January Online Book Club: Downward Death by Stella Bixby

Downward Death (A Magical Mane Mystery #1) by Stella Bixby

This book has unique ingredients for a mystery setup: a pet pig, yoga, and magic.

Ellie Vanderwick lives in a converted VW bus with her pig Penelope when they discover she’s inherited a house and farm in Iowa from a grandmother she never knew. When Ellie moves into the house, she encounters lots of surprises: a hunky neighbor, a chance to find out why her mother abandoned her as a baby, and an opportunity to establish roots of her own. Unfortunately, the complications come quickly. Like how to hide her hair that tends to change color to match her emotions among a town full of strangers. Oh, and the dead body in the cornfield.

Normally I don’t go for mysteries with magical elements. (Unless we’re talking Harry Potter, of course.) But this book is mostly a typical mystery whodunit with the extra bit about her hair changing color. It fits Ellie’s fun, quirky character. I enjoyed meeting the wide cast of small town characters in Cliff Haven, Iowa and trying to guess the murderer. For the record, I changed my mind a few times and still didn’t see the end coming.

I think you’ll agree this is a fun start to a series that already has six books. I’m looking forward to reading the next one soon.

Stella Bixby is one of the authors I met in Las Vegas last fall at my author conference, and she’s as funny and warm in person as her books. Her other series with eight books is about a park ranger named Rylie Cooper. She’s written a holiday themed book, short stories, and is active on Instagram. All of her books are available in Kindle Unlimited.

Let me know if you try it!

NON-FICTION CHOICE
Atomic Habits by James Clear

Just because a book is a raging best seller doesn’t necessarily convince me I need to read it. But hey, it’s a new year. Since resolutions and goals haven’t been super helpful the past two years, I decided to check into habits more. I’ve been listening to the audiobook read by the author. I’m only about halfway through, but already the things I’ve tried make a lot of sense and I think will help me start the year off well. This audiobook is read by the author and he has downloadable pdfs from his website to help your process.

If you’ve already read this one, I’d love to know your takeaways and hints on using it.

Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 15 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children’s books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.

Parents, kids, and teachers love the children’s books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through fun, engaging stories. And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have ever lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project coming together the night before it’s due.

A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.