Deadly Assets (An Allison Campbell Mystery Book 2)

Author:  Wendy Tyson
Genre:  Mystery; Suspense

Hardcover; Trade Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781941962107; 9781940926211

Henery Press Publishing

304 Pages

$31.95; $15.95; $2.99 Amazon

April 1,6 2014

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

An eccentric Italian heiress from the Finger Lakes. An eighteen-year-old pop star from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Allison Campbell’s latest clients seem worlds apart in every respect, except one: Both women disappear on the same day. And Allison’s colleague Vaughn is the last to have seen each.

Allison’s search for a connection uncovers an intricate web of family secrets, corporate transgressions and an age-old rivalry that crosses continents. The closer Allison gets to the truth, the deadlier her quest becomes. All paths lead back to their sinister Finger Lakes estate and the suicide of a woman thirty years ago.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Allison Campbell is an Image Consultant: That is, she teaches people how to better present themselves to the world, and this includes not only the outside trappings, but also the inside.  She has received a telephone call from Francesca Benini, who needs her help:  Francesca's brother Paolo is dying, and she intends to take over the family business.  The only problem is that Francesca has not left her home for almost forty years.  After meeting with Francesca, it is determined that she will leave her home and come to the city for her lessons.

On top of that, the latest client in her office is Tammy Edwards.  Tammy is a singer, poised to be on a television show, America's Next Pop Star.  The problem is - according to Tammy's manager, Denise Carr, and apparent to Allison - Tammy won't talk.  She won't do anything.  Denise leaves Tammy in Allison's hands, where she will be for a week to see if Allison can break through the surface.  Between these two, Allison will definitely have her hands full.

But something happens:  Allison sends her employee, Vaughn, to drop Tammy off at her home and pick up Francesca and bring her back to the city.  So he drops Tammy off at her apparently empty home, and heads back to the city with Francesca, with only a quick stop for a bathroom break...where Francesca disappears...and so does Tammy.

Panicked, Vaughn discovers that he was the last one to have seen both Tammy and Francesca.  Allison, knowing the terrible past of her employee, vows to find both women before something terrible happens to either of them. 

This book has more twists and turns than a roller coaster.  What starts out as a simple missing persons case turns into something darker and more sinister than either of them could have imagined.  And when Allison's ex-mother-in-law, Mia, decides to help on her own, things become even more tangled than anyone could have thought.  Little does Allison know that the more she probes into these cases, the more she discovers that they are tied into the life (and death) of Paolo's late wife, Gina.  While trying to discover the truth about the circumstances surrounding Gina's death, Allison is figuring out that she may be close to something more sinister than she ever would have believed.

It is sharp, intense, and immensely pleasing to read.  The story melds together all the pieces beautifully and keeps you interested.  The clues aren't that easy to deciper (at least not right away), and when you realize that what has happened to both Tammy and Francesca are tied together, it is woven in such a way to be believable. 

A highly enjoyable and satisfying read; highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Assets-Wendy-Tyson/dp/1940976219/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3425380840

More on Wendy Tyson's Books:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3425380840

Grand Central

Author:  Various
Genre:  Fiction/Historical/War

Five Stars

A war bride awaits the arrival of her GI husband at the platform...

A Holocaust survivor works at the Oyster Bar, where a customer reminds him of his late mother...

A Hollywood hopeful anticipates her first screen test and a chance at stardom in the Kissing Room...

On any particular day, thousands upon thousands of people pass through New York City's Grand Central Terminal, through the whispering gallery, beneath the ceiling of stars, and past the information booth and its beckoning four-faced clock, to whatever destination is calling them. It is a place where people come to say hello and good-bye. And each person has a story to tell.

Now, ten bestselling authors inspired by this iconic landmark have created their own stories, set on the same day, just after the end of World War II, in a time of hope, uncertainty, change, and renewal....

Featuring stories from
   
Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator's Wife
Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us
Amanda Hodgkinson, New York Times bestselling author of 22 Britannia Road
Pam Jenoff, bestselling author of The Ambassador's Daughter
Sarah Jio, New York Times bestselling author of Blackberry Winter
Sarah McCoy, New York Times bestselling author of The Baker's Daughter

Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author of The Pieces We Keep
Alyson Richman, bestselling author of The Lost Wife
Erika Robuck, bestselling author of Call Me Zelda
Karen White, New York Times bestselling author of After the Rain

With an Introduction by
Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Home Front

********

This is an anthology of short stories that take place just after the close of World War II.  They are all connected to Grand Central Station, and much of the action takes place there.  The stories themselves are not all happy; many are filled with pain, fear, hope and love.  They all take place on or around the same day in September 1945.

Each story is separate unto itself, but many of the stories reference, ever so slightly, a character from the previous one.  It is in these pages that we are allowed to glimpse some of the fear of those traveling from overseas to America for the first time; their uneasiness and fright etched upon their very beings.  And yet they are understanding that America will be kind to them; that it is different from the world they have always known - that there will be no police to search them out, no one to as for their 'papers', no one to judge them.  Not all of the stories have to do with transplanted souls; there are a few that do center around Americans themselves, but even these show the horrors and aftermath of a terrible war.

I will admit, that as in all books, a couple of the stories I really didn't care for, as they left me feeling that I would have liked a conclusion of sorts; I do understand that there was not one because there was still a story to be told by these people; but as with anyone, you like to have some sort of resolution.  However, do not let this keep you from reading this wonderful book.

Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in history, World War II, or just a very good book.

http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Central-Original-Stories-Postwar-ebook/dp/B00G3L6N88/

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/

Paw Enforcement

Author:  Diane Kelly

Genre:  Mystery

Two Stars

Officer Luz is lucky she still has a job after tasering a male colleague where it counts the most.  Sure, he had it coming-which is why the police chief is giving Megan a second chance.  The catch?  Her new partner can't carry a gun, can't drive a cruiser, and can't recite the Miranda Rights.  Because her new partner is a big, furry police dog.  So that's what the chief meant when he called Megan's partner a real b*tch.

With Brigit out on the beat, Megan is writing up enough tickets to wallpaper the whole station.  But when a bomb goes off at the mall's food court, it's up to Megan and Brigit to start digging-and sniffing-for clues.  With the help of dead-sexy bomb-squad expert Seth Rutledge and his own canine partner named Blast, Megan finds herself in a desperate race to collar a killer.  Will justice be served-or will she end up in the doghouse?

********

Megan Luz tasers her partner, Derek "Big Dick" Mackey in the place it will hurt the most.  Why?  Because he was making sexual remarks to her all day, and when she collared a woman for crystal meth, he suggested that the two of them basically give him a sex show using her digits, if you get my drift...this should have been my first clue, but I kept reading...

So, after she tases him, he runs to their chief; and when she tries to defend her actions, she's partnered with a dog the chief calls a "b*tch."  Hmmm...Derek cop is obviously sexist, and because he's 'brave,' they keep him on in the department with no reprimand of any kind.  Megan, however, is in effect punished by becoming a K-9 officer...with no training...and no police car...(which she gets later on, but not the night she needs either); she takes the dog home in her 'smart car,' in which he doesn't really fit nor has any kind of restraint.  Did I mention this is in Fort Worth, Texas?  Where there's a huge police force and I'm sure they can locate a police car for her somewhere?

On top of that, she takes the dog home to her 'tiny apartment.'  I'm pretty sure no one with a small apartment would be assigned a 97 pound dog as a partner.  They need room to run, and are usually kept in outdoor kennels.  Not small cages, which is where she tries to make Brigit sleep, and what follows is a very unfunny (inane) scenario.  As if that weren't bad enough, she takes the dog out to the apartment pool and goes swimming with her.  Didn't anyone tell Megan that you can't have dogs go swimming in apartment pools?  There are laws.  The hair could clog the equipment, and there are people who are allergic to dogs who might want to use that pool.  I love dogs, but an apartment pool?  Not likely.  If that were so, then every complex that allowed animals would have their pools filled with them.

Then, the dog chases a squirrel.  That's right, folks; a trained police dog..chases..a..squirrel.  This dog has no self-control - it is a police dog, right?  It obviously has no control of any kind, considering she puts her paws on the window of a pet store - I'm pretty sure police dogs are trained better than that.  Megan also mentioned that "while on duty she window-shopped, looked for bargains on sale racks and sampled testers at Macy's."  Another hmmm...is this what the taxpayer's money is going for?  Maybe the chief should have fired her when he had the chance.  Plus, obviously she has no patrol route, because she decided on her own to patrol the mall, even though 'they had their own security team.'  And she spends a lot of time at the mall.  I live in a big city, and I've never seen a police officer patroling any of the malls.  She's right;  they do have their own security, and the cops are only called in an emergency.

She lets us know Brigit is misbehaved (chewing on Megan's things when Brigit is angry), and that her days are spent patroling the mall (which I've already covered).  But the worst is when she starts picking on the Catholic religion.  I am not Catholic, but I would never denigrate anyone's religion or beliefs.  I was completely offended by some of the things she said, especially comparing herself to the Son of God. (Yes, she did).  AND she takes the dog to church with her!  Who does that?  Are you kidding me?  Dogs in church?  This isn't a helper dog, it's a POLICE DOG!!!

I gave it two stars because the author is obviously trying, but for a first attempt, it's a pretty poor one.  By the end of the book, I really didn't care about the bomber or anything else.  Too many unbelievable scenarios.  One of the last scenes has a particularly distasteful exchange with Mackey; something I seriously hope will never happen on our police department - because if that's how she proves she's a good cop, then it's a sad statement indeed.  Hopefully the next in the series will improve, with Megan actually acting like a police officer and not some teenager hanging out at the mall.

 http://www.amazon.com/Paw-Enforcement-Diane-Kelly/dp/1250048346/

The Death of Pie: A Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery

Author:  Tamar Myers
Genre:  Mystery

Five Stars

When a best-selling novelist falls face-down dead into Magdalena Yoder's prize-winning apple pie during the village of Hernia’s 110th Annual Festival of Pies, there is no shortage of suspects in the subsequent murder investigation. A former guest at Magdalena’s PennDutch Inn, the author had made many enemies on publication of her subsequent tell-all book, exposing the faults and foibles of members of the local Amish/Mennonite community, and mocking their way of life. But who was enraged enough to poison the acid-tongued writer?

Hopelessly out of his depth, Hernia’s inexperienced young Chief of Police requests Magdalena’s help in uncovering the answer. As she sets about questioning her friends and neighbours, Magdalena discovers that more than one villager has a secret to hide.

********

Magdalena Yoder is the Mennonite owner of the PennDutch Inn, where guests can pay upwards of $400 a night to have a "real Amish experience."  She is married to a Jewish doctor (retired), and mother to one-year-old Jacob and thirteen-year-old Alison.  She is also the town's mayor and a millionaire.  She has engaged a police chief, Toy, and paid for his salary, office, and uniforms herself.  She also owns quite a bit of the town she lives in, Hernia, herself.

Therefore, when Ramat (the novelist) is killed, Toy goes to Magdalena and asks if she will help him investigate the murder.  He has a list of suspects, but since they are all friends of hers, he wants her to approach them, figuring that she'll have better luck than he will.  In order to sweeten the deal, he offers to deputize her and let her drive the police cruiser (that she bought), since he purchased a nice Mercedes for himself and had it "decked out."

Well, what woman could resist that?  The only thing he asks is that she wear a semi-official outfit, so she wears a navy skirt and white blouse while she goes about her business.  However, that business isn't well-received by her friends as she questions them.  While she's ruffling feathers she's having to brush them calm at the same time in order to keep everyone happy.

And if that isn't enough, she has a crazy mother-in-law to deal with, who has started her own cult (although she calls it something else entirely - the Sisters of Perpetual Apathy).  The problem is that her mother-in-law, Ida, isn't apathethic about anything and has no problem showing her dislike of Magdalena while trying to figure out ways to end the marriage.

Her daughter Alison (adopted daughter, but that's another story entirely) speaks in malapropisms but Magdalena and her husband "the babester" Gabe, completely understand everything she's trying to say, even if the people around her don't.

The book is a real page-turner and I had a hard time putting it down (even to sleep).  It's quite amusing to read, the characters truly are characters, and when the killer was revealed, and the reason why the murder occurred, made a kind of wacky sense and increased my thoughts that the people in this town indeed have some problems going on that need to be dealt with.  But I definitely enjoyed the book and this newest edition to the Pennsylvania Dutch mysteries was well worth the wait.  Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Death-Pie-Pennsylvania-mystery-Mystery/dp/072788381X/

Death in Perspective

Author:  Larissa Reinhart
Genre:  Mystery

Four Stars

The curtain rises on Cherry Tucker’s debut as a high school set designer at the posh Peerless Day Academy. Cherry’s been hired for an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, but the drama director is hoping Cherry can also turn the spotlight on a malicious social media bully who’s sending poisonous texts to the faculty. The director’s got his own drama to hide, and the phantom texter seems eager to spill school secrets. When the principal’s secretary commits suicide, Cherry suspects foul play.
Deputy Luke Harper is ready to return as Cherry’s leading man. He’s eager to assist in finding the phantom culprit, but Cherry fears family secrets may doom them to the role of star-crossed lovers. Offstage, Cherry’s searching for her missing brother whose vendetta might doom Cherry and Deputy Luke Harper as star-crossed lovers. With the bully waiting for a murderous encore and her own family skeletons to hide, Cherry scrambles to find her brother and the mysterious texter before the phantom decides it’s curtains for Cherry and forces her to take a final bow.

********

Cherry Tucker is an artist who is hired by the prestigious Peerless Academy to do set decoration for a modern version of Romeo and Juliet.  When she arrives, she finds out that Mr. Tingley, head of the drama department, hired her not only for her skills, but because she has "had some success" in the past with solving murders, and he thinks he's next on a stalker's list.  While she is reluctant to try and find out who's stalking him, she needs the money and decides to accept.  What she doesn't know though, is that there is more than meets the eye.

The day she arrives, there is a suicide, and what she finds out from this is that someone at the academy is sending the faculty and staff threatening emails.  No one wants to talk about it, and Assistant Principal Cooke is downright hostile toward her, so she figures it's best to stay out of  Cooke's way.  However, in trying to find out who wants to do Mr. Tingley harm, she might also be putting herself in the way of danger.

However, I don't get why Cherry and Luke Harper, her ex-boyfriend deputy sheriff can't date.  So what if his mother married a Branson.  HE'S still a Harper.  He's also an adult, and should be able to date who he wants.  He's a Deputy Sheriff, supposedly good at his job but doesn't want to confront his family and tell them it's none of their business?  Not a good man to have around in a crisis if he's afraid of hurting someone's feelings. 

So you see, the backstory is what kept the main story from being excellent.  All this my family/your family stuff from the 1930's probably wouldn't be so today, unless you were really backwoods somehow.  (I can truthfully say I've never disliked someone just because I didn't care for their family background).  And it distracts from the story, which didn't pick up and get to the heart of the matter until the last third of the book.

Although I believe Ms. Reinhart has a flair for mysteries, and this one was really good, I'd rather see some resolution and have either Cherry or Luke (or better yet, both of them) stand up to their families and to what they want, not what their families want.  It might be nice to keep peace in the family, but it sure doesn't help if you're living with someone you really don't want.

Four stars for the mystery, a decent read if you can get past all the ridiculous family dynamics.

http://www.amazon.com/Death-Perspective-Larissa-Reinhart/dp/1940976189/

Nine Lives to Die

Author: Rita Mae Brown

Genre:  Mystery

Five Stars

Winter has come to Crozet, Virginia, bringing with it a fresh blanket of snow. Harry and her husband, Fair, are hip deep in their usual end-of-the-year activities: distributing food to needy residents, and shopping for outfits for the Silver Linings youth organization’s annual fundraising gala. But buried beneath the white stuff are dark secrets from Crozet’s past—and Harry and her posse of pet detectives are determined to sniff them out.

Two Silver Linings mentors have been found dead in suspicious circumstances. If that weren’t enough to chill the bones of the locals, a pair of severed human fingers has turned up in a pencil jar in the bookkeeper’s office at St. Cyril’s church. What does this grisly display have to do with the mysterious disappearance of Harry’s voluptuous high school Latin teacher, a quarter of a century ago? Maybe nothing. But when the animals make another gruesome discovery in the woods behind Harry’s farm, it becomes clear that terrible crimes have been committed in Crozet—and somebody’s gone to great lengths to cover them up. It’s time to stop shoveling snow and start digging for clues.

The truth will be revealed.  A cold case will be solved. And a twenty-five-year-old love triangle is about to get untangled. The weather outside may be frightful, but Harry and her four-legged friends refuse to be spooked off the case.

********

Harry Haristeen and her friends are preparing for Christmas by packaging food and goods to deliver to the needy around them.  With the holiday fast approaching, the women are on a tight schedule, and the weather isn't cooperating, turning cold and snowy.

One night after Harry and her vet husband, Fair, attend a fundraiser for the church, her friend Charlene's husband disappears.  When the local deputy Cooper receives a call from a motorist, she arrives to find Charlene's husband Pete dead - and with two of his fingers missing.  While unofficially deemed a heart attack, officially the police discover it's a murder.  When another man turns up missing and is killed the same way, the police are completely sure.

To complicate matters, Harry's animal friends Mrs. Murphy, Pewter and Tee Tucker find a Christmas present for Harry - one that fell off the arm of a skeleton.  When a coyote tells them where the rest of the bones are (after they promise to feed him for the winter), they discover what used to be a living, breathing person - and a mystery that's been secret for 25 years.

So while the police are trying to solve one murder another old one will soon be discovered and also must be solved.  While Harry and her friends are trying to do their best for everyone during the holiday season, things are said and seen that can't be undone, and lead to something deeper and darker.

There are really no clues given as to the murderer of the two men, so like Harry and her friends, you struggle along looking for clues right with them.  For myself, I was more interested in the old murder, and when the truth came out, I can't say I was completely surprised, but the journey getting there was indeed worth the effort.

A top-notch novel from a top-notch author.  Ms. Brown has given us an intriguing, semi-dark novel of friends, betrayal, secrets and murder.   Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Nine-Lives-Die-Murphy-Mystery/dp/0345530500/