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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Murder Has Nine Lives in Books
Mar 9, 2018
When Jaine’s cat Prozac lands a part in a cat food commercial, Jaine is already spending her money. However, on the day of the shoot, Dean, the creator of the cat food, dies after eating some. Jaine had witnessed his bad behavior first hand, but the police consider everyone there a suspect. Desperate to clear her name, Jaine begins investigating. Who poisoned the cat food?
This series is dependable for it’s light look at murder, and this book is no exception. The characters are a little out there, but they fit the tone of the book perfectly. The plot is strong with plenty of viable suspects and shifting motive, which kept me turning pages. And a couple of sub-plots pack in the laughs.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/08/book-review-murder-has-nine-lives-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This series is dependable for it’s light look at murder, and this book is no exception. The characters are a little out there, but they fit the tone of the book perfectly. The plot is strong with plenty of viable suspects and shifting motive, which kept me turning pages. And a couple of sub-plots pack in the laughs.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/08/book-review-murder-has-nine-lives-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Fillet of Murder (Deep Fried Mystery #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
After going through a transition, Talia finds herself working at her friend Bea’s fish and chips restaurant again. When a neighboring shop owner is murder and the police start to focus on Bea, Talia decides to start looking for the real killer.
This is the first in a series, and a lot of people seemed to love it, but it felt like it needed another draft to polish things up. The characters weren’t quite as well developed as they could have been, and the plot has some serious pacing issues. It wasn’t a bad debut, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book by the publisher in hopes that I would review it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/11/book-review-fillet-of-murder-by-linda.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This is the first in a series, and a lot of people seemed to love it, but it felt like it needed another draft to polish things up. The characters weren’t quite as well developed as they could have been, and the plot has some serious pacing issues. It wasn’t a bad debut, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book by the publisher in hopes that I would review it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/11/book-review-fillet-of-murder-by-linda.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Beyond A Doubt (The Carol Childs Mysteries, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Reporter Carol Childs is on the scene when the police pull up the body of a young woman from a Los Angeles canyon. The victim is Monica Channing, who went missing two weeks ago. While the rest of the media begin to focus on the murder, Carol sees a pattern with other missing young women. What might she have stumbled on?
This book is a fast paced read from the very beginning. It’s definitely not the light reads I often go for, but the story never gets as dark as it could either. Watching Carol try to prove what she thinks is going on is fun, and the climax was very satisfying. Carol leads a strong cast of characters, and I’m looking forward to her next adventure.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-review-beyond-doubt-by-nancy-cole.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This book is a fast paced read from the very beginning. It’s definitely not the light reads I often go for, but the story never gets as dark as it could either. Watching Carol try to prove what she thinks is going on is fun, and the climax was very satisfying. Carol leads a strong cast of characters, and I’m looking forward to her next adventure.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-review-beyond-doubt-by-nancy-cole.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Masking for Trouble (Costume Shop Mystery, #2) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
I think it would be great to live in a town that loves costume parties and Halloween this much! Margo is such a quirky character whether she is working in her familys costume shop or just running errands, shes always in costume. When a business man interested in developing the small town into something more modern and profitable threatens to run Margos shop out of business, she is understandably angry. When she finds his dead body at a Halloween party she wasnt invited to, she becomes the prime suspect. Rather than trust the police to find the real killer, Margo decides to investigate on her own. This was a unique story, and a perfect read for this time of year.
<i>NOTE: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review all opinions expressed are my own.</i>
<i>NOTE: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review all opinions expressed are my own.</i>
This was a fun read with a unique setting, and was a great start to a new series. When Maddie and her pal Adele find a body in the Paranormal Museum, I expected ghosts galore. There is a paranormal element to the story, but it has more to do with an historical crime rather than the modern one. One mystery keeps Maddie and her friends busy during the day, and the other helps her decide whether to stay in town and run the Paranormal Museum or keep looking for work elsewhere. I enjoyed both stories, and the cast of characters, from Maddie's friends and family, to the two police officers handling the murder case, and then the attractive neighbor next door. I'm looking forward to reading more about the museum, Maddie, and her friends.
Note: I received a free copy from the author and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Note: I received a free copy from the author and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated The Edge of Dreams (Molly Murphy Mysteries, #14) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Molly is involved in a train accident, but a note that her husband, police detective Daniel Sullivan, receives leads them to believe it might not have been an accident and Molly might have been the target. Meanwhile, Molly’s friend and neighbor Gus asks for help with a young girl who is experiencing horrible nightmares.
This series is always a great way to travel back to early 1900’s New York City, and this book is no exception. The plot starts out strongly, and the pace never lags. The characters are charming as always, and their continued growth is enjoyable to watch. I’ve been a fan since the first book, and this is another winner.
NOTE: I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/03/book-review-edge-of-dreams-by-rhys.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This series is always a great way to travel back to early 1900’s New York City, and this book is no exception. The plot starts out strongly, and the pace never lags. The characters are charming as always, and their continued growth is enjoyable to watch. I’ve been a fan since the first book, and this is another winner.
NOTE: I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/03/book-review-edge-of-dreams-by-rhys.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Cat Killer (Mirage Mysteries #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
When a car bomb explodes killing Cat DuBois, Phoenix police detective Joe Rodriguez has his list of suspects, including Cat’s boss, traveling evangelist Persis Magen. However, a second incident makes him question who is the killer and who are potential targets. Can he figure it out before someone else dies?
I first read this mystery 20 plus years ago, and it was fun to revisit these characters. I did remember the killer, but reading it now, the villain’s identity does seem a little obvious early on. The characters are strong, and I enjoyed getting to meet them again. By the end, I was easily able to remember who they all were, even given the large number we meet early on. This is a Christian mystery, which adds to the book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/02/book-review-cat-killer-by-sandy-dengler.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I first read this mystery 20 plus years ago, and it was fun to revisit these characters. I did remember the killer, but reading it now, the villain’s identity does seem a little obvious early on. The characters are strong, and I enjoyed getting to meet them again. By the end, I was easily able to remember who they all were, even given the large number we meet early on. This is a Christian mystery, which adds to the book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/02/book-review-cat-killer-by-sandy-dengler.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
ClareR (5996 KP) rated Watching You in Books
Jul 21, 2018
Well, this had me guessing right up to the end!
This has all the ingredients for a good thriller or mystery: a teenaged voyeur, a potentially unreliable witness with mental health issues, teenaged girls with a crush, career driven men, unfaithful spouses. Quite a lot for a book that's under 500 pages long!
An unspecified dead body appears in the first chapter, and the book then goes on to tell us the sequence of events that lead up to that moment. There are some interesting police interviews tucked in now and again too, that help to clarify (or sometimes obfuscate!) what is actually going on.
This was really good. There was no way that I was going to guess who was murdered and by whom, until the end - I liked that touch. The end was a proper bombshell moment. Great writing from Lisa Jewell!
An unspecified dead body appears in the first chapter, and the book then goes on to tell us the sequence of events that lead up to that moment. There are some interesting police interviews tucked in now and again too, that help to clarify (or sometimes obfuscate!) what is actually going on.
This was really good. There was no way that I was going to guess who was murdered and by whom, until the end - I liked that touch. The end was a proper bombshell moment. Great writing from Lisa Jewell!
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Sleepy Hollow (1999) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Sleepy Johnny
Contains spoilers, click to show
I like sleepy hollow dont get me wrong, its a good movie. But their are many problems with it.
Johnny depp in this movie, he seemed like he was tired, drunk, mysterious, and overall wired. Its always when him and tim burton collbrate.
The plot: police constable Ichabod Crane (Depp) sent from New York City to investigate a series of murders in the village of Sleepy Hollow by a mysterious Headless Horseman.
If you look on the back of the dvd cover it spoils that christohper walken is the headless horseman. His name is not at the beginning of the credits because of tim didnt want you to know he was in the film.
It has a great supporting cast : Christina Ricci, Michael Gambon, Jeffery Jones, Christopher Lee and Michael Gough.
I think overall sleepy hollow is a underrated horror jem directed by Tim Burton.
Johnny depp in this movie, he seemed like he was tired, drunk, mysterious, and overall wired. Its always when him and tim burton collbrate.
The plot: police constable Ichabod Crane (Depp) sent from New York City to investigate a series of murders in the village of Sleepy Hollow by a mysterious Headless Horseman.
If you look on the back of the dvd cover it spoils that christohper walken is the headless horseman. His name is not at the beginning of the credits because of tim didnt want you to know he was in the film.
It has a great supporting cast : Christina Ricci, Michael Gambon, Jeffery Jones, Christopher Lee and Michael Gough.
I think overall sleepy hollow is a underrated horror jem directed by Tim Burton.
Dean (6927 KP) rated The Outsider in TV
Mar 9, 2020
Typical Stephen King (1 more)
Great look to the show
Gripping Storyline
I decided to give this a go as it's based on a Stephen King novel. From the first episode you will be hooked. A truly terrible murder has been committed and the suspect is seen by many witnesses. It seems an open and shut case apart from the fact the suspect is also seen 60 miles away at the time.
I really enjoyed this, one of the best TV shows I've seen in a while. In many ways the look, feel and the way it unravels reminded me of @True Detective as the police and investigators try to make reason of a complex case. But it could be something they couldn't possibly have imagined.
If you like a typical Stephen King story that you know will be weird and wonderful start watching this!
I really enjoyed this, one of the best TV shows I've seen in a while. In many ways the look, feel and the way it unravels reminded me of @True Detective as the police and investigators try to make reason of a complex case. But it could be something they couldn't possibly have imagined.
If you like a typical Stephen King story that you know will be weird and wonderful start watching this!