★★★★½
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
SUBJECT: poisonings, magical powers
Setting: Havenwood, GA
CHARACTERS: Ella Mae LeFaye, Adelaide LeFaye, Delia LeFaye, Verena Hewitt, Cecelia LeFaye, Reba, Loralyn Gaynor, Hugh Dylan, Maurelle, Freda Shaw, Sloan Ketteridge
DATE READ: October 13 - October 13
NO. OF PAGES: 265
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?: no, new on Nook
PLOT:....................................................................4.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................4.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................4.50
STYLE:..................................................................4.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................4.50
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................4.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................5.00
Threshold Quality.................................................5.00
Average..............................................................................................4.50
The Charmed Pie Shoppe series is that definitely - absolutely charming! Ella Mae has finally been awakened to her substantial powers and just at the right time. The Lady of the Ash has to be replaced at the Harvest festival but all of the candidates seem to be dying from food poisoning.
Purchasing a used vehicle from the Artisan Cheese makers in the area, Ella Mae is introduced to a bride ad groom and drafted to cater their small wedding as well as finding a young woman to work in her pie shoppe.
The harvest festival yields numerous surprises and a bit of unforeseen heartache.
Definitely looking forward to the next installment!
★★★½
GENRE: Historical Mystery
SUBJECT: inheritances, political unrest
Setting: Medieval England
CHARACTERS: Winston, Halfdan, Cnut, Tonild, Osfrid, Thorkell
DATE READ: October 9 - October 12
NO. OF PAGES: 272
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?: yes, NetGalley
PLOT:....................................................................3.50
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.50
STYLE:..................................................................3.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................4.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.00
Threshold Quality.................................................4.00
Average..............................................................................................3.50
In this new medieval mystery series, Cnut of Denmark in 1018 has conquered the Saxons and is in the process of unifying England. The country is still unsettled so when a nobleman is found murdered, the king selects a Dane, Halfdan, and a Saxon, Winston, to investigate and find the murderer.
Cnut gives them 3 days to determine whodunit knowing that he is sending them into a powder keg.
The characters and situations were entertaining and kept this reader's interest throughout. Looking forward to the next in this series.
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GENRE: Cozy Mystery
SUBJECT: revenge, prospecting, society
Setting: New Orleans, LA
CHARACTERS: Carmela Bertrand, Ava Gruiex, Margo Leland, Jerry Earl Leland, Eric Zane, Bobby Gallant
DATE READ: October 4 - October 8
NO. OF PAGES: 320
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?: ARC from the author
PLOT:....................................................................3.50
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.50
STYLE:..................................................................3.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.50
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.50
Threshold Quality.................................................3.50
Average..............................................................................................3.50
Carmela (after creating the invites) is attending the Welcome Home party that Margo Leland is throwing for her ex-con husband Jerry Earl. Then while looking for the bathroom Carmela stumbles upon Jerry Earl dead in the clothes dryer.
Pressured by the widow, Carmela starts her own investigation which has a few unconventional twists and turns, while enlivened with the flavor of New Orleans.
This was the latest in The Scrapbooking series and I have to say it is the best so far. The main characters (Carmela and Ava) continue to bring New Orleans to life while chasing after the bad guys!
I would like to thank the author, Laura Childs for the sneak peak that she sent my way!
★★★½
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
SUBJECT: accidents, art
Setting: London, England UK
CHARACTERS: Maisie Dobbs, Billy Beale, Georgina Bassington-Hope, Piers B-H, Emma B-H, Noelle Grant, Harry B-H, Richard Stratton, Duncan Haywood
DATE READ: September 30 - October 5
NO. OF PAGES: 336, 11¼ hrs.
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?: yes,Audio stockpile
PLOT:....................................................................3.50
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.50
STYLE:..................................................................3.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.50
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.50
Threshold Quality.................................................3.50
Average..............................................................................................3.50
In this 4th installment of Maisie Dobbs, we see the main character addressing not only the mystery of the death of an artist ruled an accident but suspicious in the eyes of his twin but we see Maisie acting to aid Billy as he and his family face financial and emotional difficulties.
The comparison of the emotions of the Beale family and the higher class Bassington-Hope family leads Maisie to examine her own feelings and the reader sees her growth not just as a woman but as an investigator.
Great addition to the series.
★★★★
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
SUBJECT: inheritences, missing persons
Setting: Autumn Vale, NY
CHARACTERS: Merry Winter, Binny Turner, Shilo Dinnegan, Gogi Grace, Tom Turner, Dinah Hooper, Jack McGill
DATE READ: September 29 - October 4
NO. OF PAGES: 304
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?: yes,NetGalley
PLOT:....................................................................4.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................4.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.50
STYLE:..................................................................4.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................4.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................4.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.50
Threshold Quality.................................................4.00
Average..............................................................................................3.88
How many of us have a relative that we vaguely remember who would leave us an inheritance that consists of a castle and a forest? Not too many, but Merry Winter has finally headed to Autumn Vale to see what her Uncle has left her so that she can sell and move on with her life.
However, the people she meets in this quanit little town are far from normal or friendly so Merry is delighted when she is joined by her best friend, Shilo, and the two begin to prepare the castle for sale only to be disturbed by a nightly hole digger who ends up dead in one of the holes.
The story was interesting because all the while new characters are introduced the background of the area and the mystery are being revealed.
Looking forward to the next one!
★★★
GENRE: Historical Fiction
SUBJECT: husband hunting
Setting: London, England, UK
CHARACTERS: Eliza Hammond, Violet Winter, Kit Winter, Lancelot Brevard, Philip Pettigrew
DATE READ: September 24 - September 30
NO. OF PAGES: 369
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?: yes, Shelf stockpile
PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.25
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.00
STYLE:..................................................................3.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.00
Threshold Quality.................................................3.00
Average..............................................................................................3.03
The last in the Trap series was fun, the story the same old story where the man falls in love without realizing it and the girl won't say anything because she doesn't want the guy to be forced into anything but he has to face the truth when the girl is in peril. Still FUN!
