Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger by K.C. Grifant

Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger by K.C. Grifant

by CarolNo Comments
I don't read a lot of westerns but an interesting one will always grab my attention, so a western with fantasy monsters and a female main character made my list. Melinda West and her partner, Lance, make a living killing monsters in a bizarre wild west. The book starts right in the middle of the action. The pair are doing their last job, ridding a town of giant flying scorpions, before buying a ranch to settle down on. Nothing in Melinda's life is ever simple though. After they get paid they head home, but a stone Melinda takes back with her sets off a series of events that puts those most dear to her at risk of losing their souls. She's in a race against time to catch the bad guy and rescue the souls. Melinda is capable, smart, and no nonsense. Lance, when he's feeling up to par, is charismatic and can charm just about anyone. They make a...
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The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

by CarolNo Comments
I thoroughly enjoyed The Storm. The main story follows Geneva Corliss, owner of the falling down Rosalie Inn in St. Medard's Bay, Alabama. Writer, August Fletcher, books a room at the inn for several weeks while he writes the story of Lo Bailey. Lo was 19 when she was accused of murdering her lover, up and coming politician, Landon Fitzroy, but was found innocent at the trial, with the death blames on a hurricane. Geneva is happy with the income the stay will provide and the possible publicity the book might give the Rosalie. Turns out Lo comes with August - another room rental - and Geneva finds herself wondering if Lo did kill Landon, and what connection Lo has to the inn and to Geneva's family. The story alternates between the present and the past, slowly revealing the connections between Geneva’s mother, Ellen, and her two friends, Lo and Frieda and the murder forty years ago. Now there's another...
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The Holly Village Murders by Benedict Brown

The Holly Village Murders by Benedict Brown

by CarolNo Comments
Poor Bella. Her fiancé was recently killed and now her Aunt Adele is dead under mysterious circumstances. Marius Quin, our mystery novelist/ amateur detective, and Bella head to Holly Village, where Adele lived, to figure out what happened. The folks are an interesting lot, mostly older aristocrats, but it's hard for Marius and Bella to imagine any of them as the killer. Marius and Bella make a good team, although I'm a little tired of Marius' "I love her but can't tell her" bit. The banter between the two is fun and their strengths play off each other well. The mystery takes place over about two days. We get plenty of clues and the whodunnit might be a little obvious, but there are plenty of Christmas touches that make this a nice read for the season. It's well-researched and lets you feel immersed in the late 1920s in London. It's the 6th in the series but was written to be...
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Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason

Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason

by Carol1 Comment
Midge McGowan has just retired from the police form. She was a detective, but has spent most of her career stuck in the property room. As a going away gift the force gives her a weekend trip for one to a haunted mansion on the weekend before Christmas. Midge doesn't want to go for several reasons, but her wife insists. It works as the setup for the mystery and a reason was given, but what a terrible gift. So, off Midge goes on the bus with the other guests, the driver, and the tour host - a rather odd mix of people. Of course, it's not long until someone is killed and the house is cut off from the outside by the snow and an active firing field. I think this might be the first I've read where the house was cut off from help by a firing range. Midge is a good lead. She's smart, observant, and often overlooked. I...
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O, Deadly Night by Vicki Delany

O, Deadly Night by Vicki Delany

by Carol2 Comments
Rudolph, New York, is the place to be for Christmas - the town goes all out to welcome tourists to America’s Christmas Town. Merry once again doesn't win the best float in the Santa Claus parade, but all the shops in town are bustling. Also a new neighborhood has moved in across the street, but Mrs. D'Angelo thinks something is up. She never sees them and they won't answer the door when she tries to drop off cookies. Mrs. D'Angelo is one of those nosey neighbors and even asks Merry to mention the elusive new-comers to the police. Then Mrs. D'Angelo disappears and Merry realizes the older woman might have taken her snooping too far. Eventually, Merry finds Mrs. D'Angelo relatively unharmed - and a dead body. The killer is pretty easy to guess in this one, as is the motive, but the characters are fun to spend time with. Merry's family and friends are appropriately quirky and her dog...
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On the Road by Jack Kerouac

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

by Carol2 Comments
I am maybe not the right audience for On the Road. I know if's a classic and definitely a product of its time. I found it a slog to get through. It's a series of road trips take by Sal Paradise (Kerouac) and Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassady) back and forth across the continent. They meet a variety of people, see a variety of towns, make money in a variety of way - and to be honest I couldn't care less. It's racist and sexist and, yes, it's the fifties and would usually overlook those to some extent, but I didn't enjoy the rest of the book enough. It's also pretentious and, at the same time, purposefully naive. I will say Kerouac has a strong voice which the narrator conveyed well in the audio I listened too. Honestly, that's probably the only reason I didn't set the book down. Well, that and I needed a "stream of consciousness" narrative for a...
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