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Murder at Chateau sur Mer
9.0
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For fans of HBO’s The Gilded Age, explore the dark side of the alluring world of America’s 19th...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2676 KP) rated Killer Kung Pao in Books
Jul 30, 2025 (Updated Jul 30, 2025)
Did an Accident Lead to a Shocking Murder?
All Lana Lee wanted on that particular Friday night was to leave work to go hang out with her boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau. Instead, she witnesses an auto accident in the parking lot of Asia Village. When the participants, June Yi and Millie Mao, start threatening each other, Lana wonders what is behind their animosity.
But the next morning, Lana’s hair appointment gives her a ringside seat as the two start to go at it again in the shopping center’s salon. Then Millie is electrocuted. The whispers that June is guilty begin almost immediately, but Lana thinks that’s too easy. She may not personally like June, but she doesn’t want to see the woman sent to prison for a crime she didn’t commit. Can Lana find the truth?
I started this book on a holiday weekend, so I didn’t have as much reading time as normal. I felt like it started a little slowly, but that might have been me. Either way, when Lana started investigating, I was hooked, as she tried to find viable suspects and motives. The ending made perfect sense. I liked getting to see more of the supporting players since we were in Asia Village for much of the action. We get growth in a couple of them, a scene that left me laughing hard, and a subplot that I can’t wait to see where goes. It’s easy to see why this series is so popular. Hopefully, I can get to the next one soon.
But the next morning, Lana’s hair appointment gives her a ringside seat as the two start to go at it again in the shopping center’s salon. Then Millie is electrocuted. The whispers that June is guilty begin almost immediately, but Lana thinks that’s too easy. She may not personally like June, but she doesn’t want to see the woman sent to prison for a crime she didn’t commit. Can Lana find the truth?
I started this book on a holiday weekend, so I didn’t have as much reading time as normal. I felt like it started a little slowly, but that might have been me. Either way, when Lana started investigating, I was hooked, as she tried to find viable suspects and motives. The ending made perfect sense. I liked getting to see more of the supporting players since we were in Asia Village for much of the action. We get growth in a couple of them, a scene that left me laughing hard, and a subplot that I can’t wait to see where goes. It’s easy to see why this series is so popular. Hopefully, I can get to the next one soon.
Murder at the Moulin Rouge (The Blackwell & Watson Time-Travel Mysteries #5)
Book
Paris, 1895. When a cancan dancer at the Moulin Rouge falls to her death from the top of one of...
Crime Mystery Time Travel
Pretty Policeman
8.0
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Detective Micah Hart wasn’t sure when his fairly safe, predictable life became something more...
MM Mafia Billionaire Romance
Bethr1986 (305 KP) rated The Reaper in Books
Feb 17, 2023
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mel is a detective who is one month away from retirement she cannot wait for! She's then lumbered with Nat, a rookie on a high-octane case with a lot at stake! As she gets to know her new partner/trainee, she likes the way she works and thinks. She reminds Mel of herself so finds herself guiding her in any way she can in trying to discover the true identity of The Reaper.
I enjoyed this story from start to finish. I was gripped from the start and was second-guessing all the way through. I genuinely hadn't got a clue whodunit it was a great surprise. I don't want to say too much about it as I don't want to give anything away but I was certainly confused. There is a lot of detail in this book that helps you make a picture of what is going on not enough to give you the answers but to get the finer details.
Rae Scott has got a way of writing that has captivated me from the start and kept me right through to the end. I'm hoping that there will be a second book and this can be made into a 2 part series or even more. It was fantastic!
A recommended read.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Mel is a detective who is one month away from retirement she cannot wait for! She's then lumbered with Nat, a rookie on a high-octane case with a lot at stake! As she gets to know her new partner/trainee, she likes the way she works and thinks. She reminds Mel of herself so finds herself guiding her in any way she can in trying to discover the true identity of The Reaper.
I enjoyed this story from start to finish. I was gripped from the start and was second-guessing all the way through. I genuinely hadn't got a clue whodunit it was a great surprise. I don't want to say too much about it as I don't want to give anything away but I was certainly confused. There is a lot of detail in this book that helps you make a picture of what is going on not enough to give you the answers but to get the finer details.
Rae Scott has got a way of writing that has captivated me from the start and kept me right through to the end. I'm hoping that there will be a second book and this can be made into a 2 part series or even more. It was fantastic!
A recommended read.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2676 KP) rated Around the World in 80 Days in Books
Apr 11, 2022
The Original Race Around the World
Phileas Fogg, a wealthy gentleman of the 1870’s, is a man of exacting routine until one day, when he makes a wager with some acquaintances at his club. With his bet that he can travel around the world in 80 days, he is off, shocking his new man servant, Passepartout, who was looking for a quiet job. Things get even trickier when they catch the attention of Detective Fix, who thinks Fogg might be the bank robber everyone is on the alert for. Will Fogg win his bet?
I’d heard about this book for years and was finally inspired to read it. I found it mixed, at least to what I am used to these days. The journey itself is uneven, with some areas more prominently featured than others, like the time spent in America. My biggest problem was the characters, who are paper thin. As a result, it took me a while to really get invested. Unfortunately, the thinnest of the lot is the sole woman in the book. There are a couple of complications that today’s readers will view as dated stereotypes, but they were real issues the world was dealing with at the time (or at least one of them was something that happened consistently, unfortunately). I did get caught up in the story at times, and I appreciated how the climax was set up early on. I’m glad I’ve finally read it, but the end result was only average.
I’d heard about this book for years and was finally inspired to read it. I found it mixed, at least to what I am used to these days. The journey itself is uneven, with some areas more prominently featured than others, like the time spent in America. My biggest problem was the characters, who are paper thin. As a result, it took me a while to really get invested. Unfortunately, the thinnest of the lot is the sole woman in the book. There are a couple of complications that today’s readers will view as dated stereotypes, but they were real issues the world was dealing with at the time (or at least one of them was something that happened consistently, unfortunately). I did get caught up in the story at times, and I appreciated how the climax was set up early on. I’m glad I’ve finally read it, but the end result was only average.
The Girl Whose Luck Ran Out by Gayleen Froese
Book
Can a disillusioned former cop track down a missing girl before it’s too late? Seven years ago,...
MM Mystery Romance
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2676 KP) rated 22 Seconds in Books
Jun 25, 2022 (Updated Jun 25, 2022)
A Disappointment Needed Lots More Focus
With the crackdown in cities all across the country on guns, things are tense, and San Francisco is no exception. San Francisco Homicide Detective Lindsay Boxer is doing her part to collect the now illegal guns until she starts hearing rumors about a coming shipment of illegal guns and drugs coming into the state from Mexico. Soon, she is working on this, hoping to stop it before the guns and drugs are disbursed throughout the entire country. Can she stop it?
I realize I can’t blame the authors that this book felt ripped from recent headlines with guns once again being at the forefront, but that timing was off-putting to me from the start. Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. The rest of the women were given very little to do, one of them just getting a glorified cameo. The characters are two dimensional at best, which is nothing new. The star of the book is supposed to be the story, but it’s just a mess. There are too many angles, and the conclusion does a poor job of tying things together. Worse yet, a character in danger early on is suddenly fine with no explanation of what happened. Another plot point is dropped in a similar manner. Then there’s the geography errors that 5 minutes research would have fixed for them. We’ll see how I am feeling next spring, but I’m thinking this may be my last visit with the ladies.
I realize I can’t blame the authors that this book felt ripped from recent headlines with guns once again being at the forefront, but that timing was off-putting to me from the start. Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. The rest of the women were given very little to do, one of them just getting a glorified cameo. The characters are two dimensional at best, which is nothing new. The star of the book is supposed to be the story, but it’s just a mess. There are too many angles, and the conclusion does a poor job of tying things together. Worse yet, a character in danger early on is suddenly fine with no explanation of what happened. Another plot point is dropped in a similar manner. Then there’s the geography errors that 5 minutes research would have fixed for them. We’ll see how I am feeling next spring, but I’m thinking this may be my last visit with the ladies.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Hell Bay (DI Ben Kitto #1) [Audiobook] in Books
Mar 12, 2023
![Hell Bay (DI Ben Kitto #1) [Audiobook]](/uploads/profile_image/d6c/cd7b009d-0864-4ccc-8177-d68a1d82ed6c.jpg?m=1678632464)
This is the first book by Kate Rhodes I have read or listened to and it definitely won't be the last as Hell Bay was gripping and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
DI Ben Kitto returns to the place of his birth, the beautiful but bleak Scilly Isles, with the intention of taking some time following a tragedy which has resulted in him wanting to resign from his job as a detective in the murder investigation team in London but being told by his superiors to take some time out instead.
Unfortunately, this doesn't quite work out when a young girl is found on a remote beach having been stabbed to death and left to the mercy of the sea. The culprit must be one of the islanders and it is Ben Kitto who is tasked with investigating but what he uncovers is an island full of dark secrets.
With great characters, a fantastic setting and a great plot written at a perfect pace, Hell Bay is a gripping story that had me guessing and second guessing myself from the start and made all the better by the great narration of Stephen Perring who, despite the numerous different characters, did an excellent job.
Definitely recommended and I will be looking out for the rest of the series to feast my beady eyes or ears on and my thanks go to Simon & Schuster Audio UK and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of Hell Bay.
DI Ben Kitto returns to the place of his birth, the beautiful but bleak Scilly Isles, with the intention of taking some time following a tragedy which has resulted in him wanting to resign from his job as a detective in the murder investigation team in London but being told by his superiors to take some time out instead.
Unfortunately, this doesn't quite work out when a young girl is found on a remote beach having been stabbed to death and left to the mercy of the sea. The culprit must be one of the islanders and it is Ben Kitto who is tasked with investigating but what he uncovers is an island full of dark secrets.
With great characters, a fantastic setting and a great plot written at a perfect pace, Hell Bay is a gripping story that had me guessing and second guessing myself from the start and made all the better by the great narration of Stephen Perring who, despite the numerous different characters, did an excellent job.
Definitely recommended and I will be looking out for the rest of the series to feast my beady eyes or ears on and my thanks go to Simon & Schuster Audio UK and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of Hell Bay.
Mistletoe and Murder
9.0
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In Connie Berry’s festive holiday novella Mistletoe and Murder, American antiques dealer Kate...