Paw and Order

Author:  Spencer Quinn
Genre:  Mystery

Five Stars

In the seventh book in the brilliant New York Times bestselling mystery series, canine narrator Chet and P.I. Bernie journey to Washington, DC, and the dog-eat-dog world of our nation’s capital.

Stephen King has called Chet “a canine Sam Spade full of joie de vivre.” Robert B. Parker dubbed Spencer Quinn’s writing “major league prose.” Now the beloved team returns in another suspenseful novel that finds Chet sniffing around the capital city and using his street smarts to uncover a devilish plot.

Chet and Bernie pay a visit to Bernie’s girlfriend, Suzie Sanchez, a crack reporter living in far-off Washington, DC. She’s working on a big story she can’t talk about, but when her source, a mysterious Brit with possible intelligence connections, runs into trouble of the worst kind, Bernie suddenly finds himself under arrest.

Meanwhile Chet gets to know a powerful DC operative who may or may not have the goods on an ambitious politician. Soon Chet and Bernie are sucked into an international conspiracy, battling unfamiliar forces under the blinking red eyes of a strange bird that Chet notices from the get-go but seems to have slipped by everybody else. Most menacing of all is Barnum, a guinea pig with the fate of the nation in his tiny paws.

As Harry Truman famously quipped, “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” Too bad he didn’t get to meet Chet!

********

For those of you who have never read any of these wonderful mysteries, Bernie Little is a private investigator, along with his partner, Chet.  Together they will take on practically any case, and they are very good at what they do.  There is an early scene in this book in which Chet and Bernie are at a barbeque restaurant full of bikers.  In the ensuing action, you discover that Bernie is no ordinary detective.  He is not only able to hold his own, he has wit, intelligence, speed and strength.  Chet is no slouch, either.

This book is different in that everything is told from Chet's point of view.  Did I mention that Chet is Bernie's dog?  He's an (almost) hundred pound K-9 dropout who is just as smart as Bernie, and not only protects him, actually helps him in his cases.

This time around, Bernie is a little bored with his routine, and missing his girlfriend Suzie Sanchez, who has moved to Washington, D.C. to further her career as a journalist.  So he decides, unannounced, to visit her, and when he arrives he sees a well-dressed man exiting the cottage where Suzie lives.  Obviously not happy about this turn of events, he confronts Suzie, whose tells him that the visior, Eben, a British national, is someone she is working with on a story.  When Eben is murdered shortly thereafter, Bernie is first arrested for the murder, then released just as quickly.  Now making it much more personal for Bernie, he is stunned when Eben's father hires him to find out who killed his son.

While ferreting out the fact from fiction, Chet and Bernie realize that between the politics and intrigue lies something that covers two continents and could possibly lead straight to the White House if Bernie doesn't figure it out in time.

Chet is his usual self, discovering things the humans don't find out until later, and trying to understand why Bernie acts as he does; but never questioning anything, because he knows that Bernie is the smartest person he's ever met.  What puzzles Chet the most is the strange bird that follows them everywhere, from Suzie's house to when they're on the road in Virginia.  Although he keeps trying to let Bernie know, he's oblivious to Chet's attempts to call his attention to it.  When Bernie finally sees what Chet sees, he realizes that Suzie has stumbled upon something that could put her in danger, and his highest priority is to keep her safe.

This is a highly enjoyable read, with Chet at his dogged best (pun intended), and Bernie hot on the trail of a cold-blooded killer; not willing to rest until he finds the answers he's looking for, no matter who the murderer is.  A highly recommended read, especially for those looking for something just a little bit different.

http://www.amazon.com/Paw-Order-Bernie-Mystery-Series/dp/1476703396/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1024625287

Diamond Rings Are Deadly Things

Author:  Rachelle J. Christensen
Genre:  Mystery
 

Four Stars

Adrielle Pyper knows how to plan a wedding.  But when her biggest client and best friend is murdered three days before the wedding, Adri's world falls apart.  She moves to the posh resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho, and starts from scratch.  Thanks to her impeccable taste and unique style, Adri lands two celebrity clients and her business is headed for success, until someone vandalizes the specialty wedding dresses she imported.  It is a race to uncover the secret hidden within the yards of satin and lace before Adri becomes the next victim.

                                       ********

Adrielle (Adri) Pyper has a burgeoning wedding planner business, due to the fact that her two newest clients are ex-soap star Sylvia Rockport and Natalie Berlin, who is marrying movie star Brock Grafton.  Adrielle met Natalie through her partner and co-worker, Lorea Zubiondo, who is Natalie's best friend.  Sylvia is Brock's ex-girlfriend, and wanted to use the same wedding planner in the hopes of outdoing Natalie and possibly finding out information on her wedding plans.

The catch is that Sylvia is the epitome of bridezilla.  She throws tantrums, screams, and decides that nothing is exactly the way she wants.  So when Adri and Lorea receive a shipment of wedding dresses they had specially made, Sylvia's dress is certainly among them, but not her alternate choice.  After filing a complaint with the company that sold, and the one that delivered, them, they realize that there is a need for some fast talking to keep Sylvia happy.

Regardless of the fast footwork of Adri, she has more than one thing to be concerned about:  trying to plan two weddings at the same time, and handle the attentions of her new boyfriend, Dallas - well, while Adri is reluctant to call him that, Dallas is well on his way to falling in love with her.  And if that weren't enough, the new lawyer in town, whom Adri refers to as "the hottie," appears to be taking an interest in her also.  The problem in that: he specializes in divorces, pre-nups, and, rumor has it, has a penchant for talking couples out of getting married, if he can.  A dilemma indeed.

The reason Adri moved to Idaho is because when she started her business, her first client was also her best friend, Briette.  Briette was brutally murdered three days before her wedding, and the killer was never caught.  Because of this, Adri has been gun-shy about dating, and doesn't want to get involved with anyone, despite the fact that one of the men is persistent and patient, a fact she can't miss.

When some of the wedding dresses, along with her office safe, are stolen, Adri is at a loss to understand why.  That is, until one night when she is meticulously taking the hem down of the dress which is currently too short for Natalie.  A small package falls out - filled with various uncut diamonds.  Since the police have confiscated the rest of the wedding dresses, and Adri refuses to let that happen to Natalie's dress, she hides the diamonds and decides to call the police later.  Which may be the worst mistake she ever makes.

When photos of herself appear on her doorstep and it seems she is being stalked, she realizes that she will have to tell Tony, (a local detective who is also her brother's best friend) what is happening, but not before she extracts a promise that he won't take the dress.  Almost too late, everything becomes totally clear, and Adri has to keep her wits about her if she is to stay alive.

While I really enjoyed the book, I thought that Adri could have saved herself some trouble and given up the diamonds earlier instead of hiding them.  When she finally extracts a promise from Tony to allow her to keep the gown, after explaining why, I thought that if she had told him the reason earlier he would probably still agree with her and go along.

I also didn't like the fact that she rescued a tuxedo kitten (whom she named "Tux"); but because she occasionally brought wedding dresses home kept him on the patio as an outdoor cat (He's a kitten, and you leave him alone on an outdoor patio?).  And in one scene where she spent the night somewhere else, she forgot to feed him.  I don't believe in outdoor cats, as they are prone to shorter lifespans.  If she couldn't keep him as an indoor pet, she should have found him a home with someone who could.  It would have made more sense to confine the dresses to one room, and train him to stay out of that room - I know from experience it can be done. 

Aside from this, I really liked the book. The plot is good, even the subplots, as they are woven into the story nicely.  There are even some nice wedding ideas at the beginning of every chapter, for those who might be interested.  Recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Rings-Are-Deadly-Things/dp/1609078616/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1024631098

Last Night at the Blue Angel

Author:  Rebecca Rotert

Genre:  Literature

Two Stars

It is the early 1960s, and Chicago is teeming with the tensions of the day - segregation, sexual experimentation, the Cold War, and Vietnam-but it is also home to some of the country's most influential jazz.  Naomi Hill, a singer at the Blue Angel club, has been poised on the brink of stardom for nearly ten years.  But when her big break, the cover of Look magazine, finally arrives, it carries with it an enormous personal cost.  Sensual and magnetic, Naomi is a fiercly ambitious yet self-destructive woman whose charms tend to hurt those around her, and no one knows this better than her daughter, Sophia.

As the only child of a single mother growing up in an adult world, Sophia is wise beyond her years, a casualty of her mother's desperate struggle for fame and adoration.  Unsettled by her home life, she harbors a terrible fear that her world could disappear at any moment, and compulsively maintains a list of everyday objects she might need to reinvent should nuclear catastrophe strike.  Her only constant is the colorful and unconventional family that surrounds her and her mother, particularly the photographer, Jim, who is Sophia's best friend, surrogate father, and protector-but Jim is also deeply in love with Naomi.

Weaving between the perspectives of Sophia and Naomi, Last Night at the Blue Angel is aa poignant and unforgettable story about what happens when our passion for the life we want is at sharp odds with the life we have.  Part stylish period piece, part heartbreaking family drama, it's a novel rife with revelations, a vivid and propulsive page-turner-and the major debut of an extraordinary new writer.

********

According to the information above, the book was supposed to be about the tensions surrounding the 60s, a woman with a great passion for life and her child, and her need for adoration.  Well, one out of three I guess.

I was intrigued by the title and the blurb, and literally slogged through the book.  Although it takes place in the 60s, there is so little mentioned about the current events of the time that you would think nothing was happening.  I can't recall anything about Vietnam nor the Cold War.  There was a mention of President Kennedy's assassination and because of that, Sophia thought there might be nuclear war (?).  What I found in Naomi was a woman who was so indulgent in what she wanted out of life that she expected everyone around her to just go along with it.

Sophia is ten years old, yet Naomi thinks nothing at all of bringing lovers into her apartment whenever she feels like it, not even trying to hide the fact from her daughter.  Not even when they are still there in the morning - male and female alike.  Yet she is a good mother, right?  Her "sexual experimentation" began in the 50s, and - get this - a lesbian nun helped her - how should I put this? - 'find herself' while she had a tryst with another teenager (Laura) who decided she wanted Naomi.  So, Laura wanted Naomi, not even thinking of the consequences or the fact that maybe Naomi might be the one to suffer, her not being rich like Laura...Naomi does whatever she wants, and Sophia just goes along with it, because she's ten, thinks her mother is this amazing singer, and hasn't figured out yet that her mom's more concerned with her career than she is with her daughter.  

I wish I could say this book was wonderful, that it had a redeeming message, and/or that it was a page-turner.  But it was not.  The dialogue was in italics, not parentheses, so it appeared that everyone was thinking instead of speaking, and as such, it read as if everyone was just sleepwalking through the book.  Not one character was interesting: not Jim, who was pining for Naomi while she just used him, not Sister Eye, not Sophia, not Naomi.  Even when there was a tragedy, and Naomi discovered what was important in life, I didn't care.

It was slow, boring, and the blurb was misleading.  While I expected it to be a book with statements/events relating to the occurences of the 60s, all I found was a book regarding a woman who slept around and hurt people while trying to get famous.

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Night-Blue-Angel-Novel/dp/0062315285/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1024638606

I Said Yes to Everything: A Memoir

Author:  Lee Grant
Genre:  Autobiography

Five Stars

Born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal in New York City, actress Lee Grant spent her youth accumulating more experiences than most people have in a lifetime: from student at the famed Neighborhood Playhouse to member of the leg­endary Actors Studio; from celebrated Broadway star to Vogue “It Girl.” At age twenty-four, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Detective Story, and a year later found herself married and a mother for the first time, her career on the rise.

And then she lost it all.

Her name landed on the Hollywood black­list, her offers for film and television roles ground to a halt, and her marriage fell apart.

Finding reserves of strength she didn’t know she had, Grant took action against anti-Communist witch hunts in the arts. She threw herself into work, accepting every theater or teaching job that came her way. She met a man ten years her junior and began a wild, liberat­ing fling that she never expected would last a lifetime. And after twelve years of fighting the blacklist, she was finally exonerated. With cour­age and style, Grant rebuilt her life on her own terms: first stop, a starring role on Peyton Place, and then leads in Valley of the Dolls, In the Heat of the Night, and Shampoo, for which she won her first Oscar.

Set amid the New York theater scene of the fifties and the star-studded parties of Malibu in the seventies, I Said Yes to Everything evokes a world of political passion and movie-star glamour. Grant tells endlessly delightful tales of costars and friends such as Warren Beatty, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, and Sidney Poitier, and writes with the verve and candor befitting such a seductive and beloved star.

********

What can I say about this biography?  It's stark, all-encompassing, heartfelt and honest.  Ms. Grant lays bare her soul.  I wanted to read this because I have always liked her as an actress.  My favorite movie with her is Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell.  Admittedly, she has a supporting role; but in my opinion, she stole the movie without trying to upstage anyone.  Her mere presence on the screen is riveting, and so is this autobiography.

She begins literally at the beginning:  her relatives emigrating to Ellis Island, how her parents met, her birth, her parents' divorce and subsequent remarriage, etc.  She explains how difficult it was growing up Jewish in New York, and how she survived it. 

She became an actress as a teenager, and was nominated for an academy award in 1952.  She married Arnold Manoff, a Communist; and while he attempted to get her to join the party, she was basically apathetic about it.  Yet because of him, and friends they socialized with, her career was completely and finally cut off.  The marriage was tempestuous, and everything she did had to be with Arnie's approval.  When she finally struggled her way back to acting, she eventually did win the coveted Oscar, for Shampoo.

I was extremely interested in hearing her stories about the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committe), which was started by Senator Joe McCarthy.  For those who have no knowledge (and I am sure that is not many), it was a time in America where famous people were expected to 'name names' if they wanted to keep on working.  Many would not, and their careers would be over forever.  Ms. Grant was one of the lucky ones; she was able to find her way into acting again, although it was not easy.

Ms. Grant tells some interesting stories about the people she knew, the sets she worked on, the movies she made.  She tells us about the mistakes she made, her life with her husbands (her second husband is Joey Feury) and her children, Dinah Manoff and Belinda Feury.  She is honest in her mistakes in parenting, and the things she did right.

Not all of the stories are flattering to the people portrayed; but neither are they intended to be hurtful.  I believe they are honest, and although I already knew some of them, there were still quite a few revelations about others.

I believe that anyone who is interested in biographies, or Ms. Grant herself, will enjoy this book immensely, if only for the honesty with which it is written.  Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Said-Yes-Everything-Memoir/dp/039916930X/

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/

Too Hot Four Hula

Author:  Jill Marie Landis
Genre:  Mystery

Five Stars

A marauding monkey, a mysterious murder, middle-aged hula maidens, and mugs full of Mai Tai's. Just another day in Tiki Goddess Paradise . . .

Crime-solving sleuth Em Johnson and her Uncle Louie, owner of the famous Tiki Goddess Bar on Kauai, head for the Cocktail Shake Off Competition in Honolulu. What is supposed to be a fun trip to a mixology contest turns weird when Louie's legendary "Booze Bible" is stolen, and Em's ex-husband winds up dead-with Em the number-one suspect. Sexy Kauai detective and part-time fire dancer Roland Sharpe rushes to Em's side along with the unpredictable Hula Maidens, whose detective skills are even more haphazard than their dance routine at the island tiki bars. Toss in an escaped monkey and a killer who wants to make this the last call for someone's honky-tonk, tiki-tossing night out, and it's going to be another wild escapade for Em and her Hula Maidens.

********

Em Johnson and her Uncle Louie are headed to Honolulu for the Annual Cocktail Shake Off Competition, Western Division.  The night before they leave, they are informed by Kiki and the rest of the "Hula Maidens" that they will be joining them.  Although Em isn't too happy about it, both her and her Uncle Louie are resigned to the fact that these catastrophe-finding women are going to join them.

When Em arrives, she tells Louie that her ex-husband Phillip called and wants to see her.  When their marriage ended badly (due to Phillip's over-spending and con artist ways), Em agrees, thinking that at least she will be able to gain closure.  However, when she meets Phillip, he isn't alone.  He has brought along his plastic Barbie doll girlfriend, Felicity Duncan, who is younger and obviously high-maintenance.  After an uncomfortable lunch, she tells Phillip goodbye and heads back to her hotel, realizing that the past is past and he is never going to change.

Shortly thereafter, Em and Louie discover his famous "Booze Bible" is missing, and purportedly stolen.  Em is sure the thief is someone attending the convention, and decides to 'go undercover' at the costume party to see if she can find the guilty party.  After she is nearly arrested for burglary (it's a long story), Roland, her almost-boyfriend-police-detective from Kauai appears on the scene and agrees to keep an eye on her in return for her being released on her own recognizance.  It turns out that Nat, another friend and neighbor on Kauai, had to leave for Los Angeles but called Roland realizing that Em needed help.  So when Phillip is discovered dead the next morning, Em is on the suspect short list.  So there are two mysteries to solve and the Hula Maidens are on it - without telling anyone, naturally.

I don't want to say more than that, because I would be giving too much away.  This book was truly hilarious.  You have the "Hula Maidens," six hula-dancing (or what they think passes for it) elderly ladies dancing whenever they hear Hawaiian music (including on the plane), and trying to avoid being arrested for the same; Little Estelle, the ninety-year-old mother of one of the women trying her best to 'get it on' with any available good-looking man and disappears for hours at a time; and a cocktail-taste-testing capuchin monkey that hates women and loves alcohol (this is really funny and has a significant part in the book).

At any rate, this is the fourth book in the series and a must-read even if you haven't read the first three.  That shouldn't stop you because it can be read as a stand-alone as need be; but I would recommend going back to read the others.  Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Four-Hula-Jill-Marie-Landis/dp/1611944600/

Ill-Gotten Panes

Author:  Jennifer McAndrews
Genre:  Mystery

Five Stars

After a banking scandal loses Georgia her job and fiancé, she decides that a change of scenery will help piece her life back together.  But escaping to her grandfather's house in the old-fashioned, brick-making Hudson River hamlet of Wenwood, New York, turns out to be less relaxing than she expects.  Not only is the close-knit community on edge about their beloved brickworks being turned into a marina to draw in tourists, one of those most opposed to the project winds up dead-cracked over the head with a famous Wenwood brick.

Georgia wouldn't be broken up over the news except for the fact that the main suspect is the deceased's biggest adversary-her grandfather.  Now, to remove the stain from her grandy's record, Georgia will have to figure out who in town was willing to kill to keep the renovation project alive, before someone else is permanently cut out of the picture...

********

Georgia Kelly has recently moved to Wenwood, New York to put her life back together.  After being involved in a banking scandal (and no, she didn't do anything wrong), her fiance couldn't handle it and asked her to move out; so she decided to move back to her grandfather's house and lick her wounds.

While trying to keep a low profile and just take care of her grandfather (who really doesn't need it), she is approached by a woman who owns an antiques shop and has heard about her skills in stained glass.  Carrie, the owner, asks her to repair a lamp for her, and becomes a fast friend.  Her grandfather, Pete, owns a movie theater and restaurant, and even at eighty is still going strong.

While deciding to shop for a caulking gun to repair her grandfather's bathtub, she makes the mistake of going to the local hardware store for supplies, and overhears a heated conversation between the owner and another man.  When the owner, Andy Edgers, sees her and knows who she is, he practically orders her to leave the store immediately.  Stunned, she returns home and tells her grandfather about it, who is incensed and confronts Andy.

Later, when Andy is killed, her grandfather becomes the prime suspect.  And even though no one believes it, the police insist they have evidence, which only makes Georgia more determined than ever to find the real killer and get her grandfather off the hook.
I really enjoyed this book.  I liked the fact that for one, it wasn't the tale of someone's grandmother in trouble -  very rarely will you find that it is the grandfather, and an active one, at that - and I can tell you that it pleased me no end.  It let me know first off that this was not going to be your run of the mill mystery.

Georgia is out of her element in this small town, and is finding her way around.  She's not making a lot of friends, but she's not making enemies, either.  There are enough elements thrown in that you can imagine her spending summers with her grandfather here, but there are hints (which will probably be revealed later down the road) that all those summers weren't happy ones, for whatever reason.

The clues leading to the actual killer (since we know it couldn't possibly be Pete) are there, but you have to look for them.  It's not an easy road to travel, but a fun one just the same.  I think Ms. McAndrews has the beginning of a great series here, and I fully intend to read them as they are issued.  Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Gotten-Stained-Glass-Mystery-Jennifer-McAndrews/dp/0425267954/