Short month, so that must mean it is already time for another reading summary. Here's what I read in February. And yes, I got
the index updated for the second month in a row.
All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great). The links will take you to my full review.
Framed for Murder by Marla A. White (Pine Cove
Mysteries #1) – 3
Former police officer Mel O’Rourke is trying to settle into
her new life running a B & B in the mountain town of Pine Cove. But then her
past walks in. Poppy Phillips is a thief that Mel spent time trying to arrest
when she was an officer. Poppy is looking for help since she stumbled over a
body, and she is afraid the police will think she did it. The fact that Poppy
was there committing a burglary does complicate things. Can Mel clear her? Does
she want to?
I picked up this book thinking it was the first in a series.
There is a novella that introduces some of the characters, and this book has
major spoilers for that story. I also found the language in this book to be
much worse than I wanted to read. The mystery was good, although I found some
things bumped me, like police jurisdiction. It just didn’t seem logical,
although maybe there is something I was missing. On the other hand, I really
did like the characters and the relationships they were forming. Overall, this
was a mixed bag for me.
Murder at Beechwood by Alyssa Maxwell (Gilded
Newport Mysteries #3) – 5
In late June 1896, Emma Cross is surprised to find a newborn
baby boy left on her doorstep. Her efforts to figure out where he came from
lead her to Beechwood and the guests that Mrs. Astor is entertaining. But when
a lawn party ends in tragedy, Emma quickly realizes that murder was involved.
Does it relate to the baby? Or is another motive involved?
I’ve quickly become addicted to these historical mysteries.
One reason is the expert way that real and fictional characters interact
seamlessly on the page. All of them are well drawn, and I’ve gotten caught up
in their ongoing stories. The plot of this one was good with several ingenious
elements. The ending was a bit rushed, but it worked for me. Despite the summer
vacation vibes, this book does get serious, but it is worth it. I’m hoping I
can book the next in the series soon.
The Lies We Live by Liz Milliron (Homefront
Mysteries #6) – 5
Business is booming for PI Betty Ahern, and September 1943
finds her opening her own office. She’s
also taken on a new case. Her client is
worried that her younger brother, a teenager, is up to something shady if not
illegal. And when a dead body turns up,
Betty realizes the stakes have been raised.
Meanwhile, the stakes are also raised in her personal life when her
fiancé, Tom, returns from the front in Africa.
He’s been injured, and his return to civilian life is anything but
easy. Can Betty solve the case and
figure out how to navigate Tom being back?
As a fan of the series, I’ve been waiting to meet Tom, and I
was happy to see that happen here. His
return really forced Betty to mature, and I enjoyed seeing that character
growth. Meanwhile, the mystery was also
compelling. Between the two, I was
engrossed in the book. The story does
touch on race relations of the era, but without taking over the book. I also enjoyed that aspect of things. As usual, Betty narrates with some slang from
the time, but I enjoyed it. There’s a
smattering of foul language, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be
fine. To best appreciate this book,
you’ll want to back up to the start of the series. Fans will be very satisfied with what we get
here.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
April Fool Dead by Carolyn Hart (Death on
Demand #13) – 5
Annie Darling is looking forward to hosting a book signing
for the island’s resident mystery writer, Emma Clyde, on April first. She’s even come up with the perfect promotion
for it, leaving fliers all over the island with the clues to identify famous
mystery books for a prize at the signing.
However, someone has mimicked her fliers, but instead of talking about
fictional murder these new fliers are accusing residents of the island of real
crimes. Just as Annie thinks her job
restoring her name is over, someone dies.
Is this murder connected to the fliers?
I love it when authors get creative with their plots, and
we’ve got a winner here. I especially
appreciated how everything came together.
The characters remain a little thin, but they are strong enough to pull
us into the story. There are a couple
who show up from the previous book, so be aware of minor spoilers. The laughs are plentiful again, especially
thanks to Annie’s mother-in-law. Do keep
in mind that this book was originally released in 2002 as a couple of elements
are dated, but nothing major. Overall,
you’d be a fool to pass on this book.
Chocolate Can Be Deadly by Kim Davis (Cupcake
Catering Mysteries #7) – 4
Emory has reluctantly agreed to cater a post Valentine’s Day
bash. The hostess is horrible to Emory since she has a long-standing feud with
Emory’s friend Tillie. The theme also puts her off since Dying for Chocolate
hits a little too close to home given all the murders Emory has found herself
involved in. Just as she is thinking that she might pull off the event, the
hostesses new finance is found dead clutching one of Emory’s cupcakes. With the
rumors of poison in a cupcake destroying her business, not to mention a cop
that wants to arrest her, Emory has to find the killer. Can she do it?
I was so happy to be revisiting these characters. We don’t
see much of a couple of the regulars, but the updates with the ones we did get
to see were lots of fun. The mystery was engrossing, including good suspects
and a climax I couldn’t put down. I did figure out one aspect early, but I
didn’t have it all figured out. I enjoy the slightly different setting of
Orange County since I’m in Southern California myself, but everything else
still feels like a cozy. The book includes ten delicious sounding chocolate
themed recipes, many of them gluten free. This book will find you turning pages
and craving chocolate. If you want a good culinary cozy series, I highly
recommend it.
Note: I received an ARC of this book.
Kilned at the Ceramic Shop by Donna Clancy
(Braddock Mysteries #1) – 2
Tammy Wright is taking time this summer to help her Aunt
Clara run her ceramics shop. But she’s only been in town a few hours before she
learns about a real estate agent who is pressuring Clara to sell. A murder and
a disappearance only up the stakes. Can Tammy figure out what is going on?
Yes, the ceramics is what caught my eye here, although
that’s not the official hook for the series. It reminded me of the few months I
did some with my grandma and how much she enjoyed that hobby for decades. But
that was where the good ended for me. The writing was poor throughout the book.
The pacing was off with events substituting for investigation. And the
characters were weak, although I did like them. There was definitely promise
here, but the book needed a good edit. Others seemed to enjoy this book more
than I did, but I won’t be moving forward with this series.
London Calling by James Ponti (City Spies #6) –
5
This book starts with Annie in Istanbul. Thanks to things
her mom has drilled into her, she realizes someone is following her and manages
to give them the slip before she sends out a cry for help. A cry that the City
Spies get and immediately jump into action. You see, Annie is the daughter
of Mother, their leader. But the spies are already on assignment protecting the
fiancée of one of the princes before their royal wedding. Can they find Annie
and rescue her while keeping their current assignment on track?
If you haven’t yet started this fantastic series, don’t
start here since it will spoil many of the twists of the previous books. But
fans will be highly satisfied when they finish the book since it gives us many
of the answers we’d been waiting for. A couple things were glossed over, but
that’s minor. Along the way, we get all the twists and excitement that fans
expect. We also get to spend time with characters we love. They are so great at
working together, and it is a joy to watch. While this book does wrap up quite
a bit, it leaves the door open for further adventures - ones I hope we get. If
you are a fan, pick up this book today.
The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
(Marlow Murder Club #1) – 5
When Judith Potts is out for her evening swim, she hears a
gun shot at her neighbor’s place. The
police don’t find anything, so Judith goes over the next morning and finds her
neighbor shot to death. Not trusting the
police to solve the crime, she starts to investigate, along the way meeting
Becks, the vicar’s wife, and Suzie, a local dog walker. Can the three of them solve things when the
police can’t?
I bought this book last year, and then found out a
mini-series version was being made. I
watched and enjoyed that, but I gave it a little bit of time so the story
wouldn’t be fresh in my mind. While I
did still remember many of the plot points, I really enjoyed reading this
book. It was delightful seeing how
everything was planted remembering how it ended. The characters are also delightful. Becks could be a little annoying at times,
but her character growth was great. I
loved watching the trio build their friendship.
And some of the situations they got into made me laugh. I’m looking forward to spending more time
with these ladies, hopefully soon.
Termination Dust by Sue Henry (Alaska Mysteries #2) – 4
Jim Hampton is enjoying an early autumn vacation, canoeing
in the Yukon Territory. He’s even made an unexpected discovery - the diary of a
prospector from the 1890’s gold rush. But things that a turn when someone he
met along the way is murdered and someone is trying to frame him for it.
Fortunately, Alaska trooper Alex Jensen is in the area, and he is suspicious of
the evidence again Jim. But can Alex figure out what is really going on?
It had been a few years since I read the first book in this
series, and I was glad to revisit the characters. While Jesse does have a small
part in the story, it really gives Alex a chance to shine. The new characters
were great as well. The diary that Jim discovers, while interesting glimpse
into history, slows does the beginning. If you want to read the entire thing
not the passages we get in the book, it is included at the end. The trade
paperback version I read was riddled with enough typos and formatting issues to
be annoying. On the other hand, the writing was wonderful and brought the story
to life. This series has dropped off the radar a bit recently, but it is worth
tracking down.
Something’s Guava Give by Carrie Doyle
(Trouble in Paradise! #2) – 4
New York transplant Plum Lockhart is beginning to get some
traction for her new villa brokerage agency on the Caribbean Island of Paraiso.
However, trouble comes knocking in the form of her former colleague Gerald who insists
Plum go help out his boss’s daughter who is being held by the resort’s
security. Plum regrets getting involved when Arielle is found murdered the next
morning. Now Gerald is insisting that Plum help him solve the crime, and he’s
shown up in person. Will Plum solve the case before her patience with Gerald
runs out?
I struggled a bit with the first book in the series, but I’m
glad I gave the series a second chance. Plum was a much better, more relatable
character. Gerald still annoyed me, but the rest of the cast were fun and did a
good job of keeping me guessing. The mystery was strong. A couple things seemed
a little rushed, but overall it was good and reached a logical solution.
Reading this book made me want to hop a plane for a tropical resort. I’ll
definitely book time for the final entry in the series.
