That time of the month again already. It may be a short month, but I packed a bunch of good books into it. (Even more than that with how many books I'll be reviewing in March I got read as well.)
And I got the index updated this month. Twice in a row! Although I think I'd have to go for three in a row to get the record.
Anyway, here's what I read in February. All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great), and the links take you to my full review.
The Sharpest Needle by Renee Patrick (Lillian
Frost and Edith Head #4) – 5
It’s August 1939, and silent film actress Marion Davies has
been receiving poison pen letters from someone calling himself Argus. The letters threaten to reveal something from
Marion’s past, something that could ruin her current relationship with William
Randolph Hurst. When she turns to Lillian
Frost and Edith Head for help, Edith can’t help but think there is more to the
situation than there first appears to be.
Then a dead body turns up. Can
Lillian and Edith figure out what is going on?
There is so much to praise in this book. The plot is strong and always keeps us
engaged. It does get a little convoluted
as we reach the climax, but as long as you pay attention, you’ll follow what is
happening. Real people and fictional
characters rub elbows seamlessly, and they all appear fully formed to us. I love watching for cameos. The news of the day impacts the character,
and therefore us. Yet we also have talk
about the films coming out during that time, which I enjoyed. This is more than a Hollywood mystery. If you enjoy historical mysteries, you need
to read these books today.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Bone Canyon by Lee Goldberg (Eve Ronin #2) – 5
A recent wildfire in the Santa Monica mountains has had a
surprising side effect. The bodies of
several people dead for many years have started to be found since the brush
that’s been hiding them is no longer around.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Detective Eve Ronin and her
partner, Duncan Pavone, have landed the most recent one of these cold
cases. Their case proves to be
complicated when they identify the body as that of a twenty-something who
vanished several years before. As they
begin to investigate, they make several startling discoveries. What exactly lead to her murder?
I enjoyed the first book in this series, and I wasn’t
disappointed with this one in the slightest.
Part of the fun is learning the twists of the case as they unfold, and
then watching Eve try to make sense of it all.
There is plenty of action on the way to a wonderful climax. Eve is a strong main character, and I enjoyed
getting to know her better here. I did
feel like a few of the supporting players could be stronger, but maybe that was
my reaction to their poor attitudes which aren’t fully explained. While the overall tone of the book is
serious, as it should be given the case, there are some very fun moments, most
of them coming at the expense of Hollywood.
This isn’t one of my typical cozies, so there is language, sex, and
violence; be prepared before you pick up the book. I’m glad I picked up this fast paced, twisty
mystery.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
(Thursday Murder Club #1) – 4
Welcome to Coopers Chase Retirement Village. It’s a community for active seniors in
England. There are all kinds of
activities happening on a regular basis, but the most unusual, and smallest, is
a group of four friends who meet every Thursday to discuss cold criminal
cases. Then one day, the murder of a
developer takes place near the community.
Naturally, these four friends jump at the chance to figure out what is
really going on. Will they be able to
solve the case?
I kept hearing about this book, so I had to give it a
try. The premise is certainly right up
my alley, and there was much I enjoyed about it. The characters are charming, and there were
plenty of twists to the mystery. In
fact, I feel like we could have done without a twist or two. Yes, everything makes sense at the end, but
there are so many twists at the end, it is a little overwhelming. The book is funny, although at times it feels
like it is trying too hard to be charming and funny. The police let the lead characters get away
with a little too much, although I usually ignore that in the books I read, so
this is worth noting in passing. I did
struggle a bit with the justice done at the end of this book. The story is told in present tense from
multiple points of view, but we always follow which character is our
focus. This is one of those books with
some obvious flaws, but I still enjoyed it overall. If you are interested in it, I definitely
recommend you pick it up. I’ll be
visiting the characters again for the sequel.
Bronzed Betrayals by Ritter Ames (Bodies of
Art Mysteries #5) – 5
Laurel Beacham and Jack Hawkes are enjoying a night out
together. Well, that might be an
exaggeration since they are at a party they aren’t enjoying. However, it provides the perfect cover for an
art recovery that the two have planned.
That recovery doesn’t go as planned, but the night really spins out of
control when Laurel returns to her hotel room to find a dead body. She knows the victim, but who killed the
person? Are they trying to frame Laurel?
As always with this series, I have to warn you not to jump
in here. There are so many ongoing plot
threads that you won’t fully appreciate what happens here if you do – not to
mention the twists that will be spoiled from earlier books. Fans of the series will be very happy with
this book. There is plenty of action to
keep them glued to the page, and the advancement we get on the ongoing stories
is satisfying. All this while providing
us with a beginning, middle, and end to the story told here. I went into the book thinking that this was
the final book of the series, but clearly that won’t be the case with the plot
threads that were left open and the cliffhanger we get. Meanwhile, the characters are showing some
maturity, which I enjoyed. When you are
in the mood for a cozy caper, I highly recommend this series. If you are already a fan, you’ll enjoy this
chapter in Laurel’s story.
Finn and the Intergalactic Lunchbox by Michael
Buckley (Finniverse #1) – 4
Finn is a typical almost twelve-year-old. He’s got a younger sister who annoys him,
he’s struggling to make friends at his new school, he’s being picked on by a
bully, and he has a crush on a classmate.
His life changes when he accidentally takes his sister’s lunchbox to
school one day. When it starts to glow,
he discovers that it’s become a portal to another part of our galaxy. On, and this portal is the key to a battle
against a race called The Plague that destroys planets. With The Plague now looking at Earth as their
next target, Finn is going to have to come up with some kind of plan to save
the world.
It’s been a few years since I picked up one of Michael
Buckley’s books, so I was thrilled to see he had a new series out. As you might suspect from the description,
this is a wild, fast-paced right that I found hard to put down. And I haven’t even mentioned the
seven-foot-tall robot yet. I did feel it
got a little too apocalyptic for me at times, but that’s a matter of personal
taste. The characters are good, although
the one that got the most development here was a cliché. The creativity that went into this book is
outstanding with lots of details that are fun.
Kids will eat this book up and be anxious for the next one when they are
done.
Smothered by GP Gottlieb (Whipped and Sipped
Mysteries #2) – 3
Alene Baron is finding herself irritated by Stanley Huff,
who owns the gym next door to Arlene’s café.
Not only is he an inconsiderate neighbor, but Alene questions some of
the things he sells. Alene is shocked
when she finds him dead one morning.
When the police begin to look at one of Arlene’s employees as a suspect,
she can’t help but try to learn what really happened. Can she uncover the truth?
This was definitely a mixed book for me. Most of my issues were things that could have
been smoothed over with a strong edit – a few dropped plot threads, the dreaded
timeline issues, and a few conversations that were summarized for us instead of
including us in them. On the other hand,
there were things I enjoyed. We have a
large cast of characters. Since it had
been a while since book one, I had to remember who every was again (the cast of
characters at the beginning helped), but once I did that, I appreciate the
growth in the characters we saw here.
The heart of the mystery was good, and I especially appreciated how
Alene figured it out, which lead to an entertaining climax. Alene’s café features vegan recipes, so the
recipes we get at the end are vegan as well.
If you enjoyed the first, you’ll want to pick this up and see what
happens to the characters next.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Long Island Iced Tina by Maria DiRico
(Catering Hall Mysteries #2) – 5
Mia Carina is thrilled for her friend Nicole, who is
expecting her first baby. Nicole has
chosen Mia’s catering hall, Belle View, as the location for one of her baby
showers. Despite Mia’s best efforts, the
baby shower is interrupted by a fight between Nicole’s mother and
step-mother. Then, one of Nicole’s
presents turns out to be a valuable painting stolen years before. Things only get worse when Mia finds the body
of a shower guest the next morning. Is
the murder linked to the painting?
I enjoyed the first book in the series, and this one was
great as well. The painting added a fun
element to the mystery, and I really enjoyed seeing how that played out. The mystery had some great zigs and zags
along the way. The climax was a bit
complicated, but I was able to think it through, and it did make sense. All the characters were wonderful, with some
interesting growth for the series regulars.
Mia’s grandmother provides a very funny sub-plot, and there are other
great moments of humor throughout the book.
At the end, we get four recipes and a hit for hosting events yourself. The series is set in Queens, and Mia’s family
is involved in the mob. Even so, this is
most definitely still a cozy series.
Grab some ice tea and enjoy this delightful book.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Furbidden Fatality by Deborah Blake (Catskills
Pet Rescue Mystery #1) – 5
Kari Stuart had been working as a waitress in a town in the
Catskills until she won the lottery.
She’s not quite sure what she is going to do with her winnings until she
hears about an animal sanctuary on the edge of town that is for sale. Impulsively she buys it and sets about
getting it ready to reopen.
Unfortunately, that’s also when she runs across Bill Myers, the local
dog warden, who seems to have targeted the sanctuary. After Kari finds Bill dead just outside the
sanctuary’s fence in the middle of the night, she becomes the police’s prime
suspect. Can she figure out what really
happened?
I started to hear some early buzz about this book, so I
decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I
did. This may be the first in the
series, but I already love the characters.
Kari leads a great cast, and there are just as many charming four-legged
characters as there are humans. The plot
is inventive, with plenty to keep us engaged over the course of the story. Yet everything Kari uncovered helps make for
a satisfying resolution when we reached the end. While this is Deborah Blake’s first mystery,
she has written quite a few other books, and that shows through in the writing. If you are looking for a promising new mystery
series, adopt this book right away.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Shucked Apart by Barbara Ross (Maine Clambake
Mysteries #9) – 5
Julia Snowden should be focusing on getting the last-minute
tasks done to open the summer season of her family’s clambake, but when her
boyfriend asks her to help his friend, Andie, Julia can’t resist. Andie runs an oyster farm not too far away,
and someone has just stolen $35,000 worth of new inventory from her. Andie seems reluctant to give Julia any
suspects, however, so it isn’t that surprising that Julia hasn’t made much
progress when she finds a dead body. Is
the robbery connected to the murder?
This book does a great job of introducing us to oyster
farming without slowing down the mystery itself. I learned quite a bit while also getting the
foundation for the plot. The pace does
build as Julia gets closer to figuring things out, and the climax wraps
everything up for us perfectly. This
series is often on the slim side, and this is no exception. While the suspects are strong and the mystery
complex, the supporting players aren’t as prevalent as they might be. While I did miss them and wouldn’t have
minded a sub-plot that could have included them, it’s a minor issue. The book leaves us with five recipes that
seafood lovers will want to try. As
always, this book left me anxious to find out what will happen to Julia
next. Fans won’t be disappointed.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
A Side of Murder by Amy Pershing (Cape Cod
Foodie Mysteries #1) – 4
Samantha Barnes, Sam to her friends, grew up in Cape Cod,
Massachusetts, but left to go to culinary school and become a famous chef. Thanks to an inheritance and a new job
writing about food in the area for a local paper, she is back. Her first assignment is to review a new
restaurant in town, but the good food is quickly forgotten when she finds a
dead body floating in the water next to the restaurant. The police think it was an accident. After all, the victim was a known drunk, so
she could have easily fallen in and drown.
Sam thinks something more sinister is happening. Can she prove it?
There is a good mystery here, and I enjoyed seeing how Sam
figured everything out. Unfortunately,
there is just as much set up, introducing us to the people in Sam’s life and
filling us in on her past. The result
was a pace that was uneven. I did still
enjoy it since I liked Sam and the supporting characters. We saw hints of the depths to the characters
that I’m sure we’ll see more of in future books in the series. I was bothered by a cliché that several of
the characters fell into, however, especially since it doesn’t fit one of the
characters at all. The book ends with
recipes for a suggested four-course casual dinner with friends. Overall, I enjoyed this virtual vacation
debut.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.