That time of the month again. Here's my reading summary for April. Due to a busy last week, I didn't 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 review.
People of Darkness by Tony Hillerman (Leaphorn
and Chee #4) – 5
It seems an odd assignment. Jim Chee is asked by a rich
man’s wife to locate an old box her husband cherished. Only she doesn’t know
what is in it. And she doesn’t want him to involve the local police. She’s even
hiring him off the books. The more Chee begins poking around, the more questions
he gets. And every person who tells him to stop just makes him more curious.
What will he uncover?
Knowing that Jim Chee becomes the other main character in
this series, I was happy to finally get to meet him. The set up has several
different elements, and even knowing they’d come together, it seemed like a bit
too much. But by the end I was impressed with just how it all connected. There
was one character that was a bit of a page hog, but overall, I thought the cast
was good and I wish I thought a couple of them were coming back. I also enjoyed
how Navajo culture played into the story. I’m looking forward to spending more
time with Jim Chee again soon.
Ranch Dressing by Diane Vallere (Samantha Kidd
#15) – 5
Samantha Kidd’s father-in-law is interested in buying a dude
ranch in New Jersey, so Samantha joins him and her husband on a trip to meet
the current owner and check it out in depth.
She is so out of her element that she must borrow jeans for the trip,
but she is doing her best to be supportive and stay in the background. Their first night there, Samantha finds the
owner dead in the barn. Can she get the
rest of the staff to warm up to her enough to solve the crime?
This book really builds on the growth we’ve seen in Samantha
over the last couple of books, which I appreciated.
You could jump in here without any spoilers,
but you won’t appreciate the character arc as much.
I also appreciated that this allowed
Samantha’s relationship with her husband to really shine.
Meanwhile, the new characters were
entertaining.
The mystery kept me
confused until we reached the logical climax.
I laughed as always as I was reading.
Trixie Belden fans will enjoy an Easter egg in this book.
Now that I’ve caught up on this enjoyable
series, I can’t wait for the next book to come out.
If you aren’t caught up yet, now’s the time
to fix that.
You’ll enjoy the time spent
doing so.
Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles by
Elizabeth Crowens (Babs Norman #1) – 2
The year in 1940, and Babs Norman and Guy Brandt have set up
a detective agency. But it is struggling to bring in any money, which is why
Babs has just been evicted from her apartment. But the potential for positive
cash flow comes when they learn that Hollywood isn’t going to the dogs since
their dogs are disappearing. Basil Rathbone’s dog has been kidnapped as has the
dog that plays Asta in the Thin Man movies. Since a new Thin Man
movie is supposed to start production soon, the studio is desperate to get
their canine star back. Can Babs and Guy figure out what is going on?
The draw for this book is old Hollywood, and it is fun
spending time with the stars. They are an active part of the plot and at times
outnumber the fictional characters. Sadly, the plot is uneven with too much
time spent on the antics of the stars. While it does reach a satisfactory
conclusion, the plotting is clunky with elements introduced roughly. And
there’s a subplot that feels forced and isn’t really resolved. While most of
the book felt right historically, I did find a blatant historical error early on.
The writing kept us at arm’s length, making the characters thin. This is a book
to read for the old stars. If you want a good mystery, you’ll have to look
elsewhere.
Egg Drop Dead by Vivien Chien (Noodle Shop
Mysteries #5) – 5
Lana Lee has decided to expand her family’s restaurant into
catering, and their first gig is for family friend Donna Feng. But the party
ends when Donna’s nanny is found floating in the pool. While the police look at
Donna, Lana finds evidence that it might actually tie to Donna’s past. But how
could that tie in to this murder?
Donna and her past were plot points for the first book in
this series, so if you haven’t read that book, know there are spoilers here. I
was actually happy to see this come up again with enough background to refresh
my memory. There are some good clues, although I’m not sure the villain’s
actions at the end made perfect sense. Still, I was hooked on the suspenseful
climax. Many of the regulars took a backseat, which was good in the case of
Lana’s family. But we got some great new characters, one of which I hope pops
up again. This series is getting stronger as it goes along. Fans who are behind
will enjoy this entry.
Death on the Golden Mile by Caleb Wygal
(Myrtle Beach Mysteries #3) – 4
Book store owner Clark Thomas is surprised when a woman
comes in with an invitation to join her father for dinner. Even more surprising is that the man is John
Allen Howard, famed Hollywood composure.
The night of the dinner party turns out to be the night the remnants of
a hurricane are passing through town.
During the chaos, someone kills the host. It seems the rest of the guests all had
motive. Can Clark figure out who did it?
The plot employs a few mystery cliches, and I did roll my
eyes a couple of times at them. I also spotted a key clue early on. Overall, the mystery is good, however, with
an ending that did surprise me. We don’t
see quite as much of the supporting players as we might, but I did appreciate
the updates on them. That also includes
a little forward progress on Clark’s wife’s murder, an ongoing story. I did spot a couple of timeline issues, but
they were more annoying than anything else.
We meet the suspects at one time, but it wasn’t long before I was able
to keep them all straight. As always, I
enjoyed the vacation setting of the series.
Those who enjoyed the first two books will be glad they picked this one
up.
The Library Game by Gigi Pandian (Secret
Staircase Mysteries #4) – 5
Tempest Raj and the rest of the team are working on turning
a house into a new library in Hidden Creek, this one focused on classic
mysteries. While the library isn’t ready to open yet, they are participating in
the Summer Stroll program that kicks off in a few days. Their contribution will
be an escape room and an interactive mystery play that Tempest wrote with her
best friend, Ivy. Naturally, Tempest is there for a dress rehearsal.
Unfortunately, it goes horribly wrong with one of the actors turning up dead
after a scripted power outage. However, by the time they call the police, the
body is gone. Is he really dead? If so, who moved the body?
The case is even more impossible than I was able to work
into my teaser, and I had fun watching Tempest lead us to the logical solution.
The pacing might have lagged a bit in the middle, but that might be me. It was
fantastic to spend time with all the regulars again, and I’m curious where some
of the relationships will go from here. The suspects were good, too. We get a
delicious sounding recipe for Blackberry Crumble Cobbler and more references to
classic mysteries. I really need to find a time to read some of them. This book
will work well as an intro/standalone if you haven’t read the earlier books in
the series yet. But you’ll want to go back to read them after the fun you’ll
have here. Fans will be glad they picked up this book.
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman
(Mrs. Pollifax #1) – 5
Seeking to give her life meaning, widowed Mrs. Pollifax
applies to be a spy with the CIA. She's sent on a simple currier assignment for
Carstairs, but things go wrong and she is kidnapped. Can she use her wits to
escape? The story is highly improbable, but I absolutely fell in love. The
final third still make me turn pages quickly even though I remember all the
twists from the first time it kept me up all night to finish.
Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry
(Seven Ponds Mysteries #1) – 2
Amber has never met her grandma Jade, but when she breaks up
with her boyfriend, she winds up heading to Jade’s retirement community. Amber
is thrilled to be welcomed with open arms, but the night she arrives, a man in
the community dies. The police suspect it was murder, and the man’s family
begins telling anyone who will listen that Jade is responsible. Can Amber lean
on her PI training and figure out what really happened?
I enjoyed a previous series from this author, but this one
didn’t really work for me. I was put off by a negative attitude toward
Christianity we get early on. I get it that this is a personal issue, but it
did make me read more critically. The characters are thin and more caricature
to drive the comedy. The plot is more events than mystery driven, although
Amber does make some good deductions along the way. Still, there was an aspect
of the plot that I didn’t enjoy. The book does provide some laughs, but over
all, it didn’t work for me. This will probably be my only visit with these
characters.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
A Fashionably French Murder by Colleen
Cambridge (An American in Paris Mystery #3) – 4
Tabitha Knight, who grew up learning both French and English,
is making some money tutoring various people in French. She’s now landed a job
as a translator for a diplomat’s wife who is looking to buy an haute couture
dress for her daughter’s upcoming wedding. Their first stop is Maison Lannet,
where they are treated to a fabulous fashion show. But when Tabitha realizes
she left her gloves behind, she finds the designer dead. Can she figure out
what happened?
It was nice to be back in 1950 Paris, once again seeing what
life was like for people trying to rebuild their lives after the war. Yes,
Julia Child has a strong presence in this book again, so there is lots of talk
about French cuisine. So expect your mouth to water. The pacing of the mystery
was a bit uneven, thanks in part to a couple of subplots, but I appreciated
some of the twists we got along the way. The characters are fun as always, and
I am curious to see where one storyline will go in the next book. All told,
anyone interested in Julia Child or life in Paris in 1950 will be glad they
picked up this book.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg (Sharpe and
Walker #3) – 3
West Hollywood has been rocked by a series of arsons in one
night. The arsonist hit multiple apartment buildings by setting fire to a car
in a car port. Just as Sharpe and Waler are beginning to piece some key clues
together, a major fire impacts the city. Will this new fire distract them? Or
will they be able to solve it as well?
There is a strong secondary plot as well that includes some
major spoilers for the first book in the series. I didn’t like that storyline
because it slowed things down with flashbacks and introduced some politics that
hit wrong, especially after events in the last couple of months. On the other
hand, I enjoyed the main storyline and all the great twists along the way. The
characters are good but flat, and the male teenage humor doesn’t help them.
There are some other laughs and great banter. I also enjoyed some scenes that
were set close to me. Fans will enjoy this book, but I do wish it were
stronger.
