Tortie Shorties on Mystery Monday

Welcome to this week's edition of Tortie Shorties on Mystery Monday!

We hope you enjoy our choices.

The Snowman Killer (Alaska Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Wendy Meadows

From the publisher: Sarah Garland, a retired homicide detective who’s gone through a painful divorce, seems to have found her peace at last, as a coffeeshop owner, in the sleepy (and freezing) small town of Snow Falls, Alaska. What she didn’t expect, was for her past life to catch up with her. Or, for her new life as a mystery writer to inspire a deadly killer to target her.

Yet, when the killer leaves a frightening clue-a creepy snowman, donning a leather jacket and eating a peppermint candy cane, left in front of her cabin-Sarah begins to suspect Conrad Spencer, the new detective in town, who is pursuing a murderer of his own. Soon, it becomes obvious that the sleuths would have to join forces, in order to catch the killer.

Sarah and Conrad must put their tragic pasts behind them and find out who’s after her…before the trail becomes frozen.

Tortie Shorties Review: I've always had a huge fascination with Alaska. It's isolation is compelling yet frightening at the same time. It's that solitude that calls retired detective Sarah Garland to Snow Falls (love that town name!) to write her series of popular thrillers under a pen name. Someone has caught on to her little secret though, and they're terrorizing her by recreating scenes from her books. While very cozy, this book is also quite chilling (even beyond the weather), and the desolation of an Alaska winter just feeds the "creepy" feeling even more.

From Sarah's remote little cabin to the quaint town where her coffee shop is located, I would visit Snow Falls in a heartbeat...and most likely never want to leave!

Pancakes and Corpses (Peridale Cafe Mystery) by Agatha Frost

From the publisher: Soon to be divorced Julia South never expected to be caught up in solving a murder, until she discovered the body of her cafe's most awkward customer. With a new smug Detective Inspector in town who underestimates her every move, Julia makes it her mission to discover the real murderer, before her village friends are dragged into the frame, and more bodies are discovered.

Tortie Shorties Review: Another favorite cozy locale for me is the Cotswolds, which is where we find the cozy village of Peridale, home to the Peridale Cafe. Every morning church organist Gertrude comes in at the same time, sits in the same seat and orders the same breakfast, "Four pancakes drizzled with honey, with fresh raspberries and blueberries, and a cup of tea." But the one time Julia had her order ready for Gertrude she got a dressing down for being presumptive. Julia isn't the only one who finds the church lady to be the most unlikable person in town, so it's no surprise when she visits the curmudgeon's house one night to confront her about an unkind cafe review she submitted to the local paper, only to find a knife in the woman's back. The last person seen arguing with Gertrude right in the middle of the Peridale Cafe was Julia's best friend Roxy who quickly becomes the lead suspect.

There's a secondary mystery about some stolen cakes at the cafe (accompanied by some mouth-watering pastry descriptions), a hint of romance between Julia and the lead detective (or perhaps the newspaperman?), and an adorable Maine Coon named Mowgli. The killer remains a mystery until Julia pieces together the final clues that readers aren't completely made privy to. A fun summer read, and book 7 is due out later this month so Julia and her friends have lots more adventures ahead of them!



Disclaimer: As members of the Amazon Associates affiliate program, if you click on our links and buy something Mudpie gets a little money for her piggy bank! I