The Gathering of Clan McFee by Karen Baugh Menuhin

The Gathering of Clan McFee by Karen Baugh Menuhin

by Carol2 Comments
The Gathering of Clan McFee was not my favorite of the Heathcliff Lennox #14 but it was enjoyable enough. A Castle McFee, the laird has passed away without a clear heir. Descendants from across the globe had gathered at the castle, each hoping to prove they have the best claim to the inheritance - essentially a money pit of a castle and the land that goes with it. When one of the potential heirs ends up dead, Lennox and Swift are dispatched by Scotland Yard to investigate. The group that has crowded the castle is an odd bunch, as are Lady Peggy and her staff. The potential motive is obvious and shared by all the guests, but when another body is found, the whole situation becomes more dangerous. I found most, if not all, of the potential heirs annoying. Lady Peggy's butler was overly eccentric. The plot moved along at a good pace, though, and I didn't guess who the...
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The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah

The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah

by Carol6 Comments
Hercule Poirot has brought Edward Catchpole to the House of Perpetual Welcome on a Greek Island for New Year's Eve, 1933. They are staying as the guests of Nash, the wealthy young man whose parents own the estate. Nash espouses the idea of radical forgiveness and has formed a small community that lives out that ideal, with the stated intent of changing the world. Of course, if he's invited Poirot, we know all is not well. When an after dinner game of guessing each other's New Year's resolutions shows someone is definitely contemplating committing murder, probably before the night is out, celebrations are put on hold. I don't really have a lot to say about this one. Poirot is not exactly Poirot, but he's fine and I've read others in this "New Poirot" series, so knew what to expect. I actually like Catchpole, even if he's a step or two behind Poirot. The folks who live at the...
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The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore

The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore

by CarolNo Comments
I thought a Christmas romance would be a fun read for December. This one was like a paperback version of a Hallmark movie with a bit more spice. It was good enough, but I'm not much of a romance reader and found it dragged a bit. I do appreciate that for the most part Kira and Ben actually did communicate decently. The reasons their romance didn't proceed as smoothly as it could have made sense and were minor in the grand scheme of things. And the happy ever after was cute enough....
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The Dog Sitter Detective’s Christmas Tail by Antony Johnston

The Dog Sitter Detective’s Christmas Tail by Antony Johnston

by CarolNo Comments
The Dog Sitter Detective's Christmas Tail has lots of things I enjoy in a mystery - Christmas, dogs, a snowed-in house full of suspects, but I just didn't really enjoy it. Gwinny is an actress trying to revive her career and is dog-sitting for a bit of money or fostering a dog for no money in this case. She's dating Birch, a retired Detective Chief Inspector who has a black lab. You know from the blurb that the two of them end up snowed in in a house with 6 former spies. One of the spies, their host actually, ends up dead. Gwinny and Birch feel like it's up to them to discover who the killer is. I have not read the others in the series, but this one felt like it worked well enough as a standalone. We get some background on Gwinny and Birch and are told that she's solved a couple of cases in the past, but this...
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A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

by Carol1 Comment
Needless to say, my family does not sit around the (electric) fire telling ghost stories on Christmas Eve - although I did make my friends play Snapdragons on New Years one year. I do think A Christmas Carol might be the perfect Christmas ghost story and who better to tell it than Tim Curry? We all know the story - Scrooge is visited by three ghosts, if you don't count Marley, on Christmas Eve and turns his life around. It's a spooky and funny and just a good story. I think I reread it most Decembers or watch one of the movie versions....
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The King’s Ransom by Janet Evanovich

The King’s Ransom by Janet Evanovich

by Carol1 Comment
The King's Ransom is fun in an over-the-top way. Gabriella Rose is adept at finding things, usually for insurance companies or private individuals who are paying her. This time around her ex-husband, Rafer, and his charming but slightly dumb cousin Harley need her help. Harley was acting as a bank president and part of his job involved insuring priceless artifacts, including the Rosetta Stone and a golden Egyptian coffin, at his Board's suggestion. But when the artifacts are stolen, and it looks like Harvey may take the fall for the thefts, Rafer convinces Gabriella that it's up them to find the artifacts and save Harvey's life. The adventure takes us from New York City to London to Cairo to Florida to Italy. We've got plenty of action, murder, corruption, threats, kidnapping, and a fun conspiracy. We got some sparks between Rafer and Gabriella but they both realize they're better off not married. We also meet a handsome, enigmatic Egyptian man...
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