I'm kicking off March with my reading summary for February. Yep, we are another month into the year already.
I got the index updated this month! Been too long since I could say that.
All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great). The links will take you to my full review.
Too Much Stuff by Don Bruns (Stuff Series #5)
– 4
Skip More and James Lessor are about to get their second
client for their PI business thanks to Skip’s girlfriend, Em. The client claims
to be the great granddaughter of a man who was in possession of a shipment of gold
in 1935 right before a hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys. In the
resulting chaos, the gold was lost. Even if the client is telling the truth,
can the duo find it? Oh, and there’s the small matter that the last PIs hired
to find the gold vanished six months ago.
I’ve been determined to finish this series since it’s been
on my radar for a while. Turns out, I really enjoyed this one. The plot isn’t a
traditional mystery. While a couple of side stories could have been better
developed, it all holds together well. I also appreciated that Skip and James
weren’t as dumb and immature as the previous book. That’s still part of their
characters, but it was more balanced with their deductions on this case. And I
also liked Em’s dynamic with the two. Finally, the language was toned downs. If
this holds true going forward, I’ll enjoy the rest of the series.
The Girl with the Dragonfruit Tattoo by Carrie
Doyle (Trouble in Paradise! #3) – 4
Plum Lockhart gets a surprise reunion with a friend she
hasn’t seen in years. The friend is traveling with a group on an expensive
yacht, and Plum finds herself on board one night catching up. But a couple of
days later, one of the servants from the yacht is dead and the police are
making an unusual request. Will Plum use her new connections to go on the yacht
and investigate the death? Plum agrees just as the yacht takes off for their
next destination. But with everyone seeming to have a motive, can she find the
killer?
I’d struggled with the first in this series since I didn’t
find Plum likable. I’m happy to say that island living has been good for her,
and I enjoyed her and the returning characters here. The suspects were also
distinct and helped draw me in despite some uneven pacing early on. I get why
it happened, however. The ending was a bit less than I like, but I did find my
questions answered. Sadly, this appears to be the final book in the series. I’m
glad I stuck with it. If you need a tropical getaway, I suggest you give
this series a chance.
Something Whiskered by Miranda James (Cat is
the Stacks Mysteries #17) – 3
Charlie and Helen Louise are on their honeymoon to Ireland,
with Disel along for the trip. They’ve timed their arrival at the castle Helen
Louise’s family own to coincide with her uncle’s 100th birthday. However, as
they arrive, her uncle, a baron, plunges to his death. Naturally, the family is
devastated. There are also questions, like what was the baron doing up there
since he hated heights. When the family asks Charlie to do a little poking
around, he reluctantly agrees. But his investigation leads to secrets that
could hurt the family. Will Charlie find out what lead to the baron’s death?
I’ve struggled a bit with the last couple of books, so I got
this one from the library. Sadly, this wasn’t a return to form. Since the book
takes place in Ireland, I missed the regular characters who weren’t here. But I
did find the new characters fun and good suspects. The mystery starts out on
the dark side for a cozy, but I was soon caught up in the puzzle. Sadly, the
ending was anti-climactic, even for this series, and one plot point was left
unaddressed. Fans will still be glad they picked up this book. Hopefully, the
series will get stronger again soon.
Burdened Bloodline by Sarah E. Burr (Court of
Mystery #7) – 4
Jax, her husband Perry, and their closest friends are
looking for a way to get home safely before the fallout from the last book
really hits. Their best option is to go to Perry’s home duchy, where his father
is the duke. But their arrival finds them feeling less than settled. Perry’s
father is behaving strangely. And Perry’s oldest brother, the next in line, is
less than welcoming to the reforms that Jax wants to institute across the
realm. The party can’t help but wonder if they are truly safe. And that’s
before they find themselves embroiled in yet another shocking murder.
If you aren’t already a fan of this series and are up to
date, don’t pick up this book. It starts just after the last one ended, and as
such, it has some major spoilers. That also means it starts a little slowly
wrapping up some things that we didn’t really need wrapped up here. But once it
gets going, I was fully invested. Political intrigue plays a heavy part of the
plot, and I loved it. I saw a couple of things coming early, but others took me
completely by surprise. It all works because I love Jax and the rest of the
core cast so much. I’m already plotting when I can revisit these characters
again to find out what happens next.
Murder by Invitation Only by Colleen Cambridge
(Phyllida Bright Mysteries #3) – 5
Agatha Christie and her husband, Max, are in London, not in
their country home, so when a weird invitation to a murder arrives at Mallowan
Hall, Phyllida goes in the place of her famous employer. As expected, it turns
out the new neighbors have created a murder game they are using to get to know
the locals. Their host is playing the victim. Phyllida isn’t that interested
and is about to leave when another guest discovers that the victim is actually
dead. Suddenly, Phyllida finds herself thrust into a real case, and she is more
than ready to figure out what is going on. Can she identify the daring killer
is?
Normally, I advise people to read a series in order. In this
case, the focus is on the new mystery with only vague references to past cases.
And the character arcs are pretty self-contained as well. Not that I’m
complaining since I found Phyllida charming as always and the rest of the
characters engaging. The book spends as little time as needed setting things
up. From there, we are off on a puzzling mystery that surprised up to the page
turning climax. I also enjoyed the scenes about the new invention Phyllida
brings to the house – a vacuum cleaner. Whether you are a fan of Christie’s
works or not, you’ll enjoy this book.
The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood
(Marlow Murder Club #3) – 4
This new case starts when Suzie Harris goes to a planning
meeting. She just wants to get the lay of the land since she has a new side
hustle she is going to need the board’s approval for before she can start. But,
to everyone’s horror, the mayor keels over dead just as the meeting is
starting. Suzie quickly calls her friends Judith Potts and Becks Starling. With
the newly promoted Tanika Malik’s grudging approval, the trio start trying to
figure out just how the killer managed to poison the mayor. But everyone they
talk to say he was a great guy. Who would want him dead?
There are a few things that don’t quite work with how the
police would normally behave or how long test results take, but I don’t mind.
That’s because I’m having fun along the way. The three leads are fun, and I’m
smiling or laughing through much of the book. The plot is another good puzzle
with credible suspects. I thought I had things figured out a couple of times,
but I was impressed with how the clues had been layered in. The climax was a
bit over the top, but it answered most of our questions. I’m hoping to get to
the next soon.
The Big Boat to Bye-Bye by Ellis Weiner (Pete
Ingalls, PI #2) – 4
Pete Ingalls has a new client - the producers of a puppet TV
show for kids. Someone has gotten a hold of the very adult gag reel and is
blackmailing them. As Pete investigates, he finds a dead body. Can he solve
both crimes?
This is a different series since Pete is not who he thinks
he is. All that is set up in the first book, and we don’t get the background
here. It does play into the philosophizing we get in the book, but that should
have been cut back. The main plot is good with some great twists. The ending is
a bit convoluted, but it does work. The book has a lot of humor, which made me
laugh at times and made me cringe at others. Overall, I’m glad I finally pulled
this off my shelves and read it.
Buried in Shamrocks by Lisa Q. Mathews (Irish
Bed and Breakfast Mysteries #2) – 4
Kate Buckley and her daughters are back in Shamrock for the
summer. They’ve arrived just in time for the Great Shamrock Fair. But then Kate finds out her ex-husband is in
town with his band to perform at the event.
And his new fiancée is in town, too.
But when she winds up dead, the pressure is on to find the killer before
it dampens the fair. Can Kate keep her
ex-husband out of jail?
I was glad we got a return visit. Once again, the town and characters are
charming. And I enjoyed getting to see
some of the characters and their relationships grow. The mystery does have some pacing issues, but
it does reach a logical climax that I really enjoyed. A couple of the subplots felt like they could
have given us a bit more here while still leaving things open for the next
book. But the characters made the pages
fly by all too quickly. You’ll find them
charming as well.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver (Electra
McDonnell #4) – 4
It’s been three months since Ellie McDonnell’s last mission
with the Major Ramsey, a mission that turned dark. It’s now January of 1941, and Ellie sees an
article in the paper about a robbery that feels wrong to her. Something is off, especially when none of her
contacts have heard anything about it.
Ramsey takes her concern seriously enough to uncover two other odd
robberies. The connection? The victims were on a recent flight from
Lisbon. What or who was on that
plane? Can Ellie and Ramsey get the prize
first?
This series has some strong ongoing storylines, so you’ll
want to be up to date before you pick up this book. Especially since the early part of the novel
spends time on those storylines. That
part was a little contemplative for my taste, but things do pick up as the new
adventure kicks into high gear. I’m
still not a fan of the romantic triangle, but I did enjoy the new story and a
character we met along the way. The
regulars were charming, too. This book
sets up the final book with a couple of cliffhangers, and I really can’t wait
to find out what is going to happen next.
Fans will enjoy this next chapter in Ellie’s life.
The Unkept Woman by Allison Montclair (Sparks
& Bainbridge #4) – 5
When Iris Sparks returns to her apartment one night after
work, she is shocked to find an unexpected visitor. It’s someone she is
less than happy to see, especially since she thought the person was out of her
life for good. After quickly going to the Bainbridge’s for the night, she
thinks things are behind her again – until a body is discovered in her living
room. Who was the victim? And who committed the murder?
If you have yet to meet the ladies of The Right Sort
Marriage Bureau, I don’t suggest you start here. Despite the prologue,
which has a scene two days before the story really starts (yep, still hate that
literary technique), the book takes some time getting into the mystery.
Instead, we get some updates in the ongoing soap opera infused
storylines. But, as a fan, I was there for it. Things only pick up
once the murder happens. Despite my focus on Iris in the teaser, Gwen gets
plenty of her own moments to shine, and the plot couldn’t have been solved
without both of them. And they continue to be two compelling leads I
can’t wait to spend more time with soon. Fans looking to catch up will be
as hooked on this entry as I was.
