Murder Uncorked by Michele Scott

by Carol3 Comments
Murder Uncorked by Michele Scott From the back: Nikki Sands was like every other aspiring actress—waiting tables between jobs. But Nikki had taken serving wines to heart. She knew enough to impress Napa Valley's golden boy, Derek Malveaux, who offered her a job at his vineyard. And though Nikki may have left her dreams of stardom behind, the world of wine is ripe with intrigue—and the seeds of sleuthing are planted. Nikki has just set foot on Napa Valley's rich soil when she realizes her new job may not be as safe as she thought. First off, Derek Malveaux is disconcertingly sexy. Second, his top winemaker is dead in the bushes outside Nikki's cottage. It doesn't take a connoisseur of foul play to know something's taken a terrible turn... My thoughts: I actually wasn't planning on reading this. I picked it up to glance at it before returning it to the library and got hooked. Nikki is a great main character and I had to see...
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Turning Angel by Greg Iles

by Carol5 Comments
Turning Angel by Greg Iles Description: After winning the most dangerous case of his career, prosecutor Penn Cage decides to remain in his Southern hometown to raise his young daughter in a safe haven. But nowhere is truly safe -- not from long-buried secrets, or murder....When the nude body of prep school student Kate Townsend is found near the Mississippi River, Penn's best friend, Drew Elliott, is desperate for his counsel. An esteemed family physician, Drew makes a shocking confession that could put him on death row. Penn will do all he can to exonerate Drew, but in a town where the gaze of a landmark cemetery statue -- the Turning Angel -- never looks away, Penn finds himself caught on the jagged edge of blackmail, betrayal, and deadly violence. My thoughts: It turns out Penn's friend, Drew, was sleeping with the murder victim, which is the shocking confession. Unfortunately, that's not the only shocking revelation that occurs in the book. Drugs, racism, adultery,...
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Eggs in Purgatory

by Carol5 Comments
Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs Published: December 2008 by Berkley Description: Suzanne, Toni, and Petra lose their husbands but find independence when they open the Cackleberry Club. Then their cozy cafe becomes the scene of a crime when a lawyer dies with a secret on his lips and egg on his face. What this all has to do with a religious cult and Suzanne's past could put her own life on the line. My thoughts: I truly liked the characters, especially Petra, and the way they interact, supporting, encouraging and inspiring each other.  I would absolutely love to have brunch at the Cackleberry Club and explore the book nook. Food and books, what can be better? The mystery was okay, but there were just so many things going on. To be honest, the most interesting part of the storyline for me was the subplot involving an abused woman and her daughter. This is the first in the Cackleberry Club Mysteries, a cozy mystery series, and there are some recipes in...
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A Killer Collection

by Carol2 Comments
A Killer Collection by J. B. Stanley Description: Introducing amateur sleuth Molly Appleby, a sharp-witted writer for Collector's Weekly magazine. She has a keen knowledge of antiques, and a special fondness for collectibles. And when a fellow collector is murdered, Molly quickly develops an uncanny understanding of the criminal mind. My thoughts: The part of this book that I loved was the information on Southern pottery. It is fascinating how an potter can take a lump of clay and turn into a piece of art, whether it be beautiful or, in the case of the face jugs, ugly. I wish the photos in back had been in color, but the descriptions of the pieces throughout the book were well done. Also, the collectors who visited the kiln openings and auctions were certainly an interesting breed. The mystery and the main character, however, weren't outstanding for me. The story was okay, but not enjoyable enough for me to continue on with the series. I can't even put...
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One Bad Apple

by CarolNo Comments
One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly When Meg Corey unexpectedly finds herself out of a job, an apartment, and a relationship, she seizes the opportunity to renovate the Massachusetts colonial house her mother has inherited from distant relations and to sell it quickly for a share of the profits. But Meg gets more than she bargained for when she learns that renovating a two-hundred-year-old house is not easy task and that the gorgeous ffteen-acre apple orchard on the property is in danger of being paved over by developers. And she definitely isn't expecting to run into her ex-boyfriend...floating dead in her new septic tank. The police immediately suspect Meg, whose only ally is the charming local plumber who found the body. determined to clear her name - while fighting her growing attachment to the troublesome house and orchard - Meg begins to investigate the crime and the townspeople only to find there's one bad apple in this bunch... This is the first in...
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