It's time for July's reading summary. I didn't get
the index updated this month, so I'll try again in August.
All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great). The links will take you to my full review.
Murder at Ochre Court by Alyssa Maxwell
(Gilded Newport Mysteries #6) – 4
It’s July of 1898, and Emma Cross has spent the last year in
New York City working for the Herald.
Sadly, she is still relegated to the society column. And that’s what has brought her back to
Newport – she is covering the biggest social event of the season, the
coming-out ball of Cleo Copper-Smith.
But the night ends in shocking fashion, when someone is
electrocuted. The electrician who worked
on the cottage is a friend, so Emma dives in to help clear him when people
accuse him of shoddy work. With a
variety of motives, can Emma figure out the truth?
As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think about the
reactions to new technology today and how some characters were reacting to the
new technology of electricity for houses.
I appreciated how that played into the mystery, providing just one
motive that kept me engaged. As is often
the case, I felt like the mystery was a little too complex when we got to the
ending. While things made sense, there
was a bit too much exposition. But I
expect that at this point. I am tiring
of the love triangle, so I am hopeful that this particular storyline is
wrapping up. Overall, I do like the
characters and love seeing them grow as the real and fictional rub elbows so
seamlessly. I’m already looking forward
to my next trip to Newport.
The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by
Robert Thorogood (Marlow Murder Club #5) – 5
This book picks up exactly where the last book ends, which
means Judith has just been accused of killing her husband by her step-daughter,
who just showed up at Judith’s front door.
Meanwhile, someone has killed a big football star who lived in Marlow,
and Tanika seems to be trying to get Judith, Becks, and Suzie involved in the
case. Why is she doing that? Can the ladies solve the case and help Judith
at the same time?
After that cliffhanger at the end of book four, I was
anxious to read this book, and it didn’t disappoint. The book juggles the two storylines well, and
I was engaged the entire time. The
suspects helped keep me confused. I did
feel the ending was a bit convoluted, but the more I read and thought about it,
the better it seemed to me. While Judith
is the focus, Becks and Suzie get plenty of page time as well. And I laughed the entire way through at the
character’s reactions and antics. While
new fans might not want to start here, established fans will love every page.
Death on the Back Nine by Caleb Wygal (Myrtle
Beach Mysteries #6) – 3
Clark Thomas’s brother is coming for a visit. He hasn’t seen Bo in several years. One thing Bo wants is to play golf on one of
the fantastic golf courses throughout the area.
Clark arranges for the two of them to join Detective Moody for a round
early one Saturday morning. But, the
foursome directly ahead of them isn’t the most fun to follow around the
course. When they get to one hole with a
wicked dogleg, one of that foursome hits their ball into the woods…and never
returns. Someone has hit him with a golf
club. With Clark on the spot and Moody’s
partner out of town, the mayor asks Clark to help out. Will he be able to find the killer?
The mystery in this book was solid, but it needed some good
editing. We got too much set up, and
there were other passages that could have been shortened or removed. The subplots got short changed as well. There was also too much foreshadowing. But the mystery kept me confused until Clark
figured it out. And I do continue to
like him. We get a cliffhanger to lead
us into the next book which will resolve a major ongoing storyline, and I’m
anxious to see what is going on there.
Strong Medicine by Steve Hockensmith (Holmes
on the Range #8) – 5
It’s the summer of 1894, and brothers Old Red and Big Red
have traveled to Galveston, Texas. They aren’t on an official case, but they
have gone down to help their friend Olivia Pertwee. Her family has suffered from a blackmailer,
but their business partner just died in a fire in his warehouse. Is someone out to destroy the family’s
business?
It’s always a pleasure to pick up a book in this
series. I found the suspects perfect for
keeping me confused, but I really liked the growth we saw in the brothers. I did figure out part of the plot out early,
but the rest kept me guessing until the logical climax. This series isn’t a cozy series, but as long
as you know that going in, you’ll be fine.
I laughed so often, both at the relationship between the brothers and
the antics of the suspects. As always, I
am looking forward to seeing where the author will take us next.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Lie Down with Dogs by Liz Milliron (Laurel
Highlands Mysteries #5) – 5
Jim Duncan has finally made the switch from patrol to
investigations, and he and his new partner have landed a case on his first
day. The dead body has been in the house
for a few days before it is found, but they also find a greyhound in a cage in
the background. Meanwhile, Sally Castle
is making the leap from the public defender’s office to a private law
firm. Her first client is an accountant
accused of taking money from a greyhound nonprofit. As Sally and Jim investigate, will they find
that their cases connect?
There are plenty of changes afoot in this book, and I
enjoyed how that changes provided some added storylines. All of this let us get to know Jim and Sally
even better without losing the supporting players I’ve come to love. The story is strong and kept me engaged all
the way to the logical climax. In fact,
I wasn’t complaining when I got to read the second half in one day. I even learned a bit more about
greyhounds. If you aren’t yet reading
Liz’s books, you are really missing out.
All Aboard for Murder by Ellen Byron (Golden
Motel Mysteries #3) – 5
Every October, the community of Goldsgone, which is near
Dee’s motel, celebrates the birthday of Angus Sprockles, the man who made sure
they got designated a historic landmark.
Of course, they are also celebrating Halloween. Among the events is a Halloween themed
fundraiser for the historic society on the railroad that Angus’s only living
heir runs. But the event ends with Moses
Sprockles dead. It originally looks like
an accident, but there are things that don’t add up. Dee’s father had become friends with Moses,
and he asks Dee to poke around even though this murder doesn’t appear to have
anything to do with her motel. Can Dee
find the killer?
This series continues to be so much fun. The plot is strong, with several subplots
strengthen the story. The California
setting and the Hollywood elements add to the fun for me. I love the cast of characters no matter how
much page time they get, and I appreciated how one relationship moved
forward. Everything did reach a logical
climax. And the story had appropriate
autumn vibes with a fun Halloween element included as well. At the end, we get a road trip tip and a
bonus recipe. I also smiled and laughed at the character’s antics and a few of
the scenes. All told, this is another
winner you’re sure to enjoy.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass by
Heather Day Gilbert (Exotic Pet-Sitter Mysteries #1) – 4
Belinda has just moved from New York City to Greenwich,
Connecticut, where she is renting the carriage house behind the Carrington
estate. And she is currently pet-sitting
the python of one of her clients. But
she’s barely settled in when she finds a young woman dead in the flower bed
outside her cottage. The victim was a
friend of the handsome Stone Carrington the Fifth. With the body being so close to her new home,
Belinda starts to investigate. Will she
figure out what happened?
I have quite a few books from this author, so I thought I’d
start with this three-book series.
Despite the quick start, I thought the first couple of interview scenes
were a little short, but the book got over that. The ending was a little weaker than I would
have liked, but it did answer my questions.
I like Belinda, and the rest of the cast were developed well. I’m hoping to see where the series goes next
soon.
The Glass Thief by Gigi Pandian (Jaya Jones
Treasure Hunt Mysteries #6) – 5
Jaya Jones is thrilled when her favorite author, Rick
Coronado, asks her to look at his new manuscript. The chapters she receives are about a murder
in a locked room in a haunted mansion and a missing statue. Her instincts that there is more to the story
prove accurate when she starts making connections to a murder that happened
seven years ago. But another death ups
the stakes. Can Jaya separate fact from
fiction and find the killer and the missing statue?
If that description seems a bit complicated, don’t worry,
the book lays everything out very easily.
There are multiple twists that up the stakes along the way. It takes some concentration, but things do
make sense at the end. While I do wish
we saw more of one of the supporting characters, I really liked a subplot
involving Jaya’s personal life. While
the book is set at Christmas, the holiday vibes are minimal. The new characters are good for their roles
in the book. I felt like I was traveling
along with Jaya as we visit Paris and Cambodia before the story is over. This is another page turning novel that is
hard to put down.
Dead Days of Summer by Carolyn Hart (Death on
Demand #17) – 3
As this book opens, Annie thinks the biggest problem she is
facing is keeping the surprise birthday party she is planning for Max a secret,
especially given how Laurel, Max’s mother, keeps thinking for herself. But that’s before Max vanishes. He’d taken a new case that Monday afternoon,
and he let Annie know he’d be home late.
But he never comes home. The
search uncovers a dead body. What does
it mean? Where is Max?
Being a fan of the series, the premise pulled me in right
away. Sadly, it stalled out in the
middle before picking up again for the third act. Even so, one major question I had was left
unanswered. The series regulars were
their usual charming selves, even getting a laugh or two from me at times. One character undergoes a transformation here
that fit his personality from earlier in the series better. The suspects don’t get much page time until
the end, but they are good for the page time they have. There are hardly any references to other
mysteries; I hope we get more in the following books. While this won’t be my favorite in the
series, it is one that fans will still be glad they read.
“Robber Crabs” by Joan Druett (A Wiki Coffin Short
Story) – 2
The story (and I use that term loosely) takes place before
the series and finds Wiki in the South Pacific of the 1830’s looking to make
his way to America. As a 19-year-old,
he’s now at the bottom of the pyramid on his new ship, something that makes him
willing to jump ship after a stop at Christmas Island. What might happen before he does?
You’ll notice the issue with that teaser. And that’s the problem with the story. Nothing really happens. The little bit that Wiki figured out, I
figured out early on myself, and there are some things that were left
opened. Meanwhile, we don’t really get
to know anyone else in the story. Half
of the length here is a teaser for book five in the series. There’s a bit of sailing history that is
interesting, but that’s about it. Don’t
use this as a sample of the series, and most series fans can skip it.
