Finally finished this one. I don't know what it was, but it just didn't hold my interest. I'd read a chapter or 2, find myself bored and put it away for a bit. Decided last night to push through and finish it.

The whole abused women shelter thing just felt disintegrous to the series, entirely outside of the central theme to the books. From Abi getting involved with the shelter to the issues with the board to the central plot of a dead woman and a missing woman, it just felt like a plot from another series was dropped into this series. I don't know, just didn't wow me; the story plodded along until the big reveal came around and lead up to the exciting conclusion.

Mostly I just kept at it because of my attachment to the whole Abi-and-Grant storyline (and because I like the series as a whole) and it was nice to see they characters moving forward a bit. I'm looking at this book as a bridge, and true to bridge books in a series, it's always the weakest link bringing together the changes needed to start a new chapter in the series.

Overall, didn't hold my interest but did move the characters forward, so I'll give it 3 stars.

Finally able to jump into this newest book in the Jazzi Zanders series after choosing to catch up on the first four after getting this one on Netgalley.

Jazzi, Jerod and Ansel have snagged a great deal on a fixer upper in Merlot. While beginning the process of emptying the house to prepare it for renovation, they find a locked bedroom, shut away since the former resident, a recently graduated high school girl, fell to her death during her graduation party when she was pushed off a second floor balcony, a murder that was never solved and in small town Merlot, rumors abounded ever since.

First off, it's a known fact that a secret locked room is a quick way to suck me into a book. I loved how the journals introduced and narrated Jessica and her tragic life. Without it, she would've been just words on a page, instead it brought her back to life. There was no shortage of suspects, including a few who were right up there on the list because of how odious they were but in the end, the killer was unmasked and what a twisted tale it was.

Part of the draw of these books is watching (well, reading) the gang as they renovate houses; what design choices they make (both good and bad. Still not over the yellow brick house with the red metal roof and green door in the last book) and all the different houses they find. So, I enjoyed Ansel and Jazzi's vision of turning their basement into a playroom/man cave/spare sleeping space for guests. Truly enviable! Their family gatherings sound like such a warm, lively parties, with good food and lots of fun. Enviable!

Overall, a solid addition to a series that continues to grow and satisfy. Can't wait for the next!

Between 3.5 and 4 stars

I actually read this one a few years ago, but I have no memory of it (and I tend to remember each book I read like the memory of an old friend.) but I rated it 1 star. I'll rate this one higher, probably because I read the latest in the series pretty recently and enjoyed it a lot.

It was pretty typical for the first in a series, spending time fleshing out the main characters while slogging through the plot. I did enjoy the plot but I'm not sure it was enough to carry the book. Around halfway through I was getting bored and it was hard to keep my interest (which is why it took me 2 months to finish it.)

Overall, not as terrible as my original rating but doesn't rank up there in the close-circle-of-book-friends-etched-in-my-memory.

First off, I can say that my automatic rating for this series is five stars, it's that good. The Victorian period is painstakingly portrayed so realistically, I expect to see men in top hats driving by my window in horse carriages.

Mina is an intelligent and spirited young woman battling Scoliosis, which she manages with grace and strength. But when a slight cold becomes serious, she is tucked away into bed, protected from the outside world by her hired nurse and her family. But that doesn't stop Mina from cracking another Spiritualist case. Using her dedicated friends, she delves into the mystery of Franklin, a young lad haunted by the ghost of his father, Jasper, who vanished seven years before after falling off a yacht into the sea. Shortly after his disappearance, the truth was revealed; Jasper was on the verge of bankruptcy and was unable to hide his money troubles any longer. But without a body, it took several years to have him declared legally dead. Shortly after, his widow married a new husband and the rumors started flying once again.

Desperate to help her young son, the widow asks Mina to help. Mina, fascinated by the disappearance, calls in her network of friends tp find information about the case. Slowly, she works her way through the web of misinformation and finally uncovers the truth.

I started this after supper and couldn't put it down until I finished it well after midnight. The plot, characters and locale are so vivid, so three dimensional that I felt like I was right there in the thick of things. When I picked up the book, I thought that Mina being stuck in bed for the majority of the book would make it dull, but that wasn't the case at all. Between Mina's brother Richard's tales and the observations of the flamboyant actor Mr. Merridew, I felt like I was seeing it through their eyes.  I loved the ending, which neatly tied the threads together and even made me a bit misty.

Truly, this is a magnificent series and one I heartily recommend to historical mystery and cozy mystery fans alike.

Been a long time since I caught up with Alex and Milo. This has been on my Kindle forever so while avoiding reading other books I started and didn't get into, i decided to crack this one open.

Alex receives a phone call from 100 year old Thalia who asks him to come visit her at the hotel she lives at for a consult. Intrigued, Alex overcomes his reluctance and visits her for an interesting but mystifying first meeting. The next day, returning as promised, Alex finds Thalia has died in bed. A sharp-eyed paramedic notices something amiss and Alex and Milo are plunged into another murder case.

I loved the premise of this. There was a victim but no other information. No why, no who. A complete mystery from the start and yet Alex and Milo slowly uncover each detail. I've always enjoyed the relationship between Alex and Milo and it's always great fun to watch them work. This one ended up being part historical mystery and part modern day mystery, with the roots beginning in the gangster filled 30s and 40s in what was then a largely corrupt Los Angeles leading up to the current day largely corrupt Los Angeles (some things never change I guess.) but untwisting the mystery page by page kept me glued to the book and kept me guessing when I wasn't.

In a series spanning 30 years with only one MISS I can think of, this series never fails to capture me and lead me through thrilling and captivating plots. If you've never read Kellerman, I definitely recommend.

This was good but it seemed like there was more guessing than actual detecting in this one. Still, it was a twisty plot; a dead man deposited in a seemingly unrelated upscale suburban house, the murder of the philandering blowhard husband and no obvious motive.

In the end, Kellerman's usual trick made me suspect who the killer was and I was right. I enjoyed the book but I have to admit - the two murders at the end had no mention as to exactly how they transpired and that leaves me feeling a little...unfulfilled? But overall, another great chapter in the decades long Alex Delaware series.

Wow, this one proves that Kellerman's still got it.

A wedding guest discovers a dead woman in an out of the way bathroom at an old strip club turned party venue. No one at the wedding party claims to know her and without identification, no way to determine who she was, why she was there or who she knows. Enter Milo and Alex, who work to track down an elusive killer.

This one did not follow Kellerman's usual pattern of figuring out who done it. (I won't spoil that formula for those who haven't figured it out, but suffice it to say there's usually an easy way to figure it out.) No, this was entirely different and I loved it. I was just as in the dark as Milo and Alex were as they meticulously tracked down every lead and as it turns out, what a tough case it was. This was hard to put down, each chapter pulling you deeper into the mystery, culminating in that AHA moment and a turbo driven finish. If you haven't read any of the other Alex Delaware mysteries, this is a great entry and if you're already a fan, this one will re-ignite your passion for it.

Pru joins forces with a local theatre group for a Shakespeare In The Park sort of thing. Hired to dress the set with plants, Pru instead stumbles into a mystery when one of the actors turns up dead. With many suspects on the cast, Pru has to figure out who had the motive to kill.

Although I enjoy this series, this one just didn't grab me and I had a tough time powering through it. Which is a bummer, books are meant to be enjoyed but yeah, it was a struggle. Usually there's a "don't investigate, it's too dangerous" trope about cozy mysteries that I hate; this one has the opposite. "Go investigate, find a killer" her cop husband says. I don't know which one annoys me more. Both feel equally as insincere.

But it was a good plot and in the end, my desire to see the mystery solved overcame my desire to quit reading the book and I liked the ending. It was the in between that what a challenge.

This one was on the higher side of *just okay*. Although I liked the main plot, I sussed out most what was going on from the beginning, so it didn't hold much in the way of surprises or intrigue for me. The two secondary mysteries seem to get short shrift, though. One plot, surrounding the mysterious picture and cloudy background of a young woman, is the springboard to a new series (which I will be reading!) but the plot of the young man investigating his great-grandfather's death wasn't so much solved as just....petered off into nothing. I was a bit disappointed, I love the historical mystery subplots in this series.

Overall, it was still a good read and I'm looking forward to the new series.

Absolutely loved this one. I've never read this series before, so this was my entry point and I can say emphatically that it wasn't a challenge to orient myself in the series. Any mentions to prior events was explained and the characters are so well developed,it's easy to dive in and make yourself comfortable.

Andy Carpenter is a successful lawyer who has been trying to retire for years, but keeps getting involved with representing people thanks largely to his wife, Laurie, a former cop and current private investigator. Andy is an all around good guy and having earned enough money to be comfortable, has no objection to making donations to others. On one wintery day, he gives some money to a homeless man and his dog. The next day, he learns that the man was attacked and his dog bit the perpetrator. Laurie, full of Christmas spirit, sends Andy to offer the man the apartment above their garage. When the media gets hold of the story and Andy lets the homeless man's name slip, police show up. The homeless man, Don Carrigan,a retired Green Beret with PTSD, was wanted for a homicide. Laurie, full of Christmas cheer, urges Andy to take on the case, and as the facts become known, Andy realizes there's a whole lot going on and Carrigan is being framed.

I love the characters; Andy is a smartass lawyer but deeply committed to his family and to clearing wrongfully accused people. Laurie is a tough ex-cop with a sweet spot for the underdog. The rest of Andy's team are a motley crew of equally dedicated and quirky people.

The plot was well paced and full of surprises; everything was investigated and uncovered methodically (if a bit unconventially at times) but it gave the feeling of being led through the entire process by a wiseacre tour guide and there were a lot of chuckles as I read. Don Carrigan, the man that was being framed, was easy to empathize with and kept me rooting for Andy to win the case. I also appreciated how it highlighted the issues of PTSD, its effects and how it contributes to homelessness without being preachy or overbearing, very sensitively handled.

This is definitely a series I'll be going back and reading from the beginning, and if the other books are this good, it'll definitely be on my must read list.