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A Mallory Beck Cozy Culinary Caper #1
Murder at Mile Marker 18
An unlucky amateur sleuth, an adorable cop, and a cat with a hunch…
If anyone had told Mallory Beck she would become Honeysuckle Grove’s next unschooled detective, she would have thought they were ten noodles short of a lasagna. Her late husband had been the mystery novelist with a penchant for the suspicious. She was born for the crock pot, not the magnifying glass, and yet here she is elbow deep in fettuccine, cat treats, and teenagers with an attitude, the combination of which lands her smack-dab in the middle of a murder investigation.
Maybe she should have thought twice about delivering a casserole to a grieving family. Maybe she should have avoided the ever-changing green eyes of her seventh-grade crush—now the most heart-stopping cop in town. Maybe she should have stopped listening to the insightful mewls of her cat, Hunch, who most likely wants her to be the town’s next murder victim.
Whatever the case, Mallory Beck got herself into this investigation, and she has a distraught teenage girl counting on her to deliver the truth.
Add book one in the brand new Mallory Beck Cozy Culinary Series, to your to-read list now!
If anyone had told Mallory Beck she would become Honeysuckle Grove’s next unschooled detective, she would have thought they were ten noodles short of a lasagna. Her late husband had been the mystery novelist with a penchant for the suspicious. She was born for the crock pot, not the magnifying glass, and yet here she is elbow deep in fettuccine, cat treats, and teenagers with an attitude, the combination of which lands her smack-dab in the middle of a murder investigation.
Maybe she should have thought twice about delivering a casserole to a grieving family. Maybe she should have avoided the ever-changing green eyes of her seventh-grade crush—now the most heart-stopping cop in town. Maybe she should have stopped listening to the insightful mewls of her cat, Hunch, who most likely wants her to be the town’s next murder victim.
Whatever the case, Mallory Beck got herself into this investigation, and she has a distraught teenage girl counting on her to deliver the truth.
Add book one in the brand new Mallory Beck Cozy Culinary Series, to your to-read list now!
369 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 21, 2020
About the author
Denise Jaden
71 books478 followersBestselling author Denise Jaden loves cozy socks, cozy cats, and cozy mysteries. She’s the author of several young adult novels, nonfiction books for writers, and cozy mysteries that will make you laugh out loud while dangling at the edge of your seat.
Prior to becoming an author, Denise worked at everything from mushroom farming to acting and Polynesian dancing. Now she does most of her writing in a holding tent in the background of one of the many film sets in and around Vancouver. Sign up for updates, exclusive bonuses, and find out more about Denise, her books, and her crazy cat at DeniseJaden.com
Prior to becoming an author, Denise worked at everything from mushroom farming to acting and Polynesian dancing. Now she does most of her writing in a holding tent in the background of one of the many film sets in and around Vancouver. Sign up for updates, exclusive bonuses, and find out more about Denise, her books, and her crazy cat at DeniseJaden.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
October 21, 2020
Mallory Beck was only trying to be kind. Being drawn into a murder mystery, helping a teenager find closure over her father's death and avoiding a certain police officer was not what she was expecting when she delivered a casserole to a grieving family.
Mallory is a complicated and well-written character that I loved. She's kind, smart and
is trying to put her shattered life together after the death of her husband. I enjoyed the antics of her cat Hunch, who is a feline sleuth! The mystery is fast-paced and kept me reading through the night. The ending was a surprise and all the pieces fit together perfectly!
I can't wait for the next visit with Mallory and Hunch!
I received an ARC from the author. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Mallory is a complicated and well-written character that I loved. She's kind, smart and
is trying to put her shattered life together after the death of her husband. I enjoyed the antics of her cat Hunch, who is a feline sleuth! The mystery is fast-paced and kept me reading through the night. The ending was a surprise and all the pieces fit together perfectly!
I can't wait for the next visit with Mallory and Hunch!
I received an ARC from the author. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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August 6, 2022One week until Murder at Mile Marker 18 releases! Enjoy this sneak peek at Chapter One...
THE WIFE OF A WAR correspondent or a fighter pilot or even a venomous snake milker (yes, there is such a thing) might expect to be a widow at twenty-eight, but certainly not the wife of a novelist.
And yet here I was, learning how to live life in the oversized house, in a small West Virginia town we settled into only a year ago—alone. To be fair, I hadn’t done much in the way of living in the last eight months since Cooper died, but after an offhand comment from my sister about me being under great threat of becoming a cat lady, I was determined to start today.
Being a cat lady wouldn’t be so bad if the cat I’d inherited didn’t loathe me.
I swung my legs out of Cooper’s black Jeep and did a little hip shimmy to straighten my skirt as I stood. Picking out clothes this morning had been about as difficult as choosing between cake and pie (no one should ever have to make that choice). What does one wear that says, I’m fine, just fine, and I haven’t been moping around my dark house for the last eight months, nope, not me, but nonetheless, please, keep your distance?
Even though it was the middle of August, I had settled on a black skirt with the tiniest of polka dots and a light cornflower blue blouse with matching pumps and a headband that pulled my in-need-of-a-trim bangs back. It didn’t spell out the last eight months of my life, but it did the job in making me feel tidy and unapproachable. My coffee-brown hair fell halfway down my back now, full of split ends, but it actually didn’t look half bad today for how many months it had been matted against my living room couch.
I strode for the church, the same one I hadn’t stepped foot inside since Cooper’s memorial service. Church had always been Cooper’s thing. I’d gone along to play the part of the good wife but didn’t spend too much time considering how I felt about God or how He felt about me. At least I hadn’t before He decided to snatch my husband from me.
Two greeters in their mid-forties stood at the closest open glass doors—a man in a gray suit and a woman in an apricot summer dress. Thankfully, I didn’t recognize either of them. I’d chosen this as my first big public outing because, at more than three hundred people, I figured our church was the one place I might get in and out of completely unnoticed. As I approached the greeters, though, the woman leaned into the man and whispered something.
I gulped. Apparently, this was how it would go: People would recognize me, remember Cooper, and not know what to say. Why, again, had I gotten out of bed this morning? There had to be at least one Netflix series I hadn’t binged yet.
The woman at the door pasted on a bright smile as she turned back to me, just in time to say, “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I murmured back, but my voice came out hard and crusty, like bread out of a too-hot oven, or like I hadn’t used it in more than a week. Come to think of it, other than talking on the phone with my sister, I probably hadn’t. My tone, at least, had the desired effect, and the greeters let me pass without another word.
My next goal was to make it through the lobby and into the sanctuary without garnering any other stares or attention. This part was not easy. All eyes followed me as I entered the church lobby, and I was pretty sure I wasn’t just imagining it.
My late husband, Cooper Beck, had been a well-known mystery writer, so I was used to recognition. After only five years, I hadn’t been married long enough to get used to this feeling of notoriety, and I guess I had assumed it would have died with Cooper.
Apparently not so. And not only that, but every single person nearby was scanning my body, probably taking in my too-bright cornflower blouse and thinking it inappropriate for someone in mourning, or noticing the tiny polka dots on my skirt, or wondering why I still wore black after so many months, or…something.
While I was lost in my warring thoughts, Donna Mayberry spotted me, at first only giving me a glance, and I thought I might make it into the sanctuary before actually having to speak to her. But then she did a double take, quickly followed by the head tilt of pity. By this point, I knew that look well. That look was why I had taken to grocery shopping and running errands at midnight instead of during the day like a normal person. At midnight, I could safely avoid the head tilt of pity.
“Mallory Beck?” Donna called with an arm straight up in the air, so any stray person in the vicinity who hadn’t yet set eyes on me might do so now. “It’s so nice to see you out!” she said loudly, calling public attention to my self-imposed isolation in only two seconds.
Donna had the kind of long legs that would be impossible to outrun. In fact, I blinked, and she was right there beside me. Donna was long everywhere—from her fingers to the dark, shiny hair that fell past her waist. She wore a summery yellow dress that touched the floor, and I had to wonder what kind of a store made clothes that would look long on someone like nearly six-foot Donna. Whether it was her hair or her stature or her clothes, though, Donna Mayberry always seemed to have a way of making me feel frumpy and underdressed.
Then again, maybe all these people would finally look at her instead of me.
Donna and Marv were one of the first couples Cooper and I had met when we’d settled into Honeysuckle Grove a year ago, and while Marv worked about sixteen hours a day, Donna naturally excelled at everything from shrub carving to Michelangelo-inspired nail design, and seemed to have a little too much time on her hands—time to know everything about everyone.
“How are you doing, honey? Is this your first time back at church?” Again with the head tilt of pity. Even though I doubted Donna could know I hadn’t left my house in thirteen days, somehow her tone confirmed she absolutely did.
“First time, yes,” I replied. No point in denying it.
She angled me away from the imposing stares and nudged me toward an alcove as though she could sense how much the staring bothered me. A second later, a tall, potted plant concealed us in the corner of the lobby, and I had just let out a breath of relief when Donna suddenly started pulling at my skirt.
I grabbed for my skirt and looked down in horror. Was Donna trying to undress me? Was this a bad dream? Maybe I was still sleeping soundly—or as soundly as one could beside a hostile cat while dreaming about being undressed in public.
But as I blinked and then blinked again, Donna held up a pair of beige control-top pantyhose she had peeled off the outside of my skirt to show me. A second later, she tucked them into the outside pouch of my gray leather purse.
“Oh!” I let out a loud noise, something between a yelp and a laugh. “Thank you!”
As I peeked around the plant, it seemed everyone had lost interest in us, thank goodness.
“Well, you’ll have to sit with us.” Donna straightened her own dress and looked down as though something equally embarrassing might have happened to her, but I was pretty sure we both knew that wasn’t how the universe worked. I doubted Marv was here, so “us” likely meant Donna’s gossip posse—that was what Cooper and I used to call them—but as Donna tugged my arm toward the far side of the lobby, a jolt of panic shot through me.
“Oh, I can’t,” I said, pulling away from her eight-tone sunset nails. “I’m, um, meeting someone, and I said I’d be sitting on this side.” The first lie I could think of launched off my tongue. I just couldn’t imagine sitting with Donna’s posse and having them all whisper, “Yes, but how are you really doing?” fifty times throughout the service.
Donna looked to either side of me as though she might regard this mysterious person I could be waiting for. I could have continued with the lie. Said my sister was in town or conjured an imaginary friend or something to put her mind at rest. But I was suddenly just so tired from all of this interaction—the most I’d endured in eight months—and so I simply stood there staring at Donna like my brain had taken an extended vacation.
Eventually, she said, “Oh. Okay then. If you’re sure?”
I nodded as she backed away, leaving me to my social anxiety.
A few more head tilts greeted me as I took my seat near the back of the sanctuary on the right, nice and close to the door. Thankfully, my chosen outfit—sans the sticky pantyhose—did its duty of keeping me mostly unapproachable. The church had rarely filled to capacity when Cooper and I had attended, so I had some confidence I’d have the back bench to myself. The only time I’d actually seen this place full was at Cooper’s memorial service, but most of those were mystery fans and people fascinated with death, not people who had actually known him.
Soon, the service started with singing and then the pastor’s invitation for people to donate and volunteer in any area they were able. Nothing had changed in eight months, apparently. Honeysuckle Grove Community Church still didn’t have enough money in the building fund or enough people to host small group Bible studies in their homes. It seemed so very odd that while my life had been turned on its head, leaving me without a husband or a profession, every person around me seemed like a walking robot, pre-programmed for a life that would remain constant until their pre-determined time of death.
As though Pastor Jeff could read my mind, he started his sermon with, “We are not robots.”
That was one thing I’d forgotten about church. Pastor Jeff had a great gift for storytelling. He usually started one of his stories with a bold and unusual statement, and then went on a long rabbit trail about his son’s first crack at baseball or about that time he lost his luggage in a Taiwanese airport, but then brought it back around to that first bold statement in a way that made the entire congregation think, Ah, I see what you did there!
But today, I feared I didn’t have the brain capacity to follow his breadcrumbs. He chattered on about what it meant to be part of a family and body parts working together and covering a multitude of sins. At least I had been correct about getting the back bench to myself.
I tuned out for a minute, or maybe it was more than a minute, because the next thing I knew, Pastor Jeff closed his Bible and bowed his head to pray.
I’d done it! I’d made it through the entire service. Okay, maybe I hadn’t taken much of it in, but I’d spoken to an actual person, I’d sat here and proved I could act normal, and I hadn’t drawn a single bit of attention to myself. Well, besides the part where I wore my pantyhose on the outside of my skirt.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you there’s been a recent death in the congregation,” Pastor Jeff said. At first, I expected all eyes to once again turn to me, but then quickly realized “recent” in Pastor Jeff’s books meant something during the last two seasons. “This past Friday, August the thirteenth, Dan Montrose met his death in an unfortunate accident.”
Pastor Jeff resumed bowing his head to pray for the family and their loss. His deep voice boomed with emotion and instantly made me feel like I’d gone back in time eight months. I could physically feel grief for this family I’d never even met, like a two-hundred-pound anchor in my stomach. Pastor Jeff went on to talk about the shock of the death and the wife and children this man had left behind, and because I couldn’t bear the weight of the extra grief, I kept my eyes open and focused on our authoritative, if somewhat frazzled, pastor.
Pastor Jeff wore jeans and a beige button-down today. His hair was more in need of a trim than mine, which was saying something, but in every bit of his countenance, he oozed compassion. I wondered how overworked Pastor Jeff must be to take care of such a large congregation. It must involve a lot of stress for someone who cared so much. After Cooper died, Pastor Jeff visited me three times at the house, until I’d finally donned a face that convinced him I was doing fine, just fine, and didn’t need a fourth visit. In truth, I probably did need that fourth visit, but even then, in the midst of my grief, I had somehow inherently known that I would be doing our overworked pastor a great favor by letting him move on to some other hurting soul within the church.
“Anyone?” Pastor Jeff said, and it took me a second to realize he had finished praying and now gazed over the congregation with his eyes pleading, as he often did at the beginning of the service when asking for volunteers. I had tuned out again. “Can anyone be the arms of this church body and deliver a casserole to these hurting folks, to help out this part of our church family?” He scanned the entire congregation a second time. “It doesn’t have to be anything fancy.”
He looked to the far side of the sanctuary where Donna and her gossip posse huddled whispering, and then in front of them to where the rest of the church staff sat. The church secretary, Penny Lissmore, let out such a large breath of disappointment, I could see her chest heave from across the large worship center. Pastor Jeff sighed as though admitting defeat to her and explaining telepathically that they’d have to add Casserole Delivery to the long list of things someone on the staff would eventually have to get to.
After Cooper died, I’d had at least a couple of casseroles delivered to me. That time was a bit of a haze, and I definitely didn’t ponder at the time how much cajoling it might have taken to get someone to pick up a casserole at the store—they were the store-bought variety, I remembered that much—and bring it over to my house.
I got it. Approaching a grieving widow was probably near the bottom of most people’s lists of favorite things to do, right below getting a root canal or having a wardrobe malfunction on your first day back at church. But for the first time, I understood how comforting those little acts of kindness could be.
While I was lost in my thoughts again, I didn’t immediately notice the church secretary and an associate pastor look my way, followed by Pastor Jeff. His face broke into a smile that looked as though heaven had just opened and angels were descending right here on this side of the sanctuary.
“Mallory Beck!” he said, and I startled at my name. “I knew I could count on you. Thank you so much, Mallory. The Montrose family will really appreciate this.”
I blinked as I clued in to what he was saying. And that’s when I realized my hand was high in the air.
THE WIFE OF A WAR correspondent or a fighter pilot or even a venomous snake milker (yes, there is such a thing) might expect to be a widow at twenty-eight, but certainly not the wife of a novelist.
And yet here I was, learning how to live life in the oversized house, in a small West Virginia town we settled into only a year ago—alone. To be fair, I hadn’t done much in the way of living in the last eight months since Cooper died, but after an offhand comment from my sister about me being under great threat of becoming a cat lady, I was determined to start today.
Being a cat lady wouldn’t be so bad if the cat I’d inherited didn’t loathe me.
I swung my legs out of Cooper’s black Jeep and did a little hip shimmy to straighten my skirt as I stood. Picking out clothes this morning had been about as difficult as choosing between cake and pie (no one should ever have to make that choice). What does one wear that says, I’m fine, just fine, and I haven’t been moping around my dark house for the last eight months, nope, not me, but nonetheless, please, keep your distance?
Even though it was the middle of August, I had settled on a black skirt with the tiniest of polka dots and a light cornflower blue blouse with matching pumps and a headband that pulled my in-need-of-a-trim bangs back. It didn’t spell out the last eight months of my life, but it did the job in making me feel tidy and unapproachable. My coffee-brown hair fell halfway down my back now, full of split ends, but it actually didn’t look half bad today for how many months it had been matted against my living room couch.
I strode for the church, the same one I hadn’t stepped foot inside since Cooper’s memorial service. Church had always been Cooper’s thing. I’d gone along to play the part of the good wife but didn’t spend too much time considering how I felt about God or how He felt about me. At least I hadn’t before He decided to snatch my husband from me.
Two greeters in their mid-forties stood at the closest open glass doors—a man in a gray suit and a woman in an apricot summer dress. Thankfully, I didn’t recognize either of them. I’d chosen this as my first big public outing because, at more than three hundred people, I figured our church was the one place I might get in and out of completely unnoticed. As I approached the greeters, though, the woman leaned into the man and whispered something.
I gulped. Apparently, this was how it would go: People would recognize me, remember Cooper, and not know what to say. Why, again, had I gotten out of bed this morning? There had to be at least one Netflix series I hadn’t binged yet.
The woman at the door pasted on a bright smile as she turned back to me, just in time to say, “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I murmured back, but my voice came out hard and crusty, like bread out of a too-hot oven, or like I hadn’t used it in more than a week. Come to think of it, other than talking on the phone with my sister, I probably hadn’t. My tone, at least, had the desired effect, and the greeters let me pass without another word.
My next goal was to make it through the lobby and into the sanctuary without garnering any other stares or attention. This part was not easy. All eyes followed me as I entered the church lobby, and I was pretty sure I wasn’t just imagining it.
My late husband, Cooper Beck, had been a well-known mystery writer, so I was used to recognition. After only five years, I hadn’t been married long enough to get used to this feeling of notoriety, and I guess I had assumed it would have died with Cooper.
Apparently not so. And not only that, but every single person nearby was scanning my body, probably taking in my too-bright cornflower blouse and thinking it inappropriate for someone in mourning, or noticing the tiny polka dots on my skirt, or wondering why I still wore black after so many months, or…something.
While I was lost in my warring thoughts, Donna Mayberry spotted me, at first only giving me a glance, and I thought I might make it into the sanctuary before actually having to speak to her. But then she did a double take, quickly followed by the head tilt of pity. By this point, I knew that look well. That look was why I had taken to grocery shopping and running errands at midnight instead of during the day like a normal person. At midnight, I could safely avoid the head tilt of pity.
“Mallory Beck?” Donna called with an arm straight up in the air, so any stray person in the vicinity who hadn’t yet set eyes on me might do so now. “It’s so nice to see you out!” she said loudly, calling public attention to my self-imposed isolation in only two seconds.
Donna had the kind of long legs that would be impossible to outrun. In fact, I blinked, and she was right there beside me. Donna was long everywhere—from her fingers to the dark, shiny hair that fell past her waist. She wore a summery yellow dress that touched the floor, and I had to wonder what kind of a store made clothes that would look long on someone like nearly six-foot Donna. Whether it was her hair or her stature or her clothes, though, Donna Mayberry always seemed to have a way of making me feel frumpy and underdressed.
Then again, maybe all these people would finally look at her instead of me.
Donna and Marv were one of the first couples Cooper and I had met when we’d settled into Honeysuckle Grove a year ago, and while Marv worked about sixteen hours a day, Donna naturally excelled at everything from shrub carving to Michelangelo-inspired nail design, and seemed to have a little too much time on her hands—time to know everything about everyone.
“How are you doing, honey? Is this your first time back at church?” Again with the head tilt of pity. Even though I doubted Donna could know I hadn’t left my house in thirteen days, somehow her tone confirmed she absolutely did.
“First time, yes,” I replied. No point in denying it.
She angled me away from the imposing stares and nudged me toward an alcove as though she could sense how much the staring bothered me. A second later, a tall, potted plant concealed us in the corner of the lobby, and I had just let out a breath of relief when Donna suddenly started pulling at my skirt.
I grabbed for my skirt and looked down in horror. Was Donna trying to undress me? Was this a bad dream? Maybe I was still sleeping soundly—or as soundly as one could beside a hostile cat while dreaming about being undressed in public.
But as I blinked and then blinked again, Donna held up a pair of beige control-top pantyhose she had peeled off the outside of my skirt to show me. A second later, she tucked them into the outside pouch of my gray leather purse.
“Oh!” I let out a loud noise, something between a yelp and a laugh. “Thank you!”
As I peeked around the plant, it seemed everyone had lost interest in us, thank goodness.
“Well, you’ll have to sit with us.” Donna straightened her own dress and looked down as though something equally embarrassing might have happened to her, but I was pretty sure we both knew that wasn’t how the universe worked. I doubted Marv was here, so “us” likely meant Donna’s gossip posse—that was what Cooper and I used to call them—but as Donna tugged my arm toward the far side of the lobby, a jolt of panic shot through me.
“Oh, I can’t,” I said, pulling away from her eight-tone sunset nails. “I’m, um, meeting someone, and I said I’d be sitting on this side.” The first lie I could think of launched off my tongue. I just couldn’t imagine sitting with Donna’s posse and having them all whisper, “Yes, but how are you really doing?” fifty times throughout the service.
Donna looked to either side of me as though she might regard this mysterious person I could be waiting for. I could have continued with the lie. Said my sister was in town or conjured an imaginary friend or something to put her mind at rest. But I was suddenly just so tired from all of this interaction—the most I’d endured in eight months—and so I simply stood there staring at Donna like my brain had taken an extended vacation.
Eventually, she said, “Oh. Okay then. If you’re sure?”
I nodded as she backed away, leaving me to my social anxiety.
A few more head tilts greeted me as I took my seat near the back of the sanctuary on the right, nice and close to the door. Thankfully, my chosen outfit—sans the sticky pantyhose—did its duty of keeping me mostly unapproachable. The church had rarely filled to capacity when Cooper and I had attended, so I had some confidence I’d have the back bench to myself. The only time I’d actually seen this place full was at Cooper’s memorial service, but most of those were mystery fans and people fascinated with death, not people who had actually known him.
Soon, the service started with singing and then the pastor’s invitation for people to donate and volunteer in any area they were able. Nothing had changed in eight months, apparently. Honeysuckle Grove Community Church still didn’t have enough money in the building fund or enough people to host small group Bible studies in their homes. It seemed so very odd that while my life had been turned on its head, leaving me without a husband or a profession, every person around me seemed like a walking robot, pre-programmed for a life that would remain constant until their pre-determined time of death.
As though Pastor Jeff could read my mind, he started his sermon with, “We are not robots.”
That was one thing I’d forgotten about church. Pastor Jeff had a great gift for storytelling. He usually started one of his stories with a bold and unusual statement, and then went on a long rabbit trail about his son’s first crack at baseball or about that time he lost his luggage in a Taiwanese airport, but then brought it back around to that first bold statement in a way that made the entire congregation think, Ah, I see what you did there!
But today, I feared I didn’t have the brain capacity to follow his breadcrumbs. He chattered on about what it meant to be part of a family and body parts working together and covering a multitude of sins. At least I had been correct about getting the back bench to myself.
I tuned out for a minute, or maybe it was more than a minute, because the next thing I knew, Pastor Jeff closed his Bible and bowed his head to pray.
I’d done it! I’d made it through the entire service. Okay, maybe I hadn’t taken much of it in, but I’d spoken to an actual person, I’d sat here and proved I could act normal, and I hadn’t drawn a single bit of attention to myself. Well, besides the part where I wore my pantyhose on the outside of my skirt.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you there’s been a recent death in the congregation,” Pastor Jeff said. At first, I expected all eyes to once again turn to me, but then quickly realized “recent” in Pastor Jeff’s books meant something during the last two seasons. “This past Friday, August the thirteenth, Dan Montrose met his death in an unfortunate accident.”
Pastor Jeff resumed bowing his head to pray for the family and their loss. His deep voice boomed with emotion and instantly made me feel like I’d gone back in time eight months. I could physically feel grief for this family I’d never even met, like a two-hundred-pound anchor in my stomach. Pastor Jeff went on to talk about the shock of the death and the wife and children this man had left behind, and because I couldn’t bear the weight of the extra grief, I kept my eyes open and focused on our authoritative, if somewhat frazzled, pastor.
Pastor Jeff wore jeans and a beige button-down today. His hair was more in need of a trim than mine, which was saying something, but in every bit of his countenance, he oozed compassion. I wondered how overworked Pastor Jeff must be to take care of such a large congregation. It must involve a lot of stress for someone who cared so much. After Cooper died, Pastor Jeff visited me three times at the house, until I’d finally donned a face that convinced him I was doing fine, just fine, and didn’t need a fourth visit. In truth, I probably did need that fourth visit, but even then, in the midst of my grief, I had somehow inherently known that I would be doing our overworked pastor a great favor by letting him move on to some other hurting soul within the church.
“Anyone?” Pastor Jeff said, and it took me a second to realize he had finished praying and now gazed over the congregation with his eyes pleading, as he often did at the beginning of the service when asking for volunteers. I had tuned out again. “Can anyone be the arms of this church body and deliver a casserole to these hurting folks, to help out this part of our church family?” He scanned the entire congregation a second time. “It doesn’t have to be anything fancy.”
He looked to the far side of the sanctuary where Donna and her gossip posse huddled whispering, and then in front of them to where the rest of the church staff sat. The church secretary, Penny Lissmore, let out such a large breath of disappointment, I could see her chest heave from across the large worship center. Pastor Jeff sighed as though admitting defeat to her and explaining telepathically that they’d have to add Casserole Delivery to the long list of things someone on the staff would eventually have to get to.
After Cooper died, I’d had at least a couple of casseroles delivered to me. That time was a bit of a haze, and I definitely didn’t ponder at the time how much cajoling it might have taken to get someone to pick up a casserole at the store—they were the store-bought variety, I remembered that much—and bring it over to my house.
I got it. Approaching a grieving widow was probably near the bottom of most people’s lists of favorite things to do, right below getting a root canal or having a wardrobe malfunction on your first day back at church. But for the first time, I understood how comforting those little acts of kindness could be.
While I was lost in my thoughts again, I didn’t immediately notice the church secretary and an associate pastor look my way, followed by Pastor Jeff. His face broke into a smile that looked as though heaven had just opened and angels were descending right here on this side of the sanctuary.
“Mallory Beck!” he said, and I startled at my name. “I knew I could count on you. Thank you so much, Mallory. The Montrose family will really appreciate this.”
I blinked as I clued in to what he was saying. And that’s when I realized my hand was high in the air.
October 1, 2021
Mallory husband Cooper died 8 months ago. He was a mystery writer. She has not left the house at all until she went to church ( where husband always went and Mallory would go with him but did not know if she really thought of God. When she got there a woman Donna noticed her and Mallory did not want to speak to her because she knew they would make her depressed so she sat by herself. Pastor Jeff last thing he said if anyone would voleenter to bring food the a man Dan house because he just had hit and run and died. Mallory did not know she had her hand up and Pastor said wonderful Mallory. Mallory said to herself ok I can do this. Color that a cat named Hunche that Mallory thought did not like her. But when she started making the casserole for the family of Dan's Hunch started acting like he was paying attention to her and she really enjoyed that. When Mallory went to Dan's house and a house keeper Lupe opened the door. Mallory thought I'd this the right house. But then Helen ( Dan's wife) a woman that was all smiles came and then Mallory really wondered if this was the house. Yes it was. Beth a real estate woman that helped Cooper and her to get their house was there and she was crying ( !Mallory was thinking is this for real) Helen did not want the casseroles ( they were not glutton ) and told Mallory that maybe my son Seth ( Danny Jr.) Or her daughter Amber would like it. So Beth told her where their rooms were. She went to Seth first she was about gimmicky heard 2 voices one saying you always wanted my dad dead. Now I can be a mechanic. It was his friend Case that was in there. So she did hegemonic and went to Amber room. Amber seemed distraught. But Mallory told her she was there to give A bed some casserole she made. Amber was talking to her after awhile. Wondering about Mallory husband Cooper death. Mallory realized Amber was probably thinking the same thing about her dad Dan. Then Amber switched directions and said you know I feel like there something off about my dad's death. So they went to Mike Marker 18 where the hit and run took place. There were carved named that her and her dad would carve on trees. All in the mile markers. Something was fishy to Mallory .too. She and Amberwent to police station and asked if they can speak to an officer that was on the scene of the accident. The receptionist said no can do they are busy. But Amber spotted a cop after they walked off. A officer Alex ( Xander.) To Mallory disbelief she knew him when she lived there 1 year in 7 grade in West Viriginia. ( Mallory father always made them leave after some time. He said they did not go To but she knew better) Alex was surprised to see her too. They all 3 including the cat Hunches tried to find out the real story of Dan's death
December 1, 2020
Mallory Beck, the widow of a mystery novelist, only meant to bring over a casserole to a grieving family, not be convinced by a 15 year old that it was murder, and she should be allowed to help.
Of all the mystery subgenres, cozy is my favorite. Homey, delightful, and with nothing terribly disturbing or graphic, they're just my kind of tea. When I learned Murder at Mile Marker 18 was also a culinary mystery, passing on it simply wasn't an option. I love cozy. I love culinary. Give me a culinary cozy mystery and I'm in heaven! This one did not disappoint, and now I have more recipes to try because this books comes with some.
The Plot: A Perfect Cozy
Mallory Beck just lost her husband and has been finding it difficult to emerge from her relatively new home in a delightful large town in West Virginia. But she manages to, barely, drag herself to church, only to find out another woman lost her husband in a car accident. Surprising herself, she volunteers to deliver a casserole to the grieving family.
Only, she discovers one scarily put-together widow, an all together too sexy maid and her lazy son, a surly teenage boy, and a teenage girl with a hunch. And let's not forget a room full of dubious mourners. It doesn't take too much for the fifteen-year-old Amber to convince Mallory something doesn't add up in her dad's death. And even less time for Mallory to find herself starring in a mystery novel alongside a spunky teen girl and a very handsome cop Mallory knew briefly when she was a kid.
Overall, Murder at Mile Marker 18 wasn't a terribly complex mystery, but absolutely was fun with its share of twists and turns befitting a cozy. It was a fun push and pull between a dogged teenager and a cautious widow who is definitely not one of her late husband's detective characters.
It was a bit easy to figure out who likely did it since the cast is relatively small. Characters were introduced, but the ones of no interest were quickly placed out of the limelight. But it was fun to read about all of them and learn about their motivations. I was so charmed by Mallory, Amber, and Alex the handsome cop that I didn't even care it was a bit too easy.
I did enjoy the danger they got themselves into, and the tension was spot on in just the right places. There was a perfectly playing accordion of when to tighten and when to loosen the story, making it an almost unputdownable read. The pacing was perfect, the twists excellently well-timed, and the reveal breathtaking.
The Characters: Wonderfully Complimentary
My favorite part of Murder at Mile Marker 18, other than the delicious recipes I'm itching to try, would be the characters. They were so much fun and so interesting. I loved their unique personalities, and, of course, adored the cat. Mallory and Amber were perfect compliments who really drove the story and kept it interesting.
Mallory Beck is new widow in her late twenties who is taking the death of her husband hard. She loves to cook, and it's the perfect device to get this story going and make it believable. Amber is a spunky teenager who reminds me of a somewhat younger Nancy Drew. A little more reckless, and a bit desperate, she latches on to Mallory's listening ear and seems to be running the show. But she and Mallory are perfect compliments. Where one is ready to jump headlong into danger, the other is the cautious voice of reason. They feed off of each other, though, to create a perfect partnership balancing action and caution. Alex sometimes felt like a bit of a third wheel, almost like he was the obligatory law enforcing character. But he quickly shows his worth and serves as a solid rock for Mallory and Amber. Together, they make an amazing trio and I can't wait to read all the cases they'll solve together.
And then there's the cat. I love cats, so the inclusion of one in this book made reading and reviewing it a no-brainer. I especially liked the description of an antagonistic cat. Hunch was Mallory's husband's cat, and he and Mallory were far from best friends. Now, though, they're stuck with each other, and Hunch knows he's going to need Mallory from time to time. But I adored him! He just stole every scene he was in for me. An incredibly smart and incredibly stubborn cat, he made me think of a mystery writer in cat form. He has so much personality, feeling like both a cat and a human.
The Setting: Just Big Enough, Just Small Enough
Most of the cozies I've enjoyed have taken place in less densely populated areas. Murder at Mile Marker 18 is one such. Set in a small large town in West Virginia, it was small enough that it didn't feel like a crazy city and large enough that there were plenty of people who didn't know each other. It felt like it had the best of both worlds, making it easy to travel around and easy to remain out of sight when necessary. Overall, it felt like the perfect location for this story and I look forward to exploring more of it in future books.
Overall: Note Perfect
As a cozy mystery, Murder at Mile Marker 18 does not disappoint. While I wish it had been a bit more complex and left me wondering until the end, I did enjoy the twists and turns. I especially loved the relationships between the main characters. They really drove the story and I felt like I was making revelations with them instead of pages or chapters before them. The mystery and the overall story unfolded perfectly and absolutely gave me that cozy mystery feel.
Thank you to the author, Denise Jaden, for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
Of all the mystery subgenres, cozy is my favorite. Homey, delightful, and with nothing terribly disturbing or graphic, they're just my kind of tea. When I learned Murder at Mile Marker 18 was also a culinary mystery, passing on it simply wasn't an option. I love cozy. I love culinary. Give me a culinary cozy mystery and I'm in heaven! This one did not disappoint, and now I have more recipes to try because this books comes with some.
The Plot: A Perfect Cozy
Mallory Beck just lost her husband and has been finding it difficult to emerge from her relatively new home in a delightful large town in West Virginia. But she manages to, barely, drag herself to church, only to find out another woman lost her husband in a car accident. Surprising herself, she volunteers to deliver a casserole to the grieving family.
Only, she discovers one scarily put-together widow, an all together too sexy maid and her lazy son, a surly teenage boy, and a teenage girl with a hunch. And let's not forget a room full of dubious mourners. It doesn't take too much for the fifteen-year-old Amber to convince Mallory something doesn't add up in her dad's death. And even less time for Mallory to find herself starring in a mystery novel alongside a spunky teen girl and a very handsome cop Mallory knew briefly when she was a kid.
Overall, Murder at Mile Marker 18 wasn't a terribly complex mystery, but absolutely was fun with its share of twists and turns befitting a cozy. It was a fun push and pull between a dogged teenager and a cautious widow who is definitely not one of her late husband's detective characters.
It was a bit easy to figure out who likely did it since the cast is relatively small. Characters were introduced, but the ones of no interest were quickly placed out of the limelight. But it was fun to read about all of them and learn about their motivations. I was so charmed by Mallory, Amber, and Alex the handsome cop that I didn't even care it was a bit too easy.
I did enjoy the danger they got themselves into, and the tension was spot on in just the right places. There was a perfectly playing accordion of when to tighten and when to loosen the story, making it an almost unputdownable read. The pacing was perfect, the twists excellently well-timed, and the reveal breathtaking.
The Characters: Wonderfully Complimentary
My favorite part of Murder at Mile Marker 18, other than the delicious recipes I'm itching to try, would be the characters. They were so much fun and so interesting. I loved their unique personalities, and, of course, adored the cat. Mallory and Amber were perfect compliments who really drove the story and kept it interesting.
Mallory Beck is new widow in her late twenties who is taking the death of her husband hard. She loves to cook, and it's the perfect device to get this story going and make it believable. Amber is a spunky teenager who reminds me of a somewhat younger Nancy Drew. A little more reckless, and a bit desperate, she latches on to Mallory's listening ear and seems to be running the show. But she and Mallory are perfect compliments. Where one is ready to jump headlong into danger, the other is the cautious voice of reason. They feed off of each other, though, to create a perfect partnership balancing action and caution. Alex sometimes felt like a bit of a third wheel, almost like he was the obligatory law enforcing character. But he quickly shows his worth and serves as a solid rock for Mallory and Amber. Together, they make an amazing trio and I can't wait to read all the cases they'll solve together.
And then there's the cat. I love cats, so the inclusion of one in this book made reading and reviewing it a no-brainer. I especially liked the description of an antagonistic cat. Hunch was Mallory's husband's cat, and he and Mallory were far from best friends. Now, though, they're stuck with each other, and Hunch knows he's going to need Mallory from time to time. But I adored him! He just stole every scene he was in for me. An incredibly smart and incredibly stubborn cat, he made me think of a mystery writer in cat form. He has so much personality, feeling like both a cat and a human.
The Setting: Just Big Enough, Just Small Enough
Most of the cozies I've enjoyed have taken place in less densely populated areas. Murder at Mile Marker 18 is one such. Set in a small large town in West Virginia, it was small enough that it didn't feel like a crazy city and large enough that there were plenty of people who didn't know each other. It felt like it had the best of both worlds, making it easy to travel around and easy to remain out of sight when necessary. Overall, it felt like the perfect location for this story and I look forward to exploring more of it in future books.
Overall: Note Perfect
As a cozy mystery, Murder at Mile Marker 18 does not disappoint. While I wish it had been a bit more complex and left me wondering until the end, I did enjoy the twists and turns. I especially loved the relationships between the main characters. They really drove the story and I felt like I was making revelations with them instead of pages or chapters before them. The mystery and the overall story unfolded perfectly and absolutely gave me that cozy mystery feel.
Thank you to the author, Denise Jaden, for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
October 21, 2020
Mallory Beck had no desire to become Honeysuckle Grove’s next free-lance detective, yet she just found herself right in the middle of a murder investigation. Her late husband, Cooper, had been the mystery novelist; the cat he left behind hates her; and she did not want to venture out into the world, hiding away in grief. Her first outing was to church. With so many people, no one should notice her. But they did. She finally sat on the back bench and zoned out through the sermon, only coming back to attention to hear the pastor say, “This past Friday, August the thirteenth, Dan Montrose met his death in an unfortunate accident.” He asked for a volunteer to take a casserole to the family. She zoned out again until the pastor shouted her name and thanked her… and she saw she was holding her hand high in the air!
All it took was that casserole to have Mallory investigating the death of the teenager Amber’s father. She seeks the help of a man she once, or perhaps still, had a crush on, Xander (“Alex” now). His being a cop would be convenient and perhaps even helpful. And the cat who hates her, Hunch, is also a surprise help once they worked out their communication code. Will she truly be able to crack this case, even with all the help she can get?
This was a cute story with lots of humor throughout. I liked the characters, their interactions, and the pacing of the story line. Grab your copy and see how Mallory handles her first big case!
All it took was that casserole to have Mallory investigating the death of the teenager Amber’s father. She seeks the help of a man she once, or perhaps still, had a crush on, Xander (“Alex” now). His being a cop would be convenient and perhaps even helpful. And the cat who hates her, Hunch, is also a surprise help once they worked out their communication code. Will she truly be able to crack this case, even with all the help she can get?
This was a cute story with lots of humor throughout. I liked the characters, their interactions, and the pacing of the story line. Grab your copy and see how Mallory handles her first big case!
October 21, 2020
Mallory Beck had no desire to become Honeysuckle Grove’s next free-lance detective, yet she just found herself right in the middle of a murder investigation. Her late husband, Cooper, had been the mystery novelist; the cat he left behind hates her; and she did not want to venture out into the world, hiding away in grief. Her first outing was to church. With so many people, no one should notice her. But they did. She finally sat on the back bench and zoned out through the sermon, only coming back to attention to hear the pastor say, “This past Friday, August the thirteenth, Dan Montrose met his death in an unfortunate accident.” He asked for a volunteer to take a casserole to the family. She zoned out again until the pastor shouted her name and thanked her… and she saw she was holding her hand high in the air!
All it took was that casserole to have Mallory investigating the death of the teenager Amber’s father. She seeks the help of a man she once, or perhaps still, had a crush on, Xander (“Alex” now). His being a cop would be convenient and perhaps even helpful. And the cat who hates her, Hunch, is also a surprise help once they worked out their communication code. Will she truly be able to crack this case, even with all the help she can get?
This was a cute story with lots of humor throughout. I liked the characters, their interactions, and the pacing of the story line. Grab your copy and see how Mallory handles her first big case!
All it took was that casserole to have Mallory investigating the death of the teenager Amber’s father. She seeks the help of a man she once, or perhaps still, had a crush on, Xander (“Alex” now). His being a cop would be convenient and perhaps even helpful. And the cat who hates her, Hunch, is also a surprise help once they worked out their communication code. Will she truly be able to crack this case, even with all the help she can get?
This was a cute story with lots of humor throughout. I liked the characters, their interactions, and the pacing of the story line. Grab your copy and see how Mallory handles her first big case!
October 21, 2020
Fun, Entertaining, and Mentally Stimulating all in one Great Read.
When we meet our amateur sleuth, Mallory Beck, we meet a fighter. She is fighting her way back to the surface after drowning in eight months of grief over the death of her husband. The author chose the perfect point to open the story.
I felt sympathy for Mallory which instantly drew me to her. The sympathy was overshadowed quickly by admiration for her bravery. Her courage, despite her trepidations, brought a real depth to her character. We see early in the book that her sense of humor is still intact, and with all the facets of her character that are explored during the course of this intriguing mystery, Mallory is revealed as quite a compelling character. This is a character that I want to see again, and I want to follow through more adventures as an amateur sleuth.
I also want to see the continuing evolution of her relationship with Hunch, her late husband’s cat. This subplot was not only interesting but brought a delightful sense of fun to the story.
The mystery was intellectually stimulating, and this is an absolute requirement for me to engage fully in a story. The author did a great job with this.
I found this book to be like a breath of fresh air. I loved it and can’t wait for Mallory’s next culinary mystery.
When we meet our amateur sleuth, Mallory Beck, we meet a fighter. She is fighting her way back to the surface after drowning in eight months of grief over the death of her husband. The author chose the perfect point to open the story.
I felt sympathy for Mallory which instantly drew me to her. The sympathy was overshadowed quickly by admiration for her bravery. Her courage, despite her trepidations, brought a real depth to her character. We see early in the book that her sense of humor is still intact, and with all the facets of her character that are explored during the course of this intriguing mystery, Mallory is revealed as quite a compelling character. This is a character that I want to see again, and I want to follow through more adventures as an amateur sleuth.
I also want to see the continuing evolution of her relationship with Hunch, her late husband’s cat. This subplot was not only interesting but brought a delightful sense of fun to the story.
The mystery was intellectually stimulating, and this is an absolute requirement for me to engage fully in a story. The author did a great job with this.
I found this book to be like a breath of fresh air. I loved it and can’t wait for Mallory’s next culinary mystery.
October 14, 2020
I LOVED this story and I’m looking forward to this series with Mallory, Hutch and Alex I’m sure as well as visits with Amber in the future!
I started it and could not put it down! The story flows effortlessly for the reader though I’m sure Denise had a few “bumps” she had to smooth out before it met her demanding standards as it is for all of her books!
I most definitely recommend this book to young adult readers as well as to us older adults who are young at heart! If you remember the old Life commercial where they gave Mikey some of the cereal and said he doesn’t like anything, but we’re surprised when he started eating it and said “he likes it”! Well the very same thing can be said for Denise’s entry into the cozy mystery genre and you WILL LOVE this book as much as I did I can guarantee it!!
The book is short and once you start you just have to keep going because there is just no good place to stop and frankly you won’t want to!!
I urge you to read this book today because it is a book that will warm your heart and help you develop a positive outlook on life even when life throws you for a loop.
Bravo Denise!! This book is a winner in so many ways and I can’t wait to read more about my friend’s adventures in the next book and the next....
I started it and could not put it down! The story flows effortlessly for the reader though I’m sure Denise had a few “bumps” she had to smooth out before it met her demanding standards as it is for all of her books!
I most definitely recommend this book to young adult readers as well as to us older adults who are young at heart! If you remember the old Life commercial where they gave Mikey some of the cereal and said he doesn’t like anything, but we’re surprised when he started eating it and said “he likes it”! Well the very same thing can be said for Denise’s entry into the cozy mystery genre and you WILL LOVE this book as much as I did I can guarantee it!!
The book is short and once you start you just have to keep going because there is just no good place to stop and frankly you won’t want to!!
I urge you to read this book today because it is a book that will warm your heart and help you develop a positive outlook on life even when life throws you for a loop.
Bravo Denise!! This book is a winner in so many ways and I can’t wait to read more about my friend’s adventures in the next book and the next....
October 27, 2020
Mallory Beck is still mourning the death of her husband when she decides to go to the church they went to together. She sits in the back just in case she can't cope with being there. She then volunteers to take a casserole to the family of Dan Montrose. There she meets Amber, the daughter of Dan Montrose, and they bond pretty quickly. So quick that they are looking into her father's 'accidental death'. Along with Hunch-Mallory's husband's anti-social cat who thinks he is a dog they find clues. Clues that don't add up to an accident as far as they are considered. They even enlist the help of Alex Martinez a police officer who thought the whole thing was rather suspicious but was kicked off the case. Can they discover the truth or will Amber's dad be just another accident? I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from Booksprout.
October 21, 2020
Mallory is barely functioning after the loss of her husband. One day she finally decides to venture back to church and that is when the adventure begins. One delivered casserole and she is thrust into investigating the suspicious death of a father of the teenager that she befriends. Along the way she enlists the help of a man she once knew who is now a cop. She is also assisted by the cranky, and oddly intuitive cat Hunch, who had belonged to her husband. Can a chef and her new found friends find out the truth or are they in over their heads? This was a really fun read. Can't wait to read the next book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 5, 2020
This cozy had a great start. It opens with Mallory Beck, A young, grieving widow who's late husband Cooper was a well known mystery writer. she can't seem to function without him and lays in bed watching Netflix. One Sunday she decides to crawl out of bed and go to church, the intention turns to a man who just passed away, it was killed in a car accident. Mallory is "volunteered" into delivering the casserole to the family when she meets the guy's teenage daughter Amber. She gets roped into solving his murder, only because the girl knows that Mallory's late husband was a mystery writer. This is an interesting cozy mystery and I like the way it played out.
October 20, 2020
I was following this Denise Jaden
's emails for several months before publication of "Death At Mile Marker 18", because of a recommendation from another author. Her hints kept making me want to read more. I received an Advanced Reader copy, which I applied for - mainly because it seemed like a cozy mystery that I'd love. There are lots of twists and unexpected happenings in this book. Do not want to post any spoilers, but this book will hold your interest from start to finish! It is perfectly edited as well. It is hard to wait for the next story in this series!
's emails for several months before publication of "Death At Mile Marker 18", because of a recommendation from another author. Her hints kept making me want to read more. I received an Advanced Reader copy, which I applied for - mainly because it seemed like a cozy mystery that I'd love. There are lots of twists and unexpected happenings in this book. Do not want to post any spoilers, but this book will hold your interest from start to finish! It is perfectly edited as well. It is hard to wait for the next story in this series!
October 29, 2020
Mallory Beck is a recent widow who is trying to step out of her grief. She brings a casserole to a family who just suffered a loss. However, she is surprised at the widow, who is more interested in socializing. She reaches out to the children and finds a new friend in the daughter. As they talk further about inconsistencies in the death, they become convinced it was not an accident. It was murder. I liked the descriptions of the crime scene and how Mallory mentors the teenaged Amber.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 6, 2020
Wonderful first book in the series. I loved the characters. Can't beat a cat who think he's a dog and needs to go along to help solve a mystery. Great mystery with plenty of suspects. Mallory, Amber, Alex, and Hunch make a great crime solving team. Mallory uses skills she learned while helping Cooper research for his mystery novels. I couldn't put the book down and stayed up all night reading. Looking forward to the next book.
Murder at Mile Marker 18 Epilogue - is actually a nice prequel and tells how Hunch came to live with Mallory and Cooper.
Murder at Mile Marker 18 Epilogue - is actually a nice prequel and tells how Hunch came to live with Mallory and Cooper.
October 22, 2020
This is the 1st book I've read written by Denise Jaden; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.
The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.
I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.
I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
October 28, 2020
This is the first book that I've read by Denise but it won't be the last. A widow, a 15 year old girl, and a cop come together to solve a mystery. It's in the young adult genre but I would recommend it to anyone interested in a "who done it." I received this ARC in exchange for a voluntary honest review which I have freely written here
October 27, 2020
What a nice lighthearted cozy. I got interested in it in the first chapter. The characters are loveable. The town is charming. The story is going to keep you guessing. I spent a lovely afternoon reading this cozy.
October 8, 2020
I started reading this book as it came out, one chapter a week! I enjoyed it so much, that when I got the chance to read the whole book (.pdf), I jumped at it! So well-written, fast and fun!
November 15, 2021
First book by this author and I look forward to reading book 2.
So Mallory Beck is a widow, and has her husbands cat who doesn’t like her one bit.
She’s working herself back into the community of Honeysuckle Grove where she lives. It isn’t easy. Her husband was a famous mystery novelist. Her first day back to church she doesn’t realize she’s apparently volunteering to make a casserole for a recent widowed women and her family in the community. What she doesn’t expect after she delivers said casserole is that she would be taking the daughter to the place where her dad died. It gets really interesting after that.
Buy the book to see what happens. So many twists and turns you may know what happens, but it isn’t what you think.
So Mallory Beck is a widow, and has her husbands cat who doesn’t like her one bit.
She’s working herself back into the community of Honeysuckle Grove where she lives. It isn’t easy. Her husband was a famous mystery novelist. Her first day back to church she doesn’t realize she’s apparently volunteering to make a casserole for a recent widowed women and her family in the community. What she doesn’t expect after she delivers said casserole is that she would be taking the daughter to the place where her dad died. It gets really interesting after that.
Buy the book to see what happens. So many twists and turns you may know what happens, but it isn’t what you think.
June 15, 2024
Terrific Read
Such a fun first book in a series new to me! I enjoyed the ways the characters helped one another navigate their grief, while channeling their energy into solving the mystery of who killed the teen girl’s dad, and why at Mile Marker 18. The plot twist at the end caught me by surprise. I had someone else in mind as the murderer. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series!
Such a fun first book in a series new to me! I enjoyed the ways the characters helped one another navigate their grief, while channeling their energy into solving the mystery of who killed the teen girl’s dad, and why at Mile Marker 18. The plot twist at the end caught me by surprise. I had someone else in mind as the murderer. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series!
October 13, 2020
LOVE these characters and the intriguing storyline. Well written and I cant wait to read the next book!
November 7, 2020
More mystery than culinary!
Fast easy read
I think I'll try the recipe listed at the end if the story
Book 2 here I come
Fast easy read
I think I'll try the recipe listed at the end if the story
Book 2 here I come
July 29, 2021
Not bad at all.
This book was not bad at all. I read out of order, but was still able to follow the characters without much difficulty.
This book was not bad at all. I read out of order, but was still able to follow the characters without much difficulty.
Read
October 23, 2020An unlucky amateur sleuth, an adorable cop, and a cat with a hunch…
Love, love, love!! If you're a cozy mystery fan, you don't want to miss this one. Wonderful characters you will love getting to know throughout the story. The story line is well written, filled with twists and turns, intrigue, suspense and mystery and you can't stop turning the pages. Definitely recommend this!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Love, love, love!! If you're a cozy mystery fan, you don't want to miss this one. Wonderful characters you will love getting to know throughout the story. The story line is well written, filled with twists and turns, intrigue, suspense and mystery and you can't stop turning the pages. Definitely recommend this!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 6, 2022
When Mallory Beck lost her husband, she'd spent the next few months doing everything she could to avoid being around people - but when she decides to go to church to try and slowly reintegrate with the people in her small town, the young chef's offer to make and deliver a meal to a grieving family accomplishes her goal faster, and in a much more dramatic fashion than she'd ever bargained for.
With help from her late husband's smart, car-ride-loving, temperamental cat, a grieving teenager determined to find out who murdered her father, and an old middle school classmate who became a police officer, Mallory decides to help solve Dan Montrose's murder.
What follows is a fast-paced cozy mystery, full of colorful, yet believable characters that I couldn't stop reading - I can't wait to start the next book in the series!
With help from her late husband's smart, car-ride-loving, temperamental cat, a grieving teenager determined to find out who murdered her father, and an old middle school classmate who became a police officer, Mallory decides to help solve Dan Montrose's murder.
What follows is a fast-paced cozy mystery, full of colorful, yet believable characters that I couldn't stop reading - I can't wait to start the next book in the series!
September 26, 2021
A new cozy mystery series for me to read, and I was pleased to picked this up on kindle unlimited.
Mallory has lost her husband, Cooper, of only a few years, she's young and a widow, with nothing to fill her days. Added to that, she's also got Coopers cat, Hunch to look after and he was definitely a Daddys boy! Cooper was a crime novelist, a successful one at that, and Hunch used to 'help' him with his books.
When Mallory ventures back to Church, she gets roped into taking food to a recently bereaved family in the area, however, what she doesn't realise is, this is a very wealthy family and they may have something to hide.
She befriends Amber, the teenage daughter of the man who died, and between them, and a childhood friend who is on the local police force, they work to find out who was responsible. Hunch is pleased because he us useful once again, and Mallory finds talking about what's happening helps them both, as well as Hunch loves Amber!
However, will they go too far and put their own lives in danger?
I loved the book and have downloaded the next book in the series to read.
Mallory has lost her husband, Cooper, of only a few years, she's young and a widow, with nothing to fill her days. Added to that, she's also got Coopers cat, Hunch to look after and he was definitely a Daddys boy! Cooper was a crime novelist, a successful one at that, and Hunch used to 'help' him with his books.
When Mallory ventures back to Church, she gets roped into taking food to a recently bereaved family in the area, however, what she doesn't realise is, this is a very wealthy family and they may have something to hide.
She befriends Amber, the teenage daughter of the man who died, and between them, and a childhood friend who is on the local police force, they work to find out who was responsible. Hunch is pleased because he us useful once again, and Mallory finds talking about what's happening helps them both, as well as Hunch loves Amber!
However, will they go too far and put their own lives in danger?
I loved the book and have downloaded the next book in the series to read.
October 1, 2021
A Widow Returns to Church
Mallory lost her husband in a fire at a bank and has been grieving for many months. She finally decides it's time to return to the church she attended with Cooper. The pastor asks for a volunteer to take a casserole to the family of a member who had just died. Without thinking about it, Mallory raises her hand. She is a trained chef. This is the start of trying to discover who killed the man and why. Mallory has Cooper's cat, Hunch, who helped Cooper write his murder mysteries. This is a delightful series.
Mallory lost her husband in a fire at a bank and has been grieving for many months. She finally decides it's time to return to the church she attended with Cooper. The pastor asks for a volunteer to take a casserole to the family of a member who had just died. Without thinking about it, Mallory raises her hand. She is a trained chef. This is the start of trying to discover who killed the man and why. Mallory has Cooper's cat, Hunch, who helped Cooper write his murder mysteries. This is a delightful series.
August 23, 2021
Excellent
I liked the book. It was amazing. Mallory Beck and her cat, Hunch, are wonderful characters. I loved the way the cat prodded her to solve the mystery behind Dan Montrose's death. Mallory happens to visit the church the first time after her husband, the famous mystery writer, Cooper Beck's untimely demise. She volunteers to deliver the casserole dish at the Montrose residence. She meets Dan's widow, Helen. She is surprised to learn that real estate agent Beth is her sister. She offers to take food to Dan's children. She is shocked to learn that Danny, Dan's son, hates his father and doesn't care about what happened to him. His sister, Amber, wants to visit the site of accident as she finds some discrepancies on his alleged accident. Mallory decides to help her and they visit Mile Marker 18. They find some clues including FDS written behind the bark of a tree. They find a hole dug up nearby. Mallory and Amber visit the police station but are disappointed to learn that they can only meet the police counselors. Mallory meets Officer Alex Martinez who has written off the case as hit and run accident. Mallory and Amber try to convince him that it wasn't an accident but a murder. He is indifferent to their pleas. Mallory discusses the case with her cat, Hunch, who prods to revisit the site. She finds Alex acting upon her suggestion to find more clues. He agrees to help Mallory and Amber unofficially. Their list of suspects include Helen, Danny Jr, Cade. There is a surprising twist in the tale where all the three suspects are cleared of any wrong doing. There are startling revelations. What is so significant about Mile Marker 18? Who is FDS? Was Dan Montrose leading a double life? To find out the answers, do read this book. It's absolutely thrilling.
I liked the book. It was amazing. Mallory Beck and her cat, Hunch, are wonderful characters. I loved the way the cat prodded her to solve the mystery behind Dan Montrose's death. Mallory happens to visit the church the first time after her husband, the famous mystery writer, Cooper Beck's untimely demise. She volunteers to deliver the casserole dish at the Montrose residence. She meets Dan's widow, Helen. She is surprised to learn that real estate agent Beth is her sister. She offers to take food to Dan's children. She is shocked to learn that Danny, Dan's son, hates his father and doesn't care about what happened to him. His sister, Amber, wants to visit the site of accident as she finds some discrepancies on his alleged accident. Mallory decides to help her and they visit Mile Marker 18. They find some clues including FDS written behind the bark of a tree. They find a hole dug up nearby. Mallory and Amber visit the police station but are disappointed to learn that they can only meet the police counselors. Mallory meets Officer Alex Martinez who has written off the case as hit and run accident. Mallory and Amber try to convince him that it wasn't an accident but a murder. He is indifferent to their pleas. Mallory discusses the case with her cat, Hunch, who prods to revisit the site. She finds Alex acting upon her suggestion to find more clues. He agrees to help Mallory and Amber unofficially. Their list of suspects include Helen, Danny Jr, Cade. There is a surprising twist in the tale where all the three suspects are cleared of any wrong doing. There are startling revelations. What is so significant about Mile Marker 18? Who is FDS? Was Dan Montrose leading a double life? To find out the answers, do read this book. It's absolutely thrilling.
March 22, 2021
Spellbinding story
I really enjoyed my.first Mallory beck mystery. I'm anxious to start reading the next in the series in about two minutes! I loved the unconventional friendship between Mallory & Amber even though they aren't the same age or generation. I too had a very close friend at my church growing up, she was in her 70's and I was a teenager , but we were extremely close until her death many years later
I really enjoyed my.first Mallory beck mystery. I'm anxious to start reading the next in the series in about two minutes! I loved the unconventional friendship between Mallory & Amber even though they aren't the same age or generation. I too had a very close friend at my church growing up, she was in her 70's and I was a teenager , but we were extremely close until her death many years later
September 20, 2022
https://openbooksociety.com/article/m...
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
I begin my exploration of author Denise Jaden with book one, Murder at Mile Marker 18, of the Mallory Beck Cozy Culinary Caper series. My only comment (okay, probably not…) is wow…wish I had discovered the writing of Denise Jaden earlier. On the other hand, I am happy because I see a binge read of this author happening over the next couple of weeks or months ☺.
This series begins with Mallory Beck just eight months after becoming a widow to well known mystery writer Cooper Beck. Mallory is trying to resume some semblance of order by attending church, hoping to go unnoticed. She did not need nor want any more of the head title of pity that she has been getting since Cooper’s passing. At the end of the service Pastor Jeff let the congregation know that there had been a recent death in the congregation – Dan Montrose had met his death in an unfortunate accident. Much to Mallory’s surprise, she volunteered to take a casserole to the Montrose home. Given that Mallory has a culinary degree – she decides to make a casserole from scratch as opposed to taking a store bought casserole over to the Montrose home. You could tell from Mallory’s process (making many types of sauces, etc. to determine what type of casserole to make) that this endeavour was cathartic for her own process of learning to live again without her husband. With casserole in hand, Mallory heads off to the Montrose family home only to deliver the food while a velatorio (wake) was happening. Talk about bad timing. Mallory takes a plate of her cheesy casserole to each of the two Montrose children (Danny Seth Montrose and Amber Montrose). And so the connection between Mallory and Amber begins.
One thing leads to another and now Mallory is delving into the death of Mr. Montrose as it appears that it may not have been an accident. How did that happen? My suggestion is start reading Murder at Mile Marker 18 and discover this for yourself!
I really enjoyed the budding/building relationship between Mallory and Amber as they try and figure out what happened to Dan Montrose. I loved how Mallory nurtured Amber’s interest in cooking. They found comfort in each others company. Teaching Amber some culinary skills appeared to be therapeutic for Mallory and seemed to remind her of her love of cooking. I loved the synergy between the two of them – and their dogged determination to get at the truth!
While Mallory is not of the calibre of sleuth as found in her deceased husbands’ books, she is tenacious and that carried her, and Amber, a long was towards finding the truth. Both Mallory and Amber sift through the clues and potential list of suspects in a methodical manner and soon, the plot thickens and then eventually gets resolved, as is usual.
Let’s not forget the (re) introduction of the cop, Xander (Alex) Martinez to Mallory. They were friendly back when they were in grade seven and Mallory briefly lived in Honeysuckle Grove. I will most definitely look forward to how this relationship progresses in books to come! I suspect slowly as from Mallory’s character development thus far, I do not see her moving on just yet… but time does march on and I suspect so shall Mallory.
A character one must not forget is the ever present Hunch, Connor’s cat. This subplot caught and held my attention (being a cat lover and all) as it was not only interesting but brought a delightful sense of fun to the story.
It was not overly difficult to figure out whodunit, but the progression to that conclusion was a well crafted book which held my interest right until the end. So much so, that I went right out and started on book two of the series, Murder at the Church Picnic. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a bit of culinary delight thrown in, I suggest you pick up this enjoyable first book, Murder at Mile Marker 18, in the Mallory Beck Cozy Culinary Caper Series. I must say – I love it when I discover a truly entertaining Canadian author ☺.
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
I begin my exploration of author Denise Jaden with book one, Murder at Mile Marker 18, of the Mallory Beck Cozy Culinary Caper series. My only comment (okay, probably not…) is wow…wish I had discovered the writing of Denise Jaden earlier. On the other hand, I am happy because I see a binge read of this author happening over the next couple of weeks or months ☺.
This series begins with Mallory Beck just eight months after becoming a widow to well known mystery writer Cooper Beck. Mallory is trying to resume some semblance of order by attending church, hoping to go unnoticed. She did not need nor want any more of the head title of pity that she has been getting since Cooper’s passing. At the end of the service Pastor Jeff let the congregation know that there had been a recent death in the congregation – Dan Montrose had met his death in an unfortunate accident. Much to Mallory’s surprise, she volunteered to take a casserole to the Montrose home. Given that Mallory has a culinary degree – she decides to make a casserole from scratch as opposed to taking a store bought casserole over to the Montrose home. You could tell from Mallory’s process (making many types of sauces, etc. to determine what type of casserole to make) that this endeavour was cathartic for her own process of learning to live again without her husband. With casserole in hand, Mallory heads off to the Montrose family home only to deliver the food while a velatorio (wake) was happening. Talk about bad timing. Mallory takes a plate of her cheesy casserole to each of the two Montrose children (Danny Seth Montrose and Amber Montrose). And so the connection between Mallory and Amber begins.
One thing leads to another and now Mallory is delving into the death of Mr. Montrose as it appears that it may not have been an accident. How did that happen? My suggestion is start reading Murder at Mile Marker 18 and discover this for yourself!
I really enjoyed the budding/building relationship between Mallory and Amber as they try and figure out what happened to Dan Montrose. I loved how Mallory nurtured Amber’s interest in cooking. They found comfort in each others company. Teaching Amber some culinary skills appeared to be therapeutic for Mallory and seemed to remind her of her love of cooking. I loved the synergy between the two of them – and their dogged determination to get at the truth!
While Mallory is not of the calibre of sleuth as found in her deceased husbands’ books, she is tenacious and that carried her, and Amber, a long was towards finding the truth. Both Mallory and Amber sift through the clues and potential list of suspects in a methodical manner and soon, the plot thickens and then eventually gets resolved, as is usual.
Let’s not forget the (re) introduction of the cop, Xander (Alex) Martinez to Mallory. They were friendly back when they were in grade seven and Mallory briefly lived in Honeysuckle Grove. I will most definitely look forward to how this relationship progresses in books to come! I suspect slowly as from Mallory’s character development thus far, I do not see her moving on just yet… but time does march on and I suspect so shall Mallory.
A character one must not forget is the ever present Hunch, Connor’s cat. This subplot caught and held my attention (being a cat lover and all) as it was not only interesting but brought a delightful sense of fun to the story.
It was not overly difficult to figure out whodunit, but the progression to that conclusion was a well crafted book which held my interest right until the end. So much so, that I went right out and started on book two of the series, Murder at the Church Picnic. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a bit of culinary delight thrown in, I suggest you pick up this enjoyable first book, Murder at Mile Marker 18, in the Mallory Beck Cozy Culinary Caper Series. I must say – I love it when I discover a truly entertaining Canadian author ☺.
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