Tag: Poppy McAllister Mystery series

REVIEW: Wine Tastings Are Murder by Libby Klein

REVIEW: Wine Tastings Are Murder by Libby Klein

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Poppy and her aunt, Ginny, are hosting members of a wine tasting tour at the B&B when tragedy strikes. One of Poppy’s guests dies at their first winery visit. What at first blush looks like a heart attack seems to be murder instead.

Poppy’s friends who have a stake in the winery beg her to look into things and clear the winery before the bad press puts them out of business.

It seems unlikely that the rest of the tour group would be involved. They’re mostly strangers to one another. But the victim was travelling with his attractive young wife as well as his bitter adult daughter and her husband. The son-in-law had been pressuring the man to ditch the women and go sailing so they could “talk business” from the moment they arrived. The daughter was trying to drive a wedge between her father and his new wife. Maybe something bigger was going on within the family – or the business – that led to murder.

At least investigating a murder will give Poppy something else to think about besides her complicated love life.

Review

This is book 5 in the Poppy McAllister Mystery series. This was a fun addition to this great mystery series. While I still don’t care for the love triangle (You can read my rant from book 4 here.), it took a back seat in this book which I was happy about. And there was progress made by the end – although with a new wrinkle to carry us into book 6, Beauty Expos Are Murder, due out in the summer of 2021.

This is a busy series to begin with. Poppy has her work at the B&B, plus caring for her elderly – and spunky – aunt. She also bakes for two local businesses with her two love interests. She has her small circle of friends who help with the sleuthing. And Aunt Ginny has her crew, too.

This book adds the murder as well as a wine tasting group, a problematic new employee, possible rivals in both of her romantic relationships, and an unusual request from her law enforcement frenemy. So there’s a LOT happening here. But the author never loses track of the various threads. Secondary story elements never overwhelm the focus on the mystery, which I appreciated. The mystery develops at a great pace, and there are lots of avenues for Poppy to pursue in her sleuthing. The solution to the mystery was quite satisfying.

This is a fun series that often makes me laugh out loud. The mysteries are always terrific, and I get a kick out of most of the main characters. If we could get past the love triangle, I would adore it all the more. (Poppy spends a lot of time in this book talking about and thinking about her weight, her diet, and what she is and is not eating. This could be triggering for some readers.)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

BONUS REVIEW: Theater Nights Are Murder by Libby Klein

BONUS REVIEW: Theater Nights Are Murder by Libby Klein

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Immediately on the heels of her last adventure (Restaurant Weeks Are Murder – ♥♥♥♥♥), Poppy has a decision to make. Tim asked her – in front of everyone – to “give it a go” with him once again. Their history together as teens and her questions of what might have been if things had been different make his offer tempting.

At the same time, she feels a huge attraction to Gia. He was standing there when Tim made his plea. Why couldn’t she decide which of the two men she wanted to be with?

Thankfully, the Senior Center’s production of Momma Mia!, and Aunt Ginny’s reconciliation with an old flame is the perfect distraction. Poppy’s been coerced to help with lights for the show. It needs some help as it’s been suffering through everything from egos run amok to deliberate acts of sabotage. But when someone dies, and the police rule it a suicide, Poppy and her elderly friends think the ruling is a mistake. And sleuthing makes another great distraction from a love triangle.

Review

The mystery in this one is terrific! There are so many things going on here – the sabotage at the play, the death, and also someone trying to ruin Poppy’s businesses (both the B&B and her baking). And I loved watching Poppy and the “biddies” (4 elderly ladies, including Poppy’s Aunt Ginny) puzzle them all out. I didn’t laugh in this one as much as I have with the past books, but there were still several fun moments.

The love triangle is infuriating, though. I feel like Poppy’s choice is ridiculously clear (although I know others disagree with me on the choice – and they think their choice is clear, too.). Only one of these two guys encourages her to be comfortable in her own skin and encourages her for her own purposes. The other one is self-absorbed and selfish. Poppy has been a means to an end for him more times than not. I can’t for the life of me figure out why this choice isn’t more clear to her or why the author insists on dragging this out. When this book ended essentially right back where the last one did, I was frustrated enough to growl out loud. This is the only thing I am not enjoying about this series, but I am starting to lose patience on this front. If it doesn’t resolve soon, I will forgo the fantastic mysteries to bypass the drawn out love triangle.

If you don’t mind a love triangle, don’t miss this series because the characters are fantastic and the mysteries are top notch!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Class Reunions Are Murder by Libby Klein

REVIEW: Class Reunions Are Murder by Libby Klein

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Poppy McAllister feels like the rug has been pulled out from under her. Not only is she grieving the loss of her husband and rethinking some of the choices in her life. She’s also facing a 25 year high school reunion. Confronting her past – and former tormentors – would be one thing if she was feeling on top of her life. But she’s probably up two dress sizes after months of grief-eating, and her personal care routine has seen better days.

And then, to add insult to injury, one of her high school tormentors winds up dead. The police officer in charge of the case seems determined to see Poppy arrested for the crime.

This is the absolute WORST time to run into her high school boyfriend or deal with her angry Aunt Ginny who may need full time care. But an unexpected conversation with her cellmates at the jail launches Poppy’s life in a new direction. She’s done letting life just happen to her. She’s taking charge, starting with solving the murder at her high school reunion.

Review

This was a treat from start to finish. I felt bad for Poppy at the start. She has had some hard knocks. But she wasn’t whining or obnoxious about them. And I liked her even more when she started to take some ownership over her circumstances.

The murder was nicely complicated. The victim was pretty typical for cozy mysteries. There were plenty of reasons someone could want her dead. I was able to figure out the culprit, but needed help with some of the motive. And a few of my other guesses on things were way off base. But I enjoyed trying to solve all the puzzles.

Aunt Ginny’s situation was the most satisfying part of the book for me. And the effort to work that out pulled Poppy and Ginny together which was also great.

I picked this up because I love reunion stories – so many interesting things can come up when you get a diverse group together after a period of time – family or classmates. This was all I had hoped for when I bought it. The food allergy/Paleo diet pieces were interesting and gave this a different layer to add to the traditional cozy features (amateur sleuth, love triangle, etc.). I’m looking forward to reading books 2 and 3 to see where the relationships and the cooking/dietary pieces go.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥