Never-Ending TBR, Part Eleven

I’ve got four cozy mysteries to share with you this month. All four are continuations of series I’ve enjoyed and shared before. Check out these awesome offerings!

Crime for the Books by Kate Young
Jane Doe Book Club Mystery, Book 3
Lyla’s book club is reading Agatha Christie’s Murder Is Announced, and the club members decide to hold a Halloween party complete with a staged murder. But when the lights come back on, they find a real murder. Rosa, one of the club members, is a member of the local police force and temporary chief, but nothing seems to go right with her investigation and soon she’s relieved of her duties. It’s up to the Jane Doe Book Club members to help Rosa get her job back as well as find the murderer. This was a well-written story, the perfect read for Halloween week, and I can’t wait to dig into Book 4!

Deviled Eggs and Deception by Kelsey Brown and Nancy Naigle
A Seasoned Southern Sleuths Mystery, Book 3
Maggie, Abby Ruth, and Sera are continuing to take care of the Summer Haven estate while Lillian is in prison. It’s an expensive place to maintain, and they’re horrified when Lillian’s prize antique car is smashed by a falling tree. When the manager of the local dump hires them to find out who’s breaking in and stealing things, they quickly accept the job. They also become embroiled in another case when a local artist discovers that someone is selling copies of his metal sculptures. Meanwhile, Lillian discovers a way to get out of jail early – she pretends to suffer from arthritis and depression in order to get a compassionate release. But coming home isn’t quite what she expected. As with the earlier books, there were several laugh-out-loud moments, and the ending was a surprise, along with a cliffhanger about one of the ladies.

Gift of the Magpie by Donna Andrews
A Meg Langslow Mystery, Book 28
I decided it was about time to read one of the many holiday books on my TBR pile. The ever-busy Meg is heading up her community’s Helping Hands program. One of the most daunting is to guide a hoarder into accepting help to declutter his home. He has several neighbors plus three cousins who are eager to see him clear out the house. The neighborhood pitches in to help, but when Harvey the Hoarder is found in a pool of blood in his garage, it appears someone believes there’s more than junk in the home, and Meg and her family are there to assist Chief Burke find the killer. As always with Andrews’ mysteries, I finished reading this book in a few days, because I read while I should have been doing other things. Caerphilly, Virginia might be a fictional place with fictional people, but every time I read one of these mysteries I wish I could go for an extended visit.

Sweet Tea and Second Chances by Kelsey Brown and Nancy Naigle
A Seasoned Southern Sleuths Mystery, Book 7
This is listed as the last book in the series, but chronologically it takes place between books 3 and 4 (according to the list provided by the authors) so I decided to follow the order of events. This is another book focusing on Sheriff Teague Castro and Abby Ruth’s daughter Jenny. Apparently, the book is a lot spicier than the books about the four ladies at Summer Haven, but the truly spicy stuff has been taken out and made available on the authors’ website. In this installment, Teague is determined to make things right with Jenny and create a happily-ever-after for them both. But residents are worried that he’s too distracted with his love life to do a good job as sheriff, and a retired cop who’s new in town is fast becoming a popular alternative for the upcoming election. Jenny and the ladies have a few tricks up their sleeves, but in a true crisis, Teague shows the town what he’s really made of.