February 3rd's Friday Post

Thanks to my vacation, it's been a few weeks since I did a Friday post, but I need to fix that.  I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

This week, I will be pulling teasers for the first three from Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings.

This is the first in a new historical series set in 1885 England.  It's got an interesting premise, the person behind a newspaper advice columnist solving murders.

And here's how the book begins:

It should be known from the beginning, I am no flibbertigibbet. Nor am I inclined to the sorts of vapors which often envelop my half sister Sephora and cause her to swoon—usually when there is an attractive young man in the vicinity to offer assistance.

This sets a bit of a fun tone for the book.  However, things take an interesting turn at the 56% point in my eARC.

It was hard to come up with a plausible fiction to explain my presence so I opted for the truth. “I’ve come about your husband,” I told her. 

Marguerite’s bottom lip trembled, her knees gave way. She sank down upon the sofa. “Reggie? Why? He’s been dead these five years now.”

I'll leave you to discover why Violet, our narrator, is asking about someone who died five years ago.

I finished the book while I was on vacation, and I really enjoyed it.  It's official release day is next Tuesday, but I'll be reviewing it on Monday.

Meanwhile, let's do this week's Book Blogger Hop.  I had to make sure I did it since this week's question was one I had submitted.

What was your favorite genre to read a child? Do you still read that genre, or do you read something else now?

You'd think since I submitted this, I'd have a good, short answer ready to go.  I don't.  So we are going to get the long, rambling answer.

In third grade, I actually stopped reading the first Hardy Boys book I'd picked up (The Secret of the Caves) when I got hooked on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  That's right, I set down a mystery for fantasy.  Of course, I did get hooked on the Hardys a couple of years later.

As a kid, I read more of everything.  Some of my favorite books from childhood were more real life like Beverly Cleary or science fiction/fantasy.  However, I still read plenty of mysteries like Encyclopedia Brown, The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and Trixie Belden.

It wasn't until I'd been out of college for a couple of years that I started reading more mystery than anything else.  And, obviously, that's where I am today.

So I'd say I don't know that I had a favorite genre as a kid, but I did read mystery back then.  Looks like I did have a short answer after all.

I'm looking forward to reading everyone's answers!

Have a great weekend.

Book Review: Design for Murder by Carolyn Hart (Death on Demand #2)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters, good mystery

Cons: Mystery takes a took long to get going

The Bottom Line:

Planning a murder

Puts Annie in middle of

A real life murder

Needed a Better Design

While I am new to the Death on Demand series, I have read other books from Carolyn Hart over the years, so I know that, like all authors, she occasionally turns out a book that isn’t up to her usual standards.  That’s what happened with Design for Murder, the second in the series.

Annie Lawrence is thrilled when she is asked to create a murder mystery for the nearby town of Chastain, South Carolina.  In fact, her head is brimming with all kinds of plots and characters and can’t wait to put it all together.  The event will run over several nights with teams each night reviewing the evidence and interviewing the locals playing the suspects.

What Annie doesn’t realize is that she has stumbled into a town already boiling with anger at one of their prominent citizens.  When that citizen is found murdered just before the first mystery night begins, Annie once again finds herself cast as a suspect since she’s an outsider.  Can she clear her name while keeping the evening events running smoothly?

The problem with the book actually happened early.  Annie is super excited about planning the mystery, and she throws out lots of ideas before settling on one.  Or two or three.  This series is famous for its references to other mystery series (Annie owns a mystery themed bookstore, after all), and this entry gets most of those out of the way early on as Annie lists all the books she could get inspiration from.  A little of this is fine, but it goes on a bit too long.

That isn’t to say that we aren’t meeting the victim and the suspects during this time.  In fact, it is very obvious early on who the victim will be, and getting to know the motives means we can jump into the detecting when the murder finally happens.  Notice I said finally.  So much time is spent to creating the events early on.  The plot doesn’t truly get going until the murder happens, and that needed to happen sooner.

Another issue I had was the dual mystery.  Because the suspects in the real murder were also (mostly) playing the suspects in the fictional mystery, I found it hard to keep track of who was who in which mystery.  Since I listened to the audio, that may have been part of my problem.  If I could have more easily gone back and referenced characters, it would have helped.

Now, this isn’t to say that the book is all bad.  Both the mystery that Annie has created and the mystery that happens that Annie must solve are well plotted.  The characters are all strong and have unique motives.  The solutions to both are brilliant, with well planted clues that make sense once Annie reveals the what happened.  And Annie and her fiancé, Max, are an enchanting pair of sleuths.  I love spending time with them.

And I’m certainly not going to blame the audio version.  Kate Reading is a fantastic narrator.  She brings the characters and story to life brilliantly.

Even though Design for Murder wasn’t as strong as the first in the series, I’m looking forward to visiting Annie and Max again soon.

Read the rest of the Death on Demand Mysteries.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

Book Review: Murder on Fifth Avenue by Victoria Thompson (Gaslight Mysteries #14)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and plot, bits of humor

Cons: A few predictable twists (but many that I didn’t expect)

The Bottom Line:

Body at a club

Must solve the who, why, and how

Page turning again

Death at a Gentlemen’s Club

It is always a pleasure to return to the 1890’s via Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mysteries.  In fact, the further I get into the series, the more anxious I am to find out what is going to happen next to the characters, so I was smiling when I picked up Murder on Fifth Avenue.

When a member of the Knickerbocker club dies one afternoon, everyone assumes it was a heart attack – until they move the body and discover that he had been bleeding.  Midwife Sarah Brandt’s father, Felix Decker, is a member of the club, so he immediately calls Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy to investigate.  He knows that Frank will be thorough and as discrete as possible.

The victim was Chilton Devries, the head of a wealthy family.  However, Frank soon learns that Chilton was not a well-liked man.  With Sarah using her status in society to gain access to the family, the two begin to gain a long list of suspects.  But who actually killed the man?

One thing I love about the series is the inventive murder methods.  The how becomes as big a puzzle as the who and the why here, and I loved that.  It’s just one more thing to draw me into the story.

And this book definitely drew me in.  I devoured it, reading much too late two nights in a row to finish it faster than I had planned.  I just had to know what was going to happen next.

I often say that I spread out authors because I begin to notice tricks and themes, which make me see some of the twists in a story coming early.  I do think that is the case here because I figured a couple of things out before Frank and Sarah did.  However, there was still plenty that stumped me, and I was confused up until they pieced things together.  The suspects are all strong and are very much a part of what drew me into the story.

As I hinted at the beginning, I love these characters.  It’s always great to pop in and see what they are up to and get the latest in their lives.  Because we know the characters so well by this point, I found some of the interactions in this book laugh out loud funny.  Overall, the tone is still the same – more on the serious side – but there are scenes, especially involving Sarah and her parents, that are very funny.

The book ends on a bit of a small cliffhanger, more of a tease, really.  I hadn’t been planning on returning to the series until after the first of the year, but that seems like a long time to wait to find out what is going to happen next.  (And that’s even with suspecting I know what is going to happen next.)

I’m so glad I started the Gaslight Mysteries.  These trips back in time are always a delight, and Murder on Fifth Avenue is another wonderful entry in the series.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Gaslight Mysteries.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

Book Review: Hot Enough to Kill by Paula Boyd (Jolene Jackson #1)

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: The main characters

Cons: Condescending tone, weak mystery

The Bottom Line:

Jolene helps her mom

The tone of book does not work

Pace drags in middle

Not as Hot a Debut As I Had Hoped

Earlier this year when looking at the book I had on my Kindle app, I discovered that I had purchased both a physical and an ebook of Hot Enough to Kill over the years.  It’s rare I buy duplicate books (and honestly, I don’t know where the physical book is), so I figured it must mean I was anxious to read this book at one point.

This book introduces us to Jolene Jackson.  A native of the small town of Kickapoo, Texas, she has lived in Colorado all of her adult life and only comes back when she absolutely has to.  Like right now.  The mayor of Kickapoo has been murdered, and her mother, Lucille, has been brought in for questioning.  Jolene rushes down to try to help out.

Her mother had been dating the mayor, who was separated from his wife.  It’s obvious that Lucille is hiding something from everyone, but she claims to have been home alone.  As events unfold, Jolene finds herself reconnecting with her high school sweetheart, Jerry Don Parker, who just happens to be sheriff now.  As events make it clear that Lucille is in danger, Jolene begins to investigate.  Can she figure out what happened?

The book sounds promising, and it started out well.  Somewhere around the middle, however, the pace sagged.  The issue was that the story became a series of events, but no real investigation was going on.  I was interested in what was happening, but I didn’t feel like the book was really moving forward.

Unfortunately, most of the characters were thin.  Jolene, Jerry, and Lucille were all strong, and I liked them.  Lucille could have been over the top annoying, but she walked that fine line of being entertaining without being annoying.  It was the rest of the cast where I had the issues.  Most of them were very thin with just one of two notes to them at best.

The thin characters also contribute to another issue I had with the book.  Jolene narrates the book first person, and she has a very condescending attitude toward her hometown.  It is clear that we are supposed to be laughing at the hicks from Kickapoo.  Couple that with a stereotypical hypocritical Christian character and some needless political commentary, and I was turned off.  I am sure it was supposed to be funny, but it didn’t work for me.

The book was originally published in 1999, but I read the updated ebook version from 2012.  It kind of feels like it is stuck between the two time periods, so keep that in mind if you pick up the book.

Obviously, I wanted to enjoy Hot Enough to Kill.  But the result wasn’t nearly as good as I hoped it would be.

Book Review: "R" is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone #18)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Mostly entertaining story; sub-plots

Cons: Some characters’ choices

The Bottom Line:

Helping parolee

With unexpected danger

Good, could be stronger

Tries for Something Different, but Disappoints a Little

Authors like to try new things.  I get it.  They get bored when they write the same book in the same way each time.  And, if they are bored, then we are bored as readers as well.  However, sometimes, what they try leaves us feeling disappointed.  That was the case for me with “R” is for Ricochet, one of Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone books.  I still enjoyed it overall, but it could have been stronger.

As the book opens, private investigator Kinsey Millhone is given what she thinks will be a simple assignment.  Reba Lafferty is about to be paroled after serving twenty-two months of a four-year sentence for embezzlement.  Her father wants to hire Kinsey to pick her up at the prison and bring her home to Santa Theresa and spend time with her over the next few days helping her get off on the right foot so she doesn’t wind up going back.  Reba herself is friendly enough, so Kinsey isn’t expecting any trouble.

However, trouble is just what she finds when Reba has an encounter with someone from her former life.  Then Kinsey is asked by Federal agents to talk to Reba about a case they are working on.  Suddenly, Reba’s life seems to be very uncertain, and Kinsey is being pulled into the drama.  Will Kinsey be able to help Reba?

The book started out well, with the usual build up that introduces us to complications that quickly become much more than Kinsey bargained for.  It’s one thing I love about these books, and I was happy to see that happening once again here.

However, as the book went along, I began to get frustrated.  Part of that was Reba, who made some pretty dumb choices and dragged Kinsey along with her.  Part of that was Kinsey who made some dumb choices of her own.  Sometimes, she had no choice, but others she did, and I found her actions frustrating each time.

That led into my biggest frustration – I felt like Kinsey spent most of the book reacting to things instead of actively trying to resolves the issues.  That didn’t feel like Kinsey to me.  This is where I feel like Sue Grafton was trying something new, but I didn’t like it.

On the other hand, we get some enjoyable romantic sub-plots.  This book really could have been called “R” is for Romance.  Not that I’m complaining because I enjoyed seeing these stories play out and what they showed us about the characters involved.  I’m a sucker for learning more about series regulars, and that’s what happens here.  I look forward to seeing how this growth and these relationships continue in future books.

And, all this isn’t to say that the story told here isn’t interesting.  I was certainly engaged the entire way through.  I just felt like the story could have been stronger if different choices were made along the way.

As always, I listened to the audio version narrated by Judy Kaye.  I’ve gotten used to her take on the characters by this point, and I enjoyed listening to the story.

There is enough good to recommend “R” Is for Ricochet, but this is not the strongest entry in the series.

Be sure to check out the rest of Kinsey Millhone's mysteries.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

Book Review: Nancy's Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew #8)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong story

Cons: Weak characters

The Bottom Line:

Nancy an heiress?

Teen sleuth looks for the real one

Fast paced and fun book

Can Nancy Drew Find Nancy Drew?

It’s funny at times picking up a book you know you read as a kid.  That was the case with Nancy’s Mysterious Letter.  I know I read this when I was much younger, but it had been so long I couldn’t remember any of it.  However, as I was reading the book, parts of the story came back to me.

An act of kindness gets Nancy into her latest case.  On a cold November day, Nancy offers Ira, her mail carrier, a cut of hot cocoa and a chance to warm up.  He leaves his mailbag outside, but when he returns, he discovers that all the letters have been stolen.

Among the stolen letters was one for Nancy.  Thanks to Ira remembering who the letter was from, she is able to find out what it was about – a law firm in London is trying to track down a Nancy Drew because she has just inherited quite a bit of money.  Obviously, Nancy is not the heiress, but she makes it her mission to find the other woman.  Can she do that and figure out what happened to the stolen letters?

I often complain about coincidence and too many unrelated plots all coming together in a Nancy Drew mystery.  I didn’t feel that was the case at all in this book.  Nancy still makes some rather wild yet correct leaps as she goes about solving the case, but it’s only something an adult would find annoying.  Instead, we get a fast paced and mostly logical story that keeps the pages turning until we reach the end.

I will say the characters are still as shallow as ever.  This never bothered me as a kid, so I’m sure today’s kids won’t mind at all.

The usual dated references are here, but they are at a minimum, so again, it would not be much of an issue.

As I’ve been rereading the first few volumes, I was waiting for the book that introduced us to Ned Nickerson, Nancy’s boyfriend.  From research on the internet, I believe that happened in the previous book, so I’ll have to get it from the library once they’ve reopened.  Anyway, I do have to comment on his big scene - a football game.  It is obvious the person who wrote this book doesn’t know the game because Ned can do just about everything on the team.  It was actually pretty laughable.

But that aside, Nancy’s Mysterious Letter is a fun outing for Nancy Drew.  It’s sure to keep young mystery lovers turning pages until they reach the end.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

Book Review: The Overlook by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch #13)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong, fast paced mystery

Cons: Characters a little weaker than normal; Harry’s actions at times

The Bottom Line:

New partner, new case

Fast paced, twists in shorter book

Characters are thin

Fast Paced Fast Read

I was a bit surprised when I picked up The Overlook to see that is was shorter than a typical Michael Connelly novel.  That just meant that the twists of turns were packed into few pages.

This book finds Los Angeles Police Detective Harry Bosch starting a new job in the Homicide Special division of the LAPD.  He’s also been given a new partner, Ignacio “Call my Iggy” Ferras.  Iggy is younger than Bosch, and the expectation is that Bosch will help Iggy grow into a superstar detective.

Their first case together takes them to an overlook near Mulholland Drive.  Someone has shot a doctor in the back of the head.  The execution style shooting seems out of place for the rich neighborhood.  Bosch has hardly started his investigation when the FBI shows up and takes the case in a surprising direction.  If they take over the case, will Bosch be cut out?  Can he solve the murder?

This book started life as a serialized story that was expanded slightly to turn it into a novel.  This explains the smaller page count.  As I said earlier, that doesn’t translate to a dull plot in the slightest.  There are twists and turns all over the place that keep Bosch and us guessing.  I had a piece of it figured out, but it was a small piece.

Where this book suffers is the characters.  While Bosch and a few other recurring characters are their normal selves, I don’t feel like we got to know the new characters as well as we should have.  This doesn’t impact the mystery plot at all, but I wish we had gotten to know the new supporting players better, but I’m sure we will in future books.

Of course, part of that is because of the timeline of the book.  Bosch is working against a ticking clock, which leaves no time for sub-plots.  It also means that any character growth we get is minor since the focus is on the action.

Bosch is famous for ignoring the rules and doing whatever it is going to take to solve the case.  Normally, I enjoy seeing him skirt the rules to figure out what is really going on.  Here, some of his actions bothered me.  I’m not going to say more since it could be a spoiler, but I did feel like his actions were more reckless than usual.

I’m still reading these books via audiobook.  Once again, I listened to the version recorded by Len Cariou.  I usually enjoy his narration, but there was one scene here where his take on a character was super annoying.  This wasn’t the first audio to include some jazz between chapters, but here it felt a bit more intrusive since it wasn’t just at the end of some chapters or at the end of discs.  Mind you, these are minor complaints, but they meant the audio wasn’t quite as strong as normal.

As usual, I go into these books expecting a certain amount of foul language and violence.  They were kept to an absolute minimum here, instead keeping the focus on the action.

The Overlook may not be quite up to Michael Connelly’s usual standards, but it is still a compelling book.  Fans of Harry Bosch will be glad they picked it up.

Here are the rest of the Harry Bosch books.

This book is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

Book Review: Death on Demand by Carolyn Hart (Death on Demand #1)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Annie, Max, setting, mystery

Cons: Suspects could have been stronger overall, foul language

The Bottom Line:

Mystery bookstore

Is setting for mystery

Popular series

Crime Writer Murdered

Over the years, I’ve read some of Carolyn Hart’s books, but I have never read any of her most popular series, which also happens to be a popular cozy series in general.  I decided it was time I fixed that by going back to the beginning with Death on Demand.

This book introduces us to Broward’s Rock, an island off the coast of South Carolina.  Annie Lawrence has just inherited Death on Demand, a mystery bookshop on the island, from her uncle.  A group of mystery writers have been meeting there every Sunday night, and Annie gladly continues to welcome them to the store.

However, this particular Sunday things don’t go well.  Last week, Elliot Morgan, one of the authors, teased that he was going to spill secrets about everyone else in the group.  This week, someone kills him during the meeting before he can do that, and Annie lands in the position of chief suspect.  Maybe it’s a good thing that her not-quite-ex, Max Darling, has arrived on the island.  Can they solve the crime together?

This series is best known for the many, many references to other authors and detectives that are worked into each book.  This book sold me right away when the first literary reference was to Mrs. Pollifax.  As a huge fan of that series, I couldn’t help but smile.  Yes, a few times the references did seem to get out of hand, but for the most part I enjoyed them.

The mystery itself is quite a puzzle.  Not only does Annie need to figure out who done it, but she needs to figure out how done it.  Both of those puzzles kept me engaged and the solution was satisfying.

The suspects could have been a bit stronger.  Honestly, I had a bit of a hard time keeping them straight early on.  While that did get better as the book progressed, they were never fully fleshed out.

On the other hand, I loved Annie and Max.  They are great characters individually, and together they are fantastic.  With them as the lead characters, it’s easy to see why this series has been so popular.

The setting helps, too.  After all, what mystery lover isn’t going to want to read a book with so much talk about other mysteries.  It’s great.  And, while I tend to picture Broward’s Rock as, well, a rock, the actual island sounds like a fantastic vacation location.  I’d visit in real life if I could, so I look forward to escaping into more books in the series.

This book originally came out in 1987.  As you’d expect, elements of it are a little dated now since technology has advanced so much.  Adjust your expectations accordingly, and you’ll be fine.

There are more swear words of just about every variety than in a typical cozy.  I do wish that element had been left out.

I listened to the audio version narrated by Kate Reading.  She did a great job at making the story and characters come to life for us.

Now that I’ve finally entered Death on Demand, you can bet I will revisit this store.  I can't wait to see where Annie and Max go from this strong debut.

Plot your return visit with the rest of the Death on Demand series.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

Book Review: Going Nowhere Fast by Gar Anthony Haywood (Joe and Dottie Loudermilk #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Intriguing plot; fun set up

Cons: A couple of the characters are more annoying than fun

The Bottom Line:

Unexpected corpse

Derails traveling couple

Twisty plot is fun

Corpse in the Airstream Bathroom

When I finished Leave No Footprints (which I reviewed Wednesday), I wasn’t quite ready to leave the National Parks.  Fortunately, I’d just been digging through the books in my condo and found Going Nowhere Fast by Gar Anthony Haywood.  It proved to be just the mystery I needed.

Joe and Dottie Loudermilk have turned in a traditional retirement for life on the road.  When Joe retired from his career as a police officer in Los Angeles, the couple bought an Airstream trailer and hit the road, going wherever they felt like.  An additional bonus has been the fact that they are not bothered by their grown kids who can’t quite seem to function as adults.

The couple are currently enjoying the Grand Canyon.  However, when they return from a run one morning, it’s to find that their youngest son has found them.  But that’s not the biggest surprise – there’s a dead body in their trailer’s bathroom.  Joe and Dottie certainly don’t recognize the corpse, and their son says he doesn’t recognize him either.  But he’s lying about something.  What is he hiding?  Does it have to do with the murder?

Before going any further, I should point out that this book was originally published in the mid-90’s, and I’ve had the book sitting on my shelves for over a decade.  I point this out because, even though the 90’s aren’t that long ago, it really is a different time.  For example, no one has cell phones, and they use this thing called a pay phone.  Weird, right?  The book is currently available as an ebook, and I don’t know if it has been updated at all.  Just be prepared for the trip back in time, and you’ll be fine.

Since I grew up camping in trailers, I immediately identified with Joe and Dottie.  In fact, part of me finds their life very appealing.  Of course, there’s the whole murder thing, which I wouldn’t want to find myself part of in real life, but that part intrigued me here.  I couldn’t wait to see what was going on and how they’d figure it out.  Joe may be the retired cop, but Dottie is really the one who drives the investigation here.  She does a good job of gathering clues and piecing things together while dealing with some twists I didn’t see coming.  The plotting here is excellent.

The characters, on the other hand, could have been a little better.  Joe seems to be constantly grumbling or complaining about something to the point where he’s often angry.  I’m sure it was supposed to come across as humorous, but I found it off putting.  Their son was an idiot, but I still found him amusing at times.  Neither character is so bad that I am sorry I read the book, but I wanted to like them more than I did.  Dottie, as narrator, is the most normal of the bunch, and I certainly did like her.  The rest of the cast are interesting and do their job of keeping us confused as to what is really going on.

I’m glad I finally picked up Going Nowhere Fast.  If you are looking for an offbeat mystery that will hook you until the end, this is the trip for you.

This is part of Friday's Forgotten Books.

Book Review: A Simple Murder by Eleanor Kuhns (Will Rees #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong mystery, characters, and sense of time

Cons: Pacing did seem off; hard to remember character relationships

The Bottom Line:

Will finds murder in

A Shaker community

Good historical

Simple Time but Complex Murder

I say I enjoyed historical mysteries, but I don’t read that many of them.  So when the Will Rees mysteries series crossed my radar, I was immediately intrigued.  Will is a traveling weaver in 1795 Maine.  I picked up the first book, A Simple Murder, and prepared to get lost in the past.

It’s been several years since Will’s wife died.  Always a wanderer at heart, Will set out as a traveling weaver, leaving his son and his farm in Maine with his sister and her husband.  He’s returned home occasionally over the years, but on his most recent visit, he discovers that his son has fled and joined a sect of Shakers who live over a day’s journey away.  Upset, Will rushes down to talk to his son, David, and hopefully make amends.

His reunion with David doesn’t go well.  He’s trying to figure out how he can go about rebuilding their relationship when word reaches him that one of the women in the Shaker community has been murdered.  Will has found himself stepping in to solve a few crimes over the course of his travels, and it is actual David who suggests to the elders that Will might be able to help figure out what happened.  Can Will overcome his status as an outsider to gather the clues he needs to solve the case?

I must admit, I know very little about the Shakers, so this was an eye-opening book in that regard.  Will spends quite a bit of time in the Shaker community, so we get to learn about this sect.  It’s made me curious enough to want to learn more about their beliefs and how they live.

I’m torn on the mystery.  There are plenty of suspects and twists and turns.  But at the same time, the pace seemed slow.  I suspect that was a result of the historical setting.  When Will had to travel to talk to someone, it would take up most of the day.  As a result, he could only talk to a few people each day, and the time slipped away.  I suspect that crept into my mind as I was reading and it felt like we weren’t making any progress when in reality we were.

The characters were certainly strong.  I loved watching Will’s growth as well as his relationships with several characters grow.  I really fell in love with these characters and I want to see them happy.

As the book progressed, Will uncovered quite a few family connections, and I had trouble keeping all of those straight.  While putting a list of characters or a family tree in the book would certainly help, it would have also constituted spoilers for the story.  I was still able to follow the story, but this might have also helped me feel like the plot wasn’t as strong as it could be.  And none of this is to say the suspects weren’t strong.  I could easily remember who all of them were, I just could remember as easily how they were all connected to each other.

Author Eleanor Kuhns did a good job of bring life to 1795 for us.  There are only marginal references to real history, but it was in the everyday details of life that I felt like I was back in time.

A Simple Murder proves to be anything but simple.  This was a good debut.  I am definitely planning to visit Will again to find out what happens to him next.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

Book Review: "P" Is for Peril by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone #16)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Strong mystery and characters, as always

Cons: The book ends very abruptly

The Bottom Line:

A missing doctor

The mystery starts out well

But then it just stops

Missing Doctor Leads Kinsey to Peril

While I only started Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone mysteries a few years ago, I’ve been aware of them for years.  After reading “P” is for Peril, I remember some of the comments about the book from the time it was published almost 20 years ago, and I certainly understand them.

Nine weeks ago, Dr. Dowan Purcell vanished without a trace.  Now, his ex-wife, Fiona, has hired PI Kinsey Millhone to figure out what happened to him.  Kinsey isn’t sure she can cover any ground that the police haven’t already covered because they have been as thorough as they can be, but she gamely agrees anyway.  Soon, she is caught in a web of speculation.  It seems everyone has a theory, from Fiona to Dr. Purcell’s current wife, Crystal, to family and friends.  But can Kinsey find any clue to figure out what actually happened to him?

This book wastes little time getting the mystery started.  I knew that we’d have some great twists along the way, and I wasn’t at all disappointed.  The book contains a very strong sub-plot as well, which was just as engrossing as the main mystery.

Once again, the characters were wonderful.  In just a few words, these characters leap off the page for us, and even when secrets come to light, they make sense with what we already know about the characters.  Since the book takes place in Kinsey’s native Santa Teresa, we get a few updates on the regular character’s in Kinsey’s orbit, and I always enjoy spending time with them as well.

Even the weather works in this book’s favor.  It’s set in a cold and rainy November, and that atmosphere seeps out of the pages for us.  While the events of the book aren’t really any darker than the rest of the series, you feel like something dark and foreboding is coming the entire time.

So, what doesn’t work?  The ending.  It is abrupt.  The story just kind of stops.  Yes, Kinsey has figured things out, or at least it looks like she has.  I have my theory of what has happened and why, but it could still be one of several possibilities.  I know that ambiguous endings can be popular in literary fiction, but they don’t work in mysteries.  I want to know who the killer is and why, and since I could list two vastly different theories without breaking a sweat, it definitely doesn’t work in this case.  Even the sub-plot, which has more of a definite climax, leaves a couple of things dangling, although I think I can piece together what really happened in that case.  There is quite a bit to the plot of the book, and I’m wondering if the story got away from Ms. Grafton and she felt pressure to wrap things up quickly.

I’m now on my second audio book with Judy Kaye as the narrator.  I’ve gotten used to her take on Kinsey and she did a wonderful job at bringing the new characters to life as well.  I’m still struggling with her take on the regular supporting characters, especially Henry and Rosie.  But I’m sure I will adjust as I listen to more books, and this is a minor issue overall.

The more I think about the ending of “P” is for Peril, the less satisfying I find it.  If you are a fan of Kinsey, you’ll definitely want to read this book, but if you are new to the series, don’t jump in here.

Need more Kinsey?  Here are the rest of the Kinsey Millhone Mysteries in order.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

Book Review: The Lost World by Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park #2)

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Action scenes are fun and thrilling

Cons: Too many lectures between action scenes

The Bottom Line:

Jurassic sequel

More action packed dinosaurs

Slowed down by lectures

Scientific Theories Disguised as Fiction Make Desire to Read This Novel Extinct

Back before the original Jurassic Park sequel hit theaters, I listened to an abridgment of The Lost World, Michael Crichton’s sequel novel to his original novel.  I know, I know, abridgments, but that was all my library had of the title at the time.  After listening to the full Jurassic Park last year, I decided to give The Lost World a relisten, this time to the full book.  I remember thinking the book was a decent sequel, but clearly the abridgment was an improvement.

The action picks up a few years after the original disaster.  It turns out that that the rumors of Ian Malcom’s death were greatly exaggerated.  After a couple of years recovering, most of them under the care of Sarah Harding, Ian is back to lecturing on chaos theory.  While none of the survivors of the Jurassic Park disaster have talked about what happened, there are rumors.  And those rumors aren’t helped by the reappearance of weird creatures on the Costa Rica coast.  In fact, wealthy scientist Richard Levine has come up with the theory that there is another island with dinosaurs on it, and he is obsessed with finding it.

When he does locate it, he rushes there, leaving a cryptic message for Ian, who thinks they need to set up a rescue operation.  With Jack Thorne, who has made the equipment that Levine and Malcom intended to use on the island, they set out.  Meanwhile, Sarah, who studies predators in the wild, begins flying from Africa to join them.  Will the scientists be able to prove their theories about dinosaurs and about how dinosaurs became extinct?  Or will some stowaways and other uninvited guests ruin their plans?

Now, let’s be honest, we all know where this book is going.  Even if you haven’t seen the movies, if you’ve read the first book, you know what is going to happen.  But instead of getting to the island, we instead spend time chasing rumors of dinosaurs on the mainland.  Sorry, but that is all boring.

Things don’t improve when we get to the island.  Instead of getting right to the action, we instead get lectures about dinosaurs and how they lived and theories about what might have made them extinct.  Seriously, this book could have been significantly shorter if those scenes were cut.  Or at least the duplicates cut out since we hear some of these theories a couple of different times.

Crichton is still the master of suspenseful writing, however.  When the dinosaurs are running amok, it is hard to think about anything else.  The miles flew by as I listened in my car, on the edge of my seat to find out who would live and who would become dinosaur food.  It’s just these attacks don’t really start until the final quarter of the book.  Yes, some of these scenes will be familiar if you know the movie, but some of them play out differently.  And the ending?  It’s much better than the ending of the movie.  Much, much better.

The reason the abridgment worked?  It cut out much of the monologues and lectures I was talking about.  At least, that’s my assumption since it has been over 20 years since I listened to it.

The unabridged version I listened to this time was read by Scott Brick.  He does a great job with the material, but there’s only so much he can do when the material is this dry.

There is an entertaining novel in The Lost World.  The problem is, you have to wade through a lot of speculative scientific lectures to find it.  Fans of the first will be glad they read this one, but it isn’t something to rush out and get and skimming will help you enjoy it.

This book is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

Book Review: Read It and Weep by Jenn McKinlay (Library Lovers Mysteries #4)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Characters, twists to mystery

Cons: Love triangle overshadows everything

The Bottom Line:

Love life the focus

When play brings danger to town

Overall book’s slow

Romance Overshadows Mystery

Being multiple books behind in the Library Lovers Mysteries, I know some things that were coming in the series.  One of them was that main character Lindsey Norris’s love life would take several left turns.  That particular storyline really takes shape in Read It and Weep, the fourth in the series.  Unfortunately, I felt like it overshadowed the mystery.

This fall, Lindsey’s friend Violet La Rue is directing a local theater production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and she is encouraging everyone to try out for it.  Lindsey is more interested in working behind the scenes on the costumes, but many of her friends land parts in the play.  Even Ms. Cole, the sour circulation librarian, is in the cast.  The one non-community member cast is Violet’s friend, Robbie Vine, a celebrated actor.  He brings with him his wife and his girlfriend, but he still is immediately smitten with Lindsey, and he starts flirting with her, which does nothing but irritate Sully, Lindsey’s ex.

However, Lindsey’s romantic troubles aren’t the biggest issue on the stage.  Instead, a series of increasingly more serious accidents seem to be happening in the theater.  Is someone out to destroy the production?  Is one particular person the target?  Will Lindsey get to the bottom of things before someone dies?

Since I’ve pretty much already said this, I’ll start with the romance, which overshadows everything.  Honestly, Sully has been an idiot (I thought his actions at the end of the last books were so stupid, I wanted to smack him), and the appearance of Robbie doesn’t make things any better.  Unfortunately, we are left with a collection of romantic comedy moments in the book.  A few would have been fun or cute, but they got repetitive.  Then again, I’m a guy.  While I will enjoy the occasional romantic comedy and don’t mind the romantic sub-plots in cozies, this kind of story is not what I normally pick out.

It doesn’t help that the mystery doesn’t fully kick off until later in the book.  Yes, there are some events and people are taking them seriously, but the focus is still on Lindsey’s love life.  Once the plot gets started, it is decent and kept me guessing until the end.  Even then, Lindsey’s love life is a focal point, we just have more mysterious things happening to help us keep reading.

I definitely enjoyed the characters.  We get to see a different side of a couple of the series regulars, which I greatly enjoyed.  While Violet has been in the series since the beginning, I haven’t felt like we’ve really gotten to know her yet, and that definitely changed here.  On the other hand, the suspects were rather weak; I think this was mostly caused by – you guessed it – the emphasis on Lindsey’s love life.

And I still really enjoy the setting.  Briar Creek seems like a charming small town that it would be a pleasure to visit – between murders, of course.  And I can’t leave out the fact that it is on the coast.  I’d probably join the summer crowds, but I’m sure I’d love it.

This series includes quite a few extras.  We get a recipe, a craft project idea, and discussion questions.  No, not for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  If you want to find out what book is featured at the end, you’ll have to pick up a copy.

This book is not up to author Jenn McKinlay’s usual standards.  However, I’ve read enough of her books to suspect that Read It and Weep is blip from an author I usually adore.  If you are a fan of the author and this series, you’ll still want to pick it up, but if you are new to her books, I suggest you start elsewhere.  Me?  I’m looking forward to visiting Lindsey again soon.

Need to check out more books in the series?  Here are the Library Lover’s Mysteries in order.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

Book Review: "O" is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone #15)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and mystery

Cons: All cons have been outlawed

The Bottom Line:

Case from Kinsey’s past

Captivates from the first page

Another great book

Mystery from Kinsey’s Past

Fans of the Kinsey Millhone series know that she has been married twice.  In an early book in the series, we met her second ex-husband.  However, we’ve never gotten to learn much about her first marriage or husband.  That changes with the fifteenth book in the series, “O” is for Outlaw.

Kinsey is surprised to get a phone call from a guy claiming he found some of her stuff in an abandoned storage locker.  Intrigued, Kinsey heads out to meet him.  It’s mostly old school papers and projects, and Kinsey figures they must have been things she left behind when she moved out before divorcing Mickey.  Among those things is some mail – it’s mostly junk, but she finds a letter to her in the stack.

Reading the letter shocks Kinsey.  It sheds new light on her marriage to Mickey and the events that led to her leaving him fourteen years before.  As Kinsey begins to hunt for Mickey to learn exactly what happened, she also begins to look into the murder that lead to her leaving Mickey.  Will she learn the truth about what happened all those years ago?

I will admit that I had figured that Kinsey’s first marriage was just some character background, and I wasn’t that curious out this part of her past – until I started this book.  It didn’t take long before I was very intrigued about what happened all those years ago.  We get the background we need fairly early in the book, but it is presented in an intriguing way without feeling like it is slowing down the story.

Frankly, nothing slows down this story.  I was hooked from the beginning, and I never felt like things lagged.  We were constantly getting new information either from the past or the present that compelled us forward to find the truth.  Yes, the past is our ticket into the story, but the past is influencing the present, and the two are balanced perfectly to keep us engaged the entire time.  The ending wraps things up well and answers our questions.

This series has never been super strong from a supporting character standpoint.  Yes, there are some regulars in Kinsey’s life, but we only see a couple of them here.  Honestly, I felt like we got more time with the regulars in the last book in the series, and we spent most of the book out of Kinsey’s native Santa Teresa.  Not that I’m complaining because the few scenes we do get with the people in Kinsey’s life are always well worth it.  Kinsey herself is a strong enough character to keep us engaged in the story, and the growth we see as a result of what she learns here is wonderful as always.

I’m also not complaining because the new characters are fully alive and draw us into the story.  I know I have praised Sue Grafton’s ability to craft characters in the past, but I have to repeat myself.  We know these people as soon as they pop onto the page.  It really is remarkable.

I have finally reached the new narrator on the audio books.  I’m not going to lie; I did miss Mary Pfeiffer.  I’ve been with her for fourteen books, and her take on Kinsey and company is what I’ve gotten used to.  That isn’t to discount Judy Kaye as a narrator at all.  It wasn’t too long before I was buying her as Kinsey, which is important since this is a first-person narrated book.  Some of the voices she used for characters sounded good, but some of them felt a little cartoony to me.  This was especially true for the men in the story.  However, I grew accustomed to it as the book progressed, and I’m sure I won’t have any trouble with her narrating as I get further into her books in the series.

“O” is for Outlaw will certainly captivate Kinsey’s many fans as they learn just a bit more about her past.  Even if you are new to the series, you’ll be quickly hooked on this story as well and ready to spend more time with Kinsey.

Need more time with Kinsey?  Here are the rest of the Kinsey Millhone Mysteries in order.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten books.

Book Review: Murder in Chinatown by Victoria Thompson (Gaslight Mysteries #9)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong mystery, characters, sense of time

Cons: All cons left in the past

The Bottom Line:

Chinatown teen lost

Dynamic duo on case

Time travel with book

Missing Girl Leads to Murder

With the previous book in the Gaslight series, we got a chance to explore Little Italy in New York City in the 1890’s.  For the ninth book in the series, we turn to a different section of town with Murder in Chinatown.

If you are new to the series, it really features two protagonists.  Sarah Brandt is a midwife, who travels all over the city helping any woman who needs her at the birth of their babies.  Frank Malloy is a Detective Sergeant in the NYPD, which is currently under a bit of reform thanks to their commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt.  Much to Malloy’s dismay, Sarah’s work seems to keep putting her in situations where she runs across murder, and she has a knack for helping him solve crimes.

As this book opens, Sarah has vowed to stay away from solving crimes and getting involved in anything dangerous after a recent close call.  However, she is in Chinatown with the Lee family since Cora Lee is about to give birth and gets a front row to the family drama unfolding.  Cora’s niece, Angel, is upset that her father has arranged a marriage for her to an older man and runs away.  The family is frantic to find her because the city is no place for a fifteen-year-old to be alone.

While the family does find her, she turns up dead a few days later.  Sarah manages to get Malloy involved in the case because she fears other police won’t care to fully investigate given who the victim was.  But can Malloy figure it out?  Will Sarah get involved despite her promise to stay away from murder?

With the last book set in Little Italy, the racial tensions weren’t below the surface but actually caused some very tense scenes.  This book also brings up racial issues of the 1890’s, but it does so without the added drama.  Still, we get a very clear picture of how the Chinese were treated in the 1890’s, and it isn’t pretty.

Not to worry – this book doesn’t forget it is a mystery.  These details are woven into a plot that moves forward quickly, always giving us a new clue or red herring to keep us guessing.  I thought I had a couple of things figured out, but I was completely wrong about them.  However, when everything comes together at the end, it all made perfect sense.

Some of the books in this series feature a true partnership, with Sarah and Frank contributing equally to the solving of the murder.  Others feature one or the other more heavily.  I would say this book leans a little toward Frank since Sarah is trying to stay out of danger.  Now, this isn’t to say we don’t see plenty of her, and she still manages to get involved in quite a bit of the story.  It really doesn’t matter who is taking the lead since I enjoy spending time with both of them.  I also enjoyed the time we got to spend with the supporting players; I’m especially enjoying how Mrs. Ellsworth’s roll in the series has evolved.  Of course, the book is filled with new characters.  They all felt real to me, even those who just had a couple of scenes.

This series never fails to transport me to the 1890’s, and this book is no exception.  It’s in the small details of what life was like back then, and I really do enjoy these trips back in time.

Fans of the series will be interested to note that a couple of on-going storylines get some nudges forward here, and it looks like one has been set up to be the focus of the next book in the series.  I’m dying to get to it now.  However, if you haven’t been reading the series, you could easily jump in here since we get any background needed and these storylines aren’t given much page time.

If you are looking for a trip back in time, I can’t think of better tour guides than Frank and Sarah.  Grab Murder in Chinatown today and settle back for the trip.

Enjoy more trips back to the 1890's with the rest of the Gaslight Mysteries.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

Book Review: "N" is for Noose by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone #14)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters, decent mystery…

Cons: …Once the pace finally picks up

The Bottom Line:

A slow beginning

Masks another good story

Worth persevering

Overcomes a Slow Start to be Entertaining

I always finish a book once I start it.  Sometimes, my issues with the beginning of a book are resolved the further you go along.  I’m especially patient with an author I normally enjoy.  Such was the case with “N” is for Noose by Sue Grafton.  This book definitely had a slow start, but I was quite intrigued by the time we reached the climax.

P.I. Kinsey Millhone has been hired to ease the mind of a widow.  No one is questioning that Tom Newquist died of a heart attack, something brought on by his poor health habits.  However, his widow, Selma, is convinced that something was bothering her husband in the last few weeks of his life, and she needs to know what that was.  The problem is, she has no clue where Kinsey might begin to look, and none of Tom’s friends or co-workers in the Nota Lake Sheriff’s office are willing to speak ill of the man or have any clue what might have been bothering him.

So Kinsey digs into his life, hoping to find some thread she can unravel.  Was Tom hiding something?  Can Kinsey figure out what it was?

Okay, since this is a mystery, you can pretty much figure out that Tom does have a secret that was weighing on him, but it takes forever for Kinsey to find the thread to unravel.  We are over a quarter of the way into the book before the investigation begins to go anywhere.  But after that point, I began to get hooked and I was very impressed with what Kinsey uncovered and how she put everything together by the time the book was over.  It could have used some editing in the beginning, but it was well worth reading overall.

Much of the book takes place outside of Kinsey’s home town of Santa Teresa, California.  This isn’t the first time we’ve spent significant time outside of town on a case.  We do get a little bit of time with the regular supporting players, which was nice.  However, the book is filled with a strong cast of new characters.  I’ve always found that the characters are a strong point in this series.  In just a few lines, they spring to life, and I’m left in awe at how deftly author Sue Grafton was able to do that.

Based on my research, I have reached the end of the line in this series in one respect – this appears to be the final book narrated by Mary Peiffer.  I’m really going to miss her take on the characters and narration, which I have always found wonderful.  And the fact that I was listening on audio might have helped me enjoy the book more since I was in my car driving anyway, so I was more patient with the slow beginning to the book.  After all, I listened to over half of it in just about 24 hours while I was driving all over Southern California for a fun weekend.

If you are new to Kinsey Millhone’s cases, I definitely don’t recommend that you jump in here.  However, fans will find they enjoy “N” is for Noose once the story gets going.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Kinsey Millhone Mysteries.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

Book Review: Forget Me Knot by Mary Marks (Quilting Mysteries #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters, good plot

Cons: Plot a little slow to start, a little (very little) political snipping

The Bottom Line:

When quilter murdered

Martha and friends ask questions

I was hooked by end

Can Martha Solve a Knotty Murder?

If you’ve noticed, I tend to stay away from the crafty cozies.  Most of the crafts featured don’t interest me (there are exceptions, of course).  It’s one reason why I have passed on Mary Marks’ Quilting Mysteries until now.  After seeing her at several events, I finally decided to give in and read the first, Forget Me Knot.  I’m glad I did because this book really grew on me.

Retirees Martha Rose and her best friends Lucy and Birdie have been getting together every Tuesday to quilt for a couple of years now, but they are thinking of adding a new member to their circle.  Claire Terry has invited them to come to her house this Tuesday, which surprises Martha since Claire is easily a decade younger than she is, and Martha is the youngest of the trio.  The friends arrive to a shocking discover – Claire’s dead body in her living room.

While the trio are sad, they figure the police will handle the investigation – that is until someone steals three quilts from a quilting show that weekend – Martha’s, Birdie’s, and Claire’s final prize-winning quilt.  It’s just too much of a coincidence for Martha, but what is the connection between Claire’s death and her quilts?

I felt the book started out a little uneven.  What I’ve teased happens early in the book, but then we spend some time with Martha investigating without it feeling like the book is going anywhere.  It is layering in some suspects, but it is only in the second half of the book that things really begin to pay off.  Once we hit that point, the twists begin to come at a steady pace.  Some of the twists lead us to some edgier motives for a cozy series, but the book handles them well.  The climax makes perfect sense and wraps everything up well, and there is a brilliant twist along the way.

We are meeting an entirely new cast of characters here, but they are already rich characters.  They are older than a typical cozy cast, but I really appreciated that since it’s always nice to see some variety in cozies.  Martha, Lucy, and Birdie are very distinct characters already, and we get to know various people in their lives as the book progresses.  We meet a wide range of suspects, too, as the book progresses, and I felt they were just as real as the series regulars.

One thing that did bother me a little were some political snipes.  I appreciate that politics rarely if ever comes into play in the cozies I read, so these were a surprise.  Even more so, they felt needless.  I suspect that they were intended to be funny, since I laughed at the last one in the book, but given all the politics in the world today, this did give me pause.  The book came out in 2014, and if that has continued in the series, I am worried about what the author is putting in the books today.  Fortunately, this dropped off as the plot got stronger in the second half; I am hoping it has dropped out of the series as it has gone along as well.

One reason I decided to pick up this series is that it is set in the suburban sprawl that is the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County.  I live just barely north of the San Fernando Valley, and I always enjoy reading books where I recognize the setting.  Again, this is a way that the series sets itself apart from other cozies – this isn’t a small town.  Yet, it still invokes the cozy feeling since we are investigating people in Claire’s life to find her killer.

It is easy to see why the seventh book in the series will be out this summer.  Not that I need another series to catch up on, but I will definitely be reading the sequel to Forget Me Knot to find out what happens next to Martha, Lucy, and Birdie.

Piece together clues in the rest of the Quilting Mysteries.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.