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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2432 KP) rated Cozy Up to Death in Books

May 12, 2020  
Cozy Up to Death
Cozy Up to Death
Colin Conway | 2020 | Mystery
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Debut that Grew on Me
Today is Brody Steele’s first day running The Red Herring, a mystery bookstore in Pleasant Valley, Maine. However, he’s not a reader. So what is he doing here? It’s a cover since Brody has just entered the Witness Protection Program after turning on his former motorcycle gang. Brody is sure he will find his new life too quiet. However, as he tries to settle into town, he begins to find questions. Is there danger lurking just below the surface?

I’m always looking for something different, so I was intrigued by the premise of this book when I first heard about it. It took a while for the story to get going, but once Brody started to realize something was wrong, I was hooked all the way until the climax. I enjoyed the character growth we saw in Brody, and I liked several other characters as well. I did think the writing could be a bit more polished. I also found a few things about the Witness Protection Program, as described here, a little hard to swallow. Then again, I haven’t done any research on it and instead learned everything I know about it from the TV show In Plain Sight, so I decided to sit back and enjoy the story, which I most certainly did. Despite the series name and book title, we do get more violence than in a typical cozy. Overall, I’m glad I gave the book a chance, and I’m curious to see where the series will go from here.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2432 KP) rated Live, Local, and Dead in Books

Oct 15, 2022  
Live, Local, and Dead
Live, Local, and Dead
Nikki Knight | 2022 | Mystery
1
1.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Politics Makes for a Bad Cozy Mystery
Jaye Jordan is making a go of it at the local Vermont radio station she has bought. However, some of the changes she has made haven’t been hits with all her neighbors. When she finally has enough with two of them protesting outside her station, she takes their gun and fires it into a snowman. Unfortunately, the snowman was hiding the dead body of Edwin Anger, a conservative talk show host whose syndicated show Jaye had just taken off her station. How did he get there?

A body in a snowman is an intriguing premise, so I went into this book with high hopes. Sadly, it was obvious fairly early on the book wasn’t going to deliver on them. The problem starts with the characters. While Jaye and the rest of the obvious series regulars are fun characters, the cast is filled with conservative stereotypes that are the worst examples of liberal views of conservatives. Meanwhile the main characters said some things that made me roll my eyes. The plot was a series of events with hardly any investigation at all. More specific complaints would get into spoiler territory. There was quite a bit of (mostly mild) foul language as well. While the book does have some genuinely funny moments, they felt at odds with some of the things that were going on in the story. I kept reading, hoping the author had something up her sleeve that would redeem the book, but it never happened. I recommend you avoid this book.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2432 KP) rated Tulle Death Do Us Part in Books

Nov 4, 2023  
Tulle Death Do Us Part
Tulle Death Do Us Part
Diane Vallere | 2023 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Can Poly Catch a Killer Before They Dance Away?
Poly Monroe has been asked to close her fabric shop, Material Girl, for a private customer. It makes sense when she realizes that the customer is Beatriz Rosen, a famous ballerina trying to hide from the paparazzi, and she is looking for material for her wedding dress. Even with all the secrecy, a man shows up and picks a fight with Beatriz. That evening, Poly witnesses the two of them fighting on the street. A little while later, Poly finds the man dead. It’s only then she learns her connection to the wedding. Suddenly, Poly wants to figure out what is going on. Can she do it?

It's been seven years since we last visited these characters, and I hadn’t realized how much I missed them until I was reading this book. Yes, there is plenty of context given so if you are new to the series or haven’t read them recently, you’ll be in Poly’s world in no time. While I was happy to see the characters again, I really appreciated the growth that came out of the story. The mystery unfolds a little differently than a typical cozy, but that’s not a complaint since I was hooked the entire way through. There were a couple of small timeline issues, although they were minor overall. The worst made me chuckle. There’s a fun shout out to one of the author’s other series in the pages. Old fans will be happy to be back in Poly’s world, and new fans will be quickly hooked.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2432 KP) rated Watching the Detectives in Books

Sep 12, 2025  
Watching the Detectives
Watching the Detectives
Julie Mulhern | 2017 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Decorating with a Dead Body Is Not Recommended
When this book opens, it’s been four days. Only four days since Ellison Russell was chased by a killer clown. Ellison has decided it is time to redecorate her husband’s study, and she’s brought in Khaki White, one of her potential boyfriend’s ex-wives. But Khaki is the go-to decorator among the country club set, so Ellison is getting a quote. That is until her housekeeper calls with car trouble, and Ellison runs out to get her. The two women return to find Mrs. White dead in the study, shot by a revolver. Can Ellison navigate the latest dead body in her life?

It has been too long since I read the previous book, but I was quickly back in Ellison’s world. I enjoyed seeing what was going on with the characters, and I’m hopeful the love triangle has been put to rest. Her mother wasn’t quite as overbearing in this book, which was appreciated. The 70’s are brought to life with plenty of great details, and some of the politics of the day. Fortunately, the content the series has had that keeps it just outside of cozy for me was toned down in this book. The mystery gets a little sidetracked, and the ending is weaker than I like, but it still kept me going. Ellison’s dry wit narration is a delight and keeps me smiling if not laughing. Hopefully, it won’t be so long before I revisit the characters.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Feb 26, 2022  
Read up on the cozy mystery novel OUT OF TEMPER by Amber Royer Author on my blog, and check out all the awesome places that Amber's had some good coffee in her scrapbook page. Enter the giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy of her book and a chocolate bar from French Broad Chocolates!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2022/02/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-out-of.html


**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Felicity Koerber's bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston's historic Strand has been the scene of two murders - both of which she has been instrumental in helping solve. So when she gets invited to demo her chocolate skills aboard a cruise ship sailing out of the local port, she's excited at the chance to get away from the shop long enough to regain her equilibrium. She even brings her best friend along and makes plans for time at the spa. But when she gets on board, she finds out that she's been booked for a mystery-themed cruise, and said best friend, Autumn, has to finally deal with the real reasons she quit writing mysteries. Only - if that wasn't stressful enough - it doesn't take long before there's a real murder on the cruise, and someone Felicity knows becomes the prime suspect. When said suspect asks her for help, she can't exactly say no, can she?

Felicity finds herself surrounded by cruise goers who all had connections to the victim - and finds that both Logan (her business partner, whom she recently kissed) and Arlo (the cop who was once Felicity's first boyfriend, before she moved away from Galveston) are dealing with the case until more official help can arrive. How will Felicity survive the ensuing awkwardness?

One thing that helps: the retired police dog turned therapy dog she meets on board. Satchmo helps Felicity deal with being back on the water after tragedy in her past - and also helps her uncover a vital clue to the case. Can Felicity unmask the killer and keep a friend from being framed before all the suspects leave the ship?