Pina Colada Poison by Jasmine Webb

Pina Colada Poison by Jasmine Webb

by CarolNo Comments
Pina Colada Poison, like the other Charlie Gibson mysteries, is fun and over the top. This time around an actress staying on the island is afraid that someone is trying to kill her, that the drink that killed her yoga teacher was meant for her. She's also trying to track down another client's missing husband. The mysteries were fine, if predictable. We had several suspects and red herrings, but the twist wasn't much of a surprise. I really enjoy Charlie - she's stubborn and snarky and her plans tend to go awry in amusing ways. Her friends, Dot and Rosie, are fabulous older women with plenty of skills. The three together are a hoot....
Read More
A Difficult Position by Helena Marchmont

A Difficult Position by Helena Marchmont

by CarolNo Comments
I really enjoy these short mysteries. This time around, Dorothy and the former Sargent Wilson are getting married. I have to say I like what the Sarge's recent health scare and relationship with Dorothy have done for his character. Everyone in town is at the reception, but that same evening, someone tries to set the Choudhury house on fire. Thankfully little damage is done, but the police, and Bunburry Triangle, are anxious to find the culprit. This is a fun, quick read. I love the characters, each of whom is just quirky enough without going over the edge into annoying. There are several suspects and it's good to see how many people care about the Choudhury family. I liked the yoga center and how it brings together people you wouldn't expect. I was happy Oscar had a part to play this time around too....
Read More
Summer of ’49 by David Halberstam

Summer of ’49 by David Halberstam

by Carol2 Comments
I love going to baseball games. I'm a Pirates fan, though, which means I can sit back and have fun but don't really expect too much. Not like the people watching the Red Sox and Yankees in 1949. Summer of ‘49 is in theory about the 1949 pennant race between the Yankees and the Red Sox. We know the Yankees ended up beating the Red Sox and going on to bee the Dodgers in the World Series, but really the book is about the people - the players, managers, press. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of numbers - hits, games back, percentages, salaries, it's what baseball boils down to after all, but the fun part is hearing about the people - who they are, where they came from. We get stories of how they interact with each other and how they view the game. Some are people I've heard of, but most weren't. This is definitely a nostalgic...
Read More
Death Among the Doilies by Mollie Cox Bryan

Death Among the Doilies by Mollie Cox Bryan

by CarolNo Comments
I love the concept behind this series. Cora and her friend, Jane, have renovated a Victorian house into a crafting paradise and are holding their first retreat weekend. Cora used to work as a counselor at a domestic violence shelter, but it became too stressful for her. Jane escaped an abusive relationship and has a school age daughter. It's all going well with their new venture until the school librarian is killed and Jane becomes a suspect. We've got a nice cast of eccentric characters and a small town where gossip spreads quickly. I don't love Cora and Jane yet. Given their backgrounds, they make a few odd choices. And I wish the author didn't go on about how attractive they find the various men in the book - it just seemed strange. I know a lot of cozy mysteries have love interests, but we don't need them all the time. The mystery was well done. There were enough clues...
Read More
Crooked House by Agatha Christie

Crooked House by Agatha Christie

by CarolNo Comments
Crooked House is one of Christie's stand-alone mysteries. We have three generations of the Leonides family all living under the roof of the wealthy grandfather, Aristide. When Aristide is murdered, all the household comes under suspicion. His granddaughter Sophia tells our narrator and her fiancé, Charles Hayward, that they cannot marry until the killer is caught. Charles' father happens to be the Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard, so Charles investigates from the inside along with assigned detective, Chief Inspector Taverner. The Leonides family members are an interesting, mostly unlikeable lot and any of them could have a motive - money, control. There are plenty of tensions and secrets. Charles makes a decent amateur sleuth and this one is more about uncovering family dynamics and tensions than concrete clues. The whodunnit is surprising, but makes total sense....
Read More