The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart

The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart

by CarolNo Comments
A couple of weekends ago we went to the Pittsburgh Book Fest, which was so much fun! One of the events I signed us up for was a presentation about Mary Roberts Rinehart, who was born and raised in Allegheny City, which eventually was annexed by Pittsburgh, and then built a house in Sewickley following the success of The Circular Staircase. She led a fascinating life, if you ever get the chance to read about her. Pitt actually holds the archives of her papers. So, I listened to The Circular Staircase in preparation. I've read it before but didn't actually remember any of it. Rachel Innes is a wealthy woman who has been the guardian of her niece and nephew for a long time. They are both young adults now and the three of them have decided to rent a place for the summer, and taken Rachel's maid with them. The mansion, belonging to a banker and his family who...
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The Clock House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

The Clock House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

by CarolNo Comments
A group of paranormal investigators, mostly college students along with a medium and two magazine employees, have gone to a remote mansion called the Clock House that is supposedly haunted by a teenage girl who died 8 years ago. They're locked into the old part of the mansion and, of course, there's a murder. Note: Don't get locked in at remote mansions. At the same time, the series amateur sleuth/mystery writer, Shimada Kiyoshi, is visiting the house with another college student who wasn't able to make the trip originally. So, inside the house, people are being killed in locked rooms surrounded by hundreds of ticking clocks with no way to escape - and yes they do try, while on the outside, Kiyoshi is trying to solve the riddle of the house and what happened 10 years ago. This is the first I've read in the series and it worked fine as a stand alone. There were some references to previous cases,...
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Beach Reads Challenge

Beach Reads Challenge

by Carol2 Comments
The 52 Book Club's summer reading challenge is out - Beach Reads. And while this was released in June, it doesn't have to be finished over the summer, you can take your time with it. You can find the rules at https://www.the52book.club/beach-reads-challenge/, but they involve the board game below and rolling dice for what space you land on and which genre you're reading. Prompt 1 — Sand in your shoes! A gritty read. Prompt 2 — A _ word title. Prompt 3 — Chance Prompt 4 — Author from somewhere you’ve vacationed Prompt 5 — Item on cover: A thing you’d find at the beach Prompt 6 — Beachcomb for hidden gems: A non-popular read Prompt 7 — Final page number: even or odd? Prompt 8 — Features an island country Prompt 9 – Chance Prompt 10 – Character with a unique career Prompt 11 – Flip flop! Pick two books. Prompt 12 – More than _ hundred pages. Prompt 13 – Published within _ years of previous author’s birth Prompt 14...
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Murder on the Rocks by T.E. Kinsey

Murder on the Rocks by T.E. Kinsey

by Carol1 Comment
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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Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage

Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage

by Carol2 Comments
I remember watching the Golden Girls back in the '80s and '90s when I was in high school and have caught reruns occasionally since then. It's not one of my favorite tv shows necessarily, but it's fun and the actresses are fabulous. So, of course I had to pick up Murder by Cheesecake for the nostalgia alone. In this first of the series, Dorothy goes on a very awkward first date with a guy. She doesn't plan on seeing him again. At the same time, Rose's niece is getting married in Miami instead of St. Olaf, and in the midst of the pre-wedding festivities, a dead man is found in the freezer - Dorothy's date, which makes her a prime suspect. The four women have to solve the murder to clear Dorothy's name while also helping Rose with the wedding. The book is set in the 1980s and I felt like the author was true to both the tv and...
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