Tag: cold case

BONUS REVIEW: A Murder Between the Pages by Amy Lillard

BONUS REVIEW: A Murder Between the Pages by Amy Lillard

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

When Arlo and the book club laides helped solve the murder of author, Wally Harrison, Arlo assumed that was the first and LAST of their sleuthing. And of Wally. But the Books and More shop’s book club wasn’t done with Wally quite yet. They were reading Wally’s best seller, Missing Girl. And they are convinced he based his book on a 50 year old cold case – the disappearance of Mary Kennedy from right there in Sugar Springs.

Mary was last seen at Lillyfield, an historic mansion in town. As Arlo has to go out there to pick up a book donation for the store, the book club ladies insist on going, too, to snoop. None of them expected to witness the death of a young woman who had such a bright future ahead of her. Now the seniors want to help solve this new murder as well as the cold case. Arlo would rather leave the detecting to actual detectives, but the book club ladies are a force to be reckoned with!

Review

This is book 2 in the Main Street Book Club Mystery series after Can’t Judge a Book by Its Murder. Sadly, I did not enjoy this one as much as I did the first. For the longest time, nothing seemed to happen. The first third or more of the book felt like it just kept rehashing opinions on whether or not the book was about Mary Kennedy and what the book club ladies knew – or suspected or guessed – about the case. They did their “sleuthing” at the hairdresser’s, off page, gathering gossip. There was no movement or progress made for the longest time. I was disappointed. Then, when the new murder happened, it didn’t feel like it made much difference; it was just sort of “there” until the end.

The book club ladies were a LOT to take in this one. They have no self-control; they don’t listen to anyone who gives them a boundary or a suggestion for their own safety. Also, they have no regard for law enforcement, private property, etc. Only for their own whims. Some of that comes with the territory in a cozy with amateur sleuths, but this felt over the top for me. I also felt like Arlo was an ineffectual parent trying to corral a group of willful three year olds. She went along with things because she felt powerless to do anything else. She seemed to be there mostly for crowd control – without much control – rather than for sleuthing or digging into a mystery.

In the second half, the mystery started to pull together. And I enjoyed the romance thread for one of the book club ladies, but otherwise I didn’t click with the characters or the love triangle for Arlo. The ending of the mystery was satisfying, but the road to get there was frustrating. I don’t know that I will move forward with this series.

Readers who get a kick out of these feisty octogenarians should definitely pick this one up. The ladies are in rare form in this book. They were just too much for me. (Includes some dated references about homosexuality including a slur from the older characters that Arlo doesn’t address. This is keeping with her resignation that these ladies are going to do and say what they want no matter what she does, but it might offend some readers.)

Rating: ♥♥½*

*♥♥½ = Mostly solid to solid, some issues but overall okay

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: Claws for Concern by Miranda James

REVIEW: Claws for Concern by Miranda James

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Charlie Harris has met a lot of people through his jobs as a librarian. Walking around with a 40-pound Maine Coon named Diesel helps him meet people, too. This time, Charlie meets Bill Delaney. Delaney says he’s the son of Charlie’s late uncle from his first, brief marriage. The guy seems a little lost. His mother recently died, and the news of his father’s identity is pretty new. Charlie, being Charlie, considers inviting Bill to rent one of the boarding rooms at his house.

At the same time, true crime writer, Jack Pemberton, contacts Charlie about working together on a book about amateur sleuths and the crimes they’ve solved. Jack lives in Tullahoma, Bill Delaney’s home town. The town where Bill was suspected of four murders, but never charged.

Charlie feels a responsibility to help Bill out, but he can’t invite a murderer into his home! But when Bill is involved in a hit-and-run that doesn’t seem accidental, Charlie and Diesel decide to team up with Pemberton to see if they can solve the 20 year old cold case once and for all.

Review

I have enjoyed this series since I read the very first book. I don’t read a lot of cozy mysteries with a male protagonist, and I like how this sets the series apart. Diesel is a terrific character – not just animal window dressing for the series. He opens up conversations for Charlie, passes judgement on the character of people involved in the cases, and chirps his two cents along the way.

One of the things I liked about this particular story was the fresh take offered by a cold case and a new sleuthing partner for Charlie. The usual characters are still around – Charlie’s boarders, housekeeper, and family as well as the Ducote sisters – but they are secondary to most of the action.

The mystery in this one is “quiet.” There’s not a lot of action or danger until the very end. The case is solid. I was working on the solution all the way to the end. Since it’s a cold case, Jack and Charlie have to do a lot of digging, interviewing folks until they can shake loose a new wrinkle in the case. I enjoyed that.

The Tullahoma pieces felt like a cozy mystery in the making. I couldn’t find evidence of a series starring Jack Pemberton, but if Miranda (Dean) James decides to write one, I will definitely read it!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥