Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton

by Carol4 Comments
Wicked Charms is silly and funny and cute. It's an adventure story/ treasure hunt, but it's all over the top. Lizzie is pretty sane, but she is surrounded by oddballs, like a young man who tends to talk like a pirate and her friend who tries out spells with varying degrees of success. We've got a very rich man who wants to become a demon incarnate - if he can quit barking. Diesel is sexy and a bit dangerous, a typical character for this kind of story, but his monkey pal is rude and a riot. There are a couple of moments of true danger for Lizzie, but she keeps her head, and - surprise- Diesel rescues her. I know the whole thing is goofy, but it made me smile, just like candy. It's a short read too, so I don't want to give too much away. There's not a lot of meat to the story, but that's the style. I actually...
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Candy Corn Murder by Leslie Meier

by Carol2 Comments
Candy Corn Murder is the first Lucy Stone I've read, even though it's #22 in the series. The cover is just too cute to pass up. That being said, maybe if I had read earlier ones in the series, I would have enjoyed this one more. The author spent a lot of time introducing the characters and getting us involved in the town life. As this was my first time in Tinker's Cove I appreciated it, but I feel like if you had read the others, you might be thinking "get a move on." Of course, I can't tell which are recurring characters and which are new to the series, so maybe it was all necessary. The murder itself and the solution was interesting, as was the reason a certain somebody was against the Halloween festival. I liked seeing Lucy hunt down the clues and put it altogether, but it was a bit rushed. My main problem, though, was I didn't really like...
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The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny

by Carol10 Comments
I love Penny's Gamache series. I may want to live in Three Pines and be friends with the characters - as long as I didn't get murdered; it's one of those towns where you don't want to be a minor character or a new arrival. Actually, there are a lot of new characters in this one and we know one (or more) is the killer. The Nature of the Beast is set in Three Pines, where Inspector Gamache has now retired with his wife Reine Marie, but of course life can't be quiet for Gamache. A young boy is killed in the village and by not believing what the boy had told him, Gamache feels partly responsible for the death. At the same time, the local amateur theater is planning on producing a play written by a serial killer. As readers, or listeners in my case, we know the two have to be connected, but the question is how. This time, the...
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Malice by Keigo Higashino

by Carol4 Comments
Keigo Higashino is a Japanese author, apparently a very popular one. I've read two of his books before from the  and loved them. This one is from a difference series, #4, but the only Kaga mystery translated into English at this time. Happily is stands well on its own. As the blurb states, the story is more of a cat and mouse game than a traditional mystery. We learn early who the killer is, even hear their confession, but as Kaga, our detective, digs deeper he questions what he's been told. I have to say I've never read a mystery quite like this one, and I've read a lot of mysteries. The killer's thought process and actions are pretty fascinating really and the motive was not what I was expecting. In the beginning, we see things from two points of view, Kaga's and Nonoguchi's, but as time goes by we hear more Kaga's thoughts and his interviews with people who knew the...
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Bigfoot Blues by Ricardo Sanchez

by Carol1 Comment
Loved it! I might have a soft spot for quirky mysteries that involve taxidermy - alright, I've only read 2, but both were great. Bigfoot Blues is the second in the series, and it works fine on its own, but honestly I'd suggest reading Elvis Sightings first. I read this one first and liked it so much I had to go back and get #1 anyway. This is just a flat-out fun, quick read. Crazy characters, an evil corporation, mythical monsters. I will say you have to just relax and go with it. When you have a private investigator who dresses like Elvis and has a little person named Goliath as a side-kick, you know this is not your standard detective novel. It's silly, but enjoyable with several laugh-out-loud moments. It is a mystery though, and in the midst of the nutty characters and general wackiness of the town, Floyd has to follow the clues and keep from getting bit. Sanchez plays fair with the mystery...
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Elvis Sightings by Ricardo Sanchez

by Carol1 Comment
Sometimes I forget how fun books can be. If you read the blurb above, you know this mystery's definitely quirky and pushing believability. But I loved it, pure and simple. The mystery itself is pretty good. The author plays fair enough with clues and motives. It's the characters that are outrageous and the situations they find themselves in. It's not a book for everyone. It's silly in some spots and laugh-out-loud funny in others. You have to be able to just relax and go with the ride. I don't want to tell too much and spoil the fun. It's like a ride at an amusement park that you just can't stop smiling during. Elvis Sightings is in no way serious, just really light, enjoyable summer read. It's one of my faves so far this year.  ...
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