Killing the Story by Joan Livingston

Killing the Story by Joan Livingston

by CarolNo Comments
Isabel Long is a former journalist who now works as a private investigator. Both jobs play to her strengths; she's curious, tenacious, tough, and determined. This is the first of the series that I've read, but it worked fine as a stand alone. Isabel is hired to investigate the death of a local newspaper editor whose death was originally ruled an accident. I liked Isabel. She's older than most of the main characters in mysteries I read, especially the women. She's probably in her late 60s, has silver hair, but she's smart and funny and attractive. Her mom is her sidekick and the interactions between the two are well-done. They have a close relationship but they both realize the other is strong and smart and capable. Isabel doesn't have to hide anything from her. Isabel has a boyfriend who manages to worry about her without being over-protective. There are several reasons to believe that Estelle's death was not an accident...
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Who Killed Patrick? by Syl Waters

Who Killed Patrick? by Syl Waters

by Carol1 Comment
I will admit, I don't pay a lot of attention to authors' websites. I include links at the bottom of my posts, but really don't spend much time looking at them. I stopped by Syl Waters' as I was getting this post ready and her blog caught my attention. Who Killed Patrick? takes place on the island of Fuerteventura, a place I had never hear of but that Waters clearly loves. On her blog, she has several posts talking about the island, but she also has a funny one about a discussion she had with her mom. The sidekick in the book is a guinea pig, which her mom seemed to think made it a children's book until Waters told her about how many bones a guinea pig has. Apparently her mom decided that the guinea pig was not actually much smaller than a chihuahua, the critter companion in a mystery her mom had read recently so maybe it was...
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Scampy Doodle and the Reindeer by G. J. Barnes

Scampy Doodle and the Reindeer by G. J. Barnes

by CarolNo Comments
Scampy Doodle is a happy dog who has helped his best friend Jemima get ready for Christmas. They decorated and set out treats for Santa and his reindeer and they went to bed, Jemima to her room and Scampy Doodle to his bed in the kitchen. Then, Scampy Doodle gets woken up by a strange sound. This is a fun little Christmas story. It's about helping and giving and the magic of Christmas. I do wish they had left hot chocolate for Santa instead of a whiskey, but that's just me. I liked when Scampy Doodle decided to be brave and pushed the door to the living room open to peer around and see there the noise came from. It reminded me of my dog, Scrappy, who is also bigger than a snowball and smaller than a snowman. The illustrations were bright and simple and cute but there were more words than pictures. The print was odd for me. It was bold, fun...
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The Horse’s Arse by Laura Gascoigne

The Horse’s Arse by Laura Gascoigne

by Carol6 Comments
I admit I love a little art thrown in with my crime. I couldn't pass up this story with its combo of art, fraud, kidnapping, and even murder. I actually enjoyed this one. It took a little while to sort everything out, but it was a fun read. I've got an excerpt to give you a taste. Read an excerpt from The Horse's Arse: The story so far: Daniel Colvin, a junior reporter on the art newspaper Marquette, has uncovered evidence of a dodgy deal between the international art dealer Bernard Orlovsky and the UK’s State Gallery, but just as his revelations are going to press he is knocked off his bike by a hit-and-run driver. Back home from hospital with a leg in plaster, he finds his flat has been raided. DC Yasmin Desai from the Met’s Art & Antiques Squad had warned him Orlovsky was dangerous, but he hadn’t listened… Daniel knew there was something wrong from the light, or the absence...
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Comfort Food by Julia Bettelheim

Comfort Food by Julia Bettelheim

by Carol4 Comments
Comfort Food by Julia Bettelheim has a wonderful variety of recipes, from soups and main dishes to desserts and cookies, even some specialties from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The author has lived and worked in a variety of places, which shows in this collection. A lot of the dishes sound delicious and I want to try them, like the potato pancakes with mushroom sauce, pastitios, and hummingbird cake. I do wish it had a few more photos, though. Last night I made the "Perfect Tuna Rolls" and was very happy with how they turned out. I served them with mashed potatoes and peas, as the recipe suggested. Perfect Tuna Rolls 1 tub of ricotta cheese (250g) 1 can flaked tuna (440g) 2 eggs salt and pepper 1 teaspoon lemon juice 2 packets puff pastry ½ cup grated cheese ¼ cup milk Makes about 8 rolls. Preheat the oven to a moderate temperature. Mix the ricotta cheese, drained tuna, one of the eggs, grated cheese, salt and pepper and lemon juice in a bowl all together...
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