Purchased – Carol's Notebook

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

November 12, 2024November 12, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

In this Christmas novella, which is the third book in the series, Ern once again finds himself on the case of a murder. This time the victim is the current partner of his ex-wife Erin. And of course Erin's been arrested. Ern doesn’t think she's guilty, but can he prove it? I don't usually like meta-fiction, but this series is an exception, mainly because it's fun and funny and knows exactly how hard it's trying. I listened to the audiobook which is the perfect way for me to read it. The story is told in the first person, which works super well for audiobooks. It's like Ern, who is likable as always, is telling us how events unfolded and it even has some minor nods to the listener. The set-up goes along with the season - and the story- 24 chapters, one for each day leading up to Christmas, one for each door in an advent calendar. The murders are clever...

Cupcake Bakery Mysteries #1-3 by Jenn McKinlay

October 29, 2024October 29, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

I picked up the first three Cupcake Bakery Mysteries as a bundle on Audible. The bundles are nice. A credit is not cheap and it's great when you can use one credit to get multiple books, presuming you enjoy them. In Sprinkle with Murder, we're introduced to Melanie Cooper, Angie De Laura and Tate Harper, partners in the Fairy Tale Cupcakes shop and best friends. Melanie and Angie do the baking and Tate supplied most of the start-up money. When Tate's fiancée, Christie, is murdered, all three come under suspicion. Christie was an absolutely terrible person, though, and everyone seems to have a reason to hate her, from her assistants to her wedding vendors. If I hadn't bought the bundle, I might not have listened to more than this first one. Mel and Angie are nice enough characters, but not especially interesting. Their main quirk, shared with Tate, is constantly quoting classic movies. Mel's mother's interference is half the reason she's...

The Manatee Did It by Kay Dew Shostak

October 25, 2024October 25, 2024 by Carol1 Comment

I picked up The Manatee Did It while I was on vacation on Amelia Island and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a cozy beach murder mystery that takes place on the fictional Sophia Island, which is heavily based on Amelia Island. It's always fun to be reading a book and think, "hey, I had dinner at that restaurant yesterday." It's a lovely place by the way. Jewel Mantelle and her husband, Craig, have moved to Florida after they inherits a decrepit old mansion. Jewel is also hoping to breath some life into the marriage, but that plan is not working out so well. Jewel is making friends, including a group of women who have lunch together, but settling into a new town is difficult. It becomes more complicated when the ladies find a dead body in the water during lunch and Craig become the chief suspect. Jewel, along with her new friends, start investigating. It's not that they don't trust the police-...

Peking Duck and Cover by Vivienne Chien

September 5, 2024September 5, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

It's Chinese New Year and Lana Lee is busy managing Ho-Lee Noodle House and organizing a celebration to take place at Asian Village. The head event planner, Ian Sung, has decided there will be music, a lion dance performance and a raffle. Lana, as his second in command, is looking forward to the event but is understandably tired of Ian's nagging. And of course someone is killed during the event - one of the lion dance performers. By now, most people assume/expect Lana to investigate, and of course she does. It's nice to see Lana back in Cleveland, even if any closeness she developed with her sister while they were in California has disappeared. I also like the way she and her boyfriend detective handle trying to solve the same murder. Lana's grown over the series and it's nice to see her coming into her own. The mystery itself was well-done. The dead woman was surrounded by messy relationships and secrets....

Charlotte Gibson Mysteries #1-3

August 20, 2024August 20, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

I was surprised by how fun this one was. Charlie is in her late 20's and doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. At the beginning of the books, she is working as a clerk at a jewelry store, but that job doesn't end well. Now she's back home in Maui, living with her mother and working at an ice cream shop. Her new plan is to collect the $100,000 reward for solving the murder of a high-powered developer, whose last stop before his death was Charlie's ice cream shop. Rosie and Dot are two senior citizens who are also looking for the murderer and when they end up chasing the same clues, they decide to team up. Jake, hot cop, is not happy when they seem to be one step ahead of him and his partner. Charlie and her friends, including Dot and Rosie, are fun and also the type to attract trouble. The women are all intelligent,...

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

July 15, 2024July 15, 2024 by Carol1 Comment

I enjoyed How to Solve Your Own Murder, but it does strain belief a bit. When Frances was a teenager, she receives a bone-chilling fortune that she'll be murdered one day. She then spends the rest of her life trying to both prevent it and figure out who her potential killer is. Of course, 60 years later, she is killed in her own home. Now it's up to her great-niece Annie to find the killer and earn her inheritance. According to Frances' will, the fate of her entire estate depends on who uncovers the truth: Annie, Saxon, Annie's uncle (?) who believes it is rightfully his, or Detective Crane, who would really rather not have amateurs messing around with his case. Annie does have Frances' diary from when she was a teenager, detailing the time of the fortune-telling and her friend, Emily's disappearance. How much is the current mystery rooted in the past? The diary entries were revealing and it was...