Tag Archives: Mystery

Unknown's avatar

Whodunnit? Murder on Mystery Island

by

23588779

Whodunnit? Murder on Mystery Island (Whodunnit #2)

I have always liked a good mystery and this was a very good one. I probably liked it even more because I managed to figure out who the killer was after the the second murder, though I could have easily been wrong. The set up is the same as the first book and works perfectly well even if you know how things are going to play out. The pace is fast and just right for what is going on. You get to know the characters just enough to give insight into the type of person they are, which helps you to decide who the murderer is. The murders themselves are pretty inventive and not your normal slasher type killings. The victims are likable for the most part with your usual annoying character thrown in for contrast.

Giles has decided that he would like to avoid the usual places a butler would work after his last experience being used by a killer. He cannot believe that the curse placed on him by Jacqueline Boussard could really follow him. Yes, it has happened twice but here on a tropical Island he should be safe along with the guests. Then he is told that a company has booked the Island for a retreat for their employees, but they will be bringing only 11 people and that seems strange.

Before Giles knows it he finds himself participating in a killing game once again and he helped to bring some staff with him. He knows what the stakes are and soon so do those who arrive thinking they are about to have an enjoyable vacation in paradise.

This does remind me of “Ten Little Indians” a murder mystery I have loved for years. We still have ten since the killer hides among his prey. You can get a few laughs, and try to figure out Whodunnit.

My rating: 4 of 5 killer stars
Unknown's avatar

Bubba and the 12 Deadly Days of Christmas

by

11343941

Bubba and the 12 Deadly Days of Christmas (Bubba Snoddy #2)

I am a bit torn on how to rate this. It took me a while to get into the story because I was so confused as to what was happening, if I had read the first book I would have known though. The characters are all very eccentric but in a fun way that makes you like them. The mystery is a good one because I was baffled the entire time and could not figure who it might be though there were a lot of possibilities. I have never been to the south but the way they were talking I guess could be authentic and it is also another reason that makes them kind of charming.

Bubba Snoddy had a hard time the year before when he almost went to jail for the murder of his ex-fiancee. Now here it is Christmas and as he is heading toward the sheriff station he stumbles over the dead body of a man he had recently quarreled with. It does not look good and he is once again being looked at as the prime suspect in a murder. Soon it comes to light that something sinister is happening in the little town of Pegramville.

When his mother finds another body things just become more complicated. Not only is he a suspect his mother is now suspected of murder as well.

I am going to be reading the first book in this series so that I can get some background on these characters. I also think I want to read the next book at least since it ended with a cliffhanger that I did not see coming. It was an enjoyable read with some good laughs and a heck of a mystery.

My rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars
Unknown's avatar

A Very Shitake Christmas

by

16122026

A Very Shitake Christmas (Shitake Mystery #1.5)

This was short but pulled me in immediately and had me like the characters and ready to follow them. I always like a book with a strong female character and Mo is definitely strong in her own way. The setting is contemporary and makes it perfect. The language is what you would expect with little quirks to keep it interesting from both the Brits and Americans. The relationships are very real and do not seem forced or rushed but built from the bottom up.

Imogene ‘Mo’ Tuttle had worked as a private detective until she met Ross Grant and would have been fired for trying to protect him. They have since moved in together and she is still out of work while he has been cast in one new movie with another to start after filming ends on this one. To really make things interesting Ross’s father Bertram contacts Mo and tells her he will be coming for Christmas, she of course assumes she has 6 months to prepare, but he celebrates the historical Christmas in June.

Mo gets a cal from her old boss wanting to hire her back, but Mo is not interested in going back full time but is willing to take work as an independent contractor. Her first job is to serve a restraining order on a man who is very good at eluding them. When she gets to close to things he takes revenge in a novel way.

This was a fun read without any big mystery or anything but characters who had plenty of personality. After reading this I have to read the first book in the series since this was 1.5 and find out how things got started.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Unknown's avatar

Haunted

by

7627361

Haunted (Harrison Investigation, #1) (Harrison Investigation #1)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have never read anything by Heather Graham though I had heard a lot of good things. While this book did not Wow me in a big way it did give me something to look forward to because I did enjoy it quite a bit. The writing was straight forward and easily understood. There were no major grammar issues or misuse of words. It was a bit slow to get where it was going but it got there eventually and the journey was nice enough that you can forget that there were patches that made you want to stop. The characters were well imagined because I felt them as real individuals who made me want to know them more, though one or two were a little less vivid they still managed to be interesting. These are modern people who talk like they live in the world of today and act the same.

Matt Stone inherited Melody House on the death of his grandfather and really wishes to keep it in the family and not a part of some historical society. In order to do this he has to open the house to tours in order to pay for the upkeep on such a large estate. His house manager conducts ghosts tours of the manor house even though he does not believe in the supernatural at all. Then a bride runs out of the room she has rented for her honeymoon stark naked and raving about a ghost who was threatening her. Matt has to do something, even though he does not believe in order to convince others that there is no such thing as ghosts.

Darcy Tremayne has worked for Harrison Investigations, a paranormal investigation agency since she graduated from college. Adam Harrison was the father of her best friend from high school and offered to help Darcy any way he could after the death of his son. When Adam is contacted by Matt, the grandson of his old friend to come and prove one way or the other that Melody House is haunted he jumps at the chance. Darcy is sent ahead to assess the situation with her special gifts and runs into opposition even though they were invited. Is there something paranormal happening in the house or is the threat more down to earth?

This has a nice feel of suspense as well as supernatural threat. The mystery of who the entity was haunting the room or if there were more ghosts was definitely good. I did not like Matt to start with because of his hatred of all things supernatural being carried over into how he treated people. There was a romance but it was very dysfunctional at the beginning. Worth reading but do not expect a lot.

Unknown's avatar

Killer Twist

by

15755628

Killer Twist (Ghostwriter Mystery #1)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read the fourth book in this series first and was so happy with it that I had to go back to the beginning and see where it all started. Surprisingly enough this book was just as good as the one I originally read. The only real complaint I have is that it lagged in the beginning, though it at least gave a little background on the main characters as it did so. Once it starts to move it does so at a nice pace that actually helps to build the suspense as it introduces more suspects. I found the dialogue to be just right to elicit the emotions and feelings they wanted.

Roxy Parker is a ghost writer, which means she is hired by those wishing to write their memoirs to make it sound intelligent and well written, and she does not get any credit. Roxy is just fine with that as long as they continue to pay her and she can continue to pay her bills. Roxy also has a rather macabre hobby, she collects crime clippings, mostly about murders which her boss calls her “Book of Death.”

Roxy has been hired to ghost write the memoir of the wealthy society matron Beatrice Musgrove. So far things have been very tame and somewhat boring, but then Beatrice says that she has a few revelations coming up that will make for more interesting reading. Days before she is to see Roxy and reveal her true secrets she is murdered in her home and it is declared a suicide, which Roxy does not believe for one minute. She launches her own investigation and finds that some things might be better left alone.

I had a good idea of who the killer was well before the end but it was still fun finding out if I was right or not. A good mystery always has enough red herrings that you make mistakes more than you get it right at the beginning. There was one thing that annoyed me greatly about Roxy and it was the fact that she liked Merlot, I hate Merlot. A little light romance or at least an attempt at romance on the part of one character. Good clean mystery.

“https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/15411105-karen”
http://www.amazon.com/Killer-Twist-Ghostwriter-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B006LAAUHG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435621232&sr=8-1&keywords=killer+twist
Unknown's avatar

Got Your Number

by

14740946

Got Your Number

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a nice story and all but things were a bit slow for a long time as the characters were being introduced and made more real. They were still not fully fleshed out but a couple had made themselves very annoying for most of the book. The plot was really good once we get into the heart of things and the fact that there is more than one thing happening makes it even harder to figure out what is really happening. There are some laugh out loud moments and a few where I just had to stop and go ‘what?’.Roxann Beadleman came from a broken home and it affected everything in her life as she grew up. She attended Notre Dame along with her cousin Angora and something good and bad happened while they were there. Roxann graduates with honors and instead of going on to bigger things she ends up eking out an existence as she works as the middle person in rescuing abused women and children. One rescue is causing her more trouble than usual because a cop is trying to find the woman along with her crazy ex-husband.

When her house is broken into she decides to head home for a while which ends up sending her on a trip down memory lane she could have done without. Going back to school is never a good thing.

I like the writing style and the fact that even though the situations could be serious there is always an element of humor present to lighten things up.

“Roxann, have you ever wanted to kill someone?” At the eerily serious note in her cousin’s voice, warning bells chimed in her head. “Everyone has moments of extreme anger,” she said carefully. “No,” Angora said, her gaze locked on Roxann’s, her pupils dilated. “I mean really kill someone.” In her lap, her hands convulsed. “I think I could kill Trenton and not feel a bit guilty.” A chill tickled the back of Roxann’s neck as she recalled moments in college when she’d questioned Angora’s stability. “Passion is a powerful emotion. Sometimes it can feel like hate instead of love.” But Angora seemed to be somewhere else. “All I know is that I put my life on hold too many times because of promises men made to me.” Her voice had taken on a bitter tone. “What makes the beasts think they can use a woman and then toss her aside when she becomes inconvenient?”
― Stephanie Bond, Got Your Number Stephanie Bond