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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2163 KP) rated A Little Class on Murder in Books

Apr 7, 2022  
A Little Class on Murder
A Little Class on Murder
Carolyn Hart | 1989 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Annie Finds Murder in College
When Annie is asked to teach a class on The Three Grand Dame of the Mystery for the journalism department at the college in Chastain, she quickly warms to the idea. Her enthusiasm is only dimmed slightly when she sees the tension in her fellow faculty members and who decides to crash her class. However, when the student paper starts printing stories that lead to deaths, Annie and her new husband, Max, begin to investigate. Can they figure out what is going on?

This is the book where the series seems to finally be finding the right mix. There is plenty of humor, and I laughed quite a bit. The characters are still on the thin side, but they work to keep us engaged and entertained. We get plenty of references to other writers and characters, mostly the three authors Annie is teaching in her class (Christie, Sayers, and Rinehart), but they never overwhelm or feel like a list dropped into the story. And the mystery weaves all around, keeping us guessing until the end. There is still more foul language than in a typical cozy, but as long as you know this, you’ll be fine. I hope this mix continues as the series goes forward.
  
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ClareR (5667 KP) rated The Lock Up in Books

May 15, 2023  
The Lock Up
The Lock Up
John Banville | 2023 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The fact that I haven’t read the previous three books in this series didn’t mean that I enjoyed it any less. It’s a character driven murder mystery, with lots of background of the pathologist, Quirke. His wife died in the last book, and whilst it’s unclear whether this is a thing with him in other books, he’s most certainly an alcoholic in THIS book. He’s deeply unhappy.

The mystery however, centres around the death of a young Jewish woman, found in her car in a lock up. DI Strafford is called in to solve the case, which becomes more complicated ass the story goes on. The beginning of the book is about a young man travelling into the mountains in Germany to escape the allies. This seems unconnected to begin with,but of course it isn’t!

The Church very much makes it’s presence felt, and there are obstacles put in the way of Strafford and Quirke solving this case.

I really liked this, and very much appreciated the descriptions of Strafford, Quirke and the other characters too. It added to the sense of time and place.

Yet another book that I’m very glad that I picked up on The Pigeonhole!
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2163 KP) rated The Dogfather in Books

Oct 14, 2020  
The Dogfather
The Dogfather
Sparkle Abbey | 2018 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Exes, Handbags, and Murder
Mel Langston is surprised when her ex-fiance, Grey Donovan, asks to use her Bow Wow Boutique as a base for an undercover assignment. She reluctantly agrees, hoping they can get along at least until the surveillance is over. Then a murder takes place down the street at the high-end handbag store, and Grey becomes a suspect. Mel jumps in, hoping to clear him before his career with the FBI is ruined. Can she do it?

Fans of the series will be delighted with the latest entry. It has the usual assortment of characters, and I don’t just mean series regulars. The cast run from wacky to realistic, but somehow, they all fit into the world of these books, and they create plenty of laughs along the way. Yes, that includes Betty, Mel’s assistant, who walks the fine line of making us laugh without being annoying. The plot is good, with plenty of twists and suspects to keep us engaged. The ending does seem a bit rushed, but that’s a minor complaint. This appears to be the final book in the series, at least for now, and the authors do a great job of wrapping up ongoing storylines. This series isn’t for everyone, but if you want a light, wacky, and fun mystery, you’ll be glad you gave it a chance.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2163 KP) rated A Chorus Lineup in Books

Jul 31, 2020  
A Chorus Lineup
A Chorus Lineup
Joelle Charbonneau | 2014 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Competitions Are Murder
The high school show choir Paige Marshall has been coaching has been invited to the national finals in Nashville. She expects that only complication will be the career making audition back home in Chicago she’s been invited to in the middle of the competition. But that’s before someone sabotages all the team’s costumes and band instruments. Then a murder takes place. Can Paige figure out what is going on?

It's been years since I read the first two books in this series, but I was soon back in Paige’s world thanks to reminders in the text about what had happened before. Some of them do get spoilery, so keep that in mind if you are interested in the series. Thanks to the references, I was able to fully appreciate the character growth in the regulars we saw here. The new characters were just as strong. The plot was good and kept me guessing. I was surprised by a sub-plot that took over in the final quarter, completely slowing down the momentum. But we are then flung back into the mystery for a climax that had me turning pages while it successfully wrapped everything up. It also wrapped up these characters’ arcs, so fans of this series will be able to walk away satisfied with the time we’ve spent with them.