Judi Whitton Easley
Port Danby Cozy Mystery Series Review Books Two – Five Carnations & Chaos #2; Mistletoe & Mayhem #3 Roses & Revenge #4; Tulips & Trouble #5 London Lovett Wild Fox Press Full-length novels (50,000 words) Contemporary Cozy Mystery Carnations and Chaos #2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ During the Third Annual Food Fair, an unpopular, but well-known food blogger is killed and our heroine, Lacey “Pink” Pinkerton (and her super nose) assist Detective James Briggs to solve the case, even if he does object the whole time. Mistletoe and Mayhem #3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ During the Harbor Holiday Lights Flotilla, a boat owner is strangled. Pink and her nose go to Detective Briggs’ assistance again to resolve many of the finer points of the crime. Roses and Revenge #4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Giorgio Perfume and Pink’s former fiance are shooting a commercial at the old mansion when someone is murdered. Detective Briggs’ needs the assistance of Pink and her Million Dollar nose again to sort through all the clues and red herrings and track down the killer. Tulips and Trouble #5 ⭐⭐⭐🌙While the town prepares for its annual flea market, mischief surfaces and an artist disappears and then turns up murdered. Pink and her nose once again come to Detective Briggs’ aid as they put their findings together and come up with the right answer, but not before the killer targets Pink. I love the covers of this series. The author pic at the top is adorable. The picture of the town of Port Danby is awesome as it changes on each book with the season of the story. Then the title box at the bottom always has the appropriate flowers in it from the story as well. They are subtly colored by on the bright side. I’m pretty sure this is a girly thing. Sorry. The regular characters of the series are developing quite nicely up to this point and the relationships are getting interesting if a bit predictable. Sometimes if it weren’t for Pink’s nose picking up some elusive scent where it shouldn’t be, there would be no resolution to these crimes. Detective Briggs seems to be a bit clueless sometimes as he doesn’t seem to contribute much in the way of findings. I suppose that’s only to be expected given the way the author has the series set up. I’d like to see a bit more intelligence from him, though. See him connect the dots once in the while, even if she’s the one who found them. I’ve read the first half of what’s currently been published. Now, I’m looking to read the second half of what’s out there and see if it holds up. It’s all easy reading and fun. I recommend them to those of you who enjoy cozy mysteries and are looking for another series to add to your shelves.