Today I am sharing my Feature Post for THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY (The Secret Detective Agency Book #1) by Helena Dixon on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour bog post.
Below you will find a book description and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Meet Miss Jane Treen – the coffee-drinking cat lover dressed head to toe in tweed, who just happens to be a secret super sleuth!
London, 1941: Miss Jane Treenis at her desk, strong black coffee in hand and fluffy ginger cat by her side, when her top-secret government work is interrupted by an urgent call to Devon. A woman has been found dead in a lake in a place where she shouldn’t have been. Jane needs to gather the clues and find the killer before someone else from the agency gets hurt…Shy and handsome code-breaker Arthur Cilento is bewildered by the arrival of the efficient Miss Treen and her cat Marmaduke. She bursts into his life unexpectedly, forcing him out of his comfort zone. The reluctant colleagues huddle near the warmth of a crackling fire in Arthur’s country home, working to piece together the murderous puzzle at hand.
In the sleepy Devon village,someone is hiding something: but is it the busybody vicar and his sister, the dutiful housekeeper and her secretive son, the stern librarian, or someone else altogether? And who were the people with the woman in the lake on the day she died?
No sooner have Arthur and Jane have drawn up a list of suspects, than a parcel reveals a clue that sends them in hot pursuit of a coded diary stashed in a village church. But as the heavy wooden door slams behind them and a key turns in the lock, one thing is sure: they need to unravel the truth and crack this code before the killer decides their number is up…
But if they can catch the culprit in time, might this unusual pair become the finest crime-solving partnership since Holmes and Watson hung up their hats…?
Helena Dixon is the author of the best-selling Miss Underhay murder mystery series and lives in Devon. Married to the same man for over thirty-five years she has three daughters, a cactus called Spike, and a crazy cockapoo. She is allergic to adhesives, apples, tinsel and housework. She was winner of The Romance Prize in 2007 and Love Story of the Year 2010 as Nell Dixon.
Christian Dior with his models at his fashion house, 30 avenue Montaigne in the 50’s. “New Look” is born. Paris, FRANCE – 50’s
Book Description
American expat Tabitha Knight has found a new life in postwar Paris, along with a delightful friend in aspiring chef Julia Child. Yet there are perils in peacetime too, as a killer infiltrates one of the city’s most famous fashion houses.
If there’s one art the French have mastered as well as fine cuisine, it’s haute couture. Tabitha and Julia are already accustomed to sampling the delights of the former. Now fashion is returning to the forefront in Paris, as the somber hues of wartime are replaced by vibrant colors and ultra-feminine silhouettes, influenced by Christian Dior’s “New Look.”
Tabitha and Julia join a friend for a private showing at an exclusive fashion atelier, Maison Lannet. The event goes well, but when Tabitha returns later that evening to search for a lost glove, she finds the lights still on—and the couturier dead, strangled by a length of lace. The shop manager suspects that a jealous rival—perhaps Dior himself—committed the crime. Tabitha dismisses that idea, but when another body is found, it’s apparent that someone is targeting employees of Maison Lannet.
Meanwhile, Tabitha’s Grand-père and Oncle Rafe are in the midst of their own design-related fracas, as they squabble over how to decorate their new restaurant. And there are strange break-ins at a nearby shoe store—but are the crimes related? It’s up to Tabitha to don her investigative hat and find answers before someone commits another fatal fashion faux pas.
A FASHIONABLY FRENCH MURDER (An American in Paris Mystery Book #3) by Colleen Cambridge once again returns the reader to post WWII Paris as experienced through the eyes of an inquisitive young American who continually happens upon dead bodies. Her best friend and neighbor is Julia Child who is attending classes to learn French cuisine. This addition to the series is another well-paced murder mystery which is easily read as a standalone historical mystery, but I have read this series in order of publication to follow the evolution of all the charming characters.
Tabitha Knight is helping one of Julia’s friends as a translator at an exclusive haute couture fashion house. When she realizes she lost a glove and goes back to retrieve it, she discovers the famed designer dead. On the same night, a fashion shoe store across the alley is broken into.
Inspector Merveille once again must deal with the inquisitive Tabitha who is asked to investigate the shoe store break-in. He knows she will not stop there and after a second murder at the fashion house, both are determined to bring the killer to justice.
I always enjoy Tabitha’s escapades and drool over the recipes Julia is teaching Tabatha to prepare or she is cooking for others. Tabitha is a wonderful protagonist and amateur sleuth even as she “accidently” stumbles over so many dead bodies. The relationship between her and Merveille is still up in the air and that makes it always interesting. In this book in the series, besides the food, the reader gets a glimpse into the workings of a Paris house of fashion after the war and the beginning of Dior’s reign at the top of Paris fashion scene.
Ms. Cambridge does an exceptional job of balancing all the interesting historical facts of postwar Paris life and atmosphere with the twists and red herrings of the murder mystery plot. She is able to intertwine everything together into an entertaining, intriguing, and satisfying historical mystery read.
I highly recommend this addition to the series, and I am looking forward to following Tabitha and Julia in future books.
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About the Author
Colleen Cambridge is the pen name for an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. From a young age, Colleen has loved reading mysteries and now she couldn’t be happier that she is able to write them.
Under several pseudonyms, she has written more than 36 books in a variety of genres and is always plotting her next murder—er, book.
Amish Candy shop owner and star of TV’s Bailey’s Amish Sweets, Bailey King has a lot to be excited about. She’s happily engaged to Aiden Brody, newly appointed county sheriff, and her candy factory is finally having its grand opening in Harvest, Ohio—just before Christmas! Bailey is ready to let the sweet celebrations begin . . .
With the help of local community organizer Margot Rawlings, Harvest will have a Candy Land themed Christmas on the village square—featuring Bailey’s recently perfected recipe for gingerbread men. When the big day comes, everything is going well—until bitter news arrives. One of Bailey’s Amish friends has been killed in an apparent accident just outside the candy factory. Aiden is promptly on the case—with more than a little input from Bailey . . .
Together, they soon learn that the victim was working for some powerful men in the county, and in doing so was spying on his own Amish community. Still, Bailey is determined to find the perpetrator. If she can’t cut out the killer from the rest of the suspects, her gingerbread men won’t be the only ones in danger of disappearing . . .
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Elise’s Thoughts
Gingerbread Danger by Amanda Flower does not disappoint with the loveable and quirky characters that are colorful and fun to read.
Bailey King is on top of the world. She has recently opened Swissmen Candyworks Factory as a counterpart to Swissmen Sweets, the candy store she helps her Amish grandmother run. She’s happily engaged to county sheriff Aiden Brody. And she’s the go-to sitter for her future mother-in-law’s pet pig, Jethro.
This Christmas season, local community organizer Margot Rawlings has decided to construct a huge Candy Land game on the village square that includes Bailey’s recently perfected recipe for gingerbread men. She asks one of Bailey’s Amish workers to put up a Candy Land piece on the roof of the factory. Unfortunately, Zeph, falls off the roof and dies. Aiden is promptly on the case and realizes that Zeph’s death was no accident, but a murder. Together, he and Bailey soon learn that the victim was working for some powerful men in the county, and in doing so was spying on his own Amish community. They work together to identify the killer. They are also trying to figure out who is responsible for breaking into Amish businesses and whether it’s related to the killing. Lida, his sister, is heartbroken when her father refuses to let her continue working for Bailey, because she wants to help solve Zeph’s murder and the family wants nothing to do with him.
This is a great holiday read because it blends suspense with some Christmas cheer.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?
Amanda Flower: I knew the book would be set at Christmas time. One of the local libraries around here does a life-size Candyland game. Children loved to play it with their moms and dads. I made it for a whole village, while the real game is inside a building. I also want to put in gingerbread even though I do not like the taste, just the smell. Plus, I wanted to tie the plot to the new candy factory opening.
EC: How do you come up with the humor, like the opening of the book with Jethro the pig’s mischievous deeds?
AF: He is a rascal, especially in this book when he gets taffy all over him. Bailey has to pig-sit all the time. I also like to come up with sayings like ‘pigs in a blanket,’ after tucking him into Bailey’s parka. I tried to put in the humor to make the plot lighter and uplifting.
EC: Do you agree these plots are not just about murder?
AF: Yes. It is about these characters’ lives and how the community all supports each other. Even the grumpy character, Ruth Yoder.
EC: How would you describe Lida?
AF: Nervous, has anxiety, indecisive, sweet, caring, kind, and dedicated.
EC: In the story the Amish get robbed, can you explain?
AF: Amish are of the belief that they trust in G-d who will protect them and their businesses. Some Amish businesses do not have electricity so they could not have security cameras. Plus, since they do not have Internet, they could not look on their phones if there is trouble.
EC: How would you describe Zeph, the victim?
AF: A troublemaker, unreliable, easily distracted, and a free spirit. He was probably going to leave the Amish. He had one foot in the Amish and English worlds. This happens to Amish young people.
EC: What do you want to say about Bailey’s parents?
AF: They created stress for her. The dad was former Amish, and he felt uncomfortable because he was not a rule follower and never embraced his Amish roots. Now in coming back, he is reminded of all the reasons he wanted to leave. The mom was very opinionated and wants the wedding plans made already. Bailey and Aiden waited so long to get engaged. Now that they are engaged and everyone wants them to get married yesterday.
EC: Next books?
AF: Lida will appear in other books. There will be book 10 of the “Amish Candy Shop Mysteries series” but I am in negotiations to continue the series after that. Book 10 will be Aiden and Bailey’s wedding.
In February it is the third and final Emily Dickinson mystery. It is titled, I Died for Beauty. It will have the great freeze in New England in 1857. Emily and Willa, her maid, are solving a murder involving a house fire.
The second Katharine Wright mystery comes out in May. It is titled, Not They Who Soared. In 1904 Katharine went to the St. Louis World’s Fair and a murder was committed there.
The next Millie Matchmaker book is titled Newlyweds Can Be Knocked Off. It is coming out in November next year. Millie and her friend Lois travel to Pinecraft Florida, going on a girl’s trip to the Amish community there. They find a dead body on the beach. Jethro is in this book.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
When a body turns up in a larger-than-life candy bowl filled with peppermints on the town square, Holly White is horrified to learn her best friend Caroline is the main suspect. Everyone in town, including Mistletoe, Maine’s sheriff, saw Caroline fighting with the victim on the night of his death. Worse, a custom kitchen knife, engraved with Caroline’s initials was found with him.
Now, just ten days before Christmas, Holly’s up to her jingle bells in holiday shenanigans and in desperate need of a miracle. Juggling extra shifts at her family’s Christmas tree farm and making enough gingerbread jewelry to satisfy the crowd is already more than she can handle―and now she has to find time to clear her best friend of murder. Add in her budding relationship with the sheriff, and a personal stalker dressed as Santa Claus, and Holly’s ready to fly south until springtime.
But her Sherpa-lined mittens come off when Caroline is taken into custody. Can Holly wrap up the case in time for Christmas…even after she gains the true killer’s attention?
‘TWAS THE KNIFE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery Book #2) by Jacqueline Frost is the second book in this entertaining and amusing amateur sleuth cozy holiday mystery series. They are set each Christmas season in small-town Mistletoe, Maine featuring Holly White and her family and friends. This can easily be read as a standalone holiday mystery case to be solved, but Holly’s personal relationships continue to grow and evolve in each book, so I have enjoyed reading them in order.
Holly and her best friend Caroline have arrived in the town square to participate in the evening’s festivities. When the cover is pulled off a giant bowl of peppermints, everyone is shocked to discover a dead body inside. It is Caroline’s date from the night before who got too handsy. Caroline yelled at and humiliated him on-line and now he is dead with one of Caroline’s monogrammed knives in the bowl with him. Sheriff Evan Grey has no choice but to follow the evidence and arrest Caroline.
Holly knows her friend is innocent and she is willing to do anything to prove it, even as the killer has left notes threatening her against interfering. Holly is once again on the hunt for a killer. With the help of her friends and a mysterious, magical contractor, can Holly stop a killer before he eliminates her?
I thoroughly enjoy all the characters in this series. They are so much fun, and their relationships are believable. Holly is a great main character with just the right amount of inquisitiveness mixed with pluck and determination. Her group of friends is growing, and I cannot wait to be reunited with them all in future books. The cozy mystery was well paced and plotted throughout with not only Caroline as a suspect, but several others. The twists and surprises kept me guessing to the end.
I highly recommend this festive holiday cozy mystery! Both books in this series are worth reading and I am so glad I stumbled upon this series.
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About the Author
Jacqueline Frost is a mystery-loving pet enthusiast who hopes to make readers smile. She lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three spunky children. Jacqueline is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sisters in Crime (SinC).
Algiers, North Africa, 1943. After her abusive German husband left her for dead and took their daughter with him behind enemy lines, Dottie Lincoln learned that it’s better to be a trained soldier rather than a victim. As a newly minted squad leader in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, she spends her days moving men and materials to the front and her nights attending mandatory dances to boost the morale of the men. Despite the grueling nature of her job, she has found a sanctuary amongst the women in the Army. When Ruth, a member of her squad, is murdered, she’s devastated and determined to get to the bottom of the murder.
Dottie’s company is the first group of American women assigned to a combat theater, and with Ruth’s death, the entire operation is being questioned. Determined to do everything she can to help win the war, bring justice to her friend, and hopefully reunite with her daughter, Dottie must rise to the occasion before the killer strikes again.
But when her past comes back to haunt her, Dottie must prove she’s not a German spy and put a stop to a deadly conspiracy that threatens the entire American war effort.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Murder In the Ranks by Kristi Jones is her debut mystery filled with spies, murder, and a touch of romance. It is also a historical novel that delves into the American Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) where women served in a combat zone in Algiers. Their duties were of the administrative nature, mainly typists, drivers, translators, and switchboard operators freeing up more men to fight. The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps was renamed from WAACs to WACs, without “auxiliary” in the name.
The plot features Dottie Lincoln, who decided to join the WAAC after her abusive German husband left her for dead and took their daughter with him behind enemy lines when he joined the Nazis. Dottie Lincoln learned that it’s better to be a trained soldier rather than a victim.
Risking her own reputation, as a WAAC squad leader in World War II she becomes an investigator when one of the women in her unit is found dead. WAAC Ruth Wentz is found sprawled on the pavement in a pool of her own blood. Army officers speculate the incident was a suicide, but Dottie believes Ruth was murdered. She convinces MP Captain Devlin to look at the evidence and investigate. Secrets, deception, black market, bribery and blackmail all prevail as the investigation proceeds including Dottie’s past that comes to haunt her.
This mystery has multiple suspects with lots of twists, keeping readers guessing to the very end. Those reading this debut novel will welcome more books in this series.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?
Kristi Jones: I have always been interested in history and grew up as a military brat. I read Eisenhower’s Crusade in Europe where he mentioned a consignment of WACs assigned to his headquarters. I contacted the US Army Women’s Museum that had a lot of information about the 149th Post Headquarters. I did research in their archives in Virginia. I wanted to write a story about these women. I wrote my first murder mystery using these women as inspiration. Also, I was in Turkey for several years when my dad was stationed there. This helped me to write the setting of Algiers where the first women WACs were stationed.
EC: What was true?
KJ: The murder was pure fiction. But when the WACs arrived there, they were posted all over different sections. They were assigned to military police, they did office work, became drivers, and worked in signal communication. As in the book, there were officers that pushed back in having the women work in their offices, as well as officers inviting and helpful. The male soldiers in the book as in real-life reacted towards the WACs. Some saw them as dates and moral boosters. Some became jealous when the WAC women fraternized with the male British officers. Some saw the WACs as not lady-like. The women had to overcome this challenge of how the men responded to them.
EC: Do you think they broke the “glass ceiling”?
KJ: These women were pioneers, the first women stationed in a combat situation. They were considered a “test-tube company” because people wondered if they could withstand the rigors of being in a combat theatre, including under bombardment. As the war progressed, they proved themselves to do the job.
EC: How would you describe Dottie?
KJ: She is sometimes embarrassed. She speaks French and German so she can be useful to the allied cause. Dottie is protective, gutsy, and was abused. Her husband saw her as weak and vulnerable, beat and abandoned her. Her backstory is that her husband went to fight for the Nazis and took their daughter, Sophie. Throughout the series there will be the theme of a mouse to lion, where she must find her strength. She represents those real women who joined the WACs to find independence and to become a force to reckon with.
EC: What is the role of her daughter and her husband?
KJ: They were why she initially joined the military. Dottie struggles to believe in herself and needs to find her emotional and physical strength. In future books she wants to win the war to find her daughter.
EC: How would you describe Captain Devlin?
KJ: He is cocky with cop-like instincts and can be calm, caring.
EC: What about the other women WACs?
KJ: I wanted to give them each a different personality. Each of the characters were based on differences of women I researched.
Sue is calculating, sly, argumentative, troublesome, and likes to play games. There were WACs that did steal for the black-market. She is a scandal girl.
Ruth is the consummate solider, determined, serious, dependable, rational, and grounded.
Jeannie is scared, trusting, and sweet. Dottie does trust her.
Mary is the youngest, dramatic, selfish, childish, and acts princess-like. She is young and looking for adventure.
EC: What did you want readers to get out of the book?
KJ: This book quote, summarizes my feelings, “I hope Dottie’s story will illuminate their sacrifices, courage, and the critical role played in the combat theatres during World War II.” Plus, to inform people who did not know how severe the manpower shortage was in the services at that time. Recruiting these women would fill the non-combat roles to free the men to fight in combat.
EC: Next book?
KJ: Jeannie will be back and becomes Dottie’s side-kick character. It is tentatively titled A Map to Murder. After working with Military Police to solve the murder of her fellow soldier, in this book, Auxiliary Dottie Lincoln wanted to get a permanent assignment with Captain Devlin and the MPs. Instead, she is sent to work for Force 141, a top-secret planning headquarters just outside the city. She soon finds herself drawn into a web of secrecy, betrayals and murder, racing to root out a traitor before an innocent woman is hanged for a crime she did not commit.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
When Holly White’s fiancé cancels their Christmas Eve wedding with less than two weeks to go, Holly heads home with a broken heart. Lucky for her, home in historic Mistletoe, Maine is magical during Christmastime—exactly what the doctor ordered. Except her plan to drown her troubles in peppermints and snickerdoodles is upended when local grinch and president of the Mistletoe Historical Society Margaret Fenwick is bludgeoned and left in the sleigh display at Reindeer Games, Holly’s family tree farm.
When the murder weapon is revealed as one of the wooden stakes used to identify trees on the farm, Sheriff Evan Grey turns to Holly’s father, Bud, and the Reindeer Games staff. And it doesn’t help that Bud and the reindeer keeper were each seen arguing with Margaret just before her death. But Holly knows her father and is determined to exonerate him.
The jingle bells are ringing, the clock is ticking, and if Holly doesn’t watch out, she’ll end up on Santa’s naughty list in Twelve Slays of Christmas, Jacqueline Frost’s jolly series debut.
TWELVE SLAYS OF CHRISTMAS (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery Book #1) by Jacqueline Frost is the first book in a cozy small-town mystery series all set during the holiday season. They bring all the happy holiday feels along with a cozy murder mystery to solve in Mistletoe, Maine.
This first book introduces the reader to Holly White and her cat, Cindy Lou Who, on their return home to the family Christmas tree farm after a broken engagement. Home is just what she needed to help heal her broken heart and reunite her with family, friends, and the Reindeer Games holiday tradition on the farm. Everything is going well until Holly discovers Margaret Fenwick, the head of the local historical society bludgeoned to death with a Christmas tree stake and left dead in the sleigh display.
When Sheriff Evan Grey shuts down the farm and games, Holly is determined to find the killer, exonerate her father and farm staff, and get the games going again. There are plenty of people through the years who have had problems with Margaret, but with Holly asking questions about the murder, Holly is now the target of a killer who wants to remain hidden. Will Holly ask one too many questions of the wrong person, even as Sheriff Grey warns her to stop, and become the killer’s next victim?
This is a wonderful holiday cozy mystery that has everything to pull me into the story curled up on my couch on a cold winter night. The author’s writing is descriptive and engaging. I felt like I was in Mistletoe participating in all the games, and all the characters were my friends. Holly is a great protagonist who is both inquisitive and strong willed with a warm and loving heart. The mystery plot is well paced throughout the story with plenty of suspects, red herrings, and a few surprises. I am looking forward to reading more of the books in this series and following all the characters that now feel like family.
I highly recommend this cozy holiday small-town mystery and I am looking forward to reading more in this series!
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About the Author
Jacqueline Frost is a mystery-loving pet enthusiast who hopes to make readers smile. She lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three spunky children. Jacqueline is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sisters in Crime (SinC).
