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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2633 KP) rated Murder on St. Nicholas Avenue in Books

Oct 13, 2021 (Updated Oct 13, 2021)  
Murder on St. Nicholas Avenue
Murder on St. Nicholas Avenue
Victoria Thompson | 2015 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
While the Detectives are Away
When Maeve answers the door, the last thing she expects is a woman desperately looking for Frank Malloy. Mrs. O’Neil is a former neighbor of the Malloys, and she is anxious to find Frank because her daughter, Una, has just been arrested for the murder of her husband. The problem is that Frank and his new wife, Sarah Brandt, are in Europe on their honeymoon. So Maeve jumps into the investigation, aided by Gino and Sarah’s parents. Will the four of them uncover what really happened?

This is a different book for the series since Frank and Sarah, our usual main characters, aren’t in it. However, it allows the secondary characters time to shine, which was a lot of fun, especially since I love them. It also provided a bit more humor, which I appreciated. The mystery itself is serious, and the book balances the tones perfectly. The mystery is also strong and kept me turning pages, as always. I did feel there was a bit too much rehashing of things at times in the middle, but that got better as the book went along. Sadly, there are some timing issues in the climax as the characters forget when things happened. Ironically enough, the climax makes even more sense if you remember the correct timeline. There are a few Christmas elements in the book, but the main focus is on the characters and mystery. This may be a unique entry in the series, but fans will still love it.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2633 KP) rated Hired Guns in Books

Jan 11, 2025  
Hired Guns
Hired Guns
Steve Hockensmith | 2024 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Spinoff Series Starts with a Bang
This book finds a trio of Army friends turned adventurers heading to the Arizona Territory to help out a struggling copper mine. No, it’s not to help them with the mining. The conglomerate Consolidated American Mining Corporation has decided it wants to buy this particular mine, and they are doing all they can to convince the owners to sell. There’s just one major problem – the owners don’t want to sell. And our trio of heroes have been hired to help protect the mine. But against the overwhelming odds, can they do it?

These characters began life in the author’s Holmes on the Range series, and I was happy to follow them over here. The story started a bit slowly, but it isn’t long before the action heats up as the characters find themselves facing overwhelming odds. Yet, I found myself cheering at the end. To be clear, this is more of an action story than a mystery. The characters are a bit thin, but they do have their moments to shine. The reality of racial relations in 1894 is part of the backdrop of the book, and it’s sad to think we ever treated each other this badly. The book is a bit more violent than I normally like, but only a little bit. It is softened some by the humor. If you are looking for an action book set in the old west, you’ll find this the perfect book to pick up.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2633 KP) rated Broken Heart Attack in Books

Oct 24, 2022  
Broken Heart Attack
Broken Heart Attack
James J. Cudney | 2018 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Deadly Theater
When Kellan Ayrwick attends a dress rehearsal of King Lear with Nana D. and her friends, he expects the deaths to stay on stage. But not too long into the second act, he realizes that Gwendolyn Paddington isn’t asleep on his shoulder, but she’s passed away. Gwendolyn had been saying someone in her family was trying to kill her. Is that true? If so, can Kellan figure out who did it?

When you have a book with characters as dysfunctional as the Paddington family, it always makes me appreciate my own family. But it also makes for a great mystery plot, and that’s the case again here. There are plenty of twists along the way to catching the killer at the end. While some of the characters can be over the top, we care about enough of them, including Kellan, to keep us invested in the book. I did feel like the humor was hit and miss for me here. Sometimes, the character’s teasing worked, and other times it felt like they were picking on Kellan more than actually teasing him. Unfortunately, there were some timeline issues and a red herring that felt like it jumped quite a bit. Both could have been resolved with a good editor. There are several sub-plots involving Kellan and his family. While they veered a little more into soap opera territory than is typical for the books I read, they have me hooked and I can’t wait to make time for the next book to find out what happens.