Teasing Secrets From The Dead Disappointing.  I expected this to be more like case studies of cases she had worked on.  Instead it was more like a biography and a rather boring biography.  It was all I did this.....then I did that...and whoops! A case! And I did this...
 
You get the picture.
 
A likeable writing style, just not was I was wanting to read. I got through nearly half, so I feel confident that I can rate this 2 stars - liked it, but just barely.

2.5 stars

Overall, not bad but more than a little cheesy.  Very light and fluffy sort of story, not a bad book, but a little lacking in substance.  The victim was barely introduced and with so little detail about him, it was difficult for me to connect with the story.  Too much cheesy romance, and frankly,no cop would summon people to his crime scene who aren't in the law enforcement field and really have nothing to add except "cold feelings" and "thrumming."   WTF?  As a result, I'm left with so much apathy that this is about all I can come up with for this review.
 

This first came to my attention as a show on PBS and I was fascinated by it, not only for the subject of poisonings, but also how forensics and medical examiners offices came about.  The book has all the same information but was able to go a little more in depth. A little dry in parts (and I confess, I had to skip over any parts where they talked about using dogs as test subjects; yes I understand the importance but it's something I really don't want to have to think about.) but the case histories were fascinating, compelling and horrifying.  The one story that will always stay with me is about The Radium Girls, a group of young women who were employed painting watch faces with Radium.  One of the first women to die, a woman in her early 20s, had a jaw so degraded that the dentist "lifted it out with his fingers."
 
Try to get that image out of your head.
 
Overall a fantastic, haunting and memorable book and one I recommend to anyone interested in forensics.

Death Comes To Kurland Hall, the third in the Kurland St Mary series, is a superb story blending a fine mystery  a charming village setting, light romance, Victorian customs and contemporary feminist themes.
 
Lucy finds herself again at Kurland Hall for the marriage of Sophia to Andrew, cousin of the lord of Kurland hall, Major Robert Kurland.  The Major and Lucy find themselves investigating another death when, during the wedding reception, a guest is found dead at the bottom of a stairwell.  The woman, an unlikable gossip, has no shortage of people who want her dead.
 
A riveting plot that was full of so many twists and turns that I was fooled many times  One of the things I enjoy about this book (and the whole series) is that there are such strong female characters, no shrinking violets here.  I've seen too many times in books when the female characters faint or cry whenever there's the slightest hint of action; to me, that's never been realistic.  While social customs may have been different 200 years ago, I've always doubted that all women were the fragile blossoms typically depicted in books of this period. 
 
I felt at times that the tone of the dialogue didn't always match the time period and location in which the book is set. At some points, I thought it sounded almost Gone With The Wind era southern American rather than Victorian English.  I didn't find it objectionable, it's just that this impression distracted me somewhat from the story.  
Overall, a truly enjoyable read and I will recommend this and the rest of the series to others.
 
Many thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Another wonderful book from Kensington Books to read in exchange for an honest review. And I can honestly say I enjoyed this book a great deal. I have not read the other books in the series and you can bet I'll be picking them up right away. It was easy to fall into the story, with a great setting of Salem, MA, characters who are likable, and

From start to finish, Look Both Ways riveting, with a well-paced plot combining murders, secret compartments, missing jewelry, puzzles and lots of suspects. All through the book, I found myself suspecting everyone's motives could never decide whodunit.

I really liked the author's style, right from the opening page. I didn't realize until I was well into the book that there were 2 earlier books in the series, but the references to them were few, so this could easily be read as a standalone.

Overall, a great story and an enjoyable read and one that I would easily recommend to cozy mystery fans.

The Bennett Case I love this author's books, both the Aunt Bessie series and this, the Markham Sisters series.  Both are light, quick reads, usually not much more than a hundred or two hundred pages, making them an enjoyable way to spend an evening.
 
In The Bennett Case, elderly sisters Joan and Janet, recently the new proprietors of a B&B they've been working to open.  Their first guest, an unexpected visitor, the charming 60-ish Edward Bennett, appears at their door.  From the start, he appears to be hiding something, and the sisters, although charmed, are distrustful.  Friendly Police Constable Robert Parsons shows up not long after to warn the sisters that a conman has escaped from prison.  The conman is a master of disguise, so police do not have a good description of him, other than he's a man of about 60.  Soon after, several neighbors suddenly have unexpected guests, all of about the same age as the escaped conman.  But which of the visitors is the convict?
 
This was a good old-fashioned non-murder plot.  I love how the author is able to move the story along with just enough detail to fill in the story without a lot of drama or fluff.  The Markham sisters are just adorable, with Janet being just a bit Miss Marple-ish. 
 
The only negative I can think of is that there's very little feeling of location.  It's set in a small village in England, but as I'm not very familiar with the English countryside, I really can't place where it is.  Still, it sounds like one of those quaint English villages you see on TV.  But I'd like to see a little more of the countryside.  The books in the series have so far just stayed at the B&B.
 
Overall, I love that these are such a delightful and sedate stories, and I really enjoy it.
 
 

I'm actually only about 60% done, but I've read enough to write a review.

The problem with this book (and with the first book in the series) is that the plot was not fully developed, and as such, was not able to span a whole book without adding a bunch of inane interactions with minor characters that serve only as an obvious attempt to pad the book.

Which is a shame because the plot (minus all the inanity) is actually pretty good. It's a shame that so much filler is stuffed in the book that I lost interest.

So a 2 star review, mostly because I love the idea of a lighthouse library but that's being generous because Louise Jane, the overbearing mother and the love-triangle-in-the-making made it just impossible to get through.

Tails You Lose I struggled with how to rate this one, because the plots in this series are completely fresh and unlike any other book I've read.  Just very creative, unique and thrilling. The writing in this book was even better than the first (which was still a pretty good book) and having read the third book in the series, I know that it's improving as time goes on.
 
Lee takes a volunteer position teaching TV production at the new Tabitha Turnbull School Of Arts.  Just before the school opens for the first time, a contractor disappears in the basement of the school and is later found dead.
 
There are a few flaws that brought it from a 5 star to 4 1/2.   Same as with the first book, the fine line between hint and spoiler was toed a little too hard and I felt like it gave away too much.  It's not that I object to figuring it all out early in the story;  it's that I object to being told everything so early in the book.  So if I were to offer any constructive criticism, it's to learn the fine art of red herrings and intrigue. Also, a few plot threads were dropped along the way.  Minor? Yes, but it still annoys me.
 
Also, having read the 3rd book before reading the first 2, I have to say...WTF, Pete and Lee have been dating for almost a year and haven't done anything more than a few kisses? Seriously, Pete, cut bait and run.  You're not getting in her pants.
 
Overall, an enjoyable read and a series I'll be eagerly awaiting with each new release.
 
And that NASCAR jacket has to go.