*** 10/29/25 *** Fantastic 5th book in the Thursday Murder Club series! This time Richard Osman inserts more storylines from the next generation - Joy*** 10/29/25 *** Fantastic 5th book in the Thursday Murder Club series! This time Richard Osman inserts more storylines from the next generation - Joyce's daughter & new husband, and Ron's son & daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. But Osman's characteristic insightful personal reflections by the Murder Club members hit as strongly as ever, delightfully melding mystery and warmth.
My favorite parts were the "Easter Egg" references to "Who's your favorite James Bond character?" discussed with Ron (played by Pierce Brosnan in the recently released Thursday Murder Club movie, of course) - made me smile!
I'm so glad we have writers that realistically portray people in their "third act" of life, who are smart, witty, engaged, and entertaining. Keep em coming!
Full 5-stars and I'll basically read anything Osman writes....more
*** 6/28/25 *** This new release is written in the tone of being a distant cousin to the Thursday Murder Club, in that we have a cast that is nearly a*** 6/28/25 *** This new release is written in the tone of being a distant cousin to the Thursday Murder Club, in that we have a cast that is nearly all in their 60's, and there is a supposed murder, but it is *not* a serious book with very much emotional/character depth like we found in Thursday Murder Club. It is based on about a dozen different crossed wires between the group of four wives, the group of husbands, a General Manager of a casino from India, and a barber/sort of bad guy/sort of good guy who "does what needs doing" on the side. The crossed wires could have been eliminated if any of the husbands or wives spoke of their secrets, but they don't, so "situations" and misinterpretations of information keep happening as vehicles to progress the plot.
But non-serious characters can still be fun to read about and this one was, with good movement to the plot, and an avoidance of any hard core bad guy action. I also loved the title and cover design. 4-stars....more
Recently finished #12 in David Rosenfelt's legal thriller series based on attorney Andy Carpenter and his beloved dog Tara, as well as the cast of chaRecently finished #12 in David Rosenfelt's legal thriller series based on attorney Andy Carpenter and his beloved dog Tara, as well as the cast of characters we have all grown to know and love in this series.
While Rosenfelt's books are typically short and formulaic, they offer interesting plots with unexpected outcomes, ongoing developments within the ensemble of characters, and fantastic personality and dialog from Main Character Andy Carpenter which I really enjoy. This book was no different, but it stands out in that the person in legal trouble is Andy's good friend, detective Pete, and not a stranger. It also introduces not 1, but 2, major changes in Andy's personal life (no spoilers)!
One thing I struggle with in this series is keeping track of the many peripheral characters and their importance as I speed through the book. In the future I think I will make a 1-page cheat sheet to refer to as I'm reading to make sure I'm getting all the nuance of the plot. 5-stars. I will also note that I have read several of the series in Kindle format, but really recommend the audiobook version of this series, as the narration brings the stories and characters to life and is very entertaining....more
**** 3/11/25 **** I'm a big Jesse Sutanto fan, as she manages to weave modern social issues into characters that charm and engage the reader. Vera Won**** 3/11/25 **** I'm a big Jesse Sutanto fan, as she manages to weave modern social issues into characters that charm and engage the reader. Vera Wong #2 is no exception. We have Vera at her San Francisco tea house, next door to "frenemy" Winifred's Chinese/Parisian bakery. Vera is established one page 1 as a hard core "grab life by the ba**s" kind of widow, up before dawn, cold shower, aggressive morning walks and endlessssss cooking for family, friends and strangers who are not yet her friends (but soon). Vera is sarcastic, outspoken, opinionated, vulnerable, and waiting desperately for grandchildren. She is also bored. She wants/needs an adventure, which she gets after falling prey to a phone scam, and going to the police station to report the crime. There she meets Millie, around whom a lot of the plot develops.
The novel does deal with serious issues, but they are mostly disclosed as the mystery is wrapping up near the end (although most readers will recognize the situation very early on). Nothing so bad that would warrant a trigger warning, thankfully. The book also educates readers on influencers and how they do business which was interesting.
Sutanto's prose is mostly tight, descriptive, and heartfelt. She engages readers like not many authors do making her books fun, interesting and contemporary, while still representing Asian people and culture in a very accessible way.
My issues with this book are two-fold: 1) Note to Sutanto: PLEASE STOP WRITING ABOUT 60-year old women as "OLD LADIES!" OMG the phrase "old lady," "old woman" and similar were repeated probably 100 times in the book (I might be exaggerating, but not much). Based on the writing, the reader envisions a tiny little old vulnerable woman who has a gray bun and is what I would consider 80's+++! 60 is not an "old lady." Maybe this is intentional on Sutanto's part to be part of Vera Wong's "kitsch" or maybe Sutanto is in her 30's still (she is) and thinks this is really what 60 looks like. Or maybe Sultanto is playing to the statistics that report readers 65+ are the lowest percentage population who pick up a book (I was surprised too). In any case, the description didn't match Vera's actions and was off-putting to me. 2) There are really too many extraneous characters in the novel that don't play any key roles and should be relegated to a narrative backseat so the reader can really focus on the 5-10 most important people.
In the end, I found the book entertaining and a fast read. 3.5 stars (1 star off for 'old lady') rounded up (for entertainment factor) = 4-stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
***3/1/25*** Super excited to be approved by NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing to be provided a copy of this upcoming 4/1/25 release in exchange for my honest review. I read and loved Jesse Sutanto's first Vera Wong book. This is another light-hearted mystery with a modern quirky ensemble of characters anchored in Vera Wong's San Francisco tearoom setting. Sutanto does a great job of representing Asian culture intertwined in a US metro setting. Very accessible and relatable. Plus I used to live near San Francisco and enjoy novels in that setting. I think Sutanto usually intertwines a current event or current social issue into the narrative to make it relevant and give the book some depth, which keeps it from devolving into a "cozy mystery" that is largely fluff. This is what makes her popular. I'm looking forward to reading this one and seeing what she ties into this novel. Review coming soon....more
*** 6/28/25 *** What an awesome title! That and the cover design caught my eye on Goodreads, and I put it on my request list at the library. I was int*** 6/28/25 *** What an awesome title! That and the cover design caught my eye on Goodreads, and I put it on my request list at the library. I was intrigued when I heard it is centered on twin girls, as I'm a twin mom and they always add a twist to a novel!!
So, two identical twin girls' parents died and they were inexplicably split up to be raised, with one classic Cinderella (Julie Chan) being placed with a mean abusive aunt, while the other was raised with affluent white parents with every privilege (Chloe VanHuusen). Julie is just trying to survive life while Chloe has created a lucrative, successful, and very public influencer life on social media. The build up and explanation of all of this was very interesting, and I was engaged in the narrative.
About halfway into the book, Julie receives a short cryptic message from Chloe, and after several failed attempts to reach Chloe, Julie decides to go to Chloe's NYC apartment to make sure she is ok. And she is not. In a split second, Julie decides to ditch her crappy life with her aunt and take on Chloe's persona, complete with money, fancy apartment, clothes to die for, and endless adoring fans worldwide. How hard could it be???
This alone is a cool premise for a book, and we get to see Julie flounder around and slowly figure out how to exist in Chloe's world with some super fake people and others who are genuinely trying to make a go of it in the influencer world. But there is this cadre of influencers that take an annual trip together that Julie can't seem to get a read on, or understand the trip. And that's where the story goes a bit sideways for me. The large portion of the story that is focused on actions on the trip is bizarre, dark, and frankly, unbelievable. I guess the author wanted to show the influencer lifestyle at its weirdest possible imagining, but I didn't enjoy it. I think there would have been enough of a story about basically 'real' influencer garbage that goes on, but this book goes in a different direction.
I can tell the book was obviously written by a young person because the writing about influencers is so detailed, so specific, and just such a big part of the narrative. It was kind of interesting to read about, but since I'm not super into the social media influencer audience, it didn't work as much for me.
3-stars for the first half of the book and the twin-centric storyline. Minus 2-stars for the weird trip section....more
**** 3/19/25 **** Just finished this new release, the 5th in the Finlay Donovan series, published earlier this month.
Each Finlay Donovan book covers **** 3/19/25 **** Just finished this new release, the 5th in the Finlay Donovan series, published earlier this month.
Each Finlay Donovan book covers a short period of time like a week in Finlay's life, with generally one big murder, and sometimes a few supplemental ones. I like how Finlay and Vero stay relatable as women, raising 2 kids, dealing with meal prep and driving a mini van. Every book in the series ends with a cliff-hanger so we know there will be another addition to the series soon.
Author Elle Cosimano is building her brand alongside writers like Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone) and Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum). I feel that this series very closely mirrors Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series with both having a family-based cast of characters, a "simple" job that aligns with the murder hijinks, and 2 love interests for the main protagonist. In Evanovich's series, we have more extreme character development with the sidekick and Stephanie's grandma that I don't necessarily feel as strongly in the Finlay series. Also, Evanovich's series has several sub-plots as well as the more serious plot, whereas I don't see as much sub-plot development in the Finlay books. There is Finlay's career as a writer (and her crazy agent), but that didn't seem too exciting or compelling to me in this novel.
Novel #5 incorporates the concept of a book club which I thought was a nice touch. I really like how Cosimano keeps the core character list fairly short so we can keep up with the plot and just focus on the evolution of relationships like Finlay's hot cop or nanny/partner Vero's partner, as well as the kids and Finlay's ex-husband. Some of Cosimano's prior books have really gone into wacky plot territory, whereas this one feels a little more grounded. But not that grounded - there is still a purple caddie nicknamed the Eggplant, after all.
I hope Cosimano is able to inject a little more into her plots going forward, to keep us really rooting for Finlay, and engaged in the series. This is a quick read at about 300 pages, and an enjoyable snack within the mystery genre. 3.75-stars rounded up....more
*** 12/2/24 *** I got this off my library waiting list, and even though I loved Nita Prose's first two in this series, I am having a hard time getting*** 12/2/24 *** I got this off my library waiting list, and even though I loved Nita Prose's first two in this series, I am having a hard time getting excited about the opening of the novel - despite it being December / holiday season!!! Maybe I'm tiring of Molly's character? Will come back soon to review....more
I requested this from NetGalley based on author Angie Kim's super positive review. I thought it was a mystery, ala Sherlock Holmes, but it is a psychoI requested this from NetGalley based on author Angie Kim's super positive review. I thought it was a mystery, ala Sherlock Holmes, but it is a psychological mystery/thriller with a (view spoiler)[science fiction (hide spoiler)] angle that I was not expecting and am glad I didn't know about when reading it.
This is a story of Jane, a mother of a young child, who comes to visit psychiatrist Dr. Henry Byrd, after a disturbing personal incident that she can't remember. She claims to have met Dr. Byrd decades earlier and recalls momentos from his office at the time. Strangely, Dr. Byrd has no memory of seeing her as a patient.
The reader is exposed to more of Dr. Byrd's personal history and his developing relationship with Jane, who goes on to have more troubling situations that point to a mental health crisis which Dr. Byrd seems unable to properly diagnose or treat. The reader initially trusts Dr. Byrd, then Jane, and then isn't sure what to believe.
The book is a slow burn with an intriguing conclusion that makes you think. It is a book for people who are curious and appreciate that there is more than meets the eye in our universe. A more intellectual read vs. a classic mystery/thriller trope. There is a covid-adjacent angle which I don't love, but it supported the plot development and was fairly benign. I enjoyed it, 4-stars.
Thank you, NetGalley, and Random House, for the pre-release ARC to read and review....more
*** 9/3/24 *** Finished! Coming soon with a 2/4/25 pub date, this is really a relationship story about Kim and Grant (and their twin adult daughters),*** 9/3/24 *** Finished! Coming soon with a 2/4/25 pub date, this is really a relationship story about Kim and Grant (and their twin adult daughters), with a mystery glaze on top - will Grant be found or not??? And we have a side mystery about whether Kim and Grant will get married/stay together. And even a 3rd mystery about what location they might choose to live in.
Like many interesting books, this one has its share of memorable characters, including Kim's first husband, a very famous, very rich and very gay man, as well as his wealthy mother (all books need a very rich character or two to provide 'houses to borrow' and well paying jobs when needed). We also meet the Palm Springs crew, most of whom ooze personality, and Grant's first and ever-present wife.
The writing was very good and the portrayal of Kim felt very authentic. The book kept my attention between plot, character development, and mystery reveals, and I finished it in 2 days. With that said, the last 5% or so was (view spoiler)[good but just too pat and perfect for my taste, even though I like a happy ending. (hide spoiler)] 4.5 stars rounded up.
*** 9/1/24 *** Thank you, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press, for an advanced copy of this combo relationship/slow burn mystery novel by Christina Clancy. I've never read this author before, but am really enjoying this book, told from the POV of Kim, who is a 50-something mother and partner to Grant. Women in that age range will empathize with Kim's telling of her story - balancing career aspirations, love, family, her own personal desires and life preferences - against a backdrop of how she was raised, financial needs, and others' needs. I really like the structure and writing, which feels authentic.
We know from the beginning of the book that Grant goes missing after presumably starting a hike - a new hobby he adopted when Kim basically insists they "winter" in her ex's home in sunny Palm Springs after many winters in Wisconsin. I read that the author is from WI, which I love, as I grew up near there and have visited the state many times. But is Grant really lost? Did he want to disappear? What is the truth of Kim and Grant's relationship, and how will they decide on a future? Who knows? I'm 50% in and will review when complete....more
I snagged an audio copy of this new release thriller by Jeneva Rose from the library, and am glad I did, as there was a full cast recording of it, makI snagged an audio copy of this new release thriller by Jeneva Rose from the library, and am glad I did, as there was a full cast recording of it, making it an enjoyable listen (easy to understand at 1.5-1.9x speed for you speed listeners out there like me).
This is a story of Beth, the oldest child, caring for her dying mother, and her sister Nicole, and brother Michael coming home after her mom passes to pay their respects and take care of things. But no one has spoken to Michael in 7 years since their father left home, and Nicole is trying to get off drugs - yet again. No one likes each other or trusts each other, and Beth keeps secret her mom's dying words, "Don't trust......"
When the siblings uncover a secret video recording left in a box in the attic, it points to an awful crime against Beth's high school boyfriend's younger sister. Suddenly the siblings are working together to solve this mysterious crime once and for all. Or are they??????
I thought this was a good mystery, great structure, and plot development. All the characters seemed realistic and reasonably nuanced. I'm sorry to say I guessed the reveal, which I don't often do, but I've read other books with a similar plot reveal and it just made sense to me. But author Rose still tied up a few loose ends that I didn't guess or couldn't have known, so I still enjoyed the ride. I think this book could be quite successful, especially since it has a strong theme of doing the right thing and most characters actually being good people. 4.5 stars, rounded up....more
*** 8/31/24 *** Finished! This is another solid entry in the Reacher series, which is in the process of being taken over by "Lee Child's" (pseudonym) *** 8/31/24 *** Finished! This is another solid entry in the Reacher series, which is in the process of being taken over by "Lee Child's" (pseudonym) younger brother, Andrew Child (another pseudonym). I was curious and did some googling to find out that in 2020 Lee Child said he couldn't keep up with the public's demand for Reacher books, so he brought on his younger brother to take over the series - first as partners, and eventually on his own. Reacher #25, The Sentinel, was published in 2020, and was the first the pair published together, and apparently they are still co-authoring, as this is book #29 in the Reacher series.
I have read a majority of Lee Child's Reacher books, and would have to go back and re-read some to really see how the tone of the writing, or the plot progression changed with the co-authors. What I can say now is that although I love the Reacher series, I feel the plots have become almost too formulaic and less personal about Reacher - always involving a major global situation, with Reacher maintaining his one outfit and toothbrush lifestyle despite his approximate age.
It might be sacrilege to Reacher fans, but I feel he should be evolving with the times a bit: getting a cellphone, understanding commonly used apps like Uber or even email, maybe even buying at least one new pair of underwear per book!? Plot-wise, I feel they are really stretching the concept of Reacher being a smart former MP who is physically intimidating. For example, in this book, his "partner in crime" was a woman who is a law enforcement officer, but her actions seem like a special ops person IMO. I also think Reacher's reliance on his FBI contact for critical information felt like a bit of a stretch. The books should instead be trying to see Reacher evolve as an aging human in some way, instead of just randomly getting mixed up in global crises.
So, I'm not going to summarize the plot except to say yes, read it, but keep in mind the book is really not too focused on Reacher as a person, and I hope the Child brothers will try to do that more in the future. 4-stars.
*** 8/29/24 *** Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Delacorte Press for an Advanced Reader Copy of the latest Jack Reacher, #29, due for publication October 22, 2024. I love all of the Reacher books - despite the formula of his size, power, moral outrage about bad guys doing bad things, traveling with just a toothbrush, hooking up with interesting, smart and beautiful women, eating pie, drinking coffee, hitchhiking - it is comforting to me to read how he gets himself into and out of the mix.
This one starts out with Jack tied to a bed with one of his arms hurt, with no memory of how he got there. Hmmmmm........ Do we think he'll overtake and outsmart his captors? Review coming soon....more
**** 8/20/24 **** Just finished #7 in David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter legal thriller series and it did not disappoint. I love Andy's humor and banter**** 8/20/24 **** Just finished #7 in David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter legal thriller series and it did not disappoint. I love Andy's humor and banter with Laurie, his girlfriend and sometimes investigator. We have a Burnese puppy featured in this book, and the dark world of DNA research. As always there are twists and turns, but very entertaining. There is always a lot of drama in the lasat 10% which I don't mind at all. 5-stars.
**** 8/4/24 **** Just checked out Andy Carpenter #6 & 7 to read on a plane..... I'm sure I'll love them, as I love this series and the main character of Andy. I have to parse them out, so I don't binge them all in a month lol....more
****8/20/24**** Finished this up on a recent trip and really liked it. You get a rich family, deep psychological drama/mystery, layer upon layer of se****8/20/24**** Finished this up on a recent trip and really liked it. You get a rich family, deep psychological drama/mystery, layer upon layer of secrets and family drama - all set in sparkling exotic Capris. I didn't see the finish coming at all. A little darker than I might have liked, but very good. 4+ stars and thank you, NetGalley!
**** 8/4/24 **** Thank you, NetGalley, for a pre-release ARC of Saltwater to read and review. This is a mystery/thriller set in beautiful Capri, Italy, that I've just dived into. Well-written with a female protagonist working for a wealthy family, but she has also secretly befriended the daughter in the family who referred her for the job. It is hard to tell who the allies are vs. foes, although clearly the girl's father and his brother look like the bad guys. But what about the daughter's boyfriend? And what really happened to the girl's mother so many years ago??? I'm only 20% in so I'll have to report back, but very good so far! Fellow netgalley reviewers - request this one - not due for publishing until 3/25/25....more
**** 8/20/24 ***** Finished #6 thriller in the very entertaining Andy Carpenter legal series. This one features a dog as a witness, but it really work**** 8/20/24 ***** Finished #6 thriller in the very entertaining Andy Carpenter legal series. This one features a dog as a witness, but it really works. Great as always, love this series, recommend. 5-stars.
**** 8/4/24 **** Just checked this out from LA public library and looking forward to hearing more about Tara, Andy Carpenter's true love of his life (dog lol)....more
In Andy Carpenter #5, Andy joins Laurie in Wisconsin to defend/investigate a murder allegation against a young man accused of killing his girlfriend aIn Andy Carpenter #5, Andy joins Laurie in Wisconsin to defend/investigate a murder allegation against a young man accused of killing his girlfriend and her friend. This book was a little odd, in that it had a religious 'cult' type of town in WI in which the murder victims lived. It meandered a bit with different subplots and I had an inkling about a reveal I expected but I was totally wrong lol. Andy is funny as always, but this one was not as strong for me. 3.5 stars rounded up....more
Love Andy Carpenter #4, in which he defends an NFL star in a murder trial. Lots of girlfriend-Laurie action in this book. I kind of figured out the reLove Andy Carpenter #4, in which he defends an NFL star in a murder trial. Lots of girlfriend-Laurie action in this book. I kind of figured out the reveal on this one, but loved it none-the-less. 5-stars....more
*** 7/23/24 *** FINISHED this 10-hr audiobook (hardcover is 304 pages), as read by Whoopi Goldberg, and enjoyed it. While it is fiction, it tells a hi*** 7/23/24 *** FINISHED this 10-hr audiobook (hardcover is 304 pages), as read by Whoopi Goldberg, and enjoyed it. While it is fiction, it tells a historically reasonably accurate tale of slave trade as its original premise. From there we follow a legal battle as to who owns the island off the Florida coast that some shipwrecked slaves escaped to 100's of years ago, and set up as their home. There is the story of Lovely Jackson who claims to be the last living survivor and therefore owner, of the island, and local Florida bookstore owner, Bruce Cable, and his new wife, professor and author, Mercer Mann, tend to agree. We have bad guy developers trying to claim ownership, and a few other side plots to keep the story moving along.
Even though the book in hardcover is only 304 pages, I felt it dragged a bit, and I didn't care for the side story relating to basically voodoo curses. I couldn't actually tell if they were (fictionally) real or if there was another explanation for certain mysterious issues for white visitors to the island.
Anyway, it does have a lot of legal procedural plot elements which were interesting, and what I'll think of as a positive ending. Just not quite as bought into the main characters as I would have hoped to have been. The audiobook could easily have been fewer hours shorter, as I listened on 2x speed with pretty much no issues. 4 stars.
*** 7/21/24 *** Picked up this newish release audiobook version of Grisham's latest, a mix of historical fiction (slave trade), and a modern legal thriller (a fight for ownership of an island of the coast of Florida). But this island seems to have a mystery attached to it with unexplained happenings that don't end well for visitors trying to explore the island for fun or profit. This book feature the amazing Whoopi Goldberg as narrator! Thank you, Los Angeles Public Library, for having the amazing 7-day jump-to-the-head-of-the-line loan program. Review coming soon........more
I'm a huge Richard Osman fan, especially his inclusion of intelligent and interesting older people, and was very excited to read the first in his new I'm a huge Richard Osman fan, especially his inclusion of intelligent and interesting older people, and was very excited to read the first in his new series, "We Solve Murders," based on Amy, a young woman security person, and her retired father, Steve.
Amy is watching over international best selling author Rosie D 'Antonio on a remote island, so she isn't kidnapped or killed after writing a novel based on a Russian oligarch. But not everyone is who they say they are, and Amy has to get Rosie out of there. Who can she trust? Yes, her Dad. He's a little too much of a homebody, so this is a big step out of his comfort zone. Somehow he and Rosie click, and this global adventure ends up being 'a good thing' for him, as Martha would say.
Rosie is super charismatic and sexy, Steve is resourceful and has good instincts, and Amy is a legit security bad ass who is learning to work well with others. These characters are relatable and fun to read about.
This was an engaging story with some narrative complexity to it. I can't wait for the next in the series with this ensemble! 5-stars....more
*** 7/23/24 *** Enjoyable book with significant Eve Ronin involvement (LA sheriff living in Calabasas with a TV show deal based on her life). All abou*** 7/23/24 *** Enjoyable book with significant Eve Ronin involvement (LA sheriff living in Calabasas with a TV show deal based on her life). All about 2-man fire investigator team looking into questionable house fires with a few red herrings and side plots, and then a final successful conclusion. The only problem with these types of series is you know as a reader that the main characters are never really in any mortal danger and that they will almost certainly get the bad guy. I do like books written in major metro cities with reasonably authentic landmarks that connect the reader to the material a little more. 4-stars for a lighter-toned police procedural. Thank you NetGalley for the pre-release ARC to read and review.
*** 7/21/24 *** Got approved for the NetGalley ARC for this September 2024 Lee Goldberg release that is set in my community! Makes it a lot of fun to read. These series are all a step up from cozy mystery and a step below hard core thrillers. Just a good entertaining mystery with characters you get to know in a community I already know (NW corner of Los Angeles). Review coming soon.........more
Just finished - thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing, for providing a prerelease ARC to read and review. This 319-page cozy mystery (Kindle eJust finished - thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing, for providing a prerelease ARC to read and review. This 319-page cozy mystery (Kindle edition) will hit the market 10/22/24.
This is my first read by the experienced cozy mystery author, Daryl Wood Gerber, and the start of a new series, featuring Allie Catt, a baker /caterer in Asheville, NC. Allie stumbles onto the murder of her best friend Tegan's aunt, right in the middle of Tegan's bookstore. The aunt is clutching a copy of Pride and Prejudice - is it a clue?????
We have a whole group of small town characters who have known each other forever. Plus a budding friendship, or is it a romance, with the local detective. Allie is determined to investigate the murder herself, even at the possible expense of this relationship.
This is a charming book and will be well-loved by cozy-mystery fans. There are several recipes included at the end, which sound great. I'm wondering if future books in the series will each feature a different classic novel. 4-stars.