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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Knot Ready for Murder in Books

Mar 9, 2024

A Hitch on the Way to Get Hitched

Martha Rose has finally agreed to marry her long-suffering fiancé, but Crusher has a shock for her. He’s just learned that a marriage he thought was annulled decades ago never was. Even worse, his wife is coming to LA to visit. When Hadas arrives, she quickly makes it obvious that she is not going to let Crusher go easily. But then she is kidnapped. Can Martha figure out what is going on? Or is Crusher now a widower?

The previously unmentioned spouse is a trope I hate for being too much like a soap opera, but once we get past that, this proves to be a good mystery. There are plenty of surprises along the way to a great climax. While we do get a new over the top character here, the rest of the cast have been toned down some, which I appreciated. On the other hand, I wish we’d seen more of some of them, especially since this is the final book in the series. Fans who have read the entire series will be delighted with the final chapter, which sends the characters out well. As always, I enjoyed seeing towns I recognized pop up, but I really enjoyed seeing a local pizza place show up. I’ll miss spending time with these characters, but I was smiling when I set the book down.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Public Anchovy #1 in Books

Aug 2, 2024 (Updated Aug 2, 2024)

Public Anchovy #1

Mindy Quigley | 2024 | Mystery

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Who Made Their Enemy Sleep with the Fishes?

Delilah O’Leary is thrilled that she’s been asked to cater the posh fund raiser for the library since she needs events like this to help her restaurant get through the lean winter months. The event is being held at a remote mansion on the outskirts of the town. Unfortunately, the first big storm of the season is due in that night. Even worse, someone dies during the event, and the storm traps Delilah, Detective Capone, Delilah’s staff, and some of the guests, at the mansion. As it becomes clear that the death was a murder, Delilah begins to poke around. Are they trapped with a killer?

This is a mystery trope we don’t see very often any more, and I was a little concerned about the author pulling it off when I sat down to read it. I need not have worried. There was plenty here to keep me engaged and confused as we worked toward the logical climax. We do see most of the regulars (only one gets a cameo as a result of the set up), and it was nice to get updates on them. Meanwhile, the suspects kept me guessing. The atmosphere of the storm also added to the fun of the story. There are some recipes at the end, and the focus on creating a pizza with alternative ingredients. This is the best book in the series to date.

Kudos

Sarah (7798 KP) rated Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine in Books

Jan 20, 2018 (Updated Jan 20, 2018)

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Gail Honeyman | 2017 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry

8.6

(80 Ratings)

Book Rating

Clever, humorous and heartwarmingly sad

It’s very rare for me not to have a single criticism about a book, but Eleanor Oliphant has managed it. This book was nothing like I had expected, and it completely blew me away.

This book is full of sadness, yet also humour and wit. Eleanor is such an endearingly loveable character and reading about her life and her social ineptitude fills you with such empathy. She really connects with you as a reader, to the point where I almost forgot she wasn't real. Maybe it’s because she’s the same age as me, and the social interactions, loneliness and crushes are what everyone goes through in their lifetime, albeit usually at a younger age. I was almost in tears during parts of this book, and then completely thrown into fits of laughter, especially when the cat appears. The ending was part surprise, part predictable, but this book isn’t about the ending, it’s about Eleanor’s journey and it was such a delight to read. Such a heartwarming read and reminds me very much of The Rosie Project.

There’s a lot of fantastic quotes in this book, but there was one very early on that really stuck with me and I knew after reading that that it was going to be a good book;

“What could be more normal than pizza and wine?” - it might not mean much to others, but to me this is a statement that me and my best friend live by!