Book Review: Death of a Bad Penny by A. M. Loweecey (Moonlighting Mysteries #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun story with interesting leads

Cons: Some boorish behavior, and reactions to it, early on

The Bottom Line:

Ex-husband’s murder

Puts Cordelia in danger

A fun new series

Beware of Ex-Husbands

When I saw A. M. Loweecey’s name pop up with a new book, I immediately knew I wanted to read it.  I’d enjoyed many of the books she wrote as Alice Loweecey featuring a former nun turned PI.  So, naturally, I didn’t hesitate to read Death of a Bad Penny, the first in the new Moonlighting Mysteries.

The book introduces us to Cordelia West.  Cordelia is a teacher, and with summer just starting, she’s looking forward to a couple of weeks off before her summer courses start.  But, when she takes a break from grading finals to get lunch at a favorite restaurant, she gets the surprise of her life when her ex-husband shows up.  She’s hasn’t seen him since he left six years ago.  He’s dying, but before he does, he slips something into one of Cordelia’s pockets.  Unfortunately, the person behind his death think Cordelia knows more than she does.  Teaming up with Cesare Bruno, a detective she doesn’t know, Cordelia goes on the run, hoping to figure out what to do.  Can she stay alive long enough to solve the case?

If you haven’t figured it out yet, this book is much more a caper than a typical cozy mystery.  Not that I’m complaining.  It just means I have different expectations on how the plot will unfold when I pick it up.

And if are in the mood for a caper, you’ll enjoy it completely.  Between trying to piece together what is happening and the complications that Cordelia and Cesare face, anytime I thought they might be stuck, something unexpected would arise and keep me engaged.  The climax was completely logical, and I was satisfied when I put the book down.

I’ll admit, I was put off a little by both Cesare and Cordelia when they first met.  Cesare was way too boorish to the point of being almost cartoonish.  Yet Cordelia was way too easily offended by his boorish behavior.  Fortunately, it wasn’t long before those sharp edges started to be smoothed over as they learned to get along.

Overall, I liked both of them, which is good since the book really focuses on them.  We mostly spend time with them as they are running around trying to figure out how to stop what is going on.  We meet a few characters along the way, and they also come to life given the limited page time they have.

In the midst of everything, there’s some humor.  I especially enjoyed the banter between Cordelia and Cesare once they started to get along.

And I was smiling when I turned the last page.  I’m not sure where the story will go next, but I plan to be there.  Death of a Bad Penny is a fun debut; you’ll be glad you picked it up.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

I’m reviewing this as part of a blog tour.  To find other stops, go here.  And don’t forget to enter the tour wide giveaway below.

TV Show Review: The Rainmaker - Season 1

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Addicting story with great cast

Cons: All cons washed out

The Bottom Line:

New take on Grisham

Quickly becomes addictive

Glad I tried it out

“Are You Ready for This?”  “No.”

Back in their Blue Sky era (Monk, psych, White Collar, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, etc.), I was a huge USA Network addict.  If they had a new show premiering, I watched it no matter what.  But then, they started going darker, and I moved on.  Heck, for a while, they completely abandoned original shows.

All this to say, I know that The Rainmaker crossed my radar when it premiered last year, but I didn’t give it much thought.  I decided to give it a shot when they started doing reruns of season one before the premier of season two.  I’m glad I did because I was quickly hooked.

I should also point out that I have no previous experience with The Rainmaker.  I know it was a John Grisham book, and it was turned into a movie in the 1990’s.  But I’ve never read the book or watched the movie.  So I went into this show completely blind.  I do know that the character of Bruiser was originally a man, but I am not entering this show with any preconceived ideas.

The show is set in Charleston, South Carolina.  We meet Rudy Baylor (Milo Callaghan), a new law school graduate, who thinks his life is set.  He’s landed a job at the most prestigious law firm in town.  Even better, his girlfriend, Sarah (Madison Iseman) is working there, too.  But things derail quickly when Rudy’s mouth gets him fired on his first day.

With no law firms hiring, Rudy finds himself working for Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone (Lana Parrilla) who works out of the back of a restaurant.  It’s far from a prestigious law practice, and Rudy even has to bring in his own clients.

Which is when he remembers Dot Black (Karen Bryson) a mother trying to sue the hospital where her son died.  They claim a drug overdose was involved, but she knows her young adult and former addict son was clean.  She thinks it was negligence.  Unfortunately, Sarah is working on the case as well, just on the side of the hospital.  What will it mean for their relationship?  Can Rudy pull off the win?

Of course, there is much, much more to the story.  We have a ten-episode first season, after all.  But I was there for it.  Each episode features plenty of twists that kept me hooked.  I wasn’t sure where things were going early on, but it soon became obvious how the various parts of the story were tied together.  Even then, I couldn’t wait to get to the next episode to find out what would happen in it.  This is a classic David versus Goliath story, and I’m not complaining.  It hooked me and I was along for the ride.

The show does have a few soap opera plot points in addition to the legal drama.  I could have done without one or two of them, but that is a minor complaint.  And we have a sub-plot or two, but I found them interesting, so I’m not complaining about them.

I’m not a lawyer, but there were some things that didn’t feel realistic to me.  But I was so caught up in the story, I really didn’t mind.  Just go with what they present, and you’ll be caught up in the story before you know it.

Also, I found Deck Shifflet, as played here by P.J. Byrne, to be a little annoying.  But that’s the way he was written; it’s not a slam on the actor.  He also grew on me as the season went along.

Yes, the fact that Lana Parrilla was in it helped pique my interest since I loved her in Once Upon a Time.  No surprise to me that I enjoyed her here.  I also enjoyed getting to see Madison Iseman.  Honestly, the entire cast is fantastic, making us either love them or love to hate them.

While I started the show mentioning the USA Network’s light shows, this isn’t completely in that vein.  For one thing, there’s more language than you might expect.  It’s still maintaining cable TV standards, but don’t expect the light shows from the bygone era.

I know that season two has already started, and I’ve been recording it.  My next mission is to get caught up.  If you’ve been hesitating about starting the TV show version of The Rainmaker, don’t.  You’ll be glad you watched it.

Book Review: Coyote Waits by Tony Hillerman (Leaphorn and Chee #10)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Leaphorn and Chee in an interesting case

Cons: I wish the two respected each other more

The Bottom Line:

Is case that easy?

Wish leads trusted each other

But still good story

Did Chee Arrest the Right Suspect?

I decided to try to squeeze another audio book into my month, and next in line was Coyote Waits, the tenth in Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee series.  Fortunately, one of my library systems had it available, and I was able to revisit the Navajo reservation for another good mystery.

Officer Jim Chee is nearing the end of his shift, but when his friend and fellow officer, Del Nez, doesn’t meet up as they had planned, Chee goes to investigate.  Unfortunately, Chee finds Nez shot in his police car, which is on fire.  And, Chee also finds a suspect in the form of Ashie Pinto.  Pinto is walking away from the scene with the murder weapon, and refuses to say anything.  Based on that evidence, Chee arrests him.

The suspect is a member of Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn’s late wife’s clan, so when Pinto’s family asks Leaphorn to investigate, he does.  Meanwhile, Chee is hoping to answer a few questions of his own.  Like what was Pinto doing so far from home?  Why won’t he say anything?  Will the two men find the truth?

With the last book, I complained that much of the action took place outside the reservation.  While this book wasn’t exclusively on the reservation, it was still in the Southwest, and those scenes outside the reservation made more sense.  That’s great for me, since I feel like the setting is one of the characters in this series, and I’ve been disappointed the couple of times we went other places.

On the other hand, I do wish Chee and Leaphorn were working together more.  Maybe it’s just my expectations, but they are still very distrustful of each other.  Given what they’ve been through and seen in each other when they have reluctantly teamed up, I would expect a little more trust to have developed at this point.  And yes, I am aware this is only the fourth book in the series to feature both of them.  Still, I feel like they’ve both earned it at this point.

Another thing I was happy to have seen is that Chee appears to be moving on in his personal life.

Overall, I do like both of them as lead characters.  Their differences are obvious, but they are both devoted to finding the truth, which I appreciate.  The supporting characters we have are well defined as well.  Most of them are introduced here, but we get a couple of returning supporting players.

While this isn’t a cozy, the non-cozy content is kept to a bare minimum.

The mystery appeared to wander a bit in the first half, but things came together as we got closer to the climax.  I enjoyed some of the twists along the way to the logical conclusion.

I was glad to see that George Guidall was back for the narration this time after taking the last book off.  He does a good job as always.

Overall, Coyote Waits is another strong mystery.  It’s easy to see why the series remains such a well-respected crime series.

Check out the rest of the Leaphorn and Chee Mysteries.

Book Review: Split Screen by Lee Goldberg (Eve Ronin #7)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Eve and her growth; always entertaining

Cons: So many storylines

The Bottom Line:

Plenty of stories

Book feels little unfocused

But Eve’s growth is good

Eve’s Attention is Split

I’ve been reading Lee Goldberg’s books for decades at this point, and he’s pretty much on auto buy.  I am continuing to enjoy his current Eve Ronin series.  Split Screen, book seven, may not be the strongest book he’s written, but it is still fun.

For those who haven’t met Eve yet, she works for the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department.  That’s right, this isn’t one of my cozies.  She turned a viral encounter while off duty into a job as a detective out of the Lost Hills station.  And in the time she’s been there, she’s found herself involved in some pretty wild cases, for better or worse.

The author includes a note at the beginning of the book warning that the series is best read in order, and I will second that.  Eve’s story is building on the events in previous books.  Yes, this could be read as a standalone (or read by someone who doesn’t remember all the details of what was going on when he read the last book a year ago), but it does contain some pretty big spoilers for an earlier book in the series.

The area where Eve works contains plenty of the rich and famous, including current and former stars.  And a former child star, Juliette Winter, has just died.  She’d been in and out of rehab for drugs for years, but is her death that easily explained?

Meanwhile, Eve is also dealing with Erin Casey, the actress who plays Eve on TV.  Erin has gotten approved to ride along with Eve to better portray the character in season two.  But will that prove to be too big a distraction for Eve?  And will her deal with the new Sheriff be a benefit or Eve’s undoing?

Believe it or not, there’s even more I didn’t try to get into that teaser.  And that was my biggest issue with the book – it tries to fit too much into the pages of one book.  I feel like there were a bunch of ideas that wouldn’t quite work for an entire novel, and they were all put together here.  Yes, I get plots and sub-plots.  This felt unfocused instead of that.  At least to me.

Now, don’t misunderstand me – I did enjoy the book.  There was plenty going on, so it was hard to get bored.  Things do make sense when Eve pieces them together.  And some of the twists along the way were great.

Additionally, Eve is continuing to grow.  I am enjoying watching her develop as the series progresses, and I can’t wait to see how what happens here is reflected in future books.  Not to mention that her relationships are changing as well, and those keep getting more complex, which adds to the fun.

I did already mention that these aren’t cozies, but the harder content isn’t as bad as it could be.  Additionally, we don’t have the teen male humor we often get, which I truly appreciate.

I will definitely be back for Eve’s next adventure.  I hope it’s a bit more focused than Split Screen was, however.

Enjoy the rest of the Eve Ronin Mysteries.

November 8th's Weekend Catch-Up

Time for another weekend catch-up.  As usual, I will be linking up to:

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

It was month end close at work again for this accountant this past week.  Everything seemed to go well, which is always nice.

Tuesday night, I went to see The Music Man.  The national touring company is in the area, and I love the musical.  I had so much fun!  The choreography was fantastic, the acting was good, and the staging was fun.  I was smiling most of the time.

Saturday, I went to Magic Mountain.  I hadn't been in quite a while.  I figured, with it being the last weekend of Fright Fest, it would be crowded.  My plans was to pop in for an hour or two, finish up my book while standing in line and come home once I'd finish it.  Instead, the park was dead.  I was there four hours because I couldn't pass up walking onto most of the rides I went on.  I hardly got anything read in my book (don't worry, I finished it up when I got home) because I wasn't waiting in line.  Not that I'm complaining.  It was in the upper 70's/low 80's, so it was warmer than I expected as well.  It wasn't as windy as they were predicting, which was nice.  Maybe I should have gone paddle boarding, but I had fun doing this.  Anyway, I decided to leave when I started hitting lines that were 20-30 minutes long.  Yes, I was very spoiled.

But it means I've got a lot left I want to do around the condo.  Including starting to decorate for Christmas.  I know, I know, it's not Thanksgiving yet here in the USA.  But it always takes me a while to get everything done, and I like not trying to do it in December.  I want to be able to enjoy the holiday.  I spend a few hours here and there decorating, so it doesn't overwhelm.

So, maybe I should get on with it so I can do a little rearranging of furniture tonight.

Joke of the Week:

A pun walks into a bar and ten people die.

Pun in, ten dead

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Weekend Catch-Up

Monday - October Reading Summary

Tuesday - Book Review: Reel Stuff by Don Bruns

Wednesday - TV Show Review: The Gilded Age - Season 1

Thursday - Book Review: Saving the Guilty by Liz Milliron

Friday - Friday Fun featuring Death of a Bad Penny

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Weekend Catch-Up

Monday - Book Review: Split Screen by Lee Goldberg

Tuesday - Book Review: Coyote Waits by Tony Hillerman

Wednesday - TV Show Review: The Rainmaker - Season 1

Thursday - Book Review: Death of a Bad Penny by A. M. Loweecey

Friday - Friday Fun

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I've got four books in this week's haul, so let's get to it.

First up is an ARC.  I snagged A Crime of Fashion by Julie Mulhern.  It's the second in her Freddie Archer series, which features a real life fashion reporter in 1920's New York City.  I'll admit, I found the first in the series uneven, but I've enjoyed other books from the author, so I'm hoping this one will be stronger.  It comes out the beginning of December, so I'll be reading it soon.

The Dr. Kate Vet Mysteries have crossed my radar before, so when I saw that the first, Saddled with Murder, was on sale for 99 cents on Kindle, I snagged it.  I'm typing this Saturday night, and it appears to still be on sale, so if you are interested, go now.

Book eight in the Stella and Lyndy series came out a couple of weeks ago, but there have been issues with getting the books printed on time.  I had a preorder for a book from a different publisher officially delayed because of it.  Anyway, my copy of this book, Murder at Pellhurst Pond, arrived this week.

Finally, I also got a copy of Dating Can Be Deadly, the fourth Bucket List Mystery from Ryan Rivers.  I absolutely love this series, so I can't wait to dive in.

What I'm Currently Reading:

I've noticed a pattern recently.  It seems like in the last few weeks, I've been reading something I just got.  That's the case again this week times two.

The book I finished up when I got home from Magic Mountain was Murder at Pellhurst Pond.  Once again, I enjoyed my trip back to 1906 with Stella and Lyndy.  And it was fantastic to be back in their home since we'd been traveling in the previous two books.

Up next?  It will be Dating Can Be Deadly by Ryan Rivers.  The series features a mismatched pair of friends who keep finding themselves involved in murders.  It's a rare cozy that is written by a man and features male main characters.  I laugh all the way through it, but he's created great characters who grow in each book.  I'm looking forward to visiting them again.

Hope you have a great week!

November 7th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Dancing with the Stars – Always love Disney night, although they stretch with a couple of the songs they included.  (“Greatest Show” and the inclusion of Hamilton, I’m looking at you.)  Two individual perfect scores, but no Mickey 10 paddles?  I thought both of those dances deserved their scores.  It really was fun.  But I was sorry to see Julia go.  Eliminations will only be tougher from here on out.

Celebrity Weakest Link – I only knew one of the celebrities this time.  I’m not up on my comics at all.  I was impressed with how they did on some of those rounds.  But there were others that were very painful because of how poorly they were doing.  Still, they banked quite a bit overall.

Survivor – Not feeling that sorry for Brady.  He was annoying me, and I only had to put up with him for a few minutes each week.  I hope Kristen realizes that Mike was telling the truth and trying to help.  I think this is going to be a chaotic second half of the season.  Or at least I hope so.  Those are always more fun to watch.

The Amazing Race – I figured it would be the grandfather/grandson when I found out they were going to be doing the U-Turn.  But it was much closer than I thought it would be, and I was hoping they would pull through.  Especially since I am frustrated by the team they almost beat.  There’s another couple of teams I’m ready to see eliminated.  As someone not a fan of fish out of water, I would not have done well with the detour.  And my navigation would have made that challenging, too.  I guess there’s a reason I watch the race instead of doing it.

Mistletoe Murders – So glad the show is back for the season.  Very curious what is going on.  And the resolution to the cliffhanger from last season?  It’s leaving me with more questions I want answered now.  I get they will drag them out over the rest of the season, but I can still be impatient, right?

The Traitors: New Blood – I wasn’t paying attention to the time, so I wasn’t expecting the cliffhanger.  I guess this means Joe lives to see at least one more episode.  I’m curious if they’ve just edited it this way or if there is enough of a split that it will be unpredictable.  I like how they played the drinks.  I don’t see how that can tie back to the traitors at all.  And how many people are there going to be at the end?  Definitely feels like more than in the regular version.  They keep just getting one person out an episode.  Oh, and that cabin?  No thank you.  I never enjoy the challenges there.

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test – I thought that Candace was in trouble there for a while.  Glad to see no one quite or was taken out.  They are so close to the end, I want to see them all make it through.  Next week looks tough, so we’ll see how can make it through.

Happy’s Place – I like seeing Gabby’s mom.  Glad she is back this season.  The moment when she compared herself to Bobbie was great.  Enjoyed Steve’s storyline as well.  I wonder how many times they had to film Gabby’s signature move without the cups falling.  That was pretty impressive.  Overall, lots of great laughs.

Newlyweds – We are already entering the amusing but not especially funny phase.  Does this mean the honeymoon phase is over for me?  I think my favorite part is Jamie Lee Curtis, but even she is fairly one note.  They need to give the characters more to do and stop trying so hard for laughs.  I’ll stick with it and see if the behind the scenes changes help.  I just wonder how long I have to wait.

November 6th's Friday Fun

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

First Line Friday
Friday Book Snippets
Book Blogger Hop

This week, I'll be pulling teasers from Death of a Bad Penny by A.M. Loweecey.

This is the first in a new series.  It's quite a caper, not that you would know from this opening:

Cordelia West dug herself out from beneath a Mount Everest of final exams. It was almost noon, and she had to escape. This was probably the last June day without sauna-level humidity and mosquitoes big enough to drain a quart at a time. Channeling her inner Catwoman, she sneaked past the high-school principal’s office, dove into the back stairwell, and slipped outside before the hallway clock finished its twelfth chime.

As far as openings go, it's not the most grabby, but it isn't long before the book hooked me.

Meanwhile, I'm going old school with a quote from 56% into the ARC I read:

The brigade leader gave her back anger for anger. “Who taught you manners?”
“Who stalked me across three states?”

I'm reviewing this book as part of a blog tour next Thursday, so I hope you'll come back then.  For now, know I enjoyed it.

Meanwhile, shall we move over to this week's Book Blogger Hop?  The question is:

Imagine you owned a bookstore—what would it feel like?

This is a little vague to me.

If the question is what would be the vibe of the store, I'd try to create a warm, inviting space.  Which would be counter to the fact that I would probably have a mystery bookstore.

If the question is, how would I feel having a bookstore, I'm sure I'd love it.  Getting to talk to readers all day and sell them on my favorites would be fun.  Of course, it would be work - I don't know that I'd have as much reading time as I would like.

Have a great weekend!

Book Review: Saving the Guilty by Liz Milliron (Laurel Highlands Mysteries #7)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great characters and a compelling mystery

Cons: No cons were saved

The Bottom Line:

Appeal, murder

In compelling seventh book

Love these characters

Favors for Friends Can Be Dangerous

I’m getting close to the end of Liz Milliron’s Laurel Highlands Mysteries, and I’m sad about it.  There are nine books in the series, and Saving the Guilty is book seven.  And it’s another page turner.

The series is set in Pennsylvania, and features defense attorney Sally Castle and State Trooper Jim Duncan.  At this point, Sally has opened her own practice and Jim has started working as a detective.  And yes, they are dating.  In fact, they are working on moving Sally into Jim’s house.

As this book opens, Sally has just accepted a new client from a friend.  All Sally has to do is present the appeal, and it’s a pretty easy appeal.  It’s a case of a man who is accused of killing his wife.  But Sally can’t help herself, and she starts digging into the case.  Can she find the truth?

Meanwhile, Jim has a new case as well.  The victim was killed in the home he was renting, but things take a turn when he learns the name the man was living under doesn’t exist.  Can Jim learn who the victim was and find the killer?

Okay, so I saw the first big twist of the book coming fairly early, but the book didn’t take longer than it needed to getting there.  And once it did, we were off to the races.  I couldn’t wait to get back to the book when I had to put it down to find out just what was going to happen next.  I might have even gasped a time or two.  Yet, when I reached the climax, everything made perfect sense.

Jim and Sally are the stars of this series.  They take turns being the third person view-point characters, and I always appreciate how that helps move the story forward.  They are very real characters, and I loved seeing how they and their relationship grown have.  The suspects were all strong and easy to keep straight.  There are a couple of strong supporting players in this book, and I loved spending more time with them.  But we don’t spend much time with the others we’ve met along the way.  I missed them, but it was a minor complaint.

On the other hand, fans of Annette Dashofy’s Zoe Chambers series will enjoy some fun appearances here.  For those who don’t know, Annette and Liz are good friends and critique partners.  Jim showed up in a couple of books in Annette’s series, so it’s fun to see the opposite happen.

My typical disclaimer comes into play here: these books aren’t the light cozy mysteries I often read.  However, it never goes any further than it needs to for the story, which I appreciate.

If you enjoy a solid mystery, you’ll be glad you gave the Laurel Highlands Mysteries a chance.  Just be sure to allow plenty of time when you sit down to read Saving the Guilty because you won’t want to stop reading.

Enjoy the rest of the Laurel Highlands Mysteries.

TV Show Review: The Gilded Age - Season 1

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Intriguing if soap opera storylines

Cons: Characters can be unlikable

The Bottom Line:

Life among the rich

Historic soap opera

Uneven season

“Sounds Like a Melodrama Character.”

I’ve heard some good things about The Gilded Age in the last couple of years, and I finally decided to sit down and give the first season a chance.  While I found it hard to root for any of the characters at times, I also found it oddly compelling.

The show takes us to New York City in 1882 as Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) arrives to live with her two aunts, maiden aunt Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon), and widowed aunt Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski).  Agnes is the widow of a very wealthy man, so Marian’s life now is very different from the life she was used to.  Marian brings with her a woman who helped her on her journey, Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), who wants to make her living as a writer, something that is a struggle for an African American woman in the era.  But Peggy does find a job as Agnes’s secretary.

Meanwhile, Agnes has a new neighbor.  The Russells have finished the mansion they were building right next door.  Unfortunately, George Russell (Morgan Spector) is a self-made millionaire, so he and his wife Bertha (Carrie Coon) aren’t accepted into society.  They are new money, after all.

Over the season, Marian tries to understand her new world while defying Agnes when she disagrees with the rules.  And Bertha tries to worm her way into society.

I was a couple of episodes in before I realized this show is from the creators of Downton Abbey.  I never did watch that show, but I can certainly see it in the DNA of this show.  While the main storylines are about the rich characters I’ve mentioned, their servants do get some storylines as well.

I was only a couple of episodes in before I realized just how much of a soap opera the show was going to be.  That’s not my typical choice in entertaining, although I have enjoyed a few shows like that.  Some of the storylines caught my interest, while others left me cold, but since there are several storylines going on at once, we switched up frequently.

My bigger issue was the characters.  I found all of them unlikeable at some point in the season.  About half way through, I was about ready to quit because I was frustrated with them.  But I was curious enough about what was going to happen next, I went back a few days later.

This isn’t a fault of the actors.  They are all doing a great job bringing their characters to life.

The production is lavish.  The costumes and sets are fantastic and really do a great job of bringing the time period to life.

With Peggy Scott in the mix of characters, it gives us a chance to see how life is going just twenty years after the Civil War.  Actually, when you think about it that way, I’m wondering just how realistic some of the characters’ attitudes toward her are.  But I’m not going to complain about it because the show does a good job of showing up how African Americans of the time were treated without dwelling on it.  And, outside of one painful scene, the majority of the characters treat her well, which I appreciated.

I’m curious enough I will probably continue with the series.  Yes, I am hooked.  But I have a few other things I want to watch before moving on to the next season of The Gilded Age.

Book Review: Reel Stuff by Don Bruns (Stuff Series #7)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Great mystery

Cons: James sidelined; Emily and Skip’s fight; series ending

The Bottom Line:

A clever murder

Miami to Hollywood

Average again

Did Skip Witness a Murder?

This is the day long in the making.  I started Don Bruns’s Stuff Series well over a decade ago (probably close to a decade and a half ago), but I let it just sit for a long time before finally getting back to it.  And now, I’ve finished it with Reel Stuff, the seventh entry in the series.  Sadly, it left me less satisfied than I’d hoped.

The series features best friends Skip Moore and James Lessor.  They are twenty-somethings just trying to survive.  Yes, they are dirt poor, but James has a habit of getting them involved in some side project to earn them a bunch of money.  Unfortunately, those side projects then turn deadly.  After a few of these situations, they became PIs, which has only made the danger quotient worse.

As this particular book opens, Skip and James have taken jobs as private security of a TV show that is filmed in Miami.  It’s an even bigger deal today since Academy Award winning actor Jason Londell is on set filming as a guest star.  Skip is on the set with Jason is filming a stunt he is insisting on doing himself that involves him jumping off a scaffolding.  However, he goes early and hits the ground instead.

Jason’s girlfriend, the star of the show, is certain that it was murder and wants to hire Skip and James to find the truth.  But Skip knows what he saw and doesn’t want to take the case.  However, a little poking around makes Skip question what he thought he saw.  When the trail leads to Hollywood, Skip and his girlfriend, Emily, head to Los Angeles, going undercover as a wannabe actress and her manager.  Can they figure out what happened to Jason?

I have a feeling this wasn’t written as a final book in a series.  But, since that’s what it was, I have to judge it as a series finale.  And, as such, it falls flat.

Usually, I do enjoy it when a book takes place in Los Angeles since I live here.  In this case, I found I missed Miami and the southern Florida vibe we usually get from the series.  Mind you, I might have felt the same way if the series didn’t end with much of the action taking place in LA, but it didn’t help that we didn’t spend much time in Miami for the final book of the series.  Granted, it’s not like we have a large cast of regulars or even locations they frequent that I missed.

What was worse was the ending of the book.  While not a true cliffhanger, it also didn’t wrap things up.  In fact, it left a few things dangling.  Since the book came out thirteen years ago, I don’t think we are going to get the next chapter in the character’s lives, but it would be nice to have something other than the non-resolution we got.

Then there’s Skip and Emily’s relationship.  While I’ve always rooted for them to make it work despite their differences, I really got frustrated with them in this book.  Yes, the conflict they were having made sense and I could see both sides.  But we just went round and round about it, which was frustrating.

Especially since James wasn’t really around in this book.  The series has always been about James and Skip and Emily, a bit more on the guys than on Emily at times.  As annoying as he can be, I did find I missed him.  And, again, it was a bit of an odd choice for the final book in the series.

So, what did I like?  The look behind the scenes in the entertainment industry is always fun.  Yes, I know what I said earlier about missing Miami.  Two things can be true, right?

And the mystery was great.  I was caught off guard by several of the twists, yet things made sense when we reached the climax.

Keep in mind that this isn’t a cozy, as the first few chapters will show you.

This series was never a favorite, and I’ve found it to be uneven.  Reel Stuff was another mixed bag.  Only pick up this book if you’ve read the others in the series and you want one last case with Skip, James, and Emily.

Here’s the rest of the Stuff Series.