The Happy Housekeeper's Guide to Homicide (A Barbara Hollis Mystery #1)

Author:    Blythe Baker

Genre:     Mystery/Historical

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9798873064908

Independently Published

242 Pages

$12.99; $3.99 Amazon

December 26, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bloody murder is the last thing on Barbara Hollis's mind when she agrees to travel to a sleepy little town to keep house for her widowed brother.  Aside from chasing after her irritating young nephews, she thinks the biggest challenge she'll face is learning to cook a proper souffle.  But a bizarre encounter on a train quickly draws her into a more complicated and dangerous future than she bargained for...

When a local woman turns up dead, and Barbara's sheriff brother is too inept to solve the case, Barbara finds herself joining forces with a handsome deputy in search of a cold-blooded killer.  But her new hometown is crawling with secrets, and Barbara just might discover that unmasking one villain is only scratching the surface...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Barbara Hollis left the big city to go to a small town in Georgia to keep house for her widowed brother and his two twelve-year-old twin boys.  She's sure that she's not going to like it much, but since she left behind her luxury apartment and lost her job, she hasn't got much of a choice.  It's a good thing her brother Craig doesn't know the reason she left, as she doesn't want to discuss it.

But when she arrives, she's a bit downcast, since her room is smaller than she imagined, and she thinks she'll be bored here.  So she decides to give herself a spa day and heads to the only hair salon in town, Sharon's.  Since no one is out front, she spots a woman under a hair dryer, and wishes she didn't.  The young woman is dead, and at that opportune moment, Sharon arrives and starts screaming.  After Barbara calls Craig, she waits to be questioned by his deputy -- who wonders if she killed the young woman.  

But Craig will have none of it, and the town over arrests Sharon for the murder.  Neither Craig nor Barbara believe it (even though she's just met the stylist); and Barbara decides to surreptitiously help her brother by gathering clues.  It might not be her greatest idea, but if she can avoid the killer in town that she knows is still loose, she might be able to find them.  Unless they find her first...

This is the first in the series, and I thought it sounded interesting, so I wanted to read it.  First off, I must say that the blurb is wrong.  Craig is not inept; he's just never dealt with a murder before, and the town's police department consists of him and his deputy. He just believes the other town would be better equipped to handle it, and he comes to regret his decision quickly.

Secondly, I really had no idea that this took place in the 1950's while reading it.  I did wonder about the lack of cell phones, but aside from descriptions of a few cars, there wasn't really anything that pointed to the year this takes place.  So that was the reason I took off one star.  In future books I would like to read about some of the things occurring during that time; something to draw us into the story timeline. 

Other than that, I found this interesting, even if it was a short book.  I would like to see more character development, but in stories this short, you aren't going to get much of that.  However, I am not dinging the author for it, since I died enjoy reading this quite a bit.  In fact, I read it in one sitting, and I hope that others will enjoy it as much as I did.  In the climax, it all came together quickly, and everything was tied up nicely.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Housekeepers-Homicide-Barbara-Hollis-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CQZCDM57/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6305678063

More on Blythe Baker's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/blythe-baker/

The Book of Beloved (Pluto's Snitch 1)

Author:  Carolyn Haines
Genre:  Mystery

Paperback; MP3 CD; Ebook; Audible
ISBN #:  9781503938069; 9781522650157
Thomas & Mercer
330 Pages
$8.81; $8.81; $4.99 Amazon
August 9, 2016

Three Stars

As a young woman widowed by World War I, Raissa James is no stranger to ghosts.  But when an invitation arrives from Caoin House, her uncle's estate in Mobile, Alabama, she's finally ready to cast off the shadows of her past.  And what better way to do so than with a grand party in her honor?  An aspiring authoress, Raissa's eager to soak up more of life - and immerse herself in the dark history that haunts the estate.

But the revelries come to an abrupt end when one of her uncle's guests takes a deadly plunge.  And when a ghost from the property's past, a Confederate soldier, reveals himself to Raissa, she's more determined than ever to get to the heart of the mysterious deaths that plague Caoin House.  Enlisting the help of Reginald Proctor, a self-proclaimed medium, she holds a seance to shed light on old secrets.  But she discovers that some secrets, even those long dead, still have a startling hold on the living...

********

Raissa James is a schoolteacher in Savannah, still grieving the loss of her husband in World War I.  She is visiting her Uncle Brett, in Mobile, Alabama.  While there, she decides to use her talent as a writer, informing any and all that she wants to write ghost stories.  But what she also discovers about herself is that she has a talent for seeing and hearing ghosts...

When she departs for Mobile, she meets Robert Aultman on the train, a charming and handsome stranger, and finds out he is also headed to Caoin House, her uncle's estate.  When Robert dies while at the party given in her honor, she wonders why he was somewhere he never should have been in the first place.  While her decision is to find out more about him and how he died - she thinks it might have been murder instead of the accident the doctor proclaimed - she discovers the house holds old secrets, and someone would rather they weren't known.

Raissa soon also discovers that she can see and communicate with ghosts, especially the handsome Confederate soldier who stands beneath her bedroom window beckoning to her.  But when Raissa digs deeper and begins finding more than she bargained for, she puts her life in danger, and discovers it's not only the long dead ghosts that don't want you to find out the past...

I felt that the book began well, and I enjoyed reading it for the most part.  I actually like books that mix fact with fiction, but this book was...different.  The historical references that were mixed in seemed more like 'moral lessons'.  Unfortunately, every time I was deeply engrossed in the book, I was given another 'moral lesson' on society, and that pulled me back out, which greatly decreased my enjoyment.  History I enjoy, but preaching in a novel has never sat well with me at all.

There were also other historical aspects that bothered me.  A schoolteacher in 1920 smoking?  It would not have been tolerated - after all, they were teaching children and were expected to be held to a certain standard.  Wearing shorts to a garden party and no one was scandalized?  Not one single person thought she was 'fast'.  I understand that these scenes were to make us realize Raissa was an independent, forward-thinking woman, but it didn't work for me.  I also had reservations about the pictures and who photographed them, but that's another story altogether.  I also didn't feel that Robert was in the book long enough to even care about him, nor that his death was much a part of the storyline.

I really wanted to like this book, but there were so many situations that just didn't seem believable to me, which I won't go into here.  I also felt that there were many questions that were left unanswered  (ones I would like to have known the outcome).  Still, this was interesting enough to be a good start to a new series that left us with a tantalizing ending to the next book.

https://www.amazon.com/Book-Beloved-Plutos-Snitch/dp/1503938069/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1709706651

More on Carolyn Haines' Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/carolyn-haines/

Defending the Dead (Relatively Dead Mysteries Book 3)

Author:  Sheila Connolly
Genre:  Mystery

Kindle, ASIN: B00WTBTRHU; Beyond the Page; 224 pages; $3.99; April 27, 2015

Three Stars

Abby Kimball has slowly accepted her recently discovered ability to see the dead, but none of the harmless sightings she's experienced could have prepared her for the startling apparition of a centuries-old courtroom scene - where she locks eyes with a wicked and gleeful accuser.  Thrown back more than three hundred years, Abby realizes she's been plunged into a mystery that has fascinated people throughout American history:  the Salem witch trials.

With her boyfriend Ned at her side, Abby digs into the history of events, researching the people ad possible causes of that terrible time and her own connection to them - all the while going more deeply into her connection to Ned, both extraordinary and romantic.

As Abby witnesses more fragments from the events in Salem and struggles with the question of how such a nightmare could have come about, she's suddenly confronted with a pressing personal question:  Were one or more of her ancestors among the accused?  Unraveling the puzzling clues behind that questions just might give Abby and Ned the answer to a very modern mystery of their own.    

********

Abby Kimball has recently lost her job and moved into the Victorian home of her boyfriend, Ned Newhall.  She spends her days attempting to bring the home back into the glory of what it once looked like; and when she's not doing that, she's...hunting ghost ancestors.  For those of you not familiar with this series, Abby can see the dead; but not any dead - she sees her dead ancestors.

She has recently discovered this ability, unlike Ned, who has lived with it his entire life.  Ned's mother Sarah also has the ability, and so does Ellie, a seven-year-old girl whom Abby has befriended, the daughter of her ex-employer Leslie (and the reason she was let go from her job).

At the present, Abby is concerned with the Salem witch trials.  She has discovered a relative, but doesn't quite yet know how it fits in, so naturally wants to know how and why.  Ned, although not as enthusiastic about the subject, agrees to take Abby to Salem to further her exploration...

...and there we have the basic plot of the book.  This is the third in the series, and I am sad to say, I did not enjoy it as much as the first two.  A great part of the book was Abby doing her genealogy research, which is fine, as I also am interested in genealogy.  The difference is that I'm not involving anyone else in my research except those who are truly interested in it.  This, unfortunately, makes the book run slower than it ordinarily should.  There is so much involvement regarding the witch trials, that very little time is given to anything else.  Which is not to say I didn't know this going in:  I knew the book would have references and a plot line regarding the trials, I just didn't know it would be a major portion of the book.  There is supposition as to why the trials occurred in the first place, and descriptions of Salem and surrounding areas where it occurred.  If you are interested in the trials, you will find this book interesting; if not, probably not so much.

This is by no means a cozy mystery.  It is dark, and has dark issues to deal with, so if you are expecting anything light and 'frothy' you will be dissatisfied.  There isn't a murder to be solved, no deep dark secrets to be revealed, no peril to our heroine or her loved ones.  It is a book that basically deals with the witch trials, and Abby's relationship to some of the participants.

While I understood what Abby is going through just trying to understand her new-found abilities, I personally felt more time was spent on research and the trials, and less on her relationship with Ned, her fledgling relationship with Ellie, and her strained relationship with Leslie.  They seemed to have taken a back seat to the other part of the story.

However, the writing is good, as always, and what we have come to expect from Ms. Connolly, who does very well in this area.  Since I enjoyed the first two in the series, I will probably read the next.

http://www.amazon.com/Defending-Dead-Relatively-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B00WTBTRHU/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1306350931

The Union Street Bakery (A Union Street Bakery Novel Book 1)

Author:  Mary Ellen Taylor
Genre:  Fiction/Historical Fiction

Four Stars

Life can turn on a dime. It’s a common cliché, and I’d heard it often enough. People die or move away. Investments go south. Affairs end. Loved ones betray us...Stuff happens. 

Daisy McCrae's life is in tatters.  She's lost her job, broken up with her boyfriend, and has been reduced to living in the attic above her family's store, the Union Street Bakery, while learning the business.  Unfortunately, the bakery is in serious hardship.  Making things worse is the constant feeling of not being a "real" McCrae since she was adopted as a child and has a less-than-perfect relationship with her two sisters.

Then a long-standing elderly customer passes away, and for some reason bequeaths Daisy a journal dating back to the 1850's, written by a slave girl named Susie.  As she reads, Daisy learns more about her family-and her own heritage-than she ever dreamed.  Haunted by dreams of the young Susie, who beckons Daisy to "find her," she is compelled to look further into the past of the town and her family.

What she finds are the answers she has longed for her entire life, and a chance to begin again with the courage and desire she thought she lost for good.

********

Daisy McCrae has just lost what she thinks to be everything - her job and her fiance.  She returns home at the request of her parents to help run the bakery that has been passed down generation through generation.  Her sister Rachel is baking the confections but totally overwhelmed with the financial aspects.  When Daisy digs in she finds that the situation is worse than she at first thought, and the bakery is in serious trouble of going under.  Thinking this is merely a temporary situation, Daisy, with her background in financial investment, digs in and attempts to bring it all back into the black.

But things aren't so cut and dried.  Daisy is being haunted by a yet-unnamed ghost in the attic of the bakery where she resides, and haunted by her past:  At three years old she was left in front of the bakery by her birth mother, and has never gotten over it.  To add to it all, Mabel Woodrow, an elderly resident of Alexandria, dies and bequeaths a diary from the pre-Civil War era to her, something that Daisy doesn't understand now but will soon bring many things to light.

I really liked this book, for the most part.  It told an interesting tale of the life of a young slave girl in the 1850's; albeit in bits and pieces that are filled in throughout the book.  Daisy's life, and that of her sisters, Rachel and Margaret, were also strong in the book and fleshed out well enough that you come to know them.  Daisy isn't happy to be returning to a place she hoped never to have to visit again, but rallies when she realizes just how much her help is needed.  Watching her grow through her pain and emotions is quite intense at times.

What I didn't care for (and caused the removal of one star) was the fact that she carried a "poor little me" attitude through most of the book.  Yes, she was abandoned by her birth mother at age three in front of the bakery (not really a spoiler since it's all written out fairly early,) but she's 34-years-old.  So for 31 years, in the arms of what appears to be a very loving family, she can't let go of the fact that her birth parent just walked away.  I am sure that there are people born into families that aren't treated as well as her and still manage to go on.  At some point, and I don't know where, I wanted to scream at her 'Yes!  You were abandoned by your birth mother!  But no one in your life has ever left you since!'  Where on earth she got the idea that people were leaving her right and left is beyond me.  I got the feeling that everyone in her family truly loved her and were there for her, no matter what.  There wasn't a single indication that anyone in her family ever thought of leaving her anywhere, from the day she was given to them, and that's why her attitude didn't make any sense.  I have a bit of advice for Daisy:  It doesn't matter where you came from, it matters where you are now.

Other than that, the book was written very well, and all in all I enjoyed it.  Recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Union-Street-Bakery-Ellen-Taylor/dp/0425259692/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1220572053

Murder at the Brightwell

Author:  Ashley Weaver
Genre:  Mystery

Four Stars

 

Amory Ames is a wealthy young woman who questions her marriage to her notoriously charming playboy husband, Milo. Looking for a change, she accepts a request for help from her former fiancé, Gil Trent, not knowing that she’ll soon become embroiled in a murder investigation that will test not only her friendship with Gil, but will upset the status quo with her husband.

Amory accompanies Gil to the luxurious Brightwell Hotel in an attempt to circumvent the marriage of his sister, Emmeline, to Rupert Howe, a disreputable ladies’ man. Amory sees in the situation a grim reflection of her own floundering marriage. There is more than her happiness at stake, however, when Rupert is murdered and Gil is arrested for the crime. Amory is determined to prove his innocence and find the real killer, despite attempted dissuasion from the disapproving police inspector on the case. Matters are further complicated by Milo’s unexpected arrival, and the two form an uneasy alliance as Amory enlists his reluctant aid in clearing Gil’s name. As the stakes grow higher and the line between friend and foe becomes less clear, Amory must decide where her heart lies and catch the killer before she, too, becomes a victim.

 

********

 

Amory Ames is young, wealthy, and married - to a man who would rather travel the globe than spend time with her (or so it seems).  After five years together, she is beginning to question why she married him in the first place - especially after her former fiance, Gil Trent, shows up at her home asking for her help.  He wants her to accompany him to the Brightwell Hotel in order to help convince his sister that her forthcoming marriage to a rogue similar to her husband, Rupert Howe, is a mistake and must be avoided at all costs.

 

Not sure if she has made the right decision in agreeing, her encounter with her recently-returned husband convinces her otherwise.  She agrees to do it, and lets her husband know in no uncertain terms, that what-is-good-for-the-goose-is-good-for-the-gander.  While she has no illusions about her marriage, she also has no intention of having an affair with Gil, taking her marriage vows seriously even if her husband doesn't.

 

But shortly after her arrival, she hears Gil and Rupert arguing below her terrace, and the next morning Rupert is found dead, victim of an apparent murder.  With all the evidence pointing toward Gil, and the sudden appearance of her husband at the Brightwell, Amory is determined to clear him of the charge of murder with or without her husband's help.

 

This book takes places in England in the 1930s, after World War I but before World War II, and it is a delightful read.  Although not much description is given to the hotel, we do know that it is by the sea, and caters to people wealthy enough to afford it.  The description of clothing during that period is accurate, and the life of the privileged few shines through.  The murder occurs fairly early on in the book, and there are enough characters who are suspect.  Everyone Amory comes in contact with seems to have some sort of secret about them, although the clues are not overt.  The inspector on the case is no bumbler, but appears to be a man used to watching people try and hide the truth, and is quite adept at putting things in perspective.

 

Amory's relationship with her husband is more complicated, since he is wealthy in his own right, a case of money marrying money as it were.  He appears to travel on a whim and spends more time away from home than not, which not only frustrates her, but keeps her wondering if he is a philanderer or not.

 

The only thing that bothered me was the ending, which I won't go into detail about, but I don't think that this is the first of a series, just a stand-alone; and as such, I wish I would have been given more of a resolution (don't fret; we do find out the killer). It just sort of makes you wonder if there was going to be one or not.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Murder-at-Brightwell-A-Mystery/dp/125004636X/

 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1061946131

 

A Grave Matter

Author:  Anna Lee Huber
Genre:  Mystery/Suspense

Three Stars

Scotland, 1830.  Following the death of her dear friend, Lady Kiera Darby is in need of a safe haven. Returning to her childhood home, Kiera hopes her beloved brother Trevor and the merriment of the Hogmanay Ball will distract her. But when a caretaker is murdered and a grave is disturbed at nearby Dryburgh Abbey, Kiera is once more thrust into the cold grasp of death.

While Kiera knows that aiding in another inquiry will only further tarnish her reputation, her knowledge of anatomy could make the difference in solving the case. But agreeing to investigate means Kiera must deal with the complicated emotions aroused in her by inquiry agent Sebastian Gage.

When Gage arrives, he reveals that the incident at the Abbey was not the first—some fiend is digging up old bones and holding them for ransom. Now Kiera and Gage must catch the grave robber and put the case to rest…before another victim winds up six feet under.

********

Lady Kiera Darby is celebrating the New Year with her family when she learns that Dodd, a caretaker at Dryburgh House, has been shot.  He apparently interrupted graverobbers and was murdered because of it. 

Lady Darby, who was ostracized from society because of her late husband forcing her to draw the anatomical parts of the dead (due to his work), has been asked once again (this is the third book in the series) to use her knowledge of human anatomy and find the people responsible for being body snatchers.  And again, Sebastian Gage is called in to help.  Although Sebastian and Keira did not part happily (I gather) in the last book, they are given the time to repair that breach between them.

I didn't really enjoy reading this book, perhaps because the language used is not that which would have been in 1830.  It appears to be more modernized:  In an early scene, her brother mentions that she had vomited on him once; he does so in a public place, at a ball.  While someone may have mentioned that in this day and age, I can hardly believe that in that time he would not be a little more discreet, so as not to embarrass her.

I also found it a little hard to believe that she requested her father to arrange her marriage.  After all, the person you married you would be expected to spend a lifetime with; so naturally you would want to be able to live with them - have things in common, enjoy each other's company, etc.  You would be - to put it bluntly - sleeping with this person and have children with them, so wouldn't you want to not only tolerate them, but like them?  Admittedly, it did not always happen this way, and there were many arranged marriages; but if one had a choice (and I'm assuming she did, since she asked her father to intervene for her), then why would you go willingly into a marriage without taking the time to choose your own mate?  Her art consumed her, so she had not the time.  Really?  She couldn't take a few weeks of her time to find someone she liked?  So, now she is told by her brother that she won't look at her father's grave because she is angry at him for choosing Sir Anthony (the late husband).  What?  Did I miss something?  In a previous paragraph, she says she asked her father to arrange her marriage, and now she's angry at him for doing so?  Really?  And then later on she states that her father didn't force her to marry Sir Anthony, but she did anyway.  So she's transferring her own stupidity to her father?  Issues, issues...I won't give more examples of why I didn't care for the book, but you get my drift.

At any rate, the book could not hold my interest, and I really love mysteries of any kind.  Suspense, thriller, etc.  I'm not saying it was a bad book; it had parts I thought were decent.  It was just not for me.  For someone else, who enjoys historical mysteries, and has read the first two in the series, might find it to their liking. 

http://www.amazon.com/Grave-Matter-Lady-Darby-Mystery/dp/0425253694/

Murder at the Mikado

Author:  Julianna Deering
Genre:  Mystery, Inspirational

Five Stars

When a celebrated actor is found murdered in his dressing room, all signs point to Drew's old flame.  But behind the curtains nothing is what it seems and it quickly becomes his most puzzling case yet.

Just as Drew Farthering thinks his life has calmed down some, Fleur Landis, a former girlfriend, reappears, in dire need of his help. She's married now, no longer an actress--but the lead actor in her former troupe's production of The Mikado has been murdered, and Fleur is the police's number one suspect.

Drew would rather focus on his fiancee, Madeline Parker, and their upcoming wedding, but he can't leave Fleur and her family in the lurch--even if she did break his heart once. As Drew, Nick, and Madeline begin investigating, they discover more going on behind the scenes of the theater troupe can could ever have been imagined. It seems nearly everyone had a motive, and alibis are few and far between.

Both the murder case and the presence of the beautiful, exotic Fleur put a heavy strain on Drew and Madeline's relationship. Will their still-young romance survive the pressure?

********

I was drawn to this book because it takes place in the 1930's, and I love to read books centered around that period.  When I began the book, the conversations felt stilted and mundane, forced, if you will; but as I read on the dialogue definitely improved and along with it, the book.

Drew, preparing for his wedding to Madeline, has a dinner party, and one of the guests, Fleur, is an actress he had a one-night-stand with several years ago.  Fancying himself in love with her, he proposed, only to be rebuffed immediately.  Now he sees that she is still as beautiful as ever, but married to one of his employees; and he doesn't feel the same.

When she approaches him the next day because she is a suspect in the murder of a fellow actor, she wants him to find the real killer because she has a husband and child and doesn't want any scandal.  Reluctantly, he agrees, but Madeline isn't too fond of the idea, being jealous of Fleur.  Still, he takes the case, and along with Madeline and his best friend Nick (who also happens to be the butler's son), they set out to prove Fleur innocent and find the real killer.

The book moved along nicely, the action quite in tune with the setting and time it takes place.  I enjoyed the interaction between the characters, but to be honest, I really didn't understand the irrational - yes, irrational - jealousy of Madeline.  I get that Fleur is gorgeous.  But since he obviously never mentioned her before during their relationship, I can't see that it would make any difference.  And after explaining it, toward the last third of the book, I understand; but that would be her own insecurity and have nothing to do with Drew nor his behavior.  It's not as if he were paying any attention to Fleur now.

Be that as it may, the book was good, and the plot was good.  When the killer was revealed, I don't know whether I was surprised or not, but it was certainly unexpected.  Just when you think you have it all figured out, something changes; in this case it was at the last of the book and made perfect sense. 

I urge you to supress the desire to peek to the end and see who the killer is.  You will enjoy the book much more if you do.  Recommended reading for anyone who likes mysteries.

Note:  This is a Christian mystery, so there are references to God throughout, but not so many that it will spoil the book for anyone who doesn't read the genre.


http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Mikado-Drew-Farthering-Mystery/dp/0764210971/

Murder on the Cape Fear

Author:  Ellen Elizabeth Hunter
Genre:  Mystery

4 Stars

 

Ashley Wilkes lives in Wilmington, North Carolina and is an historic preservationist; she is restoring the home of a sea captain, Thomas Pettigrew, who was a Civil War blockade runner.  An old journal and letters link Captain Pettigrew to the present day, and someone who believes there is buried treasure somewhere in the house she is restoring is willing to kill for it.

 

While at a local bookshop where her uncle is having a book signing, Ashley stumbles - literally - across a dead body.  She discovers that her uncle was sent a journal written by the late Captain Pettigrew.

Ashley (who, for those of you who may not have yet read Gone With the Wind), was named after a character in the book, along with her sister, Melanie.  I picked up this book for that reason and the fact that it has ties to the Civil War, a subject I am extremely interested in (due to the fact that my husband was born and raised near Gettysburg, and I love the area and the history surrounding it).  I am glad to say I was not disappointed.  The plot is well-woven, the story tight, and the characters both endearing and infuriating.

I was slightly confused at first, because although the book's description reads that Ashley is an "historic preservationist," and that she is refurbishing a home, she refers to the home as 'hers', and several times throughout the book she notes that she has to get back to 'her house,' and I guess maybe a preservationist could refer to a house that way; I don't think I, personally, would get so attached to a house I was refurbishing to look at it as mine.  Nor would I live in it as Ashley is doing.  I've seen houses that needed to be restored, and no one I know would think of living in them while they're refinishing unless the house truly belonged to them.  After all, how would you feel when it was time to leave?  But I digress...

When Ashley finds the body, it turns out he was part of an 'investors weekend' her sister Melanie was hosting.  Melanie is an ex-beauty queen-turned-realtor who breezes through life without a care, and does pretty much whatever she pleases.  So until the police can clear the rest of the investors as suspects, no one is allowed to leave town.

Melanie being who she is, foists upon her younger sister a loud-mouthed writer and her mousy husband who proceed to take over the house from Ashley, lock, stock and barrel.  Ashley is beside herself but her sister won't do anything (stating all hotels are full), and Patsy, the unwelcome houseguest, considers herself a 'picker' and begins to load the house with all sorts of junk, to Ashley's dismay.  Patsy is a thoroughly unlikeable, coarse woman in my opinion, and there were a few times while reading I wanted to give her a swift kick myself.

Then things begin to happen - and I won't spoil the book and tell.  But what I will say is that it is all tied to the journal that Ashley's Uncle Binkie has received from the home's owner - and that it goes back to the Civil War, Wilmington and the blockade runners.  There are historical references and information regarding Wilmington and the surrounding area which I found to be interesting.

When the ending is finally revealed, it was put together well.  It made sense, and both the past and the present were merged seamlessly.  The reason I gave it four stars instead of five was because, as I mentioned before, I became confused when she kept referring to it as 'my house,' and thought that she should have explained how she lives in the homes and refers to them as 'hers'.

Still, a very good read and recommended for anyone with either an interest in the Civil War or mysteries.  I fully intend to read others by this author.

www.amazon.com/Murder-Cape-Fear-Wilmington-Mystery/dp/0373267088
 

The Ghost and Lady Alice

Author: Marion Chesney
Genre: Historical Romance

2 Stars

Alice Lovesey is a  16-year-old innocent servant girl who is being sexually pursued by one of her employers.  One night she sees a portrait of the deceased Eighth Duke of Haversham and makes a wish that she could change her life.  She somehow, through that wish, brings the duke back as a ghost.

At first the ghost refuses to help her, then, on a whim, he decides he will not only help her to escape, but also help her find her way to an advantageous marriage, by 'reinventing her' as someone else. He succeeds in this to such an extent that he, himself, begins to fall in love with her (since this is a romance from that wonderful writer Marion Chesney, of course he would, so I am not really giving anything away.

I read this book because I thought it would be interesting; ghosts and castles somehow just belong together.  The book itself was a quick read, and had a different premise (ghost and living person fall in love).  The storyline was interesting, but there are a few things I would have preferred differently, including the ending (which I won't reveal here, but if you're interested, please check out my review on Goodreads to view the spoiler).

www.amazon.com/Ghost-Ladu-Alice-Marion-Chesney/dp/0449216985

The Bumblebroth

Author: Patricia Wynn
Genre: Romance, Regency

3 Stars

The Duchess of Upavon, Mathilda, begins to worry when her fifteen-year-old daughter is paid particular attention to by Lord Westbury, a near neighbor.  Mathilda herself was once wed to a much older man, and knowing what she had to endure, she decided that she would do whatever necessary to see that the match would not take place.  What Mathilda did not know was that Lord Westbury had been put up to it by his mother, who wanted to reclaim some land that is now owned by the duchess.

The young dowager duchess, Mathilda, does not go into society.  She had a bad experience when she was married to her Duke that left her feeling unwelcome and unhappy.  Now comes a neighbor, Lord Westbury, who starts paying attention to her young daughter, and she is naturally upset, since she herself married a much older man.  What she does not know, is that Lord Westbury's mother has put him up to it, figuring if her son can marry the Duchess' daughter, then the land she has craved for so long will finally find its way back into her fold.

The book was pretty decent, but I found it a little unbelievable in the fact that the heroine tries not to get involved with the hero because she is "so much older than him". The age difference turns out to be about six years or so. (I believe he is 30 and she is 36 or 38).  That is not much of an age difference, and I doubt that it would have made any difference then as it does not make much difference now. 

Actually, considering some of the things that go on in Regencies (bedhopping by unmarried women, for one), I can't see where this should be a problem for her, since it wasn't a problem for him.  Although the age difference thing seemed to be silly in my opinion, the rest of the book was pretty good.  Worth a read.

www.amazon.com/Bumblebroth-Five-Star-Romance/dp/0786250852

Edited for Death

Author: Michele Drier
Genre: Mystery

4 Stars

 

 

Amy Hobbes left Southern California when her husband told her he was leaving her and moving to Chicago with his pregant girlfriend (whom Amy did not know about).  Now needing a job, and as an ex-journalist, she received an offer to be the Managing Editor of the local newspaper.  When a World War II hero dies, and two others soon after,  Amy finds the deaths are linked and sets out to solve the murders.

I liked the mystery, and it was surprisingly good.  It kept me guessing throughout.  The fact that she intertwines the present day with World War II was extremely intriguing.  Going back and forth between the eras and seeing how they tied together in the mystery was quite different from most mysteries, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.   The book also gives some insight into the world of art and art collecting, which I found interesting in itself.

Aside from a few typos (which was probably the formatting since this was a Kindle book), and a couple of F-bombs thrown in (that weren't necessary to the story), it had a very good plot and again, I enjoyed the fact that it was a modern/historical mystery.
 

I look forward to reading more from this author.  Recommended reading.

www.amazon.com/Edited-Death-Michele-Drier/dp/0983682313