Search
Search results
The Signare of Gorée
Book
An Agatha Christie style mystery meets Isabel Allende. 1846. In the heat of West Africa, the...
Historical Mystery
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Fondue or Die in Books
Dec 12, 2024 (Updated Dec 12, 2024)
A Pageant Proves that Murder is not Beautiful
This Labor Day, Willa Bauer is participating in the Dairy Days festival held in the next town over. Her employee and friend, Mrs. Schultz, is once again helping out with the Miss Dairy pageant that closes out the festival. But when Willa finds the pageant director dead, plans turn chaotic. The police don’t seem that certain that it was murder, but Willa is concerned about the safety of her friend, so she starts investigating. Can she figure things out?
I’d forgotten just how much I love this series until I picked up this book, but I was soon under the spell of the characters again. We aren’t in the usual locations as much, but that’s a minor complaint. The characters’ relationships continue to draw me in, and I liked the new characters we met as well. At least the ones who weren’t acting suspicious. One relationship gets some wonderful development. The mystery is fantastic. I kept second guessing myself until we reached the climax. I did have a niggle with the ending, but it was minor overall. As usual, these books will make you crave cheese, so you’ll be happy with the three recipes at the end. Fans new and old will find themselves savoring this entry.
I’d forgotten just how much I love this series until I picked up this book, but I was soon under the spell of the characters again. We aren’t in the usual locations as much, but that’s a minor complaint. The characters’ relationships continue to draw me in, and I liked the new characters we met as well. At least the ones who weren’t acting suspicious. One relationship gets some wonderful development. The mystery is fantastic. I kept second guessing myself until we reached the climax. I did have a niggle with the ending, but it was minor overall. As usual, these books will make you crave cheese, so you’ll be happy with the three recipes at the end. Fans new and old will find themselves savoring this entry.
The Burning Room (Harry Bosch, #17; Harry Bosch Universe, #26)
8.8
Rate It
Book
In the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit, not many murder victims die a decade after the crime. So when a...
A Killing in Costumes
7.0
Rate It
Book
Stardom fades fast when you’re on the line for murder, in this debut cozy mystery perfect for fans...
Homicide in the Indian Hills
8.0
Rate It
Book
Intrepid American newlywed Jane Wunderly learns that tigers aren’t the only dangers lurking in...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Death on the Golden Mile in Books
Apr 17, 2025
Murder on a Dark and Stormy Night
Book store owner Clark Thomas is surprised when a woman comes in with an invitation to join her father for dinner. Even more surprising is that the man is John Allen Howard, famed Hollywood composure. The night of the dinner party turns out to be the night the remnants of a hurricane are passing through town. During the chaos, someone kills the host. It seems the rest of the guests all had motive. Can Clark figure out who did it?
The plot employs a few mystery cliches, and I did roll my eyes a couple of times at them. I also spotted a key clue early on. Overall, the mystery is good, however, with an ending that did surprise me. We don’t see quite as much of the supporting players as we might, but I did appreciate the updates on them. That also includes a little forward progress on Clark’s wife’s murder, an ongoing story. I did spot a couple of timeline issues, but they were more annoying than anything else. We meet the suspects at one time, but it wasn’t long before I was able to keep them all straight. As always, I enjoyed the vacation setting of the series. Those who enjoyed the first two books will be glad they picked this one up.
The plot employs a few mystery cliches, and I did roll my eyes a couple of times at them. I also spotted a key clue early on. Overall, the mystery is good, however, with an ending that did surprise me. We don’t see quite as much of the supporting players as we might, but I did appreciate the updates on them. That also includes a little forward progress on Clark’s wife’s murder, an ongoing story. I did spot a couple of timeline issues, but they were more annoying than anything else. We meet the suspects at one time, but it wasn’t long before I was able to keep them all straight. As always, I enjoyed the vacation setting of the series. Those who enjoyed the first two books will be glad they picked this one up.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Scarecrows in Books
Jan 12, 2018
I am a sucker for horror books ever since I picked up The Rats by James Herbert when I was a teenager and I have been hooked ever since so when I saw this title offered for review by the publisher, Samhain Publishing, on Netgalley, I requested a copy in the hope that I would be chosen to provide an unbiased review. I was. Unfortunately, what I read wasnt horror for me which was a bit of a disappointment to be honest; it was more like a murder/mystery.
For full review, please go to my blog - http://readingstuffnthings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/scarecrows-by-christine-hayton.html
For full review, please go to my blog - http://readingstuffnthings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/scarecrows-by-christine-hayton.html
tapestry100 (306 KP) rated Snotgirl, Vol 1: Green Hair Don't Care in Books
Aug 2, 2017
Originally reviewed on http://www.frommybookshelf.com
I picked this up on a whim (I find that I really enjoy most Image titles), and what started out as a seemingly fluff story about fashion bloggers and their rather shallow lives takes a surprising turn into something more... sinister? A mysterious "resurrection", possible supernatural elements, a stalker, a police investigation into the possible death of the possibly resurrected friend, and another possible murder. Or is it all just an allergy drug-induced hallucination? We'll have to wait until the next collected edition to find out more, but needless to say I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly intrigued to find out what happens next.
I picked this up on a whim (I find that I really enjoy most Image titles), and what started out as a seemingly fluff story about fashion bloggers and their rather shallow lives takes a surprising turn into something more... sinister? A mysterious "resurrection", possible supernatural elements, a stalker, a police investigation into the possible death of the possibly resurrected friend, and another possible murder. Or is it all just an allergy drug-induced hallucination? We'll have to wait until the next collected edition to find out more, but needless to say I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly intrigued to find out what happens next.
Daniel Johnson (11 KP) rated Brick (2006) in Movies
Sep 5, 2017
Mystery (2 more)
plot
character
Excellent
Rian Johnson is a genius.
With his directorial debut he crafts an excellent story, that features some of the best young adult actors in recent history. It becomes even more impressive when you realise how few adults feature in the film.
With a mystery that puts you on the edge of your seat, a murder, a drug den and adult themes that most would refrain from showing in this context, this neo-noir is a reminder of what is great about the noir genre.
Expertly filmed, edited and scored, with some beautiful shots that leave you breathless, this film will not disappoint.
With his directorial debut he crafts an excellent story, that features some of the best young adult actors in recent history. It becomes even more impressive when you realise how few adults feature in the film.
With a mystery that puts you on the edge of your seat, a murder, a drug den and adult themes that most would refrain from showing in this context, this neo-noir is a reminder of what is great about the noir genre.
Expertly filmed, edited and scored, with some beautiful shots that leave you breathless, this film will not disappoint.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Little Deaths in Books
Aug 11, 2017
A depressing tale about victim blaming
This is a deceptively feminist book showing how society portrays women and how they are expected to behave. At first it resembled Albert Camus' The Stranger in which the protagonist is victimised for not behaving the appropriate way after a death. But it looked further into how a mother is essentially blamed for killing her children because she partook in inappropriate behaviour following their murder. The book is intelligent because it leads the reader away from thinking about the real killer and focuses on the mother. Right until the end you almost forget what the story is really about. Surprisingly enjoyable.