Murdered by Country Music by Dianne Harman

     When a group of friends agree to help staff a food truck for a country music festival, they have no idea they will be next door to murder. The Red Pony food truck offers a delicious menu of food, but will the entrée be overshadowed by deadly events? Dianne Harman brings her High Desert Cozy Mystery crew back for a third adventure, this one filled with food, art, music and nefarious dealings. 

     Psychic Laura James owns the compound where the six friends hatch their plans for the festival. Her artist-boyfriend Les Anderson has joined the festivities. Laura’s sister Marty Morgan is engaged to Detective Jeff Combs of the Palm Springs Police Department. Marty’s background in art and antiques appraisal ties in nicely with Laura’s work for an insurance company. John Anderson, owner of The Red Pony food truck, is always trying out his new recipes on the little group. He and his assistant Max Samuel brought samples of the planned menu for the upcoming music festival to reward the volunteers.

     While the six seem well suited to work together for the few days of the High Desert Country Music Festival, a problem soon develops: Jacque Ruchon, John’s main rival will be part of the Festival, too. All of the ingredients are present for cooking up a recipe of trouble.

     Harman’s core characters are adults, well-established along career tracks. Watching them deal with the youth factor at a music festival brings a light element to the story, while Marty’s involvement with an art appraisal for the owner of the ranch housing the festival lends a warm family touch. Woven throughout the story are the intrigues of a competitive business and people with addiction issues.

     As befits a cozy mystery, the violence takes place off-page, the language is mild and sexual innuendo is kept to a minimum. Harman’s deft handling of the multitude of work roles involved makes for an enjoyable jaunt into a dangerous world. Are you brave enough to visit the High Desert world she describes?

     This book will appeal to readers who like mysteries without grim bloody descriptions. The art aspects of Marty’s appraisal work will delight art enthusiasts. The volume includes recipes for many of the dishes served in the story, making it a treat for cooks.

Murdered by Country Music: A High Desert Cozy Mystery

By Dianne Harman

Available in both print and ebook formats

Disclaimer: This review is based on a review copy provided by the author or publisher with no constraints as to content. All opinions are my own.

Mary Ellen Hughes does it again! Delicious mystery with a touch of spice

License to Dill, the second book in Mary Ellen Hughes’ Pickled and Preserved Mystery series, takes readers on a thrill ride spiced with good friends and good food. Anyone interested in home food preservation will enjoy the references to spices and preserving techniques. Sports aficionados can thrill to the soccer competition underlying the story. There’s romance and family and lots of intrigue taking place in License to Dill. Classic cars and motorcycles come into the mix as well.

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Modern day wild west fun in Dying for a Dude from Cindy Sample

National bestselling northern California author Cindy Sample returns with her soccer mom protagonist in Dying for a Dude, the fourth Laurel McKay Mystery. This outing finds Laurel tackling a decades old murder which may have involved one of her ancestors. As she struggles to clear her family name, a more contemporary murder investigation pits her boyfriend, Detective Tom Hunter against her ex-husband. What’s a working mom to do?

The story offers mystery, romance, danger and humor in perfect proportions. Laurel’s family provides many of the laughs, as her perfectionist mother and independent grandmother lock horns over a proposed move. Laughs come from realistic human foibles which only serve to endear the characters. Readers will enjoy the interplay between Laurel and her friends, including continuing characters Liz and Stan.

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Janet Babin introduces the Senior Quilting Society, aka SQS Investigations

Picture your grandmother as a crimefighting super hero. Then picture her with her own team of fellow heroes. Now prepare to laugh yourself silly as Janet Babin brings this picture to life with six senior citizens working undercover as insurance investigators in “Shadows in the Night.”

Babin has created a group of readily identifiable women who don’t want to be stuck on a shelf. Narrator Jen worked as a legal secretary; her best friend Barbara knows all of Jen’s secrets, since they grew up together; Mattie retired as a gym teacher and uses a walker because of a bilateral knee replacement; Margie earned sharpshooter awards during her service as an Army sergeant; Cookie, an overweight retired computer analyst, handles the electronic side of their investigations. The sixth member of the team is Belle, a woman who looks a decade younger than her sixty years.

Read more of the review here.