Book Review: The Crossing by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch #18, Mickey Haller #5.5)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong thriller with characters we love

Cons: Crossing all cons off the list

The Bottom Line:

Bosch for the defense

Is the client innocent?

Spell binding thriller

Detective Bosch Crosses the Aisle

When you are far behind on a series, you can get a sense for where the characters are going by looking at plot descriptions for future books in the series.  As a result, I knew that The Crossing would be the first book for Harry Bosch after his second retirement from the LAPD.  I was anxious to see what he’d get up to after his career was over, and I was well rewarded.

It’s been months since Bosch retired from his job, and he’s growing restless, not that he is willing to admit that to anyone.  Then, his half-brother, defense attorney Mickey Haller, calls.  Haller’s main investigator has been injured, and he needs to hire Bosch to work a case.  Bosch is reluctant since he’s always felt his calling was to put murderers behind bars.  But Haller insists that this client is truly innocent, and Bosch agrees to take a look at the evidence so far without making a decision one way or the other.

The case involves a woman who was brutally murdered in her bed.  A former gang member turned family man has been arrested for it based on some pretty strong evidence.  But Bosch sees a few holes, so he starts poking around.  What will he find?

The book doesn’t waste any time getting Bosch into the mystery, which is good because we all know he’s going to take the case.  If he doesn’t, there wouldn’t be a book, right?  While we have a pretty good idea early on who is behind what is happening, we have no idea why.  Watching Bosch put together what happened and why is compelling.

As is the fact that we know Bosch is being watched.  Yes, this is definitely a thriller, and that tension increases as the book goes along until we reach the explosive climax.  By that point, all the pieces have fallen into place and we are just hanging on to see if Bosch can survive.

It is interesting to watch Bosch navigate a case without his badge.  Yes, we did see that earlier in the series after his first retirement when we worked a couple of cases as a PI.  But it’s been a while, and he has to be creative to get information without the authority that his badge gave him.  I really liked that aspect of the book.

Plus, it’s just always great to see Bosch in action.  He works best as a loner, so the fact that he was without a partner here is fine, although we do see a couple characters from his past pop up.  We also see a couple of characters from Mickey Haller’s orbit, although Haller really does take a back seat to Bosch.  Instead of being co-leads like they were the last time they officially teamed up, Haller is a supporting player.  Still, I enjoyed getting to see him here.  I wish the two characters would work together more often because they do have a great dynamic.

As is usually the case for these books, they have more foul content than the books I typically read.  They don’t get overly graphic, but they don’t shy away from the details of the case, either.  Know that when you sit down to read this book, and you’ll be fine.

This is the second audiobook in the series I’ve listened to narrated by Titus Welliver, who has famously played Bosch on the TV shows.  I found his narration better here than I did in the first book, and I was able to get lost in the story.

Those looking for a great thriller will be glad they picked up The Crossing.  Be prepared to stay up late once you start it.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller novels.

April 26th's Friday Post

 Welcome to Friday.  Time for another Friday Post, where I will link up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

My teasers for the first three will be coming from The Bootlegger's Daughter by Nadine Nettmann.

This is a stand alone novel from an author I've read previously.  It is set in 1927 Los Angeles.  It was also written in present tense, which always takes me a couple of chapters to adjust to, but it was worth it.

Here's how the book begins:

This is the first time we’ve had intruders, though I’ve been waiting for them for years.

Yep, that definitely caught my attention.  Meanwhile, at 56% into the ARC, we find this:

“Stay here. I’ll take care of it. You don’t have to know.”

My mother shakes her head and opens the door of the truck. “As long as this isn’t dangerous.”

“This part? Not yet.”

The book will be out on May 1st (how did that get to be next week already?), and I'll be back with a review then.  For now, know that I enjoyed it.

Okay, let's move on to this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

You are in a dilemma: stream your favorite TV show or movie, or read your favorite book. Which one do you pick?

I know what answer I should give.  Read my book, of course.  But the honest answer is, it would depend on my mood.  I enjoy TV and movies as much as reading.  Sometimes, I prefer to read.  Sometimes, I prefer to watch something.

That's it for me.  Have a great weekend!

Movie Review: Ferdinand

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Entertaining for kids, the target audience

Cons: Little that will grab adults

The Bottom Line:

The bull who won’t fight

From picture book to the screen

A movie for kids

“Looks Like Weird is the New Normal.”

I vaguely remember the picture book Ferdinand.  The cover sticks out to me more than the content, although I could have given you a one sentence summary if I had to.  When I saw it was turned into a movie a few years back, I was curious about it, but I waited until I could catch it on TV.

For those who aren’t familiar with the character, Ferdinand is a bull (voiced by John Cena as an adult and Colin H. Murphy as a youth).  While he is at a ranch that raises bulls for the nearby bull fight, Ferdinand is more interested in stopping and smelling the flowers.  So he is happy when he finds a way to escape and settles into life on a flower farm.  However, when he grows, he accidentally causes a catastrophe and winds up back at the ranch.  Will he be able to escape?  Or is it his destiny to enter the bull fight?

This movie faced a hurdle that any movie faces that takes a picture book and turns it into a movie – how to fill an hour and forty-eight minutes with a story that was initially told in a book that takes five to ten minutes to read.  One obvious way is to introduce new characters and give us backstory.  This movie does both, and uses them to good effect.  While I know that the movie was expanding a storyline, I didn’t feel like much of the action was blatant padding.

On the other hand, much of the action was aimed at kids.  I get it, this was an animated movie based on a picture book.  I’ve definitely been spoiled by the animated movies that aim at the entire family audience.  There’s nothing wrong with aiming this movie more at kids, but I didn’t find the movie as funny as I wanted to.

I can well imagine kids loving this movie and begging to see it over and over again.  Ferdinand’s side kick would appeal to them.  I did find a wild chase through town to be fun, and I’m sure kids will love that, too.

The voice cast isn’t filled with names I recognized, but sometimes that can be fun because it allows you to more fully get lost in the story.  That’s certainly the case here.  Likewise, the animation is perfect for this film.  It’s cartoony, but considering the subject matter, it works.

Ferdinand is a fun movie for kids.  There is little here to make this a must see for adults, but I can see it being one kids will enjoy over and over again.

Book Review: Under the Radar by Annette Dashofy (Zoe Chambers Mysteries #9)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strongly plotted mystery with great characters

Cons: One twist wasn’t earned, but it’s minor

The Bottom Line:

Friend caught in danger

Or is he really guilty?

Another great book

Can Zoe and Pete Target the Right Killer?

When I’m finding breaks in my reading schedule, I’m turning to series I’m trying to catch up on.  While I don’t expect to get caught up on the Zoe Chambers Mysteries this year, I’m hoping to get a couple of books closer.  Of course, with wonderful books like Under the Radar, that’s a complete pleasure.

This is book nine in the series.  If you aren’t familiar with it, Zoe Chambers is a paramedic and deputy coroner in a rural community in Pennsylvania.  She is engaged to Pete Adams, the local sheriff.  Between the two of them, they managed to find some pretty compelling mysteries.

When Zoe is called to the scene of a shooting, she is surprised to find the shooter is Horace Pavelka, a friend from high school.  Horace has confessed to shooting Dennis Culp, a man who has bullied and abused him since they were in school together.  The evidence for self-defense is compelling, so Pete lets Horace go.  However, Horace has only been out a couple of hours when another of his tormentors winds up dead and everyone on the case seems to go missing.  Can Pete find any of his suspects?  Will Zoe be able to prove her friend innocent?

If you haven’t read any of Annette’s books, you are in for a treat.  She pulls you in right away and makes it impossible to put the book down.  Between the main mystery and several other equally compelling subplots, I was hooked.  There was never a good break in the story, which always made putting the book down hard.  I did find one twist a little too coincidental, but it’s a minor point.  There are plenty of other twists that worked, and the climax was wonderful.

Being book nine in the series, we’ve really grown to love Zoe and Pete and several other series regulars.  That’s one reason why this book works – we deeply care about all the subplots, even the ones that are personal.  Don’t worry, the book knows it is a mystery and that is the focus.  You could jump in here if you wanted, but it will be much richer if you’ve been reading all along and already know the characters and their relationships.

The characters are just as strong here as always.  I love spending time with Zoe and Pete, and watching their relationship continue to grow is always a delight.  The rest of the returning characters charm, and the new characters are equally compelling.

Yes, this book is more traditional than a cozy.  However, the language and violence are kept to a minimum.  As long as you know this going in, you’ll be fine.

Zoe and Pete really are co-leads in this series, and we spend equal time in each of their heads.  This is used to great effect since it allows us to see the story unfold while increasing the suspense.  These switches are always obvious.

If, like me, you are behind on this wonderful series, you’ll be hooked when you do pick up Under the Radar.  And if you haven’t met Zoe and Pete yet, you’ll want to fix that today.

Here are the rest of the Zoe Chambers Mysteries.

Movie Review: The Philadelphia Story

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Lots of laughs in the fun first half

Cons: Story falls apart in the second half

The Bottom Line:

Laughs at beginning

Give way to a rushed ending

Not classic for me

“What’s This Room?  I Forgot My Compass.”  “This Would Be South South West Parlor by Livingroom.”

I’ve heard about The Philadelphia Story for years, and I’ve heard it pretty much universally praised.  I know it’s considered one of the best romantic comedies of all time.  So I was looking forward to a fun time when I finally sat down to watch it.  Sadly, I was left disappointed.

Two years after her divorce, Tracy Lord (Katherine Hepburn) is set to remarry.  Her new groom is George Kittridge (John Howard).  He’s not quite as high society as she is, but she is happy.

However, her ex-husband isn’t happy about the idea of her remarrying.  So, the day before, C. K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) shows up with a reporter and photographer, Mike Connor and Liz Imbrie (James Stewart and Ruth Hussey).  Tracy doesn’t want any press at her wedding, but she doesn’t have any choice.  But as Tracy spends time with these wedding crashers, what will happen?

This movie is based on a play that was highly successful at the time.  It had been written for Katherine Hepburn, and she was able to play her role in the movie version, too.  I can see the bones of the play in the first half.  Oh, we get more locations than I’m sure they did in the play, but it was all there in the set up and the initial interactions between the characters.  There were lots of great lines, I was laughing, and I was generally enjoying myself.

It's the second half where things fell apart.  We can start with two of the characters getting drunk and staying drunk for much too long.  I’m usually not a fan of watching drunk characters, and that was the case here.  I certainly didn’t find their antics funny.

Then comes the third act.  I get what we are the audience were supposed be rooting to happen.  But none of it felt earned.  In fact, I had whiplash with how quickly certain characters changed to get us there.  It was almost like the writer looked at the screen time left, threw up their hands, and just ended it.

Between these two things, I was left scratching my head at why the characters decided to do what they were doing.

This isn’t the fault of the actors.  They are all fantastic, and their performances are all perfect at getting every laugh they can out of the script.  I must praise Virginia Weidler who is an absolute delight as Tracy’s younger sister Dinah.  She is a scene stealer.  The second half definitely could have used more of her in it.

Since the film is from 1940, it was filmed in black and white.  Even so, the sets look wonderful.  I can see the appeal of being part of Philadelphia society via this movie.

The first half is fun, but I wish the entire movie lived up to that promise.  I don’t quite see why The Philadelphia Story has become such a beloved classic.

Book Review: Torn Asunder by Barbara Ross (Maine Clambake Mysteries #12)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Characters we love in a can’t put it down mystery

Cons: Nothing related to the story itself

The Bottom Line:

Death of a stranger

Who was he and who killed him?

Another great book

The Murder of the Uninvited Guest

Barbara Ross’s Maine Clambake Mysteries have been one of my favorite series for the past decade.  I’ve enjoyed watching the characters and their relationships grow and change, and the mysteries are always top notch.  Torn Asunder, book twelve in the series, is another fantastic entry in the series.

Those who have been following the series know that Julia Snowden and her family have been working on Morrow Island, the private island where they have their summer clambake business, in hopes of adding weddings to the rest of their business.  Now, the first wedding is about to take place, the wedding of family friends Zoey Butterfield and Jamie Dawes.

The rehearsal dinner is also taking place on the island.  While Julia knows most of the guests at this event, there is one man she doesn’t recognize.  In the middle of the meal, the stranger collapses.  At first, it is assumed that he had an allergic reaction, but soon it looks like he was murdered.  Fortunately, Julia’s detective boyfriend, Tom, is on hand, but no one seems to know who the victim was.  If he was a stranger, who wanted to kill him?

Of course, it isn’t long before Julia and Tom begin to make progress.  I’ve got to say, I had definite Agatha Christie vibes from the story.  It seems that everyone actually had a connection to the victim once Julia starts to dig.  Additionally, there is a storm that traps them on the island and disconnects them from the internet for part of the book.  I’m not saying that is a bad thing.  In fact, I had a hard time putting the book down, which isn’t a surprise with this series.  There were so many revelations on the way to the logical climax.

As always, it was great to spend time with the characters.  Some of the townspeople we’ve gotten to know had more cameos than anything else because of how the book played out.  Yes, that was disappointing, but I was still happy to see them.  Julia and Tom just started dating in the previous book, so it was nice to see them as a couple in this one.  And the suspects are all strong, which made it hard to figure out what was going on.

Sadly, this is the final book in the series; Barbara Ross decided to end the series here.  There is some nice symmetry given how the series started.  While I am sad I won’t get to visit these characters again, fans of the series will be happy with how this book wraps things up for the characters.  There are some laughs along the way, and I may have teared up a time or two as well.  Truly, you couldn’t ask for a better final book.

We get another five recipes at the end of this book.  There are even a couple for non-seafood lovers like me.

Long time fans will be rewarded with Torn Asunder.  If you haven’t started this series yet, I envy you.  You have many fantastic books ahead of you.  Make a point of starting it today.

Check out the rest of the Maine Clambake Mysteries.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

April 21st's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to this week's Sunday/Monday Post.  As usual, I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

I'm writing this Saturday night, and I just spent the day at the LA Times Festival of Books, which was held again on the USC campus in downtown LA.  The highlight from a book perspective was getting to talk to several authors I've become friends with over the years.  I only bought one book during the day.

However, the real highlight was getting to hang out with a friend of mine all day.  Angelique and I have been going to the festival for decades.  We enjoy many of the same writers, so it's always fun to hang out and compare what we've been reading recently.  In fact, we spent quite a bit of time just sitting and talking instead of wandering around looking at the booths.  Although, we did cover all the booths, too.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Book Review: Under the Paper Moon by Shaina Steinberg

Tuesday - Ornament Review: A World Within #9

Wednesday - Book Review: A Murder Most French by Colleen Cambridge

Thursday - TV Show Review: Home Improvement - Season 7

Friday - Friday Post featuring Torn Asunder

Friday - Novella Review: The Ducal Detective by Sarah E. Burr

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Book Review: Torn Asunder by Barbara Ross

Tuesday - Movie Review: The Philadelphia Story

Wednesday - Book Review: Under the Radar by Annette Dashofy

Thursday - Movie Review: Ferdinand

Friday - Book Review: The Crossing by Michael Connelly

Book Haul:

As I said, I only bought one book at the festival today.  But that's okay since I haven't read any of the books I bought last year yet.  Yeah, I need to stop buying books and read some of the ones I already have around here.

Anyway, the book I did buy was Perilous Waters by Terry Shames.  This is the first in a new series from the author.  It involves a diver in the Bahamas.  Sounds great to me!  Hopefully, I can get to it soonish.

Meanwhile, I had a book waiting for me when I came home.  My copy of 'Til Death by Annette Dashofy arrived.  This is book 10 in her Zoe Chambers series.  Yes, I was reading book 9 in the series last week (and the review is coming up on Wednesday).  I want to at least get this book read in the series this year as I keep trying to catch up on it.

Finally, I got my copy of Torn Asunder by Barbara Ross this week.  The publisher is only sending finished copies of their mass market paperbacks now, so I got it about a week before release date.  Closer than I would normally have liked, but I love this series, so I'm squeezing it in.

What I'm Currently Reading:

In fact, I've finished Torn Asunder.  Now, I need to get the review written so I can post it on Monday.  (If I don't, I'll just swap it in for Wednesday.)  So good.  Fans of the series will really enjoy it.

Since I was gone all day being around readers and authors, I haven't made much progress in my new book.  There's still some time this evening, and definitely time on Sunday to change that.  My current read is The Bootlegger's Daughter by Nadine Nettmann.  This is the first book from her in a few years, and her first historical.  It's set in Los Angeles in 1927.  So far, I'm enjoying it, but I'm only two chapters in.

That's it for me.  Have a great week!

April 20th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Just as a heads up, I am spoiling which team got eliminated when I talk about The Amazing Race below.

Tracker – I love how this show can present one thing that you know isn’t going to be true and make it some believable.  A sign of great writing for sure.  I wasn’t too worried at that last commercial break, but it was still nice to see how everything turned out.

Deal or No Deal Island – I started this one last week and I am now caught up.  I’m really surprised that Rob is still around.  Why people don’t target him early and often at this point is beyond me.  The Survivor aspect of the show makes the Deal or No Deal part tolerable.  Still not one of my favorite games, but it doesn’t take up much of the episode.  And some of what they’ve had to do is epic.

The Weakest Link – I admire the final two for slowly getting out the people from left to right until they were the only ones left.  Nothing personal at all in their voting.  Quite the prize the winner walked away with, too.  I’m surprised she did since I felt like he did better during the rest of the game.  Just shows that the questions you get matter.

Survivor – So what was the point of all that drama at tribal?  In the end, the same person went home they were planning to vote for earlier.  What was Q up to?  Was he serious about wanting to go but got talked into staying?  Or did he do this to help cover the plan?  Speaking of Q, he needs to go.  His ego and Robfather like attitude was getting on my last nerve.

The Amazing Race – I’ll admit, I got a little more distracted than normal while watching this one.  How did the alliance fall behind?  I completely missed the other teams passing them.  Not that it made any difference today, but it will on when teams leave.  I feel sorry for the SPOILER ALERT grandparents since they never had a chance to catch up.  They started the season strong, but have slowly fizzled as it’s gone alone.  And it was nice to another team win a leg.  We will see if that lasts since the boyfriends are proving to be a strong team.

Novella Review: The Ducal Detective by Sarah E. Burr (Court of Mystery #1)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great characters and mystery in a fun setting

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Enter a new realm

With mystery novella

Promising series

Jacqueline Starts Her Reign Solving a Murder

I’ve really enjoyed both of Sarah E. Burr’s series that I’ve read so far, which are contemporary cozy mysteries, so I was intrigued by her Court of Mysteries series.  I got a chance to read The Ducal Detective recently, and I’m hooked on this different set up for a cozy.

This novella introduces us to the Realm of Virtues.  Essentially, this is a fantasy realm, although it is light on the fantasy here.  Outside a mention of a mythological creature, this really could be any medieval type setting with royalty and knights.

Here, we meet Jacqueline Arienta Xavier who has just been crowned Duchess of Saphire.  Jacqueline is still morning the loss of both of her parents in a carriage accident, and is struggling to take on her new responsibilities.

Then she gets word that her parents might not have died in an accident but instead were murdered.  Suddenly, Jacqueline’s world is turned upside down as she hardly knows who among her staff and advisers she can trust.  But she knows she must get to the bottom of it or her own life could be in danger.  Can she do it?

This novella really has a lot to do.  It must introduce the characters and start to create the world while also give us a compelling mystery.  That’s a lot to do in 120 pages.  Yet this book succeeds in spades.  It helps that we immediately can identify with Jacqueline.  And we watch her grow quite a bit here.  We like her, and we want to see her succeed.  We get to know several other characters as well, and I liked them.  I’m looking forward to seeing more of them as the series progresses.

The mystery itself is strong.  Since this is a novella, the mystery is appropriate for the length.  I was entertained the entire time, and I couldn’t wait to see exactly what was going on.  The ending was logical, and I appreciated how Jacqueline figured things out and how she handled the entire situation.

Honestly, that was my favorite thing in the story.  Jacqueline faces several nearly impossible situations, and I enjoyed watching her deal with them diplomatically.  We get a sense for the kind of ruler she is going to be here, and I’m looking forward to seeing her in action again.

Given the fact that Jacqueline is working on solving her parents’ murder, this book has a more melancholy tone at times than the cozies I typically read.  It’s mixed with some truly lovely scenes.  That balance is handled just right.

I actually read this via audio.  Melissa Green is the narrator, and she makes the story lots of fun, including narrating with a British accent.  I’m glad I’ve got the next few in audio already.

I always enjoy it when I can read a mystery with a creative setting and hook.  I’ve found that with The Ducal Detective.  If you are looking for something different, you’ll be happy you checked out this introductory novella.

 I'm looking forward to the rest of the Court of Mystery stories.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

April 19th's Friday Post

Time for this week's Friday Post.  I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

I'll be pulling quotes for the first three from Torn Asunder, the newest Maine Clambake Mystery from Barbara Ross.

This has long been a favorite series of mine.  Here's how it begins:

I walked my friends Zoey Butterfield and Jamie Dawes through the first-floor function rooms of Windsholme, the mansion built by my mother's ancestors on Morrow Island. My stomach fluttered with equal parts excitement and anxiety. I cared so much what they thought.

Meanwhile, the plot has really kicked in on page 56, where we find this:

"We shouldn't have moved him," Pete said.
"We thought it was an allergic reaction." Tom was unapologetic. "Besides," he looked at the dark windows, the wind-driven rain thrumming against them, "the medical examiner will be glad we got him out of the storm."

I'm about half way through it, and I'm completely hooked.  It's a much tighter turn around than I like, but I am hoping to have the review ready to go on Wednesday.  Will I make it?  You'll have to come back to find out.

Meanwhile, let's take a gander at this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

Do you think contemporary book covers lack originality?

Like most things in life, it depends.  I mean, look at the cover I shared.  Those are lobsters in place of the bride and groom on the top of the cake.  That's pretty original.

Certain genres and subgenres certainly have styles.  I get it, that's to help you know what it is you are looking at when you are browsing in the bookstore.  And there are definitely some subgenres that are very repetitive.  But others can be pretty creative within their subgenre.

TV Show Review: Home Improvement - Season 7

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Laughs with the Taylor family

Cons: Tim still too stupid overall (although it’s better than earlier seasons)

The Bottom Line:

The laughs continue

With characters that fans love

In family sitcom

“You’re Taking Apart Our Dryer?” “I’m Taking Apart Our Dryer for You.”

I hadn’t intended to take so long between seasons of Home Improvement.  I have them all on DVD, so I have no excuse.  But I finally sat down and watch season seven of this classic 90’s sitcom.

There is little new in this season of the show.  It still stars Tim Allen as Tim Taylor, the star of the local TV show Tool Time, where he and his assistant Al (Richard Karn) show how to do home improvement products.  Scratch that – they should how NOT to do products since Tim’s insistence on more power often creates disasters.

On the home front, Tim’s wife Jill (Patricia Richardson) is finishing up her masters in psychology.  Oldest son Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan) is getting over being dumped by his girlfriend.  Middle son Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) continues with his job for the school newspaper and gets his driver’s license.  Meanwhile, the youngest son, Mark (Taran Noah Smith) enters his goth phase.  And next door, Wilson (Earl Hindman) continues to offer advice.  His niece, Willow (recurring guest star China Kantner) also decides to move in.

What else happens in these twenty-five episodes?  Tim decides to buy a lodge on a lake for the family to move to.  A college is interested in offering Brad a soccer scholarship.  Tim finds some pot hidden in his yard.  Meanwhile, he buys a house as an investment and Al becomes his tenant.  The family goes to the Lion’s game for Thanksgiving.  And it’s brother against brother when Brad’s puff column pumps Randy’s investigative piece off the front page of the school paper.

My biggest problem with the series remains – Tim really is an idiot.  I know, I know, that’s the premise of the series, and I enjoy it in small doses.  But it wears on me when, episode after episode, he makes some pretty basic mistakes.

On the other hand, the writers do a good job of throwing stories around this season.  It helps that the boys are now grown enough to handle being the focus of an episode.  I appreciate it when we get to see Tim and Jill working together on an issue they are facing raising their sons.  Tim’s actually less of an idiot in those episodes than in earlier seasons, which I like.

I do appreciate that, at the end of the episode, the characters have resolved their issues and hopefully grown a little as a result.  Okay, they probably haven’t grown too much since this is 90’s TV where characters didn’t change that much from week to week.  Watching these episodes back to back, we don’t see huge continuity errors, but there is very little growth, either.  But that’s okay; that was TV in that era.

The cast all knows their characters at this point, and they do a good job of bringing them to life each week, milking every joke they can from the script.

And I truly appreciate the pacing of the comedy in these episodes compared to the sitcoms of today.  Not every line is a joke.  Or a set up.  Sometimes, the lines are just there to tell the story.  It’s the rare episode that goes too long between jokes (there are a couple of special episodes), but they don’t force in laughs for the sake of laughs.  They still work on giving us a good mix of laughs and story to keep us entertained.  (Today’s sitcoms feel like they try to make every line a laugh line, and it wears.  But that’s a conversation for another review.)

As I said earlier, season seven consisted of twenty-five episodes.  Each of them is preserved here in this three disc set.  They are in full frame and stereo since that is how they were originally broadcast.  In the way of extras, we get an extended gag reel with mostly outtakes we hadn’t seen during the closing credits.

While this may not be one of my top sitcoms, it does still make me laugh.  For that reason, I’m glad I made it back for season seven of Home Improvement.

Book Review: A Murder Most French by Colleen Cambridge (An American in Paris Mysteries #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters, great mystery, historic setting used well

Cons: French speakers’ dialogue doesn’t quite make sense to me

The Bottom Line:

Demonstration death

Pulls Tabitha in again

For second good book

Murder Most Rare

I enjoyed the first An American in Paris Mystery from Colleen Cambridge, so I was looking forward to A Murder Most French, the second in the series.  Fortunately, it was as good as the first.

This book finds us in Paris in January 1950.  We once again get to spend time with Tabitha Knight, who happens to be neighbors and best friends with Julia Child.  Julia is happily taking classes at Le Cordon Bleu, and Tabitha is happy learning from her friend since Tabitha has very little knowledge of what to do in the kitchen.

When this book opens, Julia is excited about a demonstration that a famous chef is going to be doing that afternoon at the school, and she insists that Tabitha go with her.  However, the demonstration ends abruptly when the chef dies after taking a sip of a rare and expensive wine he’d received just before the event started.  Despite vowing to stay out of it, Tabitha can’t help but wonder what is going on.  Can she figure it out?

Let’s get my issue out of the way first.  Obviously, this book is set in France.  It is well established that Tabitha speaks fluent French, and any time she is with other Americans, she mentions in the first-person narration that they are speaking English.  So why is it that every time a French character is speaking, we have at least one word in French?  They would naturally be speaking French, so every word is in French.  This also annoyed me since I know no French, although we can always figure out what they mean by context or Tabatha’s explanation.  Quite often, the French world is one of the few words I know, so decoding it isn’t an issue.  And, it does mean that all these characters come across in my head with a delightful French accent.  But I am left scratching my head about the logic of why this is happening.

Really, despite that lengthy paragraph, I did enjoy the book.

We don’t have a large circle of series regulars, but the ones we have are delightful.  Yes, that includes Julia Child, who comes across much like I picture her acting based on the few video clips I’ve seen.  Tabatha is a strong main character who really does try to stay out of trouble while she pokes into the mystery.  And the suspects we meet here are good.

And what a great mystery we have.  The clues and red herrings are all in place to keep us guessing until the end.  A couple times, I wondered where the story was going, but everything came into play like I suspected it would.

Like with the first book, there is a smattering of foul language in this novel.  Keep that in mind if that kind of thing bothers you.

Given the historical setting, Paris in the aftermath of World War II is a big focus.  I really enjoyed that look at what life was like then, including how the citizens survived the occupation in the war years and the results of the war in how the citizens went about living life.

Don’t read this book hungry.  With Julia Child as a character, there is lots of talk about food, and it made my mouth water as I read it.  No, there aren’t any recipes at the end, but we don’t really need them.

Overall, A Murder Most French is a strong and fun mystery.  Anyone with an interest in Paris in the 50’s or Julia Child will be glad they picked it up.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Ornament Review: A World Within #9 - Polar Bear in Snowflake - 2023 Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Cute looking miniature ornament

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Cool polar bear

Riding inside a snow flake

A small but cute piece

A Cool Addition to the World Within Series

As I say every year, I enjoy the creativity of the World Within series.  The ninth entry, released in 2023 is yet another wonderful example.

This year, the ornament is shaped like a snow flake.  It is very round, but it isn’t perfectly round, capturing the sides of a snow flake.  In the middle, we get a polar bear.  He’s sitting looking out at us, with his feet out in front of him.  And behind him, we see, a sheet of ice.

This ornament (and the series) is a miniature ornament.  The diameter is about an inch and a half.  Yes, the polar bear is a bit cartoony, but he’s supposed to be.  He’s cute, and that’s all that matters for this ornament, right?  I really do like it, and I appreciate all the detail they got into the size.  Granted, they didn’t need that much here, but it’s still fun.

The ornament doesn’t stand on its own.  But it’s an ornament.  It’s meant to be hung.  Fortunately, when you go to hang it, you’ll see that it hangs straight.

And the series marker is on the back of the ornament.

I will mention that, like most Hallmark ornaments that involves snow, there is glitter on this ornament.  So when you are handling this one, expect to get glitter on your fingers.

If you are looking for a small, cute ornament, you’ll be glad you picked up the ninth A World Within.

And be sure to check out more of the A World Within ornaments.

Book Review: Under the Paper Moon by Shaina Steinberg

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Interesting mystery in post WWII Los Angeles

Cons: I spent much of the book wishing for something different for the characters

The Bottom Line:

Reunite with past

In historic mystery

Could have been better

I Wished I’d Liked It Better

When I first heard about Under the Paper Moon by Shaina Steinberg, I thought it would be something I’d enjoy.  A historical book set right after World War II in Los Angeles, plus the main characters had been spies during the war.  It immediately grabbed my attention.  While there were parts I enjoyed, there were parts that I struggled with.

When her brother was taken hostage while fighting in Europe, Evelyn Bishop went overseas and joined the OSS in an effort to end the war sooner if not find and rescue her brother.  Now that the war is over, Evelyn has returned to Los Angeles.  Her father owns an airplane factory, so she doesn’t need to work a day in her life if she doesn’t want to.  But she wants to, so she’s opened a PI agency, only taking the clients she really wants.

Her latest case finds her trailing a family friend to find evidence that he’s cheating on his wife.  But the last thing Eveyln expected was for him to be murdered.  In order to figure out what happened, Eveyln is going to have to team up with Nick Gallagher, the man who betrayed her when the war ended.  Will they uncover the truth?

I’ve really struggled more than usual with my thoughts on this book.  Usually, I can tell pretty quickly what worked and what didn’t for me.  There are certain things I look for, and if I’m not enjoying a book, it’s usually one of those things causing the problem.

In this case, I did enjoy much of the book.  We get some flashbacks to what happened during the war, which help explain what is going on in the present.  These are clearly marked, and a small part of the book overall (despite how it might seem early on).

And the contemporary mystery was good as well.  There were enough twists and surprises to keep me engaged.  The climax made sense, too.

Unfortunately, many of the issues I had with the book get into spoiler territory.  I will say that I knew we were supposed to be rooting for Evelyn and Nick to get back together, and all I saw were the issues in their relationship.  The author wrote herself into a corner as far as their relationship went with the story she was trying to tell.

I think my other issue with the story is explained by the author’s note at the end.  She set out to tell a certain story with a certain outcome.  That ending felt forced, and I found myself rooting for a different outcome most of the book.

Having said that, I was satisfied with where the characters wound up when I turned the final page.  Again, it’s hard to explain my thoughts on the book without giving specific spoilers, but it does show just how complex we can be as humans, doesn’t it?

And maybe it’s the film noir vibe of the book that turned me off more than anything.  I do enjoy the occasional darker tale, so I thought I might be okay with this one.

The narration was mostly limited to either Eveyln or Nick’s point of view (and it changed between chapters), but at times, it switched to omniscient point of view, and it always felt awkward when it did, especially since it was telling us things instead of showing them.

Ultimately, I’m not sorry I read Under the Paper Moon, but I’m not likely to seek out other books by Shaina Steinberg.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

April 14th's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to this week's Sunday/Monday Post.  As usual, I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

It was another quiet week.  I'm dealing with some frustrating accounts that won't reconcile without a lot of work, and I don't have the time to do that work.  I've got other things I have to do this month.  So that's stressing me out at work.  But I did make some progress, which makes me feel a little better.

Other than that, Saturday is game day.  I'm typing this before hand, but I'm really looking forward to lots of fun.

Looking ahead, I got to sign up for the Camp Pendleton Mud Run this week.  This is the first time since Covid that they are opening it up to the general public (they had it the last two years but only for base personnel).  I'm really looking forward to doing it again, although I didn't run in March, so I'm not quite as in shape as I'd like to be with only six weeks to go.

This Last Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: One Bad Apple

Tuesday - Book Review: An Orphan of Hell's Kitchen by Liz Freeland

Wednesday - Movie Review: Bohemian Rhapsody

Thursday - Book Review: Yosemite by Sandy Dengler

Friday - Friday Post featuring A Murder Most French

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Book Review: Under the Paper Moon by Shaina Steinberg

Tuesday - Ornament Review: A World Within #9

Wednesday - Book Review: A Murder Most French by Colleen Cambridge

Thursday - TV Show Review: Home Improvement - Season 7

Friday - Novella Review: The Ducal Detective by Sarah E. Burr

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

It's another four book week.  Let's start with the Kindle sales of the week.

I snagged A Binding Chance by Jessica Brimer.  It's been on my radar for a while, and at 99 cents, I couldn't pass it up.  As of Saturday, it's still that price, so if you are interested, be sure to snag it.

I also grabbed The Body on the Barstool by Lolli Powell.  Looks like the sale is over for this one.  I hadn't heard of it before, but it sounds like it could be fun.

Saturday is double and triple stamp day at Barnes and Noble for members, and while I was out and about this morning running errands, I stopped by my local store to browse.  I spotted Something's Guava Give by Carrie Doyle on the shelves.  While I had some issues with book one, I always intended to give book two a chance, so I snagged it.

Finally, I decided to get an audiobook to listen to next weekend while driving to and from the LA Times Festival of Books.  Michael Connelly is next in my rotation, and the next book up is The Crossing.  So I got that from my local library.

What I'm Currently Reading:

Of course, I will need more time to listen to it than just next weekend, so I went ahead and started The Crossing.  I'm already half way through it!  I'm completely hooked and have to know how things are going to resolve.  I suspect I know at least a bit about what is going on, but I need to see how Bosch figures it out.  And I'm sure there will be another twist or two.  We'll see if I have any left to listen to next weekend.  I will have podcasts to listen to this week, so that will slow me down some.

On the physical book front, I've just started Under the Radar by Annette Dashofy.  As in I'm just two chapters in.  But I'm already hooked.  Annette is a fantastic author like that; she already draws me in.

Have a great week!

April 13th's Weekly TV Thoughts

The Weakest Link – They started out strong but quickly lost steam.  I’ll be the first to admit the questions got much harder as the round went along.  I felt like that was harder than normal, but maybe that’s just me.  I get why people vote out the stronger links near the end of the game, but I always feel sorry for them.  Granted, I’d probably do the same.

Survivor – I kind of wish we’d see a big tribal vote.  I get why they vote out two in an episode like this, but I would have really liked to see where everyone stood if they were able to vote for anyone (but the person with immunity, obviously).  I almost felt like Soda was happy to be voted out, not because she didn’t want to be there any more, but because it was a part of the experience.  But maybe I’m misreading her.

The Amazing Race – They really need to do this kind of leg more often – one where the teams have to transport themselves instead of having it all be within walking distance.  It really allows the teams to move in the standings.  I felt sorry for the cousins since I could see myself getting stuck with a screw or nut where it shouldn’t be.  I’m ready for another team to take first.  And the mother/son team seems to be learning quickly not to help everyone.  And they did pretty well on their own this week.

April 12th's Friday Post

Welcome to this week's Friday Post.  As usual, I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

My teasers for the first three will be coming from A Murder Most French by Colleen Cambridge.

This is the second book in the American in Paris Mysteries.  I finished it earlier this week, and I enjoyed it.  The book is set in January 1950.  And here's how it begins:

I was just about to crack the second of two eggs into a bowl when I hesitated.
Now, what had Julia told me about scrambling eggs?

Yes, in case you are wondering, that is Julia Child.  She is the main character's neighbor and friend.

Meanwhile, on page 56, we find this:

I skipped out of joining Julia at the market the next morning, using the excuse that I had to go up to the 36 to give my fingerprints.

Why does the main character need to give her fingerprints?  I'll leave that for you to discover.

The book officially comes out on April 23rd, but I'll have my review up next Wednesday.

Let's jump over to the Book Blogger Hop.  This week's question is:

If you could live in any book, which one would you pick and why?

I'm going to go for my go to answers for this one.  Yes, more than one.

When I found Narnia in the 3rd grade, I fell completely in love.  As in checking the back of wardrobes.  Okay, so I knew it would never actually work, but I wished it would.  Getting to go and live in that magical realm sounds like so much fun.

As a teen, I wanted to slip into Sleepyside on the Hudson, New York, the fictional home of Trixie Belden and her family and friends.  I longed for her adventures and her calmer days of swimming in the lake (not much of a horse rider, but I'd give it a try with the rest of the characters, too).  Even more, I wanted to be part of the tight knit circle of friends she was part of.

Even as an adult, I think it's still a toss up between the two for me.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Book Review: Yosemite by Sandy Dengler (Jack Prester #6)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Gripping story with characters I love

Cons: A couple of minor things not wrapped up well

The Bottom Line:

Wilderness trekking

While hiding from assassins

Story pulls you in

Hiding in the Wilderness of Yosemite

I’ve been a fan of the Jack Prester mysteries since they were originally published in the 1990’s.  When author Sandy Dengler released them digitally ten or so years ago and put out a fifth book, I reread them.  In the last couple of years, she’s returned to the character and put out three new ebook stories in the series.  I really want to catch up on the series this year, so I picked up Yosemite, book six in the series.  It was wonderful connecting with old friends for a new adventure.

Jack Prester works as a special ranger in the American National Parks system.  He’s not assigned to any particular park.  Instead, he goes to any park that is experiencing an unusual issue to help resolve it.  Sadly for him (but happily for us) those issues usually seem to involve murder.

While it’s been almost ten years for me since I last read any of these books, it’s been two years for the characters since book five took place.  In that time, Jack and his wife, Ev, have had a son who is a few months old.  That complicates things for Jack’s newest assignment.  He’s been asked to help hide three key witnesses for an upcoming trial against organize criminals.  The idea is that Jack will take the three men, CPA’s with no outdoor survival skills, into the back country of Yosemite for two weeks so that no one else tries to kill them before the trial starts.

Jack knows the danger, but his father, also a park ranger, advises Jack against going now that he has a young family.  Still, Jack takes on the task with his parents and Ev staying in Yosemite Valley so they can be close if he needs any help.  Jack is in over his head trying to make sure the men survive the wilderness for two weeks, and the assassins who are out to get them are slowly figuring out where they are.  Will Jack succeed?  Or was his father right to warn him away?

As I said at the outset, it’s been roughly ten years since I read the previous book in the series.  I slipped into this book like no time at all had passed.  Granted, we don’t have a ton of recurring characters, but still, it was wonderful to be spending time with them again.  Since the story is told from multiple points of view, we get plenty of time with Ev as well, which I was happy about.  We also get to know Jack’s parents better.  And Jack’s humor made me laugh a few times.  Meanwhile, the men Jack is working to protect come alive as the book goes on.

And the story itself?  It’s a thriller of sorts.  This isn’t a high action book with lots of twists and surprises.  Yet, because we get scenes from the point of view of the villains, we have a growing feeling of dread as we read and we wait for the confrontations we know will happen to come.  It’s just a matter of when and where.  And that tension is wonderful.  I never wanted to put the book down because I had to know how things would turn out.

Now this isn’t to say we don’t get some twists.  This just isn’t one of those twisty thrillers with something on every page.  But it doesn’t have to be since it works perfectly the way it is.

I did feel like the end was a little rushed, meaning that a couple of things weren’t wrapped up in quite as neat a bow as I was hoping for.  But it’s a minor complaint since it’s easy to guess what happens in those situations.

Yosemite is probably the National Park I know best (and even then, it’s been too long since I was there), so when I first saw the premise of this book, I was disappointing, thinking we’d spend all our time with Jack in areas I don’t know.  Because of the multiple viewpoints, that turned out not to be the case, and I was happy to see plenty of references to the parts of the park that most tourists would know in addition to the parts most of us will never see.

I’m glad I already have the next two Jack Prester mysteries.  With as much as I loved Yosemite, I am ready to visit another park with Jack soon.

Travel to more National Parks with the rest of the Jack Prester Mysteries.

Movie Review: Bohemian Rhapsody

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Excellent movie about Freddie Mercury superbly acted

Cons: Depressing

The Bottom Line:

Story of Freddie

Shows that fame, money, and sex

Still leave you empty

“I Can’t Think of Anyone More Outrageous Than Me.”

Over the last few years, I’ve developed an interest (if not a complete appreciation) for Queen and their music.  So, when I heard about Bohemian Rhapsody, I was intrigued.  Still, I wasn’t interested enough to go out of my way to watch it.  Fortunately, I ran across it on TV.

The movie tells the story of the rise, fall, and rise again of Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek), the front man of the rock band Queen.  When we first meet him, he is a quiet young man living with his immigrant parents.  But when he auditions for a band playing in the local bar, his stage presence and talent begin to raise them to national and international fame.  With that comes new pitfalls, including egos among the band members, Freddie’s personal life, and those outside the group trying to use them.

Honestly, one reason I didn’t want to see the movie is because I could guess at the story with what very little I knew.  And, honestly, there isn’t much here you can’t already guess even if you aren’t familiar with the band.  It certainly shows how little fame, money, and sex really satisfy and the dangers that they can bring into your life if you aren’t careful.  As such, in many ways it is a depressing movie.

The movie takes place over roughly 15 years, so there is a lot that is compressed, and I’m sure there is lots that is taken out.  As a result, it is hard to get too involved in any one particular moment in time.  However, I was impressed with how well they did at telling us a compelling story that was easy for this Queen novice to follow.

The climax comes during the band’s reunion for the late 80’s worldwide benefit concert Live Aid.  As such, we actually get quite a bit of their performance.  It isn’t a traditional climax, but it works.

And, over the course of the movie, we get quite a few other Queen hits in the soundtrack.  No, this isn’t a musical as such, but it is a movie about a band, so it would be weird to not hear their music.

Rami Malek is phenomenal as Freddie Mercury.  Again, I don’t have the context to compare him to the real thing, but I could easily see in his performance that he was being someone completely different.  That’s not to take away from the rest of the actors, but he really is the focus of the movie.

The movie is rated PG-13 for the thematic elements I talked about earlier, sex more than anything else.  That includes Freddie’s indulgence is his gay lifestyle.  Keep that in mind when you go to watch.

Bohemian Rhapsody is a well-done movie that will appeal to fans of Queen.  The rest of us won’t get as much out of it, and with its often-depressing storyline, it might not be for us.

Book Review: An Orphan of Hell’s Kitchen by Liz Freeland (Louise Faulk #3)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Interesting historical backdrop to time with characters we love

Cons: The pacing to the mystery doesn’t work

The Bottom Line:

Louise’s last case

Uneven pacing but nice

To see her again

Was it Murder or Suicide?

I’m making a conscious effort to finish off several series I know have ended this year, and one of those was the Louise Faulk Mysteries.  I only had An Orphan of Hell’s Kitchen, the third in the series, to go, so it was an easy one to meet my goal.  Sadly, it wasn’t the strongest ending to the series.

The series is set in the 1910’s where Louise is one of the first women in the NYPD.  Typically, that just means guarding the female prisoners, but Louise still manages to find herself involved in some murders.

This book opens on Thanksgiving 1914 when Louise is called from a boring shift to go with an officer to a crime scene.  A prostitute has been found dead in her apartment along with one of her twin sons.  The other one is still alive.  Her fellow officers are quick to rule it a suicide, but Louise is certain something else happened to the woman, so she starts an off-the-books investigation into what happened.  Can she figure it out without losing her job?

Obviously, this is a darker book than the cozies I read.  However, the worst of it is in the setup, so if the teaser intrigues you, you’ll be fine picking up the book to figure out what Louise uncovers.  Overall, I’d put the book squarely in the traditional camp.  Louise is enough of an amateur that this really isn’t a police procedural, but it’s got that gray to it that is evident in the set up.

Sadly, there the book really goes wrong in the pacing.  I get what the author was doing with the plot, but the problem is it didn’t work.  The middle turns into a bit of a slog along the way.  However, when we do get to the climax, we get a suspense scene and a wrap up that answers our questions.

Quite often, you can tell when an author knows the series is ending, and they wrap up any on-going storylines.  That wasn’t the case here.  Don’t worry, there aren’t any cliffhangers, but there were some things in Louise’s life that weren’t wrapped up in a nice bow.  I’m actually not complaining since it gives us a chance to fill in what happened to her.

If you’ve read the first two books, you’ll be glad to know that we do get to see the regulars again, and I enjoyed our time with them.  We did see advances in their lives even if things weren’t wrapped up for us.

Since this book is set in 1914, World War I has started, although the US hasn’t entered it yet.  This provides an interesting backdrop to much of the action, and I enjoyed that aspect of the story.

The majority of the book takes place in December, and it is fun watching some Christmas creep into the book as the story unfolds.

It’s a shame that Louise didn’t get a stronger send off.  Those who enjoyed the first two will still be glad they picked up An Orphan of Hell’s Kitchen.