Blood Lure

Title: Blood Lure
Author: Nevada Barr
Published: 2001 by Putnam Adult
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Genre: Mystery
Series: Anna Pigeon #9

First Sentence: With the exception of a nine-week-old Australian shepherd puppy, sniffing and whining as if he’d discovered a treasure chest and sought a way inside, everyone was politely pretending Anna didn’t stink.

Blurb: While studying grizzly bears in Waterton/Glacier National Peace Park on the border of Montana and Canada, ranger Anna Pigeon finds herself in the midst of a series of deadly bear attacks that leave her struggling to re-evaluate her own view of nature. (GoodReads)

My Opinion: To be honest, I have no idea how Anna has survived from one book to the next. I have lost count of her sprains, strains, and concussions. Yet she survives only to face another close call in a new state park.

Midway through, I still had no idea where this book was going or when we would get there. When we arrived, I questioned the ending. Really? All that was missing was a tutu and a tricycle. I expected more from Nevada Barr. Maybe that is on me. I should learn to appreciate the narrative and the history and science involved.

Luckily, the conclusion wrapped things up, and I am glad there was a happily ever after, but still, one does wonder if Balthazar's story was planned or convenient.

Bound by Murder

Title: Bound by Murder
Author: Laura Gail Black
Published: September 6th 2022 by Crooked Lane Books
Format: Kindle Edition, 288 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Antique Bookshop Mystery #3

First Sentence: “Life is sweet”. Mason stood in the open doorway to my used and antique bookstore, Twice Upon a Time, staring across the cobbled street toward The Weeping Willow.

Blurb: The birds are singing, books are selling, and the Hokes Bluff Inn has begun to host weddings on its property. Antiquarian bookseller Jenna Quinn loves the romance in the air—until her ex-fiancé, Blake Emerson, walks in with his bride-to-be, Missy Plott. Blake continues to profess his love for Jenna if she’ll have him back, no matter the consequences. And the consequences are grave, indeed, when Missy turns up dead.

All evidence points to Blake, who was the last one to see her alive. He begs Jenna to help him clear his name. Blake’s mother, Cordelia, is also bent on exonerating her son. Jenna doesn’t believe that Blake could have killed Missy, and she starts digging for suspects. It could have been Missy’s ex-boyfriend, who proclaims a love for her he says only death could sever. Or might it have been Missy’s bitter “best friend,” who was secretly besotted with Missy’s ex.

Then, the police find evidence from a cold case years before—a case that had falsely implicated Jenna herself. Cordelia continues to beg Jenna to help prove her son’s innocence. Could Blake truly be innocent?

Jenna’s life is on the line in a final confrontation that will either prove Blake’s innocence—or damn them both. (GoodReads)

My Opinion: With a slow start, the usual boyfriend detective, and a relationship conflict midway through, Laura Gail Black takes her readers back to Hoke Foley, the bookstore, and an unexpected visit from Jenna’s ex-finance. The same ex who discarded her when she was accused and eventually acquitted of embezzlement, causing her to leave Charleston and start over in the bookstore she inherited from her uncle.

A few chapters in, the body appears, and Jenna, once again, is both suspect and amateur sleuth. The book follows the same predictable cozy mystery pattern and could have benefited from a subplot or two and fewer repetitive descriptions and actions.

As the book lumbers along, the reader may find themselves skimming. Then the last ten percent answers all the questions yet leaves the lingering question --- is this a series they would want to continue?

A Vacation to Die For

Title: A Vacation to Die For
Author: Lynn Cahoon
Published: September 6th 2022
Format: Kindle, Paperback, 234 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: A Tourist Trap Mystery #14

First Sentence: Mayor Marvin Baylor’s excitement made the tone of his voice rise even higher than his normal, birdlike chirp.

Blurb: Hustling her fiancé off to a neighboring tourist town might be the only way Jill Gardner can plan her nuptials to South Cove’s in-demand police detective. But when a mystery man turns up dead at South Cove’s PD, Greg is hightailing it back home to investigate, leaving Jill to finish the vacation solo.

Jill can barely get in a spa day before her own respite is spoiled by a greedy hotel guest and unexpected revelations about Max Winter, the developer conniving to buy her home out from under her. Then there’s the staffing issues at the store, the strange men seen lurking about town, and an aggressive and obnoxious family member harassing Jill’s beloved employee. It’s enough to make the bride-to-be full of jitters . . . especially when she finds herself in the crosshairs of a killer, (GoodReads)

My Opinion: *Maybe I missed it in the previous 13 books, but Greg is a detective in a small tourist town on the coastal highway in California, only because the mayor doesn’t want to give him the title and salary of a police chief. I honestly don’t remember that ever being mentioned before, but now it makes sense why South Cove, with an abundance of murders and body dumps, requires a detective. I also wonder why they need a detective since Jill Gardener, owner of Coffee, Books, and More, tends to solve all the murders, and Greg is always a step behind.

Jill and Greg head out on a vacation of sorts as they try and plan their upcoming nuptials, only to have (not surprising) Greg called back early. Then add in the confusion of detective, almost police chief, Greg asking his barista girlfriend to step in and investigate for him and then getting mad when she digs up information. Honestly, the junior high antics of these two are beginning to wear on me.

Even though you knew the names of the culprits and where the story was going, the ending still felt rushed. There are a few continuity issues and places where Lynn Cahoon could have done a little more research; overall, the book wasn’t bad. Not the best of the cozy mystery genre, but after 13 previous books, the reader gets used to the people of South Cove, and it’s nice to check in with them again.

Where will the two of them head next? No way of telling with a ten-week premarital financial seminar on the horizon and two adults that can’t seem to find time for each other yet can step on each other’s toes.

A Colorful Scheme

Title: A Colorful Scheme
Author: Krista Davis
Published: August 30th 2022
Format: Kindle, Paperback, 328 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Pen & Ink Mysteries #4

First Sentence: I thought someone had been following me, so when Mr. Dubois shouted and banged on the door of the carriage house, I was momentarily alarmed.

Blurb: Coloring-book creator and Washington, DC, bookstore owner Florrie Fox is attending the wedding of her wealthy boss and a famous romance author, who are taking their vows—for the second time—on the grounds of the gorgeous Maxwell mansion. But it soon becomes clear that the soothing vibe of coloring books is very different from the stress and backstabbing in some corners of the literary world.

Arthur Bedlingham, for example, barely makes a living despite the many awards he’s won—and his chances for better sales haven’t been helped by the vicious review he just got from another guest at the party. Then there’s an ex–FBI agent whose popular thrillers are a magnet for female fans; a less-successful romance writer; and an ambitious waitress who’s intent on a career in journalism.

When Arthur’s assistant, an aspiring writer, is murdered during the festivities, Florrie realizes this is no color-by-numbers case, and she’ll have to sort out the complicated secrets among this creative crowd of suspects. (GoodReads)

My Opinion: What an odd book. Using THC as a prelude to murder, Rohypnol on seniors, and a murder on the streets of Georgetown where no one thought to look at security cameras. Once you get past the oddities, the story has a nice flow.

I love the new character of Jezebel and hope that she has a recurring role. She brings humor and lightness to the book that was missing. As for the other characters, I knew it was going to be a challenge when Krista Davis began the book with a list. Unfortunately, a few seem to blend and I found myself trying to sort them out.

As for the overall story, it was enjoyable, I did wonder about one aspect since it was glaringly obvious, but it quickly became background fodder until the author tied up all the bows and revealed how authors can be what audiences crave.

A Colorful Scheme has me liking the Pen & Ink series again, and I will look for Florrie and her friends in the future.

A Treacherous Tale

Title: A Treacherous Tale
Author: Elizabeth Penney
Published: August 23rd 2022 by St. Martin's Paperbacks
Format: Kindle, 320 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: The Cambridge Bookshop Series #2

First Sentence: Books, books, glorious books.

Blurb: Lately, Molly has been feeling that she might have fallen into a fairy tale: she's reinvigorated the family bookshop Thomas Marlowe—Manuscripts and Folios, made friends in her new home of Cambridge, England, and is even developing a bit of a romance with the handsome Kieran—a bike shop owner with a somewhat intimidating family pedigree.

Having recently discovered The Strawberry Girls, a classic children's tale, Molly is thrilled to learn the author, Iona York, lives nearby. But while visiting the famous author at her lovely cottage in nearby Hazelhurst, an old acquaintance of Iona's tumbles off her roof to his death.

Then, when one of Iona’s daughters—an inspiration for the original Strawberry Girls—goes missing, Molly begins to worry this story might be more Brothers Grimm than happily-ever-after. Especially after Molly learns about the mysterious long-ago death of Iona’s husband and co-author of The Strawberry Girls…could past and present crimes be linked? Molly must put the clues together before someone turns this sweet tale sour.

My Opinion: A story within a story, one for adults and one a child’s book -- which work in concert to reveal those involved in two murders.

The timeframe confused me. The book is supposed to be the current day, but occasional word usage came across as lingo from decades ago. Additionally, Elizabeth Penney is heavy-handed and redundant when describing the general area leaving the reader scanning until something new appears.

Cozy Mysteries/amateur sleuths aren’t for everyone, but I like the mental break after a hectic week.