Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: Pies Before Guys by Kirsten Weiss

Back in May 2019, Jeanne of the BPL introduced you to this series with her guest blog post here. She builds on that with her review today of fourth book of this series.

 

Treadmill Books:  Pies Before Guys by Kirsten Weiss

 

The number of murders connected to Val Harris’ Pie Town pie shop is one of the running gags in this fourth entry in the Pie Town series.    While Val protests, one of the participants in a poetry reading held at Pie Town is found, killed by the sword he was using as a prop during the reading.  Good thing Val’s boyfriend, police detective hunk Gordon, is being pretty calm about the whole thing—even about Val’s investigations into the death.  Is it possible he’s TOO calm about it? Is Val about to get dumped?  Will Charlene, pie crust maker extraordinaire, get them both hauled off to jail with her Pie Town UFOs? And by the way, who did murder the erstwhile poet?

Cozy mysteries these days seem to bank on eccentric characters, bizarre murders, and recipes (or craft instruction) and the Pie Town books fall right into this category on all counts.  Val is a plucky heroine with a sense of humor and a great deal of loyalty to her employees and friends.  Otherwise, she certainly wouldn’t put up with the stubborn Charlene who creates conspiracy theories as deftly as she turns out pie crusts.  How you view the series may depend on how you feel about Charlene; a friend gave up after 30 pages because she found the character so annoying.  I struggled, but finally decided to see her as funny.  She’s bull-headed but she’s also a tech savvy senior who knows how to use social media and is a huge Stargate fan.  She also has a white cat named Fred who sleeps a lot, even for a cat.  Charlene claims he has narcolepsy. 

I’ve read the previous books in the series and enjoyed them.  I applaud the author for letting her characters change and grow, and for giving them some depth.  Sure, I get irritated with Charlene too, but in this book in particular Val’s insights made me cut them both some slack.  It helps that I now picture Charlene as a female Wilfred Brimley.

While a little background helps, I think a reader could come in at any point in the series.  I have to say that Charlene is easier to take after the first book but I’m still glad I read them all and in order.

The fifth book in the series just came out this summer, and I’ve made a note to check the local book store for a copy.

The books in order are:

The Quiche and the Dead

Bleeding Tarts

Pie Hard

Pies Before Guys

Gourd to Death

 

 

Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: Overdue by Elizabeth Spann Craig

This second entry in The Village Library Mysteries has librarian Ann Beckett adding to her already extensive list of duties: writing an advice column under the name of Fitzgerald, the library’s feline mascot.  Ann is not exactly thrilled with the new assignment, which her director feels would boost the library’s profile as well as act as a distraction from the Unfortunate Incident:  one of the library’s trustees fell down the stairs while setting up for a book sale. While the library director has concerns about potential liability, Ann has another one: she doesn’t think the trustee’s death was an accident.

Naturally, this being an amateur sleuth mystery, the intrepid Ann sets out to investigate.  The trouble is that Carmen King (aka the deceased) took an interest in numerous civic affairs, not to mention other sorts of affairs.  Untangling which of these activities led to her murder is not going to be easy, but fortunately Ann has a researcher’s instincts and a trusty furry sidekick to help her solve the crime.

I enjoyed the first book in the series for its calm and relatively accurate portrayal of a library and this book kept up the standard.  Ann is a sensible, no-nonsense sort of person, but friendly and good at her job.  She’s attracted to a neighbor but he is dating someone else at the moment, so Fitz is the only man in her life.  What she is not is just as important to me:  she doesn’t decide she is the only one to solve this mystery and rush in higgledy piggledy. 

While characters may not have a great deal of depth, they are distinct.  The mystery is competent; I did figure it out but I thought it was well done.  The “Dear Fitz” letters were cute and did add some interest for me—mainly because I could see how such a marketing effort could really be utilized.  

This is a good, steady mystery series.  I may check out some of Craig’s other series, since I don’t see another Village Library listed as coming out soon.

The Village Library Mysteries

Checked Out

Overdue

Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: Booking The Crook by Laurie Cass

Mass Market Paperback

Librarian Minnie Hamilton, assistant Julia, and feline sidekick Eddie are on their usual bookmobile run when they find one of their regular patrons lying dead on her driveway.  What appears to be a heart attack soon turns into a murder investigation, and Minnie quickly finds there were a number of people who would have wanted the woman dead.  The question is, who actually did the deed?

This time Minnie is drawn in by the dead woman’s young adult children, both of whom are deeply grieving.   They know that Minnie has solved other murders, so they are sure she can solve this one.  Minnie is reluctant, already having a lot on her plate in addition to her full time job. There’s her new boss, for one thing.  He seems nice enough but he is asking a lot of questions about staff members and even inquired about the bookmobile, which is Minnie’s pride and joy.  There’s also Rafe, Minnie’s own true love, who is still working on their house and who wants Minnie to help make some decisions and Minnie is helping to plan not one but two weddings. 

Ah, but curiosity wins out every time, as Eddie would tell you, and soon Minnie is asking a lot of questions. . . .

This is the seventh book in the Bookmobile Cat Mystery series.  I have enjoyed each one, though I admit I rather prefer a “whodunit” in which the reader is fed clues that may solve it.  These may leave a clue or two but mostly the perp and motive come at the end. 

Large Print 

The attraction here is the charming Eddie, the library setting, and an interesting assortment of characters, from Minnie’s aunt and her beau to a former patron who has turned out to be much more capable than he first appeared in Lending a Paw.  Cass does allow her characters to change and grow, letting Minnie have some stalled relationships until she finds the right guy for her, one who challenges her a bit but who never tries to rein her in.  In fact, Rafe, wants to help her with her investigations, which makes for a refreshing change.

On the negative side, Minnie becomes very slow on the uptake at a crucial point and ends up in a great deal of danger.  For someone who is so quick to pick up on things, this came across as very convenient (Church Lady voice) for an action scene.

The next in the series, Gone with the Whisker, just came out and I will be reading it soon. Two more are in the works.  I consider these a fun visit with friends.

Books in the series:

Lending a Paw

Tailing a Tabby

Borrowed Crime

Pouncing on Murder

Cat with a Clue

Wrong Side of the Paw

Gone with the Whisker

Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Beginnings by Lydia Sherrer

Lily Singer is an archivist at the McCain Library on the campus of Agnes Scott.  She’s a bit young for the job, but she was groomed for the position by the previous manager, Madam Barrington, because of Lily’s educational and library background and because she’s a wizard.

Quite helpful when, unbeknownst to most, the Archives contain an extensive collection of occult books, some of which can be dangerous.

Madam Barrington, herself a wizard, undertook to train Lily in more than library management.  She’s still close by, serving as mentor.  She takes a certain amount of pride in Lily, but not in her great nephew Sebastian who is working to become a witch; in fact, she’s disowned Sebastian, but that doesn’t stop him from pestering Lily.

At this point I should explain that in this world, wizards are the ones born with innate power that needs to be honed.  There are very few of them around. Witches, on the other hand, are those who seek powers, usually by an exchange of favors with magical folk.  Often the humans who seek this route are fools, getting themselves into situations beyond their control, which is pretty much how Madam sees Sebastian. Lily is more tolerant—just.  It would be easier if Sebastian didn’t involve her in some of his schemes….

This first volume in the series is divided up into “episodes,” but they are really a set of novellas, letting readers learn not only the characters but the supernatural ground rules.  In “Hell Hath No Fury,” Sebastian has taken on the job of exorcising a house while in “Mobius” a town is caught in a time loop. 

While no real new ground is broken here, Sherrer does tell an entertaining story.  Although the writing is third person, some sections are more from Lydia’s point of view while others give us a better understanding of what makes Sebastian tick.  (Good thing, because Sebastian can come across as annoying.)

I did enjoy these and was ready to start the second book in the series, only to find that the library’s copy had gone missing. I’ll be watching for it, and will be interested to see how these characters develop.

The titles in the Lily Singer series are Beginnings, Revelations, Allies, Legends, Betrayal, and Identity.

Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: The Tell Tail Heart by Cate Conte (A Cat Café Mystery)

Maddie James’ life seems to be well on track.  Her cat café, JJ’s House of Purrs (named for her beloved cat JJ) is doing well, as is her love life.  She’s been building up a steady clientele, folks who enjoy a treat while communing with adoptable kittens and cats.  Recently, a man has been coming in with his laptop who seems more intent on working than interacting—which is fine, of course, but just a little unusual. After all, he’s paying $15 an hour when he could be going somewhere else (his local library, to use a totally random example) for free. As it turns out, he probably has a reason for avoiding libraries full of alert readers: the man is Jason Holt, a best-selling author of thrillers whose books have been turned into blockbuster movies.   Rumor has it that he’s trying something new, a non-fiction book about an unsolved case.  Maddie’s mother, an aspiring writer, is an avid fan and anxious to meet Holt and get tips.

But while Maddie can already envision the marketing campaign she can spin out of Holt’s patronage, she has something even more important on her mind: the strange woman who showed up and announced that JJ was her cat, and she wants him back.

As if that isn’t enough to worry about, a body turns up in a canal and Maddie finds herself in the middle of murder investigation.

This is the third in the Cat Café Mystery series.  The characters and setting are in place, though readers who pick up this one first shouldn’t have any problem keeping up.  I felt the plot was more complex than in the first two books, which I like; one of the supporting characters played a more prominent role and readers learned about his past.  This is a light, enjoyable series with an adorable cat, and offers enough entertainment to keep me walking (and don’t underestimate the importance of that!)

Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: Pie Town series by Kirsten Weiss

Treadmill Books: Pie Town series by Kirsten Weiss

After her mother’s death and the end of her engagement, Valentine Harris’ dream of opening her own pie shop is the only thing keeping her going.  Her retro-look shop and delicious pies are starting to draw customers, but when one of the regulars keels over it looks as if Pie Town may  have to close before Grand Opening balloons deflate. Joe, the late customer in question, owned the nearby comic book store but, as it turns out, was a member of a group of amateur sleuths who tried to solve local mysteries.  Could one of the investigations have gotten him killed?

That’s the set-up in The Quiche and the Dead, the first in the Pie Town series. Val is a newbie business owner, but has a pretty sound head on her shoulders—which is more than can be said for Charlene, her 70-something crust maker who has an allegedly deaf emotional support cat and who lives and breathes conspiracy theories.  I’ll admit at first I found her annoying but since there’s a hint or two that Charlene may not believe in theories as much as she believes in yanking people’s chains, I not only warmed up to her, but she became my favorite character.

And it’s a good thing too because there’s already Heidi who owns the new health and fitness studio near Pie Town and promotes healthy living.  Really healthy living, as in putting up a huge sign that says “SUGAR KILLS” right after Joe drops dead.  She’s also dating Val’s former fiancé (who of course is a total slimebag) and exists mainly to cause Val trouble. It’s a character type I have little patience with, honestly, but they show up often in modern cozies.

The tone is gently over the top, with Charlene dragging a reluctant Val into all sorts of improbable situations, and can be very funny.  As the series progresses, more supporting characters are added, including the standard issue cop love interest, but there’s enough that’s fun and fresh to make this an enjoyable series.  Recipes are included.

In fact, I am going to check out some of Weiss’ other series, particularly the Paranormal Museum Mystery book.

The titles in the Pie Town series are: The Quiche and the Dead, Bleeding Tarts, and Pie Hard.

Guest Post: Treadmill Books: Berried Secrets: A Cranberry Cove Mystery by Peg Cochran

It has been quite some time, but Jeanne is back today with the lateest of her Treadmill Books Reviews.

Treadmill Books: Berried Secrets:  A Cranberry Cove Mystery by Peg Cochran

Monica Albertson is settling into life in Cranberry Cove, Michigan.  She moved to the small town in order to help her half-brother, Jeff, with his (what else?) cranberry farm.  Jeff has recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, only to find the farm in serious financial trouble, possibly due to mismanagement by the caretaker, Sam Culbert, who is also the local mayor.  When Culbert turns up dead at Jeff’s farm, Monica is determined to prove that her brother is innocent.

And yes, recipes are included.

I read a lot of cozy mysteries, so I feel I pretty much have the formula down pat.  Even though there are a certain number of “givens” to a cozy, there are still those books that stand out for one reason or another—or in the case of a very good one, several reasons.  Berried Secrets and the sequel Berry the Hatchet stood out for me because I felt the characters and relationships were less cardboard figures than in some genre books.   While some start out as stock characters—Monica’s blonde, home-wrecking stepmother Gina for instance— several acquire more depth, changing relationships in a believable manner.  The strong supporting cast was definitely a plus, including elderly candy sellers and a handsome bookseller.  Cochran’s willingness to let the characters change and grow over the course of the two books was a definite plus.

Monica herself doesn’t stand out per se; she’s a loving sister, devoted to her younger brother, and determined to help him get his life back on track.  She decides to create cranberry concoctions to sell to help support and publicize the farm (this is where the recipes come in) and to fit in with the locals.  Love of her brother also encourages tolerance of Gina, despite the latter’s dramatic tendencies.

The mystery aspect was well done, too, though I did solve part of the clues before the heroine.

I do have to note that in the second book the victim is also the town mayor, though of course not the same one killed off in book one.  I can’t help but wonder if the mayor’s job is cursed, like the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher’s position in Harry Potter....

The titles in order are Berried Secrets, Berry the Hatchet, Dead and Berried, and Berried at Sea.

Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: Flipped for Murder by Maddie Day

Please welcome back Jeanne of the BPL to the blog today…

Treadmill Book:  Flipped for Murder by Maddie Day

 

Mass Market Paperback

Roberta “Robbie” Jordan is prepping for the grand opening of her restaurant/store, Pans ‘n Pancakes in little South Lick, Indiana.  Although her mother was a Hoosier, Robbie grew up in California; after her mother’s death, a visit to her Aunt Adele made her want to try small town life for a while, especially after finding a charming and affordable place to start her own business. 

Not that it was without a bit of a struggle.  Stella Rogers, the assistant to the mayor, seemed to be working overtime to put the brakes on Robbie’s plans, but then Stella is not the nicest of people.  Still, it comes as a bit of a surprise when Stella turns up dead with one of Robbie’s signature biscuits in her mouth. . . .

This is the first in the Country Store Mystery series and certainly shows promise while sticking to the standard cozy formula.  Truthfully, I found the backstory about Robbie’s father to be more compelling than the boilerplate mystery, and that thread will apparently run through future mysteries. The characters are likeable enough, except for those who aren’t supposed to be --and those are cozy –dreadful, i.e. people whose lives are devoted to making others miserable for no particular reason except that it makes them dandy villains and even dandier victims. The investigating officer is pleasant, but amazingly enough Robbie is able to uncover information about the locals that the life-long resident lawman didn’t know.

 

Audio CD

I did have some quibbles—fathers are apparently doomed in Indiana, as there were three fatherless characters introduced in the first few chapters—but the big one was the casual way in which one character’s actions are dismissed. Even though he fires a gun at Robbie and is later found lurking in her apartment with a gun, he’s considered harmless. Ooooookay. There’s a standard issue love interest, a plucky senior citizen or two, and some local color.

I will be interested to see how Robbie’s family drama plays out, so I will probably pick up more books in the series.  This is, after all, a first in series book and sometimes the rough edges smooth out after the characters and setting have been introduced.

Also, there is a sweet cat.  That counts for a lot with me.

Books in the series:

Flipped for Murder

Grilled for Murder

When The Grits Hit the Fan

Biscuits and Slashed Browns

Death Over Easy

Strangled Eggs and Ham (June 2019)

Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: Sarah Addison Allen

Treadmill Books:  Sarah Addison Allen

These books are a bit hard to review because they aren’t a series. There is one sequel (First Frost, which continues the saga of the Waverlys from Garden Spells) but the other books are standalones.  Still, I’m going to give it the old college try.

The first Sarah Addison Allen book I read was The Girl Who Chased the Moon, which was actually her third novel, because of a review in Lesa’s blog. I’m not much of a romance reader but I was intrigued by the North Carolina setting and the plot about a teenage girl who ends up at the home of a grandfather she never knew.  Emily’s mother left Mullaby under mysterious circumstances long before Emily was born, but Emily is confused by the conflicting stories she hears:  the woman they describe bears no resemblance to her save-the-earth, generous, courageous mother.  What happened? And what’s with the mysterious lights that sometimes flicker around the town at night?

The sweetly magical world Allen created where frogs appear out of nowhere, wallpaper changes patterns, and a person can have a sixth sense about cake delighted me.  Her magics are not about casting spells per se—not a “bubble bubble toil and trouble” around—but a sort of slightly off kilter everyday magic that just happens.  It’s magic that has been around so long that no one thinks it’s odd or unusual.

I was so enchanted by the book that I had to read her others, starting with her first novel, Garden Spells.  Certain themes emerged quickly.  Prodigal returns and people with odd gifts are another staple of Allen’s books: a hairdresser who can give anyone the perfect haircut for whatever is needed, a new job or a new romantic interest; a cook who can create concoctions to infuse a party with a particular atmosphere—generosity, perhaps, or perhaps a dose of humility; or Evanelle, who feels compelled to give odd items to people because she knows they will need that item. My personal favorite, of course, would have to be Chloe, who has books appear to her on a topic she needs (or, rather, that the books feel she needs.) There are too many good characters to choose from, although I have to say that the rather mischievous apple tree who tries to entice people to sample its apples is one I think of frequently, along with the aforementioned Evanelle. Since I’ve just read Sugar Queen, I may have to add Della Mae, who moves into a young woman’s closet without permission.

Food is another strong component of the books.  A character may love store-bought candies or there may be a deep discussion of the merits of different types of barbecue, leading to some lovely sensory descriptions. That’s part of what makes these books not good treadmill choices: drooling over food does not make for a good treadmill experience.  These are books best read curled up in a comfy chair, preferably with pastries close at hand. Although come to think of it, Evanelle does like to walk around the track, the better to check out young men’s backsides…. But no, these are books for relaxing not for trudging.

If this all sounds too cute and whimsical for you, then you’re probably right.  A friend said that The Girl Who Chased the Moon was “the dumbest book she’d ever read.” Ouch.  And yet I noticed she read all the rest of Allen’s books and even put some on reserve so there must have been something she liked.  On the other hand, if you like a little fantasy with romance, food, and a satisfying ending, then Sarah Addison Allen may be just the writer for you.

Novels by Sarah Addison Allen

Garden Spells

Sugar Queen

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

The Peach Keeper

Lost Lake

First Frost (sequel to Garden Spells)

Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: A Ghostly Mortality by Tonya Kappes

Treadmill Books:  A Ghostly Mortality by Tonya Kappes

I came late to this series, since this was the only title at the local Books A Million. 

Emma Lee Raines’ family has run a mortuary for years in a small town in Kentucky.  Emma is known for having “Funeral  Trauma,” which is to say that she takes these odd turns when she doesn’t make sense or talks to herself or even seems faint.  The truth is that Emma Lee is a “Betweener,” someone who can see and talk to the dead to help them get to the Afterlife.  In Emma Lee’s case, the dead she sees have been murdered and it’s up to her to solve the crime so they can rest in (presumable) peace.

The case in A Ghostly Mortality hits especially close to home when the dead person she sees is her sister Charlotte Rae.  Charlotte and Emma had a strained relationship at best, since Charlotte was ambitious, organized, stylish—well, everything Emma was not—and even left the family business for a larger funeral home business in another town. Charlotte is nonplussed to find that not only is she dead but her younger sister is the only one with whom she can communicate.  The sisters have a lot to work through—and of course there is the matter of a murderer on the loose.  Good thing Emma Lee’s boyfriend is  hunky police officer  Jack Henry who can help her investigate. Jack Henry is one of the few who knows about Emma’s gift; everyone else just thinks she’s tetched in the head, as the old expression goes.

If this book is any indication, the Southern Ghost Mysteries are chock full of quirky characters, quaint expressions, and embarrassing situations.  For me, I think it was the wrong book at the wrong time; I was in the mood for a mystery and the book is more about the humor.  I had reservations about the solution to the mystery, but thinking back on it the book could be said to be rather zen. . . it’s all about the funny journey to the solution rather than the solution itself. 

The cleverest thing for me was the weaving in of the next episode along with the current story as Emma keeps seeing a ghost cat wandering about the funeral home and the final scene setting up the next book really piqued my interest. 

I’ll reserve final judgment until I read at least one more, but while I think Southern humor aficionados will be happy, mystery readers will be less than satisfied.

The titles in order are A Ghostly Undertaking,  A Ghostly Grave, A Ghostly Demise, A Ghostly Murder, A Ghostly Reunion, A Ghostly Mortality, and A Ghostly Secret.

Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: Mobile Library series by Ian Sansom

Treadmill Books:  Mobile Library series by Ian Sansom

Israel Armstrong is a librarian—or he would be if he could find a job as a librarian.  Instead, he works part time at a London bookshop and enjoys his lattes, vegetarian cuisine, and spending time with his ambitious (and more affluent) girlfriend, Gloria.  However, it appears Israel’s luck is about to change: he has actually gotten a full time position at a library, even though it’s going to require him to move to Northern Ireland, to a small town called Tumdrum. He’s got a three year contract, and at the end of that time he can return in triumph to London and get a proper library job—say, at the British Library.

His first clue that things may not be going smoothly is the large sign announcing the Tumdrum library is closed—permanently.

Instead, he’ll be a mobile librarian, or he will be as soon as they find the bookmobile and get it running, leaving only one minor problem: the books are missing.

So begins Ian Sansom’s Mobile Library series with the appropriately named first novel, The Case of the Missing Books.  It’s an extremely funny book, a take on the “fish out of water” theme as Israel tries to navigate the strange ways of the Irish (quite a surprise, since Israel’s father was Irish).  For Israel, it’s like falling down a rabbit hole.  If there’s a way to make a bad situation worse, Israel will instinctively find it.

It’s been a long time since I laughed so hard at a book. I especially enjoyed some of the literary discussions carried on by the natives, discussing the authors they like (or don’t) and sometimes leaving Israel at a loss. The Irish setting was vivid and the characters were memorable.

I read the second book right after I finished the first and liked it as well, though it wasn’t quite as amusing—probably because I knew some of the author’s habits from The Case of the Missing Books. I will be reading the rest of the series, but I’m going to let a little time pass so it will seem fresher.

I find it hard to walk and laugh at the same time, so while these do not make good treadmill books they are recommended as one funny read. 

The books in the series are The Case of the Missing Books, Mr. Dixon Disappears, The Book Stops Here, and The Bad Book Affair.

Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: Ghostal Living: A Hamptons Home and Garden Mystery by Kathleen Bridge

It has been more than a month awhile since Jeanne’s last review (Comic Sans Murder: A Dangerous Type Mystery by Paige Shelton), but she is back today. That is a very good thing.

Treadmill Books: Ghostal Living:  A Hamptons Home and Garden Mystery by Kathleen Bridge

Meg Bennett is a decorator in Sag Harbor, currently working on an upscale B&B owned by a wealthy bibliophile who has bought what appears to be an unpublished novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The unveiling is to be held soon, at an Antiquarian Books Fair, but before that happens the man who authenticated the manuscript falls to his death from a cliff. Was it an accident, suicide, or murder? Who are we kidding?

This is the third book in the series but I had no trouble getting into the story.  The writing flows well, and I reveled in the details of the rooms devoted to each author: Herman Melville, Emily Dickenson, Fitzgerald, etc. because the author tied the choice of items to the authors’ lives and time period, tossing out nuggets of information. Books are part of the décor, being restricted to the author’s work and those books he or she were known to have read or else probably would have had access to.

I also enjoyed the information about collectible books and the process by which a manuscript might be authenticated.  There was enough detail to be interesting, but not enough to bog a reader down. 

Meg herself is largely a delight, especially as she is profoundly hearing impaired but doesn't let that slow her down. She’s determined and intelligent, but she’s also apparently one of those “can’t make up my mind about which man I want” characters.  I blame Janet Evanovich, with Stephanie’s inability to decide between Morelli and Ranger for popularizing this now all too common dilemma of two intriguing boyfriends. At the end of the book, one seems to be out of the running but Meg is already eying a new possibility. (Mercifully, the author spared us the confrontation after one beau catches her out with another, but I still had the sense of “been there, done that.”) I do like a bit of romance in my mysteries, but waffling is annoying as far as I’m concerned. 

The other annoyance was that Meg fails to report things she should and likes to try to beard suspects in their dens.

The supporting characters were interesting for the most part and there was good use of “local color.” There were a couple of characters who existed just to be nasty and to distract the reader and Our Heroine, but overall there was a good solid plot and clues. Jo the overweight kitty was fun, and Meg made a fine reluctant feline guardian.  The Bibliophile Bed and Breakfast is almost a character itself, complete with ghost story of sea captain’s wife who threw herself off the cliff after the news that her husband’s ship had gone down.  I liked the writing style and the story moved well.

The writing is good enough that I largely overlook those transgressions; the pluses outweighing the minuses, in my opinion.  The author’s next book is the start of a new series, but I’m not sure if Bridges is just branching out or if that signals the end of Hamptons Home and Garden.  I rather hope not.

The titles in the series are Better Homes and Corpses, Hearse and Gardens, and Ghostal Living.

Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: Comic Sans Murder: A Dangerous Type Mystery by Paige Shelton

Back two weeks ago for that final Wednesday in April, Jeanne reviewed No Charm Intended by Mollie Cox Bryan. Very glad to have her back today.

Treadmill Books:  Comic Sans Murder: A Dangerous Type Mystery by Paige Shelton

Star City, Utah is known for its excellent skiing, beautiful scenery, and quaint shops.  Unfortunately, it may become known for something much more notorious when a lone ski boot is found with the owner’s foot still inside.  Even worse, it appears the appendage belongs to a former resident, Lloyd Gavin, a nerd made good, who had a long standing crush on Clare Henry, aka Our Heroine.  Clare is a steady, clever girl who loves working at The Rescued Word, her family’s print shop where they do custom printing, repair typewriters, and sell stationery. The plot thickens when it turns out that Lloyd has left some very expensive, very rare typing machines for Clare, and that Lloyd was in town for some sort of private class reunion. Did Clare’s class include a murderer? Or did Lloyd run afoul of his business associates in his climb to the top?

Although this was the third in the series, it was the first one I’d read.  Shelton drew me in from the first, with the discovery of the severed foot, and then with interesting characters. Clare, of course; but also Nathan, the famous horror author who is visiting the area;  Chester, Clare’s grandfather and owner of The Rescued Word; and other invitees to the reunion. There’s enough backstory to give a sense of what has gone before, but it doesn’t bog the current story down. I also liked that the police are shown as competent and, even though Claire’s best friend Jodie is an investigating officer, they refrain from spilling all the beans to a civilian.  There’s a complicated relationship between Jodie’s brother Creighton and Clare, who were once a couple but who have gone their separate ways.  It added texture to the story without the more usual second-guessing and angst: this was a breakup that needed to happen, there is zero chance they’ll get back together, but the relationship’s end wasn’t sweetness and light.

I’m also a sucker for books that give me information along with a mystery, and I enjoyed the pieces of type and font lore.  Back in the day when I answered some online questions for funsies, there were a surprising (to me, anyway!) number of queries about the typeface used in various books. The Hoovens in this one were a bonus, since I’d never heard of these early electric typing machines before and was interested to learn about them. Who’d have thought there was an electric typewriter back in the 1920s?

And yes, there was a kitty:  Baskerville.  The covers show a calico, which would make him a rarity as calicos are usually female, but it is possible.  He doesn’t figure greatly in the story but does warm up to Nathan.

I’ll admit I thought the ending was a bit weak.  I didn’t quite buy into the explanation but it was an enjoyable ride with people I liked.  I’ll be picking up the first two in the series for a return visit, since I don’t see a fourth as coming out soon.

Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: No Charm Intended by Mollie Cox Bryan

Earlier this month Jeanne reviewed Behind Chocolate Bars by Kathy Aarons. Very nice to have her back on the blog today for this final Wednesday of April.

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Treadmill Books: No Charm Intended by Mollie Cox Bryan

Cora and Jane are hosting another crafter’s weekend, expecting guests from all over to come and participate in a variety of crafts using natural materials.  A problem arises when Gracie, a local babysitter, fails to show up to take care of Jane’s daughter.  Then a strange text (“I kidnapped her”) pops up on several phones.  Gracie’s boyfriend, Paul, comes to see if Gracie is with Jane and tells the two women about a Wizard of Oz online game they have all been playing but which has generated some very odd messages.  As the police turn out to search for the missing Gracie, Cora and Jane go ahead with their programs, all the while wondering if Gracie has run away or if something more sinister has occurred.

I think this is a case of my picking up exactly the wrong book to start a series.  I’ve done it before.  Of all the Nero Wolfe books, the first one I picked up had Wolfe setting out for Montenego so of course I thought all that talk about him never leaving his house was pfui.  In this book, the second in the Cora Crafts Mysteries, things got off to a promising start but then sort of bogged down for me.  There was a good bit of backstory for our two heroines, and we were treated to lots of descriptions of what the various crafters were doing but it seemed little was done to follow any leads. After a couple of hundred pages, I was ready to throw in the towel.  I skimmed the last hundred plus which did lead to an exciting conclusion but for me it was a bit late.

I was still puzzling over why so much time was devoted to the crafters when I thought to check the author’s other series, Cumberland Creek Mysteries.  Sure enough, a few of the names seemed to match up so I suspect regular readers were delighted to catch up with old friends while I was simply baffled.

Another problem might have been that I know of the Wizard of Oz park which plays a role in the book.  I haven’t been myself but a friend has been several times to the fall events and loved it.  I was expecting the park to figure more throughout the book and was disappointed when it didn’t.

Jane and Cora were well developed as characters, women who have been tested by life.  They are damaged but strong-willed, brave, and intelligent. They respected law enforcement and trusted the police to follow through in their investigations, something fictional sleuths rarely do but which made for a nice change. The crafts were interesting and inventive, with bits of information on using natural materials (how to prepare native clay, for example) which normally I would have enjoyed so I am a bit perplexed as to why this book didn’t wow me.

It’s entirely possible I just started with the wrong book.  Of course, the fact that it was pouring rain outside, meaning I had 12,000 steps to walk on the treadmill, may also have been a factor.  But for whatever reason, this book just didn’t hold my attention.