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A Fashionably French Murder
A Fashionably French Murder
Colleen Cambridge | 2025 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Tabitha Must Find a Well Dressed Killer
Tabitha Knight, who grew up learning both French and English, is making some money tutoring various people in French. She’s now landed a job as a translator for a diplomat’s wife who is looking to buy an haute couture dress for her daughter’s upcoming wedding. Their first stop is Maison Lannet, where they are treated to a fabulous fashion show. But when Tabitha realizes she left her gloves behind, she finds the designer dead. Can she figure out what happened?

It was nice to be back in 1950 Paris, once again seeing what life was like for people trying to rebuild their lives after the war. Yes, Julia Child has a strong presence in this book again, so there is lots of talk about French cuisine. So expect your mouth to water. The pacing of the mystery was a bit uneven, thanks in part to a couple of subplots, but I appreciated some of the twists we got along the way. The characters are fun as always, and I am curious to see where one storyline will go in the next book. All told, anyone interested in Julia Child or life in Paris in 1950 will be glad they picked up this book.
  
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ClareR (6256 KP) rated Tilt in Books

Apr 6, 2026  
Tilt
Tilt
Emma Pattee | 2025 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Tilt is a book with a lot going on. Annie is heavily pregnant and is at IKEA looking for a crib for her baby (Bean). She can’t find what she wants, and after an argument with the Ikea worker, she finds herself buried under a pile of the building due to a catastrophic earthquake. After the Ikea worker lets her out (she clearly doesn’t hold a grudge), Annie starts the long and dangerous walk to find her husband.

On the way, she reflects on her life, telling Bean the stories of her disappointments, buried ambitions, loves and hopes for the future (getting home, mainly!). It’s a long, hot, dangerous walk home for anyone, let alone a heavily pregnant woman. The catastrophic circumstances are vividly described, including the death of a woman, the lack of fresh drinking water, the abandoned cars and the desperation to keep her baby, herself and her husband safe.

It puts a lot of things into perspective for her and in a way, encourages the reader to look at what’s important in their lives (ok, that might just be me).

This is a gripping, unputdownable read/ listen, and Ariel Blake, the narrator, sounded perfect as Annie. Not that I necessarily needed this book being brought to life - it’s scary!
  
Debonair in Death
Debonair in Death
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Art Shop Owner Murdered in Cabot Cove
Everyone in town, especially the women, seem captivated by Nelson Penzell, the new co-owner of the art gallery on the water front of Cabot Cove. Jessica Fletcher feels like something is off about him, however. Still, she didn’t expect him to be murdered. Sheriff Metzger is sure that Coreen, the nail tech from the hair salon, is a good suspect since she was seen screaming outside the gallery where Nelson was found covered in his blood. But Jessica thinks something else is going on. Can she prove it?

As much as I enjoyed the Murder, She Wrote books that came out over the last few years, I felt like something was off with the characters we loved from Cabot Cove. This book fixes so much of that. The characters and their relationships to each other feel like a natural extension of the series. The suspects are just as strong. Unfortunately, I did feel the pacing could have been better in the first half, but we get plenty of fun twists in the second half. Any fan of the TV series will be happy they picked up this book for a visit with old friends.