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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2615 KP) rated Fatal Fudge Swirl in Books

Jun 29, 2023  
Fatal Fudge Swirl
Fatal Fudge Swirl
Meri Allen | 2023 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Bride’s a Corpse
Ice cream shop manager Riley Rhodes has been asked to create an ice cream cake for the upcoming wedding of Diantha Collins, the head of a prominent family in Penniman, Connecticut. However, the morning of the wedding, Diantha is found dead in her bed. Something about the scene seems off to Riley. Can she figure out how Diantha died?

The how done it in this book is a strong element of the plot, and I loved the creative murder method. Of course, Riley also has to figure out the who and why, and those also kept me guessing until the end. The suspects are all strong, and the series regulars are a lot of fun as always. A storyline involving a movie being filmed in town leads to a sub-plot with some great laughs. Meanwhile, the Halloween setting is used well for the mystery. Add in a couple of hot fudge recipes at the end, and you have a winner. Grab a dish of your favorite ice cream and enjoy this book today.
  
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Vegas (725 KP) rated Rig 45 in TV

Mar 11, 2019  
Rig 45
Rig 45
2018 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
8
4.5 (2 Ratings)
TV Show Rating Watch
The claustrophobic setting (1 more)
The plot
Sometimes felt a little rushed (0 more)
Twists, turns, misdirection and murder
A murder mystery set on an oil rig with a skeleton staff couldn't possibly make an interesting TV series could it?

Surprisingly it works... The setting is perfect to make the tension greater, with the storm causing problems with power inside and making everything hazardous in the scenes out on the decks...

The crew distrust each other and don't get on, they have issues with the insurance assessor, the boss is about to lose control and its almost Christmas... Something has got to give....

I found it similar in feel (although obviously different) to Fortitude and is very much like a modern remake of a famous Agatha Christie novel (Which I won't mention the title of, as it could give the game away) although I'm sure it probably isn't actually based on it...

One criticism is, I think it was a little rushed in places and could probably have made a 8 or 10 episode series, and maybe explore some of the characters a little more, rather than cram it all into 6 Episodes...

I was going to rate the the ending as a good point and a bad point because I think it will divide people, for me it worked well, but I can see some people having issues with it (in my opinion) ... BUT, that is what makes a good story, something that causes debate......

I really recommend this as a series to slot in after finishing binge watching one long series and before starting another long show... 6 episodes about 45 min each, perfect for a lazy weekend...
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2615 KP) rated Murder at the Palace in Books

Jun 14, 2019  
Murder at the Palace
Murder at the Palace
Margaret Dumas | 2019 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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 (2615 KP) rated Til Death Do Us Party (A Liv And Di In Dixie Mystery #4) in Books

Sep 28, 2018  
Til Death Do Us Party (A Liv And Di In Dixie Mystery #4)
Til Death Do Us Party (A Liv And Di In Dixie Mystery #4)
Vickie Fee | 2018
8
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
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.