When I was younger, like most girls, I loved horses. I grew up in Kentucky, smack in the middle of horse-country, but despite that I never owned a horse or even learned to ride. And that’s why I picked up Death by Dressage by Carolyn Banks. The adult me likes mysteries and the little girl inside just wanted to play with the horses.

Death by Dressage follows Robin Vaughan, the plucky, talkative heroine and amateur sleuth, as she investigates the death of one of the most hated women in Austin’s horse community: Veronika Ballinger. The rich and powerful Veronika loved to find what bothered someone the most and rub his or her nose in it, just for fun. That means that just about everyone who knows horses in Austin, and possibly beyond, had it out for her. Except for one little thing: the police believe that it was all an accident; that she was kicked by one of her horses. But if this were true, why did the police arrest Robin’s best friend Lola Albright?

When a fellow reviewer raved about Lori Armstrong’s Hallowed Ground, I knew I had found a new author. I went back to find Blood Ties, the first Julie Collins mystery and Hallowed Ground and read them both back to back. To me, when you can read several books in a series back to back and still want more, that is something special.

Julie Collins and her partner Kevin Wells are on what starts out as a typical insurance fraud case. Time is running out and they need to prove that Lang Everett is faking his injury. The reappearance of a mysterious hole, one that causes the fatal accident, brings about an unsettling confession from Everett‘s wife. Everett and his partners in an illegal off-season hunting scheme discover human remains out on the remote ridge. Fearing repercussions, the hunters reburied the remains and kept quiet about the discovery. Now the hole is back and the bones have vanished.

The real test of any writers' skill is the short story. To come in hard, fast, and hold them to the end. Or, to tease them and give a twist they never saw coming. The variations on a theme are many, but the road to success with this particular genre, alas is filled with more road kills than victors.

I am happy to present to you two treats: Frozen Stiff and The Last Laugh. To say too much is well, too much.

Having worked with the intellectually disabled in the past, I know how hard it is to get past the image that most of the world sees. Once you get past that perception, you find that they are just like us. They have wants, needs and desire to be accepted. That being said, it was a truly pleasant surprise to find a book that in the end presents a positive image in a mystery.

Veteran teacher Bonnie Pinkwater is at it again, finding trouble that is; in her second adventure A Calculated Demise.

Death of a Blogger, by Danae M. West, is the perfect book for a cold winter evening, the literary equivalent of hot chocolate and cinnamon toast. There's no angst, no blood and gore, and no realism. Instead, there's the small town, incompetent law enforcement officer wanting to sweep a local murder under the rug and a perky, clever heroine to make sure justice is done. It's the traditional 'cozy' murder mystery.

Annike and all the gang from SCOURGE {Service Club of Upper River Gulch Environs} are BACK!!! So be ready for even more madcap mayhem in Janice Bennett’s newest book Black Cats and Boondoggles.

Things are heating up in the tiny town of Upper River Gulch. Along with all the newcomers, there’s the weekly newspaper that seems to have an uncanny knack for digging up the juiciest gossip and very heated debate about the town’s incorporation between Hugh Cartwright, the owner of Brandywine Distillery, and his nephew Kevin.

Mysteries have always been one of my favorite genres to read. I enjoy the suspense, thrill and the intrigue of a well-written mystery. My one pet peeve is when I solve the murder well before the book ends. I knew from having read Ms. Bennett’s Cold Turkey, I was in for a treat, a mystery that will have me guessing until the end.

Life is quiet for Annike McKinley since last Thanksgiving’s madness. Her new business Events Unlimited is a success. But things are about to change as she is completely unprepared for the mayhem—and murder—that await her. The Easter fundraising fete for the Land's End Yacht Club she has agreed to organize is being held in a clubhouse built in the shape of a pirate ship. And it includes a body hanging from the yardarm.

Genre fiction used to be pretty simple to figure out. These days with so many niche genres, its hard to categorize something that simply does not fit neatly. This can be both a boon and a source of frustration: a boon because writers are deliberately seeking out new ways to express old ideas; frustration because they can be harder to find in the context of overwhelming available choice. Never in the history of humankind have there been so many writers, books, and sources for entertainment.

I'm a soccer mom right now, though I will eventually become a baseball mom. Now that I've read this book, I know a bit more of the sports world my son will soon inhabit.

We're introduced to the Base Stealers Club in the prequel of the same name. Ryan, Chevis, Dillion, Colby, and Shane, members of the Jonesville Chargers baseball team, band together to solve problems and mysteries surrounding their team. They formed the club when they solved the mystery of who was stealing money from their lockers during the regular season in The Base Stealers Club. The Case of the Missing Coach picks up the story as they get ready for the National Regional playoffs on their way to playing in the National Championship.

When I was looking for a quick and easy read I ran across Cold Turkey by Janice Bennett. After reading the blurb I thought, “this is going to be a fun book”. Not having read any of Ms. Bennett’s previous books, I didn’t know what to expect, but what I found was a delight.

Annike McKinley knows that the door to her Aunt Gerda’s house will always be open to her. So when she quits her job, she decides that it’s time to return home to Upper River Gulch. What she doesn’t expect to find is the body of Clifford Brody, C.P.A., bleeding all over her aunt's tax receipts.

Siena, Italy: the land of wine, sun, and romance. Only for Faith Murphy, such things are too lucky for her. It's more like, "Fleeing four thousand miles from one Rossi only to find another Rossi and a dead man was perfect Murphy luck, Faith thought as she walked on the herringbone brick walkway.“ Well aware of her family name’s tendency towards such things, she knows all the Murphy’s Laws by heart and had added quite a few of her own.

A familiar ghost you can’t quite place, a young widow trying to survive, a wealthy man who is her boss, and danger lurking everywhere…. Most would say Deja You is the workings of a Goth or Victorian Romance. They would be wrong. This is a thoroughly modern day murder mystery, paranormal and romance all in one.

Our heroine Charli lives in an area run by slumlords, haunted by memories of November 16th when the love of her life, her husband, was killed. Only on this particular November 16th, there are strange goings-on. Things are worse than normal and she wonders half jokingly if something is out to get her. It turns out she almost right.

Whoa, what a ride! Blind Justice takes you by the scruff of your collar, the edge of your seat, and does not let you go till you see the sea in Rocklynne, Oregon where this tight murder mystery takes place.

The Preacher, a serial killer, is slaughtering vulnerable, trusting woman by pretending to be a man of the cloth. He also seems to be a mind reader. He seems to know every move the police department makes. Norrie Benedict, a gifted psychic who became blind from a tragic accident, is both the leading investigator and the Preacher’s next target.

In 50 Ways to Kill Your Lover, T.K. Sheils takes the traditional 'cozy' with its amateur 'tec, closed environment and limited range of suspects, to sea. The unlucky ship Hephaestus, full of Canadians, leaves Cozumel, Mexico, on a Caribbean cruise. A corpse, a stowaway and some cruise contest winners who can't remember entering any contest are aboard.

Stowaway Hunter Knox, Canadian actor and petty con man, goes to the exercise area of the ship to replenish his wardrobe from the lockers. He left Cozumel quickly, wearing a port official’s uniform over a pair of shorts and shirt. His brown shoes were not mates. [Forget the murder. Mystery 1: Why does anyone, even one leaving Cozumel quickly, have on mis-mated shoes?] While in the locker room, he finds a pair of sandals and talks to an elderly, confused naked man who says he has been poisoned.

I love spending time at bed and breakfasts (B&B's). Staying in someone's home adds the personal touch the big chain hotels are lacking, and a home cooked breakfast is just the icing on the cake, so to speak. The most interesting B&B I stayed in was actually only a B--bed, no breakfast, located over the local pub in a small town in Wales. The beds were comfy, and we enjoyed the music coming up through the floorboards as we fell asleep.