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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2072 KP) rated Barking Mad at Murder in Books
Apr 30, 2019
Something Different, but Fun
Frankie Chandler makes her living as a pet psychic in a small town in Arizona. There’s just one problem – she’s a fake. She really uses cues from her knowledge of human and animal behavior and fakes her visions to help pet owners with their pets’ behavior. So, you can imagine how surprised Frankie is when a dog named Sandy actually gets through and gives her a vision of a murder. She’s willing to write off the entire thing as a bad dream until a body matching the victim in the vision turns up in the desert. Can Frankie figure out what really happened? Does Sandy know more than Frankie got in the first vision?
This is definitely a step away from my normal cozy choices, but I picked it up after chatting with the author for most of the day at an event. I’m glad I took a chance on it. With Frankie just developing her powers, this book had some fun exploring that and what it meant for her. The mystery was good. There were occasional pacing issues, but for the most part it kept me engaged until the wonderful climax. A solid sub-plot helped keep me interested as well. A couple of the supporting characters have room to grow as the series develops, but for the most part the cast is solid, and I certainly hope to see more of many of them in later books. The book kept me grinning as I read as Frankie gets into some pretty fun situations over the course of the story. This is a solid series debut anyone looking for a light, fun read will enjoy.
This is definitely a step away from my normal cozy choices, but I picked it up after chatting with the author for most of the day at an event. I’m glad I took a chance on it. With Frankie just developing her powers, this book had some fun exploring that and what it meant for her. The mystery was good. There were occasional pacing issues, but for the most part it kept me engaged until the wonderful climax. A solid sub-plot helped keep me interested as well. A couple of the supporting characters have room to grow as the series develops, but for the most part the cast is solid, and I certainly hope to see more of many of them in later books. The book kept me grinning as I read as Frankie gets into some pretty fun situations over the course of the story. This is a solid series debut anyone looking for a light, fun read will enjoy.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2072 KP) rated One Taste Too Many in Books
Jun 20, 2019
Sarah Blair’s Tasty Debut
Sarah Blair is awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call from her twin sister Emily who exclaims that Bill is dead and the police think Emily is responsible. Sarah isn’t that upset that her ex-husband is dead, but she is surprised that Emily is the chief suspect. But Emily was found with Bill, who had eaten her rhubarb crisp despite the fact that he hated rhubarb and avoid the nuts Emily used because of his allergies. What is really going on? Meanwhile, Sarah gets a shock when Bill’s current girlfriend, Jane, produces a will that claims Jane gets custody of RahRah, the Siamese cat that Sarah has had ever since Bill’s mother died several years ago. Can Sarah prove she should keep RahRah while clearing Emily of murder?
While it doesn’t take much to intrigue me with a culinary cozy, I found Sarah’s status as a cook of convenience to be a great pull for this series. For more serious culinary lovers, Emily works as a line chef and is part of a culinary festival taking place in their town, so all abilities are covered, although the two recipes at the end are definitely on the simple side. The mystery starts strong, with us learning about Bill’s death on the first page. I did find it harder to care about the sub-plot involving RahRah; I think it’s more because I’m not a pet person so I needed more time to warm up to him before I would care. Still, both storylines reach great climaxes, and Sarah manages to figure out all the twists along the way. The characters have some room to grow, but the main cast, including the suspects, are all solid, providing a good base for future growth. Fans of culinary cozies will enjoy this tasty debut.
While it doesn’t take much to intrigue me with a culinary cozy, I found Sarah’s status as a cook of convenience to be a great pull for this series. For more serious culinary lovers, Emily works as a line chef and is part of a culinary festival taking place in their town, so all abilities are covered, although the two recipes at the end are definitely on the simple side. The mystery starts strong, with us learning about Bill’s death on the first page. I did find it harder to care about the sub-plot involving RahRah; I think it’s more because I’m not a pet person so I needed more time to warm up to him before I would care. Still, both storylines reach great climaxes, and Sarah manages to figure out all the twists along the way. The characters have some room to grow, but the main cast, including the suspects, are all solid, providing a good base for future growth. Fans of culinary cozies will enjoy this tasty debut.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Jul 30, 2021
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2072 KP) rated A Whisker of a Doubt in Books
Dec 13, 2020
Fights over Feral Cats Lead to Murder at Christmas
Maddie James and her friend Katrina have learned about a colony of feral cats near one of the richest neighborhoods on Daybreak Island, so they are working to take care of it. However, the neighbors are resistant to their efforts, going out of their way to be a pain. Just a couple of days before Christmas, Maddie finds the body of one of them, Virgil Proust, outside his house. Virgil and his wife were some of the loudest people fighting against the cats and Maddie’s efforts to feed them. When the police focus on Katrina as their prime suspect, Maddie knows it is up to her to find the truth. Can she do it?
I’ve been waiting impatiently for this book due to the cliffhanger the previous book left us with. I was thrilled to get back to Maddie and find out what happened there. Even if you haven’t read the books that came before this one, you’ll still be able to jump in here and follow along. I will say that Maddie’s attitude in this sub-plot bothered me a bit at times, although I always understood where she was coming from. The main mystery is good with a few nice surprises on our way to the solution. The suspects could have been stronger, and I struggled at times to remember all of their relationships, but I was still invested in the story. The regular characters are strong and charming, as are the cats at the cat café where Maddie works. The Christmas setting adds an extra level of cozy. Fans new and old will enjoy this festive entry in the series.
I’ve been waiting impatiently for this book due to the cliffhanger the previous book left us with. I was thrilled to get back to Maddie and find out what happened there. Even if you haven’t read the books that came before this one, you’ll still be able to jump in here and follow along. I will say that Maddie’s attitude in this sub-plot bothered me a bit at times, although I always understood where she was coming from. The main mystery is good with a few nice surprises on our way to the solution. The suspects could have been stronger, and I struggled at times to remember all of their relationships, but I was still invested in the story. The regular characters are strong and charming, as are the cats at the cat café where Maddie works. The Christmas setting adds an extra level of cozy. Fans new and old will enjoy this festive entry in the series.
A Plus One for Murder
10.0
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Book
Entrepreneur Emma Westlake is reinventing herself as a hired friend when murder gets in the way in...
Light My Pyre (Everwood Falls #1)
8.7
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EVERWOOD FALLS… a small supernatural community tucked up in the Colorado Rockies where witches,...
Paranormal Romance Cozy Mystery
A Sense for Murder
9.0
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Chef Sally Solari has - to her own bewilderment - built a reputation as a talented sleuth who keeps...
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated On What Grounds (Coffeehouse Mystery, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
On What Grounds is a good start to this series, but not great by any means. The mystery was lacking and there weren't enough clues for the reader to even get close to figuring out whodunnit or why. The explanations about the different types of coffee are very interesting, but come close to taking over the storyline. Some of the things I did not like about the writing style, were that, at times, the writing could be condescending, such as a Tanya Harding example that didn't sound natural and seemed to imply that the reader has been living in a cave for the last twenty or so years, then there's the backtracking into past events for around twenty pages and then returning to the cliffhanger which is where we left off of and then trying to remember where that was exactly (ugh! Sorry, but doing that three or four times is unnecessary and annoying), and the end was way to preachy about Anabelle's life and choices - this isn't an after school special or a Lifetime movie, get over yourselves (the authors that is :P). Another thing (yes there's more!), I don't like the love triangle aspect. For the most part, an ex should stay an ex (I know there are some exceptions, but that's just my preference in this case), and I much prefer Quinn, who I really hope isn't married.
Oh, and one more thing... I took a little offense to the disdain of decaf drinkers. I just don't handle caffeine that well - yes, I might be an anxious person, but I don't have imagined allergies or neuroses or whatever else she describes most decaf drinkers as. Not to mention, it makes me very shaky, in a bad way, and I cannot fathom drinking as much coffee as she does all the time - I need sleep! LoL Yes, I'll imbibe in coffee that isn't decaf, but for the most part, I'd rather have decaf. Gotta problem with that?! :P
What I did like...
Clare - some other reviews I've read have been iffy about her, but I blame how the authors wrote the book.
Java - I know it's a cozy mystery cliche, but I love cats in books. :)
Learning about coffee - it's really rather interesting.
Recipes - gotta love those!
The promise of a good series - the writing overall is good and I hope that now that most of the history has been written about, the next books will flow better.
Oh, and one more thing... I took a little offense to the disdain of decaf drinkers. I just don't handle caffeine that well - yes, I might be an anxious person, but I don't have imagined allergies or neuroses or whatever else she describes most decaf drinkers as. Not to mention, it makes me very shaky, in a bad way, and I cannot fathom drinking as much coffee as she does all the time - I need sleep! LoL Yes, I'll imbibe in coffee that isn't decaf, but for the most part, I'd rather have decaf. Gotta problem with that?! :P
What I did like...
Clare - some other reviews I've read have been iffy about her, but I blame how the authors wrote the book.
Java - I know it's a cozy mystery cliche, but I love cats in books. :)
Learning about coffee - it's really rather interesting.
Recipes - gotta love those!
The promise of a good series - the writing overall is good and I hope that now that most of the history has been written about, the next books will flow better.
The Sleuth Sisters
Book
In this cozy mystery, the first of a series, middle-aged sisters Faye and Barb decide to open a...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2072 KP) rated Bridges Burned in Books
Mar 19, 2019
Can Zoe and Pete Solve the Case Before They Burn Bridges?
It all starts with an explosion. One of the few houses in a new subdivision explodes after the residents report smelling gas. While EMT Zoe Chambers isn’t on duty, she rushes to the scene to offer whatever aid she can. While she is there, she stops the distraught owner from rushing in to see if his wife was home. Sadly, the wife’s remains are found in the rubble. The fire investigator also find evidence that the gas leak and explosion that killed her wasn’t an accident. While police chief Pete Adams, Zoe’s new boyfriend, immediately suspects the husband of setting things up, Zoe doesn’t believe it. It helps that she has begun bonding with the victim’s daughter. Both Pete and Zoe dig in their heels, certain that they are correct. Where will the facts lead? Will their relationship be destroyed before the truth is revealed?
With Zoe and Pete’s relationship being fairly new, this mystery really tests them. As always, both are prominent characters, even sharing time as our third person view point characters. That’s a good thing, too, since it allows us to better understand where they are coming from in their arguments and lets us see they both know when they might be wrong or did something stupid. But all this drama is only part of the book. While this might be a bit more of a procedural than the multiple suspect books I am used to reading, we still get plenty of twists and turns to the case and a climax that had me turning pages as fast as I could to see what would happen next. Obviously, Zoe and Pete are strong leads, but the rest of the cast are just as strong. Like the rest of the series, this book straddles the line between traditional and cozy with just a smattering of foul language and a bit more detail than in the books I normally read. Just know that going in, and you’ll be fine.
With Zoe and Pete’s relationship being fairly new, this mystery really tests them. As always, both are prominent characters, even sharing time as our third person view point characters. That’s a good thing, too, since it allows us to better understand where they are coming from in their arguments and lets us see they both know when they might be wrong or did something stupid. But all this drama is only part of the book. While this might be a bit more of a procedural than the multiple suspect books I am used to reading, we still get plenty of twists and turns to the case and a climax that had me turning pages as fast as I could to see what would happen next. Obviously, Zoe and Pete are strong leads, but the rest of the cast are just as strong. Like the rest of the series, this book straddles the line between traditional and cozy with just a smattering of foul language and a bit more detail than in the books I normally read. Just know that going in, and you’ll be fine.