Another month is in the books, so it's time again for another reading summary. Here's what I read and reviewed in August.
And I was able to get the index updated this month.
All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great). The links will take you to my full reviews.
Talking God by Tony Hillerman (Leaphorn and
Chee #9) – 3
Joe Leaphorn has been asked to help with a dead body that
was found near the train tracks just outside the Navajo reservation. While he is only asked to help find any
evidence around the body, he can’t help but work more on the case when no one
can come up with the identity of the victim.
Meanwhile, Jim Chee is asked to arrest Henry Highhawk for desecration of
a grave and then fleeing across state lines.
It should have been as simple as arresting Henry at the ceremony where
he shows up. But Chee feels something
else is going on. Is he right?
This book didn’t completely work for me. Leaphorn and Chee spent too long on parallel
paths when we knew their stories were going to intersect. Additionally, the action moves from the
Navajo reservation to Washington DC, but the reservation location is a big
factor in what works well for these stories.
Finally, I’m really hoping we’ve put this particular part of Chee’s
romantic life to bed once and for all.
Don’t get me wrong, I do still like Leaphorn and Chee here, and when the
stories combine, we get a great climax.
But this is a book strictly for fans of the series.
A Taste for Murder by Matt Baker – 3
DCI Joe Mottram is spending the summer in Capri with his
teenage daughter, Angelica, visiting his in-laws in hopes to deal with his
grief over losing his wife. But he gets
pulled into a case when an English businesswoman falls to her death on one of
the cliffs. Is it murder?
I wasn’t sure from the title, but this is a police
procedural, not a cozy. Having said
that, there is plenty of talk about food.
The mystery itself is strong, with some good twists. It also falls into some cliches, so I saw
some things coming early. The issue was
that the book really wasn’t very focused.
Dealing with grief was as big a storyline as the mystery, although the
grief storyline got a weak climax. There
are three viewpoint characters, which was at least one too many. The characters are mostly good, but one has a
twist part way through that really doesn’t feel supported by the rest of the
book. While the main mystery is wrapped
up, a subplot leads to a cliffhanger that isn’t enough to get me to come back. We also had conversations partially
summarized, which was very weird as I was reading. Others seem to enjoy this book, but it wasn’t
for me.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Hell Hath No Fury by Annette Dashofy
(Detective Honeywell Mysteries #5) – 4
Both Emma and Matthias are on leave from their jobs to
recover from their injuries, so when Emma’s best friend, Eric, calls saying
that Emma’s drug addict sister, Nell, has come home, Emma and Matthias take off
to help. But it isn’t long before Emma’s
sister gives them the slip again, and the developer who is trying to get his
hands on Emma’s family property turns up murdered. With Eric the prime suspect and Matthias well
outside his jurisdiction, can he help?
Or will his efforts make things worse for everyone?
Since this book picks up right after the previous book,
there are references to the events of that book but no blatant spoilers.
Emma may be a bit more in the spotlight here,
but Matthias still gets a chance to shine as well.
I also enjoyed getting to know Eric and Nell
better as well as meet some great new characters.
I did find one of the subplots a bit weak.
But the main mystery was great and kept me
guessing until we reached the suspenseful climax.
As always, this is a police procedural, so
adjust your expectations when you pick it up.
Annette Dashofy continues to write great books.
If you aren’t reading her, you are missing
out.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras by Ellen
Byron (Vintage Cookbook Mysteries #5) – 4
Mardi Gras season has hit the city. It’s the first since Ricki moved, and she’s
gotten caught up in the fever. It helps
that her boyfriend, celebrated chef Virgil Morel, is being named the king of
the Krewe of Chew, so many of their friends from Bon Vee are joining them. However, the captain of the krewe is an
egotistical bully. And those are his good
qualities. After leaving one of the
events, Ricki and Virgil stumble upon his dead body. The victim’s wife is the police’s prime
suspect, but Ricki has become friends with the woman, and she doesn’t believe
it. The problem is, the number of
suspects in the krewe are numerous. Can
Ricki figure out what really happened?
While a lot happens here, I didn’t feel the pacing of the
mystery was a strong as it could be. But
this is a fun mystery, and I loved the climax when I got there. I knew very little about Mardi Gras, but
that’s fine since Ricki was learning right along with me. I enjoyed meeting the new characters and got
a kick out of some of the antics of the regulars. Developments in the ongoing storyline helped
me really get to know some of the regulars better. This is another entertaining cozy from Ellen
Byron that will entertain you whether you already love Mardi Gras or are new to
the season.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Serving Up the Truth by Debra Klein (Amanda
Knightly Mysteries #1) – 4
Amanda is known in her town for her smiles behind the deli
counter of the local market. But even
her patience is tried one day by a rude customer who ultimately buys
nothing. But that night, the customer is
killed and a family friend is arrested for the crime. Can Amanda figure out what really happened?
The writing took a couple of chapters to smooth out, but I
get it, all the character introductions can be hard. Once we got into the mystery, it got much
better. The mystery was solid, although
I did figure a couple of things out early on the way to the logical
climax. Amanda is a different series
lead since she is happily married with two young adult children. I loved that difference and what it brought
to the story. I’m glad I picked this
book up and hope we get to visit Amanda again.
Two Truths and a Murder by Colleen Cambridge
(Phyllida Bright Mysteries #5) – 4
Phyllida is back in Listleigh and surprised when she is
invited to a dinner party a neighbor is throwing. But the favor she is asked gets forgotten
when another guest announces she’s witnessed a murder. The next morning, her sister is found run
over by a car. Did the killer get the
wrong sister?
I got excited when I realized this book was riffing on one
of the few Agatha Christie novels I’ve actually read. Of course, it takes the premise and goes off
in some other directions. It took me a
little while to get into the story, but I did get hooked before we reached the
logical climax. This book builds on some
developments from the previous one, which I liked. And I enjoyed getting to know the new
characters and spending time with the returning ones. The historic details are fun as well. While Agatha Christie fans will especially
enjoy this series, anyone who loves a good mystery will be glad they picked it
up. And that’s no lie.
City of Promises by Victoria Thompson with
Ellen Thompson (Counterfeit Lady #8) – 4
Frank and Sarah Malloy approach Gideon Bates in his job as an
estate attorney. Their daughter,
Catherine, has recently gotten engaged, and they fear her fiancé is just out to
swindle her out of her trust fund, which she has recently gotten access to. While there is nothing that Gideon can do
legally to help protect the young woman, his wife, reformed conwoman Elizabeth,
is quite willing to see what she can do.
Is Catherine under the sway of a conman?
Will the combined cast of characters be able to protect her?
Anyone familiar with the late Victoria Thompson’s mysteries
will recognize this as a crossover between her two series. And they will love every page. The Gaslight characters don’t just have
cameos but play a major part in the story.
Most importantly, everyone feels like themselves, and I loved seeing
where those characters are in twenty years.
I also enjoy seeing the Counterfeit Lady characters again. I do wish the plot were a little better, but
that’s been an overall complaint with this series. I need more cat and mouse. But I did still find the story fun. If you are a fan of Victoria’s books, you’ll
be as happy as I am that her daughter has picked up the mantel.
Harrowed Heir by Sarah E. Burr (Court of
Mystery #10) – 4
As this book opens, Jax is barely healed from the wounds she
received in the previous book, but she is setting out to the Dutchy of Hestes
to claim the vacant throne. When she
arrives, Jax learns that the nearby Academy has just unearth a centuries old
document that indicates that Hestes’s throne might belong to another. Naturally, she goes to investigate, but
things get complicated quickly when she arrives. Who is behind the chaos? What does the document mean?
Once again, this book is best read in order since the series
is more of a saga instead of individual mysteries at this point. The politics helped keep us entertained while
Jax travels to the location for this new mystery, and comes into play once the
mystery really kicks off. I was hooked
on my way to the climax. We don’t see
all the series regulars, but I can understand why. There just isn’t space for all of them. The suspects could have been a little
stronger, but I had them straight by the end.
One of the annoying storylines I thought was over in the previous book
isn’t yet, which really disappoints me.
I hope the other annoying storyline is building to something, but only
time will tell. Those who are up to date
on Jax’s journey will enjoy this next entry.
Legally Blind Luck by James J. Cudney (Braxton
Campus Mysteries #7) – 3
Summer is just starting, and in the break before Kellan
starts to teach a summer course, he is helping with an exhibit of African
artifacts that is setting up on campus temporarily. However, moments before the official opening,
Kellan stumbles on another dead body.
He’s also hearing about a talisman that might be cursed. Is it on campus? What does its legend have to do with the
current murder?
Yes, this book does address the cliffhanger from the
previous book, and it ties into the plot of this one. The entire thing was a bit of a stretch, but
it mostly worked for me. The soap opera
feel of the series is still intact here, for better or worse. The characters sniping at each other was cut
down, which I appreciated, but the cast is still very large. The summarization of dialogue continues to
annoy me. And either I missed a couple
of things or the attention to detail was lacking. Still, fans of the series will be happy they
picked up this book.
