Weekend Book Reviews

Bamboozled by Barbara Barrett is the second book in the Mah Jongg Mystery series.  This book is a bit deeper than the usual cozy mystery series.  The main characters are dealing with serious issues.  I did not read the first book in this series but did not feel lost when reading this book.  The four women who are amateur sleuths who also play mah jongg.  When a member of the mah jongg group is accused of murdering her boss, she begs the ladies to help clear her name.  This is a more sophisticated cozy style mystery with serious planning of the investigation and the other things going on in the characters' lives.  If you are looking for a cozy series with a bit more depth, this is the one for you!

The fourth book in J.C. Eaton's Sophie Kimball Mystery series is Botched 4 Murder.  Sophie once again gets pulled into the spectacle that is her mother's retirement community.  A board member who wants to get rid of the community's golf courses and replace them eco-friendly parks is causing chaos and turns up dead.  Not surprisingly this causes even more chaos in the community.  This is a fun, light cozy mystery.  I love the characters and can easily picture any of them in real life.  The book is a wonderful escape and a good addition to the series.

Batter Off Dead by Maymee Bell is part of the Southern Cake Baker Mystery series.  Sophia, owner of For Goodness Cakes, has picked up two catering jobs in her hometown of Rumford, Kentucky.  First up is the library fundraiser where wealthy citizen Ray Peel backs out of funding the upgrades to the town library.  Ray is soon found dead, and the suspect list is long.  This is a charming southern themed mystery.  I was thrilled to find several recipes at the end since descriptions of these desserts had my mouth watering throughout the book.  The relationship between Sophia and her sheriff boyfriend seems to waffle back and forth so I am curious to see how this plays out in future books.

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