Solving Cold Cases Enjoyable book, but very short at 85 pages.  Still, it managed to cover quite a few cases in detail without getting repetitive or dry.
 
Come to think of it, the book isn't much longer than my review. 
 
 

This is the 6th in the Sweet Cove series and probably the last one I'll read. While the plots are really good, it's just become too cutesy for me. Everything is all kissing their sweeties and omg omg omg my family is teh awesome and trilling cats and thrumming blood and jesus, it's just so sweet that it makes my teeth hurt..



So, overall, just as with the other books in the series, the plot was really, really good but the filler is enough to give you cavities.

DNF.  Unfortunately, I just couldn't wade through the hormonal disturbance that was this book.  
 
If all the cheesy, melodramatic and overwrought romance was taken out of this book, it would've been a great mystery.  It's one thing to introduce a little romantic spark, or a bit of sexual tension. It adds a little spice to a book.  I get that.  It's another thing to beat a reader over the head with pent-up in-your-face hot mess.  If this book was a dance move, it would be a pelvic thrust.  In your eye.  Going on and on and on. 
 
It would've been only 12 pages long, but it would've been a good mystery. So 1 star for plot, -4 stars for everything else.
 
 

Not bad for the first in a series. Good plot and pacing, had a lot of twists and turns and kept me turning pages. The characters, especially the MC, needed a little more fleshing out to make them more than one dimensional. Also, the usage of the phrase "etty-six" in the first few chapters was confusing. Had no idea what it was meant to imply. The MC had a few TSTL moments as well, which is exasperating. But overall, I really enjoyed it and I'll pick up the next book when it comes out.

2 1/2 stars

The Markham Sisters Mysteries is a cute short story series that do not have murders, just mystery. They're a quick, fun read, one you can curl up with and finishing in one evening.

While the other 2 books in the had really good plots, I struggled to figure out what the point of this one was. It was over before I knew it and the mystery wasn't so much as solved as narrated to the the MCs. Not a bad read, but just a bit too unfocused compared to the earlier books.

Olive and Let Die I've been looking forward to reading this and it didn't disappoint.   Olive or Let Die picks up where the first book left off, with Georgie's  soon-to-be-ex-husband Spiro working on opening a diner with his new boyfriend, Inky and Georgie's romance with Coast Guard captain Jack blossoming nicely.  To add a wrinkle, Georgie's estranged mother, Shirley,  now known as soap opera star Melanie Ashley, shows up in town.  When Georgie and Melanie sit down for a talk, they discover the dead body of Melanie's cousin, Doreen.  I really enjoyed this one.  A bit slow to start but as the story picked up, the suspense started to build into a very complex plot. Georgie's mother coming back to town added depth to the main character that was lacking in the first book.  The only issue I had is that there's a potential love triangle on the horizon and I'm desperately hoping it doesn't come to that.  This is shaping up to be a solid series, I'm hoping it doesn't get sidetracked with contrived romances.

Because I appreciate when people save me some time when I check reviews, the short of it is this book made me swoon like a freshly opened bag of those chocolate sandwich cookies with the heaping glob of creme filling in the middle. A great follow-up to A Murder in Mount Moriah, it's full of humor, wit, sentiment and action. It kept me up until 1 a.m. because I knew I wouldn't sleep until I finished it. If you enjoyed the first book, you'll love this one. If you haven't read the first book, then go out right now and get it.

A Death in Duck is Book 2 of the Reverend Lindsay Harding mysteries. Lindsay thinks she's going to enjoy a relaxing Christmas holiday week on North Carolina's Outer Banks to celebrate her friend's wedding but fate laughs in her face (and stomps on her foot for good measure.)

The first adjective I can throw out to describe this book is "action packed." There's no sitting around on the beach sipping mai-tais for Lindsay on her beach holiday. Between her maid of honor duties for BFF and bridezilla Anna, supporting BFF Rob during a visit from his Taiwanese mother, the disappointment of being ditched to work on a murder case by boyfriend Warren, Lindsay also has to deal with the reappearance of her mother, Sarabelle. And just when she thinks things can't get any worse, she finds her aunt in a shack with a gunshot wound. And that's just the beginning!

There are a bunch things going on at the same time, but everything is skillfully deployed and integrated while avoiding becoming convoluted or bogged down. The pace on this book is a little faster than the last, but no less enjoyable.

I liked that there was a little more back story to the characters, a little more rounding out. You learn a little more about Warren and his family, more about Anna and her past, and a whole a lot more about Lindsay's gnarled family tree. A few newcomers round out the story, I thought the addition of Owen and Mike made a great angle and I look forward to seeing that play out in future books.

A great read, and this series is definitely on my fave list. I will never look at Pomeranians as anything but crazy-eyed mental patients ever again.

Spoiler

I think the recipes, even in jest, for Jello boobs and Yule turds would really round out this story

Enjoyable, but seemed a bit rushed,  it just didn't have as rich of a plot as the other books. 

I really enjoy the Tourist Trap series, from the riveting plots to the beautiful California coast location to the quaint small town to the fun, quirky characters. In this, the sixth book in the series, Murder On Wheels starts out by introducing the reader to the sport of Geocaching. I've known one or two geocachers and I know how rabidly they follow it, so I identified not only with Justin's zeal for it, but also his friends' lack of enthusiasm. The president of the geocaching club, who also plans to open a gluten free dessert food truck, is found murdered on the beach

One thing I enjoy about this series is how well the victim is integrated into the story, even if they're not a big part of the book. Murder On Wheels is no different, Kacey still manages to be so endearing that you genuinely lament when she dies. The rest of the plot, especially the manner that Kacey was killed and the plot thread concerning Kacey's husband, was interesting and not something you'd expect.

I have to say that the plot with Jill and BFF Amy really didn't add much to the story. I thought Amy came off as a shrew (I never really liked her much anyway) and I guess it says something about Jill that she'd put up with that behavior from a friend.

Overall, a great addition to an already great series.

In Murder on the Hour, the 7th book in the Penny Brannigan series, a popular Antiques Roadshow-esque show is coming to Llanelen and after local woman Catrin brings in an old family quilt, she is found dead in her home. Meanwhile, Pennny meets one of the judges at the Antiques show and Gareth, soon retiring, begins to contemplate his life after retiring and life without Penny.

One of the biggest draws of this series is how vibrant the characters are. It's so easy to fall into a story when you feel like you're a part of the locale. And that's what this series excels at doing, along with the really great plots to sew everything together into a great cozy mystery.

The main plot, Catrin's murder, was riveting, one of those plots where you think you have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen and then suddenly it all gets blown to shreds and off you go again.

There is one line in the book that sticks with me. "When your parents are telling you about your grandparents and great-grandparents, you don't care. And then, when you're older and you do care, your parents are no longer alive to answer questions or recount family history." So, so true. I've recently begun researching my mother's side of the family and have hit a brick wall. There's no one alive who can answer the questions I have,. So sad that people never get the time to record or write down all those family stories and so many are lost.

Overall, a great read and one that I will recommend to other readers.