Tag: Mercy Carr Mystery

YEAR IN REVIEW: Faves from 2022, Part 1

YEAR IN REVIEW: Faves from 2022, Part 1

Posted on by Jaymie

2022 is a wrap! This week we’ll look back at some of my favorites from last year – if you missed these, you can add them to your TBR for 2023.

10. The Wedding Plot – This has been my favorite book in this whole, fantastic series. You can read my full review here.

 

 

 

 

9. The Joy of Reading – This is the only nonfiction title to make my top 10 – and it’s not about the Enneagram! This year, this book about reading for teachers and librarians – and others who care about kids and reading – was a favorite. I even bought copies for some of my teacher friends to encourage them in their important work. You can read my full review here.

 

 

 

8. Not the Witch You Wed – I didn’t blog a full review of this one in 2022, but I loved it. The paranormal elements were right up my alley, and I loved the characters and the world building. I am eager to read more in this series. (♥♥♥♥½)

 

 

 

 

7. The Nova Incident – I have enjoyed this Galactic Cold War series from the beginning, but it gets better with every new book. I loved this new story and can’t wait to see what happens next in this sci-fi spy series. You can read my full review here.

 

 

 

 

6. The Agathas – There are only two YA novels on this year’s Top 10, and this is the first. I still have my fingers crossed that this will be a series – I loved these characters! You can read my full review here.

 

 

 

 

Come back on Friday to see the top 5 books on my list!

REVIEW: The Wedding Plot by Paula Munier

REVIEW: The Wedding Plot by Paula Munier

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Mercy Carr and her Malinois, Elvis, should be consumed with wedding festivities instead of reporting a dead body. But when the spa director at her grandmother’s destination wedding goes missing, Mercy says she’ll check things out. She gets more than she bargained for.

Pretty soon, it’s a toss up over which situation is more troublesome – the pre-wedding antics of the wedding party or the trail of violence that is centered around the resort. But Mercy and Elvis – and Troy and Sugar Bear – are on the case!

Review

This was outstanding!! Mercy and Troy are in a good relationship place in this one, and it sets a lovely tone for the whole book. The dogs are in excellent form here, as always. And the mystery is truly top notch. I even started taking notes, trying to put all the pieces together for myself. (Ended up about 50/50 on my guessing.)

I have enjoyed the Mercy and Elvis mysteries since book one, A Borrowing of Bones. For me, this is the best of the series (so far). In fact, I can say for certain that this will be one of my favorite books of 2022 when the year is done. This book has everything I love – great characters, brilliant plotting, and a quest that propels the characters and the reader forward. I read this start to finish in one day and enjoyed it all. Highly recommend!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++*

♥♥♥♥♥+++* = Best of the best

BONUS REVIEW: The Hiding Place by Paula Munier

BONUS REVIEW: The Hiding Place by Paula Munier

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Troy and Susie Bear team up with Mercy and Elvis again when a string of crimes seems to converge around the same time.

  • A moose researcher is killed deep in the woods.
  • A dying man asks Mercy to solve a missing person’s case – the one Mercy’s sheriff grandfather could never solve.
  • The man who killed Mercy’s grandfather escapes from prison and is likely headed back to town to resolve some unfinished business.
  • Someone plants a pipe bomb at Mercy’s grandmother’s house.

And then Mercy’s grandmother goes missing.

Review

Another excellent book in the Mercy and Elvis Mystery series! It’s been awhile since I read book 2, Blind Search, and I was concerned I would have trouble remembering everything. But the author does a great job of building refreshers into the story naturally. I was swept away by the story immediately. Reading this was like visiting with old friends.

As always, the characters in this are a delight – both the human ones and the animal ones. The animals are woven into the story beautifully. I love what they add to each adventure.

The mystery here was vast and engaging. I was able to puzzle out most of it on my own, which was quite satisfying because this one was twisty. I loved that the author included some non-mystery related character development pieces along the way. It makes the story feel full and well-rounded, but never distracts from the mystery at the center of the book. I can’t get enough of these books. This is a must-read series for me!

Fans of David Rosenfelt (Andy Carpenter, K-Team) and other dog-centered mysteries like the Mace Reid K-9 Mystery series should be sure to add this whole series to their TBRs. This doesn’t have the snark of Rosenfelt, but it does have the fantastic plotting and terrific characters as well as a lot of heart.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read.

REVIEW: Blind Search by Paula Munier

REVIEW: Blind Search by Paula Munier

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

It starts with Henry, a nine year old autistic boy who slips away from the adults who are supposed to be watching him and wanders off into the woods. He sees something he shouldn’t. And a woman dies.

Mercy Carr and her dog, Elvis, get caught up in a hunting party their rich neighbor is having. While they’re all rambling on about a bear that got away, Elvis finds the body. An architect, in town to pitch ideas on a project the hunting party is working on. She had been dating Henry’s father. They had argued recently. He’s arrested for her murder.

Mercy and Elvis, along with game warden Troy and his search and rescue dog, Susie Bear, find Henry hiding deep in the woods. He’s possibly seen something that could help with the case, but he’s not talking. Immediately, Henry connects with Elvis and Susie Bear, and by extension, Mercy and Troy. If they can keep him safe and comfortable, maybe he will open up to them, and they can solve the murder.

But when Henry leads them to another body, kicking off a string of trouble that includes a blizzard, it seems keeping Henry safe and solving these murders might be more complicated than Mercy anticipated.

Review

This was a BUSY story! There’s a lot of Henry stuff, plus the murders. There’s also criminal activity in the woods that may or may not connect to the murders. You also have the interesting dynamics at work within the hunting party. And on top of that you have the will-they-or-won’t-they thread between Mercy and Troy. I feel like I got my time’s worth out of this twisty mystery!

Many times I have said I love a story with great kid characters and/or great animal characters. This book qualifies. Henry’s a fascinating kid. I loved his D&D-like references to Mercy, Troy, and the dogs. The author did a great job with the adults who were closest to Henry accepting him as he is. The dogs, who I loved in the first book, were exceptionally written here, especially in their care for Henry.

This series is a must-read for me. If you loved the first book, A Borrowing of Bones, like I did, do NOT miss this one! I don’t know that you have to read these in order, but book 1 does give good backstory for the characters. I didn’t love the ending of this with Mercy, but it’s an interesting way to launch into book 3. The Hiding Place is currently scheduled to release next March.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read

REVIEW: A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier

REVIEW: A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Once upon a time there was a guy, a girl and a dog. Sergeant Martinez was the handler and Elvis was the bomb-sniffing Belgian shepherd. Mercy Carr was an MP. Martinez was her fiancé. A fire fight in Afghanistan left her with a bullet in her backside and a dog with PTSD, but without her fiancé.  Mercy and Elvis had to try to put the pieces of their lives back together, so they went “home” to Vermont and Mercy’s old stomping grounds.

Days before the 4th of July, Elvis discovers a baby abandoned in the forest. Mercy and Elvis call it in and take the baby to the hospital. Then, the baby disappears.

Game Warden Troy Warner and his search and rescue dog, Susie Bear, help Mercy and Elvis explore the area for clues to the baby’s identity. Elvis finds hints of explosives. Susie Bear finds the bones.

Soon, the two law enforcement officers – one “retired,” and the other just trying to keep his job in the face of an egotistical State Police detective – and the two dogs are dodging bullets, corralling feral cats, and searching for clues to murder.

Review

This was fantastic! I loved Mercy and Elvis. They’ve lost so much, it’s tempting for them to withdraw and hide away from everything and everyone. But Elvis is ready to work again, and he’s found a partner in Susie Bear. And Mercy has a cop’s mind for clues and a determination to get to the truth no matter how much danger she might find. She’s determined to save the baby; the situation is all too familiar to her. Troy and Megan have a fun history and everyone is trying to match them up. The dogs are adorable together. The characters in this book are a treat! I hope this is the first of many stories with these characters. (The publisher’s website says this will be a series! They show a sequel coming in the fall of 2019.)

The mystery was great! And there were so many layers to it. Where’s the missing baby? Why was she alone? What’s the story with her parents? Why were there explosives in that area? Whose bones did they find? And those questions lead to others and to another dead body. And then another. I didn’t want to put the book down. I was eager to see all the pieces come together.

This will be great for mystery fans and for readers who love books with great dogs – and great humans. I highly recommend this one – it’s a treat!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½