I'm a little earlier than normal, but with the holiday weekend coming up, I thought now would be a good time to post my reading summary for the month. Besides, I'm not posting any new reviews before September.
The index has been updated, and the links will take you to my full reviews.
All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).
Edam and Weep by Linda Reilly (Grilled Cheese
Mysteries #6) – 3
As this book opens, it’s just over a month until Carly’s
wedding to Ari. But today, she’s focused on the 50’s diner themed fundraiser
for the local high school’s gym. While she’s selling simple grilled cheese (of
course), some of the other vendors are offering various other offerings. But
the man selling sodas clearly doesn’t want to be there, and his rude behavior
leads to a confrontation with Carly’s mom. When the man is found dead later
with the scarf that her mom was wearing around his neck, Carly jumps in to
figure out what really happened.
When I heard about this book, I quickly added it to my
reading plans since I’ve enjoyed the earlier books in the series. Sadly, this
one was disappointing. There are two dualing storylines, but they both losing
steam in the second half. The mystery plot felt a bit familiar, although I
didn’t have the killer pegged. Fortunately, the characters are still charming,
and I enjoyed spending time with them. We get two cheese themed recipes at the
end. This is one that fans will want to read to the end. But if you are new to
the series, start with an earlier book.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly (Bosch
#21 and Ballard #2) – 4
It all starts one night when Ballard catches Bosch breaking
into the file cabinets in the Hollywood police station. While he claims he is
feeling nostalgic for his old case files, she doesn’t believe him. Some
investigating on her own leads Ballard to the conclusion that Bosch is working
on a case involving a teen who was murdered and left in an alley dumpster over
10 years before and she gets herself involved in the case. Will the two of them
solve this cold case together?
I knew this team up was coming, and I enjoyed it now that I
finally got here. The main case was set up in the previous Bosch novel, and I
enjoyed seeing the follow through. It kept me entertained, although I did feel
like Ballard was a little stupid at the end. The book splits time between both
characters, so we get to see what is going on in both of their individual
lives. We also get some individual cases the two are solving, although again,
Ballard’s seem to get a little short shifted. Still, I enjoyed this first team
up and am looking forward to more.
The Cardinal’s Curse by LynDee Walker and
Bruce Robert Coffin (Turner and Mosley Files #2) – 3
Avery and Carter are approached about going to Antarctica to
join an expedition already in progress. While the group is officially working
on a way to rebuild the ice shelves to combat global warming, they are hoping
to find a treasure that was rumored to be on board a ship that sank in the
waters a century ago. Not only is the ship in freezing waters, but it’s likely
deeper than either have dove before. Will they find the ship and recover the
treasure?
I was hoping now that the main characters had formed a
partnership, we would get a better paced second book. Sadly, things still took
a bit too long to get going, leading to a rushed and stuffed second half. The
characters are a bit flat with the focus being on the action. On the other
hand, some of the action scenes are paging turning intense, and the Antarctica
setting comes alive. I haven’t written off the series yet, but I hope the next
is stronger.
A Trace of Poison by Colleen Cambridge
(Phyllida Bright #2) – 4
The local mystery writers are hosting a Murder Fete to raise
funds for the local orphanage, and they have convinced Agatha Christie to
invite some of her famous friends. The
weekend will include talks about the craft of mystery writing, author signings,
and a short story contest where the winner gets a publishing contract on both
sides of the Atlantic. However, the
opening night’s cocktail reception ends with a murder. Since Phyllida is helping make sure the event
is a success, she’s on hand. Can she solve
a second real life murder?
Those who fell in love with the main characters in the first
book in the series will be glad to be spending more time with them and seeing
how their relationships develop.
The
supporting players and suspects could have been stronger.
That means, the mystery could have been
stronger as well, although there were some twists that kept me
entertained.
And things made sense once
Phyllida had solved things.
While the
mystery could be stronger, this is still an entertaining book that will please
mystery fans, especially fans of Agatha Christie.
The Dark Wind by Tony Hillerman (Leaphorn and
Chee #5) – 5
Navajo police detective Jim Chee has recently transferred to
a new area in the reservation, and his unfamiliarity with the area and people
is making it hard to investigate cases. For example, there’s the John Doe body
he can’t even identify. And he has no leads on the case of the windmill that is
being sabotaged. While out staking it out overnight, Chee witnesses a plane
crash. A plane that was flying low without lights. Chee figures those flying
the plane were up to no good, and he is ordered to stay away from the Federal
investigation. But it’s kind of hard when the Feds think he knows more about
the crash. Can he figure out what happened without framing himself more?
While this is the fifth book in the series, and the second
to feature Jim Chee, it reads like a standalone, with little from the previous
book being brought up here. That isn’t to say that the characters are bad, it’s
just a difference in storytelling from what we get today. I found the
characters pulled me in. The mystery was strong with plenty to keep me guessing
and a red herring that distracted me. Yet the ending was logical. As always,
the landscape and culture came to life. I’m looking forward to more.
The Last Line by Scott Lyerly (Ellie Marlowe
#1) – 4
The latest production at the theater Ellie Marlow owns is Murder
in a Teacup. Unfortunately, the lead is Reginald Thornton IV, who seems to
be going out of his way to alienate everyone. His character is supposed to die
as part of the play, but opening night, he really dies. While the state
detectives are quick to judge it natural, something doesn’t sit right with
Ellie. Can she figure out what happened?
I picked this book up expecting a cozy, but it quickly
became evident this is a bit more of a traditional than a lighter cozy. As long
as you know this going in, you should be fine. The mystery is good, and I was
fooled until the end. Ellie has Tourette’s, something that overwhelms at times
and proves to be a distraction. On the whole, I did love her character and the
co-lead as well, as well as how their marriages were shown. The story is told
from several points of view, but at times, we have some head hopping. This
feels like a standalone instead of a series opener, but if we get a sequel, I’d
be interested in revisiting the characters.
Fatal Sign-Off by Sarah E. Burr (Book Blogger
Mysteries #3) – 5
It’s been a mostly quiet few months for Winnie Lark in the
small town of Copper Bay. The drama in town involves Milton Mulligan who has
started a podcast that trashes local businesses. So, when he is poisoned, the
question is who didn’t have a motive. With some of Winnie’s family and friends
on the suspect list, she can’t help but investigate Milton’s death. Will she
uncover the culprit?
I fell in love with these characters in the earlier books of
the series, so I was anxious to revisit them again. It was like meeting up with
old friends, and I enjoyed the growth we saw in many of their relationships.
The mystery is well paced with plenty of red herrings and twists. But the
climax left me impressed with how things had been planned out. I did have to
roll my eyes at how some political issues were put into the book in a way that
felt unnecessary and forced to me. On the other hand, I loved the references to
other books, especially cozy mysteries. If you love cozy mysteries, you need to
pick up this series.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Halloween Night Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee
Hollis, and Liz Ireland – 4
Kensington has another Halloween novella collection. In the first story, Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone
gets involved when a teen is killed in a hit and run near her home. Will she figure out what happened while
helping her new neighbors? The second
story finds Lee Hollis’s Hayley Powell returning from a concert with her two
best friends. But when an accident
strands them in the woods, it appears the only place they can find help is a
creepy cabin. There’s nothing to fear
about this set up, right? Finally, we
travel to the North Pole as Liz Ireland’s April Claus tries to prove an elf who
has just returned to town didn’t freeze a snowman. He's also innocent of murder, right?
I usually struggle with Leslie’s contributions to these
collections, and that was true here again.
But I enjoyed the other two.
Lee’s novella has just a touch of horror tropes while still being a cozy
and being absolutely page turning. And I
find Liz’s Mrs. Claus series completely charming. This story was no exception. With each story being roughly 100 pages, you
get a novel length book and a chance to catch up with old friends between books
or try new series without committing to a full novel. Whether you read this book now or save it for
Halloween night, you’ll find something to enjoy here.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
For Duck’s Sake by Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow
#37) – 3
Meg is over at her brother’s new house watching the worker
getting ready to build a new duck pond. But he quickly stops when he finds a
decades old skeleton. Who is it? And who killed him? Meanwhile, Meg’s house is
the staging area for hundreds of dogs who will participate in a parade to
hopefully get them adopted. Will that go off without a hitch or is someone
trying to crash the party?
Normally, I love this series, but this book didn’t work as
well for me. The plots were given equal weight, which threw the pacing off. The
story with the dogs came to an abrupt ending. I’d figured out what was going on
with the skeleton, but even that wrapped up a little too quickly. The saving
grace is the characters. I loved spending time with them as always, and I was
smiling if not laughing while I read. Fans will still be glad they read this
one, but if you are new to the series, I suggest you start with a different
entry.
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Don Bruns
(Stuff Series #4) – 3
Best friends James Lessor and Skip Moore are spending the
weekend at a traveling carnival so that James can get a feel for it in his new
job as their marketing director. Then the owner asks them to put their new PI
license to use finding out who is sabotaging the rides. There have been
injuries and one death due to these accidents. Will the two get the help from
the carnies they need to solve things?
My love/hate relationship with this series continues. I do
like the characters and want to see them succeed. But I also wish they were a
little smarter and that Skip would stand up for himself. The mystery was good,
but the ending could have been stronger. The suspects were interesting. Do keep
in mind that these books aren’t cozies and are just old enough for the
technology to be dated. I’m hoping some growth we saw here carries over to
further books, but I’ll find out when I get to the next book.