The Book Club Murders by Maggie Allswell

The Book Club Murders by Maggie Allswell

by CarolNo Comments
I genuinely disliked this book. The set up is good - a book club that typically reads serial killer book finds a real life murder that needs solved. Wendy, a local librarian, is dead - the police have decided it's a suicide, but Judy, the book groups oldest member, is sure it was murder and convinces everyone that they need to investigate. I even like the characters for the most part. The group consists of mostly women and one man. They are a variety of ages and have a variety of occupations, several of which are useful in their hunt for clues. I was annoyed with how the author portrayed Judy. She's only in her sixties and works at least part time, but she can't even text? There are several text/ WhatsApp messages throughout the book. I listened to the audio and the narrator actually handled them well. And I honestly don't know any women of that age who have...
Read More
Murder at Raven’s Gate by Louise Marley

Murder at Raven’s Gate by Louise Marley

by CarolNo Comments
I thoroughly enjoy this series. Raven's Edge is a village that has a leaned into its past and maybe embellished it a bit. It leans into the spooky, and witchy, and ghostly. We've got two mysteries this time around. A "ghost" has been haunting Blackheath Hall, where two older sisters, Lady Peony and Rose, live. Lady Peony is far from a scared, little old lady. She knows fully well that the knocking is not really a ghost, but someone trying to scare them out of the house. She hires Kieran Drake to figure out who is behind it, so he and Milla Graham have set up shop at the hall to keep watch. In the meantime and not too far away, DS Harriet March's date with Misha from the coffee shop, is cut short when, while on a ghost tour, they find a dead body in a shallow grave. I like that Harriet was leading the investigation this time around,...
Read More
The Antique Hunter’s Murder at the Castle by C.L. Miller

The Antique Hunter’s Murder at the Castle by C.L. Miller

by CarolNo Comments
Murder at the Castle is the third of the Antique Hunter's mysteries. I do think these work best if read in order. You'll get a better sense of who the characters are and what they're doing. This time, Bella, the one of the team most likely to go rogue, has disappeared while following a forgery lead at a Scottish castle. Freya and Carole head to the castle to try to pick up Bella's trail, but instead the find the owner dead and a collection of silver pieces missing. Bella is implicated in the murder and the whole Lockwood team has to do what they do best - find the killer and recover the antiques. I like the characters. They make a good team, each with their own strengths and weakness. Bella is a bit reckless, Sky is a wiz at technology, Carole is warm and motivating, Freya is level-headed and I'm not a huge fan of how Freya and...
Read More
Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala

Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala

by CarolNo Comments
Homicide and Halo-Halo is the second in the series, and while it would work as a stand-alone, Lila is still processing the events that happened in the first one a few months ago. Detective Park has given her the name of a therapist, but Lila is adamant that she doesn't need help - and worries how her aunt would view counseling. Lila has a lot going on. Not only is she dealing with PTSD, she is opening a new cafe with her best friend, Adeena, and Adeena's girlfriend, Elena, but is having trouble coming up with new recipes to serve, She's also a judge for the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which takes up an absurd amount of time. Do place still have pageants like this? At least it involves things like community service and creativity. It also brings up some of Lila's body image issues and mixed feelings about her mother, who died when Lila was a child. We're...
Read More
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

by CarolNo Comments
I don't know why it's taken me so long to pick up this series. I love culinary cozies, especially when the food featured is not a style I'm familiar with. Lila has returned to her hometown after a bad breakup to help her Aunt Rosie run the family Filipino restaurant. It's not going well, though, and then a local restaurant critic/Lila's high school boyfriend ends up dead, poisoned after eating at the restaurant. Lila becomes the primary suspect, which is her reason for investigating. Every amateur sleuth needs a legitimate reason to nose into the investigation, at least for the first couple of books. Lila's family and friends, mostly women, are wonderful- supportive and quirky. We have tons of yummy food and a couple of recipes in the back. Lila herself is not my favorite, yet, but has potential. I need her to be a little more focused and I don't like the potential love triangle forming for her. The...
Read More
The Vanishing at Hallwood Hall by Helena Marchmont

The Vanishing at Hallwood Hall by Helena Marchmont

by CarolNo Comments
I love the Bunburry mysteries. They're short little reads/listens that are perfect when I'm not sure what I want to commit to next. This time around, Alfie is enrolled at a writing course at Hallwood Hall - perhaps not the best place for him to go back to. The writers are an odd collection and there's clearly tension in the air, so when one of them leaves suddenly but with no way to get to town or the station, Alfie is suspicious. Adding to my list of things to not do if I'm in a cozy mystery book: let someone take my phone away because it's a "distraction" The mystery here is good. It's only 3 1/2 hours long, but we get several suspects and a couple of nice clues. This time, it's up to Alfie and Emma to solve the mystery and I kind of missed Liz and Marge - they're around but not really integral. I do wish...
Read More