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My Blog


Better Gnomes and Gardens Book Review
Like cozy mysteries, garden gnomes, werewolves and more? Check out my review on Better Gnomes and Gardens to see if its the read for you.

Sarah Ickes
May 27, 20232 min read


Looking Back at Malice Domestic 2022
Looking back at last year's Malice Domestic 34 and how much I am excited for this year's! It was a great weekend of meeting authors and chatting with readers near Bethesda MD and I can't wait to see what this one has in store, Malice Domestic 35 . To start off, it was the first time I had ever been in a conference hotel, let alone a five star one. The place was MASSIVE! I clocked that it took me four minutes to get from our hotel room to the designated vendor's room while pow

Sarah Ickes
Apr 5, 20233 min read


Vinyl Resting Place Book Review
Where to begin? How about we turntable back two generations and find a family owned record shop in the middle of Cedar River, a small town just a stone’s throw away from Austin, Texas? Now, we skip over a few decades and find ourselves in present day Cedar River, where the three Jessup sisters are reviving their family’s lost business that had since succumbed to online music streaming and digital downloads. With the past becoming the ‘cool’ thing once again, everyone in town

Sarah Ickes
Jan 8, 20232 min read


Rain, Rain and Chocolate Town
October 1st was not just the official beginning to the "Spooky" month, but is was also the day for The Chocolate Town Book Festival held in the sweetest place on Earth, Hershey PA. This event had fifty authors representing romance, children, horror, mystery, and more. Originally, it was supposed to be an outdoor event. However, the weather had other plans with the remnants of Hurricane Ian bringing rain to our area. Don't get me wrong, I love the rain, but we were glad that t

Sarah Ickes
Nov 3, 20222 min read


Hope, Faith, and a Corpse Book Review
CALLING ALL MOVIE QUOTERS, HUMOROUS READERS, AND COZY MYSTERY LOVERS! This delightful tale, set in the sleepy town of Apple Springs, centers around a middle-aged priest named Hope Taylor as she begins life anew in the Episcopalian parish of Faith Chapel. The day begins with such high hopes, haha-pun intended, for the beginning of her new job working under Father Christopher, when an Elvis gnome plants a shinier on her face and she literally stumbles onto a dead body in the c

Sarah Ickes
Sep 18, 20222 min read


The Lincoln Deception Book Review
There is a small mystery bookshop located across the street from a cornfield. It's name is the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop and I have contributed a few book reviews to their quarterly newsletter. Here is my book review on The Lincoln Deception by David O. Stewart. Warning: This book will most likely lead to hand cramping and sleep deprivation due to its addictive nature and inability to be put down. The year is 1900, and it has been thirty five years since one of America

Sarah Ickes
May 20, 20222 min read


Tinderbox Book Review
There is a small mystery bookshop located across the street from a cornfield. It's name is the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop and I have contributed a few book reviews to their quarterly newsletter. Here is my book review on TInderbox: Soldier of Indira by Lou Diamond Phillips. This story was a delight to read and I thoroughly enjoyed the book from cover to cover. It follows the story of Everson, an Indiran soldier who has been left for dead by his people after defeat at the

Sarah Ickes
Apr 20, 20222 min read


Bring Me Back Book Review
There is a small mystery bookshop located across the street from a cornfield. It's name is the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop and I have contributed a few book reviews to their quarterly newsletter. Here is my book review on Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris. Twelve years ago, Finn and Layla were driving back home to England, from skiing in Megève, and pulled off at a picnic area on the side of the road. It was around 1:30 in the morning, and Finn had to use the toilet. He told La

Sarah Ickes
Mar 30, 20223 min read


An Exquisite Corpse Book Review
There is a small mystery bookshop located across the street from a cornfield. It's name is the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop and I have contributed a few book reviews to their quarterly newsletter. Here is my book review on An Exquisite Corpse by Helen A. Harrison. The story takes place during World War II and revolves around a tightly knit artist community that call themselves Surrealists. They escaped France as the German occupation began through patrons such as Peggy Gug

Sarah Ickes
Mar 13, 20222 min read
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