iiiiReader Book Reviews

This is a spin-off of a long-running and popular mystery series. I haven’t read the original series (but I will having already bought several of the first ones after I read this book.) I noted that the very beginning and the very end of this book contains potential spoilers for individuals like me, who have not read the first series.

Granny is a granny; however, in this series she is known as Stella Reid. Stella lives for the days when she has her seven grandchildren with her. It doesn’t happen too often as she and her daughter-in-law do not have a good relationship.

The grandchildren are living a hard life and their father, Stella’s son, has all but abandoned them. Their mother is a drunk and a bit of a floozy, going so far as to bring her male friends home with her.

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This is a story set in pre-World War II Europe. There is a debate about Hitler is a good thing for Germany or if he is a horrible individual who will bring death and destruction to Europe once again. Since looking back at history gives us twenty-twenty vision, we know now that Hitler was the latter.

This story is about a young woman, Elena Standish, who originally worked for the British government. However, she was duped and it resulted in her changing professions. She is now a photographer and is trying to make a name for herself.

This story not only introduces Elena but also various members of her family. There are many surprises with regards to those individuals and what they have done in the past and are still doing at the time this story is set.

Elena ends up finding out for herself just how serious things are beginning to take shape in Germany. She begins to take her stance and find her way once again.

I’m looking forward to reading more in this series. The author touched on many things that were heartbreaking and, at the same time, was able to write a compelling mystery as well.

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While this is the tenth in the Penny Brannigan mystery series, it is the first book that I have rad by Elizabeth J. Duncan. I so enjoyed it, I immediately purchased the first in the series and will read my way through them in order. This book can easily be read stand-alone and doesn’t seem to contain too much by way of spoilers for previous books.

In this story, Penny is confronted with a theft, a missing person and a murder. It seems as though all must be related and Penny goes to work solving all three.

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When the author says that this is not a detective story; it is a story about a detective, he means exactly that. While there is a whodunnit, it isn’t difficult to figure out, it is how the detective goes about learning how to be exactly that, that the story is about.

William Warwick has gone against his father’s wishes (that he study law) and, instead, has gone into police work. He studies law in University but then goes on to become a beat cop rather than qualify for a plan to jump ahead in his career.

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This is a mystery series set in North Devon, England. The lead detective is Detective Matthew Venn.

The book opens with the discovery of a murder near the home of Detective Venn and his husband. There are no witnesses; however, once the body was discovered, it is only a short time before the identity of the murder victim is uncovered.

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Liz Talbot and Nate Andrews are a husband and wife private investigation team. They work primarily in the area of Stella Maris island and South Carolina. They live in Stella Maris and are often assisted in their work by the spirit of Liz’s best friend from high school, Colleen.

Colleen is the spirit that protects Stella Maris and has worked with Liz for a few years. When Liz and Nate got married, Colleen also became visible to Nate. She only gets involved with Stella Maris is being threatened by the crimes that are happening, either at that time or at some time in the future.

In this story, Darius Baker, a former hometown boy who found fame and fortune in Hollywood, comes back to town.

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This is another fun entry in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series. Sophie, or as her friends know her, Phee, is an accountant/bookkeeper for a private detective agency. Her mother, Harriet, lives in a retirement community, just a few miles away from where Phee lives and works.

Harriet has become interested in crafts, specifically working with clay. One of the hotshot ceramic artists is found murdered and there is a note with Harriet and one of her friends names written on it at the scene of the crime.

Harriet begs her daughter to investigate and, against her better judgement, Phee once again starts nosing around trying to search out clues.

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This is the second in a series of mysteries about an accountant/bookkeeper Sophie (“Phee”) Kimball, who keeps getting pulled into murder investigations even though she only works for a private detective and absolutely, is not a detective.

Except that her mother, Harriet, seems to think that being a sleuth is something that rubs off simply by proximity. And maybe, she is right.

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This novelette is quite a change up in this series. Instead of featuring our favorite chocolatier sleuth, Bailey King, the focus is on her Amish cousin, Charlotte Weaver.

Bailey and Charlotte are staying in New York while Bailey films the first of her new television cooking series. Charlotte is in the videos as well, having gotten permission as she has not yet been baptized into the Amish faith.

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