Lament at Loon Landing by Josh Lanyon

Lament at Loon Landing by Josh Lanyon

by CarolNo Comments
Lament at Loon Landing brings a once-famous folk singer to Pirate's Cove. Unfortunately, her comeback performance is surrounded by death threats and dangerous close calls. Ellery's close friend, Dylan who is on the festival committee, asks him to help find out if the threats are real. Ellery's not sure what he's actually supposed to be doing, but he asks questions and tries to keep an eye on things. Then, Ellery find Dylan's girlfriend dead and Dylan becomes the main suspect in her murder. I like Ellery a lot. He's snarky and nice and has an adorable dog. He's also getting used to the whole investigating things, along with the Silver Sleuths. His boyfriend, Jack, is Chief of Police, and of course that makes things both more complicated and easier. I am awfully tired of the cop/detective as the boyfriend/love interest in cozy mysteries. I enjoyed my trip to Pirates Cove. The mystery was fine, but I mostly enjoy the quirky characters...
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Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia

Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia

by Carol2 Comments
I adored Bellweather Rhapsody. But as a former high school band geek of the early 90s who still accompanies kids at solo and ensemble and a lifelong lover of whodunnits, I am probably the perfect audience. It's fun quirky and there are a ton of characters all of whom I loved - well, except one, but she was the one I was supposed to dislike anyway. The Bellweather Hotel in upstate New York is long past its heyday of elegant ballroom dancing and fine dining. Now, which in the novels world is 1997, about the only thing that keeps the Bellweather afloat is hosting "Statewide", an event where the best NY State high school musicians and singers are brought together for four days of musical excellence and all the accompanying drama. So, this weekend, we've got tons of high schoolers, their chaperones, and conductors converging on the hotel. The characters are where this book shines. Yes, they're over the top and...
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Death Claims by Joseph Hansen

Death Claims by Joseph Hansen

by CarolNo Comments
Death claims insurance investigator Dave Brandstetter is suspicious of the apparent drowning of John Oats. The superb swimmer was found washed up on a beach along the Californian coastline. John recently called the insurance copy to change the beneficiary on his policy, but the paperwork hadn't been completed yet. Does his death have anything to do with John’s recent desire to change the beneficiary on his life insurance policy? And now the beneficiary, Oats's son Peter, has disappeared. Dave takes nothing at face value. He is intent on discovering the truth and doesn't mind hurting people along the way. The case is, of course, much more complicated than it seems. It turns out John and almost everyone in his sphere were keeping secrets and Dave is good at finding connections, at understanding what people are hiding. We also get to know about Dave's life away from the case. He and his lover, Doug, who he met in the first book of...
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The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

by CarolNo Comments
Mossa is an investigator who is in charge of a missing persons case. Or maybe it's a suicide. Or murder. Any which way, a man disappeared from a sparsely populated platform at the edge of the colonized portion of Giant (Jupiter). Turns out the man was on faculty at the University at Valdegeld, as is Mossa's former girlfriend from her college years, Pleiti. So of course, Mossa reconnects with Pleiti and asks for her help. The world was interesting. Humans ruined Earth, so they colonized Jupiter. I liked that it had almost a gaslamp feel. Yes, they're living on platforms above a surfaceless planet, but our characters bundle up against the cold, walk through the swirling storm, have tea and scones on a regular basis. I liked Mossa and Pleiti and their slowly rebuilding relationship. Mossa is our Holmes, brilliant, but a bit emotionally distant and not one to share her theories. Pleite, our narrator and Watson, is loyal and resourceful. I...
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Fadeout by Joseph Hansen

Fadeout by Joseph Hansen

by CarolNo Comments
Dave Brandstetter, insurance investigator, is looking into the death of local radio star and mayoral candidate Fox Olson, who crashed his car through a bridge railing on a rainy night. Fox's body has not yet been found, and Brandstetter finds more than one reason to be suspicious. As Dave spends time interviewing the Olson family members and gathering evidence, he comes to the conclusion that Fox is still alive. Brandstetter is a tough, smart detective. He's openly gay and mourning the loss of his long-time partner to cancer. He's a good character, with strengths and flaws. The story moves along quickly and we get several unlikeable suspects and a bit of local politics. The writing is spare but the author does a fabulous job at painting pictures and describing characters with few words. Fadeout is not a fun book with its underlying sadness, but it is engrossing. I will probably listen to more in the series. It doesn't hurt that they're...
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Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

by Carol6 Comments
Seven years ago a ship, the  Atargatis, sailed to the Mariana Trench looking for mermaids. Imagine Network planned to make a huge amount of money off the planned mockumentary. Instead, the entire crew was lost at sea and only raw video footage to show what happened. They had found mermaids - and mermaids are not friendly. Now, the entertainment company is planning a second voyage. A film crew and a large group of diverse scientists are going back to find out what happened and to prove mermaids exist. Diverse in disciplines - marine biologists, cetologists, chemical biologists, cryptid hunters, and diverse in backstories - sexual orientations, disabilities, financial resources, and cultural backgrounds. Some of the scientists have personal reasons for going, like Tory whose sister died on the Atargatis and Dr. Toth whose life's work has been centered on Sirens. Others are approaching it as a cruise where they get to do their own research, not believing in the mermaids. I...
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