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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated The Nightingale Before Christmas (Meg Langslow, #18) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Meg has been drafted as the coordinator of the show house, which will be decorated by a group of designers and then opened to the public to raise funds for local charities. However, when Meg goes back to lock up late one night, she finds one of the designers murdered in the master bedroom. He wasn’t a very well-liked man, but who actually hated him enough to murder him?
Yes, this book does tie in to Christmas as well (as hinted at by the title). It’s a fun mystery I thought I had figured out, but I was surprised in the end. The characters are great, although Josh and Jamie, Meg’s twins, completely stole the show. I would have liked to see more from one thread from the previous book, but hopefully that will show up in the next in the series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/12/book-review-nightingale-before.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Yes, this book does tie in to Christmas as well (as hinted at by the title). It’s a fun mystery I thought I had figured out, but I was surprised in the end. The characters are great, although Josh and Jamie, Meg’s twins, completely stole the show. I would have liked to see more from one thread from the previous book, but hopefully that will show up in the next in the series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/12/book-review-nightingale-before.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated The House on the Cliff (Hardy Boys, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Frank and Joe Hardy are thrilled when their father, Fenton, gives them an assignment as part of his latest case. He asks them to go up on the cliff and watch the bay for smugglers. They find the perfect spot near an abandoned house. Yet, they soon hear a cry for help from inside, have part of the telescope stolen, and witness an attempted murder. What’s going on?
This book is a perfect example of some of the weaknesses of the series – characters always making the perfect deduction right away and the thin characters. But even rereading it, I found it very fun. It helps that there is plenty of action. Kids today will get caught up in the story just as I did as a kid and rereading it as an adult.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/08/book-review-house-on-cliff-by-franklin.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This book is a perfect example of some of the weaknesses of the series – characters always making the perfect deduction right away and the thin characters. But even rereading it, I found it very fun. It helps that there is plenty of action. Kids today will get caught up in the story just as I did as a kid and rereading it as an adult.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/08/book-review-house-on-cliff-by-franklin.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Truth Be Told (Jane Ryland, #3) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Jane is on the scene of a foreclosure when a dead body is found in a bedroom closet. Since the house was supposed to be empty, who is the victim and how did she get there? Meanwhile, a man has confessed to a famous unsolved murder from 20 years ago, but detective Jake is certain the man is lying. Is he really the killer? Why would he confess to a crime he didn’t commit?
The multiple view point approach, which usually works so well, falls flat at the beginning of the book when those breaks keep jerking us around and keep us from getting into the story. Once the story takes off, things really smooth out and I had a hard time putting the book down. The characters, as always, are great.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/04/book-review-truth-be-told-by-hank.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The multiple view point approach, which usually works so well, falls flat at the beginning of the book when those breaks keep jerking us around and keep us from getting into the story. Once the story takes off, things really smooth out and I had a hard time putting the book down. The characters, as always, are great.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/04/book-review-truth-be-told-by-hank.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated The Ambitious Card (An Eli Marks Mystery, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Eli Marks is filling in for his uncle on a TV show. His job is to watch a psychic and then debunk his act. Eli recognizes several of the man’s tricks as variations on magic and says so. What he doesn’t expect is to find himself the chief suspect in the man’s murder the next morning. Can he conjure up the real killer?
I liked the idea of a magician as the sleuth, however, I felt the magic overwhelmed the mystery. That’s a shame because the mystery was very good and kept me confused until the end. Likewise, the characters were interesting. Hopefully, the mystery/magic mix will be better balanced as the series goes forward.
NOTE: I was given a copy of the audio version of this book. My thoughts are my own.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/03/book-review-ambitious-card-by-john.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I liked the idea of a magician as the sleuth, however, I felt the magic overwhelmed the mystery. That’s a shame because the mystery was very good and kept me confused until the end. Likewise, the characters were interesting. Hopefully, the mystery/magic mix will be better balanced as the series goes forward.
NOTE: I was given a copy of the audio version of this book. My thoughts are my own.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/03/book-review-ambitious-card-by-john.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Hearse and Buggy (An Amish Mystery, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
After her divorce, Claire has settled into the town of Heavenly, Pennsylvania, thanks to her aunt. She’s begun to make friends among the Amish and even opened a store that sells the items her new friends make. However, the potential peace of her new life is shattered when a man is found murdered outside her store. He left town recently after being accused of stealing from the Amish. Even though murder is not in their beliefs, might one of Claire’s new friends killed him?
The characters in this book are already fully developed and alive. They drew me into the story and made me care about several sub-plots that do slow down the mystery early on. Still, once the mystery takes center stage, it is well plotted with clues and red herrings along the way.
Read my full review at <a href"http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/02/book-review-hearse-and-buggy-by-laura.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The characters in this book are already fully developed and alive. They drew me into the story and made me care about several sub-plots that do slow down the mystery early on. Still, once the mystery takes center stage, it is well plotted with clues and red herrings along the way.
Read my full review at <a href"http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/02/book-review-hearse-and-buggy-by-laura.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Zero-Degree Murder (Search and Rescue Mystery #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
When four hikers go missing on a mountain on Thanksgiving Day, Gracie Kinkaid is one of the only people to respond. She and her search partner quickly find one of the hikers, famous actor Rob Christian, but he’s injured. While they wait for help, a snow storm is coming in. What they don’t know is that someone is hunting for them on the mountain – to kill them.
Despite being published by Berkley Prime Crime, this is more a thriller than a cozy, with language and violence to go along with that. The pacing of the plot was uneven, with parts there were page turning and passages that were slow and even predictable. The characters were also not as complex as I would have liked. It wasn’t a bad book, but it also could have been better.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/01/book-review-zero-degree-murder-by-m-l.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Despite being published by Berkley Prime Crime, this is more a thriller than a cozy, with language and violence to go along with that. The pacing of the plot was uneven, with parts there were page turning and passages that were slow and even predictable. The characters were also not as complex as I would have liked. It wasn’t a bad book, but it also could have been better.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/01/book-review-zero-degree-murder-by-m-l.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Blood Work (Terry McCaleb, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Terry McCaleb is a former FBI agent who was forced to retire when he found he had a bad heart. Now, against all odds, he’s trying to recover from a heart transplant. He has no desire to get back into investigations until Graciela Rivers shows up asking for help solving her sister’s murder. The hook that pulls Terry in? His new heart belong to the sister until she died. But can he find out what happened without affecting his health?
This book starts out simply enough, but as the layers are peeled away, my mind was blown by how expertly things were set up. The plot is flawless and masterful. Meanwhile, the characters, introduced here for the first time, are fully fleshed out and very real. I really can’t recommend this book highly enough.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-blood-work-by-michael.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This book starts out simply enough, but as the layers are peeled away, my mind was blown by how expertly things were set up. The plot is flawless and masterful. Meanwhile, the characters, introduced here for the first time, are fully fleshed out and very real. I really can’t recommend this book highly enough.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-blood-work-by-michael.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated The Silence of the Library (Cat in the Stacks, #5) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Charlie Harris is helping put together a display about the various teen detectives for the Athena Public Library. Since he’s a fan of the little known Veronica Thane series, he’s hoping to highlight it. He’s delighted to learn that the author lives nearby and is willing to make a rare appearance during that time. But news that she will be there brings out some obsessed fans, and a murder quickly follows. Can Charlie figure out what happened?
As a fan of teen detectives myself, I found this book a lot of fun. The mystery was strong with a few elements from the teen detective genre thrown in for good measure, which added to the plot. We didn’t see quite as much of the supporting cast as usual, but the new characters more than made up for it, and Diesel, Charlie’s cat, is as charming as ever.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/07/book-review-silence-of-library-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
As a fan of teen detectives myself, I found this book a lot of fun. The mystery was strong with a few elements from the teen detective genre thrown in for good measure, which added to the plot. We didn’t see quite as much of the supporting cast as usual, but the new characters more than made up for it, and Diesel, Charlie’s cat, is as charming as ever.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/07/book-review-silence-of-library-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated No Cats Allowed (Cat in the Stacks, #7) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
The Athena College Library has a new director, and Oscar Reilly seems determined to drive all the staff away. The heads of the library’s departments hate him and Charlie’s friend Melba is ready to quit. In fact, Charlie’s issue, that Oscar is claiming allergies as a reason that Charlie can’t bring his cat Diesel to work anymore, seems minor. It’s not terribly surprising when Oscar turns up dead, but who actually killed him?
Those who like this series will love this installment. The characters are as delightful as ever, and we get some advancement on series plot threads. The murder is set up well with good suspects and motives that Charlie has to work his way through until we reach the logical solution. This is my favorite to date in the series.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in hopes I would review it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/12/book-review-no-cats-allowed-by-miranda.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Those who like this series will love this installment. The characters are as delightful as ever, and we get some advancement on series plot threads. The murder is set up well with good suspects and motives that Charlie has to work his way through until we reach the logical solution. This is my favorite to date in the series.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in hopes I would review it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/12/book-review-no-cats-allowed-by-miranda.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Berried Secrets (Cranberry Cove, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Monica Albertson has moved to Cranberry Cove to help her half-brother, Jeff, run his cranberry farm. But when a body is found in one of the bogs on the first day of the harvest and the victim is someone who was stealing from Jeff, Monica soon realizes she must save him from being arrested for murder.
The book started out very slowly as it was setting up characters and the location. Unfortunately, I still had a hard time connecting with the characters until the second half. Likewise, the plot does pick up in the second half, but a day that vanishes from the timeline bothered me. The climax was wonderful and the killer a surprise, but overall, the book was just average.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in hopes I would review it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-berried-secrets-by-peg.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The book started out very slowly as it was setting up characters and the location. Unfortunately, I still had a hard time connecting with the characters until the second half. Likewise, the plot does pick up in the second half, but a day that vanishes from the timeline bothered me. The climax was wonderful and the killer a surprise, but overall, the book was just average.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in hopes I would review it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-berried-secrets-by-peg.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.