Category Archives: Book Reviews

I’m a fan of the Jaya Jones mystery series. It is like Indian Jones and Amelia Peabody rolled into one and set in a current day setting with a feisty sleuth.

Jaya is a professor who seems to like to venture outside of the classroom to solve mysteries (Jones and Peabody in one!) She always seems to be put into the heart of the action whether she wants it or not (but she usually is happy to be right in the midst of it.)

In this book, we are given nine short stories which feature Ms. Jones. She is given a series of “unsolvable” mysteries and guess what? Does she solve them? Well, you’ll have to read the book for yourself.
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I have read all of the books in this series and have enjoyed every one. This one is a good one but not one of my top favorites. I think the reason is because the long term story takes a sharp turn.

It’s not that I mind the turn it’s because of how abrupt it is. I can understand that the author may have been less inspired by potential storylines including certain characters and saw more from others. However, readers have come to know and care for these characters after five books and, perhaps, the change could have been accomplished with a little more care.

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I’ve read the books in this series and enjoy this new one as a solid entry. It isn’t my favorite but it is a fun and fairly quick read.

Penelope Sutherland is once again the caterer on a project that her best friend/roommate, and rising star, Arlena, is involved in.

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I got this book as I enjoy both coloring books and mysteries. I expected the mystery to have a lot of coloring references which didn’t really happen. There were references to drawing and to the group which meets to color but coloring was not the focus of the mystery.

The main sleuth of the story, the manager of Color Me Read, is Florrie Fox who is also a coloring book illustrator and artist. She works through mysteries which her drawing abilities as well as weighing the evidence.

In this book, a friend of the group meets an untimely death after finding a rare item. The story takes off with lots of twists and turns.

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I’m fairly new to novels by Anne Perry, having just started reading them in the last year. This is a short novel about a young boy, Worm, who is a character in at least one other series by the author.

Worm has just found his place in a women’s home. The bookkeeper there is, Squeaky, a former criminal who is meticulous in what he does.

Worm runs across a woman in distress and gets Squeak to help him to help her. Squeaky does but at the same time is aware of the possible heartbreak young Worm may find.

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I have read almost all of the books in this series. I enjoy the plot lines and the characters. The whodunnits almost always keep me guessing until the end. However, in addition to the great writing, I really enjoy that the series is set in Maine (the state my husband is from) and that it involves needlework as the “hook” that grounds the series.

I am a needleworker and can verify the the needlework comments are spot on. When I ask my husband about points regarding to Maine, he tells me Ms. Wait really knows the state.

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