Cozy Mystery – Page 26 – Carol's Notebook

The Subject of Malice by Cynthia Kuhn

March 26, 2022March 28, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

In The Subject of Malice, Lila leaves campus for a convention at nearby Tattered Star Ranch. The small press that will be publishing her book is there and she's meeting with her editor, in between attending panels, tours, and odd jobs as a member of the planning committee. Her rival, Simone, and Simone’s twin sister, Selene, are also attending the conference and apparently co-writing a book on the same author as Lila, which is both bad for Lila and unprofessional on Simone's part. It's all stressful and the keynote is maybe a jerk, even if he's an incredibly popular writer. And then one of the editors ends up dead. Lex is on hand to investigate. Time passes between the books in this series and Lila and Lex have been dating for over a year now. Anyway, he actually asks Lila to consult for the department, since she knows the people and has a better grasp on potential motives. Yeah,...

The Spirit in Question by Cynthia Kuhn

March 25, 2022March 25, 2022 by Carol1 Comment

I've been reading the Lila Maclean mysteries this month. Each can work as a stand-alone, but like most series, reading them in order will give you a better feel for the characters, especially the ones in supporting roles. In The Spirit in Question, Lila has taken on (or perhaps been dragged into) helping with the production of another professor’s play, Puzzled: The Musical, a barely comprehensible mixture of detectives and dancers. The student actors and crew are having a ball - until the director is murdered during a rehearsal. At the request of Detective Lex Archer (the love interest), Lila (mostly) stays out of the hunt for the murderer, but plenty of other problems keep her busy. The play is being staged in the Stonedale Opera House, which the university owns but doesn't seem to maintain. The Historical Society is protesting the use of the building, multiple accidents happen during practices, and, to top it all off, the building might be haunted....

The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett

March 24, 2022March 23, 2022 by Carol2 Comments

I thoroughly enjoyed The Windsor Knot. A handsome Russian pianist is found in a compromising position the morning after a “dine and sleep” event at Windsor Castle with a whole host of guests. It's a bit like a country house murder, but bigger. We have the guests, all of whom, are potential suspects; the staff, one of whom MI5 is convinced must be a Russian spy; and people who are attending an economics meeting. That's a lot of people to keep track of, by the way. The queen disagrees with MI5, the murder is not typical of the Russians. She's also protective of her staff and her home. I like how it's set up. The Queen is the driving force behind solving the mystery. She looks at the details and the picture and puts it all together, but her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie, does most of the actual investigating, tramping around asking questions, accidentally putting herself in danger. I loved...

The Art of Vanishing by Cynthia Kuhn

March 17, 2022March 17, 2022 by Carol3 Comments

The Art of Vanishing is just a fun mystery. Professor Lila Maclean is on the committee in charge of Arts Week at Stonedale. She's intelligent and capable and maybe a bit trusting. She also has connections that come in useful. When famous author Damon Von Tussel goes missing right before he's to present at the campus Art Week, Lila has to call her mom, famous artist Violet O, who is also Von Tussel's ex to help find him. Violet is quite a character. They do find him, but there are several more "accidents" - clearly someone is trying to stop Arts week, or maybe just Von Tussel's part in it. The mystery was interesting, with several possible motives and suspects. And let's be honest, I love mysteries that involve books and authors. The politics within the English department and the pressures to publish are mixed in well with the main plot. Lila's mom is a hoot. The characters are a varied...

A Distant Voice by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards

March 15, 2022March 15, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

I've listened to all of the Mydworth mysteries and thoroughly enjoyed A Distant Voice. It is well-written and fast-paced. I like Kat and Harry. They make a good pair and are both more than competent. We know Bellamy Smythe is a fraud. Alice Wetherby is his target, but the question is why. She clearly has no money. Kat and Harry have been asked by a friend to make sure Smythe isn't out to defraud Alice. Of course, he is but proving it is another matter. They don’t just want Bellamy, either, they want to know how he is getting his information about the townspeople. How, why, and who all need answers. It's an entertaining book. It takes a bit of research, some questioning, and a minor breaking and entering, for Harry and Kat to find the answers. There's a bit of danger involved, as always, but nothing our couple can't handle....

The Semester of Our Discontent by Cynthia Kuhn

March 3, 2022March 14, 2022 by Carol6 Comments

First off, the cat in The Semester of Our Discontent is Cady, named after the suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Our dog's name is also Cady. It's the one she came with from the shelter, but maybe I can use the suffragist line too? This is the first in the Lila Maclean mysteries, all of which I'm hoping to read during March for the Can You Read a Series in a Month? challenge. Dr. Lila Maclean, a recent PhD graduate, has just been hired at the prestigious Stonedale University, where her cousin, Calista, is also a professor. Lila loves teaching and is passionate about Gothic and Mystery writing, probably one of the reasons I like her. She is not however thrilled with the pompous, sexist chair of the English department, who of course winds up murdered. The Semester of Our Discontent is a smart, fun mystery, with a bit of humor to it. The college was a perfect setting and the...