October 10th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Yes, I'm missing a show on the list.  And I'll explain where I was Friday night tomorrow.  But for now, here's what I watched this week.

The Marlow Murder Club – I’m enjoying this third story very much.  I have no clue where things are going, and Judith and Becks’s personal lives are adding to the fun.  Of course, I did know we were going to be left with another murder at the end of the episode.  You don’t rush to a place like that if a second victim hasn’t been found.

Marble Hall Murder – About 20 minutes in, I was trying to figure out why we hadn’t seen Pundt yet.  Then I remember how they’d left things.  With the author dead, we can’t get any more.  So I’m curious if they will be resolving that story next week.  And how they will.  I’m glad the policeman seems to be believing Susan.  But I don’t see how they are going to wrap things up in one week.

Celebrity Weakest Link – I’m impressed with how they did.  They did better than a lot of teams do.  Glad they one guy left first, he would have annoyed me had he stayed longer. 

Dancing with the Stars – Lots of improvement this week, something I always enjoy seeing.  However, it is time for Guillermo to go.  As much fun as he can be, and as much as he is trying, he’s not as good as everyone else.  He shouldn’t be taking space that others can take up.  I’m a little surprised that Ciara was the one who went home since she wasn’t at the bottom.

RJ Decker – I kind of liked the storyline with his dad.  I’m curious to see where they are going to go with it.  Will RJ wind up being disappointed?  I also liked the mystery.  Quirky and fun but logically solved.  I did love how they tricked them into “confessing.”

The Challenge – I had missed Tori saying she might go in this episode, but I have tons of respect for her in doing that.  That looked like a brutal elimination.  I am impressed with how both women did with that.  The first challenge looked harder than I first thought it would be.  But it also looked fun.  I wonder how I would have felt if I’d done it.

Survivor – Well, that was an episode.  Let’s see, someone quits.  Because, let’s be honest, that’s what it was.  Could Carter has been any dumber during the visit to the other tribe?  You don’t leave a note for others to see.  You don’t accidentally stay behind like that.  And then, during the challenge, that was quite the come from behind win.  But I do like seeing tribes alternate at tribal.  I wonder if the tribe will decide they voted the right person out or not.  I am always in favor of getting rid of the chaos makers, so that’s how my vote would have gone.

The Amazing Race – Really?  What was the point of leaving us with that cliffhanger?  Also, have I ever mentioned I hate needle in haystack challenges?  That first roadblock was brutal.  And I would have been frustrated by all the fruit falling.  Actually, I would have been frustrated by much of it.  Either I’m in a very frustrated mood or my stress meter is at its limit at the moment.  Because that detour?  I would have pushed through with the tires because there’s no way I could remember those words/phrases.

The Traitors: New Blood – Sorry to see Sheri go.  Especially since everyone who has seen the show before knows there are three traitors.  Speaking of whom, could they have been any more obvious with the fruit to commit the murder in plain sight?  Yeah, I know they didn’t have much of a choice, but still, talk about obvious.  It will be interesting to see who sticks with those suspicions.  Could they have drawn things out any more?  I feel like not much happened even though, yeah, a lot did happen.

Special Forces – I remember why I didn’t watch the show the last couple of years.  Between the boxing and the extreme trust fall, I was cringing the entire time.  The two stories the recruits told were powerful.  And no one quit!  That impressed me.

October 9th's Friday Fun

We've made it to Friday!  That means it is time for this week's Friday Fun, where I will be linking up to:

First Line Friday
Friday Book Snippets
Book Blogger Hop

My teasers for the first two will be coming from Death in Luxor by M.A. Monnin.

This is book four in her Intrepid Traveler Mysteries.  Obviously, the book is set in Egypt.  And here's now the book begins:

“I suppose you’d like an Artifact Retrieval Team ID,” René Renault said, looking Stefanie Adams up and down.

Okay, so it might not jump right into the main mystery, but it is a nice way to get reacquainted with the characters.  Why?  You'll have to read the book to find out.

Meanwhile, a little past 50% into the book, we find this:

“I saw what the man was stabbed with,” she said, loud enough for them all to hear. “A knife with the same triangular-shaped handle that we have on the Nile Princess.”

And, a bonus quote:

Dr. Amin moved to close the door behind them. He fixed them with a granite gaze. “Murder is not good for tourism,” he said.

The book is out.  I'll be reviewing it as part of a blog tour next Thursday, so I hope you'll come back to see what I thought of it.

Let's move on to this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The prompt is:

Do you run more than one blog? If so, how do you manage your time?

I pretend to.  I have a blog I started 20+ years ago when people were using them as diaries of sorts.  I don't want to let it go, but I haven't posted anything other than a joke or a pun in over a year.  So, this is the only blog I really update.

Have a great weekend!

Book Review: The Cambodian Curse and Other Stories by Gigi Pandian (A Jaya Jones Short Story Collection)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Nine great locked room short stories

Cons: All cons locked behind closed doors

The Bottom Line:

Crime behind locked doors

Jaya and friends work to solve

These stories are fun

Get Ready for an Impossible Crime or Nine

Gigi Pandian’s first series was her Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries.  But the character has appeared in several short stories and novellas over the years, including some award-winning stories.  The Cambodian Curse & Other Stories collects nine of them into one volume for us.  And each story also features one of Gigi’s favorite things – a locked room mystery.

The book focuses on Jaya Jones, art history professor and finder of treasures lost to time.  While she is the star of the most of the stories, a couple do focus on her best friend, magician Sanjay.  Other characters from the series pop into some of the stories, too.  But we are introduced to everyone as they appear, so you can pick this book up to get a taste of the series.

The title story was originally written for this collection.  It involves a murder and theft at a local art museum.  In another, after being stranded in Denver due to snow, Jaya must figure out who killed an author in the hotel’s library.  She also gets involved in a theft and disappearance at a conference.  One of Sanjay’s stories finds him trying to solve a murder on an island off the coast of San Francisco.  And in the final story, Jaya must figure out who stole a valuable chess set.

Fans of Gigi’s Secret Staircase Mysteries will be interested to learn that Tempest, the main character of that series, stars in one of the stories as well.

I do promise that each story does involve those locked doors that make for the fun impossible crimes for Jaya to solve.  While I did pickup on one or two of them a little early, I still enjoyed watching Jaya figure out what was going on.  Several of them kept me guessing until the end.

Those familiar with the series will quickly pick up on the fact that these stories are not collected in chronological order.  We jump around in the series timeline.  It’s not an issue, and there aren’t any spoilers for the novels here.

I do love the characters, and it’s fun to spend time with them again.  The new characters don’t get much time to be fully developed, but they all work for the stories they are in.  My only complaint with the characters (and I’ve seen this in other collections) is that, if we met a character in a previous story, they are still fully introduced when we meet up with them again in a different story.  It’s a minor complaint but still something that bothers me.

My goal this year was to catch up on the Jaya Jones books in print so I could wrap up another series.  Then Gigi Pandian announced that she’d found a new home for Jaya’s further adventures, which makes me even happier that I caught up this year.

Whether you have read all of Jaya’s novel length adventures or haven’t yet jumped into her world, you’ll be glad you picked up this collection of stories.

Do check out more of the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries.

Book Review: The Case of the Case of Kilcladdich by P.J. Fitzsimmons (Anty Boisjoly #6)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Laughs and a solid mystery

Cons: I didn’t find any cons in this case

The Bottom Line:

Next case in Scotland

Plenty wacky and twisty

Grab whisky; enjoy

Whiskey, Golf, and Sheep in Scotland

It really is hard to describe the Anty Boisjoly series for the uninitiated.  They are part comedy and part locked room mystery set in the late 1920’s Europe.  But it’s a mix that works for me, and I enjoyed the sixth book, The Case of the Case of Kilcladdich.

The main character is Anty, a young man who has recently inherited from his father.  He has no need to work, which is a good thing because it means he can travel around getting involved in the most puzzling of locked room mysteries.  The only other returning character in this book is Vickers, his elderly manservant who has been serving the Boisjolys for generations.

This book finds Anty heading to Scotland where two neighboring villages compete every ten years to determine which produces the best whiskey.  The winner is the official whiskey for the next decade, so the stakes are high.  It all involves which peat is used and where the water is drawn from, you see.  Anty’s father used to be on the judging panel, so Anty is there taking his place.

But when he arrives, he learns that one of the two competing distillers has just blown himself up while attempting to make this year’s batch.  The detective assigned to the case is quick to blame the outsiders, but Anty is more focused on how the crime could have been committed.  How does the world’s hardest golf course play into things?  Can Anty get any investigating done with the flock of sheep he has following him?

I will admit, when I first started this book, I was certain that I was going to find it frustrating.  The two villages have very similar names.  The two families most involved in the feud have similar names.  Heck, the two bartenders have similar names.  I was beginning to worry that I’d need a score sheet to keep everyone straight.  Yet, as I read, I found I was able to keep the main suspects and their relationships to each other straight.  It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.  Okay, so I never could remember which side of the divide a couple of the characters were on, but it didn’t wind up mattering.

As a mystery, this is a good book.  There is plenty happening to keep me engaged, which some nice red herrings and twists until I reached the logical climax.  As usual for this series, I really had no clue where things were going to wind up, but the clues had been there.

As a comedy, this is a good book.  This series has been a bit too gimmicky at times, with too much word play, not only slowing the book down but making me roll my eyes.  And, given my love of puns, that’s really saying something.  Here’s, the word play was used in the perfect amount.  It never stood out in an obnoxious way, but it did make me smile and laugh multiple times.  And there are plenty of other things to laugh at in this book.  Yes, they might be a bit out there, but somehow it works in the context of this series.  I think it does help if you are in the right mood when you pick up a book in this series.

Speaking of series, each book really does work as a standalone.  Certainly, it helps that we only have two returning characters.  So if this book appeals to you, can you jump in here.

I do think there is a continuity error, but it didn’t impact the story, and I wasn’t bothered enough to go back and double check.  I was caught up enough in the story that I didn’t care.

If you are looking to laugh while solving a puzzling mystery, you need to check out this series.  The Case of the Case of Kilcladdich is another delightfully wacky case anyone will enjoy.

Enjoy the rest of the Anty Boisjoly Mysteries.

Movie Review: Misery

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong script and acting draw you in

Cons: A few very violent scenes

The Bottom Line:

Writer and his fan

Great script and performances

In a tense thriller

“I’m Your Number One Fan.”

I’ve never been super interested in most of what Stephen King has written or the movies based on his stories.  The exception to that has always been Misery.  Probably because it isn’t the supernatural horror story that he is most famous for.  I finally watched it recently, and I enjoyed it.

Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is a bestselling novelist known for his insanely popular novels about a character named Misery.  However, he’s been working on something new.  As is his tradition, he’s gone to a secluded hotel in Colorado to finish the book.  On his way back to civilization with his completed manuscript, he gets caught in a blizzard and has a bad accident.

It could have been fatal if he hadn’t been rescued by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates).  Fortunately, she’s a nurse, so she can help him recover from his injuries until the roads are opened enough to get him to the hospital.  And, she is a huge fan of his Misery books.  You might say obsessive.  Is Annie a help or not?

Yes, there are other characters in the movie, but for the majority of the run time, these two are the only ones on the screen.  And it’s a testament to both of them that we never feel the need for more characters.  Kathy Bates won an Oscar for her work here, and it is easy to see why.  James Caan is just as spellbinding.  While Kathy has to slowly let the crazy show, James has scenes by himself where his attempts to escape are riveting.  And you can see what he is thinking as his character plays along with Annie.  As I said, both of them are fantastic.

Likewise, much of the movie takes place in Paul’s bedroom in Annie’s house.  That becomes appropriately claustrophobic for Paul and us, and it makes the time we spend outside it that much more impactful.

Of course, the script and the novel it was based on, tell a compelling story.  Without the foundation of a good narrative, everything else would fall apart.  There are several tense scenes that will have you glued to the screen, and the tension ramps up as the movie goes along.  It is the reason a movie with limited characters and limited locations can work so well.

Having said all of this, this is an R rated movie.  There are several disturbing scenes.  Even a couple I knew were coming were pretty bad.  And I watched this on TV, too.  Keep that in mind before you decide to watch it.

But if you are looking for a phycological thriller, you can do much worse than Misery.  No, this hasn’t changed my mind on more of Stephen King’s work, but I’m glad I watched this one.

Book Review: Art Attack by James Ponti (The Sherlock Society #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Wonderful characters, good mystery overall

Cons: Pacing could have been better

The Bottom Line:

Tracking a “writer”

Can these kids find any clues?

Kids will devour it

Hunting for a Graffiti Artist

While I seem to have dropped most of the middle grade authors I was reading for a while, I’ve stuck with James Ponti.  It helps that my nephew loves his books.  The Sherlock Society isn’t my favorite of his series, but I do still enjoy checking in with the characters, and book three, Art Attack, just dropped.

The main characters in this series are all in middle school.  Alex Sherlock is our narrator.  The Sherlock Society is made up of his older sister, Zoe, and their friends Yadi and Lina.  Rounding out the society is Alex and Zoe’s grandfather.

As this book opens, the friends have just been hired for their first case.  A developer wants to have Funky Munky, graffiti artist (or graffiti writer, which is their preferred term), do a mural on their new building.  Just one problem – Funky Munky has kept their identity a secret for the year that they’ve been tagging buildings in Miami.  But it’s hard to turn down the money, so the society takes on the case.  Will they be able to piece together some clues?  Or will Funky Munky remain elusive?

This series uses one of my least favorite literary devices, which is to start with something exciting or surprising and then flashback to how we got there, leaving us hanging until the very end.  I find it makes me impatient waiting for the story to catch up to that moment.  It doesn’t help that this book has quite a bit of information about graffiti culture in the early chapters.

Speaking of graffiti, that was an issue I had with the book in general.  Yes, we do eventually hear that it is bad, but that seems like an afterthought.  When, guess what, it’s vandalism.

Anyway, I was impressed with how the plot unfolded.  The kids piece together some genuine clues to figure out what is going on, and there are some entertaining twists along the way.  Unfortunately, I think one plot point was left dangling, which bugged me but might not bug the target audience.

One thing I love in all of James Ponti’s books is the relationship between the characters.  We can feel the friendship between the kids, which has grown since the first book.  And the parents are responsible parents, too, not just people who let their kids do whatever.  Oh, the kids still find danger, but it’s treated appropriately.

Overall, I did enjoy Art Attack.  And I’m sure the middle grade audience will devour it.

October 4th's Weekend Catch-Up

It's the weekend, so it's time for this week's weekend catch-up (now spelled correctly.  Oops!)  I'll be linking up to:

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

You didn't think it was really fall, did you?  We here in Southern California know better than to believe that nonsense.  It's been slowly climbing into the 90's all week.  It was 99 on Friday and we might hit triple digits this weekend.

You'd better believe I went paddle boarding on Saturday.  We are about to hit Santa Anna wind season, when I won't want to go.  And, if the long term forecast is to be believed, it's going to be a very rainy winter, so that might keep me from going much.  Got to get out there while I can.  I tried to get out there before it got too hot, but I didn't succeed.  Still fun, however.

Other than that, not too much of excitement going on around here.  Most of this week was fiscal month end at work, so it was busy.  Other than that, I read and watched TV.  My renewal for my car came this week, and I needed to get a smog check, so I did that after I went paddle boarding on Saturday.  They were quick - I only got one chapter read while waiting for them.

Pun-Official Holiday of the Week:

Oct 7 – Soapin’ for some good, clean fun? Bathtub Day is today.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Weekend Catch-Up

Monday - Ornament Review: Belle V. Holliday

Tuesday - Book Review: Mrs. Claus and the Fatal Figgy Pudding by Liz Ireland

Wednesday - September Reading Summary

Thursday - Book Review: Essentials of Homicide by Kim Davis

Friday - Friday Fun featuring The Case of the Case of Kilcladdich

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Weekend Catch-Up

Monday - Book Review: Art Attack by James Ponti

Tuesday - Movie Review: Misery

Wednesday - Book Review: The Case of the Case of Kilcladdich by P.J. Fitzsimmons

Thursday - Book Review: The Cambodian Curse and Other Stories by Gigi Pandian

Friday - Friday Fun featuring Death in Luxor

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Settle in.  I've got books to talk about this week.  Five of them, to be specific.

First up in The Nightingale Detective Agency by Denise Devine.  A woman PI in the 1920's?  Sounds promising.  Free?  I'll definitely give that a try!  A friend of the author was giving in away in her newsletter, so I snagged a copy.

Speaking of free, I also had two requests come in from the library.  Up first is 'Tis the Season to be Scary by Vicki Delany.  I wasn't fast enough to snag an ARC (her publisher takes them on Netgalley early!), but one of the library systems I have access to had it.  It came out almost a month ago, which shows how many requests there were in for it.  The timing is perfect, however.  Even though this is the Year-Round Christmas series, the book is set at Halloween.

The other library book is Death Walked In, the next Death on Demand Mystery from Carolyn Hart.  I'll confess I had hoped to have it for my drive to and from the concert last weekend, but someone else was still listening to it.  Not quite sure when I will start it, but it will be soon.

I also snagged an ARC of #TreatYourself to Murder, the next Trending Topics Mystery from Sarah E. Burr.  It comes out at the end of the month, and it's Christmas themed.  I'm looking forward to diving into it soon.

Finally, The Three Dahlias caught my eye not that long about.  It's about the three actresses who have played a fictional detective finding themselves involved in a murder.  This week, the book went on sale for 99 cents.  You know me.  I can't pass that up.  

What I'm Currently Reading:

As I'm typing this, I'm currently 40% into Death in Luxor, the fourth Intrepid Traveler Mystery from M.A. Monnin.  As always with this series, I'm enjoying it.  It's making me want to go visit Egypt - without the dead bodies, of course.  But I'm going to have to get to reading if I am going to finish it on Sunday like I'm hoping to do.

If I stick to my original plan, Monday, I'll be working on 'Tis the Season to be Scary by Vicki Delany.  I know there are still lots of people waiting on this one, so I want to be mindful of how quickly I can get it read and returned to the library.

That's it for me.  Have a great week!

October 3rd's Weekly TV Thoughts

Anna Pigeon (9/25) – Yeah, I missed it last week because I went to the concert.  Honestly, I don’t regret it.  The show continues to disappoint, mainly with the characters.  I’m not surprised that Manny wants to leave given everything that has happened.  The romance subplot couldn’t be more predictable if they tried.  I really did want to like it more.

The Marlow Murder Club – The cliffhanger was obviously a red herring within five minutes.  Okay, so I kind of figured it was last week, but still, that could have been more.  But the ultimate solution was pretty well done.  And I liked seeing the trio together again at the end.  Although why the police are painting Judith’s place I’ll never know.  Yes, she’s done them favors, but still.

Marble Hall Murders – Some pretty memorable quotes in this episode.  I’m wondering why they dragged out poor Eliot’s death.  Why not just kill him right away.  Loved the meta cliffhanger with Pund.  How will we get more from him?  And Susan is in quite the pickle now, which I’m loving seeing because I know she’ll get herself out of it.

Weakest Link – Naturally, I was rooting for Melissa to win it all.  Still, that was an impressive total at the end, and the two who made it to the end were strong links.  Once they stopped trying to run the chain, they banked some decent money.  I think they could have gone a little longer between banking, but it’s hard to argue with the results.

Dancing with the Stars – I’m sorry to see Taylor go.  I expected him to go another few weeks.  There are a few others who aren’t doing as well as he is.  On the other hand, the cream of the crop is beginning to rise.  As expected, almost all of the songs I recognized this week were due to Straight No Chaser.  There was one I knew from elsewhere.

RJ Decker – I’m really kind of surprised.  I figured they were going to milk that storyline for much longer if not all season.  Takes the sting away a little that the killer was someone they introduced this episode.  Of course, I feel like this was the only episode focused only on that case.  I wonder if we will just be dealing with the aftermath going forward character growth wise, or if there will be any more twists related directly to the case in the weeks ahead.

The Challenge – Well, that was a boring episode.  Nothing changed.  Nothing really happened.  Waste of 45 minutes.  Tori’s confession at the end about being tempted to keep the money doesn’t surprise me.  It would be tempting for everyone.  It wouldn’t surprise me if it happened.  Or at least they took the majority of it.

Survivor – That felt like a typical episode.  None of the uncertainty.  I was happy to see the other tribe lose and send someone home.  I much prefer it when it is relatively balanced instead of all one direction in the first half of the season.  And yes, it is possible to play too hard, and Ana learned the hard way.  Although, what was Rob thinking?  I knew you couldn’t put your own name down.  That’s just stupid.  I don’t get his plan.  Also, I’ve never seen Eric spelled with an A.  I kind of figured that guy with his thumb was toast since the previews last week, but happy to see I was wrong.

The Amazing Race (9/30) – Some of these teams are going to be fun if tonight was anything to go by.  It’s always a good sign when the teams are laughing at themselves.  Hope they stay a while and hope that keeps up.  I was already sorry when it was obvious who the bottom two teams were.  I didn’t want either of them to go yet.  And yes, there is already one team I don’t like.  We will see if that turns around.  Vancouver looked beautiful.  That fly fishing challenge?  No thanks.  I wouldn’t want to do that.  But I would have been all about the paddling in the second part.  No surprise with my love of the water and paddle boarding.

Totally 90’s House – Not surprised at who the overall winner was, although, since they had different judges, it could have gone either way.  At least the other team did win something in the episode.  And Melissa made it back!  Both home owners seemed very happy with the results, which, as both teams were saying, is the most important things.

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test – Glad George is gone.  Ruby, too, even though I watched Batwoman.  I didn’t think either would last a long time.  Have they set up who is going to go next?  It does seem to be the ones they call in for a chat who go soon.  They’ve been dropping quickly.  Not that I blame them.  I would be gone by now since I HATE heights.  (And with Wednesday’s Amazing Race, it’s been two days for heights.)

The Amazing Race (10/1) – I would enjoy the tomatoes in theory, but in practice, probably not so much.  Especially since it’s a needle in the haystack challenge, and I hate those.  Using your express pass to get through the challenge when you are in the back of the pack is smart, in my opinion.  Detail trumps memory once again.  Although I would love to know how close those final three teams really were to each other.  Glad the grandfather/grandson team lived to race another day.

Anna Pigeon (10/2) – I’ll give them credit for this.  While the stuff with Anna’s feelings for Jesse were fairly predictable, where they went with the case wasn’t.  And I liked Molly actually being in the park.  But I’m still struggling to like Anna.  And this season long storyline is pretty weak as well.

October 2nd's Friday Fun

It's Friday, so that must mean it is time for Friday Fun.  I'll be linking up to:

First Line Friday
Friday Book Snippets
Book Blogger Hop

My teasers for the first two are coming from The Case of the Case of Kilcladdich by P.J. Fitzsimmons.

Yes, that title is a mouthful.  This is book six in the Anty Boisjoly Mysteries, which are set in 1920's England.  They are very funny mysteries, as you'll see from the quotes.

The plot kicked off right from the first line:

“My uncle couldn't meet you himself, Mister Boisjoly — he’s blown himself up.”

That's a beginning that will catch your attention, right?

I've got two other quotes to share because I couldn't decide between the two.  Here's the first:

“Did you do it?”
“I did not,” I confessed, for now was a time for candour. “But I respect your initiative very much. You never know when you might catch out the guilty party with a surprise direct question."

And here's the second:

“Killing a chap, in my eerily broad experience of the field, is among the worst ways to get him to tell you a secret.”

I hope those give you a sense of the humor in the book.

My review will be up on Wednesday, so please come back to see what I thought.

Let's switch over to this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

As a book lover, what’s your biggest fear?

I'm sure I won't be the only one, but I most fear losing my sight.  Yes, I could read via audiobooks, but not all the authors I like come out on audio.

And on that cheery note, have a great weekend!

Book Review: Essentials of Homicide by Kim Davis (Aromatherapy Apothecary Mysteries #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Carissa and the rest of the characters in a mostly strong mystery

Cons: A couple of niggles with the plot, but nothing too major

The Bottom Line:

Hollywood murder

Complicates Carissa’s life

In charming cozy

Mystery Movie Leads to Real Life Murder

When I find an author I enjoy, I follow them to a new series even if the hook isn’t one I would normally go for.  That’s the case with the Aromatherapy Apothecary Mysteries.  I’m not into aromatherapy, but since I’ve enjoyed Kim Davis’s Cupcake Caterer Mysteries, I dove head first into this second series and never looked back.  I’m glad I did since Essentials of Homicide, book three in the series, was another fun entry.

The books are set in Oak Creek Valley, a fictionalized Ojai, California, and feature Carissa Carmichael, the owner of Aromatherapy Apothecary, an essential oils store in the middle of the town’s downtown/tourist area.  She’s found herself involved in a couple of previous murders since returning to town and opening her shop, much to the dismay of her father, the town’s chief of police.

As this book opens, Hollywood has come to town, not too surprising for a community an hour and a half from Los Angeles.  Hidden Crimes is going to be shot there, a murder mystery movie.  They are even paying Ashley, Carissa’s best friend and employee, for the use of her house as a location in the movie.

However, trouble has also arrived in the form of Nigel Hollister, the star of the film.  He’s handsome, and he knows it, and assumes that all women will want to spend time with him.  Ashley turns him down several times but the man refuses to take no for an answer.  Until Carissa finds him floating in the pool at Ashley’s house, dead.  With her best friend in the hot seat as a murder suspect, Carissa once again jumps into an investigation.  Can she sort through the myriad of suspects to find the killer?

The plot started out strongly.  Nigel was a jerk, and we got to see that before he splashed down.  That only intensifies as Carissa starts her investigating, and we learn even more.  The pacing was a little off in the second half, but not too bad, and the climax is weaker than I like, but those are minor issues overall.  Everything did make sense when I put the book down.

And the reason those are minor issues is the characters.  I hadn’t realized just how much I’d gotten to like the characters in the series until I picked up this book and started reading about them again.  I was smiling as I watched them interact here.  They are delightful, and their relationships are wonderful.

Of course, that wasn’t true of all of the suspects, although I did like a few of the new characters we met along the way.  Others fell into the love to hate category.  But they were developed enough to keep me guessing until the end.

At the end of the book, we get a recipe for an aromatherapy muscle rub and another one for a baked good.

It’s always nice to visit friends, and that’s just what Essentials of Homicide was.  If you are looking for a fun cozy, you’ll be glad you picked this one up.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.