Tag: mystery

REVIEW: Falling for You by Becky Wade

REVIEW: Falling for You by Becky Wade

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Willow is a world renown super model on sabbatical, working at her family’s inn. It’s a temporary gig while a new manager makes the transition into the job, but it’s perfectly timed. Willow is feeling burned out from her fast paced life. She’s looking forward to quiet time with her sisters and time out of the spotlight.

Corbin was a stud on the football field – before his injury. But his career is over, so he’s going to kick off his retirement with a lot of physical therapy and some remodeling therapy by fixing up an old house with his dad. Corbin needs a project to occupy his time, and it will help him keep an eye on his dad who has cancer.

Four years ago, a series of choices led Willow and Corbin to break up. Willow is still heart broken when she thinks of the choices she made, and angry when she thinks of the choices Corbin made. She’d prefer to never see Corbin again. But Corbin’s niece, Charlotte, is a huge fan. And she is convinced that Willow is the person who can help her solve a 40-year-old family mystery. So when Charlotte asks Willow to help her, Willow can’t help but say yes. She has no idea, though, that Charlotte has made Corbin part of the team as well. This means Willow is now stuck in regular contact with the man who broke her heart.

Review

I struggled to figure out if this story wanted to be a romance or a mystery. While I think it was stronger on the romance side, I feel like the story suffered from a minor identity crisis. It tried to be both at once, and it wasn’t all I hoped for on either side.  The mystery was interesting. I love cold case stories. It was odd to have a football player and a model trying to dig into it, though. The characters acknowledged that oddity, which helped. But they uncovered a lot of big things pretty easily. As a seasoned mystery reader, it felt all too simple. And the mystery pieces at times got in the way of the flow of the romance, interfering with my enjoyment of the story just on that level.

The sign of a great Christian fiction book for me is that reading it becomes a spiritual experience. If it connects me to God or it prompts me to examine my own spiritual life, I feel like the story works from a faith perspective. This book just did not click for me on that spiritual level. The spiritual pieces were okay – I just didn’t feel like the integration was as smooth as I have found in some other stories. This aspect of the story wasn’t “bad,” but wasn’t all it could have been for me as a reader.

I liked the characters. This is a second book in a series about Willow and her sisters. I haven’t read book one, but that didn’t impact my understanding of this story. I am intrigued by the story line for book one and might consider giving it a try. The chemistry between Willow and Corbin, and the situation with Corbin’s dad saved the story for me and kept me engaged to the end. I cared about how they were going to deal with their history, and I found the ending satisfying.

Thanks to the folks at Netgalley and Bethany House for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Rating: ♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt

REVIEW: Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Andy Carpenter is a defense lawyer retrying an old case at the urging of his father. Some issues have come to light that get the original trial thrown out.

What’s odd is that Andy’s dad was the District Attorney who prosecuted the original case. Andy’s not sure why his dad wanted him to re-try it. And now that his dad has died, he’s not available to ask.

Adding to the “odd” factor is a photo of four young men that Andy finds hidden at his father’s house. Andy recognizes his father and one other man in the photo – a man connected to his retrial.

Why did Andy’s father hide this innocuous-looking picture?  Does it have anything to do with the unexpected millions Andy inherited?  Is it a coincidence that one of the men in the photo is part of Andy’s case?

Whatever’s going on, Andy and his team will have to work fast to figure it out. Someone wants Andy to back off – either from the case or with his questions about the photo – and their threats start escalating.

Review

After reading five books from the end of this series, I decided to start at the beginning with book one and see how everything started.

Since this is the start of the series, the ensemble I love from the latter books isn’t in place yet. This changed the tone of the book for me. While there’s still a lot of great dry humor, the fun interplay between characters wasn’t quite there in this book.

The mystery is great. The evidence against Andy’s client is tremendous. There’s a reason he was found guilty the first time. Andy himself spends a lot of the story feeling like he might not pull this off. The pieces twist together to a satisfying conclusion.

My rating for this is lower than what I have given to the others in this series. And that’s entirely due to the comparison to Rosenfelt’s later work. Without the full ensemble, I just didn’t enjoy this one as much as I have the rest of the series. The books just get better and better!

I’m glad I went back to book one to see how it all began. By now, I have worked through the entire series to see how the team comes together to become the ensemble I love. Every book in this series is a terrific, intricate mystery.  New books in this series are must reads for me! I highly recommend this entire series.

Rating: ♥♥♥

REVIEW: Charlie and Frog by Karen Kane

REVIEW: Charlie and Frog by Karen Kane

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Charlie Tickler wishes his parents were a little more “normal.” They often leave him with a nanny so they can go to far flung places to help exotic animals. This time, they’re off to help the Giant Golden Moles in South Africa. And they’ve left Charlie with his grandparents.

Charlie’s grandparents may stay at home most of the time – generally watching TV all day – but they aren’t a lot better than Charlie’s folks. They tend to forget about him. They are resistant to anything that would take them away from the TV programs, like playing with Charlie or taking him somewhere. Thanks to the four most important people in Charlie’s life, he feels pretty unwanted.

But in his new temporary home of Castle-on-the-Hudson, Charlie finds a purpose. He meets an elderly Deaf woman, Aggie, at the library, and she seems to be worried about something. Before Charlie can figure out what’s wrong, Aggie has disappeared, and some strangers show up looking for her.

The librarian suggests Charlie find “Frog” at the Flying Hands Cafe to help him figure out the sign language Aggie had used before she disappeared. Soon, Charlie, who is hearing, and Frog, who is Deaf, are working together to solve the mystery

Review

This was delightful! There are three main layers to this story. First is the mystery. For me, this was the weakest part of the story. The mystery is pretty simple and is only solved when the kids finally get all the information they need from the adults at the end. It’s not something the reader can really puzzle out on his/her own.

The second layer is the Deaf/hearing/sign language piece. This was really cool. The author did a fantastic job conveying the conversations between characters without getting bogged down in sign descriptions every time. The descriptions were there often enough to inform the reader without negatively impacting the flow of the story. As a kid, I would have adored a book like this! I always wanted to learn sign and took some classes. This book would have been a perfect fit for me.

The third layer is Charlie, who longs to be noticed and wanted and valued by the people who should love him most. There are some lovely, powerful moments in the book that address this layer. I would have liked more. I think what’s there is appropriate for the larger story and the audience, but for Charlie’s sake I wanted more. Hopefully this piece will get more development in future books.

I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions on this are my own.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Wizard for Hire by Obert Skye

REVIEW: Wizard for Hire by Obert Skye

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

When Ozzy was seven, his parents left New York and moved to a remote cabin in Oregon. Both of Ozzy’s parents were brilliant scientists – one in neuroscience and the other in psychology. Everything that remained of their lives out east was stacked in boxes in the small cabin.

One day when Ozzy was off playing by a stream, some men came to the cabin and took his parents. Ozzy came running when he heard his mother scream. But when he hid from the men, they left in him there. Alone in the woods.

For seven years Ozzy lived alone in the cabin with only a mechanical bird, Clark (one of his dad’s inventions), for company. He survived on the canned and dried food stockpiled in the basement. He entertained himself with all of the books and papers in the house. Thankfully his mother taught him to read at an early age. The academic papers were offset by fantasy novels like Harry Potter. And Ozzy had cassettes of his father’s work so he could hear his dad’s voice and remember when he had parents and felt safe and loved.

When Ozzy tries going to school in order to meet other people and access a computer to try and get information on his missing parents, it draws unwanted attention to his situation. Then a magazine ad gives him a great idea. He’ll hire a wizard to help him find his missing parents. Labyrinth – “Rin” – the wizard isn’t quite what Ozzy expected from Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings, but if Rin can help him, that is all that matters.

Review

I can’t remember the last time I read such a spectacularly bizarre book. I loved every page! Ozzy’s story is fascinating. I was engrossed from the beginning. I had to know what would happen to this boy,  abandoned in the woods.

When  Clark the bird is discovered, Ozzy’s world widens quite a bit. They explore their surroundings, and Ozzy experiences school. I loved this part. He has a great reaction to this unfamiliar system, and he’s bright enough to pull it off for awhile.

Adding Rin to the story, though, kicks this into a whole other place. He says he’s a wizard, but Ozzy sees no evidence. Yet he is trusting and wants to believe Rin can help. And while Rin is quirky to the nth degree, he is honestly invested in helping Ozzy. And the people Rin pulls into Ozzy’s orbit are terrific parts of the story.

If the awesome and quirky characters aren’t enough, there’s the adventure of keeping Ozzy off the radar of the powers that be that will take him from his home “for his own good.” And on top of that is the mystery of what happened to Ozzy’s parents and what he might discover if he finds them.

All the pieces come together into a reading experience unlike anything I have had before. And I enjoyed every bit of it. This is a smart, funny, and engaging story. I highly recommend this for upper elementary and middle school readers, but I think this also would work for older teen readers who enjoy quirky and unusual characters.

Thanks to Netgalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Gone Gull by Donna Andrews

REVIEW: Gone Gull by Donna Andrews

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Meg Langslow is teaching a blacksmithing class at her grandmother’s new Craft Center on Biscuit Mountain. Unfortunately the Center’s teachers and guests have been harassed by a vandal. Class studios and student work have been destroyed. Of course, Meg is called upon to ferret out the culprit.

Before she gets very far in her investigation, Meg stumbles across a dead body. Things aren’t looking good for Biscuit Mountain Craft Center.

Meg and her family aren’t going to let Cordelia’s dream die like this, though. They call in reinforcements – almost the entire extended family – to help. And the Langslow family is a force to be reckoned with!

Review

This is one of my favorite cozy series. I’m thrilled at how solid the stories are, even on the 21st book in the series.

Meg, with her notebook-that-tells-her-when-to-breathe, is a woman after my own heart. She’s smart. She has a crazy, humongous family, and she’s learned to leverage the personalities and strengths to her advantage.

The mysteries in this one were great. Both the vandalism situation and the murders were wrapped up with satisfying conclusions. The gull situation that spanned the whole book had a nice wrap up as well.

This was completely enjoyable from start to finish! Once readers are familiar with the various people in the series, I think these books can be read in any order. I would definitely start with book one, though – Murder with Peacocks – and read the first few in order so you can get to know the family and townspeople before you dive into the rest of the series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Art of the Swap by Kristine Asselin and Jen Malone

REVIEW: Art of the Swap by Kristine Asselin and Jen Malone

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Hannah lives at the Elms, a turn-of-the-century (1900s) home that once belonged to the Berwind family. Her father is the caretaker, and they live in the old servant quarters of the mansion. A history buff, Hannah can’t imagine a better place to live.

Margaret Dunlap – Maggie – stayed with her aunt and uncle, the Berwinds, in 1905. They even commissioned a painting of Maggie by a new artist, Mary Cassatt. But the painting was stolen before it could be debuted. A servant was suspected of the theft, but neither he nor the painting were ever found.

At The Elms in Hannah’s time, they have a reproduction of the portrait. The mystery of the original’s disappearance is one of her favorite parts of the history of the house. If only she knew what really happened….

Hannah may get her chance to find out when she and Maggie swap places! Now Hannah is in 1905 trying to track down a missing painting and an art thief. And Maggie is in 2018 trying to figure out an unfamiliar world without anyone finding out what has happened.

Review

This was so fun! Hannah definitely got the better end of this swap. As a lover of history, and of Maggie’s story and The Elms, she is more prepared for her new surroundings. Poor Maggie isn’t ready for the social changes of our time – the language, the freedom for young women, the customs – much less the technology. Watching the girls negotiate their environments was a lot of fun.

This was less of a mystery than I expected. Discovering what happened to the painting played a smaller role than the bigger issues of (1) what to do with Hannah’s discoveries in 1905 and (2) how to get switched back to their own time. I would categorize this as historic fantasy moreso than mystery. This is an asset, though, because I think this will appeal to fans of historic fiction, fantasy, and mystery.

There’s a great girl-power piece to this that I wasn’t expecting but I adored. It took the overall story to a higher level for me than if they had not included it. There are recommended resources in the authors’ notes for readers who want to know more.

Thanks to Netgalley and Aladdin for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer

REVIEW: Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Meghan heads to Las Vegas to stay with her grandmother, Hazel, after a terrible car accident puts Meghan on leave from work. She has no idea that her mom, Diane, has also come to Vegas.

Being in close quarters together shows the strain in the relationship between the three women. Meghan adores her grandmother, and Diane is jealous. Diane grew up feeling smothered by Hazel’s over-protectiveness. Determined to not be like Hazel, Diane pushes Meghan to be independent and self-sufficient. While Meghan does develop those traits, she feels like she missed out on some nurturing and displays of love in her life.

The women might not have survived together for long with their hurts and hang-ups. But Meghan accidentally discovers her grandmother’s life-long secret. Hazel’s little sister, Maggie, disappeared when she was three. Hazel had been with her, stepped away from a moment, and Maggie had never been seen again.  Meghan, a cold case investigator, offers to look into the 70-year-old disappearance. The chances of finding Maggie alive after all this time are slim, but they have to try.

Review

This was a lovely, emotionally satisfying story. The 70-year-old cold case is what initially grabbed my attention, but the relationships between these women made the story for me. I loved the relationship between Hazel and Meghan. It was warm and mutual. They were devoted to one another. Diane was prickly and abrasive. But you could see why and feel empathy for how she came to see life the way she did. The faith pieces of the story worked most directly in the relationship with these three characters. The faith pieces were handled well overall. They felt natural when they came into the story and they were realistic. No easy answers or promises of an easy life if the non-believing character would just believe.

The cold case was fascinating. No huge surprises – the clues were laid out for the reader. But the solution was satisfying. The cold case also brought in the romantic part of the story. This was an enjoyable, moving story. I would recommend this highly and would read others by this author.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans by Russell Ginns

REVIEW: Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans by Russell Ginns

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

When Samantha’s Uncle Paul goes missing, she does her best to find a clue for where he is and what’s happened to him. But all the family is able to find is a long, confusing letter that leaves each of the kids a gift. Samantha’s sister, Buffy, gets $2.4 billion, which she promptly takes on a shopping spree of epic proportions. Samantha’s brother, “Nipper,” gets the deed to Yankee Stadium and ownership of the team, which he promptly loses to their manipulative neighbor. And Samantha? Uncle Paul’s partner in exploration? Samantha gets a worn, red umbrella with a weird note.

An umbrella? Seriously? How unfair is that?

Once Samantha gets some well-deserved moping time, though, she and Nipper discover there’s more to her umbrella than she thought. What they discover will send them on an international adventure.

Review

As I was reading this, it reminded me of Dan Gutman’s Genius Files series. A couple of kids traveling to interesting, far-flung places, looking for clues and dodging villains. This will appeal to fans of that series.

There are a lot of quirky things for kids to enjoy with this one. Samantha’s siblings are a large part of the quirk. The ways the kids move around the world, and the dangers they encounter will appeal to fans of adventure stories, too.

I wish I had a better feel for the characters in this. The books I love almost always have characters I love. Samantha and her family are interesting, but I didn’t connect with them emotionally. I don’t feel like I really got to know Samantha in this book, so it’s harder to care what happens on her adventures. I think kids who love a lot of action and activity in their stories will enjoy this. Kids who want to connect with great characters may need to work a little harder to get to know Samantha and her family.

Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte Books for the opportunity to read an electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Rating: ♥♥♥

REVIEW: A Grave Issue by Lillian Bell

REVIEW: A Grave Issue by Lillian Bell

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

It started with an emu.

A dead emu. Rosemary and Alan Brewer said the barking is what killed it. In their opinion, Kyle and Lola Hanson’s dogs scared the emu to death.

The death of the emu led to the fight. At the funeral home. That’s how Desiree got dragged into the mess. She was working at her family’s funeral home when Rosemarie and Lola had an altercation over the emu. Desiree was supposed to be helping her family business. A fight during a funeral isn’t very helpful. Not Desiree’s best moment. (Also, not her worst!)

Things go from bad to worse when Alan is found dead and Kyle is arrested for the murder. Kyle has been like a second father to Desiree. And with her own father presumed dead after a surfing accident, Desiree is determined to track down the truth and exonerate Kyle.

Her skills as a former reporter and her ties to the folks in her home town could be just what Desiree needs to puzzle things out.

Review

This was excellent! The setting – a funeral home – is unusual and gives Desiree access to lots of folks around town. The mystery is complicated and the pacing for it was perfect. Every so often a new layer or wrinkle or clue comes along to keep the reader engaged and guessing. And there are side stories like Desiree’s sister’s pregnancy or her best friend’s maybe-stalker that serve to cement the other characters into the story. Everything connects and makes sense yet doesn’t overshadow the main plot.

Desiree is great. She’s smart and determined and likable. She’s hoping to reinvent herself eventually after a major gaffe. But she stays focused on the here and now – helping her family and proving Kyle innocent.

There are a couple potential love interests for Desiree and an overarching mystery that will carry into the next book. The overarching mystery is a brilliant thing I have seen in some other series recently. It draws readers onto the next book to see what happens. I know I will definitely be reading book 2 (If the Coffin Fits – Fall 2018) in this terrific new series.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for access to an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It was a treat to read this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Arts and Thefts by Allison K. Hymas

REVIEW: Arts and Thefts by Allison K. Hymas

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Jeremy, Case and Hack are heading to an art show for the day. Case has entered a painting in the show. Of course his best friends are there to back him up!

But trouble is brewing. Someone stole paint and paintbrushes from another artist. Jeremy’s sometimes-nemesis/sometimes-partner, Becca, is on the case. Even though they worked together once before, Becca is determined to catch Jeremy at something and see him in detention forever. But Jeremy isn’t a thief. Sure, he takes “retrieval” jobs, but it’s always to right wrongs.

Becca and Jeremy realize the thief could use the stolen items to sabotage the art show. If they work together, they could solve the case and protect Case’s painting and the others from the saboteur. Jeremy is a righter-of-wrongs after all. But he can’t let Case or Hack know he’s working with Becca. They would never understand.

Review

In preparation for reading this book, I read the first book, Under Locker and Key, a book that has been on my wishlist since it published. I loved it and gave it 4.5 stars in my (non-blog) reviews. This second book, while different, is just as terrific. Book one is more of a heist/con story (like The Great Greene Heist – which I loved – but with a much smaller crew) while this is a more traditional mystery. The characters are fantastic. Becca and Jeremy like to think they are on opposite sides of the law, but their intentions are similar – to right wrongs.

I loved that this story took place almost entirely over one day at the art show. It gave the story a nice, quick pace. The secondary characters for this one were a lot of fun. I hope there’s going to be a book 3 because I’d love to see how the new characters could factor in. I’m also hoping for more of Case and Hack. I feel like they are going to make a huge contribution to a later story. They have the skills, but we haven’t gotten to see much of them. Yet.

These are some of my favorite middle grade mysteries. I highly recommend both books – and that you watch for more from this series! Many, many thanks to Netgalley and Aladdin for an electronic review copy of this book for review purposes. That pushed me to get the first book off of my TBR list so I could enjoy this one fully.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½