Cozy Mystery Review ~ Death Comes to Dogwood Manor (Missy DuBois Mystery #4) by Sandra Bretting @KensingtonBooks #LyricalPress

 

Making Southern brides beautiful is top priority for hat designer Missy DuBois, but sometimes her Louisiana studio moonlights as a crime-solving headquarters . . .

While driving to her hat shop, Crowning Glory, Missy accidentally sideswipes a car parked in front of Dogwood Manor, an antebellum mansion being converted into a high-end hotel by the much-reviled property developer Herbert Solomon. Of course, the car is his Rolls Royce. But Solomon is too busy berating his contractor and interior designer to worry about a little fender bender. When Missy returns to check out the mansion’s chapel where her latest client will be married, she finds the developer dead on his property. After an autopsy finds poison in his body, Missy’s shop is then flooded right before it’s supposed to be featured in an article about wedding-veil trends. Now before everything becomes sheer disaster, she’ll have to train her sights on finding a killer . . .

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Hwjc1H

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40798526-death-comes-to-dogwood-manor

Visit the Author's Website: https://sandrabretting.com/

ASIN: ‎ B078LRLRZB
Publisher: ‎ Lyrical Press
Publication Date: ‎ June 12, 2018
Print Length: ‎ 168 pages

My Review and Rating:

Death Comes to Dogwood Manor by Sandra Bretting
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dogwood Manor has been purchased and is being converted into a luxury hotel by disliked property developer Herbert Solomon. As Missy drives by the historic mansion, she accidentally hits Herbert’s Rolls Royce, partially hidden from view. When Missy enters the construction zone to locate Herbert and inform him of the damage, he’s too busy yelling at his crew to pay attention to her.

Later, Missy runs back to Dogwood Manor to check a few details for the bride who selected this location for a wedding. Her return trip turns into a nightmare when Missy finds Herbert dead. Missy also discovers her shop, Crowning Glory, is flooded, ruining much of her showroom. Between fixing her showroom so it’s presentable for her upcoming article about veil trends and working with the bride who was supposed to get married at Dogwood Manor, Missy has to don her sleuthing cap once again and locate a killer.

The plot of Death Comes to Dogwood nicely executed and solid. I enjoyed the multiple threads involving the murder, the magazine article, disasters, and the other storylines. There are many twists, turns, and diversions along the way. She also gives the reader plenty of viable suspects that I enjoyed investigating right along with Missy. The author did a great job concealing the real suspect(s) and the reason for the murder. The vivid descriptions allow me to formulate the story in my mind as I read along.

I was provided a copy of this book to read.  

View all my reviews

Review ~ A Waffle Lot of Murder (All-Day Breakfast Café Mystery, Book#4) by Lena Gregory @LenaGregory03

A Waffle Lot of Murder (All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery) by Lena Gregory

 

A Waffle Lot of Murder 

All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery, Book 4

Cozy Mystery 

Publisher: Lyrical Press 

Publish Date: October 6, 2020

Paperback: 208 pages 

ISBN-10 : 151611048X 

ISBN-13: 978-1516110483 

Digital ASIN : B082WR2ZHJ

Purchase Link: Amazon

For diner owner Gia Morelli, her seasonal fall menu calls for two main ingredients—maple syrup and murder . . .

While the first hints of autumn grace Boggy Creek, Florida, Gia misses the colorful harvest traditions she left behind in New York. On a scramble to make new fall memories—and promote her irresistible pumpkin spice waffles—things take a dark turn when she gets roped into the Haunted Town Festival, a spooky celebration held on deserted farmlands. The desolate area conjures plenty of eerie vibes at night, but Gia and her best friend, Savannah, are nearly frightened to death upon the discovery of the event organizer’s body buried in the nearby woods. More alarming, the local rumor mill says the woman’s shady dealings may have egged someone into sending her to an early grave. 

Now, there’s no shortage of creepy clues to feast on as Gia and her pals try to stop a killer with a very scary appetite . . .

Includes recipes from the All-Day Breakfast Café!

My Review:

Fall is coming to Boggy Creek, Florida but you wouldn't know it by the weather or foliage. Gia is still getting used to fall in the Florida where trees don't change colors and the weather stays warm. One thing that does ring in the changing of the seasons is the Haunted Town Festival and Gia has been invited to participate this year. To view their "house" and the general layout of the festival, she and bestie, Savannah make plans to meet the festival organizer on-site in the deserted plot of farmland complete with a spooky woods. Gia and Savannah weren't planning to locate an abandoned cell phone or find the body of the organizer. Now, Gia and Savannah and the rest of her crew go on a hunt to find out if the rumors about the deceased are true and if so, if her endeavors were worth killing over.

A Waffle Lot of Murder is another great book in the All-Day Breakfast Café Mystery series. The book is perfectly paced - not too fast and not too slow. I was pulled in from the very beginning and engaged in the plot. The character development continues as we learn more about the characters, old and new, without being bogged down with useless filler. The story was fun, exciting, suspenseful, and full of twists and turns. I had a wonderful time trying to figure out just what happened and who was responsible. The continued world building is great, and I was able to visualize the story.

Gia came from New York one person and has since evolved into another as she gets used to the differences in Florida. Gia is a very strong character and I enjoy the books about her world. I love that the author does not, at any time, write her as weak or unstable. She's just had a very rough past that she thought she would escape by moving away from her former life and completely starting over. Samantha and Hunt are stability characters for Gia. Savannah is a wonderful best friend and Hunt proves to be another person who has Gia's back. I'd like to see their romance expand a bit since they don't seem to spend a lot of time together.

As in previous books, Gia does some questionable things in A Waffle Lot of Murder that made me shake my head. Her shenanigans don’t detract from the story, though. The characters are all likeable, the setting in Florida is nice, and the assortment of suspects kept me on my toes. The chemistry between Gia and Hunt is sweet and believable. I prefer a little bit of soft romance in my cozy mysteries. I really enjoy the author's writing style and devour every book she publishes. 

I was provided a copy of this book to read.

My Rating: