Tag: mystery

REVIEW: Holy Chow by David Rosenfelt

REVIEW: Holy Chow by David Rosenfelt

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Andy Carpenter knew Rachel Morehouse because she adopted a chow chow named Lion from his foundation/rescue. In fact, she had called him to talk about arrangements for Lion in case something ever happened to her. She was hoping her step-son would agree to take the dog, but Andy was her back up.

When Rachel died, it took a few days for the authorities to discover it was murder. By then, Andy had met her step-son, Tony, and he felt a connection to the case. When Tony is arrested, Andy agrees to represent him.

The prosecution’s case is solid, but circumstantial. And when Andy starts looking for other threads to pull, he’s drawn into a dizzying case. The question is if the things he discovers will be enough to convince a jury of Tony’s innocence.

Review

I have been an Andy Carpenter fan for years, but this new story hits a new high for me. I loved this! It drew me in right from the start. And it was a wild ride.  There were no slow spots – the pacing was perfect. I flew through this story, captivated by all of the twists and turns.

The wrap up was a little abrupt, but it felt like it was just a natural progression after the pace of the whole story. I was thrilled with the whole thing.

Series fans should not miss this new book. Readers who have enjoyed Rosenfelt’s K-Team series will see the team help in this story, too, so they should pick this up as well. I think newcomers could start here – I read my first Andy Carpenter by picking up something mid-series and had no issues following it. This would be an excellent starting place for this great series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ – Outstanding!

REVIEW: Claws for Suspicion by Deborah Blake

REVIEW: Claws for Suspicion by Deborah Blake

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book releases next week, on May 3, 2022.]

Summary

Just as Kari is reflecting on the journey that brought her to win the lottery and buy a pet rescue, her contentment is shattered by the arrival of her ex. Charlie has heard about Kari’s winnings and brings the unwelcome news that their divorce was never finalized. He believes that means he’s entitled to half. But he’s willing to settle for taking the rescue – and the land it sits on – for one of his development schemes.

When Charlie is killed, Kari’s relief that he can’t take her dream away from her is short lived when she becomes the primary murder suspect.

Review

I loved book one in the Catskills Pet Rescue Mystery series, Furbidden Fatality, and then somehow missed out on reading book 2, Doggone Deadly, before I heard about this third book. I had hoped to read 2 before 3, but my timing didn’t quite work out. But it didn’t matter. I was able to fall right back into the people and setting without issue – and I enjoyed this book in the series too!

The characters here are fun, both the humans and the animals, and the mystery was great. I puzzled out a lot of it for myself, but there was one piece that caught me so off guard I exclaimed out loud. I loved having both the satisfaction of solving the mystery AND an unexpected surprise at the same time.

Cozy fans should not miss this series! It has all the great hallmarks of the genre – a likable protagonist; a clever hook/setting; an enjoyable community around the main character; and solidly plotted, satisfying mysteries. While the plots of books 1 and 2 are mentioned, I don’t think newcomers will feel like they can’t track this story without going back to the beginning. But I do think if you start here you will enjoy it so much you will want to go back and pick up the previous two books!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read

 

REVIEW: The School for Whatnots by Margaret Peterson Haddix

REVIEW: The School for Whatnots by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Max was born into a world where well-off parents like his could afford to send their kids to school with “whatnots.” But Max was just a kid. He didn’t even know what whatnots were. All Max truly knew was that ever since kindergarten, Josie had been his best friend.

So when Josie disappears after fifth grade after leaving him a mysterious note, Max is desperate to find her. His texts go unanswered. And his family is ready to whisk him away for summer vacation just like always. So Max sneaks out to find Josie.

Review

What a creative and unusual story! This is the first Haddix novel I think I have read – although I stocked her books in the library where I worked, and my students loved them. The story here intrigued me, but the truths, as they were slowly revealed, continued to surprise and delight as I read.

I don’t want to give too much away by going into a lot of detail about what I enjoyed. The characters are great, but the situation was the most fun because it wasn’t what I was expecting.

I think kids will get a kick out of this twisty tale of friendship and family and secrets. I think the early chapters BEG to be read out loud. And I’d love to get a group of kids together to talk about what happens and WHY they think the author created this story. What might she have wanted readers to consider? Haddix fans should not miss this one. And science fiction/mystery fans should give this a try as well.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great! Might re-read

REVIEW: Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

REVIEW: Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will release February 1, 2022.)

Summary

Finlay Donovan is done with dead bodies. After what happened last time, she’s not even up for dealing with her daughter’s dead goldfish. The only good thing about all that happened before – aside from her friendship with Vero and whatever sparked between her and that detective – was it helped her break through her writer’s block.

Unfortunately, the writer’s block is back. And the muses seem intent on setting Finlay up for another wild ride in real life that might help with her next story idea.

Finlay has discovered a post on a women’s forum that seems to be hunting for a contract killer to take out Finlay’s ex-husband. While she doesn’t want him back in the least, Finlay also doesn’t want her kids to suffer if he’s killed. But tracking this would-be killer is going to involve another round of bluffing, bullets, and bodies.

Review

This was fantastic!

Know going in that the books in this series are painful and awkward a lot of the time as Finlay and Vero are magnets for trouble. But the mysteries are brilliantly plotted, the characters are fascinating, and the stories are a hoot! I am a huge fan of this series! Book 1 was one of my 2021 favorite reads.

This book – and book one, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It – are so DIFFERENT from any of the other mystery series I read. They truly feel like a genre all their own – and I am absolutely here for them. I love the writing angle as Finlay tries to wrangle the crazy situations she finds herself in into useable fiction for her career. I love the relationship between Finlay and Vero. And the piling on of problems and spiral-staircase-like twists to the mystery kept me frantically turning pages until the end.

Another feature I love in these is the epilogue that teases the next book. I am already thinking about what could happen in book 3 for Finlay and Vero. The next book is a must-read for me. (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ – I loved it! Would read again.

REVIEW: A Counterfeit Suitor by Darcie Wilde

REVIEW: A Counterfeit Suitor by Darcie Wilde

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

When Rosalind Thorne’s father’s crimes and schemes caught up with him, he fled with his oldest daughter, Charlotte, abandoning his wife and youngest daughter. But Rosalind has made the most of the rotten hand she was dealt. She’s been able to keep her own house and help elite families negotiate debuts and avoid scandals, putting them in her debt.

Then her father escapes Charlotte’s close supervision and semi-confinement, which has been for his own good – as well as his daughters’. But an old enemy of Rosalind’s is pulling her father’s strings, looking to destroy her. The tables are soon turned, though. Rosalind’s father, Sir Reginald, is found dead. And her enemy, Russell Fullerton, stands accused of his murder.

It’s pretty audacious for Fullerton to ask Rosalind for help proving his innocence. It would be all too easy to let him suffer for his many sins. But she can’t help dig for the truth, no matter what she might turn up along the way.

Review

Yikes, this was twisty! I could not puzzle this one out for myself. I had to just watch the story unfold.

I so enjoy Rosalind and her friends, and it was a treat to spend time with them again. I didn’t love this story as much as I have some of the earlier mysteries. But I am all in on these characters!

I found the resolution of the situation with Rosalind and her family satisfying. I’m curious to see how her life changes now that she no longer has to fear her father’s return and the trouble that would inevitably follow if he did.

Fans of the series should not miss this latest installment. I truly love the cast, and the slow burn between Rosalind and Adam is fascinating. The potential love interest for Alice was an interesting addition to the series. I’m curious to see how that evolves over the course of future books. I highly recommend newcomers start this series from the beginning to enjoy all of the character arcs fully and to best understand what the return of Rosalind’s father means.

While I debated between a rating of 3.5 (Good+) and 4 (Great!), I am going with 4 because the characters in this series keep me coming back. Historical mystery fans should check this series out. (LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

REVIEW: Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

It was bad enough that traffic was going to make Grady run for his flight. But as he’s running, his travel agent, Leda, tells him she changed his ticket – without his permission! She won’t say why. But when he watches the plane he was supposed to be on go up in flames, the Seattle cop has questions.

Leda’s psychic powers have always been sketchy. But she’s learned the hard way not to ignore those feelings. And while she expects Grady to be furious for awhile, she figures he’ll get over it when he realizes what she spared him.

Not only does Grady get over his initial anger. He decides Leda could use her gifts to help him with a cold case. And she says yes, secretly hoping he might in turn help her with an unsolved case of her own.

Review

This was so fun! I’m not sure which I liked more – the twisty mystery or the great characters. I will definitely be watching for more books in this new Booking Agents series.

Leda and Grady are fantastic leads. I loved the little group they have around them at the bar. The psychic pieces added a fun twist to a book that fits many of the features of a cozy mystery, although with more swearing.

I loved how the two mysteries – Grady’s and Leda’s – pulled them together into this fascinating case. I was engaged in figuring things out all the way to the satisfying conclusion.

If you love mysteries with quirky hooks and great characters, you need to pick this one up! (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

BLOG TOUR: Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer

BLOG TOUR: Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy from Netgalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book releases August 31, 2021.]

Summary

Called to her brother’s home by Dr. Watson, Enola finds him in a debilitating melancholy. He won’t acknowledge her efforts to rile him, and he essentially ignores a young woman who comes to him for help.  Enola draws out the details of her case, and eventually Sherlock is intrigued enough to join in the preliminaries.

Miss Glover has been told her twin sister has died, but she refuses to believe it. And there is some evidence that the claim is false. Besides, Miss Glover’s brother-in-law lost his first wife, too, from another “sudden fever” which raises suspicions. So the Holmes take on the case. Enola works her angle, even gaining help from her friend, the Viscount Tewkesbury, Marquess of Basilwether, while Sherlock works his own leads.

Review

The book opens with a prologue, penned by Sherlock, outlining Enola’s earlier adventures as well as a description of his transformed feelings for her and about her – annoyance to begrudging respect to fondness. It’s a GREAT opening. I could hear it in my mind in Henry Cavill’s voice (from the delightful Netflix Enola Holmes movie). And it was only the first of many things I loved about this book!

I love Enola! She is an exceptional sleuth, challenging all of her famous brother’s garbage assumptions about women by just being herself. I thoroughly enjoyed how she and Sherlock worked their own aspects of the case while always managing to return to one another. I enjoy them so much as partners.

It’s been ages since I first read the early books in this series (this is technically Enola’s 7th adventure), so I’m not sure if the Netflix movie did an exceptional job of capturing the tone of the characters from those earlier books or if *this* book does an exceptional job of capturing the tone of the movie. Either way, I had the movie characters firmly in my mind as I read, and I found this story just as enjoyable as I did the movie.

The sleuthing was satisfying, and the resolution of the case was, too. Frankly, I thought the book was perfect! (Don’t be alarmed by the low reviews on Amazon. Apparently a lot of folks didn’t realize they were reading a TEASER and not the whole book. And then they wondered why it was so short. Ugh.) Mystery fans, Sherlock fans, and Enola fans should run right out and pick this one up when it releases next week. It’s an absolute treat!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt

REVIEW: Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

While out walking their dogs, Andy and Laurie see a man yelling at and kicking his pug. As they move toward the scene, another man comes up and punches the abuser until he is down. When the police arrive, the hero and the abuser get arrested.

The dog’s hero is Matt Jantzen. And Matt is wanted for a double murder in Maine. Andy wants to help the guy, but he can’t find a Maine lawyer willing to take on the case. So Andy, Laurie, and the rest of their investigative team head to the land of lobster rolls for the trial.

Review

This is a great mystery in this fantastic series. I love the humor and snark in this series. The mystery in this one keeps you guessing all the way to the end. I loved the change of setting for this. It introduced a few new characters in addition to Andy’s usual team, including a new dog, which is always fun.

Mystery lovers, dog lovers, and readers who enjoy courtroom dramas should not miss this series. The court case starts a little later than usual in this book which made for another nice change of pace. I enjoyed the ways Rosenfelt changed things up for this novel.

I find this to be a series you can start in the middle without much issue. My first Andy Carpenter book was The Twelve Dogs of Christmas (♥♥♥♥♥), which is the 15th book in the series. (This is #23.) I loved the book, but I was intrigued by the team and had to go back to the beginning to see how it all came together. I think newcomers could easily start with this book and then go back and pick up some of the earlier titles as well as checking out the spin-off series, The K-Team. Some of my Andy Carpenter favorites are The Twelve Dogs of Christmas as well as  Bury the Lead (♥♥♥♥♥), and Play Dead (♥♥♥♥♥). The second K-Team book, Animal Instinct, is also terrific. Check them out! Book 24 in the Andy Carpenter series, Best in Snow, will be out this October, and I’ll be reviewing it then.  (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might-re-read

REVIEW: Alice Fleck's Recipes for Disaster by Rachelle Delaney

REVIEW: Alice Fleck’s Recipes for Disaster by Rachelle Delaney

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

To celebrate her last day of elementary school, Alice’s father gives her a phone. Sure, it’s a hand-me-down from his girlfriend, Hana, but a phone is a phone when you are about to start middle school.

Hana also has a gift for Alice. She entered Alice and her dad into a contest to win a spot on Culinary Chronicles, a TV cooking show. And they won.

Alice has learned the hard way that kids her age aren’t interested in the history of food and cooking, Victorian recipes, and the other things Alice and her dad love. But she doesn’t feel like she can say no to her dad or to Hana. Thankfully, Culinary Chronicles is on an obscure network, so no one will see her on TV. And it’s the nicest of the reality cooking shows with a lot of comradery on set. That’s the saving grace of this whole thing.

But when Alice and her dad get to the set, they discover Culinary Chronicles has been bought out by the most popular reality TV station. And they’ve changed the sweet format to something more cut throat. The judge is awful, and none of the contestants are having any fun. And it starts to look like someone is deliberately sabotaging the show. Alice and some new friends are determined to figure out what is really going on.

Review

This was fun. I wish the mystery elements and Alice’s team up with the other sleuths had started sooner and carried through the book. That was my favorite part of the story, but it cropped up late making the story feel a little uneven for me. The story begins with a focus on Alice and the drama of her dad having a girlfriend as well as her mixed feelings about her passions since it made finding friends at school so difficult. And those threads run from start to finish, but the mystery takes over for the last third or so.

I enjoyed all the ways Alice grows during the book – from her relationship with her dad and Hana to her shame over loving the things she loves. There’s a nice piece here about finding your people and embracing who you are rather than being ashamed of it. I loved that piece of the story.

Kids who love cooking shows and books about cooking (A Place at the Table, The Donut Fix and The Donut King, The World’s Greatest Chocolate-Covered Pork Chops, Summer of a Thousand Pies, From the Desk of Zoe Washington, etc.) should definitely pick this one up! The publisher’s information says this is for readers 10 and up.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

REVIEW: Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

REVIEW: Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Lizzie Bennet longs to become a barrister and study the law and argue cases. But as a young woman – with a mother who thinks only of seeing her daughters married – that is never going to happen. But she holds out hope that her father will hire her to be a solicitor and investigator. He’ll have to be convinced, though, so Lizzie decides she will solve (another) case to prove her ability.

There’s been a murder and an arrest. Mr. Bingley is accused of killing his brother-in-law. Lizzie hopes to convince him to hire her father’s firm to represent him. (They could use the business!) And Bingley is impressed by Lizzie. But he already has help from his good friend, Mr. Darcy. Darcy is arrogant, condescending, and dismissive of Lizzie from the start.

Darcy’s plan seems to be to present Bingley as “too good” of a person to be a murderer. But Lizzie knows the only way to truly protect Bingley is to find the real killer. And she feels she is just the person to do that.

Review

Delightful!!

I have to confess: I’ve never read – or watched – Pride and Prejudice. I’ve never been able to make myself care enough to push through the reading. I love the Sense and Sensibility movie, but I could not get into that book, either. Austen just doesn’t click for me. But I do enjoy retellings in general, as well as mysteries, so I decided to give this a try. And I thoroughly enjoyed it!

There are TONS of nods to the original plot (which I read online) with regard to the characters and relationships, but also lots of twists to keep fans engaged. But you don’t have to have read Pride and Prejudice to enjoy this. The author takes some liberties with the timeline (which she explains in an engaging author’s note), but it didn’t bother me in the least. I am not a purist about such things.

The mystery was fantastically twisty. I figured out part but not all of it before the end, which I enjoyed. I like both solving the puzzles and being surprised by them. And I can’t wait to read more mysteries in this series. Book 2 – Sense and Second-Degree Murder – will release in 2022 and book 3 – Manslaughter Park – will release in 2023. Mystery fans and Austen fans should be sure to pick this one up asap!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read.