We are half way through the year. Rather hard to believe, isn't it? 2022 is just flying by. But, since it's the end of June, that must mean it is time for my reading summary for the month. I feel like the books were a bit more all over the place than normal. Or, I was just being a little pickier. Or both. It's completely possible that it is both. I also read a lot of first in series - more than I typically would. I started a couple of series I've been meaning to try and a couple of favorite authors started new series.
Anyway, here is what I read in June. And the index is updated.
Links take you to the full review. All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).
Murder on Union Square by Victoria Thompson
(Gaslight Mysteries #21) – 4
Frank and Sarah are upset to learn they can’t legally adopt
Catherine, the little girl that Sarah has been caring for for several years,
because, in the eyes of the law, Parnell Vaughn is her legal father. Fortunately, the actor is willing to sign his
rights over to Frank and Sarah, but his fiancée wants some money from
them. When Frank goes back to deliver
the payment and get Parnell’s signature, he finds the actor dead in his
dressing room. With Frank accused of the
crime, he and Sarah have to clear his name.
Who really murdered Parnell?
It's always a pleasure to pop back in on Sarah and Frank in
1899 New York City, and this book was no exception. I love the characters. As is often the case these days, we get parts
of the story from four different points of view, and it is always easy to tell
when we switch from one to the other. I
did feel the plot wasn’t quite as good as usual for this series. There are a few twists and a strong climax,
but it got bogged down in the middle.
Still, fans will be happy to spend time with these characters we
love. I know I did.
Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan – 3
Lily Atwood is living a charmed life. A TV reporter with awards and millions of
fans by day, she is a devoted single mother to a charming seven-year-old
daughter by night. Her fans think she
has it all, and Lily works hard to project that. Things take a turn when her latest anonymous
source starts feeding her secrets from her own life. Can Lily keep her perfect life?
The book started well, and I was quickly pulled in. The use of multiple narrators and a large
chunk back in the past was easy to follow thanks to headings at the start of
every chapter. However, as I got further
into the book, I started to get more frustrated. A whiney character was annoying, and I felt
like some of the book was driven by manufactured suspense. If the characters would just listen to each
other, they’d get the answers they wanted.
Having said that, one twist got a gasp out of me near the end. The ending was a bit of a letdown since it
left me wondering what the point was.
All told, this was a mixed bag.
Bayou Book Thief by Ellen Byron (Vintage
Cookbook Mysteries #1) – 4
Ricki James-Diaz is looking to start over in New Orleans,
and her interest in opening a vintage cookbook store is a perfect match for the
Bon Vee Culinary House Museum. As she
gets to know her new coworkers, she quickly realizes just how much of a grump Franklin
Finbloch is. Still, the man isn’t fired
until he is caught trying to steal from Ricki’s new gift shop. Then his body turns up in what Ricki thought
was a trunk of books donated to Bon Vee.
With the suspicion falling on people Ricki was beginning to consider friends,
she jumps in to figure out what really happened. Will she solve the case?
As is often the case with a series debut, the beginning was
a little slow as it set up the premise of the series and began introducing us
to the characters. The ending was a bit
abrupt, although everything that happened did follow logically from what came
before. And what came before? It was wonderful, with plenty of twists to
keep me engaged. The sub-plots helped as
well. Ricki has quite the interesting
background, and I appreciated how it was doled out as we needed it. Being a series debut, the potential series
regulars also serve as suspects, and that made me care about the outcome that
much more. Naturally, there are recipes
at the end, but in a twist that fits this book, all six are from vintage cookbooks. This is a fun series debut. I’m already looking forward to revisiting
Ricki again soon.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
The Navigator’s Daughter by Nancy Cole
Silverman (Kat Lawsone Mysteries #1) – 4
When Kat Lawson’s father gets a letter from the DOD that
someone has found the wreckage of his downed plane from World War II, he asks
Kat to go to Hungary and take pictures of it for him and find out what happened
to the people who rescued him. Since
Kat’s personal life is in a state of flux, she agrees. What she finds when she gets there are people
who are almost too willing to help her.
Are they up to something? What
will she learn about her father’s past?
This book takes place in 1996 and the setting just after
Russia had left Hungary makes for an entertaining read. It allows us to get caught up in not only
what happened to these characters during World War II, but also in the decades
since. Honestly, if the book had stayed
focused on that, I would have been completely satisfied with it. There is a crime fiction element, but it came
across more as a sub-plot, and I felt it was a little forced into the
book. However, it appears to be setting
up future books in the series, and I will definitely be back for them. I enjoyed getting to know Kat and watching
her grow as the book progressed. The
other characters helped pull me into the story.
This is a promising debut that I enjoyed.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
The Tuesday Night Survivors’ Club by Lynn
Cahoon (Survivors’ Book Club Mysteries #1) – 4
After surviving cancer, Rarity Cole moves to Sedona,
Arizona, and opens a bookstore. One of
her ideas for connecting with the community is to start a book club for other
cancer survivors. However, when Martha,
one of the members, misses a meeting, Rarity becomes concerned. Can she and the other members figure out what
happened to Martha?
I’ve been meaning to read one of Lynn Cahoon’s books for
years, and I figured the start of a new series was a great time to do just
that. Overall, I did enjoy the book. I did find the characters’ motivation for
investigating the crime weak. On the
other hand, I really liked the four main characters. The rest of the cast could be stronger, but
that will come as the series progresses, right?
I did find a few unfortunate errors in the book that should have been
caught with good editing – a timeline issue and something setup that was
dropped. I did get pulled into the
plot. I pegged the killer a little
early, but I didn’t have the motive figured out until Rarity put it
together. I completely enjoyed the
setting and I’m ready to go visit Sedona.
The cancer survivor hook was good as well. I’ll definitely be back to visit these
characters again.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Up to No Gouda by Linda Reilly (Grilled Cheese
Mysteries #1) – 4
After losing her husband, Carly Hale has moved back to
Balsam Dell, Vermont, and followed her dream by opening Carly’s Grilled Cheese
Eatery. Her new business is threatened
when the building it is in is bought by her high school boyfriend, Lyle
Bagley. Lyle wants her to move out so he
can turn it into a clothing boutique for his fiancée. The day after Lyle makes his announcement, he
is found behind Carly’s restaurant. When
her server becomes the prime suspect, Carly starts investigating. Can she figure out what really happened?
What lover of culinary cozies could resist a book featuring
grilled cheese as the hook? Not me! I’m glad I picked it up. The cast is filled with some unique
characters for a cozy mystery – or at least a slight twist on the normal
characters we’d see, and I really enjoyed that.
Carly herself is an entertaining and engaging lead character. The pacing was slow a few times, but overall,
this was a solid mystery with plenty of suspects and a couple of nice twists on
the way to a surprising conclusion. And
yes, you’ll find three grilled cheese sandwich recipes at the end to satisfy
your cravings. I will definitely be
returning to find out what Carly gets up to next.
Island of Thieves by Glen Erik Hamilton (Van
Shaw #6) – 5
Van Shaw has been hired by an eccentric businessman to
assess the security of the art gallery on his private island during a several
day business meeting being hosted there.
Van isn’t sure he believes the story he’s been given, but the money is
good, so he agrees to the job. When he
arrives, he finds the man’s normal security forces more hostile than
expected. Then he finds a dead body on
the beach. What has Van stumbled into
this time?
I picked up this book expecting another thrilling adventure,
and I wasn’t disappointed. The plot was
a little slow in the set up, but once it got going, there were plenty of twists
and action to keep us engaged. I was
surprised to see the book switch to third person point of view, which made it a
little harder than I expected to connect with Van again, but the multiple
points of view we had for the climax made it clear why this book needed that
switch. And the changes from one point
of view to another were always easy to follow.
I did have a little trouble connecting the characters to which side they
were on, but that might be me. We do see
some of the other series regulars, and I love how they bring out other sides in
Van. Overall, this is another great
entry in the series. If you are a fan of
thrillers and you haven’t started these books yet, do so today.
The Drowning Sea by Sarah Stewart Taylor
(Maggie D’Arcy #3) – 3
After quitting her job, Maggie D’Arcy is spending her summer
in Ireland with her daughter, her boyfriend, Conor, and his son, as they get
serious about Maggie and her daughter moving to Ireland. They’ve rented a cottage on a West Cork
peninsula, but their vacation hits a snag when the body of a young man who
disappeared months ago washes ashore.
Even though Maggie isn’t a cop, she can’t help but ask questions. Where has he been for the last few
months? Who would want him dead? Can Maggie find the answers even without her
badge?
Since I’ve enjoyed the first two books in this series, I was
curious to see where the series was going to go in this book. Once again, the writing was atmospheric and
made me feel like I was there with Maggie.
The characters are well drawn, although I did have a little trouble
keeping all the relationships of the villagers straight. Still, I loved getting to spend time with the
core cast again. Unfortunately, the
pacing of the book was off, lagging at times in the middle and leaving us with
a weak climax, although the climax did answer all our questions. The book is written in present tense, and it
took my brain a bit to adjust to that.
Most of the story is told from Maggie’s first-person point of view, but
we do get some chapters from other characters’ points of view to help flesh
things out. Fans of the series will be
glad they picked up this book.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Scone Cold Killer by Lena Gregory (All-Day
Breakfast Café Mysteries #1) – 4
Gia Morelli is trying to put her ex-husband’s financial
scandal behind her as she moves from New York City to central Florida. Not only is she closer to her best friend,
but she’s opening her own diner, the All-Day Breakfast Café. Her first day ends horribly, however, when
she finds her ex in the dumpster behind the restaurant. What was he doing in Florida? Who killed him?
I love breakfast, so the hook of this series definitely
appealed to me. While Gia’s phobias were
a little over the top for me, I loved the character’s overall. The relationships Gia is forming are strong,
and I can’t wait to spend more time with everyone. The story starts quickly, but it could have
been a little stronger overall. Still, I
couldn’t put the book down, finishing it in just a couple of days. Sadly, we don’t get any breakfast food
recipes here, but the food talk definitely made me crave breakfast while I was
reading. Overall, this was a solid
debut, and I would definitely enjoy spending more time with the characters in
the future.
22 Seconds by James Patterson and Maxine
Paetro (Women’s Murder Club #22) – 1
With the crackdown in cities all across the country on guns,
things are tense, and San Francisco is no exception. San Francisco Homicide Detective Lindsay
Boxer is doing her part to collect the now illegal guns until she starts
hearing rumors about a coming shipment of illegal guns and drugs coming into
the state from Mexico. Soon, she is
working on this, hoping to stop it before the guns and drugs are disbursed
throughout the entire country. Can she
stop it?
I realize I can’t blame the authors that this book felt
ripped from recent headlines with guns once again being at the forefront, but
that timing was off-putting to me from the start. Unfortunately, it went downhill from
there. The rest of the women were given
very little to do, one of them just getting a glorified cameo. The characters are two dimensional at best,
which is nothing new. The star of the
book is supposed to be the story, but it’s just a mess. There are too many angles, and the conclusion
does a poor job of tying things together.
Worse yet, a character in danger early on is suddenly fine with no
explanation of what happened. Another
plot point is dropped in a similar manner.
Then there’s the geography errors that 5 minutes research would have
fixed for them. We’ll see how I am
feeling next spring, but I’m thinking this may be my last visit with the
ladies.
Charlie Thorne and the Curse of Cleopatra by
Stuart Gibbs (Charlie Thorne #3) – 4
Charlie Thorne is once again on her own, and she’s decided
to find out what Cleopatra left behind over two thousand years ago. To do so, she needs to slip into the
apartment of a rich Egyptian playboy.
Naturally, things don’t go as planned, and Charlie finds herself being
chased by not only the man’s security, but several different countries’
agents. Can she dodge them and still
find what Cleopatra left behind?
This series has a couple of issues for me. One is Charlie, who can come across as a
perfect character for far too long.
Eventually, we do see some weaknesses, but it takes a while. I suspect this is something that adults will
pick on more than kids do. Then there’s
the data dumps. We need some of that
information to have the context for the action, but it can get to be a bit
much. However, overall, I do like these
books, and this one in particular. There
are plenty of action sequences and twists.
I’m curious where the series is going to go from here. I like the core cast, yes, even Charlie. And I mentioned the action, right? Fans of good stories will enjoy this book.
Muddled Through by Barbara Ross (Maine
Clambake Mysteries #10) – 5
Spring usually means that Julia Snowden is trying to get
ready for the busy season with her family’s clambake, but this year, she is
being distracted by local politics.
Specifically, there is the heated debate in town about turning the
downtown area into a pedestrian mall on Friday and Saturday nights during the
tourist season. On opposite sides of the
issue are business neighbors Zoey Butterfield, who owns the pottery story where
Julia’s sister works, and Phinney Hardison.
When Zoey’s story is vandalized, the only motive she can think of is
this controversy. Then a dead body is
found. Is local politics the motive for
the violence? Or is something else going
on?
I’ve been anxiously waiting for this book since the last one
came out. Yes, we do get to the
storylines left open from the previous book, and I was actually impressed with
the growth in Julia that came out of them.
Of course, the book left me wondering where we were going to go next,
but that’s a good thing. Yes, if you are
new to the series, you could jump in here, but you’ll appreciate the growth
better if you’ve read the earlier books.
This is such a great series you’ll be glad you did. As always, Julia leads a great cast of new
and returning characters, and I loved spending time with them. The mystery for this book is strong, and I
was once again amazed at how everything was plotted when I reached the
end. Fans will be happy with this
book. If that isn’t you, fix that today.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
A Test of Wills by Charles Todd (Inspector
Ian Rutledge Mysteries #1) – 3
Ian Rutledge has returned from the Great War, and is back at
his old job at Scotland Yard. However,
he is still dealing with the horrors of what he saw and did during his five
years away. His first case back takes
him to a small village that has asked for help after a beloved colonel was shot
on his estate. Rutledge quickly realizes
the political ramifications of the case, but can he figure out really happened?
I’ve heard about this series for a long time. I suspected it would be too dark for me, but
I decided to try it anyway. Sadly, this
is definitely darker than my normal choices.
Rutledge and several other characters are dealing with some serious
consequences of war. It’s realistic, but
dark. On the other hand, Rutledge is an
interesting character, partially because of this darkness. Where the novel really fails is the
plot. After a good start, it bogs down
in the middle before giving us a whiplash climax. It is logical, but too abrupt. I’m glad I gave the series a try, but I doubt
I will be back.
