June 2023's Reading Summary

The year is half over.  Let that sink in for a second.  Okay, that time is up.  Let's get to the June reading summary.

No, I didn't have time to update the index this month.  I barely got this up in time.

All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).

 

Passport to Spy by Nancy Cole Silverman (Kat Lawson #2) – 5

Kat Lawson’s first official case working undercover for the FBI sends her to Munich, Germany at Christmas.  While she is officially there to cover the season for a travel magazine, she is supposed to get close to gallery owner Hans von Hausmann who is suspected of knowing the location of a horde of art missing since the end of World War II.  After a slow start, Kat begins to make progress, but without knowing who to trust, can she complete her mission?  Or is she in more danger than she realizes?

This was a fantastic book in the series.  The world of Munich in December 1999 came to life, and I shivered from cold a few times as I read.  The plot kept me guessing as Kat had to deal with one thing after another.  The third act just ups the suspense, and I couldn’t put it down.  We really only see a couple of returning characters, which means that Kat doesn’t know who she can trust, which was a wonderful addition to the plot.  The characters are all strong.  This book will have you hooked from the beginning.  Enjoy it today.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Hot Pot Murder by Jennifer J. Chow (L.A. Night Market #2) – 5

Yale Yee and her cousin Celine are celebrating Thanksgiving with a local association of Asian restaurant owners.  Since Yale’s father has been a member for years, she knows most of the members, but she’s still surprised at the tensions bubbling beneath the surface at the hot pot celebration.  Then the group’s president dies when he goes to plug in an extension cord.  The police start looking at it as murder, and Yale can’t help but get involved in trying to figure out what really happened.  If it was murder, can she prove it?

I enjoyed meeting Yale and Celine in the first book in this series, and I’m happy to say they were fantastic once again.  Not only does their relationship with each other grow, but they also grow individually, which I enjoyed watching.  While the suspects could be a tad stronger, it’s a minor point, and I enjoyed spending time with the rest of the returning characters.  The mystery is strong with several great twists, and I loved the way the climax played out.  While the majority of the action takes place in a fictional neighborhood in L.A., I enjoyed it when we visited some real parts of the city.  There are also two recipes at the end of the book.  If you are looking for a cozy with a bit of a different setting and strong leads, you need to check out this series.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Murder on Madison Square by Victoria Thompson (Gaslight Mysteries #25) – 4

When Frank Malloy learns of an auto show happen in Madison Square, he is excited to go.  While there, he meets Alvin Bing, who is there trying to introduce his electric cars.  When one of those electric cars runs over Mr. Bing the next day, his widow hires Frank to find out what happened.  With the help of the usual characters, can Frank solve the case?

Yes, the core cast of characters are all here, and I loved spending time with them again.  The plot is one of the darker ones in the series, so the character’s interactions helped lighten things.  As always, the plot kept me turning pages, even when I figured out a key plot point early.  And yes, someone had developed electric cars as early as 1900, when this book is set.  I found that part of the history presented here fascinating.  While this isn’t the strongest entry in the series, fans will still enjoy visiting favorite characters.

 

Muddled Matrimonial Murder by Kim Davis (Cupcake Catering Mysteries #6) – 4

Not only is Thanksgiving approaching, and with it lots of orders for cupcakes that caterer Emory Martinez must fulfill, but she’s also working on the wedding of her best friend, Brad, to Gabe.  The road to the wedding is going to be rocky, however, as Gabe seems to be having the worst case of cold feet imaginable.  Then Brad and Emory find the body of a woman at the wedding venue.  The victim is Brad’s stalker, whom he hasn’t seen in years and didn’t even know was in the area.  With the police looking at the grooms as the prime suspects, Emory must add finding a killer to her to do list.

I’d kind of forgotten about Brad’s stalker until she became the focus of this storyline.  The plot was great since Emory, despite what she uncovers, keeps coming back to the grooms as the best suspects.  Yet when we reach the suspenseful climax, things make perfect sense.  There are some interesting developments that fans of the series will enjoy.  And yes, I do recommend reading this series in order.  That’s fine since the characters are so charming, and I enjoyed spending time with them again here.  There are another dozen recipes, including some twists on Thanksgiving favorites and lots featuring cranberries.  If you are looking for a fun cozy, you’ll be glad you picked this one up.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

A Stolen Child by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Maggie D’arcy #4) – 4

Maggie D’arcy has completed her training and has officially joined the Garda in Ireland.  While she waits for an opportunity to be promoted to detective, she is on patrol and is called to the scene of a murder.  Not only does Maggie recognize it as an address she had been to a few days before after a domestic disturbance call, she also realizes that the victim had a toddler who is now missing.  On loan to the detectives for this case, can Maggie find the child in time?  Will her knowledge of the neighborhood help?

Maggie has been on quite a journey in this series, and it’s nice to see this natural step in her career.  The plot starts strongly.  While it does get a little uneven in the middle, things pick up when we get to several logical twists at the climax.  I liked how Maggie’s knowledge of the neighborhood where the crime took place played an important part of the plot.  The suspects come to life, and it is nice to see Maggie’s relationships grown, both personally and professionally.  As a police procedural, this is a bit darker than the cozies I typically read, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine.  If you are looking for a solid police procedural set in Ireland, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Racing the Light by Robert Crais (Elvis Cole and Joe Pike #19) – 3

PI Elvis Cole’s latest client is a mother who insists that her son, Josh, is missing.  She sounds like a conspiracy nut, and it doesn’t help that Josh hosts a podcast about aliens and other out there topics.  But Elvis gives himself a day to figure out what he thinks of the case, and in that time he realizes that someone dangerous is very interested in where Josh is.  Can Elvis find him in time?

As usual, this book was a mixed bag for me.  The case was interesting, although some of the events were entirely predictable to anyone who has read this series on a regular basis.  While I do like Elvis and his partner, Joe Pike, I still find Joe to be a rather thin character.  The new characters are also definitely on the thin side, and many of them are annoying.  In fact, at times the plot seemed to be based on the characters doing the absolutely stupidest things they could do and Elvis trying to save them.  There’s also quite a bit of adult content in this book, more so than I really thought it needed.  There are lots of point of view changes, but I never had a hard time with them since they were clearly labeled and happened at chapter breaks.  Fans will be interested in the sub-plot here.  There are things I enjoyed, but once again, this is an average entry in an average series.

 

Fatal Fudge Swirl by Meri Allen (Ice Cream Shop Mysteries #3) – 5

Ice cream shop manager Riley Rhodes has been asked to create an ice cream cake for the upcoming wedding of Diantha Collins, the head of a prominent family in Penniman, Connecticut. However, the morning of the wedding, Diantha is found dead in her bed.  Something about the scene seems off to Riley.  Can she figure out how Diantha died?

The how done it in this book is a strong element of the plot, and I loved the creative murder method.  Of course, Riley also has to figure out the who and why, and those also kept me guessing until the end.  The suspects are all strong, and the series regulars are a lot of fun as always.  A storyline involving a movie being filmed in town leads to a sub-plot with some great laughs.  Meanwhile, the Halloween setting is used well for the mystery.  Add in a couple of hot fudge recipes at the end, and you have a winner.  Grab a dish of your favorite ice cream and enjoy this book today.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Hidden Beneath by Barbara Ross (Maine Clambake Mysteries #11) – 5

It’s another busy summer for the Snowden Family Clambake, but Julia quickly agrees when her mother, Jacqueline, asks Julia to join her for a memorial for a friend who vanished five years ago.  Since it’s been five years, Ginny has been officially declared dead.  Something about her disappearance feels off to Jacqueline, so she asks Julia what she can find out.  Will Julia find any answers after all this time?

As a long time reader of the series, I enjoyed that this book continued a couple of ongoing storylines.  I was satisfied with how things played out in them.  As always, the characters are fantastic.  I was smiling within pages of starting the book at getting to spend more time with these old friends.  The plot spends a little time laying a foundation before it really takes off, but I was hooked the entire time and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough by the end.  We get five recipes at the end as well.  This is a favorite series of mine.  If you enjoy it, you’ll be thrilled with the latest entry.  If you aren’t yet a fan, pick up a book today, and you’ll get hooked.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Happily Ever After by James Riley (Once Upon Another Time #3) – 3

Lena and Shefin are living in the Blessed City.  Everyone is happy and eagerly waiting for the fairy queen ball to take place that day.  Something in the back on Lena’s mind is saying that things aren’t right, but she does her best to ignore them since to go against the fairy queens means punishment.  But on her way to school that morning, she discovers a book lying on the road that seems to be for her.  What could it possibly mean?  And where in Jin?  Could he be the key to uncovering what is really going on?

I was anxious to see how this book would end since I’ve enjoyed the previous books so much.  It started strongly, with great actions and twists, plus dual points of view to help build tension.  It was fun to spend time with the characters again, and the meta comments on writing and books were making me laugh, although they weren’t a prevalent as in the earlier books.  Then we reached the ending.  It was way too rushed, with some twists that left me completely unsatisfied.  We do get a final chapter, but it wasn’t enough to make me feel better with the ending, especially since it changes what I thought I remember about a character.  (Maybe I need to reread book two.)  Fans will still want to read it, but it’s not as good as it could have been.

 

Hiss Me Deadly by Miranda James (Cat in the Stacks Mysteries #15) – 3

Charlie Harris and his cat Diesel have been requested by Wil Threadgill, a musician coming to town to work with the music students at Athena College.  Wil grew up in Athena, Mississippi, but he left forty years ago.  He’s worried that something will go wrong on his return visit.  And he turns out to be correct when someone dies at his opening reception.  Will Charlie figure out what is going on?

It's been almost two years since the previous book in the series came out, and it was great to be seeing these characters again.  All the regulars are as fun as ever, including the four legged characters.  Fans will be happy with one development we get in the book.  Unfortunately, the plot was weak, with Charlie not as involved as he should be.  The ending is abrupt, but it does answer most of our questions.  There are also some timeline issues, with Charlie living the same time twice.  While the book could be stronger, fans will still be happy to see Charlie, Diesel, and the rest again.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective by Katie Siegel (Charlotte Illes #1) - 4

Growing up, Charlotte Illes gained fame as a child detective, solving cases everywhere she went. However, Charlotte is trying to put that behind her now that she is an adult. The trouble is, she doesn’t know what comes next job wise. When her brother’s girlfriend starts getting notes on their apartment door, Charlotte reluctantly agrees to investigate. The case takes an unexpected turn when kidnapping and murder get involved. Can Charlotte figure out what is going on?

Since I read about fictional child detectives as a kid, the premise of this one sounded like fun. I don’t think I was the target audience since many of the characters are queer Millennials, but for the most part, that wasn’t an issue. Still, there were a few moments that made me prickle a little. But that was minor. Charlotte and her two best friends make a fun trio, and I enjoyed watching them grow as the book progressed. The rest of the cast is great, too. The pacing was uneven in the middle, but we still reached a logical conclusion with several twists along the way. There was plenty of humor, quite often coming from the banter of the main trio. There are quite a few four letter words, but as long as you know that, you’ll be fine. Overall, this really was a fun debut, and I’m glad I picked it up. 

NOTE: I received and ARC of this book.