Weekend Book Reviews

Goodbye Crueller World by Ginger Bolton is the second book in the Deputy Donut Mystery series.  Emily and her father-in-law are hired to do a doughnut wall for a wedding.  It seems to be going well until the groom dies from suspected poisoning.  The additional characters in this book are not quite as eccentric as the first book.  The mystery was on the weaker side since I guessed the murderer early on.  Still I love the idea of a former cop owning a doughnut shop and will give a third book a try.  I would like to see Emily moving forward in her own life rather than pushing her friends into romances.

Lynn Cahoon's A Deadly Brew is a Kindle single in the Tourist Trap Mystery series.  Jill and her boyfriend along with three other couples are spending the weekend in a haunted house.  This is a fast past mystery perfect for the upcoming Halloween season.  I liked that I could read it in one sitting.  The former owner's disappearance years earlier is the focus of the mystery.  I enjoy Ms. Cahoon's writing style and how she brings the characters to life!

The latest book in the Welcome Back to Scumble River series by Denise Swanson is Die Me a River.  Skye has enough to deal with following the birth of her twins while living in a motor home after her own home was destroyed by a tornado.  While she and her husband Wally are at the church planning the twins' christening, an explosion at the nearby bowling alley adds more chaos to their lives.  Wally is unsure if the target was the gambling machines or the unpopular insurance agent who was the only fatality.  This book has plenty of action and wonderful small town characters - including the quirky ones.  This is a great series for classic cozy mystery fans.

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise comp.  ensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!