Plantation Shudders by Ellen Byron

Maggie Crozat returns to Cajun country to help her family run the ancestral home as a B&B.  However when one of their guests is found murdered and the local Sheriff has a feud with her family, Maggie has to step into the investigation so that their new business doesn't get held up in channels.

The location was fun, the mystery entertaining, but the characters need a bit  more fleshing out.
Hope to see more in the future.

Twenty-one Days: A Daniel Pitt Novel by Anne Perry

A new series starring the son of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt gets off to a great start. Daniel, a young lawyer, manages to find a way to convince the jury that his client is innocent of murder.  He is then immediately ordered to assist another lawyer in his firm with a high profile case.  When they are unable to  come out with a favorable verdict, they must somehow find the real murderer or find reason for an appeal in 21 days before their client is hanged.

I found it quite fascinating that in this time era that there was so little time for appeal. Definitely a great start for a new series!

The Shadow of Death: A Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery by Jane Willan

Sister Agatha of Gwenafwy Abbey has been working on writing a murder mystery so when the sexton is found dead in the aging room of the  cheese making facility, she believes it was murder while the sheriff says it was an accident.  Determined to show that she is right, Sister Agatha enlists Father Selwyn to help her investigate the death and all the mysterious goings on surrounding the local cheese contest.

So of the mystery was a bit predictable but there were several red herrings that were creative and entertaining. Characters were well written but left room for growth.

An Interesting start for a new series.

Twenty-one Days: A Daniel Pitt Novel by Anne Perry

A new series starring the son of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt gets off to a great start. Daniel, a young lawyer, manages to find a way to convince the jury that his client is innocent of murder. He is then immediately ordered to assist another lawyer in his firm with a high profile case. When they are unable to come out with a favorable verdict, they must somehow find the real murderer or find reason for an appeal in 21 days before their client is hanged.

I found it quite fascinating that in this time era that there was so little time for appeal. Definitely a great start for a new series!

Plum Tea Crazy by Laura Childs

Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea shop in Charleston, never fails to amuse and entertain me through her  "investigations" that she is "forced" to undertake.  Her friend and business associate, master Tea blender Drayton, is with her when they witness a Heritage Society board member fall from the Timothy Neville's widow's walk and be impaled on a wrought iron fence.  Timothy asks Theo for her assistance in determining suspects when it is discovered that the victim didn't just fall but was shot with an arrow.

The mystery winds n and out and is interspersed with events at the Tea shop and other social events for Theo but somehow she manages to get her questioning done and aggravates the killer enough to get others in the line of fire.

One of my favorite series,  I was so thrilled to receive a copy from the author for review.  Now to just learn patience while I wait for the next one!!!

Diamond Girl (A Country Club Murder Short) by Julie Mulhern

I love this series and as soon as I can get my hands on the next in the series, I'm on it.  This short story was no exception. Taking Aggie, a major supporting character in all the previous full novels and giving the readers not just some background on her but also putting her front and center while Ellison played the supporting role was brilliant!  The story was very well crafted while maintaining the characters' integrity.  I laughed as usual at the humorous aspects - especially Aggie's makeover.  I wonder what Frances will say in the future!

Lost Books and Old Bones by Paige Shelton

Delaney is settling in to her new life in Scotland and after an evening out with some girl friends, she is startled to learn that one of the girls has been found murdered outside of the bookshop where she works.  Her friends are all medical students and Delaney gets to wondering if a special set of books that her boss has acquired may be behind the murder.  Since it's her job to verify the value of the books, she is drawn into the investigation of the murder. 

The background of the history of Burke and Hare, murderers from the past who killed to provide corpses for the medical college and its incorporation into the story was magnificent. Again I was drawn to the regular characters and their closeness to each other and their desire to protect each other.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Meg Murry is a misfit in her school and neighborhood but then again so is her younger brother Charles Wallace.  Part of their problem is the disappearance of their father and their mother's dedication to scientific research to try and bring him home.  The story is about 3 entities - Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which who transport the two Murry children and a friend to a  far-off planet to try to rescue Mr. Murry.

My book club selected this book so that we could discuss it and then when the movie comes out next month we could compare the story in the book to the story on the screen.  I'm not sure that I really liked the story in the book and maybe it's because it is 50 some years old.  It was also difficult to follow in parts and the characters weren't easy to embrace.

The Man He Became: How FDR Defied Polio to Win the Presidency by James Tobin

I'm really surprised at how interesting the story came out.  I thought that it would be deadly dull but informative, but instead it was very entertaining as well as giving a very interesting insight into FDR before and after polio.

It was extremely well written, never getting too technical but still giving a great deal of information as to the affliction and its results.

A Case of Syrah, Syrah by Nancy J. Parra

Taylor O’Brian returns to Sonoma Wine Country to help her Aunt Jemma after a heart attack scare.  Wanting something she can call her own, she starts a tour company called Off the Beaten Path but her first tour proves fatal as one of her clients is found murdered at the bottom of a cliff.  Not only is Taylor a suspect but her business could be killed before it gets off the ground!

I liked the characters and the setting, I see great potential for growth in both.

The Plot Is Murder by V. M. Burns

This was an interesting start for a new series.  There is a mystery within the mystery. Samantha Washington has been recently widowed, retired from teaching, sold her home and is opening a mystery book shop - a dream she and her late husband shared.  The real estate agent who sold Sam the building for her bookshop repeatedly has been bothering her but one morning she finds him dead in her backyard.

As the police investigate, she works on her book - a mystery.  There is a marked resemblance with her mystery to the murder of her real estate agent so the police believe that she may be a suspect.

The characters which include Samantha's grandmother and her cronies add a sense of humor to the search for the truth.

Great fun!

The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling

I had really been looking forward to this book, because I love the Harry Potter series, I thought that the same wonderful, entertaining writing in an adult story would capture me as well.

Unfortunately, this book didn't do it.  Characters needed more fleshing out at the beginning so that the reader becomes attached. The politics and family struggles in this little village made the story too dark and depression for my tastes.

Pressing the Issue by Daryl Wood Gerber

Crystal Cove is holding a Renaissance Fair and the entire town is caught up in the festivities.  At the same time, Bailey, Jenna Hart's assistant at the Cookbook Nook, is preparing for her wedding to be held at one of the local wineries.  When the winery owner (a huge fair advocate) is found murdered,  investigations get underway, but was he killed because of the winery or the fair?

The twists and turns that are incorporated into this finely crafted cozy mystery keep the reader searching for answers right up unto the end.

The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters

6 year old Ramses, a precocious little boy who is half Amelia and half Emerson, takes centerstage in this third in the series.  The mystery I found lacking any real depth, but the interaction of the characters (Mother, Father, and child) was extremely entertaining.