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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2506 KP) rated Quiche of Death in Books

Jul 22, 2020  
Quiche of Death
Quiche of Death
Mary Lee Ashford | 2020 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Murder in the Family
Sugar Calloway and Dixie Spicer, owners of Super and Spice Cookbooks, are spending a weekend with the Arbor family gathering material for a cookbook to preserve family favorite recipes, some of which have been turned into the frozen meals the family is famous for. However, the weekend gets off to a rocky start when Theo, the only grandchild, arrives with his fiancée, Collette. This is the first time Collette has met the family, and things don’t get well. Then Sugar finds Collette’s body the next morning on her walk. There is a possibility it was a hunting accident, but could it be murder?

I really have grown to love the characters in this series, so I was happy to be visiting them again here. Don’t worry, we do get to see all the regulars as the story unfolds. It was a bit overwhelming meeting the Arbor family all at once, but it wasn’t long before I had these suspects straight in my mind. Unfortunately, the plot could have been better. One aspect wasn’t fully developed, and the pacing was uneven. However, Sugar does uncover some interesting information, and I was engaged the entire time I was reading. In fact, I was sorry to reach the last page of this quick read. I enjoy the setting, Iowa, since it is one we don’t get to see very often, at least in the books I read. Naturally, we get three delicious sounding recipes at the end to enjoy once we are done with the book. If you are looking for a fast, fun read, this is the book to pick up.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2506 KP) rated Mulberry Mischief in Books

Aug 28, 2019  
Mulberry Mischief
Mulberry Mischief
Sharon Farrow | 2019 | Mystery
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Halloween Mischief and Murder
It’s the week before Halloween in Oriole Point, Michigan, yet the town is focusing on health thanks to the Haunted Halloween Harvest Health Fair. The Saturday the festival opens, Marlee Jacob, owner of the Berry Basket, is cornered by Leticia the Lake Lady. Leticia is one of the odd characters who call the town home. She is ranting about the shadow people who have come to town and demanding that Marlee order mulberries so Leticia can use their protective properties to cover her cabin. Marlee thinks Leticia is harmless if a little off, but that’s before a dead body turns up. Will the latest happenings disrupt the health fair?

Picking up this book, I knew I was in for another fantastic ride, and I wasn’t disappointed. While it takes a couple chapters for the body to drop, we are meeting characters who will become important to the story and trying to make sense of some puzzling things that start to happen. The pace doesn’t slow at all once the murder takes place, and the revelations are only beginning as Marlee pieces things together. The suspects are all strong, and I could have believed any of them were guilty until Marlee pieced together the final clues. Of course, the series regulars are as fun and charming as always – I love them! I’m not quite ready for fall, but this book still put me in the Halloween spirit. We get four berry inspired recipes – two featuring Mulberries and two berry inspired Halloween treats. I really can’t recommend this series highly enough. New fans will be hooked, and existing fans will love Marlee’s latest adventure.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2506 KP) rated The Falcon Always Wings Twice in Books

Aug 31, 2020  
The Falcon Always Wings Twice
The Falcon Always Wings Twice
Donna Andrews | 2020 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Game’s Afoot!
Meg Langslow is spending the summer at her grandmother’s craft center helping with the Renaissance Faire Cordelia is hosting on weekends as Cordelia’s second in command as well as doing blacksmithing demonstrations. Her husband, Michael, is in charge of the actors in “The Game,” which is the code for the improvised scenes he and the rest are doing during the day about who will inherit a fictional kingdom. They are mostly having fun with it, but Terence, one of the other actors, is making life difficult for everyone. Meg isn’t super surprised when he is found dead one morning, but as she goes about her day, she keeps picking up information related to the murder. Will she solve it?

This entry is the series at the top of its game. The murder may take place a little later than some books, but the time is well spent setting up the suspects and motives. I was hooked before the body dropped and happily followed the investigation after it happened. Everything is wrapped up in a climax that has us on the edge of our seats and makes us laugh. The characters are at their most charming – funny without being annoying. I laughed many times as the pages flew by. All the characters are great, and I found myself tearing up at some of the development we got thanks to some strong sub-plots. Since Meg is a blacksmith (not that we see her doing it much in the series), I’m surprised we haven’t been to a Renaissance Fair with her before, but this entry was well worth the wait.