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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2623 KP) rated Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder in Books

Oct 21, 2021 (Updated Oct 21, 2021)  
Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder
Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder
Tina Kashian | 2020 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Polar Bear Plunge of Death
Every December, Ocean Crest, New Jersey, hosts a polar bear plunge as a fund raiser, and this year it is raising money for a much-needed renovation for the senior center. Most of the businesses in the town are participating, and Lucy Berberian is representing her family’s Kebab Kitchen restaurant. As expected, the water is chilly, but all that is soon forgotten when the dead body of one of the participants washes ashore. At first everyone assumes that the shock of the cold water killed Deacon Spooner, but the medical examiners determines that it was murder. Lucy had recently met Deacon, and he wasn’t a nice man. When the police look at Lucy’s friend as their prime suspect, she can’t help but nose around. She uncovers plenty of motives and opportunity, but who actually killed the man?

The book starts out strong, but it loses its way, with very little forward movement and a sub-plot taking over as we near the climax. Fortunately, we do get a logical and suspenseful ending. The sub-plot, about Lucy dragging her feet planning her wedding, would have made sense if it had been weeks between books instead of months. Still, it did allow us to see some growth in Lucy and in her relationships, which I appreciated. The book isn’t overwhelming with Christmas, but it is there, and I enjoyed that aspect as well. We get four recipes at the end of the book to enjoy later. While the book could have been stronger, as a fan of the series, I’m glad I read it.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2623 KP) rated No Stone Left Unturned in Books

Dec 23, 2025  
No Stone Left Unturned
No Stone Left Unturned
Annette Dashofy | 2025 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Random Robbery? Or Something More?
When Detective Honeywell is called to the scene of a robbery turned shooting at a veterinary clinic, the case immediately becomes personal since he knows the man the robbers shot. But he can’t help but question what happened. It doesn’t feel like a true robbery but something personal. Meanwhile, Emma is on hand getting shots from outside the clinic. Given the connection Honeywell has to the case, Emma starts to dig into the background of the victim to try to see if she can uncover any leads to help. Will they be able to find the perpetrator before he strikes again?

As with the previous book, this one focuses a bit more on Matthias, although Emma still gets plenty of page time and adds to the mystery. I enjoyed getting to learn more about the supporting players who populate Matthias’s world. The suspects may not get too much page time, but that doesn’t hamper the plot at all, which is filled with clues, red herrings, and enough twists to keep the pages turning. I always had a hard time putting the book down. I enjoyed watching the characters and their relationships grow out of what happened in the last book, although you don’t need to read the books in order. Still, with how excellent these books are, you’ll want to read them anyway, so you might as well start with the first. This book left me anxious for the next in the series. Annette Dashofy is one of the best mystery writers we have today. If you aren’t already a fan, fix that today.