I am a sucker for Christmas cozies, and since they start releasing in October, that's typically when I start reading them. The Meg Langslow series is one I dip in and out of, but typically enjoy. It's Christmas again in Caerphilly and what would Christmas be like without a bunch of quirky relatives and a murder? Two of Meg's cousins are having weddings in Caerphilly the Saturday before Christmas - not a double wedding, more like competing weddings- same photographer, same venue, but different times and each seems determined to outdo the other. Actually, it seemed like a weird setup - who could possibly have thought this was a good idea? But it's the photographer who ends up dead, not one of the wedding party.
The story moves along quickly and some of the bride's antics and others' responses are downright funny. Meg somehow manages to keep her calm in the midst of the chaos- and helps solve the murder, since...
I have not read anything by Jónasson, including the first in this trilogy, which maybe was a mistake. We get enough background that I knew what was going on, but at least one subplot is carried over into this one and I might have been more invested in the characters.
Famous crime author Elín S. Jónsdóttir is missing and our Detective Helgi is assigned the case. Helgi is a fan of Golden Age mysteries and turns to them for inspiration occasionally, which I enjoyed. Helgi interviews those her friends, in the hopes of solving the case before the press find out and we get bits and pieces of an interview she gave in 2005 that has yet to be published. Maybe she's just taking some time away, which she's done before. The book also shows us a bank robbery that took place in 1965 that probably has a connection to the disappearance because why else would it be introduced.
I didn't...
A couple of caveats: this is the first book by Kingfisher I've read and I'm a sucker for fairytale retellings, even if I don't read enough of them.
In this loose retelling of the Snow White story. We have Snow White, of course, apples, and mirrors, but no dwarves. Our main character is a healer, Anya, a poisons expert who is summoned by the King to discover how Snow is being slowly poisoned. Anya, of course, has no choice but to go. Anya is essentially a spinster who has devoted her life to her studies, made possible thanks for her father being a wealthy merchant. She's smart but her discussion of poisons and poisonous plants tends to be a bit much for people in social situations. Anya is aided in her investigation by two of the royal guards, one of whom is a potential love interest, and a talking cat, who is just as haughty as you might expect. .
I...
Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is a decent cozy murder mystery set on Chicago's south side. I love Savvy, who owns a soul food restaurant and does some catering. Business is good, until Grandy Jaspers drops dead while eating her famous sweet potato pie. Even though it was ruled an accident, people are avoiding the restaurant. And to be honest, while Savvy knows it wasn't her pie that killed Grandy, she does think he might have been murdered.
Savvy is a middle-aged widow who is smart, sassy, and determined, but maybe not the best detective. This is her first case though. And it's a tough one. We have tons of characters, most of whom she knows from one place or another, and they all seem to have secrets, even her assistant/side-kick, Penny. I actually had a hard time keeping everyone straight, and since I listened to the audio, I couldn't exactly flip back to see who was who....
The Meg Langslow series is one I dip in and out of. I've read several, but no where near 37. Meg wears many hats - mom, wife, daughter, blacksmith, mayor's assistant. This time around she's helping prep for the Mutt March. a parade/festival to promote pet adoptions from the local shelters. She's taking a break from the chaos at her house by going over the her brother's - just in time for the backhoe digging out the duck pond to uncover a human arm bone.
This is a long-running series with lots of returning characters. Andrews does a good job at giving us enough information to know who is who and their relationships to each other, but not so much that it bogs the book down. I think this would work as a stand alone, but as with most series, the more you've read the more you know about, and hopefully enjoy, the characters and town.
As far as the case...
Eleanor’s first novel, When in Rome, is being made into a movie and she is spending a lot of time on set. To make it even better, her best friend, Emma, is playing the lead role. After filming wraps, the cast and crew head to Catalina Island for Emma's wedding to her co-star. And then we find out that Emma's been receiving threats and that someone is going to be killed at the wedding.
My problem is I don't like Eleanor and she's the one telling us the story - in the first-person with tons of her internal thoughts, asides, and footnotes. Maybe it was too much? Funny and clever are good, but not when they become the whole point. Maybe it was just trying too hard. She's self-centered and doesn't seem to register the feelings of the people around her, even her sister.
We have lots of characters, all of whom are suspects, but there's more theorizing about motives than...
