.

Working with Nick, a man haunted by his own past, Tara begins to investigate the missing months of her life. Together, they will find that secrets don’t stay buried forever…even when they are kept in the darkest of hiding places.

Tara Kinsale is coming back to terms with her life after being in a coma for almost a year.  Her best friend was murdered; she’s raising her daughter, Claire, and she discovered that her husband had divorced her while in the coma and remarried.  Tara learns a terrible secret and when Nick MacMahon, Claire’s uncle, comes back from serving his country to take over raising Claire, they both go on the search to learn the truth about Tara’s missing years.  I enjoyed this story.

A Fatal Slip by Melissa Glazer

A Fatal Slip by Melissa Glazer is the third book in the “Clay and Crime” cozy mystery series.  Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin), November 2008

When a building inspector is found drowned in a bucket of liquid clay slip, potter Carolyn Emerson’s husband Bill is the prime suspect. It’s up to Carolyn to clear his name and not let the real killer give her the slip.

Carolyn Emerson, owner of Fire at Will, a paint-your-own pottery shop, has the opportunity to purchase the building that houses her shop.  Her husband Bill has a loud altercation with the city building inspector who later is found dead behind Carolyn’s shop.  Because Bill is the sole suspect, Carolyn and her friends sift through the clues to bring the real murdered to justice. I like this cozy mystery because I can relate to Carolyn, who is in my age bracket, who will do anything to help her loved ones when they are falsely accused.

*new-to-me author

Blood Sins by Kay Hooper

Blood Sins by Kay Hooper is the second book in the “Blood Trilogy” and the eleventh book in the “Bishop/Special Crimes Unit” thriller series.  Publisher: Bantam, December 2008

Some sins can’t be forgiven…
because some sins no one survives.

New York Times bestselling author Kay Hooper has touched our darkest fears but none so dark as in her latest thriller. Here’s a psychopath who lures his victims with a promise no one can resist…and demands a price no one would knowingly pay.

Young, vulnerable, attractive, Tessa Gray made the perfect victim. Which was why Noah Bishop of the FBI’s Special Crimes Unit recruited her to play the role of grieving widow. As the supposed new owner of property coveted by the Church of the Everlasting Sin, she’d be irresistible bait for the reclusive and charismatic Reverend Samuel. His fortified compound in the mountains near Grace, North Carolina, had been the last known residence of two women murdered in ways that defied scientific explanation.

Though hardly as naive or as vulnerable as she appears, Tessa knows she has a lot to learn about using her unique gift. She also knows that Bishop and the SCU have to be desperate to rely on an untried psychic agent in an undercover operation so dangerous. And desperate they are. For the killer they’re hunting is the most terrifying they’ve ever faced and shakes even the most seasoned agents: a soulless megalomaniacal cult leader who can use their own weapons, talents, and tactics against them.

By entering the cult’s well-guarded compound, Tessa will be exposing herself to the dark magnetism of a psychopath on an apocalyptic crusade of terror that spares no one, not even the youngest victims. And Samuel has protected himself within a fanatically loyal congregation, many of whom occupy surprising positions of power within the community. Even Grace’s chief of police, Sawyer Cavenaugh—a man Tessa will have to trust with her life—may be unable to protect her. Because no one, not even Tessa herself, can guarantee she’s strong enough to resist—or powerful enough to battle—a killer who’s less than human.

Tessa Gray unique psychic abilities are used in this caper to root out a dangerous man who is draining the energies from unsuspecting people.  After witnessing this occurrence, Ruby, a young lady fears she is next once the man recognizes her own emerging psychic abilities.  With the assistance of the SCU and Haven team, he is stopped.  Expect some surprising twists in this page-turning thriller that I couldn’t put down.

Dark Summer by Iris Johansen

Dark Summer by Iris Johansen.  Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, October 2008

It begins with a single shot.

Devon Brady is a devoted veterinarian working in a makeshift hospital on a remote search and rescue mission. When a man arrives with his wounded black Lab, Ned, she has no idea that she is about to be plunged into a whirlwind of terror and destruction.

Jude Marrock is out for revenge and has no choice but to involve Devon in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game with an escalating body count. She doesn’t trust him one bit, but when the shots start flying and friends start falling, she finds herself with nowhere else to run. And there are innocent lives, both human and animal, at stake, including Ned and his mysterious pack. Is Jude her salvation or her damnation? Are the secrets he’s protecting worth killing for . . . or dying for?

With a lightning-fast pace, unforgettable characters, and gut-wrenching action, Dark Summer is compelling new terrain for this master storyteller.

Jude Marrock is on a search and rescue mission when his dog, Ned, is shot.  Jude brings him to Devon Brady, a veterinarian also on the same mission, when he tells her to take care of his dog while he seeks the man responsible.  From that moment on Devon’s life as she once knew it is gone while someone is out to kill her, Jude, Ned and everyone around them.  This page-turning thriller captured my attention and I couldn’t wait for the conclusion.

Accessory To Murder by Elaine Viets

Accessory To Murder by Elaine Viets is the third book in the “Josie Marcus Mystery Shopper” cozy mystery series. Publisher: Signet, November 2007

Someone has killed Halley Hardwicke, the hot young designer of thousand-dollar Italian silk scarves, in the mall parking lot-and police have their eye on Jake, the husband of Josie’s best friend Alyce. The couple lived near the wrap maven, but it seems Halley and Jake were a little too neighborly.

So Josie decides to do what she does best to help out her friend-go undercover and see if she can find some clues. Because this time, there’s a lot more at stake than a scarf, even if it’s to die for…

In this case, Josie’s best friend, Alyce’s husband is accused of murdering a designer who he is accused of having an affair with.  Alyce who believes her husband is innocent, begs Josie to find out the truth about who murdered the designer and is setting him up.  Alyce learns that her husband is not the perfect man and Josie almost dies proving his innocence.  This was another good story in this series.

High Heels Are Murder by Elaine Viets

High Heels Are Murder by Elaine Viets is the second book in the “Josie Marcus Mystery Shopper” cozy mystery series.  Publisher: Signet, November 2006

From the Agatha Award-Winning Author of Dying In Style

Every job has its pluses and minuses. Josie Marcus gets to shoe-shop-but she also must deal with men like Mel Poulaine, who’s too interested in handling women’s feet. Soon Josie’s been hired by Mel’s boss to mystery-shop the store, but one step leads to another and Josie finds herself in St. Louis’s seedy underbelly. Caught up in a web of crime, Josie hopes against hope that she won’t end up murdered in Manolos.

Josie couldn’t believe it, her worst enemy, the bane of her existence, Mrs. Mueller, has asked her to help her perfect daughter escape a murder rap in exchange for Josie’s mother being named head of two committees.  Foot fetish, gambling and affairs play a role in Josie solving this murder.  This was a good read.

Quick Study by Maggie Barbieri

Quick Study by Maggie Barbieri is the third book in the “A Murder 101″ cozy mystery series. Publisher: Minotaur Books, December 2008

ollege English professor Alison Bergeron thought that dating a cute NYPD detective like Bobby Crawford would be exciting and involve a lot of riding around in cruisers and putting away sleazy crooks, but he has yet to invite her on any stakeouts. . . .

Then when a friend asks her to help him find his nephew, she goes to Bobby for advice only to find out that he already knows about the case. He pulled the boy out of the Hudson River a few days earlier. The boy’s employer calls it an accident, but Alison and Bobby aren’t convinced.

With matchmaking and sleuthing to spare, staying out of trouble isn’t on the syllabus when Alison and Bobby team up in Quick Study, Maggie Barbieri’s most outrageous outing yet.

Features Dr. Alison Bergeron, a college professor, her boyfriend, NYPD Detective Bobby Crawford and her best friend Max.  In this caper which involves shoddy construction and illegal immigrants, Alison becomes embroiled when one of the guys painting her home is missing and then is discovered dead.  Crawford tells her to stay out of it, but Alison being an amateur sleuth seeks the answers when she thinks the cops won’t do too much since the victim is an illegal immigrant.  Along the way, Alison meets Crawford’s two daughters and has to deal with Max’s marital woes.  I’m so looking forward to the next book in the series.