June 28th's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to another Sunday/Monday Post, where I will be linking up to:

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

I'm typing this up a little early this week since I'm going to the beach with friends on Saturday, and I don't want to have it worry about it then.  So I'm typing it up on Friday.

Wednesday night, I met up with a couple of friends for dinner.  It was nice to catch up.  We were there about four hours, and the time just flew by.

Thursday was another trip to the lake to paddle board.  This time, it was solo, but it was still nice.

And, an update about the package I ranted about last week.  They finally shipped it on Monday, six days after I ordered it.  But they shipped it from several states away not the neighboring city I expected, so I finally got it Friday.  But I have it!

Joke of the Week:

Luke and Obi-Wan are in a Chinese restaurant having a meal. Skillfully using his chopsticks, Obi-Wan deftly dishes a large portion of noodles into his bowl and tops it with some chicken and cashew nuts.  All this is done with the consummate ease you’d expect from a Jedi Master. Meanwhile, Luke is using his chopsticks in both hands, dropping food all over. Obi-Wan looks at Luke disapprovingly and say, “Use the forks, Luke.”

This Past 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

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - TV Show Review: Murder, She Wrote - Season 10

Tuesday - Book Review: Pour Choices by Adrian Andover

Wednesday - June Reading Summary

Thursday - Book Review: Murder at Ochre Court by Alyssa Maxwell

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Another week, another four books to talk about.

Up first is Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku.  I recently heard some good things about this debut, and then the ebook went on sale, so I snagged it.

Up next, my preorder of The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood arrived early.  The release date, at least here in the states, is July 7th.  But, as long as I got it early, I went ahead and read it.  I really enjoyed it!  Now, I need to write my review, but I won't post it until the 7th, so I've got a little time yet.

I also ordered two other books this week, which just arrived on Friday.  The first of those is City of Fallen Angels by Paul Buchanan.  It's a historical set in LA in the 1960's.  I'd heard about it a while ago and it sounded good.  I found a decent deal on it, so I snagged it.

I also got Go F@!k Yourself, the third Jimmy Cooper Mystery from Lawrence Allan.  No, it's not quite my normal read, but I do enjoy the humor of these mysteries.  I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to Jimmy here.

What I'm Currently Reading:

Friday, I got about a quarter of the way into Lie Down with Dogs by Liz Milliron.  This is book 5 in her Laurel Highlands series.  If you've been paying attention the last few months, you know how much I enjoy these books and am enjoying catching up on the series.  So far, this one is no exception.  I'm not sure how much reading time I'll really have this weekend, but I'm pretty sure I'll still be working on it on Monday.  Honestly, I'll be happy if I can finish it  off on Monday.

Have a great week!

June 27th's Weekly TV Thoughts

America Ninja Warrior – It always hurts me to see someone who finished not move on.  That was my issue with the first half.  I was glad at least one person fell in each race.  The triple races were fun, but again, I’m not a fan of being forced to go so fast.  I was glad to see some favorites that moved on.  I’m guessing it will be August before we get to the National finals and see them again.

June 26th's Friday Post

Welcome to 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 Murder at Ochre Court, the sixth Gilded Newport Mystery from Alyssa Maxwell.

Here's how the book begins:

"Take my advice, Miss Cross, and marry a rich man. Then you may do whatever you like?"

Considering the romantic storyline in the series, that really got my attention.

Meanwhile, on page 56, we find this:

"Where and when Dale Hanson is moved is entirely up to his doctor," I said while Hannah gaped at him. I couldn't blame her.
"And to the police," Griggson corrected me.

I've enjoyed this one, and I'll be reviewing it next Thursday.

Meanwhile, let's look at this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

Do you prefer writing long, detailed reviews or quick, punchy ones? 

Depends on who you ask if my reviews are long or short.  (And yes, I know I have a long one this week.)  I prefer to think of them are quick and punchy but detailed.  Hopefully, that also makes them helpful.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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!