What I've Been Reading - Mini Reviews

 

Goodreads:  Little Bookshop of Murder (Beach Reads Mysteries #1) by Maggie Blackburn

My Thoughts:  I really wanted to love this one.  It had a bookstore that focused on beach reads (and is actually called Beach Reads), a quirky cast of characters, and a main character that is trying to sort out her life.  This is basically a list of my favorite things when it comes to books.  Summer's mother, Hildy Merriweather, died unexpectedly, and Summer finds herself back in her hometown trying to deal with her grief, get her mother's estate sorted, and figure out just what she's going to do with her life which is a bit in disarray.  Soon she realizes all is not what it seems and that Hildy's unexpected death might have far more sinister implications.  I found this book fast paced and readable.  I liked pretty much all the side characters and would love a place like Beach Reads to actually exist.  Summer was not my favorite character.  Her disdain for all genre books seemed a bit over the top since she is the main character in a cozy mystery which she specifically mentions as not up to her standards.  She did come around a bit but it was too little too late.  As well the mystery itself seemed blaringly obvious and it was frustrating that none of the characters happened to put two very big facts together.  I did enjoy it but this series won't be on my auto buy list.  My Rating: Liked It

Goodreads:  A Fatal Fiction by Kaitlyn Dunnett

My Thoughts:  I do love a bookish cozy and this one featuring 70 year old Mikki Lincoln, former middle school teacher and current freelance book editor, was just too tempting to miss.  This is the 3ed book in the series but I had no absolutely issue jumping in with this book.  The murder victim has more then a few people who were gunning for him shortly before his death, including Mikki who happened to get in a shouting match with him in public.  And to add insult to injury that argument was filmed and quickly went viral which put Mikki front and center of the murder investigation.  Mikki is a bit different from the usual cozy main character.  Not only because she's a bit older but she's also got a sharp tongue and firm opinions that she doesn't shrink from voicing.  She took some getting used to but I did come to enjoy her.  Though I must admit, if I were her nephew Nick I'd be taking a LONG break from my dear aunt.  The mystery was pretty good.  I don't feel that Mikki is the best investigator which is fairly realistic but left a little to be desired in terms of wrap up.  I'm still not exactly sure on all the whys of the murder.  This isn't a series that I'll be hunting down the previous two books but if I came across them on my library's shelf I'd definitely pick them up.  My Rating: Liked It