Melissa Westemeier

COMING 2026: Newsletter subscribers receive one free cozy mystery a month from 12 different authors! That's 12 books for FREE!

USA Today Bestselling author and Agatha winner Ellen Byron’s new release, Crescent City Christmas Chaos tosses carolers, holiday parties, a cookbook project, and a shady thief wearing a snowman costume into this Cajun mix. Ricki James-Diaz’s hands are full when her parents come to town, her boyfriend’s filming in a Christmas cooking show special, and of course Bon Vee is hopping with festive shoppers. It’s a perfect time for a murder investigation! Ellen dishes about her pa

I'm over at Chicks on the Case discussing my fave cozy trope today! https://chicksonthecase.com/2025/12/03/guest-chick-melissa-westemeier/

Sally Smith’s newest title, A Case of Life and Limb, ticks all my boxes: a secret corner of London (that really exists!), a twisty mystery set in a real place in history, backstage theater drama, lawyers wrestling with ethical questions, complex characters, and a sassy cat. She describes her background as a barrister living in The Temple, the secluded grounds dating back to the Knights Templar and today a main legal district in London. We also talk about Gabriel’s origin stor

This will always be my favorite turkey--disguised as Darth Vader to escape slaughter. Hearing my favorite song on the radio when I start my car Finding exactly the right amount of a spice or seasoning (or flour or oil or whatever) in my pantry when I'm in the middle of making a recipe Sleeping through the night and waking up before my alarm, feeling well-rested Waking up without that stupid ache in my right shoulder Reaching something on a tall shelf without needing to find a

TWO guests, double the fun in this episode where Kelly and Kristina discuss how social media and celebrities can be a toxic mix. What’s the truth? What’s the conspiracy theory? How deep can people crawl down rabbit holes? Inspired by real life headlines and pop stars, the Mancaruso sisters wrote a twisty thriller about a celebrity journalist who gets sucked down rabbit holes while investigating accusations about iconic pop star Harlow Hayes. Kristina and Kelly dish about pop

I've spent the last few months in revision mode while managing some marketing details for the Nun the Wiser Mysteries. Revisions take a lot of energy, they're a bit like doing a puzzle as you try to slot in the best-shaped scene or line of dialogue to smooth out a manuscript so the entire thing flows nicely and all the readers' questions get answered and any confusion gets laid to rest. Revising a novel means attending to LAYERS of text, including character development, word

When everyone’s in costume, even a killer can hide in plain sight…

Eva Jurczyk’s newest book, 6:40 to Montreal , is an homage to Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express . In this locked room thriller, 6 passengers and 1 steward get trapped in train, during a blizzard, with no wi-fi and all their fears and grief surface as the situation gets worse. We’ve all got irrational (or rational?) fears about being trapped, but Eva raises the stakes by drawing on her own experience with illness and how that changes how we view life. No spoilers

A ghost story in October is tempting enough, but I couldn’t wait to meet a woman whose tagline is mysterious, spooky, cozy + kooky ! Olivia Blacke’s newest Ruby and Cordelia Mystery, Death at the Door , continues Ruby’s quest to learn why Cordelia was killed but another body turns up TrendCelerate. We discuss Olivia’s passion for ghosts (including her haunted bookshelf), the crafty way she bridges the normal and supernatural in this series, and why Cordelia makes a perfect fo

Aaron Philip Clark creates a dark world for his PI Trevor Finnegan to solve crime and describes how he wrote this bulk of his latest book, The Bluest Night, over 3 days at an artist’s retreat in Ojai. Drawing from his past as a screenwriter and a LAPD recruit, this SoCal native brings amazing authenticity and detail to the page. We discuss the threats that lurk inside gated communities, strange people, and magnificent sunsets that create the backdrop for the Trevor Finnegan s

Waaaaaaay back in the olden days, I remember bringing home my bag of trick or treat candy and sorting it according to a ranking system of preferences. Circus peanuts, Mike and Ikes, anything with coconut (Mounds and Almond Joy) and licorice got relegated to the NOT TOUCHING IT. Acceptable forms of sugar included SweetTarts (what is it about those cellophane-wrapped rolls of pastel candies?), dots on strips of paper, caramels, candy corn, LifeSavers (especially wild cherry), J

Janice Hallett masterfully creates a world using text threads, pub quiz results, and emails in her newest book, A Killer Question . I’m a...

Readers, it's a REAL TREAT to host guest G.P. Gottlieb today! You KNOW anyone writing a book using "Whipped" in their title must be good:...

I don't typically choose a season for setting a book, usually the setting chooses me. In ONE book, Across the River , I deliberately...

Martha Waters is known for writing regency romcoms, but her latest title, And Then There Was The One , mashes up cozy mystery and romance...

Featured at Dru's Book Musings today: Detective AJ LEWIS! Fun fact: Detective AJ Lewis is very inspired by my firstborn! Head on over to...

M.J. Robotham cut her teeth writing WWII historical fiction, but her newest release, Mrs. S py, drops readers into the exciting, vibrant...

Brandy Schillace spotlights neurodivergence, identity, found families, and murder, of course, in ep. 6 of My Bookcase Slays. Brandy...