Where the Light Shines Through (Olivia Penn Mystery 1), by Kathleen Bailey

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I was introduced to and had the opportunity to chat with author Kathleen Bailey at Malice Domestic this year. After meeting her and looking into her Olivia Penn series, I knew this was one I had to pick up. I love the cover and the premise seemed interesting.

In this first installment in the series, Where the Light Shines Through, Olivia Penn is heading back to her hometown of Apple Station, Virginia to visit her family and friends for one week before embarking on a new publishing career in New York City. Unfortunately, it isn't long before a dead body is found and her childhood friend is the prime suspect in this murder investigation. As she sets out to untangle this mystery and clear her friend's name, she discovers secrets she didn't see coming.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. One of the main elements that keeps me coming back to a series are the characters. I want to feel like I can be friends with them. If I'm going to be reading the series, I need to enjoy spending time with them. And I did. Olivia is a caring and intelligent amateur sleuth. She's fiercely loyal to her loved ones. Her friends and family are equally likeable. 

I love that her friend is a physical therapist. This is an occupation I have never read in a cozy and it fits well into the story. As someone who has had a lot of experience in physical therapy throughout my life as a patient, I found this relatable.

The mystery is strong. I did not guess the whodunnit. It all came together logically, yet, I was still shocked by the big reveal. There were enough viable suspects that kept me guessing, but not so many that it was overwhelming. I was easily able to keep track of all of the characters.

Olivia is recovering from a recent breakup, but if you like romance in your cozies, you'll be pleased to know there may be something on the horizon. There are sparks flying. I'll have to read the rest of the series to see where this goes. 

Great care is taken with the way this book is written. It's filled with emotional depth that kept me engaged.  Besides a cozy and engaging story with wonderful characters, the descriptions are beautifully written. The author takes the concept of "show don't tell" to a new level. In addition to this, light humor is infused at just the right times.

If you enjoy mysteries where the vibes are cozy, but suspenseful where they need to be, then I highly recommend Where the Light Shines Through, by Kathleen Bailey. This is one series I will definitely continue.

Murder, She Wrote (Season 4)

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Happy International Murder, She Wrote Day!

On this date 30 years ago, after 12 seasons, the final episode of the beloved television series, Murder, She Wrote, aired. I never did watch the series until about five years ago when I became interested in cozy mysteries. I started watching it in order from season 1 and I just recently finished watching season 4.

For the most part, the series maintained the same vibe as the previous three seasons. Jessica Fletcher is a widow who is a retired teacher turned mystery author. She has a knack for noticing details, piecing together clues, and solving whodunnits in hour long (with commercials) episodes. While the authorities consistently remind her that she is not one of them, overall she gets along well with them and they realize how valuable she is in helping to solve these crimes.

While we often think of Murder, She Wrote being set in Cabot Cove, Maine, I counted only five episodes out of 22 in season 4 taking place here. Others are set in various states like Maryland and New York. Some are also set in other countries, like France and Canada. Ms. Fletcher has a lot of friends, many of whom don't live in Cabot Cove, which means she travels a lot. So, is there really a high rate of crime in Cabot Cove? I don't know. But wherever they are set, Ms. Fletcher does seem to frequently find herself where murders happen. It's a good thing she's so good at solving them!

The mysteries continue to be strong. It's very rare when I'm able to figure out the whodunnit, and usually when I do, it's simply based on a hunch. I enjoy seeing how Ms. Fletcher untangles the mysteries and presents the big reveals. She's intelligent and poised.

Murder, She Wrote fans know that the series often includes notable guest stars. There were several from this season that I was familiar with including, Nancy Dussault, Jenilee Harrison, Christopher Hewett, John Callahan, Charlotte Rae, Jeffrey Tambor, Robert Reed, Sonny Bono, Norman Fell, Kristy McNichol, and Terry Kiser. Four of these are from Three's Company, which is a sitcom I used to watch in reruns.

One of the drawbacks of watching older shows like Murder, She Wrote is that not every episode ages well. What was acceptable when this season aired in the late 1980s would not go over well in present day. One such episode was the tenth one in this season titled, "Indian Giver". Another episode in season 4 I was not a fan of because it felt darker was the second one titled, "When Thieves Fall Out". 

However, this season also aired some of my favorite episodes including, "Old Habits Die Hard" (episode 5) for it's locked room feel, "If It's Thursday, It Must Be Beverly" (episode 7) because I love the Cabot Cove episodes most of all, "Curse of the Daanav" (episode 14) because it's set in my home state of Maryland and because it has a twisty mystery, and "Deadpan" (episode 21) because I enjoyed the plot and the clever reveal.

So that's a wrap on season 4. I'm looking forward to watching the remaining seasons!

Do you have a favorite episode or guest star from this season or from any season?

Character Guest Post - Jessica Fletcher

“The End”

Those have become my favorite words, and I type them on the bottom of the last page of every book I’ve ever written. Not because the publisher wants them there—in fact, I usually delete them before I send my editor the more polished manuscript.

But typing “The End” is a celebration of sorts. It marks the accomplishment of a goal, the culmination of weeks or months of dogged research, writing, and rewriting. And (usually) meeting a deadline, whether self-imposed or contractual.

And it’s a milestone worth celebrating!

Some writers break out the champagne. Some just take a nap. Whenever possible, I like to celebrate with friends.

So, it was a wonderful coincidence when I sent in my latest manuscript on the very day that friends of mine opened Riley’s, an Irish pub, in Cabot Cove.

At first, I was a bit fearful that the pub might fall short of my expectations, especially after I’d become a bit of an aficionado of genuine Irish pubs during recent trips I’d taken to the Emerald Isle. But the owners did a spectacular job, and spending a joyous evening there with my friends Dr. Seth Hazlitt, Sheriff Mort Metzger, and his wife Maureen…well, it was just what the doctor ordered.

Literally. Seth insisted I needed some time off to relax.

And I was so relaxed that my friends even convinced me to stay—well past my bedtime--for pub trivia. I should have known we’d make a great team. As a doctor, Seth has a knack for the physical sciences. Mort is a sports fan. And both men are history buffs. Maureen was our go-to for those pop culture questions. I was able to draw on my experience as a former English teacher to do my part when literature questions came up.

And wouldn’t you know, we won!

Now, admittedly, I wasn’t quite as excited as my friends about the super secret grand prize the winners would receive. I was more content enjoying the food and fellowship with good friends and soaking up the atmosphere of such a fine addition to our little village.

Little did I know that this prize would take us all on an adventure…

And murder wouldn’t be far behind.

Sunday Post 136

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves

Readerbuzz, who hosts Sunday Salon

Caffeinated Reviewer, who hosts Sunday Post

The Book Date, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I watched paint dry this past week. 

We are having a lot of work done on our building, including painting all of the common areas. It's a nice upgrade. Today my door was painted on the side facing the hallway and on the side of the door. This meant the door had to stay open for a few hours. That's not easy with two cats. They were confused and a bit unhappy about being locked in a room for a while. I did spend some time in the room with them, which helped. When I wanted to leave the room, I locked them in the walk-in closet in the bedroom. They actually seemed to enjoy that, a bit too much. When I went to release them from the walk-in closet, Fiona came out right away, but Bell lollygagged. And it wasn't because she was scared. She thought it was a game and she wanted to play. Bell also had her mani and pedi this morning, so she had an especially big day. (Fiona goes to the vet periodically to get hers done, whereas Bell allows me to do hers.)

We used to have a fountain in front of the building. The birds loved it and I loved watching them play in it. Unfortunately, after 20 years it became too expensive to maintain and we had to get rid of it. Instead, we installed a few benches and some plants in that area. I am not a fan of insects, which are sure to visit as the weather warms up, so I'll probably wait until fall to sit there.

Speaking of weather, I believe we are turning the corning, zipping past spring, and heading straight into summer. I've really enjoyed the coolish weather, but this coming week will see highs in the 90s. Yuck. Is it fall yet?

I had a few appointments and meetings this past week, most of which were virtual. I only worked on the puzzle for about two hours all week. I got some done, but not much. I did get quite a bit of reading and listening done, though!

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

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I listened to A Deadly Inside Scoop (Ice Cream Parlor Mystery 1), written by Abby Collette and narrated by Shandra Skye. It took some time for the mystery to get going, but once it did, I was all in. I enjoyed it overall. You can read some excerpts here.

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I also listened to another cozy mystery, Where the Light Shines Through (Olivia Penn Mystery 1), written by Kathleen Bailey and narrated by Natalie Naudus. I loved it from beginning to end! I'm planning to publish my full review this coming week. In the meantime, you can read some excerpts here. I definitely want to continue this series. 

IN PROGRESS

I read Spring Week 8 in The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl. This was about various rodents the author has come across in her life. It reminded me of the gerbils, hamsters, and guinea pig I had at various times in my life. 

I'm still really enjoying Between a Roquefort and Hard Place (Grilled Cheese Mystery 7), by Linda Reilly. So far, I think this is one of the stronger installments in the series. I love the characters, including some new ones, as well as the perplexing mystery. I have some thoughts on the whodunnit. We'll see if I'm right.

UP NEXT

My next audiobook listen will be A Game of Cones (Ice Cream Parlor Mystery 2), by Abby Collette. This second installment is set in the summer, so the week leading up to Memorial Day is the perfect time of year to listen to it.

ON THE SCREEN

• The Way Home - Six more episodes to go in this entire series and I still don't know how they're going to wrap everything up and answer every question. I am enjoying the ride, though.
• The Brady Bunch - I'm enjoying season 3. As the seasons progress, I think the emphasis is more on the comedy aspect of the sitcom than the earlier episodes are. I haven't listened to any podcast episodes on this season yet, but I'm looking forward to doing that eventually.
• Mom's Day Away - This is a 2014 Hallmark movie about a mother who loves her family, but needs a break, which was perfect for Mother's day. I love that that her bestie was the opposite in that her life centered mostly on her career. The two friends balanced each other out nicely. The main character in this movie is Bonnie Somerville. You may remember she played Ross's girlfriend Mona on Friends.
• All's Fair in Love and Mahjong - This was a 2026 Hallmark premiere and I loved it! I enjoyed the friend group, the budding romance, and the Mahjong theme. It made me want to learn how to play. My local library has a group that meets regularly, but I'm not able to make it at that time.
• Don't Go Breaking My Heart - This is a 2021 Hallmark movie that I watched last week for the first time. There were some eyebrow-raising moments, but overall I enjoyed it.

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 05/09 - Weekly Recap
• Book Review - 05/12 - A Deadly Inside Scoop, by Abby Collette
• Friday Features - 05/15 - Bookish Response, Featured Book, Feline Friday, Nature Pic
• Puzzle - 05/16 - Dogwood and Lilacs

Have a great week!

Puzzle 138 - Dogwood and Lilacs

Isn't this is a pretty spring illustration? I finished it in 2:32 using 36 non-rotating pieces.

Enjoy!

Friday Features 36

Happy Friday!

Today I'm once again participating in six blog hops.  You can click on the host links below to find the blogs of others who are participating in each blog hop. If you're a blogger, feel free to join through the host links.

BOOK BLOGGER HOP, hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

Question: Are you team dog-eared pages or strictly no creases?

My response:  I'm Team No Creases, but I won't judge you if you feel otherwise. 

FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower

FRIDAY 56, hosted by My Head is Full of Books

BOOK BEGINNINGS, hosted by Rose City Reader

Today's excerpts are from the audiobook format of Where the Light Shines Through (Olivia Penn Mystery 1), by Kathleen Bailey.

Here's the beginning:

Olivia Penn drove past Hamilton & Sons General Store, counting down the final fifteen minutes to her hometown of Apple Station for a last visit with her father before her move to New York the following week.

And here's an excerpt from 56%:

"We're going to the emergency room. What's hurting? Did you hit your head?"

Olivia Penn is the main character and amateur sleuth. In the excerpt from 56%, Olivia's father is addressing her. What do you think happened? Of course I'm not going to tell you. You will need to read it to find out. I finished this book yesterday and I loved it! I will post my full review next week. I can say this is a series I will definitely continue! Also, I just love that book cover.

FELINE FRIDAY, hosted my messymimi's meanderings

Here's a rare photo of the girls sitting next to each other. Sort of.

NATURE FRIDAY, hosted by Living the LLB Life

Everything's coming up roses!

A Deadly Inside Scoop (Ice Cream Parlor Mystery 1), by Abby Collette

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One of the reasons I love The Cozy Mystery Book Club is because I often discover books I may not have otherwise heard about or read. I'm being selective this year with which books I read or listen to for the book club because there are some that I know will not sit well with me. One of the things I look for is how much swearing there is in the book. I tend to really dislike books that have a lot of swearing in it. I can deal with some swearing, but none is my preference. From what I could find, A Deadly Inside Scoop had no swearing it. I liked the setting, so I decided to give it a go. 

In this first in series, Win Crewse is a recent MBA graduate and she is set to re-open the family business - an ice cream parlor. She plans to use her grandmother's recipes, as well as her own. She had planned on opening in the summer, but unforeseen circumstances caused her to push it to the fall when the snow is falling in Ohio. She decides to embrace it anyway, and open the shop during this time of year. Unfortunately, Win discovers a dead body and her father is the prime suspect. Can she help the authorities clear her father's name, find out who the real killer is, and bring her focus back to running her shop during an already challenging time of year?

When I picked up this book, I thought it would be perfect for spring with the ice cream theme. Honestly, at first I was disappointed to learn it is set in the fall. However, this disappointment quickly melted away as I embraced the idea of having ice cream in the fall the way Win did. I don't know why it bothered me so much at first. After all, I do eat ice cream any time of year.

It took me some time to warm up to some of the main characters. I really loved Win, her parents, and her grandparents. One of my favorite aspects of cozies is when the entire family is present and gets along well. I find this very comforting.

On the other hand, I didn't like the way Win's bestie was fixated on one suspect through most of the book and I also thought she was quite harsh with her feelings about the detective. However, I appreciated that Win continuously set her straight, encouraging her to not have a one-track mind and to have more respect for the detective. 

As far as the victim goes, we didn't have a lot of information on him in the beginning, but his backstory was gradually revealed, and by the end, I felt like I had a good idea of who he was. There were also enough viable suspects to consider.

The mystery took a while to get going. The crime happened fairly early in the book, but for a while, there was mostly speculation happening. Once the sleuthing and finding concrete clues got going, I was fully invested. I had a hunch who the culprit was, which turned out to be correct, but I enjoyed the ride to the big reveal.

The audiobook does not list recipes at the end, but if you read it in a different format, you will find some delicious-sounding concoctions. I do wish audiobooks would more consistently include the recipes. Everyone should be able to access them.

Until I was about 80% into this book, I was on the fence about continuing the series. However, I ended up liking the setting and characters enough that I do want to continue with it. Also, it is my understanding that the next one is set around Memorial Day, which, at the time of this writing, is coming up in a couple of weeks. So it's the perfect time of year to read or listen to it.

Let's talk ice cream. Do you prefer to eat it in the warmer months only or do you eat it year-round?