Yvonne
I have these lovely new books to be added to my shelf this week.
I am still trying to be good and schedule all the books I receive, so as not to increase my toppling TBR pile, and so far it is working, although it’s quite a close call!
My first stop this time is to the lovely Noelle, representing publisher Bookouture
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE – (Miss Underhay Mystery #6)
by HELENA DIXON
1934. Accidental amateur sleuth Kitty Underhay is being escorted by ex-army captain Matthew Bryant on an errand of mercy, as she takes a basket of grapes to her nemesis Mrs Craven, who is recuperating from a recent operation. But their arrival at Elm House Nursing Home coincides with the mysterious death of Lady Wellings, a long-term resident.
The woman was known to be ill, so when the police turn a disinterested ear to Mrs Craven’s suspicion that Lady Wellings was poisoned, Kitty decides to look into the case herself. And when another invalid, the gentle Mrs Pearson, collapses fatally in the breakfast room, it seems her suspicions are well-founded. For an institution promising health and rejuvenation, there seems to be a very low survival rate amongst the guests!
When the nurse Eloise Hibbert hints at sinister goings on among the staff, Kitty arranges to meet her away from the home to uncover how deep the treachery lies. However, before she can make the rendezvous, Eloise meets an unfortunate end falling from the top of the building. Was she pushed by the hand of fate, or a cold-blooded killer?
Meanwhile, Matt has been following an entirely different trail of evidence, and what he finds out chills him to the bone. When Kitty fails to return from her unsuccessful meeting, it is clear she has stumbled onto a plot far more devious than they could have imagined, and into a trap laid by an unscrupulous killer…
Staying with the Bookouture team, this time I need to thank Sarah for arranging my Blog Tour Spot
A BODY AT THE TEA ROOMS – (Kate Palmer #3)
by DEE MacDONALD
Nurse Kate Palmer has only been living in Lower Tinworthy, a beautiful little village by the sparkling Cornish sea, for a short time but she’s already making a name for herself as the local Miss Marple. Although not everyone is keen on her recent investigations, least of all the new Detective Inspector Bill Robson.
When a body is found at her sister Angie’s newly purchased tea rooms, Kate is at first reluctant to get caught up in another mystery. But the murder is uncomfortably close to home and there’s gossip suggesting Angie and her latest boyfriend are somehow involved.
Determined to find justice for the deceased man and to protect her sister’s reputation, Kate recruits her close friend retired Detective Inspector ‘Woody’ Forrest. His knowledge of the local seaside villages will help her to come up with a list of potential names for the victim… and the murderer.
As they narrow down the possibilities, one of Kate’s patients, Mark Edderley, reveals a connection to her prime suspect. Days later, he dies in a suspicious boating accident. Kate is certain the murderer has struck again! But just as she’s about to solve the puzzle, Angie goes missing. Can she get to her sister before it’s too late?
This book came as part of my Netgalley auto-approval with publisher Aria/Aries Fiction
THE GUEST HOUSE by DAVID MARK
Mum-of-three Ronni Ashcroft had just pieced her life back together after her husband left.
On a remote spur of the Scottish Highlands, she kept her successful guest house going and even met a new man, Bishop.
But it turned out that Bishop had secrets. He had shady connections and shadier plans to use the coastal town as a European gateway for drugs, guns – and something far worse.
Now he’s disappeared, and Ronnie wants answers.
Is he in trouble or simply ignoring her? Was she just his play-thing from the start? And, most importantly, is he dragging them both into something that neither of them will survive?
‘Mailbox Monday’ is a gathering place for readers to share links to the books that came into their house during the last week.
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well, after all you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
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Love the titles – especially the first two.
Great covers on all of them.
ENJOY, Yvonne, and have a wonderful last week of February.
Hi Elizabeth,
The first two books are part of scheduled Blog Tours and it does seem as though the publisher, Bookouture, are on something of a roll right now, with their cozy mysteries.
Luckily, the tour dates are such that I can space out reading the cozies in between other genres and keep a good varied mix of reading, which is what I enjoy!
I have to agree that the cozy mysteries do have some bright and colourful cover imagery too and that also cheers me up no end.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that all is well with you 🙂
While they all look interesting, I think I’m most drawn to the last one. Maybe that’s, in part, because it’s not part of a series. 😉
Hi Kelly,
I know what you mean about the first two books being part of a series, however I find that with cozy mysteries, the backstory doesn’t seem to figure too much, so I can generally get away with reading them as a stand alone story. I usually have to suspend belief so much when I am reading a cozy, that I am just along for a light-hearted break and ‘enjoying the ride’ 🙂
I don’t know if you remember me recently featuring a book by the last author, David Mark, called ‘Into The Woods’. That one was really dark and twisted, so I am looking forward to seeing what he has come up with this time in ‘The Guest House’!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that all is okay with you 🙂
Kelly,
I just spotted your latest jigsaw offering, which is absolutely lovely and definitely one I wouldn’t mind having a go at. It is so bright and colourful, I am cheered up just by looking at it!
I am still making up puzzles, although quite slowly, as I have become addicted to the online puzzles at Jigsaw Planet. I have worked out that I can change the shape of the pieces and determine how many pieces I choose to work, up to 300. Sometimes I’ll do one in a single sitting, but I always finish one within the day, which is quite satisfying and doesn’t take up any space 🙂
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks to you, I worked online puzzles at jigzone (?) for awhile, but really prefer to assemble them in “real” form. The downside to you working them online is that you can’t share the photos here! 😉
I still visit ‘Jigzone’ occasionally , however Jigsaw Planet offers so many different choices of jigsaw theme, shape of the pieces and difficulty factor (you can even rotate the pieces if you are feeling adventurous). I still enjoy the ‘real thing’ though, it’s a lot more relaxing. I do have a few puzzles to share – the post is coming, I promise 🙂
These three all sound like they would have an excellent sense of place. The Cornish one appeals to me, naturally, but they all sound good.
I’m still being really bad by buying new books to put on my Kindle. I have about 450 tbrs on there and goodness knows how many on my actual shelves. Never mind, there are probably worse vices. 🙂
Hi Cath,
I read the previous book in the ‘Kate Palmer’ series, as I too was looking forward to the Cornish setting. It is a great series and Kate an engaging, if nosy, character. However I was just a little disappointed that the place names used were fictional, so I couldn’t plot or relate them to a tangible Cornish setting. I am becoming more and more drawn to stories where I can relate to locations and research them as I read along!
I am just about keeping my head above water and only accepting books which I can schedule in for Blog Tours or Reviews, but I must admit that I am now having to push back a few non critical dates, so I can see things getting out of hand again if I am not careful.
I still have several hundred books on my Goodreads ‘want to read’ list, even though I did cull a few the other day. Goodness knows how many there are on my Kindle, as I am frightened to look. And as for my physical shelves – I don’t need to have that conversation again!!
As you say though, there are worse vices 🙂 🙂
Three great books this week Yvonne. They all sound good and just what I enjoy reading too. I love the cover of Murder at Elm House.
Hi Veronica,
I do enjoy a good murder/mystery, whether it be cozy , traditional, or darker in nature.
On the whole, the cozy mysteries do tend to have really bright and contemporary covers, which can cheer me up instantly, although I couldn’t read them to the exclusion of everything else!
I hope that you are reading some great books right now, I shall be stopping by to catch up, and I hope that all is well with you 🙂
I think both look good, Yvonne. Is the first a cozy? I see ‘tea rooms’ and immediately think of that genre. Either way, I hope you enjoy both books and have a good week.
Hi Mary,
The first two books are definitely cozies and there seems to be a whole lot of them around at the moment, which is good, as I could definitely do with a bit of light relief as we head into week 9 or 10 – I’ve lost count – of our third lockdown.
The third one is a thriller, but if this is anything like the last book I read by the same author, then it will be altogether more deep, dark and disturbing – definitely right at the other end of the spectrum to the cozies!
I have them all scheduled for review, so I am looking forward to getting stuck in to reading them.
Thanks for visiting today and I hope that your week is a good one 🙂
Your books all look awesome! I have my eye on The Guest House. Enjoy your week, and here are my WEEKLY UPDATES
Hi Lorraine,
If the previous David Mark book I read, is anything to go by, then ‘The Guest House’ is going to be one dark and twisted, thrilling journey, with some awesome narrative and dialogue.
There doesn’t seem to be an organised Blog Tour for this book, but I have a review in my schedule dates for May!
Thanks for checking out my post this time and Happy Reading for this coming week 🙂
Oh, these all look good, especially Murder at Elm House. Thanks for sharing this week. I wish I were as good as you about staying on top of my reading.
Hi Cheryl,
There is definitely nothing ‘good’ about my reading habits, I can assure you! Granted I have a small pile of books which are scheduled for Blog Tour Reviews, although even that is getting out of hand on an almost daily basis. However, search my Kindle, my Goodreads account, my NetGalley pages and my numerous bookshelves, and you will see the real me!! Totally out of my depth, swimming in a sea of books – and slowly drowning! 🙂
I have quite a collection of cozy mysteries stacking up at the moment and I have to say that I am enjoying them all much more than I thought I would. I too like the sound of ‘Murder At Elm House’, the timeline is intriguing and I like the vibrant cover art!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by, I appreciate your support and I hope that all is well with you 🙂
All three sound good but I particularly like the blurb of Murder at Elm House.
Enjoy all of your reading!
Hi Martha,
I too, like the time period and premise of ‘Murder At Elm House’ and that cover art is just so eye-catching.
I am looking forward to them all and all are scheduled in for review, so at the moment I am right on top of things, although now that lockdown is drawing to an end and ‘real life’ is going to start kicking in again, who knows how long my new found organisation is going to last! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that all is well with you 🙂
I saw the cover for A body at the tearooms and I thought of Cornwall, which was spot-on :)) The story seems very intriguing too.
The other two books seem just as fascinating. I hope you’ll enjoy all of them.
Hi Anca,
Isn’t it funny how we see a quaint picture like that and immediately think of Cornwall, when there are little places like it all over the country!
I featured the previous book in this series and the only thing I was a bit disappointed about was that the author stated that it was set in Cornwall and then used fictitious place names. So many authors these days are using real places and even street names, which is good for me, as I enjoy plotting the route and scene of the action on Google maps. Plus they need to be real-life places before I can add the book to the Trip Fiction site.
All of these Blog Tour Reviews are quite a way off yet, so I won’t be reading them any time soon, although they are all scheduled.
I hope that all is well with you and thanks for taking the time to stop by 🙂
Good to hear that your scheduling all the books you receive is proving to be a positive mood.
Of the three books you feature today it is the cover of Murder At Elm House that caught my eye but having read the synopsis of all three books it is A Body at The Tea Rooms that most interests me whilst The Guest House I’m afraid left me feeling uninspired.
Hoping February has been kind to you and March will prove kinder still.
Hi Felicity,
Having previously read a book by David Mark, author of ‘The Guest House’, I am assuming that this will follow the same kind of deep, dark, disturbing and troubling storyline, although his writing style was really good and descriptive – Maybe not one for you!
I have read quite a few cozy mysteries recently and always find them good for a little light-hearted relief and those covers are so uplifting, aren’t they?
I have been feeling quite positive about the blog of late, however it really is starting to take over my life again, no matter how organised I am, so I am still toying with the idea of sticking to posting quality reviews onto Goodreads, Amazon and NetGalley, which wouldn’t involve such lengthy post preparation with the need for adding pictures, links, author info etc. And of course, I wouldn’t have ‘comments’ sections in the same way – Only time will tell.
I have resigned myself to not returning to my volunteering role when Covid is over, and that is for a whole host of reasons which I don’t really want to go into here, but nothing the charity has done wrong! In fact, I am almost dreading lockdown release, as I just know that people are going to go mad, with little regard for anyone other than themselves. Anywhere even remotely ‘touristy’ is going to be a nightmare!
DG had his fist vaccination almost three weeks ago and I have my first one on Saturday, so I shan’t be taking any risks for at least the next 21 days, but I am impressed with the speed with which our local surgery has handled the vaccination programme, it seems so well organised.
I hope that you have both been jabbed with at least one dose and that you are both keeping safe and well. It seems such an age since we last spoke, I just don’t know where the time flies by to! 🙂
Happy reading.
Thanks for stopping by, Serena
I hope that all is well with you 🙂
All of these look delightful.
They are all scheduled for review within the next couple of months, but I don’t have my reading copies just yet, I’m looking forward to getting those!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by for a peek, I appreciate your support 🙂