As I have mentioned, I read a lot on vacation.  I wrote about my favorite books from my last cation (https://cecooney.com/2017/11/27/vacation-reads/) In this post, I will talk about some of the other books that I liked.

These books were given to me at no cost as ARC (advanced reader copies) by Netgalley so that I would provide my unbiased review.

Best Laid Plants by Marty Wingate is the sixth in the series called “The Potting Shed Mysteries”.  Pru Parke is an American gardener living in Great Brittan and the non-professional detective in this series. I would suggest that you read the first book or two in the series before you read the other books.  It will help you to know the characters.  In this particular book, Pru and her husband are in the Cotswolds so that Pru can advise on the restoration of an Arts and Crafts garden.  On her second day of inspecting the garden, Pru finds the body of the owner, Batsford Bede. She and Christopher then have to solve the mystery of who killed him and why. There are frequent references to gardening, which mean nothing to me, but they do not distract from the story if you are not a gardener.

This is a very pleasant cozy mystery.  I have enjoyed all the books I have read by Marty Wingate.  It seems that the books are available as eBooks or audiobooks.

Accessories to Die For by Paula Paul is the second in the series of these cozy mysteries.  I would suggest that you read the books in order, once again just to get a full look at the characters.  The first book in the series is A Killer Closet.  The main character in these books is Irene Seligman, who has left her position as assistant district attorney in Manhattan to return to Santa Fe to help her mother, Adelle.  Irene has opened an upscale consignment store.  In Accessories to Die For, Paula steps in to defend her friend Juanita after the mysterious death of an associate of her son.  Seems Juanita has predicted his death which the police find a bit suspicious.

I will admit that I enjoyed the first book better than the second.  But the characters are humorous and the plot does pull you in.

Murder Over Mochas by Caroline Furdig is the fifth in the Java Jive mystery series.  While I liked the first book in the series, I think that the series improved with each book.  I think that as Juliet, the main character grows she becomes more interesting and you get more wrapped up in what she is going through.  In this book, Juliet reluctantly investigates the murder of her ex-fiance.  This leads her to work with her ex-boyfriend, Ryder Hamilton to find out what schemes her ex-fiance was involved with back in her hometown.

Once again, I think that this is a series that should be read in sequence.  You would really need to read the first book, Death Before Decaf, to find out about the characters and their history. I think reading the series in order will help with knowing the development of the characters.

All of the books I have talked about today are available as eBooks and most as audiobooks from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Kobo.  I also found some of the books available as eBook loans from my local library.  If you are looking for a cozy mystery, I would suggest looking at the Marty Wingate books.  Caroline Furdig’s books are not exactly cozy mysteries but once you get to know the characters, they are very enjoyable.

Thanks for reading!