Reviews & Bio – Andrea's Books

Andrea, who writes cozies as Andrea Kress, is an anthropologist trained at Syracuse University and Duke University and retired from a career as a public administrator at the City of Tucson.

She spent many summers in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts which was the inspiration for the settings of the Berkshire Cozy Mysteries:

MURDER AT HIGHFIELDS

THE GIRL ON THE DOORSTEP

CHRISTMAS RECIPE FOR MURDER

MURDER AT THE VALENTINE BALL

APRIL IS MURDER

MURDER AT THE GARDEN FAIR

MURDER AT THE BEACH HOUSE

Her time living in North Carolina inspired the police procedural series DEADLY set in three distinct areas of that state: DEADLY WOODS in the Piedmont, DEADLY DUNES at the coast, DEADLY MOUNTAINS in the Appalachians and DEADLY DIG in the Piedmont.

Some of the locations are real but many are not — hey, it’s fiction!

“Romance in the Desert Southwest,” a stand-alone political satire about love, lust, politics and water resources in the Southwest is also available.

REVIEWS

MURDER AT HIGHFIELDS: Berkshires Cozy Mystery

A Power-house of a Story!

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2021

What an amazing story! I was hooked from the first page by the vivid characters, detailed descriptions, and building mastery. I’m so impressed with how the author captures the feel, tone, and mood of this time period so perfectly. It felt like I stepped into an old movie and watched the characters play out their rolls on a movie screen. Andrea Kress knows her time period well and beautifully captures it on the pages of this story.

Clue Meets Jessica Fletcher

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2021

…”Berkshire Mountains, Massachusetts, 1931. Aggie Burnside is ready for her next chapter. But when her New York job falls through unexpectedly, the registered nurse jumps at another opportunity and moves to her best friend’s hometown. Though she’s barely settled into the small community before she’s entangled in the local judge’s shocking murder.”…
From the moment I began reading this book I was drawn in. From each page turn I was on the edge of my seat wondering what could happen next. Every character was well developed and the story line did not give away the killer before the end.
As I was reading I was imagining this as a tv show – Clue meets Jessica Fletcher. Such a joy to read and I eagerly await the next book in the series.

Engaging historical cozy mystery

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2021

In this classic cozy mystery, recent nursing graduate Aggie Burnside takes a short-term job in the small western Massachusetts town where her best friend resides. The year is 1931. Life seems good in this semi-rural village where residents are affluent, not overly-stressed by the Great Depression or Prohibition, and are perfectly happy to be in each other’s business every second of the day. Aggie boards with a local resident, starts her job, and expects to enjoy her stay. Everything changes, though, when the local judge is murdered.

Strengths of this appealing cozy are many. The plot is engaging and challenging with plenty of clues and false clues, twists and turns, and no easy answers. The setting is so well described, from the mountain scenery to home furnishings and clothing, that the story takes on a cinematic aspect. This enhances the historical context of the story. Characters are compelling, and they seem neighborly and kind until they aren’t. They all seem to take on a darker side at some point in the story when it becomes apparent that any of them could be a killer. Aggie is smart, circumspect, observant, and most of all realistic. I especially appreciated her decision to study nursing and to support herself, given that her parents decided to give the family’s savings to her brother so he could attend university. Aggie’s realistic smarts serve her well when it comes to solving this entertaining cozy mystery.

Bet You Can’t Guess The Ending

Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2021

Verified Purchase

I appreciate a story set in the last century when electronics were not “on the case,” and we relied on the observation powers of mere mortals. Andrea Kress doesn’t paint word pictures to haunt your nightmares, another thing I appreciate in a book-before-bedtime read, and this is a dandy way to close the day. I was annoyed with myself for failing to remember a key clue; maybe you’ll solve this one before Aggie does.

DEADLY WOODS: A Steve Thibault Mystery of Suspense

Monkey business is probably not a strong enough description for the goings-on at the Colter Primate Center…this highly readable crime novel gives regional flavor to the lively point-counterpoint dialogue between the southern-fried detective and clueless-about-the-South Gemma Farnese, who is the lab’s New York-bred communications director, Thibault’s potential love interest and — possibly — a killer.

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly entertaining!

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2021

Verified Purchase

I found this to be a thoroughly entertaining mystery with very well developed characters, wonderful dialogue and a vivid narrative. I really liked Detective Thibaut, Mutt, Gemma and loved that Leesborough, North Carolina is a fully developed character unto its own. Ibanez does a great job painting a very visual story in a really unique setting. If you enjoy a well written mystery that’s not the typical detective story, you’ll enjoy this one.

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting location and characters

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2020

Verified Purchase

I am sure mysteries with interesting locations and believable characters I can care about. That’s why I love this book. People who love mysteries need to give this a try.

Ruth “Reno” Anderson

5.0 out of 5 stars Non-stop action!

Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2021

Ms Ibanez’s novel gets the reader into the action immediately and it never stops. The main character, Steve, is believable while he struggles to balance personal life and police work. Ibanez creates a more humble Stuart Woods type of character, someone confident yet intriguing enough to keep me reading. The primate cage as the location of a murder was unique, and gave the story an edge that I appreciated as Steve tries to do his work while dealing with people in research. Looking forward to the next book in this series.

Dineen A. Miller

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Mystery & Intrigue!

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2021

Great characters and story. I really like the main character, Steve Thibault. Really enjoyed the dialogue and how Ibáñez tied a story element from the beginning to the end. Love it when an author does that!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Heather Hummel, Author Journals of the Heart Series

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging Mystery

Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2021

This was an engaging and entertaining mystery. The primary and secondary characters are well developed through dialog and narrative. Ibanez writes provocatively while painting a unique story. If you’re looking for a well-written and descriptive mystery, I highly recommend this one.

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery through and through

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2021

Great mystery from beginning to end. Well developed characters and kept my attention throughout.

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing Read!

Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2020

Well written and enjoyable read.

jcc

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it!

Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2020

Ibanez shows us the underside of academic conflict and jealousy and a detective trying to make sense of the clues. Sgt. Thibault and Gemma’s interactions are flirty and full of misunderstandings.

Tina

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth the read!

Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2021

Quite a thrill ride! Loved the unexpected twists!

AND NOW FOR SOME REVIEWS FROM THE United Kingdom

DEADLY WOODS: A Steve Thibault Mystery of Suspense

Ivy Ngeow

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling and dark American novel of suspense

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 April 2021

This is the first book I have read by this author. The setting of North Carolina and the romantic suspense theme gripped me from the outset. When a young man is murdered at a primate centre, Detective Thibault has a new challenging case as the lab researchers have been suspiciously unhelpful to him. An entertaining and well-written suspense leaving me keen to follow the adventures of Steve Thibault further and to uncover the murderer. I recommend this series to anyone interested in classic American police procedurals and detective stories as there is a strong sense of place and atmosphere.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Maxine Katori

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous murder mystery

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2021

I related to Detective Thibault immediatly, he is a believable character who is struggling to balance both his personal life and police work –
A truly fabulous murder mystery with well developed characters and very well written. I am going to purchase Deadly dunes now!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Stephen H

5.0 out of 5 stars So engaging I felt I was there

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2021

I was expecting to have to wait for this mystery to get started but instead, it grabbed me and pulled me in from the very first page. I loved the writing style too. It was easy to read and follow the colorful characters through what seemed to be a familiar environment. The dialogue was also really engaging, so good in fact I believed I was actually there following Steve around as an observer most of the way through from the very first page. If you like a good mystery then you will no doubt love Andrea Ibanez’s Deadly Woods as I most certainly did.

5.0 out of 5 stars A very enjoyable mystery

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 March 2021

A great introduction to a new detective. Steve Thibault picks up a murder case at a research facility and has to work the clues against the odds where everyone seems to have a motive and no one is offering any useful information.

This book kept me entertained from cover to cover. Very easy to get into and left me wanting more.

I am very pleased to see there are two more available in the series. Thoroughly recommend.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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DEADLY DUNES

Exploring the lives and work of the characters who play out this entertaining mystery novel, I enjoyed reading every word of this nicely written book.

Lots of different characters, strange encounters and curious circumstances have you questioning right along to the very end.

DEADLY MOUNTAINS

Held my attention weaving back and forth through time to a surprise, heartfelt ending.

… a great classic style mystery. Emphasis is on a well developed plot, rather then gruesome violence or detailed sexual encounters. If you enjoyed the Murder She Wrote book or TV series, you will love it!

Most books are predictable from chapter 3. This book was an easy enjoyabe read, but I had no idea how it would end, until the last 10 pages. I loved the various settings, in different areas, of North Carolina. The geographical and historical references were very well researched. This book keeps you engaged and thinking!

…a well-crafted and engaging Who Done It. Written by Andrea Ibanez, it offers an interesting social milieu, memorable characters, intelligent dialogue, colorful locations, and logical developments. And while the center of the story is the investigation of a murder, the author nevertheless manages to produce a good deal of subtle, wry humor.

… an excellent read. for mystery readers like me it offered interest and suspense. I’m looking forward to its sequel.

Andrea has a keen ear for dialogue, bringing the threads of the mystery together to a satisfying ending.

Completely prejudiced. I adore the author, so I was expecting to love her book, and now hope to see her creation expanded to a full series. And maybe bring it to the screen….