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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2672 KP) rated Crescent City Christmas Chaos (Vintage Cookbook Mystery #4) in Books

Nov 5, 2025

Ricki’s Past, Family, and a Christmas Murder

Ricki James-Diaz is thrilled her parents are in town for Christmas. She’s hoping that she and her mom and use the time to track down more of Ricki’s birth family. But when one of her mom’s former co-workers is killed right after Ricki meets her, murder takes center stage. As more of Ricki’s family and friends come under suspicious, she can’t help but jump in. Will she find the killer?

It was great to be back with Ricki and her family and friends. They are a fun bunch, and we met some new characters I hope we see again. There are some spoilers for previous books’ ongoing storylines, but they are minor. There are several subplots in addition to the main mystery, so I was never bored. Yet everything was balanced well and we reached a satisfying climax. I did find a couple of small things that should have been caught by an edit, but they are minor. I loved the Christmas setting of the book for both the humor and the coziness it brought. And we get some appropriate recipes at the end of the book. Whether you read this book now or save it for December, you’ll be glad you read it.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2672 KP) rated There’s No Murder Like Show Murder in Books

Jun 1, 2025 (Updated Jun 1, 2025)

Local Theater Rocked by Murder

Tasha Weaver is the head of the costume shop at the regional theater in Eastbrook, Connecticut. They’ve been struggling financially, so they are hoping that bringing in a couple of Broadway stars for their latest production will help the theater return to black. But Kurt Mozer, the male lead, is being very difficult. Still, it’s a surprise when someone shots him center stage when the theater is mostly empty. Who would want to kill the star?

Since I love theater, this book caught my attention, and I’m so glad it did. The story is strong with plenty of suspects, motives, and twists to keep me engaged until we reach the logical ending. There were a couple of leaps of logic, but they were minor overall. Tasha is a wonderful lead, and the rest of the cast was entertaining. A few have room to grow, but they work for the amount of page time they get. And the suspects were strong. Plus I enjoyed this look at life behind the scenes in a theater. Well, behind the scenes when a murder is thrown into the mix. This is a strong debut that cozy mystery fans will devour. I’m hopeful that we will get another book from this author soon.

Kudos

Arabesque

M G da Mota

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Arabesque is a step in classic ballet, an appropriate title for a novel narrating the beauty of...

Historical Psychological Drama

Merissa (14206 KP) rated Use Somebody in Books

Apr 12, 2023

Use Somebody

Riley Jean | 2015 | Contemporary, Romance

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

This book will take you on an emotional story rollercoaster as you learn why Scarlett changed from having blonde hair and being happy to everyone into Scar, a black-haired sullen and sarcastic emo girl. Not only that but you also see how friendships change over the years and how some just aren't meant to last past a certain time.

It was wonderful to read something that was a slow-burner, where they took the time to get to know each other and indeed, the idea of taking that any further shook one of them up so much that it became a detailed part of the story.

There is a twist to this story that I never saw coming and I LOVED IT! I won't say any more than that because I don't want to spoil it for anyone else but it certainly gave the whole story a new spin which is incredibly hard to do at such a late stage in the book.

A raw and poignant story about life, love and friendships. Definitely recommended!

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
September 11, 2016

Kudos

Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Splits in Books

Apr 22, 2023

47 of 235
Kindle
The Splits
By M.V Clark
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Imagine an eerie, parallel London living through a mysterious pandemic…

Two sisters escape a traumatic childhood to build perfect lives. Then one day Anna’s husband starts losing his mind. And Claire’s son becomes so volatile she’s frightened to be around him.

A terrifying disease known as ‘the splits’ lingers on the streets of the city. The science is definitive – the splits is quick, gruesome and fatal. There can be no link to what ails the men in Anna and Claire's families.

Except that nothing about this disease is what it seems. Evidence is emerging of a slow-burn variety, which infects its victims so stealthily it is invisible until the terrible end-stage.

A maverick researcher is touting a risky experimental cure. Anna rejects this as a dangerous fantasy.

But for Claire, it is her only chance to save her disintegrating boy.

What happens next changes the sisters' lives forever, as they fight themselves and each other for one last shot at happiness.

This was totally different to your average zombie infection read. I really enjoyed it. The characters and their lives were so interesting and it was definitely a different take on what makes a “zombie”. Very clever writing.