ppcfransen's Reviews (563)

Solid mystery, but I never really got into the story. Perhaps that is because this is not a typical cozy mystery: there's a serial killer and there are connections to the Italian and Russian mob.

I found the quirky characters (DC and Grand) a bit much. I liked that Kat would spout trivia whenever she was at a loss for words.

I didn't mind that the book ended with a set-up for the next book (it's really not a cliffhanger). I won't be eagerly awaiting the next book in the series though.

I read an ARC through Netgalley.

I'm not sure of what to think of Remembering the dead. As a cozy mystery it is unusual. There's a theft of a historic artefact and the death of one of the people probably involved in that theft. The investigation seems to mainly be about getting to know the victim and the background of the theft. There isn't a large pool of possible murder suspects who all had motive and various degrees of means and opportunity. The most likely suspects (the thieves) are unknown, so Penny has to make the most of talking to possible witnesses and strangers that are spotted in unlikely places.

I guess the mystery was okay, though there were a few too many coincidences and Penny didn't bat her eye at a few clues until later. It was a slow paced mystery and it wasn't always able to hold my attention. The use of a real historic artefact for the story was a nice touch.

Jane Lawless is called in for help with the investigation when her father is thinking of petitioning to reopen an old case of his. Gideon Wise was found dead in the bath tub and his husband was sent to prison for murder. Jane investigates and finds out her brother has some unsavoury friends.

All the while I'm wondering why Ray Lawless didn't hire his daughter to investigate during the original trial. There's nothing she found out now she could not have found out at the time.

The story is told from multiple third person perspectives. Which makes for a change from my usual fair, but doesn't improve the mystery for me.

I read an ARC through Netgalley.

Yay, other people's break-ups were way worse.

That probably means there can't be a nice cartoon drawn about mine.

Bit hard to get into with the long prologue, but nice story after that.