Sunday Salon: SKELETON LETTERS, FLIPPED OUT, & MURDER OF A CREPED SUZETTE

Time slips quickly by before we realize it. Here we are with the first week of October already gone and time for Sunday Salon where we share our thoughts on the books we’re read.

This week I’d like to share a review and feature a couple of great releases from Berkley Prime Crime. So today’s post will be all about cozy mysteries as we get ready for Halloween later this month. Reach for that cup of coffee (or other beverage), get comfortable in your chair and read over these books in hopes of finding more good reads to add to your TBR stack.

SKELETON LETTERS By Laura Childs

Sometimes declining a book because it doesn’t fall under the genre you read or deals with a hobby you don’t fancy could result in you missing out on a wonderful read.

That was my mistake when author Laura Childs first came out with her Scrapbooking mystery series. Even though I enjoyed Childs’ other books greatly and the new series dealt with mystery, I didn’t scrapbook and couldn’t see myself reading anything dealing with that. Oh, how very wrong I was. You don’t have to love (or even like) scrapbooking to enjoy this series.

SKELETON LETTERS is the 9th installment in the series and is a stand alone book. Childs blends enough background information to keep new readers informed, while reminding returning fans of previous encounters by the protagonist and her group of zany friends.

Protagonist Carmela Bertrand and her closest friend, Ava Gruiex, are in the historic St. Tristan’s Church when they hear a scream and see a hooded figure strike a woman. When they go to give assistance, they discover Byrle Coopersmith has been killed and an antique crucifix stolen.

While she may be the proprietor of Memory Mine Scrapbooking shop, Carmela has a talent for getting involved in murder investigations. Getting a reputation as an amateur sleuth, Carmela always drags Ava, owner of Juju Voodoo, into harm’s way right along with her. Since Byrle was a member of Ava’s scrapbooking group, it’s only natural that she begin doing a little snoopy on her own. As she and Ava start looking into the murder and theft, they may need to call upon all the patron saints to help them just stay alive, much less catch the killer/theft.

Childs has brought back her wonderful characters, put them together with an intriguing plot and the colorful backdrop of New Orleans’ French Quarter for a delightful read. Childs brings the sights, sounds and smells of New Orleans to life with her vivid descriptions. In addition, she dots scrapbooking tips and techniques throughout the story but doesn’t overwhelm the non-scrapbook reader. She also divvies up some delicious and yummy New Orleans-style recipes like Carmela’s Chicken Jambalaya and Bayou Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp.

SKELETON LETTERS will keep you intrigued from the first paragraph until the very end. There’s plenty of suspense with bits of humor now and then to keep the story cozy and not to dark despite the dead bodies that keep turning up.

Author Laura Childs’ website is www.laurachilds.com. Other books in the Scrapbooking Mystery series include: KEEPSAKE CRIMES, PHOTO FINISHED, BOUND FOR MURDER, MOTIF FOR MURDER, FRILL KILL, DEATH SWATCH, TRAGIC MAGIC, and FIBER AND BRIMSTONE.

Skeleton Letters by Laura Childs, A Scrapbooking Mystery, Berkley Prime Crime, @2011, ISBN: 9780425243893, Hardcover, 336 Pages

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

FLIPPED OUT by Jennie Bentley

Inheriting her aunt’s old Maine cottage has led Avery Baker down a new career path—home renovation. Finding a property’s hidden potential has rewards and challenges—not to mention certain unanticipated dangers. Like murder... 

Avery and her hunky handyman boyfriend Derek Ellis are renovating another house in Waterfield, Maine. But it’s not just any house. It belongs to local news anchor Tony “the Tiger” Micelli—and it’s a quaint cottage with limitless possibilities. Even more exciting is that the makeover is going to be filmed as part of a home renovation TV show. 

Unfortunately the road to cable TV fame is a bumpy one: this DIY spins into a DOA when Tony’s corpse is found at the cottage, flat on his back and not from natural causes. Turns out there were a few people who wanted Tony dead, and that the murderer might have his sights set on a few more Waterfield residents. That means it’s up to Avery to nail the killer. Before someone yells "Cut!" and it's all over. 

Author Jennie Bentley draws in and you feel a part of this community. Her characters are witty and fun-loving and the storyline flows smoothly. 

FLIPPED OUT is a great way to tackle those DIY projects without all the headaches. This is the 5th installment in the Do-It Yourself series, but is a stand alone read. The book also contains home-renovation and design tips such as how to make your own window boxes.

Author Jennie Bentley’s website is www.JennieBentley.com. The other books in the Do-It Yourself Mystery series are: FATAL FIXER-UPPER, SPACKLED AND SPOOKED, PLASTER AND POISON, and MORTAR AND MURDER. 

Flipped Out by Jennie Bentley, A Do-It Yourself Mystery, Berkley Prime Crime, @2011, ISBN: 9780425244074, Paperback, 304 Pages

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my feature.

MURDER OF A CREPED SUZETTE by Denise Swanson

When megamillionaire and imitation cowboy Rex Taylor proposes building a country music theater in Scumble River, everyone’s ready to do the boot-scootin’ boogie except school psychologist Skye Denison. She’s been asked by Suzette Neal, Rex’s assistant and a rising country star, to investigate her mother’s suspicious death twenty-seven years earlier. No sooner does Skye agree to help than she finds Suzette literally flattened — and very dead. 

This has fast become a case of two questionable deaths, and suspicion seems to be hovering over Suzette’s inner circle: Rex’s jealous wife, a mysterious man in a black pickup truck, and the sizzling-hot singer Flint James, who also happens to have been Suzette’s bitter rival for country-western fame. With a honky-tonk full of suspects and a tangled web of motives that stretches back two decades, Skye has two options: Rise to the occasion or end up as flat as a crêpe. 

Author Denise Swanson returns with her delightful characters to entertain and keep you in suspense. MURDER OF A CREPED SUZETTE is the 14th installment in the Scumble River Mystery series, but is a stand alone book. 

Author Denise Swanson’s website is www.deniseswanson.com. The other books in the Scumble River Mystery series include: MURDER OF A SMALL-TOWN HONEY, MURDER OF A SWEET OLD LADY, MURDER OF A SLEEPING BEAUTY, MURDER OF A SNAKE IN THE GRASS, MURDER OF A BARBIE AND KEN, MURDER OF A PINK ELEPHANT, MURDER OF A SMART COOKIE, MURDER OF A READ BAD BOY, MURDER OF A BOTOXED BLONDE, MURDER OF A CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY, MURDER OF A ROYAL PAIN, MURDER OF A WEDDING BELLE, and MURDER OF A BOOKSTORE BABE.

Murder of a Creped Suzette by Denise Swanson, A Scumble River Mystery, Obsidian, @2011, ISBN: 9780451235008, Paperback, 272 Pages

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my feature.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. What did you read last week and/or what are you reading this week. 

BTW, in case you haven’t noticed I’ve added a BOOK REVIEW page on the upper left-handed sidebar. I can’t add tabs to this template so I have to add pages. Anyway, the page is for reviews that I haven’t posted here yet. I have a number of wonderful authors guest blogging here this month so I thought I’d post my extra reviews on this new page. So far I have reviews of WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE by J.T. Ellison and THE WINTERS IN BLOOM by Lisa Tucker. Check back from time to time for new reviews. Hope everyone has a great week and thanks again for stopping by.