A Study in Murder by Callie Hutton (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 Title: A Study in Murder

Author: Callie Hutton
Publication: 12 May 2020
Format: Kindle eBook

Amazon Description: 

Bath, England, 1890. Mystery author Lady Amy Lovell receives an anonymous letter containing shocking news: her fiancé, Mr. Ronald St. Vincent, has been dabbling in something illegal, which causes her to promptly break their engagement.

Two evenings later, as Lady Amy awaits a visit from Lord William Wethington, fellow member of the Bath Mystery Book Club, her former fiancé makes an unexpected and most unwelcome appearance at her house. She promptly sends him to the library to cool his heels but later discovers the room seemingly empty--until she stumbles upon a dead Mr. St. Vincent with a knife in his chest.

Lord Wethington arrives to find Lady Amy screaming and sends for the police, but the Bobbies immediately assume that she is the killer. Desperate to clear her name, Lady Amy and Lord Wethington launch their own investigation--and stir up a hornet's nest of suspects, from the gardener who served time in prison for murder to a vengeful woman who was spurned by St. Vincent before he proposed to Lady Amy.

Can they close the book on the case before the real killer gets away with murder?

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff 
Today's book is brought to you thanks to another case of seeing a book on NetGalley, going "oooooooh," nabbing it .... and then finding out that it's not the first in the series. I'm still awfully glad that I did even though as of yet I'm only a quarter of the way in. When I saw "A Victorian Book Club Mystery" I had assumed it would be about a book club that read books written in or about Victorian times. Well, I was kind of correct .... but for the characters the books are contemporary as the story itself is set in 1890. (I know -- the Amazon description says as much. I'm a cover-grabber and didn't read any description.) Hopefully by Friday I'll have it done -- or at least done enough to share again for my Friday56 post with further oohs and aahs and rambles and whatnot. And then on to the next...

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two
of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two
from anywhere in the book currently being read.

In Hot Water by Kate Kingsbury (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

 Title: In Hot Water

Author: Kate Kingsbury
Publication: 12 October 2021
Format: eARC provided by Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley

Amazon Description: 

In bestselling author Kate Kingsbury's Misty Bay Tea Room series debut, the proprietress of a British-style tea shop must draw on her love for mystery novels to sleuth a murder.

Vivian Wainwright is living her dream. The middle-aged widow owns the Misty Bay Tearoom, a quaint, English-accented shop on the Oregon coast. But on the eve of the tearoom's second anniversary, the dream turns nightmarish when a man falls to his death from a hotel balcony.

The body belongs to Dean Ramsey, ex-husband of Vivian's assistant, Jenna. Detective Tony Messina quickly zeroes in on Jenna as prime suspect, since she was seen leaving the hotel shortly before the body was found.

Vivian and her other assistant, Gracie, set out to help clear Jenna's name, using their wit and a bit of criminology know-how Vivian picked up from her late attorney husband. Detective Messina is on board, but he's starting to develop feelings for his number one suspect. Puzzling questions persist--chief among them, whose clothes was Dean wearing when he landed on the rocky shore?

To complicate matters, Vivian's friend, pet shop owner Hal Douglass, seems to know some secrets about the hotel that could add a long list of names to the suspect list...including Hal's own. Vivian must work quickly because if she can't, Jenna faces a murder rap...or worse.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I was going to continue with my Ellery Adams love-fest but decided that I need to wait until I have the next installment in hardcover (some series are like that), so I popped onto my NetGalley and it reminded me that I have a whole bunch of unread goodies and thanks to the wonderful world eeny-meeny-minie-moe, I chose the first in Kate Kingsbury's newest series. 

I am horribly, miserably, acutely ashamed that this is only the second Kingsbury that I have read -- the first being the first in her Pennyfoot Hotel series. I loved it. I really did. I have others in the series sitting in my cloud and I'm determined to get to them .... eventually. But, you know, distractions happen like life and shiny things and squirrels.

So, In Hot Water -- the first in the Misty Bay Tea Room series. I was drawn to it on NetGalley because of the little bit of prior Kingsbury and the whole tea room aspect. I'm actually much more of a coffee addict, but since I'm a ginormous fan of Gail Carriger I must, therefore, also be a fan of all things tea.

It was a fast and easy read. I more or less knocked it out in just over a single work shift during one of the busiest weeks of the season. Unfortunately, this may have been a negative. I would have gladly taken a longer read in exchange for certain plot points being completely ignored or rushed through. So many questions still linger in my head that I doubt will ever be resolved. I would also have taken a lot more of Tony Messina ... and a lot more of the ins and outs of the tea room. There wasn't enough of either for me so I'll probably grab the next one in the series just to get more .... and to see if someone ever mentions the pink negligee again.

As always, Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice & Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.

The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

Title: The Whispered Word

Author: Ellery Adams
Publication: 27 November 2018
Format: hardcover

Amazon Description: 

In this cozy mystery by a New York Times–bestselling author, a gifted bookstore owner can find the right book for any patron, but can she find a killer?

The proprietor of Miracle Books in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, Nora Pennington believes that a well-chosen novel can bring healing and hope. But she and the other members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society know that sometimes practical help is needed too. Such is the case with the reed-thin girl hiding in the fiction section of Nora’s store, wearing a hospital ID and a patchwork of faded bruises. She calls herself Abilene but won’t reveal much else. And when a customer is found dead in an assumed suicide, Nora uncovers a connection that points to Abilene as either a suspect—or another target. After a second death hits town, Nora and her intrepid friends must help the new, greenhorn sheriff discern fact from fiction—and stop a killer intent on bringing another victim’s story to a close…
 
“A love letter to reading, with sharp characterizations and a smart central mystery.”—Entertainment Weekly

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff 
The Whispered Word starts immediately after The Secret, Book & Scone Society so it only made sense to me to reread them back-to-back. So .... I would have do so anyway because I've been in dire need of the special kind of Ellery magic .... but TWW does begin immediately after TSBSS. 

I know a lot of series claim that they don't need to be read in any particular order. 

Don't believe them.

Ever.

Especially not with this series. 

You need the background from the first to understand the growth in the second and to fully appreciate the book-hugging awe. I'm assuming that there will be more to come in the third and fourth and ... so on (the fifth being due out in April). I just need to decide if I'm going to wait for my hardcovers arrive ... or break down and start with the ebook for the next one. It's a rough week so I'm guessing ebook. Even next day delivery for the next hardcover might be too long.

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two
of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two
from anywhere in the book currently being read.

The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams (Friday 56)

Title: The Secret, Book & Scone Society

Author: Ellery Adams
Publication: 31 October 2017
Format: Kindle ebook 

Amazon Description: 

A quirky club in small-town North Carolina holds the keys to health, happiness, friendship—and even solving a murder—all to be found within the pages of the right book…

Strangers flock to Miracle Springs hoping the natural hot springs, five-star cuisine, and renowned spa can cure their ills. If none of that works, they often find their way to Miracle Books, where, over a fresh-baked “comfort” scone, they exchange their stories with owner Nora Pennington in return for a carefully chosen book. That’s Nora’s special talent—prescribing the perfect novel to ease a person’s deepest pain. So when a visiting businessman reaches out for guidance, Nora knows exactly how to help. But before he can keep their appointment, he’s found dead on the train tracks.
 
Stunned, Nora forms the Secret, Book, and Scone Society, a group of damaged souls yearning to earn redemption by helping others. To join, members must divulge their darkest secret—the terrible truth that brought each of them to Miracle Springs in the first place. Now, determined to uncover the truth behind the businessman’s demise, the women meet in Nora’s cozy bookstore. And as they untangle a web of corruption, they also discover their own courage, purpose, and a sisterhood that will carry them through every challenge—proving it’s never too late to turn the page and start over…

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

This is actually a re-read -- something I seldom feel the urge to do with books published within the past decade or so. I'll marathon watch television series multiple times -- especially when a new season is approaching -- but I rarely do with books.

Ellery Adams is different. In the best way.

I had already teased and rambled after the first time I read this gem in September of 2018 ... but it wasn't a Friday 56 post so that gave me the perfect excuse to share again.  

Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice

The Girl in Cabin 13 by AJ Rivers (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 Title: The Girl in Cabin 13

Author: AJ Rivers
Publication: 24 December 2019
Format: Kindle ebook

Amazon Description: 

FBI agent Emma Griffin is sent undercover to the small sleepy town of Feathered Nest to uncover the truth behind the strings of disappearances that has left the town terrified. To Emma there is nothing that can lay buried forever. Even though her own childhood has been plagued by deaths and disappearances. Her mother’s death, her father’s disappearance, and her boyfriend’s disappearance. The only cases that she hasn’t solved. Her obsession with finding out the truth behind her past was what led her to join the FBI.

Now, she must face what may be her biggest case. In Cabin 13 there lies an uneasy feeling. The feeling of her movements being watched. When a knock on her door revealed a body on her porch and her name written on a piece of paper in the dead man’s hand. Suddenly her worlds collide. With the past still haunting her, Emma must fight past her own demons to stop the body count from rising. The woods have secrets. And this idyllic town has dark and murderous ones. Either she reveals them or risk them claiming her too.

In Feathered Nest, nothing is what it seems.
The Girl in Cabin 13 is about to find out that the dead may have secrets of their own.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff 
It's a really good thing that I don't sleep very well, I suppose. Well, it isn't ... but it does give me more time to read and this is definitely a book worth staying up a little longer than usual for and I will most definitely be reading more in the Emma Griffin series. There are 14 books at this point so I should catch up ... eventually.

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two
of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two
from anywhere in the book currently being read.

On Borrowed Crime by Kate Young (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

Title: On Borrowed Crime

Author: Kate Young
Publication: 6 October 2020
Format: Kindle ebook

Amazon Description: 

The Jane Doe book club enjoys guessing whodunit, but when murder happens in their midst, they discover solving crimes isn't fun and games...

Lyla Moody loves her sleepy little town of Sweet Mountain, Georgia. She likes her job as receptionist for her uncle's private investigative firm, her fellow true crime obsessed Jane Doe members are the friends she's always wanted, and her parents just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. But recently, with her best friend Melanie on vacation, and her ex-boyfriend and horrible cousin becoming an item and moving in next door to her, her idyllic life is on the fritz. The cherry on top of it all is finding Carol, a member of the club, dead and shoved into a suitcase, left at Lyla's front door.

Unusual circumstances notwithstanding, with Carol's heart condition, the coroner rules Carol's death undetermined. But when they discover the suitcase belongs to Melanie, who had returned from her vacation the following morning, Sweet Mountain police begin to suspect Lyla's best friend. Determined that police are following the wrong trail, to clear her friend's name, and to not allow Carol become one of the club's studied cold cases, Lyla begins to seek out the real killer. That is, until she becomes the one sought after. Now, finding the truth could turn her into the killer's next plot twist, unless she wins the game of cat and mouse.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff 
I decided to take a peek at NetGalley for the first time in ages thinking that it might help get back into the swing of things. The jury is still out on how well it will work, but at least I was able to nab the second book in Kate Young's Jane Doe Book Club Mystery series ... which, of course, then gave me a good excuse to hop onto Amazon and grab the first. 

Heaven forbid I ever read anything out of order if I can help it.

I'm only 27% in at this point so there isn't much to really ramble about, but so far I'm enjoying it and I'm already glad that I won't have to wait until next month to read the next one. 

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two
of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two
from anywhere in the book currently being read.