Reading Fanatic Reviews
All Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller ReviewsIrish Aisles are Smiling by Laura Dunham
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Mondadori, Angus & Robinson
Irish Aisles are Smiling*
Fun Murder Mystery in Ireland
Wedding Belles, the wedding planning agency, is taking the show on the road to Ireland! This book had just the right amount of humor without being over the top. I visited Ireland some time ago, so I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of driving on the other side of the road. The author describes the settings well, enough that you can visualize the interesting places that the characters are at but not so much that you feel dragged it down by too much description. I quite enjoyed this book because the writer had the right balance of suspense, quirky characters, and humor.
Fudge and Murder by Maisy Morgan
Available at Amazon
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Fudge and Murder*
Slow-Moving Cozy Mystery
When the book opens, Grandma Mary and grandson Tripp are enjoying a relaxing weekend in a cabin owned by the parents of one of Tripp’s friends. At a swimming party later, one of the dads falls off the roof to his death. Is this simply an accident or has the man been murdered? Officer Preston will be leading the official investigation, but Mary and Tripp can’t help joining the investigation.
I enjoy cozy mysteries a lot. I will admit that I’m used to certain pacing and conventions in them. For instance, the murderer or foul play usually happens pretty quickly, usually within the first 8% to 10% of the book (and sometimes even sooner). That was not the case here. In this book, the man didn’t fall from the roof until around 27%. The time before that was spent showing Grandma and grandson’s evolving relationship as well as the newly forming relationship between the friend’s entire family and Mary and Tripp. I felt like I kept waiting for something to happen. I knew this was a cozy, I knew from the blurb that a murder was involved, so I felt like I kept turning pages waiting for the story to really start. The pacing of the rest of the book—the part after the murder—felt slow to me. Because so much time was taken before the murder, I didn’t feel like there is enough space left to build the suspense, throw in red herrings, and otherwise develop the normal plot devices needed in a mystery to keep you turning the pages.
Snow Mercy by Wendy Meadows
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Snow Mercy*
Of Murder and Muggings
Sarah and Amanda are just out shopping when they are accosted by a short man who wants to mug them. They don’t take him too seriously, and soon they decide to get him a bite to eat and perhaps buy him some better clothes. Soon, a man is murdered, and the would-be mugger is suspect number one. The ladies don’t believe he’s guilty and set out to protect him and figure out what actually happened. Manford’s past comes back to haunt him.
I’ve read quite a lot of books by Wendy Meadows, and I don’t quite recall the problem that I’m seeing in this book being in the other ones I’ve read. For whatever reason, in this book, she does a lot of head hopping. Scenes, to me, flow more seamlessly if they’re in the head of one character for discrete chunks of time. At times in this book, the viewpoint character shifted from paragraph to paragraph, which is disconcerting and jarring. There is a lot of humor in this book; the first scene of the near mugging is actually quite humorous as the women just will not take him seriously. The book has sufficient suspense and mystery surrounding Manford, with good twists and turns that kept me turning the pages to see how it would turn out.
Death of a Debtor by Jenna Harte
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Death of a Debtor*
Coming Home Again is Not Easy
Sophie Parker has returned to her hometown with her tail between her legs and barely two dimes to rub together after her father and brother were imprisoned for running a Ponzi scheme. Sophie isn’t finding much forgiveness from people she knew all her life even though she had nothing to do with her family’s criminality. She works as a pirate wench at a theme restaurant to pay the bills, and it’s barely doing that. Right when she’s about to suffer some embarrassment about not being able to pay for her groceries even though she has coupons, her old crush from high school steps in, pays, and helps her save face. Soon, however, things go from bad to worse when that crush is murdered, and Sophie is suspect number one.
I loved Sophie’s character. She lived life in the highest echelons of society, and now she’s doing what she has to do to survive. She’s resilient and resourceful and still has an honest pride and self-esteem despite what life has thrown at her and what others think about her. Like all good cozies, this book had a cast of quirky characters, including the Sophie’s Aunt Rose, whom she promised her father she would help take care of, and a diverse group of people in a couponing group who help her figure out the murder. I think it’s a fun idea to use couponing as the basis of a series of cozy mysteries. I love cozies, and I don’t think I’ve seen that particular spin on a cozy before. The dialogue is snappy, and Sophie’s interior monologue shows both her humor and her desperation, making her a real character. The book has some odd problems with grammar, punctuation, and usage. She had more creative comma issues than most. But this didn’t detract from the story, and I feel like this is a great start to a fun new cozy mystery series.
Oopsy Daisy by Lucy May
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Oopsy Daisy*
Daisies Galore!
In this installment of the Charm Cove mystery series, daisies are literally falling from the sky. First it is just a little, but daisy dumps from the heavens just keep happening. They soon overrun the town, and these flowers don’t seem to die or wilt. Magical people in the town attempt to stem the daily tide, but it only gets worse. The daisies start to change color, and soon they are acting like aggressive vines that can even take over a house. What are the residents of Charm Cove to do?
If you’ve enjoyed previous installments of the Charm Cove mystery series, you will most likely enjoy this light and fanciful tale about the town being overrun by, of all things, daisies. Even if you haven’t read other books in the series, the author does a good job as at peppering in a little background about the town and the characters here and there as you need to know. Refreshingly, she doesn’t do an information dump, as often happens in later volumes in a series. The town is full of quirky characters, like a good cozy. So far, all the books I’ve read in this series are wicked good paranormal cozy mysteries—pun intended!
The Exodus Hour by Will Steadman
Available at Amazon only
NOT with Kindle Unlimited
The Exodus Hour*
Race Across Europe
The book starts with Brandt cooling his jets at home in the Bay Area when the Deke calls him about a new assignment. It’s supposed to be a relatively straightforward job, and he’ll be able to work with his girlfriend, Casey. But things, of course, can’t go easy in a spy thriller. Soon, they and those they are to protect are in danger and another agent is missing. What follows is a trans-European journey in an attempt to stay ahead of the killers who want to thwart their mission.
I really enjoyed the opening of this book where Brandt is just lying in bed wondering if that how it feels to be on a morgue slab! Perfect thought for a spy. While the officer didn’t spend much time in the San Francisco Bay Area, I loved that little bit about it because I grew up in that area. His description of the fogbank remaining over the ocean is one I remember seeing often. I like Brandt’s easygoing narrative perspective; his is an interesting head to be in, that’s for sure. The book felt a little slow right at the beginning, but as soon as they were in Europe, things heated up quickly, which is just the way it’s supposed to be in a good thriller. The pace was tight, making it a good page-turner, as I was curious to see where they would go next and what would show up to give them a problem. Both Brandt and Casey seem like real people, and I especially love their discussions about what all was going on.
The author’s writing style is very accessible and easy to read. He has a good balance between thoughts, dialogue, narrative, and action. If you enjoy spy thrillers with an element of terrorism as well as a Russian component, you might enjoy this page-turning read.
Birthday Pie Burial by Diana DuMont
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Birthday Pie Burial*
Who Would Murder an Old Main in His 100th Birthday?
Nearly all of Sunshine Springs has turned out for Edgar’s 100th birthday. Izzy is there supplying boozy and non-alcoholic pies for the celebration. Edgar’s plan for a big speech after the fireworks doesn’t transpire because, while the sky is alight, somebody shoots Edgar. Who in the crowd would have wanted Edgar dead? Initial thoughts turn to Edgar’s new thirtysomething girlfriend, but Izzy doesn’t think that’s quite right, so she and Sprinkles decide to investigate.
If you read the previous book in the series about fictitious Sunshine Springs located not far from San Francisco, then you know about Izzy, who owns Drunken Pie Cafe, and her Dalmatian, Sprinkles. Izzy is a would-be amateur sleuth who is now looking into a second untimely death. Like any good cozy, we have a small town with quirky characters and a plot that twists and turns, with a few red herrings thrown in. The author’s writing style is very easy to read, and Izzy is a smart woman who’s fun to watch as she tries to unravel the clues.
Oh, and I totally want to try the apple bourbon pie or the lemon vodka pie!
If you like cozy mysteries with a slight culinary bent and an intelligent heroine, you might enjoy this book and the series.
Bridge to Eternity Romola Farr
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Bridge to Eternity*
Not Just Any Property… or Place
Audrey decides to buy an old boarding school in the north of England; she’s from the south. The place has been empty for a long time, and she was able to get it at a reasonable price. The realtor wasn’t pleased to get this assignment, as she felt that it would never sell. But it did; Tina feels guilty that she didn’t disclose the place is supposedly haunted. Even as Tina tried to prepare the property for sale, it gave her a creepy feeling. When’s Audrey moves in, we meet a quirky cast of characters from the neighboring area. Audrey finds an old diary that details events of a particular time at the school. Audrey even meets a widower who is of interest to her, but what secrets is he hiding?
I felt this book meandered a bit. The writing could have been tightened. Quite often, I just didn’t feel like much was going on, or I wasn’t sure where a scene was supposed to take me. The book also jumps around a bit in time, which seemed a little confusing on occasion. There is an essential mystery here, but I felt like its resolution was abrupt. The main text takes up about 82% of the book. The rest is the first act of a play that Audrey and Tina supposedly act in.
The Reaper by Rob Jung
Available at Amazon, Thalia, and Bol.de
The Reaper*
Speculative Fiction about the Disappearance of Miro’s The Reaper
I usually like to start my book reviews with a little tease about the first eighth or quarter of the book plot and characters. This particular book does not lend itself to that kind of a review. It is comprised of two separate parts, one that takes place in the 1930s at the Paris World’s Fair (in part) while the larger second half takes place in 2009 and 2012. A prologue introduces us to the painter Joan Miro as he is finishing up his masterwork The Reaper.
The 1930s portion of the book is firmly set in Paris against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War and the looming world war that is to come. The author meticulously researched both the exhibitions at the World’s Fair and the greater world beyond it. Ernest Hemingway even shows up. The painting mysteriously disappears at the end of the exhibition; this is a historical fact, and the painting is still missing to this day. The 2000 portion of the book revolves around a mother and her estranged son. The son is an artist who makes good reproductions of paintings for use in private homes or businesses. A stranger approaches him with the desire for a reproduction of The Reaper, for which he will pay a large sum. It turns out that this is at his mother’s behest as a way to make amends to her son.
So much goes on in both halves of this book. In the 1930s portion, I can imagine myself in the exhibition hall and other places described. The author pays good attention to the details about these historic places and facts.
Unfortunately, the book felt a little overwritten to me. An excess of adjectives and adverbs cluttered of the work, sometimes giving strange juxtapositions like *vapid feel* when describing a room. I found myself wondering if the book would have been better served by being organized differently. The two halves of the book seem so separate from each other that I wonder if it would have worked better to interleave the two plot lines together, alternating every chapter or small section, like the movie about the Klimt painting, Woman in Gold.
A Witchy Bake-Off by Danica Britton
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
A Witchy Bake-Off*
Ghost Helps Solve Her Murder
Grandma Grant is determined to win the Spring Bake-Off in their small town. Her greatest rival is Adele, whom Grandma believes is using shady tactics so she will win. Grandma lets her displeasure be known all around town. So when Adele turns up murdered, Grandma is a suspect. That leaves it up to blank to show that Grandma did not do the deed. Surprisingly, she’s helped by Adele’s ghost! Who murdered Adele?
This book was delightfully well-written. I enjoyed the relationship between the two magical sisters and their magical grandma; it came across as warm and loving despite the limitations of the written word. The writing style was fluid and natural, allowing me to just get into the story and stay there. I love the paranormal elements in this, especially the concept of Adele trying to help solve her own murder, including the motive! Adele’s ghost was a fascinating character as well; she was three dimensional, even if her form was not.
If you enjoy cozy paranormal mysteries, you might find this a very engaging read.
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