mystery

When Push Comes to Shoot by Rena Koontz

July 1, 2022 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

When Push Comes to Shoot by Rena Koontz

Emma Hunter’s tyrannical brother deserved to die, even if the manner of his murder was horror-movie gruesome. As a police lieutenant, she’s duty-bound to provide whatever assistance she can in hunting down her brother’s killer, but she doesn’t mourn his loss. Business acquaintances, former friends, and even his relatives agree the world is better off without the despicable bully.
With no clues and too many suspects, it looks like the murderer might be home free—until tenacious Detective Jared Jones’ suspicions turn to Emma’s sweet sister-in-law. Emma knows for a fact that her brother’s mentally and emotionally abused wife is innocent, but conflicting loyalties prevent her from speaking up and turning the investigation in the right direction. What’s best for her brother’s widow could cost Emma everything she values—her career, her reputation, even her freedom.

In the Beginning, There Was a Murder: An Amateur Female Sleuth Historical Cozy Mystery by P.C. James

June 19, 2022 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

In the Beginning, There Was a Murder: An Amateur Female Sleuth Historical Cozy Mystery by P.C. James

When her best friend is murdered, Pauline Riddell finds she must take the law into her own hands if she is to see justice done.

It’s northern England, 1953, rationing is still in place and the Cold War is heating up. Her fiancé is out in Korea, where thankfully that war is winding down, and she’s just setting out in adult life working at a local armament factory. She’s hard-up, everyone is, but Pauline can see better times ahead, a home, a family, a responsible job, and she’s preparing for that future. Then her friend, Marjorie, is stabbed to death.

At first, Pauline is only concerned with helping the police. She’s intelligent and resourceful but also inexperienced, just out of school and still believing the world runs in trustworthy ways.

Then she finds the police think they’ve caught her friend’s killer and they’re winding down the investigation. Pauline now realizes this is a world where you can’t always leave things to others, you have to get involved yourself. But, as she investigates and puts pressure on the police for more action, she finds the killer wants her out of the way and the police have come to suspect she killed her friend. Can she catch the killer before she either faces the same fate as Marjorie or is hanged for killing her?

The Trouble with Murder: A Hetty Carson Mystery by Vanessa A. Ryan

June 18, 2022 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

The Trouble with Murder: A Hetty Carson Mystery by Vanessa A. Ryan

Hetty Carson was once one of the upperly mobile of the Los Angeles jet-set. Then her husband walked off with millions of embezzled funds and all of Hetty’s credibility. What began as a search for the ex has turned into a new career: detective.

The Trouble with Murder is book one of the Hetty Carson Mystery Series. The story opens with Hetty being interrogated by the police about the murder of a bar owner. The man was a potential customer for her side hustle of selling tequila mixers, a job she takes because her PI business was slow. Of course, Gerry Delaney’s murder is a tragedy, but Hetty figures it has nothing to do with her. Unfortunately, someone thinks it does, and now she has to investigate why if she wants to stay alive.

FEATURED BOOK: The Woman He Used to Know by Helen Starbuck

May 1, 2022 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Detective Nick Ryan and Elizabeth Harper haven’t seen each other in five years after she married a man he despised. Her husband is dead, and she has many reasons to want him dead. Hasty decisions have brought Nick and Elizabeth to a strange and bloody crossroads. He’s worried his feelings for her will help her get away with murder, and she’s worried they’ll land her in prison.

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Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic: Box Set Books 1-3 by Elizabeth Pantley

April 5, 2022 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic: Box Set Books 1-3 by Elizabeth Pantley

An accidental journey through a magic mirror. A portal to an enchanted land. A mysterious family she never knew she had. Hayden’s life is upended with the wonder of Destiny Falls. But there always seems to be a mystery to unravel and a murder to solve. Luckily, Hayden, her sassy sidekick Latifa, and their growing circle of family and friends are always up for the task. There’s never a dull moment in this captivating world. “It will blow you away!” says Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

When Push Comes to Shoot by Rena Koontz

February 1, 2022 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

When Push Comes to Shoot by Rena Koontz

With no clues and too many suspects, it looks like the murderer might be home free — until tenacious Detective Jared Jones’ suspicions turn to Emma’s sweet sister-in-law. Emma knows for a fact that her brother’s mentally and emotionally abused wife is innocent, but conflicting loyalties prevent her from speaking up and turning the investigation in the right direction. What’s best for her brother’s widow could cost Emma everything she values — her career, her reputation, even her freedom.

Frayed Ends by Sally J. Ling

January 11, 2022 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Frayed Ends by Sally J. Ling

Leaving her hectic job as a news producer in Washington, D.C., was never part of Randi Brooks’ plan, but when she learns of her parents’ tragic deaths, she has no choice but to rush home to Boca Raton, Florida. When she finds out their deaths weren’t accidental, things take a turn toward the dangerous. Toss in a fire and theft at the family-owned fabric store and upholstery shop and an unscrupulous real estate developer willing to do whatever it takes to get her property, and things become deadly.

To complicate matters more, a mysterious but handsome man living in the guest house and an attractive cop harboring a high school crush are both vying for Randi’s affection.

While Randi struggles to make some difficult decisions regarding her parents’ business, her job in D.C., and her conflicting feelings toward both men, the three of them must find out who murdered Randi’s parents before the killer strikes again.

The Man of Her Dreams by Dee S Knight

December 1, 2021 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

The Man of Her Dreams by Dee S Knight

Cassandra Hudson has traveled across country to a small town in South Carolina to find a tall man with deep, blue eyes that she’s only met in her dreams. She “sees” that he’s in danger and wants to stop him from a possible death. But more than that, she’s desperate to solve a mystery that involves her husband who has been dead for over two years. Too bad for her, her dream man wants to solve the mysteries of her body more than help her find a solution to her problem.

When Dan Morgan stops to help a beautiful woman on the side of the road outside his hometown, he doesn’t realize that she will drag him into the world of the paranormal in an effort to find out what happened to her husband and the half million dollars he was accused of stealing. What he does realize is the strong attraction he feels for her, despite his distrust of anything mystical, and the undeniable power she holds over him using her sexy body as a lure.

Love—if they can capture it—will make it both easier and harder for them to find the answers they need.

Taken, A Detective Al Warner Novel by George A Bernstein

November 26, 2021 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Taken, A Detective Al Warner Novel by George A Bernstein

The corpse of a Miami hooker is discovered in the Everglades. As Detective Al Warner investigates, he learns other streetwalkers also have disappeared, and this homicide is now a case of human trafficking. Nicki, a female undercover cop, goes as a streetwalker, hoping to be taken so she can use a tracking device, but it’s stripped from her before she can activate it.
Meanwhile, Maggie is offered a lucrative deal as a birth surrogate for a secretive, wealthy couple. She’s living nine months in luxurious seclusion but begins to worry when another surrogate disappears a month before her term. Maggie discovers her fetus is a tool of extortion, and fears for her life. She attempts to flee the mansion, but her “hosts” refuse to let her go. Her life is trivial to them, but they need the child she carries.
Trapped at the bordello on a remote ’Glades island reached only by airboats, Nicki embarks on daring foray to find and activate the tracker. If she fails, she’ll become a sex slave like the other women imprisoned there, with little hope of rescue. Warner and his team eagerly await Nicki’s signal. Without that, there’s no clue to her location, and no idea of the deadly confrontation that awaits them. Warner is thrust into danger as he seeks to free the sex slaves and also rescue Maggie and a second infant before it’s too late. Lives are on the line, and only Al Warner can save them.

The Princelings of the East Books 1-3 by Jemima Pett

November 10, 2021 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

The Princelings of the East Books 1-3 by Jemima Pett

A time tunnel, a pirate king, a lost city. In three separate adventures, Princelings Fred and George set out to solve trifling problems, and uncover dangerous and sometimes desperate foes, each with his or her own agenda, threatening the peace of the Realms.

The Princelings of the East: the saga starts with Fred and George leaving their cosy Castle in the Marsh. They encounter the mysterious cola vendor Hugo, the playboy Prince Lupin, and the over-worked innkeeper Victor, and have to use their own wits to decide who to trust, and how to prevent their ordered society descending into chaos.

The Princelings and the Pirates sees our heroes setting out to discover what has gone wrong at Castle Dimerie. It’s a simple errand that ends in kidnap, shipwreck, and a battle in which no quarter is given. Princeling Fred rescues a damsel in distress, not that she thinks she is.

The Princelings and the Lost City introduces George to the delights of flying, and Fred to the tortures of true love. Their inventions and experiments take a back seat as the puzzle of the Lost City and its all-female society lead to questions that may be too difficult to solve.

And having experienced a time paradox in the first adventure, George is under pressure to achieve a new method of providing the world with energy from strawberry juice. It’s a project that, for all the benefits it brings, creates far-reaching changes in their ordered society.

Praise for the books

“Princelings of the East is a suspense-filled mystery strong on character development, with a deliciously complex and engaging plot, that is sure to be enjoyed by older tweens and adults alike.” (Mother Daughter Book Reviews)

“The plot is absolutely brilliant. It’s sci-fi mixed with mystery and action, and I would recommend it to everyone!!!!” (Joshua A, aged 13, for Published Bestsellers)

“Another hazardous adventure, complete with swashbuckling pirates and beautiful princesses. As in the first book, the story is narrated in a fun and engaging style. The writing throughout is top quality and I love the witty chapter sub-headings.” (Wendy Leighton-Porter, author of the Shadows from the Past series)

“Lost City, book 3 in the [series], is a great read for those who love fantasy with young male protagonists. The plot is new, interesting, and will engage your mind in the story. A great work was created by the author with this trilogy. (Anna Dye, Readers’ Favorite)

These three adventures are also available as standalone ebooks, paperbacks and now as audiobooks (no 3 is in preparation).
This is a revised box set edition of the three titles, complete with their chapter illustrations, updated to match the audiobooks.