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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2554 KP) rated A Dismal Harvest in Books

Mar 19, 2022 (Updated Mar 19, 2022)  
A Dismal Harvest
A Dismal Harvest
Daisy Bateman | 2022 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Handy Hidey-Hole Hides Homicide
Claudia Simcoe’s marketplace is serving as the host for a library fundraiser when one of the volunteers makes a surprising discovery. There’s a hidden compartment in the wall, and someone has opened it in the middle of the event. Claudia quickly determines that it was Clark Gowan, a local lawyer. In fact, Gowan had been part of the deal when Claudia bought the marketplace. When she goes to confront him the next morning, she discovers his dead body. Did what he took from the compartment lead to his murder?

Having enjoyed the first in the series, I was looking forward to this one, and I wasn’t disappointed. Claudia is a very relatable main character, and she leads a cast of good suspects. I did find the tenants in the marketplace hard to keep straight, but they were background characters, so that was okay. The plot is strong with plenty of pieces to keep us guessing until Claudia puts it all together. I laughed and smiled my way through the book at Claudia’s observations about what was happening. I grew up near the part of Sonoma County, California, where the fictitious San Elmo is located, so I really enjoyed that as well. If you’ve missed this series, fix that today. If you enjoyed the first, you’ll enjoy this one, too.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2554 KP) rated Vanished in the Crowd in Books

Mar 13, 2026  
Vanished in the Crowd
Vanished in the Crowd
Rhys Bowen, Clare Broyles | 2026 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Theme Never Vanished - And That’s a Problem
It’s September of 1909 and New York City is bursting at the seams as an estimated two million visitors are in town for a celebration or the three hundredth anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of the Hudson River. Some of those visitors are staying with Molly’s dear neighbors Sid and Gus. However, one of those women never arrives. No one seems to know where she is; even her husband doesn’t know. So Molly agreed to try to find her. But in a large city overflowing with people, where can she even start?

I’ve been a fan from the beginning, but like other recent entries, I struggled with this one. Daniel is his usual self, with the typical “character development.” The plot is uneven, and I pieced things together early. And the theme of the book turned into more of a lecture with repeated scenes about it. Mind you, I agree that the way women were treated in the early 1900’s wasn’t good. But lectures on it is not what I was looking for here. On the other hand, the majority of the characters are their usual charming selves. Fans of the series will still want to pick this one up. And they’ll be extremely anxious to pick up the next one as well.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2554 KP) rated Termination Dust in Books

Feb 25, 2025 (Updated Feb 25, 2025)  
Termination Dust
Termination Dust
Sue Henry | 1995 | Mystery
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Canoe Trip Turns Dangerous
Jim Hampton is enjoying an early autumn vacation, canoeing in the Yukon Territory. He’s even made an unexpected discovery - the diary of a prospector from the 1890’s gold rush. But things that a turn when someone he met along the way is murdered and someone is trying to frame him for it. Fortunately, Alaska trooper Alex Jensen is in the area, and he is suspicious of the evidence again Jim. But can Alex figure out what is really going on?

It had been a few years since I read the first book in this series, and I was glad to revisit the characters. While Jesse does have a small part in the story, it really gives Alex a chance to shine. The new characters were great as well. The diary that Jim discovers, while interesting glimpse into history, slows does the beginning. If you want to read the entire thing not the passages we get in the book, it is included at the end. The trade paperback version I read was riddled with enough typos and formatting issues to be annoying. On the other hand, the writing was wonderful and brought the story to life. This series has dropped off the radar a bit recently, but it is worth tracking down.