Newly & Upcoming Black Women Writers Mysteries Summer Releases (A Reminder of Sorts!)

 

Shelf Detox Giveaway: Cozy Mysteries 'n' THINGS

 

CHOP IT UP: The Maid by Nita Prose

 

#MarchMysteryMadness Pre-Pre-Pre TBR & Currently Reading

 

Somebody said: “Birthday, Coupons, and Credit Card Reward Points.”

And I said: “Buy them STORES OUT!”

Recent acquisitions to slightly satiate my appreciation for reading (and buying books). I've been in a particular cozy kick lately. Or, in fact, desire to get back into reading cozies. It seems I haven't read a few in a hot minute. Heck, I didn't even pick up the Mrs. Jeffries series by Emily Brightwell last year. And, double heck, I didn't read cozies through December. I'm feeling those pangs. Additionally, having finished reading The Wheel of Time in November, I spent about a month and a half recovering from that experience. Now, I craze some more high fantasy goodness. Luckily, Tanya Huff and Mercedes Lackey have been somewhat handling that deal. Nonetheless, these are the books I spent the weekend doing what I love best (digging underneath stacks) acquiring…

1.  Black No More by George S. Schuyler

2. The Complete Smoke Trilogy by Tanya Huff

3. Pride, Prejudice, and Peril by Katie Oliver (kind of curious, but scared of this one)

4. Mrs. Morris and the Ghost of Christmas Past by Traci Wilton (finally decided to give this series another try)

5.  Body and Soul Food by Abby Collette (this lady just KEEPS series going)

6.  The Chuckling Fingers by Mabel Seeley (the 1941 publication date and woman in a trench coat took command)

7. Dead in the Scrub by B.J. Oliphant (an elderly woman rancher solving mysteries sounds like my tea)

8. The Princeton Murders by Ann Waldron

9. He Died with His Eyes Open by Derek Raymond (the title alone provides the kick to this British 1980s PI adventure)

Now… the heavy part is finding time to read them. Oh, well!

CHOP IT UP: All That is Secret by Patricia Raybon

 

CHOP IT UP: Dead Dead Girls by Nekesha Afia (A Harlem Renaissance Mystery)

 

Last Month of the Year Cozy Mystery WRAP-UP BOOKS 4-6

TWO Up-Coming 2021 Black Mystery Releases...

Naturally, I have these books sprinkled all over my virtual book-buying carts in anticipation.  But just as a friendly reminder, here's what we all have to look forward to (all links are Amazon/author's website affiliate)...

Runner (A Chicago Mystery #4) by Tracy Clark

Release Date: June 29, 2021

"Chicago in the dead of winter can be brutal, especially when you're scouring the frigid streets for a missing girl.  Fifteen-year-old Ramona Titus has run away from her foster home.  Her biological mother, Leesa Evans, is a recovering addict who admits she failed Ramona often in the past.  But now she's clean.  And she's determined to make up for her mistakes–if Cass can only help her find her daughter.  

Yet, it seems Ramona doesn't want to be found.  Ramona is holding secrets dark enough to kill for, and anyone who helps her may be fair game. And if Ramona can't run fast enough and hide well enough to keep the truth safe, she and Cass may both be out of time."

I am so, so glad Tracy Clark and her P.I. Cass Raines [see labels] is back.  Four years.  Four books.  And a thousand or so more to go will do me just right.  The only hard part is the wait!  But, as always, I remind myself not to rush life.  Cheers for another Cass book to start the summer off with.

~.~

Murder by Page One: A Peach Coast Library Mystery from Hallmark Publishing by Olivia Matthews

Release Date: March 23, 2021

"Marvey, a librarian, has moved from Brooklyn to a quirky small town in Georgia. When she’s not at the library organizing events for readers, she’s handcrafting book-themed jewelry and looking after her cranky cat. At times, her new life in the South still feels strange...and that’s before the discovery of the dead body in the bookstore.

After one of her friends becomes a suspect, Marvey sets out to solve the murder mystery. She even convinces Spence, the wealthy and charming newspaper owner, to help. With his ties to the community, her talents for research, and her fellow librarians’ knowledge, Marvey pursues the truth. But as she gets closer to it, could she be facing a deadly plot twist?"

So as you can see, this isn't the official cover art for the book.  But you can bettttttttt I look for an update daily!  Because I can't wait to see what it looks like.  Anyway, while I most certainly will miss Olivia Matthew's Sister Lou [see labels] mystery series, I am thoroughly excited that she has a new release coming up.  Can I guarantee you carrots and sticks that this Murder by Page One is going to be good!  Trust me, it will!

Hope you got these in your carts/wishlist/paper lists–WHEREVER.  See you all soon for the next round!

Bring in the Monica Ferris Needlecraft Series!

Man, was that fast!  So, yeah.  That book I was looking forward to diving into from Monica Ferris's Needlecraft cozy mystery series is here...

#FridayReads ~ A Stitch in Time by Monica Ferris (Needlecraft Mystery #3)

 

Last Month of the Year Cozy Mystery WRAP-UP BOOKS 1-3 ~ Kind of you'll see...!

 

Last Month of the Year Cozy TBR 2020

I'm having one of those things called a READING SLUMP.  At least I think I am.  See the thing is I really don't have a reason to believe so. I've done enough reading (if there's a such thing).  ONE: I knocked down three non-fiction books last month.  TWO: I read two of Robert Jordan's massive The Wheel of Time books back-to-back (if you don't know the patience that takes... then chileeeee...).  THREE: Your boy got a Playstation 5 and would willingly like to take part in enjoying its usage after a successful 66 books reading year.  So, yeah.  Why try to make myself read anything if I don't quite "feel" like it?  Sure, lately I've been forcibly flip-flopping between several books, while slaying demon's on the PS5.  So maybe I should just chill out on the reading, right?  I'm good to go on that. Am I?

Yet, my day/hours/minutes/LIFE isn't complete without a book on deck!  I can be between books for a day or two before I'm upset!  And flipping-flopping to find something to match my mood ain't cutting it.  I did the non-fiction thing.  I did the epic fantasy thing.  I dabbled into the sci-fi thing.  What wasn't clicking with my mood? Meanwhile, the weather is getting icy.  The nights are long.  The heater is running. And I got my daily black tea coming. Then I realized I forgot about my cozies!  That has to be the issue.  It's that time of the year and I haven't pulled out my cozy mystery titles.  That, my friend, is my current issue. At least I'm certain.

And since I've been reading strictly (well mostly so) from my shelves, I've decided to once again put myself a Last Month of the Year Cozy Mystery TBR.

So here's what I've got...!

Wish my tail luck!

Black Cozy Mystery ~ A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette (aka Abby L Vandiver)

Not much to say here, other than I finally picked up the first book in Abby Collette's (aka Abby L Vandiver) ice cream-themed black cozy mystery series, A Deadly Inside Scoop (released in May 2020).  I have the first book in her Romaine Wilder Mystery series I still have to get to.  If only I could get my cozy-centric act together these days.  Though, I can say with certainty, I am reading on the regular–if anything.  These days I'm mostly tackling unread titles that have been hanging around my shelves for a little too long.  This purchase was a product of knocking out at least five unreads during that pursuit.  Anyway, as we push closer and closer to winter (cold days/long nights), I gravitate closer to putting on a pot of chili for some cozy mystery reading.  Here's to getting my act together, and for the same for everyone out there who is hanging in there this year.

In the meantime... the blurb of A Deadly Inside Scoop from Amazon...

"Recent MBA grad Bronwyn Crewse has just taken over her family's ice cream shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and she's going back to basics. Win is renovating Crewse Creamery to restore its former glory, and filling the menu with delicious, homemade ice cream flavors—many from her grandmother’s original recipes. But unexpected construction delays mean she misses the summer season, and the shop has a literal cold opening: the day she opens her doors an early first snow descends on the village and keeps the customers away.

To make matters worse, that evening, Win finds a body in the snow, and it turns out the dead man was a grifter with an old feud with the Crewse family. Soon, Win’s father is implicated in his death. It's not easy to juggle a new-to-her business while solving a crime, but Win is determined to do it. With the help of her quirky best friends and her tight-knit family, she'll catch the ice cold killer before she has a meltdown..."

Black Cozy Author Esme Addison's Interview with Author Ellie Alexander

 

We Got Some NEW Black Mysteries Up in HERE!

Ahhhh, some black writers writing mysteries.  Should I scream once again on how excited one is?  I mean, I have been doing so up and down these blogging streets for over seven years now.  Ain’t a thing gon’ change either?  Anyway, here’s what I got.  Two released in 2020 (one as recently as last week), and a newfound series came falling into my lap.  For more info click the links below (they are Amazon affiliate).

Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby

Secrets, Lies, & Crawfish Pies by Abby L. Vandiver

The Missing American by Kwei Quartey

New Valerie Wilson Wesley Book & Series on the WAY!

"Odessa Jones doesn't trust her second sight. The extrasensory "gift" that her Aunt Phoenix claims will always protect her let Dessa down in a major way when she was blindsided by the death of her husband. Now, with her failing catering business looming over her, not to mention the possible loss of her home and continuing grieving, Dessa's last chance to keep her life together is a job at a real estate agency with a shady past.

With volatile boss Charlie Risko and a ramshackle operation, it's far from a dream job, but working at Risko Realty veers more into nightmare territory when Charlie is found murdered. Dessa knows she had a "glimmer"--or premonition--of death the day before, and is troubled to think she could have predicted Charlie's death. Her second sight kicks in again when a coworker is arrested for Charlie's murder - and Dessa knows for certain that he's innocent. This time, Dessa doesn't want to ignore her gift. She teams up with friend, former detective, and current barbeque cook Lennox Royal to help her track down the killer - but will her glimmers help save her before the killer strikes again?"

Get READYYYYYYY!  Release January 26, 2021 (as of now, I guess)

Pre-order A Glimmer of Death on Amazon Kindle

Pre-order A Glimmer of Death on Amazon in Paperback