Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: cozy mystery

EVIL UNDER the STARS: The Agatha Christie Book Club (Book 3) by C.A. Larmer – British/Irish Cozy Mystery, Humorous Literary Fiction, Cozy Mysteries

Who commits a murder in a crowd of a hundred people relaxing in a park, and how did the Agatha Christie Book Club miss the entire thing from only a few feet away? In the trendy Sydney suburb of Balmain, Kat Mumford, social media interior design star, has been murdered during the inaugural Cinema Under the Stars. Her distraught husband, Eliot, is clearly the prime suspect, but at the time of Kat’s strangulation, he is nowhere near her. In fact, no one was sitting near Kat, and the crowd seems to have been so absorbed by the movie, Agatha Christie’s Evil Under Sun, that no one saw a thing out of the ordinary.

When Alicia Finlay and her book club realize the murder occurred right under their noses, there is no way they can just let the police handle it. When Alicia’s boyfriend, Detective Inspector Liam Jackson, actually calls her for information, she and her club decide to do a little investigating of their own. Despite being told to butt out, Alicia, Lynette, Claire, Missy, and Perry go undercover to find the killer, but the twists, in this case, will lead them down a strange path to find a crafty killer. The club must sift through the suspects: a smarmy barman, a detestable reverend, a pregnant domestic abuse victim, a mystery mustached man, a dead junky, and a hipster hubby. With few clues but many dead ends, the club will meet their most challenging mystery yet!

This third book in The Agatha Christie Book Club series is one crazy ride. Anyone who loves a good whodunnit will adore this novel. C.A. Larmer makes it easy for readers to learn who’s who in the Agatha Christie Book Club. There’s Claire, the vintage clothing shop owner; Missy, the pink-haired librarian; Perry, museum PR organizer; Lynette, self-trained food blogger; Alicia, online journalist; and even the reluctant Anders, the doctor who pronounces Kat dead on the scene. They all create a fantastic cast of characters who genuinely engage the readers from the first page. Like Christie’s beloved Miss Marple, the book club members are amateur sleuths who rely on a stealthy approach to crime-solving and often go undercover. DI Indira Singh, the no-nonsense, by-the-book detective in charge of the case, is not amused – on more than one occasion. The ease with which the author introduces this kooky crew of curious minds will make it simple to jump in headfirst and enjoy this fast-paced roller coaster complete with plenty of red herrings and dead ends, eventually leading to a killer who manages a daring, deadly crime in the middle of hundreds of witnesses.

An unexpected plus in the plot is the romance between Alicia and Liam. Having just broken up with another club member Anders (creating tension among the book club), Alicia’s fledgling relationship with hunky Liam experiences some bumps when she interferes with his case. Still, the respect he has in her abilities–and that of the club–adds depth to what appears to be solely a mystery novel on the surface. Liam seeks out Alicia’s help, valuing her abilities, and not attempting to control her. Being the less attractive of the Finlay sisters, Alicia is often “eclipsed” by the beautiful blonde Lynette, but she never feels anything less with Liam. He makes it “crystal clear which sister he prefer[s] in his orbit.” Liam even takes Alicia “on the beat” to track down would-be suspects and leads, partly because he needs her and partly because he knows she will love it. This symbiotic-style relationship is sweet in a mature way that romance readers will appreciate. In short, Larmer will delight her followers with this third installment of the series, and have new fans ordering up the first two books in no time! Highly recommended.

Evil Under the Stars won First Place in the CIBA 2018 Mayhem & Mystery Awards.

March 25, 2020
bada-BOOM! (A Hamlin Park Irregulars Novel: Book 3) by Wally Duff – Female Sleuths, Mystery Thriller, Cozy Mystery

In this fast-paced, contemporary mystery thriller, Wally Duff takes readers on a wild, fictional ride with this third installment featuring the colorful and versatile Hamlin Park Irregulars. This group of playground moms and friends are at the ready to follow a fellow mom’s investigative lead in the interest of revisiting her former journalism career.

Tina Thomas, a former investigative reporter who lost her job when she ignored orders issued by the FBI, is now a stay-at-home mom. Unable to resist the lure of a good story, Tina soon finds herself involved in chasing down Dr. J. Randall Fertig, a Chicago surgeon who claims he can perform an operation that cures patients of breast cancer. Having never published his techniques or results, a hospital committee has been formed to verify Fertig’s work. But when a committee doctor suddenly dies in a violent one-car crash considered a probable suicide. But when a second doctor’s death is listed as a suicide, Tina’s instincts kick in, leading her to believe that Fertig is killing off committee members to keep them quiet. With the help of an eclectic and well-defined cast, including her playground cohorts, each with their own workable attributes and a duo of sharp and suave detectives, Tina is soon back in the thick of things. The adrenaline rush doesn’t let up until a surprising climactic reveal that includes an unexpected nod to the contemporary #MeToo movement.

Duff makes efficient use of short, rapid-fire chapters that move the plot along at a steady pace. Each new reveal serves as an enticing breadcrumb on the trail of heightened drama and suspense.

Engaging characters integrate easily into the activities of the investigation, whether a computer savvy mom with her hacking skills, or the model beauty of the group who uses her female charms as “the great distractor.” Two male hair stylists help liven up the mix and up the fun factor, particularly when they feel they must escort Tina out the back door of their establishment, fearing her bad hair vibe will reflect poorly on them. Another group of muscle “friends” adds assistance and intrigue with their uncanny ability to help Tina handle the details of some rather delicate situations.

Duff weaves wit and a bit of dark humor throughout, such as in the details of Tina’s ownership of an unregistered glitter-covered gun that she acquired from a neighbor who “accidentally” died on her kitchen floor. Tina’s calamitous antics also invite humorous Murphy’s law tension. When things keep going wrong – from a cell phone going dead in the dark, to a dropped fanny pack, and a sneeze that can’t be stifled – readers sense the tense, yet comical edge of this central character’s mishaps.

From secret revelations and bizarre disguises to break-ins, explosions, car chases, and drug-induced deaths, Duff draws us into this modern-day tale marked by suspicious activity, creative investigation, and a colossal denouement. While the initial cancer cure premise may get a bit waylaid amidst the story’s progression, the rousing action keeps readers thoroughly invested and hopeful for a resolution. A sneak peek at the next offering in this series concedes the return of a character from this medical debacle, intent on taking Tina out.

bada-Boom! ushers us into the medical world and the downfall of its profit-motivated physicians, complete with struggling stiletto-wearing female drug reps and overseeing hospital boards, all pitted against one another with sometimes dire consequences. This latest smart and compelling offering is exactly what the doctor ordered – absorbing entertainment!

March 16, 2020
FICTION CAN be MURDER: A Mystery Writer’s Mystery by Becky Clark – Female Sleuths, Cozy Mystery, American Literature

When a not-so-beloved literary agent dies under suspicious circumstances, a local mystery writer becomes the prime suspect in the death and must use her honed sleuthing skills to prove her innocence and find the real killer.

Colorado mystery writer, Charlemagne “Charlee” Russo, longs for the “halcyon days when authors were held in high esteem, and agents and publishers took care of all business except for putting the right word on the page.” The reality of the day is Charlee must deal with Melinda Walters, an unpleasant and dismissive, high-powered agent who can’t or won’t explain Charlee’s recently declining book royalties. Meanwhile, Charlee takes compliments and criticism from the likes of her Monday Morning writer’s group and volunteer beta readers comprised of family, friends, and neighbors. When she suddenly gets word that Melinda has been killed and her unusual death mirrors the specifics of events Charlee wrote about in her latest unpublished fictional manuscript, all eyes are on Charlee.

Soon Charlee is ticking off her own list of suspects while highlighting their motives, means, opportunities, and alibis. Her focus is primarily on anyone who had access to her manuscript, including fellow writers, boyfriend Ozzie, volunteer readers, Melinda herself, Melinda’s assistant “Q,” and a car mechanic. Clark ignites the story with an eclectic supporting cast that runs the gamut from a Mensa-card-carrying “Einstein” and a Goth who writes children’s books, to a neighbor with a shark-tooth smile who spent time in a mental health facility and appears to have a penchant for stealing books. With themes of money, love, jealousy, and revenge, the usual motives for murder, Charlee considers her suspects, one by one, but continues to entertain new possibilities along the way. Clark cleverly incorporates some unexpected reveals amidst this diverse group.

Through an intricate first-person narrative, readers remain invested in the story via the barrage of questions surrounding the murderous main event. As Charlee concedes that someone used her imaginary crime scenario to kill her agent, with questions like, “Was it to frame her? Was the prose so compelling they couldn’t help themselves? Why now? Why me?” Clark creates a pondering central character both witty, and on edge.

Clark’s writing style conjures out-of-this-world visuals, detailing the melting pot attributes of her Aurora town complete with bodegas, authentic ethnic restaurants, meth houses, and red-light districts.

Touches of humor also add an enjoyable lightness to the intensity of this drama. And, while the final reveal is unexpected, the tidbits of a backstory help the swirling pieces of this puzzle fall into place.

In this delightful and diverting debut, Charlee Russo proves a likable and plausible heroine. Readers will love her desire to consume a perfectly satisfying toasted grilled cheese sandwich, and her all-out efforts to exonerate herself and friends from the pointing fingers of law enforcement. Clark delivers fun and witty entertainment, with a double-edged appeal for mystery fans and bibliophiles alike.

Fiction Can Be Murder: A Mystery Writer’s Mystery won first place in the CIBA 2018 M&M Awards for Mystery and Mayhem.

January 27, 2020
DARED to RETURN: A Kate Anderson Mystery (Book 2) by J.J. Clarke – Cozy Mystery, Female Sleuth, Humorous Mystery

Kate Anderson has an exciting new life in Tampa Bay, Florida. An aspiring writer with a new book recently released, she’s left behind her old life as a court investigator in Kingseat, Missouri. But when she receives a frantic call from her ninety-two-year-old grandfather, Theodore, she hops on a plane back home.

Just five weeks earlier, Kate’s step-grandmother, Helen, died. Not long after Helen’s death, Kate’s grandfather was thrown out of his house and sent to the Squaw Valley Nursing Home, a place where old people go to die. Unbeknownst to Kate, most of Helen’s two-million-dollar estate has been left in trust – and not to her husband of twenty-five years. The trustee is a corrupt secret society known as HOGG, a group of important town officials who con elderly citizens out of their money, distribute it to charities and take a considerable percentage for themselves.

The elderly in town believe they are contributing to the betterment of the community. Kate refuses to sit idly by and teams up with her spunky publicist, Susie Jones, and former US Marshal and newly appointed Kingseat Police Chief, Reese Matthews, to exact revenge and bring down this ring of corruption. With a family feud, a suspicious trust, and a fiery sleuth, what could possibly go wrong?

Raised by her biological grandfather and step-grandmother, Kate hasn’t had what anyone would call an ordinary life. With a degree in law enforcement, she worked as a bond investigator until she became the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Using her law knowledge, she gave the U.S. Marshals a merry chase as she worked to clear her name.

Now, with two deaths tied to her, Kate is a tough nut to crack, and she isn’t about to let the evil forces at work in Kingseat get away with stealing from her grandfather. Her tenacity even causes her to punch a lawyer in court (and get away with it), and her endless costume closet presents unlimited chances to catch her prey red-handed initially in some humorous ─ and oddly satisfying ─ ways. She and Susie make a modern-day, irreverent superhero duo, righting the wrongs done by the evil, dominating force of HOGG.

Clarke delivers the second book in the Kate Anderson Mystery series with a lead character that will capture the imaginations of many. And while preying upon our seniors is a despicable act, what Kate does to right the wrongs will bring satisfaction to readers. This “beautiful little town with an underbelly of evil” hits close to home for some, and Kate’s fight for her grandfather is a fight for us all.

January 20, 2020
A PROFESSOR and MRS. MORIARTY MYSTERY: Moriarty Takes His Medicine, Book 2 by Anna Castle – Historical Mystery

In Anna Castle’s British historical, cozy mystery novel, Moriarty Takes His Medicine, we find James Moriarty and his new bride, Angeline, struggling with their exciting, new relationship once the dust settles, so to speak.

James Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes’s nemesis, is a man who cares deeply for his wife, so much so, that he is driven to distraction and embraces the help of his former foe as an ally to help rescue Angelina from grave danger.

Sound like a melodrama? It is. Melodrama at it’s best, with strong women characters from the 1880s in several roles, providing a 2020 twist to the male-dominated period. That being said, Castle is no slouch when it comes to providing accurate historical details. She’s done her research and offers it up in an engaging and entertaining novel. The health spas and health tonics of the time provides an impressive backdrop to the mystery she develops, as Sherlock Holmes comes to Moriarty for help on a curious case, the death of a beloved aunt whose nephew suspects foul play. Together Moriarty and Holmes uncover a plot of devious mischief by medical professionals at a high-end spa/hospital where several elderly women and wealthy wives have stayed, only to die unexpectedly at home. Castle begins with the death of one woman.

Moriarty, Holmes, and Watson find that many of the women’s deaths went unchallenged because they all died at home after their stay, pointing to their own negligence and not that of the hospital, a devious plan, to say the least. Dr. Watson plays a small but crucial role at the beginning of their investigation as he uncovers the meaning behind “the Clennam treatment,” referring to a character from Little Dorritt, a Charles Dickens novel. And so, as Holmes is want to say, the game’s afoot.

Angelina’s past as a performer, a vocation she sorely misses, provides her with a means to help when she realizes her sister is being sent to the notorious spa for “the Clennam” treatment, code for “kill her.” Angelina takes on the most dangerous role of her life when she finds herself under the “Clennam” treatment.

Castle introduces the tonic as one in a series of archaic and debunked methods of treatment. She also explores aspects of electric shock therapy, and “the rest cure,” a popular method of treating a nervous and perhaps unruly woman to a treatment that did nothing to cure the root cause of their ailments. Alas, at that time, the men knew best even when they were wrong.

Castle turns this male-dominated society on its head. Women display their strength and ability to problem solve as they help to resolve this crime, and they do it with the full support of their men. A very satisfying twist on the social norms of the time, which brings us to a satisfactory conclusion.

In the end, we have something akin to a Shakespeare “comedy,” all the “good” characters live, all the lovers end up happily together, and all the villains fail and are doomed to suffer.

As the second novel in a series, this book could stand-alone. This romp through the beloved world of Sherlock Holmes will surprise you at every turn and please Sherlockians as well as lovers of British cozy mystery fans.

Moriarty Takes His Medicine won First Place in the 2018 CIBAs for Mystery and Mayhem.

January 8, 2020
SHORT LINE to DEATH by Molly Flewharty – Female Sleuth, Cozy Mystery, Humorous Mystery

An upcoming divorcee has no idea that her life is about to change when she gets involved in a murder investigation in Molly Flewharty’s, Short Line to Death.

Madeline Williams moves from New York to the small town of Cross Keys, Pennsylvania. She hopes the change will do her good since she’s in the throes of a divorce. Madeline decides to take the bus over driving on the long commute to her Manhattan job. Traveling is lonely since she is the new kid on the block among a group of regulars. That changes when Tom Firemark, the handsome owner of The Opossum, sits next to her during their daily trips.

Madeline and Tom’s growing friendship shifts when they become eyewitnesses to a mysterious murder on the bus, which is the second murder that has occurred in the town over the last few months. Since Police Chief Billy West is over his head trying to solve the first crime, Tom, who has PI experience, takes it upon himself to do his investigations on this newest incident. Because Madeline was an innocent bystander at the scene of the crime, he invokes Madeline to join him in sleuthing.

Teaming together proves to be better than Madeline imagines as the two become more comfortable with each other amid processing a flurry of possible suspects. But as the puzzle pieces begin to fall in place, Madeline finds herself way over her head. Whether or not she can complete the investigation unscathed remains to be seen.

First-time author, Molly Flewharty, spins a host of red herrings in Short Line to Death. She pulls from her own experience commuting from Manhattan to Pennsylvania to create the small-town setting and accompanying atmosphere replete with a well-rounded mix of elusive characters. Top on that chart is Roberta Carlson (whose ultimate demise is shocking yet a welcome to those who were tired of her surly disposition) is at the center of Tom and Madeline’s investigation. Now with the most obnoxious person out of the way, sniffing out the murderous culprit may be tougher than the team anticipates.

Chapters filled with detailed descriptions of various Cross Keys establishments and homes alternate between the police chief’s frustrating search behind the death of the town’s miscreant, Bart Grickly; Tom and Madeline’s investigation; and Madeline’s struggles with her broken marriage and new-found feelings towards Tom.

Flewharty delivers a tension-filled mystery banquet of suspects ranging from ordinary people with personal problems to those we’re sure “did the deed.”

Short Line to Death will have mystery fans lined up to see what’s next from Flewharty. Highly recommended.

October 29, 2019
UNSIGHTLY BULGES (A Trailer Park Princess Cozy Mystery, Book 2) by Kim Hunt Harris – Cozy Mystery, Animal Cozy, Female Sleuth

Salem Grimes has a lot of goals – lose more weight than her friend Trisha, find a dress for the upcoming date she doesn’t really want to go on, and keep her dog, Stump, from throwing up on the kitchen floor. Unfortunately, solving a murder (again) isn’t on her to-do list, but Salem is thrown into another mystery completely against her will when she sees a body in a Sonic dumpster.

When her BFF Viv, an 80-ish firecracker of a woman with a penchant for expensive shoes, hears about it, she can’t wait to get started cracking the case. After all, she and Viv have already solved one mystery, and Viv is convinced their unofficial PI firm, Discreet Investigations, can find the murderer. But the ladies quickly realize they have their work cut out for them when the victim is identified as CJ Hardin, golden boy physician and local Hope for Homes organizer who recently “came out” in a very public way and stirred up a huge controversy in Lubbock, Texas.

Controversy and theories swirl since CJ was thought to have run off days earlier with the $200K in funds from a recent Hope for Homes fundraising effort. When the murder is labeled a hate crime, Salem, Viv, and their newest partner Dale find themselves in some scary situations, including an altercation with Rambo the fighting rooster. Between being laughed at by one hot police detective she’s had crushed on since fourth grade, fighting her urge to drink herself “cool” in order to keep from throat-punching Dale, Salem has to find a killer before the community implodes.

The struggles of the LGBTQ community are front and center in this novel. CJ, the murdered man, is a victim before he is the victim. CJ has spent his life as so many LGBTQ people have, playing a role, pretending to be something he is not in order to fit the required societal mold. The son of a prominent family, a prestigious doctor in his own right, and the perfect fiancé to a woman he has always been expected to marry, CJ never truly got to live his life in his own way. Not long after being caught in a passionate embrace with a man, CJ is more or less forced to come out in a very public way and then he is murdered, labeled another casualty of hate, and though his murder doesn’t quite turn out so cut and dry, his story is nonetheless tragic.

A Christian novel highlighting the struggles in the LGBTQ community is an anomaly, and Kim Hunt Harris expertly handles the issues smartly by placing them front and center in her lead character’s lap. Salem feels a strong connection with the LGBTQ message boards she studies after being swept up in CJ’s death. She understands the dark loneliness of never fitting in, of being a victim of abuse, and of hiding what she truly is, burying her true self.

Damaged by a selfish, abusive mother, Salem is determined not to let that define her anymore. After ten years of drowning her feelings in booze, she has found her footing in Christianity, but she is confused about her feelings, uncertain how to reconcile her blossoming faith with the reality around her – what she thinks and feels about the LGBT community around her.

Salem’s story is one of redemption – hers and everyone else’s. She wants to be a person who can look herself in the eye, and she fights daily to become that very person.

Through common sense, humor, and her daily prayers in her self-made devotional room (aka the guest bedroom in her trailer at Trailertopia), Salem navigates the world in a “human” way. She struggles to justify God’s love with the church’s condemnation against homosexuality. She struggles against her complete dislike of Dale with the Biblical edicts of patience and kindness. She struggles with wanting to feel God’s presence in her life versus her all too real feelings of pettiness and anger.

Salem’s battles aren’t black or white, right or wrong. She’s human and that’s why we like her so much. She understands that “contempt and disrespect for another person’s most precious beliefs” don’t make the world a better place.

Unsightly Bulges (A Trailer Park Princess Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Kim Hunt Harris took home 1^st Place in the 2017 CIBA M&M Awards for Mayhem and Mystery.

July 22, 2019
SAXXONS in WITHERSTON: Witherston Murder Mystery by Betty Jean Craige – Cozy Mystery, Women Sleuths, Multiculturalism/Family Drama

In 1968, Tyrone Lewis was murdered by KKK members for daring to love Allie Camhurst, a white preacher’s daughter. Tyrone and Allie had secretly been dating for months, and when Allie discovered she was pregnant, the two planned to elope when four men in white robes and hoods stabbed Tyrone and raped Allie. Fearing for her life, Allie escaped her hometown of Witherston, Georgia, and began a new life with a new identity.

Fifty years later, Witherston is again the scene of what appears to be a racially-motivated murder, but this time Crockett Wood, a member of a white supremacist group known as the Saxxons, has been shot to death. The killing comes hard on the heels of a controversial decision by the Witherston town council which recently voted to make Witherston a sanctuary city, taking in and aiding illegal aliens by refusing to cooperate with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and drawing criticism both within and without. This small town becomes split along racial lines, and tensions boil over as the past and the present collide when Dr. Charlotte “Lottie” Byrd, a retired college professor, opens her own investigation into Tyrone’s case and finds its twisted connection to Wood’s recent murder.

The fictional town of Witherston, Georgia, is an American patchwork quilt of diversity, and racism plays a prominent role. From a native Cherokee village to same-sex couples who call the small town home, Witherston is a celebration of heterogeneity, a microcosm for modern America. Though the majority of citizens feel their community is advanced and forward-thinking, it becomes clear that prejudice is not dead when the Saxxons threaten the town – mirroring events occurring in America in recent times. As the threats become more vicious, the Witherstonians must decide whether to let the hate of some overwhelm the lives of all. A clear message emerges in the attitude of characters like Lottie, Beau Lodge, and the Arroyo twins. Despite the hate-spewing white supremacists, the townspeople band together and choose happiness and unity over fear and factions.

Lottie’s nephews, Jaime, and Jorge Arroyo, and their friend Beau Lodge are the true champions of the novel both literally and figuratively. As biracial millennials, these seventeen-year-olds represent all that is good in ignoring racial distinctions and, instead, celebrating those differences. The boys are smart and clever and most importantly, courageous in the face of prejudice. It is through that bravery that the culminating events occur.

Saxxons in Witherston is sure to find its audience among those who enjoy history, as the author has done her research, and fans of the Witherston Murder Mystery series.

June 20, 2019
CUT: A Medical Murder Mystery by Amy S. Peele – Medical Mystery, Thriller, Cozy

With heart, compassion, and a dash of comic relief, Amy Peele’s engaging murder mystery takes us into the precarious realm of human organ transplantation. Here, as life-saving procedures become marred by money, social status, and criminal intent, a moral compass spins out of control, revealing just how far some will go to reach the top of the donor procurement platform.

Sarah Golden is a dedicated and well-respected traveling organ transplantation nurse who loves her job. She’s on the final leg of a four-month contract in Miami and plans to spend her bonus check on a wild trip to Cuba with her best friend from nursing school, Jackie Larsen. Jackie’s now a stay at home mom to son Wyatt, and married to Laura Calleghan, an Assistant Medical Examiner in San Francisco. When Sarah happens to overhear a conversation involving patient Amanda Stein, an obnoxious, over-indulged woman who oozes entitlement, it leads Sarah to believe this San Francisco executive didn’t receive her liver transplant through the proper channels. As Sarah decides to pursue her suspicions, she also learns that wealthy Amanda is best friends with the wife of Dr. Harris Bower, the renowned head of San Francisco’s Transplant Dept. who recently offered Sarah a senior position back in California.

From the back streets of Miami to the hub-bub of Chicago and the West Coast, this well-paced story plays out amidst raucous escapades of inquiry as Sarah enlists the help of her fun-loving cohort Jackie to trace the path of Amanda’s donor organ. Suddenly they’re attending high society charity events, performing Cuban gang bar surveillance, riding off with “Biker Bob” to a private speakeasy boasting 300 kinds of rum, and flirting with the local “Officer Handsome” to gain some lawful and necessary assistance. As Amanda’s nefarious Latin boy toy gets wise to the probing, the womanizing lothario is determined to stop them. Before long, this Cagney and Lacey-esque duo are entangled in an investigation as both hunters and prey.

In a well-balanced contrast to the typically dark and somber tones of a mystery, particularly one focused on such a serious topic, Peele lightens the hard edge through the wit and humor brought by the central characters. These savvy, wise-cracking women like to imbibe and enjoy throwing out a few f-bombs to relieve stress, but have a no-nonsense attitude about their jobs, and always maintain a genuine concern for friendship and family.

With a passion for organ donation, and 35 years in the field to ultimately retire from one of the most successful transplant programs in the country, Peele is able to draw from a deep well of knowledge and experience that translates seamlessly to the storyline. From enlightenment about how recipients get their organs, and distinctions between donor types, to the backlash of gaming (i.e. moving someone up on a list) that can shut down a program, these layers of detailed information woven throughout the story bring an added richness to the texture of this well-organized narrative.

Peele also brings emotional depth to this work, not only from her own nursing background but through the feisty personalities of the sleuthing duo. They are determined to find justice and hold accountable those attempting to undermine the transplant system. From sobering board room revelations about individuals denied organs due to immigration or economic status, to the heart-wrenching toll of losing young pediatric patients, the subject matter is presented as an important, timely, and volatile issue.

Cut: A Medical Murder Mystery won First Place in the 2017 CIBAs for the M&M Awards.

February 27, 2019
The M & M Book Awards for Mystery Novels Semi-Finalists for the 2018 CIBAs
The M & M Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the Cozy and Not-So-Cozy Mystery genre. The M & M Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The #CIBAs).

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from Long Listers (Slush Pile Survivors) to the SHORTLIST and have now moved on to the SEMI-FINALISTS list of the 2018 M & M Book Awards. These entries are now in competition for the limited First Place Category Positions for the 2018 M & M Book Awards. The M & M Book Awards Semi-Finalists will be recognized at the 2019 Chanticleer Authors Conference. The First Place Positions along with the M & M Grand Prize Award Winner will be selected from this Semi-Finalist list and will be announced at the Awards Gala on Saturday, April 27th, 2019.

We will make the SEMIFINALISTS Digital Badge and Book Stickers available before the end of November 2018 and will email the link and the Semi-Finalist notification to those whose works made the list.

Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring “mystery and mayhem”, amateur sleuthing, light suspense, travel mystery, classic mystery, British cozy, hobby sleuths, senior sleuths, or historical mystery, perhaps with a touch of romance or humor, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them. (For suspense, thriller, detective, crime fiction see our Clue Awards)

Deadline for 2018 M & M Book Awards submissions was April 30, 2018. We are now accepting entries into the 2019 M & M Awards.

Congratulations to the 2018 M & M Book Awards Semi-Finalists!
- Mary Adler – Shadowed by Death: An Oliver Wright WW2 Mystery Novel
- B.L. Smith – Bert Mintenko and the Minor Misdemeanors
- Charlotte Stuart – Why Me?
- Becky Clark – Fiction Can Be Murder
- Christine Evelyn Volker – Venetian Blood: Murder in a Sensuous City
- Alan Chaput – Savannah Sleuth
- Michelle Cox – A Promise Given
- Traci Andrighetti – Campari Crimson
- M. Louisa Locke – Pilfered Promises: A Victorian San Francisco Mystery
- C.A. Larmer – Evil Under The Stars: The Agatha Christie Book Club #3
- Nancy J. Cohen – Hair Brained
- Stone Winkler – Blood on a Blue Moon: A Sheaffer Blue Mystery
- Carl and Jane Bock – Death Rattle
- Kelly Oliver – FOX: A Jessica James Mystery
- Deborah Rich – Under the Radar
- Anna Castle – Moriarty Takes His Medicine
- Julie Chase – Cat Got Your Secrets
All Semi-Finalists will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.

Congratulations to the Semi-Finalists in this fiercely competitive contest!

Good Luck to each of you as your work competes in the 2018 M & M Book Awards.

Grand Prize Ribbons!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2019 M & M Awards writing competition. The deadline for submissions into the 2019 M & M Book Awards is April 30th, 2019. Please click here for more information and to enter.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.
November 5, 2018