Category Archives: Book Reviews

I’ve read the entire series of A Bodies of Art mysteries and, while I enjoy the series, I felt that “Fatal Forgeries” left a little too much up in the air at the end of the book.

The story lines of the preceding books generally solve a smaller crime while leaving an other-reaching and larger crime or criminal activity left unsolved. I am used to this type of scenario, especially in British television mystery series. The problem with this book is that none the lesser crimes were solved.

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I am a real fan of Susan M. Boyer’s Liz Talbot mystery series. The latest (“Lowcountry Bonfire”) is another great entry in the lineup.

In this story, the paranormal touch is lighter than in many of the other books. Coleen, who is the ghost of Liz’s best friend from high school, has been warned off helping Liz and her husband Nate too much. For that reason, she is less involved in this particular story but there is a promise of more coming in future books.

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This is the latest entry in the Giulia Driscoll mystery series. Giulia is a former nun now turned private investigator. In this book, this series makes a left turn into a somewhat paranormal adventure. There is still a mystery to solve but other forces are added in as you go along.

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This is the fourth entry in the A Red Carpet Catering Mystery series. The sleuth is Penelope Sutherland, who is also the owner and head chef of Red Carpet Catering, which is a catering service for movies and television crews.

In this book, Penelope and her crew are on the road in Indiana. She is once again working with her best friend, housemate, and part-time employer, Arlena. Arlena is also an up-and-coming movie star. While she is part of the story, there is less focus on her as well as on any of the mainstay characters (Joey, Max and Randall) in the series besides Penelope.

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In this re-release of the eighth book of this thirteen book series, Ellie Haskell is once again searching for the solution to a mystery. It really isn’t a murder mystery per se but rather puzzles that need some solution. While there are deaths, the point isn’t to solve those. The who was fairly easy to solve but the why took a bit more puzzling and clues.

Ellie’s father has turned up out of the blue after he left her to her own devices at age 17 (just after her mother passed away.) He drops on their doorstep just as she and her husband are about to leave on a much needed get-away to France sans children. Needless to say, the trip is off.

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“Abstract Aliases” is the third book in the A Bodies of Art Mystery series by Ritter Ames. Each book builds off the previous ones, so I highly recommend reading the books in order. There are many references backwards to the prior books and it could be both a bit confusing and a bit of a spoiler to read them out of order.

In this book, Laurel Beacham is on the run from those who would hurt her. As a change, she is not actively searching for a particular piece of art. Instead, she and Jack, the infuriating Englishman who keeps pushing his way into her life (and maybe her heart) are on their trail of a group that is busy murdering art forgers. The settings are primarily Italy and a bit in England with descriptions of beautiful landmarks and artwork as well.

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While this is the third book in the Giulia Driscoll murder mystery series, it is the first one that I have read. The beginning of the book may have assumed that the reader had read the prior books as it started in the middle of a scene with a variety of characters. I felt pretty lost but read on and within a short amount of time, I felt that I knew who each character was. I do suggest reading the books in order as it took time and effort to figure out who was who.

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This is the fourth book in the Ivy Meadows series, a series about actress turned part-time private detective Ivy Meadows (aka Olive Zweigwart.) These stories are some of the funniest mysteries that I have enjoyed in a very long time.

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This is the first book I have read by Leslie Nagel. It is, however, the second book in the Oakwood Mystery series. While I found it easy to dive into and read as a stand-alone book, there were enough clues given in this book about the previous one that it was a bit of a spoiler. If the idea of the series is interesting to you, you might want to consider starting with the first book and reading them in order.

Charley Carpenter is the owner of Old Hat, a vintage clothing store. She is also the girl friend of the town detective, Marc Trenault. She is also a very inquisitive and bold in action woman. When one of her oldest friends and mentors is found murdered, she can’t rest until the murderer is brought to justice.

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This is the third book in the Red Carpet Catering mystery series. The series sleuth is a caterer for movie and television sets. It’s an interesting twist in the cozy mystery genre and provides a peek into the backstage of making movies, etc.

Penelope Sutherland is the owner and catering chef of Red Carpet Catering. She and her crew have taken a short job on an Indy film in New York City. The hours are difficult and sporadic as some days (or nights rather) they work until dawn.

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