One of my favorite authors is Krista Davis, who writes both the Domestic Diva and the ‘Paws and Claws’ cozy mystery series. One thing you can count on with Krista, her series are sure to feature quirky characters and animals –two of my favorite ingredients in a cozy.
The Domestic Diva series was my first introduction to Krista. The series centers around two childhood friends, Sophie Winston and Natasha Smith, who are what I’d term ‘friendly rivals’. The two women live near each other in Old Town,and Natasha is currently involved with Sophie’s ex-husband, Mars! Lots of quirky supporting characters complete this charming series.
In book one, THE DIVA RUNS OUT OF THYME, Sophie and Natasha are competing against each other at the Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown. Sophie’s search for the perfect turkey is interrupted when she stumbles across a corpse, and when her name and photo are found inside the victim’s car, she finds herself in hot water. So, of course, what’s a girl to do but solve the mystery, right?
One of my favorites is THE DIVA PAINTS THE TOWN. Sophie’s neighbor, a reclusive professor, dies and leaves his home to his Pomeranian. To complicate things, Natasha is bent and determined to renovate the house as part of the statewide Spring Home and Garden Tour. Things are going as well as can be expected when Sophie comes across a body in the family room…that subsequently disappears…..
In THE DIVA DIGS UP THE DIRT, it’s when Sophie digs up some dirt in her boyfriend Wolf’s home – literally – that she discovers a large clue as to the whereabouts of Wolf’s wife, who’s been missing. When Natasha cultivates a plan to get on the show Tear it Up wit Troy, her plans include having Troy bulldoze Sophie’s backyard. To escape, she goes over to Wolf’s to replace a rosebush, an ends up digging up a purse belonging to Wolf’s ex-wife, who many thought was dead and that Wolf might have had something to do with it. When a body crops up in the garden, Sophie knows that she has to get involved before Wolf becomes the town pariah.
All in all, this is a very enjoyable series! Here is a list in order:
1. The Diva Runs out of Thyme
2. The Diva Takes the Cake
3. The Diva Paints the Town
4. The Diva Cooks a Goose
5. The Diva Haunts the House
6. The Diva Digs up the Dirt
7. The Diva Frosts a Cupcake
8. The Diva Wraps it Up
9. The Diva Steals a Chocolate Kiss
10. The Diva Serves High Tea
Now we come to Krista’s second series, the “Paws and Claws”. This series centers around Holly Miller, who’s left her job and her boyfriend to travel to the Sugar Maple Inn in Wagtail, Virginia, to help out her ailing aunt. ON the way there a friendly Jack Russell terrier ‘adopts’ her, and when she arrives she finds her aunt isn’t as bad off as she thought, but she agrees to stick around and help out for a while. And when one of the Inn staff is killed in a hit and run accident, Holly and her furry companions try to nose out the killer before someone else bites the dust.
My personal favorite in this series is book 2. In THE GHOST AND MRS. MEWER, a reality show has descended upon Wagtail right before Halloween. Apparition Apprehenders is investigating spooky local legends, and when a young woman is found drowned in the same manner as the victim of the town’s most infamous haunting, Holly’s convinced that there’s human interference.
Book 3, MURDER MOST HOWL, centers around a murder mystery party, another great setting for a cozy! And in the latest, MISSION IMPAWSIBLE, out February 2017, Holly and her grandmother, Oma, are working their tails off to prepare the Sugar Maple Inn for an upcoming matchmaking event for pet owners. While Holly has no interest in pairing up, Oma plans on playing Cupid and finding someone to warm her reluctant granddaughter’s heart.
Unfortunately, one man Holly does meet is cold—dead cold—and he has a personal letter from Oma in his pocket. As suspicion is cast over the inn's guests, Holly—with the help of her furry friends, Trixie the Jack Russell and Twinkletoes the cat—must fetch the real killer, or she may soon have a date in court.
The Paws and Claws Mysteries
Murder She Barked
The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer
Murder Most Howl
Mission Impawsible
If you haven’t tried one of these cozies, you are missing out! Pick one up you won’t be disappointed!
Columnist: Toni LoTempio
By Toni LoTempio – As T. C. Lotempio,she pens the Nick and Nora mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime. Her latest, Purr M for Murder, first in the Cat Rescue mysteries, debuts from Crooked Lane Publishing in May. She and her cat ROCCO do fundraising for Nathan Fillion’s charity, KIDS NEED TO READ, when they aren’t interviewing authors on ROCCO’s blog! You can keep up with all the latest interviews and news (including her 2014 releases!) at www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com
