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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Gingerbread Cookies and Gunshots in Books

Jan 4, 2024  
Gingerbread Cookies and Gunshots
Gingerbread Cookies and Gunshots
Leslie Meier | 2010 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Missing Child at Christmas
Lucy Stone gets involved when a four-year-old boy is kidnapped in her community. With no clues to go on, Lucy begins to think that something much larger is happening. Is she right?

Even though I don’t normally read this series, I didn't have any trouble jumping into the characters here. There was enough explanation of who people were that I could follow along. The bits about those I assume are series regulars didn't mean quite as much to me, but I enjoyed meeting everyone. This is on the serious side of the cozy spectrum, and the atmosphere was carried perfectly throughout the story. Lucy did seem to jump to one conclusion, but since she was proved right with evidence later on, I can't call it a major flaw. There are two recipes at the end of this story to enjoy later. This is probably my favorite of the stories I’ve read from Leslie Meier.

NOTE: This is a novella, roughly 100 pages along.

NOTE 2: This was originally published in the anthology Gingerbread Cookie Murder.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Big Bend in Books

Jun 25, 2025  
Big Bend
Big Bend
Sandy Dengler | 2025 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Finding Crime in the Vastness of Big Bend
A reporter has gone missing in Big Bend down in Texas, and Jack is asked to help find him. However, when Jack arrives, he finds some auditors have arrived to monitor everything going on in the park. And when out searching for the reporter, Jack finds someone else out there. The results of that encounter are tragic. What is happening in the vastness of this park’s wilderness?

It is always nice to revisit Jack and the supporting characters we’ve met along the way. Yes, Ev is involved as well. There is a plot point that will be hard for fans of the series. Overall, the plot bites off a bit too much and so a few of the connections feel forced and rushed. Likewise, a few of the minor players fade into the background and are hard to keep straight. The writing is still magical, and I love how the location came to life. I’m hoping we get more books with Jack soon.
  
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Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The Cutaway in Books

May 16, 2018  
The Cutaway
The Cutaway
Christina Kovac | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
2
3.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I seem to be of a minority when it comes to those that have read Christina Kovac's debut novel The Cutaway. Tagged as a mystery, suspense, and thriller novel, it really doesn't feel like one to me. While there are elements of a typical thriller, the crime at hand and the persons of interest take a back seat to the main character's love life for nearly three-fourths of the novel. In fact, the missing woman is practically non-existent for much of the story. To me, that's a pretty big turn off. I nearly dropped it, actually.

The Cutaway is supposed to focus on Virginia Knightly's efforts of getting the scoop on a missing person. En route to tracking down the perpetrator, readers encounter the typical sort of motives: affairs, money, political intrigue. It's a pretty standard plot when it comes to suspense novels. The twists are predictable and the story remains dreadfully slow until the final twenty to thirty percent.

For the most part, the characters of The Cutaway are painfully flat. Most of the male characters, with the exception of the News Director, are handsome with exceptionally whiny personalities. The News Director, Mellay, is a stereotypical angry boss sort who only cares about his own pockets. Even worse, the female characters are all Mary Sues. Sure, they have their own troubling pasts, but for as much suffering as they went through in their childhoods, the effect it has had on their adulthood is fairly minor. All of the women are drop dead gorgeous, not counting one of the witnesses. Ugh - that's all I can really say about that.

It's also clear from reading the novel that Kovac's most familiar with the reporting side of an investigation, which is to be expected from someone who has spent much of their time in the same career as the main character. Unfortunately, it also lends a bit of blandness to the story telling.

Overall, The Cutaway was an extremely painful read. Many times I considered dropping it: I could not get into the characters and I feel that the novel is more suited to the romance genre. There are several questions left unanswered and parts of it feel either rushed or as if Kovac is simply grasping at straws.

I would like to thank Atria Publishing, the author, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy for review.