Rolling Stone - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Rolling Stone by Patricia Wentworth

Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)
Source:   Purchased

Description:  A con man named Spike Reilly was dying an agonizing death in a Brussels hotel. Next door, the erstwhile sleuth and wanderer, Peter Talbot, was very much alive. And in a moment of brilliance and madness, Peter knew that he could adopt the dying man's identity and use it as his passport into a dangerous ring of thieves.

Reborn Spike Reilly, Peter followed a trail of coded messages that led first to a well-appointed English manor, a house full of well-appointed guests, and then to the true identity of Spike's employer: Maud Millicent Simpson, England's most deadly woman. After steering him through the theft of a priceless painting, Maud then had a second job for "Spike": kidnap and kill a beautiful young lady. For Spike Reilly it might have been all in a day's work. But for Peter Talbot it meant playing a role within a role within a role - and somehow coming out alive!

Genre: Mystery - Classic

Why I Picked This Book:   I'm reading through my non-Miss Silver books and this is one I haven't read.

My Impression: This is one of Wentworth's spy books and while I don't enjoy those quite as much as the typical English country house type mysteries this was still a lot of fun.  Peter Talbot is a likable guy with no real connections other than an aunt who ends up taking the identity of  a criminal in order to figure out just what kind of con the criminal is running.  

A fun bit of mayhem ensues as Peter follows orders without being quite sure just what he's getting himself into.  But things quickly turn serious when Maud Millicent arrives on the scene and Peter has to think fast and make sure he's keeping his poker face up while trying how to get out of a situation alive - and with Terry alive too.

I enjoyed this read quite a lot.  It's not the most the most realistic but it's fast paced enough and entertaining enough that I didn't mind.  If you're looking for a bit of escapist fun with a classic mystery touch of espionage this is a great choice.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Of course!  Wentworth is one of my favorite authors and I'm looking forward to reading more of her non-Miss Silver books.

Would I Recommend this Book? Absolutely!  If you like classic mysteries this is a fun read.

Friday Fives - Five Books on My TBR with Flowers in the Title

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  This month my theme is gardening and flowers so I'm looking at books on my TBR with flowers in the title.

1.  A Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor - I have loved every book by this author and this one looks just as wonderful.

2.  Morning Glory by Sarah Jio - I have enjoyed other books by this author and always mean to read more but somehow haven't.  This sounds like a fantastic read.

3.  Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman - I haven't heard much about this author or this book but it sounds like a story I would enjoy with a woman inheriting a property in Australia after an injury ends her career in ballet.

4.  The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley - I've heard wonderful things about this author and this one sounds fantastic.

5.  Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly- I love historical fiction and this looks wonderful.

Do you have any books with flowery titles on your TBR?

Books from the Backlog - Death and Daisies

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!

Goodreads:  Death and Daisies by Amanda Flower

Blurb:  Fiona Knox thought she was pulling her life back together when she inherited her godfather’s cottage in Duncreigan, Scotland—complete with a magical walled garden. But the erstwhile Tennessee flower shop owner promptly found herself puddle boot-deep in danger when she found a dead body among the glimmering blossoms. One police investigation later (made a trifle less unpleasant by the presence of handsome Chief Inspector Neil Craig), and Fiona’s life is getting back on a steady, though bewitched, track. Her sister Isla has just moved in with her, and the grand opening of her new spellbound venture, the Climbing Rose Flower Shop in Aberdeenshire, is imminent.

But dark, ensorcelled clouds are gathering to douse Fiona’s newly sunny outlook. First, imperious parish minister Quaid MacCullen makes it undeniably clear that he would be happy to send Fiona back to Tennessee. Then, a horrific lightning storm, rife with terribly omen, threatens to tear apart the elderly cottage and sends Fi and Isla cowering under their beds. The storm passes, but then, Fi is called away from the Climbing Rose’s opening soiree when Kipling, the tiny village’s weak-kneed volunteer police chief, finds a dead body on the beach.

The body proves difficult to identify, but Kipling is certain it’s that of the parish minister. Which makes Fiona, MacCullen’s new nemesis, a suspect. And what’s worse, Isla has seemed bewitched as of late…did she do something unspeakable to protect her sister? The last thing Fiona wanted to do was play detective again. But now, the rosy future she’d envisioned is going to seed, and if she and Craig can’t clear her name, her idyllic life will wilt away in Death and Daisies, national bestselling author Amanda Flower’s second enchanting Magic Garden mystery.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  This has been gathering dust on my NetGalley shelf for way too long and it looks like such a great read!  Plus, I've really enjoyed every book I've read by this author.

Overdue Reviews - Scheduled to Death + First Degree Mudder

 

Goodreads:  Scheduled to Death (A Maggie McDonald Mystery #2) by Mary Feliz

Blurb:   Professional organizer Maggie McDonald has a knack for cleaning up other people’s messes. So when the fiancée of her latest client turns up dead, it’s up to her to sort through the untidy list of suspects and identify the real killer. 

Maggie McDonald is hoping to raise the profile of her new Orchard View organizing business via her first high-profile client. Professor Lincoln Sinclair may be up for a Nobel Prize, but he’s hopeless when it comes to organizing anything other than his thoughts. For an academic, he’s also amassed more than his share of enemies. When Sinclair’s fiancée is found dead on the floor of his home laboratory — electrocuted in a puddle of water—Maggie takes on the added task of finding the woman’s murderer. To do so, she’ll have to outmaneuver the suspicious, obnoxious police investigator she’s nicknamed “Detective Awful” before a shadowy figure can check off the first item on their personal to-do list — Kill Maggie McDonald.

My Thoughts: It's been years since I read the first book so I was a bit afraid that I wouldn't know what was going on in this book but had no problem jumping in, picking up on who was who, and getting caught up in the mystery.  Each chapter starts with an organizing tip from Maggie's business which I really enjoyed.  As well, Maggie is frequently at work or tackling some project so that it feels believable that she is actually a professional organizer but it isn't so detailed that I feel like I'm reading a book on home organization.  One of my pet peeves with cozies is when it feels like the main character's career is just window dressing and that wasn't the case here.  The mystery hooked me.  Even though the victim is dead at the very beginning of the book I did feel like I got to know her and really enjoyed meeting Linc and the rest of the community and I loved to hate Detective Awful.  Maggie's a great lead character.   Her reasons for getting involved in the investigation do make sense and she's not so nosy and forceful with her questions that it seems over the top.  The story is well paced with likable characters and a bit of suspense.  Plus, there's a golden retriever and that's a really hard story element to beat! My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Goodreads:  First Degree Mudder (Pacific Northwest Mystery #4) by Kate Dyer-Seeley

Blurb: Back home in Portland, Oregon, Meg is ready to take her career as an outdoor writer for Extreme magazine to the next level. Lesser journalists sling mud—Meg plans to run through it. To train hard for Mud, Sweat & Beers, an extreme 5K mud run, she’s signed on with the Mind Over Mudder team, run by ten-time mud marathon champ—and former drill sergeant—Billy the Tank. But when Meg finds her tenacious trainer dead in the locker room, she has a sinking feeling someone may have been pushed too far. Digging through the hidden secrets at Mind Over Mudder is a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it. Meg will have to tread carefully, though—or she may soon be running for her life . . .

My Thoughts:  Poor Meg is in over her head once again with the Mind Over Mudder team preparing for her first mud run.  Honestly, I've had a few friends do mud runs and they sound really awful but it was fun watching Meg get ready for the run with full enthusiasm even if her body wasn't quite as enthusiastic as her mind.  Meg's also going through of a tough time in her personal life with her best friend possibly leaving the country, a dating situation that is as clear as the mud she has to run through, and being forced to see that her late father may not be quite the saint she thought he was.  Meg just seems so young and her struggles seemed very real.  With everything going on the mystery got pushed to the side a bit.  Meg suspected everyone and no one and was a bit all over the place with her investigating.  Despite that I did enjoy the read and enjoyed spending my time with Meg.  If you enjoy cozy mysteries with an outdoorsy feel this is a fun series to try though it is best to start with an earlier book.  My Rating: Liked It! (3 Stars)

Top Ten Tuesday - Books with Animals on the Cover

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is Books with Animals on the Cover.  I love books with animals in them and so I always look for animals on the cover.

1.  A Skeleton in the Family by Leigh Perry

2.  A Wee Murder in My Shop by Fran Stewart

3.  The Calamity Cafe by Gayle Leeson

4.  The Lion in the Living Room by Abigail Tucker

5.  Arsenic with Austen by Katherine Bolger Hyde

6.  The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks

7.  Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower

8.  Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece by Rose Pressey

9.  Fixing to Die by Miranda James

10. The Secrets of Bones by Kylie Logan

What books with animal covers are on your TBR?

Digging Up Daisy - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: Digging Up Daisy (A Mainely Murder Mystery #1) by Sherry Lynn

Rating:  Liked It (3 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  At twenty-nine, Kinsley Clark is living the dream life she always envisioned for herself. She's the proud owner of SeaScapes, a thriving landscaping company in wealthy Harborside, set on the rugged coast of southern Maine. Kinsley's veins are filled with salty air, a myriad of colors, and the fragrance of fresh blooms. But one afternoon, while working at her aunt Tilly's bed-and-breakfast, the Salty Breeze Inn, Kinsley digs up more than she bargained for--a high-heeled shoe. The once sparkly shoe, now caked in mud, is linked to a case the police had appropriately dubbed the "Cinderella Murder."

Kinsley panics. Does this mean that her aunt and the inn are somehow connected to this murder? Will it scare away potential guests? Will it subject the inn to a rush of bad press? With Aunt Tilly's reputation, and possibly her safety, on the line, Kinsley digs deeper into the crime to find out what the shoe was doing on her aunt's property and who murdered Cinderella, whose real name is Daisy. As she investigates, more suspects rise to the surface, and eventually, Kinsley has to weed out a killer.

Genre:  Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I loved the sound of the Cinderella Murder and having the main character be a landscaper seemed fun.  

My Impression:   There was quite a bit about this book that I liked.  The setting is lovely and I could just imagine all the sea views the main character describes.  As well I liked Tilly and Kinsey's friends Becca and Rachel.  I think there is good setup for a likable group of characters for the series as well as gorgeous settings.

That said, the mystery and flow of the story didn't really work for me.  The dialogue frequently feels a bit clunky with too much detail and Kinsey's attempts at investigation seemed a bit over the top and not the most logical.  The wrap up was a bit shaky and while the main mystery was solved there were several other things that seemed to be forgotten.  

Despite the occasional clunky dialogue and some plot holes this did make for an easy read.  While I didn't love it there were enough positives to have me picking up the next book in the series.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  I would definitely give this author another chance because she did create some good characters in this story.  

Would I Recommend this Book?  Possibly.  If the second book in the series has a better flow I would but at this point I'm undecided.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

This Week in Reading - April 9

 

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

The Second Chance Store by Lauren Bravo - This looks like a wonderful story of found family.  (Publisher)

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Allison Goodman - This looks like an entertaining Regency mystery. (Publisher)

Dressed to Drill by Kate Carlisle - This is the latest book in the Fixer Upper series.  I always enjoy these mysteries.  (Publisher)

The Ghost Goes to the Dogs by Cleo Coyle - This series about a bookstore haunted by the ghost of a 1940s PI is always entertaining.  I really want to go back and read the first books in the series.  (Publisher

Currently:

Reading:  Who Cries for the Lost by C.S. Harris and Rolling Stone by Patricia Wentworth

Listening:  The Lady Has a Past by Amanda Quick

We are adjusting to our non-Leukemia treatment life and it is busy!   Will is making great progress with getting caught up subject-wise for the last two years.  He's been enjoying his Forensic lab classes with his homeschool group and we are making good progress with other subjects.  I'm looking forward to starting fresh next school year and am excited about the curriculum we've picked out.  

I've started beginning agility classes with Rover and wow it's incredibly fun but requires a lot of energy.  He's doing great with everything and I'm loving working with him.  Right now we are doing three different activities - Rally, Scent work, and Agility - and enjoying all of them.  I'm still loving working with other dogs in classes and am thinking about beginning to work on official dog training certifications.  

And that's about it!  How was your week?  

Have a great week and happy reading!