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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2336 KP) rated One by One in Books

Sep 1, 2021  
One by One
One by One
Ruth Ware | 2020 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Corporate Retreats are Murder
When the key employees of the internet startup Snoop show up at a chalet in the French Alps, they are expecting a week of presentations and skiing. However, there is tension brewing just below the surface thanks to a buyout deal that has split the board. The tension only grows worse when heavy snow and an avalanche cuts everyone off from the rest of the world and one of the members of a group goes missing somewhere out in the snow. As the hours pass, it becomes clear a killer is in the group. Will help arrive before they are all dead?

While the cast of isolated characters trope is not new to the mystery genre, Ruth Ware quickly makes it her own in this page turning thriller. I love how she so successfully isolated the characters. The plot is wonderful with tension rising early before the characters fully realize the danger they are in. The twists kept me engaged the entire way through the nail-biting climax. The characters could have been a little stronger overall. Don’t get me wrong, I cared about them and the outcome, but I felt like many of them stayed two dimensional and those we got to know better bordered on the cliché. Being a thriller, I expected more foul language than in the books I typically read, but it was a bit excessive for my tastes. Still, these are nitpicks in an overall wonderful thriller.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2336 KP) rated Mrs. Claus and the Halloween Homicide in Books

Sep 29, 2021 (Updated Sep 29, 2021)  
Mrs. Claus and the Halloween Homicide
Mrs. Claus and the Halloween Homicide
Liz Ireland | 2021 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Introducing Halloween Has Consequences
April Claus is beginning her second year as the North Pole’s new Mrs. Claus, and she’s decided it would be fun to introduce Halloween to the residents of Santaland. Unfortunately, not everyone is on board, as evidenced by the threatening messages someone is leaving and the attack on the pumpkins one of the elves is growing. However, when things escalate to murder, April takes matters into her own hands to try to figure out what is going on. Can she keep the holiday from being ruined for everyone?

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, so I was anxious to return to the world that author Liz Ireland is creating. This book was fabulous as well. The murder takes place a little later in the story, but there is plenty going on to keep us entertained, and it only gets stronger as it goes along. The climax is wonderful. I did think there was a timeline issue at one point, but I think the fault is just a scene that is written unclearly. The little details of the world are guaranteed to make you smile; I just love them! While not all the characters are human, they are all completely real and we come to care for them quickly, which is key to getting us to believe in this world. If you are looking for a cozy mystery with a dash of fantasy, you’ll love this book.