Monthly Archives: December 2013

by

Murder on the Rocks by Allyson K. Abbott

 I just finished this first book in a new (to me) series this afternoon, waiting on doctor’s appointments.  I really enjoyed it!

The mystery was well developed.  I loved the bar theme (and the cocktail recipes).  The protagonist Mack Dalton was really interesting and strongly drawn.  There was a plethora of suspects that Mack, with the assistance of hunky cop Duncan, sorted through, confirming alibis and uncovering clues.  A big positive was that the sleuth is actively involved in the investigation, even though she is a suspect. In some cozies, the sleuth just sort of stumbles around and doesn’t seem to actively investigate.

There is also an interesting Al Capone connection thrown in the mix.  This was a very satisfying cozy and a good start to new series.  I will be on the look out for the next book in the series and some of the other books by this author.

by

The Other Child by Charlotte Link

 

Saw this book mentioned on a blog and picked it up from my library.  The story has a diverse group of characters and a dual story line.  One story has to do with Gwen, a spinster, who lives an isolated existence and now has met a young man, who for some unfathomable reason has asked her to marry him.  The second story has to do with a horrific event which occurred during the war.

The two stories are intermingled and you are led to believe that one is related to the other.

My main issue with the book is that the second story is told through emailed documents – between the two participants in the event.  Why would they need to do that in such exacting detail?  They were there.  Made no sense to me.  I will say that the story of what happened during the war was absolutely heartbreaking.  I found it very depressing.

The current story had a disjointed feel and it was pretty obvious who the villain was relatively early on.

The Other Child had an interesting plot, the idea for the story was quite good.  It just suffered in the execution.

by

The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott

Just got around to reading this because the second book, The Sayers Swindle is out now.  I am so glad I did.  This was a very well done mystery with interesting characters and lots of twists and turns.  I loved the theme, book collecting, similar to the Dido Hoare mysteries that I like.

The main character, Jordan Bingham, is well crafted.  She is very realistic, not some simpering princess but not an unbelievable she-hulk either.  The other characters were fun and interesting, particularly her Uncles.  The book is well written and edited so that the pace flows along nicely and the ending ties up neatly and quickly.  I had figured out one of the villains, but it did not detract from my enjoyment of the book.

I am looking forward to the next one of these!