Book Reviews – Page 61 – Carol's Notebook

A Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer

December 27, 2020December 27, 2020 by Carol4 Comments

A British country house Christmas party may be my favorite setting for a murder. Joseph and his wife, Maud, live at Nathaniel's grand home. Joseph has organized a Christmas party, even though he seems to be the only one in a festive mood. Like any good Christmas party, we've got a ill-matched bunch of relatives, significant others, a family friend, and a business partner. Nathaniel is a difficult and argumentative man, who has fights with just about everyone at the house. When he is killed, there are a plethora of suspects and plenty of motives, mostly revolving around who inherits Nathanial’s fortune. The murder obviously puts a damper on the Christmas celebrations. This was a good read, clever and funny. We've got a locked room mystery that makes for a good puzzle for the investigator. I adored Maud, placid, unruffled, unwilling to play hostess. She just wants to find her missing book. And how can you not enjoy a mystery that...

Murder at Mistletoe Manor by Holly Tierney-Bedord

December 24, 2020December 27, 2020 by Carol2 Comments

Thirty-four-year-old Klarinda Snow runs Mistletoe Manor, an inn/restaurant in Windy Pines, Idaho. When seven rooms are booked on a Tuesday night in December Klarinda finds it odd - the inn doesn't usually have that much business in December. But no sooner do the guests arrive and get settled in before many accidental deaths start occurring. And now they are snowed in. Who could be behind the deaths? And are all these guests connected somehow? This was an enjoyable mystery. I liked the snowy location of the inn. The story took place around Christmas even though there wasn't that much Christmas in it. Many of my favorite moments were the humorous inner musings and observations of the innkeeper, although I enjoyed the quirky secondary characters too. The cops were so incredibly incompetent, even more so than usual. Overall, though, it's funny and cute. Maybe the killer is too easy to spot, but I'll overlook that. Overall, it was a quick, easy listen,...

Murder at an Irish Christmas by Carlene O’Connor

December 18, 2020December 18, 2020 by Carol2 Comments

Murder at an Irish Christmas is the 6th installment in the Irish Village Mystery series, but the first I've read. It worked fine as a stand alone. I felt like I got to know the characters well and was given enough of the backstory but not too much. Siobhán and her family are spening Christmas with the family of James’ fiancé, Elise. Siobhán is a bit apprehensive about her brother’s engagement, but is still looking forward to a peaceful Christmas with all of them together. Of course, that's before the murder is discovered. Elise's grandfather, Enda Elliott, renowned conductor is found dead. His body is on the floor of the old mill, the very place where the village is panning on hosting a Christmas concert that Enda was to conduct. There are suspects galore, although for some reason the local garda is just focussed on one, Theodore Baskins, the village's bad boy. Siobhán thinks there's more to it and Enda's...

The Impossible Quest of Hailing a Taxi on Christmas Eve by George Saoulidis

December 14, 2020December 14, 2020 by CarolNo Comments

"The Impossible Quest of Hailing a Taxi on Christmas Eve" is a fun re-telling of A Christmas Carol. Scrooge tries to order a cab on Christmas Eve from an app. The problem is that the cabdriver who shows up won't take him. He's an undesirable customer. While he was busy denigrating the cab drivers in his reviews, the cab drivers were also reviewing him. Eventually Scrooge agrees to a "test" to determine whether he will accepted into a cab again. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future are all cab drivers. It had all the pieces of the standard story, but with just enough of a twist to make it feel fresh. ...

A Resolution at Midnight by Shelley Noble

December 11, 2020December 11, 2020 by CarolNo Comments

A Resolution at Midnight is the third book in Shelley Noble's Lady Dunbridge historical mystery series. I didn't read the first two books, and I think I would have enjoyed this one a bit more if I had. This mystery itself worked well as a stand-alone, but I was missing out a bit on the characters' backgrounds. We start the story with Philomena Amesbury, the young Dowager Countess of Dunbridge - Phil to her friends - is getting ready for her first Christmas in New York. She gets a note from Mr. X sending her to a theater, where she ends up sitting by a dead (murdered) man. She, of course, then gets wrapped up in the mystery of who it was and who killed him. I guess a little more information on how she ended up working for Mr. X and why she puts up with him. Mr. X never seem to share information and doesn't give her much...

The Finishing Stroke by Ellery Queen

December 9, 2020December 10, 2020 by Carol4 Comments

The Finishing Stroke is set primarily at Christmas-time, but bookended by a prologue set twenty-some years prior to the main events and a wrap-up that takes place over twenty years later. The bulk of the story takes place at Christmas, 1929. John Jr. has put together an extended Christmas party at the home of his guardian, Arthur Craig. We've got an assortment of guests, including John's girlfriend, Rusty Brown and a few of their friends. There is also the family doctor, the family lawyer, a pastor and a publisher. And, of course, Ellery Queen. Sebastian announces that some important events will happen during the party. First, his book of poetry is being published by the House of Freeman. Second, January 6th is his twenty-fifth birthday and he'll come into the trust fund that his father set up for him in his will. Third, he's going to marry Rusty. There's a final item, but he's keeping that a secret...