Took me awhile to finish this, and overall it was a cute book, but I had issues with it. The murder didn't happen until 2/3 of the way through the book and then the "investigation" was practically non-existent and in the end, the culprit was caught but the MC did very little to bring that about. Instead of being a cozy mystery, this felt like it was really just a long-winded and unfocused introduction to the setting and the characters. I'll give the second book a try to see if the story is tightened up and more of a mystery but as for now, I will just say this is a cute story but not a cozy mystery.

Also, authors, please consult a law enforcement professional if you want to make your police interactions even remotely believable.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Caught Dead Handed It was a bit hard to rate this one.  On one hand, it was a really unique plot.  On the other hand, it was a really weird plot.  I enjoyed it, but overall, my reaction is that this is not your usual cozy read, and seriously, wtf?
 
Lee Barrett returns to her hometown of Salem, MA to take a job as a reporter at the local tv station, WICH-TV (Witch tv? Salem? Get it? Ha!)  only to find out the job was given to someone else.  As she leaves the station, she finds the body of Ariel Constellation, the host of WICH-TV's witch-themed late night show, which turns out to be a stroke of luck, because guess who is offered Ariel's job?
 
Not long after, another body turns up and Lee starts seeing visions of the murders in Ariel's black crystal ball.  Can she figure out the visions and catch a killer?
 
I have to say, I had most of it figured out a third of the way through the book and all of it figured out halfway through the book. There's a fine line between giving hints and giving spoilers, and this book toed the line a few times.   Although it didn't hamper my enjoyment, after awhile, I just wanted the book to hurry it up. There were also a lot of clues that the MC didn't followup on which would've solved the mystery a whole lot sooner.
 
And yet, despite all the hemming and hawing around, the ending was a bit too rushed.  I think a few chapters could've been cut out of the middle (the Florida trip was pretty useless) and a little more care with the ending and this would've been a 5 star book easily.
 
Still, for the first in a series, it was really good, and having read the third book in the series recently, I know the writing gets better. 
 
But whew, that's a plot I've never seen in a book before. 

Apparently the Suffering in Pane and Suffering refers to how one feels while reading this book.
 
I give it one star only becase premise was cute; MC inherits a glass shop from her dead father, and also has to teach stained glass window making classes to local noobs. MC promptly thinks the police are idiots and starts her own investigation with Fred and Velma and Scooby.
 
Then the cliches started (most of which I've already outlined).  Skipped a few chapters; book got even more dumb (I didn't think that was possible) and then skipped to a few chapters before the end.   Couldn't even read it all the way through.  This was seriously like a really bad Scooby Doo episode.  Not the old ones from the 70s that were corny but still really good.  No, this was like the crap they show on Cartoon Network purporting to be Scooby Doo but is just really lame.
 
DNF, could've been really good but it wasn't. 
 
Note to the author: If you're going to have a British character, at least research how British people speak, the terms they use, etc. Because Edward sounded like a southerner affecting an English accent. Badly.

I completely forgot I didn't finish this. I put it away one night before bed just before the end (didn't want to miss the good stuff) and then forgot to finish it. Never fear, it's done!

I loved this book! I loved that the main character is a man, and not only that, a very human and realistic man. I don't see that often in cozy mysteries, so I liked the change of pace. It's not hard to like and empathize with James, trying to grieve for his mother and help his elderly father while starting a new job at the library. I also loved how he was drawn in to the Flab Five supper club and the other four members are likeable and easy to relate to. I liked (and related to) Lucy the most because I also have a weakness for frosting. In fact, I have a can of frosting in my kitchen right now for the spice cake I'm making for Easter dinner tomorrow and it's taking all of my willpower not to crack it open and feast. Should've bought 2, I guess. Enough with my Roomba of Thought (as an ADHD'er I don't get the luxury of a train of thought, I've only got a chaotic and wandering Roomba of Thought) anyway, back to the review:

As for the plot, it was a cracker. On the day of the biggest high school football game, Brinkley causes a scene at the diner and is found dead the next day at the bakery. Lucy, who has been trying to work her way into being a police officer, has been shut out from the Old Boys Network working the case. Together with the rest of the Flab Five, they start investigating over diet friendly supper club meals. With no shortage of suspects who would be happy to see Brinkley dead, the story winds its way through the clues and leads before finally leading them to the culprit. I admit, it came as a surprise, and it was only at the end that the motive became clear. And that's why I think I enjoyed the book as much as I did, this wasn't one of my usual cozy mysteries where I pick out who did it pretty early on. I admit, I had no inkling.

Overall, an excellent mystery and I look forward to diving into the other books as soon as I clear my Currently Reading list.

It wasn't until I started reading this that I realized this was book 3 and I haven't read the other 2 books. So I would say it would've helped a bit to read the earlier books, but only to help understand and "know" the characters, but it didn't hinder being able to follow along with the events in this book.

But all that aside, this was an enjoyable and light cozy mystery. I enjoyed the plot; smuggling and burglary isn't one I usually see in a cozy, so it was a nice change and added lots of intrigue. The change in viewpoints wasn't confusing at all, I didn't find it difficult to switch between Tally and Yo, as it was very well delinated and the "tone" did change well enough that you could tell them apart.

What I liked best is you knew the who but not the how, so it was great fun following Yolanda and Tilly as they followed the clues and the ending made for a satisfying read.

I'll go back and read the first two books at some point, and I'm looking forward to spending more time in Fredricksburg, TX with the gang.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington book for an advance copy to read and review.

Ahhhhhhhh, this was just what I needed to get back into reading. Just a nice, light read that I knew I'd enjoy over an evening.

This one was a bit different, Fenella and Daniel are going on a two week tour following an orchestra. The hostess of the tour, Olive Rose, has done similar and successful tours in the US and Europe, but this one in the UK only had two additional members, Lily and Bert. On the first stop of the tour in Chester, one of the viola players is found stabbed to death, Daniel and Fenella help solve the murder.

I liked that this moved the setting to another locale, bringing in new characters and a different sort of investigation, since they were out of Daniel's jurisdiction. Although I missed Mona's unique additions to the investigating, she did put in an appearance or two while Fenella was at home. The only quibble I have is the ending felt very rushed and mostly happened "off-screen" so to say, as the story was wrapped up almost like an afterthought and Fenella explained it in the last chapter. And that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book, but it wasn't as satisfying as it could've been.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read for a chilly evening and it was nice to escape into.

"My dear girl, your life keeps my death interesting," Mona told her with a small laugh"

Read this one in an afternoon, and although it was good and I enjoyed it, I can't shake the feeling that this plot was similar to an earlier book but I'm too lazy to look through which one. And I don't really care, either.

Anyway, Daniel wants to move to within walking distance of Fenella Can't-Say-The-L-Word Woods (after 16 books, I really can't explain why and frankly, Fenella hasn't ever explained why. I think Mona came pretty close, though.) But that's not the point of this book, the point is Daniel's house hunt (OMG at the beginning of the book I was envisioning a House Hunters International with Daniel as a basket weaver and Fenella as a rainbow sponge knitter and their budget was $100 million. Which Fenny could afford, I guess) yanks attention span back to the book anyway Daniel and Fenella go to look at a few places, with one standing out as perfect but it's over Daniel's budget and he's not comfortable accepting money from/or even borrowing money from Fenella, even though he'd be steps away from her door. While touring the building that the perfect apartment is in, they run into Constable Corlett, who says he's headed to the old hotel next door in response to a call for service. Daniel goes with him to check out the problem, and returns with news that a box labelled POISON was found buried in a crawl space that the new owners were enlarging. Later that day brings word that a skeleton has been found behind the box, and a search through old missing persons records begins. Fenella uses her gift for mining for information and helps Daniel solve the case.

And I did enjoy this, as I always do. It's a quick and light read with cute characters and a beautiful setting. The plot was interesting and I enjoyed watching them wade through the potential victims and the twist with one of the (in actuality not) missing persons made for a nice change of pace. And, now 16 books into this series, I'm definitely so invested in the characters that I enjoy watching their stories progress like they did in this one.

Another enjoyable read and a perfect story to lose myself in for an afternoon but I have to say, I'm dreading seeing this series come to a close (as some of the author's other series have recently done) but I'll be along for the ride as long as there's new stories.

I absolutely love this series. In fact, I love it so much that it's an automatic 4 stars, but this one I'll give 5. I've been reading this series right along and this one ranks up there as the most satisfyingly and compelling of them all thus far.

So much to love about this one; Mr. Beckler is still around and this time he's attempting to produce spirit photographs and is successful when he captures one during a portrait session for a young woman from a wealthy family. Mina's suspicions are aroused further when it's revealed that Mr. Beckler has been taking photos of the gravesites of prominent people in the community, showing the ghostly occupant clearly standing next to their grave. Despite her reluctance to encounter the creepy Mr. Beckler and the brash Arthur Wallace Hope (who we've met in previous books and has vowed to silence her skepticism) Mina mounts a covert investigation to learn the truth.


I've always been fascinated by the subject of ghosts and Spiritualism and the obviously well researched story line kept me glued to the book, watching Mina wade through the mire until she finds the truth. I loved all of the twists and turns in this one, and really enjoyed watching Mina (with brother Richard's help) re-enact some situations that occurred and how she uncovered the truth. The comeuppance received by one character very worthy of a comeuppance was so gratifying that I nearly clapped, made for such a gratifying ending that left me wanting more.

Another fantastic entry in the Mina Scarletti series and one I definitely recommend for people who enjoy solidly written historical fiction and ghost stories.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Sapere Books for the advance copy to read and review.