Honey Drop Dead by Laura Childs Yes, I read another book in a series I love to hate. Again, I love the premise and enjoyed the first few books in the series. Theodosia's tea shop in historic Charleston is a dream tea room to visit fictionally, in a great setting with tremendous atmosphere and great story potential. But Theodosia has evolved from being someone I'd have liked to be friends with, or at the very least someone whose tearoom I would have patronized, to someone I am almost actively hoping gets hurt. This story begins, as so many of the books in the series do, with Theodosia hosting a tea party of some sort, this time, an art show event for her friend, Holly. The party is interrupted by someone in a HAZMAT suit who sprays a toxic smoke around, sickening many of the guests and leaving thick, impenetrable clouds of smoke. When the smoke lifts, a local politician is dead. I love/hate recounting some of the more ridiculous escapades Theodosia engages in to show how ridiculous the series has become. This book starts the unbelievable Theo escapades right away: Theodosia, while everyone else is hacking and crying from the smoke, is able to run at top speed to chase the HAMZAT-wearing miscreant. When she finally catches up with him, she throws a vase which she snatched up from a table and ran through the woods holding at the person. They shoot the vase and aim at her, but Theodosia manages to grab a shard of glass and threaten the murderer. It was ridiculous. Later in the book, Theodosia thinks it's perfectly OK to steal the boat of an acquaintance of hers to go traipsing out to a suspect's cay to, what, confront him? We're not sure what her plan really was, but, as is typical in the TheodosiaUniverse, she suffers no repercussions when the friend's boat is rammed and severely damaged and nearly sunk. Without knowing at all what the police are doing, she's convinced they are not following leads and will not be able to solve the murder, so she has no choice but solve it herself. Pete Reilly, her boyfriend, again specifically asks her not investigate and she agrees. The ending to the book was rather abrupt, with Theodosia endangering the life of Drayton because she can't believe she was wrong in figuring out who the murderer was. I continue to really hate that she repeatedly lies to Reilly. He seems like a nice guy, but how does he not call her out on this? She's been lying to him through several books now, and I don't know anyone who would accept being repeatedly lied to. I know, I know, why do I keep reading this series? I keep hoping they'll get better, that the author will use a little talent to figure out a way to get Theodosia involved that doesn't involve her typical arrogance and lies, but she doesn't. Isn't that the definition of insanity? (Audiobook)
Murder by the Seashore by Samara Yew (A California bookshop Mystery) I should have liked a book set in a bookstore, even if the location was Southern California. Scarlett has just broken up with her boyfriend, who had been her partner in opening a bookstore located right by a popular beach and tourist hotspot. Scarlett finds a dead body on the beach, and then discovers that she has inherited a large sum of money from a relative she never knew. Both situations throw her life into chaos. I really couldn't get into this new series. I didn't find Scarlett that interesting, and I found her relationships and interactions to be rather juvenile and superficial. The mystery and the murder were neither suspenseful nor difficult to solve. I'll give any future books in this series a hard pass. (Net Galley)
Birding to Change the World by Trish O'Kane Great nonfiction book that is so much more than a bird book. It's a fascinating read about her journey from losing everything to Hurricane Katrina and moving to Madison, Wisconsin, to go to graduate school after years of working as a social justice reporter in various countries. She stumbles into what she sees is a social justice issue when the small park across the street from her house in a working class neighborhood is slated to have the grassy areas and small wetlands paved and resurfaced for parking lots, soccer fields, etc. It's a great book about the intersection of the upheaval of her life with her discovery of the joys of birding and studying ornithology. As an urban birder myself, I loved the program she began bringing middle schoolers to the park and introducing them to the birds, the animals, and to standing up for themselves and their neighborhood. Great book, well written, and covering more than just birds, but how the birds around us can reveal so much about our society and how local policies can impact nature and our communities. (NetGalley; to be published in 2024)
Irish Milkshake Murder by Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, and Liz Ireland I am enjoying this series of short story novellas that center on a shared theme, previously a Christmas scarf, and this time, an Irish milkshake. Each auther gets to define what the Irish milkshake is made up of and how it figures into the murder mystery. Peggy Ehrhart and her character Pamela are fast becoming favorites, and so her story was my favorite. Carlene O'Connor's story was the most rollicking of the three, with murder at an isolated hen party in Ireland, with boozy milkshakes and Irish dancers. I had recently read a full length novel by Liz Ireland that I enjoyed a lot, so I was delighted to meet Mrs. Claus and other residents of Santaland in this short story. The elves are fascinated by yet another holiday that April has told them about, St. Patrick's Day. I enjoyed the premise of seeing what trouble the elves and Santa and everyone else gets into after the Christmas holiday is over. Fun book to be published late in December, and three great authors. I can't wait for the next themed mystery. (NetGalley)
Death of a Maid by M. C. Beaton (Hamish Macbeth Number 22) Hamish Macbeth has been gifted the services of a cleaning lady, Mrs. Gillespie, and while he's not thrilled, he leaves her to do what she can at the police station. When he returns, he finds evidence that she may have been snooping. Hamish goes to confront her and finds, instead, her lifeless body. Who would have wanted to kill the cleaning lady? The book is another charming visit to Lochdubh, where the quirky residents and humorous situations don't completely cover the ugly underbelly of human interactions that can be found anywhere. (Audiobook)
Highland Christmas by M. C. Beaton (Hamish Macbeth Number 16) Hamish's family is in Florida for the holiday, so Hamish is in Lochduch, working. But the problems aren't the most exciting: a missing cat and stolen holiday lights. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems in Lochdubh, and soon Hamish finds that there's more going on than he thought. But it's Lochdubh, so we know that somehow, Hamish will make sure that all is well just in time for Christmas. (Audiobook)
Murder by Invitation Only by Colleen Cambridge (A Phyllida Bright Mystery) The very competent Phyllida Bright, housekeeper to Agatha Christie, returns in this murder mystery. Agatha and Max are invited to a murder by their new neighbors, but as they are in London, Agatha asks Phyllida to attend the murder party in her stead. The invited guests are horrified when the murder tableau is real. Phyllida, as a witness, jumps into the investigation, and it was amusing to read her reactions when other party attendees expect her to find the murderer based on her reputation. I chuckled when Agatha used this incident as inspiration for one of her own murder mysteries. And I enjoyed the staff's consternation over the newfangled vacuum cleaner--a small side story that helps to set the story in its time and place. I enjoy this series a lot. (Audiobook)
The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie Well, after reading a book with Agatha Christie as a character, I had to read a book by the master herself. I don't think I've reread The Mystery of the Blue Train since I first read it when I was about 12, when I borrowed my aunt's copy at her bungalow one summer. This is a slightly more convoluted story, with a longer set up and character introduction before Hercule Poirot makes his appearance to solve the crime, than many of Ms. Christie's more famous books. But it's still a very good read, even after almost 100 years (it was first published in 1928).
Buried in a Good book by Tamara Berry (By The Book Mysteries 1) I've very much enjoyed books 2 and 3 in this series, so I tracked down book 1 at my library so I could meet Tess and Gertrude and learn more of their backstory. Tess is recently divorced, and her ex is ignoring their daughter, so to try and give them both some breathing space, and to try and give Gertrude something else to think about other than her father's lack of attention, Tess decides they should spend the summer at her grandfather's cabin. But they are greeted by a funny yet kind of gross explosion of fish and human body parts, which has to be one of the most memorable ways to start a book I've ever read. Kudos to Ms. Berry for her choice of murderer, a bold move. But despite that, I think I like books 2 and 3 better, which is a great indication that the author and her series are developing full steam ahead. I can't wait for book 4.
No comments:
Post a Comment