Cover Image: First in Series Spring 2023 Sampler

First in Series Spring 2023 Sampler

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Member Reviews

This sampler was a nice little taste of new series. I enjoyed Final Cut the most. I like the whole book versus a sample though.

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If you like cozy mysteries and are looking for new fun mysteries to read you need to read this first from crooked lane books mysteries. You’ll find mysteries set in a Scottish castle to a murder on the set of a Hollywood movie this book is full of great first in series sampler and it really helps fill up your TBR list. They have stories about grandma‘s being accused of murder a writer becoming part of her own mystery and much much more I love these books and cannot get enough of them if you love cozy mysteries then you definitely need to check this out. I want to Thank Crooked Ln., Books and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

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Nice introduction to new series. I got some ideas for new authors to read in the future. There is a good range of styles and subjects to appeal to cozy mystery readers.

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I enjoyed the samples of seven stories so I can decide which books I would like to read. I am most interested in reading Final Cut by Marjorie McCown.

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Yay for a "First in Series Sampler"! I love getting these and figuring out which books I want to continue reading on my own and/or with my book club. Thank you!

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First in Series Spring 2023 Sampler
Crooked Lane Books
I always like a sampler because you get enough of an idea of the story to decide if you want to read it or not. I plan to read the first tow books for sure, An Irish Castle Mystery by Ellie Brannigan and An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly.

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These all sound like some great reads. I'm especially interested in A Novel Disguise. I'm very interested in the story.

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This sampler includes 7 different books with a couple of chapters from each book. This is a great preview to see what books will be coming out from this publisher and gives people the opportunity to decide if they would like to request these books once they become available. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback!

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First in Series Spring 2023 Sampler by Crooked Lane Books

The collection includes a few chapters from each of 7 upcoming (or recently released) cozy mysteries by:

An Irish Castle Mystery by Ellie Brannigan
An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly
A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen
Final Cut by Marjorie McCown
How the Murder Crumbles by Debra Sennefelder
A Cryptic Clue by Victoria Gilbert
Take the Honey and Run by Jennie Marts

I loved being able to read through this sampler and get a taste of the books covered. I have already picked up a couple of them to read the full book and hope to get a few more. What a great idea!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a free copy of First in Series Spring 2023 Sampler for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own. #FirstinSeriesSpring2023Sampler #NetGalley

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Love these samplers - it's a wonderful idea and a great opportunity to sample some authors work before buying. I really loved A Novel Disguise - such a cute premise.

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First in Series Spring 2023 Sampler is a sneak-preview collection of 7 new mystery series starters. Released 1st Feb 2023 by Crooked Lane it's roughly 204 pages. This is a publisher publicity media item and should be able to be downloaded free from most major retailers.

The collection includes a few chapters from each of 7 upcoming (or recently released) cozy mysteries by:

An Irish Castle Mystery by Ellie Brannigan
An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly
A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen
Final Cut by Marjorie McCown
How the Murder Crumbles by Debra Sennefelder
A Cryptic Clue by Victoria Gilbert
Take the Honey and Run by Jennie Marts


All of them are appealing, and all of the included mysteries are reviewed (or scheduled) on my blog. The full mysteries themselves are all in the 4-4.5 star range, all are entertaining and well crafted. There are some good series releases coming up in 2023 to keep cozy mystery lovers entertained.

Definitely worth downloading the collection to test sample the upcoming books. Four and a half stars for the collection as a whole.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

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What a fantastic way to share upcoming spring releases!

There are seven cozy mysteries included in this sampler and we are given the opportunity to read the first few chapters and see what books pique our interest.

I was especially taken with "How the Murder Crumbles" by Debre Sennefelder and "Take the Honey and Run" by Jennie Marts. Both of these stories gave me the quintessential cozy vibe that I am searching for in a light-hearted mystery that includes an intimate location and unique cast of characters.

Overall, this sampler has a nice array of books that offer varying time periods and settings; and it makes for a convenient way to find your next read!

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Fantastic array of cozy mystery samples that make the reader eager to read the complete books themselves. Highly recommend to all cozy mystery lovers.

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This sampler presents a great opportunity for reviewers to sample different books, 7 to be exact. Have a pen in hand to make a list of the ones you can't wait to read. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Publishing for the chance to read this sampler of books for Spring 2023.

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I really like these kinds of samplers. They give the reader the chance to take a peek at what books will be out there, and there are definitely some books that I'm interested in continuing.

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Looking for cozy mystery snippets to nibble on before buying? This sampler includes the first chapter or two of seven novels, a good variety for different tastes.

My favourites include pure escapism in An American in Scotland (one of the most atmospheric countries I've visited), Novel Disguise (A Lady Librarian Mystery...who could resist that?) about choices and A Cryptic Clue where cataloguing artifacts and a book collection can spell trouble. Others are a wee bit too cozy and predictable for my taste but may widely appeal to oodles of fans of cozies.

Sometimes one is in the mood for mystery reading without devoting a few hours to a book. These stories are fun, quick and craving inducing!

My sincere thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this engrossing sampler.

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I love a good cozy mystery but I don't actually read that many of them, so I was thrilled to be able to sample all of these and see what might be up my alley. Of this selection I'm most excited for A Novel Disguise, definitely looking forward to the full version!

Thank you for the opportunity to check these out!

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An Irish Castle Mystery by Ellie Brannigan
- illegitimate cousin is a bitch
An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly
- interested to see where this goes. Old grumpy man that lost stuff to MC’s great whatever dead and the great whatever was murdered years ago
A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen
- Excited to see where this story goes - a 40 year old spinster getting an unexpected freedom after her half brother dies
Final Cut by Marjorie McCown
- Eh nothing to really hook me. Hollywood dramatics aren’t my thing
How the Murder Crumbles by Debra Sennefelder
- A cozy set in a bakery around a fight on a cookie recipe. Excited to continue!
A Cryptic Clue by Victoria Gilbert
- really gave no idea what the mystery is in the first two chapters
Take the Honey and Run by Jennie Marts
- excited for this one. started out strong with introducing all of the characters quickly as well as inferred what will happen next.

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A sampler is so much nicer than the blurbs to give you an idea if you would be interested in reading/buying the book. Thanks, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Publishing for the chance to read this sampler of books to look forward to in Spring 2023.

There are 7 books sampled. Two of which, An American in Scotland and Murder in an Irish Castle, I have already read the ARC for these and posted reviews on Goodreads, Bookbub & Barnes & Noble. I will have posted my Amazon review when allowed by Amazon. I loved both of these books!

A Cryptic Clue has an older librarian taking a job with a younger rich employer who has extensive collection of classic mystery authors, along with other works he wants her to organize and inventory. We did not get much more than an introduction to the main characters. I am looking forward to reading this one, it appears to be right up my alley.

How the Murder Crumbles is classic cozy mystery as a former advertising executive cookie baker follows her passion after a romantic breakup and lost promotion and takes over her aunt's bakery. She concentrates on cookie bouquets, cookie decorating classes and cookies for sale. There is a confrontation in her bakery with her and a competitor of her aunt's and now her that accuses her aunt of stealing her cookie recipe I think we have met our victim. There are also other interesting characters, and I am looking forward to diving into this one.
Take the Honey and Run has Bailey and her daughter Daisy returning to her grandmothers Honey farm where she grew up and encountering a farmer ex-boyfriend and her best friend's brother who has become a very handsome and charming mechanic. While the murder did not happen during the sample, I think we met our intended victim in the town Mayor who seems to be harassing Bailey's grandmother. Another one I am anxious to read.

A Novel Disguise is a period mystery with a sister disguising herself as her brother and taking his place as the duke's librarian. I am not able to explain any better as not much more was learned in the brief sample.

The Final Cut is the story of movie costumer who finds herself discovering the body of the lighting director on a movie set.

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I've had the chance to check out Crooked Lane books samplers. For anyone who hasn't checked these out yet, these are excellent way to find out what new book series are coming out. They also contain the list of books being released, as well as a few sneak peeks of the books as well. I enjoyed this sampler, and I recommend it to readers as well!

My thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGallery for a digital copy of this sampler. I'm looking forward to these book releases!

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