A Fistful of Divas by Camille LaGuire

by CarolNo Comments
So I love Mick and Casey McKee. I wish there were more stories in the series. They are a gunslingers in the old west, a young married couple. And I do mean young. She's maybe 17. He's the talker, she's the shooter and they make a great pair. This time around, the couple want to see singing at the local opera house. There's a cute story why, involving Casey's dad. Anyway, with these two nothing is ever simple. Just as they walk in to see who is warming up, there's a shot, apparently aimed at one of the women on stage. If the ladies are going to feel safe enough to perform, Mick and Casey need to figure what's going on and stop it. The mystery was good, for a short story. The actual shooter's identity is quickly established, but who hired him and why is the question. There are a couple clues and a nice, small list of suspects. Like I said, I...
Read More

Motion for Murder by Kelly Rey

by Carol2 Comments
Motion for Murder is a cute, light mystery. Jamie has a lousy job, but gets even worse when one of the partners in the law firm she works at is killed. One of her co-workers is probably the killer, the question is who? I like Jamie. She's funny, but she lets people take advantage of her. The reason for her investigating is a bit weak, though. Hilary, the widow, who she doesn't like, has insisted that she look into one of her co-workers and her natural curiosity and/or worry that she might be next, keeps her digging around. I will say the killer's identity caught me totally off-guard. It made sense, just wasn't someone who was on my radar at all. The secondary characters are a mixed bag. I like Curtis, Jamie's landlord and love interest. He's a good guy, but he rides the line between trying to keep Jamie safe and semi-encouraging her to investigate, which is a little odd. Her...
Read More

In the Bag by Emery Harper

by Carol2 Comments
I didn't read the first in the series, but I picked up In the Bag based on the blurb. I like mysteries and this one sounded fun. I chose well. The cast of characters is great. Celeste is the lead and is a blast. she's funny, caring, has a tendency to get herself into potential danger, but who can blame her? Her best friend's the main suspect in a murder investigation. Speaking of Levi, I like him. He's got his own troubles, but still has time to give out advice, for better or worse. Celeste's dad's in town and adds to the confusion. There's also a bookie whose interest in Celeste is obvious, and a little creepy. The plotline was good. There are enough suspects, but not too many. The clues tie together pretty well. For me though, the enjoyment was in the characters and the situations they get themselves into, no necessarily the whodunnit. I was not a big fan of Celeste's "relationship"...
Read More

Guest Post by Lauren Carr, author of A Fine Year for Murder (with giveaway)

by Carol3 Comments
An Author By Any Other Name …. By Lauren Carr (aka Jack’s wife, Tristan’s Mom, Marilyn Mayhem, and Beast Master) Occasionally, I receive an email from an author terrified of using Facebook, the Internet, or any social media for fear of friends and relatives identifying them. Once, I received an email from an author afraid to promote his upcoming book. “I have relatives out there who I don’t want to find me,” he said. I’m certain there’s a great story behind this, but he refused to tell me. I was surprised when I first started conducting workshops in using social media to discover that many writers are terrified of promoting their books online for fear of their friends and family finding out that they’re published authors. So, I offer this solution: Use a Pen Name! Read on to learn about my not-so-secret identity. My husband has been the financial director at our church for over twenty years. Yep, this mystery writer, who spends her days researching...
Read More

The Patience of the Spider by Andrea Camilleri

by Carol2 Comments
This is the second Montalbano mystery I've listened to in a row. To some extent, I could just copy the review from the last, Game of Mirrors; Montalbano and his circle just don't change that much from book to book. For the most part, it's only the plots that vary. But they're easy, enjoyable listens, and usually available from the library, so I keep coming back to them. This time, it's a kidnapping, but the family clearly does not have enough money to pay a ransom, so who could possibly have kidnapped Susanna? An outsider who doesn't know the family's financial standing, or was she kidnapped for some other reason? The girl has a worried boyfriend and a father who would do anything to have her back. Her mother is on her deathbed and her uncle is doing all he can to help the family. I guessed most of the answer early on, although one piece took me longer. Overall, it's a good story. Camilleri...
Read More

Game of Mirrors by Andrea Camilleri

by Carol1 Comment
I've read/listened to several of the Montalbano mysteries over the years. It's a series I know what to expect from. The main characters don't change much over the years and the food always sounds delicious. For me, this is one of the series I turn to when I want something that I know I'll enjoy. This time around we've got a couple of bombings, but they both take place at empty warehouses, which is odd. Montalbano has a sexy new (married) neighbor who seems determined to seduce him. Her car's been vandalized and her computer salesman husband is never around. To top it all off, anonymous letters and phone calls are being sent to citizens, the prosecutor and a television station, all pointing in different directions. We've also got a couple of drug gangs that may or may not be involved. Of course, Montalbano manages to tie all the seemingly random events together. I often listen to the audios for this series, rather...
Read More