Book Review: Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg (Sharpe and Walker #3)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: The main story is fun

Cons: The sub-plot slows things down and the characters are flat

The Bottom Line:

Serial arson

The main storyline is fun

But has weaknesses

Searching the Smoke for the Truth

I’ve followed Lee Goldberg’s career from his days writing tie-ins to his new books following characters in the LA Sheriff’s Department. Along the way, his books have started to slip from the list of things I always enjoy. They aren’t bad, they just as good as they used to be. Hidden in Smoke, this third in his Sharpe and Walker series, is a perfect example. 

If you are new to this series, Walter Sharpe is a brilliant arson investigator working for the LA Sheriff’s Department. Andrew Walker is his partner, a former US Marshall who has taken the job for something safer so he will be around for his family. Not that it always turns out that way. Still, Walker is beginning to pick up the skill needed for his new job even if he misses the more action-oriented parts of his old job. 

When this book opens, West Hollywood has been rocked by a series of arsons in one night. The arsonist hit multiple apartment buildings by setting fire to a car in a car port. Just as the partners are beginning to piece some key clues together, a major fire impacts the city. Will this new fire distract them? Or will they be able to solve it as well?

There is actually a very strong second storyline that includes some major spoilers for the first book. Since it is introduced first, those spoilers start almost from the first page. 

And, it’s actually with this second storyline that I want to start. There are some tie ins with the main storyline, but on the whole, it really could have been its own story. It adds little to the overall mystery and the flashback portions to tell this part of the story just slow things down. I was very bothered by aspects of this story since it involved targeting a medical company CEO. Maybe it’s just bad timing with the headlining murder that’s been in the news in the last few months, but it felt more political than the fun mystery/thriller I was looking forward to when I picked up this book. It’s obvious that Lee Goldberg wanted to write a caper, but it felt forced into this book.

On the other hand, the main mystery was fantastic with plenty of twists and turns to keep me engaged. I was surprised by several things along the way, but they all made sense to me as they happened. 

The characters are a mixed bag. They are real enough to make us care about the outcome, but they feel a bit flat overall. The teenage boy humor we get at times certainly doesn’t help. This also really hurts the second storyline I was talking about earlier. They are some of the flattest characters. 

On the other hand, there are some fun laughs and great banter between the characters. 

Fans of Lee’s other current series will be interested to note that Eve Ronin and her partner Duncan Pavone show up part way through. There are some supporting characters between the two series as well. If you haven’t read Eve’s books, you won’t miss too much, but a few references will fly over your head. 

Since I live in LA County, I enjoy all the references to places I know as I’m reading this book. I especially enjoy a few scenes that take place close to me. I was smiling as I followed the action, picturing exactly what I was talking about. 

As you can see, Hidden in Smoke was a mixed bag. Fans of Lee’s books will enjoy it, but I do wish it were stronger overall. 

Movie Review: Viva Las Vegas

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Light, fun romantic comedy musical

Cons: None worth dwelling on

The Bottom Line:

Romance, comedy

Wrapped up in fun songs in this

Charming musical

Flirty Fun in Vegas

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I look to entertainment mostly for an escape.  I want have fun.  Yes, I do enjoy some more serious books and movies, but it’s always a pleasure to find something that is just looking to be light entertainment.  That’s exactly what Viva Las Vegas is trying to be, and it succeeds in spades.

The movie tells the story of race car driver Lucky Jackson (Elvis Presley).  He’s planning to enter a race leaving from Las Vegas, and he’s there earning the money to buy an engine to go into his new car.  His chief competitor, Count Elmo Mancini (Cesare Danova) is there as well, and the two are talking when they meet Rusty Martin (Ann-Margret).  Rusty gets them to help with her car, but then vanishes before either man can get so much as her name.  The two set out to find her, but by the time they do, Lucky’s money is gone.  Forced to take a job as a waiter doesn’t prove to be too bad because it gives him time to woo Rusty.  Or will Elmo win her heart instead?  Will Lucky have an engine for his car in time for the big race?

Let’s be honest, you can probably guess at least some of what happens along the way just based on my teaser.  This isn’t a terribly original movie if you are familiar with romantic comedies.  But you know what?  That’s okay.  This is a fun movie with character you want to root for.  Yes, even Elmo.  Oh, you don’t want to root for him to win a race or win the girl, but he is still a likable foil and not a true villain.

It also helps that Elvis and Ann-Margret have chemistry.  The film sizzles when they are on screen together.  Again, you are rooting for the two of them to get together.  As is often the case with a romantic comedy, the film brushes a few issues under the rug in the rush to the ending, but that’s okay.  What is here works.

And part of that is the acting.  The entire cast is obviously having fun together, and it pulls us into the story they are telling.

With Elvis and Ann-Margret as the leads, I’m sure it’s no surprise that this is a musical.  In addition to the famous title track, we get a variety of songs throughout.  There are no true show stoppers with tons of choreography, but that’s okay because the songs are fun.  There are a few done as part of shows, but there are also songs that the characters sing in “real life.”  As much as I do find the title track fun, my favorite song by far was “The Lady Loves Me.”  It is such fun, you can’t help but laugh as Lucky and Rusty sing back and forth to each other.

This movie came out in 1964, and it is a throwback to a simpler, more innocent time.  There is very little if any innuendo (I can’t remember any off hand).  The romance is extremely chaste.  And yet, we are rooting for the characters and having a great time.  It’s also the time when someone can be in the pool in one shot and have perfectly styled hair and basically dry clothes in the next, which takes place thirty seconds later.  That may be unintentional humor, but it is still fun none-the-less.

I completely enjoyed watching Viva Las Vegas because it has lost none of its charm.  Next time you are in the mood for a light romantic comedy, I definitely recommend you track this one down.

Candy Review: Hershey's Kisses - Butterbeer

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Delicious taste of butterbeer

Cons: Appear to be a seasonal item

The Bottom Line:

A seasonal kiss

Enjoy butterbeer flavor

These will be a hit

Enjoy a Bite of Butterbeer

Back in March when I was wandering through Target’s Easter aisles, I found a new flavor of Hershey’s Kisses – Butterbeer.  Naturally, I had to grab them.  They were every bit as good as I expected.

Unlike a traditional Hershey’s kiss, these aren’t chocolate based.  Maybe there is some white chocolate in them, although it didn’t stand out in a quick scan of the ingredients.  Instead, they have a butterscotch flavor.  A very strong butterscotch flavor.  It’s so strong that you can smell them as soon as the bag is opened.  I’ve had a mostly empty bag in my pantry for a few weeks waiting for me to write this review, and every time I open the door, I smell them.  That’s not a problem, just be prepared.

Anyway, they taste just like you’d expect.  Lots of butterscotch flavor with a hint of cream.  The candies themselves are tan.  If you bite into one, you’ll find that there is a white center to them.

And they are delicious!  I took this package to a family gathering, and everyone who tried them loved them.  It’s hard to eat just one, which is always the sign of a good Hershey’s Kiss, right?

As you are probably expecting with the Butterbeer flavor, these are Harry Potter themed.  The name is on the packaging, and the wrappers have various Harry Potter things, like books, glasses, and steins of butterbeer to name a few.

My only question is why are these seasonal?  I think they’ve be popular any time of year.  And I really don’t think of Harry Potter around Easter.

I suspect these were Target exclusive since I didn’t see them anywhere else I was looking.

I realize my timeliness stinks since, if these were an Easter item, they aren’t in the stores any more.  Hopefully, they’ll be back in future years.  If so, you’ll be happy you snagged some Butterbeer Hershey’s Kisses.

April 26th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Tracker – Yes, it was a little weird, but not nearly as bad as the show can be.  I enjoyed this one overall.  Tracking back through the night before proved to be fun.  I’m not sure I bought what the friend was selling there at the end as to how she got away.  I’m not sure why, but I just didn’t trust her.  Or maybe it has to do with the fact that we still had time left in the episode.  I’m probably just being too suspicious.

Suits LA – Of all the people from the original I wanted to see again, Hardman wasn’t on the list.  I get why he was there, however, and it was a good use of him.  I’m sad that was Harvey’s last episode since he was the best character on the show.  And his dynamic with Ted was also the best.  I wonder if this means we aren’t going to see Eddie’s death in the flashbacks.  I sure hope that’s the case.  Honestly, I wish we’d just drop them.  They didn’t add much to the story.

Poppa’s House – A better episode than most.  I think it’s because they went serious in the middle instead of quite as insane as they often go.  I just wished they’d pulled back Dyrrl a little.  He was just a bit over the top for me.

Night Court – I preferred the A story to the B story, but even the B story was fun.  Several good moments and some serious messages mixed in well.  I’d forgotten Abby was an alcoholic, however.

Movie Review: Get Him Back for Christmas

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Charming, sweet Christmas movie

Cons: Predictable; the lip-syncing is obvious

The Bottom Line:

Writing a new song

Will friends move to next level

Charming Christmas film

Does Music Have the Power to Restore Relationships?

Having watched some previous movies that husband and wife Carlos and Alexa PenaVega have done together, I decided to give Get Him Back for Christmas.  I’m glad I did since it proved to be completely charming.

Bella Harlan (Alexa PenaVega) has gotten her big break when she met mega popstar Sage Majors (Alan Powell).  Their two duets have swiftly climbed the charts, and the fact that they are dating has captured the nation.  However, it all comes crashing down on Bella before Christmas when Sage announces that he wants a break for the holidays.  It only gets worse when the press reports that the two have broken up.

So Bella does the only thing she can think of – she heads home to her small town in Texas.  It’s there that she reconnects with her old song writing partner, Jack Grayton (Carlos PenaVega).  The two secretly had feelings for each other when they were teens.  But Bella is intent on getting Sage back and asks Jack to help her write a song to help her do that.  Will they rediscover their feelings?

If you go into this movie and aren’t shocked by the developments along the way, you haven’t been paying attention to these made for TV Christmas movies.  But, as I always say, it’s more about the execution than the predictability.  In this case, I was having plenty of fun, so I don’t care that much that I knew where the story was going.  There were some nice subplots I wasn’t expecting along the way, and some real depth to the characters that helped bring me in.

Since this is set in Texas, this is now the second Christmas movie I’ve watched that didn’t include snow.  I’m a bit surprised, but not that upset since snow doesn’t feature into my Christmases either.

I will say that the singing was a bit weak.  Not the actual vocals, but the lip-syncing they did during the filming.  It looks fake.  But maybe that’s just me.

One thing I especially appreciated was the third act.  Again, the characters had been established, so the third act complications felt real, and I appreciated how the characters behaved.  I respected them for the choices they made.

There were some elements of the movie I wasn’t expecting, like the prominent place The Salvation Army had in the movie, or the roll that Mario Lopez played in the movie (as himself).  There’s also Jack’s younger brother.  I found their relationship very sweet.

The acting is good.  Alexa and Carlos carry the movie, but the rest of the cast are fine in their parts as well.

Ultimately, Get Him Back for Christmas is a sweet and charming Christmas movie.  If that is what you are looking for, you’ll be rewarded.

Book Review: A Fashionably French Murder by Colleen Cambridge (An American in Paris Mystery #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Interesting look at life in post-war Paris with a good mystery and fun characters

Cons: Pacing at times

The Bottom Line:

Fashion and murder

Return to post war Paris

With fun mystery

Tabitha Must Find a Well Dressed Killer

I’ve always enjoyed getting to meet real people via the pages of historical fiction, and Colleen Cambridge has found success with that in two mystery series. A Fashionably French Murder is the third in her An American in Paris series which features Julia Child. 

The main character is Tabitha Knight, who moved to Paris in 1949 to live with her grandfather. She just happens to be neighbors with Julia Child, and the two have become good friends. It’s now February of 1950, and the two are about to become entangled in another murder. 

Tabitha, who grew up learning both French and English, is making some money tutoring various people in French. She’s now landed a job as a translator for a diplomat’s wife who is looking to buy an haute couture dress for her daughter’s upcoming wedding. Their first stop is Maison Lannet, where they are treated to a fabulous fashion show. But when Tabitha realizes she left her gloves behind, she finds the designer dead. Can she figure out what happened?

Once again, we are plunged into post-World War II life in Paris. The war’s after effects are still playing a part in daily life. I appreciate that perspective on things because it isn’t something I think about too much. Yes, I find the war years fascinating, but I don’t think about how that horrible experience impacted people as they tried to rebuild their lives. 

Just because this book takes place in the fashion industry doesn’t mean we don’t have as much talk about French cuisine as in the first two books. Would you expect any less with Julia Child as a supporting character? Prepare for your mouth to water as you read. 

My observation from the previous books holds true again here. I find it weird that the French characters, who are supposedly speaking French, occasionally have a French word or expression in the middle of their dialogue. And yet it works to give them a French accent in my head as I’m reading. 

The mystery itself has some good twists to it, but I did find the pacing a little uneven in the middle. It never stayed that way for too long, and it helped that we had some subplots to distract Tabitha, and us, from the main mysteries. But I definitely liked the solution to this mystery. 

And the characters are entertaining as well. Several threads from the previous book continued here, and I’m especially interested to see what is going to happen next with one of them. 

Tabitha and Julia continue to be good guides to life in 1950 Paris. If that interests you, you’ll be glad you picked up A Fashionably French Murder. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

Ornament Review: Sally and Pigpen - 2024 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Two lesser produced Peanuts characters

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Sally and Pigpen

Dancing onto Christmas tree

In this mini set

Two More Peanuts Characters Get the Mini Treatment

Over the years, Hallmark has released various sets of Peanuts characters around themes.  Usually, they include Lucy, Linus, Charlie Brown, and Snoopy in those sets.  So when I spotted a two ornament collection of Sally and Pigpen in 2024, I snagged it.

This is a collection of two miniature ornaments.  It’s just as you’d expect from the name.  Sally is dancing, so she’s got one leg up.  While Pigpen doesn’t have his big cloud of dust around him, we can see smudges of dirt on his face and on the bass he’s playing.

I must admit, I didn’t realize until I was home with the set that these are both themed around A Charlie Brown Christmas.  These are the characters as they appear in the big dance scenes that are interrupting the pageant practice.  This makes me wonder if I should have paid more attention and we’ve gotten more miniature ornaments featuring other characters from the special in the past.  Either way, that was a fun bonus for ornaments I was already planning to get.

You see, I love Peanuts, and it is nice to have a variety of the characters.  I get that the most popular characters are going to be the ones that sell the most, but I appreciate that these lesser done characters get their day every so often.

As I said earlier, these are mini ornaments.  Pigpen is a little taller just because his bass is so much bigger than he is, but the characters themselves are about an inch tall.  As long as you know that when you buy the pair, you’ll be fine.

This probably means you don’t want to set the ornaments out to be displayed anyway.  But if you wanted to, you’ll find that Sally doesn’t stand on her own at all.  You can balance Pigpen, but he isn’t very stable, so he’ll probably fall over the first time someone walks by.

Fortunately, both ornaments hang straight, so you’ll be fine when you go to hang these on your tree.

The Sally and Pigpen set was fun to get.  If you are a Peanuts fan looking for some lesser produced characters, you’ll be glad you picked it up.

Book Review: Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry (Seven Ponds Mysteries #1)

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Some laughs along the way

Cons: One plot element I didn’t like, thin characters, derogatory attitude toward Christians

The Bottom Line:

Meeting her grandma

A death in community

Disappointing start

Retirement Community Filled in Intrigue

I enjoyed the three books in Tamara Berry’s By the Book mystery series, so when I saw she was starting a new series, I immediately put it on my to be read list. Sadly, Murder Runs in the Family didn’t work nearly as well for me. 

Amber Wilson has just left her long-term boyfriend behind and turned to her family for help. Of course, in this case, it’s her grandma Jade, a woman she’s never met before. Jade lives in the Seven Ponds retirement community in Arizona, and she is thrilled when Amber shows up. In the fact, the two are quickly on their way to making up for the lost decades. 

That is until murder and theft rear their ugly heads. The night that Amber arrives, one of the men who lives in the complex dies. Not too surprising in a retirement community, right? But in this case, the police think something isn’t right. Even worse, a ring belonging to the victim has vanished. And the man’s relatives think Jade was responsible for both. True, Amber doesn’t know Jade well, but she can’t let her go to jail. Can Amber call on her PI training and find the killer?

The estrangement in the family is a big part of the book. Amber’s mother has refused to let anyone have any contact with Jade. Early on, we learn that Amber’s mom is a Christian and Jade decidedly isn’t. As a Christian myself, this was a turn off, especially with the attitude Amber has toward her mom while this information is being delivered to us. Later in the book, we do get more insight into these family relationships, but I never really got beyond the bad taste that scene and attitude left in my mouth.

As a result, I found it harder to get into the story, with any flaws sticking out to me more. Like the pacing. This is one of those books where there is a lot happening, but what is happening isn’t necessarily advancing the plot. Amber does make some logical deductions along the way, which I appreciated, but there were other aspects of the plot I didn’t enjoy. That really put me off as I was reading, too. 

The characters were more caricatures than fully drawn characters. I get that they were designed for laughs, and I did laugh a little as I was reading. But I was left wishing I’d actually gotten to know the characters better. 

Yes, some of the humor did work for me. I got some laughs and grins along the way as I was reading. But it was not enough to overcome the flaws. 

I was really hoping for another series I would enjoy. However, I think Murder Runs in the Family will be my only visit with these characters. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

Movie Review: John Wick - Chapter 3: Parabellum

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Attempts to weave the action together with a story

Cons: Overly violent with cardboard characters

The Bottom Line:

More violence here

Some story elements that

Don’t really work out

Action Has Consequences

My first thought after watching the second part of the John Wick franchise was that I was done.  But then, I spotted John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum on TV.  By that point, I was curious enough to see what happened in part 3 to record it.  Besides, the price was right.  While it was better than the second movie, I’m still scratching my head over how this franchise has fans.

This movie picks up at some point after the second one.  We’re supposed to think it is immediately after, but it has to be a few hours at least since it finds John Wick (Keanu Reeves) on the run in the dark and the rain while the previous movie ending during daylight.  Anyway, he is trying to get some help into place before the target that The Table has placed on him goes into full effect.  Will he get the help he needs to survive the run of assassins targeting him?  And what might the consequences be for those who do decide to help him?

I will say that this movie was slightly better than the previous one.  While the action was still over the top, it wasn’t non-stop.  Attempts were made to give the story a plot.  I’m not saying the plot was good or made sense.  Seriously, what are these characters thinking?  Considering what The Table wants from people, why wouldn’t people run away from it given the chance?  But obviously, that’s just me being a normal human being, I guess.

And maybe that’s part of why I feel the characters are still paper thin.  Yes, there is some attempt to develop them, but it mostly falls flat for me.  It’s either cliched development, or it just doesn’t work like it is supposed to.

Part of that is Keanu Reeves’s fault.  He gets the most character development, which makes sense because he is the main character.  But his wooden acting makes those scenes laughable.  I’m a little surprised at some of the other actors here.  We’ve got the likes of Ian McShane, Lawrence Fishburne, Angelica Houston, and Hallie Berry.  Their acting is fine, but they aren’t given much to work with.

If you are looking for impossible action, this movie is for you.  While it isn’t as relentless as the previous movie, there are still plenty of action scenes.  You have to suspend lots of disbelief to go along with what is happening here, more so than most action movies, but there are some moments that are still fun.  But the improbability of it all gets to even the biggest fans after a while.

And yes, the movie is still excessively violent.  There are lots of scenes that I cringed away from as I was watching, even when airing on TV.  Know that going in.  I did appreciate the good editing of the foul language in the version I watched.  You could usually still tell what was taken out, but it was much more subtle than normal.  And, it wasn’t as much as I was expecting.  Or I missed the edits.

Honestly, there’s really still no need to start this franchise.  John Wick: Chapter 3 has little to redeem it.  This isn’t a franchise worth spending any time on.

Easter Sunday's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to this week's Sunday/Monday Post.  As usual, I will be linking up to:

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

The temperatures were as predicted this week.  Sadly.  For the majority of the week, it was in the lower 60's.  We even had a couple of days that didn't get out of the 50's.  While we only got a little drizzle, we did have some cloudy days as well.  Not my idea of April weather.  That's January weather.

Today (Saturday) is in the 70's and sunny.  I'm much happier.  Supposed to be like that for the next few days as well.

Friday night, I went to the Good Friday service at my church.  A couple of the members of the congregation created a passion play incorporating some songs.  It was nice.

Saturday morning, I had walking book club (a localish library hosts - a small group of people come and talk about books we've been reading while we walk around the neighborhood).  I was a few minutes late since I left later than I intended (as always) and then hit some traffic on the way there.  Fortunately, the traffic had been cleaned up by the time I headed home.

Sunday, I'll be going to my church service in the morning and then spending the rest of the day with some friends.

And I think that catches you up on my incredibly exciting week.

Blog Spam Comment of the Week:

It's been a while since I had one of these.  But I got a pretty mockable spam comment.  This was posted on one of my book review from 10 years ago:

Thank you for sharing, I was just looking for something like this, you had a great time, greetings! Nice post thank's for sharing this information. it is really helpfull for us.

Yes, the spelling errors are in the original. Then, at the end, we got a link.  Got a nice laugh out of it.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: A Lesson in Murder

Tuesday - Book Review: Death on the Golden Mile by Caleb Wygal

Wednesday - TV Show Review: The Traitors - Season 3

Thursday - Book Review: The Library Game by Gigi Pandian

Friday - Friday Post featuring A Fashionably French Murder

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: John Wick - Chapter 3

Tuesday - Book Review: Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry

Wednesday - Ornament Review: Sally and Pigpen

Thursday - Book Review: A Fashionably French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

Friday - Movie Review: Get Him Back for Christmas

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Just two books to tell you about this week.  And I'll be reading both of them pretty quickly.

The first is #Throwback for Murder, the fourth Trending Topics Mystery from Sarah E. Burr.  I'm really looking to it since I enjoy her books and I haven't read one yet this year.  Her main character in this series is a social media star, which makes for something outside of the ordinary for the books I typically read.  I'll be starting it soon since it comes out May 6th.

The other book is a book I got from the library.  Thanks to the Libby app, I got the digital version of A Killing in Costumes by Zac Bissonnette.  It's been out a couple of years, but I never have gotten around to reading it.  The main characters are former soap opera stars and former spouses who have opened a vintage Hollywood memorabilia shop in Palm Springs.  Sadly, it appears this was a one and done since it's been almost three years since the book came out and there's no sign of a sequel.

What I'm Currently Reading:

As promised last week, I did read Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg.  In fact, I finished it after book club before I came home.  He has some of the typical issues I have with his books here, but overall, I enjoyed it.  The series features a couple of arson investigators in LA County, so I got to see some areas I know well, too.  My full review will be up on the 29th.

Up next will be A Killing Way by J.R. Sanders.  I'm sticking with LA, but going back to the 1930's and a book that will again bring the characters up to my part of the county.  The main character is a PI, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he gets up to this time around.

That's it for me this week.  Hope you have a great week.