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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2322 KP) rated Murder at the Palace in Books

Jun 14, 2019

First Days are Murder

When Nora Paige’s movie star husband is caught having an affair with a co-star, she decides it is time to start over. Fortunately, Nora’s friend Robbie needs someone to manage the Palace Theater up in San Francisco. However, Nora’s first day doesn’t go as planned. She’s barely met the staff when she finds a dead body in the backup ice maker in the basement. Naturally, she doesn’t recognize the victim, but none of the staff know who he is either. Could his murder be tied to the death of the previous manager? And, if that shock weren’t enough, Nora starts to see a hallucination that just might be the ghost of an usherette named Trixie from the 1930’s. Is Nora going crazy? Can she figure out what is going on?

Since I rarely do paranormal cozies, I almost skipped this book, but I was so drawn to the classic movies theme that I had to give it a try. I’m very glad I did because it was fun. While we find the body early on, the set up, including introducing Trixie to the mix, does slow thing down at the beginning, but there is a strong mystery for Nora to solve. Nora, Trixie, and the rest of the cast are a hoot, and I can’t wait to hang out with all of them again. And there is plenty of talk about old movies. While I haven’t seen many of the movies mentioned yet, the discussion certainly made me want to fix that. I’m already buying my ticket for the next entry in this series.

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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2322 KP) rated Til Death Do Us Party (A Liv And Di In Dixie Mystery #4) in Books

Sep 28, 2018

That's Not an Elvis Tribute Artist. That's a Corpse!

Liv, Di, and much of Liv's family is heading to Vegas for Liv's mother's wedding to Earl. They are excited to meet up with Liv's cousin, Little Junior, who is trying to become an Elvis impersonator, but in the meantime is driving a cab in the city. The wedding is supposed to take place in the Burning Love Wedding Chapel, but before the bride and groom can even get to "I Do," the Elvis impersonator who is supposed to be marrying them drops dead. When the police decide it was murder, they begin looking at Liv's cousin as the killer. Even though Liv is far from home, can she still figure out who the killer really is?

I have found the pacing in the series to be off, and this book continues the trend as the murder comes late in the book. We get some set up before that happens, but there is plenty of time spent with some sub-plots early in the book as well. The mystery, when it starts, is strong, providing some fun suspects and surprises before we reach the logical ending. The sub-plots partially allow us to check in with folks back in Dixie, Tennessee, so I'm not complaining too much. Having said that, the sub plot involving Liv's best friend Di and her boyfriend drove me crazy since both of them were behaving stupidly. This book is best for fans of the series since they will fully appreciate some of what happens here. And they will really enjoy this trip.

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The Hot One: A Memoir of Friendship, Sex, and Murder

Carolyn Murnick

7.0 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Recommended by NPR, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, New York magazine, New York Post, and...

Biography true crime

Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible

Parnell Hall, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Verena Rose and Rita Owen

8.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

The Malice Domestic anthology series returns with a new take on mysteries in the Agatha Christie...

Murder Most Fowl

Donna Andrews

9.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

A Shakespearean twist on the long-running Meg Langslow mystery series in Murder Most Fowl, the next...

Murder Gets a Makeover

Laura Levine

8.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

It’s the funny side of homicide in acclaimed TV comedy writer and novelist Laura Levine’s new...

Hazel (2934 KP) rated One Good Lie in Books

Oct 10, 2021

One Good Lie

Jane Isaac | 2021 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller

7.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Full of tension and mystery, this is another great book from Jane Isaac.

Ruby and Sophie have had what can only be described as an horrific year but things are not about to get much better any time soon when on the evening of their mother's wake, a woman is murdered but not just any woman, one that is connected to the man convicted and imprisoned for their mother's murder.

Then we have creepy boyfriend, Ewan, who just happened to be out jogging on the night of the murder, isn't forthcoming about his past and appears to be alienating Sophie from her friends and family. The more Ruby discovers about him, the more she fears for her sister. Sophie, however, is not convinced and gradually, the sisters' relationship starts to deteriorate.

Are the two connected or is it just a coincidence?

Jane Isaac appears to be able to create tension with ease and this has it in abundance. She is also able to create interesting and believable characters with each one having a purpose and adding something to the story. The pacing of the book is good; a little slow in parts but the last third makes up for it with the ending being quite satisfying.

Overall, I think this is a great start to Jane Isaac's foray into psychological thrillers rather than her usual crime thrillers and I, for one, look forward to going on the journey with her as, I hope, she writes more in this genre.

Many thanks to Canelo and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2322 KP) rated Claws for Suspicion in Books

May 4, 2022

Kari’s Life is Upended Before Murder

The shelter that Kari Stuart bought when she won the lottery is finally in great shape. However, all that is threatened when Kari’s ex-husband shows up in town. Charlie Smith arrives baring the news that there was a mistake with their divorce, and they are technically still married. As a result, he is entitled to half Kari’s winnings. Or, he will settle for the land the pet shelter is on. Kari has no interest in giving Charlie anything, so she starts trying to figure out how to get him to go away. Then he dies, and his death looks like murder. The police view Kari as their prime suspect since she is the only one in town with a motive. Can Kari convince them that someone else killed Charlie?

While the ex coming back to town isn’t a new plot element in a cozy mystery, Charlie’s motives and the complications are definitely fresh here. I did feel the plot stalled a bit before Charlie actually died, although it was setting up motives and suspects before it happened. Once it did, Kari followed a logical set of clues to the climax. I always appreciate how well things are laid out when I reach the end of the books in this series. I love Kari’s circle of friends, and it was wonderful to spend time with them again. The suspects fit wonderfully into the world. Naturally, there’s plenty of animal cuteness here as well. Fans of the series will be happy with this book, and if you haven’t started it yet, you’ll be happy you picked up one of the books.