A Christmas Peril by J.A. Hennrikus

A Christmas Peril by J.A. Hennrikus

by Carol2 Comments
In A Christmas Peril, Sully has her hands full. This year's Christmas Carol is turning into a disaster and her best friend is arrested for murder. One of the difficult parts of cozy mysteries is having a legitimate reason for the amateur detective to be investigating. Sully, however, is perfect. Yes, she's currently a theater manager, but she had years of experience as a cop and it's her best friend who is the chief suspect. She really has no choice but to get involved, and it certainly helps that the family has asked for her assistance. I liked her. She's funny, loyal, smart, strong, but she's also learned some lessons along the way. And she only manages to place herself in major danger once. The dead man was not overly-loved, even by his family, but he was important in the community. The suspect list could have been long, but the only people who could actually have done it had to be...
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Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan

Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan

by Carol6 Comments
It's probably no surprise that I enjoyed Murder for Christmas. It ticks off all the boxes: √ Vintage murder mystery √ English manor house √ Eccentric set of characters √ Christmas celebrations √ Amateur detective with a romantic streak Benedict Grame always throws a large house party for Christmas and this year is not exception. It's an interesting collection of people. There's the usual household, Grame and his assistant Nicholas Blaise, his old friend Jeremy Rainer and Rainer's ward, a lovely young woman and her suitor. Grame also has a spinster sister who lives with them and another relative he assists, a gambler with a penchant for practical jokes. There's also a visiting scientist, a politician, a glamorous woman who both Grame and Rainer are attracted too, a couple from the village, and of course Mordecai Tremaine, our amateur detective who has been specially invited. It should be a fun, traditional Christmas. Of course the merriment is interrupted by murder - Father Christmas dead under the decorated...
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Santa, Please Bring Me a Gnome by An Swerts

by Carol6 Comments
Santa, Please Bring Me a Gnome is a sweet little Christmas story. I love how Tess' grandparents play along, building furniture and making a blanket for the gnome that Santa will surely bring. Of course, Santa doesn't bring a gnome, but he does bring a darling little hamster who needs a home. And the becomes her best friend of course. The illustrations are sweet and gentle, like the cover. It would be a nice read to book to share with kids. But I'm not a big fan of animals as Christmas presents. It made for a heart-warming ending here, but animals, even hamsters, are a big commitment not something to buy on impulse because your daughter is expecting a gnome on Christmas. But kids won't look at it that way, they'll just enjoy the story and maybe ask for a gnome or hamster of their own....
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Scared to Death by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards

by Carol2 Comments
Scared to Death was my first visit to Cherringham, but I'm sure it won't be my last. It's a novella, as are most of this series and I really enjoyed it. Sarah and Jack are well-known for solving local mysteries, so when someone is "playing pranks" on Basil Coates, an elderly man who was once the horror film star, his still enchanting wife, a former star herself, calls on the duo to find out what's going on. It's a quick story, but self-contained. We get a good feel for who Sarah and Jack are, although I'm not sure if they're just friends or if there's a potential for more there. I'm hoping the former. The authors also do a good job at fully developing the secondary characters, the Coates househould. There are a couple plausible suspects and Sarah and Jack do a good job at following upon the clues. There was one choice Sarah made that I wish she hadn't, but women amateur...
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The Dream Dragon by Kathryn England

by Carol2 Comments
I should maybe quit reading kids books. I picked up The Dream Dragon because it looked cute and I try to keep an eye out for books my nieces/nephews would enjoy. And it was a fine book, I just felt a little sad for the dragon. The dream dragon protects the boy's dreams. He scares away the bad dreams, but he also pushes the good dreams to the edge, because he wants to be the dream the boy remembers. Then, a t-rex comes along and defeats the dragon. It is the new protector, but then comes along a superhero, then a pirate, and each, in turn, stars in the boy's dreams. I like how the book first shows than not all monsters are scary. It also connects what we read about or learn about in real life to our dreams, which I think can be helpful for kids. At least it was when Amber was little. Knowing why she dreamed about something...
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Thornhill by Pam Smy

by Carol1 Comment
Thornhill is spooky and heart-breaking. Ella is sad and lonely, but when she glimpses a girl in the window of the Thornhill Institute, she becomes obsessed with finding out who she was and what happened to her. Mary lived at the Institute in the 1980s, also a sad, lonely girl who is bullied and terrorized by the other girls. Thornhill is at heart a ghost story. We know from the beginning that Mary's a ghotst, but her diary entries made me cry. Her life at Thornhill was miserable, and few of the adults around her seemed competent or truly caring. Ella's story is just as sad. I assume her father loves her, but he's never home and her mom is gone, presumably dead. Her side of the story is depicted in black and white illustrations that are striking and add to the dark atmosphere of the novel. We know something happened to Mary, but not what. I think this is one of...
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