The Cupcake Bakery Mysteries are typical cozies. This time around Mel, Angie, and the Fairy Tale Cupcake crew have the truck set up at a local zombie walk. Of course, the event takes a horrible turn when one of the "zombies" is killed and left in their prop casket, a zombie whose outfit is strikingly similar to Angie's.
I've complained before about over-arching storylines taking over a series. This time, it's Joe's super-important, super-dangerous case against a mob boss. It came up in the book previous to this one, maybe, when Joe had to break up with Mel. (But don't worry, he's still spying on her.) Since Joe is Angie's brother, everyone's worried that she might have been the actual target.
The mystery is pretty obvious. And I'm tired of Angie and Mel's love lifes. Of course, next time I can't decide what to read, I'll probably borrow #8 from the library. The characters are decent and I love cupcakes....
Bea, Perry and their families are taking a much needed holiday on the beach in Portugal. There are three villas in the complex and the security is good, but the neighbors are famous Hollywood people, which is a little concerning. Bea certainly doesn't want the press showing up. But then the director ends up dead in the pool at a party Perry and Simon are attending and the press becomes the least of Bea's worries.
The man was not universally liked, but the police are focusing on the maid who Bea and her team are sure is innocent. To prove she's innocent, Bea, Perry, Rich, and Simon need to figure out who the real killer is. They definitely have their work cut out for them - turns out almost everyone is lying though and the clues point in different directions.
The characters are fun and I love how well our main group get along and work together. Even the kids...
I wasn't a fan of The Treasure Hunters Club, but the twist was surprising - even if it was more annoying than clever.
I listened to the audiobook and while the narrator was competent, I may have been a little spoiled by some of the fabulous readers I listened to lately. Or maybe it's tough to do three main characters make them all convincing. We forty year old Peter who is new to town, hoping to make a connection with the grandmother he never knew. Cass is house sitting and trying to write a new book. And finally, there's self-proclaimed teenage detective Dandy, who is grieving after the death of her grandfather. We got a couple murder, a lost treasure, and families keeping secrets.
The concept is great, but the story itself fell flat for me. Each of the characters, and half the town, had good backstories, but weren't fully developed as characters. I didn't really care about them. And the...
This Book Will Bury Me is told from Jane Sharpe's point of view. She's 24, has recently lost her father by way of a heart attack, and has become obsessed with true crime, or maybe more accurate, with a true crime online forum where amateur sleuths discuss clues and theories about the murders in the headlines. I listened to the audio and the narrator does a fabulous job. Her tone and pace match the story well. Each character has a distinctive voice, and she brings out Jane's emotions well.
Take the time to read the author note on this one. She was inspired by several real life murder cases, including the killings in Idaho in 2022, and the loss of her own father. How you feel about that may influence whether you want to pick this one up or not.
The plot is engrossing. Jane has found acceptance and support in her online community, even a bit of fame. Then...
I listened to A House for Miss Pauline on audio, which I think was a different experience for me than it would have been in print. A lot of the dialogue and inner thoughts are written in Patois, and the narrator's convincing Jamaican accent made it flow better and gave it much more of a sense of place than reading in print would have. I wouldn't have taken the time with the language that the audio forces me too. It's too easy for me to skim over bits when I'm reading an ebook or hardback, but I always listen to audios at 1.0X, never sped up.
And this is a good book to take time with. Pauline Sinclair is 99 years old and has spent her whole life in the rural Jamaican village of Mason Hall. When the stones of her house start moving and speaking to her during the night, she knows it's time to take stock of her...
The Chow Maniac is the 11th in the Noodle Shop series, but I think it could be read as a stand alone. There is no over-arching plotline to the series and although we have lots of returning characters, I think they're introduced well.
This time around, Lana, our amateur sleuth, is approached by Lydia, a private detective we've met previously, with a case that involves the Asian community. Lydia has been hired to look into a century-old Asian organization known as the Eight Immortals. Three members have already died under seemingly natural circumstances, but the client believes they were actually murdered and that he may be next.
Lana is a great character. She manages her family's restaurant, but has solved enough murders for people to notice her. She's funny and sassy and does not know how to keep a secret. Per usual cozy rules, she has an adorable dog and is dating a police detective, although neither play a huge part...
