Cozy Case Files, A Cozy Mystery Sampler, Volume 9

Cozy Case Files #9

by Donna Andrews, Ellie Alexander, Allison Montclair

Looking for a new cozy series? In the new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of eleven charming cozy mysteries publishing in Spring/Summer 2020 for free for easy sampling.

The latest edition of Cozy Case Files has something for everyone with the latest cozies by the following Carolyn Haines, Hannah Dennison, Eve Calder, Donna Andrews, Ellie Alexander, Kylie Logan, Susanna Calkins, Leonard Goldberg, and Allison Montclair.

The bonds of friendship are put to the test in The Devil’s Bones and Sugar and Vice. Two sisters inherit an old hotel in the remote Scilly Islands in series debut Death at High Tide. A new Meg Langslow mystery, The Falcon Always Wings Twice, finds the family at a Renaissance Faire.

Past crimes are unburied in Nothing Bundt Trouble and The Secret of Bones.

Go back in time with these next historical cozies. Sherlock Holmes’s daughter is back in The Art of Deception. In A Royal Affair, Princess Elizabeth has developed feelings for a Greek prince, and The Right Sort of Marriage Bureau is engaged to dig into the suitor’s past. Or visit a 1920’s Chicago speakeasy in The Fate of the Flapper.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Amazon, Anthologies

275 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 5, 2020

About the author

Donna Andrews was born in Yorktown, Virginia, the setting of Murder with Peacocks and Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos, and now lives and works in Reston, Virginia. When not writing fiction, Andrews is a self-confessed nerd, rarely found away from her computer, unless she's messing in the garden

http://us.macmillan.com/author/donnaa...

Reviews

[CYIReadBooks (Claire) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I didn't know these Cozy Case Files books existed until this book, which is volume 9. I really missed the boat on this one.

Like previous volumes, Cozy Case Files Vol. 9 contains a delightful sampling of cozy mystery stories by different authors. You get to read the first few chapters of each book to develop a first impression. There's bound to be a few books that you'll want to get your hands on. I sure found a few.

So, if you're wondering what next cozy mystery to read, look no further. Grab Cozy Case Files Vol. 9. I'm sure you'll find something. Four stars -- I really liked and enjoyed it. Now I have to read the prior volumes to see what else I've missed.

[mrsswiftnibpagewhisperer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a teaser. It only contains a few chapters from each book and none of them are complete books. But the few chapters from each book are very intriguing.

1. The Devil's Bones by Carolyn Haines
Sarah, Cece and Tinkie decide to spend the Easter weekend away on a girl's trip to Lucedale. But this weekend doesn't pan put the way they had planned. The trio find a dead body of a local lawyer - Perry.

2. Sugar and Vice by Eve Calder
A skeleton has been found in the backyard of her best friend's house.. Kate knows that Maxi, her best friend couldn't hurt a fly. Kate has to dawn on her sleuthing cap and get to the bottom of this mystery.

3. Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison
Evie is now a proud owner of a hotel left behind by her husband. She along with her sister Margot visit the hotel in the remote Scilly Island. What follows next, read it to know it.

4. The Falcon always Wings Twice by Donnna Andrews
Meg's grandmother hosts a Faire at her craft center. Her grandfather discovers a pair of Falcons. An actor found dead, a mistreated falcon, Meg's grandfather becomes a prime suspect.

5. Nothing Bundt Trouble by Ellie Alexander
Finding her father's old case notes, Jules has set her heart to solve a crime from the past.

6. The Secret of Bones by Kylie Logan
What happens when a puppy discovers skeleton at a school?

7. The Art of Deception by Leonard Goldberg
A crazy person on the loose, breaking into art galleries and home private home slashing valuable painting of women. But what is the criminal trying to look for?

8. A Royal Affair by Allison Montclair
Gwen and Iris lurk in the Prince's past without causing too much of a trouble to get the information that is required. But what is it and why?

9. The Fate of a Flapper by Susanna Calkins
What happens when Gina is called by the Police after having discovered a body?

All the mentioned mysteries seem intriguing. I definitely would want to pick them up and read since I love thrillers/mysteries.

[Melissa Borsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent samples of the latest cozy mysteries coming out. My favorites were Nothing Bundt Trouble by Ellie Alexander and The Secrets of Bones by Kylie Logan. I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[debbicat *made of stardust* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love several authors featured here and was excited to get a glimpse of some upcoming books. Donna Andrews and Carolyn Haines are favorites. I now wanna be on the lookout for Ellie Alexander and Eve Calder. So. many good choices here. Nothing like a good cozy mystery to curl up with and I don't read them often enough. I tend to lean more towards psychological thrillers but I need some lighter reads in between. Glad to have discovered a few new authors to me here.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital copy to read for the review! Lots of good mysteries to watch out for in this one.

[DaShannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this Cozy Mystery Sampler from #NetGalley. It is difficult to actually review since it is a sampler and each author gives just a few short chapters to see if the reader might be interested. But this is an excellent way to find cozy series old and new.
Carolyn Haines includes a new Sarah Booth mystery, The Devil's Bones. I read Bone Appetit years ago and I like the characters and premise. Sarah is a private investigator in the south. In this installment her friends convince her to travel to Mississippi to a miniature Holy Land for Easter weekend and to celebrate her friend's pregnancy. But everyone knows a private investigator never rests and can always sniff out a murder.
In Eve Calder's Sugar and Vice A Cookie House Mystery, Kate McGuire is expecting more work during the town's annual pirate festival but she doesn't expect her friend and fellow shop owner's dog to dig up a pirate! They must all work together to prove their innocence and find out how he ended up in their backyard. I also like the apparent budding romantic interest early on.
The first in new cozy series, An Island Sisters Mystery, Death by High Tide, Evie's older husband has suddenly died leaving her, well, with not much more than a mystery. Evie's sister Margot is on the job to rescue Evie and help her settle into her new life and dire circumstances. Death by High Tide by Hannah Dennison will be available August 18, 2020.
The Falcon Always Wing Twice by Donna Andrews is a Meg Langslow Mystery and takes place at Meg's grandmother's Renaissance Faire. Unfortunately her whole family gets more involved than expected and Meg's duties expand to include finding a killer.
Ellie Alexander is well known in the cozy community and Nothing Bundt Trouble is her latest in the Bakeshop Mystery Series with Jules and her baking friends and family. When Jules finds her deceased father's journals mentioning her new stepfather and something mysterious she has to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Kylie Logan's The Secrets of Bones is the second in the series featuring cadaver dogs. Jazz is training a new dog and while an old dog is demonstrating his old tricks he unearths an old mystery at St. Catherine's. One no one knew ended in death.
It's a bit unusual to find a male writing a cozy but Leonard Goldberg's Daughter of Sherlock Holmes Mysteries fit the bill. The Art of Deception teams Joanna up with the Watson's to solve another London crime. She uses her inherit skills to see what the authorities do not. Lestraude has come to them for help with what appears to be an art theft. This one was a bit difficult to pick up on in the beginning. Either there was an error in identifying characters or I'm missing something. Ripe with Sherlock clues and talk this is a fun tale.
A Royal Affair is a Sparks and Bainbridge Mystery by Allison Montclair. It is London 1946 and The Right Sort Marriage Bureau girls and ready for a new challenge. This one involves more than marriage. A nice mix of historical fiction and cozy mystery this is a new kind of cozy for me.
The Fate of a Flapper by Susanna Calkins is another mystery set in the past. It is the second of the series set in Chicago. Gina is working double time as a cigarette girl and a crime photographer. When both her jobs are related to the same crime Gina is faced with a murder.
This is a great sampler of a wide variety of new and well known cozy mystery series.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this sampler in exchange for an honest review. Right now, you can get your copy here for free!
https://www.amazon.com/Cozy-Case-File...


This is a sampler of five different books. Egg Drop Dead by Vivien Chien, Dead in the Doorway by Diane Kelly, Hems and Homicide by Elizabeth Penney, The Stolen Letter by Paige Shelton, and Beating About the Bush by M.C. Beaton. This was a nice little teaser for each book.
We begin this little sampler with Egg Drop Dead, this is the fifth in the Noodle Shop Mystery. I have not read the previous four books, but this little teaser peaked my interest to read the others. The cover alone, are you kidding me?? The artwork and small little details really get you excited about what is going to be inside. This book grabs you right in with Lana Lee’s first catering event turning into full-course madness as a domestic worker is found dead. This was the FIRST PARAGRAPH, not the FIRST PAGE, THE FIRST PARAGRAPH! OMG! This little snippet had me dying with characters saying. “… you’re going to die in those shoes within the first hour.” We only get four chapters of this book, but it is definitely enough to peak my interest and I will be looking to read this one!
Next up, we have Dead in the Doorway by Diane Kelly. This is the second book in a House-flipper Mystery. I can definitely see Hallmark picking this one in their repertoire of Mystery movies! This also had an intriguing cover with a cute little car on it. We soon find out that this car, is not just any cat, but a feline partner in crime named Sawdust.
We then have Hems and Homicide by Elizabeth Penney. I liked the cute little play on words like, “ sew ready for a change.” This book also has a cute little cat on the cover. This book has all of my favorite things mixed in-Mystery, Maine, café’s and sewing. I cannot wait to get my hands on a full copy and dissolve into the lovely weather of Maine with the North Eastern culture!
Then, The Stolen Letter by Paige Shelton. This book involves a bookshop-right here, how can you go wrong? I am a bibliophile! I love me books, even just to run my fingers along their spines and nostalgically remember what each book contains and the adventures involved. This main character is married to the pub owner. It is like a match made in heaven! I am excited to read the full version to hear more about the bookshop and the closure or not.
Beating About the Bush by M.C. Beaton Now the cool thing about M.C. Beaton is that some of her books have made it to the big screen, as a TV series. The sad part about this is that she did pass this past January. I am honored to have received a snippet of her latest and possibly her last book. This is an Agatha Raisin MYSTERY. These books have been around for quite some time. This books starts with her coming across a severed leg in a roadside hedge. Are you kidding me? How awesome does that begin on the big screen? I can see it now…. I cannot wait to read the full version and will keep my fingers crossed that this book actually is made into the TV series.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title says it all.  Here are excerpts from upcoming books.  So many good reads to sample here...and,  of course, you can buy the books as they are published. 


Each entry begins with an introduction to the story and is followed by a generous excerpt. For example, first up is Carolyn Haines and her detective, Sara Booth Delaney.  I have read and enjoyed many titles in this series featuring Sara and the group around her which even includes a "haint" named Jitty.


Some of the other ooks I already am familiar with thanks to NetGalley.  I enjoyed Hannah Dennison's book that is set on the Scilly Isles.  On my TBR pile are The Devil's Bones and The Secrets of Bones. Other titles have also captured my interest.  I very much want to read Allison Montclair's new novel after last year's debut of her marriage bureau sleuths. Similarly The Fate of a Flapper intrigues me as I have the first in that series.


If you are a cozy reader or want to try cozies in our current stressful climate, sample a title or two hear to decide if you would enjoy the book. You well may.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review

[Myarn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy Case Files, A Cozy Mystery Sampler, Volume 9 4 stars

A sampler of upcoming cozy mysteries published in the Spring/Summer 2020 by St, Martins Press. My favorite authors Carolyn Haines, Donna Andrews and Leonard Goldberg are in this volume. [I have to say it...I really want to read The Falcon Always Wings Twice ... OMG Meg Langslow and a Ren Faire] I was fortunate to read "The Secret of Bones" by Kylie Logan and enjoyed it. The other authors featured in this sampler had intriguing plots. I look forward to reading new books from favored authors and maybe discovering a new author to enjoy.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press/Minotaur Books for this Sampler.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun compilation, I enjoyed all the previews and will be picking some of them up. I especially enjoyed Nothing Bundt Trouble, The Secretof the Bones, The Art of Deception, and A Royal Affair. I will also definitely choose the next volume of this series. It’s a great way to find some good reads,

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free review copy.

[Cynthia Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great sampler of some upcoming cozy mysteries for the spring and summer reads. I got only a taste of these books and a taste wasn't enough. I want to read more of them! So I will now have to find the full length books when they come out.

[Create With Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy cozy mysteries and are looking for new authors to read or you’re interested in exploring this fun genre and don’t know where to start, then this sampler is for you! This book contains excerpts from the books of nine cozy mystery authors from St. Martin’s Press. I am familiar with one of the authors contained in this sampler as I reviewed her book and enjoyed it very much so getting an extended preview from additional authors from the same publisher is a real gift!

If this sounds of interest to you, don’t hesitate to check it out as this is a free sampler available on Kindle. Who knows? You may just find your next favorite author!

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. My comments reflect my personal experience with this book!

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful sampling of this years Minotaur cozy mystery publications. I always look forward to the publication of the Cozy Case Files Vol. #. I always find a book or more that I want to read. A great way to experience new writers or new to me authors along with seeing what’s new from author’s I read.

Bravo and thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Publishing for the volume 9. I am not required to leave a positive review.

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great way to find a new cozy series. I really enjoyed them. I particularly liked the stories by Ellie Alexander and Sheila Connolly. Look forward to reading some of the books.

[Pamela Priest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great way to discover new to you authors! This includes the first few chapters of each book, so you'll have to buy another book or two or three to finish it/them, but that's okay!

[Annie (is so far behind 😬) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A second cosy mystery sampler, this time with nine different samples. Another enjoyable, free option to 'taste test' a few new authors, or enjoy a new book by a favourite. A few hours' enjoyment over a couple of days of rain and cold weather.

Thank you Netgalley, the authors and publishers for providing this to read and review. All opinions are strictly my own.

[Melinda Anders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of the first few chapters of each author's books. My favorites were by Donna Andrews and Carolyn Haines. This gives you a sample of the authors writing and you can see if you would like to read the rest of the book.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like to sample books before you read then you will enjoy this book. I enjoyed these samples of cozy mysteries.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the chance to read these excerpts. Other readers please note the Cozy Case Files series is available as a free e-book on retail sites so everybody has a chance to sample these mysteries.

THE DEVIL'S BONES by Carolyn Haines is a Sarah Booth Delaney mystery. This series is very Southern and features colorful characters, particularly the ghost Jitty that follows our heroine Sarah Booth around (she's a little much for me but maybe she grows on you if you've read the series from the beginning). This excerpt was interesting in its religious bent, as everyone is excited to see the local tourist attraction in the town they're visiting, a miniature recreation of the Holy Land, and they're attending a sunrise service for Easter.

SUGAR AND VICE by Eve Calder is a Cookie House mystery. The heroine and her friend Maxi are planting a garden when Maxi's dog Oliver finds a skeleton. Is it a pirate captain from the town's past, or is this a more recent event?

DEATH AT HIGH TIDE by Hannah Dennison is the first in the Island Sisters series. The description of the book was really intriguing--the heroine inherits a mysterious old hotel on an island, but things are odd when they arrive and then the town traps them--but unfortunately we don't get quite that far in the excerpt, as Eve and her sister Margot are still just trying to get there when the excerpt cuts off. Most of the excerpt is about Eve's deceased husband's will, and how Roger was less well off than she thought, and meanwhile Margot is some bigshot Hollywood producer that is very pushy and impatient and over the top.

THE FALCON ALWAYS WINGS TWICE by Donna Andrews is part of the Meg Langslow series. This one is set in a Renaissance Faire where everything is enthusiastically participating in a complicated roleplay with political intrigue and love affairs and whatnot, though one of the actors is annoying hammy and sleazy to boot. I'm guessing he will meet an untimely end and we'll have a plethora of suspects.

NOTHING BUNDT TROUBLE by Ellie Alexander is a Bakeshop mystery, and certainly succeeded in making me hungry with its elaborate descriptions of everything from wedding cakes to the new deep-dish pizzas going on the lunch menu. I'm also intrigued by the mystery that the heroine unearths when she finds her deceased father's diary, describing a mysterious local case that he might have gotten too far into.

THE SECRETS OF BONES by Kylie Logan is the second in the Jazz Ramsey series. This cover doesn't look like your average cozy, as it's photorealistic and foggy rather than the classic cartoon covers with little skull icons woven into an everyday scene. I wonder how well it fits into the subgenre of cozy rather than the broader mysteries. But the excerpt is interesting, with the professional cadaver dogs, and the trope of this nice Catholic girl's school having all these murders all the time certainly fits into the cozy genre! (Think of how Cabot Cove is the most dangerous place in the US.)

THE ART OF DECEPTION by Leonard Goldberg is part of a series about the daughter of Sherlock Holmes. It seems like Sherlock Holmes is gone, but his daughter Joanna has married Watson's son, and Joanna exhibits the same deductive skill as her father. We get some classic Holmesian demonstrations in this excerpt and learn about a mysterious vandalism of paintings that may have ties to a long-ago case.

A ROYAL AFFAIR by Allison Montclair is a Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery. The eponymous women run a matchmaking agency in postwar Britain, and apparently have done some "background check"-type investigations as part of their work before. Now someone with connections to the Crown is coming and asking them to, with extreme discretion, investigate the Greek royal who is courting Princess Alice but also potentially blackmailing her.

THE FATE OF A FLAPPER by Susanna Calkins is the second in a series about a 1920s Chicago speakeasy. It's the height of Prohibition, so there's lots of work to avoid the Feds, and there's all kinds of sketchy clientele. This excerpt is mostly worldbuilding, and not much happens.

Overall, I enjoyed the variety in setting (including 3 historicals) and tone, from Renaissance Faire hijinks to cadaver dogs. Out of these I may check out NOTHING BUNDT TROUBLE and THE SECRETS OF BONES. I was interested in the description of DEATH AT HIGH TIDE but with the series being called Island Sisters, plural, I expect the irritating Margot will continue playing too large a role for my taste.

[Sarah]

This was a great preview into these cozy mysteries that are coming soon from 9 authors.

I was really interested in the story by Donna Andrews: The Falcon Always Wings Twice. I've missed Meg and her family, and was looking forward to this sneak peek of her adventures. What I wasn't expecting was to be so interested in all the other books which I've now added to my TBR list! I wish I had known a sampler like this existed sooner as it's a great way to add exciting new mysteries to my bookshelf. I look forward to reading the full novels once they are all in print.

[PeggySue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for Cozy Case Files, A Cozy Mystery Sampler, Volume 9.
I always love these short samples of books soon to come out. I get to enjoy a taste of new books by old favorite authors while also finding new authors to enjoy. There are always several to choose from. From this edition I was happy to find a new book, The Falcon Always Wings Twice by Donna Andrews, a longtime favorite author of mine. I also discovered Nothing Bundt Trouble from a new series to me by Ellie Alexander.
Already looking forward to volume 10.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sampler in my favorite genre, cozy mysteries. Several of my favorite authors, are included in this sampler, but also authors I have never read before. I strongly recommend this book to see which books you want to read in full.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Lysette H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Cozy Mystery Sampler is the perfect way for people to discover their next favorite cozy read. Samples include sleuths from across the country (and across the pond) in a variety of time periods and backgrounds which practically guarantees a reader will find a new series (or several since many of the authors actually have more than one series). Check this out, you won't regret it.

[oohlalabooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so cool, samplers from nine authors! Some I’m familiar with already and a few I’m not. The choices are fun and entertaining. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an ebook copy. This is my honest review.

[Leanetta Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read. I love these they have all snippets of the romance novels available on NetGalley. Some of them are amazing. It’s a must have especially on a Sunday or a whichever is your relaxing day to read. I really enjoy these. They never go out of style.

[Lora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freebie

This series is one of my favorite freebies. I enjoy reading the sneak peeks of their latest books. Already ordered Cozy Case Files 10.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book because it introduced me to new cozy series that I am interested in reading.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Netgalley and the author's for gifting me the ebook. Cute cost easy read short stories. Recommend for a lounging day at the beach etc.