I’ve gotten a little behind on reviews. I have been busy reading 🙂
Here are some highlights of some of the books I’ve read (in the order I read them).
Murder in a Scottish Shire and Murder in a Scottish Garden, books one and two in the Scottish Shire Mysteries by Traci Hall
Paislee is the main character in these stories and she lives in Nairn, a small town in northern Scotland. Paislee inherited Cashmere Crush from her grandmother. It’s a yarn shop where she also creates custom sweaters. I really enjoyed her relationship with her son Brody and the developing relationship with her grandfather “Gramps”. I loved the setting and the general feel of these books. Nairn is a place I look forward to visiting again.
Body and Soul Food (Books & Biscuits Mystery, #1) by Abby Collette
Keaton Rutledge and Koby Hill are fraternal twins who were orphaned at two and then separated. As adults, they reunite and decide to start Books & Biscuits in Timberlake in the Pacific Northwest. This combines Koby’s love for cooking and Keaton’s love of books. The mystery begins when Koby’s foster brother (and possible love interest for Keaton) is found dead on a train. It has the feel of a locked-room mystery but there are possible ways others who weren’t present when the police show up could have been involved. I loved the twins’ backstories and hearing about their twin connections even after so many years apart. Both of their foster families play a role in the book and I look forward to getting to know all of them better. I am hoping future installments bring in more depth about the books and the cooking.
Buried in a Good Book (By the Book Mysteries, #1) by Tamara Berry
Tamara Berry never disappoints in finding new ways to make me laugh and incorporate things I don’t expect into her books. In this series, the main character is Tess Harrow, a bestselling thriller writer. Tess is in town with her daughter Gertie, who is understandably upset that Tess’s ex stops communicating with her. Tess figured a quiet summer in her grandfather’s cabin, away from Wifi and other modern conveniences would be just the trick to get her mind off her dad. This mystery begins with a big BOOM, then fish guts raining down on Tess and her daughter Gertie. Things get even more interesting when a human arm also falls from the sky. From there it just gets crazier, complete with Bigfoot spottings and other fun antics. Tess loves comparing her fictional detective with the local sheriff which was very entertaining. He is also a reader of her books, so he gets the references she makes and even makes some himself. The local characters are a hoot (my favorite is the bookmobile lady) and the mystery kept me guessing. I’m already reading book two.