Search
Search results
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2570 KP) rated Killer Chardonnay in Books
Aug 7, 2020
Poisoned Opening
Parker Valentine’s dream is coming true today with the opening of Vino Valentine in her hometown of Boulder, Colorado. However, her joy turns to worry when renowned local food and wine blogger Gaskel Brown shows up. He is notoriously hard to please, and his blog can make or break local restaurants. After sampling her chardonnay, Gaskel dies, and the police are quick to label it poison. Everyone is blaming Parker for the crime, and no one is coming to her store for fear they will be next. In order to save her dream, she has to find the killer. Can she do it?
Since I don’t drink wine, I almost passed on this debut, but I’m glad I picked it up. The book starts quickly, introducing us to characters while also setting the murder in motion. The pace continues to be strong with plenty of secrets and motives before we reach the climax, where everything fell into place. All the characters were also fantastic, with some good growth thanks to the subplots. The book is written in first person present tense, which is a bit unusual, but I quickly got used to it as I read. There are a handful of four-letter words, but they are worth noting mostly in passing. If the food descriptions make your mouth water, you’ll welcome the three recipes and wine pairings at the end. This book was aged to perfection, and I’m already looking forward to Parker’s next case.
Since I don’t drink wine, I almost passed on this debut, but I’m glad I picked it up. The book starts quickly, introducing us to characters while also setting the murder in motion. The pace continues to be strong with plenty of secrets and motives before we reach the climax, where everything fell into place. All the characters were also fantastic, with some good growth thanks to the subplots. The book is written in first person present tense, which is a bit unusual, but I quickly got used to it as I read. There are a handful of four-letter words, but they are worth noting mostly in passing. If the food descriptions make your mouth water, you’ll welcome the three recipes and wine pairings at the end. This book was aged to perfection, and I’m already looking forward to Parker’s next case.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2570 KP) rated Hollyberry Homicide in Books
Sep 30, 2020
Will Marlee Make it on Stage as a Ghost?
Marlee Jacobs is looking forward to celebrating Christmas, but before she can get there, she has a few things on her plate. In addition to the usual decorating and present buying, there’s the town hollyberry festival. Plus, she’s taking over the role of Jacob Marley in the town’s annual adaptation of A Christmas Carol at the last minute. The actor who normally plays the part died unexpectedly. Well, maybe not quite so unexpectedly since he was ninety-five. While everyone is certain it was natural causes, something feels off to Marlee. Couple that with the rumors that the play is cursed, and Marlee will have to find time to add sleuthing to her December schedule. What will she uncover?
As you might have guessed, this book’s plot unfolds a little differently from the typical cozy mystery, and I loved it all the more for that fact. Don’t worry, there is always something happening to keep your attention, and I loved how Marlee unraveled everything in the end. The characters in this series are charming, and that’s the case here once again. We get plenty of Christmas spirit in the pages of this book, which is a must for a Christmas entry in a series. Rounding out the book, we get three berry inspired recipes at the end. When you are making a list of Christmas cozies to read this December, make sure this book is on it. No need to check it twice, you’ll definitely enjoy it.
As you might have guessed, this book’s plot unfolds a little differently from the typical cozy mystery, and I loved it all the more for that fact. Don’t worry, there is always something happening to keep your attention, and I loved how Marlee unraveled everything in the end. The characters in this series are charming, and that’s the case here once again. We get plenty of Christmas spirit in the pages of this book, which is a must for a Christmas entry in a series. Rounding out the book, we get three berry inspired recipes at the end. When you are making a list of Christmas cozies to read this December, make sure this book is on it. No need to check it twice, you’ll definitely enjoy it.
FamilyFun Magazine
Lifestyle and Magazines & Newspapers
App
Try FamilyFun iPad Edition today – Free! When it comes to fun family time, you've got a friend in...
Cheese Cheese
Food & Drink and Lifestyle
App
With this iPhone application, You will discover tons of photos, videos, recipes, library and other...
Cajun Kiss of Death
9.0
Rate It
Book
The next shot from Cupid's bow may be fatal in USA Today bestselling, Agatha Award-winning author...
Morgan Sheppard (1010 KP) created a post
Feb 16, 2024
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2570 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.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2570 KP) rated A Midnight Puzzle in Books
May 18, 2024
Litigious Customer Murdered
Secret Staircase Construction is being sued by their latest customer. He maintains that his wife’s accidental fall down the stairs was the result of their shoddy construction. Tempest Raj doesn’t believe a word of it and thinks he may have tried to kill his wife and blame them. Before they can figure out what to do the man dies at the theater where Tempest is preparing for her farewell tour – a theater with a connection to the Raj family’s tragic past. While the police are initially looking elsewhere, Tempest knows it is just a matter of time before they look at her family. Can she figure out what really happened?
This book wraps up an arc that Tempest has been on, which means fans of the series will be satisfied. If you are new to the series, there is some background, but you might not fully understand some of what happens here. The pacing in this book is off, with things a little slow in the second act. Unfortunately, it means that the third act, while it does logically wrap things up, also feels very rushed. We needed a little more time to fully absorb the twists. Still, I love the premise of this series, and Tempest and her friends and family are always a joy to spend time around. As usual, there are a couple of recipes at the end. Fans will be looking forward to the next entry when they finish this one.
This book wraps up an arc that Tempest has been on, which means fans of the series will be satisfied. If you are new to the series, there is some background, but you might not fully understand some of what happens here. The pacing in this book is off, with things a little slow in the second act. Unfortunately, it means that the third act, while it does logically wrap things up, also feels very rushed. We needed a little more time to fully absorb the twists. Still, I love the premise of this series, and Tempest and her friends and family are always a joy to spend time around. As usual, there are a couple of recipes at the end. Fans will be looking forward to the next entry when they finish this one.
Waters of Destruction
9.0
Rate It
Book
Retired caterer Valerie Corbin investigates a suspicious drowning in this Orchid Isle cozy culinary...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2570 KP) rated Gone for Gouda in Books
Jan 9, 2023 (Updated Jan 9, 2023)
Murder Preempts Author Event
Willa Bauer is thrilled to be hosting a stop for Phoebe Winston on her tour promoting her new cookbook. The celebrity chef is sure to bring in lots of people to Willa’s new cheese shop. However, when Willa meets Phoebe, she discovers the author is a bit of a diva, with demands that make the event a much harder prospect than Willa bargained for. Then Phoebe is murdered in the house she was renting in the area, with Willa’s employee Archie the last person on the property’s security system. Can Willa figure out what happened?
I enjoyed the first book in the series, but this was even stronger. We meet Phoebe long enough to know what a pain she is before she dies, but then we learn even more, opening up the suspect pool. The climax becomes a race to figure things out, and I was along for the twists that kept coming at that point. I was thrilled that the supporting players got a bigger role this time around. They are fantastic, and I enjoyed spending time with all of them. I grew up in Sonoma County, so I have a special connection with the setting even if I did have to move my mental map of the fictional town where most of the action takes place. This book will leave you hungry for cheese, so the three recipes at the end will be welcome. I’m already anxious to see what happens to Willa and the others in the next in the series.
I enjoyed the first book in the series, but this was even stronger. We meet Phoebe long enough to know what a pain she is before she dies, but then we learn even more, opening up the suspect pool. The climax becomes a race to figure things out, and I was along for the twists that kept coming at that point. I was thrilled that the supporting players got a bigger role this time around. They are fantastic, and I enjoyed spending time with all of them. I grew up in Sonoma County, so I have a special connection with the setting even if I did have to move my mental map of the fictional town where most of the action takes place. This book will leave you hungry for cheese, so the three recipes at the end will be welcome. I’m already anxious to see what happens to Willa and the others in the next in the series.
