The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

by Carol2 Comments
I don't know where to start with The Villa. We have two storylines and the narrative jumps back and forth. In 1974, five people stayed at the villa. Two women came out of it with career-defining works. One man was killed. In the present day, Chess and Emily are spending the summer at the villa, each working on her next book. Emily becomes interested in the events from 1974 and starts researching and piecing together that story. The parallels between the 70s and the present day become clearer as the novel progresses. Friendships are tested. Tempers boil over. Secrets are revealed. Both storylines grabbed my attention. The book slowly leads up to the defining moments, moments that are both inevitable and shocking. I honestly didn't like any of the characters though, in either time. While the women especially, were strong and bold, they were also manipulative and did more damage to each other than the men in their lives did. I...
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Death at Beresford Hall by Emma Davies

Death at Beresford Hall by Emma Davies

by CarolNo Comments
Death at Beresford Hall is the 4th in the Adam and Eve series. It worked okay as a stand-alone, but I think I would have benefitted from knowing a bit more about Fran and Adam and their previous cases. We're kind of dropped in the middle of the action. Fran is undercover at a cooking show tv competition, posing as a writer gathering "behind the scenes" info about the show, with Adam there to assist. The show's star, Miranda Appleby, has been receiving threatening gifts and Fran and Adam are charged with finding out who is doing it. Things turn more complicated when Miranda manipulates Fran into stepping in as a contestant on the show. Then, of course, Miranda ends up murdered, killed with a cake knife. The "behind the scenes" peek at a reality cooking show was fun. There's plenty of jealousy and backstabbing and secrets. The clues were tucked in well, with several red herrings and enough suspects to...
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The Railway Detective’s Christmas Case by Edward Marston

The Railway Detective’s Christmas Case by Edward Marston

by CarolNo Comments
The Railway Detective's Christmas Case is the first I've read in the series. It works fine as a stand-alone, but I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more had I been more familiar with the characters. Colbeck's family is featured often, mostly hoping he gets home in time for Christmas and, for me, those interludes were distractions from the plot, but if I cared more about the characters I might have been more interested. Colbeck and Leeming are charged with finding the killer of a well-respected man, Cyril Hubblesday. Hubblesday was not a nice man though and there are a fair number of suspects, from employees at the works to his daughter's former suitor. The clues the pair dig up point in several directions, and it turns out there is more going on than was originally suspected. I don't know. The case was interesting and I enjoyed the historical details, but it dragged a bit. There were a lot of...
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The Game Is a Footnote by Vicki Delany

The Game Is a Footnote by Vicki Delany

by Carol4 Comments
I don't know why it took me so long to read this series. I jumped in with this one #8 and felt like it stood on its own fine. I love the Sherlock Holmes bookstore and wouldn't mind having scones next door at the tea shop. Gemma has been asked to see if Scarlet House is haunted. Of course, it isn't - probably - but something strange is definitely going on. When someone ends up dead on the premises, Gemma allows herself to be dragged into finding out what's going on, to the dismay of the police. There are plenty of secrets at the museum and plenty of people going in and out all day. Gemma is observant and smart. I liked her and adored the town and her shop. Her friends seem nice and willing to help out when needed. There was a side plot involving one of the employees that I found a little out of place, but did introduce...
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Frozen Detective by Amanda Flower

Frozen Detective by Amanda Flower

by Carol2 Comments
Frozen Detective is a fun, wintery mystery that takes place at New Year's. Darby and Tate take on a case for Tate's old friend, Cecily (CeCe) Madd. Cecily's husband has been receiving threatening notes and she's worried his life is in danger, but of course, she wants to avoid the publicity that calling in the police might bring. Darby and Tate go undercover to a New Year's party Cecily and Dr. Madd are holding at the nearby ski resort. And, of course, first thing on New Year's Day, Dr. Madd is killed, shot with a crossbow on the ski slope. The Police close the lodge and ordered the guests to remain. Darby and Tate must find the killer before the weekend ends and the guests leave. I enjoyed Darby and Tate. Darby is an experienced PI, but Tate is pretty new to the agency and it was good to see how they have to learn to trust each other and recognize...
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All Dressed Up by Jilly Gagnon

All Dressed Up by Jilly Gagnon

by Carol1 Comment
If you read the blurb above, you know why I picked up All Dressed Up. It's set around a 1920s theme murder mystery weekend at a wonderfully atmospheric hotel. So there's the fake murder to solve, that of songstress Ida Crooner, but then one of the staff doesn't show up for work. Becca is worried something may have happened to the young woman, but no one else seems concerned. It should have been fabulous. Each of the guests is given a character to play along with a dossier of information and instructions. We have clues for the weekend and clues to the real crime. It's complicated but in a way that could have been fun. Instead, we spend way too much time reading about Becca and Blake's marriage trouble. And the other guests' marriages for that matter. I'm here for the mystery, not the side drama. And quite honestly, I was a little mad at the author for making me annoyed...
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