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Crêpe Expectations (A Pancake House Mystery Book 5)
Book
When a murder case from the past heats up again, it’s up to Marley McKinney to sort through a tall...
cozy mystery murder mystery fiction crime series
Debbie (52 KP) rated Murder from Scratch in Books
Mar 27, 2019
Murder From Scratch
By: Leslie Karst
Crooked Lane Books
Mystery/Thriller
320 Pages
Pub Date 9 April 2019
#MurderFromScratch #NetGalley
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I enjoyed this book. I love me a good cozy mystery story. This book also has the recipes in the back of the book. This is a mystery so I will not go into too much detail.
The story is a about a woman who is found dead by her blind daughter. Evelyn is her name. She insists that her mom wouldn't take her life and there are clues to support her. Her cousin, Sally owns a restaurant that left to her by her deceased Aunt but before that she was an attorney. She helps her cousin but researching the clues and doing a little bit of investigating on her own. She actually helped the police with her Aunts murder in a previous book. This is the same aunt whom left her the restaurant. There is some interesting turns in this story and like I said I enjoyed myself. I was able to figure out who did it but it wasn't until 2/3's into the story. I would recommend this book for you to read if you like cozy mysteries.
By: Leslie Karst
Crooked Lane Books
Mystery/Thriller
320 Pages
Pub Date 9 April 2019
#MurderFromScratch #NetGalley
<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/23cda8f5b390052c84bafb486921760c8733c9f5"; width="80" height="80" alt="10 Book Reviews" title="10 Book Reviews"/>
<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/9a41056d7201c045d3f9e5c161f9569494687ae1"; width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>
I enjoyed this book. I love me a good cozy mystery story. This book also has the recipes in the back of the book. This is a mystery so I will not go into too much detail.
The story is a about a woman who is found dead by her blind daughter. Evelyn is her name. She insists that her mom wouldn't take her life and there are clues to support her. Her cousin, Sally owns a restaurant that left to her by her deceased Aunt but before that she was an attorney. She helps her cousin but researching the clues and doing a little bit of investigating on her own. She actually helped the police with her Aunts murder in a previous book. This is the same aunt whom left her the restaurant. There is some interesting turns in this story and like I said I enjoyed myself. I was able to figure out who did it but it wasn't until 2/3's into the story. I would recommend this book for you to read if you like cozy mysteries.
Midge (525 KP) rated A Case of Bier in Books
Feb 14, 2019
An Enjoyable Cozy Mystery
An enjoyable, cute cozy mystery! This is the first book I have read by Mary Daheim and it won't be my last.
After a busy summer, Judith McMonigle Flynn desperately needs a holiday. Her thoughtful husband, Joe, surprises her with a trip to the Canadian Rockies. Thrilled to be getting away, Judith’s overjoyed when Cousin Renie and Bill agree to join them. Though the husbands have made the arrangements, how bad can a short time away in the beautiful mountains be? Judith and Renie are about to find out!
However, the other guests who are camping nearby, are rather strange and peculiar. They’ve gathered on the mountainside to give a relative a proper and permanent send-off, but Judith realises that paying their respects might be a little premature. It’s up to her and Renie to save a would-be corpse from an early date with death.
I really enjoyed the main character and her husband. There was a lot of good humour in this book, which helped with the cozy atmosphere and I loved the random approach they had when trying to solve the case.
A CASE OF BIER is entertaining and a fairly fast read, with a quick pace. I was able to follow the characters and their backgrounds without any problem, even though I haven't read any of the previous books in this series. I would like to read the other books since I enjoyed this one.
Thank you to Edelweiss, William Morrow and Mary Daheim for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
After a busy summer, Judith McMonigle Flynn desperately needs a holiday. Her thoughtful husband, Joe, surprises her with a trip to the Canadian Rockies. Thrilled to be getting away, Judith’s overjoyed when Cousin Renie and Bill agree to join them. Though the husbands have made the arrangements, how bad can a short time away in the beautiful mountains be? Judith and Renie are about to find out!
However, the other guests who are camping nearby, are rather strange and peculiar. They’ve gathered on the mountainside to give a relative a proper and permanent send-off, but Judith realises that paying their respects might be a little premature. It’s up to her and Renie to save a would-be corpse from an early date with death.
I really enjoyed the main character and her husband. There was a lot of good humour in this book, which helped with the cozy atmosphere and I loved the random approach they had when trying to solve the case.
A CASE OF BIER is entertaining and a fairly fast read, with a quick pace. I was able to follow the characters and their backgrounds without any problem, even though I haven't read any of the previous books in this series. I would like to read the other books since I enjoyed this one.
Thank you to Edelweiss, William Morrow and Mary Daheim for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
Spiders from Mars
8.0
Rate It
Book
She wants to free her mentor from jail. A frame-up keeps him trapped in the system. Can she discover...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2510 KP) rated Her Dying Day in Books
May 19, 2023 (Updated May 19, 2023)
What Really Happened to Greer Larkin?
Documentary graduate student June Masterson has finally hit upon the perfect topic for her final project – the disappearance twenty years ago of Greer Larkin. Greer had burst onto the mystery scene with six well received books before she disappeared, never to be seen again. With the principles in Greer’s life agreeing to talk to June, she fantasizes about solving the case, making for the perfect end to her documentary. Can she do that? Will she even finish it in time?
I struggled with part of this book – a subplot in June’s life that I truly didn’t like. I can understand her choices, but still, it bothered me. I did appreciate the character growth we got. And the mystery itself was very well done. It kept me guessing all the way to the satisfying ending. There was one aspect that was left opened, but it could propel a follow up book. This book has some content that definitely keeps it from being a cozy; it’s honestly a little hard to place outside of just plain mystery. If you enjoy an engaging mystery, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
I struggled with part of this book – a subplot in June’s life that I truly didn’t like. I can understand her choices, but still, it bothered me. I did appreciate the character growth we got. And the mystery itself was very well done. It kept me guessing all the way to the satisfying ending. There was one aspect that was left opened, but it could propel a follow up book. This book has some content that definitely keeps it from being a cozy; it’s honestly a little hard to place outside of just plain mystery. If you enjoy an engaging mystery, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Facials Can Be Fatal (Bad Hair Day Mystery, #13) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
When a well-to-do client dies mid-facial, Marla Vail decides to track down a killer to save her salons reputation. This cozy has a great cast of characters and suspects galore. Its a fast moving story that will keep you guessing, and rooting for Marla all the way through. While it is the 13th Bad Hair Day Mystery series, youll be able to catch on and not feel lost even if you havent read the previous 12 books. You will most likely want to go back and read them when youre done, however!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2510 KP) rated Death On Demand (Death On Demand, #1) in Books
Sep 15, 2020
Crime Writer Murdered
Annie Lawrence has inherited the Death on Demand mystery bookstore on Broward’s Rock off the coast of South Carolina. She has allowed the bookstore to continue to be used by a group of mystery writers on Sunday nights. On this particular Sunday night, one of them is murdered, and Annie becomes the chief suspect. Good thing that her not-quite-ex, Max Darling, is on the island to help her clear her name. But can they do it?
While I’ve read other books by the author, I have yet to dive into this series. I’m glad I finally took the plunge. The mystery is complex with a good puzzle and lots of twists before everything is resolved. Annie and Max are strong and fantastic lead characters. The suspect could have been a bit stronger, although they got better as the book went along. The references to other mystery authors and novels was a lot of fun, although occasionally it did feel like it was a bit much. There was more foul language than I am used to in a cozy mystery. The setting, essentially a resort community, was fantastic. This book came out in 1987, so some things were dated, but just keep that in mind when you pick up the book and you’ll be fine. Now that I’ve visited the store, I will definitely be back.
While I’ve read other books by the author, I have yet to dive into this series. I’m glad I finally took the plunge. The mystery is complex with a good puzzle and lots of twists before everything is resolved. Annie and Max are strong and fantastic lead characters. The suspect could have been a bit stronger, although they got better as the book went along. The references to other mystery authors and novels was a lot of fun, although occasionally it did feel like it was a bit much. There was more foul language than I am used to in a cozy mystery. The setting, essentially a resort community, was fantastic. This book came out in 1987, so some things were dated, but just keep that in mind when you pick up the book and you’ll be fine. Now that I’ve visited the store, I will definitely be back.
Wildflower Wedding: With a Killer Reception (The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series Book 8)
Book
It’s the most anticipated wedding of the year in The Sisters, when Madison Reynolds and Brash...
mystery cozy mystery crime murder series Texas
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated Death Overdue in Books
Oct 31, 2018
Wasn't enough to get my attention
What I enjoyed the most about this novel is the relationships Carrie develops throughout the book. She finally finds her place in the small town, has a mystery to solve, develops friendships, and even has a ghost to help her out with the mystery.
The book was all right, but it wasn’t that great either. The mystery aspect was fine and you were guessing throughout the novel, a few red herrings planted here and there. I took a liking to Carrie’s Aunt and Uncle who are loving and great characters and treat Carrie like gold. The mood and setting of the book was also pretty good. It’s quaint and cozy like it should be. There’s even a library cat that comes into the story. Libraries and cats just go together so well :)
The romance aspect of the book was one of the weak points. At first you thought Carrie was going to go for one person but then it turns out to be someone completely different and you’re left wondering where did this come from all of a sudden. It’s awkwardly placed and just doesn’t feel quite right until later. It’s almost as if Carrie’s crush was placed there conveniently just when it was time to solve the mystery. A bit eye rolling, but nevertheless still awkward.
Although the ghost assists Carrie when possible you’d rather wish there was more to her story instead of just being a secondary assistant. Perhaps that will be further developed and mentioned as the series progresses. The revealing of the culprit and the climax ending was pretty good and satisfactory but by the time this was happening I was pretty much done.
So although the setting, the characters, and the mystery were fine, it just wasn’t enough to get me to continue onto reading the series. To me, it just seemed to dragged towards the last half of the book and I did put it down several times because it didn’t seem to be progressing anywhere. Other cozy mystery readers may enjoy this more than I will though, as this is one of the better ones out there. Worth picking up if you’re into small towns, libraries and a ghostly assistant.
The book was all right, but it wasn’t that great either. The mystery aspect was fine and you were guessing throughout the novel, a few red herrings planted here and there. I took a liking to Carrie’s Aunt and Uncle who are loving and great characters and treat Carrie like gold. The mood and setting of the book was also pretty good. It’s quaint and cozy like it should be. There’s even a library cat that comes into the story. Libraries and cats just go together so well :)
The romance aspect of the book was one of the weak points. At first you thought Carrie was going to go for one person but then it turns out to be someone completely different and you’re left wondering where did this come from all of a sudden. It’s awkwardly placed and just doesn’t feel quite right until later. It’s almost as if Carrie’s crush was placed there conveniently just when it was time to solve the mystery. A bit eye rolling, but nevertheless still awkward.
Although the ghost assists Carrie when possible you’d rather wish there was more to her story instead of just being a secondary assistant. Perhaps that will be further developed and mentioned as the series progresses. The revealing of the culprit and the climax ending was pretty good and satisfactory but by the time this was happening I was pretty much done.
So although the setting, the characters, and the mystery were fine, it just wasn’t enough to get me to continue onto reading the series. To me, it just seemed to dragged towards the last half of the book and I did put it down several times because it didn’t seem to be progressing anywhere. Other cozy mystery readers may enjoy this more than I will though, as this is one of the better ones out there. Worth picking up if you’re into small towns, libraries and a ghostly assistant.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2510 KP) rated Murder in the Mystery Suite (Book Retreat Mysteries, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Jane Steward is trying to get more income to her family’s Storyton Hall, already famous as a retreat for readers. But her idea of a Mystery and Mayhem Week begins with a murder and a stolen book. What secrets will she uncover?
This book attempts to do something a little different with the cozy genre, and I’ll admit it took me a little while to get on board, but once I did I found I liked the idea. I also really did love the characters. Unfortunately, the plot came up short, leaving us with some loose threads and a plot hole or two along the way. I wanted to like this book more, but the weak plot really does bother me.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/02/book-review-murder-in-mystery-suite-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This book attempts to do something a little different with the cozy genre, and I’ll admit it took me a little while to get on board, but once I did I found I liked the idea. I also really did love the characters. Unfortunately, the plot came up short, leaving us with some loose threads and a plot hole or two along the way. I wanted to like this book more, but the weak plot really does bother me.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/02/book-review-murder-in-mystery-suite-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.