Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this fun cozy! A  Basket Case (Maddie Sparks Mystery Series) by Lesley A Diehl About A Basket Case       A Basket Case (Maddie Sparks Mystery Series)   Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series   Setting - Upstate New York   Publisher ‏ : ‎ Camel Press (November 12, 2024) Paperback ‏ : ‎ 250 pages   ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1684922208 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1684922208 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D4MWFWSP   Maddie Sparks believes she has found the perfect balance in her life--Zack, the man she loves, a book she loves writing and volunteer work at a local museum with a granddaughter she adores. An old flame from Zack's past arrives and drives a wedge into Maddie and Zack's romance, her writing stalls and someone murders the museum's director just as the museum is about to return a collection of Native American artifacts to the Onondaga and Oneida nations. Standing over the dead body o...

Thanks to the author and Great Escapes virtual tours for the chance to read and review this cozy mystery. Gone Crazy (Rory Naysmith Mysteries) by Terry Korth Fischer 5-STARS With its sensitive depiction of Native Americans and solid, rich characters, Gone Crazy thoroughly entertained me. ~Novels Alive About Gone Crazy Gone Crazy (Rory Naysmith Mysteries) Mystery 3rd in Series Setting – Nebraska Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Wild Rose Press, Inc. (July 22, 2024) Paperback ‏ : ‎ 284 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1509255974 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1509255979 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D47XQ8WZ A formal declaration of love scares the bejesus out of small-town Detective Rory Naysmith. As Valentine’s Day approaches, he evaluates his relationship with bookkeeper Esther Mullins, and decides to take her on a romantic date that ends with a poet’s murder. Assigned to the case, Rory pushes his private life aside. Things gets tricky after Esther is appointed Executrix for the estate—then rumors start that...

I don't know whether to review this as juvy or YA. I put it more toward YA both due to age of the characters (15) and subject matter (murder, in a cozy-mystery way).   Participating this week in the fantastic Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays blog hop hosted by Greg Pattrige of Always in the Middle . Check out his blog for a list of additional middle grade reviews. I've been discovering some great reads there. Title: Top Marks for Murder   Author : Robin Stevens Publication info : Kindle edition, Simon & Schuster, 2023, 260 pages. Originally published 2019 by Puffin. Publisher's Blurb: Daisy and Hazel are finally back at Deepdean, and the school is preparing for a most exciting event: the fiftieth Anniversary. Plans for a weekend of celebrations are in full swing. But all is not well, for in the detectives' long absence, Deepdean has changed. Daisy has lost her crown to a fascinating new girl - and many of the Detective Society's old allies are now their swor...

 Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Tours for a chance to read this mystery.     In the Event of Murder (A Starlit Bookshop Mystery) Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series Setting – Colorado Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (August 20, 2024) Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639100709 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639100705 Digital https://amzn.to/3xRh1X8 It’s the star-studded event of the season in Silvercrest, Colorado—but some of the guests might not make it to the last dance alive in the second charming installment of the Starlit Bookshop mysteries from Agatha Award-winning author Cynthia Kuhn. Nestled on the banks of a breathtaking Rocky Mountain river and dotted with delightful boutiques and galleries, Silvercrest, Colorado, is a book lover’s paradise. Bookseller and literary event planner Emma Starrs is looking forward to attending the annual Silvercrest Library Gala, a glamorous evening with celebrities including the legendary Whitney Willton, currently on the...

 I'm delighted to review another installment in the ever-enjoyable Shady Grove mysteries.     Title: A Run for the Mystic: Shaky Grove Mysteries Book 8 Author : Ada Bell Publication info : Empress Books, 2024. 212 pages. Publisher's Blurb: Aly's racing to find a killer... When Aly’s boyfriend Cal gets her spur-of-the-moment tickets to watch his cousin ride at the local track, it’s off to the races! She’s forced to rein in the excitement after one of the jockeys is murdered. Once the dust settles, the local police turn their attention to Cal’s cousin, and Aly gets saddled with the task of finding the real killer. Cal doesn’t believe his favorite relative would hurt anyone, but Jacob entered the race under suspicious circumstances. Cal begs Aly to use her physic powers to clear Jacob’s name. Unfortunately, one obstacle after another slows her down: Heightened security at the track makes it difficult to get close enough to the evidence to induce a vision. No one w...

When I reviewed The Scry's the Limit by this author (#2 in the series), I said I'd be doubling back to start the series at the beginning. So here's #1! In the interests of full disclosure, I am in an author's group with Ada Bell and we have beta-read for each other. That doesn't change my opinion of the book. Title: Mystic Pieces: A Shady Grove Mystery Author: Ada Bell Publication Info: 2021, Empress Books. 256 pages. Source: I bought the book Publisher's Blurb: Future scientists don't have visions. Aly's got enough on her plate, with finishing her degree and taking care of her nephew and starting her new job at the antique store while drooling over the owner's gorgeous son. No visions. Alas, the universe doesn't care what Aly believes. When she turns 21, she starts to feel psychic impressions left on objects. A disorienting power for someone surrounded by antiques. Then cranky customer Earl is killed, and Aly's new boss Olive is t...

Having beta-read a later book in this series and enjoyed it very much, I was delighted to get a review copy of The Scry's the Limit and learn more of Aly's story.   Title: The Scry's the Limit. Shady Grove mysteries #2. Author: Ada Bell Publication info: Empress Books, 2021. Read on Apple Books, 133 pages. Source: Review copy gifted by author Publisher's Blurb: Now that she’s accepted her psychic gifts, Aly’s determined to solve the mystery of what happened to her sister-in-law.  Unfortunately, between work, starting classes, and her brother’s unwillingness to seek answers, Aly’s having more trouble getting answers than she expected. Just when she thinks Kevin may be warming up to the idea of helping her, they find Aly’s academic advisor and favorite professor dead. Professor Zimm was one of the school’s most beloved teachers. Who would want to kill her? The professor who could make tenure in her absence? The privileged student who hates having to retake the ...

This is a big post, so fasten your seat belts!  First: This is IWSG day, so I have a short post to report out on NaNoWriMo.       Why? The IWSG is here to share and encourage, to offer a place for authors to admit their insecurities and offer help and support to each other. How? The official IWSG posting day is the first Wednesday of every month. Hop around the list and see who has worries, triumphs, and news to share.  Every month we have an optional question to spark discussion.  Our motto:  Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. The awesome co-hosts for the December 6 posting of the IWSG are C. Lee McKenzie, JQ Rose, Jennifer Lane, and Jacqui Murray! Every month, we announce an optional question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. December 6 question: Book reviews are for the readers. W...

This is book #7 in the "Murder Most Unladylike" mystery series, and while the series at least began as children's books, they are murder mysteries, and our main characters are growing up. I'm happy to see that they seem to have stopped renaming--and maybe "translating"?--the books for US audiences. Title: Death in the Spotlight Author: Robin Stevens Publication Info: 2018, Puffin Books. 400 pages Source: Library Publisher's Blurb: 'The whole theatre seemed on edge. There was a feverish atmosphere seeping into every corner of the Rue, as though the whole cast was sickening. Daisy and I both knew that something was brewing.' Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are off to the beautiful Rue Theatre in London, where they will face an entirely new challenge: acting. But behind the theatre's glittering facade, the girls soon realise that there is trouble at the Rue. Jealousy, threats and horrible pranks quickly spiral out of control - and then one of...