Tag: mystery

REVIEW: Lies Like Poison by Chelsea Pitcher

REVIEW: Lies Like Poison by Chelsea Pitcher

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Margaret K. McElderberry Books/Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

When they were 14, and they were convinced Raven’s stepmother was abusing him, Belle came up with the plan and showed it to Poppy. They would put petals of belladonna and poppies into the woman’s tea. It would look like an accident as the girls had just been making garlands. Raven’s stepmother would die, and Raven would finally be safe. When Lily found the plan, she wanted in, too. They might have been talking about her mother, but Lily wanted her gone just as desperately.

But it never happened. Raven went away to boarding school. Lily went into a treatment facility. And the four teens drifted apart.

Three years later, Raven’s stepmother is found dead. And there’s belladonna in her tea. The police found their childhood plan. Belle is arrested. Raven comes home. Poppy, now going by “Jack,” reaches out to Lily for help. And the secrets between them, and those they kept from one another, start to take on a life of their own.

Review

Wow! This is super twisty! It’s the sort of book that is compelling. You’re not sure what exactly is going on, but you *have* to keep reading so you can figure it out. And it’s a doozy! There are some terrific fairy tale moments cleverly woven in that I enjoyed.

This is the sort of book that’s hard to review because almost anything I say could be a spoiler. I don’t know that I liked many of the characters in this. There are so many twists and lies and secrets, it’s hard to really know them or trust them. But at the same time, I was completely invested in finding out what really happened. In fact, I would have liked a few more pages at the end with definitive details of what happens next for everyone. Fans of found family stories should check this one out.

If you are a fan of twisty, suspenseful stories like We Were Liars (♥♥♥♥) or One of Us Is Lying (♥♥♥♥), don’t miss this one! (Language, sexual references, LGBTQ+, TW: grief/loss, abuse/neglect, eating disorders, inpatient treatment)

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

BONUS REVIEW: Silent Bite by David Rosenfelt

BONUS REVIEW: Silent Bite by David Rosenfelt

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Andy Carpenter’s status as a retired defense attorney is in jeopardy again when his business partner, Willie Miller, asks Andy to take on a new client. Tony Birch was Willie’s cellmate once, and Tony has been arrested again. The prosecution’s story is that Tony was angry at the guy who testified against him and put him in jail. But when more bodies start piling up, it seems that Tony might have been set up.

As Andy and his team dig further into the case, the frame up becomes more clear, but the reasons are elusive. If the defense can’t catch a break, Tony could go to jail for something he didn’t do.

Review

This is book 22 in the fun Andy Carpenter series. As always, this has a terrific dog as well as Andy and his top notch team.

I am happy to say I puzzled out what was really going on before Andy did, although he did fill in a couple gaps for me in the end to round the case out. This one was tricky, and for awhile I wondered if Andy was going to pull it together in time.

While this takes place around Christmas, the holiday is not a major factor in the story. And other than a new cast member, there weren’t any big non-case-related surprises here for the series.

Series fans will enjoy spending some snark-filled hours with Andy, watching him wrestle through another case. This hits all the usual beats for the series. Newcomers should be able to enjoy this on its own without issue. But if you love the team here like I do, you’ll want to go back and pick up some of the earlier books. Some of my favorites are: Bury the Lead (♥♥♥♥♥), Play Dead (♥♥♥♥♥), and The Twelve Dogs of Christmas (♥♥♥♥♥).

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

BONUS REVIEW: Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce

BONUS REVIEW: Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Myrtle Hardcastle is the daughter of the local prosecutor, and a scientist, her late mother. So she comes by her intellect and her curiosity honestly. So can anyone be surprised when she uses the telescope to look in on the neighbors or when she reads about poisons?

When Myrtle notices a change in the daily patterns of her neighbors at Redgraves, she looks into things on her own and then notifies the police. They discover that the lady of the house, Miss Wodehouse, has passed away.

Everyone says it was her heart, but Myrtle is convinced it was murder. Myrtle and her governess, Miss Judson, do some of their own investigating at Redgraves, talking to the presumed heirs as well and hunting for clues. In fact, Myrtle eventually convinces the powers that be that it was, in fact, murder. Now, all she has to do is find the killer.

Review

This was excellent! I loved the characters in this. Myrtle is a delight – brilliant and confident. And the cast around her is equally fantastic. I would snap up book 2 – How to Get Away With Myrtle – which also released this week. This was terrific!

The characters are what would keep me coming back to this series. I’m already excited about their next adventure. But the mystery in this is also excellent. There are several suspects and some nice surprises. Mystery fans are going to love this! Crimes include a suspicious death/murder, fraud, and kidnapping.

Do not miss this new mystery series for older middle grade readers (ages 10+) or the amazing Myrtle Hardcastle. I’d hand this to kids who enjoy mysteries like City Spies, FRAMED, Aggie Morton, The Westing Game, Capture the Flag, The Parker Inheritance, or Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor. (You can read about other middle grade mysteries here.) I think they will fall in love with Myrtle.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½=I loved it! Would re-read!

REVIEW: Daphne & Velma: The Vanishing Girl by Josephine Ruby

REVIEW: Daphne & Velma: The Vanishing Girl by Josephine Ruby

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The town of Crystal Cove counts on their mysterious history (the disappearance of most of the town founders) and the Haunted Village attraction to bring tourists to town.

When a teen gets locked in an attraction at Haunted Village, and she blames ghosts, there’s tons of fresh attention on the town. Unfortunately, the girl’s story could cost Velma Dinkley’s mom her job at the Haunted Village. The Village has already taken so much from her family. So Velma is determined to get the girl, Marcy, to recant her story so Velma’s mom can get back to work.

Instead, Marcy goes missing. Daphne Blake is Marcy’s best friend. She does NOT believe the lame story that Marcy ran away to Mexico. Finding Marcy is a bigger job than Daphne can tackle on her own. But the only other person who questions the story is Velma. Maybe they could have worked together when they were 10. But the two girls have been bitter enemies for years now. Could they put aside their history to find out the truth about Marcy?

Review

This was great! I loved watching the girls work through their history as well as the mystery. Shaggy and Scooby play a role, and Fred is around, but the girls are the stars here.

I’m not certain if this is an alternate universe from the TV shows I have enjoyed for years, tracking it’s own independent course, or if it is an origin story for the Mystery Inc. gang that will develop over time. I’ll have to keep up with the series to find out. And I plan to! This was so fun.

I had thought this was going to be a graphic novel, but this is a prose novel instead. The history and angst between Daphne and Velma is a significant part of the story. It’s mostly resolved by the end, and I’m eager to see how they move forward in future books. There’s also family stuff going on for both girls that added some nice layers to the story.

The mystery was terrific. It felt like an episode of Scooby Doo in all the best ways. I’m eager to dive into book 2, The Dark Deception. A third book is currently scheduled for spring, 2021.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = Loved it! Would read again

BONUS REVIEW: Cat Me If You Can by Miranda James

BONUS REVIEW: Cat Me If You Can by Miranda James

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Charlie and his finacée, Helen Louise, along with Charlie’s Maine Coon, Diesel, travel to Asheville, North Carolina for a mystery retreat for the members of the Athena Public Library’s mystery group. The Ducote sisters secured a lovely boutique hotel for everyone to stay in that will also hold their group events.

The group includes the Ducote’s ward, Benjy, as well as an art history professor, a loan officer, a plumber, and a retired couple. All together, there are 12 group members there as well as a few significant others. Charlie is looking forward to getting to know the other folks in the newly formed group.

But their mystery-focused fun is disrupted when the loan officer’s “boyfriend”/stalker disrupts their first meeting. The next day, he is found dead. Before long, the whole group is pulled into a real-life mystery.

Review

Another great mystery starring Charlie and Diesel, book 13 in the Cat in the Stacks mystery series. It was nice to have a change of setting for this book. I wanted more of their mystery retreat sessions. I loved the bits on Golden Age writers that are part of the set up of the story. In fact, I even started a list of authors to check out. I was sad that the murder investigation ended up edging out the rest of their retreat meetings.

The mystery here was excellent. It was twisty in all the best ways. I didn’t see the solution until it was revealed on the page.

There’s lots here for series fans to enjoy. There are plenty of scenes with Diesel as well as some of Charlie’s usual friend group, including the ladies from Miranda James‘ Southern Ladies Mysteries series. There’s also a fresh setting and a mystery to keep you guessing until the end. Fans of these characters should not miss this installment. Book 14, What the Cat Dragged In, will release in the spring of 2021. (Alludes to off-page sex, LGBTQ+, TW: Suicide)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥=Great, might re-read

BONUS REVIEW: The Candy Mafia by Lavie Tidhar

BONUS REVIEW: The Candy Mafia by Lavie Tidhar

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

It’s been 3 years since Mayor Thornton banned chocolate and sweets from the town. Three years since the Farnsworth Chocolate Factory closed and the owner disappeared.

Nelle Faulkner is a private detective on summer break. Eddie deMenthe is her latest client, a candy bootlegger looking for someone who can find things. Precious things. Stolen things.

But Nelle’s case only gets more complicated. Someone breaks into her office. The police come to her house. And Eddie goes missing. Something in the secret chocolate trade is rotten. Something beyond just smuggling.

Review

This was fun. The premise was interesting – the candy ban, kids as smugglers. And then the larger secrets and motives that Nelle discovers as she investigates.

I liked Nelle and the other kids she ends up working with. The focus of the book was more on the action than character development. I would have enjoyed more on the characters. There were hints at the toll of the smuggling scheme on the kids; I would have loved to see that explored a lot more. I found that piece fascinating.

The mystery had a few twists – some I predicted and others that surprised me. I think kids will enjoy this story . Mystery fans will get a kick out of trying to solve the case before Nelle.

Like Nelle, I wanted more in the end, but overall the story is fun, and the solution is solid. This could be a fun read-aloud selection or good for use in a book club.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½=Good+

REVIEW: The Game by Linsey Miller

REVIEW: The Game by Linsey Miller

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

In the spring, the thoughts of the seniors at Lincoln High turn to college acceptance letters – and murder.

Well, not actual murder. Just to the annual game of Assassins. Armed with water guns, the teens of Lincoln track their peers with the hope of being the last one standing.

Lia Prince is counting on Assassins to be her claim to fame. Always in her older brother’s shadow, Lia is determined to make her name here. She’s been observing her classmates’ schedules for months, planning her strategy for this moment.

But when one of the players dies in an accident, the Assassin game is in jeopardy. When a second dies, and NOT in an accident, it’s clear something more than some good clean fun is going on in Lincoln.

Review

I knew this was billed as a mashup of Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders (which I know of but haven’t read) and Riverdale (which I’ve never seen). But I didn’t expect the tie-ins to the Christie mystery to be as clear as they were, starting with even the email address for the Council that is running the game. It was a clever set up for Christie, and it’s still a clever set up here. Those who aren’t familiar with the original mystery will probably catch on to the scheme quickly.

I enjoyed the suspense of this and the idea of a harmless game that turns deadly. The suspense and the stakes bring to mind books like #Murder Trending (♥♥♥♥) and thrillers by Karen McManus (One of Us is Lying – ♥♥♥♥, Two Can Keep a Secret). This one wasn’t as well executed as those, but there were some good moments.

The emotional beats to this didn’t click for me. I didn’t care for Lia or any of the other main characters. I also didn’t lock into Lia’s obsession over this game. She explained it several times in the book, but I wasn’t emotionally hooked into her rationales. She was pretty over-the-top in her preparation and her compulsion to put herself in danger for the sake of this game. I didn’t feel like the case for her drive was as clearly made as it could have been. I felt like her reputation as a puzzle person was more told rather than shown, and this skill/gift of hers wasn’t really reflected in the story.

Fans of thrillers, fans of The ABC Murders, and those intrigued by the premise of this one should consider it. If you are new to the genre, this might be a nice starting spot. A weird, mysterious ending could indicate that there is a sequel planned, which I know will make fans of this story excited to see what is next for Lia and her friends. (Violence)

Rating: ♥♥½*

*I have a new rating system. ♥♥½ is “Mostly solid to solid. May have some issues.”

BONUS REVIEW: The Love Scam by MaryJanice Davidson

BONUS REVIEW: The Love Scam by MaryJanice Davidson

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Rake Tarbell is having a bad day. He woke up hungover in a strange hotel room. In Venice, Italy. But he has no memory of going there. He also has no wallet, no phone, and he’s fallen into the canal. And the tip of the iceberg? When he finally finds his way to his bank accounts to get some money, he finds them empty.

All of that is epically bad. But in the middle of discovering how much trouble he’s in, he also meets a woman who says the girl at her side – Lillith – is his daughter.

So now Rake is in Italy with no money, no ID or passport, no phone to call his family, and a kid he doesn’t know but might be responsible for. Thankfully, the woman who brought Lillith to him, Delaney, is willing to help him. They just have to dodge thugs, stuff Easter baskets, and figure out why Rake’s life has turned upside down.

Review

What a hoot! I got a huge kick out of Rake and this whole story. Apparently this takes place concurrently with book one, Danger, Sweetheart, which I have not read. I feel like I picked the right book, and the right brother of the Tarbell twins, though. Rake is obnoxious early on, but I warmed up to him. (His brother, on the other hand, always felt like a jerk whenever he appeared in this book.) Lillith is also a complete delight. I love adult books with fantastic kid characters. And Lillith is brilliant, both literally and figuratively.

The “mysteries” of what Delaney and her friends are up to, what happened to Lillith’s mother, and what happened to Rake’s money were engaging. I enjoyed watching it all unfold, and I laughed loudly and often as I waited for things to be resolved. This was a ton of fun, and I’m glad I tried it out!(Language, sex, some violence)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BONUS REVIEW: City Spies by James Ponti

BONUS REVIEW: City Spies by James Ponti

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

When Sara Martinez is arrested, she knows it’s a big deal. She was caught hacking. She did it to expose her foster parents for the abusive charlatans they are. But of course nothing happened to them, and Sara was arrested.

But then the British guy shows up. Pretends to be her lawyer. Masterfully works the court case to Sara’s favor, getting her sentenced to a fictional facility until she turns 18.

All so Sara can become a spy for MI6.

MI6 has a team of young spies ready to go on a super secret, super vital mission. But their hacker up and quit the program. If Sara can cut it, she’ll be their new hacker.

They’ve never seen a computer whiz like her!

Review

This was an absolute treat! I loved Sara from the start. She’s crazy smart, fierce, and loyal. My favorite sort of protagonist. The other kids on the team are fascinating as well – talented and quirky with interesting back stories. Even some of the adults get backstories in this book!

The mission and mystery are top notch. No surprise, really. I expected that after the delightful FRAMED series by this author. (I totally need to read those again!) There were several fantastic twists along the way. And some unresolved threads will pull readers into the next book, which is City Spies: Golden Gate, scheduled to release next spring. I already have it in my shopping cart!

Readers who love mysteries, kid spies or found family stories should NOT miss this one!!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Muzzled by David Rosenfelt

REVIEW: Muzzled by David Rosenfelt

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Beth Morris finds owners of lost pets. When someone in her network – say, Andy Carpenter’s Tara Foundation – finds a stray dog, Beth uses her skills and her contacts to find the owners. Sometimes the owners don’t want the dog, and it’s then freed up for adoption. Other times it’s been lost and she gets to reunite the family with their beloved pet.

Lucy is one such dog. And Beth has determined that Lucy’s owner is one of the men who recently died in a suspicious boat explosion.

Then Beth gets a call from someone else who knows all about Lucy. Has Beth made a mistake in her research? Or has a dead man come looking for his dog?

Beth immediately brings the case to Andy. Despite his protests that he’s “retired,” there’s something about this case that grabs his attention.

Review

I know that’s not much of a summary, but I don’t want to give too much away about what Andy and his team discover as they work on this case. Andy is in top form in this twisty mystery! The clues are doled out slowly, so I was guessing all the way to the end. There were some great courtroom moments, as well as tons of sarcasm, and at least one jaw-dropping surprise. These are the things that keep me coming back to this series.

The characters in this series are top notch. There’s less time with Andy’s legal team in this one, but an increased focus on the K-Team which was a great trade off.

Fans of the series should pick this one up right away. It’s terrific. Newcomers should be able to jump in anywhere. I started this series with book 15 – The Twelve Dogs of Christmas (♥♥♥♥♥) – and then read all of the backlist. I haven’t missed a book since. Rosenfelt does a good job of keeping new readers clued in without doing an annoying backstory dump. Reading the books out of order has never been an issue for me.

Mystery fans, especially those who enjoy courtroom dramas, should be sure to check out this series! (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½