Poppy Done to Death

Title: Poppy Done to Death
Author: Charlaine Harris
Published: August 2nd 2003 by Minotaur Books
Format: Hardcover, 230 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Aurora Teagarden #8

This series confuses me. On one hand, the main character comes across as rather prudish, but then she will let got with something close to an “F” bomb or talk about a moment that did not make it past the living room carpet. Either way, Aurora Teagarden is a curious character.

After Aurora finds the body of her stepsister-in-law (yes, the relationships in this series are confusing), Poppy’s marriage, and affairs, are the main topic and lead to too many suspects. Charlaine Harris spends an entire book, bobbing and weaving through a string of lover’s, on both sides of this marriage, before the grand finale that once again has Aurora with all the answers and coming face-to-face with a killer.

There is a surprising revelation at the end, no not the one about her half-brother showing up on her doorstep (that happened earlier in the book) and parents who are not interested if he ever comes home again, but this one involves a new twist in her relationship with Robin Crusoe and what it will mean for their future.

Drawn and Buttered

Title: Drawn and Buttered
Author: Shari Randall
Published: February 26th 2019 by St. Martin's Paperbacks
Format: eBook, Paperback, 304 pages*** and Pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Lobster Shack Mystery #3

As Allie Larkin continues to mend, she remains behind the counter at her Aunt Gully’s lobster shack “The Lazy Mermaid”, on the Micasset River in Mystic Bay.

Combining storylines of a missing 3-foot-long lobster named “Lobzilla”, the Parish family legacy, and Allie’s return to the stage of the New England Ballet Company, Shari Randall does her best to keep the reader engaged. Of course, this is where the body of a local frat boy shows up and with this murder all secrets are revealed.

Taking place during Halloween, there are the obligatory witches, costumes, vampires, and literally hocus-pocus, not to mention all the other goings on in this little seaside town. The author throws everything into the pot and it is no wonder that fingers are pointed in multiple directions and to keep things even more confusing, who is actually in which grave in the cemetery and why were they buried the way they were.

It is odd that this book has a February release date since it would fit better as an Autumn read, but that being what it is, ‘Drawn and Buttered’ engages the reader and ties up a few loose ends at the same time.

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Title: Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Authors: Irin Carmon andShana Knizhnik,
Published: October 27th 2015 by Dey Street Books
Format: Hardcover, 240 pages
Genre: Biography

A fascinating woman leading the charge in fascinating times.

After reading this book, I am still not sure if Ruth Bader Ginsburg intended to reach the heights that she has or if by sheer determination to define equal rights placed her where she needed to be to get voices heard, that were kept quiet for too long, and thereby putting a face, and a fierce mind, in public view. Yes, she is a voice for women’s rights, but she also was firm in her beliefs that for women to have equal rights, so did men.

Having to overcome blatant sexism, Justice Ginsburg, in her own indomitable way, had a job to do. Whether it was getting into law school, where women were seen as an obstacle that must be tolerated, to being a united front with the love of her life, to taking on the Supreme Court and eventually being the one to wear the robe and collar, she had a mission. To using her voice when no one wanted to listen, to being a true American Icon, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is a woman to be honored and cherished for what she has accomplished through resolute spirit, hard work, and humor, she will continue to do what needs to be done to have the quieted voices heard.

The Vanishing Man

Title: The Vanishing Man
Author: Charles Finch
Published: February 19th 2019 by Minotaur Books
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Charles Lenox Mysteries Prequel 2

Why oh why does Charles Finch have to drag out his stories? I understand the occasional need for a history lesson, but the screeching halt that the reader is brought to when there is a sudden need to over-describe a person or a room is tedious. Just tell the story, keep the humor, and let the reader mentally draw a person or room.

In the second prequel to his ongoing Charles Lenox series, the main character has decided that since his brother has retained the family title, he is free to make his own choices, and with that, he will continue his hand at being a private investigator. His prior cases gained him a bit of notoriety and with that, the Duke of Dorset has called on him to investigate the theft of an incidental portrait that was taken from his study. What is curious is that the thief left behind a painting of greater value, that of the writer William Shakespeare. Turns out that the thief might have known what he was doing after all since it is the combination of the two painting that leads to clues of a missing manuscript.

As the reader wanders the meandering path with side stories and wayward humor, eventually the point of the matter is reached and Charles Lenox, with the help of a new character, discovers the whereabouts of the missing document and leave the Duke with an even greater decision to make.

The Forbidden Door

Title: The Forbidden Door
Author: Dean Koontz
Published: October 9th 2018 by Bantam
Format: ebook, 480 pages
Genre: Suspense
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Jane Hawk #4

Words. So. Many. Words. When you take on the Jane Hawk series, you have to be prepared for the commitment that it is. Dean Koontz is an author that likes his words, some are repetitive, others may involve a dictionary, or a search engine, and a rare few, even a translator. That being said, you are in for a breath catching adventure laid out by an Unknown Playwright that has a tendency to throw the unexpected in when a character might need to be dealt the unforeseen.

With a slow start that gains momentum, Jane is desperately trying to get to her 5-year-old son Travis who has been kept in hiding by close friends. When the protector’s cover is blown, in a graphic shoot out, a scared child calls his mother and Jane “with no emotion hotter than the terror that blazed in a mother when her child was in peril” will not stop until her son, and his new friend Cornell, and dog companions are safely tucked away.

Each book brings back previous introduced malevolent characters, but also reminds the readers of the good people that have helped Jane. The Forgotten Door reunites two of the best and with their help, Travis just might have a chance. That does not mean that there is not more treachery coming their way from the Techno Arcadians since this book ends on an interesting precipice and though Jane is granted a few quiet moments, that is no guarantee they will last especially when the ‘beautiful monster’ has more work to do.

Watcher in the Woods

Title: Watcher in the Woods
Author: Kelley Armstrongbr /> Published: February 5th 2019 by Minotaur Books
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 368 pages
Genre: Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Casey Duncan #4

I am not one-hundred-percent sure what Kelley Armstrong was trying to get across in this book. Was she trying to get the reader more invested in a select group of ongoing characters, was she trying to clean house by removing a few others, or was she introducing Casey’s sister April in hopes that Casey could finally put to rest, and recognize, the misunderstands that was driving the sisters apart.

To a point, there are too many characters to keep straight and if you have not read this series from the beginning they can become background noise to the current goings on in Rockton, a remote hideaway in the Yukon full of criminals, and a few victims, that have been able to buy their way to a couple years of protection.

When a US Marshal suddenly appears, wanting to take custody of a resident, the town is thrown into turmoil, which only exacerbates the situation when said Marshal is killed before he can say who he is there for. Turns out there are quite a few residents with federal warrants and it is anyone guess who he was looking for. Add to that, Casey and Sheriff Eric Dalton have secreted in Casey’s sister April, a doctor, to help with the surgery and healing of a resident who may become paralyzed if the bullet that is currently residing in his body is not properly removed.

Parts of this story fall into the well planned locked-door-mystery, with residence of Rockton locked in until their stay is up, but with Casey and Eric able to fly out for supplies and intel, an extra level of intrigue is added when their cover is blown and others might start to get a bit too curious as to what is going on in this well hidden area of a wild, mountainous, and sparsely populated region.

Corned Beef and Casualties

Title: Corned Beef and Casualties
Author: Lynn Cahoon
Published: February 5th 2019 by Lyrical Press
Format: eBook
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Tourist Trap Mysteries #6.25

Another quick novella from Lynn Cahoon this time working around a St. Patrick’s festival in South Cove. With the crowds getting out of hand and the shop owners having run-ins with the rabble-rousers, an evening call comes in when the body of a young woman is found propped up against the rocks in the cove. It is no surprise when Jill, owner of the Coffee, Books and More, puts the clues together before her detective boyfriend since this is the running theme throughout the series. Yet, from the beginning the who and the why seemed to be obvious. It would have been nice if the reader had to work a little harder to figure it all out.

This novella, actually all the novellas, within this series are placeholders until the author can come out with her next full-length book. Hopefully, that is the plan and since I am not sure when that will happen since she does have a few series going and finding the time to juggle them all must be daunting