March 2023's Reading Summary

 It's the end of March, already.  2023 is flying by, isn't it?  That must mean it is time for another reading summary.  Along with that, the index has been updated.  Two months in a row!

All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).  The link takes you to my full review.

 

Till Death Do Us Port by Kate Lansing (Colorado Wine Mysteries #4) – 5

Parker Valentine is thrilled for her cousin, Emma, who is about to marry the man of her dreams.  And Parker is hoping that providing the wine for the reception will help grow her winery.  However, the day is facing more than the usual rockiness.  Then things take a turn when the wedding planner turns up dead, and Parker teams up with an unlikely ally to figure out who did it.

I’d forgotten just how wonderful this series is before I picked up this book, but I was reminded very quickly.  The characters are strong.  I love seeing how Parker and the rest of the regulars have grown, and the new characters were just as good.  Between drama and the mystery, there’s plenty to keep us turning pages, and it leads to a great climax.  The way the author weaves in tidbits about grapes and wine to shed light on the story helps build on the theme.  There are some funny moments as well, which really added to my enjoyment.  The book is written in present tense, which is different, but I find it well worth the extra effort it takes my brain to adjust in the first couple of chapters.  We get three recipes at the end, combined with suggested wine pairings.  Fans will enjoy this book, and if you haven’t started this series yet, fix that today.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Record Store Reckoning by J.C. Kenney (Darcy Gaughan Mysteries #1) – 4

Darcy Gaughan has just returned home from a wonderful vacation.  On her first day back at work, she makes a horrible discovery, the body of her boss and mentor in his office.  The evidence seems to point to suicide, or at least that’s what the police think.  Darcy doesn’t buy it for a minute and starts to investigate to learn the truth.  Can she figure out what really happened?  Or are the police right?

I couldn’t resist a music store set cozy, and this one introduced us to some great characters.  I liked Darcy and the rest of the staff, and the suspects were strong as well.  I appreciated the fact that they still had motives even though the victim was generally a well-loved person.  I did feel the pacing was off, including a small data dump early on, but it did build to a strong climax.  I also found a lot of typos in the physical copy I bought soon after it came out.  The book is still very readable, but they were annoying.  Things build to a logical and fun climax.  I’m looking forward to seeing what happens to Darcy next.

 

Vinyl Resting Place by Olivia Blacke (Record Shop Mysteries #1) – 5

Juni Jessup and her sisters have opened Sip and Spin Records, a combined record store and coffee shop, on the site of the one that their family used to own before records stopped selling.  The night before their official opening, they are throwing a party, but things turn tragic afterward when Juni finds a dead body in their storage closet.  When their uncle is arrested for the crime, Juni and her sisters don’t hesitate to put their shop up to get him released on bail.  But then he vanishes.  Can the three of them figure out what is really going on in time to save their shop?

I really enjoyed this debut.  The plot takes off in a couple of different directions, and I enjoyed that creativity.  I did feel it slowed down a little in the middle, but it picked up again for a fantastic climax.  You can feel the history between Juni and her sisters, and I loved their relationships.  There are other fun series regulars, and the suspects fit into the book perfectly.  I also enjoyed the humor running through the book.  The setting, a small town just outside of Austin, Texas, was charming as well.  I can’t wait to revisit Juni and the rest of the characters again soon.

 

The Shimmer by Ridley Pearson (Kingdom Keepers Inheritance #1) – 4

In the near future, Eli Whitman is living in EPCOT, which has been designed to fulfill Walt Disney’s original vision for a community.  His thirteenth birthday coincides with a solar eclipse, but it’s what happens at his party that is really strange.  The video game he and his friends are playing comes to life, and someone jumps out from it, kidnapping him.  Can his friends find him?  Where is he?

When Ridley Pearson announced he was going to write about the kids of the Kingdom Keepers, I knew I had to find out what he was going to do next.  I loved the advances in technology we get with the future setting.  There’s plenty of action to keep us turning pages, and I’m curious to see where this saga is going to go next.  I did have a little trouble keeping all the characters straight early on, but the important ones quickly emerge as the action starts.  And yes, the original Kingdom Keepers we know and love are here, and they have a slightly larger roll than I was expecting, which was wonderful.  I’m already anxious to see where the characters are going to find themselves next.

 

All This is Hidden by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles (Molly Murphy #19) – 4

Molly is shocked when her husband, Daniel, announces that he has quit his job with the New York City police department to run for New York Sheriff on the Tammany Hall ticket.  Knowing how much Daniel hates bribes, she can’t believe it, but he tells her to trust him.  Along with this change, they are moving into a house of Fifth Avenue, which also doesn’t make Molly happy.  As she tries to adjust to her new life, she finds that something is going on beneath the surface.  Then a murder takes place.  Can Molly figure out what is going on?

It's always a delight to visit Molly in 1900’s New York City.  The time and place come expertly to life as we watch her try to figure out exactly what is happening.  As is often the case in this series, it takes a little while for the story to truly begin, but once it does, we are treated to an interesting mystery.  One part of the ending was a little abrupt, but that’s a minor complaint.  I’m happy to say I liked Daniel here overall, which isn’t always the case, and the rest of the regulars were their charming selves.  I also liked most of the suspects, which made solving the murder that much more interesting.  Fans old and new will lose themselves in Molly’s latest case.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Hooked on Murder by Betty Hechtman (Crochet Mysteries #1) – 3

Recently widowed Molly Pink has landed a job as the events coordinator at a local independent bookstore.  Part of that is overseeing the crochet group that meets in their event space.  When one of their members, Ellen Sheridan, leaves behind her crochet needles, Molly decides to run them home.  Unfortunately, she finds Ellen’s dead body, and the police are right behind her.  Molly has more of a connection to Ellen then she lets on at first, and the police think that makes her a great suspect.  Can she figure out what really happened?

When I realized this book was set in Southern California, I decided I had to give it a try.  While there is a good mystery in here, the pacing is off, and some of the sub-plots slowed things down further.  On the other hand, I loved the characters, who are varied and charming.  I especially enjoyed the fictional celebrities who showed up.  Part of my problem was the writing, which felt a bit vague at times, and kept me from getting fully into Molly’s world.  There is a simple crochet project and a delicious sounding recipe at the end.  I liked the characters enough to consider picking up the sequel, but it’s not a series I’m going to rush back to.

 

Apprehend Me No Flowers by Diane Vallere (Madison Night #7) – 4

It’s May 2019, and Madison is dealing with a lot.  Not only has her idol, Doris Day, recently died, but her business is closed while she deals with a lawsuit.  However, a picnic dinner with her boyfriend, police captain Tex Allen, provides distraction, and not in a good way.  Madison finds a dead body stuffed in a trash can; meanwhile, hikers find another on the other side of the park.  Can Madison figure out what is going on?  Or will she cause more harm than good?

Since Doris Day has been such a large part of the DNA of the series (in a completely fictional sense), I appreciated that this book took the time to address how her death was impacting Madison.  It’s part of her growth in this book, which I enjoyed.  I also appreciated the plot, which includes several different things and kept me entertained until the logical climax.  Unfortunately, I did feel there were a couple of editing snafus, but they were minor overall.  There is a recurring character who continues to surprise me, and that happened here again as well.  I very much want to see where that relationship is going.  All told, this is another winner that will please series fans.

 

Four Parties and a Funeral by Maria DiRico (Catering Hall Mysteries #4) – 4

Even though Mia Carina has no desire to be part of the new reality show, Dons of Ditmars Boulevard, Belle View has been hired as a location for some events and to cater others.  Not only that, but some mobsters she knows have been cast.  She quickly learns that the drama unfolding before the cameras is no match for the drama unfolding among the crew.  Still, she is surprised when a dead body turns up.  With someone she knows the police’s chief suspect, Mia jumps in to find out what is really happening.  Can she figure it out?

It was wonderful to be back with Mia and the rest of her family and friends.  Yes, I did find a few things related to the production of the show stretched believability a bit for me, but that’s mostly minor.  I was having fun the entire way through the book, laughing quite a bit at the antics of the characters.  I suspect if I watched the kind of show being lampooned here, I would find it even funnier.  There are several sub-plots, but they never take away from the strong mystery, which goes to some rather creative places before Mia reaches the logical solution.  The regular characters are up to their usual antics, which is always fun, and I loved the development that some of them got.  This book will leave readers, old and new, with a grin on their face.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

The Christie Caper by Carolyn Hart (Death on Demand #7) – 4

Annie Laurence Darling is hosting The Christie Caper, a week-long tribute to the queen of crime on her one hundredth birthday.  But the event is being crashed by Neil Bledsoe, a reviewer who hates all but the most hard boiled mysteries and has made lots of enemies.  Things have hardly started before the attacks on Neil begin, but he still goes ahead with tearing down Agatha Christie.  Can Annie figure out what he is up to and stop him before someone stops him permanently?

Obviously, this book came out quite a few years ago since it was tied to Agatha Christie’s centennial.  But that hardly matters since this is a great puzzle worth of Christie herself.  I did find the pacing a little slow as it neared the middle of the book, but things picked up again not too long after that.  All the characters we know and love are here once again, and they are fantastic.  I do find Annie’s temper a little annoying, and hope it tones down as the series progresses.  The suspects are strong as well.  We get a great dose of humor as the book goes along.  As with the others in the series, there is more foul language than I would expect for the genre.  All told, this is another fine addition to a well-loved series.  Fans of Christie will also enjoy it.

 

Intrigue in Istanbul by Erica Ruth Neubauer (Jane Wunderly Mysteries #4) – 5

Jane Wunderly has returned home to Boston with her new fiancé, Redvers.  However, when they come home, they discover that Professor Wunderly, Jane’s father, has left town, following a lead to an ancient artifact that he’s been hoping to find for years.  Since something in Boston needs his immediate attention, they head to Istanbul only to find that he’s vanished.  Not knowing if anyone they are meeting is friend or foe, they try to figure out where he is.  Will they find him before it is too late?

It was wonderful to be back in 1926 with Jane and Redvers.  Fans will be delighted to find that Aunt Millie is back as well.  While there are some murders in the book, there is plenty of story to keep the reader entertained before they happen.  I was hooked right away and always had a hard time putting the book down.  The time period comes to life wonderfully as well.  I enjoyed the new characters we met, and I liked watching Jane grow as a result of what she learned.  If you are new to the series, you could jump in here.  Whether new to the series or already a fan, you’ll find this book enjoyable.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

The Clairvoyant Countess by Dorothy Gilman (Madame Karitska #1) – 3

Madame Karitska is a psychic, and when she meets a young woman in danger, Madame Karitska reaches out to Lieutenant Pruden for help.  Thus begins their relationships as Madame Karitska helps him on several other case.  What really happened with a couple of murders three years ago?  And did a young woman die in a car accident?

I don’t normally pick up supernatural themed stories, but since I love this author’s Mrs. Pollifax series, I decided to give it a try.  Sadly, it disappointed.  I tried, but I couldn’t let go of the supernatural element.  I think part of that was because it made the stories a bit easy to solve.  I was also expecting a novel instead of a series of short stories.  There are a couple of arcs that tie them together, mainly for Lieutenant Pruden, who is as equally an important character as Madame Karitska.  Yet I did enjoy some of the stories in this collection, and I really liked the characters, so this wasn’t a completely loss.