Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (4956)

Content

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated Murder, She Meowed in Books

Jan 31, 2019

Corpse of a Stripper

With three weeks before her wedding, Stan Connor is finding it hard to keep her mother and sister from taking over and planning things their way. She does finally give in to her sister’s desire to throw her a traditional bachelorette party, but things end on a somber note when the stripper is found dead in the cake he was supposed to jump out of. Worse yet, Stan knew the young man. Feeling the need to investigate, Stan tries to figure out who would have wanted to kill him. Can she do it?

I did feel this book got sidetracked at times by the wedding planning sub-plot, but that might be because I’m a guy. There is definitely a strong mystery here with several viable suspects and a great climax. Along the way, we get plenty of twists and turns. While Stan’s relationship with her family has grown some, the wedding planning brings out some of their old relationships, and it was interesting to see this side of the characters again. Some of the regulars play smaller parts here, but it is great to see the regulars no matter how much page time they got. Those who have pets will be interested in the two new recipes for organic treats at the end of the book.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated Nogged Off in Books

Nov 3, 2019

Nogged Off

Barbara Ross | 2019 | Mystery

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Julia’s First Eventful Christmas Back Home

This story finds Julia Snowden taking a quick day trip to New York City to pack up the rest of her belongings so she can permanently move to Maine. When she arrives, she finds her sub-tenant to be upset about some setbacks in her personal life, and Julia winds up inviting Imogen home for Christmas. However, Julia’s Christmas gets more complicated when her moving truck is stolen after they arrive in Busman’s Harbor. What is going on?

I love this series, and I enjoyed getting to visit Julia at Christmas. I was able to get fully lost in this story right away since I already know the series characters and the setting. The plot was fun with some good twists before we reached the end. Barbara Ross includes some fun Christmas traditions that are unique to Maine without slowing down the story, and they give us that all important Christmas feeling. There are a couple of recipes at the end of the story, as always, to enjoy during the holiday season.

NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Eggnog Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time to sit back and enjoy this Christmas trip to Maine.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated Pumpkin Spice Peril in Books

Apr 29, 2020

Exhibiting a Murder

Over the years that best friends Mel Cooper and Angie Harper have run Fairytale Cupcakes, they have made friends with some of their customers. Near the top of that list are husband and wife artists Peter and Rene. Every Friday, Peter comes in to pick up cupcakes for Rene, who is currently putting the finishing touches on a major art installation to be unveiled in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mel and Angie are providing the cupcakes for the opening night party. However, the night before the big event, someone dies under suspicious circumstances. Has Mel been pulled into another murder?

While the murder happens a little late in the book, the time is well used to introduce us to characters and provide plenty of conflict. I was never bored, and that only increased once the murdered happened and Mel started uncovering secrets. The series regulars all sparkle as always, and I enjoyed getting to spend time with them. The new characters are just as strong. The book has a more somber tone than some of the others in the series, but it fits the events of the plot. Don’t worry, there are still some good laughs along the way. We get four new cupcake recipes at the end that sound delicious. I raced through this book like always. This is another fun entry in one of my favorite series.