Some Enchanted Éclair

Title: Some Enchanted Éclair
Author: Bailey Cates
Published: July 1st 2014 by NAL
Format: Paperback, 327 pages
Genre: Magical Cosy Mystery
Series: Magical Bakery Mystery #4

First Sentence: The friendly chime of the bell over the entrance to the Honeybee Bakery sent a shot of adrenaline through my veins.

From the Publisher: When Hollywood invades Savannah’s historic district to film a Revolutionary War movie, magical baker Katie Lightfoot, and her witches’ coven, the Spellbook Club, take a break from casting spells for casting calls. One of the witches snags a part as an extra, while Katie’s firefighter boyfriend, Declan, acts as on-set security. Katie and her aunt Lucy decide to stay out of the action, but after the movie’s “fixer” fires the caterer, the Honeybee Bakery comes to the rescue, working their magic to keep the hungry crew happy.

But when someone fixes the fixer—permanently—and a spooky psychic predicts Katie will find the killer, the charming baker and her fellow conjurers step in to sift through the suspects…before someone else winds up on the cutting room floor. (Penguin Random House)

My Opinion: I understand that Katie Lightfoot is a kitchen and garden witch who practices her craft at her aunt and uncle’s bakery, using her gift to bring health, healing, and romance to her community. I appreciate that side of the series, but when it comes to crime-solving, I wish that she and her coven would use more spell craft and less bumbling around like ordinary people.

For me, Some Enchanted Éclair was a bit stale since there was no high drama or witty dialogue to keep my attention. When it came to the characters -- yes, there was a leprechaun surprise, but that barely kept my attention. Hopefully, the next in the series, Magic and Macaroons, will step up the witchy who done it and bring in better dialogue.

The Break-Up Book Club

Title: The Break-Up Book Club
Author: Wendy Wax
Published: May 18th 2021 by Berkley Books
Format: Kindle, Paperback, 384 pages
Genre: Women's Fiction
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

First Sentence: I read somewhere that the very first "book club" (female discussion group) took place in 1634 on a ship sailing to the Massachusetts Bay Colony when a "religious renegade" named Anne invited a group of women—no doubt exhausted from the voyage and in dire need of a break from their husbands and children—to talk about (and apparently critique) the sermons given at weekly services. (Which was nowhere near as relaxing as, say, a conversation about Bridget Jones's Diary or Where the Crawdads Sing.)

From the Publisher: On paper, Jazmine, Judith, Erin and Sara have little in common – they’re very different people leading very different lives. And yet at book club meetings in an historic carriage house turned bookstore, they bond over a shared love of reading (and more than a little wine) as well as the growing realization that their lives are not turning out like they expected.

Former tennis star Jazmine is a top sports agent balancing a career and single motherhood. Judith is an empty nester questioning her marriage and the supporting role she chose. Erin’s high school sweetheart and fiancé develops a bad case of cold feet, and Sara’s husband takes a job out of town saddling Sara with a difficult mother-in-law who believes her son could have done better – not exactly the roommate most women dream of.

With the help of books, laughter, and the joy of ever evolving friendships, Jazmine, Judith, Erin and Sara find the courage to navigate new and surprising chapters of their lives as they seek their own versions of happily-ever-after. (Berkley Penguin)

My Opinion: After reading a couple of negative reviews, which seems to be my current MO when picking a novel, I decided I was only going to give the book a quick couple of chapters and then put it aside. I couldn’t put it down. From the beginning, I fell in love with all the characters, except for the cheating husband but no one would like him. There is the prerequisite humor, the heartache, the bonding of unlikely friends, and the realizations that life does go on.

As for the ending, I wasn’t too thrilled, but as I thought about it, I’m not sure how it could be different. There were too many independent storylines that needed to meld and by doing it the way it unfolded, as farfetched as it was, Wendy Wax brought them to the needed conclusion with just enough breathing room to keep friendships intact.

There is a possibility The Break-Up Book Club can be a jumping-off point for the ladies like 10 Beach Road was for Madeline, Avery, and Nikki, but we will have to see what Wendy has in store.

The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit

Title: The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit
Author: Krista Davis
Published: May 25th 2021 by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: A Domestic Diva Mystery #14)

First Sentence: Nina Reid Norwood shuffled out of Dulles International Airport barefooted.

From the Publisher: With Old Town’s DIY Home Decorating Festival in full swing, Sophie’s swamped, juggling a bumper crop of artisans, antique dealers, and decorators for the busy street fair. Still, when her best friend Nina suddenly needs a ride from the airport, Sophie is happy to help . . . until she sees Nina disembarking in a state of disarray. It’s obvious the trip to Portugal soured somewhere along the way. But after one of Nina’s traveling companions turns up murdered the following day, Sophie knows something is truly rotten.

Though the crime scene is staged to look like an accident, Sophie isn’t fooled and peels off to conduct her own investigation. Her only clue is a strange image the victim scratched into the soil before dying. Could it point to a cryptic killer in Old Town? A bitter travel adversary? Or a cursed artifact smuggled back from the trip? As the mystery grows, so does the body count, and if Sophie doesn’t pluck the murderer soon, her best friend may be the next to fall. (Kensington)

My Opinion: When I thought I had it, there is a twist, then another twist, and at one point, I wondered if a child was to blame. Back to another culprit and a person out of left field only to realize that I was possibly right all along. I love a good ‘where are we going’ cozy. One which takes place on familiar grounds with familiar characters and enough silliness to keep the reader engaged.

There is just something about Old Town, Virginia, Sophie’s friends, her community, and a police force that reluctantly works with the local events planner to keep their neighborhood safe.

A Body at the Tea Rooms

Title: A Body at the Tea Rooms
Author: Dee MacDonald
Published: May 10, 2021 by Bookouture
Format: Kindle, 275 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Kate Palmer #3

First Sentence: No matter how great a holiday was, it was always good to come home, Kate thought, as she got her first glimpse of the wild Cornish Atlantic coast again at close quarters.

From the Publisher: If the village gossip is to be believed, the unfortunate man was connected to the wealthy Hedgefield family. Kate is reluctant to get caught up in the investigation but a curious card in the victim’s jacket pocket sparks her interest. Not to mention the ridiculous rumour Angie is somehow involved! Keen to clear her sister’s name so she can finally eat cake in the charming tea rooms, Kate teams up with handsome retired Detective ‘Woody’ Forrest to untangle the baffling case.

After quizzing the locals over copious cups of tea, Kate begins to realise the Hedgefields, who live in a grand mansion and own half the village, are not as perfect as they make out. They’re hiding a long-buried family secret and plenty of people have a grudge against them, including a number of their ex-employees.

But who could have murdered a member of Lower Tinworthy’s most enviable family? Was it the old gardener? The seemingly sweet cook? Or the bitter maid?

Just as she inches closer to the truth, Angie goes missing. Does amateur sleuth Kate have what it takes to get to the bottom of this extraordinary puzzle and save her sister at the same time? (Goodreads)

My Opinion: If you have read cozies for a while, you will have figured out the central part of the mystery midway through the book, but Dee MacDonald does have one more twist up her sleeve. I can’t say that you couldn’t see that part coming, but you did have your doubts as to how deep the ruse went.

I enjoy this series. Kate Palmer may not always make the wisest decisions, but her heart is in the right and she brings a maturity that is missing in so many other cozy mysteries. With the combination of Kate and her wacky sister Angie, there is a balance that creates a delightful melding of personalities and insights.

Bone Rattle

Title: Bone Rattle
Author: Marc Cameron
Published: April 27th 2021 by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 456 pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Arliss Cutter #3

First Sentence:A single bone—or even a bone shard—wouldn’t just slow work down. It would stop everything. Dead.

From the Publisher: In Juneau, a young Native archeologist is sent to protect the ancient burial sites uncovered by an Alaskan gold mining company. He never returns.

In Anchorage, a female torso—minus head, hands, and feet—is washed ashore near a jogging trail by the airport. It is not the first.

At Alaska's Fugitive Task Force, Arliss Cutter and deputy Lola Teariki are pulled from their duties and sent to a federal court in Juneau. Instead of tracking dangerous fugitives, Cutter and Lola will be keeping track of sequestered jurors in a high-profile trial. The case involves a massive drug conspiracy with ties to a mining company, a lobbyist, and two state senators. When a prosecuting attorney is murdered—and a reporter viciously attacked—Cutter realizes they're dealing with something much bigger, and darker, than a simple drug trial. The truth lies deep within the ancient sites and precious mines of this isolated land—and inside the cold hearts of those would kill to hide its secrets. (Kensington)

My Opinion: After a slow start that read like paid advertisements from his sponsors regarding outerwear and weaponry, Marc Cameron eventually brings his audience to the incomparable daily lives of Arliss Cutter and Lola Teariki of the US Marshal service. A bit Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a smattering of Longmire, and enough attitude and humor to keep the pages turning as the reader follows in the wake of Alaska's Fugitive Task Force.

There were a few unfinished parts -- where did the body parts come from, Constance’s supposition, and what is the secret Arlis will never tell. Other than that, which could be answered in his next novel, this remains a highly recommended series from a veteran tracker with his own experiences to tell.

Hail Mary

Title: Hail Mary
Author: Andy Weir
Published: May 4th 2021 by Ballantine Books
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 496 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

First Sentence: “What’s two plus two?”

Something about the question irritates me. I’m tired. I drift back to sleep.

From the Publisher: Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he? (Penguin Random House)

My Opinion: Once you get past all the science-y and math-y stuff, which I am sure people more intelligent than I will have issues with, you find yourself in the middle of people-y stuff. The good, the bad, and the ugly people -- as only those trying to save the world can be. Then there is the humor. I know you don’t think nerdy scientists facing world annihilation can be funny, but they are. They so very are. To the point that the dialogue has you putting the book down to continue laughing and sending out messages to your friends and co-workers, telling them they need to stop what they are doing and get their hands on this book. With the laughter, there are also tears and gasping moments. This is what makes the book appealing to a larger audience. There is something for everyone.

When the Stars Go Dark

Title: When the Stars Go Dark
Author: Paula McLain
Published: April 13th 2021 by Ballantine Books
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 384 pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

First Line: The night feels shredded as I leave the city, through perforated mist, a crumbling September sky.

From the Publisher: Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns that a local teenage girl has gone missing.

The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna’s childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with saving the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in.

Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives—and our faith in one another. (PenguinRandomHouse)

My Opinion: I didn’t know what to expect from Paula McLain's foray into suspenseful police procedurals, but by the end, I know that she is a gifted writer that has more than historical fiction up her sleeve. The writing pulls you in from the first page and by the time you reach the end, you want to start over to savor the lyrical writing and emotional pull of all her characters. Yes, all. There is not one misstep with any of them.

I Know a Secret

Title: I Know a Secret
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Published: August 22nd 2017 by Ballantine Books
Format: Hardcover, 319 pagess
Genre: Police Procedural
Series: Rizzoli & Isles #12

I had a love-hate feeling throughout this book. As far as I know, this is the last in the Rizzoli and Isles book series. Being as the book series and the television series are so different, I had a challenge keeping the two very different storylines straight in my head.

As Amalthea lies dying, she can’t help but drag her daughter through one more manipulation with clues about the two murders Maura and Jane are investigating. Two murders that have eerie similarities and tie to religious saints and a daycare center which may have been the root of all evil.

Would I encourage others to read the series - yes, would I warn them - most definitely. Some books are better than others, but all will entertain and creep you out.