A Murderous Affair by Leighann Dobbs and Harmony Williams

A Murderous Affair by Leighann Dobbs and Harmony Williams

by Carol2 Comments
Lady Katherine is a non-traditional woman for her time. Her passion is solving murder mysteries, and only a few people know that's what she does. Most people believe she's a matchmaker.  A Murderous Affair is the first I've read in the series. It works fine as a stand-alone, but I would probably know the characters better if I had started at the beginning. It's the Christmas season, but Katherine, along with a set of I presume recurring characters, is asked to investigate a more or less cold case. A maid was murdered six months ago, the same night as a terrible thunderstorm and a fire at the Hound and Ale Pub. Bow Street has dismissed is a random case of violence, and in all honesty, they're not terribly concerned about the death of a servant anyway. Two teams form, the men, Captain Dorian Wayland, Lord Annondale and Annondale's valet, Mctavish on one side with Lady Katherine, Prudence Burwick (Lord Annondale's...
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A Purrfect Alibi by Leighann Dobbs

A Purrfect Alibi by Leighann Dobbs

by Carol4 Comments
In A Purrfect Alibi, the Oyster Cove Guesthouse is full of psychics, mediums, tea readers, etc. all hoping to speak to the ghost of Jedediah Biddeford and find his treasure. Josie doesn't believe in ghosts and is really just happy to have paying guests, until—surprise, surprise—one of them ends up dead. Nero and Marlowe, the guest house cats, have a case to solve, and a ghost to deal with, because Jed is hanging around now, even if Josie doesn't know it. It's a cute enough story. The cats and Jed are fun. The killer's a little obvious, even if I didn't catch the motive until it was revealed. The Oyster Cover Guesthouse series is light and breezy. The books are perfect for lazy summer afternoons. This counts as 4 pts in the COYER Treasure Hunt (the last book in a series)....
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A Whisker in the Dark by Leighann Dobbs

A Whisker in the Dark by Leighann Dobbs

by Carol2 Comments
A Whisker in the Dark was a fun, easy, silly read. Josie owns a guesthouse where people keep ending up dead. Well, this time around the first dead body is a skeleton from 300 years ago, but we end up with a murder soon enough—and it's probably no surprise with so many folks thinking there's a treasure buried on the guesthouse's property. So, the cats, Nero and Marlowe and their friends, are the real detectives here, although Josie does some investigating too. In Josie's defense, she's got a lot on her mind, with running the guesthouse, trying to learn how to cook, and flirting with the building inspector. The cats are pretty darn smart, and cats can get into places people can't and eavesdrop without being noticed. I'm still getting used to the cats talking to each other, but it does make the series stand out. The book is really about the characters, both human and feline. The mystery itself is...
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A Twist in the Tail by Leighann Dobbs

A Twist in the Tail by Leighann Dobbs

by Carol2 Comments
First of all, A Twist in the Tail has talking cats. They don't talk out loud to people, but they talk to each other in English. They have conversations and find clues and discuss the best way to help their not so competent humans. It caught me off-guard. I knew there were going to be cats, just didn't realize the extent of their involvement, that they were also amateur detectives. I've read other Leighann Dobbs mysteries that didn't have talking animals and I don't think I could have been expected to know it based on the blurb. It turned out I enjoyed the book, so maybe it's just as well I was clueless since I'm not sure if I would have picked it up had I known. A Twist in the Tail is the first in a series, and it's a good start. It's fun and light-hearted but the mystery had plenty of clues for the cats to get Josie to...
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Buried Secrets by Leighann Dobbs

Buried Secrets by Leighann Dobbs

by Carol2 Comments
I really enjoy the Blackmoore Sisters Mysteries. In Buried Secrets, they head West on a treasure hunting trip with Luke, one of the sisters' boyfriends and his team. I like that the people around the women recognize, and believe in, their powers. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the sisters leaving their hometown, but since they took all of the recurring characters with them, it didn't really matter much. The girls piece together what happened Dead Water's past and get right in the middle of some present day illegal activities. Overall, it's a bit predictable, but there was a least one twist I didn't see coming. I would suggest starting the series at the beginning. They're light, quick read that are just fun. There are a lot of characters though, and a variety of powers, so I think starting with #1 allows you to get introduced to them all and get to know them. I'm looking forward to the next in the...
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Dead Tide by Leighann Dobbs

by CarolNo Comments
Mystery, magical power, romance - and pirates. It's light and fun. This was one of my read-a-thon books and it was perfect. It's a quick read, maybe a little unbelievable, but that's okay since it's so enjoyable. The sisters are each discovering their own powers, like seeing ghosts or electric fighting powers - yeah, not sure about that one yet. I like how much they care for each other and how well they all work together. The plot is carried on from book #2; they're hunting for the treasure and so are the bad guys. People end up dead, thankfully none of them. The mystery is not terribly strong here, but the girls and their men make up for it. It does veer strongly toward romance, so if you don't like a love interest clogging up your mystery, avoid this series. I do enjoy it, when it works right, and it does for me with these stories. I'm looking forward to reading...
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