I have been working my way through P.D. James, Adam Dalgliesh series, for a while now.  I had put a lot of my reading aside to work on the Save Our Cozies Readathon and other things.  But I am back in the swing of it now :).  Last night I read this, Devices and Desires, which is book #8 in the series.  I loved it!  The plot was intricate and well done.  All the characters, motives and alibis woven together in a way that kept you thinking about not just who the murder is, but also how all the other pieces were going to fit together in the end.  I particularly liked the Mrs. Dennison’s story, it just resonated with me.

In this book, the author has  developed a stong sense of place and this impacts the whole experience of reading the book. You can feel the isolation and the sense of despair coming right off the pages as you read.  So well done.  The plot involves some political commentary about nuclear power, village life, and social services, along with common themes of love, hate and jealousy.  Overall, a highly recommended read!.

hint…it wasn’t the furry felines!

Thank you Sofie Kelly/Sofie Ryan for gifting me a bookmark (with a tassel that seriously fascinates Milo) and a copy each of:

I am excited to get to both of these series.  They have been recommended to me by friends several times.

Thank you again Sofie Kelly, they are much appreciated!

An ARC honest review for Lyrical Underground Books via NetGalley. First in a New Series! Maggie and Max McDonald, their 2 sons, 2 cats and dog Belle have picked up their roots and moved from a univ…

Source: An Address to Die For (A Maggie McDonald Mystery #1) by Mary Feliz

  I am working my way through the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series, trying to be ready for Book 17 coming out in 2017.  This is book 6 and the series continues to get better and better.  In this book, Duncan is working on his relationship with Kit as a personal sideplot.  As a plot line this is well done and very realistic.  Too often parent – child reunions are pictured as idyllic, happily-ever-after scenarios and that is rarely the case.

The main plot revolves around two families whose fates are intertwined.  The beginning starts with the daughter’s murder and then the history of the families is revealed gradually throughout the book building tension as it goes.  The killer was a shock to me but made perfect sense once all was revealed.  Another great book in this series!

I read these two last night and thoroughly enjoyed them both. The Lake District Murder by John Bude is one the re-released British Library Crime Classics.  I have read one other by him and loved it so I added the others to my TBR.  In this particular book Inspector William Meredith puzzles his way through a suspicous suicide of a young man who was about to be married and emigrate to Canada. The reader is engaged in puzzling through the mystery with Inspector Meredith as he examines the clues, looks for motives and checks alibis.  His Superintedent gently pushes him along with probing questions about the case.  An excellent mystery read with a beautiful setting, well drawn interesting characters, and good pacing.

The second book for this post is in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series.  I really enjoy reading about both of these characters and seeing the growth and changes they go through during the series.  They are a great duo.  This book, Dreaming of The Bones, is a standout in an already good series.  The mystery involves Duncan’s ex-wife, who he has not seen in many years, an old murder, poetry,  and of course eventually a current crime. Well plotted with quite a few characters, all with different connections to the case, a nicely done letter writing device used sporadically throughout the book and great sub plot involving Gemma, Duncan and his ex.   Highly recommended!

This was last night’s read.  I am reading my way through the Dixie Hemingway Mystery series, somewhat out of order.  I really like this series and this book is no exception.  The mystery was really well plotted and exciting right up to the end.  Dixie is a great character and I love the relationship she has with her clients and their pets.  Dixie has shown growth since the first book and it was really evident in this book when she reached out to make a new friend and to go on a date.  I always feel that the books in this series are paced more like a thriller than a cozy and that really keeps me turning the pages to get to the end.  Highly recommended read!

Organised and overseen by Franz Chapman. The first Save Our Cozies – Readathon, started at midnight on 15th/16th of July and ended 24 hours later at midnight on 16th/17th of July 2016. 127 pe…

Source: Save Our Cozies – Readathon 16th July 2016

  Could not sleep so I finished this, Book 4 in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Crime Novel Series.  This book opened with some leftover business between Kincaid and Gemma from Book 3, but not so much that you couldn’t pick this one up and read it out of order.  From there your are plunged right into the murder of a high ranking police official.  His body was discovered in his own kitchen by his wife and step daughter.  Through their investigation Kincaid and Gemma discover that the victim was not a nice man and was for the most part thoroughly disliked by everyone  in the village.

The mystery takes off in several directions, an old flame of the wife, a suspected affair partner, a petty thief, and some police corruption.  As each of the theories of the crime is disproven, clues lead off in another direction. A well plotted mystery with an interesting partnership of detectives mkes an overall good read.  The entire series so far has been very enjoyable and I intend on reading more books in it.

  The Dixie Hemingway series is one of my favorites.  I started it somewhat close to the end and have actually read it mostly out of order. This is book 2 in the series and it was really written like a thriller with lots of action and criminal activity, suspected fraud, bribes, murder, animal cruelty and threats of violence.  I would hesitate to classify this as a cozy and would instead think of it as a traditional mystery.  Dixie is a well written character with a great deal of depth to her.  The reader can follow along with her struggles to overcome her own challenges and really see growth in the character.  There is a hint of possible romance sometime in the distant future in this book and it is handled realistically given Dixie’s history.  Loved the book and the series.  I would highly recommend it, just cozy readers should be aware that it is much heavier/darker in this particular book than the average cozy.

  The third outing in the A Fat Cat Mystery series.  The series is based around dessert shop co-owner, Chase, her partner Anna and her childhood best friend, Julie.  In this episode, we have a baking competition, a shady real estate deal, a woman in a coma and of course murder.  Chase becomes entangled in the murder when Quincy (fat cat) finds a body with some evidence that implicates Julie.  The mystery is well plotted and has lots of interesting side plots.  Everything comes together to a satisfying conclusion by the end of the book.  A fun quick cozy read.