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

Stars: 4 out of 5

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

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

The Bottom Line:

His brother accused

Sandy must find a killer

Good despite some flaws

Does Sandy Know the Answer to the Big Question?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Mickey and team in another tense legal thriller

Cons: His opponents are weak; some other minor things

The Bottom Line:

Mickey a killer?

Story is hard to put down

But I do see flaws

Does the Lincoln Lawyer Have a Fool for a Client?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun new characters in an interesting mystery

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

The Bottom Line:

A tricky murder

Can Bixby catch the killer?

Fun series debut

Has Someone Designed the Perfect Murder?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great looking ornament 

Cons: A bit bigger than I like

The Bottom Line:

Turtle doves couple

Basis for series second

Still large but looks good

Loving This Second Twelve Days Ornament

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Father's Day's Sunday/Monday Post

That time of a week again!  I'll be linking my Sunday/Monday Post to:

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

Another quiet week around here.  I went paddle boarding with a friend on Friday night after work again.  I've made it out all three weeks since I got my pass at the beginning of the month.

I do have a bit of a rant.  I bought something on eBay Tuesday night.  It was a localish vendor (not my city, but I could be there in 30 minutes or so).  Claimed to be a fast shipper.  I figured I'd have it by now.  Nope.  They haven't even shipped it yet.  Technically, the predicted arrival window starts on Saturday the 20th.  But seriously?  You claim to be a fast shipper and you haven't even shipped it yet?  Yeah, not happy.  Yes, it's definitely a first world problem, but I'm am still going to complain about it.

Let's see, other than that, it cooled down here this week.  We actually had some June gloom with gray skies in the morning before we did get sun in the afternoon.  After being in the 90's, we were only in the 70's most of this week.  Should be a little warmer this coming week, fortunately.

And Saturday night, I met up with a friend for dinner.  It was great catching up with her.

Think that's about all the news here.

Joke of the Week:

I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Upgrade

Tuesday - Book Review: Lost and Clowned by Dana Mentink

Wednesday - TV Show Review: Step by Step - Season 2

Thursday - Book Review: Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge

Friday - Friday Post featuring The Quirky Quiz Show Caper

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Ornament Review: Two Turtle Doves

Tuesday - Book Review: Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg

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

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

Friday - Friday Post featuring Murder at Ochre Court

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Let's kick things off this week with All Aboard for Murder by Ellen Byron.  This is book three in her Golden Motel Mysteries.  I really enjoyed the first two books, so I can't wait to read this one and find out what is going on with these characters.

Then I went on a bit of an ebook shopping spree.  And I have a feeling another one is coming soon.

It's been a while since I read any of Jacqueline Vicks books.  While I have the first in a series from her that I haven't read yet, we'll blame it on the fact that I don't have the next books in the Frankie Chandler Pet Psychic Mysteries.  But now I have no excuse since I just bought books seven and eight in the series, Some Like Murder Hot and A Spinning Wheel of Murder.  

I also got the next Anty Boisjoly Mystery from PJ Fitzsimmons, The Case of the Case of Kilcladdich.  I enjoy this series, so this should be another good one.

Finally, I got the first from a new author.  Cool Change by Kevin Zelenka features a retired military police officer who finds himself involved in a murder in a small Minnesota town.  Hopefully, it's good.

What I'm Currently Reading:

I'm working my way through Death on the Back Nine, book six in Caleb Wygal's Myrtle Beach Mysteries.  I haven't been focused on reading as much the last few days as normal, so I haven't made it as far as I had hoped.  I am intrigued by what is going on in this book, however.  Hopefully, I'll get some focused reading time on Sunday so I can finish it up on Monday.

Have a great week!

June 20th's Weekly TV Thoughts

American Ninja Warrior – I always worry when people start trying to go too fast that it will make them fall.  At least this time, he’d made it far enough.  I’m happy for Kai and his engagement.  Nice to see the Godfather moving on as well.  

Juneteenth's Friday Post

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

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

The teasers for the first three will be coming from The Quirky Quiz Show Caper by Sally Carpenter.

This is book four in her Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries.  And here's how the book begins:

Strange that the music I'd made popular in the 1970s sounded unbearably cheesy when played on a four-manual Wurlitzer theater organ.

Definitely a bit of fun to start the book.  But on page 56, the mystery has definitely kicked in:

"Where is the knife, Dr. Farmington?" The detective said this more like a command than a question.

It had been a while since I picked up a book in this series, and I enjoyed getting to revisit the characters.  Look for my review to come on Thursday.

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

If you could pick any fictional character to live with, who would it be, and how would they change your daily life? 

Considering I used to day dream of living with Trixie Belden and the rest of the Bob Whites, that's my  answer.  For those who don't know her, Trixie is a teen detective kind of like the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew.  The Bob Whites are her brothers and their group of friends.  And yes, they solved lots of mysteries.  Obviously, getting involved in real life mysteries would significantly change my life.

Have a great weekend!

Book Review: Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge (Phyllida Bright Mysteries #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Growth for Phyllida, entertaining mystery

Cons: Lots of events disguise little investigative progress

The Bottom Line:

A death on the stage

And look at Phyllida’s past

Book that entertains

A Brutal Crime

Colleen Cambridge’s Phyllida Bright Mysteries are another series I’m trying to catch up on this year.  As a result, I sat down with Murder Takes the Stage, the fourth in the series.  It was a lot of fun.

This book finds us in a new setting as Phyllida, housekeeper for famed mystery author Agatha Christie, is in London.  Agatha along with her second husband, Max, is there to oversee a potential adaptation of one of her Poirot stories for the stage.  Phyllida is less than enthused about being back in London.  She’s hoping to stay in the house that the couple has rented and oversee the household that has come along to avoid any potential unpleasantness.

But fate has other ideas.  The potential producers for Agatha’s play are hit with a death on one of their current productions when Archibald Allston is found dead in an armchair the week before the play is supposed to open.  Phyllida doesn’t see any signs of foul play, but she begins to second guess her observations when the man playing Benvolio in a production of Romeo and Juliette is bludgeoned to death on the balcony of a different theater the next day.  Can Phyllida discover what is happening before another death occurs?

This is the part of the review that I once again confess my lack of knowledge about Agatha Christie books.  I know, I know.  I really need to fix that.  Each book in the series takes some cues from a famous Agatha Christie novel.  Obviously, I can’t tell how similar the two books are, but I did want to acknowledge the comparison.

In earlier books, we’ve gotten hints about Phyllida’s backstory, but nothing remotely concrete.  I was happy to see we finally got some answers here.  While there might be more, I’m happy with what we got, at least for now.  And I’m curious if Phyllida’s friendship with Agatha (that lead to her working for the author) might play into something from Agatha’s past.  I guess I’ll have to keep reading to find out.

Even though we were in London, enough of the familiar staff came along that it still felt like an entry in the series.  I enjoyed how some of those relationships grew here, and I’m very curious to see where things go soon.

As to the mystery itself, I felt like it substituted events for actual deduction at times, meaning the story wasn’t really moving forward even thought there were events that had me entertained.  It’s a fine line, and I may be the only one who cares about it.  But overall, I thought the story was solid with a good slew of new characters to keep us entertained.  And the ending, while a bit overly dramatic, fit in with the series and answered our questions.

I’m glad I have the next book in the series already since I do want to see where the characters go from here.  Fans will get caught up in Murder Takes the Stage.

Here are the rest of the Phyllida Bright Mysteries.

TV Show Review: Step by Step - Season 2

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: More laughs as the characters get stronger

Cons: The writing still needs to find ways to use all the characters better

The Bottom Line:

A step family

Learning to blend in sitcom

Glad I found these laughs

“We Tried to Help and Both Kids are Miserable.  I Think Our Work Here is Done.”

My journey through 90’s sitcom Step by Step continues with season two.  With when this show ended, I never watched it when it was originally on.  I didn’t really begin to hear much about it until I started listening to some rewatch podcasts that mentioned it.  So, I’m watching this show now blind.  But I’m glad I am giving it a chance since I am really enjoying it.

If you’ve missed it, this was a 90’s take on a blended family sitcom.  The parents are Frank and Carol (Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers) who each brought three kids into their second marriage.  Frank’s three kids are J.T., Al, and Brendan (Brandon Call, Christine Lakin, and Josh Byrne) while Carol’s three kids are Dana, Karen, and Mark (Staci Keanan, Angela Watson, and Christopher Castile).  Rounding out the main cast is the required goofy character, in this case, Frank’s nephew Cody (Sasha Mitchell). 

Fans know that there is a cast change between seasons one and two.  Carol’s mother and sister, regular characters in season one, aren’t back.  And, in true 90’s sitcom fashion, they are never mentioned this season.  Considering they worked with Carol in her beauty salon, that’s quite an omission.  Honestly, with nine characters for the writers to juggle, they had plenty of characters to try to write for each week.  And, with how underutilized these two characters were in the first season, it’s no surprise they didn’t return.

So, what does happen this season?  Dana takes the SAT and is surprised to find Cody taking them as well.  All the kids struggle to adjust to the new school year, with Al’s cooking being bad, Mark struggling in wood shop, and J.T. having an unfair English teacher.  J.T. starts a Wayne’s World knock off on the local cable access station.  (Truly, those two episodes are horrible.)  Dana finds out being a boss is harder than she expected when she is hired as the manager of a 50’s themed café with Karen and J.T. as her employees.  An overdue video under Brendan’s bed prompts the family to cut down their spending.  Cody inherits money from the resident of a retirement home he regularly visits.  And the family wins a trip to Hawaii.  Plus watch for a very fun storyline poking fun at Christopher Castile’s role in the recent (at the time) hit movie Beethoven.

While I did enjoy season one, I found the writing stronger here for the most part.  Many of the episodes included some wonderful laugh out loud moments and some tender moments as well.  Still, the writers are struggling to find things for all the characters to do.  Even with two storylines per episode, the younger kids often get under served, especially poor Brendan, who somethings only has a line or two.  While all the characters get at least one episode focused on them this season, you can tell who the writers favored by who has more.  It’s definitely not even.

Not that I’m blaming the writers.  There are twenty-four episodes this season, and that’s a lot of work.  If there are characters it’s easier to come up with storylines for, it’s going to be natural to focus on them more.  Still, I hope things even out a little going forward.

One thing that makes this sitcom stand out is that not all the characters like each other.  Frank and Carol got married before the kids had even met each other, so they are trying to navigate that while all living under one roof.  That makes for some great one liners and insults.  And, we do see more evidence that those relationships and bonds are growing this season, which I appreciate.  It’s more realistic than some shows while not being as spiteful as others. 

The actors are all killing it this season.  They are getting more familiar with their characters, and they are hitting the jokes well.  I find everyone a joy to watch.

As I said earlier, the jokes are funny.  Yes, it’s a typical family sitcom in that department, but I love sitcoms, so I’m really enjoying getting to laugh at these characters as I get to know them better.  In addition to the dialogue, the cast does some great physical comedy, especially the adults.

The show is already diving into some very special episodes this season.  I’m thinking especially of a couple this season involving teenage sex lives, and I appreciated how both were handled.  Of course, I would have preferred they not be included at all since I cringed more than laughed, but if they had to be here, this was a nice way to handle the topics.

This season featured 24 episodes.  The show doesn’t appear to be available for streaming, but I got it on DVD.  We don’t have any extras, but the show looks and sounds great for a 90’s sitcom.

I’m so glad I found Step by Step.  I’m truly enjoying getting to know these characters and watching what happens despite some minor flaws.  Now that I’ve finished season two, I’m looking forward to diving into season three.

Book Review: Lost and Clowned by Dana Mentink

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Good story and interesting characters

Cons: Pi a couple of times; pacing a couple of times

The Bottom Line:

A circus attack

Troop member responsible?

A great standalone

Finding a Killer is a Circus

I enjoyed the four Shake Shop Mysteries that Dana Mentink wrote, so I was very curious to read Lost and Clowned, a rare standalone cozy set in the world of a traveling circus.  It may have taken me a while to get it and read it, but I’m glad I did since I enjoyed it.

Pi Steely (yes, that’s her real name) is the business manager and a clown in the traveling circus her uncle owns.  It’s the first place in her life she’s felt at home, and she loves her life and feels like her fellow performers are family.  The time around Christmas is always a dead time, and this year, the circus is spending it in a small California coastal town.  They are spending the down time working on a new act, even putting on a short show for the locals to try out the material.

However, the next morning, Pi stumbles on a body on the beach.  She recognizes the woman as someone who attended the show the day before.  The detective is certain that a member of the circus is responsible for the crime.  Pi is quick to dismiss that, but as secrets start coming out, she begins to wonder if the detective is right.  Is someone in the circus a killer?

If you are expecting the book to be filled with wildly outrageous characters, you’ll be disappointed.  While the characters might have a few more quirks than in a typical cozy, they still feel very grounded and realistic.  These are not circus freaks, these are people who happen to work in a circus.  I did have a hard time keeping them all straight early on, but as the story unfolded, I was able to remember who they were.  I did find Pi a little immature for her mid-twenties a couple of times, but maybe that was just me.

I did find the pacing off a time or two, but it never lasted for long.  We get enough time to meet the characters and the circus setting before the story kicks off.  And there is plenty going on.  I was hooked as Pi tried to figure out what was going on.  This included a shock in her personal life.  The ultimate solution made sense, and the climax kept me hooked.

The tone was a bit more serious than I was expecting for a circus setting, but it fit the story being told perfectly.  And there were moments of fun along the way.

And, yes, I enjoyed the setting.  There are some references to places I recognized in Northern California, which always made me smile.

Given the author has written plenty of other books since she released this one, I do think this is a standalone, which is very rare in the cozy subgenre.  And, given the nature of this story, I’m not sure I see how a series would flow out of this book.  But if she were to release a sequel, I’d pick it up.

I’m glad I finally got to enjoy Lost and Clowned.  This is a book to pick up if you are looking for a different cozy.