I am counting down the days - hours - until December 6th when MANY new books release. Here is a list of books I am looking forward to reading in December:
Alien Proliferation by Gini Koch (this is the one I am most eager to get my hands on - I have really enjoyed this series)
The Last Word ~ Adams (Books by the Bay series)
A Cookie before Dying ~ Lowell (Cookie Cutter Shop series)
Double Booked for Death ~ Brandon (Black Cat Bookshop mystery)
Threadbare ~ Ferris (Needlecraft series)
The Cocoa Conspiracy ~ Penrose (Lady Arianna series)
You Might as Well Die ~ Murphy (Algonquin Round Table series)
A Spirited Gift ~ Lavene (Missing Pieces series)
39 Clues - A King's Ransom ~ Watson (Cahills vs. Vespars, book 2)
So many good books - here's hoping my December (and yours) is full of lots of reading time!
Showing posts with label Monica Ferris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monica Ferris. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
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.]
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.]
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Waiting on WEDNESDAY: December releases
These are the books I am eager to read that come out this month. The first two are new mysteries in series that I read and the next is from a fun series of graphic novels. The final is a book I hope to find under the Christmas tree to use with my Writing Club students.
[I am an Amazon Associate. When you connect to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.]
Happy Reading!
[I am an Amazon Associate. When you connect to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.]
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