A Murder Like No Author (A Main Street Book Club Mystery #3)

Author:    Amy Lillard

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781492687832

264 Pages

Poisoned Pen Press

$8.99; $6.15 Amazon

November 30, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's movie time in Sugar Springs and the whole town is pitching together to get the historical Coliseum Theater ready for the event of the year -- the premiere of Missing Girl, local author Wally Harrison's bestselling novel turned film.

Thrilled to bring tourists to Sugar Springs, the town comes together to host the late author's event.  But when a stranger arrives, boasting he has definitive proof that Wally didn't write Girl, well, drama leaps from the page into real life.  Mishaps start taking place around the theater -- and then a stranger is discovered dead in his hotel room right before his press conference.

Can Arlo and her Friday Night Book Club sleuth out the killer and solve the mystery before the town's Hollywood dreams go up in smoke?

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Arlo Stanley stayed in Sugar Springs, Mississippi when she was sixteen, leaving her hippie family who traveled from town to town.  She's put down her roots, owning both a home and a business; a bookstore and coffee bar with her best friend, Chloe.  Then there's the Friday Night Book Club -- a trio of elderly ladies, Fern, Camille, and Helen, whom Arlo calls 'Elly,' since she lived with Helen from the age of sixteen to twenty-five.  These ladies helped solve the murder of Wally Harrison, a local author whose book is being made into a movie, premiering in Sugar Springs.  Now these ladies think they are super sleuths, after helping with not one but two murders being solved, and they're off again...

When the body of one of Helen's guests at her inn is found dead in the theater they're renovating for the premiere, she's afraid she's going to be a suspect.  Arlo assures her that's not the case, and then they're sure it's going to be Wally's ex-girlfriend and mother of his child, Chloe, or his ex-wife, Daisy.  So the women are into the sleuthing game again, much to the consternation of Arlo and the displease of the chief of police, Mads, who thinks Arlo should control them.  But that's out of the question, as they do what they want, and Arlo just tries to keep them out of too much trouble.  But when an accident befalls someone, and more accidents take place in the Coliseum. it's looking like a killer might just get away with murder...

I have read the previous two books in this series and I really loved them.  I know that I've said I abhor love triangles, and I really do; but it is different in this series.  You'll have to read the series to find out why, but I guess I will say that I am leaning towards Sam, as he seems more outgoing and fun.  Trust me, a man who can make you laugh is worth more money than anyone has.  The brooding look has never done it for me (but that's my opinion and you'll all have your own!)

At any rate, I did know who the murderer was the minute they stepped onto the page, but I do read a lot of mysteries, so there's that.  The mystery itself was done very well, and the clues were there, but we, along with Arlo and the ladies, had to put them together, which was fun in itself.

The only thing I didn't understand is why if the town was getting the Coliseum ready, why were the three ladies doing all the work?  These are women who are over eighty, and I don't see how they could get down on the floor and have no problem getting up again.  I have problems, and I'm decades younger than them.  So that was the only thing that really bothered me.

Other than that, the book was very good, and the descriptions of everything going on were indeed well written.  We are given a view of a small town just trying to keep that small-town-feel, and the characters are becoming more defined as we go along.  At the end, when the killer is revealed, the reasons why are rather convoluted, but then again the mind of a murderer isn't normal, anyway.  I do feel that they were written believably, and I did enjoy the book quite a bit and will continue with this series.  Read this if you get the opportunity; better yet, start with the beginning book and read all three, even though this can be read as a stand alone.  Recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Like-No-Author-Mysteries/dp/1492687839/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4276923506

More on Amy Lillard's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/amy-lillard/

A Murder Between the Pages (Main Street Book Club Mysteries #2)

Author:    Amy Lillard

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audio CD Available)

ISBN #:    9781492687801

Poisoned Pen Press

320 Pages

$6.39; $6.07 Amazon

November 24, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It was only a few months ago that the ladies of Arlo's Friday Night Book Club -- Fern, Camille, and Helen -- solved the murder of the renowned author, Wally Harrison.  So when they select Wally's bestseller, Missing Girl, for their next discussion, Arlo is hopeful it will be the end of their mystery hunt.

But since their recent success as sleuths the crew officially see themselves as a women's mystery club, and they're convinced Missing Girl was inspired by a 50-year-old case.  It's a case from their own Sugar Springs, Mississippi -- the disappearance of Mary Kennedy -- and Arlo can do little to stop the book club ladies from investigating.

But what starts out as a fun hunch quickly turns into a very real cold case murder mystery when a young girl is murdered in the exact place the women believe Mary went missing all those years ago.  It's clear the two cases are connected -- and the mystery book club is determined to find answers.  With Arlo's help, they just may be able to crack the case.

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Arlo Stanley moved to small town Sugar Springs, Mississippi when she was sixteen and tired of her parents' hippie lifestyle.  Since then, she's put down roots and opened a bookstore and coffee bar with her best friend, Chloe.  She's tried to put her past behind her and live in the present, but it's not easy with two ex-boyfriends muddying the water.  

The bookstore hosts the Friday Night Book Club, which has more or less turned into the Anytime They Feel Like It Book Club, with three elderly friends, Fern, Camille, and the woman who cared for her until she grew up and moved out on her own, Helen.  These three had some success a few months ago when they solved the murder of author Wally Harrison, a local boy who moved away and became a successful author.  They've decided to read his book, Missing Girl, and have come to the conclusion that the book is about a fifty-year-old mystery itself: that of Mary Kennedy, who went missing after leaving the wealthy Lillyfield estate and was presumed murdered.

But now they want to investigate the murder to see if they can come up with clues as to who did the deed.  Their way in is Arlo, who has been asked to come to the estate for a book donation, but she emphatically refuses until they wear her down.  While there, a young woman falls from a second story balcony, and they think it's an accident, until the police chief lets it slip that it was a murder.  Now they want to know who killed the young woman and why.  

But with no access to the estate, the mystery of Mary Kennedy still looming around them, and Camille's disappearances to meet a new beau, the women have a lot on their plate, and Arlo has her hands full trying to keep them in line.  Will they find a killer or will someone get away with murder?

This is the second book in the series and I found it just as delightful as the first.  I found only one thing that bothered me, which is in a spoiler at the bottom, so if you haven't read the book, please don't read the spoiler.

While Arlo is trying her best to rein in the three ladies, they're having none of it and of course she's dragged along on their escapades, hoping to keep them out of jail and/or danger; none of it is doing much good anyway.  They have their own minds, and it's no help that the book store's upstairs tenant, private detective and Arlo's ex-boyfriend Sam Tucker, seems to encourage them to do what they want.

The estate's owner is disabled by a stroke, so she can't help them, so the ladies just investigate on their own, coming up with what they consider clues, and go on their merry way.  It's an hysterical ride as we listen to their conversations and are grateful that we aren't part of any of it.  These women just rattle on, making their case to Arlo, and she really doesn't have any say in the matter, even if she does want to leave it all up to the police.  Never gonna happen with these three.

When the ending comes, the climax is done very well and it all comes together nicely tied up in an interesting package.  This is where my question comes in, so this is why you will have to read the book first.  But never fear -- there are no cliffhangers, and while I was fairly sure who the murderer was early on, I was glad to see that I was not disappointed in my supposition.  All in all, it was definitely satisfactory, and it also gives a teaser to look forward to in the next book.  Highly recommended.

One thing did not make sense to me after reading the book: If we know Mary survived and wasn't murdered, which we do because her daughter said how Mary told her who her father really was, then why wouldn't Joe's conviction be overturned? Pam could verify that her mother hadn't been murdered, and therefore, he should have been exonerated and allowed out of prison as a free man. Didn't anyone else notice this? I haven't read the third book as of yet, but I would like to see this mentioned in a future book and not left the way it was.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Between-Pages-Street-Mysteries/dp/1492687804/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4275127857

More on Amy Lillard's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/amy-lillard/

Can't Judge a Book by Its Murder (Main Street Book Club Mysteries #1)

Author:    Amy Lillard

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781492687771

Poisoned Pen Press

320 Pages

$7.99; $6.15 Amazon

October 29, 2019

⭐⭐⭐⭐

As Sugar Springs gears up for its all-class high school reunion, Mississippi bookstore owner Arlo Stanley prepares to launch her largest event: a book-signing with the town's legendary alum and bestselling author, Wally Harrison.  That's when Wally is discovered dead outside of Arlo's front door and her best friend is questioned for the crime.

When the elderly ladies of Arlo's Friday Night Book Club start to investigate, Arlo has no choice but to follow behind to keep them out of trouble.  Yet with Wally's reputation, the suspect list only grows longer -- his betrayed wife, his disgruntled assistant, even the local man who holds a grudge from a long-ago accident.

Between running interference with the book club and otherwise keeping it all together, Arlo anxiously works to get Chloe out of jail.  And amidst it all, her one-time boyfriend-turned-private-eye returns to town, just another distraction while she digs to uncover the truth around Wally's death and just what Sugar Springs secret could have led to his murder.

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Arlo Stanley moved to Sugar Springs, Mississippi when she was a teenager, tired of having moved around the country with her hippie family.  The woman who became her guardian still watches over her, running the inn that Arlo once called home.  She, along with two other elderly women in the community, make up the Friday Night Book Club, held at Arlo's bookshop.  Arlo and her best friend Chloe opened the bookshop and coffee bar two years ago, and are doing their best to stay in the black.

Their best option for that is the fact that a school alumni named Wally Harrison is returning to town for the class reunion, having become a successful author.  He's due to do a book signing at their store the following Sunday.  But unfortunately, it's not going to happen.  Wally's body is found out side the store, and it's at first suspected he committed suicide.  But when all things point to a homicide, Chloe is arrested for the crime and now Arlo and her book club ladies are determined to find out who killed Wally.  In a surprise move, Arlo's other ex-boyfriend (the first being police chief Mads), has returned to town as a private investigator, and the ladies enlist his help (even though Arlo protests).  Now Arlo has to find a killer -- not knowing whether it's his wife, his assistant, or one of the locals who knew him -- and try to keep her personal life just the way it is.  If only things were that easy...

This is the first book in this series, and I have not read this author before, so I really didn't know what to expect.  To tell the truth, I did think the book started out slow, and there were a couple of times I put it down in the beginning to do other things, which isn't how I like to read books.  I usually read them in one sitting.  But I pressed on, and as I did, the book became more interesting.  Maybe it was all the background on everyone, which I know that we need to have, but I have never had the patience for it, preferring to learn a little at a time, but then, that's one me, not the author.

At any rate, I do like the setting of the book -- a small town in Mississippi, and the fact that Arlo didn't lose her job in a big city and come running home penniless or from a bad relationship.  Her relationship problems were much more than that, and I look forward to seeing how she deals with them in the future.  Most people are broken; it's how we learn.  But what you do to move forward is your own choice.

Then there's the mystery itself, which is written very well.  While Chloe sits in jail, catered to by the local women (it's complicated but worth reading), Arlo is gathering clues (that she does turn over to Mads, which I like); but when he doesn't listen to her most of the time, she works to find the truth of Wally's death.

While Arlo is never in great danger, it is no big deal, as she puts the pieces together one by one and when she comes to the conclusion of who the killer is, it's a very interesting one as we watch the pieces fall into place.  I did like this book quite a bit and I will be reading the second in the series to watch how things progress in Arlo's life.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Cant-Judge-Murder-Street-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07VVT2LFF/ref

Goodreads:      https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4164979590

More on Amy Lillard's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/amy-lillard/

Double Trouble (A Davis Way Crime Caper #9)

Author:  Gretchen Archer
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover: Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN:  9781635115703; 9781635115673
Henery Press Publishing
256 Pages
$31.95; $15.95; $6.99 Amazon
June 9, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Davis Way smells T-R-O-U-B-L-E when she's fired from half of her part-time job at the Bellisimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.  The quarter-time job she's left with is lulling her to sleep, exactly what she's doing when Birdy James, centenarian director of the casino's Lost and Found department, disappears.  With five million dollars.

Davis just can't help believing Birdy didn't do it, if no no other reason, she's too old to spend it.  If Davis doesn't find the little old lady and the money fast, she'll lose what's left of her job, at which point, there goes her Belissimo everything.

What she needs is a good luck charm.  What she gets is her home invaded by hard-headed women, a soft-hearted little man, and major carpet troubles, the combination of which sends Davis's already suspicious mind into overdrive, and that lands her between a jailhouse rock and a very hard place.

A little less conversation and a lot more action are called for if Davis has any chance of saving herself, her marriage, her job, and the heartbreak hotel she calls home.

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Davis Way Cole lives on the twenty-ninth floor of the Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.  This is due to the fact that she's the wife of Bradley, General Manager, and mother to a pair of three-year-old twin grils.  She's also part of a three-person security team for the resort, along with Fantasy and Baylor (just Baylor).  When her husband puts her in charge for the week he's going to be out of town - along with owner Richard Sanders and Davis's boss No Hair (forever), she agrees, thinking, what could go wrong?

Aside from the fact that five million dollars has completely disappeared?  And there's an Elvis convention filling the rooms and the town?  And the woman who runs the Lost and Found - where the money was left - is also gone?  Not much...unless you count Davis's mother, her ex-ex-mother-in-law, a missing cashier, a howling cat, frisky dog, and a smell so rancid it will put you in a coma...

When Davis and Fantasy are on the hunt for the missing money (and Birdy, the old, old lady who runs the Lost and Found) they don't want to tell Baylor.  Because he'll squeal and tell their boss and anyone else who will listen.  So the two women try everything to get the money back, but all that occurs is more problems..and more.  And what ensues is complete chaos, Davis trying to find a moment to regroup and not go insane, and her mother spending all her time cooking everything she can. (because cooking is love).

The casino is a madhouse, there are Elvii (or Elvises, depending on who's arguing the point) everywhere, and Davis is frantic to put her hands on the money and keep her family safe.  She's also discovering that what seems like an accident wasn't, but when she finds this out it may be too late for all of them -- in more ways than one.

It's a wild roller coaster ride from one end of the casino to another, and one floor to another, moving tomato plants, gawd-awful smells, and several missing persons needing to be located.  Meanwhile, she's babysitting a woman who's nearly a hundred, and trying to stay out of the sight of her mother and ex-ex-mother-in-law (a long, long story best saved for another time, and who shouldn't even be there in the first place, according to Davis).

Ms. Archer takes us on this crazy journey from the first page, and keeps us moving through the story like we're trying to find our way out of a house of mirrors at a carnival.  Without help.  With people trying to kill us.  It's fascinating, humorous, suspenseful, and even a little maddening (but that might just be Bea Crawford).  If you blink, you'll miss something.

It's an old saying: follow the money.  But in this case it's true - if you can find the money; which Davis can't.  So there's that.  But it starts with that thread and leads into a whole lot more, until you have a regular tapestry in front of you that she needs to unravel.  And it's the unraveling that's the most fun you'll ever have.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Double-Trouble-Davis-Crime-Caper/dp/1635115701/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3321678452

More on Gretchen Archer's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/gretchen-archer/

Double Agent (A Davis Way Crime Caper #8)

Author:  Gretchen Archer
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781635114985; 9781635114959
Henery Press Publishing
252 Pages
[Price TBA] $14.90; $6.99 Amazon
March 26, 2019

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THIS JUST IN:  On the weather front, Category Four Hurricane Kevin took a last-minute left and is headed straight for the Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.  In breaking news, Undercover Casino Operative Davis Way has one foot out the evacuation door when fifty million dollars disappear, and in its place, a dead body.

In other news, if forced to ride out the storm on the hotel's thirteenth-floor fortress, Davis won't be alone.  Her husband, Bradley, her best friend, Fantasy, and a crew of highly trained first responders will be hurricane hostages too, along with Mississippi State Gaming Agents, a FEMA agent, an insurance agent, a State Special Agent, and an Emergency Response Agent -- at least one of them a double agent.

The good news is her high school reunion is cancelled.  The bad news is everything else.  the fake news features a castaway pig named Bacon.

The hurricane heist headlines will be sensational.  If Davis survives to see them.

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Davis Way Cole works at the Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi as a sort of "secret super spy."  When she's needed, she does whatever necessary to keep things running exactly the way they should, even if it means turning into a female James Bond.

Right now she and her family - her husband, President and CEO Bradley, and twin daughters Bexley and Quinn, need to evacuate the casino because of impending hurricane Kevin.  But that can't be done until they remove all the cash from the machines, and there's only herself and her partner Fantasy to do it.  The rest of their team - Baylor and No Hair - are in Hawaii for Baylor's wedding to Davis's nanny July.

Unfortunately, they also have in residence Davis's lookalike Bianca Sanders, who, along with her husband Richard, own the casino (Richard is in Norway) a couple of women from Michigan who couldn't leave because of flight problems, the Bellissimo Storm Team (first responders and specialists), and a television production crew, and a couple of gaming agents.

But things never go according to plan, especially so when Davis and Fantasy hear a gunshot while removing the cash boxes from the machines.  They follow the sound and find Davis's ex-husband Eddie (who is there because for some reason unknown to Davis - and unwanted - her high school reunion was supposed to take place at the casino) apparently shot, and his girlfriend Danielle - Davis's nemesis - lying in a pool of blood.  Which turns out not to be hers.  But which also means it has to belong to someone else, and that someone else isn't Eddie.  Which means there's a shooter in the casino, and they need to find out who and where that person is.

Needless to say, Davis isn't going anywhere, and neither is anyone else; which means they're all going to be huddled up on Disaster, the unnamed thirteenth floor that Bianca's father built as a fortress in just this kind of emergency and which no one is supposed to know even exists.

Now that the stage is set for riding out a hurricane in a deserted casino, holed up in a fortress that isn't there, let me be clear:  In Davis's life, things never go as easy as riding out a hurricane in a fortress.  This is about to be made clear in her latest escapade.  Which all takes place in under 48 hours.

It's an intense ride, rather like being on a roller coaster - backwards, upside down, blindfolded, and in the rain.  Even if you could see, it wouldn't be a pleasant trip.  Davis finds out that there's more at stake than finding a lone shooter in the casino.  It's finding out who killed the man on the floor... and who took the fifty million dollars they removed from the machines.  But, unfortunately, the only witnesses are Danielle, who seems to have amnesia, and Eddie, who's dumber than a sloth (which is the dumbest animal on the planet).  Which means Davis has no help at all.

What ensues is worse than chaos, and Davis is stuck right in the center of it, like being in the eye of the hurricane.  Endlessly.  With no way out.  It's full of suspense, intrigue, conspiracy, and cunning.  The tale is masterful, with Ms. Archer pulling you into the story immediately, and right from the amusing phone call with her mother (who wants her out of the casino now) to that first gunshot.  By that time, you are hooked.

But there's more afoot to be found:  People who are not what they seem, and even what appears to be forthright problems on the surface turn out to be something else entirely.  (Sorry, but in saying more I'd be pretty much telling you enough so that you wouldn't need to read the book - so I won't).  It's enough to say that not only are the twists and turns aplenty, it's a tale that weaves so many threads throughout you could create a tapestry.  It's crazy.  Insane.  Totally enthralling.  It makes me grateful I don't have to live Davis's life.

Some of the characters are annoying (even I was starting to hate Eddie and Danielle as much as Davis) and I probably wouldn't have been able to keep from slapping Filet, so Davis has the better of me there.  Or more patience.  Either way.  I do think Bianca has grown on me, since I actually like her, too.  I don't know why.  I love Davis, Bradley, and the rest of the crew, who are always there and always have each other's backs, and not a stupid one among them.  I even like her parents (her mother, while trying at times, does have her moments).

When we reach the climax and everything starts to come together, it's woven so tightly you couldn't pull the threads apart if you tried.  It's a delightful narrative, engaging, and those last few moments when the action finds it way to a close are surprising.  An ending to be proud of.  A book to be read and reread.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Double-Agent-Davis-Crime-Caper/dp/1635114950/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2746831823

More on Gretchen Archer's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/gretchen-archer/

Double Dog Dare (A Davis Way Crime Caper Book 7)

Author:  Gretchen Archer
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Audio CD; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781635113167; 9781541453975
Henery Press Publishing
274 Pages
$15.51; $19.64; $6.99 Amazon
December 14,2017

✮✮✮✮✮

Problem #1:  Bootsy Howard.  Davis Way Cole lives a (relatively) quiet, (somewhat) simple, and (completely) witch-free life with her husband and twin daughters on the 29th floor of the Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.  Until Bootsy Howard shows up demandig a million dollars.

Problem #2:  Princess Smucker.  What was marketing thinking when they booked the Southern Canine Association's annual dog show at the Bellissimo?  And what was Davis thinking when she agreed to let a dog stay with her?  For a week?  In her home?  The home where she lives a (fairly) quiet, (reasonably) simple, and (totally) manicotti-free life?

Problem #3:  Leverette Urleen, MD.  The last thing Davis needs is an unsolicited house call from Pine Apple, Alabama's latest excuse for a doctor.  But since he's there, considering she has a dead body on ice, she might as well have him determine the cause of death.  Which he doesn't.  Nor is he any help finding the body when Davis loses it.  On top of all that, he won't leave, further disrupting Davis's (more or less) quiet, (to a certain degree) simple, and (utterly) seersucker-free life.  A life that's about to go to the dogs.  Unless Davis can learn a few tricks.  Fast.

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Davis Way Cole is waiting for her sister Meredith's visit.  Meredith and her best friend Vreeland Howard are coming for a dog show that's been booked at the Bellissimo, where Davis works as a super secret spy/security expert.  But when she answers her door, it's not Meredith but Vree, and she explains that Meredith and Bubbles - Vree's dog, who is going to be entered in the show - are arriving a little later.

But Meredith doesn't arrive.  Neither does the dog.  Instead, Vree's sort-of mother-in-law Bootsy shows up.  Bootsy is mean enough to be a witch, and people have accused her of such.  Bootsy is also there because Meredith isn't coming unless Davis gives her one million dollars.  Davis, of course, doesn't have a million dollars, but if she doesn't get it, then Pastor Gully (who apparently has kidnapped both Meredith and Bubbles) threatens to leave them on a street corner in Guadalajara, Mexico.

But the troubles don't end there - Davis's boss 'No Hair' shows up at her door with what appears to be some kind of snarling dog and tells her to take care of it.  The owners - lottery winners who are also hicks - have checked in and are spending money and creating havoc.  When the dog decides to 'leak' on Davis's floor, she calls housekeeping, and they send up two burly men to clean up who look more like they should be in security detail.

So Davis calls her best friend Fantasy to come help get Bootsy out of her home, and into Fantasy's bonus room above her garage.  Which isn't easy - and then still has to decide how to rescue her sister and find out who the dog belongs to; not to mention the 'schmucks' who are running amok in the casino causing problems.

At least Bradley is out of town on business, so she has one less thing to worry about; but just when things can't get any worse, they do.  Suddenly there's a dead body, a doctor who doesn't know what he's doing, and now she has two dogs to contend with.  Will Davis be able to save her sister and her marriage before Bradley returns?  Can Davis and Fantasy keep No Hair from finding out what they're doing?  And how will she find a million dollars without robbing the Bellisimo in time to save her sister?

Yes, it's just another day in the world of Davis Way Cole, Super Spy and security expert for the Bellissimo.  And I can't say too much about this book without giving too much away.  But I will say that the characters are indeed fun to be around.  Sometimes I feel sorry for Fantasy, but then again, she walks right into it, so it's really hard to do so.

But Davis has her hands full with twin daughters and a near-hysterical woman from small-town Pine Apple where she grew up, who faints at anything and everything; and a physician (?) who's lascivious to the max and doesn't know a wart from a mole (or cares).  But we have a case of a missing body, missing people, missing cars, a missing sister and missing dogs - I don't think I'm missing anything here (but I could be).

At any rate, this book is both suspense and hilarious, if it can be such, at the same time.  Davis is one smart cookie, and she needs to be to deal with these looney tunes - which includes her boss Bianca, who expects Davis to impersonate her wearing the most ridiculous outfits yet.  But then again, we've all known Bianca isn't all there anyway...

In the end, this book is definitely on my list of one of the best this year.  Ms. Archer's writing is impressive, the characters are well-defined and full of life, and the plot highly believable.  When we come to the end and it is all sorted out, I was sorry it ended so soon.  A book I will reread more than once.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Double-Dare-Davis-Crime-Caper/dp/1635113164/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2314200284

More on Gretchen Archer's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/gretchen-archer/

No Cats Allowed (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery #7)

Author:  Miranda James
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback; Audio CD; Paperback (LP); Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425277744; 9780425277751; 9781515956488; 9781410494566
Berkley Publishing
304 Pages
Various; $7.19; $24.99; $25.64; $7.99 Amazon
February 7, 2017

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Mississippi librarian Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat Diesel are on their guard.  Oscar Reilly, the new director at the Athena College library, is on a mission to cut costs and has set his sights on the archive and rare book collection.  Reilly's also out to replace Charlie's fiery friend Melba with someone younger, but his biggest offense is declaring all four-legged creatures banned from the stacks.

With enemies aplenty, the suspect list is long when Reilly's body is discovered in the library, but incriminating evidence throws suspicion on Melba.  Charlie is convinced that his friend is no murderer, especially when he catches sight of a menacing stranger lurking around the library.  Now he and Diesel will have to read between the lines, before Melba is shelved under "G" for guilty...

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Charlie Harris doesn't like Oscar Reilly, the Athena College library's new director, and neither does anyone else.  He's managed to offend everyone he comes in contact with, and has just called Charlie's friend Melba a liar.  To make it worse, he's filed a complaint with HR that he's allergic to cats, and wants to ban Diesel from the library.

There have also been a series of pranks played on Reilly by someone, from writing 'Oscar the Grouch' on his car...with a lipstick that turns out to be Melba's, and several employees who were seemingly fired by him in a letter - a letter that had his forged signature.  There have been other pranks as well.

Before he'll allow that to happen, Charlie vows to quit his job.  But then he hears that Reilly wants to get rid of the rare book collection and the archives, which Charlie has worked on lovingly and carefully the entire time he's been there.  But before anyone can do anything else, Charlie gets the news that Reilly is dead, and Melba's lipstick has been found near the body.  He calls his son Sean to help her as he's convinced she's innocent, and realizes that whether he wants it or not, he has to get involved this time to save his friend.

But then Charlie is asked by the president of the college to take over as interim director.  When he agrees, he doesn't realize that he's about to become the next victim of the pranks.  Even the heightened security hasn't been able to stop it.  Now Charlie realizes that the killer may very well be someone who works at the library, and he needs to figure out who it is before he becomes the next victim...

I have to tell the truth and say that I haven't been terribly fond of this series up until now.  I actually enjoyed reading this book.  I don't know whether it's because I've gotten used to the characters, but the plot was very well thought out and there was less angst from Charlie about his kids, his girlfriend, etc.  It makes for a much better plot if we can concentrate on the murder, the reason behind it, the surrounding clues and such rather than what dishes he's going to wash next.

There were plenty of suspects to choose from, and even a few red herrings thrown in.  It made for a nice change in that there was lots to sift through and find the right suspect.  Although I didn't feel that it was difficult to do so - I am sure others, like myself, pretty much knew who the killer was for most of the book - it was still nice to see the interplay between characters.

When we come to the end and all is revealed, it is a reason that is age old but still quite believable, and that made it a nice read indeed.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Cats-Allowed-Cat-Stacks-Mystery/dp/0425277755/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2304878931

More on Miranda James's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/j/miranda-james/

Arsenic and Old Books (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery #6)

Author:  Miranda James
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback; Audio CD; Paperback (LP); Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425257296; 9780425277539; 9781452618883; 9781410482273
Berkley Publishing
320 Pages
$18.78; $7.99; $30.52; $26.99; $7.99
February 2, 2016

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Lucinda Beckwith Long, the mayor of Athena, Mississippi, has donated a set of Civil War-era diaries to the archives of Athena College.  She would like librarian Charlie Harris to preserve and substantiate them as a part of the Long family legacy - something that could benefit her son, Beck, as he prepares to campaign for the state senate.

Beck's biggest rival would like to get a look at the diaries in an attempt to expose the Long family's past sins.  Meanwhile, a history professor is also determined to get her hands on the books in a last-ditch bid for tenure.  But their interest suddenly turns deadly, leaving Charlie with a catalog of questions to answer.  Together with his Maine Coon cat Diesel, Charlie must discover why the diaries were worth killing for before he too reaches his final chapter.

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Charlie Harris, librarian, is surprised when Lucinda Beckwith Long, mayor of Athena, Mississippi, appears in his office one day with a bag of Civil War-era diaries written by an ancestor of her husband's.  She wants to donate them and have Charlie preserve them for future reference, and she also thinks it will help her son Beck win an election, although Charlie has no idea how.

He's also surprised when a young reporter, Kelly Grimes, shows up shortly after requesting to see the diaries, and not happy when he tells her that they aren't ready for public viewing as yet.  But then he's stunned when Professor Marie Steverton, a professor in the history department, also shows up and demands access to the diaries.  Again, Charlie tells her she needs to wait but Marie refuses to accept that answer and tells him that she will speak with Mayor Long herself to get access.

Charlie is still nonetheless surprised even more when the mayor calls him and tells him that Marie should have access to the diaries - so they strike a bargain:  give him one week to verify the diaries and then he will allow Marie first access, which seems to work for Charlie.  But before anything can be done, someone breaks into Charlie's office and steals the diaries.

While Charlie is pretty sure the thief is either Marie or Kelly, he has no proof.  And any further questioning of Marie isn't going to happen:  she's killed in a hit-and-run accident the night Charlie questions her.  But stranger still: the diaries are returned to Charlie's office as quickly as they disappeared.

Then Mayor Long appears with another diary in tow, one she insisted was hidden in another compartment in the trunk where her son found the others.  But what this diary contains could change everything for Beck's opponent Jasper Singletary and perhaps change the stakes in the election...but change it enough to kill?

In the end, the story wasn't riveting and it didn't seem to be enough to completely hold my attention.  It was fine as far as mysteries go, but the ending fell slightly flat for me.  Still, I've bought others in the series so I will read them but I won't purchase any new ones that haven't yet been published.

As it is, I've read six books in the series so far and at the least, found them semi-enjoyable, but something has been niggling at me yet I couldn't quite place it - until now.  I've added a spoiler regarding this, and be aware that it concerns all the previous books in the series including this one.  If you haven't read them and don't want to know the outcome, I urge you not to read it.

I have recently noticed after reading the first five books in this series that the women portrayed (aside from those close to Charlie) are always gossips or just plain nasty, evil people (even the 'nice' women have a ruthless streak). Yet when the man is supposedly evil, we never see any of it. In the first one, we are told that Gerald was mean, but never hear any first hand conversations. Ditto with Connor, the director. Only one occasion where he snapped at actors, but then he was defended by Charlie’s daughter Laura as just being stressed and how he was actually a nice person. But yet the women? We are treated to conversations that are anything but nice, and if you look back at the series thus far, you will see this.

The killers? Almost always women when statistics show that most murderers are men; all you have to do is read a newspaper to know this. But not in his books. Then there was the one time that a man who killed someone was unexpectedly ‘thrown into’ the story - and I say thrown in because we didn’t see him at all nor have any conversations with anyone, and he was only involved because his mother was...the killer. HE didn’t even have any reason to kill anyone, and it didn't make sense.

Of the two 'nice' women: his daughter Laura is so sweet to be almost saccharine; and Helen is alright; she's a baker who spent time in France learning to bake. Soooo....at random moments she spouts French phrases. Really? She's not French. Who does this? It seems pretentious somehow, especially in a small town, to just throw out foreign phrases if you're not a foreigner. What is supposed to be cute is annoying and pompous. (as in: 'I spent time in France. Have you?')

But what bothers me the most is we never get to know the male victims - we are told they’ve done horrible things, but are never privvy to any real conversations, yet with the women we’re given conversations and actions that go on for pages. When male victim #1 was killed, we were told of his bad actions, I never saw anything evil that he did to deserve dying. For male victim #2, he seemed like a nice man (he was nice to Charlie) even though we were told how horrible he was to everyone, but again didn't see any of it. When male victim #3 was killed, he had a bad temper, which directors often do. Nothing he did warranted death. We're not privvy to any real conversations that show us how truly horrible they are. But when the women are victims, there are conversations containing threats (even against his cat), physical violence, women screaming at Charlie, etc., as if to show us how bad these females are and how they deserve their fate. It's almost as if the author doesn't like women and has to put it to page to show us how truly disgusting they are.

Since I have several more books in the series (which I wish I'd never bought) I will finish them; but just out of curiosity, I glanced at the next in the series to see who the murderer was - and I wasn't surprised at all when I read it. Draw your own conclusions.

If you've read the spoiler, then perhaps you'll understand why I'm not thrilled with these books.  As I stated above, I've already bought a few more in the series (which I often do ahead of time) so there may be more reviews to come.  Please be aware that these are my own personal observations and my own opinions.  I am also aware that there are others who will disagree, and that's perfectly fine; there's always hope in a series that it will get better, so we will see.

https://www.amazon.com/Arsenic-Old-Books-Stacks-Mystery/dp/0425277534/

Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2295975910 

More on Miranda James's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/j/miranda-james/

The Silence of the Library (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery #5)

Author:  Miranda James
Genre:  Mystery

Paperback(LP); Mass Market Paperback; MP3 CD; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781410470409; 9780425257289; 9781452668871
Berkley Publishing
320 Pages
$26.99; $7.99; $22.04; $7.99 Amazon
January 28, 2014

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It's National Library Week, and the Athena Public Library is planning an exhibit to honor the centenary of famous novelist Electra Barnes Cartwright - creator of the beloved Veronica Thane series.

Charlie has a soft spot for Cartwright's girl detective stories (not to mention an extensive collection of her books!)  When the author agrees to make a rare public appearance, the news of her whereabouts goes viral overnight, and series devotees and book collectors converge on Athena.

After all, it's rumored that Cartwright penned Veronica Thane stories that remain under wraps, and one rabid fan will stop at nothing - not even murder - to get hold of the rare books...

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When Charlie Harris discovers one of his favorite childhood writers - Electra Barnes Cartwright - is still alive and even lives nearby, he's excited to learn that not only will her works be featured in a library exhibit, but that she's agreed to attend.  That is, until he learns that her daughter has told them she wants a fee for attending - something that wasn't discussed when he and the library director met with her.

But he also discovers that there are a group of rabid fans who plan on attending and are demanding that Ms. Cartwright sign their book collections, something a nearly one-hundred-year-old woman may not be capable of doing; and the fact that a small publisher has told everyone there are as yet five unpublished manuscripts that he's going to publish; manuscripts no one has ever heard of before now.

But as things get closer to the exhibit date, less and less starts adding up for Charlie; and soon someone he knows is murdered, and it has to do with the books.  Then when he discovers a vital clue that will reveal everything, he needs to enlist help to prove the truth and uncover a murderer before someone else loses their life...

After reading the first five books in this series, I've decided that they're either hit or miss.  Unfortunately, this one is a miss.  After 72 pages, it still couldn't pull me in, and I slogged my way through the rest of it.  For some reason, I just found it completely boring, and even the dialogue wasn't snappy enough to keep my attention.

Even the subplots weren't interesting this time out, including the "problem" his son Sean is having.  For being a sharp-witted attorney, it seems when it comes to his personal life his brain power shuts down, and he can't figure out the right thing to do to solve it.

Then there's a bit of a continuity problem:  Charlie mentions he's half the age of an almost centenarian, yet in the last book he's 51.  Even though this isn't in the same category, it's still pretty odd - poor Diesel is now 36 pounds, when he started out he was 33, last book was 35.  At this rate he'll be 50 pounds by the time the series ends (if it keeps going).  Details matter.

The book just seemed so slow paced.  The clues were there and easy to figure out, and there was nothing silent about this library.  In fact, there was quite bit of noise at all times, so it was mis-titled, at the very least.  (With the title, you would think perhaps a body was found in the library at midnight...when all is usually silent, but no). 

Honestly, while I would have liked to have enjoyed this book, the conversations were so boring.  It was like two people who live in a rest home talking about what they had for dinner the night before.  I also couldn't get past the fact that no one could figure it out until almost the end.  Truly?  I won't say why so as not to spoil it for others, but if you've read it the reason should be pretty obvious. 

https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Library-Cat-Stacks-Mystery/dp/0425257282/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2289315577

More on Miranda James's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/j/miranda-james/

Out of Circulation (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery #4)

Author:  Miranda James
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Paperback (LP); Mass Market Paperback; MP3 CD; Digital Book; Audio Book
ISBN #:  9781624901928; 9781410461179; 9780425257272; 9781452668864
Berkley Publishing
304 Pages
Various; $26.99; $7.99; $24.99; $7.99 Amazon
January 29, 2013

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The Ducote sisters are in a tiff with Vera Cassity over the location of Athena, Mississippi's annual library fundraising gala, and Charlie would rather curl up in a corner than get into the fray.  It seems everyone - even his housekeeper Azalea - has it in for Vera.  And at the gala, she gives them good reason, with a public display of rancor aimed at anyone who gets in her way.

But those bitter words wind up being her last.  When Charlie discovers Azalea standing over Vera's dead body, it's up to him - with a little help from Diesel - to clear Azalea's name, and catch a killer before his last chapter is finished.

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Charlie Harris is a librarian in Athena, Mississippi.  He’s also on the board of the Friends of the Library, and one night while they are having a meeting at his home, he is privvy to an unfortunate conversation between the Ducote sisters, grande dames of Athena society, and Vera Cassity, an upstart who aspires to their position.  Vera argued that her home, Ranelagh, would be the only one to hold the gala, as it had the largest dining room.  But An’gel Ducote was nothing if not astute and sharp-witted, and managed to convey the fact that it would be difficult to ask people for money if they weren’t having fun - and there was nothing fun about a sit-down dinner.  After this uncomfortable conversation, Vera left in a huff - once she realizes the rest of the board members agreed with the Ducotes.

But Vera isn’t about to give up easily - she goes so far as to threaten Charlie and even his boarder Justin, who is the recipient of a scholarship from Vera; and even Diesel, his Maine Coon cat..  It seems she really will stop at nothing to get her way.  Things get worse when Charlie’s housekeeper Azalea finds out she’s been in the house and threatens to quit if she shows up again - but won’t tell Charlie why she hates her as much as everyone else seems to do.

When the library gala is held and Vera shows her usual asperity, the Ducotes have one more trick up their sleeve to stop her in her tracks.  But when she storms off and Charlie later hears Azalea calling for help, he finds her locked in a room...with the body of Vera.  It appears she either fell or was pushed down the stairs, and Sheriff Tidwell sets his sight on Azalea as the murderer - if only to make her daughter, his deputy Kanesha Berry, uncomfortable and look bad to the public.

So Kanesha, who has always been aloof and professional towards Charlie, asks him to help clear her mother's name and find the true murderer.  She knows that Charlie has a knack for putting clues together, and since he's sure Azalea is innocent, agrees to help her.  But when Charlie starts digging into which person wanted Vera dead - and there were probably many - it comes down to who would be willing to commit murder in order to silence her forever...

I've read four books in this series, and at least this one had not only the murder to consider, but a subplot or two to keep things fairly interesting.  In this book Charlie's relationship with Helen is moving forward, along with those of his son and daughter's.  They don't take precedence over the murder, however; and that's how it should be.  We also learn a little bit more about Azalea's family, although nothing new on her dynamics with her own daughter.

All in all, I have to wonder if there's any vegetables grown in Mississippi aside from green beans.  They seem to have them with almost every meal (and on a side note, I detest them myself).  Maybe Azalea can introduce everyone to the pleasures of eating corn or peas - or even carrots once in a while.  I would also caution Sean to move out quickly, since every member of Charlie's household has been suspected in a murder case so far.  Just a thought...

Also, while Charlie might own a Maine Coon, he obviously doesn't know you can't give cats garlic.  It's toxic.  Yet he has no problem feeding this to his feline, while giving your cat a small amount of cheese won't hurt it.  Yes, many cats are lactose intolerant, but not all.  I'm a lifelong cat owner, and I've had plenty of cats that love cheese and it doesn't hurt them.  But garlic?  NEVER!

In the end, when the murderer was found out it seemed to me slightly extreme of this person since they really gained nothing at all from the deed that I could tell.  I would have liked to have seen a much better reason for the murder than what was given.  However, since I've already gone this far into the series I will probably proceed, since I've read much worse books and survived.  At least this was the best of the four so far, so there's hope yet.

https://www.amazon.com/Out-Circulation-Cat-Stacks-Mystery/dp/0425257274/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2285654873

More on Miranda James's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/j/miranda-james/

File M for Murder (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery #3)

Author:  Miranda James
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover LP; Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book; MP3 CD
ISBN #:  9781471329920; 9780425246184; 9781522670742
Berkley Publishing
304 Pages
Various Prices; $7.99; $7.99; $9.99 Amazon
January 31, 2012

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Athena College's new writer in residence is a famous native son, playwright Connor Lawton, known for his sharp writing - and sharper tongue.  After an unpleasant encounter, librarian Charlie Harris heads home to a nice surprise:  His daughter, Laura, is visiting and will be subbing for another professor this fall semester.  It's great news until he hears who got her the job: her old flame, Connor Lawton...

Fearing competition for Connor's affections, one of his admirers tries to drive Laura out of town.  And then, before Connor finishes the play he is writing, he is murdered - and Laura is the prime suspect.  Knowing she's innocent, Charlie and his faithful sidekick, Diesel, follow Connor's cluttered trail of angry lovers, bitter enemies, and intriguing library research to find the true killer before his daughter is forever catalogued under "M" - for murderer.

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Charlie Harris is enjoying his life in small town Athena, Mississippi - aside from the fact that egotistical playwright Connor Lawton is making him miserable.  It seems he's in town to hone a play at the college, and he's being a pain in the rear to everyone he meets.

But when Charlie's daughter Laura arrives, it's a welcome surprise.  Laura is conducting a semester at the college teaching acting, and it's an unfortunate occurrence when Charlie discovers that Connor and Laura once dated.  Everything he knows of the man screams Horrible Human Being.  But it's an even bigger surprise when he discovers that Laura has kept a secret about the true relationship she had with Connor.

Then Laura finds Connor's body and things change.  She's high on the suspect list, and Charlie now has a personal interest in finding the killer.  Once he saw Connor's body for himself, he knew it wasn't an accidental death, and he's also sure Laura is innocent.  But with so many people who disliked the man, there isn't going to be an easy path finding out the truth.  When things escalate and Charlie's very household comes into danger, the stakes are raised and Charlie will do anything to keep his family safe..

This is the third book in the series, and I would have liked to enjoy it more.  I did like the second one better than the first, but it seems Charlie is in a rut.  We've never really learned much about him except that he's barely over fifty and has a bit of a paunch.  There's no descriptions, not only of Charlie, but really of anyone else, sans hair color (black).  We're told his kids are attractive, but that's a relative term (especially since he's their father).  I would have liked to have seen more personality traits.  (We do get height - maybe the author doesn't like short people - everyone seems to be nearly six feet tall or taller).  There are also no descriptions of the town, so there's no connection of it to the story.  This place could be Anywhere, USA.

Then there's Deputy Berry...who's the most unlikable person in the book.  She has no humanness about her - she's cold, standoffish, always professional.  She's also never available when Charlie wants to reach her.  I realize she's a police officer, but surely at some point she can show that she's also a human?  Unbend a little?  Do her employees even like her?  Because I see nothing in her that shows she has any empathy for anyone else, nothing that shows she has a sense of humor, has a social life.  She's colder than my freezer.

Then there's Diesel.  I'm a lifelong cat owner, and I talk to them, play with them, etc.  But they don't act like humans.  Most times, cats do their own thing and are cats.  Diesel is practically a furry person.  It doesn't make sense (nor does the fact that Charlie talks to him like Charlie's a woman, not a man - I've never heard a guy call a cat 'sweet baby').  While Maine Coons do trill (I've owned one), they don't act like human beings.

As you can see, the book didn't impress me much - I've begun to wonder if I liked book #2 better because of the secondary characters in that book, since it obviously wasn't Charlie's family.  It makes you wonder what his late wife was like - was she as boring as everyone else?  They sit around brooding most of the time or sleeping.  A barrel of fun indeed.

As far as the plot goes, it was quite similar to the first - a writer comes to town, nasty and unlikable, and is murdered, and someone Charlie cares about is suspected of the crime.  This is only the third book.  Surely there could have been a different plot available?  And the ending - I don't know how I can put this without giving anything away, but I'll do my best: it would have been nice to see something of a certain person who was heavily involved.  There was no indication why, no indication of the person even existing.  No reason why anything happened or a certain person was targeted.  No.  Reason.  At.  All.  So it didn't make sense.

Hopefully the next book in the series will be better, and we'll actually get to see why on earth Helen is interested in Charlie - unless she spends her off time sleeping, too.

https://www.amazon.com/File-Murder-Cat-Stacks-Mystery/dp/0425246183/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2279509499

More on Miranda James's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/j/miranda-james/

Classified as Murder (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery #2)

Author:  Miranda James
Genre:  Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; MP3 CD; Digital Book; Audiobook
9780425241578
Berkley Publishing
304 Pages
&7.99; $9.99; $7.99 Amazon
May 3, 2011

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Suspecting that someone is stealing from him, the aging and eccentric James Delacorte wants Charlie to do an inventory on his rare book collection.  Soon after they begin, Delacorte is found dead at his desk, leaving Charlie with the bigger task of solving his murder.

Immediately Charlie is suspicious of Delacorte's own family, and relies on the help of Diesel to paw around for clues.  The cat and mouse game heats up after a highly valued copy of Edgar Allan Poe's Tamerlane goes missing and a second murder occurs.  Now Charlie and Diesel must solve the case before the killer strikes a third time - and hope curiosity doesn't kill the cat...

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Librarian Charlie Harris lives and works in small town Athena, Mississippi.  One day he's approached by James Delacorte - a wealthy resident - and he asks Charlie if he will inventory his rare book collection.  But he has an ulterior motive - it seems he believes one of his family members is stealing from the collection book by book.  And since those same members live in the Delacorte house, he knows it has to be one of them.  Charlie is offered a generous salary to do so, is allowed to take his Maine Coon Diesel with him; besides, he finds it tempting to see the collection, so he accepts.

But then Charlie's son Sean arrives, along with his poodle Dante - he hasn't seen him since Christmas, and he asks out of the blue if he can stay with Charlie for awhile.  He agrees of course, but doesn't want to press him as to why he left his job at a law firm in Houston and decided to move to Mississippi.  Things between them seem slightly tense, but after Charlie has tea with the decidedly strange Delacorte family, Sean isn't sure Charlie should take the job.

The next day Charlie begins his task with Mr. Delacorte at his desk in the same room, and everything  seems fine.  Then Charlie goes home for lunch, and when he returns, he finds James slumped over his desk, his tongue swollen and his face splotchy.  He immediately calls the police and waits outside the room.  When Detective Kanesha Berry arrives, she's a little surprised to find Charlie there because they have an uncomfortable history - her mother is Charlie's housekeeper - but she respects him and he her.  After everything is said and done, and Charlie tells her what he was tasked to do, she allows him to stay - under the condition that he observes only - and reports back to her anything he finds out.

But then another bombshell is dropped - Delacorte's attorney tells Charlie he's co-executor of the will, is to continue his inventory, and when all is done, it will become property of Athena's library, along with the funds to keep it in order.  After hearing of the murder, Sean decides Charlie isn't going back without him (or Dante).  Charlie agrees, and everything somewhat returns to a semblance of order.

But all is not well in the Delacorte household.  No one seemed pleased by the terms of James's will, and at least one person wants Charlie to stop what he's doing, according to the late night anonymous telephone call he receives.  But Charlie keeps going, at least until another murder occurs, and Charlie realizes that there's more at stake than just rare books...

I will say that this book was much better than the first in the series.  While we still get Charlie's daily routine, it's not so much that he's telling us every single action he does (as in the first book).  With his son in the picture, it gives a little more insight into why Charlie seemed so dull and lifeless in the first book, and I am hoping that things will progress even more in the third.

The mystery itself was very well done, and a sort of funny twist on a quintessential solution to mysteries.  I really enjoyed the way it was handled, and thought it was incorporated into the story nicely.  I liked several of the characters in this book, and also the fact that Detective Berry is less abrasive in this book and looks like she might be on her way to becoming a friend to Charlie (I certainly hope so). 

In the end, it was a fun read and I will read the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Classified-Murder-Cat-Stacks-Mystery/dp/0425241572/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2274636190

More on Miranda James's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/j/miranda-james/

Murder Past Due (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery #1)

Author:  Miranda James
Genre:  Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Large Print; MP3 CD; Digital Book; Audiobook
ISBN #:  9780425236031; 1410433435; 9781522670759
Berkley Publishing
304 Pages
August 3, 2010

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Everyone in Athena, Mississippi, knows Charlie Harris, the good-natured librarian with a rescued Maine Coon cat named Diesel that he walks on a leash.  He's returned to his hometown to immerse himself in books, but soon enough he's entangled in a real-life thriller...

A famous author of gory bestsellers and a former classmate of Charlie's, Godfrey Priest may be the pride of Athena, bur Charlie remembers him as an arrogant, manipulative jerk - and he's not the only one.  Godfrey's homecoming as a distinguished alumnus couldn't possibly go worse:  by lunch, he's put a man in the hospital.  But dinner, Godfrey's dead.

Now it's up to Charlie, with some help from Diesel, to paw through the town's grudges and find the killer before an impatient deputy throws the book at the wrong person.  But every last one of Charlie's friends and co-workers had a score to settle with the nasty novelist.  As if the murder wasn't already purr-plexing enough...

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Charlie Harris is a college librarian in Athena, Georgia.  He moved back home after his wife died and he inherited his Aunt Dottie's house.  She used to take in roomers, and he continues to do so.  His latest is Justin Wardlaw, who's in his first year of school and doesn't want to live in the dorms.  It also helps that he went to school with Justin's mother Julia.

When Charlie hears that another old schoolmate, Godfrey Priest is coming to Athena, he's not looking forward to seeing him.  Godfrey is a best-selling author, but he was a bully in school and almost everyone disliked him.  So when he appears at Charlie's door, he's surprised.  It seems that Godfrey wants to leave his papers to the college and is willing to donate the money for their upkeep.  But then he drops a bombshell - he tells Charlie that Justin is his son and he wants to see him.

While Charlie doesn't know what to do with this information, he's nevertheless stunned when he returns home and sees Justin arguing with his dad, Ezra - the man who raised him.  He's doubly upset when he sees Ezra slap Justin and tells him to leave.  But after talking with Justin, he finds out he already knows about Godfrey and is prepared to talk with him.

But it's not too much later when Charlie finds Justin outside of the hotel where Godfrey is staying, and he seems to be in shock.  Justin isn't making a lot of sense, so Charlie persuades him to go back to the room where Charlie finds Godfrey's body - and sees Justin's cell phone nearby.

While he doesn't believe that Justin murdered Godfrey, he wonders how the cell phone got there.  Soon there's more suspects than Charlie can count, and each of them had solid motives to kill the man.  But it would be easier to catalog every book in the library than find the guilty party...

While I thought this book had promise - a small town librarian with a Maine Coon cat - it didn't quite live up to its potential.  For one, I wondered why Justin was living at Charlie's when he had a home in town.  It didn't make any sense.  If you live in the city where you go to college, and aren't staying in a dorm, why would you pay money to live in someone else's home?  One town over maybe - but the same town?

Another thing that bothered me is the author feeling the need to tell us every time Charlie did anything at all - used a penknife to open a letter, washed dishes, etc., including the fact that he mentions he forgot to wash his hands after dinner.  So what?  I don't know anyone who finishes a meal and then feels the need to run to the sink to wash their hands - unless, of course, you're eating messy food (they weren't).   Every.  Single.  Action. 

It didn't help that the characters were either dull or cardboard cutouts.  Charlie is only 50, but acts like he's nearly 80.  I know 60-year-olds with twice the life in them that he has.  Justin also seemed a bit like a mama's boy, which is another reason I wondered why she allowed him to leave home in the first place.

While the best thing about the book was Diesel, he wasn't the detective and didn't help solve the crime.  We just get a play-by-play of Diesel's actions, much like Charlie's.  It keeps the plot slow-going, and I found myself losing interest quite a bit.  We never learn enough about anyone in the book to know whether to like them or not; we're only given bits and pieces.

In the end, the murderer wasn't really a surprise, but the reasons the murder was committed was as old as time itself.  I would like, in the next book, to see Charlie with some sort of life in him, and the characters get more definition.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Past-Due-Stacks-Mystery/dp/042523603X/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2271209500

More on Miranda James's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/j/miranda-james/

Double Up (A Davis Way Crime Caper Book #6)

Author:  Gretchen Archer
Genre:  Mystery, Suspense

Hardcover; Trade Paperback; Audio CD; Ebook; Audiobook
ISBN #:  9781635111842; 9781635111811; 9781541453968
Henery Press
$29.90; $15.95; $17.40; $6.99 Amazon
262 Pages
March 21, 2017

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Fasten your seatbelts for non-stop action as stiff competition blows into town and the resulting turbulence threatens to take down the Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.  Super Secret Spy Davis Way Cole, who lives on the twenty-ninth floor of the hotel with her CEO husband and newborn twins, takes it hard.  If the casino goes belly up, she won't be a stay-at-home mom because she won't have a home.  Not to mention her husband won't have a job.  Davis can't find a way to stop the inevitable end of Bellissimo life she loves until her ex-ex-mother-in-law shows up, unexpected and definitely uninvited.  Davis makes the best of a bad Bea Crawford situation and recruits her for a little corporate espionage work, which would've been great, had Bea not turned out to be the world's worst spy.  Ever.  Seatbacks and tray tables in their upright positions as we prepare for a bumpy ride with babies, bankruptcies, besties, and shrimp.  (Shrimp?)  Enjoy your flight.

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Davis Way Cole is the ex-Secret Super Spy for the Bellissimo Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.  'Ex' because she's retired - now taking care of two eight-month-old baby girls, Bex and Quinn - while her husband Bradley is left to run what's left of the casino.  I say this because there's a new sheriff in town:  The Blitz, which has been built right across the river from the Bellissimo, and they've not only taken the Bell's staff, but most of their customers as well.  They've become practically a ghost town on their own, and the owner, Richard Sanders (and his wife Bianca) have decamped for the lights of Las Vegas and left Bradley to salvage what he can.

Davis blames herself, because if she hadn't been so busy being pregnant and then motherhood, she believes she would have known what the Blitz was up to all along and none of this would have happened; she would have been at the top of her game and realized they were building a mega-casino instead of what she originally thought - a football stadium.  Why a stadium?  Because the person who now runs the Blitz is the grandson of the owner, Elias Johnson, and an ex-football player.

Because of this, Davis has refused to leave her lavish penthouse, and has become as reclusive as Greta Garbo.  That is, until her ex-ex-mother-in-law Bea Crawford shows up and refuses to leave.  At first Davis is horrified, but when things start going even further south, she realizes she can use Bea in her own scheme to put things right again, and that's when she turns Bea into a spy herself (sort of).  But just when Davis thinks things are starting to look up, she hasn't got a clue as to how dark they can become...

As a great fan of the series I was really looking forward to this entry, and for the most part, wasn't disappointed.  While it started out slow - it's not that interesting to follow a storyline of someone who spends all their time in an apartment with their babies - but once the plot got going - and so did Davis, it really took off (see what I did there?).

There isn't a lot I can say about the plot without giving away the crux of the story, so let it suffice to say that Davis is tired of what is going on around her and decides she's the one who needs to save the company (and her home).  She learns from Bea what is going on over at the Blitz; decides she can do something even better at the Bellissimo, and sets forth on a plan to save the resort and her husband's job in the process.   What ensues is quite humorous at times, suspenseful at others, there was even one scene between Fantasy and Davis that had me downright chuckling; plus Davis' reaction when she realizes why she's spending time with Bea is worth reading the book alone; not to mention what happens when Bea begins to take herself seriously as a spy.

In the end, it was a fun journey with an unexpected ending, and while not technically a murder mystery (although there is a murder, have no fear), it still gives you plenty to devour while you enjoy the book and wait for the next in the series to arrive.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Double-Davis-Way-Crime-Caper/dp/1635111811/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2031437398

More on Gretchen Archer's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/gretchen-archer/

Double Mint (A Davis Way Crime Caper Book 4)

Author:  Gretchen Archer
Genre:  Mystery

Paperback
ISBN #:  97819419627705
Henery Press
267 Pages
$15.95 Amazon
July 21, 2015

Five Stars

It's convention season at the Bellissimo Resort and Casino and Davis Way Cole barely notices.  It's hard to pay attention when you live in a Jambalaya Junkyard.  But when Special Events Coordinator Holder Darby walks off the job just as five hundred Alabama bankers pour in the front door, Davis steps up.

Or would that be in?  Definitely in.  Davis steps in.

Not only has the convention director vanished, but a certain Bellissimo guest is missing.  One who forgot to pack the million dollars he left in the bathtub.  It looks like our redhead newlywed Super Secret Spy's lazy summer is over when the Bellissimo's vault is robbed.  Can Davis connect the dots before it's too late?  Can she get her Taser gun back from Bianca Sanders?  Will she be stuck with Eddie Crawford's 1962 Cadillac forever?  What Davis needs is a little faith.  And a lot of luck.

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Davis Way Cole is newly married to Bradley, the General Manager of the Bellissimo Casino.  Because of this, along with other factors, they have to temporarily reside in the mini-mansion upstairs which is, to Davis, Creole Hell.  She also refers to herself as the casino's Super Secret Spy, often disguising herself when going out 'on a mission'.

When the casino's wedding/events planner, Holder Darby, quits, Davis has to step in as the "temporary Holder".  And when things start to get sticky, she goes looking for Holder, but only finds her cat - or not.  Taking the cat home with her, it turns out to be the cat from hell, screaming through the apartment at warp speed...

There is also the fact that a bankers' convention is taking place, and have installed their own slot machines, named Double Mint, and the security assigned is from Paragon, who has brought in their own techs to install the machines...

And the fact that Davis discovers a million dollars in counterfeit money in the room of a missing banker, and more than that in counterfeit platinum in the casino's vault...

And the fact that Davis' refrigerator is again on the fritz (a huge red monster), and she's smelling magnolias in her home, insisting to anyone around that the wife of the former general manager, the nutcase who designed the interior, Magnolia Thibodeaux, is coming in and snooping around looking for something.

Now we have laid the groundwork for an intricate mystery indeed.  I hesitate to give you any more information, but will tell you that while it all starts out so simple - Holder quitting after having the mother of the groom put her in a headlock and Davis having to take her place - it turns into something more twisted and crazy than could be imagined.  And no matter how Davis tries to convince everyone she knows what's going on (or possibly going on), no one believes her and tells her she's imagining things...which we know isn't the case.  

Davis has a sixth sense when it comes to JDLR - just doesn't look right.  And she's not above using subterfuge to find out the truth, even when it gets her into trouble.  And trouble comes her way, in droves.  Yet she pushes on, convinced that the missing real platinum is still on the hotel premises, that Paragon is trying to pull a fast one, that Magnolia is after something in Davis' mini-mansion, and that her friend and coworker Fantasy is getting in over her head...well, hopefully you get the picture.

This is not a quick read, nor should it be.  Because it's like a chain that that you have to put together yourself, link by link.  You get one piece, which leads to another, and another, etc.  Yet through it all, Davis manages to maintain her sense of humor (which is hilarious), and my favorite scene in the book is the one with moonshine between her and Fantasy.  Priceless!  

Ms. Archer is one of the most talented writers I've come across, and this series is definitely a winner.  Highly recommended, and I eagerly await the next in the series.

http://www.amazon.com/Double-Mint-Davis-Crime-Caper/dp/1941962777/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1328275662