★★★½
GENRE: Mystery
SUBJECT: Spousal abuse, deserted grave
Setting: Reykjavik, Iceland
CHARACTERS: DI Erlendur Sveinsson, Eva Lind, Elinborg, Sigurdur Oli, Grimur, Simon, Mikkelina, Benjamin Knudsen
DATE READ: April 25 - April 30
NO. OF PAGES: 293
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , MYSTERYCAT
SOURCE: MCL Library
PLOT:....................................................................4.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................4.00
STYLE:..................................................................3.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.00
Threshold Quality.................................................4.00
Average..............................................................................................3.50
A skeleton is discovered on the site of new building construction and the police have to first determine who the victim is, how long it's been buried, and then the cause of death. At the same time as the body excavation is taking place DI Erlendur and his team are trying to find out who may have lived in the old housing projects that once stood on the site.
Erlendur is distracted, however, because his drug addict daughter is in a coma and he can't stop blaming himself.
Each time that I've sat down with this series, I have a hard time because the names of the characters are so different from what I'm used to. But each time, I've been very glad that I read the book. The writing, style and plotting are excellent.
★★★
GENRE: Mystery
SUBJECT: Child pornograpy,
Setting: London, England
CHARACTERS: Wm & Hester Monk,Scuff, Sir Oliver Rathbone, Arthur Ballinger, Lord Chief Justice Sullivan, Jericho Phillips
DATE READ: March 25 - April 24
NO. OF PAGES: 553
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI
SOURCE: Audio Stockpie
PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.00
STYLE:..................................................................3.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.00
Threshold Quality.................................................3.00
Average..............................................................................................3.00
This 16th installment in the series saw Monk and Hester pitted against their friend Oliver Rathbone who had been tricked into defending a Child pornographer. Because of Rathbone's talents in the court room, Monk and Hester have to work again to find a way to get Jericho Phillips, the pornographer, convicted of his crimes.
The story seemed a bit thin this time, more a device to show the main characters' development than create the story.
★★★★
GENRE: Fiction
SUBJECT: death and closure, marriage, supporting friends
Setting: Henry Adams, KS
CHARACTERS: Bernadine Brown, Lily Fontaine, Trent July, Devon Watkins, Amari July, Rev Paula Grant
DATE READ: April 20 - April 21
NO. OF PAGES: 352
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI
SOURCE: Nook
PLOT:....................................................................4.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................4.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................4.50
STYLE:..................................................................4.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................4.50
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................4.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................4.00
Threshold Quality.................................................4.00
Average..............................................................................................4.25
The stories themselves in this series are the Blessings that Beverly Jenkins shines upon us showing how a small town can take several foster children to their hearts and not only repair the children's spirits but their own as well.
Yes, there is an old saying that money can't buy happiness, but here in Henry Adams KS, it can relieve the stress and rebuild a town's self-respect.
I would recommend this series for everyone!
★★★★
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
SUBJECT: magical differences
Setting: Havenwood, GA
CHARACTERS: Ella Mae LeFaye, Reba, Opal Gaynor, Hugh Dylan, Eira Morgan
DATE READ: April 16 - April 19
NO. OF PAGES: 304
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI
SOURCE: Nook
PLOT:....................................................................4.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................4.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................4.00
STYLE:..................................................................4.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................4.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................4.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................4.00
Threshold Quality.................................................4.00
Average..............................................................................................4.00
Ella Mae is saddened knowing that her mother is now the Lady of the Ash. Ella Mae goes to a party at the Gaynor estate to welcome transplants from a Tennessee group whose sacred grove was burned and now they need to live in Havenwood.
Worried that the same fate may befall their own sacred grove, Ella and her aunts work to be welcoming while protecting the Lady. Ella Mae is also determined to find a way to save her mother while protecting the grove.
The story is wonderfully crafted and the new characters blended well while former minor characters are expanded. Loved it!
★★★¾
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
SUBJECT: inheritance, municipal harrassment, hidden treasure
Setting: South Cove, CA
CHARACTERS: Jill Gardner, Miss Emily, Amy Newman, Greg King, Bambi, Sabrina Jones, George Jones
DATE READ: April 13 - April 15
NO. OF PAGES: 209
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI
SOURCE: NetGalley for review
PLOT:....................................................................4.50
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................4.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.50
STYLE:..................................................................4.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................4.00
Threshold Quality.................................................3.50
Average..............................................................................................3.75
Jill Gardner left her legal job 5 years ago and moved to South Cove, CA to open a cozy store that sells coffee and books. One of her first friends was cranky old lady, Miss Emily. When Miss Emily runs into problems with the city Council, she turns to Jill for help. Miss Emily turns up dead one day and all her problems are literally left to Jill - stocks, house, and threats.
The council has given her 30 days to bring Miss Emily's house up to code so while working inside and out on the repairs, Jill is fighting off the dangers related to Miss Emily's murder and the efforts of the Mayor and his friends to force the sale of the old house that Miss Emily left to Jill.
I loved the story line as well as the characters that had me rooting for their safety. A touch of romance was thrown in for good measure. Hope the next installment gets here soon!
★★★
GENRE: Mystery
SUBJECT: Duplicate Bridge, jealousy
Setting:
CHARACTERS: Fran Stinson, Kit McCrea, Dan Cogan, Corey Loucks, Clayton Carmichael
DATE READ: April 10 - April 13
NO. OF PAGES: 224
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI
SOURCE: NetGalley for review
PLOT:....................................................................2.50
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.25
STYLE:..................................................................3.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.00
Threshold Quality.................................................3.25
Average..............................................................................................3.00
I love to play bridge, almost as much as reading so when I saw this book that centered around a small town's duplicate bridge group, I thought it would be great! Unfortunately, though the bridge portions were great and very informative, the mystery was very lack luster and barely even there. A non-bridge player would have ditched the book, but since I love bridge, I persevered. Hopefully, the next one will be better.
★★★★
GENRE: Mystery
SUBJECT: inheritance, social stigmas
Setting: Devon, England
CHARACTERS: Katherine Stanford, Iris Stanford, Lady Edith Honeychurch, Rupert Honeychurch
DATE READ: April 6 - April 10
NO. OF PAGES: 304
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI
SOURCE: NetGalley for review
PLOT:....................................................................4.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................4.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.50
STYLE:..................................................................4.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.50
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................4.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................4.50
Threshold Quality.................................................4.00
Average..............................................................................................4.00
Kat Stanford has abandoned her position as host of an antique show to start her own business expecting her widowed mother to join her. To her surprise, Kat is contacted my her mother Iris and told to meet her in Honeychurch Hall in Devon. Kat is not thrilled by the surprises that greet her when she finds her mother in a dilapidated Carriage House fighting off a local who wants the land for an amusement park. When murder is added to all the unknown factors, Kat needs to investigate not only for her own safety but her mother's freedom.
Absolutely loved the characters, their quirkiness as well as the setting and plot!
★★★½
GENRE: Mystery
SUBJECT: Biological warfare development
Setting: Scotland
CHARACTERS: Maggie Hope, Clara Hess, Sarah Sanderson, John Stirling, Winston Churchill
DATE READ: March 31 - April 5
NO. OF PAGES: 320
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI
SOURCE: NetGalley for review
PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................4.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.00
STYLE:..................................................................4.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.50
Threshold Quality.................................................4.00
Average..............................................................................................3.50
Maggie Hope has returned home from her undercover assignment in Berlin, injured both physically and emotionally. Assigned as an instructor at a spy training site in Scotland, her spirit remains scarred as her body recovers. Entangled in a new network of secrets, Maggie must put aside her own feelings to discover what is threatening the life of her friend and other civilians while the war rages and the global threats increase.
I thought that the plot on this mystery was a bit thinner than any of the previous but possibly that was in preparation for Maggie's next adventure. Moving forward historically, there may have been lulls that needed to be handled to get the characters to the next phase of the adventures.
Seeing Maggie battle her inner demons was enough to carry the story. Waiting for the next one!
