A Killer Sundae by Abby Collette

A Killer Sundae by Abby Collette

A Killer Sundae might be my favorite of the series so far, which is good since I wasn't thrilled with the first two. The only reason I picked this up is because it was immediately available to download from the library and I didn't hate the others. This time around a local reporter, and old high school classmate of Win's, has been killed. Win reluctantly becomes involved, mostly at the insistence of her friends - she has a bit of a reputation by now. The plot was well done, with plenty of suspects and several twists - and some delicious-sounding ice cream flavors. There's also a mystery involving a cookbook that seemed a little silly for Win to get so obsessed over. Win is smart and caring. Her friends were a little more realistic this time, and I love how loyal and helpful her family is. It's a good bunch of characters, and I feel like I should enjoy them more than...
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Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler

Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler

Enjoy the View is smart and funny and cute. It's the third in a series but works fine as a standalone. Come December, though, I might go back and read #2. River Lane was a Hollywood starlet, determined to still make movies, she has agreed to make a documentary about the small town of Moose Springs, Alaska. Sounds like an easy light job, but the locals are not welcoming to tourists. Undeterred, River is determined to do what she set out to do - film a documentary. A chance meeting with a mountain guide, Easton Lockett, leads her in the direction of Mount Veil. Naturally, she along with Bree and Jessie (her staff helping her film her documentary) all have climbing experience, so instead of filming the town, they film the mountain climb. Easton and River are adorable together. They're playful and joking but also have each other's backs, which is necessary on the mountain. The town has some quirky sweet characters...
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Silent Parade by Keigo Higashino

Silent Parade by Keigo Higashino

SIlent Parade is the eighth in the Detective Galileo series, not all of which have been translated into English. It's the fourth that I've read, but it works perfectly fine as a stand-alone. The story begins shortly after the third anniversary of Saori Namiki's disappearance when she was nineteen. A decrepit house has burned down in Tokyo and her remains were identified in the rubble. Chief Inspector Kusanagi and his team are assigned the case because of a curious connection they have to the chief suspect. But it's not Saori's murder that's the focus. When her presumed killer is let free, he ends up dead and it's that murder the police are trying to solve. There are tons of characters, which can get a little confusing in the audio occasionally, but they each have their roles and are important to the plot. The plot itself is twisty and turny and some things are obvious and some are not what you expect....
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A Game of Cones by Abby Collette

A Game of Cones by Abby Collette

I really want to like the Ice Cream Parlor series. Our main character, Wyn, runs an ice cream shop in northern Ohio and has a great family and supportive, if quirky, friends. This time she's dragged into the mystery when a friend/ former co-worker from New York comes to town to see her and ends up being a suspect in a murder investigation. A lot is going on in this one. There were a bunch of suspects since the dead man worked for a company proposing to open a mall in the town, which would totally change the nature of the downtown area - not for the better. Rory is in town to try to convince Wyn to come back to her old company in New York. Aunt Jack is back and trying to stick her nose into how the shop is run. The solution to the mystery was well done, even if getting there was a little meandering. I think...
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A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

I was looking for something shorter to end my October with and decided I couldn't go wrong with a Sherlock Holmes story. I'm sure I've read A Study in Scarlet at some time in the past, but didn't remember much about it. It's the first of the Holmes stories, the one where he and Watson first meet. Dr. John Watson is back from the war, in London and running a bit low on funds. He isn't able to afford a decent apartment but is introduces to Holmes through a mutual friend. Holmes, as we know, is a "consultant detective", consulted not only by private individuals, but also by Scotland Yard. Soon, Holmes is called to the scene of a murder, and he brings Watson along with him. We get to know a lot about Holmes. He's strange and brilliant and has developed his own methods of detection. Part 2 of this one goes a little amok, off into Utah and Mormonism...
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The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells

I expected The Invisible Man to be a horror novel, turns out it's more science fiction. He's not a monster, he's just a man. Griffin is a genius scientist who used chemicals and electricity to turn himself invisible. However, after the years of research, when he finally figures out how to do it, it's winter. Does he wait? No, he goes ahead and does it to himself, after testing the solution on a cat, and becomes invisible. Mind you, to not be seen, he has to be naked - in the cold - in England. While he may be brilliant, he is not the best planner. I think I enjoyed The Invisible Man in part because I had no expectations. I knew it was about an invisible man, but I didn't know anything about the plot. Needless to say, life as the invisible man is not easy. He's isolated, often hungry and tired, he can't trust anyone. When he finally finds...
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