Reading Fanatic Reviews
All Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller ReviewsSpecial Agent Charli by Mimi Barbour
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Special Agent Charli*
Loved Gramps; Good Suspense Plot
I thought there were good points and bad points to this book. The beginning was arranged a little strangely, starting chapter one with a very exciting scene where a young girl witnesses a murder and then going into Chapter 2 to something that happened a week earlier. It reminded me of certain police shows where they show you the inciting incident (or an exciting one), and then the screen shows something like “24 hours earlier” or “16 days ago.” I don’t think it works as well in novels. Perhaps make it a prologue. I think prologues are perfect for out-of-time-sequence scenes. When I finish a prologue, I have no expectation of where the timeline starts. I didn’t quite buy the romantic aspect of this story. I did like the suspense part of it; I thought it was well paced, which is so important for suspense. The author did a good job of describing character and setting. I can feel the young girl’s terror as she witnesses the murder and realizes what could happen to her. I thought there was a little too much profanity, though it did seem to have be contextual for the most part. I especially liked the character of Poppa John, and I found the author’s explanation for his character in her dedication to be quite sweet and heartwarming. I imagine, if the character is any indication, that he was a wonderful man.
The Diamont Hunt by Wendy Meadows
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The Diamond Hunt*
Not Her Best Work
I am a fan of Wendy Meadows’ mysteries in general, and I have enjoyed other books in this series. I like books with groups of strong women, so I have enjoyed the interaction between Hillary, her daughter Annabelle, and their friend Rose. Not only was this book too short to fully explore the mystery, but Annabelle and Rose were only in it for a very short time. I missed their group dynamic. Given the shortness of the book, I thought there was a little too much description in places of what went on before in the other books of the series. I found this book to be a disappointment, but I know the author normally has the chops, so I am hoping that the next book of this series will be a more enjoyable one.
Steeped in Murder by Kirsten Weiss
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Steeped in Murder*
Tea and Tarot… What’s Not to Like?
“In my defense, the day did not ‘seem’ that murdery.” And so begins this absolutely delightful culinary cozy mystery. I will admit that I was drawn by the series name, as I am a fan of both tea and tarot. I actually lived on the northern California coast for some years, and I think that Abigail’s tearoom would have been perfect where I lived. Why didn’t we have one? As a tea person, I loved all the descriptions of the teas, and I could imagine being in a little tearoom on the California coast, eating some delightful scones and drinking some of the wonderful blends that were mentioned. I will admit that I am drawn to fictional books that include tarot as a part of the story, and it was perfectly integrated here. This book is a little zany, which–of course–is a delight in a cozy mystery. The small town where this takes place, I believe in southern California by the description, is full of a cast of quirky characters that I’m sure we’ll get to know and enjoy more in future books of the series. Just the names of the two main characters who were swindled by the same man tell you this book is as light as a murder mystery can be: Abigail Beanblossom (tearoom) and Hyperion Night (tarot reader). The book was long, but the author was able to maintain suspense and keep a good focus on the evolving mystery plot. The length of the novel allowed for the little tangents and red herrings that must occur in a satisfying mystery. In all, this is a perfect cozy mystery beach read, if you like bringing murder mysteries with you on vacation!
The Stolen Papyrus by Cate M. Turner
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The Stolen Papyrus*
Some Flaws Mar Total Enjoyment
I was very nearly turned off this book when on my first Kindle screen I saw two words that were misused, the close-but-no-cigar type words. This did happen throughout the text, as if the author was grasping to sound either more erudite or poetic. This book did hold a few surprises but not of the good kind. The cover is a bit misleading. While there is a romantic element, it is relatively mild and feels minor compared to the rest of the story. Given that romantic feel of the cover, too, I wasn’t quite expecting the level of violence, and I am not really a fan of that. The author did do a good job, however, of showing the world through the characters’ eyes. I especially thought she did a good job with the heroine. You could feel her excitement about joining what she knew could be an amazing dig. You could also sense her disappointment when she realizes that the hero, with whom she has a complicated past, is also a part of it. The author did a fantastic job of showing the setting, both Egypt and the alternating senses of boredom and excitement of an archaeological dig. The visual descriptions were particularly detailed, but not overly much so, and engaging. So to me, all in all, this book was an odd mixture of parts, some that were very good and some that were disappointing.
The Poison in All of Us by Connie B. Dowell
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The Poison in All of Us*
History, Mystery, and Murder
In a strange coincidence, I just read a mystery that had a suffragist as a potential murderer. Now, this book has one as the victim. This book felt so well grounded in history, and the author made it feel like it might have actually been lived. World War I, or as it was known then, the Great War, had just wrapped up, the suffragist movement was in full swing, and the Roaring Twenties were at the doorstep. This book manages to convey all of these elements of the time, yet the author didn’t weigh the story down with too much explanation of anything all at one time. Instead, facts and ideas were related in a way that seemed natural between characters. I loved that one of the heroines was very modern in her love of motorcycles and fast driving. The fact that she even liked to tinker with it reflects the changing roles of women that were happening at the time. The mystery is a solid one, and the solution did come as a bit of a surprise to me, which I like. The author’s writing style was very enjoyable. I didn’t feel like she did a big info dump at the beginning, which can be so common in any historical book. Rather, the backstory was slowly revealed as characters interacted; I thought this was well done. She actually also described things well, showing rather than telling, and I felt I could visualize what was going on. I like that, as I am a very visual reader. The book is short, but unlike many short mysteries, I didn’t feel like this book suffered from its brevity. All in all, I really enjoyed this historical slice-of-life mystery and look forward to others in the series.
Siren Song Gone Wrong by Lucy May
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Siren Song Gone Wrong*
More Slice of Pre Wedding Life Than Mystery
I have read several of the mysteries in this series, and I find them to be humorous and warm paranormal cozies. While I thoroughly enjoyed the book just as a reader, I felt that this installment was a little light on the mystery aspect. It starts a month before the wedding of Liam and Moira. For those of you who are not familiar with the series, Moira is the one from whose perspective we see the stories unfold. To be honest, this felt more like a bit of a slice-of-life moment before the big day. Yes, there was an interesting little side arc about sirens, but I felt like it was more about family dinners and conversations with friends about the upcoming wedding and the couple’s future. I did find the theme about destiny to be interesting, which did elevate this story to be somewhat more than just that slice of life just mentioned. I don’t want to give anything away, but I think the prologue just should have been the last chapter or two. It wasn’t a true prologue. All in all, not the best of this series, but if you’ve already read other books in it, you will most likely enjoy the run-up the big fated marriage.
Manners and Monsters by Tilly Wallace
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Manners and Monsters*
Regency… and Zombies
Mercy, what a completely different read! Think Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies with a little bit of suspense, romance, and gothic and steampunk sensibilities. The women of high-society Britain have suffered from a nasty, zombie-making affliction since the close of the Napoleonic Wars; some nasty Frenchmen created an expensive face powder that made this happen. I liked the heroine; she is a strong and smart woman in an era when that is not appreciated. The hero feels relatively weak in comparison, but he is still a fascinating character to watch. I didn’t like the information dump at the start of the book. It’s a long enough novel that the author could have started with a nice impactful action scene and dribbled in the backstory of the world little by little. Since this is essentially a zombie novel, at times it gets a little too gory for me. I like the author’s writing style, which was at times quite humorous and quite fitting for the type of book. Even though I am not one who particularly enjoys zombie literature or movies, I found this to be a fun read.
Cursive, Foiled Again by Jessa Archer
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Cursive, Foiled Again*
Good Start to a New Series
Well, I have to say, an author always puts me on her good side when she names a character Jamie! Especially a female Jamie. LOL. But seriously, I enjoyed this very brief introduction to a new mystery series by an author whom I am familiar with and already enjoy. I liked Jamie Lang, and I thought it was very cool that she does hand lettering. What an unusual practice and business! I used to do calligraphy myself. So, Jamie Lang is my mystery soul sista! I enjoyed the introductions to the other characters that I assume will be a part of the full series. All in all, a delightful introduction to what I hope will be a long series. Long Live Jamies, fictional and real!
Justice Lost and Found by Mika Kosey
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Justice Lost and Found*
Love This Tarot-Themed Series
I think I enjoyed this second book of this fascinating series more than the first. I absolutely adore the tarot theme, as I have been interested in the tarot for over 30 years. What a delight to see it woven so seamlessly into a book. I like how the author works on building the emotional relationships between Dee and her soulmates. Just because one has a destined love, with a past and future, doesn’t necessarily doesn’t mean it’s easy! But all the emotional feels did not detract from the action and suspense of the story. I don’t think it is necessarily easy for an author to pull that off, so I love it when it is done well. I particularly enjoyed watching Dee as she continued to evolve in all things magical and mystical. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I am curious to see where the tarot will take us next. I can recommend this book, but you definitely should read the first book before this one as it is not a standalone.
Lost Magic by Alexandria Clarke
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Lost Magic*
Fascinating World But Not Enough Suspense
This is the first book that I read by this author, so I’m not familiar with the entire Witch Myth series or world. I appreciated that the author didn’t start off the book with a bunch of backstory to catch those of us up who aren’t familiar with this Yew Hollow. Instead, she allows the world to unfold through the eyes of Gwen, the first-person protagonist. The author has created a fascinating world of magic. You’ve gotta love a world with a magical tree! I didn’t feel like enough happened in the story, like there wasn’t enough of a plot. The author calls it a cozy mystery, but mystery or suspense didn’t really take center stage. It felt more like a character and community study than a full-blown novel. That said, I did enjoy the world, but I was just expecting more to happen.
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