We've reached the end of the month again! Time to look back at what I read in April.
I didn't get
the index updated this month.
All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great). The links will take you to my full reviews.
The Maze in the Heart of the Castle by Dorothy
Gilman – 4
This book follows Colin, who has recently lost his parents.
He’s struggling, as you would expect for any sixteen-year-old who was in that
situation. So when a family friend tells him that there is a castle on
Rheembeck Mountain that might hold the answer for him, he sets out. When Colin
arrives, he learns he will have to journey through a maze in the castle to find
what he is looking for. Will he find it?
After reading The Tightrope Walker, I decided I had
to track this book down. It is episodic in nature, and that works here, with
each complication keeping me engaged. Colin is really the only character we see
the entire way through, and we get to see him really grow. The story is an
allegory for grieving, and it mostly works. I just felt like it stumbled at the
end. Even so, I’m really glad I picked up the book.
Murder, Local Style by Leslie Karst (Orchid
Isle Mysteries #3) – 4
In an attempt to make some new friends, Valerie Corbin
decides to follow her interest in orchids and join the orchid society. Since so
many of the members are in her neighborhood, it will be a big boost to her
social life. Valerie’s first meeting is right before a fundraiser for the
society, and she gets roped into helping prepare the food. But, no good deed
goes unpunished, and the morning after the event, it appears that a bout of
food poisoning has hit many of the attendees. Then the society’s president dies
from an especially bad case of the food poisoning, and the police get involved.
Could it be murder?
I enjoy getting to visit Hawai’i fictionally, and this was
no exception. The location came to life and made me want to visit. I do wish
that the characters were a little stronger, but that’s a minor point. The
mystery was good with multiple suspects and twists and kept me guessing until
we reached the logical climax. We get recipes at the end inspired by local
favorites. This mystery tinged with local flavor will keep you
entertained.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Fair Warning by Michael Connelly (Jack McEvoy
#3) – 5
Jack McEvoy is now reporting for a consumer protection
website, far from the crime beat he’s covered for most of his career. However,
his crime instincts kick in when two detectives come to question him about the
death of a woman he had a one-night stand with. Even though murder isn’t what
his employer covers, Jack begins investigating. He finds some other deaths that
sound similar from other parts of the country. But what potentially connects
the victims might make this a story his website would cover. Can he convince
his editor? If so, can he find another serial killer?
When this book first came out, I remember being intrigued by
the premise, and I liked finally getting to see it play out even if I wasn’t
sure I completely bought it a time or two. Still, I was on board for every
twist and turn on the way to the climax. The occasional view point changes
increased the suspense. We only have a couple of returning characters, but the
entire cast came to life. Jack’s protection of his story got a little old, but
that’s probably because I’m not a reporter. Likewise, his lamenting the state
of journalism bugged me since it didn’t look at the entire picture. Still,
these were minor issues in a book that kept me engaged the entire way through.
Buckle up and hold on when you pick this one up.
Big F@!king Deal by Lawrence Allan (Jimmy
Cooper Mysteries #2) – 4
This book picks up exactly where the previous one ended.
Jimmy has just made headlines for the right reason - successfully solving a
case. The headlines bring someone from his past back into his life - his
father, who just vanished over a decade ago. But Jimmy has no time to worry
about what his father wants since one of the wealthiest families in LA has
hired him to find their college age son who has been kidnapped. The kidnappers
have given them until Friday to put the ransom together. Can Jimmy find the young
man before time runs out?
I loved the first book in the series, and I enjoyed this
one, too. The plot wasn’t quite as strong, but it kept me turning the pages the
entire way through. The cast is good, but Jimmy really shines. I loved the
humor, especially Jimmy’s observations in the first-person narration. As the
title implies, this isn’t a cozy, but the language and violence are used well
and aren’t excessive. I’m hoping to get to the third soon.
Sovereign Sieged by Sarah E. Burr (Court of
Mystery #8) – 3
Jax has been traveling for the last couple of books, so she
is looking forward to returning to her country of Saphire as she prepares for
the upcoming war council. But she has only been home a few hours before
something happens that makes her think she isn’t safe even in her own castle.
Fleeing to a fortress in her kingdom, she surrounds herself with people she can
trust. But when a murder happens, Jax has to figure out who among those present
is a killer.
As always, this series needs to be read in order to properly
understand the events here and avoid spoilers. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the
strongest entry in the series. The pacing was off, with the murder coming late.
I also pieced much of it together early. A subplot carried over from the
previous book, and I didn’t enjoy it at all. Still, I do enjoy spending time
with these characters and am anxious to see what happens to them next.
A Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman (Leaphorn
and Chee #8) – 4
Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is dealing with the loss of his
wife. He’s been on leave and plans to retire when his leave is over. But when a
colleague invites him along to execute a search warrant in an area Joe knows
well, he agrees to go along. Only, when they arrive, they learn the woman they
are supposed to serve the warrant on has been missing for two weeks. Meanwhile,
Officer Jim Chee is trying to find a piece of heavy equipment that vanished on
his watch. The trail leads him to dead bodies. How are these cases connected?
The title of this book caught my attention years ago, so I
was glad to finally get to it. I enjoyed the slow yet natural progression of
Leaphorn and Chee’s working relationship. I did find Chee’s personal subplot a
bit repetitive. The pacing of the plot slowed down a couple of times, but by
the time we reached the end, I was completely hooked. Overall, this book makes
it easy to see why the author has so many fans.
The Ninja’s Illusion by Gigi Pandian (Jaya
Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries #5) – 4
Jaya has a week off for Thanksgiving break, and she is
heading to Kyoto, Japan, where her best friend, Sanjay, is appearing in a
televised magic event along with a Japanese star. And Jaya is hoping to connect
with a local professor who has just reached out for her help about a trading
ship lost to history. Jaya has only been there for a few hours when she
realizes a mysterious Ninja is following her. The magician that Sanjay is
working with is keeping a secret close to his vest. Then, Sanjay and Jaya find
a body at the bottom on an embankment. Can Jaya figure out what is going on in
time to keep Sanjay safe?
This book emphasized magic a bit more than treasure hunts,
but that element was still here. Either way, outside the pacing once or twice,
I enjoyed this book. That included the bit of history we learned along the way.
Sanjay annoyed me a little at times, but I understood where he was coming from
most of the time. The rest of the cast were great, and I enjoyed the updates we
got on the characters. If you haven’t picked up this book yet, you’ll enjoy
it.
The Bush Tea Murder by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier
(Caribbean Island Mystery #1) – 3
Naomi Sinclair is a culinary journalist living her dream
with her job at EAT TV hosting a show where she gets to interview chefs. When a
potential new show investigating culinary related cold cases is presented to
her, she immediately thinks of a famous case on her native St. Thomas. Four
decades ago, the owner of a tea company on the island was killed while locked
in her office. It’s the perfect case for her potential pilot. But will she be
able to solve it?
The premise and setting appealed to me, so I decided to give
this one a try. Sadly, the structure let it down. We get a series of short
stories that tie in to the overall mystery only slightly. They feel like side
quests. We also have a framing story of Naomi talking about all of this to
executives of her TV network. When I realized how different the structure would
be, I tried to give it a fair shot, but it truly didn’t work for me. On the
other hand, I loved the characters and the setting, and the writing brought
them both to life wonderfully. Also, keep in mind that there’s a bit of foul
language for what I would have otherwise considered a cozy. If the next in the
series has a more traditional structure, I would definitely read it.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Blues in the Dark by J.R. Sanders (Nate Ross
#5) – 5
It’s 1939, and Nate Ross’s latest client is Audrey Chase,
one of the biggest movie stars. Her
sister has been kidnapped, and the ransom demand is small. Audrey paid it, but her sister wasn’t
returned as promised, and now she wants Nate to find her sister and return her
safely. Given that this is Hollywood,
Nate is wondering if this is more of a publicity stunt than a real crime, but
the pay is good, so he takes the case.
He quickly finds that, if he gets it wrong, this case will have deadly
consequences. Can he figure out what is
really going on?
This is another fun book in a series I always enjoy. It hues close to my impression of PI novels
from the 1930’s. Nate and the few series
regulars are fun, and the new characters did a good job of keeping me
engaged. The plot included plenty of
surprises, and I could not wait to get to the logical climax. While not focused on the studios of the era, I
still felt like I was back in 1930’s Los Angeles. Now comes the wait for Nate’s next case.
In the Spirit of French Murder by Colleen
Cambridge (An American in Paris Mystery #4) – 3
One March afternoon, Tabitha Knight is returning home from
Julia Child’s when she sees a strange woman leaving the house where Tabitha
lives. It turns out that she is a medium, and her warning to Grand-pere has
left him shaken. But the next night, when Tabitha’s messieurs are hosting a
dinner for the seven other members of their old resistance network, the evening
ends with a murder. Should Tabitha be taking the warning seriously?
I tend to avoid the paranormal in the books I read, and I
was disappointed to see it was a major part of this book. Worse yet, it really
slowed down the beginning of the mystery. Fortunately, we did get a decent
mystery with some good twists and a nice climax. And the book, at least the ARC
I read, could never decide which part of March the story was set in. However, I
was interested to see what happened to the characters next. And I appreciated
the look at what life was like in the resistance in Paris during World War II.
All told, this was a mixed bag that fans of the series will still
appreciate.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Death on Cozumel Island by Cindy Quayle (Claire
O'Keefe #1) – 3
Claire O’Keefe is planning a destination bachelorette party
of her best friend to Cozumel, hoping to get some diving in around the
pre-wedding festivities. But her diving
is less than ideal thanks to an obnoxious fellow diver. When someone kills him after a dive, Claire
is surprised to learn a dive guide she really likes is the suspect. Can she find evidence to clear his name?
Being a lover of all things aquatic, this book attracted my
attention when I first heard about it several years ago. But I just got a chance to read it. Sadly, it needed another couple of drafts to
polish things up. The pacing was way off
until we reached the final third of the book.
Claire was pretty selfish at times, and her actions didn’t always make
sense. The writing was rough at times as
well. However, the descriptions of the
diving were enough to make me want to plan a trip myself. Hopefully, the series gets better as it goes
along.
