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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2444 KP) rated Tropical Depression in Books
Nov 12, 2021 (Updated Nov 12, 2021)
Racing a Hurricane to Solve a Murder
Sabrina Salter has returned to St. John from a disastrous vacation to New England to find out that one of the seasonal employees she and her business partner, Henry, have hired has been murdered. The police are looking at Henry as the killer since the weapon had his initials on it. As the fallout from Sabrina’s vacation shows up on the island, Sabrina tries to find a killer. With Hurricane Irma bearing down on the island, can she do it?
Yes, there is a lot going on in this book, but it all fits together perfectly. Honestly, I can’t imagine this book without any of the elements. We get a logical conclusion to the mystery, and the other storylines allow the characters to grow. I did find some of Sabrina’s behavior a little irritating, but it also allowed for some good development. There were more typos than there should be in the book. Since this is more a traditional mystery, there is a smattering of foul language. Both are worth noting only in passing. The book makes good use of changing the point of view character to fully develop the characters and tell the story. Overall, I loved getting to spend time with Sabrina again. I’m hoping we get to see how she is fairing after the events of this book soon.
Yes, there is a lot going on in this book, but it all fits together perfectly. Honestly, I can’t imagine this book without any of the elements. We get a logical conclusion to the mystery, and the other storylines allow the characters to grow. I did find some of Sabrina’s behavior a little irritating, but it also allowed for some good development. There were more typos than there should be in the book. Since this is more a traditional mystery, there is a smattering of foul language. Both are worth noting only in passing. The book makes good use of changing the point of view character to fully develop the characters and tell the story. Overall, I loved getting to spend time with Sabrina again. I’m hoping we get to see how she is fairing after the events of this book soon.
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Midge (525 KP) rated The Winter Mystery in Books
Mar 18, 2019
Great & Humorous Cozy Mystery
Over recent months I've become a great fan of cozy mysteries so, when I saw this second book in the series featuring Jenny Starling being launched, I knew I had to read "The Winter Mystery." Also, it has a culinary theme which I love and a little light humour. The first book ‘The Birthday Mystery’ was so good, I knew it was likely that Faith Martin had written a winner with this book, too, and I was right!
Best-seller author Faith Martin has also written the ‘Detective Hillary Greene’ mysteries.
First, we are introduced to Jenny Starling who is spending Christmas in a snowed-in country house cooking all the traditional food she loves, however, the family she’s working for are not full of the seasonal spirit. On Christmas Eve, someone is found dead on the kitchen table and the head of the family is blaming Jenny! But with an incompetent detective called in, and seemingly no motive for the murder, Jenny will have to turn amateur sleuth again. She will stop at nothing to clear her name and find the perpetrator.
Faith Martin’s writing skills set the scene beautifully for this novel. The house is a large, charming, Cotswold-stone, Georgian farmhouse in rural Oxford, complete with stables, outhouses, a cobbled courtyard and a resident sheepdog.
Faith Martin’s character development is wonderful, particularly that of Jenny who is an impressive woman and in her late twenties. Curvaceous and sexy, she’s a modern single woman, living and loving life as a travelling cook. She is happy travelling the country catering for different events and cooking great food. She doesn’t like having to divert her attention from baking delicious cakes or creating a new sauce recipe by having to solve murders. She is great at reading people and unmasking killers, always with a good dose of humour.
There are many suspects in this mystery, with clues and lots of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. It was a thoroughly satisfying read and I often found myself asking the same questions as Jenny and I was kept in suspense to the end. The pacing in "The Winter Mystery" was very good and I never lost interest, as it wasn't long before something intriguing would happen. Things came together for a fulfilling finish and wrapped everything up very neatly.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next novel featuring Jenny Starling and other books by the author, Faith Martin. "The Winter Mystery" whets your appetite for more to come.
My thanks to #NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author for providing me with a free advanced copy of #TheWinterMystery.
Best-seller author Faith Martin has also written the ‘Detective Hillary Greene’ mysteries.
First, we are introduced to Jenny Starling who is spending Christmas in a snowed-in country house cooking all the traditional food she loves, however, the family she’s working for are not full of the seasonal spirit. On Christmas Eve, someone is found dead on the kitchen table and the head of the family is blaming Jenny! But with an incompetent detective called in, and seemingly no motive for the murder, Jenny will have to turn amateur sleuth again. She will stop at nothing to clear her name and find the perpetrator.
Faith Martin’s writing skills set the scene beautifully for this novel. The house is a large, charming, Cotswold-stone, Georgian farmhouse in rural Oxford, complete with stables, outhouses, a cobbled courtyard and a resident sheepdog.
Faith Martin’s character development is wonderful, particularly that of Jenny who is an impressive woman and in her late twenties. Curvaceous and sexy, she’s a modern single woman, living and loving life as a travelling cook. She is happy travelling the country catering for different events and cooking great food. She doesn’t like having to divert her attention from baking delicious cakes or creating a new sauce recipe by having to solve murders. She is great at reading people and unmasking killers, always with a good dose of humour.
There are many suspects in this mystery, with clues and lots of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. It was a thoroughly satisfying read and I often found myself asking the same questions as Jenny and I was kept in suspense to the end. The pacing in "The Winter Mystery" was very good and I never lost interest, as it wasn't long before something intriguing would happen. Things came together for a fulfilling finish and wrapped everything up very neatly.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next novel featuring Jenny Starling and other books by the author, Faith Martin. "The Winter Mystery" whets your appetite for more to come.
My thanks to #NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author for providing me with a free advanced copy of #TheWinterMystery.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2444 KP) rated Dogged in Books
Oct 26, 2018
Joe and Tommy must Doggedly Track Down Another Killer
It starts with the discovery of a naked body in Camelback Mountain. The victim, a female, had been discovered not too far from the hiking path by some early morning hikers. The weirdest part is that all of the bones in her legs and arms had been broken before she died. Phoenix homicide detectives Joe Rodriguez and Tommy Flaherty are assigned to the case, but while they are still tracking down the victim's identity, another body is found. This one has the same broken bones, but it is several months older. Joe is finding himself distracted by his concerns over his new relationship with Bridgid, Tommy's cousin. Can he focus on the case long enough to solve it?
I was very pleasantly surprised earlier this year when I saw this book pop up. This is definitely a book that falls into the traditional part of the mystery spectrum, but it doesn't get much worse than what I teased already. The plot is strong and doesn't try to delve into the mind of the serial killer, just tries to catch the person, and we get a strong mystery as Joe and Tommy work to do that. I did feel the ending was a bit weak since it hit two of my pet peeves, but they were minor overall. The characters are absolutely wonderful, and it was fantastic to see them all again.
I was very pleasantly surprised earlier this year when I saw this book pop up. This is definitely a book that falls into the traditional part of the mystery spectrum, but it doesn't get much worse than what I teased already. The plot is strong and doesn't try to delve into the mind of the serial killer, just tries to catch the person, and we get a strong mystery as Joe and Tommy work to do that. I did feel the ending was a bit weak since it hit two of my pet peeves, but they were minor overall. The characters are absolutely wonderful, and it was fantastic to see them all again.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2444 KP) rated The Right Sort of Man in Books
Sep 29, 2023 (Updated Sep 29, 2023)
Match Made for Murder
Its 1946 London, and people are looking to get back to normal after the end of World War II. Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge and formed an unlikely partnership in a marriage bureau, both of them looking for something new in their lives. They’ve been opened a few months and are beginning to see some successes, but all that is threatened when one of their clients is murdered and the man they’d matched her with is arrested for the crime. With their personal and professional reputations on the line, they set about trying to prove he is innocent. Can they do it?
When I first heard about this series, I was drawn to the time in history and the premise. I truly appreciated how that time in history is brought to life. I did find the book hard to get into, but once I did, I was hooked. The mystery is good, with some surprises along the way to the suspenseful climax. The characters grow on you, and the sub-plots both of the leads get make them into fully developed characters. What I wasn’t expecting was the humor, which had me laughing as I read. This is more a traditional mystery due to some of the content, but it is still mild. I will definitely be back to see what happens to these characters next.
When I first heard about this series, I was drawn to the time in history and the premise. I truly appreciated how that time in history is brought to life. I did find the book hard to get into, but once I did, I was hooked. The mystery is good, with some surprises along the way to the suspenseful climax. The characters grow on you, and the sub-plots both of the leads get make them into fully developed characters. What I wasn’t expecting was the humor, which had me laughing as I read. This is more a traditional mystery due to some of the content, but it is still mild. I will definitely be back to see what happens to these characters next.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2444 KP) rated Who is The Mystery Reader? in Books
Nov 4, 2019
Reading is a Superpower!
This book is broken up into many parts. The main story involves Zoom Squirrel who gets some help in reading for The Mystery Reader, a costumed superhero. But who is the masked man, er squirrel? And can Zoom enter the world of masked superheroes? After the main story, we get a couple of terrible (and by that, I mean delightful) puns and jokes related to reading. There’s also a section where we see the work that goes into creating a book.
As an adult, I don’t find these picture books as delightful as some of Mo’s other works. They are missing the humor and charm. However, I can see the appeal to young readers, and if the addition of superheroes to reading encourages kids to read, I’m all in favor of it. The multiple sections can make the book disjointed, especially if you are reading the book to a group of kids, but it would be great for kids ready to expand their reading beyond the traditional easy readers.
As an adult, I don’t find these picture books as delightful as some of Mo’s other works. They are missing the humor and charm. However, I can see the appeal to young readers, and if the addition of superheroes to reading encourages kids to read, I’m all in favor of it. The multiple sections can make the book disjointed, especially if you are reading the book to a group of kids, but it would be great for kids ready to expand their reading beyond the traditional easy readers.
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