Book Review: Murder on the Poet's Walk by Ellery Adams

As Jane eagerly anticipates the wedding of her best friend Eloise Alcott, Storyton Hall is overrun with poets in town to compete for a coveted greeting card contract. They’re everywhere, scrawling verses on cocktail napkins in the reading rooms or seeking inspiration strolling the Poet’s Walk, a series of trails named after famous authors. But the Tennyson Trail leads to a grim surprise: a woman’s corpse drifting in a rowboat on a lake, a crumpled copy of “The Lady of Shallot” in her lifeless fist.

When a second body is discovered, also holding a page from a poetry book, a recurring MO emerges. Fortunately, Jane is well versed in sleuthing and won’t rest until she gives the killer a taste of poetic justice . . .[summary via Amazon]

Our favourite resort manager, Jane Steward, is back for a new adventure! This time she is playing host to a poetry competition, where one lucky poet will win a greeting card contract! However, the contest starts to turn deadly when a contestant turns up dead. Who is determined to narrow the playing field? And, will Jane find the killer before they strike again!

I absolutely love Ellery Adams' stories! Her Charmed Pie Shoppe mysteries are in my top 5 favourite series! She crafts delightful, interesting mysteries that bring in the reader like no other. Her new novel, Murder on the Poet's Walk, is no exception.

The series always delivers a great mystery, but it is the characters and interesting facts about other authors that keeps me coming back. This one centres around poetry, and in particular Walt Whitman. As an Australian, who now resides in Canada, I found the history of American poets really fascinating!

The mystery itself was top-notch and I didn't manage to solve it before Jane and her friends. I sure had fun trying, though! At every dead end, I had to look at the rest of the never-ending suspects! It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat, until the final denouement!

I cannot recommend this series enough. Whenever I suggest it, I always say "come for the mystery, and stay for Storyton"! Storyton is a delight, and one cozy town you have to visit!

Book Review: Murder of a Pink Elephant by Denise Swanson

When Skye Denison's brother forms a band called Pink Elephant, the town goes wild-maybe too wild. First, a groupie turns stalker, seducing the band members one by one. Then, one of the Pink Elephants winds up murdered. Who's to blame? Everyone seems to think it's the drummer-and now Skye has to clear her brother's name.[summary via Amazon]

I recently picked up a copy of Murder of a Pink Elephant at a book sale, and I thought I would dive back into the world of Scumble River, and guess what? I had the very BEST time!!

Skye Denison gets caught up in the world of drugs and rock 'n roll, when her brother, Vince, is fingered for a murder of his fellow bandmate. What follows is a tantalizing tale as Skye tries to clear her brother's name.

Picture it... it's 2009 and I've just re-discovered cozy mysteries, after making my way through the Agatha Christie mysteries while I was on bedrest with my twins [who are now 14!]. What followed was an intense love of cozies, where I sampled so many series. One of those fictional places I visited was Stumble River. I loved it, but as usually happens I read a few and another shiny series caught my attention. Fast forward to last month when I picked up Murder of a Pink Elephant and now I've fallen in love with Scumble River all over again, and pondering why I didn't continue on with them! 

It was like I had never left, I quickly got caught up with Skye and all her family and friends, and got carried away with the mystery. While I solved the mystery before Skye, I loved all the side stories involving her love interest, Simon, and police chief, Wally. Not to mention Skye's family! 

This series is the epitome of small town cozy. It delights from the first page to the last, and will leave you wanting more. Lucky for me, there is lots more in this series to read!