Friday the 13th's Friday Post

Welcome to Friday the 13th!  I'm celebrating with a Friday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

For the first three, my teaser will be coming from Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien.

This is book seven in her Noodle Shop Mysteries.  Yes, I still have some catching up to do since the thirteenth comes out later this year.  Anyway, here's now this book begins:

"If you tell anyone about this, I'm gonna have to kill you," I said, staring my best friend squarely in the eye.

And just what is the main character's secret?  I'm not telling (here).  Meanwhile, on page 56, we find this exchange:

A few minutes later, Megan poked her head out the door, waved, and jogged to the car.
She hopped into the passenger seat. "Kikko was going bonkers as I was heading out, so I left her with a bone. I think she knows something is up."
I chuckled. "Most likely. She was doing laps around the apartment this morning. I'm feeling kind of jittery myself."

I enjoyed this book.  I'll be reviewing it on Thursday, so I hope you'll come back and read what I thought.  (And my teaser just might spoil that secret from the opening sentence.  You just never know.)

Meanwhile, let's turn our attention the Book Blogger Hop for the week.  The question is:

Are there genres you read that you feel a little shy about?

I can't think of any.  Then again, I usually stick to mystery with the occasional middle grade book.  And I've reviewed every book I've read for years.

Book Review: Antihero by Gregg Hurwitz (Orphan X #11)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Evan in another interesting story

Cons: Darkness felt like it went too far

The Bottom Line:

Helping a woman

But trying to show restraint

Felt overly dark

Evan Must Control Himself

While I started out loving the series, I’ve struggled a bit with the recent books in the Orphan X series. Still, I went into Antihero, the most recent, hoping for another good thrill ride. While it was overly dark, I did enjoy it overall. 

If you haven’t met him yet, Evan Smoak is Orphan X. As a teen, he was pulled from foster care and trained to be a highly skilled assassin. He left the now defunct program and uses his skills to help those facing overwhelming odds against great evil. 

His latest call for help comes from a witness. A woman was taken off a New York City subway by four young men. When Evan manages to find the woman, she’s been horribly violated. Evan immediately goes after the men who did this to her, but she makes him promise not to kill them. Will he be able to keep his promise?

To be clear, these books are thrillers, and they are filled with the things I try to avoid in my reading choices. Usually, they are balanced well with the things I enjoy, but in this case, I felt like we got more details than we needed about the victimized woman’s time in captivity. I think there is a form of this story that cut down those few scenes without ruining the story. 

Then again, as Evan struggled with his promise and how to go about getting justice without killing the criminals, I was a bit disturbed about how much of a struggle it was for me not to want to see Evan kill them. Maybe it was those scenes I didn’t like that helped me understand that struggle. 

Over the course of the series, Evan’s central struggle is learning to be human again after his training drove all that from him. We get plenty of chances to see that, and it is always welcome. I feel like he made more progress in earlier books. In fact, one subplot ended where I thought those characters already were. Still I enjoyed that aspect again here overall. 

There are other series regulars, and they help bring those other sides of Evan out. And they help add some humor to lighten the book. It was nice to see a couple who haven’t been around recently pop up again. 

And the mission itself? It kept me engaged and kept the pages turning as I read. 

Those who enjoy thrillers more than I do will devour Antihero. Those who are more sensitive, like me, will want to proceed with caution. 

Here are the rest of the Orphan X thrillers.

TV Show Review: The Brady Bunch - Season 2

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Charming and wholesome stories that will make you smile if not laugh

Cons: Dated and unrealistic, but that’s part of the charm. 

The Bottom Line:

Bradys – second dose

Still dated but still charming

And still fun today

“Well, We Managed to Survive Another Crisis.”

While I was never a super fan of The Brady Bunch, I watched the show enough over the years that I’ve seen many of the episodes. And, while the show is definitely a groovy time capsule, there is still something fun and charming about it, especially in season two. 

Just in case you’ve missed this particular bit of pop culture, this sitcom tells the story of the Brady family, which is formed when Mike (Robert Reed) married Carol (Florence Henderson). Of course, they each have their own three kids they are brining into the marriage. Mike’s three kids are Greg (Barry Williams), Peter (Christopher Knight), and Bobby (Mike Lookinland), while Carol has three daughters, Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb), and Cindy (Susan Olsen). Rounding out the bunch is their housekeeper, Alice (Ann B. Davis). 

Over the course of this season Greg and Marcia are left in charge for the first time.  Marcia also has a big sleepover.  Greg makes a home movie about the first Thanksgiving.  Jan makes up a boyfriend and buys a wig in separate efforts to stand out from Marcia.  Jan’s practical jokes and Cindy’s tattle tailing get out of hand.  Peter breaks Carol’s favorite vase, and everyone else confesses to the deed.  Bobby takes up the drums.  The family tries to save a local park…but Mike’s firm is designing the new building that is supposed to be put there.  And Carol decides to try her hand at writing a story, using the family as inspiration.

Then there’s my personal favorite from the season. Cindy is scared after seeing a vanishing act at a magic show just as Peter starts working on a magic act. 

And that episode perfectly captures why this show is still so popular today. Oh, you can point out how unrealistic it is, and you’d be right. And, every situation is resolved in 24 minutes? Must be nice. But that’s also the draw. We want to live in a world where family cares for each other. There are some truly sweet moments. It’s a perfect escape from the real world. And that’s okay. 

As a sitcom, I’m not sure how often I laugh out loud, but it is still charming, keeping me smiling. Since this was filmed on a sound stage with one camera instead of multiple cameras in front of a live audience, we get a fake laugh track. 

Thanks to an effort to cut costs, all of the kids but Greg miss an episode this season. A couple of times it’s obvious, but occasionally, you only notice if you are truly paying close attention. 

The acting is fine here. It’s not going to win any awards, but it is good enough to pull you into the story each week. Notable guest stars are Don Drysdale and Deacon Jones, both sports legends of the day.

In the first season, I found the episodes dragged a bit. Here, that wasn’t the case. Sometimes, that’s thanks to a B story that winds up tying into the main storyline. Other times, the writers find that extra plot point that keeps the story interesting. 

And, as I stated earlier, this show is definitely dated. These episodes aired in 1970 and 1971. Between the styles, the decor, and the groovy language, you definitely notice. But, somehow, that is still part of the charm. 

I get this show might not be for everyone or every mood. But if you are looking for a light escape from your cares, you will find yourself enjoying season two of The Brady Bunch. 

Book Review: Vanished in the Crowd by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles (Molly Murphy #22)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Molly and the rest of the regulars, historical setting

Cons: Theme becomes lecture, uneven plot

The Bottom Line:

Tons of tourists

But can Molly find just one?

Uneven entry

The Theme Never Vanished - And That’s a Problem

I’ve been a fan of the Molly Murphy series since the beginning. But the recent entries have been a bit uneven. Sadly, Vanished in the Crowd is one of the weaker ones. 

When we first met Molly, she was an immigrant on the run coming through Ellis Island in 1901. Over the previous 21 books, we’ve watched her make her own living as a detective and fall in love with Daniel Sullivan. The two are now married, raising their own two children and a young teen they’ve adopted along the way. While Molly officially gave up being a detective when she married, that hasn’t stopped her from getting involved in some rather mysterious situations in the years since. 

In this book, we join Molly in September of 1909. New York City is bursting at the seams as an estimated two million visitors are in town for a celebration or the three hundredth anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of the Hudson River. Some of those visitors are staying with Molly’s dear neighbors Sid and Gus. However, one of those women never arrives. No one seems to know where she is; even her husband doesn’t know. So Molly agreed to try to find her. But in a large city overflowing with people, where can she even start?

There was a good mystery here. Well, a potentially good mystery, anyway. I was caught up in the events early on and was interested in seeing how Molly would succeed and what she’d uncover along the way. But, the end was a bit weaker than I hoped since I figured out things before Molly did. 

Then there’s my usual complaint about Molly’s husband. Each book, he seems to make progress toward accepting how good a detective she is. Then we regress back to his old attitude for the start of the next book. I get it – his attitude is realistic for the time. But I am so tired of seeing this “character development” happen over and over again. It’s time to move on to something else. 

Which brings us to the theme. We are talking about women’s rights in general and the right to vote in particular. Now, hear me carefully. The status women had in society in 1909 was bad. We needed the changes we’ve had in society since then. And, as part of a mystery, I don’t mind that. But we got more than that here. We had characters talking about how it wasn’t right followed by Molly thinking about it in the first-person narration. Then we’d have another scene talking about it. It felt like much more of a lecture than part of a mystery. 

Which is a shame because I still find the characters charming. Yes, even Daniel can be charming. I want to enjoy my time with them. 

And I always enjoy the bits of history we get in these books. 

Having said all of this, I will definitely be picking up the next in the series as soon as possible. And other fans will be joining me. 

I do enjoy my time with Molly even if the stories could be stronger. Long time fans will feel the same when they set down Vanished in the Crowd. 

Enjoy more of Molly’s NYC with the rest of the Molly Murphy Mysteries. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Movie Review: Sugar and Vice - A Hannah Swensen Mystery

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Entertaining mystery

Cons: Usual dose of Hallmark cheese

The Bottom Line:

Party in a storm

Of course there’s a dead body

Entertaining film

“Never Been Here for This Part Before.”  “What Part?”  “The Part Where You Find the Dead Body.”

Hallmark has gotten a late start with new mystery movies in 2026.  But we finally got a new one, and it’s a new entry in their long running Hannah Swensen Mysteries.  Since I’ve been a fan of the books since the first and the movies turned me on to Hallmark’s mystery movies, I’m always anxious to watch the new one.  Sugar and Vice was entertaining as always.

At this point, the movies are pretty much their own thing.  We aren’t even trying to follow the books anymore.  This is true with the characters as well as the plots.  For example, this one claims to be based on Sugar Cookie Murder, but the victim is different.  And the people running the Lake Eden Inn and Spa aren’t the characters from the series.

And that’s about all the thought I give it.  I’ve accepted that, and I sit down to watch and enjoy this version of the characters I know and love.

As this movie opens, the Lake Eden Inn and Spa is about to have their grand reopening.  While all the work isn’t done, enough is that they can show off their remodeling.  They are planning a costume contest with cookies provided by Hannah (Allison Sweeney).  While she will be working, she will also be a guest, enjoying the evening with her new boyfriend, Chad (Victor Webster).  Naturally, her mother, Delores (Barbara Niven), will be there, too.

But, part way through the event, Hannah finds another dead body – this time a member of the staff.  With a storm brewing outside, the guests are trapped.  Can Hannah figure out what happened before the killer strikes again or the roads are cleared from the storm?

While we just know about the storm from characters talking about it, it does allow the movie a good opportunity to cut out some of the supporting characters without being too obvious.  Yes, we get some scenes that aren’t at the party, which made me happy.  But we can focus on the suspects and the mystery unfolding.

I’ve got to admit; I thought I had things figured out fairly early on.  I was right about part of it and wrong about part of it.  I was impressed with how the mystery unfolded.  And the climax was great.

As is often the case with these movies, we definitely have a low budget cheese factor.  It wasn’t as much the sets in this case, but in some of the performances.  Allison Sweeney not only starred but also wrote this movie, which is one reason why most of the dialogue seems to work.  Anyway, if you’ve been watching these movies, or Hallmark movies in general, you pretty much know what to expect when you sit down to watch this movie, and that’s what you get.

I’m happy to see that another Hannah Swensen movie is in the works.  I’ll be back to see what she bakes up next.  But, in the meantime, fans will delight in Sugar and Vice.

Birthday Sunday/Monday Post

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

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

You'll remember last week, I talked about having internet issues.  Last Sunday, the tech came out and fixed whatever was going on with my internet.  He's not completely sure what he did, either.  He tightened a few connectors and checked a bunch of stuff.  He confirmed it wasn't working right when he got here, so something he did fixed the problem.  And my internet has been working just fine since then.

Other than that, it's been a bit of a crazy week at work.  But we have the extra reporting with insane deadlines finished up - or at least my part of it.  Now, to start working on my normal next work load starting on Monday.

Pun of the Week:

I pirated a movie yesterday...

I gave it 3.14 stars.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - February's Reading Summary

Tuesday - Book Review: Europa by James Ponti

Wednesday - Novella Review: Pompeii, Paccheri, and Panic by Traci Andrighetti

Thursday - Book Review: Murder at Chateau sur Mer by Alyssa Maxwell

Friday - Ornament Review: Ride Around the Kingdom

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Sugar and Vice - A Hannah Swenson Mystery

Tuesday - Book Review: Vanished in the Crowd by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

Wednesday - TV Show Review: The Brady Bunch - Season Two

Thursday - Book Review: Antihero by Gregg Hurwitz

Friday - Friday Post featuring Fatal Fried Rice

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

It's another four book week here.

Up first is the only physical book, and it is an ARC of In the Spirit of French Murder, the fourth American in Paris Mystery from Colleen Cambridge.  This series features Julia Child as a supporting character and is set in Paris in 1950.  I usually enjoy it, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the characters get up to next.

This next one was a spur of the moment purchase.  I can't exactly call it a splurge since the ebook was on sale for 99 cents.  Murder by the Book is the first in the Cosy Crime Club Mysteries by M. R. G. Davies.  It sounds like something I would enjoy, and for that price, I'm willing to give it a shot.  

The final two books are ebooks I bought because they are next in series I read and I'm hoping to get to them soon.

Home Sweet Homicide is the fifth Hometown Mystery from Rosalie Spielman.  I read and enjoyed the first four last year.  I plan to read this one soonish so I'll be ready for book six, which I believe is coming out this fall.

Finally came Hawai'i Volcanoes, the latest Jack Prester Mystery from Sandy Dengler.  The main characters here are National Parks rangers who head to parks that are having extraordinary problems.  This is a series I've enjoyed for years, so I'm always happy to jump into the latest entry.

What I'm Currently Reading:

I'm currently working on Birth of the Black Orchids by M.R. Dimond.  It's really more a novella length with two short stories in it.  I read the first story on Friday and I'm hoping to get further into the second one.  The first was a little slow, so I'm hoping this one will be better.  It's off to a promising start.

By Monday, I expect to be working on Broken Trust.  this is book three in the Laurel Highlands Mysteries from Liz Milliron.  This is one of two series I'm making a concerted effort to read more books in this year.  I won't get caught up, but I'm hoping to be much closer.

Have a great week!

March 7th's Weekly TV Thoughts

My internet got fixed on Sunday, so I got to watch The Traitors' season finale.  Thoughts on that and more below.

The Traitors – My joy in seeing Rob win is kind of lessened by him kicking Eric out at the end.  Granted, Eric really didn’t do much, but that still seemed like a jerk move.  I did feel badly for Moira when she learned the truth.  But that is the game.  It’s just hard to separate the two.  And yes, overall, I did think Rob deserved to win.  He was so good at it.

Wild Cards – I remembered the episode from last season about the vampire show, so as soon as that came up, I knew that mom had given herself away.  Pretty clever mystery, and a solution I wouldn’t have figured out.  I’m curious where we are going to go with that heist storyline because I know it is going to bring lots more drama.

RJ Decker – I’m not completely sure what I think of this show.  Which, is kind of what I expected.  The one book I read from Carl Hiaasen was weird.  And this is a modern network crime show.  I’ll give it another week or two before I decide for sure.  I did like how the mystery unfolded, so the show has that going for it.

Survivor – Coach, you stole the key.  It was legal.  You never said you wouldn’t.  But just own it.  Don’t gone on and on about your honor and integrity, but you don’t have any.  Everyone knows it.  I’d respect you more if you owned your villainy.  First person voted out, someone from season 1.  Next person voted out?  Someone from season 49.  You can’t say that tribe is playing favorites.

Happy’s Place – I went to a taping of this episode back in September.  I remembered quite a bit of the scenes I got to see filmed.  That didn’t dampen my enjoyment at all.  This was a very funny episode yet moved the main story forward in some good yet emotional ways.  I really enjoyed it.

Ornament Review: Ride Around the Kingdom - 2025 Hallmark Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun piece for Disneyland’s carrousel

Cons: Doesn’t stand, tips slightly

The Bottom Line:

Trip on carrousel

Mickey enjoying magic

Fun for fans of ride

Mickey is Enjoying a Royal Trip

Being the DisNerd that I am, I really do enjoy this unofficial series of Mickey Mouse on various rides around the Disney theme parks.  For 2025, he took a ride on King Arthur Carrousel with Ride Around the Kingdom.

Yes, this ornament is pretty much what you’d expect.  Mickey is sitting on a highly decorated carrousel horse.  It’s a mostly white horse, but it’s got multiple colors painted on it to represent saddle, bridle, and various other ribbons and decorations.  It looks very nice and festive, which is always good.  Mickey is turned so he is waving and smiling at us.

I learned a couple of years ago that the carrousels in the two parks here in the US have different names.  Yes, I know that this ornament is for Disneyland’s King Arthur Carrousel because it is right there on the box.  Unless Hallmark printed different boxes for the Eastern part of the country, which I don’t think happened in this case.

I don’t tend to ride the carrousel when I’m in the park, so this isn’t quite the draw for me that some of the others have been.  But I do still like it.  It’s a fun reminder of Disney’s take on a classic theme park attraction.

Given the nature of the ornament, I’m sure it’s no surprise to say it doesn’t stand on its own.  The pole is actually sticking out at the bottom, and it’s too narrow to balance the ornament.  Even if it weren’t there, the horse’s hooves aren’t positioned in a way that would allow the ornament to stand.

Which means you have to hang the ornament.  The loop is at the top of the pole, and when you slip a hook through it, you’ll find that the ornament tips back slightly.  It is noticeable if you are looking for it, but it isn’t too bad.  The ornament still looks good, and you’ll never notice once you get some tree branches around it.

This may not be my favorite ride, but I know others who do enjoy it.  They will love Ride Around the Kingdom even more than I do.  And yes, I am still glad to have it in my collection.

Book Review: Murder at Chateau sur Mer by Alyssa Maxwell (Gilded Newport Mysteries #5)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Emma and the cast in an entertaining mystery

Cons: A couple of things rushed in the wrap up

The Bottom Line:

Murder cause scandal

Can Emma find out the truth?

Characters still shine

Was This Murder Political?

I’ve been spending lots of reading time so far this year with series I’ve started but need to catch up on. The most recent of those is the Gilded Newport Mysteries. I happily went back in time with Murder at Chateau sur Mer, the fifth in the series. 

This series features Emma Cross, a poor relation of the Vanderbilts. She’s also a full-time resident of Newport in the last nineteenth century. She works as a fashion columnist for one of the local papers but can’t help but get involved when she stumbles upon murder. 

This book opens in July of 1897. Emma is covering a polo match when she witnesses a strange scene – a young woman with a less than stellar reputation is insisting that she must talk to Senator Wetmore’s wife. The next morning, Emma is summoned to the Wetmore’s residence - Chateau sur Mer. The young woman from the day before is lying dead in their entry way. Emma has developed a reputation based on her past exploits, and Mrs. Wetmore wants Emma to investigate so that the whiff of scandal won’t haunt her family forever. But what is the victim’s connection to the wealthy family?

The book does a great job of reintroducing us to Emma and her world while setting the plot in motion. And it didn’t slow down from there, with plenty of suspects and twists to keep us guessing. The ending did wrap things up successfully, but a couple of elements felt rushed to me. 

We still get plenty of time to find out what is going on with the regulars, both real and fictional. Emma gets some interesting developments in her personal life. I do know that the romantic triangle is resolved down the line, so I am willing to stay patient with it here. Although I know which way I’d be leaning if I weren’t spoiled. 

One thing I appreciate about this series is how real people and fictional rub elbows so seamlessly. I was surprised to find a couple I thought were invented were real when I reached the author’s notes at the end. And, while we might know that the real people couldn’t really be suspects, there are still plenty to keep us entertained as we read. And everyone comes across as fully developed on these pages. 

I felt like I was back in time as I was reading. While Emma and many of the characters here aren’t as rich as the millionaires who have their summer homes there, I still get that relaxed summer vibe as I read, which I always enjoy. 

And do check out the author’s notes at the end to learn a bit more about the real history she used to craft this story. 

The book leaves us up in the air for a couple of things in Emma’s life, and you can bet I’ll be making time to visit again soon to find out what happens next. 

If you are looking for a fun historical mystery, be sure to check out this series. Murder at Chateau sur Mer is another entertaining trip back in time. 

Check out the rest of the Gilded Newport Mysteries.

Novella Review: Pompeii, Paccheri, and Panic by Traci Andrighetti (Pasta and Piazza Mysteries #0.5)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Good mystery and main characters with book laughs

Cons: Language/accent concerns and some of the humor, both could be me issues

The Bottom Line:

Italy research

Murder, mayhem, novella

Not quite what I hoped

Not Quite the Intro I Hoped For

Author Traci Andrighetti has long been on my radar.  In fact, I’ve had the first in her Franki Amato series for a few years now.  When I saw she was introducing a spin off series and she was offering an introductory novella for free to her newsletter subscribers, I jumped on it.  After all, it was a good chance to meet these characters and hopefully jump on in at the beginning of a new series.  However, Pompeii, Paccheri, and Panic wasn’t quite as enjoyable as I hoped it would be.

This story introduced me to Giada Adair, who is going through a painful divorce and has taken a job as a tour guide in Italy in an attempt to rebuild her life.  She and her best friend have headed over before her first official tour to do a little research in Pompeii.  But her trip takes an unexpected turn when an ancient lamp just unearth from Pompeii disappears and Giada finds herself implicated.  Worse yet, a young woman dies in front of Giada, and she becomes a suspect.  That is, unless she was the intended victim.  Giada is going to have to channel her cousin Franki if she wants to get out of this alive.

While yes, this novella is the first book to star Giada, she and her friend Moira have apparently appeared in at least one of the books about Franki.  And Franki did have a cameo here as well.  However, that wasn’t an issue for me.  We were given enough background to follow these two characters and everyone else was new.  And I did like our leads and felt the supporting characters were sufficiently mysterious.

And my issues with the story have nothing to do with the plot.  For a 100-page novella, the story was quite good.  We got a couple of fun twists before reaching a logical conclusion and a page turning climax.

One of my issues was with the language.  No, I’m not talking about four letter words.  I’m talking about the fact that the book takes place in Italy.  Yes, there is a glossary in the back, but I’m lazy.  I don’t want to keep flipping back to understand what I just read.  This is a me issue, but it was something in the back of my mind, especially since it ruined another series I tried to read set in Italy for me.  Additionally, one of the characters spoke in an accent that was just annoying.

The other issue I had was the humor.  A lot of it was coming from potty humor, quite literally.  (Okay, ancient potty humor, but still.)  At times I was cringing.  Others, I was laughing.  And they would often happen just a line or two apart, so clearly, again, this is more of a me thing than anything else. 

This is designed to be a culinary and travel themed cozy series, and it got off to a great start there.  My mouth watered at some of what they ate, and we get a delicious sounding recipe at the end.

I don’t want to dismiss Traci Andrighetti after one novella.  But I’m not quite as anxious to start this series.  I think I’ll try the first book in her other series I already have before I decide if I want to continue with her books or not.