BUNDLE OF TROUBLE: A Maternal Instincts Mystery

By Diana Orgain

First-time mom, Kate Connelly, may have found the perfect work-from-home Mommy job: Private Investigator? After all, the hours are flexible, she can take the baby along on stake-outs, and if you're going to be up all night anyway, why not solve some crimes?

Kate had imagined she's spend her maternity leave crooning lullabies and snuggling her new baby daughter, but then she receives a disturbing phone call from the morgue. It seems a body has been pulled out of San Francisco Bay, and the police believe it just might be her brother-in-law.

In addition to trying to solve the mystery of how one six-pound baby can generate ten times her weight in laundry, Kate finds herself diaper deep in a murder investigation and the bodies keep dropping! When Kate's husband becomes a suspect in the crimes and is hauled off to jail, Kate must crack the case faster than you can say "diaper rash" to keep her little family together.

This is fun and a terrific escape. I am like the Butterfly McQueen character, Prissy, in Gone With The Wind, "I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' babies!" , and yet I still enjoyed this novel. The plot is quite clever and the addition of the baby makes for an interesting dynamic. What do you think?

To hear my interview with Diane Orgain on my internet radio show INSIDE THE WRITER’S CAFÉ on webtalkradio.net, click on the link. http://webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-hosts/3213-inside-the-writers-cafe-hosted-by-cheryl-nason

All shows are available on-demand, so you can listen when you want to. If you find an interview with a favorite author or one you particularly like, you can go to I-Tunes and download it free.

MAKEOVERS CAN BE MURDER: A Fat City Mystery by Kathryn Lilley

Plus-sized TV news reporter Kate Gallagher finds herself in the position of exposing more than a murderer. She must bare her plus-sized body in a bikini on-camera or risk losing her job to her studio rival.Kate is always fighting the battle of the bulge with her weight, sometimes winning, sometimes losing. Currently, she is working on an assignment to expose expose weight loss scams.

While attending a meeting of the Newbodies, a women's weight loss support group, she renews an acquaintance with an old friend who winds up dead under circumstances that just don't make sense. It seems someone may be targeting the Newbodies membership. Apparently the killer has an appetite for curvy victims. Love gone bad and the pursuit of a killer become ways for Kate to trim down.

The Fat City Mystery series and the character of Kate Gallagher are favorites of mine. The stories are a nice mixture of humor, and who-done-it. This is another of the books that work really well for me. The plot is interesting and lets me escape all of the bad news in our world. What do you think?

To hear my interview with Kathryn Lilley, on my internet radio show INSIDE THE WRITER’S CAFÉ broadcast on www.webtalkradio.net, click on the link.http://webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-hosts/3213-inside-the-writers-cafe-hosted-by-cheryl-nasonAll shows are available on-demand, so anyone anywhere in the world can listen at any time. If you find an interview with a favorite author or one you particularly like, you can go to I-Tunes and download it free.

Buy the Book: Makeovers Can Be Murder: A Fat City Mystery

KILLER CUTS: A Dead-End Job Mystery

by Elaine Viets

The unique thing about the dead-end job mystery series, is that the author has worked every one of the dead-end jobs she uses in the novels. The reader is getting a glimpse "backstage" into some of the worst jobs on the planet.

The job in KILLER CUTS is the best dead-end job Helen Hawthorne has ever had since she ran away from her philandering husband because a divorce court judge ruled she had to pay him! She has been hiding out in Florida working one bad job after another.

Helen's latest gig is working in Miguel Angel's Fort Lauderdale hair salon, where a trim can cost as much as a car payment and a blow out can literally wipe you out. Miguel Angel is the stylist to the celebrities and the rich. Things start to get a little hairy when one of the salon's most famous clients is murdered at his own wedding.

The salon gets some bad publicity when Miguel is named as the prime suspect in the murder. The bottom drops out of the business. If Helen can't find out who the real killer is, both she and Miguel will be out on the street. To complicate things even further, Helen begins receiving threats on her own life. She always seems to have a talent for being where the bodies are.

I always enjoy Elaine Viets work. Her mysteries are light, but interesting because of Elaine's sense of humor. The plot twists keep the reader guessing and the pages turning. What do you think?

To hear my interview with Elaine Viets on my internet radio show INSIDE THE WRITER’S CAFÉ on webtalkradio.net, click on the link.

http://webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-hosts/3213-inside-the-writers-cafe-hosted-by-cheryl-nason

All shows are available on-demand, so you can listen when you want to. If you find an interview with a favorite author or one you particularly like, you can go to I-Tunes and download it free.

POSED FOR MURDER

By Meredith Cole

Art as death or should that be death as art?  

Photographer Lydia McKenzie finds an old book titled "Lost Girls" that details unsolved murders of young women in New York.  It inspires her to create a series of photographs based on the descriptions in the book.  She uses her friends as models and the idea generates enough interest to get her first gallery show.

Lydia is on top of the world until her friends start dying just like the photographs she has taken of them.  She becomes a suspect in the multiple homicide case and her own life is turned upside down when someone breaks into her very unsecured apartment.

Worried that the detectives assigned to the case aren't doing all that they should, Lydia sets out to find the killer.  She becomes convinced that the murderer knows far too much to be a stranger and has to be among her fellow artists in the hip area known as Williamsburg in Brooklyn.  

Kidnapped off of the street and thrown into the back of a van, is Lydia to become the killers next victim?

The idea of death as art is intriguing.  This isn't a horror book, it's an intriguing mystery set in the art community.  I think it works well because Lydia McKenzie is a character readers like and her work isn't done with any weird motivation.  This was fun to read and a great escape.  What do you think?

SIX GEESE A-SLAYING

By Donna Andrews

This is the holiday/winter offering in the Meg Langslow mystery series.

Meg has agreed to be the chairman of the Caerphilly holiday parade.  The theme this year is the Twelve Days of Christmas and the whole town is involved.  The parade has become so "famous" that townspeople from miles around come to watch and enjoy the festivities.  This year, there is a big city reporter who shows up to cover the event.  What's his motive?  Is he there to make the citizens look foolish or to make fun of the event or to just call it "quaint?"

This wouldn't be a mystery without a good, old-fashioned murder.  One of the town's Scrooge's has been cast as Santa Clause.  He ends up dead and the 12 Geese are suspect because there is a goose feather found near the body.  

Donna does such a good job with this novel.  People aren't who you think they are and some of them are motivated to perpetrate some rather underhanded schemes on their fellow citizens.  I enjoy the Meg Langslow mysteries and this one is no exception.  What do you think?

hear the interview

COCKATIELS AT SEVEN

By Donna Andrews

This is another in the Meg Langslow mystery series.  I enjoy reading these books.  Partly because I enjoy the wisecracking heroine.  We hear her thoughts and she usually makes me laugh.

One of Meg's friends she hasn't seen for sometime, drops by one morning and asks if Meg can watch Timmy for a "little while."  Meg agrees and so starts a roller coaster of events.  The friend disappears, there are allegations of theft from the college where Meg's husband, Michael, works, there is murder and mayhem as usual.  Is there a mob connection?  Will Timmy be living with Meg and Michael forever?   

Donna has truly created an ensemble company of characters who work  well together.  Meg's father and newly found grandfather always add spice with their animal rights projects.  Meg's mother is a force to be reckoned with, and her brother is the geek.  The reader is always entertained and if you enjoy a good mystery, there is always one of those as well.  What do you think?

hear the interview

CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE
By Martha Powers


Clare Prentice thought she knew who she was until she learns that her entire life is a lie. Not only does she discover she is adopted, but there is no record that she or her adoptive mother ever existed. Clare begins a perilous journey of discovery with the only clue she has to her past, a class ring from Grand Rapids Senior High School.

Unraveling the mystery, is like trying to see through fog. Finally the first piece of the puzzle falls into place. Clare learns her birth mother was murdered. In a small town like Grand Rapids, the murder was a much talked-about event at the time it happened, but strangely enough no one is talking now. Clare sets out on her quest to find out the truth of what happened, but she doesn't realize there is someone out there who will stop at nothing to make sure she never finds out the whole story.

A chilling and inventive novel involving lies, deception, deadly secrets and danger. An excellent novel. What do you think?

"When you're writing, everything is so hard. And then you get a gift!"
---Martha Powers, from the interview with the Dallas Book Diva

hear the interview

STUFF DREAMS ARE MADE OF

By Don Bruns

Skip Moore and his long time buddy James Lessor are two young men whose dreams haven't exactly come true.  They find themselves working in dead-end jobs with no bright hope for the future until they see the opportunity to make a load of money working as food vendors for a huge tent revival  held annually by the Reverend Preston Cashdollar who leads the largest church in the Miami area with a congregation of fifteen thousand members.  His revival's are legendary for their huge attendance and people have got to eat!

As with all things that seem too good to be true, the whole operation may not be what it appears to be.  The unsolved murder of a young woman, a senator, and a TV talk show host are somehow connected to the revival and it's message from Corinthians "You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion!"

The other food vendors turn out to be a group of men with questionable backgrounds who run a fixed poker game.  James and Skip find their truck tires flat from bullet holes and receive a note telling them to "get out of Dodge."

This is a fast-paced novel filled with friendship, betrayal, dreams of greatness, and the world of reality.  You won't know who did what to whom until the very  end.  An intriguing read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.  What do you think?      

hear the interview

WHERE MEMORIES LIE
By Deborah Crombie


This is the latest novel in the series featuring Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James.


A priceless piece of jewelry belonging to Duncan and Gemma's neighbor, Erika Rosenthal, comes up for auction at the local auction house. Erika thought never to see the piece again. It was lost when she and her husband, David, fled Nazi Germany to become refugees in London. Murders both old and new begin to surface when Gemma promises to help Erika find out something about the piece designed by Erika's father. This is a tale of love and betrayal, of malice and murder.


This is a real page turner. I love Deborah's work, but this novel is something special. The plot is wonderfully crafted by a master story teller and writer. The strong themes of family, relationship, friendship and trust play out in this well-written work. If you like a good mystery, this is one I can strongly recommend. What do you think?


hear the interview



The Dallas Book Diva interviews Deborah Crombie,
author of Where Memories Lie.

WATCHES OF THE NIGHT: A Ben Reese Mystery By Sally Wright

This book captured my attention from the opening sentence. Sally Wright is a master story teller and mystery writer. I love her attention to detail.

The character of Ben Reese is based on a real person who is a university archivist, investigator and veteran of World War II. Sort of like a real-live Sherlock Holmes!

In this novel, Ben is asked to use his experience as a combat scout to help his friend, Kate Lindsay. Kate has received a disturbing package in the mail that starts the mystery "ball rolling" and leads the parties involved into a world of stolen identify, stolen technology, murder, and unintended consequences. There is also a little romance thrown in for good measure.

I have to say that Sally Wright is an exceptional writer. This is the first novel I have read that she has written and it makes me hungry for more. Her descriptions of Tuscany, Scotland and Cornwall made me see those places with my mind. This novel is exceptional and was a real joy to read. What do you think?

"Cheryl, it was a long busy tour, and I want you to know that talking
with you was the best part of the trip. You really love books, and you’re
a very intelligent reader, and it was a real pleasure to spend time with you." --Sally Wright

hear the interview

DYING TO BE THIN - A Fat City Mystery By Kathryn Lilley

First of all, I saw a picture of Kathryn Lilley... she is gorgeous! She looks like an actress or a model!

Kate Gallagher, a plus-sized TV producer with a "face" for television, but a plus-sized body that won't look so hot on camera, has just been fired from her job and her boyfriend has dumped her. At loose ends employment-wise and relationship-wise, she decides to trade Whoopie Pies for thinner thighs by enrolling as a client at the Hoffman Clinic, an exclusive weight loss clinic. In order to pay for the clinic fees, Kate has bartered her producer talents to the local TV station to be the subject of her own "fat makeover" documentary. Kate has been at the clinic a total of one day when she finds the dead body of the diet guru. Now that the menu features murder as the specialty of the house, Kate has her hands full being an investigative reporter and trying not to be the murder's next entree!

Such a fun read. I do enjoy mysteries and this one if fun. There are lots of unexpected plot twists and a romantic fling or two in the mix. If you're looking for a book to read and enjoy, this one is a good pick. It's escapism at it's best! What do you think?

hear the interview

THE MORTAL GROOVE By Ellen Hart

On one level, this is a mystery novel about a murder that's all mixed up with a gubernatorial campaign being run by restauranteur/amateur sleuth Jane Lawless' father, Ray Lawless, a retired defense attorney. Sounds like it could have been ripped from today's headlines, doesn't it?

But that's not all this novel is about. It is also about the men and women who serve this great country of ours by going into war and what happens to some of them when they come back. Those of us who have never actually been in a war like to believe that when those same men and women come home, they can just pick up their lives where they left off. But those lives have been touched by something horrible and lives can be subverted by the memories of what these men and women have both done and seen.

Jane Lawless becomes involved in the investigation of a 30-year old "cold case" murder when a newspaper reporter friend starts sniffing around and uncovers dirt that is more valuable than gold to opponents out on the campaign trail. An unsuccessful murder attempt is made on the life of the reporter. Attempting to carry on the research into the case, Jane and her theatrical friend Cordelia find themselves in small town America asking questions that someone doesn't want answered. Jane and Cordelia find themselves in trouble as well. This is an intriguing, well-written, thought provoking novel. It's as they say "a real page turner!" What do you think?

hear the interview

THEY DID IT WITH LOVE By Kate Morgenroth

Set in lovely, wealthy Greenwich, Connecticut, this novel reminded me of an Agatha Christie mystery titled "TEN LITTLE INDIANS" or "AND THEN THERE WERE NONE." I thought of that novel because of the number of characters (5 couples = 10 people) and it seemed to me that the wealthy neighborhood in which the action takes place could indeed be considered "an island." Also, Morganroth uses a Christie quote from "THEY DO IT WITH MIRRORS" at the beginning of the novel, "To have trusted! To have believed... and it was lies--all lies."

Sofie is the voice we hear most often in the novel. She and her husband, Dean, are New Yorkers who decide to leave the rat race of the City. Sofie has come into an inheritance that makes the move to the largest house in this posh neighborhood possible. Ironically, there is a mystery book club run by the Diva of the neighborhood, Priscilla. And it is the book club that is the source of gossip, social gatherings, affairs and murder. This well thought out novel is a real "page turner" as they say. Listen to the interview and find out what Morganroth has to say about the readers of mystery fiction!

I always try to figure out "who done it" in each mystery I read. I didn't see this one coming. A question asked by one of the characters has really left me with food for thought: "Why do you like to read mysteries?" Alex asks Sofie. I love mysteries and have been trying to come up with my answer to that question ever since I read it. Why do you read mysteries?

hear the author interview

STATE OF THE ONION By Julie Hyzy

"Any cook should be able to run the country."-Vladimir Lenin

This novel is truly tasty! I will try to refrain from using any more cooking analogies, because I really enjoyed the novelty of this book.

Ollie Paras is an Assistant Chef in the White House kitchen who comes to work as usual one morning and witnesses an incident on the White House lawn that changes her life forever. She becomes embroiled in espionage and murder... almost her own! The book is an American "Upstairs, Downstairs" if you remember the old British television series. The reader is taken behind the scenes to see how things work in the kitchen and what the First Family really eats. Ollie struggles to overcome a series of events that threaten to get her fired instead of promoted to replace Henry, the retiring Executive Chef.

Julie Hyzy has done her homework. Listen to our interview to find out how she came to find out so much about how the White House kitchen works. I really enjoyed this book. The plot is fun and the characters are ones you will care about. This is the first in a series, I can't wait for the next one! What do you think?

hear the author interview

MURDER WITH RESERVATIONS: A Dead-End Job Mystery By Elaine Viets

Elaine Viets has done something I find interesting. In her dead-end job mystery series, she populates the novels with people who are often "invisible," even though they stand right in front of us doing their job. These are the people we take for granted like the hotel maid, Helen Hawthorne, in this novel. Viets actually goes "inside" the dead-end job and works to get a feel for how the job and the people feel. I think it's quite effective.

Helen Hawthorne is hiding. She works as a hotel maid at Sybil's Full Moon Hotel in Fort Lauderdale feeling safe until one of her co-workers if found dead in the hotel dumpster. Helen found the body and that means she will have to talk to the police. To make matters worse her ex-husband is hot on her trail. Fortunately, the police don't seem too concerned about the body of a murdered maid, but Helen's sketchy story draws the suspicions/span> of a hard boiled detective. The plot thickens as treasure, more murder, and a sexy man enter Helen's world.

As I read the book, I became aware of how little attention we pay to some people. We take the services they perform for granted and often don't see the individual at all. Everyone has a story. Even though Helen Hawthorne's is fiction, as they use to say on the old TV show, "there are a million stories in the naked city." I found the novel, as usual, well-written with interesting characters and plot twists. If you like a mystery, you will probably enjoy the work of Elaine Viets! What do you think?

hear the author interview

Another book by this author reviewed here: Accessory to Murder

ACCESSORY TO MURDER: A Josie Marcus Mystery Shopper Mystery By Elaine Viets

I like Elaine Viets work. Her mysteries are fun to read and I have reviewed several of them. One of the interesting twists in this book is that Elaine's mother actually was a mystery shopper! Elaine says in the Author's Note that her character, Josie Marcus, "is a mystery shopper the way James Bond is a spy."

Josie Marcus and her friend Alyce Bohannon are mystery shopping a really high-end women's store in a mall in St. Louis when a shooting and robbery take place. Alyce, the protected, wealthy, suburban housewife is shocked, but Josie, who lives in the real world, accepts the incident as a part of what is going on in our society. Little do the two women know that this is not the last murder in which they will find themselves involved. Alyce's sheltered existence is threatened when her husband is accused of the murder of a famous designer and Josie takes on herself to try to help her friend. Action packed with more plot twists then a pretzel is my description of this book.

I thought this book was more than just a fun read, although it is that. The author paints a picture of several segments of our society and it is not a pretty sight. I believe the author captures the meanness and pettiness of wealthy, sheltered individuals and how they will turn on one another in a heartbeat if they perceive some social faux pas has been committed. I liked this book for its action, plot twists, and social commentary. I like Josie Marcus as a character and hope to read more. What do you think?

hear the author interview

Another book by this author reviewed here: Murder with Reservations

DYING TO BE THIN - A Fat City Mystery By Kathryn Lilley

First of all, I saw a picture of Kathryn Lilley... she is gorgeous! She looks like an actress or a model!

Kate Gallagher, a plus-sized TV producer with a "face" for television, but a plus-sized body that won't look so hot on camera, has just been fired from her job and her boyfriend has dumped her. At loose ends employment-wise and relationship-wise, she decides to trade Whoopie Pies for thinner thighs by enrolling as a client at the Hoffman Clinic, an exclusive weight loss clinic. In order to pay for the clinic fees, Kate has bartered her producer talents to the local TV station to be the subject of her own "fat makeover" documentary. Kate has been at the clinic a total of one day when she finds the dead body of the diet guru. Now that the menu features murder as the specialty of the house, Kate has her hands full being an investigative reporter and trying not to be the murder's next entree!

Such a fun read. I do enjoy mysteries and this one if fun. There are lots of unexpected plot twists and a romantic fling or two in the mix. If you're looking for a book to read and enjoy, this one is a good pick. It's escapism at it's best! What do you think?

FITNESS KILLS by Helen Barer

I confess! I really enjoy reading mystery fiction. I like to try to figure out "who done it" as I read by paying attention to the clues authors leave lying around. I interviewed author Helen Barer not only for dallasbookdiva.com but also for the Fort Worth Community Cable Television program "Books In Review." She is delightful.

This is the first in a series of mysteries with Nora Franke as the central character. An unlikely sleuth, Nora Franke is a foodie. She reviews restaurants, writes a food column for a magazine, "MetroScene," and lives in New York.

Nora's life has recently taken an interesting turn. She and long-term boyfriend, Max, have decided to "take a break" from their relationship. At the same time, she is offered an opportunity to work as a menu consultant at an elite fitness ranch in Baja. Nora sublets her apartment and off she goes hoping along the way to meet some new people, shed a few pounds and "mend" her broken heart. To Nora's chagrin, in addition to the tranquil spa atmosphere with its yoga classes and morning meditation hikes, someone has added murder to the menu! Nora finds herself in personal peril as she attempts to aid the Mexican authorities in solving the case. This book is truly a "cliff hanger" and I enjoyed every minute of it.

listen to interview