This morning, I have a cozy mystery novel in our book teaser spotlight! Check out Airplanes, Atlanta & an Assassin, read an excerpt, and learn about author Mary Seifert! 

Katie & Maverick Cozy Mysteries, Book #10

Date Published: 07-10-2025

Publisher: Secret Staircase Books

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High school teacher Katie Wilk is thrilled when her students qualify for Mock Trial America, a prestigious courtroom competition in Atlanta. Alongside her best friend and fellow teacher Jane Mackey, a team of eager teens, and a crew of devoted chaperones, Katie boards a flight from Minnesota—ready for a week of intellectual showdowns and Southern hospitality. But things go sideways before the plane is even off the ground. 

With canceled flights, endless delays, and one particularly obnoxious passenger stirring up trouble, the trip turns into a logistical, almost deadly, nightmare. When that same rude traveler turns up later in Atlanta, the chaos takes a deadly turn—and suspicion lands squarely on the Mackey family. 

As Katie digs deeper, she uncovers a web of secrets: stolen documents, corporate espionage, dangerous toxins, and enough motive to make her question everything. Can she untangle the truth before the killer strikes again? 

Luckily, she’s got help—from Maverick, her sharp-nosed, loyal Labrador retriever and trained search-and-rescue dog, who’s always ready to sniff out danger. 

Smart, suspenseful, and full of heart, this latest installment in Mary Seifert’s charming cozy mystery series delivers Southern intrigue, tricky puzzles, and the kind of dogged determination only a Lab (and a resolute teacher) can provide.

Weather delayed the incoming plane. We had boarded thirty minutes behind schedule, and forty-two minutes later, after anxious bouts of fits and giggles checking watches and phone screens, we saw our pilot step out of the cockpit to make a brief announcement. 

“Good morning, folks. Sorry for the delay, but due to mechanical issues, we’ve had to cancel our non-stop flight to Atlanta.” As the air around me took on a rumble, he smiled uneasily and took a big breath. “We apologize for any inconvenience, and we’ll do our best to accommodate you and get you to your final destination as quickly as possible. Please gather your belongings and check the seat pocket before disembarking. See the gate attendant for more details.” 

We exited the aircraft. Our students crowded around me, and I said decisively, “We’ll catch another plane soon and still arrive in plenty of time to take advantage of everything we’ve planned before your competition begins in three days. Don’t worry.” 

Famous last words. I hoped I wasn’t constructing a false narrative for our future. 

I massaged my temples as we waited our turn and inched our way to the desk for information. The smile glued to the young man’s face never wavered as he checked our tickets. “It’s a very busy Memorial weekend.” His fingers flew over the keys. “It’ll take a bit of maneuvering to get your entire group in the sky, but we’ll get you on the next available flight, however ...” He looked up at me, and one corner of his mouth turned down in a bit of alarm. “The operative word is available.” 

My heart leaped to my throat, and I gritted my teeth in frustration.

“And a nonstop will be impossible.” His eyebrows, cheeks, and lips morphed into one big apology. “You’ll be rerouted first through Detroit.”

Meet the Author

Mary Seifert is the author of the Katie and Maverick Cozy Mysteries 2024 International IMPACT Award winner for books in a series, a collection of fun and thrilling tales that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Her books, including the 2023 American Fiction Award finalist Maverick, Movies & Murder and the 2024 Chanticleer Murder and Mayhem finalist Santa, Snowflakes & Strychnine, are must-reads for cozy mystery fans who enjoy a good puzzle wrapped in a heartwarming story. 

Set in the charming landscapes of West Central Minnesota, where the lakes begin and the criminals are caught, Mary’s stories transport readers to a world of intrigue, humor, and small-town charm. Each book is a delightful mix of suspense and warmth, featuring memorable characters, ingenious puzzles, and clever twists that keep you guessing until the very end. 

Busy crafting her next mystery, Mary indulges in her love of research, currently studying the flora and fauna of the Nantahala National Forest and the magnetic call of Atlanta for the upcoming installment of her series. She believes that every great mystery starts with a curious mind and a love for uncovering the truth, but scrupulously scrubs her browsers history of any hint of crime. 

Join Mary on her literary journey, where a good story is always paired with a cozy blanket, a glass of wine, and a touch of mischief!

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ANGUS & ROBERTSON

I've said many times that I have always loved mysteries. Growing up, I read every mystery novel in our small town library! This morning, I have a cozy mystery geared toward young adults! Learn about Lucky Secrets from the Mauzzy & Me Mystery series by B.T. Polcari. 

Young Adult Cozy Mystery

Date Published: 6/23/25

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

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With no good options, Sara enters the contest and finds herself at a fabulous mansion up against eight formidable opponents, each with a dark secret and all racing to solve seven levels of riddles and puzzles.

After a contestant’s body is discovered, Sara contemplates dropping out when another package arrives, its chilling contents making clear she’s at the center of a dangerous game with deadly consequences if she quits. But what it doesn’t say is—what happens if she wins?

 B.T. Polcari is a graduate of Rutgers College of Rutgers University, an award-winning mystery author, and a proud father of two wonderful children. He’s a champion of rescue pups (Mauzzy is a rescue), craves watching football and basketball, and, of course, loves reading mysteries. Among his favorite authors are Richard Osman, D.P. Lyle, Frederick Forsyth, and Michael Connelly. He is also an unapologetic fantasy football addict. He lives with his wife in scenic Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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This morning, I have a culinary themed cozy mystery to share! Learn about Truffles to Die For from The Cook and Inspector Mysteries by Joanne Pence! 

The Cook and Inspector Mysteries, Book 9

Date Published: June 25, 2025

When culinary dreamer Angie Amalfi sets her sights on chocolate stardom, her kitchen becomes a cocoa-covered lab of decadent disasters and divine delights. Her goal? To invent the perfect chocolate candy—“angelinas”—a melt-in-your-mouth masterpiece that could finally make her name in San Francisco’s cutthroat foodie scene. 

But when Angie donates her “not-quite-there-yet” test batches to a local charity mission, she stumbles into more than gratitude. The mission’s minister seems to have secrets simmering beneath his saintly smile, and when Angie volunteers for their big fundraiser, she’s suddenly stirring up something far more sinister than ganache. 

Her fiancé, Inspector Paavo Smith, warns her to stay away—especially with rumors swirling of police corruption and a killer on the loose. But when Paavo is framed and suspended, Angie ditches her spatula for sleuthing gear. Someone’s cooking up a setup—and she’s not about to let Paavo take the fall. 

To help clear his name, Angie will need more than her confectionery skills… and the clock is ticking. 

Sink your teeth into Truffles to Die For—a deliciously suspenseful cozy mystery. Indulge yourself in murder with a chocolate twist!

About the Series

The Cook and Inspector Mysteries

A Quiche Before Dying, Book 2

The Marinara Murders, Book 3

Close Encounters of the Deadly Kind, Book 4

Death by Devil’s Food, Book 5

Blind Date’s Bitter End, Book 6

The Taverna Affair, Book 7

The Music Box Mystery, Book 8

Truffles to Die For, Book 9

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About the Author

"Joanne Pence is a master of the mystery genre. She pulls the reader in and sets the roller coaster in motion."--Carolyn Haines, USA Today bestselling author 

"Joanne Pence provides laughter, love, and cold chills." --Carolyn Hart, NY Times bestselling author

"Angie Amalfi is the Queen of the Culinary Sleuths" --RT Book Club

"Joanne Pence is a master chef"--Mystery Scene magazine

"Pence's tongue-in-cheek humor keeps us grinning." --San Francisco Chronicle

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Today, I have a cozy mystery to share in our featured book spotlight! Check out The Victorian Locket and learn about author Elefair King!

A Galveston Historical Mystery

Cozy Mystery

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Sarah Anne Law, affectionately known to family and friends as Sam, was playing the stalking game with her cat when she inadvertently discovered a secret compartment in her haunted Victorian home. Not only did Sam find a hidden treasure, but she also realized that their playful game aroused a long-dormant spirit. Perhaps the newly awakened spirit and one of the more disturbing hauntings in her beautiful home were connected. Did a murder occur? As Sam followed clues to unravel the 125-year-old mysteries, she unveiled the true horrors of Galveston’s deadly and gruesome past.

About the Author

Elefair King, a native Texan, grew up in Houston. Retired, she now lives in The Woodlands, Texas. Married for 40 years, she has one son who lives nearby. Driven by her compassion to serve others, she founded several non-profit organizations as well as served on committees and boards of many local and regional charities. Elefair loves history, especially about her beloved Texas. She frequently stops along its country roads to read historical markers when seeking new adventures.

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Today, I have a cozy mystery in our book release spotlight! Check out Music Box Mystery and learn about author Joanne Pence!

(The Cook and Inspector Mysteries Book 8)

Cozy Mystery

Date Published: April 8, 2025

A music box, a murder, and a message from the grave...

When would-be gourmet cook Angie Amalfi takes a seemingly ordinary music box to be repaired, a series of grisly murders begins, each one inching closer to her and her fiancé, San Francisco Homicide Inspector Paavo Smith. As she and Paavo race to uncover the truth, they discover the music box isn’t just a relic—it’s a key to unraveling secrets that someone is willing to kill to protect. The discovery leads to dark, emotional chapters from the past—chapters that everyone believed would be buried forever.

For readers of the Inspector Rebecca Mayfield mystery series, this story takes place soon after Rebecca and Angie's cousin Richie meet (in the novella, The Thirteenth Santa). Richie has a minor role in this story.

NOTE: The main characters in this story appear in an early mystery series by the author which is being completely reimagined and updated.

The Cook and Inspector Mysteries

Death on a Silver Platter, Book 1

A Quiche Before Dying, Book 2

The Marinara Murders, Book 3

Close Encounters of the Deadly Kind, Book 4

Death by Devil's Food, Book 5

Blind Date's Bitter End, Book 6

The Taverna Affair, Book 7

The Music Box Mystery, Book 8

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Meet the Author

Joanne Pence is an award-winning, USA Today best-selling author of the Inspector Rebecca Mayfield mysteries, The Cook and the Inspector mysteries, the Donnelly Cabin Inn series, and the Ancient Secrets supernatural suspense novels (writing as J.M. Pence), as well as contemporary romance, historical fiction, romantic suspense, and a fantasy. Her novels present a variety of times, places, and reading experiences from mysterious to thrilling, emotional to lightly humorous, as well as powerful tales of times long past. 

Her books have won or been nominated for a number of high honors, including the Willa Cather Literary Award for Historical Fiction; North American Book Award for Mystery; Idaho Top Fiction Award; The Golden Quill, RWA's Rita and Golden Heart Awards, Daphne du Maurier Award, Independent Bookseller's Golden Scroll, and Romantic Times Career Achievement Award and Best Amateur Sleuth Award.

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Today, I have a cozy mystery in our book release spotlight! Check out Vengeful Conspiracies and learn about author Nicole Leiren!

The Sadie Sabatini Mystery Series

Cozy Mystery

Date Published: March 25, 2025

Publisher: Harbor Lane Books, LLC.

Sadie Sabatini is settling into her new life in Wilson, Texas. She's making friends and her business, Tesoro, is starting to thrive. But the past is never far behind. When two of her former team members come for a visit, they bring trouble in the form of a mutual enemy set on revenge threatening to disrupt Sadie's fresh start.

She can't turn her back on her team, though. They've been through too much together. The more Sadie tries to help, the more she suspects she might be the target of the con this time. With forces conspiring against her, the outcome of her decisions, both past and present, weigh heavily and make her question the choices she made leading to this point.

When their mutual enemy is found dead, alliances are tested, and wits are matched as the race to the truth reveals who can be trusted and who is running their final con.

VENGEFUL CONSPIRACIES is book 2 in the Sadie Sabatini Mystery series by USA Today Bestselling author, Nicole Leiren!

About the Author

Described by those who know her best as perky, quirky and effervescent, USA Today Best-Selling author Nicole Leiren likes to have fun -- in life, with her characters and, of course, her readers. She admits to being sassy (just ask her mother!) and inspiration for her characters are drawn from the real-world heroes and heroines she meets while traversing the country.

Nicole enjoys sharing the love, laughter, mystery, and occasionally a touch of the mayhem she forces her characters to endure—all for the reader’s pleasure! Her real-world heroes and heroines will keep you turning the pages until you reach the whodunit or happily ever after (usually both!)

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This morning, I have a cozy mystery in our book blitz spotlight! Check out French Cruises Can Kill You, learn about author Constance Meccarello-Gerson and enter the book tour giveaway at the end of this post. 

The Hassle High Mystery Series, Book 3

Cozy Mystery

Date Published: 11-14-2020

Cozy Mystery with Death Romance and twists on a French Cruise with the Hassle High group. Complete with occult, kidnapping and French Recipes.

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About the Author

Constance Meccarello-Gerson was born in Poughkeepsie N.Y.  She is a graduate of Florida Southern College with a BA in Acting. She also attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. HB Studio, Actors Studio, in NYC.  She is a member of SAG, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Si Omega. Her MFA in Acting is from Brooklyn College.  She has appeared on TV, film, and on stage in NYC. For 20 years she taught as a mentor and teacher of English and Theatre arts for the New York City Department of Education and for the University at Santa Cruz. She also taught for ten years as a Speech Coordinator at Touro College. She was an executive at Bloomingdales. Her writing as appeared in Musings, also in the Best American Poets series.  Murder at Hassle High is her first  cozy mystery. Summertime Murder at Hassle High is her second and  French Cruises Can Kill You  is the third.  She wrote Armera a sci fi mystery and her Snowball the Sherlock Rabbit series, a group of children books.  Currently she lives in NYC with her husband Alain, a parrot named Benji, and lots of fish. She is currently writing Death In a Dorm, another cozy in the Hassle High series.

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David Blazen didn't know what to expect from retirement. Witnessing a murder that police are calling a suicide definitely was not how he planned to spend his "golden years."

With a strong need to know what happened to the victim and why, David attends the funeral, where he discovers an unusual cast of characters in attendance: the FBI, the frontrunner candidate for Mayor of Chicago, disciples of Chicago's two dirtiest crime lords, and dozens of police officers.

David begins to investigate why all these people cared about the victim and why no one was calling it a murder. In his search for truth and justice, he gets caught in a web of contentious situations, each filled with a mixture of humor and suspense.

The further his investigation goes, the more he realizes he shouldn't be asking who killed the victim or why it was being covered up. As David ultimately is confronted with becoming a criminal himself, the real question he has to ask is how much bad can he justify in the name of good?

As one reviewer said, "This book has the many twists and turns that a great mystery will throw at the reader. It is a fun read, witty, and suspenseful with many surprises turning up throughout the story. If you think you have this story figured out, you don't!"

All net proceeds from this book will be donated to nonprofit organizations benefitting senior veterans.

BOOMSTERS is the 2024 BIBA® Cozy Mystery Winner!

 Praise for Boomsters

"We’re all searching for purpose and fulfillment in our lives, and this crime fiction adventure is both heartwarming and inspiring. An action-packed and surprisingly poignant yarn about a man’s search for himself as he enters his golden years."
~ Kirkus Reviews

"This book had me hooked from the first page. One of those diamonds of a book you cannot put down. A real true page turner. It has many laugh out loud moments that are hilarious. Very well written that keeps you thoroughly entertained. The ending of this book will leave you speechless. This is my top read so far this year and I highly recommend it. I love the author's imagination on this one."

"If you enjoy a variety of characters that you'll love (and a few you'll love to hate), laughing when you probably shouldn't (and definitely when you should!), a storyline pushing the boundaries but real enough to root for the good guys, this book is for you!"

"This book takes readers on a wonderful, amusing and unexpected journey that leaves you wanting more at the end of every chapter. I could not put this book down once I started reading it."

"From start to finish, Boomsters offers suspense, action, and laughs. The reader becomes enthralled in a world of challenges, excitement, and mystery as they follow Detective Blaze in this next era of his destiny. This is a truly gripping, thrilling, and quirky story that transcends generations. Highly recommend for a feel-good read."

"Sharp satire, zany, utterly improbable things happen but underneath it (is) a profound insight into human interactions and the way the world works."

  My Review

Boomsters Pulled Me in On Page One.  I admit, I had doubts about a 500+ page cozy mystery. More in terms of my attention span and a book of this genre being able to hold my interest over the length! While this book isn't a typical quickly read cozy mystery--it is engaging and entertaining from beginning to end. Readers will find action and mystery--along with a lot of cozy mystery-style amateur sleuthing, relatable humor, plenty of unbelievable but entertaining situations, and characters to love. The author's storytelling style brings his cast of characters to life in a way that keeps readers guessing and smiling from beginning to end. 

Expect Characters to Love and a 100% Entertaining Storyline. The book's plot is certainly not 100% believable, but it is 100% entertaining. Like most cozy mysteries, the detectives aren't "professionals," and the storylines and plot twists jump from unlikely scenarios to contrived coincidences to "I can see that happening somehow" moments. I loved the characters in this book. The author gave them voices that were relatable (especially for older adults) and very well-developed.There were points where the mystery action dropped off--but the characters continued to drive a very well-done, entertaining story. It's very easy to "see" these characters moving through the scenes of this book--and it was very sad to leave them at the end!

Would I Recommend Boomsters by David Marks? I loved this book! I grew up reading cozy mystery stories with my grandparents--and never missed an episode Murder, She Wrote and those types of shows. I loved this book's characters and story development--and could see this book as a television series or a movie. Boomsters is a long book--but you will wish it was longer as you near the end. Not because it ends oddly (it has a great ending) but because you will become attached to the characters and the flow of the story. Older adults will find the characters especially relatable and entertaining, but the book is a great, cozy mystery that anyone of any age can enjoy.

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  Meet the Author

David Marks launched DM Merchandising, a wholesale marketplace for business owners, in 1988. He spent 30 years relying on his creativity in the hopes of developing the world’s greatest impulse products. He retired in 2018, thrilled for a new chapter in life, only to discover his creativity had hit a brick wall. One day he was an innovative workaholic with a team of more than 200 employees, the next day he found himself with no forum to exercise his mind.

Desperate to do something creative, he imagined a fictitious character facing the same traumatic reality of retirement. Inspired by watching crime stoppers on TV, David began pondering the question of how much bad could be justified in the name of good. With no clerical staff and limited typing skills, he put his thumb to work and began tapping out a story on his iPhone. A book was never the goal. The exercise was simply meant to help keep his mind sharp. But in the process, Boomsters was born.

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