Nominated for Award Archives

“Bluffing is Murder” by Tace Baker

"Bluffing Is Murder," is the latest Lauren Rousseau novel by Tace Baker. Linguistics professor Rousseau, has recently earned tenure at her college and for the first time in years, has the summer off from teaching. Her boyfriend is visiting family in Haiti and she is on her own, ready to relax, recover from the events surrounding the murder of a former student, and enjoy her recently purchased condo with Wulu, her dog.

But, her insurance agent winds up dead and she’s suspected of his murder after a very public argument. Certainly makes a case for never complaining about anything in front of a crowd, especially when tempers are high. While attempting to prove her own innocence, Rousseau uncovers a nasty embezzling plot and realizes more than her freedom may be at stake. She may be on a hit list as well.

There are multiple murders, and multiple suspects in this entertaining read that also deals with how schools are financed, missing relatives, and the lies that people tell.

Baker supplies Rousseau with intelligent companions and quirky acquaintances. The characters in "Bluffing Is Murder," (even the nasty ones) have depth and realism and inhabit the kind of world that an athletic, intelligent college professor would enjoy.

Rousseau’s wandering eye gets her into trouble when self-defense classes bring her into close contact with her tall, dark, and dangerous karate instructor. He seems to want to do more than practice lunges with her, but is that handsome face all that she needs in her life?

Her ambivalent attitude toward absentee boyfriend, Zac, is an intriguing subplot to this second book in the series, a carryover theme from the first book. Rousseau wants something more, but what? He can cook, they enjoy each other’s company, but he wants a commitment she can’t give. Does she think that being with one guy will limit her options in life? Interesting comment on modern day relationships, in that she is the indecisive one, not the man in the duo. Laura Rousseau does quite well on her own, except for the occasional assault and those bodies popping up. In writing Rousseau, Baker strikes a special balance of independence and knocking knees in the right situations. Nicely done.

Rousseau is a Quaker and we see how her faith directs her interaction even with difficult people, how it helps to keep her calm in terrifying situations. While not a religious book, it does give a revealing insight into the world of Friends.

“Bluffing is Murder” is a satisfying second installment to this literate series from Tace Baker and has lots to keep us interested in reading several more. The first book in the series, "Speaking of Murder," is reviewed here.

Tace Baker is a pseudonym for Edith Maxwell. Ms. Maxwell also writes the Local Foods Mysteries. For more information about all of her projects and Agatha nominated work, please visit www.edithmaxwell.com

“Kneading to Die” by Liz Mugavero

Cozy, Debut Author, Mystery, Nominated for Award

‘Stan’ (short for Kristan) Connor leaves Hartford, Connecticut after being unfairly downsized from her high paying, high pressure PR job. It’s time to take a breather from the fast lane and move her life in a different direction. When she arrives at her newly purchased Victorian in Frog Ledge, a town so small that everybody knows your business before you say hello for the first time, she knows she is home.

Her boyfriend doesn’t agree, and pressures her to get another job ASAP before she regrets her decision. Plus, he’s not happy about the commute to see her. He keeps trying to arrange job interviews for her, despite her protests. Not needed, not wanted. She has two years severance pay, after all. This pair is definitely not on the same page.

Stan soon finds herself in a fix when she visits the obnoxious town vet with her Maine coon, Nutty. The vet is dead; kibble sprinkled over her body, and hardly anybody misses her. Stan is a suspect in the murder, just because she found the body. Well, small town people do have to blame the outsiders, don’t they? 😉

As Kristan seeks to clear herself in “Kneading to Die,” she finds it hard to know whom to trust. Even her childhood friend, an animal rescuer and now the owner of Pet’s Last Chance, Nikki Manning, comes under suspicion as the case unfolds. But, then Nikki delivers some inside info about the deceased and a possible motive for the vet’s death.

Colorful characters (and suspects) abound, including alpaca farmers/bed & breakfast owners, a sweetshop owner, dairy farmers, gossipy townspeople, long-lost relatives, a homeopathic vet, and more.

Kristan bakes healthy treats for pets, made from scratch like people cookies, but without the additives usually found in commercial cat and dog food. One of my mother’s cats suffered with clumps of hair falling out, traced back to his completely canned diet. As soon as mom put him on a diet of home cooked fish and other fresh goodies, the condition cleared up. Mugavero is definitely onto something with this aspect of “Kneading to Die,” and has generously included recipes for dog and kitty treats at end of the book.

The hunky potential love interest, Jake McGee, owns a seemingly untrainable, sloppy, big dog that loves Stan’s treats and shows up on her doorstep at odd hours, waiting to get fed. The dog keeps throwing Kristan and Jake together, at times embarrassing them both.

The underlying theme of this dog-and-cat-filled cozy is advocacy for animals. Mugavero weaves the nasty side of pet sales, abandoned animals, questionable veterinarian policies, badly prepared pet food, etc. into the murder plotline and raises awareness of the real-life issues involved. Fortunately, the unpleasant side of the pet industry is balanced with the warm, caring behavior of the assorted animal lovers in “Kneading to Die.”

P.S. If you’ve ever owned a cat or a dog, you’ll find the descriptions of the animals in “Kneading to Die” hilarious and spot-on. I was checking a detail at the beginning of the book and reread about Nutty’s tail delivering opinions – still sooo funny. Mugavero clearly knows her animals.

“Kneading to Die” is the first book in Pawsitively Organic series, and happily, Kristan Connor will be back in the next.

Please visit www.lizmugavero.com for information about this debut author.

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