Book Reviews – Page 47 – Carol's Notebook

Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia

April 20, 2023April 20, 2023 by Carol2 Comments

I adored Bellweather Rhapsody. But as a former high school band geek of the early 90s who still accompanies kids at solo and ensemble and a lifelong lover of whodunnits, I am probably the perfect audience. It's fun quirky and there are a ton of characters all of whom I loved - well, except one, but she was the one I was supposed to dislike anyway. The Bellweather Hotel in upstate New York is long past its heyday of elegant ballroom dancing and fine dining. Now, which in the novels world is 1997, about the only thing that keeps the Bellweather afloat is hosting "Statewide", an event where the best NY State high school musicians and singers are brought together for four days of musical excellence and all the accompanying drama. So, this weekend, we've got tons of high schoolers, their chaperones, and conductors converging on the hotel. The characters are where this book shines. Yes, they're over the top and...

Much Ado about Nauticaling by Gabby Allan

April 10, 2023April 10, 2023 by Carol2 Comments

Much Ado about Nauticaling is a breezy cozy mystery set on Santa Catalina Island, California. Whitney Dagner has left the corporate world to return to her hometown to help her brother, Nick, run the family glass-bottomed boat tour company and open her own island gift shop. Everything is going well until a wealthy businessman is found in the water, strangled to death. Nick quickly becomes the number one suspect, and Whitney is determined to clear his name. Much Ado about Nauticaling was fine. I liked the small island setting and some of the characters, especially Whitney's grandparents, were charming. Whitney herself was persistent but needs to hone her investigative skills a bit more. Felix, her potential love interest, was almost too perfect. And to be honest I didn't feel like Whitney was special enough for him and her best friend to just up and move for/with her. I did love her cat though. Whiskers is a pretty good partner, The mystery was...

The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat

April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 by Carol4 Comments

The Blind Owl is unsettling and darkly romantic. It's an Iranian classic and I only ran into it because I was looking for something by a South Asian writer, but it's definitely worth reading. The book has two distinct parts. The first one feels almost like a nightmare, but a calm one. It has an inevitability but not one that makes you scream. I chose not to use the word nightmare because no matter how macabre this first part is, it has a peaceful almost tranquil quality to it. Our narrator sees a beautiful woman who he falls in love, or at least lust, with. Then, he ends up killing her and the section becomes more and more disturbing. Then we have a break. The second part presents an alternative story, maybe more realistic but our narrator is still not fully connected with reality. He tells us about his complicated family history and about how he is in love...

Death Claims by Joseph Hansen

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

Death claims insurance investigator Dave Brandstetter is suspicious of the apparent drowning of John Oats. The superb swimmer was found washed up on a beach along the Californian coastline. John recently called the insurance copy to change the beneficiary on his policy, but the paperwork hadn't been completed yet. Does his death have anything to do with John’s recent desire to change the beneficiary on his life insurance policy? And now the beneficiary, Oats's son Peter, has disappeared. Dave takes nothing at face value. He is intent on discovering the truth and doesn't mind hurting people along the way. The case is, of course, much more complicated than it seems. It turns out John and almost everyone in his sphere were keeping secrets and Dave is good at finding connections, at understanding what people are hiding. We also get to know about Dave's life away from the case. He and his lover, Doug, who he met in the first book of...

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

March 27, 2023March 28, 2023 by Carol4 Comments

It's not often that I pick audiobooks based on the narrator, but Simon Vance and Neil Patrick Harris, and the title is Murder Your Employer - I was sold. The McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts is an exclusive institution of higher education for aspiring murderers, referred to by the school as deletists. The classes cover a large range of subjects from "Herbicide" to forgery to croquet (mallets can be deadly weapons). Murder Your Employer details the experiences of three students from the graduating class – aeronautics engineer Cliff Iverson (whose anonymous sponsor remains a mystery revealed at the end of the story), hospital employee Gemma Lindley, and Dulcie Mown (alias for Hollywood diva Doria Maye) - each of whom wants to kill their respective employer/boss. We follow all three candidates through their orientation, training, and ultimately their “thesis” or how well they apply what they learn and execute their plan. The 1950s setting gave it a nostalgic air and the campus...

A Hex for Danger by Esme Addison

March 23, 2023March 23, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

Alex Daniels has settled into Bellamy Bay well and is helping out at the family herbal apothecary. Her aunt and cousins have welcomed her with open arms, and she is immersed in her mermaid heritage, learning her skills and unearthing talents. Everyone in town is looking forward to the Mermail Festival. As part of the festival, Neve Ryland, a mural artist, is invited to paint and unveil a mural for the visitors' center. Shortly after the unveiling, Neve is found murdered. Once again, Detective Jack Frazier, Alex's boyfriend, has settled on a person Alex is close to as the main suspect. Honestly, I'm not sure what Alex sees in Jack. We never see them having fun together, just eating and grumping at each other about the cases. He keeps secrets from her, doesn't take her opinions seriously, and looks down on her family business. Granted, Alex is keeping secrets too, but I don't think Jack would believe her if she...