Pompeii, Paccheri, and Panic by Traci Andrighetti

Pompeii, Paccheri, and Panic by Traci Andrighetti

by CarolNo Comments
Pompeii, Paccheri, and Panic is a fun novella introducing a new series based around food tours in Italy. I guess it's a spin off of Andrighetti's Franki Amato series, but I've never read any of those, so can't make any comparisons. Giada Adair has taken a job as a tour guide and she and her assistant/friend, Moira, have gone to Pompeii to do some research before her first official tour. We know it's not going to be smooth sailing. First an ancient lamp just unearthed from a dig site the pair were visiting disappears. Then, a young woman dies after eating a pasta dish met for Giada. Giada is either going to be arrested for the crime or she was the intended victim - either way she's in trouble and needs to figure out who the killer is. The characters are fun and the plot worked well. We had several suspects and the clues fit well. I'm interested in learning...
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On the Hook by Rae Keech

On the Hook by Rae Keech

by CarolNo Comments
I think this might be the first sailing cozy mystery I've read. Anne is a teacher at the elementary school in her hometown and is a member of the local boat club. Following the women laser regatta, one of the competitors is killed and Anne becomes a suspect. She and her friend, Tim, the dockmaster at the club, start to investigate. The mystery was good. We had several plausible suspects, good clues and a few red herrings. I do wish the author had trusted the reader a bit more, instead of repeating points over and over. I liked Anne, but I didn't quite understand her. She's been a widow for 18 years, her husband died suddenly when they were in their twenties. Why is she now, right when a murderer is loose in town, becoming interested in Tim, whom she has known for at least a couple of years. And the whole couple of chapters where he leaves town and somehow...
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Cruising Through Midlife by Addison Moore

Cruising Through Midlife by Addison Moore

by CarolNo Comments
Trixie is on her 25-anniversary cruise to Hawaii alone because her husband is a cheating jerk. And I do have to say she moved on well. She's determined to have fun and not fall for any of his pleading or mean jabs. She seems to take everything in stride and with a smile, even when she finds a dead body in her luggage and a ghost turns up to help her solve the mystery. It's a fun, lighthearted mystery with plenty of romance. Trixie has two potential love interests, both crew. I'm not a fan of love triangles and I did kind of want her to just pick one, but it's only an 18-night cruise, and she'll never see either of them again, so what's the harm? And I might have peeked at some of the later blurbs in the series, so I'm willing to let it slide for now. It's a fun book. I enjoyed Trixie and her new friends. It's...
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The Dog Park Murders by Angela Barker

The Dog Park Murders by Angela Barker

by Carol2 Comments
I actually enjoyed The Dog Park Murders. Sometimes mysteries with too much romance make me roll my eyes, but I think it was balanced pretty well in this one. And the blurb made it clear what to expect. Yes, this book felt like a Hallmark movie, but in a good way. Labrador Falls is an adorable small, dog-obsessed town where Juliette has lived her whole life. It's not always an easy place to live - small towns can be tricky. Everyone knows everyone else and their backgrounds and families. When Juliette finds a dead body at the local dog park, with evidence pointing to her pet grooming shop, she immediately becomes the prime suspect, thanks in part to her family history. Joel owns the coffee shop, but is relatively new in town. However, he can't just stand aside and let Juliette get railroaded by a lazy, biased detective. The mystery was decent. The dead man was not nice, so we had several...
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Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney

Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney

by CarolNo Comments
Dungeons and Danger is the second in the Ravensea Castle mystery series, but I think it could be read as a standalone. The mystery is self-contained, and although we have several characters returning from the first, the author does a good job of introducing everyone. The Asquith family has turned their centuries old castle into a B&B, complete with resident ghosts. Their current guests include a professor specializing in Viking history who believes there's a treasure hidden on the grounds and a group of ghost hunters filming a show. And the castle is hosting a huge Viking festival. "Accidents" start piling up and it's no surprise when someone ends up murdered. The returning characters are all well-developed and interesting, without going over the line into quirky. I like Nora Asquith and her family. Their interactions feel genuine and they work together well. Nora is dating the local detective inspector, Finlay Cole, but they both act like adults and their relationship is...
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Murder on the Rocks by T.E. Kinsey

Murder on the Rocks by T.E. Kinsey

by Carol2 Comments
I have to say I enjoyed Murder on the Rocks tons more than the other one in this series I've read. Lady Hardcastle and Florence are at a friend's island fort in Devonshire. JB McIntyre has recently converted the building into a hotel and has invited a group of people a kind of a pre-opening weekend. Of course, it turns into a less than relaxing weekend. First, some jewelry goes missing, then a guest is murdered with a narwhal tusk, and finally a storm rolls in, effectively cutting them off from the mainland. Lady Hardcastle and Flo are joined by an interesting group of JB's business associates and friends, all of whom are now suspects. Each of them, of course, has a secret that may or may not be known by the others and a reason for wanting the dead man gone. And they all seem to have alibis, no matter how often Emily and Flo review the timeline....
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