Book Review: The Chocolatier’s Curse

Book Review: The Chocolatier’s Curse

TG Wolff

The Chocolatier’s Curse by Christopher Seto is a PI mystery.

Criminology grad student Theo Chan needs a summer job. He answers a posting from the offices of Primrose Ghaust-Lee and Philip Teebin, he gets more than he could imagine when the private investigators accept a job to investigate the strange happenings at Clumindell Chocolate and Confectionery Company. Years ago, a maintenance worker died—whether it was an accident or suicide is still debated. Since her death, the Clumindell’s mascot clown has been sighted on the campus, which are then followed by injuries to an employee. Now Theo is helping Primrose and Teebin unmask a clown who may also be a killer.

Bottom line: The Chocolatier’s Curse is for you if you like murder mysteries with imaginative, fantastical characters and setting.

The story of The Chocolatier’s Curse is the imaginative premise. A little bit Willy Wonka, a sprinkling of Psych and you have the investigation of Clumindell Chocolate and Confectionery Company. The story is told by Theo Chan, hired to act as an assistant to the elderly detectives. He is the straight man who always feels one step behind his eccentric employers and is figuring out the mystery along with us. Primrose Ghaust-Lee has advanced macular degeneration. While her mind is sharp, her sight is poor. Philip Teebin is a ball of chaotic energy who excels at endearing himself to the people he wants information from. This is a highly intelligent and entertaining detective trio.

The case is initiated by Gillian Clumindell, who is dying from a heart condition. Before he heads to the big candy shop in the sky, he wants an answer to the “haunting” of his chocolate company by their clown mascot and the consequent injuries to employees. Ian Clumindell is Gillian’s grumpy older brother and business partner who does not want anything investigated. Each employee of the chocolate company and person in the town of Blue Frog, PA are quirky and individual.

Theo is our narrator, and he is reliable; we do know everything he knows. There are times when Primrose or Phillip do not share knowledge with Theo, which makes this a follow-along mystery for us readers (and for Theo too.) The logic of the overall story holds up after all the threads are unraveled. For a light-hearted and, at times, playful mystery, it is not simple.

This is Christopher Seto’s debut novel. It is an excellent first book with well developed characters, well timed humor, well-constructed mystery, and plenty to smile about. This is the first case for the offices Ghaust-Lee and Teebin. Their second case, The Vanishing Stone, comes to TBR piles on April 8.

Book Review: Zigzag Girl

TG Wolff

Zigzag Girl is mystery suspense.

It’s opening night for Magician Lucy Moon and her partners Van and Stormie, who are as close as sisters. Amid the bright lights and sparkle of illusion, murder lurks. Performing the sawing a woman illusion, Lucy lifts the lid to enter, when she finds the space is already taken. Her best friend, a black rose, a prop that has killed before—no, Lucy is not going to leave this one to the cops.

Bottom line: Zigzag Girl is for you if you like your illusions, suspense, mystery twisted together with a sprinkling of Irish magic.

Listen to the first chapter and full review on Mysteries to Die For Toe Tag

The strength of Zigzag Girl is the storytelling. From the first pages, Lucy Moon captures us with the depth of her personality, skills, and charm. She leads us through the active investigation into the death of her best friend and fellow magician and through a 1940s cold case that was closed with the wrong man being blamed. The interwoven elements of illusion, Irish magic, mystery, and suspense make this genre crosser nearly impossible to put down.

Usually, I would give more of a synopsis here, but back-of-the-book summary is intentionally scant. I see why. This is a book best experienced for yourself.

Zigzag girl will most appeal to readers who enjoy crossing genres. It is not pure mystery although there are mystery elements. It is not pure suspense, although it is suspenseful. It is not pure thriller, although the set up is thrilling.

My only criticism is a reflection on me as a reader. The story does go back and forth in time, which always is challenging for me to put events in order they happened. There were parts where I had to put my faith in Setton that the characters and actions were knitted together.

Zigzag Girl was highly entertaining and the pages flew by. The book releases March 3rd and absolutely belongs on pre-order and TBR stacks.

The Zigzag Girl was released from Black Spring Crim and is promoted by Partners In Crime Tours and is available from AMAZON LINK and other book retailers.

About Ruth Knafo Setton

Born in Morocco and raised in the Lehigh Valley, Ruth Knafo Setton is the author of the novel, The Road to Fez (Counterpoint Press). Her honors include awards and fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts, PEN, CineStory, Nimrod, Cutthroat, Writer’s Digest, and residencies at Hedgebrook, Yaddo, MacDowell, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She is a multi-genre author whose fiction, creative nonfiction, screenplays, and poetry have won many awards and appeared in journals and anthologies. A former Fiction Editor of Arts & Letters, she has taught Creative Writing and Multicultural Literature at Lehigh University and on Semester at Sea.

RuthSetton.com

Book Review: Bait the Devil

Book Review: Bait the Devil

TG Wolff

Bait the Devilis a PI Thriller.

Dot Ybarra and T.J. Roman earned their reputations for playing hard on the battlefield. Their special skills translated well to bounty hunting and private investigating. Those skills will be needed as a simple favor to investigate a fellow veteran who no-showed a court date turns into a wasp’s nest of violent human traffickers. The only way to solve this problem is to bait the devil out of hell.

Bottom line: Bait the Devil is for you if you like fast-paced, physical thrills with a gripping plot that pulls you in and keeps you.

The strength of the story is found in the lead character, Dot Ybarra. She is a physically fit, mentally strong lead who does things her own way. She takes command of this story and drives it to its end. I liked and respected Dot in the hero role.

The supporting cast are good compliments to Dot. T.J. Roman is her equally and could carry a book himself. Yet having two strong characters are partners doesn’t cause a problem—they chose to go the same way. Dot’s lawyer cousin and her ranching family provide the stability and resources Dot needs to get the job done.

The plot was well developed. It’s not giving away spoilers to say the bad guys are human traffickers (it says it on the back cover), because it’s impossible to guess how Dot and T.J. get from a missing veteran to human behavior at its worse. You keep turning the pages, cheering the pair on.

The logic of this one holds up well. For Dot and T.J., it’s a linear story, discovering and then following the trail of breadcrumbs. The bad guys logic holds too. And when their paths cross, worlds truly collide.

Bait the Devil will be a favorite for lovers of hard-core thrillers and gun toting PI detectives. This is the 2nd book in the Bounty of Shadows series—I did not read the first. From what I surmise, Book 1 was an origin story for the partners. References were explained well enough that I felt in the know. Starting with Book 1: RIDE A DARK TRAIL, is a nice-to-have, in my opinion, but not a requirement. You can jump in right here.

MEET Winter Austin

A lifelong Mid-West gal with strong ties to the agriculture world, Winter grew up listening to the captivating stories told by relatives around a table or a campfire. As a published author, she learned her glass half-empty personality makes for a perfect suspense/thriller writer. Taking her ability to verbally spin a vivid and detailed story, Winter translated that into writing deadly romantic suspense, mysteries, and thrillers.

When she’s not slaving away at the computer, you can find Winter supporting her daughter in cattle shows, seeing her three sons off into the wide-wide world, loving on her fur babies, prodding her teacher husband, and nagging at her flock of hens to stay in the coop or the dogs will get them.

AuthorWinterAustin.com

On the Prowl: Cryptogram Solution

TG Wolff

This is a keyword cypher so let’s start with the key word. It was to be found in this quote from the fabulous Mae West:

“I was Snow While, but then I drifted.”

The keyword was Snow White, with the second W removed, so snowhite.

Next, the cipher is created by writing the key word, and then the remaining letters of the alphabet in order. Those are written over the normal alphabet

snowhiteabcdfgjklmpqruvxyz
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Now you can decode the text:

Gj nmhsqe ji vagw,

Gj tdhsf ji prg –

Pqadd qeh veaqh pgjv

Pvamdp pjiqdy wjvg –

Qvat sgw njrte

Sgw nds sgw qejmg

Sdd ag sg aoy

Lrahq, ijmdjmg.

Becomes:

No breath of wind,
No gleam of sun –
Still the white snow
Swirls softly down –
Twig and bough
And blade and thorn
All in an icy
Quiet, forlorn.

This is the start of the poem “Snow” by Walter De La Mare

     No breath of wind,
     No gleam of sun –
     Still the white snow
     Swirls softly down –
     Twig and bough
     And blade and thorn
     All in an icy
     Quiet, forlorn.
     Whispering, nestling,
     Through the air,
     On sill and stone,
     Roof – everywhere,
     It heaps its powdery
     Crystal flakes,
     Of every tree
     A mountain makes:
     Till pale and faint
     At shut of day,
     Stoops from the West
     One wintry ray.
     Then, feathered in fire,
     Where ghosts the moon,
     A robin shrills
     His lonely tune;
     And from her dark-gnarled
     Yew-tree lair
     Flits she who had been
     In hiding there.

For a lesson in Key Word Cyphers, check out this link to a Cornell lecture: https://pi.math.cornell.edu/Lecture4/KeyWordCipher

The poem was sourced from: https://www.public-domain-poetry.com/ The ads are annoying, but the site it otherwise great.

Meet the short story writer and poet Walter de la Mare on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_de_la_Mare

And get to know the woman I admire as among the wittest who ever graced the planet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_West

27th Letter of the Alphabet

TG Wolff

My wandering mind recently wondered…how many words were in the English language. The answer, like so many, is … it depends. If you count every technical and archaic word, the number is around 600,000 according to co-pilot. The number in use is more like 200,000-300,000 with individuals using about 10% of that. (I’m pretty sure I don’t know 20,000 words, but we’ll go with it). So then I asked, “Hey AI, using 200,000 as the number of commonly used words in modern English, how many words could be added if a 27-letter alphabet was used?”



Now, I’m not buying either answer literally. BUT, adding a 27th letter opens up mind blowing possibilities. Maybe it can solve problems like having too many to’s. It makes you think.

Book Review: The Case of the Body on the Orient Express

Book Review: The Case of the Body on the Orient Express

TG Wolff

The Case of the Body on the Orient Express is an amateur detective mystery.

Paris 1928. Eliza Baker, the secretary to the secretary of the Detection Club, finds herself on the fabulous Orient Express en route to Istabul and a writer’s conference. With her is her boss, Dorothy L. Sayers, and fellow Detection Club founding member Agatha Christie. Fellow passengers include acquaintances of Dorothy’s, one of whom dies in the elegant dining car. Reunited with Theo Sharp, Eliza investigates the case that threatens to embroil her employer in accusations, scandal, and charges of murder.

Bottom line: The Case of the Body on the Orient Express is for you if you like the style of the golden-age of mysteries with your favorite authors as featured characters.

One of the many strengths of THE CASE OF THE BODY ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS is the way in which Oliver crafts full, multi-dimensional characters of Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie. History often simplifies the complexity of real personalities, boiling people down to one or two trait—he was gruff, she was talkative. Oliver did not take short cuts, going far beyond simple paper cut-outs to delight us with warm, intelligent, and flawed characters. From heartache to shame, from amusement to joy, Christie’s and Sayers’ far from perfect lives make them eminently relatable.

In the Author’s Note, Oliver gives us a peak into her research at the Wade Center at Wheaton College where Dorothy L. Sayer’s archives are held. Beyond the obvious effort Oliver put into her research, her real achievement is how she was able to digest the information and, like silk, weave it into a fabric that is strong and yet delicate.

While I obviously do love the characters of Sayer and Christie, Eliza is the star of this show. At 29, she is unfashionably single and under employed. She has extra ordinary skills from her work during the war and a brief stint with Scotland Yard. She is smart and courageous, which are sometimes at odds as she will charge into situations less than fully prepared. Eliza is a fun detective to watch—while you may not know what she’ll do next, you can be sure it will not be what’s expected of her.

Theo Sharp is the son of an earl, trying to decide what his life will be. In this book, he and his friend Eric Blair, who will become the famed writer George Orwell, are working odd jobs through France, experiencing the life of the working poor, when they take positions are stewards on the Orient Express. Theo, already besotted with Eliza, becomes her side kick and confident. With his position, he gives Eliza easier access to the various cars and cabins than she would otherwise have. There is an attraction between the two that has the otherwise sharp and capable characters fumbling in the dark without a clue.

The portrayal of travel on the train is worth the read alone. The description of the décor and the dress are a step back in time. I found the peaks into the working sections of the train, such as the kitchen and dining cars, particularly interesting for their novelty.

Without giving spoilers, the logic of the mysteries … was complicated. Some elements were fully resolved and stood the test of “looking for the back.” Other elements were not fully contained within the book, hopefully setting up for a satisfying Book 3, but leaving me wanting a bit more.

This is the second book in the Detection Club Mystery. While the mystery itself is independent, in my opinion, it is best to start with Book 1 “The Case of the Christie Conspiracy” for Eliza and the Detection Club’s origin.

WMW: Seasonally Toxic Fish

TG Wolff

You know how you’ll be somewhere listening and your wandering mind wanders until everything sounds like blah blah blah—then something sneaks in that rips your attention from wander to wonder?

That was me, on a tour in the beautiful setting of Roatan Island, Honduras. The sights out the windows distracted me until I was only half listing to our guide. “Biggest industries blah blah blah fishing blah blah blah seasonally toxic fish—”

My wandering mind wondered … exactly how does this work …

As many fishermen, fish connoisseurs, and people who live in affect areas know (but this land-based city girl did not) seasonal toxicity has nothing to do with fish conspiracies and flip calendars. Many species of fish are poisonous only during certain times of year. These times may coincide with our calendars but reflect temporary changes affecting the production or accumulation of toxins within the fish.

Why do good fish go toxic? Consumption of toxic algal blooms. Increases in water temperature. Reproductive cycles (talk about PMSing). Geographic location influences.

My wandering mind went down a fascinating and terrifying rabbit hole. Not-so-fun facts from Your Fish Guide.com…

  • The toxin in Puffer Fish, tetrodotoxin, is a neurotoxin 1,200x more potent than cyanide
  • Ciguatera poisoning from reef fish affects an estimated 50,000 people annually
  • Stone Fish are the most venomous with a deadly neurotoxin in the spines

Nature once again rates as TOTALLY FASCINATING. I just may have found the weapon to use in my short story for Mysteries to Die For. Was it murder … or just bad timing …mwahhhh.  

To learn more about normally and seasonally toxic fish, check out the two resources that preoccupied me for a good hour: Your Fish Guide.com and the Food Safety Institute

#WanderingMindsWonder

*AI was used in the creation of this image.

Book Review: The Rodeo Cowboy’s Redemption

TG Wolff

The Rodeo Cowboy’s Redemption is a sweet romance. Rhett Foster has been a rodeo cowboy most of his life. His recent retirement, prompted by needing to care of his recovering father, isn’t a comfortable glove to wear. Especially when he is pining for the untouchable—his best friend’s sister. Nora Miles wants something more out of life than a career on her family’s ranch. Now that a certain cowboy’s come back to town, she can get out of it fast enough. Because the more she’s around him, the more tempted she is to give him another chance … and her heart just might not survive that.

Bottom line: The Rodeo Cowboy’s Redemption is for you if you like sweet romances with heroes you can cheer for.

This is the third story in Jacobs’ Miles of Montana series. Nora Miles, the middle child, has watched her older and younger brothers pair off but has no illusions Fate will be as kind to her. She hadn’t always thought so. Just last year, her life long friendship with Rhett Foster sparked—which he squelched by ghosting her. Focusing now on her career, she wants to move to Boseman and get back into the design work that was were passion in college. All she has to do is win a magazine contest for her lodge renovation project. How hard could that be?

Jacobs excels at creating warm, welcoming spaces and inviting the reader in. In this series, it’s the Flying J ranch in Marietta, Montana and four generations of Miles’s. Grandparents Eli and Sunnike, parents Teddy and Daisy, children Sam, Nora, and Jaxon, and grandchild Madison are the perfectly nosy, messy, and loving family we all want to be a part of.

In Nora and Rhett, we have two capable and successful people who are adorably incompetent at connecting with the one person that matters most—the other person. Rhett is trapped behind the 10-ft thick wall of “best friend’s sister”, not realizing there’s a door in the wall. Nora is wrapped in the heartache of being ghosted, she doesn’t tug the conversation string that could free her. This friends-to-lovers story is funny and charming.

This romance is in the sweet range, at two chili peppers. All of the fun happens behind closed doors or under covers, but there’s plenty of romance and heave petting to spark the imagination.

This is the 3rd book of the series. While the story is stand-alone, the characters are not. To maximize your reading pleasure, I recommend you start with Book 1: Choosing the Montana Cowboy (Sam’s story), and then Book 2: The Cowboy’s Christmas Truce (Jaxon’s story).

I read an ARC. This cowboy is releasing Feb 24 and is available on pre-order. Books 1 and 2 are currently available.

Happy reading, sweethearts.

Book Review: Maximum Pressure

TG Wolff

Maximum Pressureis an amateur sleuth mystery. Handwriting expert Claudia Rose is headed to her 25-year high school reunion and a cold case. Lucy Valentine was a junior when she walked out of the high school and was never seen again … but she did leave a note. Now, her ex-boyfriend and current filmmaker Matt Macedo is making a documentary and enlisting Claudia’s help. As they start interviewing people, the reluctant witnesses reveal there was much more going on than a girl unhappy at school.

Bottom line: Maximum Pressure is for you if you like cold case mysteries where there is more than meets the eye.

Hear me read the first 3 chapters on Mysteries to Die For podcast to sample the pressure and decide if this one is for you!

M2D4 Podcast Toe Tag

The note Lucy Valentine left has always been a point of confusion for Lucy’s mother and now for Claudia. After examining the original, Claudia doubts everything about the note—from the message to the hand that wrote it. Twisted with Lucy Valentine’s cold case is the very fresh case of the death of Josh Dickson. Claudia finds the body of the former teacher and driver’s ed instructor at the bottom of the high school swimming pool. What is first chocked up to the sad result of too much alcohol is determined to be murder. Claudia decides to quietly ask questions to figure out exactly who was where that evening.

Claudia is our storyteller and our detective. She straddles a line between an amateur detective and an expert detective. She isn’t a cop, though she is married to one, but she is an expert in handwriting and is frequently consulted and testifies in civil and criminal court cases. Claudia knows the rules of policing and generally follows them; she is not a renegade type of character. But she has friends and isn’t afraid to use them, which makes her a resourceful detective.

As a mystery, MAXIMUM PRESSURE falls into the “ride along” category. Perhaps because this is a cold case, the clues and suspects evolve as Claudia discovers them. One of my favorite things about the book is that we do generally know everything Claudia knows. This is a pet peeve of mine, when narrators withhold information, and so I was very happy that Claudia was not that kind of narrator. Overall the pace is deliberate, taking the time to interview the witnesses in a way mystery lovers will be accustomed to.

Standing at the end and looking to the front, overall, the logic holds up. For Claudia, this was a straightforward, Point A to Point Z investigation, but then she was looking at it 26 years after the fact. Going back to the original events, I do have some questions related to timing and sequence, but what happened, why, and what happened after are solid.

MAXIMUM PRESSURE is the 9th book in the Claudia Rose series. It is the first I have read. This does work as a stand alone or a good place to jump into the series because the case largely takes place away from Claudia’s normal turf. The scenes with her husband are brief and point to their current relationship, backstory not required.

Overall, MAXIMUM PRESSURE and Claudia Rose was an enjoyable read. It kept my attention and read quickly in just a few sittings. Definitely recommended for ride-along and cold case mystery lovers and anyone looking for a new series to sink their teeth into.

M2D4 S8E6: Safe Haven (Part 1) by Jason Little

TG Wolff

Branch River Fire Fighter Barrett Turner was alone at the firehouse when an infant was abandoned in the Safe Haven box. New to the process, Barrett called the number posted on a flier for Child Protective Services. The woman who was dispatched, Tricia Vickers, took the baby and subsequently…tried to murder him! Now Barrett is working double time to keep little Davey safe and figure out why so many people have it out for the blue eyed sweetie.

Listen to Part 1 here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast

Subscribe to Mysteries to Die For new website to stay up to date on episode releases! https://m2d4podcast.com/

ABOUT Jason Little
Jason Little is a Texas-based writer with a knack for spinning tales that keep readers hooked. His contributions to Mysteries to Die For are packed with twists, suspense, and unforgettable characters. When he’s not crafting mysteries, he’s writing fiction on his blog at JasonLittleWriting.com, where you can dive into more of his stories and musings.

A life insurance agent by day, Jason is also a proud dad of two, a loving fiancé, and a dog enthusiast. He’s big on exploring VR worlds, staying active, and finding inspiration in everyday life.

Follow him on X at @jasonlwriter and stay updated on his latest projects, or drop by his blog to read more and connect—he’d love to hear from you!

About Safe Haven
We are not going to talk about infanticide but I will give you a little background on Safe Haven Baby Boxes. Many states have laws allowing for the safe and legal surrender of infants, something that was enacted to combat the abandonment of babies. Founded in 2015 by Monica Kelsey of the small city of Woodburn, Indiana, Safe Haven Baby Boxes are constructed boxes that hold a baby similar to a bassinette. These are installed in secure locations, including fire stations, with alarming to indicate to those inside that a child has been placed inside. The babies are attended to within minutes and ultimately entrusted to the local Child Protection.
https://www.shbb.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe_Haven_Baby_Boxes