It's that time of the month again, time to wrap up the previous month. Despite my vacation last week, I even got
the index updated this month. Which is good since I probably won't get a chance in November.
Anyway, here is what I read in October. Links will take you to my full review. All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).
Crime and Parchment by Daphne Silver (Rare
Books Cozy Mysteries #1) – 5
Rare books librarian Juniper Blume is surprised when she
gets a message from her ex-brother-in-law claiming he has found a clue to where
the covers for the Book of Kells might be.
She’s even more surprised to see he thinks they are in the small
Maryland town of Rose Mallow. But
Juniper is also intrigued, so she returns, even if it means dealing with some
complicated family relationships. But
when she goes to the meeting, she finds a dead body. Can she figure out what is going on?
This book received lots of praise when it came out, and I
can see why. There’s a lot packed into
the beginning, but I was able to follow it, and it pulled me into the
story. It did make the book feel a
little slower later, but maybe that was just my expectations. I was definitely intrigued the entire way
through, and the ending answered my questions.
I also appreciated that the author did a good job of making us believe
that the treasure hunt Juniper found herself on was believable. The characters were good, and the subplot
involving Juniper and her family felt realistic. I liked how that played out. I’m looking forward to seeing what is next
for these characters soon.
A Merry Little Murder Plot by Jenn McKinlay
(Library Lover’s Mysteries #15) – 4
This winter, the Briar Creek Library is hosting a writer in
residence, and they are honored to have thriller writer Helen Monroe as she
works on something new. But Lindsey
Norris’s radar goes off when she meets an obsessive fan of Helen’s. Sure enough, the sparks fly when the two meet
at a public event. And then Lindsey
finds a dead body in the city’s park – electrocuted by the town’s Christmas
lights. Can she figure out what is going
on?
I always enjoy visiting these characters, and that was no
exception. Having said that, I didn’t
appreciate the subplot about book banning, mainly because it was just knee jerk
storytelling and didn’t have any of the nuance that should be involved in the
topic. Still, that was a minor part of a
book I enjoyed overall. The plot was
great and kept me guessing even about who the victim would be (I went in
without reading anything about the plot).
The twists kept coming after the murder, but everything made sense at
the end. The characters, both old and
new, were fun. I laughed quite a few
times as I went along. And the festive
setting added a nice touch to the book.
There are some Christmassy extras at the end. Fans will love this book. Anyone looking for a fun Christmas mystery
will be glad they picked this book up.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
The Sherlock Society by James Ponti (The
Sherlock Society #1) – 4
Alex Sherlock, his sister, Zoe, and his friends are trying
to find a summer job when Zoe finds the perfect solution - become detectives.
While the idea doesn’t quite go as they had envisioned, they are soon on an
interesting case looking for a treasure. What will they find?
The book had some issues with the plot, at least to me,
including an exciting beginning followed by a flashback to how the characters
got there. On the whole, however, it was entertaining, and I’m sure the
intended target audience will love it. I definitely loved the characters, the
growth we got in one of them, and the bond they formed. I also appreciated the
realistic family dynamic. There’s some great laughs along the way as well. I’m
sure middle schoolers will rush through this book. Despite my reservations, I
enjoyed the book overall and I’ll be back for more.
Pretty Lentil Liars by Cathy Wiley (Fatal Food
Festival Mysteries #3) – 5
Jackie Norwood has landed in Holland, Washington, for their
lentil festival. It quickly becomes evident that the organizer has exaggerated
how big the crowds will be, but Jackie wonders what else the organizer is
hiding after she receives a note claiming the organizer is a constant liar.
Then she hears about the teen who vanished on prom night twelve years ago. Can
Jackie find the truth about what happened that night?
I was thrilled to be back in Jackie’s presence for this
book. The set up was fun, and I quickly got caught up in the story. I thought I
had the villain pegged early on, but I turned out to be wrong. Still,
everything made sense when I was done. The characters are great, new and old
alike. One of the supporting characters gets a chance to shine, and I liked the
growth we saw for Jackie. We also get some humor, including puns, which I
enjoyed. There are 10 recipes at the end featuring lentils, from the traditional
soups to the more creative. If you are looking for a great book that is a fast
read, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Send in the Clowns by Julie Mulhern (Country
Club Murders #4) – 4
Being at the local haunted house wasn’t Ellison’s choice for
a Sunday night activity. But as she
finds herself navigating the various rooms, she finds a room with two
clowns. Ellison already isn’t a fan of
clowns, but she quickly realizes that one of the clowns was just stabbed, and
he dies in her arms after asking for Ellison’s help by name. When Ellison returns with help, she finds the
room completely empty. Who was the
victim? More importantly, who was the
other clown?
I’d let too long go between visits with Ellison, but it was
great to be back in her presence. The
returning characters are fun, and I’m not minding the love triangle yet. The plot started out quickly and the pace
never lagged. The ending was weaker than
I would have liked, but it did answer all our questions. I didn’t enjoy a couple of the elements rooting
in the changing times of the 70’s. One
of them definitely takes the book outside of cozy territory. On the other hand, I loved the little details
that put us in that decade. And the
humor continues to entertain. This is a
great book to read in October for the seasonal feels, but you’ll enjoy it any
time of the year you pick it up.
Comedy Can Be Deadly by Ryan Rivers (Bucket
List Mysteries #3) – 5
Levi has landed the role of Puck in the local theater’s
production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Sho is happy with his role as
stage manager until an accident forces him to take on the role of Lysander.
Things are anything but smooth sailing with all the personalities in the cast
and crew. But then some dies after falling from the upper platform of the
theater. Was it an accident or murder?
I love this series, so I was so happy to get the latest
entry. The plot is lots of fun with plenty of secrets on the way to the climax,
which is the best version of this kind of climax I’ve read. The comedy was a
little toned down, but that was a good thing, and there was plenty of laughs. I
love how the main characters were developed here again, and the suspects helped
pull us into the story. The last chapter sets up the next book, as always, but
it’s a bit surprising given some of what happens here. There are some
references to past stories, so I recommend you read them in order. You’ll
appreciate the character growth more as well. But when you want to laugh while
solving a mystery, this is a series you’ll love.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Til Death by Annette Dashofy (Zoe Chambers
#10) – 5
With two weeks until their wedding, Zoe Chambers and Pete
Adams are trying to juggle final prep with some puzzling cases. In Zoe’s case,
it’s a friend from high school who died under mysterious circumstances with no
clues after the autopsy. Meanwhile, Pete is reopening a case he solved nine
years ago. A man was convicted of killing his wife, but the conviction has been
overturned. Pete got it right the first time, didn’t he?
If you are new to the series, I don’t recommend you start
here. Aside from the spoilers for the previous book (and they can’t be
avoided), you also get some conclusions for several ongoing story arcs.
However, fans will be hooked from the beginning. Zoe, Pete, and the gang are as
fantastic as always, and I appreciated the growth we got. There is a lot going
on here, so I never wanted to put the book down, but the mystery is always
front and center and comes to a logical conclusion. Since these are police procedural,
there’s a little more language and violence than in a cozy, but they are kept
to a minimum. A couple of threads are left for the next book, so I can’t wait
to see where things go for our characters next. Fans will delight with this
book. If that isn’t you yet, fix that today.
The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper by Sally
Carpenter (Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries #1) – 5
It’s 1993, and Sandy Fairfax has fallen from his glory days
as a music and TV star in the late 1970’s.
He’s hoping to get some of that back, but for now, he’s taking any job
he can get, including appearing at a Beatles fan convention in a small Indiana
town. He’s just supposed to be there for
one panel about the time that Ringo appeared on his show, but when he finds a
member of the Beatle’s tribute band dead, Sandy finds himself the prime
suspect. Can he clear his name?
I’ve long had this author’s books on my radar, and I wish
I’d read her sooner. Sandy is trying to
put his life back together, but that made me care for him more, and I didn’t
feel like it fell into cliches. The rest
of the cast were good for the amount of page time they had. The mystery was strong, and I enjoyed how
Beatles trivia was used in the plot.
Don’t worry – if, like me, you aren’t that familiar with the Fab Four,
everything you need to know is explained to you. I also enjoyed the laughs all the way through
the book. I will definitely be back for
more in this delightful series.
Death Checked Out by Leah Dobrinska (Larkspur
Library #1) – 3
Greta Plank has moved to Larkspur, Wisconsin, for a fresh
start. She’s loving her job as the director of the local library, and she’s
become close friends with her fellow librarians. She’s even become friends with
her neighbor, the town recluse. Unfortunately, she finds his dead body after
work one day. But what she thinks is an accident the police label murder. Even
worse, they think she is the prime suspect. Can she clear her name?
I thought this book sounded good, so I was looking forward
to reading it. The initial set up was good, and I was getting cozy vibes from
the characters and the setting. Sadly, that didn’t continue as the book
progressed. I did like Greta’s arc, but the rest of the characters stayed
pretty flat. The mystery did have some surprises, but I had things figured out
very early. It’s not that the book is bad, but it’s not good either. This is
one to pick up only is something in particular about the premise appeals to
you.
The General’s Gold by LynDee Walker &
Bruce Robert Coffin (Turner & Mosley Files #1) – 4
This book introduces us to Avery Turner, a new tech
billionaire, and Carter Mosley, an internet famous adventure junkie. The two met when Carter taught Avery to scuba
dive. But things really kick off when
Avery learns of her friend, fellow tech billionaire, Mark Hawkins’s death. The police are ruling it an accidental drug
overdose. There’s just one problem with
that – Avery has never seen Mark take anything stronger than an aspirin. She goes to investigate herself, and she
finds a few puzzling things that Mark left behind. Soon, she’s is on the trail of a rumored
treasure that dates back to the 1700’s, pulling Carter in along the way. Can they find it?
I’ve heard good things about both of these authors but
hadn’t had a chance to read them before I picked up this book. I’m glad I did give their collaboration a
try. While I did find the series setup a
bit slow, I was still entertained. Once
the plot really kicked off, I was completely hooked and couldn’t turn the pages
fast enough. I appreciated the logic
behind things when I reached the climax.
I also enjoyed the main trio of characters (Avery, her assistant, and
Carter). I can’t wait to spend more time
with them. The violence and language was
kept to a minimum, which I appreciated.
A couple of things felt like they got glossed over, but that’s a minor
complaint. I’m looking forward to
reading more. If you are looking for an
action, adventure series, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
Saguaro by Sandy Dengler (Jack Prester #8) – 5
Jack Prester is already in the area before the trouble
begins this time. He’s in Tucson for Rangerfest, an annual gathering of those
who work in the parks. When two grad students’ bodies are found in one part of
Saguaro, his boss asks him to look into it. Jack quickly finds that there are
multiple local agencies trying to get in on the investigation, which makes
things more complicated. But the greatest complication is the attack on Jack.
If he survives, can he figure out what is going on?
It was great as always to be back visiting a National Park
with Jack and the rest of the cast. Yes, all the supporting characters are here
again and I love watching them all work together to solve things. I thought the
opening scene might have given away a little too much, but that didn’t turn out
to be the case. Instead, we got plenty of twists along the way to the climax.
Some strong subplots definitely helped. There is a scattering of foul language,
but it was kept to a minimum. As always, the writing is poetic without getting
in the way of the story, which is something I love. I’m hoping this isn’t our
last visit with Jack (after all, there are still plenty of parks to visit), but
if it is, this is one fans will love. And if you haven’t started this series
yet, you really should.
