Tag: Beyond the Page

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I am happy to share my thoughts today about
Home Fries and Alibis (An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery) by Lena Gregory!

Home Fries and Alibis (An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery)
by Lena Gregory

About Home Fries and Alibis

Home Fries and Alibis (An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – Florida
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beyond the Page Publishing
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 23, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 178 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1966322275
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1966322276
Digital ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1966322269
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FN8G8H1G

When a belligerent woman moves in across the street, café owner Gia Morelli has to call off the welcome wagon and call in the homicide squad . . .

When a nasty new neighbor moves into their peaceful community, Gia and everyone else in the neighborhood is ready to blow a fuse. The spiteful woman has quickly made a nuisance of herself, complaining to and about everyone there. Then she makes the grave mistake of falsely claiming Gia’s dog tore up her yard, and Gia goes ballistic, telling the woman to back off . . . or else. It was an impulsive move for Gia, but someone else decides an even more extreme approach is called for, and silences the woman—permanently.

Unnerved by the thought of a murderer living in her neighborhood, Gia begins digging into the victim’s life to figure out who would have wanted her dead. She soon discovers that the woman was not only malicious but was blackmailing people in the community. Even more surprising is that nearly everyone in the neighborhood has something to hide. Dead-set on rooting out the culprit, Gia has to determine who stood to lose the most if their secret was revealed, unaware that she’s perilously close to losing her own life . . .

Dollycas’s Thoughts

A cantankerous neighbor of Gia Morelli is disrupting the whole neighborhood. She has even said Gia’s wonderful dog, Thor, has dug holes all over her yard. Gia decides to install cameras all around her house to prove the woman wrong, but before the matter can be put to rest, someone has killed Gladys Hoffmeier, and her murder was caught partially on her new camera. Not enough to identify the killer, though.

Gia can’t believe there is a murderer nearby, so she decides to investigate the woman’s death herself and finds plenty of suspects. Gia’s neighbors have secrets, and Gladys was using those secrets to her advantage. Gia digs deep to determine which neighbor’s secret was big enough to warrant murder, but before she can figure it out, she may be the next neighbor being buried six feet under.

In this 8th All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery, all our favorite characters return to solve another mystery. Gia, Samantha, and the men who love them are some of my favorite cozy characters.  Alfie is a fun character too, already ready to use his advanced techy knowledge to help with any investigation. In addition to our faves, Ms. Gregory has created a character that easily gets our dander up, even before all of her vile actions were fully brought to light. Thor is an awesome pup, and she was blaming him for behavior with no actual evidence.

This mystery is very well-plotted with layers that are peeled back with every twist, turn, and well-placed red herring. When Samantha makes a keen observation, they do call Hunt and Leo, but soon thereafter, all hell breaks loose. There are some tense and scary times. The community really pulled together as chaos broke out around them. But once order was thought to be restored, we see the chaos has just moved to a different location; all of it had me on the edge of my seat. Then it was the waiting, and again the community gathered together in support. One character took a monumental leap to answer a question and to be there in support. Soon, the clues, information, and evidence started to come together thanks to the wonderful Alfie, but there was still an important piece missing … oh my stars, back to the edge of my seat until an epic takedown.

I love the way Ms. Gregory tells a story. Her wonderful characters draw you into every All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery, and the mystery takes hold until the very last page. Home Fries and Alibis is an excellent example of this. With geniune characters, a very perplexing mystery, plenty of drama tempered by some truly heartwarming moments, this book will delight every cozy mystery fan. Lena Gregory has served up another Perfect Escape!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the author, Beyond the Page Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

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About Lena Gregory

Lena Gregory is the author of the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries, which take place on a small island between the north and south forks of Long Island, New York, the All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries, which are set on the outskirts of Florida’s Ocala National Forest, the Mini-Meadows Mysteries, set in a community of tiny homes in Central Florida, and the Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries, which take place in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, New York.

Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full-time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.

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Great Escapes Praise for Home Fries and Alibis (An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery)
by Lena Gregory

All in all, Gregory delivers a first-rate cozy mystery. It has a meticulously-plotted mystery, delicious food (can’t leave that out!), well-written characters, and an emotional element that really makes it stand out! I highly recommend it! 5 stars!
~Christy’s Cozy Corners

I recommend Home Fries and Alibis – and this whole series – for other cozy mystery fans! It is such a well-written, smartly plotted mystery series.
~View from the Birdhouse

This was such a fun and fast-paced cozy mystery. The small-town setting, with its wildlife and cozy café, made everything feel vivid and real. The mix of suspense and humor made this a great read.
~bibliophile_foodie

Lena Gregory has a knack for drawing readers in by balancing the intrigue of a twisty mystery with the warmth of a found family. In Home Fries and Alibis, these talents particularly shine.
~Reading is my Superpower

TOUR PARTICIPANTS
September 23 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT
September 23 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 24 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
September 24 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
September 25 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
September 26 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
September 26 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
September 27 – Infinite House of Books – SPOTLIGHT
September 28 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW
September 29 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
September 29 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST
September 30 – My Books and Crafts – SPOTLIGHT
October 1 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
October 2 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
October 2 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
October 3 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – CHARACTER GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
October 4 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
October 5 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
October 6 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

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