Tell-Tale Treats by Jennifer J. Chow

Posted on January 28, 2026 by Carol Early Cooney

Dear Fellow Readers,

Do you feel this way? I do.

Let’s talk about a book. That will make us feel better.

Tell-Tale Treats by Jennifer J. Chow was released yesterday. It is the third book in the series called the Magical Fortune Cookie series. I have reviewed the other two books. (Book 1 – Ill-Fated Fortune and Book 2 – Star-Crossed Egg Tarts)

In this installment, Felicity has been asked to bring an assortment of pastries to a group of friends from high school who are having a reunion at the Pixie Inn, a local bed and breakfast. Felicity feels that the vibe of the group is off from the very beginning especially with the way the “Queen Bee” is acting.

It wouldn’t be a cozy without a death, right? Yes, and you probably guessed it. The Queen Bee is found dead in her bathtub, apparently drowning after suffering an allergic reaction.

Was the reaction to Felicity’s almond cookies?

Felicity and her boyfriend, Kelvin Love, start investigating and find that the women are certainly not friends. Then why were they all brought together? It looks like the Queen Bee was playing with fire – she brought them all together to settle scores from their past. (Well, that didn’t work out for her, did it?)

I enjoyed the story. I thought it dragged a bit, and there was just a lot of Felicity going to the Bed and Breakfast. I guess I thought the story could have been tightened up a bit. But I still think that you would enjoy it. The series is a good example of Culinary Cozy Mysteries.

Thanks for reading.

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Revenge Served Royal by Celeste Connally

Posted on January 28, 2026 by Carol Early Cooney

Dear Fellow Reader,

The bright sunshine is deceiving. It is COLD. I just don’t want to leave the house.

You know how it is, the little things that can be so wonderful? I don’t remember how, but I discovered last year that if I left the bathroom door closed, it would warm up in there. It is a game-changer! How delightful to get out of the shower and dry my hair in a warmer room. You may have known this before, but I am feeling pretty brilliant about it.

Today we are talking about Revenge, Served Royal: A Mystery. This is the third book in the Lady Petra Inquires series. I reviewed the other two books. (Book 1 – Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord and Book 2 – All’s Fair in Love and Treachery) In this installment, Lady Petra is at Windsor Castle to be a judge in the Queen’s inaugural patisserie contest. When one of her fellow judges is found murdered with Petra’s maid’s ne’er-do-well brother, Oliver, standing over him, Petra has to fight the clock to make sure that Annie’s brother is proven innocent. (at least of that crime…) Oliver tells Petra that there is a scandalous document hidden in the castle, so she knows she needs to find that, too. Petra’s favorite, Aunt Ophelia, seems to be involved in the case, and she keeps avoiding Petra.

This series takes place in the Regency period, which is not a historical time that I usually read about, and I find the books interesting for that reason. I have enjoyed all three books, and I recommend them.

Thanks for reading!

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At Death’s Dough by Mindy Quigley

Posted on January 22, 2026 by Carol Early Cooney

Time to batten down the hatches. A winter cold spell is about to envelop us. Schools are closing and my swim class is cancelled. (Like I was going out in this cold!)

So, it is a great time for you to pick up a book and harken back to those snow days of your youth. I have a love for snow days. It is a free day you can do whatever. The only rule I like for snow days is that you don’t have to do anything you’re supposed to do. Catch up on reading magzines, watch a show you haven’t had time for yet, or sleep.

At Death’s Dough is the fifth in the Deep Dish Mysteries by Mindy Quigley. I have reviewed the other four books; Six Feet Deep Dish (https://cecooney.com/2022/10/12/six-feet-deep-dish-by-mindy-quigley/), Ashes to Ashes Crust to Crust (https://cecooney.com/2023/06/13/ashes-to-ashes-crust-to-crust-by-mindy-quigley/), Public Anchovy #1 (https://cecooney.com/2023/12/07/public-anchovy-1-by-mindy-quigley/) and Sleep in Heavenly Pizza  (https://cecooney.com/2024/10/22/sleep-in-heavenly-pizza-by-mindy-quigley/). I have enjoyed all of them.

In this fifth book, we find our usually cast of characters, Delilah O’Learry and her Genevea Lake, WI, pizza Parlor. As the book opens, Delilia’s love, Calvin Capone is away but his mother shows up at closing time with Calvin’s cousin. Deliliah had never heard of this cousin and was on alert when Calvin’s Mother asks her not to tell Calvin that the cousin was there. This does not feel right.

You guessed it, she should have told him right away. When Deliliah and her Aunt Biz and friend Sonia go out ice fishing, they find a body frozen in the lake. Days later they discovered that the body was that of Calvin’s cousin. Calvin is none to pleased to find out that his mother and girlfriend were some of the last people to see his cousin alive and they hadn’t told him the cousin was in town. Not only that but the mayor of the town and the Police Chief are fighting and the Chief thinks Calvin is part of the problem. So Calvin is not in charge of the investigation, and the Chief decides that the cousin wasn’t murdered; that it was an accident. When Calvin brings up some points as to why that theory doesn’t work, he and another officer are sent 9 hours away to check on an old cold case. Deliliah is on her own to figure out what is going on.

There is a whole lot going on in this book to throw you off course. Good distractions for the most part. On a weird note, I do think the relationship between Deliliah and Calvin needs to move along a bit.

Anyway, I think that if you liked the other books in the series (which I did) you will enjoy this book. If you haven’t read the other books, I think you can read this without the others.

Thanks for reading!

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Two Books that I didn’t like

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Carol Early Cooney

Dear Fellow Reader,

I am going to do something out of the ordinary for me today. I am going to tell you about two books that I did not really like. I hate to do this because someone put all their effort into writing a book, and I hate to belittle that effort.

Something along the lines that if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.

The Story That Wouldn’t Die by Christina Estes did not capture my interest. It seemed to move slowly, and the characters didn’t appeal to me. It is the story of award-winning reporter Jolene Garcia working on a story about bid rigging in the city. She had talked to a small business owner who decided that he was fed up and had to bring up that he felt that he wasn’t getting city work because the bids were rigged. Soon after they talked, he was killed in a car crash. Normally, she would expect her bosses to be right behind her, urging her to look into the story. But they aren’t. They tell her to drop the story. She doesn’,t and she keeps investigating.

I’m sorry that I can’t sing the praises of this book. I would suggest that if you think the premise sounds interesting that you take the time to read it and form your own opinion.

Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips is the second book that I did not like. This book does not come out until March 17, 2026. Much like other times I have not liked a book, this book has won an award, and it isn’t even out yet. It won an award for Best First Mystery Novel. So, if it sounds interesting to you, please go ahead and read it. My opinion is not the be-all and end-all.

Charlie Shaw is tired and broke. He is a new dad and a new PI. While he is working on one case, he meets Friday Findley, who is searching for her Dad. Findley’s mother has recently died, and she needs to find her dad to keep her out of the foster system. The trouble is, of course, that her dad is not someone that anyone aspires to know. At first, it looks like maybe he is just hiding but then Charley begins to suspect there is something else going on. Can he back out now that he has taken an interest? 

I found the book really unrealistic. I know, mystery, fiction, a name like Stakeouts and Strollers; what did I expect? The beginning of the book flips back and forth in time, and I found it confusing and which was not a great way to start.

I’d love to agree that it deserves an award, but I’m not there. I suggest that if it sounds interesting to you that you check it out for yourself.

Thanks for reading.

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Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Carol Early Cooney

Dear Fellow Reader,

What do you do in your “spare” time? How much time do you spend on social media? I obviously read, but I also have developed a bad habit of watching videos on Facebook. I will admit to watching too many dog adoption videos. Yes, it is an odd niche. I wonder how long it will take the dog to warm up to the people. There is even one where the dog bit the person, and she still adopted him.

Of course, my time would be better spent doing something else, but sometimes I think your brain needs a break. The trouble is that you can start and hours will pass. Other than getting a glimpse at human behavior, it is just a mindless activity. I am going to try and correct this habit. I seem to have collected a number of audiobooks and yarn, and I am going to try and blend the two by listening to audiobooks while knitting. It might work.

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes: A Mystery by Sandra Jackson-Opoku is today’s book. Do you ever look at the Amazon Best Sellers Rank and see what categories the book fits in? Who knew some of those categories were categories? I suppose they break it down so you can tell what kind of book it is and how it has done in relation to other books like it. Did you know that Cozy Culinary Mystery is a category?

Yes, this is a cozy culinary mystery. Savvy Summers owns Essie’s Soul Food Café on the South Side of Chicago. (I was probably drawn to it because I grew up in the Chicago area.) Savvy Summers’ restaurant is known for its delicious sweet potato pie. She never expected it to be used to kill anyone, but it looks like that is what happened. When Grandy Jaspers, a 75-year-old neighborhood womanizer, drops dead at one of her tables, Savvy finds that her pie and restaurant are under investigation. Even when his death is deemed an accident, Savvy’s pie and entire restaurant are not cleared in public opinion. It is certainly looking bad for Essie’s Soul Food Café when Savvy and her assistant decide that they have to find out who killed Jasper because someone undoubtedly did kill him. At least her ex-husband helps her at least a little bit.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were believable And I was ready to try some of that pie!

Thanks for reading!

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