Cozy Review: Rocky Road to Murder

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the chance to review another of Lena Gregory's fun mysteries!

 

 

Rocky Road to Murder (Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Setting – New York
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gemma Halliday Publishing (July 1, 2025)
Number of Pages – 220
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0F7MV3JW5

From author Lena Gregory comes a tasty summer murder mystery…

Danika Delaney is thrilled that her old fashioned malt shop, the Coffee & Cream Café, has gotten a catering contract for the biggest party of the season, the Rutherford Manor Fourth of July gala. She’ll be providing desserts for the party as well as attending the exclusive event on Eastern Long Island.

However her path to the gala quickly becomes a rocky road…

Dani arrives at the event, only to find the gala’s hostess, Cressida Rutherford, dead! What’s worse, one of Dani’s signature parfaits sits next to the dead woman, with what looks like peanuts in it—a food Cressida is severely allergic to. Amid the melted ice cream mess, Dani initially blames herself, thinking she made a mistake while rushing with the desserts. However she quickly learns that what appeared to be an accident was actually foul play, and suddenly Dani has to spring into action proving that she isn’t the perpetrator. Along with her friends, Dani uncovers a string of people in Cressida’s life who might have wanted the socialite dead. Can she prove her innocence and make sure the killer gets their just desserts?

 

My Review: 
Dani is at it again! Charmingly klutzy, a little aggravating in her determination to get involved in solving crimes, and backed by the best posse ever, Dani provides the reader with a quick, fun read. I really get a kick out of her large and nosy, but ultimately supportive family, too. 

The mystery was well put together, though I wasn't surprised to learn whodunnit. Dani manages to uncover just enough information in her apparently random and disorganized manner (and at the continual risk of making her boyfriend, police officer Jake, seriously annoyed). There is a certain element of coincidence in some of what she learns, and her ability to show up in the right place at the right time allows her to get the answers and create a (mostly) happy ending.

The romance element is also handled well. I appreciate that Jake and Dani seem to be working through their issues and are pretty good about talking things out--I dislike relationship drama that comes simply out of a failure to communicate. Their drama is more interesting, though I seriously doubt I could be as forgiving as Jake is about her interference in the case! Granted, being accused of the murder, even if not very seriously, does provide a good incentive to take matters into her own hands!

My Recommendation:
This is a fast, fun read, perfect for the beach or the fireside. Beware the constant presence of yummy things to eat!            

 

And now, an interview with author Lena Gregory!

When did you start writing? Did you always know you wanted to be a writer, or did you stumble into it later in life?

I suppose my writing journey began when I was in the fifth grade and wrote a story using my vocabulary words about a couple of girls getting lost in the woods. To this day, I can remember the only place I lost points—using petrified to mean scared instead of turned to stone. I also remember my teacher’s reaction to my story. She said there was no way I wrote it. Looking back, I still don’t know if she meant it as a compliment or an accusation, but instead of being flattered that she thought my story was so good I couldn’t have written it myself, I was hurt and discouraged. Thus ended my writing journey (unless you count a spiral notebook full of terrible poetry I wrote as an angsty teenager and kept to myself) for the next thirty-five years.

 

When my youngest son, who is now fourteen, was born, he didn’t sleep through the night. Since my daughter was seven before she started sleeping through the night, I figured I was in for a lot of years of sleepless nights, which was fine by me because I rarely sleep anyway. I’ve always loved reading, but with all those nights looming ahead of me, I decided to give writing a try. I knew nothing about the writing process, didn’t own a computer, didn’t know what Microsoft Word was, didn’t know how to send an email…never mind using track changes for editing. But I wanted to write, so I set up a loose-leaf binder with a divider for each chapter and began writing my first novel by hand.

 

 

What are your books about and who is the audience?

I write cozy mysteries, which are murder mysteries but with no violence, bad language, or sex on page. I am currently writing four series—The Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries, which take place in an ice-cream parlor/coffee shop in a small town on the south shore of Eastern Long Island; The All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries, which take place in a Boggy Creek, Florida, a small town on the outskirts of the Ocala National Forest; The Bay-Island Psychic Mysteries, about a psychologist who moves back to her home town on Long Island to open a psychic shop on the boardwalk; and the Mini-Meadows Mysteries, about a downsize specialist who lives in a tiny-home community in Central Florida.

 

 

What is the best thing about being a writer?

I love everything about being a writer. I love creating my own stories and sharing them with readers. I enjoy the entire process of editing and especially getting my covers. And there is nothing like walking into a store and finding my books on the shelf.

 

 

If you garden, do you focus on vegetables or flowers?  

My husband and daughter always say I have a black thumb, and they’re not wrong, but I absolutely love flowers. And I’ve actually managed to keep some alive lately!

 

If there’s a spider in the corner of the room, do you a) panic, b) have to drop everything until it is removed, or c) hope it’s planning to eat the more annoying bugs that get in?

A and B! I am very afraid of spiders, a phobia Gia (from my All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries) shares. I was always kind of scared of spiders, but when I moved to Florida and found a Huntsman spider on my wall, that fear grew into outright terror.

 

Do you draft your books longhand or compose at the keyboard?

Both. If I want to sit outside or I’m at a theme park with the kids, I’ll write in a spiral notebook. Otherwise, I tend to write a rough outline by hand and then draft the book on my computer.

 

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had to research for one of your books?

I often say if anyone ever looked at my search history, I’d have a lot of explaining to do. I’ve researched how to kill someone with one blow, all different kinds of poisons, and a variety of motives and methods for killing someone. Recently, I even had to research how to use an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) and what its effect would be on a car.

 

Do you use a detailed outline before you start writing, or... ?

I used to just write as I went, until one day I wrote one of my characters into a corner I couldn’t find a way out of. I eventually did, but I was never really happy with the outcome. Since then, I’ve started writing out a loose outline, at least a few chapters at a time.

 

Those are some great answers, Lena! Thanks for coming by for the interview! 

Thank you so much for having me!

 

Lena's also doing a great giveaway--enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

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.

Author Links

• Newsletter: http://lenagregory.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9765d0711ed4fab4fa31b16ac&id=49d42335d1.
• Website: http://www.lenagregory.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lena.gregory.986
• Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lena.Gregory.Author/?fref=ts
• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/LenaGregory03
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14956514.Lena_Gregory?from_search=true
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lenagregoryauth/

Purchase Links – Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Kobo

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

July 1 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT  

July 2 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

July 2 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST

July 3 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

July 3 – Sarandipity’s – SPOTLIGHT

July 4 – OFF

July 5 – Boys’ Mom Reads – REVIEW – Coming Soon

July 5 – Eskimo Princess Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 6 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 6 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

July 7 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

July 7 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

July 7 – Baroness’ Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 8 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 8 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW

July 9 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – AUTHOR GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

July 9 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 10 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

July 10 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT

July 11 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

July 11 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 12 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW

July 13 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

July 14 – Rebecca M. Douglass, Author – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

  

  

TC Disclosure: I received an ARC of  Rocky Road to Murder from Great Escapes Free Virtual Book Tours, and received nothing further from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  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."   

©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2025   
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