| July from Berkley Prime Crime & Obsidian Mysteries |
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In New York Times bestselling author Victoria
Laurie’s newest Psychic Eye Mystery, Abby
Cooper is trusting her intuition and heading to Sin City to
bet on a friend’s innocence….
When police show Abby surveillance video of her best friend
and business partner, Candice Fusco, shooting a man in cold
blood, she can’t believe her eyes. And when the cops
tell her they think the victim has ties to the Mob—and
perhaps Candice does too—she can’t believe her
ears. Surely there is a logical explanation. But Candice is
nowhere to be found.
Abby decides the only way to find out the truth is to go to
Vegas herself—which may be the biggest gamble of her
life. Once in town she begins to uncover a rigged game of
dirty double-dealing where the stakes are no less than life
and death. And if she’s not careful, Abby can forget
about ever leaving Las Vegas…alive.
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Lily Ivory hopes to score some great vintage fashions
when she buys an antique trunk full of old clothes. But she
may have gotten more than she bargained for.…
As soon as Lily opens the trunk, she feels strange
vibrations emanating from a mysterious velvet cloak. When
she tries it on, Lily sees awful visions from the past. And
when the antiques dealer who sold her the cape is killed,
Lily suspects a supernatural force might be behind his death.
Then Lily’s familiar, Oscar the potbellied pig,
disappears. Lily will do anything to get him
back—including battling the spirit of a powerful witch
reaching out from the past. But even with the aid of her
grandmother, unmasking a killer and saving Oscar might be
more than one well-intentioned sorceress can handle.
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Tailing a Tabby
Laurie Cass
In the bookmobile, librarian Minnie Hamilton and her
rescue cat, Eddie, roll out great summer reads to folks all
over the lake town of Chilson, Michigan. And when real-life
drama turns deadly, Minnie makes sure justice is never
overdue.
The bookmobile is making its usual rounds when Minnie and
Eddie are flagged down by a woman in distress. The
woman’s husband, a famous artist, needs emergency
medical care. After getting him into the bookmobile, Minnie
races the man to the hospital in time…but his bad luck
has only just begun.
After disappearing from the hospital, the artist is
discovered slumped over the body of a murdered woman. Minnie
knows that her new friend didn’t commit the crime, but
the evidence paints an unflattering picture. Now this
librarian and her furry friend have to put the investigation
in high gear and catch the real killer before someone else
checks out.
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From Fear to Eternity
Michelle Rowen
Newlywed vampires Sarah and Thierry de Bennicoeur have
their whole undead lives ahead of them. And with
Thierry’s job as a consultant for the Ring sending
them across the globe to solve one vampire crisis after
another, eternity may never have a dull moment.
Sarah was hoping the honeymoon would literally last forever,
but when Thierry receives a mysterious invitation to an
auction held in an old Beverly Hills mansion, it’s
clearly time to get back to work. Thierry hopes to win a
powerful amulet containing a wish-granting djinn that has
eluded him for centuries. Unfortunately, Atticus Kincade,
head of the vampire council, also has his eye on the item.
When the auction’s host reveals his unpleasant history
with Thierry, and Sarah discovers a talking head in the
freezer, things get even weirder than usual. But when the
amulet goes missing, and everyone is suddenly trapped inside
the mansion, the undead guests find themselves in mortal
danger—and Sarah had better be careful what she wishes
for.
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Some Enchanted Éclair
Bailey Cates
FLOUR POWER
When Hollywood invades Savannah’s historic district to
film a Revolutionary War movie, magical baker Katie
Lightfoot, and her witches’ coven, the Spellbook Club,
take a break from casting spells for casting calls. One of
the witches snags a part as an extra, while Katie’s
firefighter boyfriend, Declan, acts as on-set security.
Katie and her aunt Lucy decide to stay out of the action,
but after the movie’s “fixer” fires the
caterer, the Honeybee Bakery comes to the rescue, working
their magic to keep the hungry crew happy.
But when someone fixes the fixer—permanently—and
a spooky psychic predicts Katie will find the killer, the
charming baker and her fellow conjurers step in to sift
through the suspects…before someone else winds up on
the cutting room floor….
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Muffin But Murder
Victoria Hamilton
Muffin maker Merry Wynter hopes to find a buyer for the
castle she’s recently inherited. But when she throws a
party to draw interest, she finds someone who’s bought
the farm instead…
Merry’s career as a New York City stylist has
crumbled, but her passion for muffins has helped her rise
upstate in Autumn Vale. Everyone in town loves the tasty
treats. Still, she would like to return to her glamorous
life. Besides, the upkeep of Wynter Castle is expensive, and
Merry’s cup isn’t exactly overflowing.
So in order to bring some prospective buyers into the mix,
Merry whisks together a spooky soiree and decorates the
castle with dashes of fabric and a sprinkling of spider
webs. Friends new and old are invited, and everyone has a
blast. But as the revelers empty out, Merry notices one
partygoer who isn’t leaving—or breathing. Now
Merry must hurry to unmask a killer before her perfect plans
turn into a recipe for disaster…
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Book Clubbed
Lorna Barrett
New York Times bestselling author Lorna Barrett is
back in town—Booktown, that is—with another
page-turning mystery. This time bookstore owner Tricia Miles
and her sister, Angelica, put their own problems on the
shelf to catch a killer who turns a bookcase into a murder
weapon…
Cranky Chamber of Commerce receptionist Betsy Dittmeyer is
done reading people the riot act. After she’s crushed
by a fallen bookcase, the next item to be read is her last
will and testament—which is packed with surprises. It
soon comes to light that Betsy was hiding volumes of dark
secrets behind that perpetual frown of hers—and one of
them just might have been a motive for murder.
While Tricia tries to help Angelica—the newly elected
Chamber of Commerce president and Betsy’s
boss—solve the mystery, she discovers a hidden chapter
in her own family history that rocks her to her very core.
And with her ex-husband and the chief of police vying for
her affections, it’s doubly hard to focus on who might
have buried Betsy in a tomb of tomes.
But as Tricia and Angelica try to read between the lines,
they need to watch their step…and make sure the killer
doesn’t catch them between the stacks.
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Silence of the Lamb's Wool
Betty Hechtman
Dessert chef Casey Feldstein has learned one end of a
knitting needle from the other after inheriting her
aunt’s yarn retreat business, but a murder threatens
to unravel her latest event . . .
Casey’s running a new retreat called “From Sheep
to Shawl” at a resort on the atmospheric Monterey
Peninsula. Participants will learn about sheepshearing,
fixing up the fleece, and spinning, and will eventually knit
a lovely shawl.
Nicole Welton has been hired to teach the fleece-to-fiber
portion of the retreat. She’s an expert spinner, and
her small shop in Cadbury by the Sea houses a beautiful
assortment of spinning wheels and drop spindles. But when
the new teacher fails to show up for class and is found
lying dead on the boardwalk, it leaves everyone’s
nerves frayed.
Now Casey has to knit together clues faster than she can
count stitches before someone else at the retreat gets
dropped . . .
Includes a knitting pattern and a recipe!
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A Grave Matter
Anna Lee Huber
Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her dear
friend, Lady Kiera Darby is in need of a safe haven.
Returning to her childhood home, Kiera hopes her beloved
brother Trevor and the merriment of the Hogmanay Ball will
distract her. But when a caretaker is murdered and a grave
is disturbed at nearby Dryburgh Abbey, Kiera is once more
thrust into the cold grasp of death.
While Kiera knows that aiding in another inquiry will only
further tarnish her reputation, her knowledge of anatomy
could make the difference in solving the case. But agreeing
to investigate means Kiera must deal with the complicated
emotions aroused in her by inquiry agent Sebastian Gage.
When Gage arrives, he reveals that the incident at the Abbey
was not the first—some fiend is digging up old bones
and holding them for ransom. Now Kiera and Gage must catch
the grave robber and put the case to rest…before
another victim winds up six feet under.
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Crime Rib
Leslie Budewitz
Gourmet food market owner Erin Murphy is determined to
get Jewel Bay, Montana’s, scrumptious local fare some
national attention. But her scheme for culinary celebrity
goes up in flames when the town’s big break is
interrupted by murder . . .
Food Preneurs, one of the hottest cooking shows on TV, has
decided to feature Jewel Bay in an upcoming episode, and
everyone in town is preparing for their close-ups, including
the crew at the Glacier Mercantile, aka the Merc. Not only
is Erin busy remodeling her courtyard into a relaxing dining
area, she’s organizing a steak-cooking competition
between three of Jewel Bay’s hottest chefs to be
featured on the program.
But Erin’s plans get scorched when one of the
contending cooks is found dead. With all the drama going on
behind the scenes, it’s hard to figure out who
didn’t have a motive to off the saucy contestant. Now,
to keep the town’s reputation from crashing and
burning on national television, Erin will have to grill some
suspects to smoke out the killer . . .
INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES!
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Grace Against the Clock
Julie Hyzy
When Marshfield Manor hosts a charity event, Grace Wheaton,
the mansion’s curator and manager, is happy to lend a
helping hand—until a killer makes an unwanted
donation…
With the town clock in desperate need of repair, local
lawyer Joyce Swedburg and her ex-husband, Dr. Leland Keay,
are trying to put their differences aside to organize a
benefit at Marshfield Manor to raise money to restore the
beautiful timepiece. While Grace appreciates the opportunity
to support such a good cause, the tension between the
unhappy exes is giving her the urge to put both of the
organizers in time out.
But after Leland collapses on stage during the festivities,
poisoned, Grace suspects there was more going on behind the
scenes. Now, she’s in a race to catch a ticked off
murderer, and, if she’s going to prevent anyone else
from getting hurt, every second will count…
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Maple Mayhem
Jessie Crockett
In Sugar Grove, New Hampshire, people are serious about
their maple syrup—especially Dani Greene, whose family
owns the Greener Pastures sugarhouse. But when murder
disrupts the small-town sweetness, Dani pores over clues to
draw out a killer…
Despite being a fourth-generation syrup maker, Dani
isn’t stuck in the past. She’s starting a new
agricultural cooperative that reduces costs for every syrup
producer who joins. Everyone considers it a sweet deal
except the die-hard curmudgeon Frank Lemieux—and when
a saboteur starts targeting supporters, everyone suspects Frank.
But it turns out they’re barking up the wrong tree
when Dani finds Frank murdered in his own sugarhouse. As the
sabotage continues, she realizes that Frank was framed. With
the help of her family, and a handsome official from the
Fish and Game Department, Dani must catch the killer before
another syrup maker kicks the bucket.
Recipes Included!
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Cookies and Scream
Virginia Lowell
Olivia Greyson, proud owner of The Gingerbread
House—a quaint shop that specializes in all things
cookie—and her best friend, Maddie, are baking up
scrumptious treats for their cookie-themed parties. But when
a stunning antique cookie cutter collection leads to murder,
things get a bit too hot to handle…
After a brief vacation to escape the summer heat, Olivia
returns home to find the safe at her beloved store stuffed
with unfamiliar cookie cutters. The cutters are part of a
priceless set owned by former local Greta Oskarson, who has
returned home after fifty years in the hopes that Olivia
will broker their sale.
But before Olivia can sell a single piece, Greta turns up
dead. Though the cause of death appears natural, something
is not quite right—between Greta’s mysterious
past and her long list of enemies, Olivia suspects murder.
And with Sheriff Del Jenkins away, it’s up to Olivia
and Maddie to sift through the cookie cutters and the clues
before the killer claims another victim…
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Not the Killing Type
Lorna Barrett
In the latest New York Times bestselling
Booktown Mystery, amateur sleuth and bookstore owner
Tricia Miles gets caught up in a local election that turns
lethal . . .
It’s November in Stoneham, New Hampshire, and time for
the Chamber of Commerce elections. The long-standing Chamber
president is being challenged by a former
lover—Tricia’s own sister, Angelica. Also
throwing his hat in the ring is small business owner Stan
Berry. Unfortunately, Stan isn’t in the race for long.
When Stan is found murdered, his political rivals become
suspects. Angelica is going to need more than a vote of
confidence from her sister—she needs Tricia to clear
her name so she can win the election.
Tricia soon uncovers a ballot box full of lies and
betrayals, and a chamber full of people who had grudges
against the victim. But were they serious enough to lead to
murder? It’s up to Tricia to pull the lever on a
killer before it’s curtains for someone else.
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Be Careful What You Witch For
Dawn Eastman
Leaving a traumatic police career behind, Clyde Fortune
has returned to her seemingly quiet hometown of Crystal
Haven, Michigan. In spite of the psychic powers of its
residents, there’s no telling what trouble is brewing
in this burg…
The highlight of this year’s fall festival in Crystal
Haven is a bonfire with a witch’s cauldron resting
over it. Clyde’s best friend, Diana, leads a ritual to
divine the future, but it seems no one foresees that one of
their own will drop dead—or that Diana will be a prime
suspect.
Clyde already has her hands full with her eccentric family,
runaway nephew, and burgeoning secret romance with a hunky
homicide detective. But after another coven member is
attacked, Clyde suspects there’s a witch hunt afoot
and focuses her psychic and sleuthing skills to clear her
friend’s name and catch a killer.
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Ill-Gotten Panes
Jennifer McAndrews
FIRST IN A NEW SERIES!
Stained-glass aficionado Georgia Kelly packed up her city
life for the quiet of small town Wenwood, New York. But the
sleepy village’s peace is about to get
shattered—by murder…
After a banking scandal loses Georgia her job and
fiancé, she decides that a change of scenery will
help piece her life back together. But escaping to her
grandfather’s house in the old-fashioned, brick-making
Hudson River hamlet of Wenwood, New York, turns out to be
less relaxing than she expects. Not only is the close-knit
community on edge about their beloved brickworks being
turned into a marina to draw in tourists, one of those most
opposed to the project winds up dead—cracked over the
head with a famous Wenwood brick.
Georgia wouldn’t be broken up over the news except for
the fact that the main suspect is the deceased’s
biggest adversary—her grandfather. Now, to remove the
stain from her grandy’s record, Georgia will have to
figure out who in town was willing to kill to keep the
renovation project alive, before someone else is permanently
cut out of the picture…
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1) 1) How did you come up with The Family Fortune Mystery Series?
What did you first think of: the characters, town, plot or a mix?
The characters came first, specifically Clyde, Rose (her mother), and
Violet (her aunt). They arrived arguing about the family business. When
I realized the business was psychic intervention, I created a town that
catered to that way of life.
It probably won’t surprise my readers to hear that I also loved reading
the Nancy Drew mysteries, Trixie Belden, the Hardy Boys... mystery
solved, justice served.
2) 2) Why psychic intervention? Is this something you’re familiar with?
I liked the idea of psychics because that tends to be something that
people treat with skepticism (myself included). I wanted to turn the
tables a bit and show the skeptics as the minority and imagine what it
would look like if everyone believed and talked about it as if it were
the same as fingerprint evidence.
I’m only familiar with psychics as an interested observer. I’ve talked
to psychics as research for the books and read about the pendulum and
the tarot, etc. As a kid I was fascinated with psychics and mediums and
thought it would be great to be able to predict the future. Now, I’m in
Clyde’s camp — I think it would be more of a burden. I’m happy taking
each day as it comes.
3) 3) How long did you live with the character(s) and plot before sitting down to write the manuscript?
I spent a couple of months fleshing out the family and the town. I wrote
snippets of the manuscript — dialogue and a couple of scenes while
working on that world building, but didn’t really start the manuscript
until I had a good sense of the characters and the setting. Most of this
work was done in a notebook or whatever paper I had to hand when I
thought of something — sometimes the best ideas happen when I’m not
technically working on the book. Then I took all those notes and scraps
of paper and organized them into a computer file.
4) Who is your favorite character and why?
Seth is probably my favorite character because of his easy-going nature.
He is a great balance for Clyde — he tends to be her stabilizing
influence, especially when her family’s antics begin to irritate.
However, whenever I need an injection of fun or conflict, I turn to Vi.
So in some ways she’s my favorite.
5) Your books are set in Michigan, where you grew up. How important was it to have this series set in Michigan and why?
I grew up in southeast Michigan, near Detroit, and it still feels most
like home to me. The books are set in western Michigan, which is one of
my favorite places to vacation. Crystal Haven itself could have been
placed almost anywhere, but I wanted to write about a location where I
had spent a good amount of time and that might appeal to readers as a
place to visit from book to book. Some of my favorite series, such as
Susan Wittig Albert’s China Bayles series, Agatha Christie’s St. Mary
Mead, Louise Penny’s Gamache Series, and Krista Davis’s Paws and Claws
series have places that I wish I could visit in real life.
6) In your next book, many of the characters are snowed in while at a
B&B. Which of your characters would you want to be snowbound with?
Like Clyde, I’d rather be snowbound with Mac alone than with the whole
gang. However, I do love to knit, so a weekend where I was forced to
hang out with knitters and talk about yarn-y things would not be as
horrible for me as it will be for Clyde.
7) What inspired you to write, and specifically write a cozy mystery?
I think every book I have loved has inspired me to write. I was such a
huge reader growing up and I always thought that I would love to be able
to create a whole new world with words. I also really love a puzzle and
read a lot of mysteries. I like the sense of justice and the resolution
of putting the world back to normal that can often be found in
mysteries.
8) What is your writing routine like?
It varies depending on the time of year. During the school year I keep
to a school schedule and write while the house is quiet and everyone is
at work or school. During the summer I have to get more creative and be a
bit more structured. In some ways I am more efficient in the summer
because I don’t have as much time. But the daily routine starts with a
pot of tea.
I am very fortunate to have a loft space that I use as my office. It’s
open to the living room below, which is not ideal when everyone is home.
Rowdy, my dog, likes to bring all of his toys up into the loft and
watch out the back window for intruders. Unfortunately, he invariably
drops his toys off the balcony and behind a large set of shelves. He is
not patient about their retrieval. My writing routine seems to have this
added feature of rescuing dog toys — I know I’ve had a good long
writing session if I’ve rescued several toys.
9) What do you love most about cozy mysteries?
I love the sense of visiting old friends when I read a known series, or
of meeting new ones. I like to watch the relationships change and
develop over time. And because I like a puzzle, a cozy provides that
closed community with often buried conflicts that erupt into murder.
10) What advice do you have for anyone who is thinking about embarking on writing their first novel?
I love an outline and it helps me to stay on task and to avoid facing
that scary blank page alone. However, I know there are people who feel
paralyzed by an outline. I spent a lot of time reading writing books
that said you should just write and see where the story takes you, etc.
That was bad advice for me, but probably great advice for someone else. I
would say, figure out what works for you and keep doing that. Whatever
helps you get the words on the page is the right way to work. And
recognize that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. For most writers, it’s the
daily few pages done on a regular basis that add up to a novel — focus
on a day at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed.
11) While you keep your mysteries light and cozy, you approach some
serious themes in your books. Why is it important to you to introduce
this to your work?
I think most people have a dark side and mystery novels exploit that
tendency. For me, one of the fascinating aspects of a cozy is the
darkness that lurks just under the surface of everyday, perfect-looking
life. Most people keep those impulses in check but obviously not all, as
a casual perusal of any local newspaper will attest. I also think that
many writers have favorite issues that sneak into their work. I have
noticed that the same sorts of themes show up for me without explicit
effort. I seem to gravitate toward mothers and family and the ways they
help or harm the individual. I also feel that you can’t judge another
person without knowing their story, so many of my characters are
revealed to be different than they first appear. I think these themes
show up somewhat organically for me, especially in the early phases and
then I have to decide how far to go with it.
Dear Reader,
As an avid cook and amateur herbalist, a cozy mystery series about a
baker who infuses her pastries with herbal magic felt right up my alley.
Of course, at the beginning of the first book,
BROWNIES AND BROOMSTICKS,
Katie Lightfoot doesn’t know she’s a witch, only that she’s ”pure magic
in the kitchen” according to her aunt Lucy. Newly transplanted from
Akron, Ohio, to Savannah, Georgia, Katie joins with her aunt and uncle
to put her pastry school training to work in the Honeybee Bakery. Soon
Lucy reveals that she and Katie are hereditary hedgewitches with special
talents for kitchen and garden magic. Needless to say, it takes Katie a
while to get used to the idea!
Lucy introduces Katie to her spellbook club, an informal coven of
witches who welcome Katie with open arms. This group of five magical
mentors range in age from mid-twenties to late seventies, and each is
drawn to a particular flavor of witchcraft. Along with Lucy, they teach
Katie about spell work, as well as stepping in to help her solve the
murders that seem to crop up in her new life with alarming regularity.
Katie came to Savannah to escape a failed engagement and dead end job,
but Savannah is the perfect place for a cozy series about witches.
Besides boasting stunning architecture, the park like squares of the
historic district, outstanding food, and the Savannah College of Art and
Design, it’s also the most haunted city in the U.S. As the oldest city
in Georgia, established in 1733, it was a port city key in the
Revolutionary and Civil Wars. No wonder the ghosts abound.
As do the movie makers. It’s the setting for what local residents simply call ”the book,”
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which was made into a movie in 1997. Over 75 movies have been filmed in Savannah, the first in 1915(!), among them
Forrest Gump,
The Legend of Bagger Vance and
The Conspirator. In fact, I happened to see Robert Redford filming
The Conspirator
and noticed how they cordoned off the streets, covered them with dirt
and straw, and brought in the horses and carriages. I immediately began
scribbling notes and taking pictures.
Those notes came in handy for
SOME ENCHANTED ÉCLAIR.
In Katie’s fourth adventure, A. Dendum Productions is filming a
romantic comedy set during the Revolutionary War and has turned Reynolds
Square into an eighteenth century movie set. The Honeybee is called
upon to cater to the cast and crew, one of whom unfortunately turns up
stabbed with a knife from the bakery. Katie, along with her boyfriend
Declan McCarthy, Uncle Ben, columnist Steve Dawes, her witchy friends
and their familiars, and a psychic named Ursula, dives into finding the
killer among a cast of suspects, all of whom seem to be keeping secrets.
Hope you enjoy it!
Bailey Cates
www.baileycates.com and
www.cricketmcrae.com
