And Then There Were Bun by Vivien Chien

And Then There Were Bun by Vivien Chien

by CarolNo Comments
I like Lana and her friends and family, but I've never been a huge fan of her detective boyfriend, Adam, and here he's the main suspect in the murder of her ex-boyfriend from college. Adam is suspended while the case is being investigated, which is even more awkward because Megan, Lana's best friend, is dating the chief, Adam's boss.I didn't necessarily love this one. The whole throwback to college people when you're 30 and haven't seen them since forever seems odd. It's weird that the ex even came to the party and Adam's behavior, both losing control during an argument and being so secretive about how he's spending his time recently, seemed out of character. Sometimes I just want characters, and people in real life for that matter, to act like grown ups.The mystery itself was fine. We had plenty of clues and several suspects. I'm not a fan of how quick Lana and Megan can be at jumping to...
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Murders in the Marquee by Dana Mentink

Murders in the Marquee by Dana Mentink

by CarolNo Comments
I didn't love Murders in the Marquee. The setting had potential, a fancy hotel in San Francisco in the early 1900s. The ducks, who paraded through the lobby on a daily basis, were cute. The rest of the book was kind of dumb. Our three amateur sleuths, Kitty, a hotel guest, Saul, the man who takes care of the ducks, and Henry, the elevator boy, were an unlikely team, given the era and Kitty's social class. Kitty herself is a bit annoying. Her clearly well-off and all she does is whine. I never really cared about Saul or Henry and felt like their personalities were rather superficial.The mystery was slow. All the clues added up in the end, but they're doled out one at a time and it's like the three have to deal with each clue before they're allowed to have the next.I will say I didn't pay attention to who the publisher was. This would definitely fall...
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Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

by Carol2 Comments
It's 1171 and King Henry II has a problem. Children are being murdered in Cambridge, and the Jews have been blamed, which wouldn't matter much, except the King gets a lot of taxes from them. The Jews are currently under the King's protection in a castle fortress, but the situation needs resolved. He requests aid from the King of Sicily, who send an unlikely trio to England: Simon of Naples, a Jewish investigator; Mansur, a eunuch Saracen; and Adelia Aguilar, a woman doctor trained in the study of corpses.The medieval setting was fascinating.. Religion and politics are completely intertwined. The crusades are on-going. There are calls for the Jews removal from England. Women have little to no value or sway. Adelia, herself, has to pretend she is not as competent and knowledgeable as she is, just to avoid being burned as a witch. Women in historical novels are so often more progressive and have more agency than the majority did...
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Middlebridge Mysteries 2 by Ken Cuperus

Middlebridge Mysteries 2 by Ken Cuperus

by CarolNo Comments
This is a fun audio. We have three separate mysteries, each with two episodes-one involving Violet's mom, one involving Stuart, and one involving Professor Bellows. Violet is not the most organized person and juggling classes and the mysteries she keeps getting involved in is difficult. She's also not the most considerate person - she only pays attention to her boyfriend when she needs something. I like that her relationship with Stuart is turning a little more friends and less a pure rivalry. The mysteries fit into the college setting. They're not overly complicated since they're each only about an hour long. The characters are well-developed, even the annoying ones have their good points, and the voice actors are great. I'm usually not a huge fan of full cast, but since this was designed to be an audio, never a print book, it works well. I'm looking forward to the next installment, and Mistletoe Murders 5 comes out this November....
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The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

by CarolNo Comments
How could I pass this one up? We've got Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy working together to solve a murder. I've read books by all the authors and it was fun seeing the brought to life was fun. The story is told from Sayers' point of view, so we get the most insight into her life and personality, but the others all have their own strengths. It was interesting to see how these strong, intelligent, successful women still have to fight for respect, recognition and inclusion. It also gives us a look at how women in general were treated in the years following WW1, from surplus women to crime victims and witnesses.The mystery itself was put together well. We had several reasonable suspects and the women do a good job with the investigation, even if it's much more difficult in real life than it is for their fictional characters. It is...
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