I love this series because 1) is set in my neck of the woods and 2) I love wine stories. Though this one didn't concentrate as much on wine as the previous installments, I still enjoyed the trip through some of the sights in DC and a good mystery.
Lucie is reunited with an old College friend but before they get a real chance to reconnect her friend disappears and is thought to have drowned in the Potomac.
Trying to figure out what happened and why her friend contacted her, Lucie is ensnared in a mystery that could be deadly for her as well.
★★★½
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
CHARACTERS: Lucie Montgomery, Rebecca Natale, Ian Phillips, Harlan Jennings, Sir Thomas Asher
Series/ Progress: Wine Country Mysteries 5/6
DATE READ: August 24 - August 26
NO. OF PAGES: 272
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , AlphaKit
SOURCE: Nook
This new series start with Jane Steward, the manager of Storyton Hall, trying to devise a way to increase bookings at their book resort so that she can make some much needed repairs. Her idea is to sponsor a Murder and Mayhem week and the response is great.
As their guests start to arrive (in costume as literary detectives), everyone is prepared for a scavenger hunt which every one anxious to win because the prize is a first edition about a well-known mystery author and her history.
After the hunt and the presentation of the prize, Jane is distracted when her aunt falls ill, very upset because the wrong book was awarded. When Jane attempts to exchange the book, she finds the winner dead. Notifying the police of the death and the mix-up, the book remains missing and when Aunt Octavia passes the mantle of Guardian of Storyton Hall, revelations of a hidden world aid in he apprehension of the murderer and accomplices.
Great new series, my only wish is that Storyton Hall was a real place!
★★★½
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
CHARACTERS: Jane Steward, Mr. Sterling, Sinclair, Desmond Price, Lizzie Ingle
Series/ Progress: Book Retreat mystery 1/2
DATE READ: August 19 - August 23
NO. OF PAGES: 277
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , AlphaKit
SOURCE: giveaway prize
America has joined the war and Maggie Hope as secretarial staff accompanies Winston Churchill to Washington. At the same time, one of Mrs. Roosevelt's secretary is missing in action so Maggie is recruited to aid Mrs. R and goes with her when they discover the missing secretary dead. Maggie knows how important the Americans are to the war effort and works in the background to protect Mrs. R as well as uncover the apparent conspiracy which could destroy the American war cooperation.
The conspiracy and historical events are, as usual, cleverly woven together leaving the anticipation of continued adventures for Maggie and her friends.
Love this series! Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for an advanced e-copy to read.
★★★½
GENRE: Mystery
CHARACTERS: Maggie Hope, Winston Churchill, FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt, Byrd Prentiss
Series/ Progress: Maggie Hope series 5/5
DATE READ: August 19 - August 21
NO. OF PAGES: 352
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , AlphaKit
SOURCE: NetGalley
This "William Monk" novel really centered more around Sir Oliver Rathbone picking up with the aftermath of the trial of his father-in-law and how that man's death effected his life. No longer prosecuting or defending Rathbone is now a judge and during a trial he realizes that one of the witnesses was a client of his father-in-law. When he supplies evidence to the prosecution which causes the case to take an about-face, he learns to rue the day when afterward he is arrested for being unjust.
An interesting change for this series but really would prefer to see more of Monk and Hester.
★★★★
GENRE: Mystery
CHARACTERS: William Monk, Hester Monk, Sir Oliver Rathbone, Rufus Brancaster
Series/ Progress: William Monk 19/21
DATE READ: August 9 - August 18
NO. OF PAGES: 571
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , AlphaKit
SOURCE: Audio Stockpile
Jeff Resnick, an out-of-work insurance investigator is brutally mugged and when he awakens he has only his half-brother to depend on and a strange feeling that keeps getting stranger - he sees a man murdered in his mind.
Jeff's brother Richard takes him home to Buffalo where Jeff confronts his memories and works to uncover the murderer of the man who as a child help him at a low point in his life. His psychic abilities are reaching deeper and deeper into the murder and showing not only who did it but who was the witness.
Turning to the police with his "feelings" does get him the help he needs until he can give evidence to convince the detective in charge. Will it be in time?
I was blown away by this story. First, the author writes great cozies so I was prepared for something totally different. Second, I don't usually go in for those "psychic" things but the way the story unravels, the reader is right there with the character trying to understand what's happening to him. It seemed so real.
★★★★
GENRE: Mystery
CHARACTERS: Jeff Resnick, Richard Alpert, Brenda Stanley, Matthew Sumner, Sharon Walker
Series/ Progress: Jeff Resnick mysteries 1/5
DATE READ: August 9 - August 18
NO. OF PAGES: 567
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , AlphaKit
SOURCE: Nook Stockpile
This book wasn't what I expected from the title. I expected to read about where the great quake was expected to occur and possibly what we could do to prevent catastrophic death count, however, what I got was a book about the causes of earthquakes, identification of areas that are prone to large magnitude earthquakes, and the explanation of the measurements and what they mean. Disappointing.
★★½"
GENRE: NON-FICTION
DATE READ: August 8 - August 16
NO. OF PAGES: 244
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , AlphaKit
SOURCE: Public library
This book is the second installment set in the village of Ballybucklebo, County Down, Northern Ireland and continues the tale of Dr. Barry Laverty and his adapting to life in a small village while working to be accepted by the villagers.
Light and amusing.
★★★
GENRE: FICTION
CHARACTERS: Dr. Barry Laverty, Dr. Fingal O'Reilly, Florence Bishop, Patricia Spence
Series/ Progress: Irish Country 2/10
DATE READ: August 8 - August 11
NO. OF PAGES: 432
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , AlphaKit
SOURCE: Audio stockpile
In this next to last Oz book we are introduced to a new area of OZ where the Hyups live. There Kiki Aru steals a magical word which causes instant transformations and runs away to see the world. He encounters Ruggedo, the deposed Nome King, who persuades Kiki to work with him to revenge himself on Ozma and take over OZ. In the meantime, Dorothy and Trot, along with their friends, are endeavoring to find something special for Ozma's birthday.
The adventures of all climax in the Emerald City at Ozma's birthday party. A cute tale.
★★★
GENRE: Classics
CHARACTERS: Kiki Aru, Ruggedo, Gugu, Dorothy, Wizard, Glass Cat, Trot
Series/ Progress: Land of Oz 14/15
DATE READ: August 7 - August 9
NO. OF PAGES: 77
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , AlphaKit
SOURCE: Nook stockpile
This second in the Caprice DeLuca series takes the reader right back to where we left off. We see the continued worries of Caprice's sister Bella and her relationship with her husband now that he knows she's pregnant as well as Caprice's own issues with her relationship with Dr. Seth and lawyer Grant. Then throw into the mix the murder of an old flame of Bella's (that she'd been secretly seeing) and Caprice has her hands full trying to stage her houses and find the murderer to protect her sister.
The characters and relationships are developing in some unusual ways and are craftily woven through the story. Looking forward to the next one.
★★★
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
CHARACTERS: Caprice DeLuca, Bella Santini, Joe Satini, Bob Preston, Danny Flannery, Ace Richland
Series/ Progress: Caprice DeLucaMysteries 2/4
DATE READ: July 30 - August 7
NO. OF PAGES: 238
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI
SOURCE: Nook
This third book in the Heroes of Olympus series sees two quests undertaken - Annabeth's to search and find the cause and resolve the animosity between the Greeks and the Romans and the assembled demigods efforts to prevent GIA from taking over the world.
The writing was a bit different from previous installments but the story still moved along and captured this reader's imagination.
★★★
GENRE: Young Adult
CHARACTERS: Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, Jason Grace, Frank Zhang
Series/ Progress: Heroes of Olympus 3/5
DATE READ: August 2 - August 7
NO. OF PAGES: 586
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , AlphaKit
SOURCE: Audio stockpile
This was the last in the Kane Chronicle Trilogy and brought a happy conclusion to the efforts of Carter and Sadie Kane in their battle against the evil god Apophis. Seeing the interaction between this brother and sister was extremely entertaining. Maybe the author could return them to us in the future.
★★★
GENRE: Young Adult
CHARACTERS: Sadie Kane, Carter Kane, Walt Stone, Anubis, Zia Rashid, Setna
Series/ Progress: Kane Chronicles 3/3
DATE READ: July 30 - August 1
NO. OF PAGES: 406
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI
SOURCE: Audio stockpile
