Varnished Without a Trace (A Tallie Graver Mystery #5)

Author:  Misty Simon

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496723765

Kensington Publishing

304 Pages

$7.99; $6.89 Amazon

September 29, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This Christmas, Tallie Graver would like to take a break from running her cleaning business to be with her boyfriend, Max, and enjoy their first holiday together -- alone.  Instead, she's stuck keeping her mother and grandmother from duking it out during the town's annual Christmas Eve bingo game.  As for festive spirit, she'll have to settle for her mean-spirited Aunt Ronda, whose mouth could use some soap..

The night only gets worse after Tallie discovers Ronda's body.  It seems someone cleaned her clock with a can of varnish.  While all the evidence points to Ronda's husband, Tallie doesn't believe her beloved Uncle Hoagie could do such a dirty deed.  Of course, his sudden disappearance doesn't help his case.  If Tallie hopes to clear his name, she'll need to dig up some dirt to locate the real killer.  Otherwise, someone else could get rubbed out...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

It's nearing Christmas and Tallie's unlikable grandmother is visiting.  All she does is argue, and no one wants to spend time with her.  But Tallie has agreed to be a buffer between her and Tallie's mother, so they go to bingo together.  But when Tallie is shifted from her seat by a bingo regular, she finds herself sitting between a nice woman and her Aunt Ronda, who also has problems being nice to people.  After an uncomfortable night, Ronda leaves in a huff and forgets her purse.  Tallie runs out the back to give it to her, and finds Ronda -- dead from a blow to the head.  When Ronda's husband, Tallie's Uncle Hoagie, disappears the same night, he's suspected of murdering her.  

But more than this is happening to Tallie:  her uncle Sherman, who's the fire chief, has asked for her help in locating an arsonist that no one is able to catch.  He's depending on Tallie's being able to notice details and her instincts to help him, if she can.  To top it off, her boyfriend Max has announced at the dinner table that he'd be happy to help her father run the mortuary, leaving Tallie free to run her cleaning company, but stunning her at the same time.  Now Tallie's trying to find an arsonist, locate her uncle Hoagie, and decide what to do about Max.  If she can stay alive - again - she might be able to figure it all out...

This is the fifth book in the series and probably the best.  While I figured out what was going on with Hoagie early on in the book, it was still a lot of fun to watch everyone else figure it out along the way.  I loved the fact that Tallie isn't afraid to speak her mind, and she's not an bumbling idiot running into problems because she didn't think them out first.  She's intelligent, and I like that above all things.  I also like the new direction in the friendship between Tallie and Burton; and in this book we learn more about his past and why he is the way he is.  It's bringing more life to the characters involved, and pulling you deeper into their own lives.  It's highly enjoyable.

The story line was one of the best so far, and I loved the fact that Tallie is finding out her own strengths and knows what she wants out of life.  She's able to run a business and still have time for her family and friends, and solve a murder or two along the way.  I also like the fact that she gets her ducks in a row before blindly heading out and getting caught up in bad situations.  It makes the entire book a real pleasure to read.

I also love to read any books about Christmas, and while this one doesn't center on the holiday, it still has enough touches where you know it's there.  There is a presence of family around the table, and conversations much as all families have, along with the siblings arguing over one thing or another.  Days gone by in my household (I live far from my own family); but remembrances live on.

When we get closer to the end of the story everything starts to come together, with surprises still at hand that I don't think anyone could have seen coming.  The ending itself was done wonderfully, giving us a tale that ended satisfactorily and also things to look forward to in the next book.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Varnished-without-Tallie-Graver-Mystery/dp/1496723767/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3471758508

More on Misty Simon's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/misty-simon/

Carpet Diem (A Tallie Graver Mystery #4)

Author:  Misty Simon

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496723741

Kensington Publishing

277 Pages

$7.99; $5.99 Amazon

September 24, 2019

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Now that Tallie Graver's cleaning business is starting to shine, she's ready to go squeegee to squeegee against Audra McNeal for a major contract at the Astercromb mansion.   Tallie's not afraid of a little friendly competition from the new cleaner in town.  In fact, Tallie likes Audra, though she wonders how her glamorous rival manages to clean house and maintain her fancy manicure.  Tallie has her rubber-gloves full staying one step ahead of her nemesis.  Until she finds a well-polished hand poking out of a rolled-up carpet, rendering her competition...dead.

Though it lands Tallie the big job, there's nothing tidy about Audra's death.  So between polishing and scrubbing, Tallie's determined to find the killer.  Hopefully the police chief doesn't mind her cluttering up his investigation with the filthy dealings she discovers.  Turns out Audra was not as squeaky clean as she appeared.  And confronting her killer could bring Tallie to a very foul end indeed...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Tallie Graver is finally happy since her disastrous marriage.  She has her own cleaning business with a good crew, a boyfriend she loves, two pets, and a town she's where she's happy.  But she's also working for her family part-time at their funeral parlor, which is fair since she lives above them, even if she doesn't like the job.  But all in all, she's making it work.

She's ready to bid on a job at a huge mansion, and is up against another cleaner who's just recently arrived in town - Audra McNeal.  When Tallie loses the job unfairly, she's angry.  But when she arrives at the mansion the next day to retrieve her cleaning supplies and her beloved vacuum cleaner, she sees that someone has thrown it into the dumpster behind the mansion.  So getting it back isn't going to be easy, but Tallie's not going to lose it.  However, she finds more than her vacuum...she finds the body of Audra, and now she's waist-high in a murder investigation.

When Chief Burton tells her to leave it alone, Tallie knows she can't, since she liked Audra.  So he bends a little, telling her she can garner information, but that's it.  When Tallie - with the help of her boyfriend Max - digs a bit into Audra, she finds she wasn't the person Tallie thought she was, and might have actually been an enemy.  But because her employee Letty asked her to help since Letty's cousin is a suspect, she won't let go.  Unfortunately, neither will the killer, who's keeping an eye on Tallie as well as her investigation.  If Tallie doesn't hurry, it won't end well and her cleaning days will be over...

This is the fourth book in the series and I have to say that it's one of my favorites.  Tallie's business is taking off, and this book concerns that fact.  There's plenty of things going on at once - her boyfriend is in town for awhile, she's running a business, deciding what she really wants to do with her future, and of course, attempting to locate a killer.  This time out, she's also coming to understand Chief Burton more via her cousin Matt, and I think (and hope) it will bring them to a better understanding of each other.  I agree with Burton that she should become a private investigator, but if not, the series is fine just the way it is.

The clues leading up to the murderer aren't all that apparent, and while I wasn't supremely surprised, there was still a bit of me that was.  The motive for the murder seemed twisted in itself, but with a twisted mind you can't expect anything else.  I enjoyed the ending quite a bit, and it gives us something to look forward to in the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Carpet-Diem-Tallie-Graver-Mystery/dp/1496723740/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3470069103

More on Misty Simon's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/misty-simon/

Death of a Lobster Lover (Hayley Powell Mysteries #9)

Author:  Lee Hollis

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; [Audio CD]; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496702562; [9781977354877]

Kensington Publishing; [Tantor Audio]

320 Pages$7.99; [$23.29]; 1.99* Amazon (*Sale)

June 27, 2017

⭐⭐⭐

The quaint fishing village of Salmon Cove, Maine, seems like the ideal location for a girls' weekend with Hayley's gal pals, Liddy and Mona.  Liddy's on the rebound from a breakup, but when she meets a handsome tourist, it looks like a little romance might liven things up.

Unfortunately, Liddy's new sweetheart is found dead on the beach the next morning at the town's Lobster Bake, next to an overturned cooking pot.  The liberated lobsters may be scrambling back to the sea, but Hayley's not about to let a murderer escape so easily.  To crack the case, she'll need to blow the lid off some serious undercover activity -- or risk becoming ensnared in a killer's trap...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Hayley and her friends Liddy and Mona have decided to take a weekend getaway at Mona's uncle's cabin in Salmon Cove, Maine.  But when they arrive, the cabin is worse than anyone thinks -- and the only bathroom is an outhouse.  After discovering there's no rooms at the local hotel, Liddy's determined to go back to Bar Harbor.  But when she meets an attractive tourist in the lobby, she rethinks her plan and decides to stay for at least one night.  But after seeing him at a local bar, she makes plans to be his date for the Lobster Fest, which changes their plans again.  But he stands her up and Liddy is angry, because she can't imagine any man doing that...

Meanwhile, Mona reconnects with an old boyfriend, Corey Guildford.  While she insists to him she's married, she can't help but feel the same attraction she knew years ago, and agrees to spend time with him -- as friends.  So Hayley begins to feel as the third wheel, but decides to stick out the weekend anyway.

When Liddy and Hayley go to the lobsterfest, Hayley sees Liddy's date arguing with the local bar owner.  And later on, when they go to the beach, Liddy finds him dead.  Not to mention that the local sheriff already has it in for them, and now things have gotten worse.  If Hayley doesn't find a killer, they may be on the receiving end of something worse...

This is the ninth book in the series, and unfortunately, it's one of the weakest ones.  The mystery isn't until almost half of the book is over, and in the first half you have Liddy and Mona arguing, and Liddy trying to find a new boyfriend, while Mona is reconnecting with an old one, and Hayley is wondering why the sheriff has it in for her.  

Liddy appears to be the type of woman who needs to have a man or she isn't happy, and Mona is just contentious all around.  So that pretty much leaves Hayley to do everything, and how she stays focused is beyond me.  There were things that bothered me: if this is a tourist town in the summer, how is there only one hotel?  Shouldn't there be more?  Also, if Mona's family owned the cabin for years, why isn't there an indoor bathroom?  I can't imagine her mother saying, "Hey!  Let's go up to the cabin for the summer, and yay, I get to use an outhouse!"  I can't think of any woman who would be okay with this.  So that just didn't make sense to me.

Then, Ellie didn't want anyone to recognize her grandpa, but she's flashing a picture of her dad to Hayley?  Didn't she think Hayley might recognize him?  That just didn't make any sense at all.  Just sayin'.

As far as the mystery goes, it was tied in with the rest of the story, so that's a good thing, but it just wasn't my favorite one.  I also was rather irritated at the ending, figuring it was a cheap way out of what might have been a good storyline at some point in a future book.  It disappointed and saddened me a lot.  But I will read the next in the series, because it might be better.

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Lobster-Hayley-Powell-Mystery/dp/1496702565/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3466698093

More on Lee Hollis's Books :  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/lee-hollis/

Death of a Pumpkin Carver (Hayley Powell Mysteries #8)

Author:  Lee Hollis

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; [Audio CD]; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496702548; [9781977354680]

Kensington Publishing; [Tantor Audio]

288 Pages

$7.99; [$23.99]; $1.99* Amazon (*Sale)

August 30, 2016

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This Halloween, Hayley can't imagine a worse trick than her ex-husband Danny returning to Bar Harbor.  Her kids may be happy to see their dad, but Hayley's determined not to be taken in by his charms, and suspects he's in financial trouble -- again.

Still, the haunted holiday is about to get a whole lot scarier after Danny's moonshine-making uncle is found lying dead next to a tombstone in a cemetery -- and Danny quickly becomes the prime suspect.  To prove her ex is innocent, Hayley will have to dig deep into her own bag of tricks to unmask the real culprit...before anyone else -- including her -- ends up in the graveyard...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Hayley Powell is the office manager and a columnist at a newspaper in Bar Harbor, Maine.  She's created a decent life for herself and her two kids, Gemma and Dustin, after her divorce from her husband, Danny.  But when she shows up home one night, she sees two carved pumpkins on her doorstep and knows that they couldn't have been done by anyone else except Danny.  Knowing he must be with his drunkard of an uncle, Otis, she heads out to the cabin in the woods and finds them both.  

Danny insists he's changed and is just there for a visit, and wants to spend time with them.  Knowing her ex, she's naturally suspicious and doesn't believe a word of it, but she allows Danny to temporarily disrupt her life anyway -- while waiting for the ball to drop.  When Otis is found dead in a graveyard, it's soon apparent he's been murdered.  It's also apparent that Danny's the main suspect when Otis's money is found missing, and even though she doesn't believe he's guilty, she needs to figure out who is before he winds up in prison.

But more things are going on behind the scene:  Hayley and her co-worker Bruce Linney have gone to see a reclusive horror author, but are told by his assistant Shane that he's ill and can't see anyone.  Disappointed, they tell him they'll try again but Hayley becomes suspicious (again) when he puts them off.  Then she finds out that Dustin's friend has written a horror novel and submitted it to the reclusive Norman Cross; her ex-boyfriend and Gemma's employer, veterinarian Aaron, has a new girlfriend who's an attorney named Crystal who also apparently hates Hayley on sight and Gemma's having problems at work with her co-worker; and to top things off, Danny's crazy ex-girlfriend Becky shows up in Bar Harbor insisting she wants him back.  Couple that with two shady men following her and Danny around town, and you have what is a very interesting Halloween...if Hayley can live to see it...

This is the eighth book in the series, and while I wasn't enamored of the previous ones, I have to say that I really enjoyed this book.  There's plenty of action that didn't take place with Hayley and her friends sitting around getting plastered (which was my main problem, since all they did was drink).

This time out we have a real mystery to dig through, with plenty of threads that are twisted throughout, and watching them come together is quite intriguing.  We also have a bit of a teaser here that gives us an indication of what will happen in future books, but I'm not going to give it away.

Danny is indeed a charmer, captivating all that he comes in contact with, men and women alike (aside from Mona), and watching Hayley try to figure out why he's really there is worth the read, because with Danny comes most of the rest of the problems they endure -- including a crazy ex-girlfriend and what she does makes me glad I don't know anyone like her.

But when we come to the ending it was quite a surprise, and putting the pieces together wasn't easy (although I did have part of it early on, I had to wait to see where the rest of it was going).  The climax was decent, and the ending was quite satisfactory.  Recommended.   

https://www.amazon.com/Pumpkin-Carver-Hayley-Powell-Mystery/dp/1496702549/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3464798891

More on Lee Hollis's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/lee-hollis/

Deceased and Desist (A Tallie Graver Mystery #3)

Author:  Misty Simon
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496712257
Kensington Publishing
259 Pages
$7.99; $6.15 Amazon
November 7, 2018

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Most housecleaners don't do windows, but Tallie Graver loves leaving a pane of glass streak-free and sparkling.  After a dirty divorce from a filthy-rich jerk, she's started her own cleaning business to make ends meet.  On her latest job, prepping a renovated bed and breakfast for a grand re-opening, she's standing outside on a ladder, wiping off a grimy pane, when she spies a man on a bed through the glass.  But the B&B isn't open for business yet - and the man's not sleeping.  Her family owns the Graver Funeral Home, so Tallie knows a corpse when she sees one.

The victim is a shady building inspector with a reputation for handing out passing grades for a greased palm.  With the local police resistant, Tallie launches her own investigation, before she gets a rep as the town crank.  But it's going to take more than a squirt bottle and a squeegee to clean up this mess.  With the help of her gal pal Gina, Tallie searches for a killer's motive.  But she'd better be careful, or it'll be curtains for this window cleaner...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Tallie Graver divorced her wealthy husband and left her old life behind to move back home.  She lives above her parents' mortuary, where she also works part-time, but the job she loves doing is cleaning homes - sometimes for the people she used to socialize with.  While cleaning windows for a local inn, she looks in one of them and sees a dead man.  She knows he must have been murdered, because his head was cocked at an unnatural angle.  But since her sometimes-friend Police Chief Burton has been out of commission due to an accident, she now has to deal with Detective Hammond, an unlikable man from another precinct who is taking over for awhile.  

Detective Hammond dislikes Tallie on sight, and seems to know an awful lot about her even though they've never met.  He tells her it was a heart attack, and she doesn't believe him, nor does anyone else -- except her best friend Gina.  When Tallie decides to look into the murder - as she's convinced it was one - she finds out that the man was an unscrupulous home inspector who was into more than inspecting homes.  And with support from an unlikely and surprising source, Tallie and Gina are on the tail of a killer.  Now if Tallie can just stay alive long enough to find out who it is...

This is the third book in the series, and I must say that I really enjoyed it.  Tallie is coming more into her own in this book, and not whining about what could have been.  She's happy in her job, has a new boyfriend that she's falling in love with, and even though she's not rich, she's doing what she wants, and that counts for a lot.  Unfortunately, her father wants her to quit cleaning houses and come to work at the mortuary full time, which is causing a tad bit stress as she tries to put off coming to a decision in that quarter.

When she starts digging, she comes in contact with the dead man's secretary, who seems to be hiding things of her own, and may know more than she's telling.  Tallie and Gina - who's also having problems on her own end - refuse to stop looking, and therefore come into close contact again with Hammond, who unreasonably (as Tallie believes) hates her.  But then Tallie begins to wonder why that's so, and how he knows everything about her.

What ensues is a very nice mystery that soon turns into more than that, and while Tallie doesn't walk into dangerous situations, sometimes things just seem to find her to cause more problems.  But there are a few turns, and more than a few surprises, to bring us to the motive for murder and how we may have been off the mark just a little in that area.  At any rate, when the ending comes, it was worth the read and I plan to continue with this series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Deceased-Desist-Tallie-Graver-Mystery/dp/1496712250/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3462910980

More on Misty Simon's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/misty-simon/

A Deadly Edition (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery #5)

Author:  Victoria Gilbert
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #;  9781643854762
Crooked Lane Books
368 Pages
$26.00; $12.99 Amazon
December 8, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Planning a wedding can be murder --  sometimes literally.  At a party celebrating their upcoming nuptials, Taylorsford, Virginia library director Amy Webber and her fiancé Richard Muir discover the body of art dealer Oscar Selvaggio -- a bitter rival of their host, Kurt Kendrick.

Both had been in a heated battle to purchase a rare illustrated volume created by William Morris's Kelmscott Press, so suspicion immediately falls upon Kurt.  Amy knows that Kurt has a closet-full of skeletons from his past -- but she can't believe he's guilty of murder.

Amidst an avalanche of wedding preparations, Amy begins an investigation with the help of her aunt Lydia Talbot and the new mayor of Taylorsford, Sunshine "Sunny" Fields.  Much to Lydia's dismany, her boyfriend, art expert Hugh Chen, becomes convinced of Kurt's guilt and launches an investigation of his own.  As the case hits painfully close to home, the stakes become impossibly high -- and the danger all too real.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Amy Webber and Richard Muir are finally getting married.  Planning a wedding can be stressful, but on this evening they're just going to enjoy themselves.  Kurt Kendrick, the enigmatic man who's become their friend, is hosting an engagement party at his home.  Unfortunately, an unannounced person has shown up at Kurt's door, and since Kurt knows him, Oscar Selvaggio has become a guest, but not a very nice one.

It seems both Kurt and Oscar are vying to purchase a rare book from William Morris's Kelmscott Press, and although Amy can tell there is tension between them, she also sees other things which look suspicious, but tries not to be too distrustful because of the reason she's there.  But when Selvaggio is found dead, and she later learns that he was poisoned, she wonders if the things she saw could be clues as to the murderer.  While Kurt is high on the list, she refuses to believe that he killed Selvaggio.  But that leaves a whole other set of suspects, and none of them are savory.  Now Amy wants to find out who killed the man, and before her wedding...but will there ever be one?...

I have followed this series from the very first book, and I will tell you that while I wasn't impressed with that one, I am glad that I've stuck with this series.  I've enjoyed spending time with Amy and her family and friends; and watched her relationship with her next-door-neighbor Richard grow into love.  It's been an interesting journey, and I certainly hope it will continue.

I have always been fascinated with Kurt Kendrick, who has a checkered past, is also fiercely protective of those he cares for.  He is now a wealthy art dealer (among other things), and it is this mysteriousness of his which has drawn me to him in every book.

In this one, it is things from his past that have come back to him, and Amy wants to know what is going on.  She's also concerned with the fact that her younger brother Scott, whom she rarely sees, is now in attendance for her wedding, but still keeping secrets from her.  Then there's her Aunt Lydia's boyfriend Hugh, who still seems to be searching for evidence against Kurt about anything, and his new colleague Fred Nash, who seems to have taken up a liking for her best friend Sunny.

With so much swirling about her, it's a wonder she can keep anything quiet in her head.  But Amy, being the intrepid person that she is, isn't going to give up trying to solve the puzzle, and I do like the fact that she's careful and doesn't run around accusing everyone she meets of murder.  I also like that fact that Richard accepts Amy for the person she is and doesn't hound her to stay out of the investigation, but he does, as is expected, tells her to be careful and not put herself in danger.

With so many questions about the people who are around her, Amy has the need to know what's happening and is surprised at what she discovers but yet knows it isn't anything she can share easily; and I do like that this time out she's changing in her feelings toward Kurt (whom, as I've stated before, is the best character in the series).

When the murderer is discovered, the motive for the murder is discovered, and of course we have a climax that was to be expected, and worth reading all the while, especially for the intrigue.  In the end, everything comes together flawlessly; it makes for a highly satisfying ending that makes us long for the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Blue-Ridge-Library-Mystery/dp/1643854763/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3456363926

More on Victoria Gilbert's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/victoria-gilbert/

Final Roasting Place (A Cook-Off Mystery #2)

Author:  Devon Delaney
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496714459
Kensington Publishing
289 Pages
$7.99; $6.89 Amazon
September 25, 2018

⭐⭐⭐

Erno Oliveri made sure to be on set for his daughter's cook-off appearance on Sunny Side Up with Brett and Carmell.  Or as it's now known, Sunny Side Up with Carmell and Brett -- since ambitious young Carmell seems to have the producer and station owner eating out of her hand.  But the important news is that Sherry has bested the competition with her Spicy Toasted Chickpea and Almond appetizer and clinched the spatula-shaped trophy.  It's her shining moment -- until everything goes dark.

A quick-moving storm has knocked out power to the studio -- and when the lights come back up, Carmell is at her desk with a sharp object lodged in her neck.  The weapon is an unusual tool, used by craftsmen who make hooked rugs.  Has someone taken corporate backstabbing to a new level, and framed Erno in the process?  If Sherry's going to protect her dad and their family name, she has to find out where he was when the lights went out...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Sherry Oliveri has entered yet another cook-off and won top prize at Channel Twelve television station.  While cleaning up her things she sees her father having a heated argument with the station's anchor, Carmell Gordy.  After finally getting everything together, the news is on, and Sherry's father needs to use the restroom, so she waits behind the camera person for him.  But there's a blackout from a storm, and when the lights come on again, Carmell is dead.  When Sherry finds out that a tool from her father's Ruggery shop was used as the instrument of death, she's horrified.  But knowing her father isn't a killer makes her wonder how someone got it.  When she finds out that her father is a suspect, Sherry will do anything to find the killer, even if it means not leaving it to the police to sort out.  Hopefully, she'll be able to stay one step ahead and outsmart someone who's doing their best to frame her dad...

This is the second book in the series, and I have to say that I wasn't impressed by it for several reasons.  A good cozy mystery must have, in my book, three things to make it a decent series:

1. A good mystery;
2. Conflict and/or danger;
3. A love interest of some sort.

Let me explain these things:  the mystery was there and at the same time it wasn't.  The main part of the story was Sherry making food/going to prepare food, and telling us about it.  (I looked at the recipes and honestly, none of them sounded appetizing; but then again, that's just me).  Anyway, where we should have had a little suspense about the murder, there was none.  

As far as conflict and/or danger goes, I don't mean conflict in the form of an 'evil nemesis,' (which I absolutely loathe as far as that goes), but in the protagonist and perhaps setting up others' backs by asking questions, or the murderer thinking the protagonist is 'getting too close' and then doing something about it (such as breaking into their home, sending them threats, trying to cause 'accidents', etc.)  None of that was present in this book.

The love interest:  I'm not talking about kissy-face here.  The love interest can even be peripheral and still be interesting.  Maybe there's an attraction and we know it and yet they don't act on it, or another reason why they haven't yet gotten together, but you know the attraction is there.  You can feel it.  Sadly, this book hasn't even got that.  There is no love interest looming in the background, nor even in the foreground.

So, even though this book was a mystery, at the same time it wasn't, considering none of the above were present, and the murderer was apparent early on, which really isn't a big deal if the book is interesting enough to carry it through, but I got bored with all the talk about Sherry's food, Frances's pickles, etc.  By the time we got to the killer being caught (as we know all along they will be), I wasn't much interested anymore, I just wanted to know the motive, so I finished the book.

Anyway, I may or may not continue this series in hoping for the best, but if I do begin another book, I will say that if it goes the way of the first two, I am done with the series.  Three stars for the writing.

https://www.amazon.com/Final-Roasting-Place-Cook-Off-Mystery/dp/1496714458/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3452674762

More on Devon Delaney's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/devon-delaney/

Quiche of Death (A Sugar and Spice Mystery Book 3)

Author:  Mary Lee Ashford
Genre:   Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781516105090
Lyrical Underground

154 Pages
$15.95; $7.19 Amazon
July 21, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

At Sugar & Spice Community Cookbooks, the friends and business partners have secured a tasty new commission:  producing a cookbook for the Abbott family.  The Abbots have made their fortune in quiches, and Sugar and Spice have been invited to a weekend gathering where all the siblings, along with crusty matriarch Marta, will be in attendance.  But it's soon clear that this trip will come with a hefty slice of drama.

Theo, the only grandson, arrives with his flaky fiancée, Collette, who quickly stirs up trouble...and is found dead the next day.  As the investigation unfolds, secrets -- and recipes -- are shared, and Sugar and Spice realize just how messy and murderous the situation may be.  As another family member falls ill, can they solve the case without getting egg on their faces...and a target on their backs?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

When Sugar Calloway lost her job, she and her friend Dixie Spicer opened their own business.  Sugar was once an editor for a large magazine, and Dixie is a baker, and they've found their niche creating cookbooks for people.  They've been asked to spend the weekend at a B&B owned by one of the Abbott family, and to create a cookbook for everyone in the group.  The Abbotts started with a recipe for a delicious quiche, and have continued with other recipes to create a fortune in frozen foods.  But Sugar and Dixie just don't know what they've walked into...

When the family gathers for an informal dinner, the only grandson, Theo, shows up with his fiancée Collette and her small French poodle, who causes havoc at the dinner table.  It's apparent that the matriarch of the family adores Theo, so nothing is said.  But the next morning while out for a walk, Sugar stumbles across the body of Collette, who's been killed with an arrow.  Now she's up to her ears in suspects, and finding a killer isn't going to be easy, especially when you're trying to cook a murderer...

This is the third book in the series, and I have not read the first two, so I was a little leery of what to expect.  I did like the blurb, though, so I thought I would continue.  While the book starts out a little slow, it soon gathers momentum and draws you into the story.  There is a bit of background on the two main characters, but as I said, this is the third, so it's not gone into detail; yet there's enough where you don't feel left behind in what is going on with them.

The women have created their business by deciding to put cookbooks together for others using recipes, photos, and stories -- which is a different background from other cozies, so that was a plus for me.  When the story gets rolling, we discover that this family makes other dysfunctional families look normal.  There are family dynamics behind the scenes that Sugar catches onto quickly, and she and Dixie can't wait to leave the premises.  But when something unexpected happens, it makes Sugar determined to figure out what's really going on.

I liked the way the tale was written, and even though it's not even close to suspenseful nor a thriller, I have to say that I honestly didn't figure out the murderer until Sugar did, which is a very nice thing.  The ending was a true surprise all around; and I enjoyed the story so much that after finishing it I went and bought the first two and plan to read them soon -- and hope to see that the next in the series will be coming forth soon.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Quiche-Death-Sugar-Spice-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0855Q9JFW/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3450862723

More on Mary Lee Ashford's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/mary-lee-ashford/

Christmas Cow Bells (A Buttermilk Creek Mystery #1)

Author:  Mollie Cox Bryan

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496721327

Kensington Publishing

304 Pages

$7.99; $5.87 Amazon

September 24, 2019

⭐⭐⭐

Christmas is a time for new beginnings, so after her big breakup, Brynn MacAlister takes the gouda with the bad.  With her three Red Devon cows, she settles in bucolic Shenandoah Springs, eager for a new life as an organic micro-dairy farmer and cheese-maker.  Then her dear cow Petunia's bellows set the whole town on edge.  But it isn't until Brynn's neighbor, Nancy, dies in a mysterious fier that her feelings about small town life begin to curdle...

It seems some folks were not happy with Nancy's plan to renovate the Old Glebe Church.  But is fear of change a motivation for murder?  As a newcomer, Brynn can't ignore the strange events happening just on the other side of her frosty pasture -- and soon on her very own farm.  Suddenly Christmas doesn't feel so festive as everyone demands she muzzle sweet Petunia, and Brynn is wondering if someone wants to silence her -- for good...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Brynn MacAlister moved to Shenandoah Springs to start an organic cheese farm and a new life.  She had planned to also have her boyfriend with her, but they broke up just before she moved.  So now she has her three cows and hopefully, soon a thriving business.

Her friend Nancy lives just a short walk away in the Old Glebe Church, which she plans to turn into a marketplace for people to sell their farm goods.  Not everyone is happy about it, not wanting change, and they've been vocal.  But Nancy's determined, and Brynn is in her corner.  But when Brynn is awakened one night by the smell of smoke, she realizes it's coming from the church, and when she arrives she questions if they've found Nancy.  When she finally discovers that they've taken her to a local hospital, Brynn follows, and Nancy whispers a last sentence to her.

When Nancy later dies of her injuries, Brynn knows that the church was set on fire purposely, and Nancy tried to give her a clue as to what happened.  Brynn isn't sure what she can do, but when her own farm is targeted more than once, she knows she has to do something before she winds up in the local cemetery, and not by choice...

This is the first book in a new series and I really wanted to like it, but I'm a bit on the fence about this one.  I started to get bored around the first half of the book, because more information was given us about cheese making and cows than there was about the mystery.  It was a struggle to continue, and you never want to struggle when you're reading the book.

We also didn't get a lot of information on Brynn except that she wanted to be a cheese maker and is still obsessed with her ex-boyfriend Dan.  She mentions him way too much not to be.  However, I hope that she'll figure it out in future books.  I didn't much care for the little dig where she was upset because an old man called her "sweetie."  What's the big deal?  This is the generation they grew up in, and if you can't tolerate or accept other generations, it's your problem, not theirs.  So there was that.

When the murderer was revealed, it was pretty much expected by me all along, so I wasn't really surprised; however, I do like the characters of Willow and Schulyer.  I would like to see stronger male characters; aside from Wes, they were practically non-existent; and you couldn't tell that the sheriff or Rafferty were even trying to solve a crime, since they were rarely in the book.

Other than this, I don't think it's a bad start to a new book.  I've read her other series, and really enjoyed the Cora Crafts mysteries, so I'm willing to give this one a chance.  Since this is the first in the series, I'm sure the characters will improve over time, and I will read the next to see if the book is centered more on the mystery and less on the cows.

https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Bells-Buttermilk-Creek-Mystery/dp/1496721322/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3447624122

More on Mollie Cox Bryan's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/mollie-cox-bryan/

Game of Dog Bones (Melanie Travis Mysteries #25)

Author:  Laurien Berenson

Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496718372

Kensington Publishing

304 Pages

$19.51; $12.99 Amazon

June 30, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

As Greenwich, Connecticut slows down during a bitterly cold February, Melanie and her spunky Aunt Peg head to the city that never sleeps for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden.  Aunt Peg can't wait to demonstrate her judging chops on national TV, even after being hounded by frustrating mishaps -- all seemingly orchestrated by Victor Durbin, an ousted Paugussett Poodle Club member with a bone to pick.  But the bright lights of the show ring grow dim when Victor is found murdered, and she's the one topping the suspect list...

Driven to solve the crime on her aunt's behalf, Melanie fetches hair-raising clues about the victim.  Victor didn't score many friends with his unethical breeding practices, sketchy puppy café, and penchant for mercilessly scamming others to get ahead.  He burned so many bridges that his own business partner admits to being delighted by news of his death.  It appears Victor finally toyed with the wrong person, and as Melanie digs up more chilling evidence, she realizes that exonerating Aunt Peg means confronting a murderer who's in it to win it...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Melanie, her family, and Aunt Peg are heading to New York City, where Peg is going to host a seminar on raising and caring for show dogs.  Unfortunately, Victor Durbin, who hates Peg and blames her for getting him kicked out of the Paugussett Poodle Club for his unsavory practices with his dogs, has started his own Empire Poodle Club, and has slated his judging to be opposite Peg's seminar, hoping to lure away her guests to watch his judging.  But his plans go awry when Peg's seminar is filled, and Melanie, who has slipped away to watch the judging, is confused when she notices that the judge seems 'off' a bit and seemingly giving awards to dogs who aren't, in Melanie's opinion, deserving of the ribbons.

Later on, Victor accosts Aunt Peg and demands that she has a drink with him, even though she asks him to let her go.  Eventually Melanie, who can't take it anymore, forces Victor to release her aunt and they go on their way.  But the next morning before they are to head to the show, Peg calls Melanieand tells her that Victor has been murdered.  When Peg discovers that she's a suspect in the murder, she asks Melanie to sniff around and see if she can figure out who had a motive to kill him.  But Melanie doesn't know what she's in for -- it seems everyone hated Victor and had a reason to kill him, including his own godmother...

This is the 25th book in the series, so it's been long-running.  While I must admit that there were some earlier books that just couldn't hold my attention (mainly because most of the story was about dog shows and very little about finding a murderer), I am glad to say that this is not the case here.  While we learn quite a bit about the show itself, the tale is still focused on the murder.

While Melanie is trying to discover who might be the killer, she learns much about Victor's life, and what she does is distasteful to her and everyone around her.  His practices as far as dog breeding were compromising, as well as his relationships with women.  Therefore, Melanie has her work cut out for her in trying to find the killer.  

Meanwhile, she's still attending the Westminster with her family and watching Aunt Peg as she judges there for the first time.  She's also dealing with the upcoming wedding of her friends Crawford and Terry, who are dog handlers, and the fact that Crawford is holding a grudge against Melanie for something she did in an earlier book, which is causing stress in their relationship.  But still, this has to be put on the back burner in favor of finding the killer.

But when she asks questions, she might be hitting the wrong notes with some people, and she's trying not to burn her own bridges in the process.  When Melanie does finally figure it all out, it's shortly after we've figured it out ourselves, which is not a problem; and finding the murderer's motive is very sad indeed.  All in all, a good book that can be read in one evening and I look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Game-Bones-Melanie-Travis-Mystery/dp/1496718372/ref

Goodreads:   https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3445948851

More on Laurien Berenson's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/laurien-berenson/

Tragic Toppings (A Donut Shop Mystery #5)

Author:  Jessica Beck

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9780312541095

Minotaur Books

290 Pages

[Various Prices]; $7.99 Amazon

January 1, 2011

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Donut shop owner Suzanne Hart sees customers come and go all day long.  But when one of them up-and-disappears, the police start asking questions.  It seems Suzanne is the last person to have seen Emily Hargraves, who runs the local newsstand.  Suzanne has nothing to report about their encounter.  But when Emily doesn't turn up, no news is bad news,,,

Suzanne has to admit that Emily's last request was a little odd -- a blueberry donut made to order, with chocolate icing, sprinkles, stars, and a chewy sour gummy worm coiled on top.  Odder still, Suzanne's ex-husband Max also appears to be missing. But what really takes the cake?  The corpse Suzanne finds hanging from a tree in the park.  Who knew donut-making could turn out to be such a dangerous business...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Suzanne Hart owns Donut Hearts, a donut shop in small-town April Springs, North Carolina.  One morning she's visited by Chief Martin, who's been contacted by Emily Hargraves' mother, who's worried because Emily is missing, and Suzanne was the last person to see her.  So after he leaves, she calls her best friend Grace to help her locate Emily, knowing she'd never just disappear without a word and leave her shop unlocked.

But later while Grace and Suzanne are walking through the park toward Suzanne's home, they find something they'd rather not:  Tim Leander hanging from Patriot's Tree.  After the police arrive and they've been questioned, they think that's the end of it.  But Suzanne has been asked to help find out who killed Tim, and she feels an obligation to do so.

Complicating matters are the fact that her boyfriend Jake has arrived since he has a few days off work and wants to spend the time with her; being a state investigator doesn't give him a lot of free time; and someone has stolen her beloved recipe book, without which she can only create the donuts she's memorized by heart.  So Suzanne decides that now it's been made personal, and she's more than ever determined to find the killer, even if it puts her own life in danger...

This is the fifth book in the series, and probably my favorite one.  The plot was decent, and there were enough suspects and enough red herrings to keep me reading throughout without getting bored.  I like Suzanne and the fact that she doesn't knowingly do things that might put her into danger, nor does she do stupid things like breaking and entering.  It helps that she's smart enough to merely ask questions, even if those questions are a tad invasive.  After all, how does one get answers otherwise?

This time out, she has managed to finagle Jake into working with her, sort of like a tag team.  She and Grace will ask the questions of the women, and Jake and her friend George Morris will tackle the men (not that it's sexist, but it makes more sense that way).  In doing so, they hope to ferret out a killer.

Also on the sidelines is her mother Dorothy, who is trying out dating again after being a widow for many years.  The man she's seeing is none other than police chief Philip Martin, who's had a crush on her forever and is mellowing in his desire to please her.  But unfortunately, some of his efforts have gone awry, and now Dorothy is still on the fence, which worries Suzanne.

But in the end, the killer will be found, as we know it must be, and the reasons for the murder seem rather twisted and delusional, giving us no sympathy at all for them.  All in all, it was a satisfactory ending and I will continue with the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Tragic-Toppings-Donut-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B004VMV3YU/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3444320405

More on Jessica Beck's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/jessica-beck/

Howloween Murder (Melanie Travis Canine Mysteries #26)

Author:  Laurien Berenson 

Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496730572

Kensington Publishing

224 Pages

$20.00; $9.99 Amazon

August 25, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

With just a few days left before Halloween, everyone at Howard Academy is anticipating the guaranteed sugar high they'll experience from gorging on Harriet Bloom's famous marshmallow puffs.  The private school's annual costume party revolves around the headmaster's assistant and her seemingly supernatural batches of gooey goodies.  So, it's a shock when Harriet's elderly neighbor is suddenly found dead with the beloved dessert in his hand.  In a snap, police start questioning whether Harriet modified her top-secret recipe to include a hefty dose of lethal poison...  

Melanie knows her tenured colleague would never intentionally serve cyanide-laced puffs to a defenseless old man.  But as explosive neighborhood gossip reveals a potential culprit, it also brings her closer to sealing her own doom.  Because on an evening ruled by masked revelers, bizarre getups, and hidden identities, Halloween might just be the perfect opportunity for a cold-hearted killer to get away with murder once again -- this time sending a nosy, unsuspecting sleuth to an early grave!

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Melanie Travis is a teacher at Howard Academy, an upscale school that was once the Joshua Howard mansion and is now home to the Connecticut private school.  Since she is the special needs teacher, she also brings her ex-champion show dog and standard poodle, Faith, along with her.

After an unexpected trip to the attic, Melanie is heading back to her office when she spots the director's assistant, Harriet, sitting at her desk, clenched fingers and staring straight ahead.  Harriet tells her that her neighbor Ralph Penders is dead, and the police think she killed him.  It seems Harriet makes marshmallow puffs every Halloween not only for the academy's annual Halloween party, but for neighbors as well, and when Ralph was found, he had one very tainted puff in his hand.  Now she's afraid she'll be arrested for a murder she didn't commit.

So she asks for Melanie's help in finding out who killed the old man, and while Melanie doesn't want to get involved, she knows she'll need to do so.  After informing the director -- who will be sorely upset by the news -- Melanie sets about retrieving the puffs that Harriet gave to neighbors and trying to find a killer.  But it's not going to be easy, since none of the suspects know who she is, and the ones that do talk to her aren't giving her much.  It's when Melanie gets a little too close that the killer becomes nervous -- and decides the best thing to do is get her out of the way -- permanently...

While I must admit that I haven't read all of the Melanie Travis books, I've lately been doing so, and liked them.  This is a mystery set at Halloween, and while there isn't a lot of detail regarding the holiday, there's enough sprinkled throughout to remind you.  

Melanie vows to help Harriet any way she can, and if that means dealing with people she doesn't know, then so be it.  The people she questions are a motley bunch, and while I'm not sure I'd want to spend time with any of them, it's definitely an interesting group.  The most interesting of all is Harriet's sister Bernadette, who's merely two years younger than Harriet but doesn't want to get old.  So she's found herself a much-younger boyfriend, and unfortunately, Melanie isn't sure what to make of it, especially since they act like teenagers around each other.  But Melanie is discovering more about Harriet that she never knew, and it surprises her; realizing that she should have made better friends with Harriet years ago.

Woven in between this is, of course, subplots; one of which is the fact that her younger son Kevin still hasn't made up his mind on what he wants to be for Halloween; and there's also a young boy named Luke who is one of her students and has taken a real shine to Faith.  Both of these subplots are central to the story in one way or another, giving us a relief from finding a killer.

While I knew the murderer the moment the person stepped onto the page (I read a lot of mysteries); it still was quite a bit of fun reading the story and seeing if I was right (I was).  Finding the motive seemed rather sad and cold, and gave me no sympathy toward the killer at all.  In the end, this is a quick read that can be read in one evening, and definitely worth the time.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Howloween-Murder-Melanie-Travis-Mysteries/dp/1496730577/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3442513067

More on Laurien Berenson's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/laurien-berenson/

Dead Men Don't Crochet (A Crochet Mystery #2)

Author:  Betty Hechtman

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9780425225004

Berkley Prime Crime

288 Pages

$7.99; $7.99 Amazon

December 2, 2008

⭐⭐⭐

The Tarzana Hookers are a motley crew of women, all of whom are not afraid to speak their minds.  Except Sheila, a timid, anxiety-ridden crocheter in desperate need of money, who sells her beautiful scars at a local consignment store.  When the owner stiffs Sheila, the boisterous ladies rally to her support.  Then the shop owner is found dead.  Molly Pink ignores the warnings from her homicide-detective boyfriend and sets out with her stitchmates to clear Sheila's name.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Molly Pink is a widow who worked for her husband's PR firm.  Now she works at a bookstore as an event coordinator.  She's also a member of the Tarzana Hookers, a group of women who crochet items for charity.  As a novice crocheter, she's also the target of sarcastic remarks from Adele, another bookstore worker who dislikes Molly because she got the job that Adele wanted.  One morning another crocheter named Sheila shows up miserable because she'd been crocheting beautiful scarves and giving them to a shop across the street for consignment.  It turns out that the old owner had passed away, and her nephews took over the shop; one of the brothers refused to give her the set upon price telling her that they weren't selling as well.

Sheila needs the money to make ends meet as she doesn't make enough working at a gym and is staying in a woman's home in return for part-time babysitting.  So the women agree to come with her for moral support while she demands the full amount owed her.  So they all head over to the Cottage Shoppe and wait for an opening.  After talking with Drew, Sheila comes downstairs disheartened that he laughed at her.  But then they hear a woman's scream and all run up to his office and find him dead.  While Sheila is afraid that the police suspect her, and no one seems to be looking in any other direction, Molly knows she can't abandon her friend.  Especially when they tell Sheila that she'll find the killer.  Now, Molly's in the middle of a situation she can't get out of: she needs to find a killer and keep her homicide detective boyfriend from finding out about it.  And, of course, the killer, who might be closer than she thinks...

This is the second book in the series and is a bit of an improvement over the first, but still there were things that bothered me.  I just can never get over the fact that amateur sleuths think it's perfectly fine to go snooping into homes and offices and they never seem to get caught, no matter what they do.  It's rather uncomfortable to read about.  Then, I wondered why Barry showed up when Molly and Dinah were suspected of being robbers.  Isn't he a homicide detective?  Why would he show up?  He wouldn't even have been notified since there was no dead body.

Aside from that, it was a decent book.  There weren't a whole lot of clues to the murderer, which was fine; but the worst thing is Adele.  I really, really dislike her as a person.  She's what I call the 'evil nemesis,' and it's just not needed in a book.  What's worse is the fact that she's trying to take over Molly's job, and Molly's okay with that.  She doesn't even see what Adele's really doing.  Either Molly has no backbone or she's just numb altogether.

Then there's her relationship with Barry.  She's sleeping with him, but wants a casual relationship, knowing that he wants more.  She's allowing him into her life which is giving him hope (he wants to marry her) but she's not figured anything out.  You know, if you find a nice guy and don't snap him up, someone else will eventually.  I got tired of her playing games with Barry and Mason, even though we're given a hint in the end.

All in all, the murder itself wasn't bad, and everything came together nicely in the end, and I really did like the way it all tied together.  So, saying that, I will continue with this series and hope that it improves over time.

https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Men-Dont-Crochet/dp/B0028I7DZ2/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3440892313

More on Betty Hechtman's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/betty-hechtman/

Before Chappaquiddick: The Untold Story of Mary Jo Koepechne and the Kennedy Brothers

Author:  William C. Kashatus
Genre:   Biography

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781640122697
Potomac Books
248 Pages
$29.95; $28.45 Amazon
June 1, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

On July 18, 1969, a car driven by Senator Edward M. Kennedy plunged off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, off the coast of Cape Cod.  Mary Jo Kopechne, a twenty-eight-year-old former staffer for Kennedy's brother Robert, died in the crash.  The scandal that followed demeaned Koepechne's reputation and scapegoated her for Ted Kennedy's inability to run for the presidency instead of acknowedging her as an innocent victim in a tragedy that took her life.

William C. Kashatus's biography of Mary Jo Kopechne illuminates the life of a politically committed young woman who embodied the best ideals of the sixties.  Arriving in Washington in 1963. Kopechne soon joined the staff of Robert F. Kennedy and committed herself to his vision of compassion for the underprivileged, social idealism tempered by political realism, and a more humane nation.  Kashatus details her work as an energetic and trusted staffer who became one of the famed Boiler Room Girls at the heart of RFK's presidential campaign.  Shattered by his assassination, Kopechne took a break from politics before returning as a consultant.  It was at a reunion of the Boiler Room Girls that she accepted a ride from Edward Kennedy -- a decision she would pay for with her life.

The untold -- and long overdue -- story of a promising life cut short, Before Chappaquiddick tells the human side of one of the most memorable scandals of the 1960s.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

I would hazard a guess that anyone who knows who Mary Jo Kopechne is, probably knows that she died one night in July when then-Senator Edward M. Kennedy's car plunged off the side of a bridge.  Since then, there has been speculation and conspiracies as to how and why this happened, when Kennedy himself survived.

People have said that he drowned her because she knew too much about the Kennedys; that she was having an affair with Ted (Edward); etc., but I tend to believe it was merely an accident, and although many will disagree with me, I seriously can't believe that someone as high-profile as the senator was and still is, that he would purposely kill a young woman and then just walk away...

This book begins far earlier than Mary Jo's conception, beginning with her grand-parentage and explaining the type of people that her family was and where they came from:  a set of working class immigrants who came to this country to make it a better place and give themselves a better life.  Her family worked in the mines, which even now is dangerous and hard work, causing all manner of health problems.

But Mary Jo was born to Joe and Gwen Kopechne, their only child.  As such, she was pampered and loved, given every opportunity to make something of her life that was better than her parents'.  After all, isn't that what we as parent are supposed to do?  Want something better for our children and give them the chance to be better, to grow?  Joe and Gwen were no different than other parents, and they supported Mary Jo in whatever she wanted to do.

What she wanted to do -- and succeeded in doing so -- was go into politics and work for Senator John F. Kennedy while he made a run for president.  She worked hard, she worked long hours, and she pushed her way into becoming important for his campaign.  When JFK was elected, Mary Jo couldn't have been happier.  But then, unexpectedly, he was assassinated while driving through Dallas, and she was crushed.  It shattered her world.  

When she recovered, she went to work for his brother Robert, who was once John's attorney general, and worked longer hours and like a whirlwind to help him in his own campaign for the presidency.  But then again, RFK was assassinated, and Mary Jo's life once again crumbled to the ground; she had utter adulation for the Kennedys, and this truly devastated her, while she insisted she would never work for Ted, while other of the Boiler Room girls (Robert's staff) did so.

Now you can say that she was having affairs with these men, but you'd be wrong.  Robert was happily married to Ethel, and while John had a roving eye, it never roved in her direction.  Her zeal was to help the Democratic party and her loyalty was to the Kennedy brothers.  Unfortunately, the third time tragedy struck, it stuck hard and ended everything.

Senator Edward Kennedy never wanted to be president.  He didn't have the charisma of his brother John, and he didn't have the determination of his brother Robert.  He was the youngest Kennedy, and the last of four brothers (Joseph, Jr. was killed in WWII).  He'd lost three brothers and one sister at this point, and some say that he never recovered after Robert's death.  

It was a fateful night on Chappaquiddick when the accident occurred, and Ted made decisions that would change both his life and that of the Kopechne's forever.  Mary Jo's death never went away, and Ted threw himself into his work, playing a major part in getting laws passed that have benefited the American people, which included (but is not limited to) the COBRA health insurance provision; The Americans with Disabilities Act; and the Ryan White AIDS act.  You can say that Mary Jo's death left Ted a better person.

Now I am not praising Ted Kennedy at all; in fact, I've always believed that if he'd gotten help immediately she might have lived.  For myself, when John died so did my alliance to the Kennedys themselves.  And who knows what her life would have been?  Her death shattered her parents; it changed Ted.  Nevertheless, she left behind a legacy.  She was definitely a victim in this, perhaps someone who shouldn't have been there, perhaps willingly.  We will never know the truth.

But this book gives an interesting take on Mary Jo's presence; it delves into her life and brings forth the young girl she was and the young woman she became.  It gives her life meaning, and makes her more than just a victim on a late July night.  It tells the story of how she became the person she was, and gives her loss a heavy sadness.  I read this book hoping to gain insight into Mary Jo, and I was not disappointed in the outcome.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Before-Chappaquiddick-Kopechne-Kennedy-Brothers/dp/1640122699/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3438996673

Motif for Murder (A Scrapbooking Mystery #4)

Author:  Laura Childs
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback
ISBN #:  9780425212042; 9780425217986
Berkley Prime Crime
263 Pages
[Various Prices]; $7.59 Amazon
October 2, 2007

⭐⭐

In the terrible wake of Hurricane Katrina, Carmela wants to get Memory Mine back in business -- and her relationship with her ex-husband, Shamus, back on its feet.  But when Shamus is kidnapped from their home, Carmela hurries to tell his uncle Henry and finds the man murdered in his library.  As a memorial to the late Uncle Henry, Carmela puts together a sentimental scrapbook of memories and keepsakes.  What she doesn't realize is that her altered book holds a clue to finding the killer and the kidnapper.  And the murderer will try to close the book on Carmela once and for all...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Carmela Bertrand recently reconciled with her estranged husband, Shamus Meecham, and is living once again in their large home in the Garden District of New Orleans.  She's lucky in that her scrapbooking shop, Memory Mine, survived Hurricane Katrina when so many other businesses did not.  One morning Shamus announces he's going to make breakfast for her (with Carmela's misgivings, as Shamus is messy), and when she hears a crash downstairs she assumes it's him.  But when she arrives in their kitchen, the mess is much larger, and includes broken glass -- because Shamus has been kidnapped.  After calling the police, she runs for help from Shamus's Uncle Henry, who lives a few doors down, she finds him in his study, shot through the head.  When Carmela's dogs jump on the man, he falls over, revealing a book stuffed beneath the cushions of the chair, which Carmela puts on an end table.

Then she calls for police for Henry, but they've arrived at her home, and before she can get a word in edgewise regarding Henry, Shamus's sister runs over screaming about him and passes out.  Now there's both a kidnapping and a murder.  And Glory -- who hates Carmela -- has just kicked her out of her home and given her five minutes to get out.

So Carmela needs to find Shamus since it seems the police aren't making any headway, and she also wants to know who killed Henry.  Even though she's warned to leave it alone, Carmela isn't willing to do that.  Especially when she figures out there's more at stake than just the kidnapping.  It could mean her own life as well...

First I have to say that while I enjoyed this book, I'm pretty sure that Glory couldn't have just kicked Carmela out of the home she'd been living in without serving eviction papers, even if it did belong to Glory.  Carmela was living there with her husband, who's missing, not dead, and if she could just walk up and tell her to leave, there'd be a whole lot of nervous people in this country whose relatives don't like them.  Just sayin'.  So that kind of threw me.  (I'm pretty sure in Louisiana you have to give at least five days' notice, so the police following her around didn't make any sense at all.

Other than that, since this is the fourth in the series, I've decided to go back and read them in order and this was the next on my list.  I thought it was decent in the fact that Carmela is no dummy, and can hold her own in a war of wits, but she's not very smart when it comes to Shamus.  I've always felt that he's been keeping her around as eye candy, and using her when it's convenient for him.  Carmela, citing that "she loves him," puts up with his rude behavior toward her. 

Of the first four books, this is my least favorite so far.  It didn't take her long to find Shamus, and when she did, she allowed him to call people outside by himself.  What if the kidnappers had seen him and found him?  Then they'd all be kidnapped.

Also, it appears when it comes to business, neither Glory nor Shamus have any real knowledge of determining character.  They seem to lend to people they like, regardless of whether it makes sense to have that person investigated further before parting with huge amounts of money.  This also bothered me.

The ending I didn't care for at all.  While everything was resolved the way it normally would be, I didn't find it really believable, and it was less than satisfying.  While I may read the next in the series, if it isn't up to the standards of the first, I probably won't continue.  This book was heavily disappointing.

https://www.amazon.com/Motif-Murder-Scrapbooking-Mystery-Childs/dp/0425217981/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3434523973

More on Laura Childs's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/laura-childs/

Killer Queen (A Country Club Murder Mystery Book 11 )

Author:  Julie Mulhern

Genre:   Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9798656406024

Independently Published

228 Pages

$15.95; $6.99 Amazon

June 23, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another day, another dead woman in Ellison's study.  Only this one claimed to be Mrs. Anarchy Jones as Ellison juggles mothers, daughter, unhappy wives, and near-miss murder attempted, one thing is clear -- someone will go to any lengths to hide the truth.  Can Ellison and Anarchy catch a killer before the body count rises?  Or will Ellison be the next corpse in the study?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Ellison Russell is a wealthy, widowed artist with a teenage daughter who lives in upper class Kansas City, Missouri in 1975.  She's getting ready to go on a trip to Italy with her beau, homicide detective Anarchy Jones, and make something permanent of their relationship.  Luggage is packed, her housekeeper Aggie is staying at her home to care for her daughter, and all she needs is to head to the airport.  Or not.  After running an errand, she arrives home and Aggie isn't too happy: it seems there's a woman waiting for her in her late husband's study, and she's identified herself as Mrs. Anarchy Jones.  

Stomach drops.  Head spins.  And all she has to do is open the door and find out what's going on.  Unfortunately, what's going on is that Ellison has another dead body on her hands.  A woman that she's never seen before.  When she calls Anarchy, it turns out he's never seen her before, either.  So who is the dead woman?  Why would she lie about herself?  And what did she come here for?  Coffee.  Ellison needs coffee, now...

Just when Ellison thought she had her life in the right place it seems she doesn't.  Identifying the woman is easy, since everything in her purse is spilled out on the floor.  Monica Alexander.  The name means nothing to either of them, but a woman is dead, she's in Ellison's home, and now they have the task of figuring out why...

Again unfortunately, things aren't going to be easy.  Not only do they need to figure this out, Ellison has other obligations at hand: since she's not going to Italy, the next day suddenly got full:  she's agreed to play a fourth at bridge, and her father wants her to go golfing with him.  Golfing with her father means her mother isn't happy with her, and her father needs to intervene.  Little does Ellison know that these two innocuous events are going to change things, in more ways than one.

But even with this, things couldn't get worse, right?  Wrong.  Anarchy's mother has come unannounced for a visit, and he's not happy.  Especially when she wants to meet Ellison.  All Ellison can think is this woman can't meet her mother.  Not ever...

So what we have is basically what is just another normal day for Ellison Russell: artist, mother, widow, dead body magnet.  In fact,  the only thing that's going right is the fact that she can always depend on Mr. Coffee to keep her sane throughout the day.  (Not that I blame her; without coffee, I wouldn't even be moving.  We're very good friends, too).

Monica Alexander, however, is another puzzle Ellison needs answers for.  What she discovers is that Monica is the friend of friends, and she lives in another town altogether.  So why was she here?  And what did she want from Ellison?  It doesn't take long for Ellison to figure that part out, but the story doesn't end there.  What follows is a spider's web of secrets that keeps growing and lies that get entangled within one another as she looks for a killer.  Which she shouldn't be doing in the first place, especially when there's an attempt on her life.  But Ellison is made of stronger stuff, and she wants answers.  After all, it was her home (not that it's the first time, but still...).  

When Ellison discovers that Monica's trips to Kansas City were tied to people she knows, she has to decide what to do with her knowledge, since these are her friends and there's more at stake than a dead woman's justice.  What Ellison finally uncovers is darker than she ever imagined, and sadder than anything she's ever known.  Finding the truth could also put her relationship with Anarchy in peril, but Ellison knows what she needs to do is right.

I have been following this series from the beginning, so when I read of Ellison it's almost as if I'm a voyeur to her life, following her every move (although I'm glad I'm not the one finding the bodies) and it's probably one of the best series out there.  Ms. Mulhern has a way of bringing Ellison and the others to life, pulling them right off the pages.  These are characters that are animated and breathing on the pages, and I love being a part of their world, even if only for a fraction of time. 

Going back to life in the 1970s when there was no Internet and cell phones, when human interaction was at a premium and there was a lot more actual face-to-face contact made things different than they are now, and more on a personal level.  Ellison's world consists of people visiting instead of texting, talking with people to get information instead of using the Internet, and in many ways, it was a brighter one, bringing people closer together.

In the end, finding the killer might have been a bit of a surprise, yet the motive and reasons why show us what desperation can do, and it was rather sad in a way.  But the surprises don't end there, and give us a reason to look forward to the next book.  I will say that if you've never read this series, please don't start with this book.  Go back to the very first one -- The Deep End -- and you won't be disappointed; in fact, you'll probably be addicted.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Queen-Country-Club-Murders/dp/B08BRH2QVP/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3431217307

More on Julie Mulhern's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/julie-mulhern/