Welcome to October, which can only mean one thing - here's my September monthly reading summary.
And yes, this month, I have updated
The Index.
All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).
Emmy Adler has just moved into the apartment above her kite
shop. That's why she hears the scream
when Stella, her part time employee, goes to open the store that morning. Stella has found a dead body in the middle of
the shop's floor. Neither of the women
recognize the victim, and the police aren't certain who she was either. Who could the victim be? Why was she in Emmy's locked shop in the
middle of the night? And who killed her?
There are some fun twists to this mystery early on, but the
pacing does lag a time or two before Emmy figures everything out. Once she does, we are in for a wonderful
climax. I missed one or two of the
series characters, but others were there to step in and keep us
entertained. Naturally, the book has
plenty of new characters, and they were well developed, making them good
suspects in the case. One of the
returning characters in this book does spoil some events from the previous
book. I loved seeing this character
again, but you might want to read book two in the series before you pick this
one up. Unlike the first two in the series,
this one is coming out as an ebook only, but fans of the series will be thrilled
to see these characters again.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Megan Sawyer is finding August to be extremely busy. While trying to keep the farm running during
a drought, she is helping get things ready for the opening of the wood-fired
pizza farm in her barn and her father and his wife, Sylvia, are in town for a
visit. Then there's the new yoga retreat
center opening nearby. As part of their
opening celebration, they are hosting an art festival, and the headlining
artist is Megan's old friend Thana.
However, the celebration turns to tragedy when Thana is found murdered
and Sylvia becomes a suspect. Her father
didn't marry a killer, did he?
This series has had a strong storyline involving Megan and
her complicated past with various family members, and that continues here by
introducing us to her father.
Additionally, there are developments in other ongoing storylines. I enjoyed getting the next chapter in Megan’s
life. The characters are as strong as
always, whether main characters, series regulars, or those introduced for this
book. The subplots did distract from the
main mystery at times, but there is still a solid mystery here. One element of the mystery needed to be included
better, but overall it was a minor issue.
We got great twists and red herrings on the way to a surprising
ending. Fans of the series will be
pleased with this new entry.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Kinsey is taking a rare week off from her PI business for
William and Rosie’s wedding, but before she can get too relaxed, Henry asks her
for a small favor. One of their
neighbors has recently passed, and his family is having a hard time getting the
death benefits from the government since they have no record of this man having
been in the service during World War II.
Kinsey doesn’t intend to get too involved, but when the man’s place is
broken into and searched, she becomes curious.
Just what is really happening?
I love it when a book takes off in ways I don’t expect, and
that’s just what happened with this one.
The plot was great, and even when we have most of the answers, there is
still the question of what will happen next to Kinsey to keep the pages
turning. It is fun to meet the rest of
William and Henry’s family, and the character involved in the mystery are as
strong as always. A series thread introduced
a couple of books back comes into play here again as well. Fans of the series who have missed this one
won’t be disappointed.
Meg Langslow is taking a turn locking up the Episcopal
Church in town. She's part of the
brigade helping out since Reverend Robyn Smith is out on bed rest for the
remainder of her pregnancy. Meg just
about has everything taken care of when she hears a pounding coming from the
columbarium. When she goes to investigate,
she finds several of the crypts have been opened, and the dead body of Junius
Hagley on the ground. Mr. Hagley was a
grouchy old man who Meg and her mother secretly call one of the Muttering
Misogynists, but Meg didn't wish him dead.
What has Meg stumbled into now?
My biggest issue with this book involved the use of the term
misogynist to describe the victim as well as describing some of his actions as
mansplaining. Honestly, I felt both of
these terms didn't have much to do with the mystery plot in the slightest and
were there more to lecture us than to entertain. Which is a shame because the mystery itself
was very entertaining. Between a mystery
from the past and how it is factoring into the events of the present, I was
hooked until Meg pieced it together at the end.
We get most of the series regulars here, and they entertain as
always. The new characters are colorful
and therefore plenty of fun as well. A
few of the scenes were so much funny they literally made me laugh out loud.
This weekend, the Dachshund Dash has come to town, and Mel
has closed down her Bow Wow Boutique to be there. Not only does she have a booth, but she is
also providing the official racing jerseys for the contestants. While she isn't familiar with the backstage
drama associated with this racing circuit, she quickly gets a crash course when
Lenny and Richard, the owners of the dogs expected to finish in first and
second, get into an argument right outside her booth. A little while later, her assistant, Betty,
gets into an altercation with Richard, even brandishing a gun at him. So, naturally, when Mel finds Richard's dead
body after he's been shot, Betty becomes the prime suspect. Only Betty claims that someone, a girl with a
dachshund tattoo, took the gun away from her.
Why is Betty being so secretive?
Where is her gun? Who shot Richard?
This is another fabulous book in the series. The plot introduces us to a couple of solid
suspects before the murder takes place, and it then gives us a few more once
things really get going. We get plenty
of twists and turns before Mel figures everything out. And we also get plenty of humor. I was grinning and chuckling when I wasn't
laughing. The characters can be a bit
broad as a result as they serve the dual purpose of suspect and provider of
laughs, but it works for the series. It
helps that Mel is very real, and her concern comes through. The result is lots of fun.
Josephine, a stray cat, has finally found a home in
Jennifer’s backseat. Jennifer is a car
left in a corner of a junk yard.
However, their lives change when a traveling salesman buys Jennifer one
day. He’s always in a hurry. What will that mean for Jennifer and
Josephine?
This is another of Bill Peet’s odd couple books, and
Josephine’s devotion to Jennifer is very touching. We get this story from the cat’s point of
view, although we occasionally get glimpses into Jennifer’s feelings. The story is definitely from a slower,
simpler time, and that leads to a story that drags a little in the middle, but
that’s the only real complaint here.
Liam Johnson is thrilled to have landed a job on the
prestigious Howard Cruise Line as a waiter.
His family needs the money he will be making. However, he quickly discovers that his boss
hates him and some of the customers he must deal with delight in making his
life miserable as well. That doesn't
prepare him for finding the body of one of the passengers dead on the Sunbathing
Deck. The ship's doctor is quick to rule
it an accidental death due to sunstroke, but Liam isn't so sure. Several things about the scene are off. Can he prove it was murder before the cruise
ends?
I really thought this book sounded like fun, but it turned
out to be much more somber than I was expecting it to be. Liam faces quite a bit of abuse and bullying
over the course of the story, and I didn't find it that fun to read. Even his friends on the ship turn on him
regularly. The mystery is well put
together with plenty of clues. I did
feel things were a bit overly complex, but the clues were all there when Liam
explains things at the end. This books
definitely falls on the traditional side of the spectrum with a smattering of
language and talk about sex (but nothing on the page) that keep it from being a
true cozy. This wasn’t' truly a bad
book, but I did hope for something sunnier when I picked it up.
When a bomb goes off in the office of millionaire Gregory
Van Dyke, everyone assumes it is anarchists.
Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy is assigned to the case at the specific
request of Felix Decker, Sarah Brandt's father.
Frank fears this means he is being set up for failure. Meanwhile, Sarah worms her way into the
investigation thanks to her friendship with the Van Dyke family. Are anarchists really behind it? If not, who set the bomb?
Once again, we have a wonderfully plotted mystery. I was usually only one or two pages ahead of
Frank and Sarah as they pieced everything together, and I was surprised once
they figured everything out. The
characters are strong as always, with both the series regulars and new
characters coming across as real.
Sarah's mother plays a larger role in what happens here, and I really
enjoyed her scenes. There was always
something happening, and I had a hard time putting it down. In fact, I decided to stay up late to finish
the book. I just didn't want to put the
last 60 pages off until the next day.
Lifelong friends Beryl and Edwina are still trying to figure
out how to earn more income when they hit on the idea of opening an enquiry
agency. And their first case comes from
the local vicar. It seems a member of
the local pigeon racing club has vanished, along with club funds and several
birds. Did the man take off with
everything? If so, can Beryl and Edwina
find him?
It was wonderful to be visiting this dynamic duo again in
1921 England. Beryl and Edwina are such
opposites, but their differences really make them a great team, and the third
person narration from their points of view show cases that perfectly. I'm loving watching Edwina come out of her
shell. I don't feel we are getting quite
as much character development for Beryl, or I'm just not seeing it, but that is
a minor complaint. The mystery is strong
and manages to bring in some issues from the time period in an organic way
without lecturing us. There are some
good twists and surprises to the story and a logical climax. The entire thing is wrapped in a sense of fun
that comes from Beryl and Edwina themselves, who are enjoying their new
vocation.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Liv, Di, and much of Liv's family is heading to Vegas for
Liv's mother's wedding to Earl. They are
excited to meet up with Liv's cousin, Little Junior, who is trying to become an
Elvis impersonator, but in the meantime is driving a cab in the city. The wedding is supposed to take place in the
Burning Love Wedding Chapel, but before the bride and groom can even get to
"I Do," the Elvis impersonator who is supposed to be marrying them
drops dead. When the police decide it
was murder, they begin looking at Liv's cousin as the killer. Even though Liv is far from home, can she
still figure out who the killer really is?
I have found the pacing in the series to be off, and this
book continues the trend as the murder comes late in the book. We get some set up before that happens, but
there is plenty of time spent with some sub-plots early in the book as
well. The mystery, when it starts, is
strong, providing some fun suspects and surprises before we reach the logical
ending. The sub-plots partially allow us
to check in with folks back in Dixie, Tennessee, so I'm not complaining too
much. Having said that, the sub plot
involving Liv's best friend Di and her boyfriend drove me crazy since both of
them were behaving stupidly. This book
is best for fans of the series since they will fully appreciate some of what
happens here. And they will really enjoy
this trip.
Stars: 5 out of 5
