Pirate Patty Reviews

Looking for some new cozy authors to add to your line-up? CLB has some really interesting Debut Series offerings! Let’s check them out!

First up:

A NOVEL IN DISGUISE

*A Lady Librarian Mystery #1

Tiffany Woodall assumes her half-brother’s identity after he dies and quickly discovers that she is not the only one keeping secrets. This is Historical Fiction and I am always down with a book about a librarian. The story reminds me of Diane Freeman’s writing and I am always here for that.

If adding more historical fiction is your goal this year, you should pick this one up soon! May 10, 2023

FINAL CUT

*A Hollywood Mystery

Joey Jessop is a costumer in Hollywood and has stumbled upon a dead body in the back lot where a major movie is being made.

And now her career and her life may be in jeopardy! If you enjoy the costume side of Hollywood, this author is excellent at describing this side of the business. June 06, 2023

HOW THE MURDER CRUMBLES

*A COOKIE SHOP MYSTERY

I am a big fan of Debra Sennefelder’s writing and can I just say that after a miserable winter, this cover is all about Spring! It makes me smile just looking at it.

Cookies and Crime? Yes, please. The author has cooked up a winning recipe for a cozy mystery and we are here for it. Great characters, an idyllic location, and a sweets shop.

Of course, there is a murder or two to spice things up as well.

Mallory Monroe is the owner of a Cookie Shop. Oh, the smells and the decorations. But Mallory is having a bad time. Her employees are a disaster and she caught her boyfriend with another woman if that isn’t enough she is having a fight with a food blogger, who claims Mallory stole her cookie recipe. When said blogger turns up dead in the kitchen with flour outlining the body and a bloody rolling pin close at hand, Mallory is suspect number one. And it would seem this killer isn’t finished.

I can already tell this is going to be a good series!! If I don’t gain weight. June 20th, 2023 by Crooked Lane Books

A CRYPTIC CLUE

A Hunter and Clewe Mystery

Victoria Gilbert is another one of my favorite cozy authors! Look her up. She has a brand new series coming out and it stars a Librarian! Yes, the rock stars of the book world.

Jane Hunter has turned 60 years of age and has been forced into early retirement from her university librarian job. Now, she is looking for a new challenge to keep her busy and help with expenses. You may think a retiree’s life is dull and boring, but Jane is about to find out how untrue that can be!

Coincidentally, Cam Clewe, an eccentric 33-year-old collector, is also looking for something. An archivist for his large and growing collection of rare books and artifacts. Jane is thrilled to be hired by Cam and is equally thrilled to explore his newest acquisition.

A treasure trove of items related to classic mystery and detective authors. What excitement. Until they find a body in the library of Cam’s house. The victim is an heir to a pharmaceutical fortune, and alas, the latest in a long line of Cam’s romances. Guess who went to the head of the suspect list?

Cam thinks he can solve this. Jane has doubts. He can’t leave the house, has horrible anxiety, and very limited social skills. In other words, he’s going to need help.

So Jane gets to work trying to find out who the killer is and making sure it isn’t her boss. July 11th, 2023 by Crooked Lane Books

MURDER AT AN IRISH CASTLE

An Irish Castle Mystery

Ellie Brannigan brings us this new series about murder in an Irish castle and that sound intriguing enough for me to dive in.

Our protagonist is Rayne McGrath, who just turned 30 and on what should be a happy day, she finds out her partner has cleaned out the bank account and left her in the lurch. A timely phone call from her mother lets her know her uncle has died in an accident and his attorney needs her at the will reading. What could it mean? Is she about to inherit a castle?

I already like Rayne. She is smart and adventurous. A great character, a quirky village, and a castle? Toss in a murder or two and I am there for this one. That cover alone is so fresh!

February 07, 2023

AN AMERICAN IN SCOTLAND

A SCOTTISH ISLE MYSTERY

A new series from Lucy Connelly. We already know it’s going to be good.

We are in the charming town of Sea Isle, Scotland where secrets abound and Dr. Emilia McRoy is going to uncover them all.

Emilia is far from Seattle. Far from the busy emergency room where she has worked. Now she is a small-town doctor to an entire village of quirky people who rolled out the welcome mat for her. But then there is the body. Has drama and intrigue followed her across the pond?

Did I say everyone welcomed her? Well, maybe not Laird Ewan Campbell. The constable. He is less than helpful and she will have to work with him, so what to do?

The first surprise is that she is also going to be the coroner. News to her. but she is ready to perform an autopsy when the body disappears. But first, she needs to convince the villagers there actually was a body because these folks are acting very suspiciously.

With threatening letters, a brazen break-in, and a growing list of suspects, will she give up and leave? No.

Lucy Connelly and her descriptions of Scotland pull me in every time.

April 04, 2023

Take the Honey and Run

A Bee-Keeping Mystery

The town is all abuzz when a murder occurs in Jennie Marts’ debut cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay and Amanda Flower.

Bailey Briggs is a successful mystery author. Bailey grew up at Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch and was raised by her beekeeping grandmother, Blossom, aka Granny Bee, and her two eccentric sisters, Aster and Marigold so we understand when Bailey drops everything when her grandmother has a bad fall.

Can I say that I love Grandma? What a character she is. Ruling with an iron fist over her book club, The Hive, and preparing bee-inspired products to sell. But her Hot Honey is the murder weapon in a murder! Bailey may be a mystery author but finding the dead body of the founder of the town is more than unsettling, as is the fact that her grandmother is suspect number one!

Can Bailey use her fictional skills to find a killer? Maybe not alone, but with her best friend and some nosey aunts, she could do it.

Even with threats, Bailey won’t stop looking for the killer because no one wants to see grandma beeehind bars!

July 18, 2023

So that is a look at the new Debut Cozy Mysteries! It looks as if there is something for everyone in this grouping. On the cozy scale these are a definite 10/10.

NetGalley