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Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Teetotaled (Discreet Retrieval Agency, #2) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
I love historical fiction set in the 1920s, so I was really excited to get an early copy of Teetotaled to check out. It did not disappoint! The heroine, Lola, has a very dry, sarcastic sense of humor which I adored, and this book kept me chuckling all the way through.
The mystery in Teetotaled was just as entertaining. It kept me guessing, and the cast of suspects and supporting characters made me feel like I was watching a BBC production of Jeeves and Wooster.
Cozy mystery fans as well as historical fiction aficionados who dont mind a dose of humor are sure to enjoy this book!
<i>Note: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.</I>
The mystery in Teetotaled was just as entertaining. It kept me guessing, and the cast of suspects and supporting characters made me feel like I was watching a BBC production of Jeeves and Wooster.
Cozy mystery fans as well as historical fiction aficionados who dont mind a dose of humor are sure to enjoy this book!
<i>Note: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.</I>
A Mistake of Murder (Jan Christopher Mysteries #3)
Book
Was murder deliberate - or a tragic mistake? January 1972. The Christmas and New Year holiday is...
Cozy Mystery Murder Mystery
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated A Deadly Éclair (A French Bistro Mystery, #1) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
Mimi Rousseau is preparing for a celebrity wedding at her bistro and inn, but before things can really get underway, her mentor and financial supporter is found dead on the premises. With him gone, Mimi is under no obligation to repay the funds he had lent her to get her business started, so that makes her look mighty suspicious in the eyes of the law. Afraid that shell lose both her business and her freedom, Mimi decides to get to the bottom of things.
Daryl Wood Gerber (aka Avery Aames) is one of my favorite cozy authors, so I jumped at the chance to read the first book in her new mystery series. I was not disappointed. Good food, great friends, and plenty of intrigue keep this story moving along. Its a well-plotted mystery with lots of delicious sounding recipes included at the end. Culinary cozy fans will not want to miss this one.
<i>NOTE: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book.</i>
Daryl Wood Gerber (aka Avery Aames) is one of my favorite cozy authors, so I jumped at the chance to read the first book in her new mystery series. I was not disappointed. Good food, great friends, and plenty of intrigue keep this story moving along. Its a well-plotted mystery with lots of delicious sounding recipes included at the end. Culinary cozy fans will not want to miss this one.
<i>NOTE: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book.</i>
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2352 KP) rated Dying for Strawberries (A Berry Basket Mystery #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Marlee Jacob has settled nicely back into her home town of Oriole Point, and she is quite happy running her business, The Berry Basket. However, she quickly finds herself in trouble when her good friend goes missing, a surprise announcement rattles all the local business owners, someone tries to kill her, and then she finds a dead body. What is going on?
I enjoyed this book with how it played with some cozy mystery tropes early on while still providing us with a compelling cozy mystery. There’s plenty happening to keep us entertained all the way through, and the twists of the plot come together for a logical climax. Some of the supporting characters are still a bit thin, but we can get to know them better in later books. Marlee herself is wonderful, and the rest of the suspects are also viable characters.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/10/book-review-dying-for-strawberries-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I enjoyed this book with how it played with some cozy mystery tropes early on while still providing us with a compelling cozy mystery. There’s plenty happening to keep us entertained all the way through, and the twists of the plot come together for a logical climax. Some of the supporting characters are still a bit thin, but we can get to know them better in later books. Marlee herself is wonderful, and the rest of the suspects are also viable characters.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/10/book-review-dying-for-strawberries-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The Begonia Killer (Third Chance Enterprises #3)
Book
You know Molly McGill from her death-defying escapes in Anarchy of the Mice, book one of the Third...
Cozy Mystery Romance
Pickled Pink in Paris (Julia Fairchild #3)
Book
A major business deal is disrupted by murder. But a young physician has the key to the case... A...
Cozy Mystery
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2352 KP) rated The Gift of the Magpie in Books
Dec 13, 2020
Who Used a Helping Hand to Murder?
This year at Christmas, the churches in Caerphilly, Virginia have started a Helping Hands for the Holidays charity event, and Meg is right in the thick of it, organizing and helping. One of their projects is helping Harvey the Hoarder declutter and fix up his house before the county is called to intervene. Day one goes pretty well, but when Meg shows up for the second day, she finds him lying in a pool of blood in the garage. Are the rumors of a treasure hidden in the house true? Did that get Harvey killed?
I always enjoy visiting Meg, and this book was no exception. The sub-plots involving her large family slow down the main mystery early on, but as a fan of the series and the characters, that’s a minor complaint. Once the mystery gets going, it is strong with several good suspects and twists before we reach the great climax. The sub-plots still weave in and out of the main mystery, and I really enjoyed them and the Christmas spirit they give us. I didn’t find this book quite as funny as some of the others, maybe because it left me contemplating which side of the hoarder or collector line I’m on. If you are looking for an entertaining mystery set at Christmas, there’s still time this year to cozy up to the fire and enjoy this mystery.
I always enjoy visiting Meg, and this book was no exception. The sub-plots involving her large family slow down the main mystery early on, but as a fan of the series and the characters, that’s a minor complaint. Once the mystery gets going, it is strong with several good suspects and twists before we reach the great climax. The sub-plots still weave in and out of the main mystery, and I really enjoyed them and the Christmas spirit they give us. I didn’t find this book quite as funny as some of the others, maybe because it left me contemplating which side of the hoarder or collector line I’m on. If you are looking for an entertaining mystery set at Christmas, there’s still time this year to cozy up to the fire and enjoy this mystery.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2352 KP) rated The Death of an Ambitious Woman in Books
Jul 17, 2018
It Definitely Wasn’t an Accident
The car crash that killed Tracey Kendall was looking suspicious from the start. She was driving way too fast and didn’t break at all for example. Then the mechanic who serviced her car vanishes, which definitely makes acting police chief Ruth Murphy suspect there is more going on than a simple accident. Unfortunately, this comes at the worst possible time with her permanent promotion to police chief about to go through. Can she navigate internal politics and still uncover the truth?
I was thrilled to finally make it back to Barbara Ross’s debut mystery. The mystery is strong, and the internal politics adds a nice layer to an already complex mystery. Ruth and her fellow police officers are strong characters, and I also felt the main suspects were well developed. Some of the supporting players got a little lost, but that is my only complaint about the book. This is a step away from the author’s normal cozy mysteries, with a few four letter words and a touch more description of the aftermath of violence. Still, most of her readers will do just fine with this soft-boiled or traditional tale. Anyone who enjoys a good mystery should pick up this book.
I was thrilled to finally make it back to Barbara Ross’s debut mystery. The mystery is strong, and the internal politics adds a nice layer to an already complex mystery. Ruth and her fellow police officers are strong characters, and I also felt the main suspects were well developed. Some of the supporting players got a little lost, but that is my only complaint about the book. This is a step away from the author’s normal cozy mysteries, with a few four letter words and a touch more description of the aftermath of violence. Still, most of her readers will do just fine with this soft-boiled or traditional tale. Anyone who enjoys a good mystery should pick up this book.
Murder in the Mountains
9.0
Rate It
Book
Whether you love spring, summer, fall, or winter in the mountains, you’ll be elevated by nine new...
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated Death Overdue in Books
Oct 31, 2018
Wasn't enough to get my attention
What I enjoyed the most about this novel is the relationships Carrie develops throughout the book. She finally finds her place in the small town, has a mystery to solve, develops friendships, and even has a ghost to help her out with the mystery.
The book was all right, but it wasn’t that great either. The mystery aspect was fine and you were guessing throughout the novel, a few red herrings planted here and there. I took a liking to Carrie’s Aunt and Uncle who are loving and great characters and treat Carrie like gold. The mood and setting of the book was also pretty good. It’s quaint and cozy like it should be. There’s even a library cat that comes into the story. Libraries and cats just go together so well :)
The romance aspect of the book was one of the weak points. At first you thought Carrie was going to go for one person but then it turns out to be someone completely different and you’re left wondering where did this come from all of a sudden. It’s awkwardly placed and just doesn’t feel quite right until later. It’s almost as if Carrie’s crush was placed there conveniently just when it was time to solve the mystery. A bit eye rolling, but nevertheless still awkward.
Although the ghost assists Carrie when possible you’d rather wish there was more to her story instead of just being a secondary assistant. Perhaps that will be further developed and mentioned as the series progresses. The revealing of the culprit and the climax ending was pretty good and satisfactory but by the time this was happening I was pretty much done.
So although the setting, the characters, and the mystery were fine, it just wasn’t enough to get me to continue onto reading the series. To me, it just seemed to dragged towards the last half of the book and I did put it down several times because it didn’t seem to be progressing anywhere. Other cozy mystery readers may enjoy this more than I will though, as this is one of the better ones out there. Worth picking up if you’re into small towns, libraries and a ghostly assistant.
The book was all right, but it wasn’t that great either. The mystery aspect was fine and you were guessing throughout the novel, a few red herrings planted here and there. I took a liking to Carrie’s Aunt and Uncle who are loving and great characters and treat Carrie like gold. The mood and setting of the book was also pretty good. It’s quaint and cozy like it should be. There’s even a library cat that comes into the story. Libraries and cats just go together so well :)
The romance aspect of the book was one of the weak points. At first you thought Carrie was going to go for one person but then it turns out to be someone completely different and you’re left wondering where did this come from all of a sudden. It’s awkwardly placed and just doesn’t feel quite right until later. It’s almost as if Carrie’s crush was placed there conveniently just when it was time to solve the mystery. A bit eye rolling, but nevertheless still awkward.
Although the ghost assists Carrie when possible you’d rather wish there was more to her story instead of just being a secondary assistant. Perhaps that will be further developed and mentioned as the series progresses. The revealing of the culprit and the climax ending was pretty good and satisfactory but by the time this was happening I was pretty much done.
So although the setting, the characters, and the mystery were fine, it just wasn’t enough to get me to continue onto reading the series. To me, it just seemed to dragged towards the last half of the book and I did put it down several times because it didn’t seem to be progressing anywhere. Other cozy mystery readers may enjoy this more than I will though, as this is one of the better ones out there. Worth picking up if you’re into small towns, libraries and a ghostly assistant.