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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2534 KP) rated The Self-Working Trick (and Other Stories) in Books

Feb 2, 2022  
The Self-Working Trick (and Other Stories)
The Self-Working Trick (and Other Stories)
John Gaspard | 2022 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Eli Faces Crime in This Short Story Collection
For the eighth book in the Eli Marks series, author John Gaspard decided to present a short story collection. While two have been previously released, the rest of the twelve stories here are new. Over the course of this collection, Eli must help his ex-wife and her new husband figure out what happened in a bizarre murder/suicide case. Eli finds himself being questioned by the police when someone who gave him a one-star review is found dead. Eli finds himself being sent in by the police to perform magic for a man who refuses to come out of his house. And Eli and his uncle Harry figure out what happened to a man shot in front of a crowd on Halloween night.

While a couple of the stories don’t feature a crime, they still give us a great chance to see Eli in action and let us get some insight into his character. The rest of the stories feature a crime, often with a perfect puzzle that only makes sense when Eli uses his knowledge of the principles of magic to solve it. If you want to be fooled by magic, you’ll be happy to know that these principles are discussed in such a way that the solution to the mystery makes sense, but the specifics of how a trick works aren’t ruined. I love that. Fans will love getting these small glimpses of what else Eli has been up to between the big cases we’ve already read about. If you are new to the character, you’ll find the information you need to follow these cases with nothing from the regular novels spoiled. Most importantly, these stories are fun, with a few laughs along the way as well. This is a completely enjoyable short story collection.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2534 KP) rated Space Case (Moon Base Alpha #1) in Books

Mar 9, 2018  
SC
Space Case (Moon Base Alpha #1)
Stuart Gibbs | 2014
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dashiell Gibson is one of the first people living on the Moon colony, and he’s found life for the kids to be rather boring. All that changes when one of the residents is found dead outside the base. While everyone thinks it was an accident, Dash is certain it was murder. But can he prove it?

This is a great combination of mystery and science fiction. The setting is realistically done and really adds to the story. The target middle grade audience will love the characters and the humor. Personally, I never saw the ending coming. I can’t wait for the sequel.

You can read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/10/book-review-space-case-by-stuart-gibbs.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2534 KP) rated Hide & Snoop (An Odelia Grey mystery, #7) in Books

Mar 9, 2018  
H&
Hide & Snoop (An Odelia Grey mystery, #7)
Sue Ann Jaffarian | 2012
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
After a merger at her law firm, Odelia finds herself with a new boss who seems to have it in for her. While trying to get her job from rival paralegal Mark Baker, Odelia gets saddled with her new boss' niece. But searching for the little girl's parents start turning up dead bodies, and Odelia suddenly finds herself in way over her head. I love this series (hence the reason I got my name in this book), and this was another great mix of humor, strong characters, and fast moving plot. If you don't read this series, fix that today.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/07/book-review-hide-and-snoop-by-sue-ann.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2534 KP) rated Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder in Books

Apr 23, 2021 (Updated Apr 23, 2021)  
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder
Joanne Fluke | 2021 | Mystery
3
3.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Murder in the Mayor’s Office
Easter is coming, and The Cookie Jar is awash in orders, keeping Hannah Swensen, her business partner Lisa, and the rest of their staff busy. But that doesn’t mean that Hannah doesn’t have time to help her sister Andrea when she calls in a panic. She’s just found Mayor Bascomb’s dead body in his office hours after having a very loud fight with him. The police wouldn’t be doing their job if they didn’t consider Andrea a suspect, so Hannah springs into action to figure out what really happened. Can she prove her sister is innocent?

I’ve been reading this long running series since the beginning, and I keep reading because I do enjoy catching up with the characters. If that is your reason for picking up the book, you’ll find they are as charming as always. I was pleased to see the soap opera of the previous few books has died down, and we see growth in a surprising direction in one character. Sadly, the love triangle is no closer to being resolved. The mystery is decent with enough suspects to keep us engaged. However, the focus is on the food. There is plenty of talk about food and how much the characters love what they are eating. With 24 new recipes for us to try, there is certainly plenty of new food to talk about. The dialogue is repetitious, an example of why realistic dialogue is better than real dialogue in a novel. While I still want to catch up with the characters, I find myself skimming the book instead of reading it closely. If you are like me and want to keep up with the characters, you’ll be glad you picked up this book. But if you haven’t started the series yet, you’ll want to go back to the beginning to find out why there are readers like me who still enjoy visiting the characters. And if you’ve given up on the series, you can safely skip this one.