Book Reviews – Page 117 – Carol's Notebook

A Christmas Tartan by Paige Shelton

December 5, 2018March 11, 2019 by Carol3 Comments

I've read all three full-length books in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series and enjoyed them all. Delaney is someone I would like to be friends with. And the other folks in the bookstore, including the owner are fun to spend time with. The bookstore also has a backroom full of various interesting objects and it's often these that lead to the mysteries. In A Christmas Tartan, Delaney is given a box of things that includes a copy of A Christmas Carol with a photo inside. She of course is curious and the photo leads her to an elderly woman in town whose granddaughter is missing. This one is slightly more paranormal than most of the series. The present is connected to the past and to some extent, Delaney sees both, or maybe she doesn't. Either which way, the mystery of what happened to the girl is well-done and the solution made sense. The ending scene made me smile. It's a warm holiday...

Santa Puppy by Lynn Cahoon

December 4, 2018November 13, 2018 by Carol4 Comments

Christmas and puppies and a mystery - how could I pass up Santa Puppy? I haven't read any of the others in the series, but I thought this worked fine as a cute standalone. Jill Gardner owns a bookshop (also an awesome thing) and has volunteered to host a Christmas party with the goal of getting pets adopted from the local shelter. One of the dogs, Baby, touches Jill's heart. Its owner, a homeless man, was found dead of a heart attack on the beach and Baby needs a new home. Jill, with the help and approval of her detective boyfriend, does some sleuthing to find out who the man was and if he had family who might take the dog. It was nice that Jill's boyfriend helped her and approved of her digging. Of course, there wasn't any danger involved, it was a natural death, the mystery was more about who the man was and how he ended up homeless. It...

Scampy Doodle and the Reindeer by G. J. Barnes

December 3, 2018December 3, 2018 by CarolNo Comments

Scampy Doodle is a happy dog who has helped his best friend Jemima get ready for Christmas. They decorated and set out treats for Santa and his reindeer and they went to bed, Jemima to her room and Scampy Doodle to his bed in the kitchen. Then, Scampy Doodle gets woken up by a strange sound. This is a fun little Christmas story. It's about helping and giving and the magic of Christmas. I do wish they had left hot chocolate for Santa instead of a whiskey, but that's just me. I liked when Scampy Doodle decided to be brave and pushed the door to the living room open to peer around and see there the noise came from. It reminded me of my dog, Scrappy, who is also bigger than a snowball and smaller than a snowman. The illustrations were bright and simple and cute but there were more words than pictures. The print was odd for me. It was bold, fun...

Schmuck the Buck by EXO Books

December 1, 2018October 18, 2018 by Carol4 Comments

I'm not quite sure who the audience is for Schmuck the Buck. It seems like a children's Christmas book. We have a cute rhyming text and bright colorful illustrations. We have the underdog (or under-reindeer) who saves the day. There's even a lesson: Schmuck said, "We have our differences, that's for sure, But we're all the same at the core. Christmas isn't just about gifts, but the love underneath, So it really doesn't matter your religious belief. We give because we care, we love, and want to please, So there's room for every one of us under out Christmas trees." I'm not sure it's a good lesson. I think it probably depends on the family. I know a lot of people celebrate Christmas, even people who don't call themselves Christian. In our house, however, it's definitely a religious holiday. It's about love and giving and family too, but this is not a book I personally would buy. So, on the one hand it seems like a kids book,...

Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie

November 24, 2018 by Carol11 Comments

Jane Wilkinson wants to be rid of her husband, Lord Edgware. She asks Poirot to see him, to convince him to grant her a divorce. At the same time, she talks about how she would go about killing her husband if need be. As the title makes it clear, Lord Edgware does die. Jane, however has an ironclad alibi - but she was also observed at the scene of the crime. As always, Christie gives us several suspects and possible motives and two more dead bodies. She provides us plenty of clues, but also enough red herrings to keep us guessing. This time around we have several characters who are actors, which makes it even more difficult to tell who is lying. The final solution was well done, believable but with a perfect twist. Hastings is our narrator here, and I read the version narrated by Hugh Fraser, which was perfect. Hastings gets made fun of by Poirot for not understanding, but...

Much Ado About Murder by Elizabeth J. Duncan

November 14, 2018 by Carol8 Comments

I finished Much Ado About Murder a few days ago, but then I couldn't remember if I finished it or not. I had started another book on my Kindle, which meant I must have finished it, but then I had to look back and see who the killer was. The book obviously didn't leave much of a lingering impression, or at least the reveal didn't. I like the setting, a hotel/theater in the Catskills. I also like Charlotte. She's from England and is a very talented costume designer. Due to the turnover of directors and her friendship with the Director of the Board, she is to some extent in charge of the theater. Between the actors, director and costume staff, we've got a lot of characters, several of whom had motive for killing Edmund, because of course Charlotte's right—it was murder. I guess overall it was just fine. The characters were fine, each had their bit of backstory that made them possible suspects....