Book Review: Some Like it Haute by Diane Vallere (Samantha Kidd #4)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong mystery, Samantha

Cons: A personal gripe, but it’s minor

The Bottom Line:

Samantha attacked

Only the start of danger

Fast paced and fun book

Haute Time in a Small Town

Style and fashion are not things that have been at the top of most people’s minds this year since we are spending so much time at home.  But a good mystery never goes out of style, so I picked up Some Like it Haute, the fourth in the Samantha Kidd Mysteries, expecting to have a great time.

Samantha Kidd has landed yet another temporary job in her home town of Ribbon, Pennsylvania.  This time, she’s helping her ex-boyfriend’s maybe ex-girlfriend prepare a fashion show.  Amanda is going to turn heads with this collection – assuming nothing goes wrong before then.  Samantha thinks everything is going well, so she is surprised when she is fired the night before the big event.  Then she is attacked on her way out to her car as she leaves.  But when disaster strikes the show, Samantha begins to suspect that something larger is at work.  Can she figure out what is going on?

This book did start out with one of my least favorite storytelling techniques – putting Samantha in a situation and then backtracking to see how she got there.  (15 plus years later, and I’m still not over Alias season 3, which WAY over used that.)  Fortunately, it was only a couple of chapters before we were up to date and could move forward, so this is a minor issue.

And what a plot we got.  It really does jump right into the story, and Samantha is moving from one suspect or event to another non-stop as she tries to figure out just who attacked her, why, and how it ties into what happened at the show.  The climax was suspenseful and completely satisfying.

Even with the fast pace, we still had time for character growth.  It was nice to see Samantha mature a little over the course of this book.  We see a bit more of some of the supporting characters in the series as well, but this is really Samantha’s show, as is usually the case for the books in this series.  Not that this is a complaint in any way.  The rest of the cast feel real as we are reading the book.

I’m a guy, so fashion isn’t exactly my thing.  Here, it is the background to the mystery, and I didn’t feel like I was missing anything by not being more knowledgeable on the subject.  At the same time, I was impressed with how Samantha’s expertise lead her to pick up on a couple of clues.

Some Like it Haute is a wonderful mystery from start to finish.  It will capture your attention and leave you ready to find out what happens to Samantha next.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Samantha Kidd Mysteries.

TV Show Review: Tell Me a Story - Season 1

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Eventually engrossing stories

Cons: Stupid characters made it hard to care early on

The Bottom Line:

Fairytale adjacent

Stupid actions, hard to care

But hooked by the end

Dark Stories Very Loosely Inspired by Fairytales

Being the fairytale fan I am, I was intrigued when I heard about Kevin Williamson’s Tell Me a Story.  It was being advertised as a dark and twisted modern take on fairytales.  Since it was on CBS All Access and I have resisted streaming services (at least so far), I didn’t sit down and watch it until The CW picked it up this fall.  It took me a while to get into season 1, but by the end I was enjoying it.

The season sends us to New York City for three different stories extremely loosely connected to each other.  In the first, Jordan Evans (James Wolk) and his new fiancée Beth Miller (Spencer Grammer) go ring shopping and find themselves caught up in a robbery by three robbers wearing pig masks.  Shades of three little pigs anyone?

Next, we get the story of Tim Powell (Sam Jaeger) who has taken a job in New York City in hopes of starting over with his daughter Kayla (Danielle Campbell).  They’ve moved in with his mother, Colleen (Kim Cattrall).  Kayla makes some poor choices, including sneaking into a bar and hooking up with a cute guy she meets there (Billy Magnussen).  Imagine her surprise when she finds out this guy is her new long-term substitute teacher.  Trying to figure out the fairytale still?  It might help if I mention a red cape shows up a few times.

Finally, there’s the story of siblings Gabe and Hannah Perez (Davi Santos and Dania Ramirez).  When Gabe gets into trouble for an accidental death after partying with a stranger, neither realize just how much danger they are in.  This was the story that took me the longest to figure out.  However, I did eventually follow the bread crumbs to find the sweet sibling related fairytale they were riffing on here.

As you can see, stories are very much takes on the classic tales and not modern retellings of them.  You can recognize the touchstones, but you are going to be surprised by the twists and turns the stories take.

It also isn’t always apparent how these three stories are tied together.  There are some superficial tie ins early, but they do come together at the end.  In fact, I was actually very surprised at how they tied together.

If you are thinking “Fairytales, this must be a cute, light show,” please read this next paragraph carefully.  These are dark tales with plenty of violence.  Since I watched this on The CW, I’m sure that the violence was toned down, but it was still very violent.  And there was near nudity that might have been full blown nudity when originally shown on CBS All Access.  This show is for adults.

Another word of warning – if you are sick of politics right now, know that politics comes up in the first episode or two.  Honestly, they could have done without their self-important lectures early on.  However, once the story did get going, they dropped that element of the show.

It took me a bit to get into the story.  For one thing, I spent too much time trying to figure out how these wildly different tales were going to connect.  Second, the characters do some pretty stupid things early on.  I mean extremely stupid, bordering on self-destructive.  I found it hard for root for them as a result.

But I kept on.  After all, there isn’t much new on TV this fall.  And I eventually found myself getting hooked on the story.  By the half way point, I was on board.  Of course, it was then that some of the characters were trying to stop the slide their early actions had started, and I wanted to see how things would turn out.  Since there are only 10 episodes in the season, there wasn’t that big a time commitment before I was hooked.

And none of this is the fault of the actors.  The story puts them all through their paces, and I believed everything I saw on screen.

Again, I am going to point out that this is dark and twisted stuff.  Kevin Williamson is famous for a few projects, one of them being Scream.  I definitely felt that in some of the twists the story took.  Of course, being a fan of the slasher franchise, I am not complaining about those elements.

The show was designed as an anthology series, so these 10 episodes wrap up the story.  Season two is all new characters and stories with only a couple of the season 1 cast coming back to take on a new characters.

I’d been curious enough about Tell Me a Story that I’m glad I watched the show and stuck with it.  Overall, I had a mixed reaction, but I did come back for season 2.  If you are curious, you should check out season 1, but otherwise, you can skip it.

Book Review: Spy School Revolution by Stuart Gibbs (Spy School #8)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters, story, action, laughs

Cons: As usual for this author – none

The Bottom Line:

Ben faces danger

From an old conspiracy

Great entry again

Is Erica a Traitor?

The previous book in the Spy School series wrapped up some storylines that we’ve been following since the series began, so I was wondering just where Stuart Gibbs was going to go with Spy School Revolution.  The one thing I knew was I’d enjoy the book no matter what direction the book went, and I was right.

If you are new to the series, it follows Ben Ripley, a young spy in training, and the friends he’s made at Spy School, the secret CIA training facility for the next generation of spies.  Ben has gotten much more real-world experience than most students his age as he’s been targeted by secret organizations.  They’ve even worked out his identity and gone after his parents, too.

And that’s why the CIA has decided to pull them in, tell them the truth, and then relocate them via the Witness Protection Program.  Ben and agent Alexander Hale have just started that conversation when the CIA building they are meeting in is attacked.  More shocking is the identity of the attacker – Alexander’s daughter and Ben’s friend Erica.

Erica wouldn’t be the first friend of Ben’s to turn out to be working for an evil organization, but Ben doesn’t think Erica is actually working for the enemy.  However, as far as the CIA is concerned, she must be found at all costs.  Can Erica be trusted?  If so, why did she attack the CIA?

And just like that, we are off on another wild and thrilling ride.  I love how this book weaves a conspiracy going back to the days of the American Revolution, a period of history I love, and makes it seem real.  Yes, it’s all fiction, but it was plausible enough that I had no trouble believing it as I read the book.

Of course, I wanted to believe it.  Why?  Because the book itself is so much fun.  There is plenty of action to keep the pages turning.  In between the action, we get a tightly plotted mystery that kept me guessing until we reached the logical climax.

And we get plenty of laughs.  These books always include lots of humor, quite often in the middle of the action.  I grinned and laughed multiple times over the course of the book.

None of this takes away from the characters at all.  They are sharp and grow as a result of what happens here.  I’m very anxious to see where some of these relationships go, in fact.

These books are aimed at the middle grade audience.  That hasn’t stopped me from enjoying them at all.  In fact, Stuart Gibbs is on my auto buy lists – for me.  His books are that enjoyable.

If you are looking for an entertaining read for you or the child in your life, you’ll be thrilled you picked up Spy School Revolution.  The change of focus hasn’t changed the enjoyment level for this series in the slightest.

Enjoy more action and fun with the rest of the Spy School series.

This review is part of this week's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday.

November 7th's Weekly TV Thoughts

 Before we get to the shows I watched all of, I do want to mention I caught the very end of Young Sheldon this week, and I absolutely loved it!  Great to hear Amy and find out they had a son - even what they named him.  Definitely made this Big Bang Theory fan smile.

Now, on to the main event.

Supermarket Sweep – One second left.  Wow!  And the guys in the first game didn’t wind up making it.  I was so sure they would win it all until they couldn’t figure out the last clue.  Not that I knew what they were supposed to be looking for, so I wouldn’t have done any better.  I really could have done without all the vote reminders in the first half hour.  Seriously, I wanted to get away from politics when I turned on this show.  We know when the election is.  We don’t need you to be constantly reminding us.

Card Sharks – And that’s why it is called gambling.  Ouch!  I get the temptation.  I really do.  I probably would have saved out a quarter, so I would have at least won something.  Wow, that ending hurt.

Dancing with the Stars – I always hate to see a celebrity have to leave for medical reasons.  How incredibly scary for Jeannie to have it be life threatening, too.  I mean, wow!  Chrisell was improving, so I’m sorry to see her go, but it was understandable since she is near the bottom most of the time.  Down to seven.  Hard to believe we are closing in on the finals in just a few weeks, isn’t it?

LA’s Finest – At least with the carried over case of the week, the motive wasn’t a general hate crime but something personal.  I appreciated that.  What a way to find out you have a half-sister.  I feel for Dante.  But now everyone is made at each other, which isn’t going to help the larger case.

The Amazing Race – I always feel sorry for a team that gets super behind and never can catch up, so I was thrilled this was a non-elimination leg.  I do wonder how far behind they really were.  I have done the bottle dance in Fiddler on the Roof, so I appreciate just how hard that bottle dance was.  In fact, it’s hard than anything I did, and I had a hat to help keep it on my head, too.  But I didn’t have to get down on my stomach with the bottle.

B Positive – I keep hoping that Chuck Lorre will create another great sitcom.  This doesn’t appear to be it.  Between the kidney storyline, which is pretty serious, and the other lead being so out of control, it just didn’t work for me.  I spent more time cringing than I did laughing.  And don’t get me started on that creepy opening title sequence.  I’ll give it another week since series premiers can be weak, but it needs to really improve if I’m going to stick around beyond that.

American Ninja Warrior – Joe!!!  No!!!!  That was hard for me since Joe is one of the athletes I root for hardest.  On the other hand, I was also rooting for Daniel Gill to make it to the end since he came so close last year, so I am thrilled with the results.  I couldn’t believe how nervous I got when the two of them were running.

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.

November 6th's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

 It's Friday!  That means it is time for Book Beginnings and Friday 56.

This week, I'm featuring a mystery.  Surprise, surprise, I know.  But it's a middle grade mystery instead of my usual cozy mysteries.  It's Spy School Revolution by Stuart Gibbs.

If you aren't familiar with this series, it's a ton of fun.  I love these books!

Here's how the book begins:

"I'm afraid we have lied to you," said Alexander Hale.  "A lot."

My parents regarded him with surprise for what might have been the twentieth time that morning.

"What exactly have you lied to us about?" my mother asked.

"Er...Just about everything," Alexander replied.

Okay, so I cheated a little there.  I skipped a couple paragraphs, but I just love how those lines flow together.

So, shall we look at page 56?  There, we find this quote:

"You really don't know where Location One Hundred Ninety-Eight is?" Zoe asked me.

Yep, that's all I'm giving you from page 56.

My full review of the book will be up on Sunday, so I hope you'll stop by then.  In the meantime, have a great weekend.

Ornament Review: Taming the Beast - 2020 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Captures a special moment for Beast perfectly

Cons: Only a beastly person would list cons

The Bottom Line:

Beast feeding the birds

Makes delightful ornament

This fan is happy

There’s Something There with this Ornament

Since Beauty and the Beast remains one of my favorite movies, I always pay attention to the ornaments Hallmark releases for that movie.  When I spotted the Taming the Beast limited edition ornament, I knew I had to have it.

This ornament features Beast.  He doesn’t get as many ornaments as Belle, so right away that was a draw for me.  He is captured from the “Something There” scene as Belle and Beast start to realize they might be developing feelings for each other.  This is Beast at his most vulnerable to that point in the movie as he is feeding the birds.  He’s hunched down a little, and he has food in one of his hands.  He’s got three birds on him, one on each hand and one on a shoulder.  He’s looking down at the birds on his hands, and his face captures the wonderment that the birds are actually on him.

It’s such a sweet moment in the film, and this ornament captures it perfectly.  Any fan of the film will recognize it right away.  I love that scene (no surprise, since I love the movie, right?) and I just had to have the ornament as a result.

If you are looking to set this ornament out to display, you’ll be pleased to know that it has a large base.  Not only do we have Beast’s feet, but the cape is flowing out behind him.  As a result, he’s very sturdy.  I will caution you, however, that he is looking down at the birds on his hands, so you don’t get a clear view of his face unless you place him up higher.

Fortunately, that isn’t an issue when you go to hang him on your tree.  He is a little heavy, so you’ll want to be sure you place him on a sturdy branch.  However, you should be able to hang him high enough to see his face.  He tips back ever so slightly, as well.  Unless you are looking for it, you’ll never notice, but it also makes it easier to see his face when you hang him on your tree.

This was one of my absolute must haves from Hallmark’s line this year, and I’m so pleased with how it looks.  If you love the movie as much as I do, you’ll want to get Taming the Beast, too.

Movie Review: Beetlejuice

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Acting and some scenes

Cons: Overall, it was too bizarre for me

The Bottom Line:

A ghostly couple

Tries to defend their old home

Didn’t work for me

“Maybe This is Heaven.”  “In Heaven There Wouldn’t be Dust on Everything.”

I’ve heard about Beetlejuice since it came out, and I’ve always been curious about it, so when I spotted it on TV last month, I decided to record it and see what all the talk was about.  I almost changed my mind when I remembered it was a Tim Burton film.  Honestly, I kind of wish I had.

The movie introduces us to Adam and Barbara (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis), a nice young couple who have an unfortunate accident.  A fatal accident.  Now, they are stuck in their home watching in horror as a new family buys it with the intention of completely changing everything about it.  As their efforts to drive the new family out appear to be a failure, they start hearing about Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton).  He might be able to help them, but they are also hearing warnings about him.  Is it worth the risk to ask for his help?

Honestly, the premise sounds like it could be a lot of fun, and there are absolutely fantastic scenes.  However, overall, the movie didn’t work for me.  I blame that on the Tim Burton effect.  While there are a few of his films that I have enjoyed, for the most part, I find his movies to be too bizarre for my tastes, and I usually avoid them.  Even for a movie that is dealing with the afterlife, this one was pretty bizarre.  And those elements sometimes made it a little hard to follow what was happening.

But those moments that work?  They work well.  I can see why so many people have enjoyed the movie over the years.

Obviously, the movie does deal with the afterlife and ghosts.  I knew I wouldn’t agree with it theologically when I sat down to watch it.  If that kind of thing bothers you, you’ll want to avoid this movie.

The special effects are…interesting.  I read that the choice to go for a B movie look was on purpose.  They nailed it.  Stylistically, they work since they are consist from start to finish, but they absolutely date the movie now more than other movies from the era would be dated.

Speaking of dating the movie – this was a late 80’s movie.  If you didn’t look at the copyright, the styles would certainly give that away.

The acting is good.  That’s not surprising since I recognized quite a few names in the credits.  I’m blaming my issues on the production and directorial decisions.

I’m glad I watched Beetlejuice because I’ve been curious about it.  But now that the curiosity is out of my system, I don’t plan to watch it again.

Book Review: Puzzling Ink by Becky Clark (Crossword Puzzle Mysteries #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Quinn, her parents, fun

Cons: Mystery overshadowed at times, needed a bit more to it

The Bottom Line:

When boss arrested

Quinn must puzzle out killer

Uneven but fun

Using Crossword Puzzles to Catch a Killer

I don’t necessarily only stick to cozy themes that align with my hobbies.  For example, I’m not really a fan of crossword puzzles, but I’ve enjoyed mysteries theme around them over the years.  So when I saw that Becky Clark was starting her own crossword themed series, I picked up the debut – Puzzling Ink.

Quinn Carr has had to return to her hometown of Chestnut Station, Colorado, and move back in with her parents.  She’s taken a job at a local diner and is hoping to make enough to find her own place soon.  She also has a secret job of creating the crossword puzzles for the local paper.

However, things take an unexpected turn on the 4^th of July when Quinn finds her last customer of the day dead in the corner booth, his dining companion nowhere to be found.  Quinn is even more surprised when she learns the man was actually murdered and Jake, the owner of the diner, has been arrested for the murder.  Now she needs to find a way to clear him while working at the diner alone before the diner, and her job, go out of business.  Can she do it?

What I haven’t mentioned about Quinn so far is that she has recently been diagnosed with OCD.  Outside of Monk, this isn’t something we regularly see in mysteries.  Here, it is treated much more seriously than it was in Monk, and I found the portrayal interesting.  It colored Quinn and set her apart without overshadowing the mystery.

What did overshadow the mystery was Quinn’s attempts to run the diner.  Honestly, if the book didn’t have a crossword hook, this would really be a culinary cozy, and Quinn’s struggles at the diner are an equal plot to the murder.  I was rooting for her to succeed, so I didn’t mind too much, but I always prefer to see a strong mystery.

Now, that isn’t to say there wasn’t a good mystery here.  We are presented with several strong suspects, all of whom have opportunity and motive.  Things were a little rough at times, with a few facts being introduced rather abruptly.  The climax gives us a killer and motive, but one thing that I was waiting to be explained was left open.

One element I truly appreciated was Quinn’s relationship with her parents.  It is obvious that the three of them love each other deeply.  So often, adults have strained relationships with their parents in the books I read, and I get that it provides good fodder for drama, but I loved their relationship here.

In the way of bonuses, we get the crossword puzzle that Quinn creates in the book as a nudge to the police in solving the case.  Plus, there are two fun sounding recipes at the end.

While there are a couple of things I hope get ironed out as the series progresses, there is much to enjoy in this debut.  Whether a crossword puzzle fan or a devourer of culinary cozies, Puzzling Ink is a debut to put on your list.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

October 2020's Reading Summary

 Another month gone.  Can you believe it is time for October's reading summary?

The index is up to date.

I've also been spending some time this month doing some behind the scenes work on the blog.  The one thing I want to draw your attention to is the new category off on the life for First in Series.  I'm still going through my old reviews and tagging the first in the series to add it to that category, so the number will grow a little more in November, and I'll be tagging all new first in series reviews with that tag going forward.  So if you are looking for a new series to start, I hope you'll scroll through for some ideas.

But enough about that.  Let's get to the main event, shall we?  Here's what I read in October.

All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).

 

Chesapeake Crimes: Invitation to Murder, Edited by Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman, & Marcia Talley – 5

In the seventh short story anthology from the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime, each story revolves around an invitation.  Some are the obvious invitations for events, but others are a more casual invitation.  Either way, they lead to danger of some kind.  There’s a mother whose young son is writing a hard-boiled mystery, an escape room that ends in death, a guest who overstays her welcome, bedbugs and murder in London, and a debutant ball in early 1900’s South Carolina.  The stories are as varied as their locations, and many are fun.  As with every short story collection, not every story will be for every taste.  Personally, I found a couple of them too dark to be enjoyable.  But the majority of the seventeen stories were a delight.  If you are searching for bite sized stories, you’ll be glad you picked up this collection.

 NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Cake Popped Off by Kim Davis (Cupcake Catering Mysteries #2) – 5

Emory Martinez is helping her employer, Tillie Skyler, host a Halloween party.  Emory is providing the cupcakes, and Emory’s sister is doing the main catering.  Everything is going well until Emory finds the dead body of Mandy, the cocktail waitress, in her bathtub.  Emory’s brother-in-law was one of several people seen fighting with Mandy at the party, so to clear his name, Emory begins investigating.  She quickly finds a web of blackmail, but how did that contribute to Mandy’s death?

The first book in the series spent some time setting up changes in Emory’s life, and they are paid off wonderfully here.  We don’t get to see much of Tillie in the first book, but I loved her in this one.  She and Emory make a great team, and Tillie is such a fun character.  I had struggled with some of Emory’s relationships in the first book, but they were much more enjoyable here.  The plot is strong with so much drama and action I never wanted to put the book down.  I had a couple of niggles with the climax, but they were minor and all our questions were answered.  Some future plot lines are introduced here, and I’m anxious to see how they play out.  In addition to cupcake recipes, we get some delicious sounding recipes for Halloween party dishes and cocktails.  Emory’s second case is a delight, and I’m anxious to join her again for her another mystery.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Nancy’s Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew #8) – 4

Nancy Drew has received a letter from a law firm in London.  They are trying to track down a Nancy Drew who has become an heiress in England.  Obviously, she isn’t the intended recipient, but she sets out to find the woman with the same name.  Meanwhile, she’s also trying to track down a mail thief who hit very close to home.  Can she solve both cases?

With some of the other Nancy Drew books I’ve reread as an adult, I’ve complained about too many coincidences in the plot.  That’s not the case here.  Nancy may jump to a few wild but correct conclusions, but by the time we reach the end, everything has come together logically.  Along the way, we get some great twists and turns that are tons of fun.  The characters remain thin and there are a few dated references, but overall, this is a book that will keep the intended audience, middle graders, turning pages as quickly as they can to figure out exactly what is going on.

 

The Dogfather by Sparkle Abbey (Pampered Pets Mysteries #10) – 5

Mel Langston is surprised when her ex-fiance, Grey Donovan, asks to use her Bow Wow Boutique as a base for an undercover assignment.  She reluctantly agrees, hoping they can get along at least until the surveillance is over.  Then a murder takes place down the street at the high-end handbag store, and Grey becomes a suspect.  Mel jumps in, hoping to clear him before his career with the FBI is ruined.  Can she do it?

Fans of the series will be delighted with the latest entry.  It has the usual assortment of characters, and I don’t just mean series regulars.  The cast run from wacky to realistic, but somehow, they all fit into the world of these books, and they create plenty of laughs along the way.  Yes, that includes Betty, Mel’s assistant, who walks the fine line of making us laugh without being annoying.  The plot is good, with plenty of twists and suspects to keep us engaged.  The ending does seem a bit rushed, but that’s a minor complaint.  This appears to be the final book in the series, at least for now, and the authors do a great job of wrapping up ongoing storylines.  This series isn’t for everyone, but if you want a light, wacky, and fun mystery, you’ll be glad you gave it a chance.

 

Murder Goes to Market by Daisy Bateman (Claudia Simcoe #1) – 4

Claudia Simcoe has started her life again in the California coastal town of San Elmo Bay by opening a market where locals can sell their locally produced wares.  Most of the offerings are food related, but she has learned that the bags and other items Lori Roth sells are just things she has bought over the internet.  The morning after Claudia confronts Lori about this, she finds Lori’s dead body in the middle of the market.  The police think Claudia is a great suspect, and they are keeping the market closed until they solve the case.  With a double motive to learn the truth, Claudia begins her investigation.  Can she figure out what really happened?

It took a bit of work to get into the book.  The early chapters, while advancing the story, still fall a bit too much into exposition for me, and the third person narration kept me a little at bay.  However, by the time I hit page 50, I was fully hooked.  The mystery is complex with lots of puzzling things for Claudia to figure out, yet it all makes sense at the end.  Claudia is a strong main character, and I enjoyed getting to know her.  The rest of the cast still has some room to grow, but I did like what I saw here.  Claudia can be sarcastic, and I loved that.  Additionally, some lines in the narration made me laugh.  I grew up in Sonoma County, the location of the fictional San Elmo Bay, and I really enjoyed spending time in a location I know in real life.  This debut grew into a book I really enjoyed, and I can’t wait to visit the characters and location again.

 

“R” is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone #18) – 4

The job sounds easy enough to private investigator Kinsey Millhone.  She’s been hired to pick up Reba Lafferty when she is released early from a prison sentence for embezzling and help her adjust to normal society again.  However, it isn’t long before Reba encounters people from her former life and Kinsey is approached by Federal agents who want to meet with Reba.  As things spiral out of control, can Kinsey keep Reba safe and out of prison?

This book started out well, introducing us to Kinsey’s new assignment and the key players.  But eventually, I noticed some things that bothered me.  Kinsey was more reactive than active in this book, and Reba’s behavior made me cringe as well.  The story was still strong enough to keep me engaged, but these things bothered me.  I suspect it was on purpose, but the results didn’t work well for me.  Romance is a strong factor in the book, with a couple sub-plots involving romances for series regulars.  I actually enjoyed that part since it gave us a chance to get to know these regulars better, and I hope we see more from this growth as the series continues.  While not the strongest entry in the series, there is definitely still enough here to recommend the book.

 

Hard Cold Winter by Glen Erik Hamilton (Van Shaw #2) – 4

Van Shaw has just returned to Seattle from his time in the Army Rangers when Willard, one of his grandfather’s friends, asks for a favor.  Willard is concerned about his niece, who went to her boyfriend’s cabin and hasn’t been heard from since.  Van goes out there and discovers a grisly scene.  It looks like a murder suicide, but Van begins to investigate anyway.  He soon finds himself facing more danger than he bargained for.  Will his Ranger training keep him alive?  Or are the forces at work too great for him?

After enjoying the first book in the series, I was anxious to revisit Van.  He was just as great a character this time around, and I enjoyed watching him grow a bit and interact with the characters, both old and new.  The plot just continues to build until we reach the satisfying and explosive climax.  The series is darker than I normally enjoy, and that did bother me a little, but that is completely on me.  I do appreciate how Van’s past, both before the Army and as a Ranger, is worked into the story, and the light it shines on the struggles vets face when they return to civilian life.  I will be picking up the third book soon.

 

Dim Sum of All Fears by Vivien Chien (Noodle Shop Mysteries #2) – 5

A new souvenir shop has opened next to Ho-Lee Noodles, the restaurant that Lana Lee’s parents own and where she works.  Over the last few weeks, Lana has become friends with Isabelle, one half of the newlyweds who own the new store.  That makes it person when Isabelle and Brandon, her husband, are found murdered in the back of their store one morning.  Despite warnings to stay out of the investigation, Lana begins to poke around.  Can she figure out what happened?

Too many books got in the way of me returning to this series sooner, but I’m glad I was able to revisit the characters.  The plot is strong, with plenty of secrets and suspects that kept me guessing until the very end.  Lana is a relatable, sympathetic heroine, and I really like her friends as well.  There is some room for growth in her relationships with her family, and I hope that happens as the series progresses.  There are some spoilers for the first book in the series here, so if you are interested in the series, I definitely recommend you read them in order.  I’m glad I got to return to Ho-Lee Noodles, and I hope it isn’t so long before I move on to book three.

 

Hot Enough to Kill by Paula Boyd (Jolene Jackson #1) – 2

Jolene Jackson hates to return to her hometown of Kickapoo, Texas, but when her mother, Lucille, is brought in for questioning after the mayor is murdered, Jolene heads down to help out.  Lucille is obviously hiding something from the sheriff, who also happens to be Jolene’s high school sweetheart.  When it becomes obvious that Lucille’s life is in danger, Jolene jumps in to figure things out.  Can she do it?

I discovered recently that I bought this book twice, physical and ebook.  Clearly, I was interested in reading it.  Sadly, it disappointed.  The mystery confuses action with unraveling a mystery, so I got a little frustrated in the middle of the book.  Even so, I was interested in the action the entire way through.  While the main characters are good, the supporting cast is thin.  What is supposed to come across as humorous instead comes across as condescending toward those that Jolene doesn’t agree with.  Add in some characters who come across as purposefully stereotypical and a few needless political comments and I struggled at times.  I’m disappointed I didn’t enjoy this book more.

 

The Timeless One by James Riley (The Revenge of Magic #4) – 5

Fort Fitzgerald is home for the first time in months, separated from all the new friends he’s made.  He, Rachel, and Jia have one year to re-find Excalibur and train to fight the Timeless One.  Meanwhile, Fort also has a baby dragon he not only has to try to hide from his guardians but also from someone who has been sent to find it.

That’s all I am going to tease for fear of spoiling something from this book or previous books.  Don’t start here if you are new to the series since there will be spoilers for some of the twists from earlier books in this one.  But fans of the series will enjoy it. I found the post-apocalyptic feeling I had reading the previous book wasn’t as strong in this one.  The story is engaging with twists and turns, but there was more humor, with I enjoyed.  The characters are as sharp as ever, although Fort spends a bit more time here away from the other series regulars.  This book walks the fine line between setting up the next (and final in the series) without leaving us disappointed in this part of the saga, and it does it perfectly.  There is definitely a climax to this book, but the cliffhangers will leave other fans as anxious as I am to find out what happens to Fort next.

 

Murder Comes to Call by Jessica Ellicott (Beryl and Edwina #4) – 5

When Beryl Helliwell goes to court for reckless driving, she meets Declan O’Shea, an Irish immigrant trying to start a life for himself in the English village of Walmsley Parva.  However, being Irish, he is viewed with suspicion, and the string of thefts happening in the village only make things worse.  When the police start to question him about the thefts, he hires Beryl and Edwina Davenport to clear his name.  The stakes are only raised when a dead body turns up at the scene of the latest burglary.  Couple that with another client who needs his case solved right away, and Edwina and Beryl have their work cut out of them.  Can they figure out what is really happening?

While this is the fourth book in the series, you could easily jump in here.  You would miss out on the growth in the characters and their relationships, which is definitely part of the charm of the series.  Plus these are just great characters to spend time with.  Fans will be delighted to check in with these friends and catch up with the latest going on in their lives.  The plot seemed to be a bit scattered early on, but I suspected that events would tie together, and my faith was rewarded.  In fact, I was impressed with just how everything came together by the end.  The setting, both location and historical, come to life well.  We get a great feel for the impact of World War I on this village without it ever slowing things down.  I was fully absorbed in another time and place as I read, and if you are looking for a great historical mystery, you will be, too.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Jane Darrowfield and the Madwoman Next Door by Barbara Ross (Jane Darrowfield #2) – 5

Jane Darrowfield’s newest client is Megan Larsen, her next door neighbor.  Megan is a single, mid-30s lawyer on track to become a partner in her firm.  However, she begins to suspect that something might be wrong with her.  She’s hearing voices and having blackouts among other symptoms.  Either she’s going crazy, or someone is out to make her think she is.  Jane quickly comes up with a diagnosis, but then something happens that makes Jane question everything she thought she knew.  Is Megan in danger?  Or is Jane really living next to a madwoman?

I enjoyed the first book in this creative cozy series, so I was anxious to visit with Jane again.  I loved this second book just as much.  The story is creative and easily fits outside the typical cozy storyline while still fitting perfectly in the cozy mystery genre.  Just when I thought I had things figured out, something would happen that would confuse me again.  Yet the details all fit together perfectly at the end.  Jane is a strong main character.  I don’t feel like her friends are well defined, but they don’t get much page time, so that isn’t an issue.  Megan is a very sympathetic character, which makes us care for her.  The rest of the characters we meet along the way are great as well.  This isn’t as funny as the first book in the series, but that’s not a complaint.  The subject matter is more serious, and I thought this book perfectly handled that.  If you are looking for a slightly different cozy mystery, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

NOTE 2: Like the first in the series, this is a Barnes and Nobel exclusive for the first year, and only available as a physical book from them until late in 2021.

 

“Pumpkin Pied” by Karen MacInerney – 5

Natalie Barnes has a rare few days off at her bed and breakfast, her only guest being her college roommate Lucy Resnick.  The timing is perfect since the annual Cranberry Island Harvest Festival is about to start.  However, rumors are swirling that the area is haunted, and Natalie and Lucy witness a few weird things themselves.  What is going on?

As a fan, it was fun to pop in to visit these characters in this October set short story.  The plot was good and entertaining.  It perfectly kept my attention for this short read.  This is a short story that took me under an hour to read.  Fans of the author will recognize Lucy as the star of her own series, and I enjoyed seeing her first appearance here as well as visiting the residents of Cranberry Island.  Throw in a couple of delicious sounding pumpkin recipes, and you’ve got a festive winner.

 

The Mysterious Visitor by Julie Campbell (Trixie Belden #4) – 5

The Bob-Whites grow in number as they add neighbor Diana Lynch to the mix. She's unhappy because of her uncle. He's just shown up after being missing for years, and Diana is sure something is off. Could he be an impostor? A good mystery and the characters are still at their best. Another great read in a series I love.