Posts Tagged Mystery
Review: MURDER IN A BASKET by Amanda Flower
Posted by Diane in Cozy mystery, Crime, Murder Mystery on December 28th, 2011
Murder In A Basket
An India Hayes Mystery
Amanda Flower
ISBN: 978-1-4328-2567-6
Five Star Publishing
281 Pages
Reviewed By Diane Grace
India Hayes, college librarian and struggling artist, is talked into running a face-painting booth at the Founders’ Day Festival by her older sister, Carmen. She’s not sure how her sister persuaded her to dress in the pink pioneer costume, including mobcap and granny boots, but that’s a small problem when she finds one of her fellow artists dead.
The woman, a basket weaver named Tess Ross leaves behind an angry blacksmith husband, an adopted son, squabbling siblings, an artists co-op she helped start and a labradoodle with a trust fund.
India with her backbone of cooked spaghetti and relatives that put the word dysfunctional in the dictionary, finds herself talked into searching for the killer by the distraught son, a college student with a crush on India. In her search for answers she is conned by the victim’s lawyer into being the foster-owner of the labradoodle until things are settled. To make matters worse, Tess is the sister of the college provost, India’s pompous superior. The further India looks into the matter the worse things get. With a little luck, India will find the answer to her quest before she becomes the murderer’s next victim.
Murder In A Basket is Amanda Flower’s sophomore effort in a series featuring India Hayes, college librarian and amateur artist. Ms. Flower’s writing style fits in nicely with other professional cozy mystery writers, Earlene Fowler, M.C. Beaton, Barbara Colley and others. The story has more twists and turns than the baskets the murder victim made. India goes blundering into one situation after another. And if she can’t get into enough trouble by herself, her neighbor and family will be happy to do it for her. All in innocence of course.
This is a delightful story, I would find myself immersed in the characters, rooting for them to succeed, cringing when they got in over their heads. Made me wish there was a Stripling, Ohio and a Founders’ Festival to visit. I can recommend Murder In A Basket without qualm one to any cozy mystery reader.
Copyright 2011 by Diane Grace
Disclosure of material connection: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep in consideration preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: SATORI RANCH by Mary Frisbee
Posted by Diane in Uncategorized on November 6th, 2011
Satori Ranch
Mary Frisbee
ebook at BN.Com $3.99
Kindle ebook ASIN: B005LRXV2G
Amazon.Com
Published September 2011
272 Pages
Review by Diane Grace
Human bones found in an abandoned 1960’s Volkswagon van launch a woman’s journey of discovery. What happened on that fateful day that led to the death of her parents and abandonment of a successful commune? The search for answers lead to adventure, romance, and danger. Trout Brooke’s quest takes her across the United States and, through the memories of others, back to the time of hippies, communes, free love, and smoking weed. She gets to revisit the people of her past and learn more of the interactions of her childhood community than she, as a toddler of three years, could recall. It is a life-changing journey for more than our protagonist.
This mystery shows both sides of the hippie era; the sharing of belongings, work, and family, when family could mean a large number of unrelated people, and the darker side of allowing, perhaps, too much freedom interpreting the rules for oneself.
Brooke discovers the preconceived ideas she has of her parents are not near the truth as others saw them. She also learns the ideas she has of herself and how she relates to the world might not be everyone’s answer.
This story sneaks up on you and grabs your interest. What happens next becomes paramount to your day. Make no plans for anything important. Eat nothing that will ruin your ebook reader. There are a couple of places that are, briefly, confusing but nothing to curb your enjoyment of an excellent read.
I found myself lying in bed at midnight wondering if I could get up and read just one more chapter. Not every mystery book is that compelling before you get to the last couple of chapters but this one is.
Satori Ranch is Mary Frisbee’s first fiction novel and she is currently working on another story featuring Ms. Trout Brooke.
Copyright 2011 Diane Grace
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review
Review: MURDER IN BURNT ORANGE by Jeanne M. Dams
Posted by Agnes in Cozy mystery, Crime on September 24th, 2011
Murder in Burnt Orange A Hilda Johansson Mystery
Jeanne M. Dams
Perseverance Press
Paperback, 9781564745033
September 2011
Reviewed by Agnes Dee
Hilda has ‘married up’ in life, and happily as well, in the seventh of the Hilda Johansson series. Ladies in 1905 South Bend stay at home when expecting, and Hilda is very pregnant. She hasn’t stopped reading the paper, however, or being concerned about the unusual accidents and suspicious strangers that appear ever closer to those she loves.
Hilda solves the peculiar crime wave while (usually) doing what is expected by the town’s gentle-society, through a keen mind and a network of working class friends.
South Bend of 1905 is vividly described by Jeanne M. Dams. Hilda is first-generation Swedish, and her husband is Irish, and the humorous asides of Catholic versus Protestant beliefs will ring true to anyone who has grown up in the Midwest. The author has woven factual stories about labor unrest, agitation, and the beginnings of a more machine-dependant age together to provide a fascinating background for the story.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Copyright 2011 Agnes Dee
Review: DEAD MAN’S SWITCH by Tammy Kaehler
Posted by Agnes in Crime, Murder Mystery on September 19th, 2011
Dead Man’s Switch
Tammy Kaehler
Poisoned Pen Press
Hardcover, August 2011
ISBN13: 9781590588819
Reviewed by Agnes Dee
Kate Reilly has always wanted to race full time and professionally. She’s had experience, so it’s a natural for the owner of a car to hire her on the spot to replace a driver found dead. What isn’t natural? She’s the one who discovered the body.
The police suspect her. The racing press barely holds back with a barrage of accusations. Through it all, Kate has to prove herself innocent of the murder, and keep her mind on the upcoming race.
Tammy Kaehler has spent time working in the racing circuit, and has brought to the book many technical details of the cars, the tracks, the team and the media that surrounds this sport. Her character sees herself as an athlete, one who has to be in top form all the time - even more so because she is a woman.
Drivers in the sport are always in the public eye as stars of a racing team. They need to inspire confidence in every member of that team, including the people putting up the money.
Kate brings in the bad guy, as well as some other criminals, in a totally professional, yet humble, way.
Copyright 2011 Agnes Dee
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: DEATH AT PULLMAN by Frances McNamara
Posted by Diane in Cozy mystery, Historical Mystery, Historical fiction on May 3rd, 2011
Death at Pullman
An Emily Cabot Mystery
Frances McNamara
Allium Press of Chicago 2011
Trade Paperback
ISBN 978-0-9840676-9-5 * $14.00
262 Pages
Reviewed by Diane Grace
In the vein of a Miss Marple a young Miss Cabot travels to a company town south of Chicago to do good deeds and finds deaths and mysteries. There is action in this book, it is no cerebral exercise from an armchair. There are star-crossed lovers, and danger from known and unknown violent people. Miss Cabot herself gets carried away, in her mind a servant of justice, until reality intrudes. There is joy and sorrow in plenty. The protagonist reads as a young woman of her time. The writer on the very last page promises more from Miss Cabot. And more will be most welcome.
Frances McNamara has studied the era carefully and readily inserts a reference here and there that would be missed by the casual writer. The book is based on the factual town created by Pullman for his workers. She writes well and captures and holds the reader’s interest throughout. Her writing skills are impressive and nowhere is there a jarring note.
If there is one thing I would wish is that the Prologue and Epilogue were dropped. They do not add to this book.
On the whole I recommend that you make room for this book in your library. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
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