KILLER PHYSIQUE by G. A. McKevett

Savannah, Dirk, Ryan and John attend a movie premiere to meet a friend of Ryan and John only to find him dead shortly thereafter. The autopsy and CSI reports show no signs of foul play, but everyone involved has a feeling they are missing something. The Moonlight Magnolia team dig into another murder while also watching love bloom between Savannah's brother and her assistant. Also, Dirk meets his birth parents for the first time. Savannah's life is never dull!

I discovered this series in an airport book store many years ago, and I have followed it faithfully every since. There are lots of side-stories going on in this volume, but they didn't diminish the mystery. The fact that the case wasn't really a case for half the book - because they weren't sure if it was murder - was a nice twist on the usual formula. Savannah and Dirk are still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship - not so much so that Savannah cuts him any slack when he cleaning skills leave a lot to be desired, but there are a lot of lovey-dovey moments between them that changes the tone of this book from that in earlier books in the series.

4 out of 5 stars

* I received an advanced reader copy this book from the publisher, Kensington, for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

FICTION for ADULTS: Killer Honeymoon by G. A. McKevett

[I received an Advance Reader Copy of the latest Savannah Reid mystery from the publisher. The book releases on March 26th.]

Savannah and Dirk are finally married and ready to enjoy a honeymoon away from Savannah's family and the perils of their jobs (private detective and cop, respectively) and the trials that complicated their wedding (see Monday's review of Buried in Buttercream). But their getaway is quickly spoiled when they witness a shooting on the beach. The local police seem to be doing all they can to sandbag the case, leaving Savannah, who held the woman's hand until she died, determined to find justice for the victim.

Another great chapter in this series. There is less emphasis on Savannah's injuries from A Decadent Way to Die than in the previous book, but they still inform the story. There's some nice backstory for both Savannah's childhood and Dirk's, and a great teaser for what's probably coming in the next book. The mystery was good - no clear suspect early on, keeping the reader guessing for awhile about how all the pieces fit together. I thought the personal bits about the characters fit well inside the larger mystery story - neither part was a distraction from the other, but everything flowed. I think I appreciate this series more than usual, getting to read two pieces so close together (rather than a year apart from release to release).

4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: mystery fans, fans of the series, fans who enjoy a good dose of personal stories with their series characters

Cautions: some language.

FICTION for ADULTS: Buried in Buttercream by G. A. McKevett

Savannah and Dirk are having the worst luck as they try to get married.  Their venue burned down, with the wedding gown and bridesmaids dresses inside. Then friends suggest a wedding planner who gets murdered in the bridal suite of their new venue. If they hope to ever get married (and get Savannah's family out of her house), Savannah and Dirk will need to solve the twisted murder of a very unpopular wedding planner. 

This was a beautiful story! Great mystery, sweet love story, great evolution of characters in a delightful mystery series. There are some fantastic moments for Savannah as she deals with the emotional fallout of the previous story (A Decadent Way to Die)  and she figures out how to make her experiences work in the life she is trying to build with Dirk. This story has a different feel from the others in the series because (a) the usual team doesn't meet because Savannah's home has been overrun by her siblings and (b) because of the personal demons Savannah is wrestling. But it is a good difference - it keeps the series from feeling too formulaic. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'm ready to dive into the next one, Killer Honeymoon.

4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: Fans of the series, mystery fans who don't mind a little bit of edge to their mysteries

Cautions: language and adult circumstances and settings.

Waiting on WEDNESDAY

I recently picked up two books for my Nook color - A. J. Jacobs's new book, Drop Dead Healthy and  Buried in Buttercream by G. A. McKevett. I've done so little reading lately of books for adults that I am especially looking forward to reading these soon!

  

Waiting on WEDNESDAY: More March New Releases

Here are the rest of the new releases I'm looking for this month:

Seeds of Rebellion by Brandon Mull (The Beyonders series) - 3/13

Secret Agent Splat! by Rob Scotton - 3/13

The Perfect Present for Mom and Dad (Splat the Cat) by Rob Scotton - 313

Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter (Gallagher Girls series) - 3/13

Stink and the Midnight Zombie Walk by Megan McDonald - 3/13

Kane Chronicles Survival Guide by Rick Riordan - 3/20

Big Nate Goes for Broke by Lincoln Peirce - 3/20

Buried in Buttercream by G. A. McKevett - 3/27

Lunch Lady and the Mutant Mathletes by Jarrett Krosoczka - 3/27

FRIDAY: Buttons and Bones AND A Decadent Way to Die

Summary
Book 14 in a series


Betsy Devonshire and her friends are back to business at Betsy's needlework shop, Crewel World. When Betsy, her friend Jill Larson, and Jill's family take a long weekend at the Larson's new log cabin, they go to get away and to do a little work around the place. They enjoy the nearby lake and the peaceful scenery, but their renovations to the cabin unearth a 66 year old skeleton.


Jill, as a former cop, doesn't relish the idea of her family sharing space that was home to a corpse without knowing what happened, so she and Betsy start digging.



Review

I was a little worried about this one. I skipped the last book because I wasn't interested in the witchcraft angle of that plot. And I've become leery of my older series - they don't always maintain their quality. This one did. The number of series regulars is small, and each one is memorable, even after all the time since I last read one of their stories. I figured out the mystery about 50 pages before the end, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment at all. Other characters were introduced clearly and gradually so I was able to keep track of them. (This was a BIG deal in another book I read lately - so many characters, I couldn't even tell you how the mystery was solved.) Plenty of alternate theories to think about until the end.



4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: cozy mystery fans. Needlecraft angle is only a small part of the story, so it won't exclude any readers.


Cautions:none


BONUS BOOK - Just read this one, too, and thought I would post both.


Summary
Book 16 in a series


Private Investigator, Savannah Reid, and her team at the Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency have been asked to investigate some "accidents" that could have killed octogenarian doll maker Helene Strauss. Seems like too much to believe they're coincidental. Then two bodies are found. Savannah, Dirk and the team have their hands full keeping Helene safe while tracking down a sloppy killer.


Review

I LOVE Savannah. She is a woman who says all the things you wish you could. I love her team - there's a great "side" story in the book about one member of Savannah's investigative team.  Great mystery - kept me guessing until the end. Some laugh-out-loud moments. Thought I was reading into a cliffhanger at the end - and I wasn't very happy. A year is long enough to wait for a new book, but even worse with a cliffhanger! But McKevett was kind and let the whole story play out for a great ending.


This is a series I started when I picked up a mid-series book at an airport. I liked Savannah and the story so much that I checked every book out of the library until I had read the whole thing. This is a series I would buy and read again.



5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: cozy mystery fans, fans of strong female protagonists


Cautions: some language, domestic abuse story line


[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

Waiting on WEDNESDAY: January New Releases (part 2)

    Here are a few more books coming out this month. The new Magic Tree House is anxiously anticipated in our house. I think these are the first books my son was really reading on his own and he really connected with them.

The G.A. McKevett book is the latest in a series. I remember the first time I read a book from this series - I picked one up from the middle of the series at an airport to read on a plane. I enjoyed it so much I came back and checked every book out from the library and have been reading them ever since. This is a series I wish I had bought - I really enjoy the characters.

Finally, Across the Universe is one I have been hearing about from a variety of sources, so I am eager to see if it can live up to the hype - I hope it can.

[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I get a small portion of the purchase price.]

FRIDAY: Wicked Craving

Wife of a weight-loss doctor dies, bringing his life and business under scrutiny from Savannah and her team because something is just not right. Did the killer want the doctor instead? His inappropriate relations with clients and shady weight-loss techniques haven't made him any friends. 

The doctor and his wife are not at all what they seem to be and it looks like their bad choices and their past has finally caught up with them. But with so many suspects to choose from, how will Savannah figure out who really offed the wife?

I love these characters. This is a great mystery series. There is a little language and innuendo, but I didn't find it to be at all distracting from the story. I reviewed last year's release for the series here. Every year I start my hunt early for the latest book in this series. If you haven't checked out Savannah and the Midnight Magnolia Detective Agency, give them a try.

[I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.]

FRIDAY: A Body to Die For

The makings of a good mystery: a missing husband, a secret twin, gambling debts, blackmail and an abandoned car with signs of foul play!

Savannah Reid is the take-no-guff heroine of this series that, even after 14 volumes, has not lost any of its quality. This time she is trying to discover what happened to the husband of the health and fitness queen who is a pretty nasty piece of work. At times I had to wonder why she wasn't the victim. As usual, one of Savannah's annoying siblings has to fly out to California and muck things up. I am not sure what purpose it served in this particular story. I prefer the series regulars to the family members (except for Savannah's grandmother, who is always a hoot!). I enjoyed spending a couple hours with some favorite characters in this series.

The first book in the series is Just Desserts [For more sensitive readers, there is some foul language in the book and two members of the crime solving team are a gay couple.]