Wacky and cozy-Take the Monkeys and Run by Karen Cantwell

                                                               

This was fun.  It won't change your world or give you new insights on life but it's fun.  The storyline revolves around a suburban mom who is very curious about strange happenings at what is supposed to be an empty house next door.  When she goes to investigate in the middle of the night, she finds monkeys all over her yard.  Interesting premise. 

Her husband has just left her and she's struggling to deal with that.  When the mob starts threatening her and she has to call an old boyfriend for help, the story takes some strange turns that are not quite what I was expecting.  I will some that some parts were exactly what I was suspecting like why her husband left but it did have a few twists.  The heroine isn't a particularly smart investigator.  She's a bit of a bumbler but I could relate to her on some levels. "Next to chocolate and peace on Earth, warm pajamas is what I wish for every birthday and Christmas.  Soft and warm matching fleece socks are another favorite".  Now this is a lady after my own heart. 

I hesitated to call it a cozy because some of the elements of the traditional cozy are missing.  There's no hobby or store or club that everything centers around. There's no central theme, it's more of just a straight mystery in some ways but the feel is cozy. Plenty of humor, plenty of amateur sleuths. They do some pretty amateurish things at times.  It almost has the feel of a wacky hi-jinks mystery but not quite.  Anyway, enough analysis.  It was fun, I liked it and I wouldn't hesitate to go back for more.

I received a copy of this from netgalley for review and I also got a copy as a Kindle freebie. So there, all the proper disclaimers.

More about Karen Cantwell

• Would I pay money for it? Yes
• Would I read more by this author? absolutely!
• Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes I would

Purchased as a Kindle freebie August 9, 2014

Going Nowhere Fast-A few too many wacky hi-jinks for me

Joe and Dottie Loudermilk are fortunate to be taking early retirement in their early 50's.  They bought an Airstream and hit the road for the Grand Canyon.  Unfortunately, their youngest and most disreputable son shows up just about the time they find a dead body in their bathroom?  Coincidence? Add some mobsters and a ticked-off football player and you're headed for a wild ride.

I suspect reviews of this mystery will vary widely because it is a very distinct genre that isn't going to appeal to everyone.  It doesn't appeal to me.  It is in the "wacky hi-jinks" field of mystery.  I love funny mysteries but this is much more of a slapstick mystery.  It is well written and if you like crazy capers, then you will like this one. 

There were two specific things that contributed to me just not feeling this one.  First, you couldn't solve the mystery yourself because you don't have all the evidence available.  Until they tell you whodunit, you can't know.  Second, the main characters are in their early 50's and continually talk about how old they are.  As a person in that age group, I don't feel old so the whole thing didn't ring true.  I should add a third thing, Joe Loudermilk is a retired policeman and yet blatantly disregards all police procedure.  Annoying.

I'm not saying his is not a bad book, just not a book for me. It's a short, easy read that will appeal to those who are into this genre.

More about Gar Anthony Haywood

• Would I pay money for it?No
• Would I read more by this author? I would try his other works not in this series
• Would I recommend this to a friend? No particularly but I wouldn't discourage them from reading it

Purchased as a Kindle freebie July 7, 2013

The Librarian Book One: Little Boy Lost-I'll be reading this one to my grandkids

It’s a common theme for children’s book.  Classic literature coming to life.  So do we need more of this theme?  I say, sure!  Why not?

This first book I remember reading where classic literature came to life was “Seven Day Magic” by Edward Eager, my favorite children’s author.  In that book, as in this one, the world of Oz comes to life.  I loved the idea then and I love the idea now.  

Wesley and his class are on a field trip to the library and will find out who wins a essay contest.  Wesley’s was stolen by the class bully and submitted as the bully’s own so this day hasn’t started particularly well.  This particular library is quite old and has unusual artwork representing many classic children’s stories.  The librarian is a bit of a recluse with a mysterious past.  Ok, I’m already going to be hooked.  Wesley, who is the stereotypical much-bullied nerd, and his friend Taylor, the stereotypical popular girl that has befriended the nerd, decide to follow the librarian as the group is supposed to be reboarding the bus for home.  When they find one of the displays destroyed and an unusually dressed boy attacks them, the adventures begin.

This may not be the deepest book of its kind that’s ever been written but I would have greatly enjoyed it when I was 8 or 9.  I was a nerdy book girl and I read everything I could get my hands on so the idea of those worlds coming to life was always a dream for me. This book has the elements of adventure and friendship that I loved and the theme of Oz is well-known enough by most kids that even if they’ve only seen the movie this would be familiar territory. It leaves us on a cliff-hanger which most kids will be unable to resist.  I actually look forward to reading this to my granddaughters in a few years.  

More about Eric Hobbs

• Would I pay money for it?Yes.
• Would I read more by this author? Yes
• Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes

Purchased as a Kindle freebie June 9, 2013

New Orleans Mourning-1991 Edgar Award Winner

New Orleans has always seemed to me to have an atmosphere all its own that feels foreign and exotic even though it’s part of the United States.  Julie Smith does a good job of recreating that atmosphere in New Orleans Mourning, the first book in the Skip Langdon series and the 1991 Edgar Award Winner.  

Skip Langdon grew up among the upper classes of New Orleans though she wasn’t exactly one of them.  Her parents were social climbers, her father being doctor to most of the New Orleans aristocracy.  Skip recently decided that being a cop was her career choice and she is a rookie, working the parade routes during Mardi Gras.  An old acquaintance of hers is Rex, King of the Carnival, and she happens to be in the right place to see him get shot, on his float, in the parade.  The murderer is dressed as Dolly Parton and happens to be on the balcony of an apartment whose owner she knows.  The death of Chauncey St. Amants gets Skip re-assigned from patrol to helping the detectives working on the murder because of her background with the upper-class family.  

There are things to love and things to dislike about this novel but it does have a very distinctive feel and it’s not hard to see why it won the Edgar and was nominated for an Anthony.  

I loved the plot line.  It’s multi-layered and complicated, but not confusing.  It draws you deeper and deeper in as you read.  You are seeing multiple points of view, lots of conflicting motivations, deep and genuine emotions and complicated characters. It’s a great picture of the old-money dysfunctional Southern family with deep, dark secrets hiding behind their place in society.  One can just about feel the heat and humidity and see the hanging moss and the lush greenery of the Deep South.  You can feel the silent servants moving in the background as the privileged go about entertaining each other as their social duties dictate.

What I dislike about this novel is the casual drug use that is pervasive.  That bothers me immensely and always diminishes my enjoyment of a book.  Some of the actions of characters that drive the plot are disturbing but without them there would be no story.  There would be plenty of story without the drug use.  

I had read books in the author’s. other series set in L.A. and while I enjoyed them, they didn’t begin to have the depth that New Orleans Mourning had for me. It’s not hard to see why this one received so much recognition.

Publishing company started by Julie Smith, booksBnimble.com

• Would I pay money for it? Yes
• Would I read more by this author? Definitely
  
• Would I recommend this to a friend? I know which friends would be bothered by the same things I am and would recommend to those who are not

Purchased as a Kindle freebie May 26, 2014

Murder on the High Seas-Interesting little novella with some glaring flaws

Murder on the High Seas is too short to be called a novel, the term “novella” suits it much better. It is a very quick read, under an hour for me.  It isn’t a ‘whodunit’ kind of mystery, there’s no murder to solve.  The title really isn’t representative of the story.  

There were things that I liked.  I did enjoy the main character being a caregiver because that is something I can relate to.  My mother-in-law with Alzheimer’s lives with us so I could really sympathize  with needing time to be free of responsibility and I think that was represented well.  The character was likeable and sensible most of the time.  The atmosphere aboard the ship felt real and that’s important to me.

There were things I didn’t like.  The story was so short that the relationships didn’t have time to develop naturally.  They felt rushed.  The main character seems to like or dislike people almost instantly which left very shallow at times.  She becomes rude with one character after a very brief acquaintance and one that I did not feel justified that rudeness.  Several of the characters were so stereotypical as to almost be caricatures. 

It felt like the first draft of a story that should have been expanded and filled out.  Given time for proper depth and proper character development, it could be quite interesting but in it’s current form, it’s just too short for the story it wants to tell.

More about Sara M. Barton

• Would I pay money for it? No
• Would I read more by this author?  I'd give her another try, yes 
• Would I recommend this to a friend? probably not

Purchased as a Kindle freebie February 22, 2013

 

Invisible-light, fluffy, inoffensive little mystery

Invisible is a quick cozy mystery read that seems to have reviews all over the map, from one star to five.  It is an overtly Christian mystery and the summary on Amazon does not mention this. I'm sure that accounts for some of the review disparity. 

If you are taking it just as a cozy mystery, it would fall on the very light and fluffy end of the spectrum.  Ivy Malone is an older widow who feels like she's pretty much invisible to most people these days due to her age. She still has a lot of curiosity and energy and wants to be doing something so when a mystery happens right in her neighborhood, she begins investigating on her own. 

I had a really hard time getting into this one and almost quit on it. Like most readers, I hate to give up on a book and it did get much better as I read. It started out feeling very shallow. The Christian viewpoint is quite noticeable and even though I'm a very committed Christian, it felt a bit heavy-handed at times. Good Christian dialogue must be very difficult to write. I rarely see it done where it feels natural to me. The mystery was not difficult to figure out.

Even with the problems, I was enjoying the book by the end. I enjoyed the characters as I got to know them. Not a must-read but not a waste of time. I'll finish the series if I run across them but I probably won't actively seek them out.

More about Lorena McCourtney

Would I pay money for it? Probably not

Would I read more by this author? If I run across it as a freebie or at the library

Would I recommend this to a friend? Depends on how light and fluffy they like their mysteries

Purchased as a Kindle freebie February 23, 2013