Not one, not two, but all three of the books in this month's cozy column received starred reviews!

★ Mango, Mambo, and Murder

Miriam Quiñones-Smith has just relocated from New York City to tony Coral Shores in Miami. A former food anthropologist, she lands a gig teaching Caribbean cooking on a morning show and works to grow a social circle, but at her very first meeting of a women's club, one of the attendees keels over. Mango, Mambo, and Murder has everything you look for in a cozy mystery but also feels like a breath of fresh air. Author Raquel V. Reyes fills this story with details that make it feel real, despite there being a character named Sunny Weatherman. Cuban American Miriam and her family, friends and co-workers are well-rounded personalities whom readers will be eager to learn more about. Miriam's attempts to find a killer take her to strip malls filled with questionable folk healers and incredible restaurants serving Cuban American standards like ropa vieja and pollo a la plancha. Reyes incorporates Spanish into characters' dialogue throughout, adding authenticity, while subtly providing context so that readers who aren't Spanish speakers won't miss a beat. Dig into this inviting, suspenseful feast for the senses.

★ The Man Who Died Twice

It's impossible to single out any one feature that makes The Man Who Died Twice such an absolute treat. The plot is a crackling mystery: Septuagenarian retiree and amateur sleuth Elizabeth gets a coded message from someone in her past asking for help, as he's stolen a lot of diamonds from some very angry people. When two people are killed, the hunt is on for the killers and the diamonds. English TV presenter and comedian Richard Osman creates real magic with his characters. They are frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious but also entirely real and three-dimensional. There's also dogged police work, tradecraft most devious, a lot of cocaine and those diamonds. If possible, this sequel is even better than the Osman's charmer of a debut, The Thursday Murder Club. This series is both a load of fun and an ode to how the power of friendship is important throughout one's life but especially during the final stretch. Don't miss it.

★ Seven-Year Witch

Seven-Year Witch finds Josie Way settling into life as a librarian in rural Wilfred, Oregon, and deepening her powers as a witch, thanks to letters left to her by her grandmother. The old mill in town is set to be turned into a lavish retreat center, but rumors that the site is cursed raise local hackles, especially when the disappearance of one of Wilfred's inhabitants is followed by the discovery of a bloody weapon. Josie's love interest, FBI agent Sam Wilfred, returns to town, but things between them are complicated by the news that he's married with a baby. Author Angela M. Sanders uses the eerie atmosphere to great effect and also plays with the assumed charms of a small town. For example, the locals lose some of their warmth when there's a killer in their midst. Josie's witchcraft plays into solving the mystery, but the story feels realistic overall. Full of false leads and truly surprising reveals, this terrifically plotted mystery is hard to put down.

In this sequel to The Thursday Murder Club, Elizabeth Best and her septuagenarian friends Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim are once again on the trail of a killer. Elizabeth's ex-husband Douglas has contacted her after many years, asking her to hide him in her retirement village. Some bad people are after him, and there is a question about some diamonds that he may or may not have stolen. Elizabeth is afraid of being thrust back into the cloak-and-dagger life she left behind. When someone is killed during an attempt on Douglas's life, Elizabeth is contacted by MI5 agents who want to figure out who located his safe house. While the hunt is on for the missing diamonds, more deaths occur, and Elizabeth must use her espionage skills to outwit a killer. The friends also deal with a violent act done to one of their own when Ibrahim is brutally mugged. VERDICT This entertaining follow-up to Osman's first mystery reveals more about the main characters' lives, especially Elizabeth's. Excerpts from Joyce's diary provide many humorous moments, as well as another perspective of the events of the novel. Recommended for fans of British cozies, especially Simon Brett's "Fethering" series and Ann Purser's "Lois Meade" series.—Jean King, West Hempstead P.L., NY

In Thriller Award–finalist Osman's riveting sequel to 2020's The Thursday Murder Club, Elizabeth Best, one of four members of a crime-solving club at Coopers Chase, a retirement residence in Kent, England, receives an SOS written by a feckless secret agent from her past who's supposed to be dead. The man is at the center of a long-ago clandestine operation and the theft of a large cache of diamonds that interest MI5, the Mafia, and other parties. Soon murders occur, and Elizabeth and club pals Joyce Meadowcroft, Ron Ritchie, and Ibrahim Arif and their associates must finger the perpetrator, decipher cryptic messages, and embark on a convoluted hunt for the diamonds amid considerable danger. Complicating the case are the attack on a club member and the activities of a notorious drug trafficker wanted by the police. The twisty plot, knotty issues of relationships with life partners, and steadfast loyalty among the sleuths provide depth and poignancy. Those who prefer their mysteries with touches of spycraft, humor, and eccentricity will be well pleased. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency. (Sept.)