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Showing posts with label A Small Town Cozy Mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A Small Town Cozy Mystery. Show all posts

Sunday, February 15, 2026

Review: Murder on the Bunny Slope (A Small Town Cozy Mystery #5) by Gemma Harper

Murder on the Bunny Slope

A Poppy James Cozy Mystery #5

by Gemma Harper

Published: February 15, 2026

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Cozy Animal Mystery, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense 

 

Blurb:


A Bunny Slope Body—and a Beagle.

All Poppy James wants is an easy ski lesson, a mug of cocoa, and a weekend where her biggest problem is boots designed by villains. Then her beagle, Midsip, drags her to a snowbank on the bunny slope… and the ‘accident’ staged there feels wrong in her bones.

With history-buff Theo decoding resort maps like old rail timetables and best friend Nadine charm interrogating staff between trivia rounds, Poppy follows a trail of ‘maintenance holds,’ vanishing receipts, and a corridor the resort swears doesn’t exist.

The polished general manager, Garrett Madison, is eager to keep investors smiling. The ski patrol supervisor insists the barricades are routine—yet his rigging looks anything but.

When a photo disappears from Poppy’s phone and warnings arrive that only someone nearby could know, she realizes the mountain isn’t just hiding secrets.

If she can’t crack the schedule before Sunday’s closed door meeting, the next body won’t be staged for show.


Goodreads ~ Amazon


My Review:

Poppy, along with her animal companion Midsip, her closest friend Nadine, and the history enthusiast Theo, are seeking a peaceful holiday on the slopes and a warm cup of cocoa. However, instead of tranquility, they encounter a body in the snow.

Currently, Poppy and her associates are deeply involved in a murder investigation, facing unsettling clues that must be deciphered before another homicide disrupts the resort. They have a series of 'maintenance holds' and disappearing receipts to track, as well as a corridor that the resort insists is nonexistent.

An individual is following Poppy, watching her and her companions. What are their motives? Why are they tracking Poppy while trying to stay hidden? Do they have any link to the corpse in the snow, or is there an alternative reason for their behavior? It is clear that someone is hiding details, but what might those be? Why was there a corpse in the snow? What occurred? Was it simply an accident, or was it a homicide?

Ah, there are numerous questions to guarantee that the story progresses smoothly, enriched by its various twists and turns that maintain the reader's engagement. Murder on the Bunny Slope is filled with intrigue, promising to hold your attention for several hours.

I eagerly anticipate what the next installment in Poppy and Midsip’s adventures will unveil. If you are in search of your next cozy mystery, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Murder on the Bunny Slope!


Check out all the books in the Poppy James Cozy Mystery Series I’ve read.

Caffeine and a Corpse

Goodreads

Amazon


NightBlooms and a Burial #1

Goodreads

Amazon


Killer Crust #2

Goodreads

Amazon


Whistle Stop Murder #3

Goodreads

Amazon


Murder at the Heritage Festival #4

Goodreads

Amazon


Murder on the Bunny Slope #5

Goodreads

Amazon


Connect with Gemma Harper

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Review: Murder at the Heritage Festival (A Small Town Cozy Mystery #4) by Gemma Harper

Murder at the Heritage Festival

A Poppy James Cozy Mystery #4

by Gemma Harper

Published: December 23, 2025

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Cozy Animal Mystery, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense 

 

Blurb:


When a stormy Heritage Festival ends in murder at a restored train depot, café owner Poppy James must untangle art, ego, and a very deadly history along the Whistlestop Line.

Poppy comes to Easton Springs to pour coffee, cheer on the grand reopening of the old rail station, and maybe enjoy a quiet weekend with historian boyfriend Theo, bestie Nadine, and her trouble-sniffing beagle, Midsip.

Instead, a locked parlor, a dead councilman, and a missing masterpiece turn the Heritage Festival into a crime scene. With the town’s future riding on the unveiling of the moody painting Station at Dusk, everyone has something to hide.

The fussy registrar “tidies” the guest book until the timeline blurs. The security chief insists no one could have slipped past his patrols, and the elegant art restorer treats suspicious scraps of history like trash.

As storm-flooded roads trap the guests inside, Poppy’s cozy instincts collide with a dangerous pattern of forged art, buried doctrine, and carefully edited truth.

If Poppy can’t unmask a killer before the festival ends, a murderer will walk free—and the Whistlestop Line’s true story will vanish behind a very permanent curtain.


Goodreads ~ Amazon


My Review:

Poppy travels to Easton Springs for the grand reopening of the historic railway station, hoping to enjoy a peaceful weekend with her historian boyfriend Theo, her best friend Nadine, and her trouble-sensing beagle, Midsip. However, they soon find themselves stranded at the station due to storm-flooded roads alongside other guests.

A deceased councilman is discovered in a room that was locked from the inside. A valuable painting goes missing as well. A meticulous registrar “organizes” the guest book, causing the timeline to become muddled. With numerous suspects, Poppy, aided by her best friend Nadine, boyfriend Theo, and her beagle Midsip, sets out to interrogate each one of them.

The numerous twists and turns kept me guessing about who committed the crime. Someone is definitely concealing something, but what could it be? I was captivated by the story, unable to tear my eyes away from the pages, with each chapter leaving me with more questions that I wanted answered immediately.

Every page presented a mystery that heightened my excitement, building more and more as I raced towards the conclusion, eager to uncover all the secrets held by the guests.

I can’t wait to find out what Poppy and Midsip will encounter in the next installment of the Poppy James Cozy Mystery Series.

I wholeheartedly recommend Murder at the Heritage Festival to all fans of mystery! Make sure to grab a copy of Murder at the Heritage Festival today!

Check out all the books in the Poppy James Cozy Mystery Series I’ve read.

Caffeine and a Corpse

Goodreads

Amazon

NightBlooms and a Burial #1

Goodreads

Amazon

Killer Crust #2

Goodreads

Amazon

Whistle Stop Murder #3

Goodreads

Amazon

Murder at the Heritage Festival #4

Goodreads

Amazon

Connect with Gemma Harper

Friday, October 31, 2025

Review: Whistle Stop Murder (A Small Town Cozy Mystery #3) by Gemma Harper

Whistle Stop Murder

A Poppy James Cozy Mystery #3

by Gemma Harper

Published: October 31, 2025

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Cozy Animal Mystery, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Short Reads

 

Blurb:


A quiet town, a ghostly whistle, and one café owner with a nose for trouble…


When a midnight train whistle echoes through Willowbrook’s sleepy streets, Poppy James—book-loving café owner and accidental sleuth—knows it’s more than a trick of the wind. Her suspicions are confirmed when Henry Caldwell, a retired railway inspector with a reputation for secrets, is found dead by the abandoned tracks, a chalk mark scrawled beside him and a crumpled scrap of paper in his hand.

Armed with her trusty beagle Midsip, glitter-obsessed best friend Nadine, and history-buff Theo, Poppy dives into a tangle of ledgers, tunnels, and old town scandals. Everyone in Willowbrook seems to have something to hide—especially the two people Henry crossed paths with just before everything went wrong: Mark Jeffries, the carpenter Henry hired to “fix” a hidden room in the old depot the night he disappeared; and Clara Benton, whose gossip column ran a blind item that outed Henry’s sealed dealings—and gave someone a reason to silence him.

As clues mount and the Circle’s shadow grows, Poppy finds herself toe-to-toe with secrets worth killing for. If she can’t piece together the truth, Willowbrook’s quiet nights may never be safe again.

Goodreads ~ Amazon


My Review:

Whistle Stop Murder is the third book in the Poppy James Cozy Mystery series by Gemma Harper. Whistle Stop Murder starts off with the death of Henry Caldwell, a retired railway inspector. The local sheriff says it was an accident that he tripped on the train track, but Poppy, Theo, and Nadine don’t believe it for one minute.

Poppy sets out to prove that it was not an accident and finds a town full of secrets, deadly secrets, unfortunately for Henry. Henry was a nice, quiet man with secrets of his own. Undoubtedly, someone revealed one of those secrets, and now Henry has paid the price for that secret.

The people of Willowbrook have numerous secrets they want to stay hidden. How much farther are they willing to go to ensure they stay that way?

Whistle Stop Murder kept me engaged from the beginning when Poppy saw Henry lying there beside the train tracks. The mystery and suspense that followed had me hooked, not able to turn the pages as fast as I wanted, leaving me with many questions that I wanted/needed answers to as quick as I could get them.

I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Whistle Stop Murder today to find out what happened to Henry. 


Check out all the books in the Poppy James Cozy Mystery Series I’ve read.


Caffeine and a Corpse

Goodreads

Amazon


NightBlooms and a Burial #1

Goodreads

Amazon


Killer Crust #2

Goodreads

Amazon


Whistle Stop Murder #3

Goodreads 

Amazon


Connect with Gemma Harper

Friday, October 3, 2025

Review: Killer Crust (A Small Town Cozy Mystery #2) by Gemma Harper

Killer Crust

A Poppy James Cozy Mystery #2

by Gemma Harper

Published: September 27, 2025


Genre: Cozy Mystery, Cozy Animal Mystery, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Short Reads 

Blurb:


In Willowbrook, even the sweetest pies can hide the sharpest secrets.

When the Willowbrook Pie Festival ends in chaos, café owner Poppy James finds herself holding more than flour-dusted plates. A letter from beloved baker Etta May reveals shocking news: the bakery deed is missing, and a secret recipe may hold the map to its whereabouts.

With her loyal beagle Midsip sniffing out clues and her gossip-loving best friend Nadine stirring trouble faster than batter in a bowl, Poppy dives headfirst into a puzzle baked with secrets. Historian Theo Mercer lends a steady hand—and perhaps a spark of something more—but even his research can’t keep suspicion from landing on the wrong doorstep. Was it Etta May’s ambitious niece, eager to seize control, or the rival baker who long envied her success?

As threats turn to break-ins and a fire nearly silences the truth, Poppy must race against time. If she can’t untangle the coded recipes and expose the real culprit, Willowbrook’s sweetest traditions—and her own café—may crumble for good.

Goodreads ~ Amazon


My Review:


Killer Crust is an excellent follow-up to Gemma Harper’s A Poppy James Cozy Mystery series. This installment begins with even more secrets that the community of Willowbrook is desperately trying to conceal. Killer Crust is an incredibly captivating tale that captured my interest from the very first page and lingered long after I finished it.

Someone is determined to keep these secrets buried, never allowing them to come to light. Their desire to protect these secrets is so intense that Poppy’s café is set ablaze, taking the truth along with it as it burns. Poppy and Nadine do their utmost to uncover the truth, but their efforts yield little success as everything slips away from them.

How far are they prepared to go to prevent the town’s secrets from surfacing? What level of peril do Poppy, Nadine, and Theo face? I found myself on the edge of my seat, assisting Poppy and Nadine in their quest for answers, yet the more they delved, the more questions arose for me.

I couldn’t put the book down until every answer was uncovered and all the secrets were disclosed. The numerous twists and turns kept me eager for more as I hurried to the conclusion to discover who was behind all the turmoil and the concealed truths.

Killer Crust is a delightful read for any mystery enthusiast! Be sure to pick up a copy of Killer Crust today for yet another thrilling mystery to unravel.


Check out all the books in the Poppy James Cozy Mystery Series I’ve read.


Caffeine and a Corpse

Goodreads

Amazon


NightBlooms and a Burial #1

Goodreads

Amazon


Killer Crust #2

Goodreads

Amazon


Connect with Gemma Harper

Thursday, September 4, 2025

Review: NightBlooms and a Burial (A Small Town Cozy Mystery) by Gemma Harper

NightBlooms and a Burial

A Poppy James Cozy Mystery #1

by Gemma Harper

Published: August 29, 2025

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Cozy Animal Mystery, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Short Reads

 

Blurb:


A hidden garden. A whispered warning. And one too-curious café owner digging into secrets that were meant to stay buried.

When Poppy James, owner of Willowbrook’s beloved café Perk & Page, discovers a cryptic note in her tip jar and a forgotten seed packet labeled “Moonshade,” she chalks it up to a prank—until local florist Ivy Barrett collapses under suspicious circumstances. With her beagle sidekick Midsip sniffing out clues and her glitter-loving best friend Nadine at her side, Poppy finds herself drawn into a mystery woven through the town’s gardens, gossip, and ghostly history.

As whispers of a long-dormant group called the Gardener’s Circle resurface, Poppy uncovers ritualistic ledgers, burned invitations, and a symbol she’s seen once before—in her grandmother’s attic. Ivy’s sister Laurel and the town historian Theo both seem to know more than they’re saying, but their evasions only deepen the mystery.

Someone in Willowbrook has secrets planted deep—and they’ll do anything to keep them from blooming.

If Poppy can’t untangle the roots in time, the truth might be pruned before it ever blooms!

Goodreads ~ Amazon


My Review:

NightBlooms and a Burial marks the first installment in Gemma Harper’s A Poppy James Cozy Mystery series. Numerous secrets concealed within Willowbrook are poised for revelation in NightBlooms and a Burial. This tale is packed with unexpected twists and turns that maintain a steady flow of intrigue.

As Poppy investigates the town’s hidden realities, she uncovers a tangled web of mysteries that tests her perceptions of those she believed she knew. Every hint draws her closer to uncovering Willowbrook’s shadowy history, yet it also jeopardizes her safety.

It’s a captivating story that immersed me in its world right from the start. NightBlooms and a Burial begins with intensity and only grows more thrilling as I hurried toward the conclusion, eager for each revelation as Poppy James dives into her signature investigation, solving Ivy’s puzzling collapse.

Hints and clues start to surface at Poppy’s café, Perk & Page, as well as other locations linked to Ivy’s accident. The deeper Poppy probes, the more intricate the mystery becomes. The tension kept me glued to my chair as I tried to help Poppy uncover the truths hidden within Willowbrook and the reasons behind the reluctance to reveal them.

I am eager to explore more adventures in the Poppy James Cozy Mystery series. I look forward to the mysteries that Poppy, Midsip, and Nadine will unravel in the upcoming book.

I highly recommend all cozy mystery fans grab a copy of NightBlooms and a Burial today!

Check out all the books in the Poppy James Cozy Mystery Series I’ve read.


Caffeine and a Corpse

Goodreads

Amazon


NightBlooms and a Burial #1

Goodreads

Amazon


Connect with Gemma Harper