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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2400 KP) rated Mother-Daughter Murder Night in Books

Jul 5, 2024  
Mother-Daughter Murder Night
Mother-Daughter Murder Night
Nina Simon | 2023 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I Enjoyed the Book, but I Wanted to Like It More
When Los Angeles based real estate mogul Lana Rubicon is diagnosed with cancer, she moves to the central California coast so her daughter, Beth, and granddaughter, Jacqueline (aka Jack) can take care of her, a scary prospect since Lana doesn’t necessarily get along with them. But when a kayak group that Jack is leading discover a dead body, Lana jumps into the case to help her granddaughter. Will this prove to be the distraction and bonding agent that three of them need?

I really wanted to like this book, and there were things I did. While a bit slow, especially at the beginning, the mystery did drawn me in. On the other hand, I figured out the killer pretty early. Lana has some rough edges, and it took quite a while to warm up to her. Since most (but not all) of the book is told from her third person point-of-view, that was an issue. It helped that I liked Beth and Jack and their relationship. I was also pretty discouraged by how most of the men in the story were portrayed. The setting came to life, and I enjoyed spending time there. Overall, the book has a serious tone and is more a traditional mystery than a cozy. It’s definitely not a thriller. As I said, this was a mixed bag. I’m glad I read it, but I will hesitate before I pick up anything else from this author.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2400 KP) rated The Last Line in Books

Aug 16, 2025 (Updated Aug 16, 2025)  
The Last Line
The Last Line
Scott Lyerly | 2024 | Mystery
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Murder in a Teacup…Live on Stage!
The latest production at the theater Ellie Marlow owns is Murder in a Teacup. Unfortunately, the lead is Reginald Thornton IV, who seems to be going out of his way to alienate everyone. His character is supposed to die as part of the play, but opening night, he really dies. While the state detectives are quick to judge it natural, something doesn’t sit right with Ellie. Can she figure out what happened?

I picked this book up expecting a cozy, but it quickly became evident this is a bit more of a traditional than a lighter cozy. As long as you know this going in, you should be fine. The mystery is good, and I was fooled until the end. Ellie has Tourette’s, something that overwhelms at times and proves to be a distraction. On the whole, I did love her character and the co-lead as well, as well as how their marriages were shown. The story is told from several points of view, but at times, we have some head hopping. This feels like a standalone instead of a series opener, but if we get a sequel, I’d be interested in revisiting the characters.
  
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Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) created a post

Apr 13, 2019  
Can anyone recommend some good two-player tabletop games, be it board, and, or dice games? I'm going to have surgery and will have a lot of downtime and don't want to spend it as a couch potato.

I like to play city building games online, like Banished, Civilization, and Sierra Impression Games (Pharaoh, Caesar, and Emporer) and have looked at a few board game versions but they look complicated and come with so many pieces. Are they manageable or will a cat coming into the room destroy the game with a swipe of its tail? My roommate doesn't play games yet so it would have to be a game that isn't overly complex or complicated to a newbie or a highly-medicated me.

We also like Scrabble, word puzzles, and trivia games but are looking for similar games. We've played Uno (which is now forever known as F-U/No, F-U, haha) and Yahtzee. So traditional board, card, and dice would be nice. We like mystery, paranormal, and educational games, not big on fantasy, sci-fi, sports, or anything chaotic.

I'm also hoping to find games my boyfriend and I can play kind of mindlessly to do in the background while we chat about life and tell stories. I'm really needing some good intimate (not sexual) discussion.

All advice appreciated.
      
Show all 4 comments.
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Awix (3310 KP) Apr 14, 2019

Seven Wonders Duel is a pretty good, medium-complex card game. Splendor and Carcassonne also both work well with two and they're a little simpler and possibly more cat-proof too.
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The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) Apr 15, 2019

Jaipur is one of my favorites and has an App you can get as well.
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2400 KP) rated Murder, She Meowed in Books

Jan 31, 2019  
Murder, She Meowed
Murder, She Meowed
Liz Mugavero | 2019 | Mystery
8
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Corpse of a Stripper
With three weeks before her wedding, Stan Connor is finding it hard to keep her mother and sister from taking over and planning things their way. She does finally give in to her sister’s desire to throw her a traditional bachelorette party, but things end on a somber note when the stripper is found dead in the cake he was supposed to jump out of. Worse yet, Stan knew the young man. Feeling the need to investigate, Stan tries to figure out who would have wanted to kill him. Can she do it?

I did feel this book got sidetracked at times by the wedding planning sub-plot, but that might be because I’m a guy. There is definitely a strong mystery here with several viable suspects and a great climax. Along the way, we get plenty of twists and turns. While Stan’s relationship with her family has grown some, the wedding planning brings out some of their old relationships, and it was interesting to see this side of the characters again. Some of the regulars play smaller parts here, but it is great to see the regulars no matter how much page time they got. Those who have pets will be interested in the two new recipes for organic treats at the end of the book.