Tag: mystery

REVIEW: We Wish You a Murderous Christmas by Vicki Delany

REVIEW: We Wish You a Murderous Christmas by Vicki Delany

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Rudolph, New York is Christmas Town. And in the weeks leading up to Christmas, the holiday spirit is growing. But a rude business man, called in to help in a family emergency, is ruining the Christmas Spirit as he talks of selling out to a big box store or a chain hotel, destroying the Christmas theme the town has worked so hard to develop.

So there is no shortage of possible culprits when the man is found dead. It could be his wife who was eager to throw around blame on others but didn’t shed a tear at the loss. It could be the chef he threatened to fire or the baker he cut out of a large contract. But the police department’s favorite suspect is the town’s Santa Clause – Merry’s dad. There’s no way Merry is going to let her dad’s reputation – and her town’s future – be smeared by this murder! If the police won’t find the real killer, maybe Merry will.

 

Review

This is the second book in the Year Round Christmas mystery series starring Merry Wilkinson. As this particular story happens at Christmas time, there’s extra Christmas fun to enjoy. Rudolph sounds like a delightful town. If it were real, I would totally want to visit!

The mystery was a puzzle all the way to the end. It was obvious to me that most of the suspects weren’t strong candidates. One possibility was eliminated by Merry in the story, so I had only one guess left. But then new information surfaced near the end of the story to wrap things up.

There were a couple moments when the writing stopped the flow of the reading for me. Some words that seemed out of place. They may have only been regional word choices that were jarring for me, but not for readers from other locales. And there were a couple spots where things were restated that had been covered earlier in the story. I mention these things because they momentarily stalled the flow of the story for me, but I was able to get right back in and enjoy the rest of the tale.

Rating: ♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal

REVIEW: Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Maggie Hope is a bright mathematician, living in London in 1940. World War II has begun, and the British are resignedly waiting for Hitler to focus his attack on them as his troops march across Europe.

While Maggie is more than qualified to be one of the Prime Minister’s personal staff, as a woman, she doesn’t even get a chance to try. She settles for a typist’s job for Mr. Churchill.

But so much more is going on around Maggie! A dead typist, IRA bombings, spies, coded messages and secret plots. Will Maggie’s smarts and her determination be enough to save the day?

 

Review

Wow, I liked this book! I have had the first few books in this series in my TBR pile for years. The covers are gorgeous, and I can’t resist them. But I just wasn’t getting around to reading them! I don’t generally read historical fiction, and I think I was a little afraid the story wouldn’t live up to my expectations from the covers.

I shouldn’t have worried. While I don’t know a ton about World War II from a British perspective, I followed the story without any difficulty. I loved Maggie and her friends. The descriptions of her work were great fun to read. The mystery was top notch. This isn’t the usual “Who killed him?” sort of mystery. The reader sees the plots as they start forming. But there are good twists and lots of “will they make it?” suspense.

I am looking forward to reading more from this series! Book 2 is Princess Elizabeth’s Spy.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Fudge and Jury by Ellie Alexander

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Jules and the gang at Torte are showcase vendors for the Chocolate Festival. And while they are preparing for the event, they are also renovating Torte, installing a new inventory/payment system, and considering an expansion into the property below their store. It’s a LOT for Jules to juggle! But when a fellow festival vendor has an allergic reaction and dies at her booth, Jules will make time to find a killer!

Review

The Bakeshop Mystery series is one of my favorite cozy series right now! I love the relationships with the Torte family. The setting is interesting – and their offerings sound delicious! I never need time to warm up to the story or the characters in these books. It comes immediately and naturally.

The mystery in this one was great. The chocolate festival was a fantastic setting, allowing new players to be introduced – and adding lots of yummy food discussions. I felt a little unsettled at the end of the mystery (this is the reason I didn’t give this a 5 star review) – I kept waiting for a new layer to the solution, but it never came. A couple of the other possible culprits still seemed sketchy to me at the end so I wasn’t 100% on board with the solution. I wanted a bigger, more detailed confession, maybe, but the author went a different way. Maybe it will come back in a future book.

One of the things I love with this series is how the author includes ongoing things with the characters and the business. She does an excellent job of keeping those pieces balanced with the larger story of the mystery for each book. I am already looking forward to book 6, A Crime of Passion Fruit (releasing this summer )

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Zero Day by David Baldacci

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

John Puller is Army CID – Criminal Investigative Division (Like NCIS, except with the Army). He’s sent to West Virginia to work with local law enforcement on the murder of an army colonel. Sure, it’s weird that he’s going in without a team. And sure, it’s weird that he’s the investigator going when there are other units closer in jurisdiction. But Puller is an exceptional soldier. He follows orders.

But it’s not just the colonel dead. It’s his whole family. And the crime scene is kind of… off. Then more bodies start dropping. Puller just can’t get a handle on what’s really going on in this town and with this case. And as he keeps digging, he becomes a target.

Review

This is not my usual cozy mystery! I don’t generally read thrillers, but my husband was reading book three in the series, The Escape, and enjoying it immensely, so I decided to give book one a try.

While this is not my usual style, I really enjoyed it. The characters were fantastic. I love Puller’s subtle sense of humor and sarcasm. His partner on this case is a great, nuanced character. I really liked the glimpses into her personal life and family which enhanced the story rather than distracting from it. Puller’s family is intriguing. I’m looking forward to reading more of this series and seeing more of this family dynamic.

The mystery was outstanding. Four hundred-plus pages in, and I had no idea what was going on. But I was frantically flipping pages trying to piece it together. Terrific wrap up! The technical pieces were over my head but didn’t keep me from thoroughly enjoying the story. (Some language)

Rating:♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Princess Juniper of the Hourglass by Ammi-Joan Paquette

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Princess Juniper of Torr makes a small request for her 13th birthday – a kingdom of her own. She longs for a place where she can be with kids her own age without having to follow the endless rules of her Comportment Master. A place where she can put all of her lessons into practice. Surprisingly, her father says yes.

Soon, Juniper and her “country men and women” are loaded up and ready to head to their new kingdom. Two things keep this from feeling as awesome as it should. One is Cyril, Juniper’s arrogant older cousin  who is sent along with two of his friends; they  have no intention of following Juniper as queen. The other is the “minor skirmish” Torr seems to be having with a neighboring kingdom. Juniper worries about her father, the king, and her people, but she sticks with the plan and heads to the Hourglass Mountains. Little does she know what awaits them in her new kingdom.

Review

This was fantastic! I loved Juniper right from the start. The kids who go with her to the Basin are an interesting mix. The kids are supposed to be 13 or younger, except for Cyril’s crew, which is a little bit of a stretch to me because in some ways they act older, but I chose not to focus on it. I enjoyed the story completely when I put that aside.

Juniper is a great leader, but she is only 13. She has a lot to learn about dealing with difficult subjects, balancing work and play for her people, and deciding what to share and what to keep to herself. Parts of this reminded me of the book The False Prince – the kingdoms, the swordplay and the treachery. It also reminded me of books like The Maze Runner in that it had kids making up their own society (although this is more light-hearted than The Maze Runner).

This book sets up the rest of the series nicely. There’s closure for many of the plot points in this story, but a larger conflict looms that Juniper and her friends will need to deal with. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The Jinx by Jennifer Sturman

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Rachel Benjamin and her friends are back in this sequel to The Pact. Rachel and her boyfriend, Peter, both have business in Boston, so they can enjoy some quality time together in their bi-coastal relationship. It’s also Rachel’s annual reunion with her college friends. She’s looking forward to a lot of social time on her business trip!

But the odds are stacked against her as a friend and client asks for Rachel’s help right before someone tries to kill her. Is it the serial killer who’s been attacking prostitutes in Boston for months? Or the stalker sending creepy love notes? Or is it connected to the hostile takeover aimed at her friend’s business? Rachel will have her hands full as she tries to get to the bottom of things!

Review

The mystery in this one was outstanding! There were at least four things going on that Rachel was trying to figure out which meant I had a lot of puzzling out to do. And I only managed to figure out about 1.5 of them!

My only complaint was that there were moments early on when Rachel bothered me. I felt like her response to her boyfriend’s business obligations was shrill and not very understanding for someone in a high pressure job herself. It was off-putting. As the story evolved, I warmed up to her again. I started to think that maybe that behavior was part of the author trying to make her human and relate-able. That would also explain her penchant for deciding someone is a killer on something of a whim and then going all in on her (flawed) accusation.

I felt like this was a better mystery and better story than the first book. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in book three, The Key.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Avery has always thought she was a pretty ordinary girl. Sure, she has violet eyes that draw way too much attention, so she covers them with colored contacts. And her mom’s job keeps them moving around the country at a breakneck pace. So she has few close friends and she keeps to herself so it’s less painful when they inevitably have to leave again. But otherwise, totally ordinary!

But “ordinary girls” don’t get mugged at the prom or whisked to Paris without a passport or go clubbing in Istanbul.

They also don’t get attacked at knife point at a private Prada fitting or get shot at while climbing down a fire escape. So maybe Avery’s not as ordinary as she always thought.

Review

I really enjoyed this first book in what has become The Conspiracy of Us series. It’s like The 39 Clues for young adults. There are various families that are controlling factions, there’s clue-hunting around the world, and an ancient history piece thrown in as well. The chemistry between two of the main characters as well as the knife and gun violence and kidnapping are what ages this up to the YA crowd. And it all works!

I was completely pulled into the story from the start. I still have some unanswered questions and this ended with an intriguing cliffhanger. So, book two, The Map of Fates, is now a must-read.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Pact by Jennifer Sturman

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

An almost wedding mystery. Rachel Benjamin and her college girlfriends made a pact, once upon a time, to save one another from bad relationships. When Emma’s deplorable fiance dies the night before the wedding, Rachel has to wonder if one of her friends followed through on The Pact.

If it wasn’t one of the girls, there aren’t many other choices. The only people at the property were wedding party members or family. Who would have taken such drastic steps to keep Emma and Richard from getting married?

Review

I read this series years ago, but didn’t remember much about it so I decided to read it again. Because I remembered so little, I was able to (unsuccessfully) try to guess at the culprit as if I was reading it for the first time.

The main characters  – the five college friends – are written well as distinct personalities. I hope the rest of the books in the series will give me a better sense of all five of them, as well as their significant others. I wanted to know more about them as I read this.

The mystery was delightfully twisty. I liked that it kept me guessing all the way through. There were plenty of possible culprits. And the motives were realistic and plausible. Rachel is an interesting sleuth. When she thinks someone did it, she goes all in! I’m looking forward to re-reading the other books in this series. This book did include some foul language.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

New school Holmes and Watson.

Several generations removed from their famous relatives, teens Charlotte Holmes and James Watson meet at a Connecticut boarding school. At first it’s a simple meeting of their generation’s version of the famous families. But soon they are questioned in a murder and then an assault. The cases resemble classic Holmes cases, and Charlotte and James are framed exquisitely well. The teens will have to use all their best observation and deductive reasoning skills to keep out of jail – and to stay alive.

Review

As a mystery fan but not necessarily a Holmes fan, I wasn’t sure I’d like this one, but I wanted to give it a try. I was pulled in right away by this idea of kids with famous ancestors trying to decide how much they wanted to live up to the family history. Was she going to be the brilliant addict, seeing things no one else noticed? Would he be the writer, telling engrossing stories? Where they destined to be friends? Or were things more complicated than falling into old roles?

I thought the author did a great job of merging pieces of the classic characters and stories with her contemporary protagonists. I kept reading in part to see how things would play out between Charlotte and James.

The other reason I kept reading was the mystery. It was complicated and layered. I was left guessing all the way through. And the author left enough points open at the end to leave me wondering what might happen next.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Book two releases next week – The Last of August.

REVIEW: The Inn at Ocean’s Edge by Collen Coble

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Claire goes to Folly Shoals to help her dad close a business deal. But the flashbacks start right away. Panic attacks. And she sees a woman get attacked. Then Claire is attacked, too.

Claire learns that she wen t missing from this same hotel when she was a little girl. She has no memory of what happened – and her own family never told her about it.

With the flashbacks and attacks increasing, it becomes clear that more is going on than Claire could begin to guess. Is she strong enough to keep pushing until she knows the whole truth? And is she strong enough to handle what she discovers?

Review

This is the first book I’ve read by Colleen Coble, although I’m familiar with her work.

The description of this story grabbed my attention right away. In fact, I saw this book, didn’t buy it, and then thought about it for two weeks. I had to know what happened! I kicked myself for not just buying it when I first saw it. So I ordered it.

I liked the characters in this one. Claire is strong and determined. I wanted to see her survive all of the revelations from this story.

The mystery was very good. I had no idea where the story would go by the time all the secrets were revealed. I was sort of stunned in the end. The plotting was creative. The faith pieces of the story were subtle and well integrated into the plot. I would read more books by Colleen Coble.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥