Note: I was given an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review

The first in a promising new series, Snared follows DS Vicky Dodds investigating the mysterious disappearance of a dog breeder. She soon learns this is just one in a string of crimes by an animal rights group and their crimes are escalating. With a full slate of suspects, very little evidence and only a detective's hunch, Vicky has her work cut out for her.

Really great plot; red herrings, plot twists, and a good pace that kept you turning pages. I thought I had a pretty good idea who were the baddies but no, I was wrong. DS Dodds is a realistic, well-rounded character, one that you can root for, smart, feisty and not without fault.

A great start to the series and I can't wait for the next!

Also, Tartan Noir would make a great name for a kilt wearing goth band.

I was given an ARC by the publisher in return for an honest review

Musseled Out, the third in the Maine Clambake mystery series, sees Julia and her family facing competition from Thwing, an smarmy entrepreneur. When Thwing turns up dead, Julia investigates to clear her brother-in-law Sonny from the list of suspects.

This was a complex plot; lots of suspects, lots of motives and lots of opportunity. It kept me guessing until the end, and I never had a good idea who was the culprit. I enjoyed that the secondary characters gained more dimension, they became more a part of the story than just scenery. Julia grew as a character as well, it was nice to see her moving forward with her relationship with Chris and with her plans for the future. I identify with Julia's independence and caution, and I thought her thought processes and actions were entirely in line with what the character demonstrated so far. In other words, I find Julia to be a believable and realistic character.

As always, I loved the scenery; I could just imagine Maine in the fall and the gorgeous colors of the leaves on the trees. Also, beware of the food porn, Chris's fantastic dishes will make your mouth water.

A great read, the best in the series so far and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Busman's Harbor.

Sometimes, a book comes along that blows you away. This wasn't one of them. Halfway through, I began to envy the victim for being dead so she didn't have to put up with these people any longer.

I didn't read the first in the series, and the book doesn't sum up who the previous characters were. The first chapters are a blur of people who are mentioned, but without any sort of reference that would help the reader keep them straight and I'm still not sure where any of them fit in.

I just couldn't get into it. Just not for me.

I was so underwhelmed by this book that the only comment that comes to mind is...Meh. Just...meh.

Neil Gaiman doesn't create stories, he creates worlds that you crawl in to for a a short time and doesn't ever really leave you.

I love this series. Set in London in WW I, this installment follows Inspector Marmion and Sergeant Keedy as they solve the murders of 2 women, one in a cinema and one in a park.

There was a lot going on in this one; Marmion's son in France for the Battle of Somme, his wife battling an embittered neighbor, and the romance between Keedy and Marmion's daugther, there was a lot happening. Still, it didn't get too bogged down and moved pretty well. I think this is more of a bridge book (one that is less than spectacular but introduces story lines that will be built in the next books) but it was still damn good. I liked that there wasn't a lot of Alice in this one, she's really a whinging bore, even in this book, but there's mercifully not much of it. I liked that there was more of Keedy, rounding him out as more than just a flat character for Marmion to bounce theories off of while driving from place to place.

The only real criticism I have is that the ending was too rushed. Here's this great big long book that you spend hours reading and the killer is apprehended in a page and a half at the very end of the book. Not altogether unsatisfying, but it was anticlimactic.

Overall, not a bad read, but would've been 5 stars if the ending wasn't so abrupt.

DNGBTFC (Did Not Get Beyond The First Chapter)

I didn't read the first book in this series, and the beginning of this book was like walking in on the middle of a conversation and trying to figure out what was going on. The only problem with this is that it ended up that I just didn't care enough to wait around til I figured out what was going on.

Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars. I enjoyed it, the characters are likeable and it's a charming series but the plot just wasn't up to spanning the whole book and there was plenty of detail in some areas but not enough in others. Example: we get the details of what's in Sarah's office down to the smallest detail, but the reason why Rose was evicted never came out. Plus, it looks like it's headed for one of the dreaded love triangles.

Overall, a good book that could be great with a little work.

Wild Wild World This was a little break from my usual mysteries.  Random trivia, served with no particular purpose in particular order.  It was just begging for me to snuggle up to it.  I was not sorry I did!  Really fun book, covering everything from crime, science, humor to nauseating, queasy and squeamish. Great fun to read, even kids would enjoy it.