Mystery – Page 19 – Carol's Notebook

Sounds Like a Plan by Pamela Samuels Young and Dwayne Alexander Smith

March 25, 2024April 10, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

Mackenzie and Jackson are private investigators hired to investigate a missing person case. The first person to find the missing woman gets the reward. The two end up working together, a partnership with tension and plenty of sparks. The book alternates between Jackson's and Mackenzie's point of view, allowing us to know how each is thinking and feeling about the case and about each other. Jackson is determined and can be charming, but is a bit sexist. He also makes at least one offensive joke, if nor more. A joke that could have been left out without any harming the plot or character development at all. Mackenzie is smart and headstrong. They make a good team. The plot is a little over the top. We've got top-notch hackers, hired killers and a kidnapper, but it's fun in an action movie kind of way. The wrap-up to the mystery is a bit quick, but I honestly didn't see it coming....

Deadly Summer Nights by Vicki Delany

March 22, 2024March 25, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

Deadly Summer Nights is set in 1953 in the Catskills. Elizabeth Grady, a bookkeeper in New York City, was convinced by her mother, Olivia, to manage Haggerman's Resort, which Olivia recently inherited. Elizabeth has her work cut out for her dealing with guests and staff, then, to top it all off, one of the guests ends up dead, murdered and left floating in the lake. The local police find a copy of The Communist Manifesto in the man's cottage and the rumors that the resort is harboring communists start flying. Elizabeth is anxious to solve this mystery as soon as possible and save the resort's reputation. The setting is so fun. I love the resort with all its activities and entertainment. The clothes and drinks and slang were perfect, too. Elizabeth is a good protagonist, smart and level-headed, but not unemotional. Her mom, Olivia, a former actress, is a blast. She knows how to exude charm and when to offer free...

The Bell in the Fog by Lev A.C. Rosen

March 21, 2024April 10, 2024 by Carol2 Comments

The Bell in the Fog is the second in the Andy Mills series and I do think it's best to read Lavender House first. It gives a good introduction to Andy and his world, along with a couple of characters who reappear here. Andy is set up as a private detective now, but because he used to be a cop the community doesn't trust him, so he's not getting much business. He lives above Elsie's bar, the Ruby, and he's costing it business too, so she's not making enough to pay the bribes that prevent raids. He needs the money, so when someone from his past wants to hire him to find out who is behind blackmail photos that could threaten his military career, Andy takes the case. The mystery itself is of course more complicated than it seems at first, and more dangerous. It's also so connected to Andy's past that maybe he's not seeing things as clearly as he should....

A Murder to Remember by Brynn Kelly

March 20, 2024March 19, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

I have to admit, A Murder to Remember was a bit silly and predictable, but I enjoyed it. It's a fun cross between rom com and murder mystery with a bunch of Austen references. Amelia goes on a tour to England to clear her mind and enjoy all the Austen related tourist stops. She skips out of the official tour at a rather worse for wear manor house and while she's exploring on her own, she meets Tom, the current heir. Tom invites her to join him in drinking his way through the wine cellar and they have a fun evening together. But when morning comes around they have vague memories of having witnessed a murder. Amelia and Tom are good characters. They've each been through a lot and it's affected how they look at the world. The audiobook has alternating narrators for their two points of view and it works well. The mystery itself was fine. It turns out Amelia...

The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller

March 9, 2024March 9, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

I'll admit, the whole Agatha Christie/ Antiques Roadshow/ Indiana Jones vibe is what drew me to The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder. When Freya learns that Arthur Crockleford, her aunt's best friend and her own mentor, is dead, Freya Lockwood heads back to her hometown. When she gets there, she and Aunt Carole become suspicious of the events surrounding Arthur's death and become convinced they can find answers at an antique retreat Arthur arranged for them to attend before his death. I wanted to like Freya. She's middle-aged, and recently divorced from her negative, controlling, husband. Decades ago, she had been an antiques hunter, repatriating stolen antiques and antiquities, but she left that world due to "what happened in Cairo," which she dwells on a lot. Now that she's single and her daughter is studying in America, maybe it's time for her to rediscover herself. I enjoy her when she's tough and uses her skill and knowledge, but she spends...

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem

March 4, 2024March 18, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

Motherless Brooklyn is at heart a take on the classic detective story, but with an unlikely hero in Lionel Essrog who has Tourette's syndrome. I listened to the audio on this one and I have to believe that hearing the verbal tics and outbursts worked better than reading them in print would have. Lionel was rescued as a teenager from the orphanage by a small-time crook, Frank Minna, who hired Lionel and three other boys to do odd jobs and staff a questionable car service/detective agency. When Minna is stabbed to death, Lionel decides it's up to him to find the murderer. The plot is put together well, with some of the usual suspects - two old time Mafia men, a hired goon, a potentially evil Japanese corporation, and the dead man's wife, but there are a few interesting twists too. The star, though, is really Lionel. He's funny, both intentionally and unintentionally, and trying to follow the clues the...