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A Bird’s Eye View of Murder
8.0
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What’s a pet psychic’s worst nightmare? A tarot card-reading aunt, a cranky cockatoo, and a very...
Murder of a Mail-Order Bride
9.0
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When real life starts mimicking the plot of one of the romance books that line the shelves in her...
We Three Queens
5.0
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New mother Lady Georgiana "Georgie" Rannoch finds herself trying to separate fact from fiction when...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated The Sinister Sitcom Caper in Books
Jan 15, 2025 (Updated Jan 15, 2025)
Murder is No Laughing Matter
Next up on Sandy Fairfax’s attempt to restart his career is a guest spot on a sitcom. It’s not one of the popular sitcoms of 1993 but a low rated show that might be canceled. Still, a job is a job. Unfortunately, the tension on set is thick, and it leads to murder. With no one interested in investigating, Sandy starts to nose around. Can he figure out what happened?
Since I enjoyed meeting Sandy in book one, I was looking forward to spending more time with him. I wasn’t disappointed. While the sitcom setting does not provide the laugh a minute laughs you would get from a good sitcom, there are still some laughs and smiles. The mystery kept me guessing and reached a logical conclusion, but I would have liked to know how Sandy reached it. I loved getting to know him better, which was helped by the fact that he was home for this book. The rest of the cast was great as well. I’ll definitely be back to spend more time with him soon.
Since I enjoyed meeting Sandy in book one, I was looking forward to spending more time with him. I wasn’t disappointed. While the sitcom setting does not provide the laugh a minute laughs you would get from a good sitcom, there are still some laughs and smiles. The mystery kept me guessing and reached a logical conclusion, but I would have liked to know how Sandy reached it. I loved getting to know him better, which was helped by the fact that he was home for this book. The rest of the cast was great as well. I’ll definitely be back to spend more time with him soon.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Murder at Rough Point in Books
Jul 30, 2025
Murder Makes a Retreat Rough
It is September of 1896 and Emma cross has been asked to cover an artist retreat happening at Rough Point, a mansion owned by Frederick Vanderbilt. When she arrives, Emma is surprised by some of the people included in the retreat. But even more surprising is the death of one of the artists at the base of the cliffs. It looks like it could be an accident, or even suicide. But something about the incident doesn’t sit right with Emma. Could it be murder?
This is the first time a book in the series is set off season, and I found I missed the real-life characters we’d gotten to know, although we did get updates on them. Due to that, the focus is on the cast of new characters and the mystery. I liked the clues and red herrings, although another subplot or two to break things up would have been nice. The one we did get allowed Emma to grow, which was nice. And an ongoing storyline got more complicated here. Overall, I enjoyed this and am looking forward to seeing what comes next.
This is the first time a book in the series is set off season, and I found I missed the real-life characters we’d gotten to know, although we did get updates on them. Due to that, the focus is on the cast of new characters and the mystery. I liked the clues and red herrings, although another subplot or two to break things up would have been nice. The one we did get allowed Emma to grow, which was nice. And an ongoing storyline got more complicated here. Overall, I enjoyed this and am looking forward to seeing what comes next.
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Murder at the Flamingo (A Van Buren and DeLuca Mystery #1) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Oh, Hamish...My Hamish...Where have you been all my life? Hamish is my kindred spirit. My best friend. The fictional character that I so desperately want to meet.
For Rachel McMillan to take something that she has personally dealt with her whole life, and give it to her HERO...It is one of the most beautiful things you will ever witness. I feel like I not only know Hamish...But I know Ms. McMillan better. She opened her heart and let the words pour onto the page. The description is REAL, the emotion is REAL, the pain and the heartache is REAL. Anxiety...is REAL!
In addition to the anxiety factor...We have all the makings for an intense and intriguing mystery. A suave Italian nightclub owner, a bad guy on the hunt, and a high class born young lady determined to solve a crime. One of the themes that stood out to me in this story, is the sense of finding home.
"What if home wasn't something you were born into but rather something you found and ultimately chose?"
Murder at the Flamingo is a story full of life and adventure! From the North End of Boston to the nightclub scene of the 1930s...You will want to dance the night away with Reggie and Hamish in this new mystery from Rachel McMillan!
I received a complimentary copy of Murder at the Flamingo. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
For Rachel McMillan to take something that she has personally dealt with her whole life, and give it to her HERO...It is one of the most beautiful things you will ever witness. I feel like I not only know Hamish...But I know Ms. McMillan better. She opened her heart and let the words pour onto the page. The description is REAL, the emotion is REAL, the pain and the heartache is REAL. Anxiety...is REAL!
In addition to the anxiety factor...We have all the makings for an intense and intriguing mystery. A suave Italian nightclub owner, a bad guy on the hunt, and a high class born young lady determined to solve a crime. One of the themes that stood out to me in this story, is the sense of finding home.
"What if home wasn't something you were born into but rather something you found and ultimately chose?"
Murder at the Flamingo is a story full of life and adventure! From the North End of Boston to the nightclub scene of the 1930s...You will want to dance the night away with Reggie and Hamish in this new mystery from Rachel McMillan!
I received a complimentary copy of Murder at the Flamingo. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Merissa (13398 KP) rated Divorce is Murder (Toby Wong Mystery #1) in Books
Nov 5, 2019
Divorce is Murder is the first book in the Toby Wong series, and it introduces us to a female, family-lawyer whose client is a blast from the past. Toby had a major crush on Josh Barton when they were young, but bullies made sure it next happened. Now, nineteen years later, she's back where it all began.
I would class this more as mystery than romantic suspense as Toby isn't sure who she wants, although I'm not very clear on why! There is a police officer who is interested in her, he is not a liar and plays no games, but she seems more interested in a crush from nearly twenty years ago who has constantly lied to her. Hmm, I guess you can see who is my favourite, but I'm guessing this is a storyline for further into the series.
There is a great cast of characters - from a psychic, whimsy-loving mom, to the bullies from Toby's childhood. Some of the mystery was obvious (to me) and some of it, not. I thoroughly enjoyed the build up and the climax to this story.
With no errors that disrupted my reading, this was an enjoyable read from beginning to end, and I have no hesitation in recommending it for all fans of cosy murder-mysteries.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I would class this more as mystery than romantic suspense as Toby isn't sure who she wants, although I'm not very clear on why! There is a police officer who is interested in her, he is not a liar and plays no games, but she seems more interested in a crush from nearly twenty years ago who has constantly lied to her. Hmm, I guess you can see who is my favourite, but I'm guessing this is a storyline for further into the series.
There is a great cast of characters - from a psychic, whimsy-loving mom, to the bullies from Toby's childhood. Some of the mystery was obvious (to me) and some of it, not. I thoroughly enjoyed the build up and the climax to this story.
With no errors that disrupted my reading, this was an enjoyable read from beginning to end, and I have no hesitation in recommending it for all fans of cosy murder-mysteries.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
A Christmas Carol Murder (A Dickens of a Crime #3)
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The latest novel from Heather Redmond’s acclaimed mystery series finds young Charles Dickens...
Historical Mystery
Murder in Rose Hill
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Midwife Sarah Malloy and her private detective husband Frank discover that the cure is worse than...
Lee (2222 KP) rated Murder on the Orient Express (2017) in Movies
Nov 6, 2017 (Updated Nov 9, 2017)
Kenneth Branagh (1 more)
Stunning cinematography
Wasted all-star cast (1 more)
Not very interesting
All style, no substance
This review is possibly a little unfair, as I actually managed to fall asleep watching Murder On The Orient Express. In a busy cinema, early evening on a Sunday. I've only ever managed to do this a couple of times previously - once, while watching a midnight screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (I'm an old man, it was way past my bedtime). Another occasion was during the last Alvin and the Chipmunks movie while watching with my daughter (and I quite rightly got a dig in the ribs from her when she caught me out).
Unfortunately for me though, Kenneth Branaghs lavish retelling of this classic murder mystery is all style and no substance. Branagh himself is actually very good, and hugely entertaining as the worlds greatest detective, Hercule Poirot. However, most of the remaining all star cast just seem wasted in their roles and I just felt like I was watching a big, glossy BBC detective drama on a Sunday evening rather than a thrilling cinematic experience.
I made it through the setup and the murder itself. I also made it through some of the questioning of the many suspects too. But I think that's where my body gave up. I don't think I missed much though, and I was awake again in time for the ridiculous reveal and the explanation as to why whodunit actually dunit, but overall this was just a pretty big disappointment for me.
Unfortunately for me though, Kenneth Branaghs lavish retelling of this classic murder mystery is all style and no substance. Branagh himself is actually very good, and hugely entertaining as the worlds greatest detective, Hercule Poirot. However, most of the remaining all star cast just seem wasted in their roles and I just felt like I was watching a big, glossy BBC detective drama on a Sunday evening rather than a thrilling cinematic experience.
I made it through the setup and the murder itself. I also made it through some of the questioning of the many suspects too. But I think that's where my body gave up. I don't think I missed much though, and I was awake again in time for the ridiculous reveal and the explanation as to why whodunit actually dunit, but overall this was just a pretty big disappointment for me.