Books from the Backlog - Dangling by a Thread

 

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:  Danging by a Thread (A Mainely Needlepointers Mystery #4) by Lea Waite

Blurb: Hermit Jesse Lockhart lives alone on King’s Island, three miles east of Haven Harbor, Maine, where he’s created a private sanctuary for the endangered Great Cormorants. But when a wealthy family wants to buy the island and Jesse’s cousin Simon petitions for power of attorney to force him to sell, Jesse is the one who becomes endangered.
Mainely Needlepointer Dave Perry, who befriended Jesse in the VA hospital, rallies the group to his defense. Angie Curtis and the ravelers stitch “Save the King’s Island Cormorants” pillows and sell T-shirts to pay for Jesse’s legal counsel. But tragically, on a visit to the island, Angie and Dave find Jesse dead. Now the search is on for a common thread that can tie the murdered man to his killer . . .

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf - I absolutely adored the first three mysteries in this series but for some reason didn't get to this one which of course means I haven't read the rest of this series.  

A Hodge Podge of Reviews - Cozy Mystery Edition #3

Goodreads:  Memories and Murder (Tourist Trap Mysteries #10) by Lynn Cahoon

Premise:  Jill is concerned about her aunt Jackie when she suddenly breaks off her engagement and more so when she finds out the reason why.  Throw in the murder of a man who was either a saint or the devil and things are busy in South Cove.

My Thoughts:  I was THRILLED to see this full length mystery for the Tourist Trap series.  I've been reading this series from the very beginning and while I was enjoying the novellas I wanted more time in South Cove.  This did not disappoint.  The mystery was fascinating and I liked seeing Jackie in a bit of a more vulnerable light.  I did figure out what was going on a little bit before Jill did but that didn't keep me from thoroughly enjoying the reveal.  I did wish that the murder was explored a little more and there had been a little bit more focus on just what was going on there but that didn't keep this from being a thoroughly entertaining mystery and a fabulous visit with old friends.  I can't wait for the next book!  My Rating:  Really Liked It!

Goodreads:  A Spell for Trouble by Esme Addison

Premise:  Back in Bellamy Bay, North Carolina for the first time since she was a child, Alexander Daniels, quickly learns that her family and their apothecary shop aren't quite what they seem.  While she's still getting used to her magical past and future she soon finds herself drawn into a murder and has to learn how to manage her refound gifts while fighting for the family she's just rediscovered.

My Thoughts:  This has all the makings of a fun series!  I love the magical elements and the Apothecary shop that Alex's family owns.  As well I loved watching Alex get reacquainted with her family and their past.  They mystery was intriguing with a good mix of real and magical motives.  It kept me guessing all the way through.  There are some hints dropped about Alex's mother's death and I' hoping that if not front and center in an upcoming book will be a story that gets explored more as the series progresses.  My main issue with this book is Alex herself.  I liked her but she seemed so immature and impulsive at times!  I wanted to yell at her to communicate with those around her!  I'm hoping that as the series grows Alex grows up a bit because I enjoyed everything else about this read.  My Rating:  Liked It

Goodreads:  Basket Case (Silver Six Crafting Mysteries #1) by Nancy Haddock

Premise:  Nixy comes to Lilyvale, Arkansas to check on her Aunt Sherry.  She's quickly drawn into a land dispute between her Aunt and friends and out of town developer Jill Elsman.  Threats and poison quickly lead to murder and Nixy must uncover the killer to clear her aunt and the rest of the "Silver Six".

My Thoughts:  I had read the third book in this series and really enjoyed it so when I needed a book set in Arkansas (I'm trying to read a book set in each of the 50 states) I picked up the first book in the series.  And it was good.  I really loved Aunt Sherry and the rest of the Silver Six - ie her 5 roommates.  I love that they all use their strengths and really work together.   They're a group of friends that I really believe are friends which I enjoyed.  I also liked that they didn't take to Nixy right away but kind of made her earn her way into the group.  They weren't mean or rude just hesitant.  The bit of romance with detective Eric Shoar was enjoyable and also believable.  What kept this book from being a total winner for me was that the mystery itself felt a bit week.  The wrap up just didn't fully make sense to me.  And while I do love a good villain nickname and I thought "hellspawn" was a pretty good one after the 5,000th time it was used it had gotten a bit old.  This is a good series with a fun mixed age cast.  This may not be the strongest entry but it was still enjoyable.  Rating:  Liked It

One for the Books - Cozy Mystery Review

 Goodreads: One for the Books (A Library Lover's Mystery #11) by Jenn McKinlay

Rating: Really Liked It!
Source: Publisher 

Description:  Love is in the air in Briar Creek as library director Lindsey Norris and boat captain Mike (Sully) Sullivan are finally tying the knot. The entire town is excited for the happy day, and Lindsey and Sully's plan for a small wedding evaporates as more and more people insist upon attending the event of the year.

When Lindsey and her crafternoon pals head out to Bell Island to see if it can accommodate the ever-expanding guest list, they are horrified to discover a body washed up on the rocky shore. Even worse, Lindsey recognizes the man as the justice of the peace who was supposed to officiate her wedding ceremony. When it becomes clear he was murdered, Lindsey can't help but wonder if it had to do with the wedding. Now she has to book it to solve the mystery before it ends her happily ever after before it's even begun....

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  This is my favorite series by far from Jenn McKinlay and I was so excited to see Lindsey and Sully take the next step in their relationship.  

My Impression:  I love this series and this might just be one of my favorite entries in it.  I feel like I've read several wedding type cozies this year and all of them confirm for me that I just don't understand wedding fever.  And to be fair I don't think Lindsey really gets it either.  Her wedding is supposed to be super tiny and through an unfortunate event spirals out of her control.  Throw in a dead justice of the peace and Lindsey's wedding day is very much not going to plan.

I love the community that McKinlay has built here with the crafternoon friends, Miss Lemon, Sully's family, and the rest of the townspeople in Briar Creek.  The library is a good stage for people to come in and out of and also gives plenty of space for some bookish talk which I always love.  

With all the wedding going ons the murder does get swept a bit to the side occasionally but it is still lots of fun.   I can't say I was shocked by the reveal but this is very much one of those cases that I was enjoying the journey so much that it didn't matter that I could see the end already.  This was an entertaining mystery with a fun community and some bookish talk and I think that's hard to beat!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Definitely!  I always enjoy McKinlay's books and this is my favorite series from her.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy cozy mysteries you really must try this series.  While I think you can jump in here with no trouble I think you'd enjoy it more if you're familiar with the characters and the community.

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

Cat Me If You Can - Cozy Mystery Review

 

Goodreads:  Cat Me If You Can (Cat in the Stacks Mystery #13) by Miranda James

Rating:  Liked It!

Source: Publisher

Description: Charlie and Diesel along with Charlie's fianc�e, Helen Louise Brady, are heading to Asheville, North Carolina to spend a week at a boutique hotel and participate in a gathering of a mystery reader's club composed of patrons of the Athena Public Library. In addition to seeing the local sights, the members will take turns giving talks on their favorite authors.

The always spry Ducote sisters, friends of the hotel's owners, are helping underwrite the expenses, and they've insisted that Charlie, Helen, and Diesel join them. Anxious to get Helen Louise away from her bistro for a vacation, Charlie readily agrees. While Charlie is looking forward to relaxing with Helen Louise and Diesel, other members of the group have ulterior motives including a long-standing score to settle.

When an intrusive, uninvited guest turns up dead, only one mystery club member with a connection to the deceased appears to have a motive to kill. But could the answer really be that simple? Charlie and Diesel, along with the detecting Ducote sisters, know that every murder plot has an unexpected twist.
 
Genre:  Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  This is a cozy mystery series I always enjoy and I was excited to see Charlie and Diesel outside of their hometown.

My Impression:  This is one of the coziest of cozy series.  I love Charlie and the Ducote sisters and all the other quirky residents of Athena, Mississippi.  And of course Diesel is my favorite.  If Diesel was a real cat I'd be seriously tempted to catnap him and I've never considered myself a cat person!  In this book Charlie and a few friends (and Diesel of course) take a roadtrip to Asheville, NC.  While I missed the characters who weren't along for the ride it was fun for a vacation type mystery.  Even better Asheville is a place I've really enjoyed and would love to go back and visit so I thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the Biltmore and just their time around Asheville.  I also loved all the bookish talk - especially since it involved classic mystery authors.

This was a really fun locked door mystery.  There's something extra fun about a murder in an inn - it's got a nice Murder, She Wrote vibe but in this rendition involves a fabulous cat, a librarian with a wry sense of humor and his practical and kind fiance.  The mystery didn't exactly have me guessing but I did enjoy the ride and watching how everything unraveled.  This wasn't my favorite in the series but it was a thoroughly enjoyable read and was a nice escape.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I missed some of the earlier books in the series and am looking forward to picking them up and will definitely grab the next book in the series.

Would I Recommend this Book?  Definitely!  If you enjoy cozy mysteries this series is one you should pick up.

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

Thread and Dead - Cozy Mystery Review

 Goodreads: Thread and Dead (The Apron Shop Mysteries #2) by Elizabeth Penney

Rating: Liked It
Source:  Publisher

Description: Iris Buckley is busier than ever this July, with the town’s annual Lobster Festival fast approaching. In just a matter of days her apron shop Ruffles & Bows, will be jam-packed with tourists eager to lay eyes on its world-class collection of aprons and linens—and Iris’s inventory is running low. Then, just when all hope seems lost, Iris gets a call from Eleanor Brady, a wealthy, reclusive spinster who just happens to have trunks full of vintage fabrics. Would Iris like to come down to Eleanor’s cottage estate Shorehaven and have a look?

Before long Iris is on the scene—and on the case. Turns out that Eleanor has rented Shorehaven to the handsome, charismatic environmentalist Dr. Lukas de Wilde and his flock of students. What begins as an apron-scouting endeavor soon morphs into a full-blown murder investigation when Dr. de Wilde’s beautiful young teaching assistant turns up dead. Now it’s up to Iris—along with her partner-in-love-and-crime Ian Stewart—to unravel the mystery before the Blueberry Cove killer strikes again.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy
 
Why I Picked This Book: I love cozy mysteries and I love the vintage clothing aspect as well as the mysteries from the past.

My Impression:  This was a fun mystery with a fairly unique premise.  I didn't realize I wanted a vintage apron collection but it appears that I do!  I would love to visit Iris' shop and explore all the vintage aprons and linens as well as meet Grammy and the rest of the game.  

I did enjoy the murder mystery and liked digging through the suspects and motives.  However, what really kept me turning pages was the mystery of Eleanor's mother.  I really wanted to know more about her story and what had brought her to Shorehaven.  I do love vintage clothes and secrets and this had a bit of both!

One of my favorite things about a cozy mystery is when they get together a team.  This definitely had an ensemble cast between Irish, her grandmother, her boyfriend and all of her friends.  I did struggle a bit to keep track of which friend was who and what they each brought to the table.  I liked the different women but they just seemed to blend a bit.

This is the second book in the Apron Shop series and I enjoyed my time in Blueberry Cove.  Iris is likable and doesn't fall into Too Stupid to Live territory even when she is being noisy.  While it didn't suck me in quite as much as some other books I've read recently it was a fun mystery and introduced me to a town that I'm looking forward to revisiting again soon.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  I would and am planning on reading the first book in the series soon.  

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy cozy mysteries - especially those featuring vintage clothing - I think you would enjoy this one.

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

This Week in Reading - August 23

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

It's been a long week though thankfully not a terrible one.  He's had some reactions to the high dose chemo that he received last week that have come and gone.  Things have settled down a bit - just in time for his next round of high dose chemo but that's kind of the way things go.  We have decided to stay in Memphis until mid-December.  Technically we could go home at this point and while I have full confidence in the St Jude affiliate at home the idea of him being admitted to the regular hospital at home was really causing a lot of stress.  It's a perfectly fine hospital with a very good reputation but at St Jude the nurse to patient ratio is incredibly low and it specializes in childhood cancer so no kid there has a working immune system so they take precautions to the next level.  And all the kids, parents, and staff members are COVID tested at least once a week so that's helps me breathe a little easier (though I will not miss those weekly tests when we do finally go home!).

We went to the zoo this weekend which was really fun.  We had gotten the okay from the doctor to get out some just as long as he wasn't in crowds, maintained social distance, wore his mask (which is an N95) and were outside as much as possible.  So we thought we'd give the zoo a try and it was a lot of fun.  It was really the first time we've been anywhere since he was diagnosed where his being obviously sick drew attention so that took a lot of getting used to but it didn't bother him.  His endurance level is pretty low so we only were there for about an hour before he was wiped out but we will go back and see what we missed another day.

Currently:

Reading:  Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James and Cat Me if You Can by Miranda James

Listening:  Beaches, Bungalows, and Burglaries by Tonya Kappes

Watching:  We watched some of Unwell on Netflix which was fascinating  and disturbing.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week and reading fantastic books!

Spider Woman's Daughter - Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Spider Woman's Daughter (A Leaphorn and Chee Novel) by Anne Hillerman

Rating: Very Good
Source: Library

Description:  It happened in an instant: After a breakfast with colleagues, Navajo Nation Police Officer Bernadette Manualito saw a truck squeal into the parking lot and heard a crack of gunfire. When the dust cleared, someone very close to her was lying on the asphalt in a pool of blood.

With the victim in the hospital fighting for his life, every officer in the squad and the local FBI office are hellbent to catch the gunman. Bernie, too, wants in on the investigation, despite regulations strictly forbidding eyewitness involvement. Her superior may have ordered her to take some leave, but that doesn't mean she's going to sit idly by, especially when her husband, Sergeant Jim Chee, is put in charge of finding the shooter.

Pooling their skills, Bernie and Chee discover that a cold case involving his former boss and partner, retired Inspector Joe Leaphorn, may hold the key to the shooting. Digging into the old investigation with fresh eyes and a new urgency, husband and wife find themselves inching closer to the truth with every clue . . . and closer to a killer who will do anything to prevent justice from taking its course.

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book:  I didn't exactly as it was in the Mystery Grab Bag I got from the library but I had been wanting to read Anne Hillerman's books as I had loved her father's and had heard that she was doing a good job with the characters.

My Impression:  So I'm going to start with the caveat that it's probably been 15 years since I've read a Tony Hillerman mystery.  I read a number of them and still remember the characters and the setup but they're hardly fresh in my mind.  So I can't say with certainty just how true Anne is to her father's characters.  I can say though that any changes are done respectfully both to the author and to world he had created.  

I loved that Bernie was front and center in this one and I was really concerned about the plot involving her sister and mother.  I found the mentions of weaving fascinating as well as the world of insurance appraisal with the artifacts.  The scenes with Leaphorn were sweet but realistic and their interactions in the hospital were very interesting.  The mystery was complex without being overly complicated.  My only real issue is there were a few comments that I really thought Bernie and Chee would have paid more attention to that they seemed to ignore.  

I'm so glad the library chose this book for me and Anne Hillerman has stepped wonderfully into her father's shoes and I'm looking forward to reading more with Bernie, Chee, and Leaphorn.  I missed them!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I enjoyed this read quite a bit.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you were a Tony Hillerman fan do not hesitate to pick up Anne's book.  And if both of them are new to you but the mystery is intriguing then I don't think you'll be disappointed.