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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Pink Lemonade Cake Murder in Books

Sep 5, 2023  
Pink Lemonade Cake Murder
Pink Lemonade Cake Murder
Joanne Fluke | 2023 | Mystery
3
3.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Three Strikes, You’re Dead
Summer has come to Lake Eden, and Hannah is excited to be hosting the snack booth at the baseball tournament in Lake Eden, debuting her new pink lemonade themed desserts. One of the celebrity participants is Bernie “No-No” Fulton, a local who pitch part of a season for the Twins. But when Hannah’s mother finds No-No’s body under the bleachers, Hannah has a new mystery to solve. After all, Delores had a reason to dislike the man, so Hannah’s mother is a suspect. Can Hannah figure out who wanted him out permanently?

Once again, fans of the series will know what to expect. The mystery is decent, but the story is padded with lots of talk about food, even for a culinary cozy. And the sub-plot involving Mike slows down the beginning of the story. I also had a hard time buying how the police deal with Hannah’s sleuthing in this book. And yet, I still do like checking in on the characters, and the recipes sound delicious as always. The cliffhanger makes it obvious we are back in the soap opera territory I had hoped we’d left behind. If you are curious about the series, start with the early books to see why so many people read it.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Tough Luxe in Books

May 27, 2023  
Tough Luxe
Tough Luxe
Diane Vallere | 2021 | Mystery
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Twists of the Pretzel, but a Bit Empty Overall
Samantha Kidd has landed a new gig as a fashion columnist for the local paper. But she doesn’t expect that to lead to an invitation to visit someone in prison. Pretzel heiress Suzy Kintz was a high school acquaintance of Samantha’s, but a few years after they graduated, Suzy was convicted of killing her husband, and has been in jail ever since. Now, there is new evidence that might exonerate Suzy. Can Samantha figure out what really happened all those years ago?

I was immediately intrigued by the premise, and I enjoyed watching Samantha try to piece things together. However, when we hit the end, I was found I was left with too many questions – one I’d had since the beginning and a couple more than came up from the climax. I also found a sub-plot involving Samantha and her husband to be cringe inducing. At least that sub-plot led to some great character growth in Samantha. On the plus side, it is always great to hang out with these characters, and I loved the humor of the book. If you are already a fan, you’ll want to see what Samantha gets up to here. If you are new to the series, you should pick up an earlier book first before you see what happens here.