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From Exile to Washington: A Memoir of Leadership in the Twentieth Century

W. Michael Blumenthal

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In a life that has spanned nearly nine decades and has taken him across the world and back, W....

The Lucifer Effect: How Good People Turn Evil

Philip G. Zimbardo

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In The Lucifer Effect, the award-winning and internationally respected psychologist, Philip...

A History of the 20th Century in 100 Maps

Tom Harper and Tim Bryars

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The 20th century was a golden age of map-making, and maps permeated almost every aspect of daily...

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2398 KP) rated Cozy Up to Murder in Books

Apr 15, 2021

Murder is Not Music to Owen’s Ears

Owen Hunter is new to Costa Buena, having just bought one of the local used music stores in town. He’s hoping to blend in and settle into the coastal California community, however on his first day, he has several run ins with local citizens. When one of them, the owner of the rival music store, turns up dead, Owen becomes the prime suspect. He has to clean his name before his past comes out since he is in witness protection. Can he find the truth without his real identity being revealed?

Since I enjoyed the first in the series, I wanted to see what happened to our hero next. Owen is an intriguing main character, trying to put his past behind him and become a better citizen. The rest of the cast is all new (except for a couple of supporting government agents). They are a colorful lot, although they do fall into stereotypes at times. The plot is intriguing, and I didn’t figure it out. The book, especially the premise, stretches credibility quite a bit, but I find that Owen and the plot make up for that for me. It helps that this is a quick read – I breezed through it in two days instead of my normal three. Despite the flaws, I’m glad I picked this book up.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2398 KP) rated For Batter or Worse in Books

May 10, 2021

A Baker’s Dozen of Delight

Mel and Joe’s wedding day is fast approaching. For their reception, they’ve picked the resort where Oz has landed the job of head pastry chef. However, things are not going well for Oz there as the head chef is proving to be an egomaniac. One day, Mel and Angie witness a very public fight between Oz and the head chef. Then, a couple of days later, Mel and Joe find Oz bending over the dead body of the chef. Mel doesn’t need anything else on her to do list, but can she figure out who the killer is before she walks down the aisle?

If you were worried that Oz was leaving the series after the events of the previous book, this proves that he will still very much be part of the series. He gets some interesting character growth, in fact. The rest of the gang is all present, and I enjoyed laughing at their antics as they worked to solve the case. The mystery is filled with plenty of suspects and red herrings, and I only began to figure things out right before Mel put it all together. I loved the final chapter. If the book makes you hungry, you’ll be happy with the four recipes at the end. Once again, fans will devour this book and be ready for Mel’s next adventure.