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Death in Her Hands
Book
While on her daily walk with her dog in a secluded woods, a woman comes across a note, handwritten...
The Family Plot
7.0
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Book
From the author of The Winter Sister and Behind the Red Door, a family obsessed with true crime...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2173 KP) rated A Perfect Bind in Books
Sep 29, 2021
The Body Behind the Library
Someone is breaking into the secret bookroom that librarian Tru Beckett has set up in the basement of the library and is disturbing the books at night when the building is supposed to be closed. Tru’s only lead is the theory that it is a poltergeist, but she suspects that someone all too human is involved. Then, one morning, the body of Owen Maynard, the town drunk, is found behind the library. Tru’s worried that the attacks on her secret room might be a key to solving the murder, so she jumps in to figure out what is going on so she can keep her secret. Will she solve the crime? Or will her secret be revealed?
I enjoyed the first book in the series because of the unique premise, and this book didn’t disappoint. Once again, the secret bookroom provides a great motive for Tru to get involved in solving a crime, and the plot weaves in some fun, surprising directions. I had the killer figured out before it was revealed, but I think I figured it out about the same time Tru did, so I was proud of myself. A couple of characters annoyed me, but for the most part I loved the cast, and I enjoyed seeing depth to them as the book went along. I smiled and laughed my way through the book, especially at the romantic sub-plots. This book is perfectly delightful.
I enjoyed the first book in the series because of the unique premise, and this book didn’t disappoint. Once again, the secret bookroom provides a great motive for Tru to get involved in solving a crime, and the plot weaves in some fun, surprising directions. I had the killer figured out before it was revealed, but I think I figured it out about the same time Tru did, so I was proud of myself. A couple of characters annoyed me, but for the most part I loved the cast, and I enjoyed seeing depth to them as the book went along. I smiled and laughed my way through the book, especially at the romantic sub-plots. This book is perfectly delightful.
Secondhand Souls (Grim Reaper #2)
7.0
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It seems like only yesterday that Charlie Asher took on a very dirty job--collecting souls and...
Sticky-Fingered Books
10.0
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It isn’t every day that you find a body at your kids’ school. Unless you’re Jolie Gentil. Then...
mystery cozy mystery bookbuzz
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2173 KP) rated The Plot Thickets in Books
Oct 27, 2022 (Updated Oct 27, 2022)
Fresh Body in the Cemetery
Lilly Jayne has received a suggestion that the Garden Squad look at the historic cemetery because some of the areas have been neglected. When Lilly and Delia head out there one afternoon, they find more problems than they were expecting. Yes, some areas desperately need to be weeded and tended to in other ways. But Lilly also finds more graves than she is expecting to see in the middle of historic family plots. While she isn’t completely sure if she can trust her memory or not, she begins to investigate. When a fresh body turns up above ground near the Jayne family’s crypt, Lilly starts digging deeper. Can she find what happened?
I always love getting to spend time with the Garden Squad. Their friendships are fantastic, and I love the town of Goosebush. The rest of the characters are strong as well. Unfortunately, I felt the pacing was off in this book, especially in the first half. This isn’t anything new for this series, but it felt worse than usual here. There is a good mystery, it just needed a little pruning, and once the action picked up, I was kept guessing until the end. As always, there are some garden tips at the end of the novel. I enjoyed visiting my friends again, and fans will as well, even if the plot could have been stronger.
I always love getting to spend time with the Garden Squad. Their friendships are fantastic, and I love the town of Goosebush. The rest of the characters are strong as well. Unfortunately, I felt the pacing was off in this book, especially in the first half. This isn’t anything new for this series, but it felt worse than usual here. There is a good mystery, it just needed a little pruning, and once the action picked up, I was kept guessing until the end. As always, there are some garden tips at the end of the novel. I enjoyed visiting my friends again, and fans will as well, even if the plot could have been stronger.
The Haunted Lost Rose (Charlotte's Voices of Mystery #1)
Book
Some secrets should stay hidden. If they come to light, darkness could weaken even the strongest of...
Cozy Mystery Paranormal Romance
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Body Reader ( Detective Jude Fontaine 1) in Books
Oct 29, 2023
160 of 235
kindle
The Body Reader ( Detective Jude Fontaine 1)
By Anne Frasier
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For three years, Detective Jude Fontaine was kept from the outside world. Held in an underground cell, her only contact was with her sadistic captor, and reading his face was her entire existence. Learning his every line, every movement, and every flicker of thought is what kept her alive.
After her experience with isolation and torture, she is left with a fierce desire for justice—and a heightened ability to interpret the body language of both the living and the dead. Despite colleagues’ doubts about her mental state, she resumes her role at Homicide. Her new partner, Detective Uriah Ashby, doesn’t trust her sanity, and he has a story of his own he’d rather keep hidden. But a killer is on the loose, murdering young women, so the detectives have no choice: they must work together to catch the madman before he strikes again. And no one knows madmen like Jude Fontaine.
Holy cow I bloody really enjoyed this book! It was a non stop stomach clenching read. I mean to go through everything she did then to have to deal with dead 16 year old girls was just harsh! The ending was so so satisfying too I actually wanted to cheer for Jude twice! Well worth a read. I’m really enjoying this authors work at the minute.
kindle
The Body Reader ( Detective Jude Fontaine 1)
By Anne Frasier
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For three years, Detective Jude Fontaine was kept from the outside world. Held in an underground cell, her only contact was with her sadistic captor, and reading his face was her entire existence. Learning his every line, every movement, and every flicker of thought is what kept her alive.
After her experience with isolation and torture, she is left with a fierce desire for justice—and a heightened ability to interpret the body language of both the living and the dead. Despite colleagues’ doubts about her mental state, she resumes her role at Homicide. Her new partner, Detective Uriah Ashby, doesn’t trust her sanity, and he has a story of his own he’d rather keep hidden. But a killer is on the loose, murdering young women, so the detectives have no choice: they must work together to catch the madman before he strikes again. And no one knows madmen like Jude Fontaine.
Holy cow I bloody really enjoyed this book! It was a non stop stomach clenching read. I mean to go through everything she did then to have to deal with dead 16 year old girls was just harsh! The ending was so so satisfying too I actually wanted to cheer for Jude twice! Well worth a read. I’m really enjoying this authors work at the minute.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2173 KP) rated Knot What You Think in Books
Jan 12, 2022
Discovering a Dead Body is Complicated
Martha Rose is looking forward to a typical Tuesday quilting session with her friends until Jazz, the latest member of the group, shows up. As Jazz describes his morning, everyone begins to worry about the friend he was trying to see earlier in the morning. When they go to investigate, they find the body of Dolleen Doyle on her kitchen floor. Dolleen is the second wife of a man currently in jail for running a Ponzi scheme. With the police looking at Jazz as their prime suspect, Martha begins to investigate. Can she find the real killer?
Those familiar with the series will know what to expect here, and they won’t be disappointed. The plot is complex with several twists before Martha pieces the clues together. I do wish we hadn’t had the scenes with the psychic, but that’s a minor complaint. I enjoy the characters since they are different for a cozy series, and I appreciate how their lives are evolving as the series progresses. The suspects are just as sharp and interesting. While the Los Angeles setting is unusual for a cozy, as a native, I enjoy it, and the book still feels cozy. There’s a nice dose of humor as well, and I can’t wait to see how what happens next to Martha after the way this book ended. If you are looking for a fun cozy series, this is definitely one to check out.
Those familiar with the series will know what to expect here, and they won’t be disappointed. The plot is complex with several twists before Martha pieces the clues together. I do wish we hadn’t had the scenes with the psychic, but that’s a minor complaint. I enjoy the characters since they are different for a cozy series, and I appreciate how their lives are evolving as the series progresses. The suspects are just as sharp and interesting. While the Los Angeles setting is unusual for a cozy, as a native, I enjoy it, and the book still feels cozy. There’s a nice dose of humor as well, and I can’t wait to see how what happens next to Martha after the way this book ended. If you are looking for a fun cozy series, this is definitely one to check out.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Ashton's Bride in Books
Feb 15, 2019
I have mixed feelings about this book. It was well-written, Margaret and Ashton were sympathetic, but I hated the way she time-traveled. It started off well enough until that point and I had a hard time getting past it. (I'll talk more about that in a hidden spoiler) Other than the time-travel, which is a big part of the book obviously, I enjoyed it. The relationship between Margaret and Ashton was pretty realistic and loving. So as far as time-travel romances, it's not one of my favorites, but it is still a good love story. In some ways, I think it might have been better strictly as historical romance.
Be warned! Massive ranting ahead!
<spoiler>
1. Like I said before, I hated her time-travel method. I don't quite get even how she time-traveled and the part I hate the absolute most is that she's in someone else's body. I just recently read a short story that had the same time-travel method, except that it was explained. I just find it disturbing and creepy, not to mention the amount of times it is said in the book how beautiful and perfect her looks are. Pretty nauseating. I just don't know how you could get used to looking in the mirror and not seeing yourself. That'd just be weird to me, even if I did happen to enter into a drop-dead gorgeous body. And Margaret acted like she was some freak of nature when she was in 1993. Boo hoo. Be happy with yourself for goodness sake! It seemed somewhat like the author was saying that you're not good enough if you're not beautiful. At least, that's the impression it gave to me.
2. It seemed to me that Ashton was infatuated with Mag. He couldn't have possibly actually loved her the way she was before Margaret entered her body, but he said he had. He really had to have fallen in love with Margaret, not Mag, and the blurriness there bothered me.
3. They're cousins. Okay so Margaret actually isn't, but the body she's in is. So what about children? Not a major point since cousins marrying isn't all that odd back then, but because of my other problems, it creeped me out more here.
4. Margaret's whole "revelation." She says now her parents and siblings never went to Cape Cod and are alive after all since they only went because of her and now she's back in time, and her parents only had two kids and not three. Umm no. If her parents never had her, then it would be impossible (yes, so is time-travel, but that's beside the point) for her to have gone back in time at all! She would have disappeared; she couldn't just be there now! Am I the only one who can see that?! Remember the photo featuring disappearing McFly's in Back to the Future? What comes around goes around. There's a few instances of that, but this is the one that bothers me most.
5. How did the papers show up? Seemed really unnecessary just to have Ashton believe her.
Had the back cover described how exactly Margaret time-traveled (like a mention of waking up in a strange body, perhaps?), maybe I wouldn't have had such a hard time with the concept and the other stuff wouldn't have bothered me as much. Who's to know?</spoiler> I promise, I'm really not crazy, even if my rants point to the contrary. I really think it could have been a great story, and I'm sure others will enjoy it, I just was left very disappointed.
Be warned! Massive ranting ahead!
<spoiler>
1. Like I said before, I hated her time-travel method. I don't quite get even how she time-traveled and the part I hate the absolute most is that she's in someone else's body. I just recently read a short story that had the same time-travel method, except that it was explained. I just find it disturbing and creepy, not to mention the amount of times it is said in the book how beautiful and perfect her looks are. Pretty nauseating. I just don't know how you could get used to looking in the mirror and not seeing yourself. That'd just be weird to me, even if I did happen to enter into a drop-dead gorgeous body. And Margaret acted like she was some freak of nature when she was in 1993. Boo hoo. Be happy with yourself for goodness sake! It seemed somewhat like the author was saying that you're not good enough if you're not beautiful. At least, that's the impression it gave to me.
2. It seemed to me that Ashton was infatuated with Mag. He couldn't have possibly actually loved her the way she was before Margaret entered her body, but he said he had. He really had to have fallen in love with Margaret, not Mag, and the blurriness there bothered me.
3. They're cousins. Okay so Margaret actually isn't, but the body she's in is. So what about children? Not a major point since cousins marrying isn't all that odd back then, but because of my other problems, it creeped me out more here.
4. Margaret's whole "revelation." She says now her parents and siblings never went to Cape Cod and are alive after all since they only went because of her and now she's back in time, and her parents only had two kids and not three. Umm no. If her parents never had her, then it would be impossible (yes, so is time-travel, but that's beside the point) for her to have gone back in time at all! She would have disappeared; she couldn't just be there now! Am I the only one who can see that?! Remember the photo featuring disappearing McFly's in Back to the Future? What comes around goes around. There's a few instances of that, but this is the one that bothers me most.
5. How did the papers show up? Seemed really unnecessary just to have Ashton believe her.
Had the back cover described how exactly Margaret time-traveled (like a mention of waking up in a strange body, perhaps?), maybe I wouldn't have had such a hard time with the concept and the other stuff wouldn't have bothered me as much. Who's to know?</spoiler> I promise, I'm really not crazy, even if my rants point to the contrary. I really think it could have been a great story, and I'm sure others will enjoy it, I just was left very disappointed.