Color Me Happy Halloween

Boots: Simply Vera, Kohl's

Bag: Nine West, Marshalls

Sweater: ModCloth

Sweater: Bar III, Macy's

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon

Scary Skate Necklace

Shoes: Madden Girl, DSW

Headband: Lady Arya, Zulily

Pretty scary in pink and purple.

Bow: Target

The husband's handiwork.

Pumpkin: Marshalls; Cat: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Ring: PinkBopp, Etsy

Creepy cute cozy.

Tights: Marshalls; Shoes: Circus by Sam Edelman, Kohl's

No one makes a graveyard cake like Mom.

Too cool for school supplies?  Never!

How is it Halloween already?!  I don't even have anything clever to say, just this shock that the year's almost over.  Last Halloween, Char Bar had just learned to roll over, and this year I had to put the pumpkins on the mantel so she wouldn't run off with them. 

So yeah, like every other parent, I'm exhausted.  So much so that I sometimes wish I could trade all my shoes for a nap.  But I'm also -- happy.  Because that's one of the things about being busy.  The little things that used to bother you seem kind of ridiculous.  Mostly because they're replaced by big things, like trying to stop your toddler from racing across the street.  But also because being in charge of a life other than your own has a way of putting things in perspective.  

So happy Halloween.  I'm grateful that I get to spend even a little of mine with you.

And also that the husband snagged me some pumpkin M&Ms.

The House That Jack the Quipper Built: Drop Dead Gingerbread Cred

"Run, run, fast as you can.  You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"  The beloved rhyme turns out to be untrue in Lee Hollis's Death of a Gingerbread Man.  Because the runner up of Bar Harbor's annual gingerbread house building contest loses more than first place.  He bites the sugar dust, with the winner emerging as the prime suspect.  And he (the winner, not the dead dude) happens to be Hayley Powell's long-lost father.  

In the twenty-odd Hayley Powell food and cocktails mysteries, we've heard nary a word about the man who gave the sleuth life.  Sure, her impossible-to-please mother Sheila sometimes rears her ugly head, but her pops has remained, well, a mystery.  Until now.  Fresh from yet another failed romance, Dwight Jordan blows back into Bar Harbor, much to the delight of half the town -- and the chagrin of the other.  A charming if disheveled conniver, Dwight leaves a trail of chaos wherever he goes.  And this time that trail includes murder.

Death of a Gingerbread Man may be Hayley's zaniest misadventure yet.  I snickered at the sitcom-worthy snafus that Dwight "unknowingly" authors.  Each is more cringeworthy than the last, making for a quirky Christmas caper.  Yet despite being a clever whodunit, Death of a Gingerbread Man isn't really about whether or not Dwight offed his fellow baker.  It's about if he'll stay in Bar Harbor or keep running. You know, like the Gingerbread Man.

Maybe the rhyme rings true after all.  

Clued for Thought: Murder Mysteries on the Menu

Lately, I've been reading even more cozy murder mysteries than usual.  Maybe because some other genres left a slightly bad taste in my mouth.  Anyway, in doing so, it hit me that most of the series I follow are food-related.  Many even include recipes, which I never use but nevertheless enjoy.  I guess that's part of why I'm so drawn to these wholesome whodunits.  They consistently serve up a helping of happy.  Because although it's fun to figure out who did in the nibby neighbor or arrogant heiress, it's the comfort of home-baked cakes and casseroles that keeps me at the table.

So here's a quartet of titles I recently read, arranged on poster board like entrées on seen-from-space plates:

Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay, a Cupcake Bakery Mystery

Lemon Curd Killer by Laura Childs, a Tea Shop Mystery

Death of a Clam Digger by Lee Hollis, a Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery

Peking Duck and Cover by Vivien Chien, a Noodle Shop Mystery

Seeing them in all their quirky glory is like snuggling under a crazy quilt of culinary delights.  I even read some of Death of a Clam Digger to Charlotte (although not, I promise, the murder part!), and she was riveted, or, as the husband put it, on the edge of her blanket.

Now that I'm done writing this post, I realize that I haven't said anything I haven't said countless times before.  My love for cozies remains reliable, just like the mainstay stories themselves.  Suspense?  Sure. But no surprises.

And that's just how this creature of habit likes it. 🍰🔎🥘

Sex Equals Death: The Mystery of Romance and the Romance of Mystery

I was recently reading a post on The Big Hair Diaries about the romance of books and reading -- in other words, the magic of imagination and transportation that comes from losing yourself in a story.  And that got me thinking about my two favorite genres: romance and mystery.  Or, more specifically, romcoms and cozies.  Sure, these gentler subgenres are softened by comedy.  But they still center around sex and violence.  Which makes me wonder how such turmoil can be comforting, not just to me, but to countless readers.  Yet maybe it's not the turmoil that's soothing.  Maybe it's the resolution of the turmoil, and with it, the reaffirmation of love and life.  

Or maybe there's no deep explanation at all.  Maybe people are just animals.

Either way, when I find a romance with mystery or a mystery with romance, I know I've hit the genre jackpot.  Which is the case with most of the books I read, including Christina Lauren's Dating You/Hating You and Lee Hollis's Death of a Bacon Heiress.  

Because office romance burns hotter when sparked by a scheme, and finding out whodunit is more fun with flirtation.

Rebecca Serle's Mother of Pearl Pearls of Wisdom

I picked up Rebecca Serle's One Italian Summer during a Target run last September, but it remained on my bookshelf for months.  Although it was much-buzzed-about, I just wasn't ready for a mother-daughter tearjerker.  But after I read Lee Hollis's (highly entertaining and enjoyable) Death of a Lobster Lover, I was ripe for something serious.

And losing your mother is as serious as it gets.

That's what happens to thirty-year-old Katy Silver in this novel.  Her mother was her best friend, so when she dies, Katy's world crashes.  Now she's questioning everything, including her marriage.  Heartbroken and lost, she embarks on the Italian vacation that she and her mother planned to take together.  Positano turns out to be postcard-perfect.  Katy is spellbound, getting to know her mother in a new way by exploring the city she loved.  Then the unthinkable happens when Katy sees her mother at her hotel, in the flesh and thirty years younger.  What follows is an unorthodox and haunting jaunt down memory lane.  I didn't love or even agree with all of it.  Yet although some parts were problematic, what I initially thought of as a clumsy conceit ultimately gave me chills.  

Thought-provoking and moving, One Italian Summer was sometimes difficult for this daughter and, now mother, to read.  

Still, it was well worth the detour.

Crustacean Vacation Incarceration

No, this isn't a post about law-breaking lobsters run amuck on spring break.  It's a review of Lee Hollis's Death of a Lobster Lover.  Which is, admittedly, almost as zany.

When Hayley and her besties Liddy and Mona head for a weekend at Mona's family cabin in idyllic Salmon Cove, their only agenda is food and fun.  But then the cabin turns out to be a ramshackle, marking the beginning of the trio's troubles.  Liddy catches the eye of a dashing reporter only to find him strangled on the beach.  Mona's old flame resurfaces, and the local sheriff won't rest until she puts the Three Musketeers behind bars.  But despite these obstacles, Hayley needs to find out who killed that reporter and why.  And that's no easy feat in Salmon Cove, where everyone has something to hide.

A cozy that's as suspenseful as it is quirky, Death of a Lobster Lover keeps you guessing until the bitter, butter-drenched end.  Colorful and cartoonish, it's the ideal escape, a little vacation unto itself.

Because sometimes the best way to kick off summer is with a story about kicking the bucket.

Cold Hold: You Scream, I Scream, We All Scheme for Ice Cream

Time for another bite-sized book review!

It's a rocky road to whodunit in Lee Hollis's Death of an Ice Scream Scooper.  On an innocent mission to score some Sea Salt Caramel, Bar Harbor food columnist-turned-restauranteur Hayley Powell discovers the body of a coed in an ice cream truck.  What follows is a trail of twists and turns as unexpected as Bar Harbor Ice Cream's Blueberry Basil Sorbet and Thai Chili Coconut.  So, one scoop (or two or three) at a time, Hayley moves in on the cold-hearted killer. 

And with that, this reviewer's verdict is in: detecting has never been so delicious! 🍨🍧🍦

B is for Books About Bunnies and Babies

Also, Becky Bloomwood.  But we'll work our way up to that.  First things first.  As you know, I can't let a holiday pass without reading a coordinating cozy homicide.  So this Easter hat trick of three novellas including Leslie Meier's Easter Basket Murder, Lee Hollis's Death by Easter Egg, and Barbara Ross's Hopped Along was just what the Easter bunny ordered.  Each story delivered on the irresistible cocktail of cute and creepy, although I enjoyed Death by Easter Egg the most.  There's something about the combination of candy and crime that's especially decadent.    

Kind of like childbirth and chuckles, which isn't decadent, but rather soothing.  Now that I'm in the last leg of my pregnancy (30 weeks!), I felt the urge to reread Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic and Baby.  As the big day draws near, I knew that reliving Becky's hijinks would be especially entertaining and comforting.  And it was.  What I didn't expect was for it to make me cry.  (Then again, these days, there isn't much that doesn't switch on the waterworks.)  Because along with all the fiascos and fun is the heart that beats so beautifully in each of Kinsella's books.  As Becky persevered through her struggles, I knew that I could conquer mine too, and that in the end it will all be worth it because my baby girl is meant to be.

It's no wonder that this book was the first thing I slipped into my go bag.  

Immediately followed, of course, by a brand-new tube of Cherries in the Snow lipstick.      

Post St. Patrick's Day Pose

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Shoes: Chase & Chloe, Zulily

Scarf: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney

It's never too late to celebrate the wearing of the green.  Or to enjoy a St. Patrick's Day mystery or three.  Because it wasn't until late last night that I opened this trio of Irish-themed novellas: Leslie Meier's Irish Coffee Murder, Lee Hollis's Death of an Irish Coffee Drinker, and Barbara Ross's Perked Up.  All three small-town sleuths find themselves in hot coffee -- and hot water.  Thankfully, my own holiday was limited to lounging under the archway.  

Here's hoping that yours was as exciting -- or as uneventful -- as you wanted!💚

Pet Peeve Dry Heave: Don't Eat the Chocolate

Lee Hollis's Death of a Chocoholic in twelve words or less: 

Chocolates made with something extra -- no, not love, but cat hair. 😻🍫

Barrettes and Cupcakes and Blueberries

Every now and then I like to post a pic that has nothing to do with the post.  Because I like to keep things fresh.  And also because I'm lazy.  

In that same vein, instead of doing reviews of the Lee Hollis cozy mysteries I recently read, I'm pasting the blurbs I posted on Instagram:

Death of a Cupcake Queen: They say that cat ladies are sad ladies, but sometimes dog ladies are sadder.  Something to chew on while you gobble this cupcake caper. 🐶🧁🐱

Death of a Blueberry Tart: Any character named Caskie Lemon-Hogg is destined for disaster.  Devour her demise along with your favorite blueberry dessert. 💙🥧🌿

Sometimes a soundbite is all you need.

Cozy Christmas Crime Time

Christmas can be murder.  Wrapping, baking, and decorating are enough to make even Santa's helpers head for hibernation.  That's why it's so satisfying to leave it all behind and disappear into a Christmas-themed murder mystery.  There's something soothing about sitting back as the heroines deal with last-minute guests plus all manner of pests and put up their trees at the eleventh hour.  In other words, whatever stress fest you've got going on will seem peaceful in comparison to catching a killer.  Here are two Christmas cozies I enjoyed this week:    

In Jenn McKinlay's Sugar Plum Poisoned, cupcake queen Mel DeLaura née Cooper is already inundated with holiday orders when she takes on a baking gig for singer Shelby Vaughn.  But then Shelby's shifty manager bites the big one, and rumor has it that it might be because he bit into one of Mel's cupcakes.  What's a baker to do?  Investigate!  Well, that and prepare to host fifty-plus of her nearest and dearest for Christmas.  Both make for a nerve-wracking -- and entertaining -- Noel.  

In Lee Hollis's Death of a Christmas Caterer, food columnist Hayley Powell is in a pickle when the caterer she hired for the Island Times Christmas party is murdered.  Now the pressure's on to discover the killer before Santa slides down the chimney.  As if hunting down a homicidal maniac isn't hard enough, Hayley's also juggling not one, not two, but three suitors.  Will one of them turn out to be the wise man she wants, or just another elf to shelve?  Only time -- and mistletoe -- will tell.

Before I go, here's something else cozy: Christmas in Cape May.  This pic's from four years ago, but the magic remains.  

As far as I know, there were no murders.    

Key West Mess, Thanksgiving Style

Most people are cooking, but here I am booking.  Which is just as well because no one should eat anything I make unless it's the no-bake pumpkin trifle I'm bringing to my sister-in-law's later, and maybe not even that.  I couldn't help but cram in one more cozy before (okay, on) Turkey Day, and this time it's Lucy Burdette's A Deadly Feast.  I never even heard of Ms. Burdette until I typed "Thanksgiving murder mysteries" into my Amazon search bar.  But when this Key West culinary whodunit boasting a cat, key lime pie, and a houseboat popped up, I was sold.  The plot, which centers around a Chatty Kathy of a woman dropping dead during a food tasting tour, is wacky with a side of romance.  Because food-reviewer-slash-amateur-sleuth Hayley Snow (yes, another food critic named Hayley, like in the Lee Hollis series) and her police officer fiancé are getting married the day after Thanksgiving.  Super stressful, right?  But chaos always comes a cozy -- and thankfully subsides by the end.  

Alright, enough book blather.  I need to get back to that trifle.  Which hopefully no longer looks like pumpkin soup . . .       

Peter Peter, Pumpkin Cheater

I know, I know, two book posts in a row.  But it turns out that sometimes -- okay, all the time -- I read faster than I photograph.  So Lee Hollis's Death of a Pumpkin Carver it is, in all its non-gory glory.

When Hayley Powell's good-for-nothing, too-good-looking-for-his-own-good ex-husband Danny blows back into Bar Harbor, she braces herself.  He says he's changed, but she knows otherwise, especially after she finds him partying with his moonshine-mongering Uncle Otis.  But then Uncle Otis turns up dead in a cemetery, and the cops suspect Danny of doing the deed to nab the forty grand that Otis stashed in his mattress.  Hayley finds herself in the unfortunate position of trying to clear her ex's name, an adventure that involves an aspiring horror novelist, an actual horror novelist, and yet another of Hayley's exes, a mild-mannered veterinarian who also happens to be her daughter's boss.  As if all of this isn't zany enough, Hayley discovers that Danny has a crazy ex of his own.  Now, if only she can catch the killer before her jack-o-lantern light is snuffed out for good.

If your idea of a good time is comic crime, then look no further than Death of a Pumpkin Carver.  It may be just the festive fracas you need once the candy runs out.         

Food for the Distraught: Murder With a Side of Munchies

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Halloween mysteries are full of tricks and treats.  And that's especially true of the two I just gobbled: Leslie Meier's Candy Corn Murder and Lee Hollis's Death of a Wicked Witch.  Both involve vehicular homicide, although not in the way you'd imagine, as well as, of course, festive food.  

In Candy Corn Murder, a local is stuffed in a car trunk in the middle of Tinker Cove's pumpkin-catapulting competition.  (There's also a guess-how-many-candy-corns-are-in-the-canister contest.)  In Death of a Wicked Witch, Bar Harbor's boo-tiful new sandwich artist bites the big one by being gassed in her own Wicked 'Witches food truck.

Like Joanne Fluke, Lee Hollis sprinkles in recipes, and in Death of a Wicked Witch, they're all for sandwiches (hoagies and grinders, hoagies and grinders!).  Witch Which always makes me wonder.  Are they there to serve as a delicious distraction, or for the deeper purpose of offering life-affirming balance to the bone-chilling murder?  You know, kind of like how people bring cakes and casseroles when someone dies.  Then again, like those cakes and casseroles, these subs and clubs have enough fat to end someone's life instead of sustaining it.  

These are the things that keep me up at night.  That and the BLTs.

Catch as Cat Can: Wild and Crazy Buys

It's no secret that I love bargains and cute crime fiction.  So scoring a cozy mystery called Death of a Coupon Clipper was a real treat.  Not only is this Lee Hollis paperback a thrifty $7.99, but it takes a tongue and cheek look at just how far some people will go to save a buck.

Take heroine Hayley Powell.  The Maine winter has not been kind to this talented but underpaid food and cocktails columnist and single mother.  In the space of one snowy day, she loses her roof, her car, and her furnace.  She's so desperate for cash that she calls her mom to ask for a loan, a decision she instantly regrets.  But then she overhears a couple of nurses say that the reality competition show Wild and Crazy Couponing is coming to Bar Harbor.  Hayley immediately throws her ski cap into the onion ring.  And then, miracle of miracles, she's chosen!  It'll be her and no-nonsense nurse Candace Culpepper facing off in the Shop n' Save for all the world to see.  At least it will be until Candace is stabbed to death with her very own coupon-cutting scissors.  Hayley's bestie Mona is selected to fill the suddenly empty spot -- and leaps to the top of the suspect list.  In an effort to clear her, Hayley launches her own investigation.  Between sleuthing, cat-sitting for an obese bully of a blue Persian, and keeping up with her column, Hayley's schedule is enough to exhaust even the most on-the-go go-getter.  Plus, thanks to her totaled car, she's forced to walk everywhere in the cold.  So much for small towns -- and their murders -- being cozy!  

And yet, that's exactly what Death of a Coupon Clipper is.  Encased in the cocoon of its comforting bubble, you can't help but feel that life is good, everything will work out, and a tasty treat is just a craving away.

Not that that nefarious feline fits in with such warm and fuzzy feels.  

Hayley should've schlepped him to the shelter when she had the chance.

A Decade of Dinner Dates

Dresses: Nine West, Kohl's

Shirt: Izod, Kohl's

On July 27, the husband and I had our tenth wedding anniversary.  Which is crazy because I feel like we just got married!  Anyway, we were on our Ocean City family vacation but snuck away that night to have dinner at this newish BYOB, Sunday Gravy, in nearby Linwood.  We'd heard it was great, and,  happily, the food was as delicious as advertised.  I had the Crab Positano, which was lump crabmeat, tomatoes, and garlic over gemelli.  And the husband had the eponymous Sunday Gravy, which was braised beef and pork, meatballs, sausage, and gravy over a pasta called paccheri.  We also shared a side of buttery broccoli and a Caesar salad, which had these addictive little cheese cracker things in it.  Everything was lovely.  We'll definitely be back!

Earlier that day, my mom and I peeked into Asbury Avenue's Sun Rose Words and Music.  It isn't often that I get a chance to browse an independent bookstore, and it's always so much fun.  Even though I get most of my books from Amazon, I was so excited that I decided to buy a couple of paperbacks, preferably some not already on my Amazon list.  So I scanned the mysteries and stopped when I found the lone Lee Hollis.  Lee Hollis -- which isn't one person, but a brother and sister team -- writes cozy mysteries, and I'd read one or two novellas as part of compilations including Leslie Meier and other cozy queens.  But this was the first full-length novel I'd stumbled upon in person and it was called, no lie, Death of a Wedding Cake Baker.  How weird was that on my anniversary?!  (I also bought Mary Kay Andrews' Hello Summer, but more on that later.) 

Once back home (home home, not beach house home), I slogged through the book I was reading (which was a real stinker), then dove right in.  And it was such a delight.  Heroine Hayley Powell's bestie, Liddy Crawford, is engaged to a younger man with whom she has a prickly relationship.  But those problems pale when Liddy's wedding cake baker -- who also happens to be her incredibly mean-spirited cousin -- turns up dead.  There's all sorts of wedding-related high-jinks and intrigue in this Bar Harbor-set story, interspersed with Hayley's funny and nostalgic newspaper columns.  The mystery itself is also satisfying, and there's even a cliffhanger.  I'm definitely adding Lee Hollis to my go-to reading roster --  and planning a return trip to Sun Rose!

So yeah, July 27 was a special day.  And not just because I got to eat seafood and buy a book.  But because I got to celebrate a decade of being married to my best friend.  I say it a lot and maybe it's a cliché, but it couldn't be more true.  As you may have observed, I'm not someone who clicks with people easily, or, quite honestly, clicks with people at all.  So to have met someone who gets me -- and whom I get too -- is nothing short of a miracle. 

It also helps that he takes good pictures.          

Yule Log Hog: Merry Christmas Eve

Maybe someday I'll read a cozy mystery without having to tell the world about it.  But that day is not today.

That said, I recently enjoyed a trio of yule log-themed whodunits: Yule Log Murder by Leslie Meier, Death by Yule Log by Lee Hollis, and Logged On by Barbara Ross.  Each featured a less-sinister-than-usual murder or alleged murder (it is, after all, Christmas), as well as yule log recipes.  One log was peppermint, one was chocolate, and one was raspberry chocolate.  I ignored them all, instead indulging in this vanilla strawberry version that the husband just happened to bring home from the grocery store:  

He saw it while getting the essentials, thought, should I?, then doubled back because of course the answer to all confection-related quandaries is "yes." 

That's us in a (chest)nut shell.  We never met a sweet story or treat we didn't like.

Speaking of which, I hope your Christmas Eve is as delicious as your favorite dessert.  For us, it's the beginning of a week of holiday activities, so we're hunkering down at home (it's frigid out there!) to feast on seafood and cookies.  

It's what Leslie Meier would've wanted.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Silly Stories to Read in the Park

If you were a kid in the '80s or '90s, or had a kid in the '80s or '90s, or love Halloween or books, then you're probably familiar with Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.  Distinguished by their starkly disturbing pen and ink covers, these story collections contained tales that were perhaps too psychologically sophisticated for the elementary schoolers who squabbled over them every Tuesday (library day).  My little sister was a fan, so I saw the battered paperbacks up close and personal even though they gave me (and, it turns out, her) the willies.  

If I hate these creepy classics, then why am I wasting copy on them?  To explain, I suppose, why I'm drawn to their antithesis: namely, cutesy, cozy Halloween mysteries.  In these stories, the only people who end up murdered are the ones who deserve it, the killers are always caught, and whatever charming small town that serves as the setting is restored to peace and unlimited candy.  In other words, they send a message that the world's a safe place as opposed to one that's out to get you -- or, at the very least, harboring paranormal scarecrows.   

Indeed, in Leslie Meier's Trick Or Treat Murder, the only thing scarier than an arsonist on the loose is retired librarian Miss Tilly's driving.  (Well, that and the week-old cupcakes that Lucy brings to the town Halloween party.  I get that she's a mom of four, but nothing puts the kibosh on a monster mash bash faster than past-its-prime pastry.)  An old-school gal of the highest order, Miss Tilly regards TV as "masturbation of the mind" and thrives upon enforcing Tinker Cove's stringent bylaws when it comes to paint colors.  So when she -- spoiler alert! -- almost kills a beloved local teen while behind the wheel of her vintage automobile, I couldn't help but despise her as much if not more than the at-large firebug.      

Yet even these gripes, ghastly as they are, aren't as troubling as those in Scary Stories.  Which means that I'd much rather take a walk in the park than a stroll through the cemetery.  

Especially if hell-on-wheels Tilly is taking a midnight spin past the headstones.