Book Review: A Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman (Leaphorn and Chee #8)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Two leads and interesting mystery

Cons: Chee’s personal story is repetitive; pacing at times

The Bottom Line:

A missing woman

Connected to two murders?

Another good book

Missing Anthropologist

For some reason, A Thief of Time stood out to me early on from the titles in Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee series. So I was glad to finally get to this book and see what it is all about. 

Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is dealing with the loss of his wife. He’s been on leave and plans to retire when his leave is over. But when a colleague invites him along to execute a search warrant in an area Joe knows well, he agrees to go along. Only, when they arrive, they learn the woman they are supposed to serve the warrant on has been missing for two weeks. Meanwhile, Officer Jim Chee is trying to find a piece of heavy equipment that vanished on his watch. The trail leads him to dead bodies. How are these cases connected?

This is the second team up for Leaphorn and Chee. With a couple of exceptions, the book alternated their points of view at the chapter breaks. Considering the transitions they are going through in their personal lives, this allowed us to see that character development clearly. Of course, I feel like Chee has been dealing with the same issue for a couple of books now. I’m hoping he moves on soon. 

I also like that the two men are slowly building their working relationship. There is more trust than in the previous book, and it feels like a natural progression. But they also are not full partners yet. 

The mystery was good and was something that could only take place in tribal lands, something I appreciated. I felt like we were visiting more of the Navajo reservation in this book than we often do, but that might just be me. I did feel like the pacing was a little off, but it built to a great climax that kept me engaged. 

I normally enjoy George Guidall’s narration in this series (and other series I used to listen to he narrated). For some reason, I didn’t feel like it was quite as good this time. Maybe it was me. Maybe it was the digital transfer. Maybe it was his narration. Either way, I felt like he was mumbling and I had to concentrate more than usual. 

Overall, A Thief of Time is another entertaining mystery. I may be late to the party, but it is easy to see why Tony Hillerman has so many fans. 

Check out the rest of the Leaphorn and Chee Mysteries. 

Book Review: Sovereign Sieged by Sarah E Burr (Court of Mystery #8)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Characters as always

Cons: Pacing in a weaker mystery overall

The Bottom Line:

Jax is on the run

In weakest entry to date

Fans will still enjoy

Hiding Out Is a Disappointment

I’ve become a fan of Sarah E Birr’s books over the last few years, but even favorite authors occasionally miss the mark. Sadly, that’s the case with Sovereign Sieged, the eighth story in her Court of Mystery series. 

This series is something different for a cozy mystery series. It follows Duchess Jacqueline Xavier, Jax to her friends, who rules a kingdom in the Realm of Virtues. Think Medieval Europe but as a completely fictional setting. I always enjoy it for something different. 

The recent books have taken a turn for the political, weaving the current murder into a longer storyline concerning the changes that Jax is trying to make in the realm and the political fallout from it. Because of that, and spoilers for some of the books, I highly recommend reading the series in order. 

Jax has been traveling for the last couple of books, so she is looking forward to returning to her country of Saphire as she prepares for the upcoming war council. But she has only been home a few hours before something happens that makes her think she isn’t safe even in her own castle. Fleeing to a fortress in her kingdom, she surrounds herself with people she can trust. But when a murder happens, Jax has to figure out who among those present is a killer. 

The further into the series we go, the more the political drama comes to the forefront. And, as a fan of the series, I enjoy that to a certain extent. However, in this case, I felt like it took forever to get to the murder. I get why, but still, the middle lagged as a result. Once it happened, the story picked up again, although I did figure out some big chunks early on. Still, I appreciated how it wrapped up and am curious to see how these events will play into the future of the series. 

There is also a subplot carried over from the previous book that I didn’t particularly care for. I hope it has been resolved, but we shall see. 

On the plus side, I do still love the characters. A couple of the regulars aren’t here, and I did miss them. But I enjoyed our time with the rest of them. And there are some fun new characters as well. 

I want to be clear that I still am enjoying the series overall and can’t wait to see what happens next. But, this wasn’t the strongest entry in the series. 

So fans will absolutely want to read Sovereign Sieged. I’m hoping I can move on to the next entry soon. 

Here are the rest of the Court of Mystery novels.

Movie Review: Wicked

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good acting from the leads; inventive dance numbers; looks great

Cons: Not all the cast does well; feels incomplete since only half the story

The Bottom Line:

Get the backstory

Along with singing, dancing

Only the first half

Friendship Dominates the First Half of the Story

I must confess, I’m not the biggest fan of Wicked.  I did see it once when it came through Los Angeles, and I like some of the songs from the soundtrack, but I haven’t been as taken with it as so many other musical fans seem to be.  As, I didn’t rush to the theater to see either part of the movie version.  In fact, I just sat down to watch the first part of the movie this month.  It’s about what I expected when I heard they were splitting it into two parts.

In case you aren’t familiar with the story, it tells the back story of Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch of the West (Cynthia Erivo).  While we get a few scenes of her childhood, the movie focuses on what happens to her when she arrives at Shiz College.  While she’s just there to make sure her younger sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode) settles in okay, she catches the eye of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) and finds herself rooming with Galinda (Ariana Grande).  But the two roommates can’t stand each other.  Will anything change their attitudes toward each other?

If you went to see this story on Broadway, you’d get everything in about two and a half hours.  Maybe two hours forty-five minutes.  That’s the entire story.  This movie is that long, and we just get the first act.  Now, I’ll admit, I didn’t see a lot that could be cut out.  But it is still frustrating to know I’ve sat that long and we aren’t getting the entire story.  Yes, they could have tightened up some of the reactions and asides, but it isn’t as bad as I expected.

Because, let’s be honest, that is definitely a cliffhanger ending.  I’m glad I got to part two quickly.

The book and the stage musical based on it were on the forefront of the modern trend to rewrite the story of the villains and make them sympathetic characters.  I don’t really remember what happens in the second half of the story, but what we see here thematically fits with what I remember.  The story is as much about the power of perception and political power as it is about Elphaba and her being wicked.  Having said that, the trend has been overdone, and I get the complaints that we can’t have evil villains anymore.  As much as I enjoy exploring gray, we don’t need it for every villain.

Anyway, back to this movie in particular.  One of the impressions I have with the stage version is that relationships change very quickly.  Even with the added time for the movie, I felt like that was true here, too.  Elphaba and Galinda go from enemies to besties pretty quickly.  It makes the ending of this movie not have quite the punch it wants to have.  But, I think to fully develop the relationship, we’d need a TV series.  I know, I know, I shouldn’t suggest it.  And I’m also the one complaining about this being split into two halves and then complaining that it doesn’t have enough material in it.

Now, this isn’t a slight on Cynthia Erivo or Ariana Grande.  They do good jobs with the material they have.  I enjoyed watching them and their relationship develop.  And their singing is fantastic.

The same can’t be said for all of their costars.  Some are great.  Some are less so.  It doesn’t help that some of these songs are really hard to sing.

Fans of the Broadway show will spot the original leads, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in an extended cameo.  I’m wondering if there were another couple of cameos in that scene I missed.  It was more than I expected them to get, and it was really fun.

The movie looks epic.  The special effects work.  There is plenty of color and wonder, as you’d expect from Oz.  It might not quite have the full imagination I’d want, but it works well.

And the dance numbers are inventive and cinematic, which is always a plus when it comes to a movie musical for me.

I am glad I finally sat down to watch Wicked since I did enjoy it.  I’m going to make watching part 2 a priority so I can conclude the story before too much time passes.

April 12th's Sunday/Monday Post

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

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

Not too much here this week.  I worked.  I came home.  Such an exciting life, right?

The weather has cooled off again.  We're only supposed to be in the 60's this weekend, and we should be getting some rain.  Looks like it will be mostly overnight, ending during church Sunday morning.  I'm wishing that if it were going to rain, it would be Sunday afternoon when I'd be home and able to enjoy watching it.  We get rain so rarely that I enjoy watching it while I'm home and dry.  We're only talking about half an inch or so, but that's a big deal here in So Cal in April.

And, since it's the second Saturday of the month, it's my friends' game day.  So let's get to it so I can finish getting ready to go over there.

Joke of the Week:

I quickly covered myself with my arms as my bookcase fell on me.

My fast thinking was due to the shelf defense class I took.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Ornament Review: A World Within #11

Tuesday - Book Review: Murder, Local Style by Leslie Karst

Wednesday - Book Review: Fair Warning by Michael Connelly

Thursday - Book Review: Big F@!king Deal by Lawrence Allan

Friday - Friday Post featuring The Ninja's Illusion

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Wicked

Tuesday - Book Review: Sovereign Sieged by Sarah E. Burr

Wednesday - Book Review: A Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman

Thursday - Book Review: The Ninja's Illusion by Gigi Pandian

Friday - Movie Review: Wicked - For Good

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I have books I ordered that are almost here, so next week, I know I'll have plenty to talk about.  Not that I have a small number this week since I have three books on my list.

Up first is Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place by Linda Reilly.  This is book seven in her Grilled Cheese Mysteries series.  The ARC just hit Netgalley, so I snagged it.  The book itself comes out April 21st.  I won't get to the ARC to review it by then, but I'm aiming for the beginning of May for this one.

I won a giveaway from the Facebook Cozy Mystery Party group when Cindy Quayle was hosting a takeover of the group.  My prize included a copy of her newest book Lies are Better at the Lake.  I haven't read this series yet, but with a scuba diver main character, sounds like something I would enjoy.

Finally, I got Blues in the Dark.  This is the latest Nate Ross Mystery from J. R. Sanders.  The series revolves around a PI in Los Angeles in the 1930's.  I always enjoy them.

What I'm Currently Reading:

As I'm typing this, I've just barely started Blues in the Dark by J. R. Sanders.  When it arrived Friday, I decided to start it next.  I'm about 15 pages in at the moment, but I'm hoping to get a bit more read this morning before I leave for game day.  Nate's met his client and found out what he's being hired to do.  That's all I know so far.

Depending on how much reading I get done over the next couple of days, I may or may not still be reading that book on Monday.  Either way, I think next for me will be Death on Cozumel Island by Cindy Quayle.  Yes, I just won book four in this series.  I've actually had the ebook version of this first book for a couple of years.  I'm thinking now is the time to pick it up and read it since I much prefer to read a series in order if I can.

I'm off to read a bit before game day.  Have a great week, everyone!

April 11th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Wild Cards – That was a pretty good episode.  I was surprised at how much time they left at the end of the main mystery, but then they filled it well.  Are they writing Simmons out of the show/the actor leaving?  What will that mean for Yates?  Honestly, I wish it were Yates leaving since she’s the one of the two I find annoying.  And I was not expecting that cliffhanger.  Very curious what that will mean for next week’s season finale.

RJ Decker – Did not figure out where any of it was going.  Pretty creative mystery.  Yet it made sense at the end.  Very curious who broke into the house.  I’m hoping it has nothing to with Decker, but we will see.

Survivor – Any returning winner’s days are numbered.  I’m sorry that Dee wasn’t able to rally people to her side.  Honestly, she was making some great points as far as I was concerned.  Then again, I have never liked Coach.  I really hope people decide to turn on him soon.

Happy’s Place – So, if Val going to be a recurring character in season 3?  They sure seem to be setting it up that way.  Not sure how I’d feel about that.  The character is fun in small doses.  But it would give Gabi a storyline for next season.

April 10th's Friday Post

We did it!  We've reached another Friday.  Let's celebrate with this week's Friday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

This week, my teasers will be coming from The Ninja's Illusion by Gigi Pandian.

This is the fifth novel in her Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries.  I finished it up last week, and I enjoyed it.

Here's how the book begins:

I'm better at finding lost treasures than a phone buried in the bottom of my bag. Handwritten notecards for my lecture. A granola bar squished nearly as thin as a hand-pressed sheet of parchment. A magnifying glass. But no phone.

If she's that desperate to find her phone, I'm sure the phone call she needs to make is important.  Right?

Meanwhile, on page 56, we find this:

"What's the deal with his accident. Was it sabotage as well?"
"I don't think so," Sanjay said.
I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't.
"What happened" I prompted.
"You don't want to know."

My review of this book will be up on Thursday, so I hope you'll come back and see what I thought.

For now, let's jump over to the Book Blogger Hop.  This week's question is:

 If you could revisit one of your past reviews, what would you change, and why?

Well, I actually did that just about 5 weeks ago.  I've been wanting to go back and update my review of Scream VI, so I did that after watching Scream 7.

As far as book reviews go, a lot of my older reviews are shorter now and don't reflect my current reviewing style.  But I think I'd have to reread the book to really be able to do justice to a new review, or even an updated review, of the book.  And, with so many new books calling my name, I just don't have time for that.  For the most part, I'm okay with them, although I don't go back through them very often.

Have a great weekend!

Book Review: Big F@!king Deal by Lawrence Allan (Jimmy Cooper Mysteries #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Jimmy and his humor

Cons: Plot could have been a little stronger

The Bottom Line:

Hunting kidnappers

While dealing with his father

Second book is fun

A Kidnapping is Always a Big Deal

When I read the first book in Lawrence Allan’s Jimmy Cooper Mysteries last year, I was hooked. So reading the second, Big F@!king Deal, was an obvious decision. 

Jimmy is a former child star who fell into the addiction stereotype. Now that he’s gotten himself straightened out, he’s a PI, still living in Los Angeles. He works as the investigator for his mother’s law firm, but he also takes on clients of his own. 

And this book picks up exactly where the previous one ended. Jimmy has just made headlines for the right reason - successfully solving a case. The headlines bring someone from his past back into his life - his father, who just vanished over a decade ago. But Jimmy has no time to worry about what his father wants since one of the wealthiest families in LA has hired him to find their college age son who has been kidnapped. The kidnappers have given them until Friday to put the ransom together. Can Jimmy find the young man before time runs out?

Let’s start with the obvious. No, this book isn’t a cozy, as the title indicates. However, I’ve read books with more language and violence than this book has. It’s nice to see an author choosing the time and place for those things to actually impact the story. But if you like to avoid those things, you’ll want to avoid this book. 

The plot in this book is entertaining. I was always hooked as I was reading. But I didn’t find this book quite as twisty as the first in the series. Still, I had to keep reading until I reached the end. 

Much of that is due to Jimmy himself. He’s a sympathetic character, and the storyline involving his father lets us get to know him better. While the rest of the cast feels just as real, Jimmy is the one that gets the most development. 

While some of that development is serious, overall, the book has a light, fun feel. The best laughs come from Jimmy’s sarcasm and observations in the first-person narration. 

While Big F@!king Deal was not quite as strong as the debut, it was still a fun read. I’m hoping to get to the third soon. 

Book Review: Fair Warning by Michael Connelly (Jack McEvoy #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Jack on another page turning thrill ride

Cons: A couple of passages

The Bottom Line:

Jack uncovers an 

Unusual connection

In this fun thrill ride

Finding a Killer is Consumer Protection

I remember being intrigued by the premise of Fair Warning back when it came out in 2020. But, since I was behind, it took me until now to get to it in my read through Michael Connelly’s books. No surprise to me, but it lived up to my expectations. 

This book focuses on Jack McEvoy, a reporter who has starred in two previous books and popped up in supporting roles a few other times. This book finds Jack reporting for a consumer protection website, far from the crime beat he’s covered for most of his career. However, his crime instincts kick in when two detectives come to question him about the death of a woman he had a one-night stand with. Even though murder isn’t what his employer covers, Jack begins investigating. He finds some other deaths that sound similar from other parts of the country. But what potentially connects the victims might make this a story his website would cover. Can he convince his editor? If so, can he find another serial killer?

Yes, I’m leaving the link out of my teaser. But it is what made this particular thriller feel very much a product of our times. At times as I was reading, I questioned how plausible the science was, but I’m an accountant, not a scientist. I’ll gladly go along with the premise of this book. 

Especially since it was another page turning entry from an author who doesn’t disappoint. We get a few passages from other character’s points of view, which just ramps up the suspense when we are back to Jack’s point of view. The ending wraps things up well. 

Jack and one other character are the only characters we’ve met before. It was nice catching up with them again and seeing where they are now. The rest of the book is filled with new characters who felt real to me. 

I will say, I got frustrated with Jack has his desire to protect his story a few times. But I’ve had this reaction to other books I’ve read with reporters as the main character, so it must be a part of the job I just don’t get. 

Also, a couple of times Jack spends some time deploring the attitude toward journalists in our modern society. Honestly, these made me roll my eyes, especially since those passages were pretty similar, so the repetition felt like weak writing. But I was mainly rolling my eyes at the idea that journalists are the victims when they have to bear their share of the responsibility for how their profession is viewed. It’s not all on them, but they sure do make it easy to point out their biases. 

Okay, rant over. 

As I said earlier, this book came out in 2020, specifically the first half. As a result, we don’t get any references to Covid, which is fine with me.  I’m still not actively looking to read a book about that.

Once again, I read this via audio. Peter Giles does a great job with the narration with Zach Villa popping in upon occasion. 

And yes, my usual reminder that this is a thriller and not a cozy applies. 

Fair Warning is another fast-paced thrill ride from Michael Connelly. Buckle up and hang on when you pick up this book. 

Book Review: Murder, Local Style by Leslie Karst (Orchid Isle Mysteries #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun setting and a solid mystery

Cons: Characters are good, but could be a little stronger

The Bottom Line:

Trying to make friends

But murder complicates things

I love this setting

Is There a Poisoner in the Neighborhood?

I always enjoy finding series that are a bit off the beaten path. That’s the case for Leslie Karst’s Orchid Isle series since I don’t read any other books set in Hawai’i. And I was happy to be back for Murder, Local Style, the third book in the series. 

The series follows Valerie Corbin, a retired caterer who has moved to the Big Island with her wife, Kristen. While they are settling into their new house in Hilo, they are still trying to build a new circle of friends. Valerie decides to follow her interest in orchids and join the orchid society. Since so many of the members are in her neighborhood, it will be a big boost to her social life. 

Valerie’s first meeting is right before a fundraiser for the society, and she gets roped into helping prepare the food. But, no good deed goes unpunished, and the morning after the event, it appears that a bout of food poisoning has hit many of the attendees. Then the society’s president dies from an especially bad case of the food poisoning, and the police get involved. Could it be murder?

Valerie being new to town gives us a nice entry point since we are meeting people as she is. Of course, most of these new people become suspects. It’s what happens in a mystery. People we’ve met in previous books take a bit of a back seat, and I still wish I felt like we were getting to know Valerie and Kristen a little better. But those are minor points. 

The mystery was solid. We had plenty of good suspects and surprises that kept me guessing until we reached the logical climax. 

And yes, I loved the setting. Even though we weren’t visiting touristy places, it still made me want to hop and plane and head back to visit the island. 

As with any good culinary cozy, there are recipes at the end inspired by local dishes. All told, there are five recipes to enjoy. 

If you are looking for a tropical getaway, you’ll be glad you picked up Murder, Local Style. This mystery tinged with local flavor will keep you entertained. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

Ornament Review: A World Within #11 - Grandma in a Cupcake - 2025 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Sweet miniature ornament

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Visiting grandma

Is sweeter than usual

When house is cupcake

A Sweet Ornament

I did pretty well in 2025 cutting back on ornaments. And yes, that was cutting back. And yes, I should still do more. However, I couldn’t quite resist getting a few more ornaments after Christmas when they went on sale. The first of those was last year’s entry in the A World Within series. 

This ornament features a grandmother. She’s standing in her doorway waving at us. she’s dressed in green with a red and white apron. And what’s her house? Why, it’s a cupcake, of course. It’s got a red foil, white frosting, and green sprinkles. 

Just a reminder that this is a miniature series, so the ornament is only an inch and a half tall. As long as you remember that, you’ll be fine. 

Even though it wasn’t one of the ornaments I knew I had to get, I still thought it was cute. I’m glad it was left over after Christmas so I could get it added to my collection. 

Since this is essentially a miniature cupcake, it has a nice flat bottom. You can set it out to be displayed as long as it isn’t going to get lost from your display. 

And you’ll find the 11 in a Christmas tree series marker on the bottom. 

The ornament hangs straight, which is no surprise since it’s a cupcake. 

This entry in the World Within series is sweet. I’m glad I was able to track it down. 

Enjoy the rest of the A World Within series.