The Knife Before Christmas - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: The Knife Before Christmas (A Fixer Upper Mystery #11) by Kate Carlisle

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Christmas has come to Lighthouse Cove, but business hasn’t slowed down for Shannon Hammer. She’s been contracted to renovate a local hotel owned by the Garrisons, a family that’s so devoted to the holidays they serve a seven-course dinner every night from Thanksgiving through Christmas. Last year’s festivities featured a train that transported guests around the breathtaking Cliffside property. This year, Shannon and her crew have been commissioned to build a Victorian-style carnival midway with games and prizes galore.

Everyone in town loves the hotel’s spirit, except the Garrisons’ children and their spouses, who are hum-bugged by the money being wasted on holiday cheer while their inheritance goes up the chimney. Things turn nasty when a mischief-maker close to the family is found dead. It’s up to Shannon and Mac to catch a sinister Scrooge before all of Lighthouse Cove receives coal for Christmas.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  This is a series I always enjoy so of course I had to pick up this newest one.

My Impression: I have really enjoyed this series from the beginning so of course I was thrilled to spend more time with Shannon, Mac, Chloe, and Eric.  I loved the Christmas-y feels and all the usual holiday busyness.  I was so glad that Shannon's nemesis, Whitney, didn't have a lot of page time and there was enough conflict with Randi and Arabella.  

The mystery is a good one.  Pretty much everyone wanted to kill the victim so it's really a matter of figuring out who had the biggest motive.  I did guess the who but I wasn't completely sure until the very end and I wasn't sure of the motive.  There's also a small subplot involving porch pirates which is an issue a lot of people have to deal with around the holidays.

I really enjoyed meeting the Garrisons and figuring out their complicated relationships.  I did miss the active work site aspect that normally features in this series.  I also had some issues with how the porch pirate subplot was resolved and the ending of the book in general.  It felt a bit rushed and like their were too many revelations at one time.  Despite these issues I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish and look forward to reading more from this author.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I've thoroughly enjoyed everything I've read by this author.  

Would I Recommend this Book? If you're a cozy mystery fan I think you would enjoy this series though I do recommend starting at the beginning.  

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

Authors I've Been Meaning to Read - The Only One Left by Riley Sager

At the beginning of the year I made a list of authors that I've been saying I need to read and commit to reading at least one book by each of the authors in 2024.  Here's my thoughts on one of those books/authors.

Goodreads: The Only One Left by Riley Sager

Blurb:  

At seventeen, Lenora Hope

Hung her sister with a rope

Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.

Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life

It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.

“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead

As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.

My Thoughts:  This was my first book by Riley Sager and it won't be my last.  I loved the premise and the setting.  The house's precarious grip on the cliff and the slow tilt of the house really increased the suffocating feeling of the read.  I was never fully sure if I could trust Kit's version of events but I did like her and could sympathize with her need to understand what's going on.  They mystery into just what's going on at Hope's End and what happened so long ago kept me hooked and while I guessed a few bits of the end I had no real clue what all had happened.  I listened to the audio version of this book and it made for a great listen!  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Friday Five - 5 Classics I Want to Reread

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random fve lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.   This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic was about books we were assigned to read.  That got me thinking about some of the books I was assinged to read as a teenager that I'd really like to reread.  I'm sure my perspective now would be pretty different than it was when I was a teenager.

1.  Tess of the D'Urbevilles by Thomas Hardy - I remember this being so sad and I remember loving the writing style. It was probably one of my favorite assigned reading books.   I wonder what I would think of it now.  

2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - At 15 I liked the romance but was bored senseless by all the rest.  I'd like to give this another try and see what I think now.

3.  Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - If I remember right this was the last book we had to read in my senior English class.  I read it and it stuck in my head long enough to take the test and write the paper and then promptly disappeared.  I'd really love to reread this one.

4.  The Awakening by Kate Chopin - I remember liking this and it is one that stuck with me but I think it would hit a bit different if I read it now.

5.  Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys - I remember almost nothing about it because I read it the very last semester of high school and I had a severe case of senioritis.  I've heard interesting things about this one and would like to read it as an adult - maybe read it after I reread Jane Eyre?

What books were assigned reading in school that you'd like to reread now?

Books from the Backlog - The Man From the Train

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:  The Man From the Train: The Solving of a Century Old Serial Killer Mystery by Bill James and Rachel McCarthy James

Blurb:  Using unprecedented, dramatically compelling sleuthing techniques, legendary statistician and baseball writer Bill James applies his analytical acumen to crack an unsolved century-old mystery surrounding one of the deadliest serial killers in American history.
Between 1898 and 1912, families across the country were bludgeoned in their sleep with the blunt side of an axe. Jewelry and valuables were left in plain sight, bodies were piled together, faces covered with cloth. Some of these cases, like the infamous Villasca, Iowa, murders, received national attention. But few people believed the crimes were related. And fewer still would realize that all of these families lived within walking distance to a train station.

When celebrated baseball statistician and true crime expert Bill James first learned about these horrors, he began to investigate others that might fit the same pattern. Applying the same know-how he brings to his legendary baseball analysis, he empirically determined which crimes were committed by the same person. Then after sifting through thousands of local newspapers, court transcripts, and public records, he and his daughter Rachel made an astonishing discovery: they learned the true identity of this monstrous criminal. In turn, they uncovered one of the deadliest serial killers in America.

Riveting and immersive, with writing as sharp as the cold side of an axe, The Man from the Train paints a vivid, psychologically perceptive portrait of America at the dawn of the twentieth century, when crime was regarded as a local problem, and opportunistic private detectives exploited a dysfunctional judicial system. James shows how these cultural factors enabled such an unspeakable series of crimes to occur, and his groundbreaking approach to true crime will convince skeptics, amaze aficionados, and change the way we view criminal history.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:   I've bought several historical true crime books but need to actually try reading them.  

Death at a Scottish Christmas - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: Death at a Scottish Christmas (A Scottish Isle Mystery #3) by Lucy Connelly

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Sea Isle, Scotland, is magical during the holiday season, and Dr. Emilia McRoy can’t wait to enjoy everything her village has to offer. But when the lead singer of a famous band is murdered in the village, just as they were about to launch a world tour, her holiday instantly comes to a halt.

As the band’s future hangs in the balance, Emilia discovers that the victim was working on new music that has since disappeared. Were these new lyrics worth killing for? And if so, who is the culprit? It seems more than one person wanted this music star dead. Shockingly, beloved constable Ewan Campbell becomes the prime suspect in the investigation, putting a damper on the town’s festivities.

With an ever-growing list of suspects, Emilia will need all the help she can get to figure out who is framing poor Ewan. Between a secret Santa that wants her dead, stalkers, and killer holiday celebrations, Emilia must see the devil in the details and discover the truth before it’s too late.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I've really enjoyed the first two books in this series.

My Impression:  I've very much enjoyed this Christmas-y murdery read!  Em is getting used to her life on Sea Isle and is excited to experience her first Christmas.  Of course there's a murder and since Em is the coroner as well as the local doctor she's pulled into the mvestigation.  

I loved revisiting the community of Sea Isle.  I love Abigail and Tommy and the group of friends that Em has created.  I think even if there wasn't an intriguing mystery at a fast pace I would still want to read it as I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them interact and watching their lives slowly evolve.  I also really liked that Ewan wasn't as in charge as he normally is.  He's not a person used to having things outside of his control so added a bit to his character.

The mystery was a good one and kept me guessing.  I enjoyed following Em as she investigated and ran tests.  I also really like how a lot of the investigating is done in sounding board style with characters discussing theories.  

This is a good cozy mystery with the amateur-ish sleuth and the small town community feel but it never slid into quirky territory which I think would make it a great series for all mystery fans even if they're not a fan of cozies. 

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you're a mystery reader you should definitely try this book!  Like most series I think it will be more enjoyable if you start from the beginning but you can definitely start with this one.

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

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I Was Assigned to Read in School

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 I Was Assigned to Read in School.  I didn't really have much assigned reading in college as my degree didn't require many literature classes so I'm having to really dust off the shelf and go back to what I was assigned to read in high school.  I read a lot more than the ten mentioned here but these are the first that come to mind for various reasons.

1.  Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce - I'm not sure whose brilliant idea it was to have a bunch of 17 year olds read this stream of conscious novel but it was not a good one.  I never did figure out what was going on and have zero interest in giving it another try.  Have you read it?  Should I reconsider?

2.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - I really enjoyed this one even at 16.  It helped that my teacher that year was fantastic and did a great job discussing Austen's use of social satire and whatnot.  

3.  The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - I did not have such a great teacher this year (I was 15 maybe?) and thoroughly detested this one.

4.  Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner - I'm not a big Faulkner fan and this one especially didn't work for me.  I don't think I've ever been so confused by what was going on.  I remember reading the Cliff Notes for this one and even they were confused by the book.

5.  Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky - This was another one I read at 17.  I feel like senior year was World Lit for us?  I'm sure I missed quite a bit of subtext but I did enjoy this one fairly well after I got used to the fact everyone has about 6 names.

6.  Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert -  I question having a bunch of 17 year olds read this one as well.  I remember the teacher not really wanting to discuss it but that wasn't necessarily connected to the subject matter but more on the fact that she enjoyed assigning far more than she enjoyed discussing regardless of the book.  I liked this one but I'm sure I would get way more out of it now.

7.  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - I enjoyed this one quite a bit at 14 though I remember getting quite bored with Janes trials and tribulations.  

8.  Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - I've reread this one several times and saw it in play form since reading it at 14.   I enjoyed this one so much then that I sought out more books by Steinbeck and enjoyed them all with the exception of The Pearl which was assigned later on.

9.  Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - This one had the opposite effect of the book above.  I hated this one so much that I refused to read anything by Dickens for decades and finally just read A Christmas Carol (which I loved) in the last few years.  I did retry this one but am still not a fan.  One day I'll try more Dickens.

10.  Mill on the Floss by George Elliot - I remember enjoying this and that it was depressing but nothing else about it.  I really should reread it.

What did you read in school?

Blue Christmas Bones - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Blue Christmas Bones (A Sarah Booth Delany Mystery) by Carolyn Haines

Rating:  Liked It! (3.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Sarah Booth Delaney and her friends can’t help falling in love with Christmas this year, which they plan to spend celebrating the King of Rock n’ Roll at the annual Elvis Festival in Tupelo. The main attraction is an Elvis impersonator competition, drawing impersonators from all over the world to honor the king.

But before the revelry can get underway, a priceless jewel-encrusted replica of a belt once worn by Elvis is stolen from its display case, and Sarah Booth and Tinkie are roped into one of the biggest heists in the history of Mississippi. Soon suspicious minds are lurking around every corner, with one eyewitness even claiming to have seen Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’s long deceased and highly questionable manager, prowling around the festivities. Sarah Booth will have to find the devil in disguise or she might just end up singing Jailhouse Rock herself.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:   The blurb looked really fun and I've been wanting to try the series for awhile.  

My Impression: This is a long running series so since I'm coming in now I'm a bit on the back foot with understanding the relationships and getting up to speed.  It took me a bit longer to get into this book - whether because I'm new to the series or just because the start was slow I can't say for certain.  However, once I got into the story I did really enjoy it.  

This is an ensemble cast with Sarah Booth being the primary focus.  She seems to be haunted by a young woman named Jitty who shows up sometimes to help and sometimes to cause general mischief both of which are pretty fun.  The mystery of the stolen belt gets going pretty quickly and more than a few people have strong motives to steal it - not just for its value but to get revenge against the owner or its creator.  Neither of the two have made many friends or inspired much loyalty.  

This book has a fairly sizable cast and it did take a bit for me to get everything figured out but I did enjoy the read overall.  I have zero interest or knowledge about Elvis or his music but despite that I did find the discussion of him and his music interesting.  Despite the slowish start I did enjoy the read and getting to know the characters.  This is a series I'm looking forward to reading from the beginning.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I would!  I'm looking forward to going back to the beginning of the series and getting to know all the characters

Would I Recommend this Book? If you like quirky Southern cozies this was a fun read and looks to be a promising series.

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