Another book I’ve read lately is Secrets, Lies & Crawfish Pies by Abby L. Vandiver. Isn’t that a great title for a book! This one’s a cozy mystery and it has the promise of a romance that I think will take place over the course 
of several books. Here’s the back cover copy:
Romaine Wilder, big-city medical examiner with a small-town past, has been downsized and evicted. With few other options, she’s forced to return to her hometown of Roble in East Texas, leaving behind the man she’s dating and the life she’s worked hard to build.
Suzanne Babet Derbinay, Romaine’s Auntie Zanne and proprietor of the Ball Funeral Home, has long since traded her French Creole upbringing for Big Texas attitude. She’s a member in a number of ladies’ auxiliaries and clubs, including being in charge of the Tri-County Annual Crawfish Boil and Music Festival.
Hanging on to the magic of her Louisiana roots, she’s cooked up a love potion or two—if she could only get Romaine to drink it. But her plans are derailed when the Ball Funeral Home, bursting at the seams with dead bodies, has a squatter stiff.
Dead Guy is a problem.
Auntie Zanne can’t abide by a murderer using her funeral home as the dumping grounds for their crimes, and Romaine doesn’t want her newly elected cousin, Sheriff Pogue Folsom, to fail on his first murder case. Together, Romaine and Auntie Zanne set off to solve it.
With a dash of humor, a dollop of Southern charm, and a peek at current social issues in the mix, it’s a fun romp around East Texas to solve a murder mystery of the cozy kind.
While this story is set in East Texas, it could be set anywhere in the South, especially my home state of Mississippi. Dr. Romaine Wilder returns kicking and screaming to her hometown of Roble, Texas. She thinks this is a temporary move, but her Aunt Zanne has other ideas. And what Aunt Zanne wants, Aunt Zanne gets.
When a body is found in the family funeral home, Romaine feels she has to get involved in solving the crime when Zanne becomes a prime suspect. I like that Romaine’s occupation isn’t your usual one for a cozy. I’m looking forward to more stories from Abby L. Vandiver!
You can get this book on Amazon for $2.99
Abby L. Vandiver was a new-to-me author. Who was the last new-to-you author you read? Leave a comment and I’ll enter you in a drawing for a book from my library at the end of the month, or if you want Secrets, Lies, & Crawfish Pies, I’ll send you a digital copy!
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Comments 23
I discovered Mary Alford in the Summer of Suspense collection this past summer. I’ve since enjoyed a few other of her books.
Author
I love Mary’s books, Nicole! Thanks for stopping by.
I recently read A Promise Child by Kathryn Spurgeon. Thank you for sharing. Blessings
Author
I haven’t read that one, Lucy. Always good to see you here.
This book sounds intriguing and like a good page turner! The last new to me author book I read was The Patient by Steena Holmes , and it is a Great book, I highly recommend it. Thank you for the chance.
Author
This is an intriguing book, Alicia! Glad to see you here.
Jaime Jo Wright books
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Love Jaime Jo’s books, MS Barb. Good to see you here.
Now that sounds like some kind of strange tale. And naming a lead character after a head of lettuce???? What’s up with that? The last “new to me” author I read was Rebecca Price Janney, the author who wrote a fictional account of a true event that meant so much to me. I think I may have already mentioned her story about the 1970 Asbury College Revival.
Author
It was very good, Edward. I’ll have to look Rebecca Price Janney up, Edward. Good to see you here.
I recently read The Barefoot Brides Romance collection from Barbour Publishing, Several of the authors were new to me.
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I love the Barbour books, Caryl. Good to see you here.
I won a Charles Todd in a goodreads giveaway. It was very good. I now have the first in the series checked out.
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Another author I’ll have to check out, Joni. Thanks for dropping by!
sounds interesting!
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It is, Shelia! Thanks for commenting.
Mmm, sounds like a fascinating read!! Elizabeth Aston “Darcy” series. While I now have to finish the series because I started it, the books have enough extra things that I would rather not read, and I will therefore probably not read anymore of her books. (I would rather not read about every man in the story, good and bad, having a mistress…)
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I haven’t read this series, Monique and I hate it when I like a book, but it would be so much better without certain elements. Always good to ‘see’ you here.
I am about to read a brand new author to me – Nicole Deese – Before I called you mine.
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I want to read that one, Betti! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
I read new authors from time to time. I recently read a Christmas novella by P. Creedon and a few different cozy mysteries by new authors.
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Another new author for me to check out. Thanks Gloria! Always good to ‘see’ you here.
The last new-to-me author I read (and throughly enjoyed) is Linore Rose Burkard and her book Forever, Lately. It’s a Regency time travel romance book that was such a fun read! It surprised me on how much I loved it. Definitley something quite different that pulled me in from the get-go.
I haven’t read too many cozy mysteries but I do love the titles they come up with. One of my favorite ones I saw (and read years ago) was Death by Darjeeling. It is part of a series called the Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs. I’m not a straight mystery reader, but I think cozies are fun for a change of pace.