Beaches, Bungalows & Burglaries

Title: Beaches, Bungalows & Burglaries
Author: Tonya Kappes
Published: May 25, 2018
Format: Amateur Sleuth
Series: Camper & Criminals #1

First Sentence: “A campground?”. I gulped back a good hissy fit because one could never underestimate the power of a good hissy fit, something I’ve tried really hard not to do in years.

Blurb: Welcome to Normal, Kentucky~ where nothing is normal.

Mae West, a far cry from the Hollywood actress, has been thrown for a loop. Her plush lifestyle in the big city of New York comes to a screeching halt after the FBI raids her mansion and arrests her husband, Paul West, for a Ponzi scheme that rips people out of millions of dollars.

Mae finds herself homeless, friendless, and penniless. All hope isn't lost. . .the only thing Mae got to keep that the government didn't seize is a tourist camp ground, Happy Trails, in Normal, Kentucky and an RV to live in. One problem, Mae's idea of camping has room service.

By the look of the brochure, Happy Trails has plush Kentucky Bluegrass, a crystal clear lake, a beach chair with her name on it and thoughts of how much money it could bring her after she sells it. Mae figures she'll take a couple weeks vacation with her toes dipped in the lake. Things aren't always as they appear. The Kentucky Bluegrass is nothing but dirt and the crystal clue lake is murky with green slime on top.

Mae quickly find out that Happy Trails and the citizens of Normal were also victims of Paul's schemes, making her lower than tha lake scum in the residents' eyes. Mae doesn't think things could get much worse, but as luck would have it, Paul West has escaped from prison and is found dead, murdered, floating in the Happy Trails mucky green lake.

Mae is the number one suspect on Detective Hank Sharp's short list. After all, Mae has the perfect motive as a kept wife who has been scorned to ashes, embarrassed to death, and seeking revenge.

Time is running out for Mae to prove that she's innocent and nothing like her husband. If only she could get someone to believe her and talk Detective Sharp into looking at other residents who've lost all their savings to Paul's Ponzie scheme before the curtain is closed on this Hollywood namesake.(GoodReads)

My Opinion: A quick, easy, light read with the usual twenty-something with a major life upheaval ending up in a trailer park in a small town and needing to find her way. Yet, it is more than that when the body of her Ponzi-scheming ex-husband shows up. Don’t worry, the usual gorgeous police detective is there to complicate and save the day. To muddle matters even further, the neighborhood chef is also there to distract her.

The women of Normal, Kentucky, have taken Mae under their collective wing with wisdom, humor, and Southern charm, making this the beginning of an enjoyable series.

Collateral Damage

Title: Collateral Damage
Author: J.A. Jance
Published: March 14, 2023

Format: Kindle, Hardcover 322 pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Ali Reynolds #17

First Sentence: Frank Muñoz’s first New Year’s Day out of the slammer was a quiet one.

Blurb: After spending twenty years behind bars, Frank Muñoz, a disgraced former cop, is out on parole and focused on just one thing: revenge. The wife who abandoned him after his arrest, the mistress who ratted him out for abetting a money-laundering scheme, the detectives who presided over his case all those years ago—they all have targets on their backs.

For Ali Reynolds, the first Christmas without her father is riddled with grief and uncertainty. And with her husband and founding partner of High Noon Enterprises, B. Simpson, preoccupied by an upcoming New Year’s trip to London, she is ready for a break. But when Stu Ramey barges into her home with grave news about a serious—and suspicious—accident on the highway to Phoenix involving B.’s car, things reach a breaking point.

At the hospital, a groggy, post-op B. insists that Ali take his place at a ransomware conference in London, as troubles brimming around High Noon come to light. But questions remain: Who would go to such lengths to cut the tech company from the picture? And what if Ali and the rest of the team are also in danger? (GoodReads)

My Opinion: Is it wrong to say that Frigg is my favorite character?

As a refreshing change, at least to me, Ali is not the central character in this book and it is good to see others taking that role.

You know early on the who, what, where, how, and why, so you aren’t as invested in the who has done it. You are there to watch all the puzzle pieces fit into place. Having read an advanced reading copy, I found it interesting that there was a single sentence referencing the pandemic. Not sure if that will make it into the final copy, but it could be an interesting jumping-off point for the next book in the series. Also, another thing that threw me off was the mention of money and the price of a cybersecurity contract. That number was way too low for the types of elite companies High Noon Enterprises work with. For me, the little things always interrupt my reading flow. Most won’t notice it, but for me, it was a sticking point.

This series has always been hit or miss with me, and Collateral Damage was a hit.

The London Séance Society

Title: The London Séance Society
Author: Sarah Penner
Published: March 7, 2023 by Park Row
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery

First Sentence: At an abandoned chateau on the wooded outskirts of Paris, a dark séance was about to take place.

Blurb: 1873. At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris, a dark séance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike.

Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister’s death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. With shared determination, the women find companionship that perhaps borders on something more. And as they team up with the powerful men of London’s exclusive Séance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves

My Opinion: I was disappointed in this book since I enjoyed Sara Penner’s previous offering, The Lost Apothecary.

A slow start where the interesting parts did not start until the last third of the book. From that point on, it was a mad dash to the end.

The gullibility in the 1800s might have been my sticking point. The author described the people and times while winding the plot around strong female characters. There were unnecessary plot points that neither helped nor moved the story along.

If there is a next book, sure, I will check it out only to decide if this author is right for me.

Arya Winters and the Tiramisu of Death

Title: Arya Winters and the Tiramisu of Death
Author: Amita Murray
Published: October 26, 2021 by Agora Books
Format: Paperback, 295 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Series: Arya Winters #1

First Sentence: Loneliness killed my Auntie Meera.

Blurb: Arya Winters is your typical cozy heroine. She lives in a cottage in a small English village, and bakes for a living - well, she specializes in macabre desserts. She has nosy neighbors, who she avoids ruthlessly due to her social anxiety. And she has a keen interest in all things sexy, especially Branwell Beam, the writer next door.

When her neighbor Tobias Yards turns up dead after eating poisoned tiramisu (definitely not poisoned when she baked it), no one seems to connect it to Arya's Auntie Meera's recent death. Instead, they blame her excruciatingly average ex-boyfriend—and Tobias’s nephew—and so she takes matters into her own hands. Now all she has to do to uncover the truth is to get over her aversion to Other People. Besides that, it's just a matter of getting beyond some yellow tape, dodging her former BFF Tallulah from secondary school, and getting into Branwell's pants—he seems strangely reluctant.

What Arya doesn't realize is that the murderer is dangerous, preying on lonely people who've experienced trauma, and that she might have to do all she can not to become the next victim.

My Opinion: This book is not going to be for everyone. Some will find Arya Winters offensive and inappropriate, but I adored her. She is damaged; in so many ways, yet there is something about her view of life that is appealing. She is a completely unapologetic, honestly straightforward, no holds barred baker of macabre cakes in a small town.

When it comes to classifying this book, I have no idea where to begin. Aria is an amateur sleuth, but even with her small town, small business, and two cats that have adopted her -- this is not a cozy mystery; far from it.

There is laughter. Eyebrow-raising moments. Interesting goings-on and eye-rolling comments. Yet, I admired Arya and her non-traditional view of life.

I loved that the “who-done-it” was never on my radar. Usually, books let it slip early, and if Arya Winters and the Tiramisu of Death did, I completely missed it.