The Fatal Flying Affair by T.E. Kinsey

The Fatal Flying Affair by T.E. Kinsey

by CarolNo Comments
The Fatal Flying Affair is the first in the series that I've picked up, but it worked fine without having read the previous installments. Lady Hardcastle's brother, Harry, who works for the Secret Service Bureau, stops by with an assignment. He wants Emily and her maid/best friend, Florence, to look into the death of a pilot who was testing a parachute and to find the person who is leaking top secret intelligence. Harry believes airplanes are going to have major military I just didn't love this one. The banter felt a bit too clever, if that makes sense, and I didn't care about the solution to the mystery. The village talent show was fun, but I'm not sure I'll pick up another in the series....
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History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook

History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook

by CarolNo Comments
I am torn about History Lessons; some things I loved, a lot I didn't. Our main character is history professor, Daphne Ouverture, who is trying to solve the murder of another professor, Sam Taylor. Sam's text to her the night of his death was strange, as is the fact that one of her books is missing. It all must be connected to his death and she needs to find out how. I want to love Daphne. She's smart and tough and I appreciated her thoughts on race and feminism and society. I didn't like the way she instantly smitten with Rowan, the police consultant/bookstore owner. I didn't like how unsure she seemed of herself in the beginning, especially after we meet her family and see how she deals with some situations later on in the book. I love the language in the book and the literary and historical references. You could make a whole reading list based on this one. I...
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A High-End Finish by Kate Carlisle

A High-End Finish by Kate Carlisle

by CarolNo Comments
I've read at least one other Fixer-Upper mystery and watched the Hallmark shows, but I was looking for something free to listen to and found this one. I didn't love it to be honest. Shannon goes out on a blind date that ends badly, with her kneeing him and threatening to kill him - in front of a beach of witnesses. Of course, the guy later turns up dead - in one of the houses her company is remodeling, killed with one of her distinctive pink tools. She is, of course, a suspect and decides she needs to clear her name. Unfortunately, most of the other suspects are women too. The guy was jerk. I like Shannon in the tv show, but here she seems young. She doesn't learn and continues to threaten to kill people throughout the book (because doesn't everyone) but then is dismayed when they end up murdered, or almost murdered. She still has some kind...
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Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper

Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper

by CarolNo Comments
I don't read a lot of romances - I get annoyed with miscommunications that almost seem purposeful, ridiculous grudges, and love triangles. Witches Get Stuff Done was fun, though. After a rather disastrous ferry ride, Riley arrives on Starfall Point Island. She’s expecting to meet her long lost aunt, but instead learns of her aunt’s death and finds herself caretaker to a house full of ghosts. The love interest is a cute, intelligent librarian, Edison. Yes, their first meeting is a bit yucky and maybe they fall in love a little too quickly, but they made me smile. They both have some baggage from past relationships, but don't let it overwhelm the present. They talk to each other honestly and share things. Most of the tension comes from the ghosts and the mysteries surrounding the house. t's fun to watch Riley find her circle of friends. She's new in town and her aunt always kept pretty aloof from the...
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For Duck’s Sake by Donna Andrews

For Duck’s Sake by Donna Andrews

by Carol1 Comment
The Meg Langslow series is one I dip in and out of. I've read several, but no where near 37. Meg wears many hats - mom, wife, daughter, blacksmith, mayor's assistant. This time around she's helping prep for the Mutt March. a parade/festival to promote pet adoptions from the local shelters. She's taking a break from the chaos at her house by going over the her brother's - just in time for the backhoe digging out the duck pond to uncover a human arm bone. This is a long-running series with lots of returning characters. Andrews does a good job at giving us enough information to know who is who and their relationships to each other, but not so much that it bogs the book down. I think this would work as a stand alone, but as with most series, the more you've read the more you know about, and hopefully enjoy, the characters and town. As far as the case...
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Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie

Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie

by CarolNo Comments
This time around Poirot happens to be passing through Iraq and is called upon by the local authorities to look into a suspicious death. Dr. Leidner is in charge of an archaeological dig. There are tensions among the members of the party and Dr. Leidner has hired a nurse, Amy Leatheran, to look after his wife, who has been overly nervous. Then, his wife ends up murdered. Nurse Leatheran is our narrator this time around. She has not known the members of the dig for long and has her own opinions about their personalities and what's been going on. We also see Poirot and his investigation through her eyes and she's not always complimentary. The characters are drawn well, with their secrets, fears, and jealousies. The whodunnit is not great. It just seems rather unlikely all around, but I still enjoyed the book....
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