Book Review: Pour Choices by Adrian Andover (Mixology Lounge Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great characters and a confusing mystery

Cons: Listing cons would be pour form

The Bottom Line:

Comic turns up dead

Case is no laughing matter

Can’t wait for the next

Laughing at Murder is a Poor Choice

I really enjoyed last year’s Whiskey Business, the debut from Adrian Andover.  And I wasn’t the only one since it has won both the Lefty and the Agatha for best first novel this year.  I was hoping that the follow up, Pour Choices, would be just as good.  Fortunately, it was.

The first book introduced us to Reece Parker, who has just opened Subplot, a literary themed speakeasy, in his hometown of Hope Mills, Pennsylvania.  He’s trying new things to promote his business, and as this book opens, he and his team are preparing for their first comedy night.  They’ve brought in up-and-coming comic Meghan Spencer.  While there are a few awkward moments, overall, the evening appears to be a success.

The next morning, however, Reece’s best friend finds Meghan’s body floating in the nearby Delaware River.  Not only does Reece want to make sure his friend doesn’t take the blame for the crime, but he is concerned his business will get a dark mark with another murder connected to it.  But it seems like each person he interviews just adds to his confusion.  Can he solve this murder?

The plot of this book is strong.  I’m not kidding about all the confusion that Reece encounters as he tries to unravel this second murder.  I was kept guessing since I was just as confused as Reece was.  However, he does begin to unravel things, and when we reached the climax, everything made sense.  And the climax has me turning pages as quickly as possible.

My favorite series are the ones that create a sense of community filled with characters we can’t wait to spend more time visiting.  That’s already present with this series.  In fact, I was a little surprised at just how much I felt it after just one book.  We got to spend more time with all the supporting players we met in the first book, and I enjoyed getting to know them better.  While the romantic subplot involving Reece’s potential love interest, Julian, wasn’t super surprising, I still enjoyed it.

And what reader wouldn’t love a literally themed speakeasy?  The names of the drinks are fantastic.  I like that we have non-alcoholic drinks as well.  There are definitely a couple I’d like to try if Subplot were a real place.

Pour Choices is going to please all the Adrian Andover’s fans and win him some new ones.  Grab your favorite beverage and prepare for a fun second mystery.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

TV Show Review: Murder, She Wrote - Season 10

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Jessica still solving murders each week

Cons: Not as charming as earlier seasons

The Bottom Line:

Still solving murders

Not as charming as before

But still worth watching

“Sheriff, Would You Mind if I Called Boston?”  “When You Get That Look, What Am I Going to Say?”

With it being summer, it is time for my annual season of Murder, She Wrote.  This year, we are hitting double digits with season 10 of the show.  Honestly, my thoughts from last year haven’t changed that much – the show is still enjoyable, but it has lost the spark it once had.

Of course, the premise remains the same.  The show follows mystery writer Jessica Fletcher, as played by Angela Lansbury, as she works to solve the murders she keeps stumbling upon in real life.  They may happen in her home town of Cabot Cove, Maine, in her new life in New York City, or anywhere in the world where she is visiting family and friends.

What is new for the 1993-1994 season is the new series opening.  For the first time, we see Jessica writing on her new computer during these quick snippets.  Of course, it does start with the iconic shot of her on her type writer, but then, we switch things up.

What kind of cases does Jessica deal with this season?  While visiting friends in Hong Kong, she gets involved in a kidnapping and murder.  When she writes the script for a virtual reality mystery game, she gets involved in a murder at the game company.  Murder and horse racing go together again.  A trip to London to help with a stage adaptation of one of her books finds her clearing an actress friend of murder.  And a trip to visit friends in Texas finds her clearing them of murder.

I didn’t count, but a good portion of the episodes this season take place in New York City.  Four of them find her working with Detective Artie Gelber, as played by Herb Edelman.  I was surprised to realize how few episodes of the show he did as Artie because I loved his character.  He always had some storyline going on as he was involved in the case.  Anyway, highlights of the New York City episodes included one involving racing pigeons, a musical maestro found dead in Jessica’ apartment building, and the murder of Jessica’s editor.

And, there are five Cabot Cove episodes this season.  In the first, Jessica is worried that her contractor is distracted by another client – until that client is found with a stake through his heart.  Jessica comes to town to confront her accountant about why he isn’t paying her bills.  A trip to throw a surprise party for her good friend Dr. Seth Hazlitt (William Windom) finds her getting involved in a case of petty theft and murder.  On one visit, there is a rumored prowler in town; then Seth disappears.  Finally, a carnival in town brings Sheriff Mort Metzger’s (Ron Masak) old girlfriend to town.  And, of course, murder.

It’s time to update my stats on the murder rate in Cabot Cove.  As I like to point out, there weren’t as many episodes in the small village as people try to claim.  5 of the 21 episodes this season take place there, 4 of them featuring residents and one focused on a group that comes to town.  We are up to 44.5 murders in Cabot Cove over ten seasons, 31 involving residents, and 14 involving strangers.  At this point, Jessica has solved 203 murders, meaning that 21.9% of the murders she’s solved have been in that community, up slightly from last season.  That’s not too bad, right?

I do feel the show has lost some of it’s spark this late in the series.  Most shows do if they are lucky to continue on this long, so that’s hardly a surprise.  Part of it is the reduced schedule that Angela Lansbury needed to keep from burning out.  She is the heart of the show, so having her in fewer scenes per episode cut down on the charm.  Again this season, we don’t see her with any relatives, just friends.

I also realized another issue is that, in the Cabot Cove episodes, we only see Mort and Seth this season.  We don’t see any of the other residents we’d gotten to know.  I miss them.

As always, I recognized some of the guest stars.  Among the stand out for me were David Warner, Alan Thicke, Kevin Sorbo, Tippi Hedren, Sean O'Bryan, Mickey Rooney, Shawnee Smith, Morgan Fairchild, Robin Sachs, Denise Gentile, Loretta Swit, Matt Mulhern, Lisa Wilcox, Robert Beltran, Kate Mulgrew, Ethan Embry (as Ethan Randall), Jay Underwood, Joanna Cassidy, and Patrick Cassidy.  Jeff Conaway also showed up again, but not as Jessica’s nephew-in-law Howard Griffin but a new character.  Finally of note, the season finale included Ron Masak’s new son-in-law Jimi Defilippis.  And yes, they do have scenes together.

While I keep saying that the show has lost some of its charm, it isn’t all gone.  Angela Lansbury is still wonderful as Jessica.  The guest cast entertains.  And it’s fun to see if you can figure things out before Jessica.  Even having seen these episodes before (granted, it’s been a long time), I usually can’t.

As I mentioned earlier, there were 21 episodes this season.  The DVD release includes all of them, but a bonus episode from season 11.  No, I didn’t watch it, so I’m a little unsure why it was included.  I’m waiting until next summer to watch season 11.

So, fans will enjoy sitting down with season 10 of Murder, She Wrote.  Even 10 years in, the show still entertains.

June 28th's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to another Sunday/Monday Post, where I will be linking up to:

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

I'm typing this up a little early this week since I'm going to the beach with friends on Saturday, and I don't want to have it worry about it then.  So I'm typing it up on Friday.

Wednesday night, I met up with a couple of friends for dinner.  It was nice to catch up.  We were there about four hours, and the time just flew by.

Thursday was another trip to the lake to paddle board.  This time, it was solo, but it was still nice.

And, an update about the package I ranted about last week.  They finally shipped it on Monday, six days after I ordered it.  But they shipped it from several states away not the neighboring city I expected, so I finally got it Friday.  But I have it!

Joke of the Week:

Luke and Obi-Wan are in a Chinese restaurant having a meal. Skillfully using his chopsticks, Obi-Wan deftly dishes a large portion of noodles into his bowl and tops it with some chicken and cashew nuts.  All this is done with the consummate ease you’d expect from a Jedi Master. Meanwhile, Luke is using his chopsticks in both hands, dropping food all over. Obi-Wan looks at Luke disapprovingly and say, “Use the forks, Luke.”

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Ornament Review: Two Turtle Doves

Tuesday - Book Review: Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg

Wednesday - Book Review: The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly

Thursday - Book Review: The Quirky Quiz Show Caper by Sally Carpenter

Friday - Friday Post featuring Murder at Ochre Court

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - TV Show Review: Murder, She Wrote - Season 10

Tuesday - Book Review: Pour Choices by Adrian Andover

Wednesday - June Reading Summary

Thursday - Book Review: Murder at Ochre Court by Alyssa Maxwell

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Another week, another four books to talk about.

Up first is Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku.  I recently heard some good things about this debut, and then the ebook went on sale, so I snagged it.

Up next, my preorder of The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood arrived early.  The release date, at least here in the states, is July 7th.  But, as long as I got it early, I went ahead and read it.  I really enjoyed it!  Now, I need to write my review, but I won't post it until the 7th, so I've got a little time yet.

I also ordered two other books this week, which just arrived on Friday.  The first of those is City of Fallen Angels by Paul Buchanan.  It's a historical set in LA in the 1960's.  I'd heard about it a while ago and it sounded good.  I found a decent deal on it, so I snagged it.

I also got Go F@!k Yourself, the third Jimmy Cooper Mystery from Lawrence Allan.  No, it's not quite my normal read, but I do enjoy the humor of these mysteries.  I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to Jimmy here.

What I'm Currently Reading:

Friday, I got about a quarter of the way into Lie Down with Dogs by Liz Milliron.  This is book 5 in her Laurel Highlands series.  If you've been paying attention the last few months, you know how much I enjoy these books and am enjoying catching up on the series.  So far, this one is no exception.  I'm not sure how much reading time I'll really have this weekend, but I'm pretty sure I'll still be working on it on Monday.  Honestly, I'll be happy if I can finish it  off on Monday.

Have a great week!

June 27th's Weekly TV Thoughts

America Ninja Warrior – It always hurts me to see someone who finished not move on.  That was my issue with the first half.  I was glad at least one person fell in each race.  The triple races were fun, but again, I’m not a fan of being forced to go so fast.  I was glad to see some favorites that moved on.  I’m guessing it will be August before we get to the National finals and see them again.

June 26th's Friday Post

Welcome to Friday!  Time for this week's Friday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

The teasers for the first three will be coming from Murder at Ochre Court, the sixth Gilded Newport Mystery from Alyssa Maxwell.

Here's how the book begins:

"Take my advice, Miss Cross, and marry a rich man. Then you may do whatever you like?"

Considering the romantic storyline in the series, that really got my attention.

Meanwhile, on page 56, we find this:

"Where and when Dale Hanson is moved is entirely up to his doctor," I said while Hannah gaped at him. I couldn't blame her.
"And to the police," Griggson corrected me.

I've enjoyed this one, and I'll be reviewing it next Thursday.

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

Do you prefer writing long, detailed reviews or quick, punchy ones? 

Depends on who you ask if my reviews are long or short.  (And yes, I know I have a long one this week.)  I prefer to think of them are quick and punchy but detailed.  Hopefully, that also makes them helpful.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Book Review: The Quirky Quiz Show Caper by Sally Carpenter (Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: More of Sandy’s family; overall, a good mystery

Cons: Quiz show comes in late; issue with the climax

The Bottom Line:

His brother accused

Sandy must find a killer

Good despite some flaws

Does Sandy Know the Answer to the Big Question?

It’s been almost a year since I checked in with Sandy Fairfax.  So when I finally got my hands on book four in the series, The Quirky Quiz Show Caper, I decided to dive right in.

If you have yet to meet Sandy, he was a teen idol in the 70’s, complete with a TV show (where he played a teen detective) and several number 1 singles on the radio.  Sadly, he spent the 80’s making headlines for all the wrong reasons, but it’s now November of 1993, and Sandy is trying to rebuild his personal and professional lives.  What he’s discovered is that the comeback trail is littered with dead bodies.

One Monday, Sandy stops by a small local theater to talk about an upcoming appearance and to talk to his brother, Warren, who moonlights at the theater’s organist when he’s not teaching at a nearby college.  As Sandy is going to leave, he stumbles on a dead body in the building’s basement.  The victim turns out to be one of Warren’s students, and the evidence seems to be pointing to Warren.  Can Sandy find the killer before his brother goes down for a crime he didn’t commit?

Now, I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself, “Mark, isn’t the title of this book something about a quiz show?  Why didn’t you mention it in your plot teaser?”  There is a quiz show that Sandy has agreed to appear on as a celebrity panelist.  And it does play into the mystery.  While it is set up early on, we don’t really get to it until the second half of the book.  It does feel a little weird to me for the title namesake to be sidelined for so long.

This isn’t to say we were spinning our wheels until we got to the quiz show.  There were plenty of motives and suspects before that part of the book came into play.  This added another layer to the mystery that helped keep me engaged.  It really does work even if it seems a little odd to me.

My other issue with the book is the climax.  I bought the identity of the killer and the motive.  As far as my questions go, they were all answered.  All my issues had to do with how the villain tried to silence Sandy.  It makes no sense!  But maybe that’s just me.

Over the course of the series, we’ve slowly been getting to know the people in Sandy’s life.  This is the first time that Warren has gotten much page time.  And we got to know his parents better as well.  I appreciate how these characters were brought to life and what they showed us about Sandy.  This approach has been nice since it meant we weren’t overwhelmed with supporting characters early on.

To be clear, I did enjoy this book.  The flaws are obvious, but they are minor.

I’m glad I got the chance to catch up with Sandy.  As long as you go into The Quirky Quiz Show Caper with the right expectations, you’ll enjoy it as well.

Be sure to read the rest of the Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries.

Book Review: The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly (Mickey Haller #6)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Mickey and team in another tense legal thriller

Cons: His opponents are weak; some other minor things

The Bottom Line:

Mickey a killer?

Story is hard to put down

But I do see flaws

Does the Lincoln Lawyer Have a Fool for a Client?

When The Law of Innocence came out in 2020, I was excited.  Michael Connelly’s Mickey Haller books were the first of his books I’d read, and we hadn’t gotten a new book focused on him for multiple years at that point.  However, since I was going through all of Michael Connelly’s books in publication order by that point, it’s taken me until just now to get to it.

This series is the author’s legal thrillers, and Mickey is a defense lawyer.  While this is officially book six in the series, Mickey has shown up in several of the Harry Bosch books, and Bosch plays a role in this book.  It’s why I went back to the beginning so I could truly follow these relationships.  Additionally, this plot is more of a direct sequel to an earlier Mickey Haller book.  No, I’m not going to name the book since that would spoil things in both books.  So, I don’t recommend jump in here.

Mickey is heading home after celebrating a rare win one night when he is pulled over.  He’s only annoyed until the cop starts insisting that he needs to open the trunk on Mickey’s car.  When he does, he finds a dead body inside.  While the victim was one of Mickey’s former clients, he hadn’t had contact with the man for several years.  Booked on murder charges, Mickey must win the case of his career.  But a not guilty won’t be good enough.  He needs to prove he is innocent to restore his reputation.  With his usual team behind him, can he do it?

That premise has intrigued me since I first heard about it, and the book wastes little time jumping into the story.  Needless to say, I was hooked right away, and I didn’t find the book suffered too much from pacing.  There were plenty of twists, setbacks, and revelations to keep me entertained.  I always had a hard time when it was time to stop.

As much as I have enjoyed these books starring Mickey in the past, I have been bothered by them at times.  With this book, I think I figured out a reason why.  In order for us to get the maximum legal thrills, the prosecution and police need to become dumb.  They are constantly doing the worst things they can do.  Yes, it complicates things for Mickey, but could they not possibly see they are missing some key things?  I’ve often said that the only way I can win Chess is if my opponent does the worst possible thing for him or her every move, and that’s what this felt like.  Now, maybe I noticed this because we didn’t have a client to complicate Mickey’s life here, so we had to focus a bit more on the prosecution and detectives than we normally would.  And, since we knew Mickey hadn’t done it, maybe that made their actions that much stupider.  Still, these characters felt more like strawmen than real characters.

I also found Mickey’s complaints about the tricks the prosecution plays in building their case a bit hypocritical, something that often bothers me in the series since he does his best to hide things as well. 

On the other hand, it was great to see Mickey and his team again.  We haven’t seen much of his supporting characters since his last starring novel.  It may have been a few years, but I felt right back at home with all of them.

Having said that, I do wish Michael Connelly would learn how to write a decent romance for any of his characters.  The constant yo-yo is getting old in all his books.  It makes it hard to root for anyone to get together since you know it won’t last.

As I said at the outset, this novel came out back in 2020 – the second half of the year, to be specific.  That’s important since the novel is set in the very early parts of 2020.  And yes, the novel does work in several things going on, most notably the start of Covid.  While I did feel some of the political jabs were uncalled for in this setting, I did find the coming pandemic to add to the pressure Mickey was under.  He might not know he had to win his case by a certain time, but we did.

As can sometimes happen in the books in this series, a couple of things were left dangling.  No, it wasn’t lazy writing, they were addressed as unresolved as things wound down.  I’m not quite used to that in most of the books I read, but it felt realistic to me in this case.

And yes, this book does have a bit more language than most of what I read, but not an excessive amount.

Since Michael Connelly is one of my audio authors, I got to enjoy Peter Giles’s narration again.  He does a great job, especially in the court room scenes, which feature lots of back and forth, often without a bunch of dialogue tags.  Yet, I always knew who was speaking.  And he incorporates the right amount of acting without overpowering the words.

Yes, The Law of Innocence was worth the wait.  While I noticed flaws, they didn’t hamper my overall enjoyment of this tense legal thriller.

Be sure to settle in for the rest of the Mickey Haller books.

Book Review: Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg (Edison Bixby #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun new characters in an interesting mystery

Cons: Some of the humor doesn’t work, the ending was a little weak for me

The Bottom Line:

A tricky murder

Can Bixby catch the killer?

Fun series debut

Has Someone Designed the Perfect Murder?

I’ve been reading Lee Goldberg for years.  While there are a few of his earlier books I still haven’t gone back to read, I automatically start any new series he comes out with.  So, reading Murder By Design, the first in a new series, was a no brainer for me.

This book introduces us to Edison Bixby, a brilliant and handsome detective who, due to being shot while on the job with the LAPD, has a condition that makes him say whatever he is thinking.  His rudeness led to him being let go from the Los Angeles police department, but he works as an investigator for an insurance company.  In classic mystery fashion, he has an assistant, and the book is told from that assistant’s point of view.  In this case, it is aspiring actor Wally Nash, the latest in a line of assistants who are supposed to help smooth over Bixby’s interactions.

Wally has barely started with the pair get their first case.  A woman died in a Southern California mall due to a poorly built step in some new construction, and the insurance company wants to use Bixby’s incredibly mind for spotting design flaws to make sure it truly was negligence before they pay out.  However, what Bixby finds is evidence of something much more nefarious.  Is he right that it was murder?  If so, can he find the person behind it?

This book knows where it stands in the pantheon of mystery fiction, and it doesn’t pretend that the brilliant detective with the sidekick is anything new, referencing a few of those pairings.  And no, Bixby isn’t just a clone of Monk, although there are certainly some similarities.  Wally is an over thinking actor, and his contributions to the case and the book are fun.

I will say, for someone with a brain injury that makes him impulsively rude, I found many of Bixby’s insulting comments to be rather mild.  I’m not saying they are okay, but they definitely could have been worse.  So don’t let that keep you from picking up the book.

There is a lot of humor in this book, and it often worked for me.  I laughed and smiled as I read through the story.  There are a few times when the book was trying to be clever and funny, and it didn’t work.  That’s par for the course in Lee’s books.

And the mystery itself?  I enjoyed it with plenty to keep me engaged.  I did feel the ending was a little weak, but that might just be me.

This isn’t a cozy mystery, but the non-cozy content never gets excessive.

Oh, and I have to mention Bixby’s house.  I so want to move in!

This new series is set in the same world as the author’s Eve Ronin books since a supporting character from that series has a cameo here.  I wonder if that will play into any future books in either series.  But don’t worry, you can pick this up without knowing anything about that series and follow this story perfectly.

Overall, I enjoyed Murder by Design.  I’m not sure how many books this premise will support, but I am looking forward to finding out.

Ornament Review: Two Turtle Doves - Twelve Days of Christmas #2 - 2025 Hallmark Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great looking ornament 

Cons: A bit bigger than I like

The Bottom Line:

Turtle doves couple

Basis for series second

Still large but looks good

Loving This Second Twelve Days Ornament

I’m laughing at myself. First, I said I wasn’t starting the new Twelve Days of Christmas series that Hallmark started in 2024. Then, I got the first ornament after Christmas and I told myself I would see how I felt the next year whether I continued it or not. At least I waited until after Christmas to buy Two Turtle Doves. 

This new take on the series is using papercraft elements. The shape of the ornament is a giant window shape. Right in the middle, we have the two birds. One is in front of the other, but they are positioned in their nest so that they are looking at each other. Surrounding them we have music and evergreen tree branches. And up at the top is a hole that lets some light into the ornament, depending on how you position it. 

I really do like the style of this series. I’m not sold on papercraft for everything, but as another stylized take on the familiar song, it works well. The birds are a pretty lavender color. 

My issue with the series continues to be the size. This is the larger size ornaments that Hallmark sometimes does. I can see why they went with it here, but still, it takes up a lot of area on my trees. 

In addition to the series marker, but back of the ornament contains the full verse of the song.

The ornament comes with a ribbon already in it. No surprise that it hangs straight. The base is wide enough that you could set this out to be displayed if you wanted.  A good bump could cause it to tip over, but it should be stable in most situations.

Yeah, I think I’m in for the next ten years to get the rest of this series. With the increases in price we got last year, that’s going to be expensive.

But that’s future me’s problem. For now, I’m glad I snagged Two Turtle Doves. 

Check out the rest of this Twelve Days of Christmas series. 

Father's Day's Sunday/Monday Post

That time of a week again!  I'll be linking my Sunday/Monday Post to:

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

Another quiet week around here.  I went paddle boarding with a friend on Friday night after work again.  I've made it out all three weeks since I got my pass at the beginning of the month.

I do have a bit of a rant.  I bought something on eBay Tuesday night.  It was a localish vendor (not my city, but I could be there in 30 minutes or so).  Claimed to be a fast shipper.  I figured I'd have it by now.  Nope.  They haven't even shipped it yet.  Technically, the predicted arrival window starts on Saturday the 20th.  But seriously?  You claim to be a fast shipper and you haven't even shipped it yet?  Yeah, not happy.  Yes, it's definitely a first world problem, but I'm am still going to complain about it.

Let's see, other than that, it cooled down here this week.  We actually had some June gloom with gray skies in the morning before we did get sun in the afternoon.  After being in the 90's, we were only in the 70's most of this week.  Should be a little warmer this coming week, fortunately.

And Saturday night, I met up with a friend for dinner.  It was great catching up with her.

Think that's about all the news here.

Joke of the Week:

I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Upgrade

Tuesday - Book Review: Lost and Clowned by Dana Mentink

Wednesday - TV Show Review: Step by Step - Season 2

Thursday - Book Review: Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge

Friday - Friday Post featuring The Quirky Quiz Show Caper

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Ornament Review: Two Turtle Doves

Tuesday - Book Review: Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg

Wednesday - Book Review: The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly

Thursday - Book Review: The Quirky Quiz Show Caper by Sally Carpenter

Friday - Friday Post featuring Murder at Ochre Court

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Let's kick things off this week with All Aboard for Murder by Ellen Byron.  This is book three in her Golden Motel Mysteries.  I really enjoyed the first two books, so I can't wait to read this one and find out what is going on with these characters.

Then I went on a bit of an ebook shopping spree.  And I have a feeling another one is coming soon.

It's been a while since I read any of Jacqueline Vicks books.  While I have the first in a series from her that I haven't read yet, we'll blame it on the fact that I don't have the next books in the Frankie Chandler Pet Psychic Mysteries.  But now I have no excuse since I just bought books seven and eight in the series, Some Like Murder Hot and A Spinning Wheel of Murder.  

I also got the next Anty Boisjoly Mystery from PJ Fitzsimmons, The Case of the Case of Kilcladdich.  I enjoy this series, so this should be another good one.

Finally, I got the first from a new author.  Cool Change by Kevin Zelenka features a retired military police officer who finds himself involved in a murder in a small Minnesota town.  Hopefully, it's good.

What I'm Currently Reading:

I'm working my way through Death on the Back Nine, book six in Caleb Wygal's Myrtle Beach Mysteries.  I haven't been focused on reading as much the last few days as normal, so I haven't made it as far as I had hoped.  I am intrigued by what is going on in this book, however.  Hopefully, I'll get some focused reading time on Sunday so I can finish it up on Monday.

Have a great week!

June 20th's Weekly TV Thoughts

American Ninja Warrior – I always worry when people start trying to go too fast that it will make them fall.  At least this time, he’d made it far enough.  I’m happy for Kai and his engagement.  Nice to see the Godfather moving on as well.  

Juneteenth's Friday Post

It's Friday! Time for this week's Friday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

The teasers for the first three will be coming from The Quirky Quiz Show Caper by Sally Carpenter.

This is book four in her Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries.  And here's how the book begins:

Strange that the music I'd made popular in the 1970s sounded unbearably cheesy when played on a four-manual Wurlitzer theater organ.

Definitely a bit of fun to start the book.  But on page 56, the mystery has definitely kicked in:

"Where is the knife, Dr. Farmington?" The detective said this more like a command than a question.

It had been a while since I picked up a book in this series, and I enjoyed getting to revisit the characters.  Look for my review to come on Thursday.

Meanwhile, shall we get to this week's Book Blogger Hop?  The question is:

If you could pick any fictional character to live with, who would it be, and how would they change your daily life? 

Considering I used to day dream of living with Trixie Belden and the rest of the Bob Whites, that's my  answer.  For those who don't know her, Trixie is a teen detective kind of like the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew.  The Bob Whites are her brothers and their group of friends.  And yes, they solved lots of mysteries.  Obviously, getting involved in real life mysteries would significantly change my life.

Have a great weekend!

Book Review: Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge (Phyllida Bright Mysteries #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Growth for Phyllida, entertaining mystery

Cons: Lots of events disguise little investigative progress

The Bottom Line:

A death on the stage

And look at Phyllida’s past

Book that entertains

A Brutal Crime

Colleen Cambridge’s Phyllida Bright Mysteries are another series I’m trying to catch up on this year.  As a result, I sat down with Murder Takes the Stage, the fourth in the series.  It was a lot of fun.

This book finds us in a new setting as Phyllida, housekeeper for famed mystery author Agatha Christie, is in London.  Agatha along with her second husband, Max, is there to oversee a potential adaptation of one of her Poirot stories for the stage.  Phyllida is less than enthused about being back in London.  She’s hoping to stay in the house that the couple has rented and oversee the household that has come along to avoid any potential unpleasantness.

But fate has other ideas.  The potential producers for Agatha’s play are hit with a death on one of their current productions when Archibald Allston is found dead in an armchair the week before the play is supposed to open.  Phyllida doesn’t see any signs of foul play, but she begins to second guess her observations when the man playing Benvolio in a production of Romeo and Juliette is bludgeoned to death on the balcony of a different theater the next day.  Can Phyllida discover what is happening before another death occurs?

This is the part of the review that I once again confess my lack of knowledge about Agatha Christie books.  I know, I know.  I really need to fix that.  Each book in the series takes some cues from a famous Agatha Christie novel.  Obviously, I can’t tell how similar the two books are, but I did want to acknowledge the comparison.

In earlier books, we’ve gotten hints about Phyllida’s backstory, but nothing remotely concrete.  I was happy to see we finally got some answers here.  While there might be more, I’m happy with what we got, at least for now.  And I’m curious if Phyllida’s friendship with Agatha (that lead to her working for the author) might play into something from Agatha’s past.  I guess I’ll have to keep reading to find out.

Even though we were in London, enough of the familiar staff came along that it still felt like an entry in the series.  I enjoyed how some of those relationships grew here, and I’m very curious to see where things go soon.

As to the mystery itself, I felt like it substituted events for actual deduction at times, meaning the story wasn’t really moving forward even thought there were events that had me entertained.  It’s a fine line, and I may be the only one who cares about it.  But overall, I thought the story was solid with a good slew of new characters to keep us entertained.  And the ending, while a bit overly dramatic, fit in with the series and answered our questions.

I’m glad I have the next book in the series already since I do want to see where the characters go from here.  Fans will get caught up in Murder Takes the Stage.

Here are the rest of the Phyllida Bright Mysteries.

TV Show Review: Step by Step - Season 2

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: More laughs as the characters get stronger

Cons: The writing still needs to find ways to use all the characters better

The Bottom Line:

A step family

Learning to blend in sitcom

Glad I found these laughs

“We Tried to Help and Both Kids are Miserable.  I Think Our Work Here is Done.”

My journey through 90’s sitcom Step by Step continues with season two.  With when this show ended, I never watched it when it was originally on.  I didn’t really begin to hear much about it until I started listening to some rewatch podcasts that mentioned it.  So, I’m watching this show now blind.  But I’m glad I am giving it a chance since I am really enjoying it.

If you’ve missed it, this was a 90’s take on a blended family sitcom.  The parents are Frank and Carol (Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers) who each brought three kids into their second marriage.  Frank’s three kids are J.T., Al, and Brendan (Brandon Call, Christine Lakin, and Josh Byrne) while Carol’s three kids are Dana, Karen, and Mark (Staci Keanan, Angela Watson, and Christopher Castile).  Rounding out the main cast is the required goofy character, in this case, Frank’s nephew Cody (Sasha Mitchell). 

Fans know that there is a cast change between seasons one and two.  Carol’s mother and sister, regular characters in season one, aren’t back.  And, in true 90’s sitcom fashion, they are never mentioned this season.  Considering they worked with Carol in her beauty salon, that’s quite an omission.  Honestly, with nine characters for the writers to juggle, they had plenty of characters to try to write for each week.  And, with how underutilized these two characters were in the first season, it’s no surprise they didn’t return.

So, what does happen this season?  Dana takes the SAT and is surprised to find Cody taking them as well.  All the kids struggle to adjust to the new school year, with Al’s cooking being bad, Mark struggling in wood shop, and J.T. having an unfair English teacher.  J.T. starts a Wayne’s World knock off on the local cable access station.  (Truly, those two episodes are horrible.)  Dana finds out being a boss is harder than she expected when she is hired as the manager of a 50’s themed café with Karen and J.T. as her employees.  An overdue video under Brendan’s bed prompts the family to cut down their spending.  Cody inherits money from the resident of a retirement home he regularly visits.  And the family wins a trip to Hawaii.  Plus watch for a very fun storyline poking fun at Christopher Castile’s role in the recent (at the time) hit movie Beethoven.

While I did enjoy season one, I found the writing stronger here for the most part.  Many of the episodes included some wonderful laugh out loud moments and some tender moments as well.  Still, the writers are struggling to find things for all the characters to do.  Even with two storylines per episode, the younger kids often get under served, especially poor Brendan, who somethings only has a line or two.  While all the characters get at least one episode focused on them this season, you can tell who the writers favored by who has more.  It’s definitely not even.

Not that I’m blaming the writers.  There are twenty-four episodes this season, and that’s a lot of work.  If there are characters it’s easier to come up with storylines for, it’s going to be natural to focus on them more.  Still, I hope things even out a little going forward.

One thing that makes this sitcom stand out is that not all the characters like each other.  Frank and Carol got married before the kids had even met each other, so they are trying to navigate that while all living under one roof.  That makes for some great one liners and insults.  And, we do see more evidence that those relationships and bonds are growing this season, which I appreciate.  It’s more realistic than some shows while not being as spiteful as others. 

The actors are all killing it this season.  They are getting more familiar with their characters, and they are hitting the jokes well.  I find everyone a joy to watch.

As I said earlier, the jokes are funny.  Yes, it’s a typical family sitcom in that department, but I love sitcoms, so I’m really enjoying getting to laugh at these characters as I get to know them better.  In addition to the dialogue, the cast does some great physical comedy, especially the adults.

The show is already diving into some very special episodes this season.  I’m thinking especially of a couple this season involving teenage sex lives, and I appreciated how both were handled.  Of course, I would have preferred they not be included at all since I cringed more than laughed, but if they had to be here, this was a nice way to handle the topics.

This season featured 24 episodes.  The show doesn’t appear to be available for streaming, but I got it on DVD.  We don’t have any extras, but the show looks and sounds great for a 90’s sitcom.

I’m so glad I found Step by Step.  I’m truly enjoying getting to know these characters and watching what happens despite some minor flaws.  Now that I’ve finished season two, I’m looking forward to diving into season three.

Book Review: Lost and Clowned by Dana Mentink

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Good story and interesting characters

Cons: Pi a couple of times; pacing a couple of times

The Bottom Line:

A circus attack

Troop member responsible?

A great standalone

Finding a Killer is a Circus

I enjoyed the four Shake Shop Mysteries that Dana Mentink wrote, so I was very curious to read Lost and Clowned, a rare standalone cozy set in the world of a traveling circus.  It may have taken me a while to get it and read it, but I’m glad I did since I enjoyed it.

Pi Steely (yes, that’s her real name) is the business manager and a clown in the traveling circus her uncle owns.  It’s the first place in her life she’s felt at home, and she loves her life and feels like her fellow performers are family.  The time around Christmas is always a dead time, and this year, the circus is spending it in a small California coastal town.  They are spending the down time working on a new act, even putting on a short show for the locals to try out the material.

However, the next morning, Pi stumbles on a body on the beach.  She recognizes the woman as someone who attended the show the day before.  The detective is certain that a member of the circus is responsible for the crime.  Pi is quick to dismiss that, but as secrets start coming out, she begins to wonder if the detective is right.  Is someone in the circus a killer?

If you are expecting the book to be filled with wildly outrageous characters, you’ll be disappointed.  While the characters might have a few more quirks than in a typical cozy, they still feel very grounded and realistic.  These are not circus freaks, these are people who happen to work in a circus.  I did have a hard time keeping them all straight early on, but as the story unfolded, I was able to remember who they were.  I did find Pi a little immature for her mid-twenties a couple of times, but maybe that was just me.

I did find the pacing off a time or two, but it never lasted for long.  We get enough time to meet the characters and the circus setting before the story kicks off.  And there is plenty going on.  I was hooked as Pi tried to figure out what was going on.  This included a shock in her personal life.  The ultimate solution made sense, and the climax kept me hooked.

The tone was a bit more serious than I was expecting for a circus setting, but it fit the story being told perfectly.  And there were moments of fun along the way.

And, yes, I enjoyed the setting.  There are some references to places I recognized in Northern California, which always made me smile.

Given the author has written plenty of other books since she released this one, I do think this is a standalone, which is very rare in the cozy subgenre.  And, given the nature of this story, I’m not sure I see how a series would flow out of this book.  But if she were to release a sequel, I’d pick it up.

I’m glad I finally got to enjoy Lost and Clowned.  This is a book to pick up if you are looking for a different cozy.

Movie Review: Upgrade

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Interesting premise

Cons: Several overly violent scenes; ending doesn’t quite work

The Bottom Line:

Creative premise

Marred by violence, ending

So does not quite work

When Technology Seems Too Good to be True

I hadn’t heard of the movie Upgrade until a friend suggested it for a movie night.  It sounded intriguing from his description, so we gave it a try.  There was certainly an interest premise in the movie, but the execution didn’t quite work.

The movie is set is the near future and tells the story of Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green).  He’s happy with his life rebuilding classic cars while his wife, Asha (Melanie Vallejo) brings in the big bucks working for a tech company.  They are happy until one night when their self-driving car suddenly crashes in the bad part of town.  They are attacked after the accident.  Grey is left a quadriplegic, but Asha is killed.

Grey is offered a chance at a normal life from billionaire Eron Keen (Harrison Gilbertson).  Eron has a new technology that could help Grey walk again just like nothing had ever happened.  Grey is supposed to keep this a secret from everyone, however.  But when he returns home, Grey discovers that he has a few unexpected upgrades in his life.  Will they help him find the men who killed his wife?

This movie can’t quite decide what it wants to be.  It is part mystery/thriller.  As an avid mystery reader, I enjoyed that aspect of things.  It is part science fiction movie, with the near future setting and the upgraded technology.  And there are another couple of genres mixed in as well that I don’t want to get into so as not to spoil things.  It’s not that these parts can’t mix.  They just don’t quite seem to completely mix here.

I did like Grey.  The more he is pulled into his strange new life, the more I was pulled into the movie.  I couldn’t figure out where exactly it was going, which was a good thing.  The credit for this goes to Logan Marshall-Green.  He has to carry much of the movie on his shoulders, and he does a great job of it.  This isn’t to diminish the performances of the rest of the cast.  They just don’t have the same amount of screen time he does.

Despite the futuristic setting, there aren’t a ton of special effects.  What there are work well, however.  Likewise, the stunts are good.

There are two places where the movie falls apart.  One of the violence.  There are several pretty graphic scenes that weren’t needed.  They could have gotten the story points across with much less graphic images.

The second is the ending.  It many ways, it felt like the movie just stopped instead of ending.  Part of that comes from some late breaking twists that don’t wrap everything up and make us question why some of the earlier things that happened happened.

The premise for Upgrade was good, but there were some flaws in the execution that made me feel the writing needed an upgrade.

Flag Day's Sunday/Monday Post

Happy Flag Day!  (At least here in the USA.)  Let's celebrate with a Sunday/Monday Post where I will link up to:

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

I got the extra reporting finished up at work.  I didn't make it quite as far with the account recs as I had hoped, but I am in good shape with them.

This coming Monday marks that day I thought I would be working in the office four days a week.  Instead, it will mark the beginning of week four of working from home again full time.  Still rather hard to believe.  I hope they don't change their mind at some point.

I went out paddle boarding again on Thursday.  This time I met up with a friend and his daughter.  They were in their kayaks while I was on my board.  It was nice to chill with them.

And, since today is game day and I have much to do before I go, let's get on with it, shall we?

Joke of the Week:

I wondered why that Frisbee kept getting bigger.  Then it hit me.

(As a retired ultimate Frisbee player, I prefer this version of the joke.)

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Book Review: Hot Stuff by Don Bruns

Tuesday - Ornament Review: Gardener Mickey

Wednesday - Book Review: Crown of Chaos by Sarah E. Burr

Thursday - Movie Review: Supergirl (1984)

Friday - Book Review: Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Upgrade

Tuesday - Book Review: Lost and Clowned by Dana Mentink

Wednesday - TV Show Review: Step by Step - Season 2

Thursday - Book Review: Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I've just got three books to tell you about this week.  I can hardly believe it myself.

The first is The Quirky Quiz Show Caper by Sally Carpenter.  This is book four in the series.  I'd gotten book five a couple of weeks back and told you that I should be getting book four soon.  Here it is.  Actually, I've already read it and enjoyed it, so look for that review coming soon.

I also got Mystery Most Senior, the anthology from this year's Malice Domestic convention in April.  Author Ellen Byron did a giveaway for a copy signed by her and Jacqueline Winspear, the Lifetime Achievement Honoree from this year's convention.  I'm really glad I won it since I haven't seen it pop up for sale anywhere yet, and I did want to get it.

Finally, I decided it was time for another audio book.  Since this was a last minute decision, I was lucky to get my first choice, The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly.  It's the next in my effort to read all of Connelly's books in order, and it's one I've been anxious to read since it came out in 2020.  I just had to get here.

What I'm Currently Reading:

Yep, I've already started The Law of Innocence.  I'm not quite an hour into it, and it's is a twelve and a half hour audio book, so I have my listening cut out for me.  But yes, I am completely hooked already.

I'm also working on Pour Choices, the second Mixology Lounge Mystery from Adrian Andover.  I'm about 45% into my eARC of this book and really enjoying it so far.  This time, the comedian at an event the main character is hosting at his cocktail lounge is killed the next morning.  The book will be out June 30th, and I'll have my full review up then.

If everything goes according to plan, I will be on to Murder at Ochre Court by Alyssa Maxwell on Monday.  I'm anxious to get back to her Gilded Newport Mysteries.  Hard to believe I'll be starting July books that early, isn't it?  But I do want to stay this far ahead of my posting dates.

That's it for me.  Have a great week!

June 13th's Weekly TV Thoughts

I've got two shows this week...for one week.  The Quiz with Balls is taking a few weeks off, I suspect for the soccer tournament.

American Ninja Warrior – From something I read, I thought this filmed last October.  But, you couldn’t update the narration?  I mean, talking about someone hoping to make the winter Olympics team for the Olympics that just happened?  Weird.  There were another couple of moments like that.  Overall, it was nice to see old favorites back and most of them doing well.  I knew poor Lance wouldn’t do well when he went first.

The Quiz with Balls – As always, there are many questions and categories I would have struggled with, but I was almost screaming at my TV during the fictional detective question.  They missed one of the most classic detectives every!  Granted, I didn’t know the one from Miami Vice since I’ve never watched the show or movies.  And yes, the theme was perfect with the World's Cup starting this week.  Almost as if they planned it that way.

Book Review: Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Fun word play and premise

Cons: One less main character would have helped

The Bottom Line:

A school for murder

There is fun to be had here

Needed more focus

Planning the Perfect…Deletion

I think I first heard about Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide when it first came out.  And, I heard such great things about the audio version I put it on my list to get from the library…and forgot about it when it came time to get new audiobooks.  I was locked into my typical rotation.  But I finally checked it out.  While I enjoyed parts of it, it needed some work.

If you’ve never heard of McMasters, there’s a reason for that.  It’s a prestigious and completely unknown place of higher learning.  But, unlike most campuses, it has only one subject matter – murder.  The students come from all over the world to the campus, wherever it might be, to learn how to get away with the perfect crime.  But students are given a rigorous admissions process beforehand to make sure they are going to kill someone who actually deserves it.  We have to be ethical about it, after all.  Once the student graduates, they must complete their thesis (that perfect murder) or face consequences from McMasters.

The book takes us back to the 1950’s and tells us the story of three students who were at McMasters at the same time.  Cliff Iverson wants to get rid of his former boss in order to make sure potentially lethal changes aren’t made to an airplane design.  Gemma Lindley is a hospital administration who is being blackmailed by her boss.  And Dulcie Mown is an actress who is being held to her contract by a studio boss who is interested in only one thing.  I’m sure you can guess what it is.  Will these three learn enough to complete their graduate thesis successfully?

When I first started this book, I thought I was in for a fun ride.  It’s told a bit differently.  It is presented as a handbook for those of us who can’t attend the school as written by an administrator.  Parts of it are taken from Cliff’s journal that he is keeping so his mysterious benefactor can learn how things are going.

And we get some fun word play, like deletion instead of murder or the graduate thesis I’ve already talked about.  Lover of puns and word play that I am, I was eating this up.  And I found the discussions of ethics ironically fun as well.

However, as the book went along, I found it less fun.  The word play became routine with nothing really new to make it stand out.

The biggest flaw, in my mind, was the three stories.  While the characters interacted while on campus, we had to return to the real world as some point, right?  And, for this portion, we try to follow all three of them.  It was hard to really do that since we were jumping into each of the lead’s lives and I had a hard time keeping all of their supporting players straight.  I think if we’d just focused on two characters it would have helped.

For the audio version, Neal Patrick Harris narrated Cliff’s journals, with the rest being narrated by Simon Vance.  Both were great at bringing the story to life.

Yes, I had fun with Murder Your Employer, but it tried to do a bit too much to be a truly satisfying read.

Movie Review: Supergirl (1984)

Stars: 1 out of 5

Pros: Brenda Vaccaro’s performance is fun

Cons: The rest of the movie is a mess

The Bottom Line:

Story has plot holes

Honestly, not much works here

You can skip this one

“You’re Superman’s Best Friend?”  “No, He’s My Cousin.”

I’d heard bad things about 1984’s Supergirl, but I was still curious about it.  And, since it was available on one of my streaming services, I figured I should give it a chance.  You know those bad things I’d heard about it?  They were all true.

Our story opens in Argo City, a giant floating ship filled with refugees from Krypton.  Among them is Kara-El (Helen Slater), who, when we meet her, is playing with the sphere that powers the entire ship.  Shocking, it gets away from her, dooming all those on the ship unless it is retrieved from Earth, where it landed.  So, Kara-El goes to retrieve it.

Unfortunately, before she lands, it is found by Selena (Faye Dunaway), a witch.  It actually makes her able to do magic, so Selena wants to keep it, figuring it will help her plans to take over the world.  Will Kara-El be able to find it?

This movie had so many plot holes you could have floated Argo City through each of them.  Okay, so Kara-El wasn’t the one who took the sphere in the first place, but still, why would anyone do that if it is what is keeping everyone alive?  Why, when Kara-El lands on Earth, did she bother taking on a secret identity since her parents and friends’ lives were dependent on her bringing the sphere back as quickly as possible?  How did Selena find a way to tap into some of the Superman mythos at random?  Why did Kara-El emerge from her pod in a costume so much like Superman’s?

Okay, so Kara-El’s secret identity was there to introduce us to characters from the Superman stories.  Her roommate is Lucy Lane, as played by Maureen Teefy.  And Lucy just happens to be dating Jimmy Olsen, as played by Marc McClure, the only actor from the Superman movies to show up here.  But still, that seemed to slow down what was supposed to be a ticking clock story.

I don’t know that I feel like the plot ever made up for the plot holes.  While it wasn’t quite as bad as a random series of events, it did throw in some truly random things, as if the writers really didn’t know what to do and had to fill screen time while including things Superman fans know about.  Even so, you can pretty much guess where it is going early on.  It’s just the details you’ll have no way of predicting.

Then there’s the acting.  Most of the cast is playing things so over the top it doesn’t work.  There’s fun camp, and then there’s this.  The exception to this is Brenda Vaccaro who plays Selena’s sidekick with the right level of camp and sarcasm.  I found her fun.  I’ve seen Helen Slater in other things, most noticeably in the recent TV show Supergirl, so I know she can do a wonderful job when given good material.  This wasn’t it.  Same holds true for others in the cast.

Of course, the effects are dated.  This came out in 1984, after all.  Even then, I’ve seen better effects from that time period.  Or maybe, I was just enjoying those movies more so I was more forgiving.

There’s a reason you haven’t heard much about 1984’s Supergirl.  And there’s no reason to seek this out to watch it.