Gone Astray by Terry Korth Fischer

September 8, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Gone Astray by Terry Korth Fischer
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

A heart attack sends detective Rory Naysmith reeling. Too young to retire, he accepts a position in small-town Winterset, Nebraska. Handed an unsolved truck hijacking case, with the assistance of a rookie, Rory sets out to prove he is still able to go toe-to-toe with younger men. When the body of a Vietnam veteran turns up, he dons his fedora and spit-shines his shoes. But before he can solve the murder, an older woman disappears, followed closely by a second hijacking. He doggedly works the cases, following a thread that ties the two crimes together. But can Rory find the mental and physical strength to up his game and bring the criminals to justice before disaster strikes and he loses his job?

Regardless of the job type or position, when we begin a new one the first thing we usually get to do is sit and wring our hands and wish for absolutely anything to do. This is the plight of Detective Naismith. New to the Winterset PD. He’s been a detective in tough places and proved himself plenty but now…he’s the only big fish in a small pond. The only big fish with exactly no cases. But sometimes, we get what we wish for, and Rory Naismith does.

I thought this started out a little slow but when I looked back on the whole story, I realized it was the nature of the story. By that I mean everything started out slow for poor Detective Naismith. He had to sit on the desk, answer phones, even deal with a bunch of little old ladies worried about their friend. Slow, right? Then, the storyline picked up. The reading began to flow and then the author had my full attention.

This is a somewhat long book. But the author seems to fill it with character description. We get to know the inner lives of our characters and their stories. This is a good mystery filled with some red herrings that kept me guessing. A mystery that I really enjoyed.

Terry Korth Fischer has several other stand-alone books published. All have good reviews. I sure did like Detective Naismith though. Hope we get to see him again.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Cut by George Pelecanos

September 7, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Cut by George Pelecanos
Publisher: Orion
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Crime fiction writer George Pelecanos introduces Spero Lucas, an anti-hero making his place in the world one battle at a time. Includes a bonus work of short fiction focusing on Spero’s early life.

Spero Lucas has a new line of work. Since he returned home to Washington, D.C. after serving in Iraq, he has been doing special investigations for a defense attorney. He’s good at it, and he has carved out a niche: recovering stolen property, no questions asked. His cut is forty percent.

A high-profile crime boss who has heard of Lucas’s specialty hires him to find out who has been stealing from his operation. It’s the biggest job Spero has ever been offered, and he quickly gets a sense of what’s going on. But before he can close in on what’s been taken, he tangles with a world of men whose amorality and violence leave him reeling. Is any cut worth your family, your lover, your life?

Spero Lucas has served his country and after returning home discovered he wasn’t suited to more steady or a regular job. Instead he does small investigations and – his specialty – retrieving lost or stolen items. The deal though is he always takes a cut – usually forty percent of the value of the item he recovers. It’s been working just fine for him until what should have been another simple retrieval turns out to be a lot more complicated than Spero estimated.

I really enjoyed this gritty and gripping mystery story. This is the first book I’ve read by George Pelecanos and by about half way through I had ordered both the sequel to this book and two other books that begin different series of his. I loved the writing style – brief and gritty, almost a noir or hard-boiled sort of style. This won’t be to everyone’s tastes as there are some things Pelecanos will dwell and on and describe quite well – like clothing, music or books – but other more regular things (for example like landscapes or decorations, items readers often use to paint their own mental picture of what’s occurring) that aren’t as fully fleshed out. This didn’t bother me as much as I thought it might as the pace is kept moving at quite a decent clip and I was rushing along beside Spero trying to work out what was happening.

Readers who like a decent pace, plenty of action and a number of really strong secondary characters along with a good, solid plot should find this book really fits with what they’re wanting. I really enjoyed it – finding the plot tightly woven, the characters vivid and interesting enough to keep my attention and Spero an interesting and layered character. I was also pleased he wasn’t the classical loner style of gritty noir detective – he had a decent sized family and was particularly close with his brother. Spero also enjoyed and appreciated the ladies he came into contact with and he had an interesting enough personality that he could spend time with pretty much anyone. I really enjoyed this and found it added appreciably to the story.

With a lovely twisty plot (but nothing unrealistic or too outrageous), good characters and plenty of supporting people plus a lovely noir/gritty tone of voice this was a great book and one I know I will enjoy reading again in the future. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

More Than I Bargained For by Kelli A. Wilkins

September 7, 2021 By Leave a Comment


More Than I Bargained For by Kelli A. Wilkins
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Katie doesn’t like going to estate sales. Why? Because she sees dead people.

When Katie reluctantly attends an estate sale with her friend Diane, she gets more than she bargained for. The deceased former owner of the house, Grace, realizes that Katie can communicate with her, and she has a lot to say.

As Katie pretends to shop, Grace tells her the story of how she was murdered—and reveals that her killer is still in the house.

It’s up to Katie to uncover the murder weapon and get it to the police… before time runs out.

There’s plenty of unfinished business happening at this estate sale.

The character development was fantastic, especially when it came to Grace who was the deceased woman who wanted Katie’s help. I had a strong impression of what all three of the characters were like as individuals, but Grace’s personality was so well-formed that it was easy to forget she was fictional. It was delightful to get to know all both of these women as the estate sale went on.

I would have preferred to see a bit more time spent on the mystery elements of the plot. Most of the hints regarding it were shared almost immediately, so the audience wasn’t expected to do much thinking about what had really happened to Grace. If the narrator had expected more of us, I would have easily chosen a full five-star rating.

The ending was satisfying. I appreciated the way the narrator wrapped up all of the most important details of it while still leaving a little wiggle room for a possible sequel. If the author ever decides to revisit this world, I’d love to find out what Katie and her best friend, Diane, get up to at their next estate sale. They were such a good team that they could communicate with each other in all sorts of subtle ways that other people might not notice. This was exactly the sort of skill that comes in handy when spirits and strangers are milling about.

More Than I Bargained For was a wholesome and heartwarming read.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Serial Killer’s Wife by Alice Hunter

September 6, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Serial Killer’s Wife by Alice Hunter
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Every marriage has its secrets…
Beth and Tom Hardcastle are the envy of their neighbourhood – they have the perfect marriage, the perfect house, the perfect family.

When the police knock on their door one evening, Beth panics. Tom should be back from work by now – what if he’s crashed his car? She fears the worst.

But the worst is beyond imagining.

As the interrogation begins, Beth will find herself questioning everything she believed about her husband.

They’re saying he’s a monster. And they’re saying she knew.

Beth and Tom Hardcastle are a seemingly happy couple, but what are they hiding?

Tom commutes daily to London as a finance portfolio manager. Beth has recently opened a small ceramics café, Poppy’s Pottery Place, named for their three-year-old daughter. The book started off suspenseful and grabbed my attention. Tom isn’t home at his usual time. Beth is getting worried. The police show up wanting to bring Tom in for questioning about Katie Williams, Tom’s girlfriend from 8 years ago, who has disappeared.

After the exceptionally exciting opening, the book moved slowly and got a little tedious. As the title states, the book is about a serial killer’s wife, not the serial killer or the murders, or even really the investigation just the wife and her daily routine of working at the café and picking up her daughter.

Is Tom innocent or guilty? Honestly, the he story is more about what Beth knows or how much she knows rather than whether he’s guilty. This is what kept me reading to find out how much she knew.

The chapters are short and are from both Beth and Tom’s perspectives. I haven’t been in this situation but I’m pretty sure the dialogue and contact with my spouse would be a whole lot different, if I was clueless and didn’t know anything. Beth was more worried that Tom lied to her than about a woman her husband dated being presumed killed and that her husband is the only suspect.

If you like a he book with two twisted people (one smarter and more devious than the other) with a solid ending, then, give this book a try.  I could see it being the perfect idea for a Lifetime movie.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Bless Her Dead Little Heart by Miranda James

August 25, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Bless Her Dead Little Heart by Miranda James
Southern Ladies Mystery, Book 1
Publisher: Berkley Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

With the Mississippi sun beating down, An’gel and Dickce are taking a break to cool off and pet sit their friend Charlie Harris’s cat, Diesel, when their former sorority sister, Rosabelle Sultan, shows up at their door unexpectedly, with her ne’er-do-well adult children not far behind.
Later on you will be able to handle these kids have moved away from the redundant and teacher centric methods purchase cheap cialis unica-web.com to more learner friendly means where the students are made the centre of importance and the teacher acts as a facilitator to the needs and demands of smokers. One day after cialis discount generic getting friendly with a guy on the Internet I decided to visit Indonesia. Will and estate lawyers also help sort out disputes among the deceased’s levitra free beneficiaries. High Serum Cholesterol and Erectile Dysfunction Is a change that body feels due to aging, alcohol, tobacco and levitra sale wrong lifestyle.
Rosabelle’s selfish offspring are desperate to discover what’s in her will, and it soon becomes clear that one of them would kill to get their hands on the inheritance. Suddenly caught up in a deadly tangle of duplicitous suspects and deep-fried motives, it will take all of the sisters’ Southern charm to catch a decidedly ill-mannered killer…

She believes she’ll be killed…but will she?

This is a cute story with two sisters who love to solve mysteries and a Maine Coon cat who knows people’s true nature. I like the writing because it sped along nicely. I had to know whodunit. The sisters are funny and the cat is adorable.

Dickce and An’gel Ducote like to solve mysteries and they’re born nosy women. It’s okay. They have a mystery happen at their home and it’s natural that they’d want to solve it. This cozy mystery is cute and hits all the right buttons–it’s got animals, a mystery and it’s fun. The mystery is just complicated enough to be entertaining. I had no idea who the murderer was until the very end. I’d read other Miranda James books and it was nice to see the genesis of Endora and Peanut, too. It’s a great story.

If you’re interested in reading a story that’s good for an afternoon, mysterious and fulfilling then this is the one for you.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Best Served Cold by David J Gatward

August 25, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Best Served Cold by David J Gatward
Publisher: Weirdstone Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

What started in the playground will finish in blood.

When a tragic farm accident turns out to be foul play, DCI Harry Grimm finds himself up against a murderer years in the making and out for revenge.

With the local community in self-imposed lock down, and the body count quickly climbing, Harry and his team are in a race against time to stop a killer as invisible as they are brutally effective.

He can also make sure the impotence condition is not an inevitable consequence discover for more info on line cialis of aging. Quite often you may be prescribed to switch between different types of skeletal muscle relaxants after a certain period of time in order to have online purchase of cialis sexual intercourse. The treatments like vacuum devices, ICP, hormone replacement therapy, ICP, penile implant, surgery, psychotherapy and erection-enhancing medicines are extremely helpful to relieve the condition. cialis uk Why herbal remedies are such a good alternative? Unfortunately 44% of men would order levitra not go to their GP if they experience erection problems, and those who do go to their GP about their ED wait on average 17 months before going for a consultation. But with some threatening to take the law into their own hands, and the wounds of his own past once again starting to bleed, DCI Harry Grimm is about to take a trip into Hell.

And beyond.

DCI Harry Grimm has been up North for a little over a month now and despite his intention to return to Bristol – where his brother is incarcerated and Harry’s private mission can be completed – as soon as he’s allowed by his police superiors, Harry is slowly settling in to life at Wenslydale. He’s slowly allowing the others within the small police department through his shields. Harry has moved from staying at the hotel to renting a small flat, and he’s even considering the biggest change to country life – purchasing his own pair of Wellington’s to save his shoes from further muck.

I really enjoyed this second book from Gatward. While I definitely feel it gives the reader more satisfaction having read the first story (Grimm Up North) this book can absolutely be read and thoroughly enjoyed as a stand alone novel. There is something about Grimm’s character along with his interaction with the small secondary cast of locals that really appeals to me. Gatward is an excellent storyteller and manages to mingle a well written mystery with the country atmosphere yet still allow Grimm’s character to be slightly off balance as the vast expanse of countryside really isn’t his cup of tea at all. It’s a delicate balance and a heady mix in a book like this where it’s really done exceptionally well.

The plot is interesting but not too convoluted. Readers looking for some sort of intricate and deep conspiracy with multiple red herrings and a shadowy cartel or organization in the background won’t find that here. Indeed I found it refreshing and wonderful just how relatable, realistic and “normal” the plot, characters and storyline was. I found this deeply relatable and coupled with the writing style and characters themselves I read this entire book in two sittings because it was just so refreshing and relatable. I loved it.

We learned a very small amount more about Harry’s brother Ben (I can’t wait until we finally get the history and more details about this – I seriously hope it’s in one of the upcoming books but this is clearly a longer-term story arc) and there was also a small reminder or hint about the suspicious nature surrounding the disappearance of the previous DCI which I felt was a gentle nudge to the reader to remind them that particular case/mystery was still open and unsolved and so I’m eager for when that will be resolved too. That said, the main mystery/culprit for this book was wonderfully tied up and I feel the author did an excellent job balancing realism with a good story.

With great storytelling, interesting and realistic characters and a good fast pace, I feel readers should absolutely give this book and series a go. I’m hooked enough I’ve purchased the rest of the series and am really looking forward to them. I’ve found this to be a solid mystery with interesting characters, a good plot and an easy enough writing style they’re fun and engrossing to read. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Complicit by Amy Rivers

August 24, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Complicit by Amy Rivers
Publisher: Compathy Press
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

A tangled web of deception and duplicity where predators are shielded by respectability and no one is safe

Kate Medina had been working as a forensic psychologist and loving every minute until a violent attack left her shaken to the core. Retreating to her hometown where it’s safe, she accepts a job where the prospect of violence is slim to none. As a high school psychologist, Kate tends to the emotional needs of the students. It’s not the career she envisioned for herself.

Five years later, a student disappears, leaving the school in crisis and Kate at the helm of another traumatic event. Roman Aguilar, the lead detective, reaches out to Kate for assistance. Kate’s position at the school and her training make her an ideal ally, but her complicated relationship with Roman puts them at odds.

When the girl’s body is found, changing the focus of the investigation to homicide, Kate finds herself in the middle of a situation she never anticipated. What started as her desire to help puts Kate directly in the crosshairs of an enemy who remains largely in shadows. As her past and present collide, Kate is dragged into the middle of a dangerous game where only one thing is clear-no one can be trusted.

Definitely a thriller, definitely a mystery. I suppose the title suggests suspense and there is plenty of that too. The theme or plot of this story is based on a societal problem we have today. One I grew up with too. That horrid thing called “judgement”. Secret-keeping because of what someone might think. We all had one situation or another growing up in small towns.

I enjoyed the characters Amy Rivers created here. They became very real by her description and her dialog. I’m not a fan of romance, but what I do like exists in this story. That little bit of interest between two characters. The push and pull of “will they be together?” is just the touch the book needed. In Complicit, the author does a good job of making us want to know a lot more things than will it work out. She kept me on the edge of my seat most of the time.

The subject here is quite deep, but the book reads very quickly or…maybe that was because I couldn’t seem to put it down. 🙂

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Crime On The Fens by Joy Ellis

August 24, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Crime On The Fens by Joy Ellis
Publisher: Joffe Books, London
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A CRIME THRILLER WITH A COMPELLING DETECTIVE WHO WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO AVENGE HER DAUGHTER

THE DETECTIVE DI Nikki Galena: A police detective with nothing left to lose, she’s seen a girl die in her arms, and her daughter will never leave the hospital again. She’s got tough on the criminals she believes did this to her. Too tough. And now she’s been given one final warning: make it work with her new sergeant, DS Joseph Easter, or she’s out.

HER PARTNER DS Joseph Easter is the handsome squeaky-clean new member of the team. But his nickname “Holy Joe” belies his former life as a soldier. He has an estranged daughter who blames him for everything that went wrong with their family.

THEIR ADVERSARY is a ruthless man who holds DI Galena responsible for his terrible disfigurement.

The town is being terrorised by gangs of violent thugs, all wearing identical hideous masks. Then a talented young female student goes missing on the marsh and Nikki and Joseph find themselves joining forces with a master criminal in their efforts to save her. They need to look behind the masks, but when they do, they find something more sinister and deadly than they ever expected . . .

DI Nikki Galena has finally pushed her vendetta against the drug pushers a few steps too far and her boss is given no choice but to issue an ultimatum – work with a new partner, squeaky clean DS Joseph Easter aka “Holy Joe” – or be removed from the police force. Nikki has lost everything, her husband, her daughter, any semblance of a life or friends. All she has left is her work and the burning passion to rid the streets of drugs. Nikki and Joe all too soon are forced to make some tough decisions – can they find a way to work together despite their polar opposite views on how to do their duty?

I found this to be a really different but interesting first book in the series. While having a new police partner pairing that have such wildly different approaches to their work isn’t really that unusual at all, I was quite pleased that it was the female partner – Nikki – that was so off the rails and overly aggressive. I thought that was a refreshing change and while Nikki’s character felt a bit too over the top for me, personally, the author kept the strength and aggression consistent throughout most of the book for Nikki.

My main issue was Nikki’s character seemed just too abrasive and unsympathetic. A strong and jaded female police inspector I can totally understand and relate to – but frequently I felt Nikki stepped over the line into being rude and antagonistic to witnesses, coworkers and others. For example, I was really surprised that when questioning a witness Nikki immediately pushed hard, alienating and upsetting the witness and even borderline bullying them when her harsh manner had the witness not wanting to share information. For more than half of the book I really struggled to even like Nikki’s character, let alone feel sympathy for her or want to cheer her on. I also felt these actions of hers were pretty unrealistic. While I could understand there’d be leeway for an inspector with a massive “closed case” number in how physical and over the line they were when it came to arresting criminals and drug dealers, I really couldn’t see the police upper management letting Nikki’s bullying and antagonism slide when it came to innocent witnesses and members of the public. That just didn’t feel realistic to me and it certainly didn’t help me feel like Nikki was a heroine in the usual sense.

I completely understand why Joe’s character was brought into the story fairly early on. While his dedication in arresting the bad guy and saving the victims were just as strong and intense as Nikki’s, his means and manner in reaching that objective was far more palatable. His character was an excellent contrast to Nikki’s and while I understood their enforced partnership finally began to build ties between them both, I really did enjoy watching Joe navigate the various hardships of dealing with a largely uncooperative partner in Nikki and settling down in the new police station and find his way.

Aside from Joe’s character, the other main saving grace of this story to me was how interesting and enjoyable I found the two main plotlines of the story. There’s a smaller plot surrounding some mysterious rubber masks being delivered around the township to egg on various youths into committing petty crimes – which I found both unique and highly creative – but also the more serious case of a murdered young lady out on the Fens. Both mysteries were gripping and interesting and while I really struggled with Nikki’s character, even that edge helped make the story as a whole feel fresh and gripping to me.

While I feel sections of this story really won’t appeal to all readers, the strength of the two plots, the conflict and clashing of Nikki’s abrasive personality and the contrast with Joe’s as the two officers forge a new partnership all added up into an interesting, intense and pretty creative story that I found well worth reading.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Sea Below by William Meikle

August 17, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Sea Below by William Meikle
Publisher: Severed Press
Genre: Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Horror, Action/Adventure
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The adventurers from THE LAND BELOW return to the cavern under the Austrian Alps.

At first it is a rescue mission, but soon Danny, Stefan, Ed and Elsa find themselves in a fight for survival.

A perilous journey across an underground sea brings them to a lost island and fresh adventures, but their attempts to return to the surface only serve to make their situation worse.

Now they must flee for their lives, with all the denizens of that strange island at their heels.

When Danny received Stefan’s missive – that their mutual friend Ed had gone back underground to the caverns and other world they had recently discovered in an old caving site – Danny doesn’t hesitate. With little money to his name and even less reason to stay in London, Danny decides to go and offer whatever help his friends could use from an old soldier. Even though his dreams were still shadowed from his previous experience, Danny has no real idea of what’s in store for them all.

I really enjoyed this short story and feel it’s an excellent, quick read for those looking for an old school action/adventure with a bit of mystery and horror thrown in for good measure. While this is a sequel to The Land Below, readers should be reassured that they absolutely don’t have to have read that first installment to really enjoy this story. Even better, half the first few chapters aren’t spent re-hashing the previous book. While there isn’t much time spent describing Danny’s journey to the cave site, nor their descent down into the underground world the story is set in, I feel this time the story really reaps the rewards of having all it’s action centered fully on the caves, monsters and adventure the men have below ground. While the book is a self-contained adventure, there is not a traditional style of “happily ever after” ending. I don’t particularly mind this with mystery and adventure books, and I certainly don’t feel like the ending is a cliff-hanger or without suitable resolution, but I do feel readers should be aware the ending isn’t a traditional tying up of all the loose ends.

William Meikle – in my opinion – is an exemplary storyteller when it comes to short, action-paced and spooky stories. His writing style really flourishes in this sense and I feel he manages with true skill to straddle a number of genres. While not horror in a traditional sense, his story has monsters and things going bump in the dark. The action is there from virtually the first page and the pace is fast and I feel it really draws the reader along at a breakneck pace. I also really enjoy how he skillfully weaves the story so it’s impossible to tell what sort of period/year these two stories are set in. There are lamps, boats, trains and pulleys, engineering feats so it doesn’t feel “really” old – but the lack of computers and phones also indicates it’s not necessarily the modern world as we know it. Then again, phones and computers won’t work so deeply underground, so given the story’s setting this lack of modern technology indicating an older time period is seriously debatable. Underground caves in the middle of the isolated countryside don’t lend the story to the internet, wifi reception or satellite coverage. While I can’t quite figure this is a truly contemporary time period, I feel this story really can’t be slotted into a historical setting either – but more a vague, hazy “in between” type of time of not right now but neither in the distant past. And oddly, I enjoy the fact this story doesn’t give answers to every question that the reader will come up with. Some things are left to the readers own imagination – and isn’t that the point of reading, really?

Readers looking for an intense, fun and slightly scary monster/adventure/treasure hunt style of story should not find themselves disappointed with this. I thoroughly enjoyed reading every word and I know there will be a number of happy re-reads of this to come. Recommended.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Candy Corn Murder by Leslie Meier

August 11, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Candy Corn Murder by Leslie Meier
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Halloween is coming to Tinker’s Cove, Maine, and local reporter Lucy Stone is covering the annual Giant Pumpkin Fest for the Pennysaver. There’s the pumpkin-boat regatta, the children’s Halloween party, the pumpkin weigh-in…even a contest where home-built catapults hurl pumpkins at an old Dodge! But not everything goes as planned.

Lucy’s getting annoyed that her husband, Bill, and his friend Evan have been working seemingly nonstop on their potentially prize-winning pumpkin catapult. But on the day of the big contest, Evan is nowhere to be found…until a catapulted pumpkin busts open the trunk of the Dodge, revealing a deceased Evan.

Bill’s on the hook for the Halloween homicide, so Lucy’s got some serious sleuthing to do. With each new lead pointing her in a different direction, Lucy learns that if she wants to spook the real killer, she’ll have to step into an old ghost story…

Halloween is coming and so are the pumpkins… They’re killers.

I’ve not read anything by Leslie Meier and I was in the mood to read mysteries so I picked it up. I’m glad I did. This is a new to me take on the cozy mystery. No real pets, but a grandmother taking care of her grandson. It’s cute.

I have a few issues with Lucy. She can be too forthright for her own good and sometimes she rankled me. I get that she’s mama bear about her grandson, but she could be too much and too…grumpy towards others where her grandson was concerned. I really had a hard time with the side story of the grandson going to daycare because the teacher was condescending beyond condescending. It made me not want to keep reading at times. I kept at it though.

The mystery was a tad thin, but I wanted something that I didn’t have to think too hard about. That’s not to say I didn’t like the book or it’s not good. I wanted something fluffy and this fit the bill. If you’re looking for a good afternoon read, then pick this up.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »