Cozy Craft Mysteries can be read in any order. A funny whodunnit series, full of charming characters and mysteries that will keep you guessing to the very end.
A wedding is a cause for celebration. Not only do dressmakers Penny and Izzy get an invite to the big day but they have an unusual dress commission to complete for one of the guests.
It seems Penny’s only problem is deciding which potential boyfriend to take as her plus-one guest — practical handyman Aubrey or cultured fabric expert Oscar.
But bigger problems arise when the maker of the wedding cake is found dead in the grounds of the stately home where the wedding is to take place.
And when another key individual in the wedding plans is also murdered, it seems like someone has deadly plans to prevent this marriage.
Can Penny and Izzy unravel the mystery and solve this crime before the big day is fatally ruined?
If your ideal book features mystery, friendship, cute romance, crafting and a charming rural setting then this is the book for you.
Cozy Craft Mysteries can be read in any order. A funny whodunnit series, full of charming characters and mysteries that will keep you guessing to the very end.
Things are going great for Penny Slipper. Running a sewing shop in the middle of the English countryside is like a dream come true and she’s got her colourful cousin Izzy and her corgi, Monty, to keep her entertained.
Her grandma’s eightieth birthday is coming up soon and Penny and Izzy are busier than ever, making fancy dress costumes for the party guests.
However, Penny’s dream life is thrown into chaos when a murdered woman is found in the bathroom of her cosy flat above the shop. With the doors and the windows all locked, no one can understand how this mystery corpse got there.
But things take a further sinister turn when a local shopkeeper is also killed. There’s a murderer on the loose and no one is safe!
Can Penny and Izzy uncover the answers and unmask the criminal in their midst?
If your ideal book features mystery, friendship, cute romance, even cuter animals, crafting and a big slice of birthday cake then this is the book for you.
Thanks to Rachel for organising this blog tour and to the author for my copy of this book.
In this Cozy Craft mystery, Penny gets home from a trip to London to find a dead woman on the loo and an incriminating note from Izzy. Meanwhile the stitch and natter group must be dealt with and a water leak controlled. The police are eventually called when Izzy returns and the pair realise there was a bit of a misunderstanding. It seems the building was locked up tight, and they have nothing worth stealing, so why was the woman on the toilet? How did she get in and who killed her?
Since they can’t stay in the shop, Penny and Monty go to stay with Izzy and her parents. They have a small house and a surprisingly large garden, but Monty doesn’t like the upheaval and starts misbehaving. Izzy meets a potential boyfriend when she finds a way to deal with Monty’s outbursts.
Nanna Lem is having a birthday party and Izzy’s dad, Terry King wants an Elvis costume. Everyone else wants costumes too, so Penny devises a ‘family discount’ chart to help Izzy say no to cousins who expect freebees. To get some inspiration, the pair visit a neighbour who specialises in musical memorabilia. He has just the thing to inspire them.
Eventually, Penny, Izzy and Monty get back in the shop but there’s an awful mess and Aubrey has to do an assessment for the insurance company, while Darren the plumber suggests a cheeky fiddle. There’s a couple of questionable characters hanging about outside, and Stuart Dinktrout starts moaning about the fabric of the building.
Izzy and Penny do some sleuthing and both have realisations about the crime as the man down the road is found dead on a golf course. The police are rather annoyed by Izzy and Penny.
At Nanna Lem’s party, the criminals are revealed, the hows and whys are answered, and there’s an Elvis competition. Izzy invites her dog trainer to the party while Penny is still torn between Aubrey and Oscar.
This is the third book in the series and once again we find the creative pair getting into and out of some odd situations; the dead woman on the loo is just the start of it. We meet some of Izzy and Penny’s other family and learn more about Nanna Lem’s past. Izzy is clearly from a highly creative family, but you wouldn’t want to live next door to them. Penny and her Aunt Pat seem like the sensible ones.
Penny’s dilemma about how to start a relationship is understandable. Oscar is very forthright about his feelings but is fine with friendship; Aubrey says lovely things but doesn’t ask directly, leaving Penny confused about both of them. She could carry on with both of them as friends, or one friend and one boyfriend. Can’t see why she can’t have two boyfriends, personally, so long as everyone knows and consents to it.
Monty once again points the reader in the right direction and I think he’s a useful doggy ex machina, as well as a fun character. Dogs are always a good excuse for wondering about places you’re not meant to. Or just generally wandering about. (Yes, I am using the correct wondering and wandering – thing about it).
The reality of small towns – knowing everyone and being distantly related to half of the long-term residents, bossy town officials, gossip and nosiness – is admirably demonstrated, as is the reality of being a creative sector professional; everyone thinks they can ask for something for free because they know you but don’t actually value your time, skills or the materials costs. I totally understand the frustrations of being asked to ‘rustle up’ something that’ll take days to make and cost a fortune, by people who want it for free. If I make you something as a gift that’s one thing, but I’m charging for my time and materials otherwise.
I can see Penny and Izzy building an investigative relationship with DS Chang, the police officer who has turned up in all three books so far. He’s not imposing on the plot much at the moment, but his appearances have become more important in this novel. Tariq the enthusiastic young journalist is another character I can see being important as part of their ‘famous five sleuthing’ as Aubrey puts it at one point in the story, as a recorder of events, especially with his camera.
The Cozy Crafts Mysteries have fairly straightforward plots, set in a familiar setting, just like many Golden Age crime novels, especially Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple novels. They have red herrings and quirky main characters, with the police only tangentially involved. From me this is not a criticism – I enjoy Miss Marple stories, and I like the modern cosy mystery that has evolved from the same tradition. These ones are easy to read and entertaining. You’re halfway through before you know it.
Need the odd bit of editing though. I noticed a few mis-used words and a chapter change that wasn’t formatted correctly.
Right, on to number 4 – The Swan Dress Murder, which I have already started reading.
Giveaway Prize – The Wonderland Murders, a cross stitch book, a floral notepad, a note writing set and a grass bunny.
Author Bio – Millie Ravensworth writes the Cozy Craft Mystery series of books. Her love of murder mysteries and passion for dressmaking made her want to write books full of quirky characters and unbelievable murders. Millie lives in central England where children and pets are something of a distraction from the serious business of writing, although dog walking is always a good time to plot the next book.
A quirky and funny series for fans of a good mystery and compelling characters. Can you solve the crime before our dressmaking duo?
Penny Slipper runs a sewing shop in the beautiful market town of Framlingham and she’s got her wild and creative cousin, Izzy, to help with the latest dressmaking project.
A classic car weekend is coming to town and stylish Fliss Starling wants an outfit that will match her husband’s elegant vintage car.
When one of Fliss’s house guests is murdered by a masked intruder, Penny and Izzy have a deadly mystery to solve (as well as a dress to make!). With the aid of a cheeky little corgi dog and handyman Aubrey, they begin to search out the clues to this motor-related murder.
But fingers are soon pointing at Penny and Izzy when the intruder’s mask appears to have come from their own shop! And rival shop owner, Carmella, would be delighted to see them take the blame.
Can Penny and Izzy stitch the pieces of this puzzle together and find the guilty culprit?
If you enjoy fast-paced mysteries, charming country towns and characters who you want to spend hours with then you’re going to love the Cozy Craft Mystery series.
A quirky and funny series for fans of a good mystery and compelling characters. Can you solve the crime before our dressmaking duo?
After losing her job at an exclusive London hotel, Penny Slipper is only too happy to help when her grandma asks her to take charge at the Cozy Craft sewing shop in charming rural Suffolk.
With cousin Izzy on hand as the expert dressmaker and Penny’s head for business, what can possibly go wrong?
But Penny’s in town for less than a day when the local librarian is poisoned and Penny fears she might even be accidentally responsible. Penny and Izzy are forced to turn detectives to uncover the true cause of death, while finishing a costume commission for their first customer.
Matters take a further deadly turn when a second body is discovered.
Can Penny and Izzy unpick the mysteries of the past and sew the pieces of this puzzle together before it’s too late?
If you enjoy fast-paced mysteries, charming country towns and characters who you want to spend hours with then you’re going to love the Cozy Craft Mystery series.
Imprint: Aurum Pub Date (UK): Apr 20, 2023 Price: £16.99 GBP ISBN-13: 978-0-7112-6711-4 Format: Hardcover Book Pages: 256
Blurb
In this fascinating and insightful book, feminist curator Rachael Lennon provides an intimate and intersectional examination of the history of marriage around the world. With a lively and accessible style, Lennon tells a remarkable story of how this institution has developed from the ancient customs of the stone age through to the modern form it takes today. This book also explores themes such as the pressure to marry, the politics surrounding proposals, the spectacle of marriage, the business behind it, and the politics tied to consummation as well as issues such as taking a man’s name, the nuances of marriage vows and obedience, ‘having it all’ and trying to keep up the fight to have an enduring marriage.
Having married her wife just a few years after the legalisation of same sex marriage in the United Kingdom, Lennon interweaves her own personal experiences of marriage with stories and anecdotes from throughout history to explore how marriage has transformed over the years.
Format: 352 pages, Paperback Published: March 28, 2023 by Titan Books ISBN: 9781803362298 (ISBN10: 1803362294)
Blurb
Ten Low and her ragtag comrades take on an ultra-rich tycoon who owns entire planets in this high-octane clash of law and lawlessness across the stars, for fans of Gideon the Ninth , Anne Leckie and Becky Chambers.
Who controls the future, controls it all…
Ten “Doc” Low is a medic with a dark past, riding the wastes of the desert moon Factus, dispensing medicine to the needy and death to those who cross the laws of the mysterious Seekers. Cursed by otherworldly forces, she stays alone to keep herself safe, and to keep others safe from her…
But when she experiences a terrifying vision of conflict and the deaths of those she once called friends, she must drag herself back to the land of the living to stop a war before it begins. With rebellion brewing, the Accord’s grip on the Outer Moons weakening and a sinister tycoon buying up all land in sight, Ten must find allies where she can and face the past in order to save the future. The cost will be greater than she could ever have imagined…
A wild, adrenaline-packed, whip-smart crash of storytelling and shoot-outs, ideal for fans of Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers and Alex White’s Salvagers .
Format: 332 pages, Paperback Published: June 1, 2021 by Titan Books ISBN: 9781789096620 (ISBN10: 1789096626)
Blurb
Ten Low is eking out a living at the universe’s edge. An ex-medic, ex-con, desperate to escape her memories of the war, she still hasn’t learnt that no good deed goes unpunished.
Attempting to atone for her sins, she pulls a teenage girl from a crashed lifecraft. But Gabriella Ortiz is no ordinary girl—she is a genetically-engineered super soldier and decorated General, part of the army that kept Ten prisoner. Worse, Ten realises the crash was an assassination attempt, and that someone wants Ortiz dead…
My Review
I’m on a bit of a space western kick at the moment after reading Frontier last week. I’m reading Hel’s Eight next.
There are spoilers below, don’t read if you don’t want to know what happens.
Summary: I enjoyed this one. going to read Hel’s Eight now, as soon as I finish writing this review.
Format: 256 pages, Hardcover Published: March 9, 2023 by Hodder & Stoughton ISBN: 9781529390520 Language: English
Blurb
Saints and preachers, librarians and horse thieves, lawmakers and lawbreakers, and a crash-surviving spaceborn vagrant searching for her lover on a scarred Earth.
Earth, the distant future: climate change has reduced our verdant home into a hard-scrabble wasteland. Saints and sinners, lawmakers and sheriffs, travellers and gunslingers and horse thieves abound. People are as diverse and divided as they’ve ever been – except in their shared suspicions when a stranger comes to town.
One night a ship falls from the sky, bringing the planet’s first visitor in three hundred years. She’s armed, she’s scared… and she’s looking for someone.
Love, loss, and gun slinging in this dazzling debut novel by Grace Curtis. For fans of Sam J. Miller, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Becky Chambers, Frontier is a heartfelt queer romance in a high noon standoff with our planet’s uncertain future, full of thrills, a love story, and laser guns.
By Douglas Boyd Imprint: Pen & Sword History Pages: 216 Illustrations: 20 black and white illustrations ISBN: 9781399005180 Published: 10th December 2021
All you need for a plague to go pandemic are population clusters and travellers spreading the bacterial or viral pathogens. Many prehistoric civilisations died fast, leaving cities undamaged to mystify archeologists. Plague in Athens killed 30% of the population 430-426 BCE. When Roman Emperor Justinian I caught bubonic plague in 541 CE, contemporary historian Procopius described his symptoms: fever, delirium and buboes – large black swellings of the lymphatic glands in the groin, under the arms and behind the ears. That bubonic plague killed 25 million people around the Mediterranean. Later dubbed Black Death, it killed 50 million people 1346-1353, returning to London 40 times in the next 300 years. The third bubonic plague pandemic started 1894 in China, claiming 15 million lives, largely in Asia, before dying down in the 1950s after visiting San Francisco and New York. But it also hit Madagascar in 2014, and the Congo and Peru. The cause, yersinia pestis was identified in 1894. Infected fleas from rats on merchant ships were blamed for spreading it, but Porton Down scientists have a worrying explanation why the plague spread so fast.
Any disease can go epidemic. Everyday European infections brought to the Americas by Cortes’ conquistadores killed millions of the natives, whose posthumous revenge was the syphilis the Spaniards brought back to Europe. The mis-named Spanish ’flu, brought from Kansas to Europe by US troops in 1918 caused more than 50 million deaths. Fifty years later, H3N2 ’flu from Hong Kong killed more than a million people.
One coronavirus produces the common cold, for which neither vaccine nor cure has been found, despite the loss of millions of working days each year. That other coronavirus, Covid-19 was NOT the worst pandemic. Chillingly, historian Douglas Boyd lists many other sub-microscopic killers still waiting for tourism and trade to bring them to us.
My Review
I received this book in return for an honest review. I’ve had this book since mid-2021, along with another book on pandemics. I’ve been reading it slowly for the best past of 18 months, around work, blog tours and my sci-fi and fantasy TBR pile.
This book covers ancient and historical pandemics, the great plague of the 14th and 17th centuries, the epidemics since the, the Covid-19 pandemic (still on-going) and possible future pandemics. The book was published in 2021, so obviously it misses everything after early 2021.
The chapters on ancient and historical pandemics were fascinating and easy to read. The chapters on the 1665 plague in London was really interesting, as it draws heavily on the diaries of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn, and Daniel Defoe’s later book on the plague year, for details of life in London and Chatham.
I found the historical discussion more interesting that the discussion of SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19. There really hadn’t been enough time between the emergence of the pandemic and the writing and publishing of this book. It feels like the author was working on a book about historical epidemics and pandemics, and inserted the covid chapters and potential future causes of pandemics, at the last minute.
The author didn’t critically interrogate some of the things he repeated from the media. There was the odd repeated page in the chapters on historical pandemics, and he uses what can only be described as racist terms to refer to Indian and Chinese people.
This is not a bad book, if you’re interested in historical pandemics, but for analysis of the early months of the current pandemic, there are probably better sources out there.
Feeling so excited for a new day ahead, Ellie-May struggles to sleep. So when her toy dragon, Ben grows into a real-life dragon, they take to the starry skies and embark on a night-time adventure together, where they visit Ben’s castle and enjoy a dragon party.
But as the sun begins to rise and the stars fade, will Ellie-May be able to stay awake?
Everything Is Better With Dragons 