Mystery – Page 90 – Carol's Notebook

A Whisker in the Dark by Leighann Dobbs

August 14, 2019August 29, 2019 by Carol2 Comments

A Whisker in the Dark was a fun, easy, silly read. Josie owns a guesthouse where people keep ending up dead. Well, this time around the first dead body is a skeleton from 300 years ago, but we end up with a murder soon enough—and it's probably no surprise with so many folks thinking there's a treasure buried on the guesthouse's property. So, the cats, Nero and Marlowe and their friends, are the real detectives here, although Josie does some investigating too. In Josie's defense, she's got a lot on her mind, with running the guesthouse, trying to learn how to cook, and flirting with the building inspector. The cats are pretty darn smart, and cats can get into places people can't and eavesdrop without being noticed. I'm still getting used to the cats talking to each other, but it does make the series stand out. The book is really about the characters, both human and feline. The mystery itself is...

The Sentence Is Death by Anthony Horowitz

August 13, 2019October 27, 2021 by Carol4 Comments

Hawthorne has been called in by the police again to help solve a murder, and of course, he convinces Horowitz to join him. After all, Horowitz needs to write two more stories featuring Hawthorne. The Sentence Is Death is the second in the series and honestly, I liked the whole author as a character thing more enjoyable this time around. The first time around I found it almost clever for clever's sake, but in this one it was amusing, seeing how people reacted to him, or not, knowing he was an author. I don't really have much to say about this one. It's a good traditional mystery, kind of a take on Sherlock and Watson, with Hawthorne as Sherlock, putting together the clues. He's not entirely likable, definitely not politically correct, and a bit abrasive. He keeps his theories to himself right up until the end. And Horowitz is our bumbling Watson, never getting the clues quite right, asking the wrong...

Murder in the Mill-Race by E. C. R. Lorac

July 31, 2019August 1, 2019 by Carol3 Comments

Murder in the Mill-Race, also published as Speak Justly of the Dead, takes place in a small, somewhat isolated town North Devon. Dr. Ferens has taken over the practice of the mostly retired town doctor and he and his wife are happy to move away from the grit and grime of the city. Of course, villages come with their own sets of difficulties, and in this particular village, one of those is Sister Monica who runs the children's home. Mrs. Ferens has an instant dislike to her and while the townsfolk all praise her, you know something's not quite right. It's no surprise when she ends up dead in the stream just beyond the mill. We meet the people in town as Dr. Ferens does and we are allowed to settle into the setting nicely before the murder occurs. Even then the local guy does a bit of investigating before MacDonald is called in. The villagers are not keen on answering...

The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle by Laura DiSilverio

July 24, 2019August 1, 2019 by Carol4 Comments

The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle is right up my aisle. Amy-Faye is an event planner, but more importantly, she's a member of a mystery book club. This month they're reading Murder on the Orient Express, one of my favorites, so of course when a murder occurs, more than one of the readaholics is thinking it might be a conspiracy. This is the first in the series I've read but I had no trouble jumping right into the characters and their lives. Amy-Faye has organized the grand opening of her brother's new brewery, but his business partner is found dead in the dumpster in the middle of the party—probably not good for business, definitely not good for her brother who gets arrested. Of course, Amy-Faye and the gang have to clear her brother's name and keep the brewery running. Amy-Faye and her friends are fun to hang out with. They each have their own careers and quirks, they're very different from each...

A Twist in the Tail by Leighann Dobbs

July 18, 2019August 1, 2019 by Carol2 Comments

First of all, A Twist in the Tail has talking cats. They don't talk out loud to people, but they talk to each other in English. They have conversations and find clues and discuss the best way to help their not so competent humans. It caught me off-guard. I knew there were going to be cats, just didn't realize the extent of their involvement, that they were also amateur detectives. I've read other Leighann Dobbs mysteries that didn't have talking animals and I don't think I could have been expected to know it based on the blurb. It turned out I enjoyed the book, so maybe it's just as well I was clueless since I'm not sure if I would have picked it up had I known. A Twist in the Tail is the first in a series, and it's a good start. It's fun and light-hearted but the mystery had plenty of clues for the cats to get Josie to...

Taking Out the Trash by Tristi Pinkston

July 16, 2019July 17, 2019 by Carol4 Comments

Taking Out the Trash is a cozy mystery that's trying to be funny, but fell flat for me. Estelle is a middle-aged housewife with an accountant husband, an adult son, and a quirky best friend, Vera. The cops find a Senator's body in her garbage can and her son, who has an internship in Washington, quickly comes under suspicion. Of course, Estelle and Vera have to investigate; they can't have Andrew convicted of the murder. I like that Estelle and her husband are a stable, loving couple, but I tend to prefer my heroines with a bit less lying to their husbands/having their husbands treat them like they can't take care of themselves. Granted, maybe she can't, she does end up in a couple of dangerous situations, but still, that's standard cozy behavior. And I wish she could have kept the hair color that made her feel so pretty. She also seemed a bit older than her early-60s to me,...