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Dearly Deleted
10.0
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For the first time since moving to Copper Bay, Massachusetts, book blogger Winnie Lark is planning...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2579 KP) rated What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust in Books
Sep 25, 2024
Flavia’s Surprise Return
Mrs. Mullet, the long time de Luce house keeper, is being questioned about a murder. Turns out, she’d been making breakfast for a gentleman in the village, Major Greyleigh. He’s been found dead on the floor of his cottage and the last thing he ate was the breakfast prepared by Mrs. Mullet. Flavia knows that Mrs. Mullet wouldn’t hurt anyway. She also knows that the mushrooms everyone thinks killed the man weren’t poisonous. Can Flavia figure out what is really going on?
I had thought the series ended with the previous book five years ago, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this up for preorder. It was fun to revisit Bishop’s Lacey and catch up with Flavia. However, I still find her cousin Undine extremely annoying and not as funny as she is supposed to be. The pacing of the mystery was good, but there were parts of the plot I didn’t care for. And I certainly could have done without all the talk about the crime scene. I’ve often found this series uneven, and this entry fit that description for me.
I had thought the series ended with the previous book five years ago, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this up for preorder. It was fun to revisit Bishop’s Lacey and catch up with Flavia. However, I still find her cousin Undine extremely annoying and not as funny as she is supposed to be. The pacing of the mystery was good, but there were parts of the plot I didn’t care for. And I certainly could have done without all the talk about the crime scene. I’ve often found this series uneven, and this entry fit that description for me.
Map of My Escape
Book
The shooting of a homicide detective is captured on film by a mysterious figure from a second-floor...
Detective Mystery
Wonton Terror
8.0
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In the fourth in Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop delicious mystery series, Ho-Lee Noodle House is ready...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2579 KP) rated Murder Runs in the Family in Books
May 1, 2025
Retirement Community Filled in Intrigue
Amber has never met her grandma Jade, but when she breaks up with her boyfriend, she winds up heading to Jade’s retirement community. Amber is thrilled to be welcomed with open arms, but the night she arrives, a man in the community dies. The police suspect it was murder, and the man’s family begins telling anyone who will listen that Jade is responsible. Can Amber lean on her PI training and figure out what really happened?
I enjoyed a previous series from this author, but this one didn’t really work for me. I was put off by a negative attitude toward Christianity we get early on. I get it that this is a personal issue, but it did make me read more critically. The characters are thin and more caricature to drive the comedy. The plot is more events than mystery driven, although Amber does make some good deductions along the way. Still, there was an aspect of the plot that I didn’t enjoy. The book does provide some laughs, but over all, it didn’t work for me. This will probably be my only visit with these characters.
I enjoyed a previous series from this author, but this one didn’t really work for me. I was put off by a negative attitude toward Christianity we get early on. I get it that this is a personal issue, but it did make me read more critically. The characters are thin and more caricature to drive the comedy. The plot is more events than mystery driven, although Amber does make some good deductions along the way. Still, there was an aspect of the plot that I didn’t enjoy. The book does provide some laughs, but over all, it didn’t work for me. This will probably be my only visit with these characters.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2579 KP) rated Between a Roquefort and Hard Place in Books
May 6, 2026
Shocking Murder at a Mansion
It’s been ten months since Carly and Ari got married, and they are happily settling into married life. At her restaurant, she and her employees are working on a grilled cheese competition. But Carly drops everything when she is invited to Peppermint Mansion, the biggest and most mysterious house in the area, to cook a grilled cheese for the elderly owner. The mansion is undergoing renovations, and Ari is handling the electrical. But while Carly is there, the general contractor dies. The police quickly determine it wasn’t an accident and start looking at Ari as their prime suspect. Can Carly clear her husband?
I was happy to see another entry in this fun series. The mystery gets started quickly and kept me engaged with some good suspects and twists on the way to the logical conclusion. We did get to see the supporting characters again, although they blended a bit into each other. Carly and her husband still shone. We also get three more delicious sounding grilled cheese recipes. Fans of the series will be glad they picked this one up.
I was happy to see another entry in this fun series. The mystery gets started quickly and kept me engaged with some good suspects and twists on the way to the logical conclusion. We did get to see the supporting characters again, although they blended a bit into each other. Carly and her husband still shone. We also get three more delicious sounding grilled cheese recipes. Fans of the series will be glad they picked this one up.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2579 KP) rated The Crossing in Books
Apr 27, 2024
Detective Bosch Crosses the Aisle
Harry Bosch is trying to settle into his second retirement from the LAPD, but he’s not finding anything to truly satisfy him. Still, when Mickey Haller asks for help on one of his court cases, Bosch is reluctant to agree since it would be working for a defense attorney. As Bosch begins to poke around, he thinks that the client could have been framed for murder. But can he find the real killer?
The book spends as little time as possible getting Bosch, and us, hooked on the case. And what a great case it was. While we have an idea of who early on, the why remains a big mystery until near the end. Meanwhile, we know the danger Bosch is in, and it makes for a great thriller. I enjoyed seeing Bosch and Haller working together again, and we see some others from their lives as well. As always, the foul content is higher than the books I typically read, but they are appropriate for the case. If you are looking for a book you won’t be able to put down, I highly recommend this one.
The book spends as little time as possible getting Bosch, and us, hooked on the case. And what a great case it was. While we have an idea of who early on, the why remains a big mystery until near the end. Meanwhile, we know the danger Bosch is in, and it makes for a great thriller. I enjoyed seeing Bosch and Haller working together again, and we see some others from their lives as well. As always, the foul content is higher than the books I typically read, but they are appropriate for the case. If you are looking for a book you won’t be able to put down, I highly recommend this one.
The Key to Deceit
8.0
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The second in the Electra McDonnell series from Edgar-nominated author Ashley Weaver, The Key to...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2579 KP) rated I’ll Bee Home for Christmas in Books
Dec 24, 2024
Murder is Never Sweet, Especially at Christmas
It’s the second week of December, and former celebrity chef Jackie Norwood is heading to Oklahoma to be a judge at a honey festival. Her camera man’s sister, Emily, is organizing it. Jackie arrives a little early and is helping Emily tend to her bee hives when they stumble on the body of Emily’s ex-husband. While the police are quick to look at Emily as their prime suspect, Jackie uncovers plenty of others with motive. Can she figure out what really happened?
It was fun to get a Christmas themed entry in this series, and the nods to the season were fun. I did feel like the food themed got in the way of the mystery a bit, leading to some rushed elements in the book. However, there are still some interesting twists and a logical climax. We also get some great development for the characters and the arcs that we’ve been following. The fun and laughs from the earlier books are present again here. And we have lots of honey themed recipes at the end to make your moth water. Fans will enjoy this sweet entry in the series.
It was fun to get a Christmas themed entry in this series, and the nods to the season were fun. I did feel like the food themed got in the way of the mystery a bit, leading to some rushed elements in the book. However, there are still some interesting twists and a logical climax. We also get some great development for the characters and the arcs that we’ve been following. The fun and laughs from the earlier books are present again here. And we have lots of honey themed recipes at the end to make your moth water. Fans will enjoy this sweet entry in the series.
The Conductor (Beatrix Patterson Mysteries #4)
Book
Strikes, blackmail, and murder plague Beatrix amid growing unrest following the supremacist...
Historical Mystery