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Midge (525 KP) rated The Winter Mystery in Books

Mar 18, 2019

The Winter Mystery

Faith Martin | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller

10.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

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.

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Lifestyle and Photo & Video

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STARRY NIGHT CLOCK Falling stars in your hands! Shake iPhone, make a wish!! ...

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2163 KP) rated All Murders Final! (Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery #3) in Books

Mar 9, 2018

Sarah is spending the winter months running a virtual garage sale site for her local community. When she goes to make a trade with Margaret More, she is shocked to find the woman murdered in her car. And when someone takes a picture of Sarah at the crime scene and then sends it to her, Sarah gets really worried.

This book starts out quickly and never lets up. We are always getting a twist or clue to keep us turning the pages. The characters are wonderful, and we meet some new ones I hope stick around as well. The book was over all too quickly, leaving me waiting for the next.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/04/book-review-all-murders-final-by-sherry.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.

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Cori June (3033 KP) rated Iron Tower Trilogy (Mithgar #9,10,11) in Books

Jan 10, 2020

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I quite enjoyed this book. It reminds me of Tolkien and yes Mckiernan does comment about it in the foward. I like that there are female characters and they don't just sit there or are only for plot/character development.
Although you can get each book individually I recommend the single volume because after the first book you want to go directly to the next. It's a good starting point in the series and yes they do occasionally talk about the other books you don't have to read them first.
The dark tide is the first story and it is told exclusively in Tuck's POV. The other two follows more people (mostly warrows) so the is a bit of back tracking.
As an epic he does get a little overblown and you will get a little tired of hearing winter war or dimmendark but it is what it is.