THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE EMUS by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow is back. This time her grandfather is trying to rescue over 30 feral emu, and a PI friend is trying to track down Meg's long-lost grandmother. His search leads them to the emu situation - and a murder.

I am happy to say this long-running series is still producing fun, well-plotted mysteries. This story was thoroughly enjoyable! I like trying to figure out the murderer, but I did not succeed this time. I did catch another big reveal before it happened so I was at least satisfied with that. This book had a lovely family story as a "side dish" to the main mystery. Fans of this series will be happy with this new chapter in Meg's story. New readers can start here but probably won't enjoy the family pieces as much as those who have been along from the beginning. The entire series is worth a read if you enjoy cozy mysteries.

5 out of 5 stars

New book releases October 21. (It's unusual to get two in one year - it's a bonus treat!)

THE BROTHERS OF BAKER STREET by Michael Robertson

Reggie Heath is back in Britain after his adventures in the US in book one, The Baker Street Letters. This time he gets drawn into a criminal case - something he swore he wouldn't do ever again. But he believes the man is innocent. An anonymous tip helps him get his client released, but before long the client is dead and Reggie is arrested for the crime. Nigel and Laura are going to have to do some serious digging to get to the truth.

This was a great mystery invoking the Holmes/Moriarty relationship from the original Sherlock Holmes stories. Readers get more backstory on Reggie and Nigel that informs some of the choices they make. I had figured out some of the mystery but not all, so this was a very satisfying mystery for me. I enjoyed this book in the series even more than I liked book one. There are two more books in the series at the time of this writing.

   

LENDING A PAW by Laurie Cass

Minnie is the assistant director of the library in Chilson, MI, and she made the county bookmobile dream a reality thanks to a generous donation from Stan Larabee. On the bookmobile's maiden voyage, Minnie and her cat, Eddie, find Stan's body in an old farmhouse. Stan was part of a long-standing family feud and was also manipulative in business dealings, leaving Minnie with several suspects for his murder.

This was a delight to read! A good mystery with a lovely setting and characters. Eddie the cat is fabulous. The author does a great job describing cat behavior! Minnie is likable and the core group in her community makes for great support for the main story. I will not hesitate to read more books in this series!

4 out of 5 stars - great for fans of cozy/light-hearted mysteries. Book 2 (pictured below) is out now.

DEATH AL DENTE by Leslie Budewitz

Erin Murphy is running her family's business, The Merc, a store specializing in food products showcasing the best of Montana. To help all the business owners in Jewel Bay, Erin plans a festival - but a dead body was not part of the plan. Too many people are trying to pin it on Erin or her mom, Fresca, so Erin is determined to find the killer and protect her family and The Merc.

Good mystery with plenty of suspects, interesting town folks, and likeable main characters. I was able to figure out the murderer, but not the rationale, so I was eager to keep reading all the way to the end. This the start of a series, and book two (pictured below) is available now.

CINDERELLA SMITH: THE SUPER SECRET MYSTERY by Stephanie Barden

There are several secrets and mysteries in this story - the "Group in Cahoots" is trying to keep their endangered animal report a secret. There's the mystery of the missing library books, the mysterious note Cinderella receives - and the mystery of where Cinderella's new blue ballet flat is!

Another cute Cinderella Smith story - you can see the reviews of the others here. This story has a nice family, reasonable antics for elementary students, social squabbles and misunderstandings that feel authentic to the situation. The endangered animals research reports anchor the story. This could be a great classroom read-aloud and a chance to talk about the social and educational aspects of the story.

BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER by Joanne Fluke

* I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher 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.

Hannah has her hands full with her cookie shop. She's also helping plan her mother's wedding - a feat made more difficult because her mother changes her mind daily about what she wants. Thankfully, Hannah hasn't found a dead body in awhile - what a relief! Before she can really enjoy that realization, though, Hannah hits someone with her car in the middle of a storm and kills him. Now she's the one in a jail cell, wondering what the future holds for her.

This departed from the usual formula in my opinion - the "mystery" is figuring out who the guy is that Hannah hit. There wasn't the traditional murdered person with secrets to discover and multiple enemies who could have offed him/her. Even though it felt mystery-light to me, the story and the characters are completely enjoyable, as always. I was immediately drawn into the story, and when I had to put it down, I was eager to get back into the story. If the mystery piece had been a larger portion of the story, I would have given it four stars. As always, there were several recipes in the book that I would like to try some times. I have had great luck with the ones I have tried from previous books - many are simple and use ingredients I routinely have on hand.

3 out of 5 stars

This book releases on February 25th. Barnes and Noble is offering a free preview for Nook readers. I did not find a similar offer for Kindle.

FORGET ME KNOT by Mary Marks

Martha Rose and her friends are planning a day of quilting with a new friend. They did not plan to find their new friend murdered. When one of the dead woman's quilts is stolen along with one of Martha's, she gets drawn farther into the mystery. Then, the dead woman's mother asks Martha to track down her daughter's quilts to see if they tell a story that explains what happened to her. Martha is compelled to keep digging until she can figure out what really happened.

This was a great mystery! Martha and her friends are likable, as is the detective/love interest. There were several possible solutions to the mystery to keep you guessing. I was able to figure out the solution, which is something that gives me great joy, but it wasn't "obvious." There were some cool things about different faith groups - funeral rites and things - that were interesting tidbits on top of the overall story. I am looking forward to sharing this one with my mystery-loving friends. And I am looking forward to reading more in this series!

4 out of 5 stars

* I received 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.

DEATH, TAXES AND MISTLETOE MAYHEM by Diane Kelly

Tara Holloway goes undercover to expose a case of tax and insurance fraud and meets Office Megan Lutz and her K9 partner, Brigit, on the job. Working together, Tara, Megan and Brigit may be able to bring down a criminal or two AND do some holiday matchmaking.

Always on the hunt for new holiday reading material, I jumped on the chance to read this novella for free on my Nook while sitting in Barnes and Noble. I enjoyed the writing so much after one chapter, I spent the $2 it took to buy the story outright.

This merges characters from Diane Kelly's Tara Holloway series (covers displayed below) with the characters from an upcoming series that will debut in June of 2014 (the first book will be Paw Enforcement). I had a couple of the tax series books already in my TBR pile (To Be Read), but I moved the series up on my reading list as I enjoyed this as much as I did. For the price, this is an excellent introduction to the author's writing style and the characters of these series.

4 out of 5 stars

Cautions: some language

       

DUCK THE HALLS by Donna Andrews

A prankster leaves a cage of skunks in the choir loft of the Baptist church just days before Christmas. As cancelling all of their regular weekly events and the Christmas ones isn't an option, Meg and her organizational skills are pressed into service to maintain the schedule at all the area churches that open their doors to help. But the pranks escalate to arson and eventually murder. Meg's on the case, asking questions and keeping her eyes and ears open as she juggles her scheduling responsibilities, her family, and their Christmas festivities. Hopefully she can get to the bottom of things before innocent people go to jail and Christmas is ruined.

As I've already mentioned, I love reading Christmas stories this time of year, and this was a delightful addition to my collection. I literally laughed out loud as I read it. Meg is one of my favorite mystery characters. She has an odd and eccentric family, but she is completely down to earth and relate-able. I was able to figure out the culprit right before Meg did and I enjoyed the sleuthing journey along the way.

Four out of five stars

If you've never read a Meg Langslow mystery, I think you can follow the story pretty well if you start here. Some of the family relationships and quirks might mystify you. If so, go back and read the whole series - it's a delight! You can read some reviews of other books in the series here.

RULES OF MURDER by Julianna Deering

I received an electronic review copy of this from the publisher, Bethany House.

Drew and his friend Nick are visiting Drew's mother and step-father. Soon they are caught up in a murder investigation. A loathsome man, rumored to be sleeping with Drew's mother, is dead - and before the night is over, Drew's mother is too. There are more bodies and more twists and turns to come before the mastermind is unveiled.

I don't usually read historical fiction, but I really enjoyed this mystery. The three main characters - Drew, Nick, and Drew's love-interest, Madeline - are excellent and they hooked me into the story and the twisting plot propelled me on to the end. I was able to figure out some of the mystery, but had to stay up past my bedtime in order to finish the story so I could know how all of it fit together in the end. There's a faith component to the story that sits on the fringes of the mystery. It feels organic as it comes from the characters as they get to know one another. I was afraid it would feel forced, but it didn't. There were multiple suspects, hidden passageways, unsolved murders and more. A great story!

4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for mystery fans, readers looking for quality Christian fiction.

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.

MONDAY: The Mystery of the Missing Everything by Ben H. Winters

Summary

Bethesda, one of the stars of the book The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman, is back with another mystery to solve. A trophy - the only trophy in the Achievement Alcove at Mary Todd Lincoln Middle School - has been stolen. The principal is in such a snit about the theft, she's cancelled the 8th grade trip for Bethesda and her friends unless the thief comes forward. But this case is so odd, Bethesda will have her hands full trying to solve it.

Review

Good mystery with lots of trails to follow. Lots about various relationships in the story between the students, the staff and school bureaucracy in general. At times there was a little too much narrator intrusion - "This happened but this was going to happen." It was fun for the opening, but at other times it could be distracting. My favorite part of the whole book was a great section about a music video the kids put together. I'm looking forward to sharing this mystery with my students.

4 out of 5 stars

Accelerated Reader level of 5.9

Recommended for: readers 10 and up, mystery lovers, fans of the first book

Cautions: none

MONDAY: The Sisters 8 by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Summary
The last of the Huit octuplets receive (or acknowledge) their special powers in the next two books in the series. In Rebecca's Rashness, Rebecca seems to have two special powers - one saves the life of a friend, but the other brings mostly destruction. In Zinnia's Zaniness, the Huits and their friends, Mr. and Mrs. Pete, take a vacation to the seaside where they meet a mysterious boy named George, and Zinnia's power becomes more apparent to everyone but her sisters.


Review
I am still enjoying this series and I'm eager to find out what happened to the girls' parents. Teaser at the very end of Zinnia's story will make readers rant and rave about having to wait for the next book in the series. Lots of hints about who George is, but that is waiting for a future story as well.


3 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 5.0 and 4.9 respectively


Recommended for: fans of the series, mystery fans


Cautions: none

Floors by Patrick Carman

Summary
Leo Fillmore lives in the Whippet Hotel, a quirky hotel full of quirky people and all sorts of secrets. Leo's dad is the janitor and handy-man at the Whippet, so Leo knows more of the secrets than most people. But the mysterious boxes that are left for him are full of secrets Leo never imagined. Leo will need to choose his friends wisely if he wants to discover the secrets of the boxes and save the Whippet Hotel from people who want to destroy it.

Review
I had read early reviews of Floors that compared it to one of my favorite pieces of children's literature, The Westing Game, and I think the comparisons are good. You have a quirky setting and quirky characters in both and people aren't who they appear to be. The strange rooms and the twists and turns will keep readers turning page after page in order to find out if Leo can save the day. The number "1" on the spine leads me to hope that there will be more adventures for Leo and the Whippet Hotel in the future.

4 out of 5 stars
AR level of 5.7

Recommended for: readers 10 and up, fans of The Westing Game or The Mysterious Benedict Society or other puzzle-type mysteries. Fans of Carman's other books, like the Land of Elyon series, won't be disappointed if they give Floors a try. It's a different style all together, but well done.

Cautions: none

TUESDAY: The Red Blazer Girls: The Mistaken Masterpiece by Michael Beil

Summary
Sophie and the rest of the Red Blazer Girls are at it again. This time they're hanging out with movie stars, chasing dogs and tracking down a mystery about a painting. Ongoing stories from previous books about the girls' band; Sophie's boyfriend, Raf; her rival, Livvy; and the adults who helped the girls on their earlier adventures.


Review
I loved this story - no swearing that I noticed which makes it easier to recommend to my Christian school students. I loved what the author does with Sophie and Livvy in this story, adding depth to Livvy's character and keeping natural and realistic ups and downs in the relationship. The mystery was good, with lots of layers to keep readers engaged.


4.5 out of 5 stars
AR level of 4.7


Recommended for: readers 10 and up, mystery fans, fans of the previous books in the series.


Cautions: none.

Waiting on WEDNESDAY

Since the announcement of the closure of Borders, I have spent a lot of time there, looking at and buying books. Came across these two that looked like a lot of fun. I'm hoping to get into a more regular routine soon, so I can do some more reading.


Also, it is September, so here are some new titles that are scheduled to release this week:
Naughty In Nice (A Royal Spyness Mystery)
Quickstep to Murder: A Ballroom Dance Mystery
Thread Reckoning: An Embroidery Mystery
Button Holed (Button Box Mystery)
Sleight of Paw: A Magical Cats Mystery
Mind Over Murder (A Raven's nest)


Some of these are brand new series - check them out!

TUESDAY: The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman

Summary
Mr. Melville assigns one of his quirky "projects" in social studies, and Bethesda Fielding decides that she wants to know the real story about their music teacher, Ms. Finkleman. But what Bethesda discovers turns the whole school upside down - and she doesn't even discover the whole story!


Review
I feel like I got a bonus with this book. The original "mystery" about Ms. Finkleman is just the appetizer for a larger story that's a lot of fun. My favorite scene is when one of the secondary characters evolves by trying something out of the ordinary and discovering he loves it. He learns something about himself and embraces it - and I cheered! There's a "School of Rock" element to the story which is a lot of fun, too.


4 out of 5 stars


Recommended for: middle grade readers (3rd through 6th grade), classroom and school libraries, readers who like mysteries and music in their books
[AR Level 5.8]


Cautions: none.

FRIDAY: Mind over Magic by William Rabkin

Summary

What do Screaming Yellow Zonkers, Ghostbusters, Monk, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter have in common? They are all references in this clever Psych mystery. Shawn and Gus return to the Fortress of Magic (after a trip in their youth) to do a favor for Henry and end up as witnesses to a magic trick gone wrong.

P'tol P'kah - the "Martian Magician" does an illusion where he dissolves in a tank of water and reappears in the audience. Pretty amazing - until he disappears and there's a body in the tank.


Review


Plenty of twists, turns and illusions in this magic-related story. The many ways Shawn tweaks the magician's name (P'can P'kie, P'teter P'karker, P'erry P'Mason, P'stuffed P'imento, P'torky P'kig) lead to giggles throughout the story - I can just hear James Roday doing those names! The story of why Henry sends the guys there in the first place is fun, too.


3.5 stars out of 5


Recommended for: mystery fans, fans of the TV show


Cautions: some minor language

FRIDAY: Call of the Mild by William Rabkin

Summary

Shawn and Gus are on the case again. This time, the case takes them on a wilderness retreat with a group of hostile lawyers - and a killer.

Review

Good mystery - like Ten Little Indians and others where the killer takes the group out one at a time. Story is heavily in Gus' point of view which is fun because the whole wilderness setting tweaks with Gus' idiosyncrasies. The usual sarcasm and flippancy of the TV characters come across in the writing. Fun references to Lost, Star Trek and other bits of popular TV/movie culture. Good side story with Lassiter, O'Hara and Henry.

4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: fans of the TV show, mystery fans

Cautions: none.