Money, Murder, and Hashbrown Lasagna. This Cozy Kills. When the sleazy town ‘wealth manager’ turns up dead at Pine Grove’s annual Winter Festival, there are more questions than answers.Everyone in town got swindled by the wealth manager. But who had the most motive to kill? Chelsea and Miss May investigate. Determined to find the killer before it’s too late.Hunky Detective Wayne Hudson gets … to find the killer before it’s too late.
Hunky Detective Wayne Hudson gets in their way. Just like he always does.
But then a beloved family friend becomes suspect number one and the tension mounts.
Can our girls solve the mystery before their family friend takes the fall?
Or will their friend go to prison for a murder he didn’t commit?
You’ll love this quick read cozy, because the sleuths are smart, the characters are quirky, and the mystery keeps you guessing.
Read Cooking the Books FREE with your Kindle Unlimited subscription and look for it under Cozy Mystery. This is Book 2 in the Apple Orchard Cozy Mystery Series, but the books can be read in any order.
Get Your Copy Now. more
He was loathed by everyone in town so nearly everyone is happy when he is found dead. They are not as they want to find out who did it. Just in case someone else is the next target? Will they find out who did it? Can they stop another murder? See if they can find who did it
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I enjoyed Cooking the Books. This book is fun, engaging and hilarious. The characters are witty and interesting. I love the dynamics between Chelsea, Miss May and Teeny and enjoy their many hilarious antics. The mystery is intriguing and has many twists. The book kept me engaged and I could not put it down.
Loving this series so far! Humorous fast paced story. Not a typical romance but possibility abounds and love the mystery with all its twists and turns. Fun read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the second book in the Apple Orchard series, and another enjoyable read! Miss May, a retired district attorney and current apple orchard owner, is determined to to clear her friend Tom and find out who killed the unpopular accountant. Her niece (and main character) Chelsea, the can’t-say-no, foot-in-mouth people pleaser, is along for the crazy ride – literally, when Miss May’s friend Teeny is at the wheel. The characters are strong, the plot believable and the pacing is good. The book is also funny, both the situations the characters find themselves in and the dialog. Oh, yeah, and Tom’s emails. Overall the book is clean, funny and clever.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
The tear -jerker part was laugh tears. My stomach hurts from laughing so hard! I needed this series in my life right now. Now, I’m wiping away those laugh tears and reading on.
A girl has to do what a girl has to do.
The sleazy town ‘wealth manager’ turns up dead at the annual Pine Grove Winter Festival. Named as the chief suspect in the murder is a close friend of Chelsea and Aunt May. The local police force doesn’t seem to be capable of conducting a proper investigation. Aunt May and Chelsea feel they must conduct their own amateur investigation to prove the innocence of their friend. Teeny, the zany third wheel of the group, adds a bit of humor to the story with her outlandish antics.
This was a well-written, fun, entertaining, and easy read providing an enjoyable evening of reading.
Cooking the Books is another fun Apple Orchard mystery. I love these zany characters – Miss May, Chelsea and Teeny! They are an absolute delight. This is a well written, well paced murder mystery with too many suspects and most of the townspeople’s life savings missing. Can Chelsea and Miss May help the police solve this case?
Fun cozy mystery!
Chelsea and Aunt May are on the hunt for a murderer. There are lots of potential suspects considering the victim is suspected of milking many residents of Pine Grove out of their savings but that only means they need to look harder at all of the clues. They would be more than happy to offer their help to Detective Wayne Hudson, but he is not interested, although he seems to take an interest in Chelsea personally. The book has some good twists and turns to keep the story interesting. Anyone who likes cozy mysteries will enjoy this book.
Poor Chelsea hasn’t had much luck since moving home as she has managed to tumble upon yet another dead person, this one is non other than the investment broker who pretty much everyone in town was worried had taken all their money. The mystery of who done it is too much for Chelsea, Miss May and Teeny (who missed out on all the adventure of solving the first murder) especially after Gigley begs them to find the real killer as he is currently the number one suspect. I just love all the red herrings that keep you guessing and changing who you think the killer is as well as the great characters who I have come to know and love in this series, it was also good to find out the relationship status of a certain person Chelsea has her eye on 😉
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
“Cooking the Books” earns 5/5 Frozen Conundrums…Yeah, Karma!
It is common to say “An Apple a day…,” but in Pine Grove, New York it is “Some Karma a day…” The Winter Festival is an exciting time for the town, but everything “heats up” when a frozen body is found. Chelsea is convinced to enter the sled race, and after veering off course, she discovers the local accountant and investment counselor…dead. He has been managing, maybe mismanaging, the life savings for many townspeople, including Miss May, so the suspect pool is huge and close to home.
Once again the author duo Chelsea and Matthew Thomas, writing under the name Chelsea Thomas, have penned a delightfully engaging story. Yes, Chelsea Thomas is also the lead character in their Apple Orchard Mystery series which gives an air of realism. The plot is well-written with enough suspects and motives from which Karma can take a bite, but also enough twists, turns, and trips to New York City to make the search entertaining and giving your own inner detective time to uncover the killer’s identity. Me? I had my suspicions, but the final reveal was still a pleasant surprise. It is not an intense read with enough fun, humor, and endearing relationships to make this a favorite series. The characters are developing with a nice dynamic between Chelsea and her Aunt May, BFFs, and townspeople along with side stories that will weave throughout the series. All this is entertaining, engaging, and fulfilling…I love how this duo gives Karma top billing! My only complaint is minor…I’d love a couple of savory and sweet recipes included in the book. However, you can sign up for their “Thomas Tuesday” newsletter to receive updates, exclusive giveaways, and enjoy Chelsea’s Secret Recipe Club.
Chelsea Thomas back in her hometown of Pine Grove, New York. While she never imagined she’d be back, she is finding life outside of the city to be very peaceful. Teeny convinces Chelsea to enter a sled race at the town’s annual festival. When she veers off course Chelsea makes an unfortunate discovery in the woods, a frozen stiff, Charles Fitz.
Over half of the town has a motive for killing Charles, including Miss May’s friend, Tom Gigley. Chelsea and Miss May agree to help clear his name start looking for clues with help from Teeny. Can this trio solve another murder?
This book is the second in a series. I enjoy the main characters very much. I found myself laughing aloud a couple times. They are well developed. The new characters, introduced to round out this story were also developed well.
The plot is very good. It moves at a steady pace and keeps the reader engaged. Descriptions in this book are vivid and create a picture in your mind. There is a subplot, Petey the dropout, that is a bit intriguing. It has to be going somewhere.
I identified the killer early in the book. It was just a feeling I had. As the book went on and other suspects had motive I realized my main suspect seemed to have motive as well. Then, I decided I was wrong. When the murderer was revealed I was happy to be right for once.
Cooking the Books is a very good book and I recommend it to cozy mystery lovers. While the book can stand alone I recommend reading book one first. Thanks to a preview I can’t wait to read Book 3!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
“This Murder’s Even Better Than the Last One”
Chelsea is on a downhill slide to another mystery, literally. Also, Miss May has a lot invested in solving this murder. They sift through the clues from Pine Grove to New York City with their friend Teeny. This was a totally enjoyable novel which kept me laughing all the way through. I recommend your reading both Apple Orchard Mysteries: Apple Die and Cooking the Books. Although I received ARCs, I purchased both books to read again.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The book is enjoyable to read. Adventure and excitement with a side of humor. The characters are well developed. I recommend that you read this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Kinda funny and very good. Most enjoyable read I’m loving the characters, when Chelsea stumbles on a dead body, she and Miss May start to investigate. A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I thought it was good. The characters were likeable and the storyline was a fun and quirky mystery. I found myself laughing out loud many times while reading. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to going back and reading book one when I get the chance.
*I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. This is my honest review.*
This book was funnier than the previous. I loved the plot, the cast of characters and the setting.
I look forward to reading another instalment.
Highly recommended
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A much beloved financial manager passed away of natural causes leaving his son in charge of his firm and investments.
The bulk of the small business owners in town still left their investments with Fitz, the son.
Naturally, the younger man has hidden vices, including a mistress.
Can the town re-coup the funds? The local reporter broke news of the suspected embezzlement in advance of his death. Does that leave the authorities with a town full of suspects?
What about his wife, the High School Principal? Chelsea said she always gave her bad vibes. Is she right on the money?
Mayhem and murder – but still dancing on the tables in the end !
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Loved Cooking the Books, This Book was Soooo Much Fun to Read, Love Chelsea, Miss May, and Teeny, and this book kept me Guessing to the very end, who the murderer was. Hope there are many more to come in this series, Just Love them.
I’m loving this new cozy series! The writing is fresh and skillful. The plot is tight and multi-layered and filled with believable characters. It was an enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to future installments. I received this book free and chose to make a voluntary, unbiased review.
This was another entertaining and humorous cozy. The characters are quirky and entertaining. I think my favorite is Teeny and her solution with a high school dropout was unique. I enjoyed everything about this book and loved the motive. Hopefully the third book will be out soon.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.