Book Review: Floral Depravity by Beverly Allen (Bridal Bouquet Shop Mysteries #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great characters, interesting mystery and setting

Cons: I wanted to see more of some of the series supporting characters

The Bottom Line:

Medieval wedding

Makes another fun setting

For this great series

Life in Medieval Times was Murder

I must admit that I wouldn’t have expected to find a medieval theme in a book about a flower shop.  Somehow, I just don’t see that two are going together.  And yet that is exactly what we get in Floral Depravity, the third in the Bridal Bouquet Flower Shop mysteries, and it’s a great book.

Every year, there is a medieval encampment just outside of the small Virginia town where Audrey Bloom lives.  No, this isn’t one of those Renaissance Fairs that is more about entertaining the guests than historical realism.  Instead, it’s about being historically accurate.  That provides a bit of a challenge for Audrey when her shop, Rose in Bloom, is asked to provide the flowers for a wedding that is to take place during this year’s encampment.  Still, she manages to find some historically accurate but meaningful flowers.

Audrey is at the encampment for the wedding when tragedy strikes.  The father of the groom collapses after the ceremony.  Audrey quickly suspects he was poisoned, and a search of the nearby woods confirms her suspicion when she finds the plant used in the crime.  The victim is rumored to have a secret life, but what is that life?  Did it somehow lead to his murder?

I have enjoyed the first two books in this series, and this third one was no exception.  The characters are absolutely wonderful.  Audrey is a smart and capable heroine, and I loved seeing this next chapter in her life.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get to spend nearly as much time with the support staff at the florist shop she co-owns with her cousin Liv, and I love them, so I missed them.  However, the new crop of characters are interesting, and working the supporting characters into the story probably would have just slowed it down.

The plot does move forward at a steady pace, providing us with great clues and red herrings along the way.  Aspects of this case hit very close to home for Audrey, so we get some great character development as the plot unfolds.  I did have some idea where things were going before we reached the end, but I completely missed the clues or motive until Audrey figured it out.

Since Audrey’s interest is in the language of flowers, there is some talk along the way about what various flowers mean.  However, I never felt like it slowed down the book.

I got a kick out of the medieval camp set up for this story.  The way the various characters either insisted on perfectly keeping the time period accurate or tried to sneak modern stuff in created some very fun moments.

Beverly Allen is three for three when it comes to fun mysteries and wonderful characters.  If you’ve missed this series, fix that today.  And if you are already a fan, be sure to pick up Floral Depravity.  You’ll love it.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

GIVEAWAY:

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of this book to give away.  Because it is a physical book, the contest is limited to residence of the US.

Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I will pick the winner next Thursday, October 15th, so please leave your comment before 12:01AM Pacific Time on 10/15.

TV Show Review: Tough Rides: China

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Interesting look at the diversity and beauty of China.

Cons: Episodes could be longer.

The Bottom Line:

Bike around China

Shows beauty and adventure

Just scratches surface

Two Brothers, Two Bikes, One Extraordinary Trip

Someday, I am going to go on a road trip.  In fact, my secret desire is to get in my car and drive the 10 from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.  It’s things like money and time that hold me back from actually doing it.  That’s one reason why I am jealous of brothers Ryan and Colin Pyle, who did take a major road trip.  They documented it for all of us to enjoy in Tough Rides: China.

Ryan Pyle is a photographer and adventurer who has spent more than a decade living and working in China.  After his brother Colin sells his successful business in their native Canada, they decide to travel around the border of China on motorcycles.  This is a way for them to reconnect and for Ryan to introduce Colin to the country he loves.

This disc chronicles their 65 day journey.  Over the course of six half hour episodes, we get to join them as they experience beautiful scenery, rain, snow, a wide range of Chinese culture, highs and lows of elevation and emotion, accidents, and motorcycle problems that might end their trip.

My major complaint with this show is that the episodes are too short.  You figure that each half hour episode is covering just over 10 days.  That’s a lot of ground to cover, figuratively and literally, so we really are just getting the highlights.  This is driven home in the final episode when the brothers are talking about what the trip has meant to them.  We don’t really get to see any of that growth, unfortunately.  I think if each episode were an hour, it would have been about right.

That’s not to say this vicarious trip isn’t well worth taking.  The route takes them to many sections of China I will probably never get to see (even if I do get over there some day), and it really drives home just how diverse the country is.  It makes sense when you think about how large the country is, but it’s not something I tend to think about.  The extended time we spend in some of Ryan’s favorite areas in episodes three and four are also very interesting and really show us what life in these regions of China is like.

The Blu-ray disc has all six episodes on it, and presents them in glorious high definition wide screen and full surround sound.  There is a play all option, and that option cuts out the introduction that is the same in every episode.  There are no extras on the disc, and this was previous released on DVD as The Middle Kingdom Ride.  There is no new material here, so no need to upgrade if you already own a copy unless you want it in high-def.  As the packaging warns, there are occasional four letter words, so be aware of that before showing it to your kids.

However, if you haven’t seen Tough Rides: China, you should definitely consider it.  While I’m sure there is so much more they could have shown us, what we do see is entertaining and educational.

NOTE: I was sent a copy of this disc in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Just Killing Time by Julianne Holmes (Clock Shop Mysteries #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Well developed and real characters, plenty of conflict

Cons: Mystery a little weak

The Bottom Line:

New series debut

Characters already friends

You’ll get lost in book

Make the Time for This Debut

For the last year and a half, I’ve been a daily reader over at the Wicked Cozy Authors blog, and I’ve read all of their books and enjoyed them.  I’ve been counting down the days until I could read Just Killing Time, the debut from Julianne Holmes, the final author in the group.  That day has finally arrived, and I’m glad to say it is a fun read.

Ruth Clagan is shocked when she learns her grandfather has died.  While she was very close to him growing up, they had been estranged after her grandmother died and he had remarried.  She has inherited the family business, the Cog & Sprocket clock shop, from him, so she heads to the town of Orchard, Massachusetts, to reconnect with this part of her past.

She has not been in town long when she learns there is more to Grandpa Thom’s death than she initially thought.  While he died of a heart attack, there are signs that foul play might have been involved.  To Ruth’s surprise, he’d gotten involved in local politics and an effort to save town hall and the downtown area.  And there was a robbery at the clock shop not long before Thom died.  Did Thom interrupt another burglar?  Or was there another reason someone attacked him?

I knew from the first page I would love Ruth, and I was right.  She is a very fun main character who is rediscovering a part of her life that she’d left behind.  Over the course of the book, she reconnects with friends from the years she spent in Orchard as a child and makes some new ones.  I loved them just as much as I did Ruth.  I can’t wait to spend more time with them.

The plot includes quite a bit more about Ruth reconnecting with the clock shop and her life in Orchard than I would have normally liked, however, since I loved the characters, I enjoyed it.  And don’t misunderstand, there is plenty of conflict and a good mystery.  In fact, I can see threads of future mysteries or at least sub-plots in this book.  I’m definitely left wondering how things are going to progress as the series goes forward, and I can’t wait see just what develops.  As for this book, the mystery presented here is wrapped up with a logical solution at the end.

Because the victim was Ruth’s grandfather, this book took on a more somber tone than some of the books I read.  After all, Ruth needs to grieve for a man who was very dear to her for years.  I actually loved how that element was handled since it developed Ruth and several others over the course of the book.  As others talked about Thom, I got a great picture of the man, and honestly I wish we’d gotten to see him on the page.  This gave the book more depth than many I read, and I loved the book for it.

Just Killing Time is a polished debut that will leave you turning pages as you spend time with these delightful characters.  I’m already counting the seconds until I can revisit Ruth and the town of Orchard.

NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Giveaway:

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of this book to give away.  Because it is a physical book, the contest is limited to residence of the US.

Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I will pick the winner next Tuesday, October 13th, so please leave your comment before 12:01AM Pacific Time on 10/13.

Ornament Review: Clock Shop - Noelville #10 - 2015 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Cute design

Cons: Not enough lights up

The Bottom Line:

One more shop visit

Noelville winds to an end

Wish it lit up more

Time is up for the Village of Noelville

Every year, die hard collectors wait in dread to find out which series Hallmark is ending in a given year.  This year, two of my series are ending.  (And I’ve started three more.  I was trying to cut back, honest!)  One wasn’t a surprise based on poor sales, but I was a little surprised to see that Noelville was ending.  However, the final entry, the Clock Shop, shows why it might be time for this series to end.

As always, this is a highly decorated and tasty looking gingerbread house.  There is glittered filled white frosting on parts of the roof and ground to represent snow with green holly leaves with red berries for trim on the front.  We have hard candy bushes on two corners of the building as well.  What makes it a clock shop?  Well, there is a cookie clock on the front over the door with a red bird popping out of a window above that.  It looks a little like a cuckoo cuckoo clock, in fact, an element I certainly love.

There were two reasons I started collecting this village.  The first was creative decorating with the frosting and candy.  This ornament has that with the clock element.  The second is the light element.  And this is where this ornament disappoints.

As is usual, the windows and various other elements of this ornament are colored see through plastic.  If you put the light from an ordinary string of Christmas tree lights in the hole in the back, it shines through these parts.  However, the windows in the front, are small and there are none of the sides.  Yes, you do get some glow through the roof and bushes in three corners (the gingerbread shop owner is in the fourth corner), but it’s not enough to make up for the solid sides.  Give us bigger windows!

This isn’t the first ornament in the series to not light up enough for my tastes.  The first four were great with plenty of light, but several in the middle were this dark.  The last few were getting lighter again, but with this ornament being darker, it actually makes me feel better about the series ending.

Since this is a building, the ornament has a nice, flat base.  Someday, I intend to set all of the series out in a display.  There is a 10 in a Christmas tree on the bottom of the ornament since this is the tenth in the series.

There is a loop in the middle of the Clock Shop’s roof, so you can hang it on your tree.  It does hang straight, although that could always be pulled off based on how the light string pulls on the ornament.

If more of the ornaments in the series had been like the first few, I would be sorry to see Noelville end.  But the Clock Shop, while not bad, shows why I am okay saying goodbye to this village.

Be sure to check out the earlier places in Noelville.

Original Price: $19.95

Book Review: The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw by Christopher Healy (Hero's Guide #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Wonderful characters, fun plots, lots of laughs

Cons: This is the end of the series

The Bottom Line:

Fairy tales unite

For this fun final chapter

Wraps up series well

Framed for Murder and on the Run

When I read the second book in the Hero’s Guide series a couple of months ago, I determined that I was going to finish the series as quickly as possible.  I just had to know what was going to happen to all of these characters.  So it was with much anticipation that I sat down to read The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw.  While I’m sad to see this trilogy end, I loved every page of this book.

For those who might have missed the previous two books, they are another in the increasingly popular fairy tale mash up genre.  In this case, the focus is on the Princes Charming, who might be slightly less heroic than you would imagine.  I’m not talking about being evil, but I am talking about sillier or just less charming overall.  But when duty calls, they can come together and find a way of being heroic.  These princes are from neighboring kingdoms in a realm called the Thirteen Kingdoms.  Being the third and final book in the series, I do not recommend you start here.  Trust me, you won’t be sorry you read these books in order.

As this book opens, tragedy has struck the kingdom of Avondell.  The princess Briar Rose has been murdered.  While the kingdom goes into mourning (obviously by subjects who don’t know her well), the decree goes out to arrest the League of Princes and their accomplices (you know, people like Snow White, Ella, and Rapunzel) for this horrible crime.  With the reward being untold riches, every bounty hunter in the Thirteen Kingdoms is after our heroes.

As crazy as it sounds, the Princes do have motive based on what Briar Rose has done to them in the past.  But they are innocent of the crime, and they figure the only way to save themselves and their friends is to find the real killer.  What no one realizes is that this is merely part of a fiendish plot to take over all of the Thirteen Kingdoms.  Can the Princes clear their name?  Will they be able to defeat this new plot as well?

One reason I was anxious to read this book was the character arcs from the previous book.  I could tell where some of these things were going to go, and I was anxious to see if I was right.  I’m pleased to say I am very happy with where the characters wound up at the end of this book.  No real surprises there, but the target Middle Grade audience might not pick up on the arcs as easily as I did as an adult.  And, it’s not a bad thing at all to leave us with happily ever after, especially for a fairy tale series.

Where the surprises came into play was the plot.  This book is about 515 pages long, and I was never bored.  The story moves forward quickly with plenty of action.  I saw a few twists coming early, but there were others I wasn’t expecting.  Everything leads up to a climax that is creative, suspenseful, and nicely wraps up everything from the trilogy.

Of course, one reason I loved this series was the plentiful humor with is once again on display here.  I can’t count the number of times I laughed, chuckled, or at least grinned over the course of this book.  A few of the characters are downright silly, and they provide great laughs.  There are some funny situations and witty banter as well.

Circling back to the characters, author Christopher Healy has done a great job making all of the main characters likable.  There were a few I didn’t care for as much in the first book, but by now I really do know them and think they are truly great.  Even the silliest have had moments that showed true character.  Liam, Gustav, Duncan, and Frederic, our four Princes Charming, are very different as well, so it is easy to keep them straight.

With a book this long, I figured I would be happy to finish it in four days.  I finished in three.  That’s a testament to how quickly the pages fly by and how much I was enjoying it.  I rarely wanted to put the book down.

So if you’ve enjoyed these books, be sure to pick up The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw.  And if you have yet to meet the League of Princes, start this charming series today.

This is my entry in this week's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday.

Ornament Review: Happy Halloween! #2 - Ghost - 2014 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great details in a scene creatively presented

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

This haunted scene is

Presented in a pumpkin

Creative and fun

The Case of the Haunted Pumpkin

Since I wasn’t collecting Hallmark’s Happy Halloween! series, I didn’t pay much attention to the second entry, which came out last year.  I think if I had, I might have given it more than a ghost of a chance.  The details in it are that much fun.

Each ornament in this series features a spooky Halloween scene in a pumpkin.  And from my bad pun, you’ve probably guessed correctly that the second in the series features a ghost.  The orange pumpkin is just a tad wider than it is tall, and instead of a face, this ornament has a house carved in the front.  It’s just the outline, but it’s the shape of an old Victorian house just like is always haunted in movies or illustrations of ghost stories.  And sure enough, there is a white ghost grinning at us from the center of the scene inside.  But if you look closely behind him, you’ll see that the back of the pumpkin is etched to include two chairs sitting in front of a fireplace.  There are even windows on the sides with the curtains blowing as if a cold draft is passing through the house.

It think it was the details of the scene behind the ghost that really sold me on the ornament.  That just makes it fun.  They are very subtle, so you have to be paying attention to notice them, but I like that subtlety here.  The fact that the scene is framed by an outline of the house is great, too.

The ornament is thick enough to make the base of this ornament sturdier than the first in the series.  It still rocks a bit, but I think it would take a strong push to knock it over.  You’ll also find the series marker, a 2 in a Christmas tree, down there.

Fortunately, there is a loop attached to the stem at the top of the pumpkin, so you can hang it.  Slip a hook through it, and you’ll find that tips back a little, but that’s actually okay because it allows you to see the scene inside the pumpkin better.

The creativity of the Hallmark artists never ceases to amaze me, and that holds true with the details of the second Happy Halloween! ornament.  If you don’t hunt this one down, you’ll be haunted by regret.

There's more spooky fun with the rest of Hallmark's Happy Halloween! series.

Original Price: $12.95

October 3rd's Weekly TV Thoughts

A couple of shows returned this week, but I felt like I had less to watch.  Probably something about all those two hour premiers I complained about last week.  Next week gives me two more news shows, however, so we shall see how I do.

Once Upon a Time – As long as they are going to make Emma the Dark One, I’m glad they went all out and made her truly evil.  While I was watching her struggle, I was hoping that wasn’t all we’d see.  I also liked that they had the characters reacting the same way I was to their memories being erased.  “Again!”  I’m very curious to see how this all plays out.  So, did Regina play Hook into freeing Zelena?  We’ll probably never know that.

Big Bang Theory – Okay, I guess I was expecting too much of a resolution on a sitcom, but I feel like the ending of the Penny/Leonard issue was a bit of a letdown.  Easily the worst part of the episode, but if it resolves this stupid plot that I never bought, I’ll be happy.  Loved the rest of it.  The Shamey breakup is hilarious.  And Raj and Howard were pretty funny, too, as was Bernadette’s scene with Penny and Amy.

Dancing with the Stars – I didn’t know half of those theme songs since they were from shows I never watched.  Still, the routines were impressive – mostly.  There are still the obvious couples who should be going soon, but hopefully they will.  I wasn’t rooting for Kym and Tony, but I’m sorry to see them go, especially this way.  That’s never how I want anyone out of the competition.

Castle – Seriously?  What are they thinking?  That is not how you handle a problem when you are married, and I don’t see it working for the characters.  I will not give up on the show based on this, but they had better really make it worth our wild if I am expected to stick around for this nonsense.

The Muppets – Overall, I found the show more fun this week.  However, the adult jokes bothered me more.  Go figure, right?  The jury is still out, but I will keep watching for now and see if it can truly find its stride.

Agents of SHIELD – I’m not completely back on board.  It’s still got flaws.  But I am certainly curious where they are going with everything, especially since Ward and HYDRA aren’t the group that we were fighting against this week.  Looks like that is coming next week, but who are these others?  Where is Simmons?  Still not sure quite what to think, but I’m willing to give it a little time to develop.

Scream Queens – Who was the ice cream cone?  Was that someone we knew or just a random guest star/extra?  I mean, we didn’t lose anyone major with either of the deaths in the episode, but I don’t expect the big deaths to come until late in the season.  There’s no secret that there are two of them now, and we know who one of them is.  But why?  Obviously, it has to do with the death/baby from 20 years ago, but who is the second killer?  How did this person get a partner?  And why does the main killer think this will help at all?

Survivor – Wow, that was quite the dramatic turn in the one tribe in the course of a couple of days.  Way to find a weakness and exploit it.  But it is obvious who you can’t trust.  Good thing everyone else was on board because loose lips could have sunk that plan.  I was okay with who left.  Of the two, I didn’t really like her and I want Spencer to stick around for a while longer since I kind of like him.

Heroes Reborn – Less impressed than I was before.  I’d forgotten this part of the show where the characters wander around with no apparent purpose for episodes on end.  It reminds me of a story I used to write with some friends.  Anyway, I hope some kind of direction shows up soon.  The one thing that really got me this week is Zachary Levi’s character starting to show some powers.  Don’t know why that surprised me so much, but it really did.

Amazing Race – I was sorry to see the cousins go.  I’m not sure they would have gotten much further, but I liked them, and I would have enjoyed seeing them longer.  I wasn’t paying much attention, but I’m not sure why the jocks hate the green team so much.  And I was sorry to see one of the jocks get injured racing for second.  Seems a little crazy to me.  We will have to see how that affects them going forward.

Girl Meets World – It was an okay episode for sure, but definitely not one of their better episodes.  Having said that, the dancing was fun, and Dewey was much more fun this time around as well.

Ornament Review: Grateful Gobbler - Keepsake Cupcakes #4 - 2015 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Delicious looking turkey cupcake

Cons: Not actually edible

The Bottom Line:

November ready

With gobble gobble cupcake

Fun decoration

Let’s Talk Turkey about Hallmark’s Next Keepsake Cupcake

The calendar says it is fall, but I’m having a hard time believing that since it is currently in the upper 90’s here in Southern California.  (And as a fan of hot weather, I am not complaining).  But we are beginning to see fall items in the stores, and Hallmark is no exception.  They’ve just released Grateful Gobbler, the fourth in their yearlong Keepsake Cupcake series, and it’s a great piece.

Since this is the November cupcake, is it really surprising that the focus is a turkey?  The cupcake in question is obviously a chocolate cupcake, which we can tell thanks to just a bit of the cupcake that is peaking out of the reddish orange wrapper.  There is a bit of green frosting circling the outer side of the cupcake.  And in the middle is the turkey.  He looks like he is made out of chocolate frosting, at least the parts that are right next to the cupcake.  I’m not sure what the head and neck that rise out of the cupcake are supposed to be made from.  Fondant maybe?  There are two cookies shaped like wings sitting on the cupcake and a third rising out of the back of the cupcake for the turkey’s tail feathers.  And the feathers on the tail section?  Why pieces of candy corn, or course.

The plastic on this cupcake looks so much like the items I’ve described that my mouth waters a bit when I look at it.  The overall effect looks like Thanksgiving, so it is perfect for November.  And the foil on the cupcake nicely evokes the fall season, so it perfectly fits as well.  I don’t think we could ask for a better November cupcake.

Being a cupcake, this has a nice flat bottom so you can set it out as part of your display of the rest of the series or any Thanksgiving decoration display.  You’ll also find the 4 in a Christmas tree series marker on the bottom of the ornament.

If you want to hang this ornament somewhere, you’ll find the loop behind the turkey’s head, right in the middle of the cupcake.  He actually tips forward very, very slightly, but it is hardly noticeable unless you are looking for it.

While the choices in Grateful Gobbler might be a bit obvious, the execution is plenty of fun.  I’m thankful to have this in my collection, and you will be as well.

Check out the rest of the delicious celebration with the Keepsake Cupcakes.

Original Price: $12.95

October 2nd's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

Time for this week's Book Beginnings and Friday 56.

This week, I've got a book I just finished a few hours ago - The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw, the final part of a trilogy by Christopher Healy.  I loved it!  Not that I'm too surprised since I loved the first two books as well.

This is a middle grade book that mashes up fairy tale characters into a completely different story.  It's lots of fun filled with great humor that all can enjoy.

For example, here's how the prologue begins:

Outlaws have too many feathers in their hats.
Outlaws are allergic to seafood.
Outlaws never forget to floss.
Oh, and outlaws are people who are hunted down because they have been accused of terrible crimes.
Okay, I supposed it's possible you knew that last bit already.  But if so, then you may be wondering, "What's with all the outlaw stuff?  This is a book about the League of Princes, right?  Those guys are heroes.  Or at least hero-ish."

And here's the beginning of Chapter 1:

"Harrumph."
King Wilberforce was in a foul mood, as he had been ever since Prince Frederic had stormed out of the palace months earlier.  His son had never lashed out at him like that before.  And to think it was simply because he has banished his son's fiancee.

I mean, really, that's not a big deal, right?

One final quote, this time from page 56:

Duncan raise his chin and declared, "Duty calls, everyone!  I must go!"
He saw his family's faces droop.  "Don't worry, though.  I'll be back.  And I'll bring souvenirs!"  Everybody smiled again.

And there you have it for this week.  I'll be reviewing this book on Sunday, so if you want to learn more, come back then.

Book Review: Dead with the Wind by Miranda James (Southern Ladies Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters in a story filled with tension

Cons: None worth dwelling on

The Bottom Line:

Family wedding

Drama, not celebration

Great story for us

Celebration Turns to Tragedy

There so many great sounding series out there it is almost impossible to keep up with all of them.  That’s why when an author I keep meaning to read starts a second series, I often find myself reading that series first.  It’s a way for me to at least be caught up on one of their series.  I can now say I am up to date on Miranda James’ Southern Ladies Mysteries, and based on how much I loved Dead with the Wind, I am hoping to get to more of this author’s books soon.

Miranda (really a pen name for Dean James) spun this series off from the hugely popular Cat in the Stacks mysteries.  I’ve only read the first in that series, but that hasn’t affected my enjoyment of these books at all.  This series focuses on sisters An’gel and Dickce Ducote, two elderly spinsters who own an estate in Athena, Mississippi.  In the first book, they take in a young college student named Benjy as well as a dog, Peanut, and a cat, Endora.

In this book, An’gel and Dickce are thrilled to be heading down to Louisiana for the wedding of their cousin’s granddaughter.  Since they haven’t seen this cousin or her family in several years, they head down a few days early, looking forward to spending some time catching up before the main event.

However, when they arrive, they find the household in constant strife.  The bride-to-be makes most bridezillas look sane, and her behavior is taking a toll on the entire family.  The tension leads to one tragedy before a series of bad thunderstorms moves through the area.  In the aftermath of the storm, a body is found dead outside.  While some are quick to say the person was a victim of the storm, An’gel and Dickce think that doesn’t fit all the facts.  Can these two sisters figure out what really happened?

This book brings the conflict from the very beginning, and it doesn’t stop until we reach the climax.  I was always disappointed when I had to set the book down, and would pick it up again as soon as I could to figure out what was happening.  The tension builds to a wonderfully creative climax.  I did feel like the climax was a bit rushed, but everything was explained to my satisfaction, and the clues and red herrings throughout the book all make sense.

The characters are great as well.  In addition to An’gel and Dickce, Benjy and the two pets go along on this trip.  I love all five of these characters, so spending time with them again was a true pleasure.  The cast of new characters are strong as well.  A couple of them were a little weak early on, but by the end they were all well developed.  I could see several of them as the killer, which helped keep me turning pages as I reached the climax.

This book is a little unique in the cozy market because it is told in third person from multiple points of view.  A majority of the book is told from An’gel’s point of view, but we get scenes from Dickce’s point of view and even a few from Benjy’s viewpoint.  In the end, things these characters learn apart contribute to the solution of the mystery, and I like this approach because it is something different.

If Agatha Christie were alive writing mysteries set in the American South, she’d be writing this series.  We’ve got the mansion filled with characters that have motive.  There’s the unlikely sleuths.  And there are great twists to the story along the way.  All of these are hallmarks of her stories.  While these elements of the mystery might be familiar, the book itself is fresh and fun.  I loved how these elements were used in this story.

So if you are looking for a mystery filled with tension and puzzle, pick up Dead with the Wind.  Like me, you’ll be anxiously waiting for these Southern Ladies to have another case soon.

Enjoy more Southern life and murder with the rest of the Southern Ladies Mysteries.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

GIVEAWAY:

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of this book to give away.  Because it is a physical book, the contest is limited to residence of the US.

Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I will pick the winner next Thursday, October 8th, so please leave your comment before 12:01AM Pacific Time on 10/8.