BOOK REVIEW: Cherry Cheesecake Murder (Hannah Swensen #8) by Joanne Fluke

Cherry Cheesecake Murder (Hannah Swensen #8)

by Joanne Fluke (Goodreads Author)

Paperback, 352 pages

Published February 1st 2007 by Kensington (first published January 1st 2006)

Goodreads synopsis: Mystery and murder are afoot in Lake Eden as a Hollywood film crew comes to town and Hannah Swensen finds herself busily catering for the cast and crew--plus juggling two marriage proposals. Between the glamorous cast and crew, her rival suitors and a killer on the loose there's plenty of drama to go around in Joanne Fluke's New York Times bestseller!

4 Stars

The movies have made their way to Lake Eden and the townsfolk are just head over heels to get a part in the production. Hannah has more than one link to the movie: her little sister, Michelle, is working on the crew and two old friends from college have made their appearance.

Having new friendly faces around may be nice for Hannah but Norman and Detective Mike find that Hannah has the eyes of another man on her as her old friend, Ross, who is the producer on the movie, takes an interest in the owner of the Cookie Jar.

The prologue showed us the murder but the actual deed didn't happen until about 61% into the book. I normally hate when that happens. It is one of my cozy mystery pet peeves.

I wish there had been a bit more investigating on Hannah's part in this book. I think that setting up the movie and letting us get to know all the new characters took up a lot more of the book than it does in a normal Hannah Swensen novel.  

I can honestly say that I enjoyed the Peach Cobbler Mystery more than I did this book. But that is not saying that this book was bad. It wasn't. It was good. Decent. And I will definitely keep reading these novels because I totally love the town of Lake Eden and its residents. Needless to say, you should check out this series because it is a keeper!

I paid for this book with my own money.

BOOK REVIEW: Peach Cobbler Murder (Hannah Swensen #7) by Joanne Fluke

Peach Cobbler Murder (Hannah Swensen #7)

by Joanne Fluke (Goodreads Author)

Paperback, 384 pages

Published February 1st 2006 by Kensington (first published January 1st 2005)

Goodreads synopsis: As she sits in her nearly empty store on Groundhog Day, Hannah can only hope that spring is just around the corner - "and that the popularity of the new Magnolia Blossom Bakery is just a passing fad. The southern hospitality of Lake Eden's two Georgia transplants, Shawna Lee and Vanessa Quinn, is grating on Hannah's nerves -" and cutting into her profits. At least Hannah has her business partner Lisa's wedding to look forward to. 

   Unfortunately, Shawna Lee has finagled an invitation to the reception - "and is bringing her Southern Peach Cobbler for the dessert table. Things go from bad to worse when Shawna Lee and Hannah's sometime-boyfriend, Detective Mike Kingston, are no-shows to the wedding. When Hannah sees lights on at the Magnolia Blossom Bakery after the reception, she investigates -" and finds Shawna Lee shot to death. 

   With a little help from her friends, Hannah's determined to track down whoever had the right ingredients to whip up a murder.

***

4 Stars

Coming back to a Joanne Fluke novel is like coming home. I can't tell you what a quick read it was. I felt like I flew through the entire novel. That tells me that Fluke's words just flow like a rushing river. She had me from the word GO when poor Hannah Swensen was in her nearly empty cookie shop watching the competition across the street get all the customers. 

That is so on point for things that happen in small towns these days. People go for the cheaper, yet more extravagant things leaving the mom and pop shops to suffer and in the end close their doors. My heart just went out to Hannah in this book. I knew everything would be okay in the end because this is a series but in the moment, Fluke had me by the heartstrings.Then add in Detective Mike and him spending so much time with the owner of the new bakery and I couldn't read fast enough to find out what the heck was going on.

This is definitely a great book and a fast read. I will always recommend the Hannah Swensen mysteries to anyone who loves to read cozy mysteries. I am so glad to have such a great author in my MUST READ list.

I paid for this book with my own money.

BOOK REVIEW: X (Kinsey Millhone #24) by Sue Grafton

X (Kinsey Millhone #24)

by Sue Grafton

Hardcover, 403 pages

Published August 25th 2015 by Marian Wood Books/Putnam (first published January 1st 2015)

Goodreads synopsis: X:  The number ten. An unknown quantity. A mistake. A cross. A kiss.

   X:  The shortest entry in Webster’s Unabridged. Derived from Greek and Latin and commonly found in science, medicine, and religion. The most graphically dramatic letter. Notoriously tricky to pronounce: think xylophone.

   X:  The twenty-fourth letter in the English alphabet.

   Sue Grafton’s X: Perhaps her darkest and most chilling novel, it features a remorseless serial killer who leaves no trace of his crimes. Once again breaking the rules and establishing new paths, Grafton wastes little time identifying this sociopath. The test is whether Kinsey can prove her case against him before she becomes his next victim.

***

4 Stars

X marks the spot in this new suspense thriller from Sue Grafton.

Reading about Kinsey Millhone is like coming home and finding a long lost friend waiting at the door. I hadn't read a Sue Grafton book since about M or K. (I know, bad me.) So, it was nice to delve into this world again. Henry was there and helpful as always.

I think this book was set in the late 80's but I am not totally sure. Sometimes the flashbacks confuse me when it comes to time period. And like I said above, I haven't read a Grafton book since M or K which would make it since 1997 or so.

I read a few of the reviews before I dove into the book and many of them said that they thought this was a throwaway book. That nothing really happened. Maybe we weren't reading the same book because this novel was chock-full of action. So many things were going on I think I needed a score card. I had to search my memory for the names of some of the old favorites that are mentioned in this book so the little updates Grafton gave us about them was truly helpful. 

I think the sections concerning Henry and the whole water/drought situation was what captured me most. Oh, that Edna! Just wanted to slap her for most of the book. I was truly rooting for Henry and Kinsey to get her in the end.

I had a feeling the other parts of the storylines would converge at some point because in the beginning I think Grafton had like five different storyline threads going. I had to read this book a bit slower so I could keep all the facts in my head. I didn't want to brush over anything.

This book was, to me, great! It made me want to go back to that M or K book and start reading again. I understand why readers and reviewers might say that novels in a series get a bit of the "same old, same old" in them.  I know that I read a whole string of Stephanie Plum books within a few weeks and I wanted to stay away from them for a year because they seem so much the same from book to book. And that is why you should be reading other books between novels like this. That helps to keep the characters fresh.

If you love PI novels or shows like Magnum PI, then you should definitely check out any of the Sue Grafton novels.  This book is definitely not a throw away novel. It is a keeper for me!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) from Net Galley in return for an honest review. I thank Net Galley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this novel.

BOOK REVIEW: Murder on Wheels by Lynn Cahoon

Murder on Wheels 

(Tourist Trap Mystery #6)

By Lynn Cahoon

4.5 Stars

Like I said in my last Tourist Trap mystery review, this is a world that tickles the ivories of my reader's soul. You just can't go wrong with this series. 

There were a lot of interesting secondary stories going on in this book. Not everything is hunky-dory between main character, Jill Gardner and her BFF Amy. They have strained their relationship due to a disagreement about a new water conservation regulation. Then Jill ends up in the middle of her Aunt's love life in which the Aunt is juggling two different men. Then Toby, her Barista Babe ends up breaking up with his girlfriend and crashes in his new man pad which used to be Jill's shed out back. Then Amy's boyfriend, Justin has a new found passion for geo caching and sucks the crew into a few hikes. I mean, this book is totally jam-packed with things going on. And the funny thing is, it doesn't feel that way at all. It just feels like a normal day in South Cove. 

Oh, of course, there is the little issue of the murder in a food truck Jill wanted to buy back in book five. I like how book five led us to book six so smoothly. In the previous book Dustin Austin, local bike shop owner, had scored the sale of the food truck, dumped Sadie, stole her recipes then went back to his wife. The climax of that situation ends up in book six as the main thrust of the story. 

I mean, can you say awesome planning on Cahoon's part? I am so impressed. 

Jill Gardner does a better job in this book of hiding her sleuthing by focusing on a case she thinks is unrelated to the murder.  But like we all know, Jill can't stay out of trouble for long. I probably should have given this book five stars since I can't find anything I don't like about it. 

If you love a good mystery, please check this series out. It is definitely a winner!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) from Net Galley in return for an honest review. I thank Net Galley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

BOOK REVIEW: Killer Run by Lynn Cahoon

Killer Run

(Tourist Trap Mystery #5)

By Lynn Cahoon

4.5 Stars

I have to say right off the bat that I think I want to live in this world! I seriously look forward to every Tourist Trap Mystery. It is so fun to follow the action. 

The only thing I don't like is when it's over.

 I have effectively been sucked into South Cove. Just call me one of the locals. 

Lynn Cahoon takes the time to develop and grow her characters in each and every book she writes. Jill is not the same person she was in book one.  I like that about Cahoon's writing. Her character building does not detract from her mystery building. It is a cohesive melding of both that makes this such an awesome book.  

Killer Run focuses on a 5k race that many of the businesses in South Cove are sponsoring. It is a fundraiser for the local preservation society. When the dead body of the events promotion expert is found in the ditch of the race route, Jill and company are scrambling to keep the murder quiet until the race is over. 

Of course, Jill Gardner, armchair sleuth is on the case, much to her detective boyfriend's dismay. When she is not trying to solve South Cove's most recent murder, she owns and runs Coffee, Books and More, the local coffee bar and bookstore and the center of most of the action. 

The character interaction really makes this book. I have no idea how Cahoon crams so much into such a short book. I enjoy how all the secondary characters either help or hinder Jill's super secret investigation. Of course, the investigation is never as secret as Jill thinks it is. 

My only niggle is that I wish the victim would have been developed a bit more. Sandra is barely introduced before she is dead. But I guess that just makes the mystery a bit more mysterious. 

I don't want to give anything away but you just have to delve into this series for yourself. It will not disappoint. Get sucked into the mysteries of South Cove!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) from Net Galley in return for an honest review. I thank Net Galley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

BOOK REVIEW: Candy Corn Murder by Leslie Meier

Candy Corn Murder

(Lucy Stone Mystery #22)

By Leslie Meier

3 Stars

This is the first book I have read in the series. Based on that, I think this book could have used a bit more of a character recap. Who is Lucy? Who are the important players? Why is she always involved in the mystery? I know that I personally would have enjoyed knowing these things up front.  But maybe faithful readers have had enough recap and this factor is just a reflection of that. 

I am the type of mystery reader that likes the actual murder to happen within the first two or three chapters. The murder in this novel happened at coincidently 50% through according to my Amazon kindle device. I figured at 20% I must have missed the murder and went back to the beginning and reread back to the point where I had stopped.

Some of the flashbacks seemed awkward and oddly placed in the book. I think maybe a prologue with a an overarching flashback would have been enough for me or maybe someone from the past who could have related the info about Tom's past. I hate to say this but those flashbacks seemed a bit of the lazy way out. 

Also the Pennysaver blurbs at the beginnings of chapters seemed to err on the side of only the happy positive facts and none of the hard hitting news.  How about a little objectivity? Town news is town news. 

I am usually a lot more impressed with Kensington Publishing titles. I believe I will choose another book in this series since some series truly need to be read in chronological order. I am not saying this book was horrible. It wasn't. It's decent. The mystery was complete and red herrings placed appropriately. I guess it just lacked a bit of flair and personality. All in all it was just okay for me. I don't give too many 3 stars. 

The one thing I didn't understand was the title of the book. Yes, there was a candy corn bottle in the book but it had nothing to do with the murder. I think a more appropriate title would have been something pumpkin related considering the murder disrupted the Pumpkin Festival. 

Like I said, I will definitely give another book in this series a try since nearly every Kensington book I have read has been awesome. 

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) from Net Galley in return for an honest review. I thank Net Galley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. 

BOOK REVIEW: A Muddied Murder by Wendy Tyson

A Muddied Murder
(A Greenhouse Mystery #1)

By Wendy Tyson

4 Stars

It took me a few minutes to get into this book but as it went along these characters grew on me slowly like a seedling sprouting out of the ground. Each and every page matured the story to a more beautiful whole. As the characters developed and settled into my mind, I realized how you just need to give a new series a chance to impress you. And impress me, it did. 

Megan Sawyer did what many seem to be doing these days. She chucked her big city lawyer job for a life that was simpler, joyful and working closer to the earth. It takes a lot of courage to make such a drastic change in life and this makes Megan a great role model.  I enjoyed learning about organic gardening and came to appreciate people's passion for it. 

When it came to the murder and some people's attitudes, I have to admit, it gave me stress. I think that shows just how well-rounded the characters are. No cardboard people in sight. 

I think the murder could have been solved earlier if Megan's grandmother had been more open with her. But family, hey, you sometimes just have to deal with their quirks and deeply held beliefs. 

I enjoyed the ride while reading this novel and had a few marathon sessions just to find out what the heck was really going on. I look forward to any new mysteries surrounding these characters. Take a bite out of this mystery. It is well worth it and will satisfy. 

I did have one question, though. Why was the series called Greenhouse Mystery? Seems to me it was more of a farm than a greenhouse. I liked how Denver kept referring to Megan as a "gentleman farmer."

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) from Net Galley in return for an honest review. I thank Net Galley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.