Book Review: Read to Death by Terrie Farley Moran

With their book club season wrapping up with The Florida Life of Thomas Edison, Sassy and Bridgy decide to take their group on a day trip to the beautiful Edison and Ford Winter Estates. Hiring driver Oscar Frieland, who’s known for his colorful stories and love of the café’s Robert Frost fruit tartlets, the bibliophiles set off for a day of sunshine and history.

After a lovely excursion, the club returns to the café for lunch and a book discussion, but the group falls silent after Oscar is found dead in his van. The sheriff’s deputies have some questions of their own for the group, and if the ladies don’t find some answers soon, the next book they read might be from a prison library.[summary via Amazon]

Read to Death is the third book in the Read 'Em and Eat Mysteries. Sassy Cabot and Bridgy Mayfield are on a field trip to visit the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. All is going well until their driver is found dead, after they arrive back at the cafe. With Bridgy discovering the body, the police instantly suspect her. It's up to Sassy to try to clear her best friends name.

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, and the third (and final) book is no exception. It was a charming and fun mystery, surrounding the book club's read of The Florida Life of Thomas Edison. 

I read a lot of mysteries and I love picking up clues early on. When the victim teases about knowing "all the girls way back when", I knew that was the line that had sealed his doom. Of course, I was right! It was interesting to try to figure out which book club member was keeping a secret and who the murderer was.

Beyond the mystery and the wonderful characters, I love all the "book title" dropping that this series provides. The various book clubs that meet at the Read 'Em and Eat Cafe are always interesting. Quite often, after reading the mystery I want to head to the library to check out the other books mentioned in the book. This time, it was Julie and Julia, and other Julia Childs cookbooks. The bookclub made the books sound so interesting, so I will definitely be having some cookbook reading in my future.

Read to Death is the last book in this series, and I hope some time in the future it might be picked up for more stories. I really enjoyed visiting with Sassy and Bridgy (and their moms in this book) and I hope there are more adventures in the future.

If you love books about books about books, then definitely pick up the Read 'Em and Eat Mysteries. They are well worth a read. And, there are delicious recipes too!

Book Review: Caught Read-Handed by Terrie Farley Moran

Happy to help her fellow bibliophiles, Sassy visits the local library with book donations for their annual fundraising sale. Unfortunately, the welcoming readers’ haven is in turmoil as an argument erupts between an ornery patron and new staff member, Tanya Lipscombe—also known as “Tanya Trouble.” She may lack people skills, but everyone is shocked when she’s later found murdered in her own hot tub. 

The man last seen arguing with Tanya is soon arrested. But Alan Mersky, a veteran with PTSD, happens to be the brother of Sassy’s former boss—and he’s no murderer. Now it’s up to Sassy and Bridgy to clear Alan’s name and make sure the real killer gets booked.[summary via Amazon]

I was so happy to make another visit to Fort Meyers Beach, so soon after my last visit. I enjoyed the first book this series, Well Read, Then Dead so much that I was eager for a follow up story. Luckily, as I am late to the game with this series, there is a couple of books for me to catch up on!

In Caught Read-Handed Sassy and Bridgy are back for my sleuthing and hijinks, as they try to unravel the death of Tanya Lipscombe, a trophy wife who seems to have made more than a few enemies. Of course, after her last near-death experience Sassy doesn't want to get into trouble with the policy, especially Lieutenant Frank Anthony, but when her ex-boss' brother is implicated in the crime, she can't stop herself from stepping in to help.

When I read that the prime suspect in this story had PTSD I wondered how this story would play out. This is a sensitive issue, and if not handled the right way it would be a disaster of a story line. Well I'm happy to say that Terrie Farley Moran handled this aspect of the storyline perfectly. She clearly has researched the issues with PTSD and I enjoyed learning more about PTSD and what the citizens of Fort Meyers Beach have done to not only welcome vets returning with PTSD but also make their life easier, and give them a sense of their own community within the community. I also liked how the veterans were able to assist the community with another problem, given their history of their tours in Vietnam and Iraq. This is such a sensitive issue but it is handled perfectly by the author and it added a great layer to the story. 

I really enjoyed the mystery aspect. I was 40 pages from the end and I was still stumped as to who the killer could be. I knew it wasn't Alan, but there were a lot of suspects and I still hadn't guessed who had done it.

Fort Meyers Beach is fast becoming one of my favorite cozy towns to visit. I love the cozy atmosphere in the Read 'Em and Eat Cafe, with the scrumptious food that Chef Miguel cooks up and the fantastic bookish chatter from the bookclubs. I also love the interesting characters that come and go, that reside in Fort Meyers Beach, and also new visitors.

With a fantastic cozy setting, Terrie Moran Farley has created more than a mystery. She's created a fabulous reading experience, with a mystery that will stump the most seasoned reader and a fantastic cast of characters that will have you wanting to come back for seconds and thirds!

Purchase Caught Read-Handed by Terrie Moran Farley on Amazon.

Giveaway: Caught Read-Handed by Terrie Moran

This month we are celebrating Terrie Farley Moran's series, the Read 'Em and Eat Mysteries. Have you checked them out yet? If not, check out the first book in the series, Well Read, Then Dead. 

Today we're giving away one copy of the second book in the series, Caught Read-Handed, because I have TWO on my shelf! While I try my best to not have duplicates in my bookshelves, it does happen, and now I have a spare copy to give away to one lucky reader.

Caught Read-Handed is the second book in this series:

Happy to help her fellow bibliophiles, Sassy visits the local library with book donations for their annual fundraising sale. Unfortunately, the welcoming readers’ haven is in turmoil as an argument erupts between an ornery patron and new staff member, Tanya Lipscombe—also known as “Tanya Trouble.” She may lack people skills, but everyone is shocked when she’s later found murdered in her own hot tub. 

The man last seen arguing with Tanya is soon arrested. But Alan Mersky, a veteran with PTSD, happens to be the brother of Sassy’s former boss—and he’s no murderer. Now it’s up to Sassy and Bridgy to clear Alan’s name and make sure the real killer gets booked.

I'm reading Caught Read-Handed right now and loving it. 

To enter to win a copy of your own:

1. Leave a comment with your email address.
2. Giveaway ends on July 12, 2016 and the winners will be contacted by email.
3. Giveaway is open USA/Canada.

Featured Author of the Month for July - Terrie Farley Moran

Readers, we're excited to share that we're kicking off our first Featured Author of the Month tomorrow. Our Featured Author for July is Terrie Farley Moran!

Terrie Farley Moran is the author of the Read Em and Eat Mysteries, with the third book in the series, Read to Death, due to be released on July 5, 2016.

Here's what to expect in July, in our celebration of the Read 'Em and Eat Mysteries:

• an interview with Terrie Moran
• reviews for each book in the series, with discussions on our Facebook page.
• giveaways, giveaways & GIVEAWAYS!

You don't want to miss a second of July, as we celebrate a super enjoyable series.