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ClareR (6001 KP) rated Time After Time in Books

Dec 9, 2022  
Time After Time
Time After Time
Louise Pentland | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Time After Time is a heartwarming and entertaining read about acceptance and not settling for second best.

Tabby works in a second hand shop and one day tries on a ring that she has taken a shine to - and is instantly transported back to the 1980’s. Her life becomes more interesting as she makes a new friend and sees her beloved 1980’s in the flesh.

In 2022, Tabby feels stifled. Her long term boyfriend, David, has a very fixed, old fashioned idea of what “his woman” should be doing with her time (cooking for him and having children seem to feature highly). And back at her family home, Tabby’s father drops a bombshell that leaves her mother reeling.

The characters are lovely (except the chauvinist David, of course!), Tabby could be a bit ‘ditsy’ at times, but that tended to add to her charm.

I do feel that more could have been done with the time travel aspect, but I think that’s more the science fiction fan in me (and the book would probably have needed to be a lot longer) - no one else reading on the Pigeonhole seemed to have the same opinion! In fact I do realise that the limited sci-Fi element may well make it more appealing to a lot of readers.

I really did enjoy this - a perfect summer read - or a winter read to remind you of the better weather!
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2444 KP) rated Public Anchovy #1 in Books

Aug 2, 2024 (Updated Aug 2, 2024)  
Public Anchovy #1
Public Anchovy #1
Mindy Quigley | 2024 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Who Made Their Enemy Sleep with the Fishes?
Delilah O’Leary is thrilled that she’s been asked to cater the posh fund raiser for the library since she needs events like this to help her restaurant get through the lean winter months. The event is being held at a remote mansion on the outskirts of the town. Unfortunately, the first big storm of the season is due in that night. Even worse, someone dies during the event, and the storm traps Delilah, Detective Capone, Delilah’s staff, and some of the guests, at the mansion. As it becomes clear that the death was a murder, Delilah begins to poke around. Are they trapped with a killer?

This is a mystery trope we don’t see very often any more, and I was a little concerned about the author pulling it off when I sat down to read it. I need not have worried. There was plenty here to keep me engaged and confused as we worked toward the logical climax. We do see most of the regulars (only one gets a cameo as a result of the set up), and it was nice to get updates on them. Meanwhile, the suspects kept me guessing. The atmosphere of the storm also added to the fun of the story. There are some recipes at the end, and the focus on creating a pizza with alternative ingredients. This is the best book in the series to date.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2444 KP) rated Partners in Crime in Books

Jan 4, 2024  
Partners in Crime
Partners in Crime
Steve Hockensmith | 2023 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Five Cases of Crime in the Old West
This book collects five stories featuring Old Red and Big Red, the stars of the Holmes on the Range series. They are set during late fall 1893 and winter 1894, and find the brothers solving a variety of cases. The first story finds the brothers returning to their home town in Kansas with mixed results. When the brothers set out to find a Christmas tree for their landlady, they find a dead body instead. A series of strange events leads them to go to Idaho to try to help the sheep ranchers involved. A request in Colorado finds them in the middle of newspaper wars. Finally, they have to clear their own names when their landlady thinks they are responsible for the things that have been disappearing around their boarding house.

Combined, these five stories reach novel length. Individually, they vary in length. The first one seems to wander a bit at first, but as a fan of the series, I didn’t mind. The stories take place around two of the novels, but there aren’t any spoilers. Instead, we get Big Red and Old Red and some great new characters in each story to keep us engaged. The crimes don’t always involve murder, which I enjoyed seeing. If you haven’t tried the series yet, this would be a fun way to sample the characters. If you’re already a fan, you’ll enjoy seeing what the brothers get up to here.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2444 KP) rated A Merry Little Murder Plot in Books

Oct 9, 2024  
A Merry Little Murder Plot
A Merry Little Murder Plot
Jenn McKinlay | 2024 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Shocking Christmas Murder
This winter, the Briar Creek Library is hosting a writer in residence, and they are honored to have thriller writer Helen Monroe as she works on something new. But Lindsey Norris’s radar goes off when she meets an obsessive fan of Helen’s. Sure enough, the sparks fly when the two meet at a public event. And then Lindsey finds a dead body in the city’s park – electrocuted by the town’s Christmas lights. Can she figure out what is going on?

I always enjoy visiting these characters, and that was no exception. Having said that, I didn’t appreciate the subplot about book banning, mainly because it was just knee jerk storytelling and didn’t have any of the nuance that should be involved in the topic. Still, that was a minor part of a book I enjoyed overall. The plot was great and kept me guessing even about who the victim would be (I went in without reading anything about the plot). The twists kept coming after the murder, but everything made sense at the end. The characters, both old and new, were fun. I laughed quite a few times as I went along. And the festive setting added a nice touch to the book. There are some Christmassy extras at the end. Fans will love this book. Anyone looking for a fun Christmas mystery will be glad they picked this book up.