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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2585 KP) rated Essentials of Murder in Books

Sep 11, 2021  
Essentials of Murder
Essentials of Murder
Kim Davis | 2021 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Essential Series Debut
After a scandal in San Francisco sent her packing, Carissa Carmichael has returned home to Oak Creek Valley in Southern California and has decided to open Aromatherapy Apothecary, a store specializing in essential oils. She is planning to work with her neighbor, who owns a candle shop, but the neighbor’s son, Russ, is certain that Carissa is going to steal business from his mom’s store. After a particularly nasty scene with Russ, Carissa enters her shop the next day to find his body in the back of her shop. Already convicted of the crime by local gossip and with the detective in charge of the case determined to find evidence to arrest her, Carissa sets out to prove her innocence. Can she do it?

I always love it when a debut cozy has characters who already feel like old friends, and that’s the case here. As we slowly meet Carissa’s family and friends, they form a great group I can’t wait to hang out with again. The suspects? They are great at keeping us confused. The mystery is good. I had some guesses on part of it, but I wasn’t sure until the end. The climax could have been stronger, but it did answer all our questions. As a Southern California resident, I loved recognizing some of the locations mentioned even if Oak Creek Valley is fictional. This is a fun debut you won’t want to miss.
  
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David McK (3801 KP) rated The Olympian Affair (The Cinder Spiers #2) in Books

Aug 26, 2024 (Updated Aug 26, 2024)  
The Olympian Affair (The Cinder Spiers #2)
The Olympian Affair (The Cinder Spiers #2)
Jim Butcher | 2023
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well, that was a long wait.

Approximately 10 years (edit: 8, to be precise) since the publication of the previous full-length entry in this series (The Aeronaut's Windlass).

So it's just as well I went back and read that recently, as well as the recently-published 'interquel' short story of Warriorborn.

I *would* advise reading that short story first, since this picks up almost immediately from the end of said story: Benedict jumps at the end of the latter, AMS Predator catches him at the start of this.

That sentence will make more sense to any who have read it.

Anyway, what we have is another full-blown Steampunk novel, with war brewing between the home Spires/nations of the world in which it is set, and with some heavy hints towards the end that it is set in 'our' world, but in the far far (and largely dystopian) future - I also got a bit of a vibe of that bit in 2005's 'King Kong' film where they are on Skull Island and surrounded by giant man-eating millipedes etc (which is why, in the story, the surface world is so feared).

Let's hope I don't have to wait so long for the next instalment

Or even for a new Harry Dresden (my favourite of Butcher's works) story

(with the author even apologising for the wait for this in his authors note at the end)