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Three Strikes – You're Dead!
9.0
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This original collection of sports-themed mystery stories features felonies and foul play across a...
Sam (74 KP) rated Three Things About Elsie in Books
Mar 27, 2019
I had been on the edge of buying this for ages, picking it up in bookshops and then putting it back down again because I was unsure how I would feel about it as I don’t read mysteries. But then I found a signed copy in Waterstones and felt that I just had to treat myself.
I was a bit dubious when I first picked it up. The novel sets off to quite a slow start, opening on Florence waiting for help after having a fall. The novel follows Florence telling the stories of what happened leading up to her fall.
A man arrives at the care home who looks a lot like a man from Florence and Elsie’s past, and not from a good part of their past either. He’s dangerous and mysterious, and there’s something that Florence isn’t saying when it comes to him.
Three Things About Elsie is the book to be reading. If the Battenburg cover isn’t enough to draw you in – I had to get Battenburg because of this – then I don’t know what is. Florence is such a sweet old woman and it’s quite surprising from the start with just how many secrets she seems to have. It’s full of surprises and twists, some so shocking that you just don’t know what to believe anymore.
As someone who doesn’t love mysteries, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Even though it is a mystery, it reads more like literary fiction and is a nice read. I found myself wishing I had a friendship like Elsie and Florence’s.
I was a bit dubious when I first picked it up. The novel sets off to quite a slow start, opening on Florence waiting for help after having a fall. The novel follows Florence telling the stories of what happened leading up to her fall.
A man arrives at the care home who looks a lot like a man from Florence and Elsie’s past, and not from a good part of their past either. He’s dangerous and mysterious, and there’s something that Florence isn’t saying when it comes to him.
Three Things About Elsie is the book to be reading. If the Battenburg cover isn’t enough to draw you in – I had to get Battenburg because of this – then I don’t know what is. Florence is such a sweet old woman and it’s quite surprising from the start with just how many secrets she seems to have. It’s full of surprises and twists, some so shocking that you just don’t know what to believe anymore.
As someone who doesn’t love mysteries, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Even though it is a mystery, it reads more like literary fiction and is a nice read. I found myself wishing I had a friendship like Elsie and Florence’s.
Sam (74 KP) rated The Slippery Slope (A Series of Unfortunate Events #10) in Books
Mar 27, 2019
The Klaus and Violet Baudelaire are running out of time. They’re rolling down a slope, soon to crash, while Olaf and his troupe take Sunny somewhere unknown. Using Klaus’s bookishness and Violets inventiveness, they save themselves from disaster yet again, but now must save their sister and find out more about the mysterious VFD.
This one was really suspenseful. There was always something fast-paced happening, meaning that yet again within a couple of hours it had been read!
Finally, some of the mysteries surrounding the Baudelaires are being unravelled in this one, which I’m grateful has finally happened. Since there’s thirteen books in the whole series, I expected it to be soon but was still glad that some of my questions were answered.
This one isn’t as comedic as a lot of the ones that came before it. I feel like as the mysteries unfold, the novels are going to get less comedic and more serious. It’s a nice change from the usual plot and structure, and it still left enough little bits of comedy in it to keep it entertaining.
I love some of the characters who are revealed in this one (not saying who because spoilers), and found them much needed.
Olaf is becoming more and more sinister and less comedic which makes the plot brilliant. To be able to see the shift in his behaviour and see his desperation build up as I make it to the finale is making me run for the next book.
This one was really suspenseful. There was always something fast-paced happening, meaning that yet again within a couple of hours it had been read!
Finally, some of the mysteries surrounding the Baudelaires are being unravelled in this one, which I’m grateful has finally happened. Since there’s thirteen books in the whole series, I expected it to be soon but was still glad that some of my questions were answered.
This one isn’t as comedic as a lot of the ones that came before it. I feel like as the mysteries unfold, the novels are going to get less comedic and more serious. It’s a nice change from the usual plot and structure, and it still left enough little bits of comedy in it to keep it entertaining.
I love some of the characters who are revealed in this one (not saying who because spoilers), and found them much needed.
Olaf is becoming more and more sinister and less comedic which makes the plot brilliant. To be able to see the shift in his behaviour and see his desperation build up as I make it to the finale is making me run for the next book.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Nacho Average Murder in Books
Jul 2, 2020
Vacation with Murder
Robbie Jordan is taking a well-deserved vacation and heading back to Santa Barbara for her high school reunion. This is the first time she’s been back since her mother died, and it is definitely a struggle for her even before she hears a rumor that her mother might not have died from natural causes. When someone else dies under similar circumstances, Robbie can’t help but investigate. Will she learn the truth before she has to return home?
Vacation books can be tricky to pull off while satisfying fans. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite work. I enjoyed seeing a different side of Robbie as she interacted with her old friends, and I did like the new characters. However, I missed the series regulars. The plot wasn’t as strong as it could have been, although things were wrapped up by the time we reached the end. I enjoyed spotting the parallels between where Robbie stayed and her own place back in Indiana. Instead of my normal breakfast food cravings while reading this book, I was left craving Mexican food, which I didn’t mind in the least. The recipes at the end will help everyone with that. As a fan of Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone mysteries, I enjoyed the references to that series in this book. If you are a fan of the Country Store Mysteries, you’ll still want to pick up this book. But if you are new to the series, back up and read the earlier entries in the series.
Vacation books can be tricky to pull off while satisfying fans. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite work. I enjoyed seeing a different side of Robbie as she interacted with her old friends, and I did like the new characters. However, I missed the series regulars. The plot wasn’t as strong as it could have been, although things were wrapped up by the time we reached the end. I enjoyed spotting the parallels between where Robbie stayed and her own place back in Indiana. Instead of my normal breakfast food cravings while reading this book, I was left craving Mexican food, which I didn’t mind in the least. The recipes at the end will help everyone with that. As a fan of Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone mysteries, I enjoyed the references to that series in this book. If you are a fan of the Country Store Mysteries, you’ll still want to pick up this book. But if you are new to the series, back up and read the earlier entries in the series.
Psychic Whispers (Woodward Hill #1)
Arial Burnz and AJ Nuest
10.0
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What do you do when you find a human bone? Try to locate the rest of the body, of course. But...
Paranormal Mystery Romance
Christmas Dessert Murder
8.0
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The perfect stocking stuffer for fans of culinary capers, this holiday omnibus from New York Times...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Easter Basket Murder in Books
Jan 25, 2024 (Updated Jan 25, 2024)
Here’s to a Deadly Easter
Kensington has called on their go to trio for three new holiday themed mysteries, this time featuring Easter. Up first, Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone gets involved with a promotion for the local businesses leads to the theft of a golden Easter egg. Then Lee Hollis’s Hayley Powell finds the Easter Bunny dead at a community Easter egg hunt. Finally, Barbara Ross’s Julia Snowden’s Easter on the family island off the coast of Maine is interrupted when she finds a man in coat tails dead in the garden. Then, a few minutes later, he’s gone.
All three stories have fun with the theme, and present it in some clever ways. As is often the case, I found the first story the weakest, but the mysteries in the other two stories are strong. Still, I was engaged no matter which story I was reading. All three have some great Easter elements that made me feel like it was spring. And I love the community aspects we get. I’m only a regular reader of Barbara Ross’s series, and I was interested in the updates we got on the characters there. If you are looking for some new dishes to serve this year, you’ll be interested in the recipes we get with the second and third story. Each story is roughly 100 pages, so you can read them in a sitting or two. Overall, this is a fun anthology you’ll be happy hopped on to your to be read pile.
All three stories have fun with the theme, and present it in some clever ways. As is often the case, I found the first story the weakest, but the mysteries in the other two stories are strong. Still, I was engaged no matter which story I was reading. All three have some great Easter elements that made me feel like it was spring. And I love the community aspects we get. I’m only a regular reader of Barbara Ross’s series, and I was interested in the updates we got on the characters there. If you are looking for some new dishes to serve this year, you’ll be interested in the recipes we get with the second and third story. Each story is roughly 100 pages, so you can read them in a sitting or two. Overall, this is a fun anthology you’ll be happy hopped on to your to be read pile.
ALilLacey (2 KP) rated Frankie Dupont And The High Seas Heist in Books
Mar 4, 2019
Such a fun read for young readers. The age range of 8-12 is perfect for this book, boy or girl. Frankie Dupont is just like a young modern day Sherlock Holmes trying to solve a mystery along with his dad, a few friends and his trusty sidekick dog. This was a fun mystery as it involved two mysteries that end up being surprisingly related. The book is a simple but a fun engaging read. I was trying to figure out the clues and who-dun-it as i read along. I love how Frankie's mind works and his fun gadgets and scientific knowledge he uses to solve the mystery. Sure made me want some chocolate too. A recommended read!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Mr. Monk Helps Himself (Mr. Monk #16) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Natalie's new self-help guru commits suicide in the middle of a public event, but she's convinced it is murder. Meanwhile, Monk is hired to find the killer of a clown, one of his top 100 phobias. This is going to be the biggest test of their new partnership.
This is the first tie in novel not written by Lee Goldberg, but since Hy was a writer on the show, he already knows the characters. He's picked up from where Lee left off, and fans of the show and the books will love it. Laughs, good mysteries, and great characters.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-review-mr-monk-helps-himself-by-hy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This is the first tie in novel not written by Lee Goldberg, but since Hy was a writer on the show, he already knows the characters. He's picked up from where Lee left off, and fans of the show and the books will love it. Laughs, good mysteries, and great characters.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-review-mr-monk-helps-himself-by-hy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
JBannerman (1 KP) rated Caraval in Books
Jul 4, 2018
Kept my attention (1 more)
Quick read, but not fluffy
Let the Game Begin
Ever wonder what it would be like to play a game directed by a man people only know the name of? Enter the wold of Caraval, a game like no other.
This book really had my attention from the beginning. There were some surprises along the way; however, some parts were a little predictable.
I gave this book 8/10 because I feel like the characters could be more developed and I didn't care for some of the predictability.
I would definitely recommend Caraval, especially to those who like mysteries. It was fun to play along with Scarlet and she enters the crazy wold that Legend has created.
This book really had my attention from the beginning. There were some surprises along the way; however, some parts were a little predictable.
I gave this book 8/10 because I feel like the characters could be more developed and I didn't care for some of the predictability.
I would definitely recommend Caraval, especially to those who like mysteries. It was fun to play along with Scarlet and she enters the crazy wold that Legend has created.