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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2414 KP) rated Frosted Yuletide Murder in Books
Dec 19, 2021
Delectable Christmas Fun
Emory Martinez and her twin sister Carrie are not happy to discover that their mystery client for a Christmas party is Blair, an old high school nemesis. As the evening progresses, Blair continues with her abuse of Carrie, but she gets into fights with others at the party as well. When Emory and Carrie return to the location of the party the next morning, they find Blair’s dead body. The rumors and evidence seem to be pointing to the sisters. Can Emory figure out what happened before either of them spends the holiday in jail?
Before we go any further, I do want to issue a warning – this book spoils some events in the lives of the characters from previous books in the series. If you aren’t up to date, don’t start here. As a Southern California resident, I enjoyed this book’s setting since its depiction of weather in December made me feel right at home. The plot is filled with events that kept me engaged. I did feel the climax was a bit weak, but overall, I still enjoyed the book. One reason is the characters. Yes, the suspects are strong, but I’m talking the series regulars. I love getting to spend time with all of them, and fans of the series will be interested in seeing the latest developments in Emory’s life. You’ll want to work this Christmas cozy into your reading schedule as soon as you can.
Before we go any further, I do want to issue a warning – this book spoils some events in the lives of the characters from previous books in the series. If you aren’t up to date, don’t start here. As a Southern California resident, I enjoyed this book’s setting since its depiction of weather in December made me feel right at home. The plot is filled with events that kept me engaged. I did feel the climax was a bit weak, but overall, I still enjoyed the book. One reason is the characters. Yes, the suspects are strong, but I’m talking the series regulars. I love getting to spend time with all of them, and fans of the series will be interested in seeing the latest developments in Emory’s life. You’ll want to work this Christmas cozy into your reading schedule as soon as you can.
Violet Spark (Butterfly Witch #1)
8.0
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Imogen Taylor: Artist. College dropout. Gamer. Screwup. I had big plans for art school in...
Urban Fantasy New Adult
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2414 KP) rated A Quiet Undertaking in Books
Jan 27, 2022 (Updated Jan 27, 2022)
Scandal in Flat Skunk
Deaf reporter Connor Westphal is hot on the trail of another scandal in her small Gold Country town for her weekly newspaper. A storage locker full of human ashes has been found near the town of Flat Skunk, California. The ashes were supposed to be scattered at sea by Jasper Coyne, but before anyone can question Jasper, he is found dead near his houseboat. With the scandal impacting Connor’s friend, Del Rey, Connor has an extra motive to investigate. But with Del Rey hiding secrets of her own, will Connor ever figure out what really happened?
This was an inventive mystery that kept me guessing until the end. There were plenty of surprises on the way to the logical climax. Unfortunately, Connor did make some pretty stupid moves as she was investigating, which is a bummer since I like her overall. She leads a strong cast of fun characters. I love how her deafness is worked into the book and how it makes certain scenes even more suspenseful. There are more four letter words than usual in a cozy mystery, so know that going in. The book was first released over 20 years ago, so some of the technology is dated, but keep that in mind as you read it, and you’ll be fine. Overall, this was another fun, confusing mystery. I’m glad I’m finally reading this series.
This was an inventive mystery that kept me guessing until the end. There were plenty of surprises on the way to the logical climax. Unfortunately, Connor did make some pretty stupid moves as she was investigating, which is a bummer since I like her overall. She leads a strong cast of fun characters. I love how her deafness is worked into the book and how it makes certain scenes even more suspenseful. There are more four letter words than usual in a cozy mystery, so know that going in. The book was first released over 20 years ago, so some of the technology is dated, but keep that in mind as you read it, and you’ll be fine. Overall, this was another fun, confusing mystery. I’m glad I’m finally reading this series.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2414 KP) rated Calico in Books
Nov 9, 2023
A Shock and Some Flaws
After a scandal forces her from the LAPD, Beth McDade lands a job as a detective in Barstow, California. Nothing much happens in this middle of nowhere location until one night when a motorhome hits a vagrant. It appears to be a tragic accident, only no one knows who the vagrant is. And the autopsy turns up some surprising things. Can Beth figure out what is going on?
Since I normally enjoy Lee Goldberg’s books, I picked this one up without paying much attention to anything about it. As a result, I wasn’t aware it was a blend of Police Procedural, Science Fiction, and Western. It was initially shocking when I realized where the book was going, but then I got caught up in the story, which unfolds in the present and the past. It helped that I grew to enjoy the characters, although the raw nature of the first chapter made it a little hard for me. This book definitely has more content than the cozies I typically read. However, the book tried to do too much. There’s a subplot that really doesn’t go anywhere, and some of the story set in the past gets summarized for us. Meanwhile, the last couple of chapters have a bit too much exposition for me. I appreciate the attempt to do something different, but the execution could have been better.
Since I normally enjoy Lee Goldberg’s books, I picked this one up without paying much attention to anything about it. As a result, I wasn’t aware it was a blend of Police Procedural, Science Fiction, and Western. It was initially shocking when I realized where the book was going, but then I got caught up in the story, which unfolds in the present and the past. It helped that I grew to enjoy the characters, although the raw nature of the first chapter made it a little hard for me. This book definitely has more content than the cozies I typically read. However, the book tried to do too much. There’s a subplot that really doesn’t go anywhere, and some of the story set in the past gets summarized for us. Meanwhile, the last couple of chapters have a bit too much exposition for me. I appreciate the attempt to do something different, but the execution could have been better.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Of All Things Sacred in Books
Feb 25, 2024
36 of 220
Book sirens review
Of All Things Sacred
By Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
A prophet has arrived in the small mountain town of Red Tree, California, bringing with him a revival. Repenting of sins. Healings. Exorcisms. Speaking in tongues. Visions. Prophecies.
Something big is happening in Red Tree, something so transformative the small town can barely contain it. And Iron King's mother is the Prophet's most committed follower, even though Iron's father isn't totally on board.
Any doubts the townspeople have that the Prophet was anointed by God evaporate when a man who questions his integrity is struck by lightning on the church steps. Unreproachable, the Prophet's stature—and his control over the souls in his care —grows along with the size of his church, despite whispered rumors and his increasingly strange prophecies.
Until Iron falls in love with a girl and realizes that between God and Satan, between truth and deception, lies a great contradiction. And a horrific terror.
This was so so good I didn’t want to put it down. An interesting story of faith, life and false prophets. I was completely hooked from start to finish. Definitely be reading more from this author.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Book sirens review
Of All Things Sacred
By Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
A prophet has arrived in the small mountain town of Red Tree, California, bringing with him a revival. Repenting of sins. Healings. Exorcisms. Speaking in tongues. Visions. Prophecies.
Something big is happening in Red Tree, something so transformative the small town can barely contain it. And Iron King's mother is the Prophet's most committed follower, even though Iron's father isn't totally on board.
Any doubts the townspeople have that the Prophet was anointed by God evaporate when a man who questions his integrity is struck by lightning on the church steps. Unreproachable, the Prophet's stature—and his control over the souls in his care —grows along with the size of his church, despite whispered rumors and his increasingly strange prophecies.
Until Iron falls in love with a girl and realizes that between God and Satan, between truth and deception, lies a great contradiction. And a horrific terror.
This was so so good I didn’t want to put it down. An interesting story of faith, life and false prophets. I was completely hooked from start to finish. Definitely be reading more from this author.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The four lives of Robinson Appleson
Book
In his first life, he was a Porcian prince who was known to devour humans. His obsession with...
fantasy
When the World Tips Over
9.0
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An explosive new novel brimming with love, secrets, and enchantment The Fall siblings live in hot...
Kill or Bee Killed
8.0
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Perfect for fans of Laura Childs and Amanda Flower, this second Bee Keeping mystery takes Bailey...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2414 KP) rated Chocolate Can Be Deadly in Books
Feb 15, 2025
Death By Chocolate is Real
Emory has reluctantly agreed to cater a post Valentine’s Day bash. The hostess is horrible to Emory since she has a long-standing feud with Emory’s friend Tillie. The theme also puts her off since Dying for Chocolate hits a little too close to home given all the murders Emory has found herself involved in. Just as she is thinking that she might pull off the event, the hostesses new finance is found dead clutching one of Emory’s cupcakes. With the rumors of poison in a cupcake destroying her business, not to mention a cop that wants to arrest her, Emory has to find the killer. Can she do it?
I was so happy to be revisiting these characters. We don’t see much of a couple of the regulars, but the updates with the ones we did get to see were lots of fun. The mystery was engrossing, including good suspects and a climax I couldn’t put down. I did figure out one aspect early, but I didn’t have it all figured out. I enjoy the slightly different setting of Orange County since I’m in Southern California myself, but everything else still feels like a cozy. The book includes ten delicious sounding chocolate themed recipes, many of them gluten free. This book will find you turning pages and craving chocolate. If you want a good culinary cozy series, I highly recommend it.
I was so happy to be revisiting these characters. We don’t see much of a couple of the regulars, but the updates with the ones we did get to see were lots of fun. The mystery was engrossing, including good suspects and a climax I couldn’t put down. I did figure out one aspect early, but I didn’t have it all figured out. I enjoy the slightly different setting of Orange County since I’m in Southern California myself, but everything else still feels like a cozy. The book includes ten delicious sounding chocolate themed recipes, many of them gluten free. This book will find you turning pages and craving chocolate. If you want a good culinary cozy series, I highly recommend it.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The Jekyll Revelation in Books
May 15, 2018
When I first laid eyes upon Robert Masello’s The Jekyll Revelation, I felt excitement. What could be better than combining Jekyll and Hyde with Jack the Ripper? In theory, nothing. Unless it’s this book. With an agonizingly slow advancement of plot and painfully dull characters, The Jekyll Revelation felt like a waste of my time. Thank god there was an audiobook accompaniment, or I wouldn’t have finished it.
The Jekyll Revelation goes back and forth in time, alternating between present day California where Rafe and Heidi (who vanishes halfway through the story, along with the repercussions for Rafe’s actions) patrol the desert and the past, where Robert Louis Stevenson, only just now writing his famed The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is slowly dying from consumption. The latter portions are told in first person, as it is the recounting of Stevenson’s fictional life by journal. Many of these chapters could be removed and the book would be the same.
I guess it could be said that my biggest quarrel with this book is its slow progression. It isn’t until the final quarter of the novel that anything picks up, and by then the present is damn near irrelevant. Sure, there’s some loose ends that get tied up in the present, but it just feels hollow and empty.
Overall, I didn’t like this book. Fellow members of the #spookyfriendsbookclub seem to also have given it up, with only one member still reading it. I likely won’t be including Masello in future votes.
The Jekyll Revelation goes back and forth in time, alternating between present day California where Rafe and Heidi (who vanishes halfway through the story, along with the repercussions for Rafe’s actions) patrol the desert and the past, where Robert Louis Stevenson, only just now writing his famed The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is slowly dying from consumption. The latter portions are told in first person, as it is the recounting of Stevenson’s fictional life by journal. Many of these chapters could be removed and the book would be the same.
I guess it could be said that my biggest quarrel with this book is its slow progression. It isn’t until the final quarter of the novel that anything picks up, and by then the present is damn near irrelevant. Sure, there’s some loose ends that get tied up in the present, but it just feels hollow and empty.
Overall, I didn’t like this book. Fellow members of the #spookyfriendsbookclub seem to also have given it up, with only one member still reading it. I likely won’t be including Masello in future votes.