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The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide To Getting The Right Things Done

Peter Drucker

(0 Ratings) Rate It

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The measure of the executive, Peter Drucker reminds us, is the ability to 'get the right things...

Devil in the Detail

Ed James

9.0 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

For fans of Ian Rankin, Ed McBain and Christopher Brookmyre, Devil in the Detail is the second novel...

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated A Sprinkle in Time in Books

May 28, 2022 (Updated May 28, 2022)

A Sprinkle in Time

Dana Mentink | 2022 | Mystery

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

The Corpse in the Trunk. Maybe.

Trinidad Jones is focused on the Alpenfest that is in town for the new two weekends, hoping that the tourists will provide a nice bump to her Shimmy and Shake Shop before business slows for the winter. Her life gets complicated, however, when her grandfather finds a corpse in the trunk of his classic car. When the police show up, the body is gone, only to turn up floating in the lake. What is going on?

I enjoyed the first in the series, but this one was even better. I was pulled in right away, and the plot never lagged. Because of how it impacted some of the characters we got to know in the first book, I found it compelling. I had part of the solution figured out, but there was a lot I hadn’t pieced together. The characters are strong again. I laughed at parts, but because of how things were impacting everyone, I also got chocked up a time or two. There are two recipes at the end to help with your cravings for ice cream and sweets in general. I’m already looking forward to visiting the gang again soon.

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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated Secrets of a Scottish Isle in Books

Mar 28, 2024 (Updated Mar 28, 2024)

Undercover in the Occult

Jane Wunderly is on the Isle of Iona off the coast of Scottland. She’s joined the Golden Dawn, going under cover in an attempt to learn if their leader would be a good asset for the organization she and her fiancé, Redvers, works for. But Jane has just barely joined the group when she finds the body of another female member on the moors. Jane is driven to get justice for the victim. But what exactly happened to her? And what about Jane’s official investigation?

As a fan of the series, I was delighted to spend time with Jane and Redvers again. They are a great pair. We get plenty of new characters, and they are well developed, too. Sadly, the plot was uneven, with Jane spending lots of time contemplating what was happening in between the twists. This led to an abrupt but logical climax. The writing brought Iona in March to life, and it made me shiver as I read. It’s fun to see a poet from 1927 show up in the book, and be sure to read the author’s notes at the end to see where she got the inspiration for the tale. Fans of the series will enjoy Jane’s latest adventure.

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FitnessBuilder

Health & Fitness

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Completely rebuilt from the ground-up, FitnessBuilder 5 with Apple Watch support is here! This...

Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Murder in Court Three (Flick Fortune and Baggo Chandavarkar, #3) in Books

Feb 21, 2018

***NOTE: I received a free review copy of this book from NetGalley***

The body of Farquhar Knox, QC, has been found in courtroom number three, pierced through the heart with an arrow. It's up to DI Flick Fortune and her team to find the killer. Things are made all the more difficult when a Chief Superintendent shows up on their suspect list, and the local paper implies that the very pregnant Flick and her department may not be up to the task at hand.

This was a very enjoyable read. It's the third in a series of traditional police procedurals from author Ian Simpson, but the first one that I had read. I was worried after seeing the long list of characters included at the beginning of the book that I might feel lost or have trouble keeping everyone straight, not having read the two previous books. This was not the case, however, and Simpson does a good job of making his characters distinct and recognizable. A very well-written mystery with several sub-plots and lots of red herrings, I would recommend Murder in Court Three to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated A Literal Mess in Books

Jan 14, 2019

A Literal Mess

J. C. Kenney | 2019 | Mystery

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Strong Debut

Allie Cobb has returned home to Rushing Creek, Indiana for her father's funeral. While his death wasn't a surprise, it has still hit her hard. She's not prepared for tragedy to strike her small town a second time when the body of Thornwell Winchester is found. He was one of Allie's father's literary clients, and also the father of Allie's best friend, Sloane. When Sloane becomes the police's chief suspect, Allie steps in to find out the truth. Can she do it?

This book is more serious in tone than many of the cozies I read, but given what brings Allie home, that is completely appropriate. I never found that overwhelming, and the book doesn't dwell on it. After all, this is a mystery, and it isn't long before we are off meeting Thornwell and the potential suspects. I was intrigued by the red herrings and enjoyed the twists as we headed toward the logical climax. The suspects are strong, but I was really impressed with the series regulars. They have pasts and baggage that brought them to the page fully formed. I'm interested to see how that dynamic plays out as the series progresses.