Thoughts about several books

Dark Side of the Moo: Bought-the-Farm Cozy Mysteries (Book of 2 of 16) ~ by Ellen Riggs, 2020, cozy mysteriy, 244 pages

Sweet life on the farm turns sour when a guest "mooves" on to greener pastures — permanently.  Ivy had been happy to put her old life at Flordale Corporation behind her, but with a recent murder tarnishing her new inn’s reputation she can’t afford to be choosy about paying guests.  So when her former teammates from HR ask to hold their retreat at Runaway Farm and Inn, she throws down the welcome mat.

When a guest turns up dead in the cow stall, it’s a terrible shock.  The cows are initially on the hook for the crime, but Ivy knows her girls too well to buy that.  But if the cows aren’t to blame, it means the killer is continuing to enjoy Ivy’s hospitality and everything bucolic Clover Grove has to offer.  At first Ivy agrees to stay out of the investigation at the police chief’s request.  When a family member becomes a suspect, however, she jumps into action with Keats, her know-it-all border collie, and Jilly, her best friend.

Will they be able to find the bad apple on the Flordale HR team before the killer strikes again and Ivy is downsized … for good?  A page-turner in a series for animal lovers who dream about buying the farm.

Hex After Forty: Singing Falls Witches Series (Book 1 of 9) ~ by M.J. Caan, 2021, paranormal mystery, 219 pages = As darkness descends on a seemingly idyllic town, a woman discovers her latent magical abilities might be the only key to unraveling a terrifying mystery.  When Torie Bliss's husband abandons her over dinner, she uncovers a devastating truth:  their perfect life was built on a web of deceit that has left her penniless and homeless.  With nothing left to lose, she is forced to move in with her estranged mother in the enchanting mountain town of Singing Falls, North Carolina.  There, she stumbles upon a startling revelation:  they're both witches.

Descended from a line of witches with powerful latent abilities, Torie is thrust into a world of untamed magic she must learn to harness.  As she grapples with her newfound powers, a sinister threat looms over Singing Falls.  Someone — or something — is hunting down shifters, and Torie could be next on the supernatural serial killer's hit list.  Can she master her arcane abilities in time to help her new friends unravel the terrifying mystery?

A Deadly Tonic: Eliza Thomson Investigates (Book 1 of 9) ~ by VL McBeath, 2019, murder mystery novella, 92 pages, 7/10

March 1900:  An early morning visitor disturbs the peace at the London townhouse of Dr. Archie Thomson and his wife, Eliza.  But his identity, and the reason for his visit, remain unknown as he mumbles a few cryptic words and promptly drops dead!  What did he mean?  And who wrote the mysterious note they find in his pocket?

Excited to embark on some amateur sleuthing, Eliza Thomson takes her friend Connie on a trip across London searching for clues.  But when they get a little too close to the truth, things threaten to get deadly.

Murder in Moreton: Eliza Thomson Investigates (Book 2 of 9) ~ by VL McBeath, 2019, murder mystery, 237 pages, 7/10

A suspicious death, two missing medicine bottles and an absent son.  It's June 1900, and Eliza Thomson is delighted to be back in Moreton after nearly thirty years away.  To cap it all, she has a job in her husband’s surgery … and her best friend, Connie lives next door!  Connie is eager to introduce Eliza to the villagers, but their excitement vanishes when they bump into Mrs Milwood, an old neighbor.

As head of the family business, Mrs. Milwood isn’t afraid to use the money and power she acquired from her late husband, even against her own family.  When a body is found, the evidence points to murder, but with only the hapless village police to lead the investigation, Eliza and Connie are determined to help … whether the newly arrived Inspector from New Scotland Yard wants them to or not.

Word of the Day

kedgeree = a European dish consisting chiefly of fish, rice, and hard-boiled eggs.  (I found this word as I was reading Murder in Moreton by VL McBeath and looked it up because I've never heard the word before.) 

Thursday Thought #1:  Those four books at the top were all free for my Kindle, though they may not still be free by the time this posts itself on my blog on Sunday.

Thursday Thought #2:  "For God's sake, man, you can't go around killing everyone" (loc. 68%).    That's a quote from one of those free Kindle books:  A Deadly Tonic (Book 1 of 9) by VL McBeath, which I rated 7/10.  

Thursday Thought #3:  "Mrs. Milwood was so unpopular, we had too many suspects" (loc. 2752 of 3089).  That's a quote from another of those free Kindle books:  Murder in Moreton (Book 2 of 9) by VL McBeath, which I rated 7/10.  Neither was a favorite.

Thursday Thought #4:  I had fun attending National Night Out on Tuesday evening.