Case of the Bleus by Korina Moss

Case of the Bleus by Korina Moss

by Carol2 Comments
Case of the Bleus might have been my favorite in the series so far. This time around some of Willa's former co-workers are in town for the Northwest Cheese Invitational. They will also be attending the reading of Max Dumas' will along with his formerly estranged daughter. The daughter is supposed to inherit Max' cheese shop. The big question is who will inherit the secret to Church Bleu Cheese - how it's made and where it's aged. Instead, all they get is a clue they have to figure out. Then one of the cheesemongers is killed, and Willa and her friends decide they need to "help" find the killer. So we have two mysteries - who is the killer, and what is the secret to the cheese. The plot itself had several twists. The visitors to town each have their own angle and were definitely potential suspects. How the woman died was clear right away, but the who was more difficult...
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Death by Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow

Death by Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow

by CarolNo Comments
Death by Bubble Tea is the first in a series featuring Yale Yere and her cousin, Celine. Yale is not thrilled that Celine is in town for a visit and is even less excited when her father suggests the two of them work together at his restaurant's food stand at the night market in their neighborhood. The evening surprisingly goes well, until Yale finds a dead body on her way home. The young woman is lying next to one of the distinctive glasses that Yale and Celine served their drinks in, so the police view them as suspects. Of course, Yale and Celine decide they need to do some snooping around and find the cops better people to be interested in. I really wanted to like this book, but I found Yale annoying. She doesn't have a cell phone. She doesn't drive because of her mother's death. She doesn't seem to have any friends and she's given up cooking. Celine, who...
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Murder at an English Pub by Alice Castle

Murder at an English Pub by Alice Castle

by CarolNo Comments
Following the death of her husband, recently retired doctor, Sarah Vane, has moved next door to her best friend, Daphne, in the small town of Merstairs on the Kent coast. The two women have been friends since their schooldays, and both are delighted with the new arrangement. Daphne has recently purchased a beach hut and offers to let Sarah store some boxes there, but first it needs cleaned out a bit. While the two are working on it, they discover a body in a trunk, clearly murdered. Turns out the dead man was a mostly well-liked local bar owner. Sarah, of course, decides she has to snoop around. I'll grant you the cops don't seem incredibly competent, but Sarah barely knows the people in town aside from Daphne who isn't a real suspect. I felt her reasons for jumping headlong into the investigation seemed a little weak. The small town setting with quirky characters is a cozy mystery staple, but...
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Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis

Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis

by Carol1 Comment
The Floating Hotel is the Abeona, a spaceship hotel touring the galaxy. It's definitely light on technology. The Abeona itself is rather retro, with lots of wood and paper and pneumatic tubes There seems to be only one woman on the maintenance team and we never really know many details of how the ship works, just that it does and has been doing so for decades. Every chapter in Floating Hotel is written from a new character's POV. Most of them are staff or returning regulars, and each has a past, or purpose, that has led them to the hotel. We learn their backstories and see how they spend their days. The stories and characters gradually build a picture of the vibrant life on the hotel, while weaving in a few mysteries as the plot meanders along. I enjoyed the book, right up until the end. I wish the mystery portion could have somehow worked out differently or maybe been worked through...
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A Killer Clue by Victoria Gilbert

A Killer Clue by Victoria Gilbert

by CarolNo Comments
We first met Jane Hunter and her boss, millionaire Cameron Clew in the first book of the series, A Cryptic Clue. Jane is a retired librarian hired by Cam to catalog his collection of mystery books, but the two of them have also started doing small investigations for people. In this second of the series, Eloise Anderson, a bookseller Cam deals with occasionally, has approached them about her mother's case. Her mother, now dead, was convicted of killing Eloise's father, but Eloise believes she was innocent and wants Cam to find out who the real killer was. Things become more complicated when another murder occurs and Eloise is the prime suspect. Jane and Cam make a good team. They have a Holmes and Watson vibe, but Jane is a more motherly figure than the usual sidekick. Jane is smart and good at talking to people, while Cam is not great at social situations and strongly prefers not to leave his home,...
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