Pastrami Murder (Darling Deli Book #1)

Author:  Patti Benning
Genre:   Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781523677498
CreateSpace Publishing
98 Pages
$6.99; $0.99 Amazon
January 24, 2016

⭐

The shores of lake Michigan form the backdrop for smart and sassy Moira Darling's thriving deli shop.  Moira's small town world is turned upside down when one of her cross-town rivals is found murdered.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

No.  Just no.  The police do not give inside information about an ongoing murder investigation to reporters.  The news would not have reported that a bowl of soup from Darling's was found at the scene for two reasons:  1) it was an ongoing investigation and was evidence; and 2) if it turned out that no one from Darling's was guilty, and Moira's business closed as a result, she could sue both the police and the news agency; especially since the news agency was practically accusing Moira of killing the victim to save her deli.  This is just sloppy.

But, to make things even more unbelievable - Moira, whom we know owns a deli, is served by Danielle what is essentially a Cheesesteak - with the on;y differences being olive bread, steak sauce and no peppers - and she's floored by it.  Seriously?  She owns a deli but have never heard of a Cheesesteak?  She never thought to even make a roast beef sandwich with onions and cheese?  Not a very good deli if she doesn't offer this or has never thought of any variations herself.  If Moira is described as 'smart and sassy' I sure never saw it.

But the real kicker is the fact that the cops think she did it because of the takeout container.  Um, I believe I mentioned above that it's a deli.  She sells food and soups to go.  To.  Take.  Out.  Did the police think that anyone at all could have purchased the soup and left?  Did they question every single customer (because you'd have to).  Did they wonder why she would be stupid enough to leave her own container behind?  To leave incriminating evidence behind?  What a sorry excuse for a police department this is.

Nope.  I'm not buying it.  Learn your facts before you write.  This is a short book but not even worth the time it took to read it.  I don't know how it got any five star reviews.  I'm sure never going to read anything else by this author.

https://www.amazon.com/Pastrami-Murder-Book-Darling-Deli/dp/152367749X/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2957554355

More on Patti Benning's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/patti-benning/

Assault and Beadery (A Cora Crafts Mystery #4)

Author:  Mollie Cox Bryan
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496716446
Kensington Publishing
299 Pages
$5.62; $5.92 Amazon
September 25, 2018

⭐⭐

All of Cora Chevalier's dreams are coming true.  Since moving to Indigo Gap, North Carolina, the busy crafting maven has been blessed with a great boyfriend, a lovely home, and a booming craft retreat business.  But on the eve of her first Crafty Mom's Escape Weekend, tragedy strikes again in Indigo Gap.  This time, it's curtains for Stan Herald, the disagreeable director of the local theater group, who's murdered on the opening night of their new production.  Worse, Cora's friend Zoe is accused of the crime.

Cora is determined to prove her friend's innocence, but Zee's mysterious past is making that difficult.  And with a list of suspects longer than a double spool of cording, getting a bed on the real culprit won't be easy.  With her friends Jane and Ruby at her side, Cora must string together the clues and solve Stan's murder before the killer gives an encore performance.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Cora Chevalier owns an old Victorian home which she's turned into a crafting retreat.  Women sign up for classes and stay at her home for a few days while learning a new skill.  Right now, though, she and her friend Jane are decorating a stage for the local playhouse.  The director is not a well-liked man, and they're doing it as a favor to their friend Zee, who is also the owner of a B&B.  One night while waiting for Zee, Cora receives a frantic telephone call from the woman who informs her that the director is dead and she's been accused of the murder.  Now Cora, along with Jane and her other friend Ruby, are determined to find the real killer instead of watching Zee go to jail for a crime she didn't commit.

I used to enjoy this series, but this fourth and last one, not so much.  Honestly, people read to get a bit of an escape from reality, and I'm getting tired of Cora.  She has panic attacks and anxiety and never seems to take her medication so she doesn't have them.  That just seems stupid, and when she's involving herself in a murder investigation (as we know she will) wouldn't it make sense to make sure she's on her top game?  I can't help but wonder a bit about the author, though: I read the first in another series she has and that protagonist was suffering the after-effects of Lyme Disease.  Is she interested in writing about a protagonist who doesn't have one affliction or another?  Because this isn't interesting, just depressing.  I've never really warmed up to Cora because of this.  I've also said this, before, too: I don't like Adrian, he seems really dull.  I like Cashel much better; he, at least, has a personality.

I also wasn't invested in the mystery.  The victim died after speaking one or two lines, and we never got to know anything about him.  We never saw him interact with anyone, so I didn't really care about the victim one way or another.  I much prefer when the victim actually has interaction with people, so I can get a sense of the type of person they were - not told, but shown.

Then, and this is where the book pretty much had me rolling my eyes, was the fact that Cora receives the telephone call from Zee, and one of the guests for the retreat arrives early.  So she just up and leaves the woman alone in her house without knowing anything about her.  Who in their right mind would do that?  What if the woman had sticky fingers?  What if she wasn't really who she professed to be?  She could have robbed her blind and just walked out before Cora got back.  How dumb is she?   

But not long after that we find out that Cora, with a murderer on the loose, leaves her back door unlocked.  Cora mentions as how there have already been three murders in this town, but she doesn't lock her doors?  Seriously?  Who does that?  But I guess I didn't expect much else from her.  You'll lose me right away with messy details like that.  She leaves home with a stranger in it, and leaves her back door unlocked so anyone can walk in.  Sure, that makes sense.

I also get that she has a crafting retreat, but I've never understood why she's just allowed people to run rampant in her house and take whatever they want in the kitchen.  It's not their home, it's hers.  She should treat it as such.  It's not that difficult to make a pot of coffee or a pitcher of iced tea and offer them to someone.  It also doesn't make any sense that she's hiring a caterer instead of a cook.  It would be cheaper all around, people could eat together and talk (and the guests wouldn't be running through her kitchen).  She also might save some money by hiring a part-time cook while the retreats were taking place.  Caterers are expensive.

Okay, now here's a personal opinion, but since it's my review, I'm allowed this:  I also get really tired of characters who constantly drink.  How does that help?  It doesn’t take away the problem, it only makes it harder for your body to recover.  I much prefer mysteries where they don't sit drinking all night.  There are other ways to relax without it.   Things that happen when you stop drinking:  Your heart and liver get healthy, and it eases depression, anxiety, and raises self- esteem.  Cora might want to put down the booze for awhile.

Also, how are they crafting while getting drunk?  Go ahead and try stringing those beads when you can't see properly.  I wouldn't want to see the finished product, that's for sure.  I'm a huge crafter, and staying sober is probably a very good idea. I get so tired of them always opening a bottle of wine like they can’t have a conversation without it. Have a glass of iced tea or water once in a while.  Your body will thank you.  

At any rate, this book was the only one of the four that couldn't hold my attention - especially after what I mentioned above.  I just didn't care who the killer was, or the reason why.  I just wanted it to end.

https://www.amazon.com/Assault-Beadery-Cora-Crafts-Mystery/dp/1496716442/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2955729431

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

A Pie to Die For (A Bakery Detectives Cozy Mystery #1)

Author:  Stacey Alabaster
Genre:   Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781530717606
Createspace Publishing
160 Pages
$7.99 Amazon
March 19, 2016

⭐

Rachael will do anything to protect her bakery from the evil Bakermatic Baked Goods Company, but does that include murder?  When a food critic dies after sampling a pie from Rachael's Bakery, she is quickly labeled the prime suspect.  When the police doubt her story of innocence, she has no choice but to find the real killer.  With carefree best friend, Pippa, Rachael sets out on a mission to save her bakery, but it could ultimately cost her and her best friend everything.
                   

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

First off, I should have known from the cheesy blurb, but I didn't.  Evil?  Seriously?  Also, the woman was a blogger, not a critic.  They are two different things.  Anyway...

Premise:  A local food blogger, Colleen, tells Rachael (our protagonist) - whom Rachael dislikes and vice versa - that she has to try something from every stall at the food fair.  That same night she learns that Colleen has died, and she is brought to the police station for questioning.  She's told she's a suspect, and she points out that Colleen ate at every booth and is told they're aware of it.  Then she discovers that a rival business - Bakermatic - is telling everyone she's a suspect in the murder.

Excuse me, but isn't Bakermatic also a suspect?  How can she be targeted as a killer if the woman ate at every single booth before dying?  Don't the police in this town do their job?  ALL the vendors would be suspects.  The police would do an autopsy (except in this town, I guess) to see what actually was in her stomach and what the cause of death was.

Following is the reason why this was so ridiculous:

Since the dead woman never ate Rachael's pie, she'd be cleared immediately...but she wasn't, which is why I came to the conclusion that there was no autopsy done.

 

FYI:  How did they know she ate at Rachael's booth?  Who told them?  If it was a rival business owner, wouldn't they have to admit she bought their food, too?  Wouldn't the police be a teensy bit suspicious of that person?

None of it makes any sense.  Not even when she forced her best friend Pippa to take a job at the Bakermatic and convinces her to let her in after hours and, of course, they get caught immediately.  These two women are dumber than a box of rocks.  The police department is inept.  People in this town are willing to take Bakermatic's word for it that Rachel's is to blame and eat at their store without proof that she's a murderer?  I'd steer clear of anyone who was at the fair until the killer was actually named and arrested.

Speaking of Pippa, she's labeled a "free spirit."  Every time I hear those words, I think of irresponsible, and I'm never disappointed.  'Free spirit' means 'doesn't want to hold a steady job and is somewhat of a flake.'  I'm not fond of free spirits.   Anyway...

I gave up and skipped to the end and it didn't make any sense.  In the beginning Rachael states she pays her employees a living wage, but in the end her only employee is Pippa - and she just hired her.  So who are these imaginary employees to whom she was paying a living wage?  (However, to be fair, it may have been somewhere in the middle; but this book was so bad I couldn't make it past chapter two, and even that was too far.)

The author obviously has no idea what goes into a murder case except for the fact that there needs to be a dead body.  She has no idea how to structure the story so it's believable.  Details are important, and there aren't any here.  I don't even know what state this takes place in, or any anything about the characters that define them (except for the fact that Pippa has red hair).  Sorry, but I will never read this author again.

https://www.amazon.com/Pie-Die-Bakery-Detectives-Mystery/dp/1530717604/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2949739837

More on Stacey Alabaster's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/stacey-alabaster/

A Crafter Quilts a Crime (A Handcrafted Mystery #3)

Author:  Holly Quinn
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781643852904
Crooked Lane Books
[Pages TBA]
$26.99; $12.99 Amazon
February 11, 2020

⭐⭐⭐

Snowcapped pines and glittery dusted sidewalks adorn tranquil Heartsford, Wisconsin, while residents cuddle beneath heirloom quilts in front of cozy wood fires.  But come the next day, the below-zero temperatures won't keep the locals away from Heartsford's annual Fire & Ice event.  To boost customer traffic at Community Craft's one-night-only sale, Samantha "Sammy" Kane persuades a few of the craftspeople who sell their wares at the store to participate in a live mannequin window display contest.

Local quilter Wanda Wadsworth emerges as a favorite to win the contest, as she manages to not move a muscle for an unusual amount of time.  Onlookers outside the window try everything to get her to crack -- tapping on the glass and making funny faces -- but nothing disrupts Wanda's stillness.  When the eagle-eyed spectators realize Wanda isn't breathing, a blanket of grief and fear descends upon the wintry town.

Detective Liam Nash can't seem to piece the clues together.  Fortunately, Sammy's cousin Heidi, and her sister, Ellie, are on hand to reconvene their detective team, S.H.E.  They set out to solve Wanda's untimely death before the case grows as icy as a sub-zero Wisconsin winter.  But they are all too aware that the killer is too close for comfort.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

It's the one night of the Fire and Ice event, and every store in town stays open until midnight, including Samantha "Sammy" Kane's craft store.  She has a unique idea to bring people into her store: she's invited the craftspeople to take part as being live mannequins, for twenty minutes each, and the person with the most votes for best one will get a gift certificate.

Everything seems fine when the first contestant - her cousin Heidi - manages to get through, but the second contestant - Wanda Wadsworth - seems to outdo Heidi.  That is, until Heidi notices Wanda's lips have turned blue and calls an ambulance.

Then no one can reach Wanda's husband Marty, and now the search is on and they're wondering if he killed her, and why.  So Sammy decides that she, her sister Ellie and Heidi - the members of S.H.E. - need to get back together to solve a murder and find a killer...

I have hidden below in a spoiler things that bothered me because I do not wish to ruin the book for those who haven't as yet read it:

I have to be honest and say that I almost didn't read this book all the way through - almost. This is the third book in the series and I'm really getting tired of Sammy saying Heidi dyes her hair blonde. So what? Millions of women dye their hair. It's not novel and it's not a sin. Why does it bother Sammy so much? Is she jealous? Really, no one cares if she dyes her hair or not. I can honestly say I've never met a woman who told me that another woman dyes her hair. It's just never come up as a subject.

The second thing that bothered me is I'm also getting really tired of Heidi's "jazz hands." What adult in their right mind does 'jazz hands' on a regular basis? Seriously? Like she wants everyone to know she's a big deal? Heidi needs someone to give her a reality check.

Then Sammy hadn't seen Detective Liam Nash in a couple of weeks, and he shows up as the paramedics are there and appears not to notice this fact. He's a homicide detective. What is the first thing he says to Sammy? "Have you missed me?" Not, "where's the body?" or even "what happened here?" Then he starts flirting with Sammy and eats a cookie. That's right. Eats. A. Cookie. He mentions how good they are then, and only then, does he ask Sammy questions about the deceased. What kind of detective is he? Meanwhile, he's also playing with jars of jam - he's actually shopping! Okay, I get that he didn't know it was a homicide at that time, but it's as if he didn't care what was going on around him, and any homicide detective's instincts would have kicked in. So yeah, this bothered me. (And the next day Sammy notices Wanda's travel mug of tea and does Nash take it from her as possible evidence? Nooo...he comforts her and totally blows it off; then hears from Sammy's employee about an argument Wanda had the night before and then he decides to take the tea. After. Not right away.) I also thought it was odd that Nash wanted Sammy to answer Wanda's phone and pretend to be her. That's not how it works.

There are also people shopping in her store while all this is going on and she actually has to tell them to put down their merchandise and leave. Really? In a small town, where everyone probably knows everyone else, a person just dies while you're in a store and you continue shopping? What kind of people live in this town?

I also found it sad that Ellie's four-year-old son Tyler doesn't have any friends. He had a birthday party and the only people attending were his parents, Sammy, and Heidi. So he has no friends and his mother won't allow him to even have a pet. Very sad. My own children have always had cats or dogs, even fish and turtles...and friends - lots of friends.

Then came the kicker - someone kidnapped Sammy and left her dog to run outside in the bitter cold and snow. Sorry, but I will NOT love any book that deals with animal cruelty of any kind. This was completely uncalled for. A dog can die in the cold as well as the heat in a matter of minutes, and I don't care how desperate someone is, there is not reason for this at all. I guess I'll never understand why things like this don't bother people when it just makes me angry and I don't like it at all.

However, the mystery itself was written well, I liked the plot, and it seemed that the members of S.H.E. weren't really involved in this one, and it was Sammy alone who happened to come across evidence which was fine with me, as it more or less brought Sammy and Nash to a better understanding of each other.

When the ending comes and the killer is revealed it's rather sad; but the clues were there to follow and that's the main thing.  Although I enjoyed the first two books in the series more, I will read another because of that reason alone.

https://smile.amazon.com/Crafter-Quilts-Crime-Handcrafted-Mystery/dp/1643852906/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2947997730

More on Holly Quinn's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/q/holly-quinn/

The Whole Cat and Caboodle (A Second Chance Cat Mystery #1)

Author:  Sofie Ryan
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book; Audiobook
ISBN: 9780451419941;
Berkley Obsidian Mystery
336 Pages
$7.89; $7.99 Amazon (Also available in Audio CD)
April 1, 2014

⭐⭐

Sarah Grayson is the happy proprietor of Second Chance, a charming shop in the oceanfront town of North Harbor, Maine.  At the shop, she sells used items that she has lovingly refurbished and repurposed.  But her favorite pet project so far has been adopting a stray cat she names Elvis.

Elvis has seen nine lives - and then some.  The big black cat with a scar across his nose turned up a local bar when the band was playing the King of Rock and Roll's music, and he hopped into Sarah's truck.  Since then, he's been her constant companion and the furry favorite of everyone who comes into the store.

But when Sarah's elderly friend Maddie is found with the body of a dead man in her garden, the kindly old lady becomes the prime suspect in the murder.  Even Sarah's old high school flame, investigator Nick Elliot, seems convinced that Maddie was up to no good.  So it's up to Sarah and Elvis to clear her friend's name and make sure the real murderer doesn't get a second chance.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

When Sarah Grayson returned home after her radio show was cancelled she decided to open a second-hand shop, and seems to be doing pretty well.  On one morning she's giving a class at the local retirement home, and her friend Maddie doesn't show up - which isn't like her.  So after the class Sarah and her elderly friend Charlotte go to Maddie's home and find her sitting in her backyard alongside her boyfriend Arthur Fenety...who happens to be dead.  When the police suspect Maddie of the murder, none of the women can believe it.  Since the three elderly friends - Charlotte, Rose, and Liz - are determined to find the killer, all Sarah can do is stick by them and hope for the best...

First off, I'm going to say that I absolutely love cats.  I have several of my own, and they are indeed quirky characters with a mind of their own.  However, since my cats aren't magical, and Sarah's cat Elvis isn't either, I have to wonder why he watches Jeopardy.  Cats aren't big on television.  They'd rather eat, sleep, and play.  They aren't too fond of being unable to move, so I can't imagine that any cat would take kindly to being carried around in a duffel bag tied up to their neck with only their head poking out.  There would be a fight about that one.  So no, I didn't get the feeling that Elvis was "real."

Then, I am honestly really, really, tired of protagonists proclaiming they can't cook.  It's not that hard to make basic food and no one has to be a gourmet cook, but it's pretty easy to make a hamburger, chicken breast, or even salmon.  Personally, I think Sarah is just lazy and would rather eat out.  Making scrambled eggs isn't even worth cleaning the pan.  If you're setting off fire alarms, you're not paying attention, which brings me to another another thing: (and proves Sarah just doesn't want to learn to cook). 

Mac remarks that Sarah pays more attention to detail than he does.  No, she doesn't, or she'd be able to cook.  That statement was just blown out of the water.  Also, if he's going to build a boat of his own, shouldn't he be paying attention to details himself and be able to paint those details.  Also, why would you paint a beautiful wood table?  Varnish it to its original color.  I wouldn't buy a wood table from a second hand store that I'd eventually have to strip the paint from to return it to its original glory.  Just sayin'

I also didn't understand why Sarah spent her time hanging around with three elderly women.  Yes, I get they were trying to solve a murder together, but from conversations it's apparent that these ladies are probably most of her social life.  Who hangs around with someone who's nearly sixty years older than you are?  Yes, be fond of your grandparents by all means; but their friends shouldn't be your social life.

Also, the book was more centered on Rose, Liz, and Charlotte, who seemed to blend into each other and they're just not that interesting.  If this book had been labeled as being about senior sleuths we would have been forewarned, because honestly, it really is about them in the long run.  Sarah's love interest just floats in and out of the book when he's needed to make an appearance, as does her friend Jess.  I also didn't get why Sarah would allow the three women to 'create an office' at her place of business.

The murder investigation itself didn't really begin until almost half of the book, around page 190, and by then I'd already lost interest in the book.  When I did get to the end it felt forced and as if the author just needed to find someone as the murderer.  We weren't really given clues so it wasn't pointing toward anyone at all, which was disappointing.

The book would have been better, in my opinion, if Sarah actually had a reason to investigate instead of just keeping an eye on the three women (and, I have to wonder, since Maddie was the one suspected of murder, why wasn't she helping find the killer? - after all, it would have been her head in the noose, not her friends').  I also would have liked to have more descriptions of the town and the harbor, which were practically non-existent here.  This one, unfortunately, was a letdown, but I will perhaps try the second in the series as many times the author hones the characters and the books.  Hopefully this will be the case in this series.

https://smile.amazon.com/Whole-Caboodle-Second-Chance-Mystery/dp/0451419944/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2946638215

More on Sofie Ryan's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/sofie-ryan/

Murder, She Knit (A Knit and Nibble Mystery #1)

Author:  Peggy Ehrhart
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496713278
Kensington Publishing
288 Pages
$7.99; $1.99 Amazon
March 27, 2018

⭐⭐⭐

Pamela is hosting the next Knit and Nibble meeting and can't wait to liven up her otherwise empty home with colorful yarn, baking, and a little harmless gossip.  She even recruits Amy Morgan, an old friend who recently moved to town, as the group's newest member.  But on the night of the gathering, Amy doesn't show.  Not until Pamela finds the woman dead outside - a knitting needle stabbed through the front of her handmade sweater...       

Someone committed murder before taking off with Amy's knitting bag, and Pamela realizes that only she can spot the deadly details hidden in mysterious skeins.  But when another murder occurs, naming the culprit - and living to spin the tale - will be more difficult than Pamela ever imagined...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Pamela Paterson is a widow who lives in a small town with a daughter in college and whose social life consists of a knitting group that meets once a week.  It's a varied group that includes both the wealthy and those not so much, but they all have one thing in common, and that's their knitting.

When Pamela is leaving the local co-op grocery she sees an old colleague of her late husband's who helped her get through her grieving, and invites her to join the group.  But Amy Morgan never shows up, and Pamela wonders what happened.  She doesn't have long to wait, as when she's searching for the small kitten she's been feeding outside, she comes across Amy - dead in the bushes, stabbed with a knitting needle.

Now Pamela is curious who wanted to kill Amy, and why.  And when there's another murder, she's convinced the two are connected, even though the police don't.  So it's up to Pamela and her friend Bettina to find the truth before someone else gets killed...

This book could have had so many possibilities, but wasted them.  It wasn't a bad book, not at all; but it missed opportunities and there were several things that bothered me.

First, I don't really approve of underage drinking.  Her daughter is eighteen, and Pamela has no problem giving her wine, because he daughter thinks since she's a college student it somehow makes it okay for her to do so.  Really?  Underage drinking is fine in Pamela's book?  It's not in mine.  Sorry, but I wouldn't give a teenager a drink any more than I'd hand a twelve-year-old my keys and tell them to take the car.

Secondly, Pamela was extremely rude to her neighbor, Richard Larkin.  She just decided that her friend Bettina was 'setting her up' so when he asked a couple of the neighbors in the day after Thanksgiving for an after-Thanksgiving dinner, she decided not to go because of it.  That's just so rude.  She doesn't want to have anything to do with him because after her husband has been dead five years, she's not ready to date.  Fine.  But to not go?  Not fine.

Then, where were the police in this story?  They were rarely in it at all, and only on the periphery.  It's as if they didn't care that people had died, they didn't give any indication they were investigating.  We were told they were asking questions, but we weren't made a part of those questions so we could figure out for ourselves who the murderer was by the responses.  In a mystery, the police shouldn't maybe be omnipresent, but they should at least be there.

But, in the end, it didn't matter.  I knew who the killer was almost immediately - and it was from a single paragraph spoken by one of the characters (and I'm not saying who it was) and it was pretty obvious and also the reason for the murder.

However, one fact did change in the book, and it has to do with the reason for the murder and also indicates what was said, so please do not read it if you haven't read the book:

The amount stolen was said as being $250,000, but at the end of the book it changed to $500,000. That's a pretty big difference and should have been caught by the editor. After all, I caught it. It's the details that count, people, and make all the difference in the book.

Other than that, I did like Catrina the cat, although Penny got on my nerves somewhat.  She seemed slightly self-centered, and trust me, not all teenagers are self-centered; Penny was concerned with what Penny wanted, and didn't even ask how her mother was doing living by herself.  She just didn't seem to care.  Pamela needs to socialize more than she does; go to dinner out once in a while, go somewhere other than the co-op.  When she's not investigating, she's a recluse.  She's also emotionless.  Did her emotions die when her husband did?  Because she never seemed happy nor excited nor anything, really.  Pamela is a pretty bland character.

All in all, while I knew who the killer was, it wasn't a bad book, and it had a decent plot.  It just could have been so much better.  I will read the next in the series in the hopes that it will improve.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-She-Knit-Nibble-Mystery/dp/1496713273/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2943880566

More on Peggy Ehrhart's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/peggy-ehrhart/

Curses, Boiled Again! (A Lobster Shack Mystery #1)

Author:  Shari Randall
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781250116703
St. Martin's Publishing
290 Pages
$7.99; $7.99 Amazon
January 30, 2018

⭐⭐

Allie Larkin was living her dream as a ballet dancer when a bad fall put her out of business.  Now she's back home in Mystic Bay to heal a broken ankle while also helping her Aunt Gully get her Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack off the ground.  Nothing would help Gully more than winning the local food festival's Best Lobster Roll contest.  The competition is sure to be killer - especially after one of the contest judges dies after eating a roll from one of Gully's biggest rivals.

Soon, all eyes fall on Gully as the prime suspect.  Allie may only have one good leg to stand on, but she's not going to let her aunt go down for a crime she never could have cooked up.  Can Allie, along with her devoted crew of friends, family, and customers, find a way to trap the killer and claw herself out of this hard-boiled murder case?

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Allie Larkin is a ballerina who injured her ankle and has gone back home to Mystic Bay to heal.  She's also going to spend time helping her aunt with the Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack, along with her older sister Lorel.  Her aunt has been asked to submit her lobster rolls in a contest being held to find the best one.  But when the judges all keel over after eating the first contestant's entry, and one of them dies, Allie decides to see if she can ferret out a killer before the fallout puts her aunt out of business before she even really begins...

Well, I really wanted to like this book because it had a different premise - Allie didn't run home penniless needing to start over because her relationship broke up, she actually has a job as a ballerina.  But, unfortunately, it started to fall apart almost immediately.

Lorel is a harridan.  (I was going to use the "B" word, but don't want to offend those who don't like cussing.)  Verity was right when she called her cold.  Lorel has all the warmth of a reptile, and no personality otherwise.  It's never said whether Aunt Gully bought the Mermaid herself or if Lorel and Allie contributed, but if Lorel didn't invest any cash, then why does she care if people take time to grieve for the dead instead of pushing Gully to continue in a contest that might not continue anyway?  I didn't get her interest in the restaurant unless she's actually paid into it (or maybe I just didn't read far enough, because her personality completely turned me off from the book).  She's just not a likable person, and you need that.

Then, Allie is a dancer, but rarely spends any time practicing while she's healing.  She does know that dancers practice every day, right?  It's a job, and you have to do it if you want to stay on top of your game.  She's also probably making a decent salary, so why would she spend her time working at the shack - on her injured foot instead of trying to heal?  I once broke my foot, and I was laid up for weeks and not walking well enough in a boot for a long time.  I certainly wouldn't be in a job that had me putting pressure on the foot - which I imagine this would do.

Since Allie also mentions that the house she grew up in is just a couple of blocks away, I wondered why she'd rather stay at her aunt's house (where there was no barre to practice) and share a room with Lorel instead of going back to her own home.  That didn't make sense.  Who would rather share a small room than have their own?  Especially when the homes are that close?    But even Aunt Gully is annoying.  Who wants to be around someone who can't sing yet won't stop?  No thanks.  I like my eardrums.

At one point the book was getting past boring, so I gave up and went to the back to find out 'whodunit' and why.  The ending.  Ho hum.  I've put it in a spoiler so as not to ruin it for anyone, but it just wasn't believable to me.  Not at all.  Please be aware that the spoiler does contain parts of the ending, including the murderer, so do not read it if you have not read the book!

We're supposed to believe that Juliet kept Contessa in an institution for years while taking her identity and no one learned the truth. Not one person was suspicious that this famous actress had suddenly morphed into someone who didn't quite seem the same? She was a star, and someone would have noticed the facial differences, the mannerisms - no two people have the same mannerisms, and sisters born a few years apart would NOT look exactly alike, they wouldn't sound exactly alike, and they might even be different heights and weights. I have three sisters, we all are different heights, and sound different on the telephone. She changed nurses every couple of weeks and that was supposed to make us think that's how no one knew? Sorry, but if this happened, someone WOULD have gotten suspicious - and quickly, if she was trying to tell them who she really was. I'm not buying it.

While I find it unfortunate, there just wasn't any real conflict, and I wasn't enthralled with this book, so won't be reading any more in the series.

https://www.amazon.com/Curses-Boiled-Again-Lobster-Mystery/dp/1250116708/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2939937447

More on Shari Randall's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/shari-randall/