Book Review: It All Began with a Scream by Padraic Maroney

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Interesting history of the Scream franchise

Cons: Writing could have been better

The Bottom Line:

Hist’ry of franchise

Fun behind the scenes info

Issues with writing

Uneven History of the Scream Franchise

If you’ve paid close attention to my blog, you’ll find that I have a love/hate relationship with horror movies.  I know, quite a switch from the cozy mystery novels I typically read.  The one franchise that I am obsessed with is Scream, so when I found out about Padraic Maroney’s book It All Began with a Scream, I had to read it.

This book covers the history and production of all four movies released to date in the franchise.  With new interviews and research into previously released articles, Padraic dives into what went into the creation of each movie in the franchise.  He starts with the origins behind Kevin Williamson writing the first script and covers casting, production, releases, and everything in between for all of the films.

Thanks to my obsession, I’ve got to say that most of the stories about the production of the first movie were familiar to me.  This isn’t my first time reading about it or watching documentaries on it, after all.  It also helps that the movie was filmed in the area where I grew up, and was filmed when I was home from college over the summer.  (Sadly, I didn’t see any of the filming itself.)  Even so, he managed to sneak in a few fun bits of trivia I didn’t know.

What took me by surprise was just how chaotic the third and fourth movies were.  I knew there had been some behind the scenes issues, but I hadn’t realized just how bad they were before reading this book.  Sounds like a case of rushing to make deadlines and micromanagement from the very top.  It does make me wonder what could have been for those films, which are definitely the weaker films in the franchise.

No, Padraic wasn’t able to interview everyone in the cast and crew, but he does have a wide range.  Some of the crew who worked on a majority if not all four films are included as well as cast members from each film.  That helps give us a good perspective.  Are there people I would have liked to see interviewed?  Yes.  But that’s not his fault, I’m sure, but those people’s availability.

As much as I did enjoy the book, there were issues with it.  After introducing the people he interviews, Padraic only refers to them by their last name throughout the rest of the book.  That might work for the rest of a chapter, but by the time several chapters have passed, I was struggling to remember who these people were and how they fit into the production.  A few extra reminders, at least at the start of every chapter, would have gone a long way toward helping with that.

Additionally, the writing style of the book isn’t that engaging.  It feels like a laying out of the facts, but none of the fun or passion I would expect from a self-confessed fan of the franchise.  It didn’t help that the book is made up of lots of quotes, and some of them were a little hard to follow.  It’s a fine line quoting someone correctly and editing for clarity, but I felt like more editing for clarity would have helped.

I mentioned earlier being from Sonoma County.  I actually graduated from Santa Rosa High School, where the school scenes from the first movie were almost filmed.  (If you aren’t familiar with that story, read the book.)  While there were a handful of typos throughout the book, it absolutely killed me that every time the school was mentioned by name, it was Santa Rosa high school.  I know, I know, I rarely call out typos unless it is bad, but this is my alma mater you are dissing here with the incorrect capitalization.  Okay, sorry.  I’ll let it go.  Honestly, it only really bothered me this much because of my connection to the school, and I didn’t notice many typos throughout the rest of the book.

However, I do need to take exception to something else from that part of the book.  One of the producers is interviewed about the controversy of not getting to film at the school like they’d originally been promised.  I get it, they were treated poorly by the school board.  As much as I understand why the school board ultimately reached the decision they did, they should have handled the situation much better.  However, the producer goes on to call it censorship to not allow them to use the school to make the movie.  Censorship is a term that gets thrown out way too much these days when someone doesn’t get their way.  The school board never campaigned against the movie being made or being filmed in Sonoma County.  They just denied the use of Santa Rosa High School.  There is a huge difference, and that needs to be recognized, especially since the producers found some place else that worked for their needs, albeit with added stress and pressure.

Okay, I’ll step off my soapbox now.  And that rant isn’t factoring into my rating of the book.

As much as I did enjoy hearing about the production of the movies in the Scream franchise, I wish the book had been better written.  That keeps me from giving It All Began with a Scream my full recommendation, but I am glad I read it.

Book Review: Doggone Deadly by Deborah Blake (Catskills Pet Rescue #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong human characters, cute animals, great plot

Cons: You’re doggone kidding, right?

The Bottom Line:

A deadly dog show

Setting for a fun cozy

Such cute animals

Doggone Fun

Earlier this year, I really enjoyed the first in the Catskills Pet Rescue series from Deborah Blake.  I’ve been looking forward to the follow up, Doggone Deadly, ever since.  It was another great book.

If you missed the first book, it features Kari Stuart.  When she won the lottery, she decided to buy a pet rescue shelter that was about to close.

This book takes the action to a regional dog show.  Kari is there to promote her pet rescue center, hoping to get more volunteers and some adoptions of the pets currently in the shelter.  Her best friend, Suz Holden, is helping run the entire event, and Kari is also planning to act as Suz’s assistant over the course of the three-day event.

Things take an unexpected turn when Kari and Suz find the body of a local dog breeder at the end of the first day.  It appears the murder weapon was a pair of Suz’s distinctive dog grooming scissors.  With the police looking at Suz as a suspect, Kari adds detective to her weekend plans.  Can she clear her friend?

The book does a good job of setting up suspects and questions before Kari and Suz find the victim.  Not that it is too far into the book when they find her.  When that happens, we’ve got plenty of suspects and potential motives to untangle before the climax.  Some of these trails lead us deep into the world of dog shows.  I know so little about that, but everything we need to know is presented in a way that is both informative and entertaining.  It doesn’t feel like a data dump at all, which I appreciated.

The characters are great as well.  Naturally, we get several returning characters from the first book, and I enjoyed seeing how they developed here.  The suspects are strong and memorable.

And I can’t forget the four-legged characters.  Fans of the first will be glad to know that Kari’s kitten, Queenie, is a major part of the action again.  While most of the action takes place at the dog show, we do get a couple of scenes at the shelter and Kari’s home, so we get some cameos by the animals we met there.  And there are plenty of dogs at the show to melt your heart.

It’s always nice to see a second book prove that a strong first book wasn’t a fluke.  That’s the case with Doggone Deadly.  If you enjoyed the first, you’ll enjoy this one just as much.  And if you haven’t started the series yet, don’t wait any longer to meet these characters.

NOTE: I received an ARC of the book.

Giveaway:

I'm giving away a copy of this book.  The winner will have a choice of a physical copy (US addresses only) or a digital copy (open to everyone).

If you were rescuing a pet, would you go for a dog or a cat?  Personally, I think I'd lean toward a cat, but I'm allergic to both.  Tell me your choice to be entered.  And please be sure to give me your email address so I can contact you if you win.

I'll pull the winner next Tuesday, November 16th (which is also the release day for this book), so please enter before then.

TV Show Review: Legends of Tomorrow - Season 6

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: A few episodes are fun

Cons: Overall, a bit too dark and messy for me

The Bottom Line:

Aliens abduct

A dark and messy season

Hopefully, show’s low

“Being an Avenger is Stupid.”

For a year or two, Legends of Tomorrow has been sliding from its panicle as the most fun show in the Arrowverse.  It’s taken dark turns and just tried too hard.  It didn’t improve in season six.

Naturally, season six picked up moments after season 5 ended.  That means it isn’t long before the Legends realize that Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) has been kidnapped by aliens.  However, she isn’t traveling alone.  Instead, she quickly finds that Gary (Adam Teskhman) has come with her, for better or worse.  Meanwhile, Ava (Jes Macallan) is trying to figure out how to rescue her girlfriend and step up as the captain of the ship.

Of course, this event is also a tip off to aliens invading the timeline.  The Legends start hopping through time, hoping to find an alien who will lead them to Sara.  They also pick up Spooner (Lisseth Chavez), who is an alien conspiracy nut, even claiming to have been abducted by aliens at one point in her life.  It doesn’t sound so crazy suddenly, does it?  Meanwhile, Constantine (Matt Ryan) is trying to get his magic back while taking on Astra (Alivia Swann) as an apprentice.

Legends is an ensemble show, and that means it works best when the gang is all working together for some goal.  Of course, some episodes focus more on one character over others, but I still enjoy seeing everyone interacting.  With Sara off by herself, the show loses some of its dynamic.  Sadly, the writers kept her isolated for more episodes than she should have been.  Oh, she has Gary with her, but he’s an irritating character, and the less said about what they did to him, the better.  Well, I’ll just say this – it makes no logical sense based on what has happened with his character in the past.

Unfortunately, the show doesn’t really improve in the second half of the season.  While we are still fighting aliens, Constantine’s quest to regain his magic heats up, and it becomes a clumsy metaphor for addiction.  Sorry, but I’ve seen it done before and done better by other shows.  His darkness has been a problem for me all along, and this part of his storyline didn’t help.

And, again, I’ll mention the revolving door problem the show has.  Despite my saying earlier the show works best when all the characters are together, I’m still struggling here to connect with some of the newer characters.  Part of it is I don’t find them as engaging as the characters who have left, and part of it is trying to connect to several at once each year when major storylines are revolving around other characters.

There were a few normal episodes that I enjoyed along the way.  That and wanting to keep up with all the Arrowverse shows kept me coming back.  And maybe it would be better if I had binged the season so I didn’t lose plot threads and could connect with the characters better.

Season six consisted of fifteen episodes, fairly standard for this show.  As with last season, there were no COVID related production issues, at least as far as we as the audience could tell.  Everything wrapped up the way the writers intended, including with another explosive cliffhanger.

So far, season seven of Legends of Tomorrow has been back to their original fun adventures, and I’m enjoying the season.  I’m glad I didn’t give on it during season six as a result.

Ornament Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - 2021 Hallmark Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Captures Harry Potter book 4’s cover

Cons: Harry’s face seems a little off

The Bottom Line:

Fourth cover magic

With 3D illustration

Great for book lovers

Golden Eggs and Dragons Popping Off This Ornament

This year, we are up to the fourth entry in Hallmark’s unofficial series of Harry Potter book covers.  Since I’ve enjoyed the others, it’s no surprise that I’m mostly happy with the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ornament.

As always, this ornament is inspired by the original book cover.  The front of the ornament features Harry holding a wand in one hand and a golden egg in the other.  There’s a dragon tail in front of him and profiles of other characters behind him.  Harry, his wand, the egg, and the dragon tail are all coming out of the cover, which is what makes these fun.  Harry’s elbow is even sticking out the side of the ornament, which is a nice touch.

The other sides of the ornament are also painted to look like the side and back covers of the original.  While the ornament isn’t as think as the real book, we get the idea of pages on the other edges.

The ornament is thick enough that it will stand up on its own.  I’m a bit nervous about it, however, since I worry that the wand might break off if it falls over and lands wrong.  But if you have a place you feel confident it won’t get knocked off, that would be an option for displaying it year round.

The ring to hang the ornament is near the front cover of the book, and it’s placed perfectly.  When you go to hang it, you’ll find that the ornament hangs perfectly straight.

While I do like this ornament overall, Harry’s face and expression seem off to me.  Granted, he also looks a little weird on the original book cover.  I can’t quite put my finger on what it is that bothers me, but it’s a minor complaint overall.

As a reader, I’m enjoying having these books to hang on my tree.  I pretty much ignore the Harry Potter ornaments these days except for the books.  I’m thrilled to have the ornament of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and I’m looking forward to getting the rest.

November 6th's Weekly TV Thoughts

The Equalizer – I’m surprised they had Robin get arrested already.  But when I saw the threat she was ultimately working on, I got it.  We can drop this part of the storyline for a bit.  I wasn’t surprised the DA did what she did.  It was the obvious thing to do.  But it did feel a bit predictable.  I did not see the villain coming, although I should have.  Didn’t need the lecture, although at least it was brief, and the rest of the episode was strong.

Legends of the Hidden Temple – Once again, we have a legend with a horrible father.  Seriously?  Can’t we get one with a good father?  The guys sure did fall apart in the temple.  It was a silver monkey.  I’d probably do the same thing, so I can’t really say much about how long it took him, however.

Dancing with the Stars – They talk about them doing two dancing, but they did two full dancing a couple weeks ago during Disney week.  It was just on two different nights, but it was still earlier than they usually do it.  Not surprised to see The Miz go, but I’m sorry to see it since I enjoyed watching him.  Surprised JoJo was in the bottom two.  I doubt she will go home anytime soon, however, since the judges will keep saving her if she should wind up down there again.

Stargirl – That was…interesting.  So much fighting.  So much going on in the first half, it was a little much and a little overwhelming.  I get they wanted to have everyone included, but still.  I’m glad they defeated Eclipso when they did.  Much more of that fighting would have been too much.  It took pretty much a who’s who of characters to do it, too.  However, they set up quite a few interesting storylines for next season in the second half.

Supergirl – I did not see that coming.  I really didn’t think that William was going to die.  Of course, I knew he wasn’t going to be Kara’s love interest any more or they would have built it up more by now.  They’ve set things up well for an explosive two part series finale.

Survivor – Wow!  That was just insane.  I can understand people being upset, however.  In their efforts to twist things up, it makes it hard to do anything.  It makes it a bit more entertaining for us since we don’t get the few episodes in a row where there is an alliance and those not in it are doomed to be voted out, but still, it feels a bit much.

Legends of Tomorrow – I am having such fun with this season!  Another fantastic, fun episode.  The moralizing was a bit heavy handed.  They aren’t wrong, but toning it down a bit would have been fine.  But that’s a minor complaint.  I laughed several times.  I thought the two groups were going to meet up again.  However, I’m finding I’m actually enjoying them apart, so I’m not completely upset about it.  I think the reason I’m enjoying this is it is allowing us to get to know the characters a bit better.  And, speaking of which, we got development on several fronts there.  It’s like the writers of the good seasons have returned from a break.

Batwoman – I was not expecting that twist at the end.  Batwoman’s mom is the villain of the season?  Or at least more than just an evil business owner?  That’s going to create drama.  I’m sorry they are going there with the romance.  Isn’t it a little cliché for Sophie to fall for the new Batwoman?  Talk about having a type.

Frogger – Not too much to say about this episode.  They tried hard.  I’ll definitely give them that.  But the performances weren’t too outstanding.  Granted, I wouldn’t have done much better, if I were being honest.

United States of Al – That episode got some laughs out of me, especially at the end.  I think maybe I’ve been a little too hard on the show.  But so many sweet moments with the characters.  I really am growing to love them very quickly.

Book Review: Honeymoon with Murder by Carolyn Hart (Death on Demand #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Annie, Max, good mystery

Cons: Mystery name dropping; language

The Bottom Line:

Phone call in the night

Leads to trip cancellation

Fast paced mystery

Annie and Max’s Marriage Gets Off to a Murderous Start

Usually, when a wedding is involved in a cozy mystery novel, it comes at the end of the book, and the main character has to solve a murder before she can walk down the aisle.  However, that’s not the case for Annie Laurance and Max Darling in Honeymoon with Murder, the fourth Death on Demand mystery from Carolyn Hart.

Annie and Max’s wedding turned out beautifully, despite Max’s mother’s attempts to hijack the ceremony.  Their plans to leave the next morning on their honeymoon are sidetracked, however, when they get a panicked midnight call from Ingrid Jones, Annie’s employee, friend, and matron of honor.  Ingrid is cut off before they can get much out of her, so they race over to Ingrid’s cottage, where they find a dead body in the middle of her living room but no sign of the woman herself.

The victim is Jesse Penrick, one of the residents of the cottages that Ingrid manages.  The police think that Ingrid killed Jesse and ran away, but Annie fears that Ingrid has been kidnapped by the killer.  While Max leads the search for Ingrid, Annie tries to find the real killer.  Will they be able to find Ingrid and the killer before something horrible happens to Ingrid?

One thing that really impressed me in this book was Max.  Naturally, Annie is all in on trying to find Ingrid, but Max strikes me as a character who can be pretty self-centered.  Yet, in this book, he never once complains about their honeymoon getting derailed.  Oh, in some of the scenes from his point of view, we hear his frustration with the circumstances, but it is always frustration with the circumstances, never with Annie and her determination to help her friend.  And he throws himself whole heartedly into helping.  Okay, so he loves Annie and wants her happy, so maybe it isn’t as far outside of his character as I was thinking, but I appreciated how little whining he did.

Since Annie and Max are still on the island, we see several familiar faces over the course of the book, and I enjoyed them.  The characters can be a little broad at times, but I feel like that is on purpose since those characters provide some comic relief.  The suspects are strong and do a good job of being distinct and keeping us guessing.

The mystery itself is strong.  While the beginning of the book does give us a glimpse of Max and Annie’s wedding day, we have enough hints that something bad is brewing that it doesn’t feel like a slow prologue.  And we aren’t that far into the book when Ingrid makes that fateful phone call that sets things off.  From there, we get an interesting trail of clues and events that lead us to the logical climax.

My usual complaints hold true here.  Yes, I get that the series is known for its shameless name dropping of mystery titles and authors.  However, at times, it seems gratuitous as we are just getting a list of titles and authors.  Also, there is more foul language that we need in the book.  While the first one is annoying, the language really bothers me and could be toned down.

Thanks to my local library, I once again listened to the audio book.  Kate Reading does a great job bringing the story to life for us.

All told, I did enjoy Honeymoon with Murder.  I’m curious to see where murder and mayhem take Annie and Max next.

Enjoy the rest of the Death on Demand series.

November 5ths Book Beginnings and Friday 56

 Somewhere along the way, I fell off the Book Beginnings and Friday 56 train, didn't I?  I think it's time I started participating again.

And I'm going to start with Tropical Depression by C. Michele Dorsey.

This is the third in a series set on St. John, and it's been years since book two came out.  I was thrilled to see a new entry in the series arrive.

Honestly, you'll see why I was prompted to participate again when you see this beginning.

It wasn't the welcome Sabrina had expected when she returned home to paradise after a three-week vacation in hell.  She had barely closed the door to the Ten Villas van Henry had picked her up in before he hit her with the news.
"You're going to kill me and I can't blame you."

Isn't that a fantastic start to the book?

Meanwhile, over on page 56 we find this:

"I guess there's even more about you I didn't know, Cornelius," she said, embarrassed by the hiss in her voice.

I'll admit, there were a couple of good quotes on page 56, and I almost pulled another one, but this one was a little less of a spoiler.  And fans of the series will be surprised to find out who she is talking to.

That's it for this week.  I hope you'll come back on Thursday when I review this book.  Have a great weekend!

Book Review: Debonair in Death by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran (Murder, She Wrote #54)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Captures the characters and their relationships from the classic show perfectly

Cons: Pacing in the first half could be better

The Bottom Line:

Death at gallery

Slip back into Cabot Cove

Delightful for fans

Art Shop Owner Murdered in Cabot Cove

While I have enjoyed the books in the Murder, She Wrote series that I’ve read, I didn’t feel that the author captured Jessica and her relationships with those in Cabot Cove accurately.  That’s why I was looking forward to seeing how Terrie Farley Moran would do in Debonair in Death, her first novel in the series set in Cabot Cove.  I’m happy to say she nailed the characters.

Everyone in town is buzzing about Nelson Penzell, the new partner in the art shop down on the water in Cabot Cove.  He is handsome, so the ladies, especially, are very happy to talk about him and try to catch his eye.  Jessica Fletcher hasn’t interacted with him much, but she just doesn’t quite see the appeal.

Tragedy strikes one night when Nelson is murdered inside his shop.  Coreen, the nail tech at Loretta’s salon is found screaming outside Nelson’s shop, covered in his blood.  Naturally, Sheriff Metzger looks at Coreen as the killer, but Jessica doesn’t think Coreen would hurt anyone.  Can she figure out what is going on?

As I said, the relationships in this book are wonderful.  We don’t see all the Cabot Cove characters we love, but we get to see plenty of them, and they all feel true to their characters on the show.  While Jessica and Sheriff Metzger disagree on who the prime suspect might be, they do so fairly agreeably.  You can tell there is mutual respect there, even if they disagree about what might be happening.  The relationships of all the returning characters are so critical since fans of the series always loved the Cabot Cove episodes.  We didn’t get as many as everyone seems to think we did while the show aired, but those are definitely some fan favorites.

Unfortunately, the pacing of the plot is uneven, especially in the first half.  Fortunately, things do pick up as we head into the second half of the book, and we get some fun twists before Jessica figures it all out.  The characters that are brought in to this book as suspects are also strong, and I enjoyed getting to know them.

Fans of Murder, She Wrote will definitely be glad they picked up Debonair in Death.  This book provides the perfect chance to catch up with old friends.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

TV Show Review: United States of Al - Season 1

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Likeable characters and some important topics

Cons: Amusing at best, which isn’t a that great for a sitcom

The Bottom Line:

Fish out of water

The laughs are not plentiful

Show still pulls me in

Weak as a Comedy, but the Show Has Grown on Me

I’m still trying to find at least one sitcom to watch, which is hard since so many just don’t appeal to me.  Earlier this year, that quest led me to give United States of Al a chance.  While I find the comedy weak, I found the characters really grew on me as season one progressed.

The show centers around Riley (Parker Young), a former Marine who has served multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan, and Al (Adhir Kalyan), his interpreter while he was overseas.  The two formed a bond, becoming best friends, and Riley has gotten Al to the states.  They are living together in the garage of Riley’s dad, Art (Dean Norris).  Also still living at home is Riley’s sister Lizzie (Elizabeth Alderfer).  While they aren’t divorced, Riley is estranged from his wife Vanessa (Kelli Goss), but the two are still connected by their daughter, Hazel (Farrah Mackenzie).  This is a fish out of water comedy, and the show usually focuses on stories of how Al’s views of life are different from those of Riley and his family.  But we aren’t mocking Al or even Riley completely.  The show pokes gentle fun at both of them.

Season one consisted of thirteen episodes.  Over the course of these episodes, Al has to get an American driver’s license.  Al deals with homesickness.  Riley and Al buy a new car.  And Al tries to get Riley and Vanessa to patch up their differences despite Vanessa’s new boyfriend, Freddy (recurring guest star Brian Thomas Smith).

Obviously, the plots of this sitcom aren’t anything groundbreaking.  And, to be honest, the jokes aren’t especially clever or creative either.  Maybe that’s the problem I’m having with sitcoms these days – the fact that it is harder to write punchlines we haven’t heard before at this point.   I might get a laugh or two out of an episode, but most of the time, it’s just a grin.  At best, this show is amusing.

But, since I didn’t have much else to watch on Thursday nights, I kept watching.  And that’s how the characters grew on me.  After the first few episodes, the writers began to add some depth to the characters, and the show began to tackle weightier issues.  And that’s what began to hook me on the show.  I actually care about the characters.

I’m also impressed with how the writers are balancing things.  At times, they definitely bring in a topic, and we know how they feel about it, but they manage to do it without it being a complete lecture, and they keep that scene to a minimum.  Other times, they present both sides of an issue and leave it at that.  Rather shocking for a modern TV show, right?  They tackle issues related to veterans and the situation in Afghanistan as of Spring 2021 (when these episodes aired).  Yes, they do still go for jokes most of the time.  And they don’t do this in every episode.  But it gives the show a little more depth and makes me care about the characters a little bit more.

The actors have done a great job with this subtle shift.  They capture every moment perfectly, be it a lighter moment or something more serious.  These performances also make me care about the characters that much more.

If you are looking for a quiet show that sheds some light on some different topics in a lighter manner, then give United States of Al a chance.  I know the first season isn’t for everyone, but I am glad I kept watching.

Book Review: Killer Research by Jenn McKinlay (Library Lover's Mysteries #12)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong mystery, characters, humor

Cons: I’ve done the research – there are none

The Bottom Line:

Election season

Complicated by murder

Laughs and twists abound

Murder Complicates Elections

When a series goes on long enough, we really get to know all of the characters.  That’s the case with Jenn McKinlay’s Library Lover’s series, and I’m thrilled with the development we saw in Killer Research for one of them.

The town of Briar Creek, Connecticut, will be holding an election for mayor is six months, but things are already heating up in town, especially for Lindsey Norris.  While the current mayor is technically her boss, her employee Ms. Cole is running against him, and Lindsey and the rest of the staff are supporting her while off the clock.  Mayor Hensen is not taking have an opponent well, and is trying to make life difficult for everyone in the library.

One afternoon, Ms. Cole finds a dead body in the trunk of her car, buried under campaign signs.  Naturally, Mayor Hensen jumps on this as an excuse to hound Ms. Cole out of the race.  It only gets worse when a connection between Ms. Cole and the victim are found.  While she considers dropping out of the race, Lindsey jumps into the investigation.  Can she figure out what is really happening?

If you are familiar with the series, you know that Ms. Cole started out as a one note, one joke character in the early books.  I enjoyed her, but I never would have expected the growth we’ve gotten in her over the last few books.  Since so much of the story centers around her, we get to see another side of her with this book, and I appreciated that so much.  Of course, the rest of the regulars are present, although they don’t get quite the development Ms. Cole does, I enjoyed spending time with all of them.

The plot is wonderful.  The campaign for mayor helps keep the story moving forward, and the mystery keeps us guessing until the end.  I figured out the killer about the same time Lindsey did, although I didn’t have the motive yet.  The ending might be a bit theatrical, so it was fun and it is easy to overlook that.

Speaking of fun, there is plenty of be had here.  As always in a Jenn McKinlay book, I laughed multiple times as I was reading.

If you are looking for extras, this book has plenty for you.  Inspired by the Crafternoon bookclub that Lindsey hosts at the library, we discussion questions for a classic, a craft idea, and two recipes.

The Library Lover’s Mysteries are still going strong and show no signs of slowing down.  Longtime fans will be thrilled with Killer Research.  If you are new to the series, you can jump in here or go back to the beginning.  Either way, you are in for some fun stories.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Library Lover’s Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.