Tag: mysteries

REVIEW: Bloom and Doom by Beverly Allen

REVIEW: Bloom and Doom by Beverly Allen

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Audrey Bloom and her cousin, Liv, have made their dream of running a flower shop a reality. And the wedding side of their business is booming, especially as people find out about Audrey’s skill of pulling together flower arrangements that mean positive things like faithfulness, hope and friendship. But the business takes a hit when a potential groom is killed, their shop is implicated, and a friend of Audrey’s is arrested for the crime. Now Audrey is determined to find out what really happened to the groom and get her friend out of jail.

 

Review

This was terrific! The writing style and the characters felt comfortable and familiar. It was like I was reading a new story in a familiar series rather than the first in a new one. The characters at the flower shop were fun and interesting. I’m hoping for more information on some of the secondary staff in future books. The camaraderie at the store reminds me of another favorite series, the Bakeshop Mysteries by Ellie Alexander.

The mystery was well-written. The circle of possible suspects and motives grew wider and wider as the story developed, giving me several things to puzzle through while I read. In the end, I’d say I figured out only half of the puzzles in the story. I was able to feel both successful and surprised in the end.

There are two more books in this series, and I am eager to read both of them soon. Book 2 is For Whom the Bluebell Tolls.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Big Trouble by R. A. Spratt

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Kid detective, Friday Barnes, is back with plenty of mysteries to solve. First is the disappearance of her own mother. Then the series of thefts at her boarding school. Then there’s the voice in the attic, the secret stash of diamonds and the lacrosse shed fire. There’s rarely a dull moment when Friday is around and there’s a mystery to solve!

Review

Such a fun series! I love Friday. She’s brilliant and funny. Her family situation is heart-breaking, but I love the little family she is building for herself at school. This is book 3 in the series.

The mysteries seem non-stop in this book. Something weird happens then something goes missing. Then someone gets accused of something. The story has a lot of energy with so many things happening so quickly.

I love getting to think through all the different mysteries. It makes me feel like I am really getting my money’s worth out of a book to have so many puzzles to try to solve!

The author has done a great job in past books to leave a major cliffhanger for the reader. This book is no exception. I finished and then grumbled because I have to wait several months to see how the author will wrap up this cliffhanger!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

I love these books! This is an excellent series for young mystery fans. The books don’t have to be read in order, but it helps so the reader can see the evolution of the characters and their relationships with one another. You can read my review of book one here.

REVIEW: Digging Up the Dirt by Miranda James

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The latest Southern Ladies Mystery. A 40 year old mystery comes home to roost when community heartthrob Hadley Partridge returns to Athena after forty years away. He has no idea that the rumor was that he had run off with his sister-in-law all those years ago. He says he hasn’t talked to her since he left. So where did his sister-in-law disappear to?

When members of their garden club start having dangerous accidents and remains are found at the home Hadley inherited, Miss An’gel and Miss Dickce can’t help but dig a little deeper to find a murderer.

Southern Ladies Mystery

Review

Such a fun Southern mystery series. Miss An’gel and Miss Dickce make a great team. Their pets are a fun part of the story, as is their ward, Benjy.  Charlie Harris and Diesel from the Cat in the Stacks series by the same author make an appearance, too.

The mystery in this was fascinating because you have the 40 year old disappearance mixed in with the things happening with the older women of the garden club. I really had to work at my theory of whodunit – and I was wrong. Some interesting surprises rounded out the story nicely.

I love both the Cat in the Stacks series and this Southern Ladies mystery series by this author. The crossover pieces are nice for fans of both series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Friday Barnes, Girl Detective by R. A. Spratt

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Friday is a bright, bored middle schooler who puzzles out the solution to a bank robbery. The reward money lets Friday buy her way into a prestigious boarding school. While there, Friday uses her powers of observation and her crazy-high IQ to tackle some mysteries at her new school, too.

Brilliant Middle School Detective

Review

Wow, I liked this book! My first criteria for a “good” book is always the main character. Friday clicked for me from the start. Her family situation endeared her to me. But Friday handles her family’s quirks so matter-of-factly, I didn’t pity her.

Next, since this was a mystery, I needed the “cases” to be good. Friday is a bit Sherlockian in her methods and her brilliance. I didn’t feel like it was my job to solve the mystery before her. I didn’t have enough information. So instead I just got to sit back and watch Friday do her thing.

The thing I noticed most about this book, though, was the fast, snappy writing. It’s like watching an episode of The West Wing – part of you knows that there’s a wordy-ness to the writing. But at the same time the words are essential – no fluff. They are establishing a fast pace to every scene. The words are sharp and clever. I think this would be a fun story to read out loud.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

If this sounds like a good read for you – or someone you love – be sure to have book 2, Under Suspicion, handy because this one ends on a cliff hanger. Books three and four are coming in 2017 and are pictured below.

REVIEW: Staged to Death by Karen Rose Smith

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

A home staging mystery! Caprice De Luca is an interior designer who stages homes to help people sell them. What starts as an interesting challenge – helping an old friend and her husband sell their castle-like mansion – becomes a much darker task when the husband is murdered.

Caprice is determined to protect her friend and find the real killer. But while she does that, she’ll juggle new pets, family secrets and two potential love interests. Lots to enjoy in this mystery!

Home Staging Mystery

Review

Fun first in a mystery series with a unique premise. Home improvement stories aren’t something I usually read. But the home-staging piece set this story apart in a good way.

Caprice has a big family which means lots of interesting side stories to round out the book. The author did a good job of keeping these side stories connected to the larger story so they didn’t feel like filler or a distraction from what I wanted to know.

At first, the writing felt wordy to me. There were lots of description details. But as I adjusted to the author’s style, I fell into the story and stopped noticing the style.

The solution came a little out of left field for me. I never saw that angle coming. I would read more books about Caprice and her family and friends.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Digby returns! Zoe and Digby are back in this sequel to Trouble Is a Friend of Mine (5 ♥ – great book!). In the months since Digby left, Zoe has made some “normal” friends and started dating a football player. She’s determined to ace the SAT so she can secure a good “future.” And she’s completely left the adventures of first semester behind her! Sort of….

Then Digby returns. And where Digby is, chaos follows. Body guards, explosions, secrets and lies. Zoe will have to decide which life she wants – her new “normal” one or the Digby one.

Digby returns

Review

I loved the first book in this series. In fact, I re-read it before reading this so the story and the relationships were fresh in my mind. The first book is fun, smart and fresh – magic. This one didn’t quite hit the same level for me. The main characters are still terrific. And I had to know what happens next, so I’m glad I read this. But instead of focusing on the overarching mystery of the series (Digby’s missing sister), this book spent most of the time on the “normal” vs. “Digby” dilemma and a mystery that is central to this story. A good mystery, but not the mystery I was expecting when I started reading.

The ending is a major cliffhanger for the overarching mystery. So book 3 is a must read for me.

If you haven’t read the first book, I highly recommend it. If you loved book one like I did, go into book two expecting the dynamics to be different and for this story to have a split focus and I think you will enjoy it.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Better Late Than Never by Jenn McKinlay

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

An overdue book mystery. It’s amnesty day at the library! That means anyone and everyone can return their overdue and damaged materials without repercussions. But no one expects to find a 20-year overdue book in the stack! And when Lindsey discovers the book was checked out by a patron who was murdered later that night, she has to find out where the book came from. And who the murderer is.

Overdue book mystery

Review

I loved the “cold case” twist to this book! It freshened up a series I already adore (this is book 7), taking it to a new level of awesome!

What do I love about this series? First, the main character is a librarian and the series centers around the library. As a former school librarian, there are a lot of familiar factors for me. And there are lots of book references which I enjoy.

Second, the core characters are fun! This book focused on Lindsey, Sully (love interest #1), Robbie (love interest #2), and a couple of the other librarians. The crafternooners (a crafting book club) make an appearance but aren’t a huge piece of this story. I love these characters. The author has done a great job of giving all of the main group some focus so they have clear personalities, distinct from one another.

Third, I love the mysteries. This one kept me guessing almost to the very end. And I loved the details of the case as Lindsey puzzled it out.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

This one can probably be read in any order, although it is easier to get to know the characters if you read them in order. I love the whole series. Book one is Books Can Be Deceiving.

 

REVIEW: Bad Blood by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The Naturals series finale. It’s hard to summarize the final book in a series and not give something away from a previous book. Suffice it to say that Cassie and the Naturals are back, still using their “gifts” to pursue serial killers. Each of the Naturals are dealing with their own baggage in this one while it careens towards an ending that wraps up the one case that ties all of the books in this series together.

Naturals series finale

Review

I love this series because it is a perfect book for teens and young adults (and adults) who enjoy a great mystery and suspense story. And I am crazy about great mysteries!

I love the psychological aspects to the main characters and their cases. The characters are fascinating – deep, nuanced and flawed. They have evolved over the series into an interesting family of sorts. And each book in the series has given back story to Cassie and the other Naturals bit by bit, rounding out their history and explaining some of their “gifts.”

This book is darker than the first three. This was necessary for the story that’s being told in this one. I wish I had re-read the earlier books before starting this one so all the parts and characters were fresh in my mind. I think it would have added some depth to the story when past moments came up that I haven’t read in a long time. [If you aren’t familiar with this series, you HAVE to start with book one, The Naturals.]

While I would love to read more stories with these characters, the series arc was wrapped up well. Some great twists in this one keep me going back through the story in my mind.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥ ½

 

REVIEW: A Dark and Stormy Murder by Julia Buckley

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Lena became a writer because she has loved the books by Camilla Graham her whole life. So when she has a chance to work for her writing idol, Lena jumps at the chance. But her dream job in Indiana unfortunately comes with a dead body. And some suspicious characters around town. Pretty soon, Lena is writing, defending a new friend from the local gossip, and dodging assailants!

cozy mystery about authors

Review

Wow! This was an excellent mystery! The author does a great job introducing her characters so you know who is who without difficulty. I felt like I had read other things with Lena and Camilla because I was so comfortable with them immediately. The mystery for this book was great – I kept getting surprised by what happened. All my theories were wrong. I loved getting to be surprised by a well-plotted mystery!

I felt like I got a bonus with this book because there’s an over-arching mystery that comes up early in the book, carries throughout, and is the primary focus of the last chapter after the main mystery for this book was done. And the over-arching mystery will carry readers right into book 2. Death in Dark Blue  is currently scheduled to release on May 2, 2017 (release dates subject to change).

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Dire Threads by Janet Bolin

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

An embroidery mystery! Willow is living the dream! She’s opened up a machine embroidery store in “Threadville,” a community with shops dedicated to fabric-related crafts. But satisfaction with her new life takes a dip when a self-serving zoning commissioner gives her trouble. When he’s found dead on her property, Willow is the prime suspect.

dire-threads

Review

This has a fairly standard cozy mystery set up. The theme (crafts, needlework), the best friend, the quirky townspeople, the law enforcement accusations, and the love interest are all present. The setting is fun; I would love to visit somewhere like Threadville!! While I don’t sew, I was able to follow 85% of the craft-related parts of the story. The local law enforcement was infuriating. I hope that character is retired by book 2!

I couldn’t pinpoint the culprit before the end, but I picked up on some of the motive. The conclusion was satisfying and I would read another book in this series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥