Movie Review: Best Served Cold - A Hannah Swensen Mystery

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Creative mystery for Hannah to solve

Cons: A few low budget moments

The Bottom Line:

Missing attorney

And case of fraud at trial

In this fun movie

“Maybe It’s a Mannequin.”  “It’s Never a Mannequin”

We’ve gotten two Hannah Swensen mystery movies in fairly quick succession on Hallmark this year.  Two months after we last checked in with them, we get Best Served Cold.  And yes, this is another fun mystery in the franchise.

After a brief prologue from six weeks ago, we check in with the characters as Hannah’s boyfriend, district attorney Chad Norton (Victor Webster), has just been given a big case.  The pawn shop in town was selling fake gold coins, and he’s prosecuting the owners.  He’s taken on the case at the last minute since the attorney assigned to it, Lucas, has gone missing. 

Hannah (Alison Sweeney) thinks something fishy is going on, so she starts trying to find Lucas.  Instead, she finds a dead body.  How will it impact the case?

This book is theoretically based on Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder, one of the more recent entries in the novel series.  I say theoretically because I don’t remember any of these elements in the book.  Granted, it has been five years since I read it.  But the teasers for the book don’t sound like anything in this movie.  As an aside, I think Hannah’s opening monologue explains a lot of what went wrong the one time I tried to make the title dessert.

But that’s no criticism of the mystery we got here.  I found it very creative and different in a good way.  I was engaged the entire way through, and I loved how the movie ended.  Very creative and well done if implausible in real life.

Hannah works with her mother, Delores (Barbara Niven) several times, and she gets some scenes to shine.  The rest of the usuals get only a very supporting part here, and there are some we don’t see.  I feel like we are dealing with some budget issues with these movies at this point, but I could be wrong.  While I missed seeing more of the regulars, I did like the story we got.

Yes, this is a Hallmark movie, so we get more of the low budget issues, but they are kept to a minimum.  Most of the acting and writing are well done.  Alison Sweeney once again wrote this movie, as she’s done with the last several.  I’m sure that’s one reason the dialogue is so strong.

Best Served Cold is another hot movie in the Hannah Swensen franchise.  Fans will be delighted watching these characters back in action.

Book Review: Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons (Anty Boisjoly Mysteries #5)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Anty, laughs, and a puzzling mystery

Cons: Sometimes the humor could be toned down a little

The Bottom Line:

Clearing big suspect

Circus of alternatives

Laughs and clues combine

The Elephant in the Case

I juggle various series and sometimes that means I don’t get back to series as quickly as I’d like to. But when I sat down to read Reckoning at the Riviera Royale, I was already smiling. This being the fifth Anty Boisjoly Mystery from P.J. Fitzsimmons, it was exactly the fun locked room case I was expecting. 

Anty is a man in the upper classes in British society in 1929. He’s recently found himself getting involved in some rather impossible crimes and finding his way to the solution. All of that is served with a heavy dose of dry wit since these books are accurately described as a cross between P.G. Wodehouse and Dorothy L. Sayer. 

This book finds Anty off to the French Riviera at the invitation of his mother. They have a strained relationship, but Anty goes because he thinks this will be a good chance to confront his mother over a nagging question about his father’s death.

But when he arrives, he discovers there’s been a more recent death. There’s a floating circus on the island where Anty is, but the headliner has been killed, trampled to death by his elephant. The animal is set to be executed for this crime, but Anty isn’t buying it. Can he find the real culprit in time to spare the beast?

While this is the wildest case Anty has tackled yet (pun always intended), it feels perfectly at home in the series.  And, yes, the story takes the mystery completely seriously.  Anty is working to solve a real crime with real motives, no matter how outlandish the main suspect might seem.  The solution fits perfectly with this series, and I found it satisfying.

This series has very few returning characters.  In addition to Anty, there’s his valet, Vickers, who is a character all by himself.  Since this book is set in France, we don’t see the inspector that Anty has dealt with in the past, making it just these two.  The series isn’t strong on story arcs, meaning you can read the books in any order.  I pick up this series because I enjoy Anty’s antics and the way he pulls out solutions to impossible crimes.

Now, this isn’t the say the characters are bad.  They are created for their comedic abilities, but they still feel real for this universe.  And they make me care about the outcome while keeping me confused as to who might have done it.

Have you gotten the feeling that the comedy is front and center with this series?  Because it most definitely is.  At times, I do feel like it is a little too clever for its own good, but most of the time, I’m laughing at the wit and word play.

If you are looking for something that is equal parts locked room mystery and comedy, you need to give this series a try.  Reckoning at the Riviera Royale is a circus in the best way possible.

Laugh and puzzle over the rest of the Anty Boisjoly Mysteries.

Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Action and acting

Cons: Pacing in mostly predictable story

The Bottom Line:

Guardians are back

Fighting to save one of them

Predictable film

Quest to Save Rocket

Somewhere along the way, I got behind on Marvel movies again (and newer movies in general).  Part of it is the cable movies I’ve been watching.  But part of it is pure laziness.  I wasn’t going to see stuff in the theater and I wasn’t even trying to catch it on streaming.  But I’m trying to catch up now.  We’ll see how long it lasts, right?

All of that to say that I finally sat down to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.  And I may have found another reason why I let myself get behind.

When this movie opens, it finds the Guardians on a planet, trying to recover from a recent, devastating loss that has hit their leader, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), especially hard.  But when an outside force attacks, leaving Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) fighting for his life, Peter and the rest jump into action to try to find a way to save him.  But the only way forward is going to put them on the radar of a truly evil man.  Will this mission cost all of them their lives?

As I was watching this movie, the biggest thing I struggled with was the fact that I didn’t care.  I mean, you know where the story is going to go, the only question is the how.  Now, I will confess that a couple of things along the way did surprise me, but most of the big questions fell into this predictability.

It also didn’t help that we had extended flashbacks finally filling us in on how Rocket became the racoon we all know and love.  I will give them this, it was definitely relevant to this story.  But I still felt like we could have gotten that same information in less time.  Considering the movie is two and a half hours long, finding something to leave on the cutting room floor would have been nice.  Then again, it wouldn’t have given Bradley Cooper as much to voice in the movie.  I feel like one purpose of these many flashback scenes was to show how truly evil the villain was, but we got that from the modern storyline.  We really didn’t need to devote as much time to the flashbacks as we got.

I think another part of the problem was that we just had too much randomness in the film.  Some of the stops along the way felt weird just to be weird.  Maybe these stops served a purpose, but it just felt like a chance to visit another alien planet.

Now, I will give the film this – the effects looked good to me.  Sadly, we can’t always say that about modern special effects.  And the acting was all good.

And this isn’t to say that the film was bad.  I did get drawn in.  I found the action scenes lots of fun.  And a few moments of humor made me smile and chuckle.  But it wasn’t enough to really make me feel like I’ve missed anything by waiting this long to watch the movie.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 definitely continues the struggles that Mavel has had in the post Endgame era.  It’s not that this is a bad film.  But I’m also not sorry I haven’t watched it sooner.

May 17th's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to this week's Sunday/Monday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Another quiet week around here.  Nothing outside of work.  The temps have been mostly in the 70's, which is pretty standard for this time of the year, to be honest.  As much as I'm ready for summer heat, this is what we often get.

The exception to that was Saturday, when I went down to Knott's Berry Farm.  I hadn't been in decades (like since I was a kid).  It's included with my season pass for Six Flags.  I was going to go last year and never got around to it, but with a free weekend and perfect temps, I headed down this weekend.

It was definitely more crowded than I was expecting.  And I'm not sure how trustworthy their line estimates are.  But I have fun.  I hit three of the biggest coasters there.  But two of them were at the end of the day, and one was the first thing I did when I got there.  It was a little weird being at a theme park I'm not super familiar with since I usually go to Disneyland or Six Flags Magic Mountain, both of which I know extremely well.  I might have done more walking/exploring than anything else, especially when I would turn somewhere and go "Now, what's down here?"  I was in a long line when the park closed, so I got home early Sunday morning.  I should be in bed by now, so shall we get to it?

Joke of the Week:

What happens when you throw books into the ocean?

You get a title wave.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: The Flash

Tuesday - Book Review: Murder, She Wrote - Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early

Wednesday - Movie Review: Avatar - The Way of Water

Thursday - Book Review: Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood

Friday - Friday Post featuring Reckoning at the Riviera Royale

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3

Tuesday - Book Review: Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons

Wednesday - Movie Review: Best Served Cold - A Hannah Swensen Mystery

Thursday - Book Review: Harm Not the Earth by Liz Milliron

Friday - Friday Post featuring My Nightmare is Yours

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Strap in.  I've been very bad this week buying Kindle sale books.  (Or good, if you like to get books at a steal.)

Up first is Killer Brownies, which had just crossed my radar.  A culinary cozy set on the California coast?  I'm there.  This is the first in a series from Amelia Pine.  Looks like it is currently still on sale, but no idea how long it will be 99 cents.

Sadly, this next isn't on sale still.  Crooked Lane doesn't seem to leave their books on sale for very long.  Anyway, I've heard great things about A Field Guide to Murder by Michelle L. Cullen.  The main character is a retired man who tries to find out what happened to his neighbor, helped by his caretaker.  Sounds like it could be lots of un.

Outline for Murder by Anthony J. Pucci has been on my radar for a little while.  The main character is a high school English teacher.  It came out a while ago, so if I like it, I've got quite a few more books to go.  As of my typing this, it looks like it is still free, but I don't know how much longer that will last.

I was looking at the attendees at a convention this week, and one author I hadn't heard of before was Kim Griswell.  Her series is set along the Oregon coast, which caught my attention.  I don't find as many cozies set on the west coast to begin with, and Oregon and Washington are usually overlooked.  And, since the first book was 99 cents, I decided to give it a shot.  Again, as of right now, Murder at Last Chance Cove is currently still on sale, but no idea how long that will last.

Finally comes On the Rocks by Mia Gold.  I got this one from author Julie Mulhern's weekly freebie newsletter.  A bartender in the Bahamas as the main character was pretty much all it took to get me to download it.  I mean, at free, it's risk free, right?

What I'm Currently Reading:

Heading to a theme park by myself.  You can guess what my plan to do in line was, right?  I read on the Kindle app on my phone.  Of course, to do that, I will be pushing things around a little.  Jumping into the gap will be Hot Stuff by Don Bruns.  It's book six in a series about two twenty-something best friends who get dragged into cases.  There are seven in the series, so I'm hoping to finish it this year.  

I have a feeling by Monday, I will be working on One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver.  I just talked about getting this book last week.  I told you I was planning to read it soon!  I'm looking forward to seeing how this series about a lock picker in London during World War II ends.

Have a great week!

May 16th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Just one show this week.  Feels a little weird to be saying that in May since I'm still used to this being sweeps month, which doesn't seem to be the case any more.  Anyway....

Survivor – I was expecting two people to go home tonight, so I was surprised when Jeff didn’t announce it was going to happen.  But then when I realized how early they were going to tribal, it made sense.  Essentially, we had two episodes.  Neither person going home was too big a surprise.  Rick was all over the place, which is going to drive people crazy.  And Cirie would have been too hard to beat.  Same argument as Tiff.  I suspect Rizzo makes it to the end, unfortunately.  But I don’t think he’s going to win.  We’ll find out next week, I guess.

May 15th's Friday Post

We've made it through another week!  Time for this week's Friday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

This week, my teasers for the first three will be coming from Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons.

This is the fifth book in a series set in 1929.  And the first time we are leaving England behind for the French Riviera.  Yes, it's a mystery series, but it is highly comedic as well.  And I think these quotes really capture the tone of the book.

Here's how it begins:

It had been a little over a year since I’d seen my mother and, I assumed at the time, slightly longer since she’d last committed murder.

That's a beginning that will capture your attention, right?

Meanwhile, at 56% into the ebook, we find this quote:

“It’s not stealing, Mister Boisjoly…” claimed Mimpley.

“...it’s only cheating,” completed Biddicomb.

“You do yourselves a disservice, ladies,” I countered. “It’s both.”

I always enjoy this series, and this book was no exception.  I'll have my full review up on Tuesday, so I hope you'll come back to read it.

For now, let's move on to this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

Are you team dog-eared pages or strictly no creases? 

I bet if you looked at most of my books, you couldn't tell which ones I'd read and which ones I hadn't.  I don't bend spines back.  I don't dog-ear pages.  I don't mind buying a used book that is clearly used, but anything I buy new, I try to keep in as good as shape as I can for as long as I can.

Have a great weekend!

Book Review: Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood (Marlow Murder Club #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: The main characters in an entertaining mystery

Cons: Climax a bit of a stretch

The Bottom Line:

Deadly River cruise

Trip track down the killer

Play adding to fun

Murder is Dramatic

It wasn’t conscious at the beginning of the year, but I seem to be focusing on reading series I’ve already started this year instead of being distracted by every shiny new book that comes along. That’s one reason why I returned to Robert Thorogood’s Marlow Murder Club for their fourth case - Murder on the Marlow Belle. 

The first book showed us how these three women formed an unlikely friendship over a string of murders in the town of Marlow. There’s Judith Potts, an older woman who generally likes to be alone constructing crossword puzzles. There’s Becks Starling, the vicar’s wife. And there’s Susie Harris, dog walker and host of a local radio program. This is now the fourth time they’ve found themselves looking into a suspicious death in their community. 

This time, Verity Beresford seeks out Judith. Verity’s husband, Oliver, never returned from the maiden voyage of the Marlow Belle. The boat had been rented by the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, which Oliver heads. But then Oliver’s body turns up, and Judith can’t help but wonder if Verity was trying to divert suspicion from herself by asking for help. Can Judith and her friends figure out what really happened?

Yes, Judith is the real star of the books, although each of the ladies contribute a little toward the solution, as always. I did feel that Susie took more of a back seat in this book, while Becks does get a subplot that allows her to shine. Still, their personalities come through the page, and I can’t help but laugh at their antics and conversations. 

On the other hand, I am bugged by some of the comments that seemed to lean toward male bashing. I’m not sure if they were intended as a joke or not, but they certainly didn’t come across that way. 

The mystery was good. The suspects were strong and there were enough twists to keep me guessing. However, I found the climax a bit of a stretch. It does makes sense, at least. 

Since the victim was part of the local drama society, we spent some time behind the scenes at their current production. As a fan of the stage, I had a lot of fun reading about that. 

And that ending? I’m glad the next is due here in the states in a couple of months. 

Murder on the Marlow Belle might not be the strongest mystery in the series, but it is still fun. Fans of these ladies will still be glad they read it. 

Enjoy the rest of the Marlow Murder Club novels. 

Movie Review: Avatar - The Way of Water

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Visuals are cool

Cons: Movie is slow and relies too much of the cool visuals

The Bottom Line:

The old threat returns

Movie too long and plodding

Not a much watch film

Sequel Does Little to Change My Mind on the Franchise

I wasn’t one of those who feel under the spell of the original Avatar.  I didn’t watch it in theaters and waited until I could record it on TV.  I wasn’t planning to watch the first sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, but when I spotted in on TV, I changed my mind.  It did little to change my mind on the franchise, however.

For this movie, we are back on the planet Pandora.  Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) has fully embraced his new life living with the Na’vi.  He and his wife, Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) have several children, and he is happy. 

That is, until the old commanders return to the planet.  Earth is still trying to colonize it.  But the leader is a clone of Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), and he is out to personally get Jake.  So Jake takes his family and flees to the islands.  Will they make their new realm their home?  Or will the Sea People reject them?  What will happen when Miles tracks him down?

Now, I fully admit that part of my issue with the film was the fact that it had been five years since I saw the original.  I was hazy on the details of the characters and their relationships.  That backstory might have helped me connect with what happened here.

But that wasn’t the only issue.

Most of the characters are blue aliens brought to life by motion capture CGI.  It might just be me, but I have a hard time telling them all apart.  When you are spending much of the film going “Wait, is that…?” it makes caring about the outcome harder.

Not that I’m blaming the actors.  They do a good enough job of bringing their characters to life.

There is a lot of debate right now about villains.  Do they need backstory, especially something that shows how they became evil?  While I subscribe to the view that we don’t, I really felt like the villains in this film were very one dimensional.  I had to wonder why everyone was going along with some of what they were being told to do.  There just seemed so little point.  So, some backstory here would definitely have helped.

Visually, the movie looks good.  It’s a lot of CGI.  I’d say the movie is more animated than real.  Most of it looks great, including the fanciful sea creatures we meet along the way.  Yeah, my eye starts to get more critical the further I go, but even so, there are some shots that are just outstanding.

But here’s the biggest issue I have with the movie.  It’s long.  Too long.  The movie clocks in at over 3 hours, and I could easily get 30 minutes cut without too much effort.  There’s an entire sub-plot that could have been trimmed.  And, I’m sure some other cuts could have been made to tighten things.  Having said that, there is a lot going on here, story wise.  It is complex, so trimming things further might have meant a major rewrite.  It certainly does seem like we have one more storyline than we need, especially when things slow down in the middle.

Yes, I’ll probably wind up watching the third Avatar movie at some point.  But I don’t think I’ll be rushing out to watch it.  The Way of Water has too many flaws to make me want to jump right into more of the franchise.

Book Review: Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early (Murder She Wrote #63)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Familiar faces in a fun mystery

Cons: Pacing a little off early on

The Bottom Line:

Filming a game show

Hunting a killer on set

Characters we love

Can Jessica Answer the Killer Question Correctly?

My favorite episodes of Murder, She Wrote were always the ones set in Cabot Cove because I enjoyed the relationships that Jessica Fletcher had with her friends, but especially Seth Hazlitt and Mort Metzger. So, seeing that they were going to play a starring role in Murder Most Trivial, even if the book takes our characters to Los Angeles, made me anxious to read it.

When Jessica, Seth, Mort, and Mort’s wife, Maureen, take part in a trivia contest at the grand opening of an Irish themed pub in Cabot Cove, they never expect to win, much less that the prize will be a trip to Los Angeles to be contestants on Trivia Pub Live, a new live trivia game show. However, things take a deadly turn when one of the crew is found dead after the first day of tapping. Will the team be able to find a killer and stay in the competition?

The main mystery takes a little while to get going, but the time is spent on a few subplots and setting up the main mystery. Once the mystery gets going, the book kicks into high gear, and I was never disappointed. There are plenty of suspects and lots going on, which means everyone has to sort through what is and isn’t important to solving the mystery. I was satisfied with the resolution to the mystery. And I liked how the subplots played out as well. 

We really do get lots of the other Cabot Cove characters in this book, and I enjoyed getting to see Seth and Mort off the clock. Well, mostly off the clock since they were unofficially getting involved in the case. I even laughed a couple of times at their interactions. 

And those aren’t the only familiar faces we see. We also get one of Jessica’s nieces and her husband. I immediately remember who they were, too, which made it extra fun. 

There are a lot of suspects here, but I was able to keep them straight. Some come alive more than others, but that’s mostly a factor of how much page time they get. 

We also get a tour of Los Angeles via filming locations for various mystery TV shows. I’ve got to admit, I haven’t sought many of these places out, so I enjoyed this tourism via the page in my local area. Don’t worry, these scenes lead into discussions of the happenings in the mystery so they don’t slow things down. 

Once again, we are treated to a fun mystery with a fantastic sleuth. Fans of the show or the books will enjoy Murder Most Trivial. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Movie Review: The Flash (2023)

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Emotions at the end work

Cons: Very little else does

The Bottom Line:

Flash gets solo film

But more time spent on others

He deserves better

“Do You Want to Get a Bite?  I’m Still Hungry.”

Yes, I’d heard all the issues with The Flash and the rumors of reshoots even before it came out in 2023.  But, I always intended to give this movie a shot at some point.  It was pretty much as bad as I’d heard.

No, I don’t remember all the behind-the-scenes drama and delays at this point.  But it was one of the last movies in the failed Zack Snyder DC Universe.  That killed interest as well since, by the time it came out, we knew we were getting new versions of these characters.  Really, the movie was doomed.  Not that it was good.

Anyway, the story sort of focuses on Barry Allen, aka The Flash (Ezra Miller).  He’s a science tech in a crime lab who is attempting to clear his father (Ron Livingston) of a crime he didn’t commit – killing Barry’s mother Nora (Maribel Verdú).  But then Barry gets the idea to go back in time to keep his mother from being killed.  What could possibly go wrong?

Of course, we all know what could go wrong.  But in this case, it means a movie that is mostly set in an alternative universe.  Act one sets things up in pretty good fashion.  Yes, there’s an action sequence that could have been cut if they really wanted to speed things up, but that’s a minor issue.  It does what it needs to do to get the story going.

Act two is where the movie really falls apart.  Yes, it is fun at first watching Barry figure out what he’s done and then have to start interacting with a new version of himself.  But here’s the things.  This is called The Flash.  It’s supposed to finally be a chance for us to get to know the big screen version of the character.  But we quickly go meet Michael Keaton’s version of Batman and then rescue Supergirl, as played by Sasha Calle.  And who is our villain?  General Zod (Michael Shannon).  If we were going to have a Flash movie, shouldn’t these cameos from other characters be kept to a minimum?  And shouldn’t we have had one of his villains as the threat we are facing for much of the movie?  Barry felt like a supporting character in his own movie, which is ironic given his complaint early on during that first act action scene.

Now, I’m going to contradict myself.  The movie could have done with less Barry.  Essentially, we have two versions of the character through much of the film, both played by Ezra Miller.  And I found both versions annoying much of the time.  Now, I’m not talking about the acting.  This is the way the character is written to be played.  But seriously, could we make him less awkward?

And, to be clear, none of the complaints are aimed at any of the actors.  It is the script that lets them down.

Meanwhile, if I hadn’t watched the show, I wouldn’t have gotten that Kiersey Clemons’s Iris West is a pretty important character in Barry’s life.  She’s an afterthought.  Yes, the lead character’s comic book love interest is sidelined in his big movie.

The special effects are also poor.  Laughably poor at times.  You get a sense of where how things are going to look from that first act action sequence, and they don’t get any better.  For a big budget movie like this, it’s very surprising.

Given all I’ve been saying, I was surprised at just how much the climax touched me.  Yes, we still managed to get the emotional impact we should have.

Going into this movie, I did try to separate my expectations from the TV show The Flash, which I mostly enjoyed, especially the first few seasons.  While not exactly a story that show told, I still feel like that show did the similar story so much better.  Granted, they have multiple episodes to tell a story instead of only two and a half hours.  But this movie didn’t really even try to tell Barry’s story.

And yes, we get more cameos from various versions of DC characters, including those from the Zack Snyder series.  We could have done without most of them since they didn’t really add anything to the story.

The only reason to watch The Flash is if you are a die hard superhero fan, especially since this version of the character is no longer important.  You can just skip this mess of a film.

Mother's Day's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to this week's Sunday/Monday post, where I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

It was another quiet week.  Work, reading, and a little bit of TV watching.  I finished up my rewatch of season 7 of Once Upon a Time, something I've been going to do for about 4 years now.  My thoughts on the season haven't really changed since it first aired - some great moments and compelling but lots of stuff that they just didn't have enough time to fully develop.

Anyway, our temps stayed in the 60's early in the week, but we are in the 80's now with temps in the 90's predicted for Sunday and Monday.  Then, of course, we start to drop again, but fortunately not quite as far as the 60's.  It's May, after all.  Time for some warm weather.

And today is my friend's game day, so let's get to it, shall we?

Pun-Official Holiday of the Week:

May 13 – Take a leap and be hoppy for Frog Jumping Day.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: My Dream is Yours

Tuesday - Book Review: Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place by Linda Reilly

Wednesday - Ornament Review: Sandal the Sandman #4

Thursday - Book Review: Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips

Friday - Friday Post featuring Murder Most Trivial

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: The Flash

Tuesday - Book Review: Murder, She Wrote - Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early

Wednesday - Movie Review: Avatar - The Way of Water

Thursday - Book Review: Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I've got three books to talk about this week.

Up first is my preorder of One Final Turn, the fifth and final Electra McDonnell book from Ashley Weaver.  Yes, the books been out for a year, but I preordered the trade paperback, which came out this week.  I'm very much looking forward to seeing how things are wrapped up.  I'm planning to read it soon, with a review hopefully coming the beginning of June.

I've had my eye on Murder to My Ears by Rebecca McKinnon for a while now.  When the ebook popped up as free, I snagged it.  Looks like it's back to regular price of $3.99 now.

Finally, we have another free ebook that has gone back to regular price ($2.99 in this case).  Murder in the Cranberry Bog is the second in a series from Mike Cassidy featuring a reporter who is traveling the country.  I already have the first, but I haven't read it yet.  But free is a good price to grab book two in case I enjoy the first one.

What I'm Currently Reading:

Friday night, I finished up Harm Not the Earth by Liz Milliron.  Yes, I was just talking about getting this book a couple of weeks ago.  It's book four in her Laurel Highlands series, and I enjoyed it.  Got to get the review written.

Which means I've just started My Nightmare is Yours, the new Madison Night Mystery from Diane Vallere.  Since it doesn't come out for a couple of weeks, I'm reading an ARC.  I'd hoped to get a bit further into it before I left for game day, but that isn't looking good.  Either way, I'm only about 10% into the book, but I'm enjoying it so far.

Have a great week!

May 9th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Quiz with Balls – I always worry with a category like Books because, I feel like I should know what they will ask, but then they don’t tend to have books I know anything about.  So, this time, I was happy when I knew the answer to the question.  Other than that, the football rivalry theme didn’t mean much to me. 

Survivor – I was looking at the number of people and number of episodes left and thinking they had to do another double elimination (if not more).  So I think the only surprise was splitting in two.  Still not completely sure how I feel about that, but I’m more okay with it than I used to be.  Emily leaving on the same day was hard, but I really admire her spirit.  I was a little surprised that they voted the second go around and that Cirie got two votes again.  And Ozzy.  He was pretty bitter, but it is hard to see him go with the idol in his pocket again.  The person who gave him that idol is out, though, right?  So does it boomerang to anyone?  Or is it just dead?

May 8th's Friday Post

It's Friday again, which means it is time for another Friday Post.  I'll be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

My teasers for the first three will be coming from Murder Most Trivial, the new Murder, She Wrote novel from Barbara Early.

Obviously, this book is going to have a very specific fan base, but considering this is the 63rd book in the series of novels tied into the TV show, I'd say it is a large fan base.

Anyway, here's how the book begins:

Seth Hazlitt opened the door of Riley’s for me, and I’ll admit I hesitated to look around the room. The promise of a “genuine” Irish pub experience here in Cabot Cove, Maine, was one I found intriguing yet, I feared, was doomed to disappoint (not for lack of advertising).

Okay, so that first sentence might not be suspenseful, but it does a good job of setting up the first scene.

Meanwhile, at 56% into the ARC, we find this quote:

“Are we going to play the game?” Maureen asked.
“What game?” Mort said.

The book is coming out on Tuesday, but I was able to read an ARC, so I'll be reviewing it on Tuesday.

Let's switch over to this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question of the week is:

If you designed a cover for a beloved book, how would it look, and how would it reflect the story? 

I'm am so not a visual arts person.  You should see what I cam up with when I had to do something liek that in school.  But I can appreciate a well done cover.  I'm not sure how I would improve on those.  So I think I will leave it to the visual artists and just enjoy their work.

(Yes, I know I am just dodging the question.)

Have a great weekend!

Book Review: Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Charlie and his family, good mystery

Cons: Charlie seems a bit reckless

The Bottom Line:

Changes in his life

And dangerous mystery

This debut is good

Low on Sleep. High on Crime

I’ve enjoyed several of the winners of the Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel over the years, so when I saw that Stakeouts and Strollers, the recently published debut from Rob Phillips, won the contest back in 2024, I had to give it a try. 

The book introduces us to Charlie Shaw, a first-time father who is also a newly licensed private investigator. Between the career change and a six-month-old who isn’t sleeping through the night, he’s struggling. 

While he’s out on surveillance, he meets a teenager who is looking for her father. Charlie can’t help but feel for her, and he decides to take on the case even though she can’t pay him. However, he quickly figures out that he’s brought a lot of danger on his family. Is his client’s father still alive? Can he figure out what is happening before the danger hits too close to home?

I was expecting a bit of a comedic PI novel when I picked this book up. While there are some humorous parts, especially Charlie’s banter with his wife, the book is fairly serious in tone overall. That includes some rough language and a bit more violence than I was expecting as well. Keep all that in mind when you go to pick up this book. 

The mystery itself kept me entertained the entire way through. There is a lot going on, but I never had trouble keeping up with the events and Charlie’s theories. The ending was suspenseful and logical. I was quite happy when I set it down. 

I really liked Charlie, and especially his relationship with his family. We really got to know him as the book progressed and could sympathize with what he was experiencing as a new father. His wife and daughter were also good characters. In fact, as the book progressed, I felt like everyone came to life on the page. 

I did feel like Charlie took a few unnecessary risks over the course of the book, especially for a new father. But that’s a minor critique. 

The book is set in and around San Francisco, not too far from where I grew up. There’s one place that doesn’t seem possible geographically, but I’m sure most people won’t be bothered by it. 

This book feels like it might be a standalone. If we do get a sequel, I will definitely be revisiting Charlie and family. Those looking for an enjoyable debut will be glad they picked up Stakeouts and Strollers. 

Ornament Review: Sandal the Sandman #4 - Eating a Sandwich - 2025 Hallmark Release

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Sandal is still cute

Cons: How is this Christmassy?

The Bottom Line:

Enjoying picnic

Doesn’t tie to holiday

Ornament is cute

Picnic at the Beach

I was planning on passing on the fourth Sandal the Sandman ornament from Hallmark until I saw the series was ending with the fifth this year. So, I went ahead and snagged the fourth at a discount so I can have the entire series. 

For this entry, Sandal is enjoying a sandwich. He’s split it with his seagull friend. He’s about to take a bite, and from the look on his face, and he’s very happy about it. The Seagull? He doesn’t look quite as convinced. 

Here’s my issue with this ornament - how is it Christmas? What I’ve enjoyed about the series is the beach twist on Christmas traditions. This feels more like a picnic that could happen any time of the year. Now, I did like the ornament that featured Sandal paddleboarding, but that was an extra ornament, not an official part of the series. 

I do like that Sandal is wearing a beach hat and has a beach towel as a scarf. Those touches are fun. 

Since Sandal and his friend are on the beach, this has a nice flat base, so you can set it out to be displayed year-round. And the series marker is on the bottom of the ornament. 

When you go to hang the ornament, you’ll find that it tips slightly forward, but this isn’t anything that can’t be hidden by a few branches. 

The ornament itself is cute, But I wish this entry in the Sandal the Sandman series had a better holiday activity. 

Warm up with the rest of the Sandal the Sandman ornaments.

Book Review: Between a Roquefort and Hard Place by Linda Reilly (Grilled Cheese Mysteries #7)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Carly in an entertaining mystery

Cons: The supporting characters could be a bit sharper

The Bottom Line:

Renovation death

Carly must clear her husband

Delicious and fun

Shocking Murder at a Mansion

I wasn’t sure if we would get more Grilled Cheese Mysteries. The last book would have been a great ending to the series. So I was happy when I saw Linda Reilly was back with Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place. 

The series features newlywed Carly Hale Mitchell who runs a grilled cheese diner in her hometown in Vermont. Business is booming, but she can’t help getting involved in the various murders happening in the area. 

As this book opens, it’s been ten months since her wedding, and Carly and Ari are happily settling into married life. At her restaurant, she and her employees are working on a grilled cheese competition. But Carly drops everything when she is invited to Peppermint Mansion, the biggest and most mysterious house in the area, to cook a grilled cheese for the elderly owner. The mansion is undergoing renovations, and Ari is handling the electrical. But while Carly is there, the general contractor dies. The police quickly determine it wasn’t an accident and start looking at Ari as their prime suspect. Can Carly clear her husband?

The book does a good job of setting up the plot and getting to the murder quickly. We have several good suspects and the plot kept me guessing and engaged until we reached the logical ending. 

Over the course of the series, we’ve met quite a few supporting characters. While they all have had a book to shine, they didn’t stand out from each other here. This is mostly true of Carly’s employees. It can be a problem in  a long running series when we get so many characters we want to see again, but they wind up having very little page time as a result. The suspects, on the other hand, were good, as were the other new characters we met. And Carly and her husband are fantastic. 

As always, there are some grilled cheese recipes at the end of the book. We get three more, and they sound delicious. 

Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place is another delicious mystery. Grab a grilled cheese and enjoy. 

Pick up the rest of the Grilled Cheese Mysteries. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

Movie Review: My Dream is Yours

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Great singing, entertaining while watching

Cons: Pacing over emphasizes job, making romance seem forced

The Bottom Line:

A singer’s big break

Light, fun film with great singing

Story needs focus

“He Was the Man I Used to Work for a Long, Long Time Ago.  Day Before Yesterday.”

Diane Vallere has a new book in her Madison Night series coming later this month.  As always, in order to prepare, I watched the similarly titled Doris Day movie.  In this case, that lead me to My Dream is Yours, her second movie from 1949.

This movie opens in Hollywood, where we meet agent Doug Blake (Jack Carson).  His star client (his only client) is singing sensation Gary Mitchell (Lee Bowman), who is set to renew his contract for the radio show he is on.  But Gary doesn’t want to do it.  He’s negotiated his own contract with a different show, in fact.

So Doug sets off for New York City to find a replacement for Gary.  And he does when he stumbles on Martha Gibson (Doris Day).  But can he land her a job back in Los Angeles?

Given that two of the three lead characters are singers, there is lots of singing, mostly from Doris Day.  And most of the songs are in the context of their jobs.  With one exception, I enjoyed the songs.  Doris has a fantastic voice, and I loved listening to it.  Hal Derwin, who was the singing voice of Gary, was just as great.  So, which song didn’t I enjoy?  Sadly, it was the title track.  Which, naturally, means we heard it the most.

Oh, and there’s that dream sequence.  I don’t see how anyone thought it was good to put into the film.  It was more something out of a cheesy sitcom.

As is often the case with Doris Day movies, I was entertained while watching, but I didn’t feel like it was that good.  We get lots of time spent on Doug trying to find a job for Martha.  I liked the fact that it didn’t come easy, but it also felt a little drawn out.  Yeah, I know.  I’m hard to please.

There is also supposed to be a love triangle.  I say supposed to be because they only hint at this storyline before the last 20 minutes or so of the movie, when we suddenly focus on that.  Honestly, if they had given that a little more time while not spending as much time on the repetition of Martha not getting a job, I think it would have been better.  As it is, the romance feels forced when we start focusing on it.

I suspect most of that is just because of the age of the film.  We look for something different in the storytelling now vs. what they did back then.  I’m sure the focus on the pacing the story would be better if it were made today.

Overall, this does represent something we don’t see from the major studios any more – a light romantic movie.  I wish we would see more of that.

None of this criticism is directed at the actors.  They are all great at bringing the story to life for us.  Those involved in the dream sequences even commit fully to it. 

For me, My Dream is Yours is another mixed bag.  It’s entertaining enough when you sit down to watch it, but it isn’t worth going out of your way for.

Looking for the DVD?  Looks like it is part of this Doris Day collection.

May 3rd's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to this week's Sunday/Monday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

This week started off magically.  That's right, I was back at Disneyland.  I had one day left to use on the 3 Day ticket I bought when my friends were here a couple of months ago.  I went by myself this time and had fun.  Was pretty productive, too.  I got half of a book read and two reviews written on my phone while I was standing in lines.  I almost got everything in I wanted to do, but just ran out of time.  Considering I was in both parks, I was happy with that.

Other than that, this week has been pretty quiet and ordinary.  Pretty much just work.  I have done just about nothing so far today (Saturday).  It's been nice for a change.

Weather was in the low 60's last Sunday.  It warmed up to the 80's Saturday.  But it will be back to the 60's on Sunday.  I'm ready for it to pick a temperature and stick with it for a while.

Joke of the Week:

Someone ripped the 5th month out of my new calendar.

I’m dismayed

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - TV Show Review: Night Court Reboot - Season 3

Tuesday - Book Review: In the Spirit of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

Wednesday - Book Review: Death on Cozumel Island by Cindy Qualye

Thursday - April Reading Summary

Friday - Friday Post featuring Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: My Dream is Yours

Tuesday - Book Review: Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place by Linda Reilly

Wednesday - Ornament Review: Sandal the Sandman #4

Thursday - Book Review: Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Last weekend, Barnes and Nobel offered double stamps, so of course, I had to order three more books.

Up first is An Excellent Things in a Woman by Allison Montclair.  It's book seven in the Sparks and Bainbridge series.  I have all of them but this one, including book eight.  So, naturally, I filled in the gap.  I'm a few books behind but planning to read another in the series soon.

I also got Vanished!, the second in James Ponti's Framed! series.  I generally enjoy his books, and I enjoyed the first in this series when I read it last year.

Finally, I got a short story anthology.  Hollywood Kills was created and published last year to raise funds to help the victims of the LA wild fires from last year.  Definitely a cause I want to support.  And it has some authors in it I enjoy.  My track record with actually reading short story collections is dismal, but we'll see if I get to this one.

What I'm Currently Reading:

Friday, I finished Murder on the Marlow Belle, the fourth Marlow Murder Club book by Robert Thorogood.  I found the ending a little disappointing, but overall, I enjoyed it.  But more on that at a later date, after I get my review written.

Which means today, I should have been working on Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons.  But remember how I was talking about having a lazy day?  That includes not even getting any reading done.  But I'm sure I will make up for that tomorrow and be fully invested in the book come Monday.

That's it for me.  Have a great week!

May 2nd's Weekly TV Thoughts

Shows are already ending.  I realize we are getting to the end of the traditional TV season, but I'm used to shows going to May.  But I only have three shows this week, and one of them is a season finale.  This post will be a bit quiet for a bit, I think.  Maybe I can make some progress on new TV on DVD sets to watch and review as a result.  We'll see.

Quiz with Balls – I thought the Sharps were out early, but they held on and came back quite nicely.  A fun episode overall.  Not sure I would have done nearly as well as either team did with some of those categories.

RJ Decker – I don’t know that I’d really picked up on there being an ongoing story about his arrest until the last episode.  But it led into a great season finale tonight.  It was nice seeing all the characters working together.  And I’m glad RJ turned himself in and it all blew over.  I’m very curious what the cliffhanger will mean going forward.  Not sorry about it, but curious where it will lead.  If we get a season two, that is.

Survivor – With the extra time left in the episode, the flip wasn’t that suspenseful.  It was an interesting twist, I guess.  I don’t know, I feel like it was under whelming.  It will be interesting to see if Devins still has a big target on his back.  And, honestly, I sure thought Steph was driving things.  She may not have had the original ideal, but she was pushing for it for sure.  Or maybe that was just how it was edited.

May 1st's Friday Post

Happy May Day!  Let's celebrate with a Friday Post, where I will link up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

This week, my teasers from the first three will be coming from Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place by Linda Reilly.

This is book seven in her Grilled Cheese Mysteries.  It came out a couple of weeks ago, but with the short turn around (this publisher always announces stuff last minute), I wasn't able to work the ARC into my reading schedule before now.

Here's how the book begins:

Carly Hale Mitchell’s gaze flitted all around the elegantly appointed parlor. She could easily imagine she’d been dropped into an episode of Downton Abbey.

So, the question on my mind was where is our main character?  Of course, we find out exactly where Carly was within the next few sentences.

Meanwhile, at 56% into the eARC, we find this:

Emotion clogging her throat, she hurried out and closed the door.

Just what has upset her?  I'll leave it for you to find out.

I've finished this one, and I enjoyed it.  I'll be reviewing it on Tuesday, so I hope you'll come back then to read my full review.

Meanwhile, let's take a look at this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

Is there a book you've been meaning to read forever but haven’t gotten to yet?

So many books!  I did read one of them back in January, The Big Boat to Bye-Bye by Ellis Weiner.  I'm sure if I spent much time looking at my shelves (or my Kindle collection), I'd find many that fit the bill.  But one that sprang immediately to mind is Baby Crimes by Randall Hicks.  I read the first in the series and bought the trade paperback of this book when it came out almost 20 years ago.  But I still haven't read it.  I really should fix that, should I?

Have a great weekend!