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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated A Deadly Inside Scoop in Books

Jul 17, 2020  
A Deadly Inside Scoop
A Deadly Inside Scoop
Abby Collette | 2020 | Mystery
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
An Opening Scoop of Murder
Bronwyn “Win” Crewse is ready to reopen Crewse Creamery, the ice cream parlor founded by her grandparents in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, after some renovations. Unfortunately, opening day sees an early October snow storm and no customers. However, Win’s day gets even worse when she stumbles upon a dead body after she’s closed the shop for the day. The man turns out to be someone who crossed paths with Win’s family years ago, and not for the better. Before Win knows it, the police are looking at her father as the killer. Now, Win needs to figure out what really happened so she can clear him of a crime she knows he didn’t commit. Can she do that and get customers into the ice cream parlor?

I love ice cream, so that was a draw to this series, and the ice cream descriptions definitely made me drool. The delicious sounding recipes at the end will help with that. The mystery started out a little slowly. It did eventually get going, and we had some good suspects and twists before Win figured everything out. The characters were a mixed bag. I loved Win, and her family is wonderful as well. I especially appreciated the close relationship she has with both her parents and her grandfather. Her friends were more caricatures than fully developed characters, and as a result, they amused me at times and annoyed me at others. I can see them getting more developed as the series goes along, however. This is still a tasty treat, and I can see it developing into a favorite series for many.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated On the Lamb in Books

Mar 16, 2021  
On the Lamb
On the Lamb
Tina Kashian | 2020
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Bonfire Body
Spring is in the air in Ocean Crest, New Jersey, and with it, changes. Lucy Berberian has gotten her own place, and it’s near the beach and her family’s Mediterranean restaurant, which she manages. The worst part is dealing with her landlady’s nephew, Gilbert, who is determined to get his aunt into a retirement home so he can get his hands on the valuable piece of land. A rare Saturday night to enjoy a bonfire on the beach ends when Lucy and her friends find Gilbert’s body in the sand. Lucy’s friend Melanie becomes the prime suspect, and she begs Lucy to figure out what is going on. Can she clear her friend?

It had been a while since I read the previous book in the series, but it wasn’t long before I was caught up with Lucy and the rest of the cast again. I was happy to see relationships and characters continuing to grow. The mystery is good, with several viable suspects and plenty of secrets for Lucy to uncover. The climax was logical and suspenseful. I did have some problems with logic in other places, like character’s ages. I can make it work, but it would have been nice having things like that actually spelled out for us. I would love to visit Ocean Crest if it were real. Even at the down time of Spring, when this book is set, it sounds like a fun town. We get another three delicious sounding recipes at the end of the book. If you’ve enjoyed the previous entries in the series, you’ll be happy you to catch up with Lucy and the gang again here.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated The Chocolate Raccoon Rigmarole in Books

Aug 4, 2021  
The Chocolate Raccoon Rigmarole
The Chocolate Raccoon Rigmarole
JoAnna Carl | 2021 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Thieves on Main Street
It’s the beginning of tourist season, so Lee Woodyard is trying to prepare for the busyness that brings to the shop of TenHuis Chocolade. However, that’s hard to do with the series of burglaries that have been happening on the town’s main street. Someone is breaking into the shops in Warner Pier’s downtown. However, all they are taking is snack food. Still, when your business is a gourmet chocolate maker, that is worrisome. The stakes are raised when someone Lee knows is held at gunpoint as a suspect on the night the thieves hit the jewelry store next door, but again, they didn’t steal anything of value. Will Lee figure out what is going on?

It’s always a pleasure to slip back into the resort town of Warner Pier, and this book was no exception. While many of the supporting characters stay in the background, I felt we got to see more of them than usual, which I enjoyed. The oddest thing with the characters is that we have two named Mike here. One is a main part of the story, and the other is in the background, which helps. I never had a problem keeping them straight as I was reading. The plot was light, even for this series, but it kept me engaged the entire time. The trivia in this book is actually a collection of the rare recipe we’ve gotten in earlier books in the series. Since we’ve had very few, those who like the recipes will enjoy having them all in one place. When you are looking for a light, relaxing mystery, this is the book to pick up.