Cozy Mystery – Page 43 – Carol's Notebook

Murder on a Winter Afternoon by Betty Rowlands

December 9, 2018December 5, 2018 by Carol6 Comments

Keeping with my wintery reading theme, next up is Murder on a Winter Afternoon by Betty Rowlands. It's also a Christmas read, kind of, since it takes place at that time of the year and two of the characters do help with the script and scenery for a Christmas show, even if it's only mentioned once or twice. This is the 5th (or 7th depending on how you count) in the series starring Melissa Craig, but the first I've read and I though it worked quite well on its own. Melissa is an author and she's been asked to finish the last novel of her neighbor, Leonora Jewell. Leonora usually wrote family dramas, but this last one is more of a crime novel, right up Melissa's ally. Leonora was killed, presumably by the burglars who had been making the rounds and not by the sex strangler who is making women in the area extra cautious. Of course it turns out to be...

Much Ado About Murder by Elizabeth J. Duncan

November 14, 2018 by Carol8 Comments

I finished Much Ado About Murder a few days ago, but then I couldn't remember if I finished it or not. I had started another book on my Kindle, which meant I must have finished it, but then I had to look back and see who the killer was. The book obviously didn't leave much of a lingering impression, or at least the reveal didn't. I like the setting, a hotel/theater in the Catskills. I also like Charlotte. She's from England and is a very talented costume designer. Due to the turnover of directors and her friendship with the Director of the Board, she is to some extent in charge of the theater. Between the actors, director and costume staff, we've got a lot of characters, several of whom had motive for killing Edmund, because of course Charlotte's right—it was murder. I guess overall it was just fine. The characters were fine, each had their bit of backstory that made them possible suspects....

Twelve Angry Librarians by Miranda James

August 22, 2018 by Carol6 Comments

I'm late to the Cat in the Stacks series. I'm not sure that starting with Twelve Angry Librarians was really the best choice. Maybe I would have enjoyed the story more if I knew Charlie and his family and girlfriend better. And the cat was more of a conversation piece than actual character. The story was fine, just not as good as I expected based on other reviews. Charlie is interim library director and the Southern Academic Libraries Association is holding their convention at the college. When the keynote speaker is killed, it seems like everyone at the conference had a reason to hate him, including Charlie. There's lots of gossip and "we hated him but had to work with him." I don't understand how such a terrible man ended up as the keynote speaker when the audience was full of people who actively disliked him. Maybe I haven't been to enough conferences, but there was so much gossip and the one...

Picked Off by Linda Lovely

July 31, 2018July 31, 2018 by Carol2 Comments

I have mixed feelings about Picked Off by Linda Lovely. I love Brie and all of her friends, who I first met in Bones to Pick. Her aunt is awesome, feisty and honest and loving. She and her friends, Mollye, Paint and Andy make a great team, even if they're a bit bumbling, like any good amateur detectives. They are funny and truly care about each other. The mystery is good. We've got plenty of suspects and motives, which is not surprising considering the victim - who doesn't actually die by the way - is a professional football player and his mother is a politician. We've got rednecks and franchise owners and gamblers. Then the author goes and ruins it all with a love triangle, which was my problem with the first in the series too. I had hoped she would let that go by the wayside, but nope. Apparently Brie can not be "just friends" with either of them -...

Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Café by Richard Dee

February 13, 2018February 7, 2018 by Carol4 Comments

Andorra Pett and her side-kick Cy have left behind their man-troubles on Earth and settled on a mining station off Saturn. They're going to make a go at running the little cafe, but there's just one problem - the body in the freezer. Apparently the old owner never actually left. And, since this is a cozy mystery, Andorra has to decide to investigate herself, instead of leaving it to the security force. Her reason is somewhat legit. The owner of the diner, the cafe's only competition, is a bit of a mob boss with ties to everything and everyone and he might be just as happy if she ended up being charged with the murder. I like the whole set up, the station is full of interesting characters, some more quirky than others. Andorra gathers a group of fabulous friends to help her and Cy out at the cafe and show them the ropes of living on the station. She also...

The Body in the Casket by Katherine Hall Page

December 30, 2017January 2, 2018 by Carol13 Comments

The Body in the Casket is the first in the Faith Fairchild mystery I've read. On the one hand that doesn't matter because it stands on its own well. On the other hand, it means I didn't care as much about Faith's family and friends as I might have if I had started the series at the beginning. I enjoyed the mystery portion of the book a lot. I'm a sucker for a good old-fashioned manor house mystery, which this was at heart, although with a New England touch. I love the addition of the theater folk and the whole Heaven and Hell theme of the weekend. I was not entirely surprised by the who dunnit, partly because it was reminiscent of a mystery I read earlier last month. Faith didn't really shine as a detective here though. I don't know I that's standard for this series or not, but she never really put any clues together or seemed to have...