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    Karuba

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    Finally! After a long boat trip, the treasure hunters have reached the island of Karuba and can go...

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Isolation (Faye Longchamp, #9)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
***NOTE: I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***

Faye Longchamp lives on a small island with her family. Going to the mainland for breakfast one morning, her husband and recently-released-from-jail father-in-law find a local woman dead in the water off her restaurant’s pier. Fearing that her father-in-law might make an easy scapegoat, Faye starts looking into the murder

This book started out slow, and I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. In the beginning of the story, we learn that Faye has recently suffered a miscarriage, and she’s having trouble coming to terms with the loss. Faye muddles around in a haze for several chapters, but as she starts to come back to herself, the book picks up pace as well. Once it gets going and you look back on the slow beginning, you can see that it is fitting considering Faye’s state of mind. I’m glad I didn’t give up during the slow part, because it finished up as a quick-moving, can’t-stop-until-I-know-who-did-it mystery.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2379 KP) rated It Takes Two to Mango in Books

Feb 15, 2023 (Updated Feb 15, 2023)  
It Takes Two to Mango
It Takes Two to Mango
Carrie Doyle | 2021 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Plum’s Reset Gets Off to a Rocky Start
Plum Lockhart has lost her job at a travel magazine, so she reluctantly takes a job arranging vacation rentals at a resort in the Caribbean. However, her new co-worker is a jerk, and she struggls to get her first booking. When she does, tragedy strikes when one of the guests is found dead by the pool. Did Plum make the right decision by moving?

When this book begins, Plum is extremely unlikable, so much so that I almost put the book down about 30 pages in. Even when she arrives on the island, she doesn’t give up her ego and entitled attitude. The other characters we meet started pulling me in, both the ones I liked and the ones I didn’t. When the murder kicks in, I really got into the story, which had some good twists. I loved the resort setting. The expected character growth was good as well. I’m actually surprised based on my initial reaction, but I am planning to continue the series. If the setting appeals to you, consider starting this series. Just be prepared for how obnoxious Plum is at the beginning.
  
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ClareR (5911 KP) rated The Whistling in Books

Aug 3, 2023  
The Whistling
The Whistling
Rebecca Netley | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Elspeth Swansome is escaping her past in Edinburgh and taking up a post as a nanny on the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea (it’s fictional, but I would really want to visit it if it was real!).

Elspeth is going to nanny Mary, a child who is clearly suffering from trauma. Her twin, William, is dead and her former nanny has disappeared. Elspeth is told that if she can’t get Mary to talk, she will be institutionalised.

I loved this - it’s the right kind of spooky, and you can’t beat a haunted house: lullabies are sung by someone who isn’t there, poppets keep appearing in random rooms, and whistling can be heard at night. It all added up to a book that sent shivers down my spine!

The characters were sometimes likeable, menacing, disconcerting and some most definitely had something to hide!

I listened to this on Audible, and the narrator, Lois Chimimba, kept me glued to my headphones. Her different accents were all spot on, and helped me to tell the different characters apart. I was never confused as to ‘who’ was speaking.

The tension built and built to the climactic ending - a truly delicious ghost story!
  
Engaged to Die
Engaged to Die
Carolyn Hart | 2003 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Announcement Postponed by Murder
This book opens in January, and it involves a family that owns an art gallery on the island of Broward’s Rock. They are gearing up for an opening for a well-respected artist, but Virginia, the owner, is also going to use it to announce her engagement to a much younger man, much to her step children’s dismay. Naturally, Annie Darling is going to be there with her husband, Max. But when the time comes for the announcement, it gets postponed, and soon after, a dead body is discovered. Will Annie solve the latest mystery?

While I was reading this book, I was enjoying it. But as I thought about it later, I started to have issues. The subplot was front loaded, giving us more time before the mystery really got started. The ending felt rushed, with no explanation of how Annie fingered the killer, which means I’m struggling a little to see how it all makes sense. And one relationship had to devolved for us to get the usual antagonist relationship Annie has with the local police. Fans will still enjoy this visit with the characters even if it isn’t the strongest.