Tag: Krista Davis

Posted in Reviews From Dollycas's Thoughts

Review: The Diva Cooks A Goose by Krista Davis

Dollycas October 17, 2011

Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

A Division Of Penguin Publishing

4th in the Domestic Diva Mystery Series

Available Now!
The key characters in this series are Sophie and Natasha.  Natasha happens to be the girlfriend of Sophie’s ex-husband Mars (short for Marshall) and they each offer us wonderful household tips from their syndicated newspaper columns at the start of each chapter.

This book revolves around the Christmas Season and brings all the families and neighbors together.  All is cherry and bright until a Grinch steals all of the Christmas presents from one neighborhood as all the neighbors are gathered for the annual holiday celebration.  They even took the food.  Sophie tries to stem the neighbors from turning against each other as they try to figure out who is responsible and she succeeds in getting them to work together to come up with toys so the children have gifts in the morning.
One crisis down, another arises when Sophie’s sister-in-law’s father shows up at a family gathering with a diva all his own.  He and his wife had only been separated for a very short time and this guest’s arrival does not sit well with anyone at all.  When the new diva becomes victim of some well thought out foul play, Sophie’s relatives of  course considered prime suspects.  Sophie’s detective boyfriend in out of town visiting his parents so it’s up to Sophie to save the holidays.

 

First of all I apologize for the tardiness of this review.  Life some times get in the way of best laid plans.
This is such a fun series and the last book had more adventure that most series have in all the books together.  It was definitely hard to put down.  There were so many people that could have committed both the robberies and the murder that it truly came down to the very last chapter before all the clues came together to provide all the answers to nab the criminals.  Sophie put it all together literally in the “nick” of time before her “goose” was literally cooked and she almost had her sister baked too.

This was the perfect mystery, every time you thought you had it figured out another clue sent you in another direction.  It was not only well written, but wonderfully staged and plotted.  The new characters added a whole new dimension to this story, I hope some of them reappear in future editions, especially Ginger.  

I have to mention the pets that add the important feature necessary in every great mystery, including this one.  Daisy, the dog with the keen senses of smell, hearing and the ability to know the good guys from the creeps :).  Mochie, the cat with the attitude and the knack of knowing just when to pounce and when to just walk away.  Plus the two little ragdoll kittens, Alice and Jasper, cute, cuddly and key to some clues in the mystery. 

To say this book is full of “mystery and mayhem” is a understatement. This story is beyond a little chaos and clues, it takes the cozy mystery to a whole new realm and I enjoyed every minute of it and can’t wait for more.
 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received these books free from Berkley Prime Crime,  a Division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


Posted in Reviews From Dollycas's Thoughts

COZY WEDNESDAY – With Author Krista Davis

Dollycas October 17, 2011

This post originally appeared on Dollycas’s Thoughts September 7, 2011.

I love Cozy Wednesdays and hope you do too.  Today my special guest, Krista Davis, author of The Domestic Diva Mysteries. is here and I am really excited.  The latest book in the series, The Diva Haunts the House  is the perfect fall read because “This Halloween A Murderer Is Up To Mischief”.
With yesterday being New Release Tuesday and Krista’s book coming out you know she has been extremely busy getting ready for her big day.  I am so happy she is here today to spend some time with us!
Welcome Krista!!!
Thank you for inviting me!
We’re Watching You!

A dear friend gave me a T-shirt that says Careful, or you’ll end up in my novel. I love that shirt. There’s a little bit of truth in that saying. People often ask writers where we get our ideas. We get them from you!

People are fascinating, and writers are people-watchers. We observe the argument between boyfriend and girlfriend at a bar. We notice the adoring smile of a grandmother in the park with her grandchild. We watch the harried mom on her cell phone in the grocery store who doesn’t realize that her three young children are tossing their favorite candies into her shopping cart.
Even animals draw our attention. A baby snake made its way into my house recently. I’m not a snake person, and this little guy was moving fast. I tossed the closest thing, a dog dish, over top of it so it wouldn’t disappear. Ugh. What’s worse than a snake in the house under a dog dish? A snake on the loose in the house! A normal person eventually forgets about that little snake. A writer uses it in a book.
The Diva Haunts the House (A Domestic Diva Mystery)When I was writing THE DIVA HAUNTS THE HOUSE, I came to a part where I needed something spooky to happen. An event that couldn’t be explained, yet, Sophie, my protagonist, had to be able to figure out how it happened. While I was mulling over the possibilities, I heard a creepy voice in my house. I figured out where it came from right away, but no one else was home. What set it off? I won’t spoil the fun — you’ll recognize the event toward the end of the book. It’s something that really happened to me.
The Diva Cooks a Goose (A Domestic Diva Mystery)Of course, we also draw information from the news. In THE DIVA COOKS A GOOSE, Christmas gifts are stolen right out from under the tree. Two days before the book was released, a local man was arrested for stealing wrapped Christmas gifts from someone’s house. They identified him because he dropped his cell phone! Now seriously, aside from the just plain meanness of stealing Christmas gifts, who would steal a wrapped gift? It could be socks or underwear or a talking fish. He was willing to risk jail time for that?
Then there are the fun characters. Do you have some of these in your life? The relative who puts his foot in his mouth every holiday? The co-worker who thinks she’s always right? The boss whose secretary runs the show while he takes the credit? The distant relative who only turns up when he needs a favor? The mom who thinks her angelic child can do nothing wrong, even when the chocolate evidence is smeared all over his mouth?
People are funny, and mean, and deceptive, and clueless, and kind. And since no one is perfect (in spite of the fact that some people think they are perfect), most of us are all of those things at one time or another. Writers are always thinking about what makes people tick because they make life, and mysteries, interesting.
~Krista
Be careful, writers are watching!!! I Love It!!!
Thank you so much Krista for sharing how authors get their ideas.  If you have a friend that is an author you could end up in their book and it will probably be for something you don’t even know they observed until you read it in a book and you say, “hmmmm, that same thing happened to me once.” and then realize OMG, they are writing about me!!!  
Cover Illustrationby Teresa Fasolino

Cover Design

by Diana Kolsky
5th in the series
A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
Published by The Penguin Group
Domestic Divas Sophie Winston and Natasha Smith are trying to outdo each other with their Halloween plans.  Sophie is in charge of the community haunted house while Natasha is planning a huge Halloween Bash at her home. Sophie is worried the fake haunted house is really haunted and Natasha has costumes and caters on her mind.
Sophie was not really planning to attend Natasha’s party but she ends up there to try to solve a small problem.  When she arrives she discovers a much bigger problem, one a Natasha’s guests, part of an elaborate Halloween display in the front yard, is not just playing dead,  he is actually, really, very dead and he has two puncture marks on his neck!
Is there a vampire loose in Old Town?  As people stock up on garlic, Sophie is going to figure out who is responsible for all this mischief and murder!!

 

This entire series has been terrific, but The Diva Haunts the House is so much fun. You could say it’s “SPOOKTACULAR”!  I caught myself laughing out loud several times.  All the kids involved in the haunted house brought back some wonderful memories from way back when.
The constant neediness of Natasha to independent Sophie is such a great contrast.  How could the same man have fallen in love with both these women? The dialogue between any of the two or all three together is perfectly written whether serious or hilarious. The mystery my have you laying in a supply of garlic.
I like that this book is being released well in advance of Halloween. There are wonderful tips, recipes and ideas for your own Halloween party, without the dead body in the front yard of course.
Please take a moment to check out Krista’s Web Page. There is even a cool map there of Sophie’s neighborhood!

Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Berkley Prime Crime. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”