Category Archives: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

“Crazy Mountain Kiss” is the latest book in the Sean Stranahan series by Keith McCafferty; however, it is the first book I have read by the author. I often read books in the middle of a series in order to determine if the book can be read stand-alone or if it is necessary to read the whole series in order to enjoy the book. While I think this book can be read by itself, reading the prior books may add to the understanding of the relationships between the characters. That was the main area that I had some difficulty with while reading the book.

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“See Also Murder” is a very well written debut mystery novel by Larry D. Sweazy. From the blurb at the back of the book, Mr. Sweazy has written Westerns previously, as well as having been and still work as an indexer – which is the profession he has chosen for the main character in this book. It certainly explains the skill with which her profession is presented, and is the basis for how she determines to solve the murders.

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While this is the third installment in this series by Wendy Tyson, “Dying Brand” is the first book I have read by the author. I often start series midway in order to judge how readable a book is stand-alone or if it is necessary to read all of the books of a series in order to enjoy the book. I was able to read this book fairly easily as a stand-alone but I really recommend reading the prior two books first. It is pretty obvious that there are relationships and characters whose depth would be enhanced by knowing their pasts.

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“The Ghost Fields” is the seventh book of an on-going series by Elly Griffiths and is the first book I have read by this author. I often start series mid-way through and one of the tests is whether or not I can enjoy the book without the earlier books in the series. In this regard, this book ranks excellent. While it is obvious that there is a long history between several of the characters, the author was able to bring me up to date without long recitations of what has happened previously or providing too much of a spoiler that makes it difficult to go back and read the previous books.

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“Shadow Waltz” is the third book in the Marjorie McClelland Mysteries by Amy Patricia Meade; however, it is the first book I have read in this series and, indeed, the first book I have read by Ms. Meade. I often chose to start a series mid-way through in order to judge whether it can be read stand-alone enjoyably or if it needs to be read as part of the series. While I did enjoy reading the book, I think it would be more enjoyable to have read it as part of the series. There seems to be many references to people, places, and occurrences which happened in the first two books. While I was able to figure out a good number of them by the end of the book, while I was reading it, I was puzzled by some of the references.

The story itself was definitely a fun and cozy mystery. Marjorie McClelland is a mystery writer who lives in Connecticut during the 1930’s. The country is still fairly deep in the Great Depression and there are signs that a good number of people are struggling. Thankfully for Marjorie and her fiance, Creighton Ashcroft, that is not their situation. Marjorie is making a nice living from her books and Creighton appears to be very wealthy indeed.

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“Eeny Meeny” is a an interesting debut to what is going to be a series of some sort (there is an excerpt in the book for the second book “Pop Goes the Weasel” to be released in October 2015. While there was a good portion of the book that I enjoyed, I also felt that perhaps there was a little too much going on. That is probably because the author was busy introducing a number of characters who will continue on in the next book.

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Another great cozy mystery in the A Mad for Mod series. Madison is back with her buddies Tex and Hudson. She is still struggling to figure out if she wants a relationship and if so, is it with one of these two men. She’s been burnt before and is considerably gun shy of “being back in the game.” Tex is a detective with the Lakewood Police Department. Hudson is Madison’s number one handy man/contractor for help in her interior decorating business – which focuses on mid-century modern homes and furniture.

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“Lowcountry Boneyard” is the first book I have read by Susan M. Boyer. It is the third book in her series about private investigator Liz Talbot. I often start a series in the middle and am always curious as to whether or not the book relies too heavily on its predecessors. I was able to enjoy this book as a stand-alone; however, given how much I enjoyed it, I would suggest that readers read the series in order. I definitely plan to pick up the first two in the series in the near future.

Liz is in her early thirties and has been in the P.I. Business for more than a decade. She is hired to investigate the month old missing person case of a young, wealthy woman named Kent. The police have back burnered the case, feeling that the young woman has left the area voluntarily to get away from her controlling parents. The more Liz finds out about Kent’s extremely wealthy family, the more suspicious she becomes of them.

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I lived in a mid-century modern home for almost thirty years, so I could relate to the premise of this book. Also, while I am a fan of Doris Day, my youngest daughter was a “true” fan and would watch the videos over and over again. Which was okay with me, since I like those fun romantic comedies of the 1950’s and 1960’s.

“Pillow Stalk” is the first the the A Mad for Mod Mystery series and is the first book I have read by Diane Vallere. I love a good cozy mystery and that is exactly what I got in this book. The characters were well developed and the relationships between them made sense. I didn’t figure out the whodunnit until I was about 2/3’s of the way through the book – which is a pretty good pace for me. I admit cringing a few times as each of Madison’s vintage outfits bit the dust but apart from that, I enjoyed reading the book and got a few outright laughs as well.

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“The Figaro Murders” is the debut murder mystery by Laura Lebow. It is set in the late 1700’s in Vienna. Many of the characters are actual historical figures who made up the opera music scene of the day.

The sleuth is Lorenzo De Ponte, the theater poet of Emperor Joseph II. He is in the midst of writing the libretto with Mozart to their opera “The Marriage of Figaro” when he is suddenly pulled into solving a mystery of birth, a murder mystery, finding a spy, and other assorted unknowns that crop up throughout the book.

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