Knobbly knitting and crummy crochet should be a crime.
But as desperate as Serena Perry is to get rid of the obnoxious craft club, who’ve descended on the Courtside Cafe and seem intent on redecorating with their dreadful tennis-themed designs, she wouldn’t resort to actual murder.Unfortunately, even DCI Pepper despises the decorations enough to consider them a genuine motive for murder… and … them a genuine motive for murder… and Serena is the perfect candidate for the crime.
The real killer has spun the perfect yarn.
Serena must unravel the knot of lies at Fillyfield Tennis Club before the murderer stitches her up.
If you love uplifting cozy mysteries, quirky cats, and snarky humour, you’ll love this series. Pick up this page-turning cozy cafe mystery today!
Includes recipe for strawberry custard tart!
All books in this series can be read as standalone mysteries, but they are better enjoyed as a series.more
I received a review copy from the author at my request and this is my honest opinion. Once again Ruby Loren as Myrtle Morse has crafted a delightful cozy mystery set in the peaceful British countryside at the Fillyfield Tennis Club. There are plenty of weird, twisted characters from which to choose when trying to determine who the murderer is, as well as our intrepid detective/baker and her sidekicks. Once again Oliver is one of my favorite characters. His ability to not let the worries of life get the best of him is so enjoyable. Granted, the majority of it may be an act, but it is fun to read anyway. He and Serena make a very good team. The only minor issue I had with the story was that Serena seemed to solve the case out of a clear blue sky. Maybe she had information that I as the reader didn’t have or didn’t pay close enough attention to when I was reading. Regardless, the solution seemed to appear to her, and then the perpetrator immediately confessed to everything. I sometimes forget that this is the nature of cozy mysteries. They are supposed to be light-hearted (as much as a murder mystery can be) and not deep, dark mysteries. As such, this novel hits all the marks, If you haven’t read the Courtside Cafe mysteries you need to. They are delightful.
Serena Perry is trying to make a go of her Courtside Cafe, things are going pretty well until the knitting club decides to use the cafe as their meeting place. Then things start to go downhill. No one likes these ladies, especially the leader who decides to spruce up the cafe in their own way. When she is found dead inside the cafe, Serena has some explaining to do. But can she prove she isn’t a murderer? I really enjoyed this story. Great characters, even the animals are pretty comical. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
A Volley of Lies (Courtside Cafe Cozy Mysteries Book 2), my thirtieth cozy mystery read from author Ruby Loren and the second writing as Myrtle Morse (obviously I enjoy her writing). I can’t help but be amazed by the sheer volume of good writing she can produce with multiple settings & characters. I’ll read more by her in the future and look forward to her next work. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
Tennis is a competitive sport, but who knew crafting was too? There are lots of twists and humor in this story, and our favorite tennis ball filching cat has some major parts.
Gads! What a nightmare the Craft Club was. Such a ridiculous group. I did enjoy the creativity that Serena showed in ridding herself of the ghastly objects the crafters left in her cafe. I loved the surprise involving Sampras! I really look forward to finding out what comes up next! Loved reading this book!
Serena returns, her Courtside Café at the Fillyfield Tennis Club is being coming a success. She’s ready to expand beyond cakes and biscuits but wondering about expanding her audience. Enter the Craft Club who wants to use the café and provide some tennis décor? When the obnoxious head of the Craft Club is found murdered, Oliver and Serena begin the search for the culprit.
The is a light enjoyable series. I’m enjoying the character development.
What a fun read. A murder to solve, and some interior decorating at the cafe.
A cat that steals tennis balls. Serena has her hands full in this book, but Oliver can be counted on to help or hinder things, depending on the day.
I’m really enjoying this series.
I really loved reading this book.
The character of Serena is so good…
Myrtle Morse is a amazing author…Highly recommend reading this book…
The Courtside Cafe faces ghosts of the past: a former friend of Serena’s mother and her awful crafting club do their best to fill the cafe with horrid crafty yarn blobs
The unpopular group leader Carole, seems determined to inflict her nasty brand of judgement and interference onas many folks as possible
When someone goes too far seeking their own vengeance, too many suspects make things murky, filled with kitchy yarn tsotchkes, and a great deal of agita .
Can Oliver the wacky and mysterious tennis coach, Serena and super cat Sampras save the day and themselves? A sneaky prospective member adds to the puzzle
Fun and frantic, bombtastic read!
Serena Perry oversees the Courtside Café at the tennis club which is exclusive only to club members. The craft pushes Serena to let them hold their meetings in the café. Club members don’t get along with each other and their pushy leader. The next thing Serena knows the club members are creating hideous green tennis balls to be used as decorations in the café. It isn’t long before Serena finds a dead body in the café. She makes it her mission to find out who the murderer is. The craft club members are definitely suspects. Serena is also up against DCI Pepper who has decided Serena is guilty and works hard to prove it. There is a lot of tension among the characters to the point where the situation gets ugly so Serena pushes to solve the murder quickly.
The story line will keep you guessing who the murderer is. I kept reading and couldn’t figure it out until that person was revealed.
This is book 2 of the Courtside Cafe Cozy Mysteries. Serena Perry runs the Courtside Cafe and is just starting to make headway’s in her new business. Then the a lady from the past shows up wanting to have her group, craft club, to start meeting there since they got kicked out of their last meeting place. She really doesn’t want them there because of them all being very obnoxious, is more or less forced into letting them meet there. Then one day the most obnoxious lady and head of the group if found dead in the cafe. Who in this town Didn’t want her dead. The town is full of suspects, and the book is hard to put down wanting to find out what is going to happen next. Enjoyable read with some humor.
The ‘Courtside Cafe’ series continues with this classic cozy mystery. As the series title implies these books are set in a cafe at a tennis club. In this book Serena (who runs the cafe) is railroaded into allowing a local crafting group to use the cafe, unfortunately they turn out to be rather unpleasant and overbearing, which allows the author full rein to go over the top with their characters – great fun!
Things then go from bad to worse when the leader of the group, Carole, is murdered in the cafe. Serena, who doesn’t have much faith in the investigating officer, DCI Rosie Pepper, of course has to investigate. She is helped, and hampered in equal measure, by her tennis coach Oliver, who has his own agenda. There is also the tennis-ball stealing cat, Sampras, who delivers his own surprise.
There are other sub-plots to keep the reader engaged, and some great humour which makes this book very easy, and great fun, to read especially with the major surprise at the end.
I received an advance copy of the book, but have voluntarily written this honest review.
A great addition.
Another great addition to Courtside Café Cozy Mysteries was a pleasure to read. Serena is the prime suspect so of course, she needs to solve the murder. There are some great scenes in this book like the parent of the teenage tennis player and when Serena warned Oliver where something dangerous was hiding. It comes at the end and it was so good and captivating. Loved the book and if you loved cozies this is one you will want in your collection.
A. VOLLEY OF LIES…Myrtle Morse ..Ruby Loren
A run down tennis club, Serena has turned into her new venue a cafe with her bakery items revolving around a tennis theme….Old friends are like a summer warmth and memories, or winter frost. Carole Green was definitely winter, with her barbed compliments. With words of knowing the owner and bringing a craft club, was the beginning of a nightmare for Serena. It resulted in murder, and looking at Serena as the guilty one.
Good humor comes along with this mystery. Good flowing plot and I enjoyed Serena, determination to make a go of the cafe, witty and good come back lines. Have read her other books and have enjoyed this one also.
Given arc for my voluntary review and my honest opinion
Much to my distress, the first two chapters, introducing the victim and potential culprits, were emotionally overpowering. Once I pushed through those, the rest of the story was delightful. Serena and Oliver continue to prove interesting. The story also includes a few character development tangents.
I received a copy of this book as a gift. This is my honest review.
Serena Perry runs a cafe and she lets the crafting group hold their meetings there in this book. Against her better judgement. So when Carole the one in charge of the group & a tennis club member (where Serena happens to have her cafe) is murdered Serena finds herself not only in the middle of it but one of the suspects too. Serena takes it upon herself to find the murderer herself even when The Chief Inspector (not a fan of hers) thinks she did it. The quirkiness and humour in these books are great to read. I really enjoyed reading this one
This edition is a worthy addition to the new series! A group of unskilled crafters yarn-bombs the cafe, leading to murder. Great writing, a fast pace, engaging characters and multiple story lines make this a great read. I’m looking forward to future installments. I received this book free and chose to make a voluntary, unbiased review.
Murder and mystery abound in this second Courtside Cafe installment. Serena had recently opened a small cafe at the Fillyfield Tennis Club and against her better judgement allows a knitting club hold their meetings there. This turns out to be a decision Serena immediately regrets. Not only are the women rather nasty they also decide to decorate the cafe with their awful knitting projects. Then one of the knitters is violently attacked and dies. Serena sets out to solve the crime and is being helped by the clubs tennis pro, Oliver.
In A Volley of Lies murder isn’t the only mystery Serena is out to solve. There is a man who claims to be interested in joining the club, the mysterious owner who is never around, and something strange is going on with Sampras the cat. A well rounded story with plenty of twists and turns.
Serena and Oliver are at it again. This time involves crafting, including ugly ‘tennis balls’. You guessed it a crafter dies, but why and by whose hand?
What does the new potential member have to do with it?
Sampras has a wonderful surprise for all.
Wonderful writing that will draw you in and keep you guessing.
Great addition to a new series. Can be read as a standalone easily. Fun and easy to read, just remember that it uses British English. Yummy recipe at end too.
This is my honest and freely given review. I did receive an ARC book.
Serena’s cafe at the tennis club is going well until an old friend (enemy) of her mother walked in and announced that she wanted to hold her knitting group’s weekly meetings in the cafe. Although Serena wanted to refuse, the woman was a tennis club member and had said that she had great influence with the owner of the tennis club. The craft club then proceeded to decorate the cafe in the most hideous, tennis themed, crocheted things. This didn’t please either Serena or the other patrons. When this woman was later found murdered in the cafe, Serena’s childhood nemesis (the local police Chief Inspector) was eager to pin it on Serena. Fortunately she had an air-tight alibi. However, the murder was not good for business, so Serena took it upon herself to find the guilty party.