Middle Sister's September Reads

Mother Nature has been toying with us. We had one wonderful week in September when the high temperatures hovered around 90 and the overnight lows were inthe upper 60s. It was glorious! Two days later, it was 107 degree F. Normally I am on her side and understand why she's might be trying to rid herself of the parasite called humans that are destroying her, but on the other hand, I am done with endless hot summer.

Which means that naturally I started reading holiday mysteries this month. Of course I want to dream about cold weather, Christmas trees, coats and gloves, even snow slush.

Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly I read the first book in this series, missed the second, and am now reading the third. One big improvement--there is less gushing over all the fabulous, state of the art equipment and luxury that Emilia found in her new job as the doctor in residence on Sea Isle, Scotland. The series can be described as Cabot Cove meets CSI: tiny village where everyone knows each other and is perfect seemingly is the venue for murder after murder. This time, a holiday concert by a popular band with two locals who made good is rocked to its core when the lead singer/songwriter is found dead. Meanwhile, holiday festivities of all cultures are celebrated, a mini-UN of cultural good cheer I would not have expected in a tiny Scottish village, even a fictional one. There's even.a holiday blizzard! This story has less emphasis on romance and the attraction between Emilia and the fabulously wealthy but benevolent underwriter of pretty much everything in the village, Constable Ewan. I didn't find the mystery difficult to solve at all until the one crucial piece on information about one suspects past was revealed, and then it was clear who had done it. But the secondary character of Angie and Abigail and friends is strong, and I like them more than I like Emilia. Overall, this is a pleasant enough holiday mystery with a lovely cover. (Net Galley)

Twinkle, Twinkle Au Revoir by Heather Weidner A holiday book from earlier this year that I missed in my Net Galley ARCs. Twinkle Twinkle takes place in the very improbably named Mermaid Bay, Virginia, a small town where absolutely every business and street is named after mermaids, a setting device that I found a bit irritating. Our amateur detective is Jade Hicks, owner of holiday-themed (all things Christmas) shoppe she inherited from her aunt. The setting was really not that evocative of coastal Virginia, a location I know a little about, and I was a little disappointed in that, but the average reader may not care. The action takes place literally next door to Jade's shop and in her friend's B&B, so there is a reason for her to get involved. But as so often happens, even though her boyfriend is the sheriff and he asks her not investigate as it's dangerous, she agrees and then ignores him and he forgives it. I've mentioned before that I would read up with someone who repeatedly lied to me, but I know, that wouldn't further the plot. I do applaud the author for having Jade actually work in her shop, fulfilling online orders and restocking inventory. The murderer and the reason were very obvious, so don't expect any surprising reveal at the end. The most annoying point for me was that her friend the B&B owner called Jade over to help her with the movie people at least 4 times, if not 5, and Jade leaves her own business to go help. While that's kindly but is also done out of curiosity, at the fourth request I would probably have said "you have to handle this yourself because it's your business." Honestly, in at least half of those encounters, there was no real need for Jane to help; it was a just an easy and lazy way to get her to learn some information, It's a pleasant enough read but I doubt I'll read another. I didn't find the main characters interesting, the setting inviting, or the mystery that mysterious. (Net Galley)

Bog Myrtle by Sid Sharp This graphic novel is being released this week, and it's a fun, slightly Halloween month read for older tweens. Beatrice and her sister Magnolia are as different as they could possibly be, with Beatrice the reader's point of view. The sisters live in a big house along with a family of clever spiders, but Magnolia hates the spiders. Beatrice takes some magic yarn from Bog Myrtle and her wonderful forest without asking permission, which later leads to a confrontation of sorts between the two. Great book about sustainability and resource protection and sisterly relationships. But this is not a cozy sisterly relationship, this is a contentious relationship with one sister taking advantage of the other and what could be called emotional abuse, which is why I think older tweens are the youngest readers I'd recommend read it, so that discussions of how we treat people as well as Mother Nature could be had. The graphic style is not one that I prefer, but the sharp edges and sympathetic spider faces almost made me get over my dislike of creepy crawlies. (NetGalley)

Middle Sister's February Reads

 I spent much of February, fictionally speaking, in the British isles.

An American in Scotland (A Scottish Isle Mystery) by Lucy Connelly I love a mystery set in Scotland or England, and a mystery set in a small town in Scotland sounded perfect. Except it wasn't. Dr. Emilia McRoy has moved to Scotland to be the local doctor, and no sooner does she land there than she is embroiled in a murder mystery. First off, the name Sea Isle sounds more California or Florida than Scotland. The author very slowly spins out how Emilia got this jobs and even more slowly draws out what tragedy in her own life caused her to want to move halfway across the world. Coincidences run strong in this novel, so if you find a multiplicity of these an indicator of lazy writing, you will be slightly irritated by how many move this story forward. The state of the art facility Emilia finds herself in is unbelievable, and when we find out the whys and hows and who behind her job, the unbelievability of the story skyrockets. And I'm always irritated when the protagonist's sole reason for investigating the murder is that they are a new person in town and therefore they assume everyone else thinks they're the murderer. Oh, and also when they withhold evidence from the police or here, the constable. Who asks her stupid questions like "Wouldn't the rain have washed away ay evidence?" Did he not go to constable school? It should be obvious by now that I did not find the premise of the story believable, and without that, frankly, you've lost me as a reader. (Net Galley)

Book Clubbed to Death (Mystery Bookshop 8) by V. M. Burns Sam is celebrating, not without trepidation, the publication of her first Wickfield Lodge mystery. A bad storm knocks out electricity to a large part of North Harbor, Michigan, and the public library is damaged. Sam offers to help out by hosting a local mystery book club in her mystery bookstore, and she's excited to discover that the Mystery Mavens include a published author and well-known reviewer. Then the reviewer is found dead in her bookstore, and Sam finds herself the number one suspect in a real life murder mystery. One that could have deadly consequences if she can't uncover the real murderer before she's arrested. I like Sam and her mom and the secondary characters, but the trope of having her subconscious figure out the clues and the mystery while she's writing her book is wearing mighty thin. We've read chapters of her mystery within the books, and frankly, they kind of stink, so the accolades upon publishing are hard to swallow. I'd suggest limiting this plot device to once or twice in the course of a Mystery Bookshop story, as its prevalence in just about every other chapter is tedious and every time Sam is tired and can't sleep, which seems to be every night; she needs to see a sleep doctor. (Net Galley)

The Hanging in the Hotel (Fethering Village Mysteries 5) by Simon Brett I really like the village of Fethering and I'd love to be friends with Jude, although I'd probably avoid her neighbor and friend Carole as much as possible. In this entry in the series, Jude's old friend Suzy asks her to help out temporarily at a private event being held in Suzy's Hopwicke Country House Hotel. When one of the attendees at the Pillars of Sussex dinner is found dead the next morning, everyone assumes it was suicide. Except Jude. Meanwhile, Carole's son introduces her to his new fiancee, and Carole uses their engagement as an excuse to do some sleuthing at the hotel. Well written and genial, Mr. Brett's mysteries harken back to the Golden Age of Christie with the deeper psychological and social aspects modern readers prefer. I recommend the Fethering series to all lovers of cosy mysteries; these are some of the best. 

Isabel Puddles Abroad (A Mitten State Mystery) by M. V. Byrne This book started out in Michigan, but most of it took place in London and Mousehole, Cornwall. I mention that because in March, I spent most of my fictional time in the Midwest, so this was a great bridge to tend the month on. Isabel Puddles is generally a likable middle-aged widow who finds herself, a la Jessica Fletcher, involved in mysteries wherever she goes. In this entry in the series, Isabel takes her first vacation and her first trip outside Michigan to England, to visit Teddy Mansfield, the famous mystery writer Isabel had met when he was in Michigan. Teddy is busy writing, and his housekeeper Tuppence is busy perfecting her scone recipe for a baking competition that the Duchess of Cornwall is going to attend. Tuppence's delicious scones are ruined before the competition, and when a murder occurs, she's just one of the many suspects. Isabel solves the mystery, of course, surrounded by a nicely-fleshed out cast of suspects and enough red herrings that it took me about three-quarters of the book to figure out whodunnit. A very pleasant book perfect for summer vacation. (Net Galley)