eBook – Carol's Notebook

Music Festival Murder by R. M. Murphy

February 28, 2025February 28, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

Music Festival Murder is the second in the series. It could work as a stand alone, but they're quick so I'd probably just go back and read the first before starting this one. Denny and his pizza truck are back in his hometown, this time for JamFest. His friend Jerry's band is going to be playing on the mainstage, which is exciting. But of course someone gets killed - a boutique owner who is also the retired school band director. Denny starts asking questions. Thankfully he has hired a young man, Graham, to help at the truck so he has some freedom to traipse around the festival grounds looking for clues and talking to people. This one was another fun, quick mystery. I feel like the motive in these tend to be a bit weak. I read this a couple of days ago and I remember who the killer was but not why they did it....

Mozzarella Murder by R.M. Murphy

February 26, 2025February 28, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I love pizza - extra cheese, no pepperoni if it's from DiCarlo's, add some veggies if it's from another pizza place, which is more or less why I picked up Mozzarella Murder. Denny, our main character/amateur sleuth, is a widower in his 40s who has left his job as a copy editor to open a pizza truck. He is back in his hometown in Eastern Pennsylvania to sell pizzas at the annual Summerfest. His first stop in town is at the cheese shop run by his old friend Ruben. In the shop, the two find the dead body of motivational speaker and former classmate, Charlie Sampson. Denny decides he needs to investigate because it looks like Ruben might be the chief suspect. It turns out Charlie had more than one enemy. Denny has been out of town for a while, but he reconnects with several old friends and knows enough people in town that he still fits in well. He has...

The Twelve Saints of Christmas by Karen Baugh Menuhin

December 11, 2024December 11, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

Major Heathcliff Lennox was formerly an RAF pilot and hero. But, now WWI is over and Lennox is acting as an investigator along with his good friend Former Detective Jonathan Swift, for Scotland Yard on an as needed basis - usually when the upper classes are involved. This time, they've been been called to Temple House, where one of the saints has been murdered. The saints are a group of extremely wealthy, elderly, heir-less philanthropists living in retired semi seclusion. And yes, they are as eccentric as you might imagine. The mystery was put together well. We had several clues and suspects and I have to admit that I was fooled. Lennox and Swift's investigations can seem a little haphazard, since they each have their own approaches, but they get there in the end. This is definitely a Christmas mystery. We've got a decorated tree and some cute cats and a dog to play with the ornaments. We have some present...

I’ll Be Home for Mischief by Jacqueline Frost

October 14, 2024October 14, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

Poor Holly. It's Christmastime again at Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm and, for the fifth December in a row, someone is killed. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The setting is wonderful. Mistletoe, Maine sounds like such a cute place. I love how close Holly and her family and friends are. They have fun together and work together and they're people I'd like to hang out with . Holly and her husband, Sheriff Evan Gray, have a good relationship. The plot was put together well and it moved along at a good pace. We have several potential suspects and the whodunnit wasn't overly obvious. The book and the series are so Christmassy. From the town to the food to the way the man was killed, it just screams Christmas, which I enjoy. It would be a perfect December read. And it has several touches of Christmas magic that set it apart....

A Death of Fresh Air by Helen Gold

October 3, 2024September 26, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

This time around, Lady Beatrice and her business partner, Perry Juke, are working on the refurbishment of Clary House, which a few years ago had been The Seaside Lounge. Simon and Ryan are planning to reopen it as a restaurant, Salt Air. Of course, it doesn't go smoothly and a skeleton is found inside the wall. Turns out the chef from the Lounge hadn't left for Australia, but had been killed and his body hidden. Bea and Perry get involved, of course. I really enjoy this series and the cover of this one is adorable. Lady Beatrice is a delight, as always. I love that her friendship with Perry and Simon remains a priority for her, even as her relationship with Rich develops. The supporting cast in these books is just so great. It's like catching up with old friends. The mystery was put together well. There were clues, but also enough red herrings that I was surprised by the...

A Christmas Murder by Mary Grand

September 9, 2024September 6, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

I love a good Christmas mystery and this had all everything I could ask for. We've got a manor house turned hotel where a tension-filled family is spending the holiday. We've got a snowstorm, making transportation nearly impossible. And then one of the guests, press mogul Duncan Fern, is found dead. Susan, our amateur sleuth with two adorable dogs, is at Bishopstone Manor helping Meera, the owner/manager, who hurt her leg in a fall. Susan is convinced the man was murdered, even if the family and police would rather pretend otherwise. The mystery was well put together. We had plenty of suspects all of whom had secrets. Duncan was mean, rich, and a bully. He gave plenty of people reason to want him dead. This is the third mystery in the series, but worked fine as a stand-alone. Susan is likable even if she makes some odd decisions. And the island seems like a lovely place to live, discounting the occasional...