Search
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2506 KP) rated The Subject of Malice in Books
Jul 29, 2019
A Study in Malice
English professor Lila Maclean is attending an academic conference she has helped organize near her university in Colorado, and she is looking forward to presenting a paper, attending panels, and rubbing elbows with the publisher that has accepted her book. The downside is that her rival, Simone, and Simone’s twin sister, Selene, are also attending the conference and trying to make life miserable for her. The conference organizers have some surprises up their sleeves, but the dead body after the opening night dinner wasn’t one of them. Did someone’s academic rivalry boil over to murder?
In this book, Lila is approached by her boyfriend, police detective Lex Archer, about helping investigate because she knows the players and the motives. That stretched credibility a bit for me, but I was having so much fun I didn’t let it bother me too much. There is plenty of malice at the conference, not all of it connected to the murder, and that was enough to keep me turning the pages as quickly as possible until I reached the satisfying climax. Lila is once again a great main character who faces a couple of twists in her personal life in this book. We don’t see all of the supporting cast, but the ones we do see are great as usual, and the suspects are strong as well. The setting of the conference, an old movie studio turned into a resort, added a layer of fun to things as well. All told, I give this book a grade of A+.
In this book, Lila is approached by her boyfriend, police detective Lex Archer, about helping investigate because she knows the players and the motives. That stretched credibility a bit for me, but I was having so much fun I didn’t let it bother me too much. There is plenty of malice at the conference, not all of it connected to the murder, and that was enough to keep me turning the pages as quickly as possible until I reached the satisfying climax. Lila is once again a great main character who faces a couple of twists in her personal life in this book. We don’t see all of the supporting cast, but the ones we do see are great as usual, and the suspects are strong as well. The setting of the conference, an old movie studio turned into a resort, added a layer of fun to things as well. All told, I give this book a grade of A+.
Environmental Water Markets and Regulation: A Comparative Legal Approach
Book
River systems around the world are degraded and are being used unsustainably. Meeting this challenge...
Lindsay (1807 KP) rated The Christmas Swap in Books
Dec 24, 2020
Looking for a sweet Christmas themed book that deals with a romance. This book has it and a sweet way of how it goes. This deals with a house swap at Christmas time. This book reminds me of the Hallmark Movie called “The Christmas Swap.” I do not know if this was a make on that or if it was maybe inspired by it. I do not know.
The book is about two families but mostly about a songwriter that somehow ends up taking care of this own house. The way it comes about seems kind of cute. We also have Emma who is struggling to be a musician. How will Emma and West's relationship go?
Will Gillian or maybe Harris mess up the sweet romance that is blooming? Does this seem to take a turn when someone figures out who West is? Is the caretaker who he is? Emma seems to be belated with the house they are staying in and the area in Colorado. Will the family and guest learn to ski and enjoy Christmas before going home?
The author writes this book well. This book is Christmas themed and charming. I enjoyed it. The only thing I kinda wish it was a bit more to it. Though I guess, I read too many romances to see how it ends. It is not all that bad. The story is caring and a bit different in the way that the owner is the one in more of a predicament than the heroine.
The book is about two families but mostly about a songwriter that somehow ends up taking care of this own house. The way it comes about seems kind of cute. We also have Emma who is struggling to be a musician. How will Emma and West's relationship go?
Will Gillian or maybe Harris mess up the sweet romance that is blooming? Does this seem to take a turn when someone figures out who West is? Is the caretaker who he is? Emma seems to be belated with the house they are staying in and the area in Colorado. Will the family and guest learn to ski and enjoy Christmas before going home?
The author writes this book well. This book is Christmas themed and charming. I enjoyed it. The only thing I kinda wish it was a bit more to it. Though I guess, I read too many romances to see how it ends. It is not all that bad. The story is caring and a bit different in the way that the owner is the one in more of a predicament than the heroine.
NA
Narwhals: Arctic Whales in a Melting World
Book
Among all the large whales on Earth, the most unusual and least studied is the narwhal, the...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2506 KP) rated Killer Chardonnay in Books
Aug 7, 2020
Poisoned Opening
Parker Valentine’s dream is coming true today with the opening of Vino Valentine in her hometown of Boulder, Colorado. However, her joy turns to worry when renowned local food and wine blogger Gaskel Brown shows up. He is notoriously hard to please, and his blog can make or break local restaurants. After sampling her chardonnay, Gaskel dies, and the police are quick to label it poison. Everyone is blaming Parker for the crime, and no one is coming to her store for fear they will be next. In order to save her dream, she has to find the killer. Can she do it?
Since I don’t drink wine, I almost passed on this debut, but I’m glad I picked it up. The book starts quickly, introducing us to characters while also setting the murder in motion. The pace continues to be strong with plenty of secrets and motives before we reach the climax, where everything fell into place. All the characters were also fantastic, with some good growth thanks to the subplots. The book is written in first person present tense, which is a bit unusual, but I quickly got used to it as I read. There are a handful of four-letter words, but they are worth noting mostly in passing. If the food descriptions make your mouth water, you’ll welcome the three recipes and wine pairings at the end. This book was aged to perfection, and I’m already looking forward to Parker’s next case.
Since I don’t drink wine, I almost passed on this debut, but I’m glad I picked it up. The book starts quickly, introducing us to characters while also setting the murder in motion. The pace continues to be strong with plenty of secrets and motives before we reach the climax, where everything fell into place. All the characters were also fantastic, with some good growth thanks to the subplots. The book is written in first person present tense, which is a bit unusual, but I quickly got used to it as I read. There are a handful of four-letter words, but they are worth noting mostly in passing. If the food descriptions make your mouth water, you’ll welcome the three recipes and wine pairings at the end. This book was aged to perfection, and I’m already looking forward to Parker’s next case.
The Inn at Hidden Run (Tree of Life #1)
8.0
Rate It
Book
.A Father-Daughter Genealogy Team Link Present to Past on Family Trees Meri's family has been...
Family Family Tree Generolgy History
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The First Shot ( Last Mrs Parish book 0.5) in Books
Feb 10, 2022
25 of 230
Kindle
The First Shot ( Last Mrs Parish 0.5)
By Liv Constantine
In this gripping prequel to the blockbuster best seller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick The Last Mrs. Parrish, listeners will discover exactly how Amber Patterson transformed from small-town girl to master manipulator - after all, practice makes perfect.
Amber Patterson has many secrets. This much is clear when she sneaks out of her home in the dead of night and hitchhikes across state lines to meet up with a man she hasn’t seen or spoken to since high school graduation. So begins her desperate attempt to leave her old life behind, and she’ll use everything and everyone at her disposal, from social media stalking to the kindness of unsuspecting strangers, to get where she needs to go. It’s not long before she’s ready for the main event: armed with a new identity and a new purpose, she heads to Gunnison, Colorado, preparing herself to meet her future husband among the wealthy vacationers.
Even the smallest misstep could derail this carefully-laid plan, and in the end, can you ever truly outrun your past? The First Shot is an absorbing, binge-able thriller that shows just how far some will go to build the lives they want.
This is the prequel to The Last Mrs Parish and I absolutely loved that book. This was very good too getting a bit on how Lana/ Amber started and her first victim! I really love Liv. Constantine’s writing style.
Kindle
The First Shot ( Last Mrs Parish 0.5)
By Liv Constantine
In this gripping prequel to the blockbuster best seller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick The Last Mrs. Parrish, listeners will discover exactly how Amber Patterson transformed from small-town girl to master manipulator - after all, practice makes perfect.
Amber Patterson has many secrets. This much is clear when she sneaks out of her home in the dead of night and hitchhikes across state lines to meet up with a man she hasn’t seen or spoken to since high school graduation. So begins her desperate attempt to leave her old life behind, and she’ll use everything and everyone at her disposal, from social media stalking to the kindness of unsuspecting strangers, to get where she needs to go. It’s not long before she’s ready for the main event: armed with a new identity and a new purpose, she heads to Gunnison, Colorado, preparing herself to meet her future husband among the wealthy vacationers.
Even the smallest misstep could derail this carefully-laid plan, and in the end, can you ever truly outrun your past? The First Shot is an absorbing, binge-able thriller that shows just how far some will go to build the lives they want.
This is the prequel to The Last Mrs Parish and I absolutely loved that book. This was very good too getting a bit on how Lana/ Amber started and her first victim! I really love Liv. Constantine’s writing style.
Tom Sharp: The Man and the Legend
Book
TOM SHARP: The Man and the Legend (A Novel) is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, and carefully-woven...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2506 KP) rated Kill or Bee Killed in Books
Jun 5, 2024
Bailey Must Bee Careful
It’s time for the annual Bee Festival in Humble Hills, Colorado. Since Bailey’s Granny Bee is in charge, that means that Bailey will be busy with the week-long festival helping make sure that it runs smoothly. One of the events is a local-restaurant cooking contest, and morning show host Rex Rafferty is coming to town, with a film crew, to host the event. However, Rex is a horrible man, and it isn’t long before Bailey and her best friend, Evie, who is a contestant, are doing all they can to avoid him. Before the contest is over, he’s been murdered. The crew he brought with him seem like obvious suspects, but the evidence seems to point to the event’s contestants. Can Bailey free her friend?
The book starts out a bit slowly, but with a very funny scene. It isn’t long before the plot kicks in and we are meeting the victim and prime suspects. I enjoyed following Bailey as she looked for the killer. The ending was a bit abrupt, but it did answer all of my questions and kept me turning pages. Over the course of the book, we get laughs from characters and other slapstick situations. A few of the characters still don’t get enough page time to develop, but I enjoyed seeing the series regulars again and watching their relationships grow. The suspects are good, but a couple could have used a little more page time. Overall, this is a fun second entry in what is quickly becoming a sweet series.
The book starts out a bit slowly, but with a very funny scene. It isn’t long before the plot kicks in and we are meeting the victim and prime suspects. I enjoyed following Bailey as she looked for the killer. The ending was a bit abrupt, but it did answer all of my questions and kept me turning pages. Over the course of the book, we get laughs from characters and other slapstick situations. A few of the characters still don’t get enough page time to develop, but I enjoyed seeing the series regulars again and watching their relationships grow. The suspects are good, but a couple could have used a little more page time. Overall, this is a fun second entry in what is quickly becoming a sweet series.