June 2026's Reading Summary

We are half way through 2026.  A little scary, isn't it?  But that means it is time for the monthly reading summary for June.  And, after a couple of months, I did get my 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.

 

One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver (Electra McDonnell #5) – 3

Ellie McDonnell is getting ready to head to Portugal.  The country is neutral, and it is where people are expecting her cousin to head now that he’s rumored to have escaped.  The hope is that they can rescue these escapees and gain information on the route they took to escape, keeping it open for others.  While Major Ramsey is also on the mission, he isn’t in charge, which is a good thing since he has recently fired Ellie.  But once they’ve arrived, will they be able to get beyond the tension between them to complete their mission?

I was anxious to read this book after the cliffhangers we got at the end of book four.  The mission of this book gets off to a slow start with some repetitive action due to the focus on Ellie and Ramsey’s romance.  Sadly, I found it even more toxic than it had been previously.  When the mission picks up in the second half, I was hooked.  Fans will be satisfied with the resolution we get in this final book in the series.  I know I was.  That includes the storyline about Ellie’s parents.  I’m not sorry I read the series, I just wish I could have gotten behind the romance.

 

The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair (Sparks and Bainbridge Mysteries #5) – 3

Iris Sparks and Gwen Bainbridge’s latest client is unusual.  She wants them to find a wife for her husband.  You see, she’s dying from cancer and knows he will be alone without the help of the Right Sort Marriage Bureau.  But when she is found dead, Iris begins poking around to find out what happened to her.  Meanwhile, Gwen is focused on her court date to get her life back.

When this series is balancing the mystery with the main character’s storylines, it is wonderful.  But that’s not what we got here.  While there were some fun twists late in the book, it was too slow early on.  Iris isn’t given much in her personal life here, but she does a good job of driving the mystery.  The conclusion does tie things up, but I’m not sure I completely bought it.  Still, fans of the series will be happy to see what is happening with the characters.

 

Hot Stuff by Don Bruns (Stuff Series #6) – 4

When Skip is out with his girlfriend, Emily, at a fancy restaurant, the sous chef is stabbed. Emily and the victim, Amanda, had been friends, and she had set Amanda up with James on a couple of dates. The owner of the restaurant doesn’t trust the police to solve the case, so he hires Skip and James to go under cover in the kitchen to figure out if someone on the staff killed Amanda. But Emily is hiding something about Amanda. Can Skip and James solve the case without driving a wedge between Skip and Emily?

Over the course of the series, the characters have slowly matured, and that continues here, especially for Emily. A couple of the supporting players could have been a little stronger, however. After some initial pacing issues, the plot was solid and built to a logical conclusion. While not a cozy, the content wasn’t too bad overall. I enjoyed this one and am looking forward to seeing how this series wraps up. 

 

Crown of Chaos by Sarah E. Burr (Court of Mysteries #9) – 5

The war council is finally happening, and Jax is happy to be able to present the evidence of the treason that has been happening in the realm.  But even before the council gets started, Jax learns of betrayal among those she thought were allies.  The first session ends with no progress, but things only get worse when a fire and a murder complicate things.  Can Jax figure out what is happening?  Or is she in over her head?

The last few books have been building to this one (so don’t start here), and I was on board from the start.  The political intrigue and the murder mystery work well together, for a book I couldn’t put down until we reach the page turning climax.  We don’t see all of the regulars, although we do get some updates on them.  I am hoping that one storyline I haven’t been enjoying is heading toward a climax based on what happens here.  And I’m finding Jax a bit arrogant; I’m curious to see where that goes in future books.  And I will be picking up the next soon.  Fans of the series will be just as hooked as I was.

 

Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes – 3

You’ve never heard of McMasters, the secret college that teaches adults of all age how to get away with deleting someone, what we uninitiated would call murder.  This book, presented as an instructional book for those of us who can’t attend the university, has three case studies from three students in the 1950’s.  They all need to delete their bosses for various reasons.  Will they learn enough to help them?

I’d heard about this book for a while, and finally remembered to get it from the library.  Parts of it were fun, like the word play.  However, that didn’t carry on throughout the book, at least for me.  My biggest gripe is that trying to juggle three students made it hard to focus on and remember who all the players were in all three stories.  I think taking out one of the students would have helped.  Still, I did have fun with this book.  I’m glad I finally gave it a chance.

 

Lost and Clowned by Dana Mentink – 5

Pi Steely is the business manager for her uncle’s traveling circus.  They are spending their Christmas break in a small California coastal town, putting on a rare holiday performance while there.  The next morning, Pi finds a body on the beach.  The police think the someone in the troop could be responsible.  As Pi begins to dig in, she finds secrets from the past that might be related.  Can she figure out what is going on?

The characters are grounded for a circus setting; in fact, the book is a bit more serious in tone than I was expecting.  It took me a bit to get all the characters straight, but I was soon able to.  Pi felt a bit immature to me a time or two, but it was minor.  Likewise, the pacing stalled a couple of times, but nothing that lasted long.  There were some good surprises and twists along the way to the logical climax.  I enjoyed the Northern California setting.  This appears to be a rare cozy standalone, but if we get a sequel, I will gladly revisit these characters.  Those looking for an unusual cozy will be glad they picked this one up.

 

Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge (Phyllida Bright Mysteries #4) – 4

A producer is interested in turning one of Agatha Christie’s stories into a play, so housekeeper Phyllida Bright has reluctantly returned to London.  She’s hoping she can stay in the rented house supervising the household staff.  But that’s before Archibald Allston is found dead in an armchair on stage, and Phyllida is asked to figure out if foul play was involved.  She grows more suspicious when the actor playing Benvolio in a production of Romeo and Juliette is bludgeoned to death on the balcony the next day.  Can Phyllida discover what is happening before another death occurs?

Fans will know we’ve been given hints about Phyllida’s past before, but we get some answers in this book, which I enjoyed.  Enough of the staff come along for the trip, so that part feels like a normal part of the series.  And I’m curious to see what some of the developments mean for future books.  The mystery was a little focused on events over actual deduction, but there was still enough here to keep me entertained.  The ending, while being a little over dramatic, was also satisfying.  Fans will be happy with this entry in the series.

 

Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg (Edison Bixby #1) – 4

Edison Bixby is a brilliant detective who sees patterns others don’t is seemingly innocent “accidents.”  But a brain injury has left him with a poor filter.  Enter Wally Nash, a struggling actor who is his new assistant.  Their first case involves a woman who fell down an in-construction staircase in a mall.  Bixby quickly determines that it was murder. But can he find the killer?

The set up with these characters provides plenty of opportunities for comedy, and I enjoy much of it, although at times, it didn’t quite land.  Still, I enjoyed getting to know them.  While Bixby says some stuff he shouldn’t, I actually expected him to be pushing a few more boundaries.  And I am ready to move into his house!  The mystery kept me entertained, although I did feel the ending was a little weaker than it could be.  Overall, I enjoyed this new series and look forward to reading more about these characters.

 

The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly (Mickey Haller #6) – 4

Mickey is heading home after celebrating a rare win one night when he is pulled over.  He’s only annoyed until the cop starts insisting that he needs to open the trunk on Mickey’s car.  When he does, he finds a dead body inside.  While the victim was one of Mickey’s former clients, he hadn’t had contact with the man for several years.  Booked on murder charges, Mickey must win the case of his career.  But a not guilty won’t be good enough.  He needs to prove he is innocent to restore his reputation.  With his usual team behind him, can he do it?

I’ve been anxious to get to this book since it first came out.  I just had to get to the author’s books that come before this one first.  This one does have some serious spoilers for an early Mickey Haller book.  I was hooked from the beginning, and the pace never let up.  However, I did find Mickey’s opponents a bit weaker than they could have been, constantly doing the dumbest thing possible.  I’m also tired of the yo-yo with all of the author’s characters’ love lives.  Much of the book takes place in early 2020, and the coming pandemic adds to the intensity as the story goes along.  However, the political comments felt out of place to me.  Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I’m glad I have finally reached it.

 

The Quirky Quiz Show Caper by Sally Carpenter (Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries #4) – 4

One Monday, Sandy stops by a small local theater to talk about an upcoming appearance and to talk to his brother, Warren, who moonlights at the theater’s organist when he’s not teaching at a nearby college.  As Sandy is going to leave, he stumbles on a dead body in the building’s basement.  The victim turns out to be one of Warren’s students, and the evidence seems to be pointing to Warren.  Can Sandy find the killer before his brother goes down for a crime he didn’t commit?

Yes, I am teasing the right book. There is a quiz show, but it comes late to the story.  I wasn’t bored waiting to get there, and it did tie into the bigger mystery.  When we got to the climax, my questions about the plot were answered, but the way the villain tried to silence Sandy didn’t make any sense.  I like how we are slowly getting to know the people in Sandy’s life as the series progresses.  We get to see him in a different light as a result.  The characters were all good.  Yes, there were some obvious flaws to me, but overall, I enjoyed this book.

 

Pour Choices by Adrian Andover (Mixology Lounge Mysteries #2) – 5

It’s been a few months since Reece Parker opened Subplot, his literary themed speakeasy, and he’s trying new things to hopefully bring in customers.  One such experiment is a comedy night with standup comic Meghan Spencer.  The night appears to be a success, but the next morning, Reece’s best friend finds Meghan floating in the river.  In order to make sure his friend doesn’t wind up convicted of the crime, Reece jumps into the case.  But can we find the truth amidst all the lies?

The suspects do a great job of confusing things, and I had no idea exactly what was going on until we reached the end.  Once we did, everything made perfect sense.  I was a bit surprised at just how happy I was to be revisiting the characters and setting.  They were just as charming and cozy as I remembered.  I’d definitely love to visit Subplot if I could.  Reece’s new relationship with Julian wasn’t super surprising, but it is sweet.  Fans of the first will definitely enjoy this one as well.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Book Review: Pour Choices by Adrian Andover (Mixology Lounge Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great characters and a confusing mystery

Cons: Listing cons would be pour form

The Bottom Line:

Comic turns up dead

Case is no laughing matter

Can’t wait for the next

Laughing at Murder is a Poor Choice

I really enjoyed last year’s Whiskey Business, the debut from Adrian Andover.  And I wasn’t the only one since it has won both the Lefty and the Agatha for best first novel this year.  I was hoping that the follow up, Pour Choices, would be just as good.  Fortunately, it was.

The first book introduced us to Reece Parker, who has just opened Subplot, a literary themed speakeasy, in his hometown of Hope Mills, Pennsylvania.  He’s trying new things to promote his business, and as this book opens, he and his team are preparing for their first comedy night.  They’ve brought in up-and-coming comic Meghan Spencer.  While there are a few awkward moments, overall, the evening appears to be a success.

The next morning, however, Reece’s best friend finds Meghan’s body floating in the nearby Delaware River.  Not only does Reece want to make sure his friend doesn’t take the blame for the crime, but he is concerned his business will get a dark mark with another murder connected to it.  But it seems like each person he interviews just adds to his confusion.  Can he solve this murder?

The plot of this book is strong.  I’m not kidding about all the confusion that Reece encounters as he tries to unravel this second murder.  I was kept guessing since I was just as confused as Reece was.  However, he does begin to unravel things, and when we reached the climax, everything made sense.  And the climax has me turning pages as quickly as possible.

My favorite series are the ones that create a sense of community filled with characters we can’t wait to spend more time visiting.  That’s already present with this series.  In fact, I was a little surprised at just how much I felt it after just one book.  We got to spend more time with all the supporting players we met in the first book, and I enjoyed getting to know them better.  While the romantic subplot involving Reece’s potential love interest, Julian, wasn’t super surprising, I still enjoyed it.

And what reader wouldn’t love a literally themed speakeasy?  The names of the drinks are fantastic.  I like that we have non-alcoholic drinks as well.  There are definitely a couple I’d like to try if Subplot were a real place.

Pour Choices is going to please all the Adrian Andover’s fans and win him some new ones.  Grab your favorite beverage and prepare for a fun second mystery.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

TV Show Review: Murder, She Wrote - Season 10

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Jessica still solving murders each week

Cons: Not as charming as earlier seasons

The Bottom Line:

Still solving murders

Not as charming as before

But still worth watching

“Sheriff, Would You Mind if I Called Boston?”  “When You Get That Look, What Am I Going to Say?”

With it being summer, it is time for my annual season of Murder, She Wrote.  This year, we are hitting double digits with season 10 of the show.  Honestly, my thoughts from last year haven’t changed that much – the show is still enjoyable, but it has lost the spark it once had.

Of course, the premise remains the same.  The show follows mystery writer Jessica Fletcher, as played by Angela Lansbury, as she works to solve the murders she keeps stumbling upon in real life.  They may happen in her home town of Cabot Cove, Maine, in her new life in New York City, or anywhere in the world where she is visiting family and friends.

What is new for the 1993-1994 season is the new series opening.  For the first time, we see Jessica writing on her new computer during these quick snippets.  Of course, it does start with the iconic shot of her on her type writer, but then, we switch things up.

What kind of cases does Jessica deal with this season?  While visiting friends in Hong Kong, she gets involved in a kidnapping and murder.  When she writes the script for a virtual reality mystery game, she gets involved in a murder at the game company.  Murder and horse racing go together again.  A trip to London to help with a stage adaptation of one of her books finds her clearing an actress friend of murder.  And a trip to visit friends in Texas finds her clearing them of murder.

I didn’t count, but a good portion of the episodes this season take place in New York City.  Four of them find her working with Detective Artie Gelber, as played by Herb Edelman.  I was surprised to realize how few episodes of the show he did as Artie because I loved his character.  He always had some storyline going on as he was involved in the case.  Anyway, highlights of the New York City episodes included one involving racing pigeons, a musical maestro found dead in Jessica’ apartment building, and the murder of Jessica’s editor.

And, there are five Cabot Cove episodes this season.  In the first, Jessica is worried that her contractor is distracted by another client – until that client is found with a stake through his heart.  Jessica comes to town to confront her accountant about why he isn’t paying her bills.  A trip to throw a surprise party for her good friend Dr. Seth Hazlitt (William Windom) finds her getting involved in a case of petty theft and murder.  On one visit, there is a rumored prowler in town; then Seth disappears.  Finally, a carnival in town brings Sheriff Mort Metzger’s (Ron Masak) old girlfriend to town.  And, of course, murder.

It’s time to update my stats on the murder rate in Cabot Cove.  As I like to point out, there weren’t as many episodes in the small village as people try to claim.  5 of the 21 episodes this season take place there, 4 of them featuring residents and one focused on a group that comes to town.  We are up to 44.5 murders in Cabot Cove over ten seasons, 31 involving residents, and 14 involving strangers.  At this point, Jessica has solved 203 murders, meaning that 21.9% of the murders she’s solved have been in that community, up slightly from last season.  That’s not too bad, right?

I do feel the show has lost some of it’s spark this late in the series.  Most shows do if they are lucky to continue on this long, so that’s hardly a surprise.  Part of it is the reduced schedule that Angela Lansbury needed to keep from burning out.  She is the heart of the show, so having her in fewer scenes per episode cut down on the charm.  Again this season, we don’t see her with any relatives, just friends.

I also realized another issue is that, in the Cabot Cove episodes, we only see Mort and Seth this season.  We don’t see any of the other residents we’d gotten to know.  I miss them.

As always, I recognized some of the guest stars.  Among the stand out for me were David Warner, Alan Thicke, Kevin Sorbo, Tippi Hedren, Sean O'Bryan, Mickey Rooney, Shawnee Smith, Morgan Fairchild, Robin Sachs, Denise Gentile, Loretta Swit, Matt Mulhern, Lisa Wilcox, Robert Beltran, Kate Mulgrew, Ethan Embry (as Ethan Randall), Jay Underwood, Joanna Cassidy, and Patrick Cassidy.  Jeff Conaway also showed up again, but not as Jessica’s nephew-in-law Howard Griffin but a new character.  Finally of note, the season finale included Ron Masak’s new son-in-law Jimi Defilippis.  And yes, they do have scenes together.

While I keep saying that the show has lost some of its charm, it isn’t all gone.  Angela Lansbury is still wonderful as Jessica.  The guest cast entertains.  And it’s fun to see if you can figure things out before Jessica.  Even having seen these episodes before (granted, it’s been a long time), I usually can’t.

As I mentioned earlier, there were 21 episodes this season.  The DVD release includes all of them, but a bonus episode from season 11.  No, I didn’t watch it, so I’m a little unsure why it was included.  I’m waiting until next summer to watch season 11.

So, fans will enjoy sitting down with season 10 of Murder, She Wrote.  Even 10 years in, the show still entertains.

June 28th's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to another Sunday/Monday Post, where I will be linking up to:

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

I'm typing this up a little early this week since I'm going to the beach with friends on Saturday, and I don't want to have it worry about it then.  So I'm typing it up on Friday.

Wednesday night, I met up with a couple of friends for dinner.  It was nice to catch up.  We were there about four hours, and the time just flew by.

Thursday was another trip to the lake to paddle board.  This time, it was solo, but it was still nice.

And, an update about the package I ranted about last week.  They finally shipped it on Monday, six days after I ordered it.  But they shipped it from several states away not the neighboring city I expected, so I finally got it Friday.  But I have it!

Joke of the Week:

Luke and Obi-Wan are in a Chinese restaurant having a meal. Skillfully using his chopsticks, Obi-Wan deftly dishes a large portion of noodles into his bowl and tops it with some chicken and cashew nuts.  All this is done with the consummate ease you’d expect from a Jedi Master. Meanwhile, Luke is using his chopsticks in both hands, dropping food all over. Obi-Wan looks at Luke disapprovingly and say, “Use the forks, Luke.”

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Ornament Review: Two Turtle Doves

Tuesday - Book Review: Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg

Wednesday - Book Review: The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly

Thursday - Book Review: The Quirky Quiz Show Caper by Sally Carpenter

Friday - Friday Post featuring Murder at Ochre Court

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - TV Show Review: Murder, She Wrote - Season 10

Tuesday - Book Review: Pour Choices by Adrian Andover

Wednesday - June Reading Summary

Thursday - Book Review: Murder at Ochre Court by Alyssa Maxwell

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Another week, another four books to talk about.

Up first is Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku.  I recently heard some good things about this debut, and then the ebook went on sale, so I snagged it.

Up next, my preorder of The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood arrived early.  The release date, at least here in the states, is July 7th.  But, as long as I got it early, I went ahead and read it.  I really enjoyed it!  Now, I need to write my review, but I won't post it until the 7th, so I've got a little time yet.

I also ordered two other books this week, which just arrived on Friday.  The first of those is City of Fallen Angels by Paul Buchanan.  It's a historical set in LA in the 1960's.  I'd heard about it a while ago and it sounded good.  I found a decent deal on it, so I snagged it.

I also got Go F@!k Yourself, the third Jimmy Cooper Mystery from Lawrence Allan.  No, it's not quite my normal read, but I do enjoy the humor of these mysteries.  I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to Jimmy here.

What I'm Currently Reading:

Friday, I got about a quarter of the way into Lie Down with Dogs by Liz Milliron.  This is book 5 in her Laurel Highlands series.  If you've been paying attention the last few months, you know how much I enjoy these books and am enjoying catching up on the series.  So far, this one is no exception.  I'm not sure how much reading time I'll really have this weekend, but I'm pretty sure I'll still be working on it on Monday.  Honestly, I'll be happy if I can finish it  off on Monday.

Have a great week!

June 27th's Weekly TV Thoughts

America Ninja Warrior – It always hurts me to see someone who finished not move on.  That was my issue with the first half.  I was glad at least one person fell in each race.  The triple races were fun, but again, I’m not a fan of being forced to go so fast.  I was glad to see some favorites that moved on.  I’m guessing it will be August before we get to the National finals and see them again.

June 26th's Friday Post

Welcome to Friday!  Time for this week's Friday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

The teasers for the first three will be coming from Murder at Ochre Court, the sixth Gilded Newport Mystery from Alyssa Maxwell.

Here's how the book begins:

"Take my advice, Miss Cross, and marry a rich man. Then you may do whatever you like?"

Considering the romantic storyline in the series, that really got my attention.

Meanwhile, on page 56, we find this:

"Where and when Dale Hanson is moved is entirely up to his doctor," I said while Hannah gaped at him. I couldn't blame her.
"And to the police," Griggson corrected me.

I've enjoyed this one, and I'll be reviewing it next Thursday.

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

Do you prefer writing long, detailed reviews or quick, punchy ones? 

Depends on who you ask if my reviews are long or short.  (And yes, I know I have a long one this week.)  I prefer to think of them are quick and punchy but detailed.  Hopefully, that also makes them helpful.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Book Review: The Quirky Quiz Show Caper by Sally Carpenter (Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: More of Sandy’s family; overall, a good mystery

Cons: Quiz show comes in late; issue with the climax

The Bottom Line:

His brother accused

Sandy must find a killer

Good despite some flaws

Does Sandy Know the Answer to the Big Question?

It’s been almost a year since I checked in with Sandy Fairfax.  So when I finally got my hands on book four in the series, The Quirky Quiz Show Caper, I decided to dive right in.

If you have yet to meet Sandy, he was a teen idol in the 70’s, complete with a TV show (where he played a teen detective) and several number 1 singles on the radio.  Sadly, he spent the 80’s making headlines for all the wrong reasons, but it’s now November of 1993, and Sandy is trying to rebuild his personal and professional lives.  What he’s discovered is that the comeback trail is littered with dead bodies.

One Monday, Sandy stops by a small local theater to talk about an upcoming appearance and to talk to his brother, Warren, who moonlights at the theater’s organist when he’s not teaching at a nearby college.  As Sandy is going to leave, he stumbles on a dead body in the building’s basement.  The victim turns out to be one of Warren’s students, and the evidence seems to be pointing to Warren.  Can Sandy find the killer before his brother goes down for a crime he didn’t commit?

Now, I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself, “Mark, isn’t the title of this book something about a quiz show?  Why didn’t you mention it in your plot teaser?”  There is a quiz show that Sandy has agreed to appear on as a celebrity panelist.  And it does play into the mystery.  While it is set up early on, we don’t really get to it until the second half of the book.  It does feel a little weird to me for the title namesake to be sidelined for so long.

This isn’t to say we were spinning our wheels until we got to the quiz show.  There were plenty of motives and suspects before that part of the book came into play.  This added another layer to the mystery that helped keep me engaged.  It really does work even if it seems a little odd to me.

My other issue with the book is the climax.  I bought the identity of the killer and the motive.  As far as my questions go, they were all answered.  All my issues had to do with how the villain tried to silence Sandy.  It makes no sense!  But maybe that’s just me.

Over the course of the series, we’ve slowly been getting to know the people in Sandy’s life.  This is the first time that Warren has gotten much page time.  And we got to know his parents better as well.  I appreciate how these characters were brought to life and what they showed us about Sandy.  This approach has been nice since it meant we weren’t overwhelmed with supporting characters early on.

To be clear, I did enjoy this book.  The flaws are obvious, but they are minor.

I’m glad I got the chance to catch up with Sandy.  As long as you go into The Quirky Quiz Show Caper with the right expectations, you’ll enjoy it as well.

Be sure to read the rest of the Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries.

Book Review: The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly (Mickey Haller #6)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Mickey and team in another tense legal thriller

Cons: His opponents are weak; some other minor things

The Bottom Line:

Mickey a killer?

Story is hard to put down

But I do see flaws

Does the Lincoln Lawyer Have a Fool for a Client?

When The Law of Innocence came out in 2020, I was excited.  Michael Connelly’s Mickey Haller books were the first of his books I’d read, and we hadn’t gotten a new book focused on him for multiple years at that point.  However, since I was going through all of Michael Connelly’s books in publication order by that point, it’s taken me until just now to get to it.

This series is the author’s legal thrillers, and Mickey is a defense lawyer.  While this is officially book six in the series, Mickey has shown up in several of the Harry Bosch books, and Bosch plays a role in this book.  It’s why I went back to the beginning so I could truly follow these relationships.  Additionally, this plot is more of a direct sequel to an earlier Mickey Haller book.  No, I’m not going to name the book since that would spoil things in both books.  So, I don’t recommend jump in here.

Mickey is heading home after celebrating a rare win one night when he is pulled over.  He’s only annoyed until the cop starts insisting that he needs to open the trunk on Mickey’s car.  When he does, he finds a dead body inside.  While the victim was one of Mickey’s former clients, he hadn’t had contact with the man for several years.  Booked on murder charges, Mickey must win the case of his career.  But a not guilty won’t be good enough.  He needs to prove he is innocent to restore his reputation.  With his usual team behind him, can he do it?

That premise has intrigued me since I first heard about it, and the book wastes little time jumping into the story.  Needless to say, I was hooked right away, and I didn’t find the book suffered too much from pacing.  There were plenty of twists, setbacks, and revelations to keep me entertained.  I always had a hard time when it was time to stop.

As much as I have enjoyed these books starring Mickey in the past, I have been bothered by them at times.  With this book, I think I figured out a reason why.  In order for us to get the maximum legal thrills, the prosecution and police need to become dumb.  They are constantly doing the worst things they can do.  Yes, it complicates things for Mickey, but could they not possibly see they are missing some key things?  I’ve often said that the only way I can win Chess is if my opponent does the worst possible thing for him or her every move, and that’s what this felt like.  Now, maybe I noticed this because we didn’t have a client to complicate Mickey’s life here, so we had to focus a bit more on the prosecution and detectives than we normally would.  And, since we knew Mickey hadn’t done it, maybe that made their actions that much stupider.  Still, these characters felt more like strawmen than real characters.

I also found Mickey’s complaints about the tricks the prosecution plays in building their case a bit hypocritical, something that often bothers me in the series since he does his best to hide things as well. 

On the other hand, it was great to see Mickey and his team again.  We haven’t seen much of his supporting characters since his last starring novel.  It may have been a few years, but I felt right back at home with all of them.

Having said that, I do wish Michael Connelly would learn how to write a decent romance for any of his characters.  The constant yo-yo is getting old in all his books.  It makes it hard to root for anyone to get together since you know it won’t last.

As I said at the outset, this novel came out back in 2020 – the second half of the year, to be specific.  That’s important since the novel is set in the very early parts of 2020.  And yes, the novel does work in several things going on, most notably the start of Covid.  While I did feel some of the political jabs were uncalled for in this setting, I did find the coming pandemic to add to the pressure Mickey was under.  He might not know he had to win his case by a certain time, but we did.

As can sometimes happen in the books in this series, a couple of things were left dangling.  No, it wasn’t lazy writing, they were addressed as unresolved as things wound down.  I’m not quite used to that in most of the books I read, but it felt realistic to me in this case.

And yes, this book does have a bit more language than most of what I read, but not an excessive amount.

Since Michael Connelly is one of my audio authors, I got to enjoy Peter Giles’s narration again.  He does a great job, especially in the court room scenes, which feature lots of back and forth, often without a bunch of dialogue tags.  Yet, I always knew who was speaking.  And he incorporates the right amount of acting without overpowering the words.

Yes, The Law of Innocence was worth the wait.  While I noticed flaws, they didn’t hamper my overall enjoyment of this tense legal thriller.

Be sure to settle in for the rest of the Mickey Haller books.

Book Review: Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg (Edison Bixby #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun new characters in an interesting mystery

Cons: Some of the humor doesn’t work, the ending was a little weak for me

The Bottom Line:

A tricky murder

Can Bixby catch the killer?

Fun series debut

Has Someone Designed the Perfect Murder?

I’ve been reading Lee Goldberg for years.  While there are a few of his earlier books I still haven’t gone back to read, I automatically start any new series he comes out with.  So, reading Murder By Design, the first in a new series, was a no brainer for me.

This book introduces us to Edison Bixby, a brilliant and handsome detective who, due to being shot while on the job with the LAPD, has a condition that makes him say whatever he is thinking.  His rudeness led to him being let go from the Los Angeles police department, but he works as an investigator for an insurance company.  In classic mystery fashion, he has an assistant, and the book is told from that assistant’s point of view.  In this case, it is aspiring actor Wally Nash, the latest in a line of assistants who are supposed to help smooth over Bixby’s interactions.

Wally has barely started with the pair get their first case.  A woman died in a Southern California mall due to a poorly built step in some new construction, and the insurance company wants to use Bixby’s incredibly mind for spotting design flaws to make sure it truly was negligence before they pay out.  However, what Bixby finds is evidence of something much more nefarious.  Is he right that it was murder?  If so, can he find the person behind it?

This book knows where it stands in the pantheon of mystery fiction, and it doesn’t pretend that the brilliant detective with the sidekick is anything new, referencing a few of those pairings.  And no, Bixby isn’t just a clone of Monk, although there are certainly some similarities.  Wally is an over thinking actor, and his contributions to the case and the book are fun.

I will say, for someone with a brain injury that makes him impulsively rude, I found many of Bixby’s insulting comments to be rather mild.  I’m not saying they are okay, but they definitely could have been worse.  So don’t let that keep you from picking up the book.

There is a lot of humor in this book, and it often worked for me.  I laughed and smiled as I read through the story.  There are a few times when the book was trying to be clever and funny, and it didn’t work.  That’s par for the course in Lee’s books.

And the mystery itself?  I enjoyed it with plenty to keep me engaged.  I did feel the ending was a little weak, but that might just be me.

This isn’t a cozy mystery, but the non-cozy content never gets excessive.

Oh, and I have to mention Bixby’s house.  I so want to move in!

This new series is set in the same world as the author’s Eve Ronin books since a supporting character from that series has a cameo here.  I wonder if that will play into any future books in either series.  But don’t worry, you can pick this up without knowing anything about that series and follow this story perfectly.

Overall, I enjoyed Murder by Design.  I’m not sure how many books this premise will support, but I am looking forward to finding out.

Ornament Review: Two Turtle Doves - Twelve Days of Christmas #2 - 2025 Hallmark Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great looking ornament 

Cons: A bit bigger than I like

The Bottom Line:

Turtle doves couple

Basis for series second

Still large but looks good

Loving This Second Twelve Days Ornament

I’m laughing at myself. First, I said I wasn’t starting the new Twelve Days of Christmas series that Hallmark started in 2024. Then, I got the first ornament after Christmas and I told myself I would see how I felt the next year whether I continued it or not. At least I waited until after Christmas to buy Two Turtle Doves. 

This new take on the series is using papercraft elements. The shape of the ornament is a giant window shape. Right in the middle, we have the two birds. One is in front of the other, but they are positioned in their nest so that they are looking at each other. Surrounding them we have music and evergreen tree branches. And up at the top is a hole that lets some light into the ornament, depending on how you position it. 

I really do like the style of this series. I’m not sold on papercraft for everything, but as another stylized take on the familiar song, it works well. The birds are a pretty lavender color. 

My issue with the series continues to be the size. This is the larger size ornaments that Hallmark sometimes does. I can see why they went with it here, but still, it takes up a lot of area on my trees. 

In addition to the series marker, but back of the ornament contains the full verse of the song.

The ornament comes with a ribbon already in it. No surprise that it hangs straight. The base is wide enough that you could set this out to be displayed if you wanted.  A good bump could cause it to tip over, but it should be stable in most situations.

Yeah, I think I’m in for the next ten years to get the rest of this series. With the increases in price we got last year, that’s going to be expensive.

But that’s future me’s problem. For now, I’m glad I snagged Two Turtle Doves. 

Check out the rest of this Twelve Days of Christmas series.