Penguin Audio Archives – Carol's Notebook

A Perilous Pal by Laura Bradford

January 27, 2023January 25, 2023 by Carol4 Comments

A Perilous Pal is the second in the Friend for Hire mystery series. Emma Westlake is the "friend for hire" and I think it's definitely better to read the first one before starting this. It will give you a much better feel for Emma and the returning characters. Emma barely has enough time to meet Kim Felder, her new client, when Kim gets arrested for her estranged husband’s murder. Kim didn’t see it coming when her husband left her for his secretary and she wrote in her journal her feelings about her husband’s betrayal. It was what she put in her journal, tons of ideas for how to kill Roger, that led to her arrest for Roger’s murder. Emma believes Kim is innocent, so she, Dottie, and Stephanie set out to prove it. Of course, Emma's love interest, Deputy Jack Riordan, is not thrilled with her interference. I'm not sure about Emma's business plan. I love the friend for hire idea,...

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

September 8, 2022September 7, 2022 by Carol4 Comments

The Thursday Murder Club is charming. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron meet weekly to hash out cold cases, happily figuring out who the killer was that the cops missed. Then the part owner/builder of The Coopers Chase Retirement Village is found bludgeoned to death, and the four are determined to try their hand at solving a current case. They just need an in with the cops - maybe that nice PC Donna de Freitas. It's fun to watch the four finagle their way into the case. They manipulate, coerce, and call in as many favors as they can in the search for who dunnit. The actual murder mystery itself was not as stellar as the cast. It was convoluted, with more than enough red herrings and false trails. I guess I adored the characters but wish the mystery had been a little tighter. ...

You’re Invited by Amanda Jayatissa

September 7, 2022September 7, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

When Amaya is invited to her former best friend Kaavi’s extravagant wedding in Sri Lanka, she decides to attend. Her plan is to make sure the wedding does not happen - Kaavi is marrying Amaya's ex-boyfriend Stephen. The tale goes back and forth in time from the day of the wedding to three months earlier and several times in between, especially the week of the wedding. The points of view switch between Amaya in the beginning, an unreliable narrator at best, and Kaavi through the second part. There are also transcripts of interviews with various guests on the day of the wedding. None of the characters are actually likable. Yes, Amaya has been hurt, clearly, and she has some major issues, but listening to her inner dialogue can be too much. Kaavi is a spoiled brat in a lot of ways, but she runs a charity that she clearly believes in. Stephen seems to be charming, but we all know...

Strange Frequencies by Peter Bebergal

September 24, 2021September 24, 2021 by Carol3 Comments

I picked up Strange Frequencies for RIP's Peril of the Real. When it comes to fiction, I stay in the mystery aisles most of the time. Nonfiction, however, can be about anything. I can't say that I was really interested in the intersection of technology and the supernatural, but I can find most topics interesting and learn fascinating bits and pieces, especially when the writer/speaker presents it well. Bebergal covers a wide variety of topics, from golems to seances to electronic voice phenomena and he does it from the view of maybe a hopeful skeptic. He researches, but he also experiments. He talks about the history around certain devices or myths and contacts, when possible, experts. He also goes to the seance, tags along with the photographer, builds a Tesla radio, uses his dad's old tape recorder. My one complaint is that it jumps from topic to topic. I would have liked there to be more to it, not just...

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland

August 15, 2021August 11, 2021 by Carol2 Comments

Family drama is not usually my cup of tea, but Last Summer at the Golden Hotel was a perfect summer read. In the 1960s, two Jewish families bought a hotel in the Catskills. Back in those early days, the hotel was the place to be seen and the Catskills was the place to vacation. Sixty years later, the hotel is run-down and the clientele is definitely slipping. The two families' children are grown and have families of their own. They decide to meet at, "The Golden" for one last summer vacation to reminisce and discuss whether it's time to sell and leave the business. I loved the mix of tension and love between and within the families. I loved the touch of nostalgia and wish I could visit The Golden in its heyday. We've got secrets and scandals, money issues and memories. And honestly I liked all the characters, well except the one who was just clearly a bad guy. And...

Red Widow by Alma Katsu

August 13, 2021August 11, 2021 by CarolNo Comments

I'm not sure that Red Widow is a spy thriller; it's a spy novel, definitely, but it doesn't have the excitement or suspense you expect from a thriller. It's a smart book, but it's more about reading reports, sifting through computer records, getting access to files than it is about chasing around the globe carrying a gun. I enjoyed it. It's a game of cat and mouse and seeing through others' deceptions. It's also about loyalty, ethics, and the lengths people will go to save the ones they love. We've got two intelligent women as our main characters. They are both strong and determined, but I was disappointed by how each woman's life still revolved around men, whether that man be lover, boss, or husband. The plot is engrossing. Lyndsay has to find her way through a tangle of lies and misdirections. The author does a good job at providing enough detail to make it feel real, but I think...