Book Review: Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass by Heather Day Gilbert (Exotic Pet-Sitter Mysteries #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Belinda in a good mystery

Cons: A couple of niggles, but nothing big

The Bottom Line:

Body in garden

Overcomes a shaky start

A good beginning

How did the Body Slither into Belinda’s Garden?

In the first half of the year, I’ve been very focused on continuing series I’ve already started.  But I finally decided to break into some new to me series.  I have collected multiple books by Heather Day Gilbert, so I figured it was time to start one of them, specifically, Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass, the first in the Exotic Pet-Sitter Mysteries.

As we meet Belinda, she’s just moved from New York City to Greenwich, Connecticut, where she is renting the carriage house behind the Carrington estate.  And she is currently pet-sitting the python of one of her clients.  But she’s barely settled in when she finds a young woman dead in the flower bed outside her cottage.  The victim was a friend of the handsome Stone Carrington the Fifth.  With the body being so close to her new home, Belinda starts to investigate.  Will she figure out what happened?

As I was starting the book, I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy it.  Belinda found the dead body quickly enough, but the first couple of conversations with suspects seemed rather short and shallow to me.  However, as the book got going, I soon began to be pulled further into the story, and those conversations became more substantive.  The ending was a little weaker than I tend to like, but it did keep me turning pages and answer all my questions.

I did enjoy meeting Belinda.  I am curious to see who the regulars are going to be based on how this one ended.  I don’t think the series will go in the direction I initially expected, which would be a fun surprise.  Since there are only three books, it hopefully won’t take me long to find out.  Either way, the characters we met here were fun and developed enough to make me care about the outcome.

And yes, the snake does play a part in the story.  I wouldn’t say I have a phobia of snakes, but if you do, you might want to keep that in mind.

I enjoyed this book enough to be planning to revisit the series soon.  Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass has a bit of a different hook, but it is one that worked for me.

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.

Book Review: Death on Cozumel Island by Cindy Quayle (Claire O'Keefe #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Diving; and a few twists near the end

Cons: Needed a couple of drafts to really be polished

The Bottom Line:

Obnoxious diver

Destination bachelorette

Book needed more work

Is This a Series Debut to Dive into?

I love all things aquatic, so when I spotted Death on Cozumel Island, the first in a scuba diving themed cozy series from Cindy Quayle, I was immediately interested.  Of course, it’s sat on my Kindle for several years now, but winning a copy of the fourth book made me decide to bump it up my to be read list and give it a shot.  Sadly, it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped it would be.

Claire O'Keefe teaches English as a second language, taking assignments all over the world.  But right now, she’s planning to spend some time in San Francisco for her best friend’s wedding.  She’s the maid of honor, after all.  Part of the festivities is a destination bachelorette party in Cozumel.  Claire may have helped suggest it since it is one of her favorite diving spots.  She’s hoping to get some diving in around the rest of the festivities.

But diving comes with its own challenges in the form of Drew.  He’s a know-it-all bore who Claire quickly tires of, an effect he has on everyone he interacts with.  But when he dies after one of their diving trips, Claire is surprised to find one of the dive guides the prime suspect in the crime.  Can Claire figure out what really happened?

As I was reading this book, I couldn’t help feeling I was reading an early draft.  There was promise here, but just about everything needed some work before it was ready to be published.

Let’s start with the plot.  Drew is obviously the victim from the first moment he walks on page.  You don’t have a character that annoying in a cozy mystery without them being murdered.  It’s a trope, sure, but it works well.  So, I kept waiting for him to die.  And waiting.  Instead, we got multiple scenes of him being annoying.  I’m sure it was designed to set up more suspects, but it felt repetitive.  Even after he does die, the middle of the book felt like Claire was just treading water.  When things really kick into gear, we do get some good twists on the way to the climax, and things did make sense once we reached it.

Then there’s Claire.  She’s really not a very good friend here.  Now, I appreciate that we didn’t see more of the bachelorette party activities since it would have slowed things down further, but we still could have gotten more of her interacting with them instead of her just planning her next dive.  And, there are ways to incorporate the mystery into the group’s activities.  Then she does something about half way through that made me really shake my head.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Claire wasn’t all bad.  I did like her overall.  And there are some good characters as well.  Some of them could have used a bit more development, but I enjoyed hanging out with them as I read.

Then there’s the writing.  It really needed a solid edit.  Again, it’s not anything that couldn’t be fixed, but the repetitious words and awkward phrases were annoying.

I did love the diving aspect of the book.  It made the underwater world come to life as I wished I could go diving there myself.

Since I have book four already, I’m thinking I might jump ahead and see if things have improved.  Death on Cozumel Island wasn’t a bad debut.  But it really could have used another couple of drafts to polish it to its full potential.

Book Review: The Bush Tea Murder by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier (Caribbean Island Mystery #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Naomi and the rest of the characters and setting brought to life by great writing

Cons: The structure didn’t work for me

The Bottom Line:

An island cold case

Characters and setting shine

Structure lets them down

Naomi Solves Her First…Side Quest

It had been a while since I tried a new to me author. I kept coming back to The Bush Tea Murder by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier. Billing itself as the first Caribbean Island Mystery, the combination of the setting and the fact that it also has a culinary theme convinced me to give it a shot. I wish it were as good as I hoped it would be. 

Naomi Sinclair is a culinary journalist living her dream with her job at EAT TV hosting a show where she gets to interview chefs. When a potential new show investigating culinary related cold cases is presented to her, she immediately thinks of a famous case on her native St. Thomas. Four decades ago, the owner of a tea company on the island was killed while locked in her office. It’s the perfect case for her potential pilot. But will she be able to solve it? 

If the book had focused on that case, I’m sure I would have enjoyed it. However, that’s not what this book turned out to be. Along the way, Naomi finds herself involved in a series of shorter mysteries that pull her focus. Since the author has previously published some short stories, I’m wondering if these stories were previously published elsewhere. Or maybe they were just the format she feels most comfortable with. Either way, there are attempts to tie these stories into the over arcing mystery since Naomi will often get something she needs from someone we met in these side quests after the short story is over. Honestly, if we connected all the parts focused on the main mystery together, it would probably be a short story itself. 

This is all presented as Naomi talking to the executives at the television network about what has happened over the last year as she investigated the story. So we kept jumping forward and back in time. Yes, it was all clearly marked, so I had no trouble following it all. 

At this point, I am sounding like Naomi’s annoying co-worker who is also competing for the gig hosting this potential new TV show. He keeps commenting about how Naomi gets sidetracked and wanting her to get on with it. I started out being very annoyed by him, but it wasn’t long before I agreed with him. Which also annoyed me. I didn’t want to be like him. 

Here’s the sad part. If the structure of this novel had been better, I am sure I would have loved it. The characters came to life for me. When I was reading, they’d pull me into whatever side quest Naomi was involved in at the moment. Her parents, her boyfriend, her best friend, other friends and neighbors – all outstanding. 

And the writing itself is very evocative. I felt like it was on St. Thomas with Naomi and the rest. 

I tried to give the book a chance since I quickly realized this wasn’t going to be a typically structured novel. The problem was, the constant interruptions made it hard to stay invested. I couldn’t keep the suspects straight when we were talking about the main mystery since it might have been 75 pages since we’d talked about any of them. 

If this has been billed and set up as a short story collection, it would have worked for me. And I would have savored every page. 

Also, while this might appear to be a cozy, there is a fair amount of foul language, at least for that subgenre. 

If the next book in the series is a more traditional novel, I would gladly give the series another chance. But the structural problems keep The Bush Tea Murder from being anything other than average. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Book Review: Birth of the Black Orchids by M. R. Dimond (Black Orchid Enterprises #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters I already love

Cons: The mysteries are after thoughts

The Bottom Line:

Meet trio of friends

Enjoyable to visit

But plots are not strong

Two Cozy Stories Introduce Us to a Fun New Trio

Every so often, it’s fun to dig around and see just what you might uncover from your to be read pile. That’s how I picked Birth of the Black Orchids. While this wasn’t what I was hoping for, I can see how others would enjoy it. 

This book is really two separate longish short stories that introduce us to JD Thomas and his friends Dianne Cortez and Johnny Ly. They have moved into a mansion in the town of Beauchamp, Texas. They have separate rooms upstairs and are opening businesses downstairs, lawyer, accountant, and vet. Days before Christmas, they hold an open house to show off the renovations and promote their businesses. Might something go wrong? Then, a couple of weeks later, a neighbor they are supposed to be helping vanishes. Where might she have gone?

Let me be perfectly clear. I really like this trio. They are fun, and their dynamic is great. While we don’t get the full background on them, you can feel the bonds between them. I enjoyed spending time with them. 

However, neither story had much going on in it. This is especially true of the first story, but even the second was uneven. Yes, there is a crime that the trio is able to solve both times, but it felt more like an after through than a main focus. 

But again, if you are looking for cozy vibes, you’ll find this book perfectly draws you in. And the Christmas setting of the first story helps add to the charm. 

So, if you are looking for a book light on the mystery but strong on the cozy, you’ll be glad you picked up Birth of the Black Orchids. 

Book Review: Fablehaven by Brandon Mull (Fablehaven #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: interesting start to a fantasy series for kids

Cons: The set up, while entertaining, feels a little slow. 

The Bottom Line:

Trip to grandparents

Hiding magical secret

Slow to start, speeds up

Unexpected Visit

My nephew has been recommending the Fablehaven series to me for a while now, and I haven’t picked it up. There are just so many books to get to, right? But when he gave me the first one for Christmas, I prioritized reading it. And I’m glad I did. 

This is a middle grade fantasy series, not my typical mystery. Of course, I’ve enjoyed middle grade fantasy over the years, and I often say I fell into mystery and I can’t get out (not that I’m trying that hard). It was a nice change of pace for me. 

This book introduces us to siblings Kendra and Seth. When their parents need to take a trip, they arrange for the pair to stay with their grandparents. You might think that sounds ideal, but Kendra and Seth barely know their grandparents, who live in the middle of nowhere in Connecticut. But slowly, the siblings begin to discover there is more to their grandparents’ property. What does the revelation mean?

Being the first in the series, this book has a certain amount of set up to do. I expect this, and it is as entertaining as it can be while doing that, but I did find my attention wandering a bit during this part. Still, I’m not sure how we could have gotten the information we needed any faster.

However, once that set up has happened, the story kicks into high gear and never lets up. I didn’t want to put the book down when I got to this point, and I found the payoff very satisfying. Yes, the story is wrapped up well here while still leaving things opened for future books in the series. 

Kendra and Seth are a study in contrast, but they are both well suited for the story we get here. While I feel like we follow Kendra the most, we do get some scenes from Seth’s third person point of view as well. I did find Seth annoying at times, but I appreciated the growth we saw in his character. I also appreciated where Kendra ended the book. And I liked the rest of the characters we met along the way. 

Some of the scenes in the back half of the book might be a little intense for sensitive kids. But I’m sure most kids will devour those pages like I did. 

Would I be opened to a return visit to Fablehaven? Absolutely. It’s easy to see why so many kids are fans of this series. 

Book Review: Framed! by James Ponti (Framed! #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun characters and an interesting plot

Cons: Set up, while fun, does slow down the beginning

The Bottom Line:

Solving an art heist

Book does take time with setup

But overall fun

Can Florian Solve an Art Heist?

James Ponti’s Framed! series has been on my radar since I found his books years ago. But I finally sat down and read the first, also called Framed! I’m not at all surprised that I enjoyed it. 

The book introduces us to Florian Bates. His parents have worked for various art museums, so he’s moved around his whole life. The family has now landed in Washington DC, with both parents working for the National Gallery. Before Florian even starts at the local middle school, he meets his neighbor Margaret, and the two become fast friends. 

One of the things they bond over is Florian’s ability to pick up on small details that help him piece together bigger things. It’s a game until some paintings are stolen from the National Gallery and Florian realizes that he’s got some clues that could help. But can he and Margaret piece together what really happened?

I have to start where the book does because, yep, my least favorite storytelling technique is on display here.  We start with an exciting scene and then flash back to see how Florian got into that predicament.  In some ways, it feels even worse since there is some set up in this book.

Now, don’t get me wrong, that set up is still entertaining, but it does mean it takes a bit to get to the heart of the mystery.  I enjoyed my time meeting Florian and Margaret and the supporting players.  I love Florian and Margaret’s friendship, and watching them play off each other was great.  I’m happy knowing we get two more books with them, and I’m anxious to find out what happens to them next.

And the story, once it got going, was very interesting.  We had some good twists and a very fun climax.  I did find a twist at the end a little hard to buy into as I was reading, but as I thought about it more, it didn’t bother me as much.  I’m guessing the target middle grade audience won’t be bothered by it at all.

Those familiar with the mystery genre will quickly identify Florian’s ability as being a direct descendent from Sherlock Holmes.  I found it a fun homage, and I didn’t feel like the author dragged out the reasoning behind Florian’s deductions any more than needed.  I also liked the fact that Florian did get it wrong occasionally and have to backtrack to figure things out.

As I already said, I’m happy to know there are two other books with these characters for me to enjoy.  If you or your middle grader has missed this series, be sure to pick up Framed! today.

Book Review: This Way to Murder by Shelley Shearer (Board Game Cafe Mysteries #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Main characters I enjoyed meeting

Cons: Some issues that needed to be worked out

The Bottom Line:

Friend has a stalker?

Complicates weekend event

Good but flawed debut

Can Remi Follow the Clues to Find a Killer?

In my search for a fun board game themed cozy, I stumbled on This Way to Murder, the first Board Game Cafe Mystery from Shelley Shearer. While I enjoyed it, this debut had some kinks to work out. 

Remi McKenna is hosting a letterboxing event with some friends in the town where she is planning to move. Along for the ride is her best friend, Trace Cooper. However, Trace has brought a problem with her. She’s been getting some weird texts and phone calls recently, and it appears her potential stalker has followed her. Can Remi juggle the event she is running with trying to figure out if her best friend is truly in danger?

You’ll notice what I didn’t talk much about in my teaser. Yes, there is a subplot that revolves around Remi starting a Board Game Cafe, but I expected it to be more of a presence in the first book in the series. Having said that, letterboxing, which is similar sounding to geocaching, which I’ve done a couple of time, does sound like fun and really helped with the plot for this book. 

The plot appeared to take a bit of time to get going. Yes, there is stuff happening, but it’s a little hard to see how it ties into the plot until later on. Even when the plot is fully in the forefront in the second half, we get some repetition. Still, the climax made sense and was suspenseful. 

The characters were good. Remi, Trace, and a couple of others really stood out to me, and I enjoyed getting to know them. I could see myself enjoying future visits with them. The rest of the cast were equally entertaining, but I struggled to keep them all straight. 

This Way to Murder shows some promise, and I’d consider giving a second in the series a chance. Hopefully, a second visit will be stronger. 

Book Review: Player Elimination by Shelly Jones (Wren Winters Mysteries #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Interesting mystery

Cons: Characters and their world never fully come alive. 

The Bottom Line:

Dead body in shop

Book’s world not fully alive

Needed one more draft

Who Eliminated Wren’s Landlord?

Over the last couple of years, I’ve started to really get into board games again, so I’ve been keeping my eyes opened for some good board games themed cozies. That’s why Player Elimination, Shelly Jones’s debut, caught my attention. Sadly, it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped it would be. 

Our main character is Wren Winters, a widow who had opened a game store in a small college town in Massachusetts. She has an uneven relationship with her landlord. One day things seem fine, but then he is threatening to use the space for something else. The one consistency is his interest in board games. However, he usually plays by himself, off in a corner of the space Wren has for people to play games in her store. 

One morning, Wren arrives at the shop to find that the police outside. Someone killed her landlord in her store. With the police looking at her and her employee, can Wren figure out what really happened?

The premise and story have promise, but there were several things that kept me from being fully invested. 

Let’s start with the one that is going to be the most controversial. Wren’s employee, Charlie, goes by they/them pronouns. I tried. I really did try to read this book with an opened mind. But I found myself distracted, watching the grammar, every time that Charlie was on the page, which was frequently. There were only a couple of times where the writing was actually awkward, so I am impressed by that since group scenes could have been very confusing. Still, it proved to be a distraction for me as I was reading.

Unfortunately, the characters overall didn’t really come alive for me. Wren has a core group of close friends who get plenty of page time, but we only get to know them on a superficial level. It kept me from getting fully invested. The suspects don’t fare any better. 

While there was an interesting plot here, it also doesn’t live up to its potential. Wren and her friends spent more time discussing theories than they did gathering new information. For me, both are important aspects of a good mystery. Things did improve in the final act, and I appreciated how what we learned came together in the end. 

Even the gaming aspect fell a little flat for me. While I expected the book would contain some fictional games, it appears most were. And many of them we got a bit of a discussion about how they were played but no actual game name. It’s a shame because some sounded fun. 

Player Elimination is one of those books that showed promise, but needed another draft to truly make the characters and their world come alive. 

Book Review: Murder Most Scenic by Liz Milliron (Laurel Highlands Mysteries #0.5)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Meeting Jim and Sally in six good mysteries

Cons: A couple of these short stories are a little straight forward

The Bottom Line:

Series begins here

With these six good short stories

You’ll want to read more

Meet Jim and Sally in These Short Stories

When I read the first Lauren Highlands novel earlier this year, I quickly discovered that it wasn’t where we really meet the characters.  They’d been introduced in a series of short stories.  Murder Most Scenic collects them all into one place, so I picked it up to really see how it all begins.

We get six short stories here.  The first one introduces us to Jim Duncan, a State Trooper in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.  Here’s, he’s investigating the mysterious death of a woman in a rental cabin.  And it’s how he meets assistant public defender Sally Castle, who is assigned to defend his prime suspect.  Despite the fact that the two might be on different sides, they are both driven by a desire for justice, and they wind up both getting involved in solving the case.

Over the course of the next five stories, they get involved when a politician’s wife is murder, when a baseball player is killed, when the president of the local 4J club is killed in a barn, and when a brewery contest’s frontrunner is killed.

There is one of these stories that is not like the others.  That one features Deputy Coroner Tom Bruns, who gets pulled into a case when it becomes personal for him.  Jim is a supporting player, and Sally has a cameo.  So, it still features the characters and lets us get to know one of the series’ supporting players better.

Honestly, since I’d just read the one book with the characters, I didn’t remember much about the characters other than Jim and Sally.  It will be interesting to see how some of the supporting players I’ve met here pop up in the series.

And, of course, there’s Jim and Sally.  They are slowly admitting, at least to themselves, that they are attracted to each other.  I enjoyed their flirting in these stories.

The mysteries themselves are good.  Short stories don’t always deliver the twists that a full novel does, so a couple of these were straight forward.  Others kept me guessing until the end, which is always the sign of a good short story to me.

Do keep in mind that these are police procedurals and not cozies.  Some of the content is beyond what you’d find in a cozy.  But as long as you know to expect that, you’ll be fine.

Now that I’ve gone back and properly met the characters, I’m looking forward to spending more time with them in the novels.  If you haven’t read these stories yet, you’ll be glad you picked up Murder Most Scenic today.

Enjoy the rest of the Laurel Highlands Mysteries.

Book Review: Lady Darling Inquires After a Killer by Colleen Gleason (Lady Darling Mysteries #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Lady Darling and a good mystery

Cons: Over writing and Lady Darling’s backstory

The Bottom Line:

A new sleuth appears

Interesting first story

Backstory bothers

Hunting a High Society Killer

I’ve been enjoying the mysteries that Colleen has been releasing under her Colleen Cambridge pen name, so when she announced she’d be being writing a new one under as Colleen Gleason, I paid attention. Unfortunately, Lady Darling Inquires After a Killer didn’t grab me as much as I would have liked. 

Lady Darling is a widow of a certain age (50), wealthy, and willing to live out her life in the country. But when her friend asks Lady Darling to chaperone her daughter as she comes out in society, Lady Darling reluctantly agrees to go to London for the season. 

At their first dinner party, the host is killed in his study. Lady Darling takes it upon herself to investigate and find the killer. After all, no one takes her seriously, so she can worm her way in and get answers. Certain that the killer was one of the men at the dinner party, she starts looking closer at them. Will she find the killer?

One thing I’ve notice with Colleen’s books is that they can be over written for my taste. We get a little too much about the character’s thoughts and their self-reflection. That’s usually tempered with well-developed characters and some good twists. Here, it got in the way of the book, especially at the beginning. I feel like it was done on purpose to more mimic the style of the 1890’s, when the book is set since it did seem more so than the other books I’ve read. 

Now, this isn’t to say we didn’t get some good twists. Once the story got going, I was entertained. The ending made sense when we reached it, although it was a little drawn out for my tastes. And Lady Darling made a couple of leaps along the way I didn’t think were supported by what she had learned when she made them. 

Lady Darling herself is a hoot. She’s got plenty of spark and enjoys taking advantage of being underestimated. 

The story is told from a few different points of view, and it worked well to give us the complete story and get to know a few of the other characters. 

However, my big gripe with the series was something in Lady Darling’s backstory that didn’t sit right with me. I’ll probably be alone in my take on this, and I can understand why she did what she did. I just feel like someone as smart as she is could have found another way to solve the problem, even given what society was like back then. 

I’m not sure if I will continue on with this series. However, plenty of other readers are enjoying meeting Lady Darling. If you enjoy this time and place, give Lady Darling Inquires After a Killer a chance and see what you think for yourself. 

Book Review: Shady Hollow by Juneau Black (Shady Hollow #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Decent mystery and likable characters

Cons: One element bothers me (and is a me thing)

The Bottom Line:

Creative setting

Slow start to good mystery

But one thing bugged me

Not Bad, but Didn’t Quite Work For Me

When I heard about Shady Hollow, I knew I had to give the series a try. It sounded like a fun twist on the cozy mystery genre. Having finally read the first, I can say it didn’t quite work for me. 

The series is set in the town of Shady Hollow, where woodland creatures live together in harmony. The carnivores have sworn off eating animals, or at least their fellow residents (fish are still on the menu). It’s so peaceful that the sheriff and deputy have little actual crime fighting experience. 

Until one day when the body of Otto, a toad, is spotted floating in the pond. When evident that he was stabbed surfaced, it is quickly deemed a murder. Granted, Otto wasn’t well liked, but who would want to kill him? Fortunately, Vera Vixen, a fox and the newspaper’s ace reporter is on the case. Can she catch the killer?

Sitting down to read this book, I thought it had the potential to turn into one of my favorite series. When I set it down, I concluded that it’s not bad, but I don’t think it is for me. 

The story is told in omniscient point of view. While it’s not my favorite story telling method, the author did a decent enough job with it. But it worked to keep me out of the story. As did the backstories we got on some of the characters as soon as we met them. 

That backstory also contributed to the story starting out a little slowly. Once it got going, there were some decent twists and surprises along the way, and the ending made sense. 

And the characters were fun. I liked them and found myself rooting for Vera to figure things out. 

The cast of animal characters are human in every discernable way. You just have to accept that a mouse and easily talk with a bear or a moose owns a coffee shop. I’m okay with that, but I felt the author could have done a better job with the town. Maybe it’s just me, but I was expecting a bit more creativity like the book store they invented. That was brilliant. 

But what really bothered me was the idea of interspecies romance. I was willing to buy everything else, but for some reason, that really bothered me. I get it, this is a me issue, so your mileage on this will vary. 

So, that’s why I won’t be continuing on with this series. If the premise still intrigues you, give Shady Hollow a try. Lots of others love it, so you might as well.

Book Review: A Murder Most Fowl by Carmela Dutra (Food Truck Mysteries #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Story does draw you in

Cons: Could have used some work to make it better

The Bottom Line:

When contestant dies

Food trucks become dangerous

Book could be better

This Debut Wasn’t Quite My Chicken Wing

When I spotted A Murder Most Fowl by Carmela Dutra, I couldn’t resist. Culinary cozies always catch my eye, and this one was set in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I grew up near there. I just had to give it a try. Sadly, it didn’t quite work for me. 

The book introduces us to Beth and Seth Lloyd, twins who have inherited a chicken wing themed food truck from their aunt Dolly. Beth has gotten the idea to enter them in a reality TV show for a food network, and Seth is going along for the ride. 

Unfortunately, among the competitors is Benji, a fellow food truck owner that Beth knows all too well. Another local, they have clashed in the past. So when Benji turns up dead in his truck at the end of the first day of filming, Beth finds herself answering lots of questions. Can she get a few answers of her own to figure out what really happened?

The book started out well. I was laughing at the first couple of chapters, and settled in for what I hoped would be a good read. Then the problems started. 

The first was the plot. While it started quickly, this was a classic example of events masking any real investigation. We learned little about any suspects and rehash the few things we do learn. Beth does figure some things out near the end, but we don’t learn what they were until later. I did feel the solution answered my questions, but I would have appreciated a bit more sprinkled throughout the book. 

As I said above, the suspects are pretty flat. Honestly, I had a hard time keeping most of the other contestants straight. Some of the other supporting characters did fare a little better. 

Even our main trio of Beth, Seth, and their friend Rylie were only a little better. I felt like their reactions to things was a little over the top. I found that funny early on, but it wore thin before the book was over. And Beth missed a few obvious things and was a bit too stubborn as things went along. 

Even the location turned out to be less than I’d hoped for. The setting was fictional, which I get and can enjoy. But there was little to anchor it to the San Francisco Bay Area. But I would bet that others have felt that way about fictional settings near areas they know well. 

This is one of those cases where the book’s flaws are obvious, but it doesn’t mean the book was bad. I still got caught up in the story as I was reading it. It just wasn’t as good as I’d hoped for. 

Yes, this is a culinary cozy with a couple of recipes at the end. They do sound good. 

If A Murder Most Fowl really appeals to you, give it a shot. You might find that you enjoy it more than I did. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

Book Review: Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover (Mixology Lounge Mysteries #1)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Characters, setting, and a good mystery

Cons: A minor niggle or two, but nothing major

The Bottom Line: 

Body in alley

Reece must find the killer

In this strong debut

Reece Finds Murder In His New Business

When I was at Malice Domestic this last spring, I met Adrian Andover, who was there promoting his debut mystery. Whiskey Business sounded like a lot of fun, so I kept my eyes open for the announcement that ARCs were ready and quickly requested one. I’m glad I did because I enjoyed this cozy. 

This book introduces us to Reece Parker. He’s recently opened Subplot, a literature themed cocktail lounge in his small town in Pennsylvania. He’s slowly gaining customers, but he’s still looking for any way to bring in new customers, so he gladly agrees to host a monthly whiskey club. The first meeting is a little on the rocks thanks to a new member who is arrogant and pushy. He’s obviously getting under the skin of the members, especially one, who tries to call him out on his behavior. 

Later that night, when Reece goes to take out the garbage, he finds the new member’s body in the alley behind his lounge. Afraid it might reflect poorly on his business, and afraid the police might use it to make his life miserable, he starts investigating. Can he find the killer?

This book has the cozy vibe down perfectly. I don’t drink, and I’d still love to visit Subplot. The descriptions make it warm and inviting, and I love the drink titles, which are riffs on classic literature. Yes, I’d be sticking to the non-fiction mocktail side of the menu, but I think I’d enjoy a visit. 

Of course, I’d want to visit between murders. This book does a great job of balancing introducing the characters and setting up the story. It’s obvious who the victim will be, and we really don’t waste that much time before he dies. From there, we get some good surprises and clues as well as red herrings until we reach the satisfying conclusion. A couple of things could have been smoothed out, in my opinion, but that’s a minor point that probably only I would care about. 

In addition to opening his cocktail lounge, Reece is also struggling with his sexuality, having recently broken things off with his fiancée because he’s finally admitted to himself that he’s gay. Granted, I haven’t read too many stories with gay main characters, but usually they are further along this journey. I appreciated how this subplot was handled since Reece is still coming to terms with what this means for his future. 

And the rest of the cast? They are outstanding as well. We get a clear picture of them, series regular and suspect alike. Just like the setting, they give off the cozy vibes. I can feel the love they have for each other, and I want to spend more time with them. 

While I consider this a culinary cozy, there aren’t any recipes at the end. Since I don’t drink, that’s not an issue for me, and not all culinary cozies have them.

Whiskey Business is a strong debut. You’ll be glad you picked it up. Me? I’m looking forward to my next visit already. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Book Review: The Last Line by Scott Lyerly (Ellie Marlowe #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters in intriguing mystery

Cons: Ellie’s Tourette’s overwhelms; some head hopping

The Bottom Line:

Opening night death

Did murder happen on stage?

Strong leads pull you in

Murder in a Teacup…Live on Stage!

I bought two theater based mysteries when I was at Malice Domestic in April. The second of those was The Last Line, and it entertained me from the first line to the last. 

Our protagonist is Ellie Marlowe, who runs a small theater in Massachusetts. It’s struggling to survive, but she’s hopeful that the latest play, Murder in a Teacup, will be successful enough to give them a little breathing room. 

Unfortunately, the leading man is Reginald Thornton IV, a pompous arrogant jerk who seems to go out of his way to antagonize and alienate everyone he comes in contact with. At the play’s climax, his character is supposed to drink from a teacup and then die. On opening night, the scene’s a little too realistic since Reginald has really died. While the state police think it is a heart attack, something doesn’t feel right to Ellie and her friend Bill, the chief of police in their village. Even though neither have standing, can they figure out what really happened?

Before we go further, we need to talk about tone. I went into this expecting a cozy, but it became obvious as I went along that this isn’t that light hearted. This falls more into the traditional sub-genre, with some of the things that come out are more serious. Nothing gets too graphic, and there is only a smattering of foul language. Just know this going in, and you’ll be fine. And it is worth reading since the story touches on some things that give the book a bit more depth than a typical cozy.  I enjoyed that.

I had to give props to the author for the murder staging. Yes, it’s the kind of thing that would only happen in fiction, but I’m here for it. And yes, the how does make it plausible when we reach the solution. I was successfully distracted by some red herrings, so I didn’t figure out what was really happening until about the time Ellie and Bill did. 

Ellie has Tourette’s syndrome, something the author also struggled with. His purpose in including it was to show what it is really like, not the portrayals we see in much of the popular media. Sadly, the ticks she deals with become a distraction for us as we are reading. 

On the whole, I did love Ellie as a character. She and Bill are both strong leads that we truly get to know as the book progresses. This may be the first book they are in, but I feel like I’ve spent more time with them than that. The rest of the cast is also strong, but they aren’t as well developed. 

We get the story told from multiple points of view, mostly Ellie and Bill. Unfortunately, the book suffered a little bit from head hopping, which always distracts me.

I really appreciate how Ellie and Bill’s relationship is handled. They are friends who are married to other people. Those marriages felt realistic to me, with some issues but mostly strong. It was a nice change not only to see good relationships but also to see something different in the romance department. 

This is one of three books I’m aware of that Crooked Lane released last year that appear to be a standalone. Of all three, this one didn’t feel like it was trying to set up a series. Having said that, if a sequel were to appear, I’d definitely give it a chance. 

The Last Line mostly overcomes its weaknesses. I was pulled into the story and enjoyed getting to know the two leads. If you enjoy theater, give this book a chance. 

Book Review: Resort to Murder by Annie McEwen (Northwoods Mysteries #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Emmy, the other characters, and a great setting

Cons: Dialogue summaries keep us out of the story

The Bottom Line:

Developer killed

Loved characters, setting

But dialogue quirk

Who Killed the Developer at Emmy’s Family Resort?

I’ve been hearing lots of good things about Annie McEwen’s Northwoods mystery series, so I was looking forward to diving in with Resort to Murder, the series debut. While I can certainly see the appeal, there was one quirk that bothered me. 

The book introduces us to Emmy Cooper. Her family has owned a resort on a lake in Wisconsin for decades.  With her life hitting a snag in Chicago, she’s come home for a visit. 

It’s only once she’s arrived that she learns Thad Houston, a mega developer, is trying to buy up her family’s land and surrounding land to open a mage resort. No one in the area is interested in selling, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping him from persisting. After her dad has a very public fight with Thad, she finds the developer’s dead body beyond the last cabin on their property. Can Emmy clear her father of the crime?

I love cozies set in resort communities, and this one really appeals. Emmy has a ready-made group of family and friends, and I bought all their relationships. These are a group of people I would love to spend more time with. 

And the setting? Sign me up for a week Emmy’s place. Between murders, of course. 

The mystery was well plotted, too. It starts strongly with some good suspects to keep us guessing before we reach a climax that makes perfect sense. 

So what was my issue? The writing at times summarized the conversations. I’m okay with it when it’s something like “we said our goodbyes.” Which we got at times. But we’d also get summaries of investigation conversations. When the book actually allowed us to see the conversation happening, I was fully invested. But otherwise, I’d feel like I was outside looking in at the action. 

I’m hoping this is a quirk that goes away as the series progresses because I enjoyed Resort to Murder overall. I do have the second, and I’ll give it a try at some point. 

Book Review: Big Fat F@!k-Up by Lawrence Allan (Jimmy Cooper #1)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Jimmy, interesting mystery

Cons: Nothing that the title doesn’t warn you about

The Bottom Line:

Actor turned PI

Some laughs in this mystery

Loved the characters

You’ll Be Glad You Met Jimmy Cooper

When I was at Bouchercon in 2023, I went to the comedic mysteries panel.  As expected, I enjoyed it, and one of the standouts was Lawrence Allan.  But I hesitated to get his book based on the title – Big Fat F@!k-Up.  Yeah, that’s a title that screams “Not a Mark book.”  But I decided to buy it.  I just now got around to reading it, and I’m glad I got it because it was a delight.

Jimmy Cooper followed all those child star cliches.  His career tanked thanks to his addictions, but he’s now sober and working as a PI, at least some of his cases coming from his mother’s law firm, where he works as the investigator.  But one of his freelance cases lands him on the news again when he becomes part of a chase through downtown LA.

And with his increased public profile comes more interesting cases.  For example, there’s Alicia Crowley, who is set to inherit a large part of her family’s beer company when she turns twenty-five in a week.  However, she thinks her uncle, who currently runs the company, is trying to kill her, and she wants Jimmy to prove it while keeping her safe.  But it’s the uncle who turns up dead with Alicia as the prime suspect.  Can Jimmy figure out what really happened?

So, let’s get the obvious out of the way first.  Yes, the title is a clue as to what kind of language you’ll find in the book.  I’ll admit, I was afraid there might be more than we got.  I know I’ve often talked about authors being lazy when using curse words in their books.  I have to hand it to Lawrence Allan – I didn’t feel he did that.  The cursing was effective and appropriate to the scenes and not so overdone that it was laughable.  Would I have preferred a book without it?  Yes.  But I’m still glad I read the book.  And before I move on completely, there is some other content as well, but it is in keeping with the rest of the book.

The book takes a little time setting up Jimmy, his world, and the case at hand.  But it is entertaining the entire way through act 1 of the story.  It never feels like it is dragging, and we don’t get a complete data dump.  There are a couple of times the book does show us a bit more of Jimmy’s past, but it is important to the character development we are getting at that moment.

Things do step up once the murder has happened.  There are quite a few viable suspects, yes, even Alicia.  Watching Jimmy try to navigate it all is entertaining.  The ending was logical and answered all my questions.

Jimmy himself is a sympathetic main character.  He’s got some issues to work through, but he isn’t a typical depressing PI.  And he is working hard to get his life back on track, which I appreciated.  We meet some other interesting supporting players, and I look forward to getting to know them better as the series progresses.

And yes, I did laugh.  Jimmy is often cracking jokes, or trying to crack jokes, as a way to defuse the situations he finds himself in.  He’s also got some great observations about LA or life in general that we get thanks to the first-person narration.  Yet, the book is also serious when it needs to be, which made some of the character stuff that comes late in the book hit even more.

I had a hard time putting the book down, finishing it in two days instead of my typical three.

I will definitely be back to visit Jimmy again.  If the title gives you pause, you might not care for this book, but if you can move past it, you’ll find yourself getting caught up in Big Fat F@!k-Up.

Book Review: There’s No Murder Like Show Murder by M. S. Greene (Backstage Mysteries #1)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters in a twisty mystery

Cons: Tasha makes a couple of leaps, but it’s a minor issue

The Bottom Line:

Murder center stage

Who shot the difficult star?

In this strong debut

Local Theater Rocked by Murder

When I realized I’d accidentally bought There’s No Murder Like Show Murder twice (once as a Kindle deal and once in hardcover at Malice Domestic last month), I decided that must be a sign that I should read the book.  I was right to follow that sign.

This debut introduces us to Tasha Weaver who is the head of the costume shop at the Eastbrook Playhouse in a small Connecticut town.  Sadly, the theater has been struggling in recent years, so they have put all their hope in a production of Annie Get Your Gun starring two Broadway legends.

Unfortunately, one of them, Kurt Mozer, has an ego to go with his resume, and he is making life difficult on the rest of the cast and the crew.  Still, his decision to quit a week before the production opens puts the theater in a difficult position.  Then he is murdered on stage when the theater is mostly empty.

Tasha can’t help but poke around a little, especially since she’s connected to the gossip of the theater.  But the more she learns, the more questions she has.  Can she figure out what happened?

Being a fan of theater, I enjoyed this look behind the scenes at a regional theater with a production in trouble.  This is a bigger production than anything I was ever involved in the few times I took part in a play, and I enjoyed the glimpses into what life can be like backstage.

Of course, that world is made more complicated here by a murder.  It’s obvious early on who the victim is going to be, and the book doesn’t waste any time getting to the murder.  From there, we have quite a few suspicious things going on, and I was really kept guessing as I raced to the end.  I did figure things out a little before Tasha, but not long before she did, and I was still a little unclear on a couple of the details until she helped fill them in.  I will say, a couple of times I felt she made some pretty big leaps in logic (that turned out to be correct), but they were minor issues overall.

The cast of characters were great.  Tasha was a fantastic lead we could really sympathize with, and I appreciated the growth we saw in her here.  The supporting players are fun, and I appreciated the character moment one of them got especially.  There’s room for some of the others to be developed more, but they worked for what we got here.  And the suspects were strong and kept me guessing.

There’s No Murder Like Show Murder is a strong debut that cozy mystery lovers will devour.  I hope we get another mystery from M. S. Greene soon.  I’ll be first in line for the encore.

Book Review: Root of All Evil by Liz Milliron (Laurel Highlands Mysteries #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong debut mystery novel and leaves me anxious for more

Cons: A few issues, but nothing to truly dampen my enjoyment.

The Bottom Line:

Drug dealer is back

With an attorney murdered

Are they connected?

Drugs and Scandal

Since I’ve enjoyed both of Liz Milliron’s other series, I’ve been meaning to go back and read Root of All Evil, her first novel and the first book in her Laurel Highlands series.  I’ve even had this book for several years.  I’m glad I finally sat down to read this book.

The series centers on Jim Duncan, a Pennsylvania State Trooper in Fayette County, and Sally Castle, an assistant public defender for the county.  Despite the fact that these two would often be on the opposite sides, the two have formed a friendship that has the potential to turn into something more.

As this book starts, rumors that Aaron Trafford is back in the area have reached Jim’s ears.  It’s bad news for sure since Aaron dodged a drug conviction the year before.  He was guilty.  Everyone knew he was guilty.  But somehow, he got off.  Jim wants to get Aaron this time before he gets too established.

Meanwhile, Sally walks into work on a Monday morning to find one of her co-workers dead, shot in his office.  Colin had been acting squirrely all weekend, but what was he involved in?  Determined to find out, Sally steps outside of her job to poke around.

As the cases begin to converge, Sally becomes even more involved, much to Jim’s dismay.  Will the duo figure out what is going on?

As I said earlier, I’ve enjoyed Liz’s other books, so I was expecting to enjoy this book when I sat down to read it.  I did find a couple of things that bothered me, but they might be my fault as much as the book’s fault.

The book started well, not wasting too much time on the set up before we are really plunged into the mystery.  However, I did feel the pacing was a bit uneven in the middle before picking up again as we raced toward the climax.  But that might be me.  Real life got in the way of my reading and kept me from reading at my normal pace, so that might be why it felt this way to me.  Either way, I appreciated the logic of the climax even if it required the characters to act in a way I didn’t feel was the smartest.

I knew there were some short stories with these characters, but I didn’t investigate where they fell into the series chronology before picking up this book.  Turns out, they take place before this book.  As a die hard read in order person, I should have investigated just a bit more.  However, a bit more of an introduction to the characters would have been nice here.  I felt like we were thrust in with little context at the beginning of the story.  Still, you can bet I will be getting that short story collection, Murder Most Scenic, and reading it soon.

That’s not to say I didn’t get to know the characters and their relationships as the book progressed.  The story is pretty much split between Sally and Jim’s points of view.  The changes are always easy to identify, which I am grateful for.  This allowed us to get to know both of them really well, and I do like them both as characters.  I’m rooting for them to get together already.  The rest of the characters are also well developed based on how much page time we get.  I’m curious to see who will become series regulars and who were just introduced for this book.  I have a few I’m not sure about, although I wouldn’t mind seeing them again.

Liz is good friends with Annette Dashofy, and Annette has borrowed Jim Duncan in a couple of her Zoe Chambers Mysteries.  A significant part of the last book in that series takes place here, as well.  Sadly, that’s my only real knowledge of this part of the country, but I enjoyed getting to visit it in back to back books since it made it feel like I was in more familiar territory.

This is a police procedural, so it has some more content and a darker tone than some of the books I read.  Know that going in and you should be okay.

I’m glad I finally got a chance to visit the Laurel Highlands and officially meet Jim and Sally.  Hopefully, it won’t be too long before I get a chance to visit them again.  If you are looking for a good first novel, you’ll be glad you picked up Root of All Evil.

Visit the rest of the Laurel Highlands Mysteries.

Book Review: A Killing in Costumes by Zac Bissonnette (Hollywood Treasures Mysteries #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Jay and Cindy in an interesting mystery

Cons: Writing style makes it hard to get into the book at times

The Bottom Line:

Competitor dies

Can duo clear their own names?

Overall, I liked

Memorabilia to Die For

When A Killing in Costumes crossed my radar, the premise appealed to me. It only took me two and a half years, but I finally picked up the book. While this fiction debut from author Zac Bissonnette had some issues, I enjoyed it overall. 

Jay Allan and Cindy Cooper were on their way to being the next Hollywood It couple back in the 90’s. With jobs on a soap opera and a concert tour, they were gaining fans. That is until they divorced when they realized they were both gay. They maintained their friendship, and now they have reunited as business partners to open a Hollywood memorabilia shop in Palm Springs. 

However, business isn’t exactly booming, and their store, Hooray for Hollywood, might close if things don’t change soon. 

Enter Yana Tosh, a diva who, at ninety, has decided to sell her collection of vintage costumes. She has contacted Cindy and Jay about the job, something they are both eager to tackle since it could spell the salvation of their store. But Yana is considering a larger firm as well, and when their chief competitor dies, the police look at them as suspects. Can Jay and Cindy figure out what really happened?

As I said at the beginning, I mostly enjoyed this book. But there were some weaknesses, mostly in the writing. The style kept me just a little outside the story at times. When we’d get into a scene, I’d feel more at home, but any exposition was less welcoming. I think part of this was due to us being told things instead of shown them. Yes, it really does make a difference. 

But I did enjoy the book overall. 

We got a couple of chapters introducing the characters, including the suspects and victim, before he dies. Once that happens, we have several great twists along the way to the climax. I was surprised by the ending, but it made sense when Cindy and Jay laid out how they reached that conclusion. 

And make no mistake, both Jay and Cindy are lead characters. We get scenes from both of their third person points of view. Their deep friendship comes through easily, and I enjoyed following them around as they solved this case. The rest of the cast are interesting as well, and the suspects kept me guessing. 

And there’s the Hollywood component. Anytime there was a mention of a prop or costume from a particular movie, I smiled, even if I hadn’t seen in. Jay especially likes older music, and there is plenty of talk about those songs as the book goes along. 

Since this book came out in the summer of 2022, I’m guessing A Killing in Costume is going to wind up being a standalone rather than the first in a series. That’s too bad because I would like to revisit the characters. But this book does leave everyone in a good place, which is nice. 

So, if you’ve hesitated to pick up this book, give it a shot. I’m glad I did.