A Killer Wedding by Joan O’Leary

A Killer Wedding by Joan O’Leary

by CarolNo Comments
One of the many lessons I've learned in over four decades of reading mysteries is avoid destination weddings. This time around the setting is an opulent castle-turned-hotel in Ireland; the murdered woman is the groom's grandmother; and our plucky amateur sleuth is ambitious, newly promoted, senior magazine editor, Christine Russo. I did not like most of this book. While rich families behaving badly is usually a decent start, this one jus didn't work for the most part. We have so many characters and so many flashbacks and so many secrets. Everyone's a potential suspect. And Christine is a mediocre investigator who seems to be in over her head both with the family and her job. Really, the only reason she gets anywhere are the notes she's given by an unknown someone. Now, the twist at maybe 90% made the book worth reading. It doesn't make it a good book, but it does pull everything together well and caught me off...
Read More
Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards

Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards

by CarolNo Comments
Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife is a clever mystery that I enjoyed but probably won't work for everyone. Six not-quite stranger, all down on their luck, are invited to play a murder mystery game at the remote Midwinter retreat over Christmas. The rules are semi-clear and the prize is "life-changing." The book invites the reader to attempt to solve the murder puzzle, but whether you sit down with pencil and paper while reading or not, the story is enjoyable. We end up with two mysteries, the one in the puzzle and, as is to be expected, one of the guests is killed. Of course, a snowstorm has left the retreat cut off. The Midwinter Trust employees seem to have their own agenda, too. The is a book that's definitely heavier on plot than characters. While all the characters are interesting and have a bit of personality, i never actually cared about them. Yes, I wondered who would get...
Read More
Arsenic and Old Lies by Benedict Brown

Arsenic and Old Lies by Benedict Brown

by Carol1 Comment
I enjoy this series a lot, but don't seem to have much to say about this one. Marius Quin, mystery writer and amateur detective, finds a dead man in his study. The man has obviously been murdered and was Bella's fiancé. Bella is Marius' friend, sleuthing partner, and the woman he's been in love with forever. He's too close to the situation to help the police, so distracts himself with the case of Felicity Mortimer, a woman imprisoned for poisoning her husband fifteen years earlier. Marius is convinced Felicity is innocent and he and Bella set off to the Mortimer country estate to prove it. I like Marius. He's not the best detective or writer or the most sensitive man, but he tries. I love how well he and Bella work together and their friendship is well done. The plot moved along at a nice pace with plenty of clues, suspicious characters, and family secrets. The next in the series takes...
Read More
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

by Carol1 Comment
The Hacienda will probably be my last spooky story of the year. Newly-married Beatriz has just moved to her husband, Don Rodolfo's, hacienda, San Isidro, where she will live with her husband and sister-in-law. It's not long until Beatriz realizes something is wrong with the hacienda, aside from neglect. She begins hearing voices, having vivid hallucinations, and constantly feels like she is being watched. Fearing the house is haunted, she turns to a local priest, Padre Andrés, for help. The writing is beautiful and descriptive. The atmosphere is "hauntingly lovely" and oppressive. I listened to the audio and having two narrators worked well with the two viewpoints, Beatriz' and Andrés'. In print, I'm not sure their voices would have been as distinct. Overall, it was an enjoyable read: a bit of supernatural, a unique (for me) setting, a touch of romance. It did touch briefly on some tough topics but ended up skirting around them....
Read More
Murdered on Halloween by Daisy Landish

Murdered on Halloween by Daisy Landish

by Carol1 Comment
This is a short read at only 50 pages, so not much time to develop the characters or plot. Jane and Kennedy attend a fancy Halloween party and someone wearing a similar costume to Kennedy is killed. Kennedy is later attacked and realizes who the culprit is. My main complaint is that I wanted it to be longer. I wanted to get to know Jane and Kennedy better and have an actual mystery rather than Kennedy just recognizing them. Also, while it was set in London, its language is very American....
Read More
Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

by Carol1 Comment
This is at least the third or fourth time I've read Hallowe'en Party. Christie books are my comfort reads and this one is perfect for October. A girl is drowned in the apple bobbing bucket at a Halloween party after declaring that she once saw a murder. Ariadne Oliver, a guest at the party, turns to Poirot for help. Poirot begins with the question of what murder the girl could have witnessed, and turns up several potential cases. The plot moved along at a good pace and there were several turns. I knew the who the killer was, but it was fun getting there. I love the dialogue between Ariadne and Poirot....
Read More