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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2322 KP) rated Ditched 4 Murder in Books

Sep 8, 2020  
Ditched 4 Murder
Ditched 4 Murder
J.C. Eaton | 2017 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Weddings and Killers
Sophie “Phee” Kimball is settling into her new life in Arizona, but it’s about to get crazier thanks to her aunt’s recent engagement. Phee keeps getting asked to help plan the wedding, and finds herself juggling her job as the accountant for a PI, the wedding, and her mother’s phone calls of outrage about the wedding. Phee’s PI boss is working on a murder that took place near her mother’s house, and as Phee works on the wedding, she begins to wonder if there is a connection. Can she solve the case?

I loved the first book in the series, so I was looking forward to revisiting the characters. Sadly, this one didn’t live up to the first. The mystery was overshadowed by the wedding plans. I expected they would come together at some point, but that point came a little late in the book for my tastes. Meanwhile, the climax to the mystery was a little weak as well. Some of the characters walked a fine line between funny and annoying in the first book, and I found them more annoying than funny here. That’s not all the characters. Phee herself is still a strong and sympathetic main character, and I really like several of the supporting characters. And that isn’t to say I didn’t laugh over the course of the book either. I especially laughed at the climax. Considering how much I enjoyed the first book, I’m definitely going to give Phee another visit.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2322 KP) rated Death in the Stacks in Books

Sep 17, 2020 (Updated Sep 17, 2020)  
Death in the Stacks
Death in the Stacks
Jenn McKinlay | 2017 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Cameos and Murder
It’s time for the annual Dinner in the Stacks fundraiser at the Briar Creek Public Library, but this year, Lindsey Norris is facing an extra challenge in putting it on. Olive Boyle has just become president of the library’s board, and she is determined to make trouble, even threatening Lindsey’s job. Despite all of this, the fundraiser goes well, until Olive’s body is found in the fiction section just after the event ends. Even though Lindsey swore she’d stop investigating murders, she still finds herself drawn into this case. Olive made enemies everywhere she went. With so many suspects, can Lindsey figure out what happened?

While the mystery has some good twists in it, I did feel the pacing was off overall. Instead, the character’s antics take over at times. As a fan of the series, I can’t complain too much about that, especially since I was laughing at those scenes. Plus, we got some character development that fans of the series will love. Fans of Jenn’s other two mystery series will have fun with the cameos those characters make in this book, although you won’t miss much of you aren’t up to date on those series. The usual assortment of extras at the end will give you something to enjoy after you’ve turned the last page. While the plot pacing does bother me, I was smiling so much while I was reading, it is hard to complain. Other fans of the series will love every page as well.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2322 KP) rated Honeymoon with Murder in Books

Nov 8, 2021  
Honeymoon with Murder
Honeymoon with Murder
Carolyn G. Hart | 1988 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Annie and Max’s Marriage Gets Off to a Murderous Start
Annie and Max’s wedding turned out beautifully, despite Max’s mother’s attempts to hijack the ceremony. Their plans to leave the next morning on their honeymoon are sidetracked, however, when they get a panicked midnight call from Ingrid, Annie’s employee, friend, and matron of honor. Ingrid is cut off before they can get much out of her, so they race over to Ingrid’s cottage, where they find a dead body in the middle of her living room but no sign of the woman herself. The victim is Jesse Penrick, one of the residents of the cottages that Ingrid manages. With the police looking to Ingrid to arrest her for murder, Annie starts her own investigation to find and clear her friend. Can she do it?

I was very impressed with Max in this book. While he did grumble to himself a bit about the way these days played out, he showed his love for Annie by digging in and helping out. We get the usual assortment of colorful supporting players and suspects strong enough to keep us guessing. The wedding doesn’t really slow down the beginning of the book, and the mystery is strong. It kept me guessing until Annie put everything together at the end. I know the series is known for its mystery author name dropping, but it did get excessive at times. Also excessive was the foul language. Still, I did enjoy this book overall and look forward to Annie and Max’s next case.
  
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Midge (525 KP) rated The First Time I Died in Books

Feb 4, 2019  
The First Time I Died
The First Time I Died
Jo Macgregor | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Captivating An Engaging
I was completely (and unexpectedly) bowled over by this book! Why you might ask? It leapt out at me to be read as it is a thriller which is one of my favourite genres. My enjoyment was unexpected as I am usually wary of anything to do with the paranormal, but not on this occasion. It is not a crime novel where the reader is buried under loads of supernatural information. The thriller and mystery parts are well interwoven along with the paranormal aspects and as a result, I was hooked from the very beginning!

Garnet McGee returns to her home-town in Pitchford, Vermont, at the suggestion of her college professor, who thinks she needs some time away from her studies so that she can re-evaluate what she wants to do with her life. Whilst there, she vows to solve the mystery of a murder which shattered her life ten years ago. But after dying in an accident and being brought back to life, she starts hearing voices, seeing visions and experiencing strange sensations. Are these merely symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and an over-active imagination, or is she getting messages from a paranormal presence?

This is the first of Jo Macgregor’s novels I have read and as always when reading a mystery, I started guessing who the main suspect was. Well, I was wrong because it was someone else…

THE FIRST TIME I DIED is unusual in that I had imagined that it would be about Garnet's death, but it was, in fact mostly about someone else’s. I found that this gave the novel an edge that was both engaging and enjoyable. I found it easy to empathise with Garnet and I wanted her to succeed in what she was looking to achieve.

I loved Jo Macgregor’s writing style and some of her descriptions in the novel were so atmospheric, especially those about Plover Pond. The first half of the novel is written in alternating chapters of time, giving the reader clarity, which really worked for me. "Then" referred to a time period of ten years ago, when Garnet was a seventeen-year-old schoolgirl.

Jo Macgregor brought everything together for a fabulous conclusion even though I never did manage to accurately guess who was behind the murder. I haven’t got anything negative thing to say about this book. I loved it and it has left me eager to read more from this author. THE FIRST TIME I DIED is an exciting and action-packed crime/thriller that I highly recommend.

Thank you to Hidden Gems and the author for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
  
Show all 4 comments.
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Christine A. (965 KP) Feb 5, 2019

Great review! Added it to my want to read list. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Midge (525 KP) Feb 6, 2019

Thanks to all of you for your lovely comments! ??