This series of stories by favorite mystery authors gives readers a "taste" of upcoming titles. I appreciate receiving this ARC from the publisher and from NetGalley. Reading these short selections gives me the opportunity to engage with my favorite mystery writers and then decide if I want to read the rest of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine a charcuterie board for books. A little tapas tasting of words. That's what these samplers are. A taste of this, a taste of that. A nibble here and BAM my TBR is now out of control. Just like when you sample too many cheeses - it's worth it.

Cozy Case Files #17 is a collection of nine cozy mystery excerpts. Each excerpt is several chapters in length which provides enough detail to get a taste and flavor of the full length novel.

Most of the authors showcased in this book are new to me so I was eager to read what each of them had to offer. I wasn’t too keen on the non U.S. based stories for some reason. Maybe it had to do with location familiarity. And one excerpt happened to be the 19th installment which I shied away from being that I probably would be lost at the get-go.

Several books stood out for me and I’ll probably snag copies of them sometime soon via my local library. Notable for me were: Vinyl Resting Place by Olivia Black; Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews; Muffin But the Truth by Ellie Alexander; and Primer and Punishment by Diane Kelly.

The Cozy Case Files sampler is the best way to discover new cozy mystery authors and books. Who knows? Your next best read could be waiting out there for you. Four solid stars.

I received a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

A great way to sample upcoming releases. Most of the authors are new to me and I’ve added them to my TBR after this appetizer

Final "Cozy Case Files, Volume 17 Feb 9, 2023
Submitted by Elaine LaBonte

"Cozy Case Files, Volume 17: A Cozy Mystery Sampler" was written by Ellie Alexander, Jean-Luc Bannalec, and eight others. Minotaur Books has included free samples of nine exciting mysteries. That will make it easier for you to choose your next cozy mystery book. These cozy mysteries, also called "cozies," don't have sex or violence on the page. Cozy mysteries are the ultimate soothing fare. I can read one before bed and fall asleep quickly. We are grateful to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for giving us an early copy of this sampler.

"Of Manners and Murder" is Anastasia Hastings' new "Dear Miss Hermione Mystery" series debut novel. In 1885 London, Violet substitutes for her Aunt Adelia, Britain's most famous "Agony Aunt." She was eager to help despite one message concerning a murder. She recognized four of the suspects from correspondence.
Vinyl Resting Place by Olivia Blacke is book 1 of her 'Record Shop Mysteries' series. Juni Jessup and her sisters fulfill their family's dream to open a record/coffee shop in Cedar River, Texas. But soon, they put the shop up for bail when their Uncle Calvin was arrested on suspicion of murder.

"Against the Currant" is the title of Olivia Matthews' first book in the Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries series. Patricia Sargeant writes cozy mysteries under the alias Olivia Matthews. West Indian bakery Spice Isle Bakery debuts today. It will be run jointly by Lyndsay Murray and her family in Little Caribbean, Brooklyn, New York. Claudio Fabrizi, a rival of hers, threatens Murray. On the day the bakery opens, a furious Fabrizi enters and tries to start a fight. Murray grows upset and shakes her fists at him. Murry is the prime suspect when Fabrizi is found dead the next day. Murray must prove her innocence for her family's dream business to succeed.

Ellie Alexander devotes her literary talent and experience to this cozy, intriguing culinary mystery. The 16th of 17 cozy mysteries in "The Bakeshop Mystery Series" is titled "Muffin But the Truth." For the client's corporate retreat, an event will be hosted by Jules Capshaw and the Torte staff. Everything seems to be going well until one of the group's executives is spotted face down in the water of the scenic Rogue River close to Ashland, Oregon. This time, amateur detective Capshaw will need to do more than cook to save her crew.

Book 2 of "A Mystery of the Secret Staircase" by Gigi Pandian is The Raven Thief: A Secret Staircase Mystery. This anthology's Raven Thief is my favorite. It's Gigi Pandian's latest thrilling, suspenseful murder mystery. The celebration is all fun until a dead body turns up, and Grandpa Ash is the main suspect since he baked the deadly pastries. Can Tempest prove her grandfather is innocent? I can't wait to find out.


Diane Kelly wrote "Primer and Punishment," the fifth of five books in the "House Flipper Mystery" series. With a good sense of humor and well-developed characters, this cozy book will entertain. Whitney Whitaker is a carpenter in Nashville, Tennessee. Whitney and her cousin Buck do the work to buy and flip houses. For this project, they chose a houseboat brimming with character. Little did they know that their unpopular neighbor in the slip next to them would be blown up in an explosion and that they would be the main suspects in the investigation. Kelly has received numerous writing honors, including the prestigious Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award.


"Fatal Words," the eighth book in Paige Shelton's bestselling "Scottish Bookshop Mystery" series, is set in Edinburgh, Scotland. Edwin MacAlister leads a literary tour of Edinburgh every year, but when the owner of the Cracked Spine bookstore has to leave town for business, Delaney takes over. The innkeeper where the group is staying dies on the first night after falling off or being pushed off the roof. Delany becomes the primary suspect. She must quickly figure out what's going on while continuing the group's tour through Edinburgh's Greyfriars Bobby, the Royal Mile, and the Sir Walter Scott Monument.


"The Body by the Sea" is book 8 of 8 in "A Brittany Mystery Series" by author Jean-Luc Bannalec. He is famous for his "Brittany Mystery" series about Commissioner Dupin. Many of these books have been adapted into movies, making the series a worldwide hit. Dupin recently moved from Paris to Concarneau in Brittany. The wealthy, well-known doctor's wife demanded Dupin take charge of her husband's murder. The commissioner was feeling quite agitated. Not all of it was because of Madame Chaboseau and how rude and cold she was.

"All That Is Hidden" is book 19 of 19 in the "Molly Murphy Mysteries" series. It's set in New York in the autumn. "All That Is Hidden," by the retired detective and police captain's wife, Molly Murphy Sullivan, begins with her husband's independent decision to run for sheriff of New York City. He didn't consult her. Even worse, it's 1907, and he's running on the ticket of the Tammany Hall political machine, which they both agree is corrupt. Rhys Bowen (author) is the New York Times best-selling author of the Molly Murphy mysteries, which won the Anthony and Agatha awards, among other awards and honors.

Volume 17 of Cozy Case Files is a fantastic appetizer for any cozy mystery lover, which you can currently read for free on Kindle from Amazon. Follow the link below.

Already interested in reading Of Manners and Murder - the first in a new series by Anastasia Hastings, I was thrilled to learn it was included in this Case Files edition. The level-headed and independent Violet pinch hits for her aunt, who writes an advice column for the desperate and distraught of 1885 London. She soon discovers that a nervous young bride might have more than just newlywed jitters to worry about, it may be a matter of life and death.

I had forgotten it was just a sample though and was disappointed that I couldn’t read what happened next…at least for a week or so, until I buy the hard copy, due out February 7..

Other intriguing new offerings include a record store murder mystery, Vinyl Resting Place, by Olivia Blacke, and a Spice Isle Bakery mystery, Against the Currant, by Olivia Matthews, pen name for romance author Patricia Sargeant.

Muffin But the Truth, continues the fun Bakeshop Mystery series for Ellie Alexander, with more murderous catering in store.

Looking for a little DIY project? Check out the next installment of Gigi Pandian’s Secret Staircase mysteries, The Raven Thief, and the fifth book in Diane Kelly’s House-flipper series, Primer and Punishment.

Fateful Words takes us to Edinburgh for another Scottish Bookshop Mystery by Paige Shelton. Who doesn’t love a bookstore murder mystery? You’ll also travel across across the pond and the channel to Brittany and The Body by the Sea, by Jean-Luc Bannalec.

After reading a preview of mother-daughter authors, Rhys Bowen’s and Clare Broyles’ All that is Hidden, I also look forward to returning to turn of the century New York and catching up with Molly Murphy Sullivan, when the book is released March 14.

I received this advance reader copy from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books courtesy of NetGalley. This review is fair and impartial.

A nice sampling of some recently published and upcoming cozy mysteries. I'd already read two of them, so the others that I intend to read were a nice preview. The ones I wasn't familiar with were a good little intro to those particular authors, so maybe I'll want to explore them at another time.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and my opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this title. While I had read about half of the titles in this (Thanks again, Netgalley), I encountered some new authors.

This is a great way to get a sense of some new authors. I was most intrigued by the Molly Murphy series and the Miss Hermione series, as they were new to me.

I highly recommend this as a way to try new series in one handy volume. I would recommend checking out Vinyl Resting Place, Against the Currant, The Raven Thief, and Fateful Words in addition to Of Manners and Murder and All That is Hidden.

Good mix of authors and genres to whet the appetite of bibliophiles. I found 3 books I want to read in their entirety, but also enjoyed reading the excerpts from the others. I will hold on to this title for future reference. Thanks to #NetGalley and #CozyCaseFilesVolume17 for advanced digital copy.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC Cozy Case Files, Volume 17. This is my personal review.
Ellie Alexander; Jean-Luc Bannalec; Olivia Blacke; Rhys Bowen; Clare Broyles; Anastasia Hastings; Diane Kelly; Olivia Matthews; Gigi Pandian; Paige Shelton are the authors featured in this volume.
I am always on the hunt for new authors or new series and the next book in a series I have read other books in.
This was a great mixture of mystery novels. I am certain that many will find new series to read or an author they enjoy after reading this book.

This is an interesting book. It is nine different books the first few chapters from each book. Nice insight into these books..
Fatal Flowers by Jess Dylan-This glimpse into this book has picked my interest. There is history of two murders at Sierras flower shop within the last year. Then there is the beautiful, sad wealthy young woman that has come to hire Sierra to provide the flowers for her wedding in two weeks. The wedding planner in charge of the wedding is a tyrannical rude man that just leaves me thinking someone will just have to murder him before the end of this book.
Round up the usual peacocks by Donna Andrews- This interesting book centers around a wedding and two kids podcast that delve into past cold cases. Speed ahead and someone is trying to kill one of the kids due to their podcast. But which case is the attempted murder tied to. Inquiring minds want to know. Looks like a good read.
Donut disturb by Ellie Alexander- This is a cute little story that I would enjoy reading in full. Several interesting characters that I feel would be fun to follow to the end of the story. Wedding and a fugitive on the run to possibly try to upset the big day. Fun restaurant coffee house bakery is the setting.
Mint chocolate Murder by Meridian Allen- This is an interesting read. Three chapters is not enough. Riley, an ex CIA agent, is running an ice cream shop for her friend Caroline. The local famous model, that lives in a reclusive castle, Maude Monaco, has hired the ice cream shop to supply the confectionery delights for the Moy Mull’s fall festival. Enter also a famous obnoxious photographer, Adam Blasco, no good is going to come from this scoundrel of a man. Looks like a good read to me.
Lady of Bones by Carolyn Haines- Sarah Booth is a 34 year old young detective. Her parents died from an auto accident when she was a child and she was raised by her loving Aunt. This book is fashioned around the New Orleans district. Sarah has a family friendly ghost that visits her on Halloween as Sarah and her friends are celebrating the birth of her coworkers baby. The ghost tells her birth brings a balance by a death. Everything is in riddles from the ghost with no explanation of its meaning. Shortly thereafter a visitor arrives at the door which turns out to be her mothers long lost best friend Frankie. Frankie is very distraught about the disappearance of her daughter and her daughters friend. Both girls are beautiful young ladies. There is a cult involved in the disappearance. Sarah agrees to take on the task to try and find the missing girls. Looks like an interesting read to me.

Gone but not Furgotten by Cate Conte- Maddie James owner of a cafe is also a local animal control volunteer. Cats are her specialty. She currently has approximately 20 cats at her cafe for customers to preview and possibly adopt. Maddie also is in a Tia chi class taught by her friend Cass. All goes wrong when Cass asks her to come visit one of his students that had an altercation with her neighbor day previously involving the students numerous cats. When they arrive at the woman’s home they find her dead at the bottom of her stairs from a fall. Maddie is left to figure out what to do with the 20-30 cats and figure out the real cause of the woman’s death.

The Blue Diamond by Leonard Goldberg- This is a who done it about a 3000 carrot blue diamond that is stolen. Sherlock Holmes daughter Joanna is heading the investigation.

The Key to Deceit by Ashley Weaver-Ellie McDonnell is an unusual young woman living in WWII era.
She and her family are reforming thieves. In order to stay out of prison she and her uncle were enlisted to help the police in matters of breaking into locks. Her talents are needed to remove a bracelet from a dead woman in the morgue. It will be interesting where this story will go.

Several of these books I find interesting. All would be good reads.

A wonderful resource for exposure to different mystery authors that helps me decide what to purchase for our library