Category Archives: Mystery

Cosy Crime, historical crime, Mystery, short stories

A Right Cozy Historical Crime #ARIGHTCOZYHISTORICALCRIME

March 8, 2026 Melanie Leave a comment

The Right Cozy short stories are back! This time, it’s a collection of Historical Crime tales.

Blurb

Step into the comforting fog of time with A Right Cozy Historical Crime, a deliciously diverse anthology of cozy mysteries that span centuries and continents. From ancient alleys to a Victorian medical school, American towns to Scottish glens, these tales take you on a gentle stroll through history – where murder hides behind lace curtains and secrets linger in candlelit corridors. Perfect for fans of clever sleuths, rich historical detail, and mysteries solved with more brains than knowledge.

historical

My Review

I loved this collection of short stories! It was a book you could dip in and out of easily. Read one or two stories at a time.

The subject matter ranged from missing cadavers in an anatomy lab in Scotland to sabotage on a Hollywood movie set.

I will admit, the ones set in Scotland were my favourite, but all were enjoyable, and it’s quite the group of talented authors.

Oh, and the recipe.

Book Links

PAPERBACK- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Right-Cozy-Historical-Crime
KINDLE- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Right-Cozy-Historical-Crime-ebook

Participating Authors

An Anthology Collection compiled by Wendy H Jones, including cozy mysteries written by contributing authors:

Marti M. McNair Olga Wojtas

Sheena Macleod Loretta Mullholland

Lexie Conyngham Barbara Stevenson

Meg Woodward Dianna Sinovic

Gareth Williams Lisa Harkrader

Sheila Dené Lawrence Penny Hutson

Lisabeth Early

About Wendy H Jones

historical

International Award Winning Author Wendy H. Jones lives in Scotland, and her police procedural series featuring DI Shona McKenzie are set. Wendy has led a varied and adventurous life. Her love for adventure led to her joining the Royal Navy to undertake nurse training. After six years in the Navy she joined the Army where she served as an Officer for a further 17 years. Killer’s Countdown was her first novel and the first book in the Shona McKenzie Mysteries. Killer’s Crew won the Books Go Social Book of the Year 2017. The seventh book in the series. Killer’s Curse will be released early August 2020. The Dagger’s Curse, the first book in The Fergus and Flora Mysteries, was a finalist in the Woman Alive Magazine Readers’ Choice Award Book of the Year. Turning to humorous crime, the Cass Claymore Investigates series was born. She is also a highly successful marketer and is currently in the process of rereleasing her completely updated marketing book, Marketing Matters. This will be part of the Writing Matters Series following the release of Motivation Matters. She is also the author of the Bertie the Buffalo picture book and associated soft toy and colouring book. Wendy is delighted to be one of the authors in two anthologies aimed at empowering women – The Power of Why and Women Win Against All Odds. She is proud to be the President of the Scottish Association of Writers and is the host of The Writing and Marketing Show podcast, a writing and marketing coach. and CEO of Writing Matters online writing school, Authorpreneur Accelerator Academy.

Author Links

WENDY H JONES – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Wendy-H.-Jones/author/B00OABSKH0

LEXIE CONYNGHAM – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Lexie-Conyngham/author/B008XH0YQ2

OLGA WOJTAS – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Olga-Wojtas/author/B07MXMQDVQ

SHEILA DENE LAWRENCE – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Sheila-Dene-Lawrence/author/B072MYH8FY

MARTI M MCNAIR – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Marti-M.-McNair/author/B0CK8JM7FQ

LISABETH EARLEY – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Lisabeth-Earley/author/B0CWPKQ2JP

GARETH WILLIAMS – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Gareth-Williams/author/B0BNNW4788

DIANNA SINOVIC – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scream-Silent-Sun-Dianna-Sinovic/dp/1957863390/

LISA HARKRADER – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Lisa-Harkrader/author/B001HPNP18

SHEENA MACLEOD – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Sheena-Macleod/author/B01N32QPOJ

19th Century Architecture, architectural symbolism, dual timeline, Mystery, ritual markings, supernatural elements

Shadows Through Time – Book 3 in my Through Time series

February 2, 2026 Melanie 3 Comments

Shadows Through Time was one of those books that took me on an unexpected journey. While it’s still a dual timeline and the characters are the same as in the first two, this one is different.

Shadows

I took the photograph of the house on the cover a number of years ago, then added some atmospheric aging to it. Beginning with a platinum effect, I used another piece of software to set it to 29% sepia, giving it an older appearance.

Blurb

Past and present collide as shadows reveal the truth and where the forgotten still linger

Nicole has always sketched the world around her.

But when she and Mitch uncover strange symbols hidden in century-old buildings, her drawings begin to connect past and present in ways she can’t explain.

In 1832, Whitmore, apprentice to the brilliant yet secretive Elias Greaves, learns that foundations can conceal more than stone—that loyalty, once broken, leaves scars as lasting as any carving.

Two timelines, bound by mystery, converge in a race to decipher Greaves’s legacy. To understand the past, Nicole and Mitch must follow the whispers that linger in wood and shadow—before the truth slips away forever.

*****

The ebook is available on Amazon, Kobo, Kobo Plus, and Barnes & Noble for the Nook. You can download it from your favourite platform at this link:

Books2Read

book review, cozy crime, D.B. Borton, Mystery, Novels

Eleven Hours to Murder by D.B. Borton

November 10, 2025 Melanie 3 Comments

Today on Celtic Connexions, I’m reviewing Eleven Hours to Murder by D.B. Borton.

A cold case from the Swinging Sixties. A sassy senior sleuth. If Cat Caliban’s not your favorite crime-solving grandma, you just haven’t met her yet.

Meet Cat Caliban: former housewife, widow, cat lady — and private eye in training. Who said fifty-something was too old to start again?

But if Cat’s not old, the case that lands on her desk sure is. Back in the summer of ’69, rebellious teen Leila Perle secretly boarded a bus to Woodstock, and never came home.

What really happened at the legendary music festival — if the missing girl even made it there at all?

Some say that if you can remember the Sixties, you weren’t there. But Cat’s certain someone from the hazy, drug-addled era of peace, love and rock ‘n’ roll remembers exactly what happened to the missing music-lover.

And they’ll do anything to keep their terrible secret buried.

ELEVEN HOURS TO MURDER — a whip-smart, witty mystery featuring Cincinnati’s sharpest tongued sleuth, three cats, one retired Black cop friend with a very unruly beagle, and a case where justice is long overdue.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243115029-eleven-hours-to-murder-a-brand-new-gripping-and-witty-cozy-murder-myster

Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/elevenhours-zbtbuy link(s)

My Review

This is the first book by D.B. Borton that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. It was well-written, and I loved the characters of Cat and Moses, as well as their friends. This is the eleventh book in the series, but I didn’t need to read any of the previous ones in order for this one to make sense to me.

The premise of the book is that a teenage girl goes off to Woodstock in August 1969 and never returns home. Cat and Moses (private detectives) are hired by the girl’s family to investigate the cold case.

I can’t tell you anymore because that would create a. spoiler and we don’t want that. If you want to know more, you’ll have to purchase the book.

About the Author

D. B. Borton is the author of two mystery series—the Cat Caliban series and the Gilda Liberty series —as well as the standalone mystery novels Smoke and Bayou City Burning and the humorous science fiction novel Second Coming.

In graduate school, Borton converted a lifetime of passionate reading and late-night movie-watching into a doctorate in English. She is Professor Emeritus of English at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Borton currently lives with Zoe the cat in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she gardens, practices aikido, a martial art, and, of course, reads.

Facebook	https://www.facebook.com/dbborton
Website	https://dbborton.com/

Mystery, Novels, Robert Cole, thriller

Mistral by Robert Cole

June 28, 2025 Melanie 2 Comments

Today, I’m welcoming another new-to-me author to Celtic Connexions. I’m reviewing Mistral by Robert Cole.

mistral

Blurb

Adam’s wife, Maryanne, vanished without trace whilst on holiday in southern France, more than two years ago. Unexpectedly, he receives an enigmatic message. It prompts him to return to the scene of her disappearance. His efforts to piece together what happened force him to reexamine their relationship, coupled with his feelings of guilt.

Retracing events that led to that fateful day, he soon learns that his return has not gone unnoticed, and his efforts to find Maryanne are far from welcome. Adam is joined in his search by Abigail, Maryanne’s daughter from a previous marriage. It is February. The mistral is battering the streets and dark corners of the ancient towns across this area of France.

As more of Maryanne’s past is revealed, the search, enmeshed in a world of intrigue and deceit, with its past rooted in antiquity, becomes increasingly dangerous. They discover that some will do anything to stop them from uncovering the final, terrifying truth.

mistral

My Review

This book started as a slow burn for me, but I was soon wrapped up in the story. Adam has gone to France to find his wife, who disappeared a few years ago. Her daughter, Abigail, arrives to help with the search. Add in a few good friends, some mysterious characters from Maryanne and Abigail’s past, and things become twisted.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, and I will definitely look for more books by this author.

Book Links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230398001-mistral

Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/mistral-zbt

About Robert Cole

mistral

Robert Cole trained as a clinical psychologist but spent most of his career within the corporate business world, both in the UK and overseas. He has held senior positions in Human Resources within a number of large global companies.

Mistral is his second novel and is a powerful and sweeping drama set amongst the vineyards and picturesque towns and villages of the Languedoc and Provence areas of the South of France.

His well-received first novel, A Breeze Across the Aegean published in 2020, draws on his affinity with Greece and its diverse islands.

He is currently working on a sequel. In addition to the UK he has lived in Singapore, Cyprus, the Netherlands and South Africa. Currently he divides his time between Surrey and Uzes in France.

Book Promo, Book Tour, Hazel Eggleton, Mystery, Novels, suspense, The Book Guild Publishing, thriller

A Mother’s Love by Hazel Eggleton

March 24, 2024 Melanie 4 Comments

I’m thrilled to be part of this book tour promoting A Mother’s Love by Hazel Eggleton.

Blurb

In a quiet Cornish town, secrets run as deep as the ocean. Meryan’s confession to her husband’s murder shocks the community and shatters her family.

But all is not as it seems.

After serving her sentence, Meryan, fuelled by a need for justice and the crushing weight of her own guilt, embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the truth.

But, as she delves into her husband’s past, she stumbles upon a sinister web of crime.

When her life is threatened, her only hope lies in the hands of her determined daughter, who refuses to let her mother’s sacrifice be in vain.

Can they overcome the darkest currents or will they be dragged under?

A Mother’s Love is a gripping thriller that explores the depths of love, loyalty, betrayal and the power of a mother’s unyielding determination.

Hazel Eggleton

Book Links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209170939-a-mother-s-love

Buy Links: https://mybook.to/amotherslove-zbt

My Review

How far would you go to protect your children?

Meryan’s character is headstrong and stubborn. Too much so for her own good. In over her head, it’s her daughter who comes to her rescue.

I enjoyed the book. I would have read it in one day, but life happens and things don’t go to plan. This is the first book by this author that I’ve read, and I’m certain it won’t be my last.

About Hazel Eggleton

Hazel Eggleton

Hazel Eggleton is a linguist by profession, having taught at University College School, Hampstead, for the majority of her career.

Now retired, she devotes her spare time to writing novels. To date she has written two children’s ghost stories – one of which reached the finals of the Britwriters awards in 2011 – a young adult novel on the theme of gambling and two adult psychological thrillers.

Hazel lives in St Albans.

You can follow Hazel at these links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eggletonhazel/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HEggleton

Hazel Eggleton

#BookLoversDay, #suspense, #sweetromance, Books, chapter books, Children's Chapter Book, children's picture book, contemporary romance, Cosy Crime, cosy mystery, cosy mystery/romance, cozy crime, Crime/Mystery, Crime/Thriller, Domestic noir, Dystopian, family history, family noir, Fantasy, genre, ghost story, inspirational, legal thriller, Medical Romance, memoir, middle grade, Mystery, noir suspense, Non-Fiction, Paranormal, Paranormal romance, Paranormal YA, psychological crime, Psychological Thriller, Regency romance, romance, romantic comedy, romantic fiction, romantic suspense, saga, self-help, short stories, supernatural, supernatural suspense, suspense, sweet romance, sweet romance mystery, sweet romance with suspense, thriller, time-slip, time-slip romance, time-travel, tween, Whodunnit, women's fiction, YA Fantasy, YA fiction, YA/NA, Young Adult

Happy National Book Lovers Day!

August 9, 2021 Melanie 3 Comments

Today is National Book Lovers Day!

I happen to love books every day of the year. There’s nothing better than curling up with a good book, whether it’s an ebook or print.

How will you celebrate, participate?

There are many genres out there to choose from – crime, romance, erotica, YA, memoirs, creative non-fiction, non-fiction and the list goes on.

All these main genres have a multitude of sub-genres as well, so there is something out there for everyone’s taste in reading.

I write romance, primarily, although YESTERDAY TODAY ALWAYS has a psychological thriller element included. It’s probably my darkest work yet. I remember when I was having the computer read it back to me, my husband entered my ‘writing cave’, and the particular segment scared him. I guess I nailed the creepy, unnerving bit.

You can check out all my books on the novels page on my website. Perhaps, you’ll find a little something to your liking.

In what format do you prefer to read your book?

Are you a hardcover fan? Paperback (trade size or mass market)? E-book (kindle, kobo, nook, or other)? Or do you read from a combination of all of the above?

Leave a comment stating what your favourite genre and format is. I’d love to hear your thoughts and preferences.

It’s National Book Lovers Day!

August 9, 2020 Melanie 3 Comments

Today is National Book Lovers Day!

How will you celebrate, participate?

This year on National Book Lovers Day, I currently have two books on the go – one fiction, one non. Thunder Bay by Douglas Skelton is a crime novel set in Scotland.

The non-fiction is Marketing Matters by Wendy H Jones. Right now, I need all the help I can get in this department.

In addition to reading, I’m also working on Book 3 in my It Happened series set in the village of Percé on the Gaspé Peninsula of the province of Quebec.

Since the COVID-19 lockdown, I’ve struggled with writing, but my reading has flourished. According to my 2020 Goodreads challenge, I’m nine books ahead of schedule. That should give you an idea of how I’ve been spending much of my spare time.

Some of these books were already on my TBR (to be read) list having languished on my shelves or Kindle for some time. Others were new purchases that I just “had” to get. Still, others were review copies.

What to read?

There are many genres out there to choose from – crime, romance, erotica, YA, memoirs, creative non-fiction, and the list goes on.

All these main genres have a multitude of sub-genres as well, so there is something out there for everyone’s taste in reading.

You can check out all my books on the novels page on my website. Perhaps, you’ll find a little something to your liking.

What format do you prefer to read?

Are you a hardcover fan? Paperback (trade size or mass market)? E-book (kindle, kobo, nook, or other)? Or do you read from a combination of all of the above?

Leave a comment staying what your favourite genre and format is. I’d love to hear your thoughts and preferences.

Accent Press, Authors, Cosy Crime, Lesley Cookman, murder mysteries, Mystery, Novels

MURDER ON THE RUN by Lesley Cookman #cosy #crime #mystery #giveaway

April 7, 2017 Melanie Leave a comment

MURDER ON THE RUN

by

Lesley Cookman

Genre: Cosy Crime/Women’s Contemporary Fiction and Historical Crime

Release Date: December 1^st and January 31st

Publisher: Accent Press

The world of running is completely alien to Libby Sarjeant and her friend Fran Wolfe, but when Libby’s son Adam and Fran’s stepdaughter Sophie join the Nethergate Harriers, they have to take an interest. And when one of the runners goes missing in the middle of the Nethergate 5K, they take more than an interest! It’s not long before a body is found – and Libby and Fran are caught up in another investigation…

The seventeenth instalment in the hugely popular Libby Sarjeant murder mystery series.

BUY LINKS

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

ABOUT LESLEY COOKMAN

Lesley Cookman

Lesley Cookman is a former model, actor, DJ and air stewardess, among other things. She has been writing for money for nearly 40 years (no, I know she doesn’t look old enough), her particular areas of interest being Theatre, Old Time Music Hall and Pantomime. She lives on the Kent Coast and has four grown up Performing Children and two cats.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LibbySarjeantMysteries/?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LesleyCookman

Blog: http://lesleycookman.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/news

Website: http://www.lesleycookman.co.uk

GIVEAWAY

A copy of the book

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Authors, Book Promo, Choc Lit, Crime/Mystery, Mystery, Novels

ONE DARK LIE by Clare Chase #Mystery #Giveaway

March 22, 2017 Melanie Leave a comment

One Dark Lie

by

Clare Chase

one dark lie

Genre: Mystery

Release Date: 12 December 2016

Series: London & Cambridge Mysteries #3)

Publisher: Choc Lit Ltd (Death by Choc Lit imprint)

The truth can hurt, and sometimes it leads to murder …

After becoming embroiled in a murder investigation, Nate Bastable and Ruby Fawcett have decided to opt for the quiet life. But crime has a habit of following them around.

When her work dries up, Ruby finds herself accepting a job researching and writing about Diana Patrick-John, a colourful and enigmatic Cambridge academic. Simple enough. But then there’s the small fact that Diana was found dead in suspicious circumstances in her home – the very place where Ruby has now been invited to stay.

As she begins to uncover Diana’s secret life, Ruby’s sleuthing instinct kicks in, leaving her open to danger and retribution. But can she rely on Nate to support her? Especially when his behaviour has become increasingly distant and strange, almost as though he had something to hide …

BUY LINKS

ABOUT CLARE CHASE

one dark lie

Clare Chase writes mysteries set in London and Cambridge featuring crime-solving couples. She fell in love with the capital as a student, living in the rather cushy surroundings of Hampstead in what was then a campus college of London University. (It’s currently being turned into posh flats …)

After graduating in English Literature, she moved to Cambridge and has lived there ever since. She’s fascinated by the city’s contrasts and contradictions, which feed into her writing. She’s worked in diverse settings – from the 800-year-old University to one of the local prisons – and lived everywhere from the house of Lord to a slug-infested flat. The terrace she now occupies presents a good happy medium.

As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people’s books.

She lives with her husband and teenage children, and currently works at the Royal Society of Chemistry.

One Dark Lie is her third novel with Choc Lit. Previous titles are You Think You Know Me and A Stranger’s House.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ClareChaseAuthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ClareChase_

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10204574.Clare_Chase?from_search=true

Blog: https://clarechase.com/blog/

Website: www.clarechase.com

GIVEAWAY!

A fantastic prize going to one winner!!!

paperback copy of A Stranger’s House (the first Ruby Fawcett and Nate Bastable Cambridge mystery),
a sweet treat from Hotel Chocolat and
a Cambridge key ring.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#cover, Book covers, haunted houses, King Park Press, Mystery, Novels, romance, romantic suspense, The Secret of Hillcrest House

The #cover of The Secret of Hillcrest House ~ how it came to be

September 2, 2016 Melanie 2 Comments

The creation of a #cover

How many of you liked to tell or read ghost stories when you were younger? I know I sure did. Most of the time, the stories involved an old, spooky looking house. If said building had a turret on it, when we were kids, that automatically screamed “haunted”. If it happened to be empty and dilapidated – broken windows, sagging porch, peeling paint – then so much the better.

I first saw the house that graces the cover of the book when I went as a chaperone on my son’s school trip to Quebec City back in 1993. Since then, every time we’ve been in the area, I’ve always had to drive by it and take pictures. I knew that eventually that house and the village it’s in would become the setting for one of my books, I just didn’t know how it would come about. The most recent trip was in November 2014 when I took a number of photographs of it from the streets to encompass as much of the house as possible.

Yes, the house in the picture above looks somewhat spooky, but a change to Black & White made a huge difference, followed by making the sky transparent. I had an idea of what I wanted for the background so I scoured the stock photo sites and finally decided on a full moon and cloudy sky image from Shutterstock.

Don’t you agree that this layered image makes the house look haunted?

Step in Julie Jordan. She put a black border around the picture so that the lightning rod on the turret didn’t get cut off in the trimming process and so that the title didn’t cover more than just the turret. Julie tells me that from the time she saw the photo-shopped image, she saw the finished product. The font was her idea as was the colour. It really pops, doesn’t it.

Before I bore your readers any more than I already have, here’s the finished cover and book blurb.

#cover

Sometimes there’s more to a house than bricks and mortar.

Hillcrest House is one such place. Perched on a cliff in the picturesque town of Angel Falls, there is more to this Victorian mansion than meets the eye. When referring to the house, the locals use the word haunted on a regular basis. Strange visions appear in the windows, especially the second-floor ones over the side porch. Even stranger events take place within its four walls.

Rumour has it, the original owners, Asher and Maggie Hargrave, never left their beloved home. They claim the couple and their family are responsible for driving people away. Over the years, Hillcrest House has changed hands numerous times. No one stays long. Renovations begin then stop and the house is once more abandoned. The latest in this long line of owners is Jessica Maitland.

Will Jessica be the next one to succumb or will she unravel the mystery of the haunting of Hillcrest House?
Melanie Robertson-King’s latest novel serves up a delightful blend of the supernatural and spicy romance, Lynn L. Clark, author of The Home Child, and Fire Whisperer & Circle of Souls: Two Novellas of the Supernatural, & The Accusers

Intrigue, dark buried secrets, hot romance and a neat twist in the tale make this riveting reading, Sheryl Browne, MA Creative Writing, Choc Lit Author

A fun read that keeps you guessing right up to the surprise ending, Dayna Leigh Cheser, Author of Janelle’s Time, Moria’s Time, Adelle’s Time, & Logan’s Time

Buy Links:

amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo