The Calla Lily Mysteries (Calla Lily Mystery #1-3) (2024)

Lily's Homecoming Under Fire by Anna Celeste Burke grabbed me from the first page and I didn't put it down until I was finished.

Ms. Burke's descriptive writing of the setting and the characters made me feel right at home. I loved Lily's independence, intelligence and heart as the story reveals more of her aunt's life that she missed while in Hollywood. The action was almost non-stop from the beginning and the reveal was both nail-biting and shocking. The fun seems to just be beginning for Lily since her gal pals, Melody, Zelda, Carrie and Julie from Hollywood showed up and I'm eager to read more about them. It's probably a good thing that Lily's Aunt Lettie had remodeled the home to be a bed and breakfast. The plot was tightly woven with just enough twists to keep me guessing. I can't wait to know more about Lily, Austin, Judy and Jesse as this series progresses.

A Tangle in the Vines by Anna Celeste Burke is the second book in the Calla Lily series that grabbed me from the first page and I didn't stop reading until the end.

The story is a complex one that has many twists and several suspects to keep Austin, Rikki and Dahlia perplexed. Then there is a side plot with a young neighborhood boy, Billie, who shows up at the winery at the wrong time. I loved Billie! I hope he will soon become a regular member of the household. All of the characters are developing well and I look forward to knowing them better as the series progresses. Ms. Burke's descriptive writing of the winery and the surrounding area makes everything so clear as I read. I've become quite comfortable at the Calla Lily Vineyard.

Fall's Killer Vintage by Anna Celeste Burke was an engaging and intricate addition to her Calla Lily mystery series.

Lily and the Diva Posse have their hands full on this case as a long time friend is suspected of murder during the Taste of Napa Challenge. A federal judge could have a long list of people who wanted him dead but it was professional or personal. A tightly paced plot with plenty of twists and many suspects keep Lily, Judy and the Divas busy trying to find answers. Ms. Burke writes mysteries that keep me turning the pages. She also includes heartfelt relationships within her stories that always make me feel like her characters are "real" people that I would love to know and spend some time with them. I had a hard time putting this book down and want the next one in the series NOW.

I previously read all three of these books as individual purchases.

*****Lily's Homecoming Under Fire

WOW!! This story starts with a bang and never lets up. There is plenty of action, lots of twists and turns, and a romance to top it all off! Anna Celeste Burke has written an exciting story to start off the Calla Lily Mystery series. I look forward to seeing the relationship between Lily and Austin develop as the series continues. I'm also looking forward to learning more about Judy and Jesse, as well as Lily's posse. I urge you to read all books written by this talented author.

*****A Tangle in the Vines

Anna Celeste Burke never disappoints. She writes cozy mysteries with well-developed characters and plots that have plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested from beginning to end. In A Tangle In The Vines, a serial killer is on the loose and has been murdering people for many decades. While that may seem like a heavy plot for a cozy, this author pulls it off with ease.

Lily and Austin's relationship is ongoing and has moved to the next level--with a little help from a 12-year-old introduced in this story. I really hope Billie remains a part of the series. It was nice getting to know Lily's Posse in this story since they were introduced at the end of the first book. Judy and Jesse are back as are Dahlia and Rikki.

I urge you to read the Calla Lily Mystery Series. I look forward to many books to come in this entertaining series.

*****Fall's Killer Vintage

Another winner in the Calla Lily Mystery Series! The gang is all back to help solve another mystery. There are plenty of twists and turns, as well as suspects, to keep you guessing whodunit as the Calla Lily Murder Club investigates a murder and arson at a local winery. Another murder adds to the intrigue and keeps everyone busy digging for answers. A satisfying conclusion makes the third book in the series a 5-star read.

kindle unlimited, but own it, own all books and all collections to date, and have 1 reorder, A Canary in the Canal Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery #8 (Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series) {amd got sneak peak at cover for A Merry Anniversary Mystery book 9, too}

The Calla Lily Mysteries (Calla Lily Mystery #1-3)

Life in small-town California wine country is a tangled vine of mystery, suspense, and intrigue.

In California’s wine country someone wants Lily dead! When Lily Callahan returns home to California’s wine country, sparks fly amid a hail of bullets as she and Deputy U.S. Marshall Austin Jennings take cover.

Money, fame, and love all come into play as motives when Lily and Austin try to discover who wants Lily dead. The trouble begins soon after Lily’s beloved Aunt Lettie dies and leaves her vineyard estate to Lily—is it about the money? Counterfeit wine and growing suspicions about Aunt Lettie’s death add to the mystery. Life in small-town California wine country is a tangled vine of mystery, suspense, and intrigue.

Grab your copy of these fast-paced mysteries with twists and turns, romance, and a dash of humor from USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author, Anna Celeste Burke.

Recipes Included.

The CALLA LILY MYSTERY Series
Lily's Homecoming Under Fire #1
{currently only in collection Love Under Fire collection and she may be adding just a bit because of the ending/people}
Tangled Vines, Buried Secrets #2
Fall's Killer Vintage #3)
The Calla Lily Mysteries (Calla Lily Mystery #1-3)
#4 out soon-ish

Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series
Murder at Catmmando Mountain #1 Love Notes in the Key of Sea #2 All Hallows' Eve Heist #3 A Merry Christmas Wedding Mystery
Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series: Novellas 1-3
#4 Murder at Sea of Passenger X #5 Murder of the Maestro #6 A Tango Before Dying #7 A Canary in the Canal #8 {out soon}

Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery
Love a Foot Above the Ground 0 A Dead Husband 1 A Dead Sister 2 A Dead Daughter 3 A Dead Mother 4 A Dead Cousin 5
Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery Series (Books 1-5)
A Dead Nephew 6

Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery
Cowabunga Christmas #1 Gnarly New Year #2
Heinous Habits (Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery, #3) {in summer collection only first}
Radical Regatta Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery #4

Seaview Cottages Cozy Mystery
A Body at Fitzgerald’s Bluff 1 {was in Summer Snoops and Cozy Crimes: 12 Mysteries for the Dog Days of Summer which between typos and WTH stuff actually cancelled, just waited for this separately}
The Murder of Shakespeare's Ghost 2
Grave Expectations on Dickens' #3

see goodreads/amazon for full listing of books, in various collections (less)



Rosemary rosiebear Pfeiffer

5.0 out of 5 starsWonderful characters and s fun series.

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2020

(Book #1,) Any book that starts out with bullets flying trying to kill the main character gets my attention !!!! When Lilly comes back home, she thought it would be just like before, old boring little town. She couldnt have been more wrong. This story kept me turning pages and I couldnt believe how fast I was reading it. The first in a new series that will hopefully have more books to follow. Great read with love,suspense and surprises galore ! Highly recommend it ! (Book #2) What an amazing mystery! Bones are found, history is learned about and mysterious disapearances from years ago make Lillys life very interesting ... And it all happens because of a bad thunderstorm on her vineyard. This story begins with a very intense and dangerous storm so it grabs you from the first page! This story will keep you turning pages with more mystery in each chapter. I really love how the characters react to each other in difficult times and how the sexy US Marshall Austin stays by Lilys side giving her the reassurance that she needs in these difficult times. I cant say too much more because I get so excited and Im afraid I might give something away lol. Get the book, read it and join in the mystery..you wont look out the window again during a thunderstorm..... (Book #3) Well just when you think this series cant get any better, it does! Yes there is a dead body..yes its dangerous, and yes, Lily wants to find the murderer! Wine judging events are usually fun especially when your wine is destined to be the winner...until fire, smoke and a dead body stop the judging..but one good thing, it didnt happen at Lilies winery. This is a good mystery that has lots of secrets revealed. Its hard to figure out who murdered the judge...but the process is intriguing to follow. This writer has another hit ! She always keeps you guessing.

This is three books in boxed set all about Lily Callahan.
BOOK 1: LILY'S HOMECOMING. Lily comes back to Napa to claim her inheritance. She inherits her Aunt Lefties house and Winery. Deputy US Marshal Austin Jennings introduction to Lily by saving her life and asks "who wants you dead"? The bodies start to pile up. A few people want Lily's inheritance. Romance is blooming between Lily and Austin.

BOOK 2: A TANGLE IN THE VINES. After terrible rain storm causing flooding at the winery, Lily is among others helping with sandbags and she's pulling leaves and debris from cracked drain culvert and finds a body. Before day is over will find several bodies some missing from twenty years before. Ins this a killing dump. Someone still after Lily and Austin.

BOOK 3: FALL'S KILLER VINTAGE. Lily and Austin are attending the announcement of winning vintage competition amongst the California wineries. A fire breaks out in the wine center and a Federal judge attend is killed. There is falsely labels on some wine as investigation heats up. And theft. Several of Lily's friends from her former soap opera show have moved into her B&B. Best watch dog is Marlowe.

I have been getting many of me kindle reads from a wonderful site called The Fussy Librarian. You choose the genres you are interested in, the frequency you want to hear from them and they send you an email newsletter that lists completely free ebooks to download. I like getting bundles like this so I have a really good chance to find out about the series. Some of th eseries are so good that I have gone on to purchase the remainder of the books in the series. Some are just so-so, and I delete them and never think about them again. This series is actually one of the latter. It is probably closer to a 2.5 stars than a three. But do check out the newsletter if you are interested in free entertainment during a pandemic.

I just couldn’t finish reading the 3 books

It’s pretty unusual for me not to finish a book but I had to really make an effort to get thru the second one in the series. There were 3 books included and I gave up after reading just a few pages of the third one.
The characters were just not relatable. The main characters didn’t seem to have any depth and the Marshall was just too creepy and stalker-ish to me. There were so many characters, none of them relatable and the storylines were outlandish and kept unbelievable. Maybe others readers won’t mind any of that.

Not a bad series; a little convoluted with a cast of characters that was confusing to me, but navigable.

I started it because a calla lily has a special meaning to me. The idea that a woman's relationship with a 12-year-old can generate an entire multi-million-dollar estate is barely believable, but okay, it's fiction. The concept of transforming a successful winery into a B&B "for" the heir without any discussion is somewhat less-than-credible, but, okay, it's fiction.

An okay read; suitable for light reading, but it didn't inspire me to read any of Burke's other material.

Soap Opera Endings

Life after a Soap Opera is different for each star, but I love this possibility for a happy one. Lily Callahan had a sad one and her new life started off hard as well. She got a quick call that her aunt had passed and she was needed at home, abandoned Hollywood and ran straight into trouble. These first 3 books in the series are amazing adventures and a look at how unfortunate children can form close new families as adults. A great cozy series about a "family" that grows with each adventure.

FALL’S KILLER VINTAGE
Lily and Auston outside taking adventure of the moon, before going back inside the winery for the announcements. When they heard an explosion, and the guest were trapped inside, getting them out was quite an ordeal.
Then a murder and the team is once again ready to solve. Her books are always good and keep you to the end. Friends, a little humor and history along the way.

WOW!

Well now, let me start by saying this is a good book with lots of exciting action, well crafted plot line, likable characters, and witty dialogue. Having said that, it gets increasingly complicated and complex as the story progresses (made my brain hurt) and is not a book to read in bed before sleep (just too complex). Probably will read the next book also. Enjoy.

Books 1-3

I truly enjoyed reading these three books. Reading them together kept me from waiting for each one to come out.
Lily and Cowboy US Marshall Austin meet when she first lands back in her hometown..someone is trying to kill her.
Good characters, funny at times, and A lot of different characters in each book.
Easy read, romance, murder mysteey.

this is a group of stories with lily in the middle of a mystery could not put the book down, she is hunting for her father and is in the bayou so you know there is a mystery there, she has a protector and he earns his money,

The Calls Lily Mysteries are interesting!

I enjoy mysteries. These mysteries keep you engaged and guessing who done it! Wonderful characters with great backgrounds. Some very scary plots. Enjoy!

Triligy of excellent reading

Calla Lilly was an actress who, after a 10 year run as the nasty protagonist ,finished her run when killed off in the show.Going home to lick her wounds, she discovers her beloved aunt has died. Then someone tries to murder her. A cracking good read.

Excellent Series

I totally enjoyed reading a well written story line..the author wove a great story that kept me up each night till I go pushed each one of the three. Will look for more books tomorrow

A Fun Read

What an enjoyable series of books! Good character portrayal and likeable characters -- except for the bad guys. Each book blended in new characters and helped the stories grow. I read these late at night and slept well afterward.

Loved this series!

This is one of those stories you never want to end! The whole cast became like family to me and I’ll miss them. These books are emotional, fast paced, smart and fun. Can’t be beat!

Confusing to read

Great story line but some what disjointed. I found myself having to back up and sections again because it was not clear who was speaking or who just entered the story /room. I am not sure I would read any more from this author.

Loved this series...Kept my interest all the way thru...and kept me guessing!

Excellent series

A former actress and a US Marshall hook up with others to make a winery into a refuge for a mixture of displaced people.

Fun read

The Calla Lily posse are a fun and enthusiastic bunch. The characters travel throughout the series. The writing is easy to read and follow.

Complicated

Most complicated story I've ever read. Lots weird characters. Way too many bad guys. And way too many grusome murders.

Great stories with interesting characters and plots.