Since my ultimate Frisbee game went quickly last night (we lost big time), I had time to update
The Index. And, of course, here's my monthly reading summary. While you are here, check out my review and giveaway of
Death of a Chocolate Cheater by Penny Pike.
All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).
The latest Metalman superhero film is being filmed in Half
Moon Bay, and DeMarco’s aunt is a producer.
However, the set visit she arranges for Nick, Tesla, DeMarco, and Silas
leads the four friends to believe someone is trying to sabotage the film. Can they figure out who?
This is a fun mystery with great clues and red
herrings. The characters could be a tad
better, but the middle grade audience certainly won’t care. I didn’t at that age. There are also instructions for projects to
build later, including zombie make up.
What more could kids want?
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my
honest review.
With fall in the air, Julia must make decisions about her
future with the family clambake. Will
she stay or return to her job in New York City?
That gets put on the back burner when the body of a potential competitor
is found on an abandoned boat and the police begin to question her
brother-in-law, who is clearly hiding something.
The book started off strong and never slowed down. There are plenty of secrets, clues, and
twists along the way to a fantastic ending.
The characters were strong and that made me care about the solution to
the mystery that much more.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my
honest review.
When Antonia Martinelli asks Penny Lively to look into
sabotage at the Martinelli Winery, Penny feels like she has to say yes. However, things quickly escalate to murder,
and Penny feels like she has gotten in over her head. Can she find the killer? Is the murder related to the sabotage?
This debut is filled with strong characters and a compelling
plot that kept me turning pages. Sadly,
the timeline early on had some errors in it, which is a big pet peeve. Those issues were resolved later in the book,
and it never impacted the story.
Overall, this is a strong book in what could easily become a long
running series.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my
honest review.
When Ben gets kicked out of spy school, he accepts an offer
to attended SPYDER’s spy school instead.
It’s an undercover assignment to find out what their next evil plan
is. At least, Ben hopes that’s the
case. Since he is cut off from everyone
but he new fellow students, can he learn SPYDER’s plans and share them with
someone else in time?
Because the setting is different, we don’t get quite as much
from the usual supporting characters, but the news characters are just as great. The plot moves forward at a steady pace until
the final third, when it kicks into high gear.
Add in a nice dose of humor, and you’ve got a wonderful new adventure
for Ben and his fans.
14th Deadly Sin by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Women’s Murder Club #14) – 4
While Lindsay is investigating a deadly string of robberies
where the suspects were SFPD jackets, Yuki takes a new job and her first client
is suing the city for false arrest and Joe looks into a string of annual
murders.
With three plots, there is never a dull moment in this page
turner. Sadly, Claire and Cindy are
sidelined in this book. I really wish
all the ladies were involved in the stories again. The emphasis on plot over characters
continues, but there is enough about the characters to make us care about the
outcome.
Kelsey Cambridge enjoys her job running the Barton Farm
Living History Museum. However, on the
weekend that she’s added Civil War reenactors to the museum’s activities, she
gets word from Maxwell that he is going to cut off the funds she’s been getting
through a charitable foundation to help keep the place running. When Kelsey finds Maxwell murdered on the
museum property the next morning, she becomes a suspect. Can she find the real killer?
I already enjoy history, but Kelsey’s love of the subject
comes through loud and clear. The plot
was a little slow to get going as the museum and characters were introduced,
but it quickly gained speed and drew me in.
Kelsey is a strong character, and the rest of the cast is great as
well. I’m looking forward to reading
more about them in the future.
NOTE: I was sent an ARC of this book in exchange for my
honest review.
Mel and Angie have entered a pastry baking contest, hoping
to beat their rival Olivia for the grand prize.
The judges are mostly people Mel knew from culinary school, including
her old mentor Vic Mazzotta. Vic can be
a hard man to live, but Mel is still surprised when he is found dead inside an
ice truck. Had he made a lethal enemy?
The book sets up the suspects and motives early on before
Vic’s body is even found. I did feel the
pacing sagged a bit in the middle, but for the most part, this was a great
mystery with some good twists and a great climax. The characters are fun as always, too. It’s easy to see why the series is so
popular.
Just days before Charlotte and Jordan are to wed, the body
of Tim O’Shea, the local bar owner, is found on Jordan’s cheese farm. The personal nature of the murder leads
Charlotte to start investigating to figure out who would want to kill the man
who was a friend to so many.
I was surprised when I realized who the murder victim was
going to be, but I liked that it made the case more personal to me as well as
the characters. The large cast is
charming and fun as always. I do grow a
little tire of the character’s wild theories (especially Rebecca), but that’s a
minor complaint overall.
Alex Sennefer has never been healthy, but recently he’s
taken a turn for the worse. Just when
things look their darkest, he makes a miraculous recovery. However, the world he wakes up to includes
some dangerous long dead mummies come to life as well. Can Alex help stop them?
The book started a little slowly thanks to the set up taking
some time, but once the story got going, I was turning pages as quickly as I
could. A couple scenes in the second
half especially left me with sweaty palms.
The characters and good, and this book ends with a set up for the next
book. The target middle grade audience
will be thrilled.
Best friends Krissy and Vickie have moved to Pine Hills and
opened a bookstore and coffee shop.
They’ve even named it Death by Coffee after one of Krissy’s dad’s
bestselling mystery novels. But they
find themselves in a real life mystery on their first day in business when a
customer buys a cup of coffee, takes it to his office across the street, and
dies. Krissy will have to act fast to
clear their shop of any wrong doing in the crime.
The book sounded like fun, and I really wanted to like it,
but the truth it is turned out to be average.
The plot was a little uneven at times, but it still advanced to a great
and logical climax. The suspects were
good, but most of the series regular characters were a bit flat. Krissy did some embarrassing things that made
me cringe, and her cat was annoying.
Here’s hoping the series gets better as it goes along.
NOTE: I was sent an ARC of this book in exchange for my
honest review.
Everyone, English and Amish alike, are talking about toy
maker Rob Karble being in town to make a deal to distribute toys made by the
local Amish. However, not too long after
word leaks he intends to use his factory instead of the local Amish, he is
found murdered. Once again, Claire
Weatherly finds herself getting involved to clear her new Amish friends.
I still can’t get over how strong the characters in this
series are. They pull you in and make
you care about every page. The plot is
good, and kept me guessing until the end.
I did find the romantic triangle a bit too prominent, and yet with the
way it ended, I can’t wait to find out what happens next there as well. The strong characters are to blame for that
contradiction.
