*I was given an ARC by the publisher, Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review*

Killer Run is book 5 in the Tourist Trap Mystery series. Bookstore owner Jill is talked into sponsoring a 5k run to benefit the preservation society who is dragging their feet in declaring the old mission ruins in Jill's backyard as a bonafide Spanish Mission site. One of the race's promoters is found dead during the race, and Jill (with sidekick Aunt Jackie) race to solve the murder and the vandalism at another of South Cove's businesses.

I really enjoyed the book. It was nice to see more of Aunt Jackie drawn into the story and fleshed out more of her character.I'm wondering what the next book will hold with all the foreshadowing on Jackie's health. I also enjoyed Sasha's teasing of Toby. How long until they get set up together? Next book's a good bet. I'm hoping for some more character development going forward with Toby (and Greg for that matter)

As for the plot, there were two crimes for Jill to solve, the murder of the race promoter, and the vandalism at the train shop. The Josh-capade of finding the victim was pretty funny, I had a pretty good mental picture of it in my head. I did feel that there wasn't enough time getting to know the victim, who is in the book for only a short scene before turning up dead, and even the suspects don't have much in the way of character development. Without knowing anything about the victim, I didn't have a good feel for who the suspects were and why, which means I wasn't as engaged with it as I was in previous books. However, the plot was The plot was very good though, lots of twists and there were a couple of red herrings that made me question who I thought was involved with the crimes and they were done very well.

Overall, another enjoyable entry in the Tourist Trap series and looking forward to many more.

Murder, She Barked Just....ok.  Cute premise, and let's face it, the idea of a pet paradise town is too adorable to resist. It got really interesting for awhile, then devolved into a chapter-skipping-eye-rolling mess.  By the time I got to the end, I just. did. not. care.   It wasn't completely terrible, but, like a trip to the dentist, I just wanted to get it over with.
 
I'll try the second book in the series, but right now it'll be placed at the bottom of my TBR pile.

I'm not really sure what to say about this one.  On one hand, it was interesting and different; on the other hand, the plot was so far-fetched, even the International Space Station had problems keeping it in sight.
 
Not a bad read, but it was definitely out there. 

Although I'm not usually a fan of vampires, I really enjoyed this story. The locales are vivid, the characters avoid falling into a stereotype and although some of the action was somewhat predictable, it didn't detract from the story at all. Overall a good, fun read. I'm a fan of the author's Cullen series and will be looking forward to further books in this series as well.

A Fatal Chapter The latest in the Booktown series has Tricia helping out her sister at the Stoneham Chamber of Commerce while she waits for the insurance check to come through so she can begin to rebuild Haven't Got A Clue, her mystery bookstore.  After finding a friend dying in a park, Tricia sleuths her way through the small town to find the killer.
 
Along the way, Tricia and Angelica hunt for the person who has been stripping all the hanging baskets in town of all their flowers.
 
Enjoyable book, had a nice, easy pace and a great plot. I figured both plots out fairly early on, but the end was explosive and shocking.  A lot of loose ends were tied up in this book, not all of them happily.  
 
I was left with the feeling this could be the end of this series and I really hope not. I'd be pretty unhappy if this is how things are left.
 
 

Sleepyhead DI Tom Thorne joins a taskforce set up to investigate the murders of several young women who, despite having no risk factors, have died of strokes before being thoroughly washed and then dumped. A terrifying and riveting plot, one that will definitely stay with me for awhile. Although I really enjoyed it, I have to say that the sudden switching between characters with no warning dulled my enjoyment a bit. Although I got used to it after awhile, it continually jarred me from the book. Perhaps that was the point, a little psychological mind game in a psychological thriller. But still, in my opinion, it was the difference between a 5 star book and a 4 star book.Overall, a great read.

A Ghost For Christmad Cute, likeable story. The ending was a bit too abrupt, but a real page turner. The characters could use a little more development, they were flat and one-dimensional. Overall, an enjoyable read and not bad for the first in a new series.

This was a nostalgia read.  I first read this book 20 or so years ago when it came out and it still stands out as one of the best books I've ever read. 
 
Set in 1890s NYC, an alienist (or a psychologist in modern terms) and his friends set out to solve the murders of several "boy-whores" - children who dress as women and sell their bodies in debauched bars in the city. What I enjoyed is that so much of NYC's history is tied up in the story, from Teddy Roosevelt's stint as police commissioner to the landmarks still standing today to the city's notorious gangsters stirring up trouble. The plot is a taut thriller than builds slowly as the investigation goes from clue to clue to build a psychological profile of a killer and tracking him down.  And that's what I think appeals to me most; there's no "stumbling onto the killer" moment; the groundwork is laid, and that's what leads them to the killer.  It's a very well written mystery rich in detail without being dry and stilted. 
 
A great novel and I enjoyed revisiting the world of Kreizler, Moore and Sara.

I picked this up as a Kindle freebie and found it to be a cute story.  At only 58 pages, there wasn't much room for character or plot development, which somewhat hindered the story for me.  Some characters were thrust into the story with little or no introduction (the cop "investigating" for instance - did she work for the local police department? Was she a cop from somewhere else on vacation there? What? I have no idea.)  and the epilogue was a little forced. Yeah, it tied up the loose ends, but it felt tacked on to the end, rather than a continuance of the story. 

Overall, not a bad little book and a good start, but still needs a little work.

DNF, no rating