Tag Archives: Cosy Mystery

Break From Nuala (The Inspector de Silva Mysteries #11) by @harrietsteel1 #CosyMystery #BookReview for #RBRT #FridayReads

Posted in Book Review, Cosy Mystery by

image-3Author: Harriet Steel

Published: March 2022

Category: Cosy Mystery

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It is autumn 1940, and Inspector de Silva and his wife Jane are looking forward to a well-earned holiday. But their hopes of a relaxing break in the picturesque city of Galle beside the Indian Ocean are dashed when death, mysterious illnesses, and a missing guest cast a gloomy shadow.

Ceylon hasn’t yet been affected by the war in Europe and Inspector Shanti de Silva and his wife, Jane are taking a short holiday at the luxuriously appointed Cinnamon Lodge in the coastal town of Galle. As always when they were away from Nuala, de Silva was a little concerned how people would view a Ceylonese man and a British woman as a married couple but any worries were soon laid to rest.

Continue reading →

Madam Tulip and the Rainbows End by David Ahern #CosyMystery #RBRT @DaveAhernWriter

Posted in Book Review by

416oSRlzE-LAuthor: David Ahern

Published: March 2022 by Malin Press

Category: Cosy Murder Mystery

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

On the private island of a wealthy banker, a young and talented stonemason falls from a cliff. A tragic accident? Or murder?

The dead man’s sister is obsessed with justice and will stop at nothing.

A glamorous French widow and her heart-throb son are certain they have been cheated of their legacy.

A daughter is bequeathed an island mansion beyond her means.

An enigmatic letter hints at a hidden fortune.

Madam Tulip and the Rainbow’s End, the fifth instalment of this popular series, finds Derry O’Donnell and her fellow thespian and good friend, ex Navy Seal, Bruce, left to pick up the pieces when the rest of the cast desert the touring production they were involved in, without paying. Not only that, they made off with the box office takings, leaving Derry and Bruce with the hotel and bar bill for everyone.

Continue reading →

#ThrowbackThursday ~ The Riviera Affair (The Yellow Cottage Vintage Mysteries #4) by J. New ~ #CosyMystery #BookReview

Posted in Book Review, Cosy Mystery, Crime, Historical Fiction by

This week I’m looking back on the fourth book in a vintage 1930s cosy mystery series I really enjoyed. And discovering there’s a fifth book is a bonus.

throwbackthursday

My Thoughts

When Ella Bridges takes a frantic phone call for help from her mother Elspeth, who lives in Cap Ferrat in France, she and her aunt Margaret waste no time in travelling to the French Riviera accompanied by Margaret’s dear but eccentric friend, Pierre DuPont. 

Continue reading →

Safe Harbour (Sergeant Windflower #10) by Mike Martin #CrimeFiction #Mystery @mike54martin #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Book Review, Crime, Fiction, Mystery/Romance by

SafeHarbour coverAuthor: Mike Martin

Published: June 2021 by Ottawa Press and Publishing

Category: Crime Fiction, Mystery, Cosy, Book Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Welcome back to Sgt. Windflower Mysteries, where there’s always something good cooking and another seat at the table. Sgt. Windflower is on a special assignment in St. John’s and adjusting to life in the big city. He is navigating traffic, a difficult boss at work and what seems like an epidemic of missing girls. He becomes more interested when he discovers that one of the girls is from Grand Bank. Then a girl approaches his RCMP van one night and he is pulled into the underlife of the capital city.

In Safe Harbour we find Sgt. Winston Windflower and his family have left Grand Bank as Windflower takes on a temporary assignment in the often foggy port city of St John’s. Windflower was the new public outreach coordinator for the RCMP, while his wife, Sheila studied for her MBA. 

Continue reading →

Cold Case in Nuala (The Inspector de Silva Mysteries Book 10) by Harriet Steel #HistoricalFiction #Mystery @harrietsteel1

Posted in Book Review, Cosy Mystery, Historical Fiction by

51j1kZZScBSAuthor: Harriet Steel

Kindle Edition

Category: Cosy Mystery, Historical Fiction, Book Review

four-half-stars

It’s January 1940 and the day of Nuala’s famous motor rally. Excitement is at full throttle, but matters take a dark turn when that same evening, human remains are found buried in a lonely corner of a local tea plantation.
Inspector de Silva has a cold case to solve. Add a playboy racing driver, a missing Bugatti and a family scandal hushed up years ago into the mix and he has plenty to think about. You can be sure that whatever happened in the past, now de Silva’s in the driving seat, you’re in for a gripping ride.

The story opens as Inspector Shanti de Silva and his wife, Jane are attending Nuala’s famous car rally, the Hill Country Challenge held every four years, along with Archie and Florence Clutterbuck and Charlie Frobisher and his lady friend. This was de Silva’s third time at the rally but his appreciation of the array of wonderful cars, including a Bentley, Maserati and Bugatti, has not diminished. After the excitement of the race Charlie treated them all to a round of cocktails. 

Continue reading →

#ThrowbackThursday ~ The Curse of Arundel Hall by J. New, 1930’s #HistoricalFiction

Posted in Book Review, Cosy Mystery, Historical Fiction, Throwback Thursday by

This is the second installment of The Yellow Cottage Vintage Mysteries, featuring Ella Bridges in a cosy mystery series with paranormal undertones.

The ghost residing in the secret dining room beyond the pantry was causing Ella some problems in that Mrs Shaw, the housekeeper-cum-cook, refused to enter the pantry. Ella’s temporary solution was to move the food stuff into the kitchen proper, but she was determined to try and solve the mystery of who the woman had been and how she died. Ella decided she needed to visit her friend, Harriet, a local historian, to see if she could research The Yellow Cottage and shed any light on who the mysterious spirit was. Harriet is the founder of the local library and that’s where Ella finds her. It seems Harriet had found a connection between the cottage and Arundel Hall, now owned by Harriet’s old friend, Sir Robert Harlow. Harriet discovered that Ella’s cottage was once The Dower House belonging to the Hall.

Continue reading →

High Wire in Nuala (The Inspector de Silva mysteries Book 9) by @harrietsteel1 #HistFic #BookReview for #RBRT #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Book Review, Cosy Mystery, Historical Fiction, Murder/Mystery by

Author: Harriet Steel

Kindle Edition

Category: Historical Fiction, Cosy Mystery, Book Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Much to the delight of the locals, a colourful Russian circus rolls into Nuala, but the fun ends abruptly when, on the opening night, a tragic accident takes place.

Shanti de Silva and his wife, Jane are among the crowd to witness the accident. Or was it an accident? Inspector de Silva senses murder, and soon, he’s juggling with the evidence. Will the trail lead to the circus’s dashing stunt rider and master of horse, Alexei Goncharov, or to Alexei’s brother Boris, its boisterous ringmaster?

The racecourse in Nuala was busy, but not for the racing. The Russian circus had come to town with its colourful wagons and big top. Excitement had built with the appearance of posters advertising trapeze artists, jugglers and high wire, even a snake charmer—de Silva’s dislike of the reptiles causing him to shudder at the thought—along with several other acts.

Continue reading →

A Perfect Storm: A Sgt. Windflower Mystery by Mike Martin #CosyMystery #CrimeFiction @mike54martin

Posted in Cosy Mystery, Crime, Fiction by

Author: Mike Martin

Published: September 2020 by Ottawa Press and Publishing

Category: Cozy Mystery, Crime Fiction, Book Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sgt. Windflower is back, untangling another swirling mystery, this one bringing the meth crisis and biker gangs to the quiet Newfoundland town of Grand Bank, feeling the sting of their deadly tentacles reaching all the way from the United States. He’s working with his familiar crew of RCMP characters — but wait, are some of the faces changing? There are new challenges for Jones, an unknown side of Smithson reveals itself, and what ever happened to Tizzard? In the midst of putting the pieces of the puzzle together, Windflower and his beloved Sheila also find themselves navigating sorrows and surprises on the family front.

Changes are afoot in the quiet town of Grand Bank on the Newfoundland coast. Eddie Tizzard has left the RCMP and is in Las Vegas training to be a private detective. That was the idea anyway, until he found himself on the wrong side of the law, held as a suspect in a holding cell. After returning to his hotel he had found a large amount of money spread around the room and bloodstains on the bed, not to mention a body in the bathroom. Unfortunately for Eddie, it seemed the dead man had a connection to Grand Bank and the FBI were involved.

Continue reading →

Taken in Nuala (Inspector de Silva Mysteries Book 8) by @harrietsteel1 #HistoricalFiction #CosyMystery #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Book Review, Cosy Mystery, Historical Fiction by

Author: Harriet Steel

Published: April 2020

Category: Historical Fiction, Cosy Mystery, 1930s Ceylon, Book Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When an American millionaire and his glamorous daughter visit Nuala, the splendour they bring to the town’s high society is soon tragically tarnished by a vicious crime. With many avenues of inquiry to follow, including the involvement of a mysterious fortune teller, Inspector de Silva will need all his resources to unravel the evidence and avert further disaster.

A grand party is taking place at The Residence, hosted by the assistant government agent and Inspector Shanti de Silva’s superior, Archie Clutterbuck and his wife, Florence, raising funds for the orphanage and introducing their American guests, the Tankertons and their daughter, Phoebe. Inspector de Silva and his wife Jane join the list of invitees. Also staying at The Residence is Hank O’Halloran and his daughter Marie.

Continue reading →

Madam Tulip and the Serpent’s Tree (A Madam Tulip Mystery) by @DaveAhernWriter #BookReview for #RBRT #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in #RBRT, Book Review, Cozy Mystery, Humour, Mystery, Romance, Suspense by

Author: David Ahern

Published: March 2020 by Malin Press

Category: Cosy Mystery, Drama, Suspense, Romance, Book Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Actress Derry O’Donnell, moonlighting as fortune-teller Madam Tulip, finds herself in a famous pop singer’s entourage.

But at the star’s glittering birthday party in the Dublin mountains, Derry finds a band riven by rivalries and feuds. Behind the trouble is a mysterious Russian guru, a shaman hated by everyone but the singer whose life she dominates.

Derry O’ Donnell, a talented but at the moment jobless actress, along with her friends, rising TV star Bella and ex Navy SEAL Bruce, have secured a three week run for their fledgling theatre company. Pat Kelly, pub owner and band manager, has offered a room above the pub as a venue. But first Derry was required to grant a favour and become her alter ego, Madam Tulip, for a party. Pat Kelly manages pop group Maramar and is hosting a birthday bash for the lead singer, Aileen.

Continue reading →