Trouble in the Brasses by Alisa Craig (Charlotte MacLeod) review

This is another of the Madoc Rhys mysteries by Charlotte MacLeod writing as Alisa Craig.  Madoc father, a world famous conductor, is performing nearby and asks Madoc to join him.  When he arrives, Madoc's mother and father convince him that there is something going on in the orchestra, and he is needed to find out what is wrong, and then to fix it.

Madoc ends up joining his parents, and several members of the orchestra, on a private plane that is heading to their next performance venue.  Unfortunately, the plane has some mechanical problems and has to make a forced landing in the wilds of Canada.  Luckily, they land safely, and are near a tourist attraction that includes a hotel that is closed for the season.  They break in, and are relatively safe while waiting to be rescued, until they find out that one of the orchestra members who had gotten sick and died just before they left on the plane was, in fact, murdered.

Madoc is not only investigating his parent's problem, he is looking for the murderer, trying to keep the rest of the orchestra safe, and trying to keep the hopelessly incompetent members of the orchestra fed.

I really enjoyed this, especially the interactions between Madoc, his father, and his mother.

This is a book for my Read it Again, Sam challenge.

Green For Danger by Christianna Brand review

This is the first I've read by Christianna Brand, and is the second in the series featuring Inspector Cockrill.  It was published in 1944, and occurs during World War II in England while it suffers from the German Blitzkrieg.

The story takes place in a British hospital in the countryside.  One of the nurses is murdered after announcing that the death of a patient undergoing surgery was not an accident as everyone had believed, but deliberate, and that she had proof of it.  I found the story to be riveting, and enjoyed not only the mystery, but the way it drew me into the era when it took place.

I will be reading more by Christianna Brand. 

This book is part of my 2014 Mt. TBR Challenge.
It also is part of the  2014 Color Coded Challenge  #4--A book with Green in the Title.
It also fulfills a requirement in the Vintage Mystery BINGO  Gold--N--One Medical Mystery
This also fulfills a requirement for the  2014 Around the World Challenge  England (Europe) for the Casual Tourist Level (4 out of 6)

Granny Hooks A Crook by Julie Seedorf review

Granny Hooks a Crook is the first in the Fuchsia, Minnesota mystery series by Julie Seedorf.  I didn't really care much for this book, although I may read the second in the series to see if the writing has improved.  I didn't find it dreadful, just not as good as it could have been.

The story was based on a premise I found a little hard to believe (won't say what it is, don't want to give any thing away).  As I read it, I suspected it was written for children, or young adults, and if that were true, then the fact that a lot of the sentences are extremely brief and the low reading level would be more understandable--but I don't think it was.  I also found the main character to be a little extreme and weird.

I will admit that a lot of the recent books featuring "senior sleuths" have been disappointing to me. My problem is that I don't like reading about caricatures instead of characters.  This story doesn't measure up to some of my favorites--Agatha Christie's Jane Marple and Hercule Poirot, Heron Carvic's Miss Emily D. Seeton, and Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Emily Pollifax among others.  These are all believable characters who use their skills to solve the mysteries.

I hope that the next one in the series includes a slightly larger vocabulary, and less "senior weirdness".

This is part of my 2014 Cruisin' Thru the Cozies Challenge.

Ms. America and the Mayhem in Miami by Diana Dempsey review

This is part of the Beauty Queen series of mysteries.  I had previously read a couple of the earlier ones, and enjoyed them.  So when this came out I purchased it, but only got around to reading it now.

This series features Happy Pennington as the main sleuth.  She is helped out by her friends Trixie and Shannelle.  Happy is asked to step in as a last minute judge for the Teen Princess of the Everglades beauty pageant.  Soon after she gets there, one of the other judges is found strangled, so she and her friends begin their investigations.

The mystery is fairly light, and is a quick, humorous read.  My favorite part of the series is the relationship between Happy and her friends, and between Happy and her family.  There are some disagreements, but based on mutual respect and like, everything seems to eventually work out.



Bought 11/24/2013, finished 1/23/2014
This book qualifies for a couple of challenges. 2014 Cruisin' Thru the Cozies.
And 2014 Mt. TBR Reading Challenge

A Dismal Thing to Do by Alisa Craig (Charlotte MacLeod) review

This is the third in the Madoc Rhys series by Charlotte MacLeod writing as Alisa Craig.  In this one, Madoc and Janet are married, and have a house that Janet is trying to furnish with antiques.

On the search for a washstand, following very poor directions from a neighbor, she gets lost.  While driving down an unknown road that has only one house for as far as she can see, she witnesses an accident.

While trying to help the accident victim, her car is stolen, and she is left in the middle of nowhere in the wintertime.  She makes her way to the only house in sight, and while relieving herself she hears men entering the house.  She overhears the men talking, discovers they are crooks, and hides until they leave.  Eventually, she is found and returns home, but her husband worries that the crooks will find her there and make trouble, so sends her to stay with her brother and family.

At the same time, Murdoc has been assigned to a very hush-hush investigation.  Somehow, these two crimes are intertwined, and Janet's hometown also figures into the investigation.

I really enjoyed this one, filled with unusual characters, and a lot of humor.  It was well written, and I enjoyed the mystery, too.

This is part of my 2014 Mt. TBR Reading Challenge, and the 2014 Cruisin' Thru the Cozies Challenge.

Bats and Bones by Karen Musser Nortman review

This is the first book by K.M. Nortman that I read.  It is the first of the Frannie Shoemaker Campground Mysteries series. It takes place at a fictional Iowa State Park.

Frannie Shoemaker and her husband, Larry,  like to go camping.  This particular 4th of July weekend they visit a local State Campground and are joined by Larry's sister and brother-in-law, Jane Ann and Mickey, and family friends, Donna and Rob, all of whom have RVs.

While going for a morning hike, the group discover the body of one of the campground hosts.  She's been murdered, and her body left in a cave.  There are several suspects, as the victim had been particularly hard to get along with in the days leading up to her death.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery quite a bit.  The main characters, Frannie and Larry, are retired, and have been married for many years.  The interaction between the two of them, and between them and the other campers, seems very believable.  The mystery was fairly well done, and the editing was pretty good.  I will be reading additional books in the series.

This is a cozy that counts for the 2014 Cruisin' Thru the Cozies Challenge.
Finished 1/22/2014.

The Azalea Assault by Alyse Carlson review

This is the first in a new series, featuring Cam Harris.  She has been hired to do PR work for the Roanoke Garden Society.  While helping out with a photo shoot that would feature the Garden Society in a high prestige magazine, she becomes involved in a murder investigation.

I found this to be fairly well written for a first novel, and found it to be an enjoyable read.  Having said that, I felt there is room for improvement.  I felt that there were too many new characters added all at once and I also found the main character, Cam, to have a personality I found a little annoying.  I also didn't think that the drinking and driving was necessary to the story, and it happened more than once. 

I enjoyed this cozy, and I will probably read other books in the series, and hope that the few flaws are worked out in future books.



finished 1/19/2014
This counts towards my 2014 Cruisin' Thru the Cozies Challenge.
This also qualifies for the 2014 Color Coded Challenge--#8 A book with any other color in the title.

Murder Goes Mumming by Alisa Craig (Charlotte MacLeod) review

This is the second in the Madoc Rhys series of mysteries.  I've read several of them, and enjoyed them all.  Madoc is not the typical looking Mountie, but he gets his man every time.

In this story, Madoc's mother gets to meet Janet Wadman, who Madoc is dating.  Mrs Rhys is sure of herself, and is used to taking charge of her family, and the orchestra her husband conducts, and is a bit overwhelming.

She is impressed with Janet, and takes it upon herself to propose to Janet on Madoc's behalf, and takes a ring from her own finger to make the engagement official.  While out to dinner, she meets some of her many friends and Madoc and Janet are invited to a Christmas celebration after Mrs. Rhys announces that she has to catch a plane, and that Janet and Madoc have no other plans.

While at the mansion, they are snowed in with the extended family they are visiting, and an elderly woman dies.  When another is murdered, Madoc starts investigating.

I enjoy the humor in this series, and the way the relationships are portrayed. 

I've read this before, but wanted to read the entire series in order.

This is part of the 2014 Read It Again Challenge

Murder, She Barked by Krista Davis review

This is the first in a new series (Paws and Claws Mysteries) by Krista Davis.  It takes place in Wagtail, Virginia, a small town which has reinvented itself as a pet vacation hot spot.  The entire town has become pet friendly, and hosts several stores/businesses that cater to supplying the doting pet owners almost anything they can imagine for their pets, from collar and leashes to special grooming, food treats and clothes.

Holly Miller is summoned home because her grandmother has been injured in an accident.  This is when she discovers that over the last 5 years when she had been too busy to visit, the place had changed from the little backwater town she remembered, into the pet vacation hot spot.

She finds out that her grandmother's accident wasn't an accident, and that the person her grandmother was with had been killed in the accident.  When other things begin to happen, she starts investigating to protect her "Oma".

I enjoyed this story, and will be reading more by the author.

This qualifies for the 2014 Cruisin' Thru the Cozies
finished 1/13/2014.

A Pint of Murder by Alisa Craig (Charlotte MacLeod) review

This is the first in the Madoc Rhys series, first published in 1980.  Madoc is a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, although he doesn't look like what people typically think of when they think Mountie.  This helps him blend in while doing his investigations.

Janet Wadman, a young woman staying with her brother and family in their old family home while recuperating from a ruptured appendix, is upset when an elderly neighbor lady dies from eating tainted home canned green beans.  While the people around her are convinced old Agatha Treadway had made a fatal mistake while canning, Janet is convinced Agatha had been murdered.

The local sheriff calls on the Mounties for help, and Madoc Rhys is sent undercover to discover the murderer.  While investigating, he finds himself falling for the lovely Janet.

I really enjoyed this book, this is the fourth or fifth time I've read it.  I enjoy the characters, who are a little different and eccentric without being caricatures.  The mystery is interesting, the love story is not overpowering the mystery itself, and I feel it is a delightful cozy mystery.

This counts towards the 2014 Read it Again Sam Reading Challenge.
It also counts for2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Silver--R--Read one book with a size in Title

Death Takes A Bow by Richard and Frances Lockridge review

This is one of the early Mr. and Mrs. North series of mysteries, first published in 1943.  While it takes place during WWII, the mystery doesn't hinge on the War, the War references merely add ambiance to the story.

I've read a couple of other Mr. and Mrs. North mysteries, and enjoyed them.  It usually takes me until the end of the book to discover who the murderer is (and occasionally, like in this one) I don't know until they reveal it during the story.

When I read my first Mr. and Mrs. North mystery, I was a little put off by how Mrs. North was presented.  She seemed a little scatter-brained at first, but then as I continued, I realized that she wasn't scatter-brained so much as just comfortable in revealing the conclusions to her thought processes without bothering to actually connect her leaps of logic from A to B to C to D to E, so everyone is aware of A, when she comes up with what everyone thinks is a totally unrelated E, which seems totally logical from her viewpoint, the people around her are confused.

I can relate, because I sometimes do the same thing.  My thought process seems to hop from here to there and then to there, but often the people around me don't make the same connections that I do.  But reading about Mrs. North doing it was a little confusing at first.  Now that I've read several books, I find it delightful.

I won this book from the 2013 Mt. TBR reading challenge, and per the rules I can count it in the
2014 Mt. TBR reading challenge.

It also counts for 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO  Gold--L--read one book with amateur detective.
It is also added to my 2014 Cruisin' Through the Cozies Challenge.

Rest You Merry by Charlotte MacLeod review

Rest You Merry is the first in the Peter Shandy Mystery Series, and one of my favorites. It was first published in 1978.

It takes place at Christmas time, in Balaclava Junction, Massachusetts.  Many of the faculty of Balaclava  Agricultural College reside in college provided homes located on "The Crescent", and almost all participate in the Grand Illumination, with the exception of Peter Shandy, professor of Horticulture. His neighbors, especially Jemima Ames, for years have tried to get him to participate.

Finally reaching the end of his patience, he decides to participate--in the loudest, biggest, brightest and tackiest way he can imagine. He hires men to decorate his house in the most extreme manner, and then leaves on a cruise.  At first, he enjoys the thoughts of the havoc he is causing, but when his ship breaks down, he suddenly realizes how his behavior is going to affect him when he returns.  So he leaves his cruise early, returns home to face the music, and finds his annoying neighbor, Jemima, dead on his floor. 

The local authorities decide she has fallen from a step ladder while adjusting Shandy's decorations, and rule it an accident.  But Shandy and his best friend (and husband of the victim), Tim Ames, are sure Jemima was murdered.  Shandy decides to do a little undercover investigating, and ends up discovering yet another dead body.  This time, he convinces the authorities that it is murder, and continues his investigations until the perpetrator is found.

I love the quirky characters in this series, and find the stories easy to read and very enjoyable.  They are a little dated, but still fun to read!

Finished January 9, 2014.

This book counts for my 2014 Read it Again Sam Challenge
It is also for 2014 Vintage Mystery Bingo--Silver under R--Set in the USA.
And for the Read Around the USA Challenge --Massachusetts

The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters review

I've read several of the other Amelia Peabody, but not all of them, so I've decided to start from the beginning and read them all in order.  This was one of the ones I had missed along the line.

This is the third in the Amelia Peabody series of stories.  As is usual in these, Amelia Peabody Emerson and her husband, Radcliffe, are busy on an archeological dig in Egypt, this time accompanied by their precocious four year old, known as Ramses, and their servant, John, who is supposed to help keep an eye on Ramses and keep him out of trouble.  And also, as is usual, they become involved in solving a murder or two.

Amelia suspects that the illicit antiquities market is being supplied by a Master Criminal, who is the cause of the murders, while her husband feels that the deaths are caused by a falling out among thieves, which was a common occurrence.  They get involved in a small competition to see which of them can solve the mystery.

I really like this series of mysteries.  I did get a little annoyed with Ramses in this one, especially when his affected speech is rendered by the author, but it is a small part of the overall story, and based on some of the other stories I've read, he does outgrow it, thank heavens!

Finished January 8, 2014.


This is part of  The 2014 Mt. TBR Reading Challenge (6 out of 24)
The 2014 Around the World Reading Challenge--Egypt (Africa) for the Casual Tourist Level 3 (3 out of 6).  The 2014 Cruisin' Thru the Cozies This is number 2.
The 2014 Vintage Mystery Bingo--Silver Challenge--Under S--Read One Book Set Any Where Except the US or England.

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny review

The Cruelest Month is the third of the Three Pines, Quebec, mystery series featuring Inspector Gamache.  It was published in 2008.

This book concerns the death of someone who collapsed and died during a seance.  The cause of death is uncertain, so the Inspector and his group are called in to investigate.

During the investigation, he has to deal with personal problems that are caused by the enemies he had made within the Police Force previously, which affect his family.  He also suspects that someone in his investigating group is on the side of his enemies, and is passing along information.  But he still manages to direct the investigation.

I enjoy the various characters in this series, including not only the police officers and the villagers, but the family members that are also described.  I also find the plots interesting and  full of intrigue.

I will be reading more in this series--as soon as I can get some of my backlog of books to read a little bit more under control!

A Fatal Grace (also published as Dead Cold) by Louise Penny review

The second in the Inspector Gamache series, published in 2007, when once again the Inspector and his group are called into Three Pines to solve a murder.  The victim in this case is CC de Poitiers, and the suspects are many.  CC de Poitiers is not a nice person, and is disliked by everyone that knows her, from her husband and daughter, to her lover, and to all the neighbors in Three Pines.

The means of death is unusual, and who ever thought of it was going to be difficult to catch.  But this does not deter the investigators, and they start to unravel the many secrets that surround the victim and others in the village.  Very well-written book, with an interesting plot, and wonderful characters!

I enjoyed the first book in the series and immediately grabbed this one.  I was not disappointed.  After I finished this, I read the third in the series, and will eventually read them all.

Even though I am in the middle of several reading challenges (including trying to lessen my pile of books to be read) I bought and read this one because the first in the series was so wonderful.  I also bought the next one in the series and read it, but am not going to buy any more for a little while until I can get some of my already purchased books finished!  I have so many books on my list to be read!!

The Howard Hughes Affair by Stuart M. Kaminsky review

The Howard Hughes Affair was first published in 1979, the forth in Stuart Kaminsky's series with Toby Peters, private investigator.  Each book in the series features a celebrity of the 1940s.

In this story, Toby Peters is hired by Howard Hughes to retrieve some missing airplane plans.  Several people had attended a dinner party given by Hughes, and he is sure that one of them is the thief.

I enjoyed reading this mystery, especially the way the author blends the radio programs, food items, and famous personalities of the time, into the descriptions of the activities Toby is involved in.  They all add to the ambiance, along with newspaper stories of the time that are highlighted in the story.

I will be continuing to read the books in this series.  I would recommend this book, in fact, I would recommend the entire series (at least, all of the ones that I have read, so far).

This book fits into several of the challenges I'm attempting this year.
The 2014 Mt. TBR Reading Challenge
The 2014 Vintage Mystery Bingo Silver Challenge--Under L--Read one book with a man in the Title
The Read Around the USA Challenge --California
and the Goodreads Cozy Mystery January2014 mini-challenge --Feast of Fabulous Wild Men (written by a man)  

The Shrunken Head by Robert Fish review

Many years ago I had read a couple of books by Robert Fish, featuring Captain Jose da Silva of Rio de Janiero, Brazil.  When I found this one, I immediately bought it and started reading it.

Captain da Silva is called to the Brazilian Foreign Office and assigned to investigate the killing of an acquaintance of his, John Bailey, an American explorer.  The American had been looking for diamonds in the Amazon interior for appoximately 6 or 7 months, when his shrunken head had been sent to the Brazilian Foreign Office with a note of challenge.

Captain da Silva and his friend (and American agent), Wilson, set off to discover why Bailey had been killed, and more importantly, why his head had been shrunken (by an indigenous group not native to Brazil), and then sent to the Brazilian Foreign Office.

This book was published in 1963, and is a product of it's time.  Wilson and da Silva think about women and wanting to get them into bed, and women are assumed to be weak and incapable of taking care of themselves.

With that in mind, I still enjoyed this book, to the point I finished it in one sitting. Of course, I was snowed in and had nothing else to do but read.  I found it kept my attention throughout the book, and I liked the relationship between da Silva and Wilson.

If I come across anymore Robert Fish novels, I will be sure to read them!



This book meets the qualifications of a couple of the challenges I'm in. 
The 2014 Around the World Challenge--Brazil, South America.
The Vintage Mystery BINGO 2014, Silver-- Under L--Read one book with a "Spooky" Title

2014 Around the World Reading Challenge

I just found this challenge, and thought I'd sign up for it, since I already read a book set in Canada and have another in the series in my to be read pile, and am reading one set in Egypt.  And a lot of my books are set in the U.S.--so I thought that's a good start, right?  They will also probably be mysteries, as I love reading various types of them, although I might throw in something different if it comes up.

I'm signing up for the Level 3: Casual Tourist category--read 6 books over the year, with one each from South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.



The books I plan on reading for this challenge:
Still Life by Louise Penny--Canada (North America)   finished 01/03/2014
The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters--Egypt (Africa) finished 01/08/2014
Green For Danger by Christianna Brand--England (Europe) finished 1/25/2014
The Shrunken Head by Robert Fish--Brazil (South America)       finished 01/07/2014
Death in China by Carl Hiaasen and Bill Montalbano--China (Asia)  finished 02/16/2014
Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood--Australia  finished 2/19/2014

Finished the challenge!  But it's so early in the year, can I do level 4?  That would be 12 books--all in different countries. I've already got 6.  Let's give it a try.
 
7. Murder At Irish Mensa  by Clare O'Beara--Ireland (Europe)  finished 2/23/2014
8. The Copenhagen Connection by by Elizabeth Peters--Denmark (Europe) finished 2/23/2014
9. Murder at Scottish Mensa by Clare O'Beara--Scotland (Europe) finished 03/08/2014
10. No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith--Botswana (Africa) finished 4/15/2014 
11. Cake On a Hot Tin Roof  by Jacklyn Brady--United States (North America) finished 4/17/2014
12. Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon--France (Europe)  finished 8/4/2014

Yay, I've finished the challenge!!  12 books from 12 different countries!

Clammed Up by Barbara Ross review

This is supposed to be the first in a series of Maine Clambake Mysteries.  Julia leaves her big-city job in a Manhattan venture capital firm to return to Maine to help out her family who are in danger of losing not only their Family Clambake business and her mother's home, but an island that had been in the family for several generations.  Several years with poor profits due to both weather and the bad economy has caused the business to be unable to pay off their loans. Julia makes a deal with the bank to refinance their loan, depending on having a good season this year to pay it off.

To increase the profit potential, Julia  adds wedding catering to the usual clambakes.  On the first wedding job they have, a body is discovered on their island, which is where they hold the clambakes.  The police close down the business until they can finish investigating, which causes Julia to "help" the police, so their business can open up as soon as possible.

I found this to be an enjoyable read.  I appreciated the descriptions of the beautiful Maine coastal regions, and the mystery was well written.  I also liked that Julia's main emphasis was on getting the business open again and running it, with her investigation only an end to that goal, and not her prime motivation. 

I'm looking forward to reading other books in this series.  I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

This book was in my TBR pile, and is part of my 2014 Mt. TBR Challenge , my Crusin' Thru the Cozies Challenge and also my 2014 Jan. mini-challenge on Goodreads.

The Broadway Murders by Agata Stanford review

 The Broadway Murders is the first in a series featuring Dorothy Parker, and takes place in New York City, during the 1920s.  Dorothy is assisted in her investigations by her friends, Robert Benchley and Alexander (Aleck) Woollcott.   These celebrities, and others, were part of the Algonquin Round Table, a fluid group of people who were intelligent and witty, many involved in journalism or the arts, who met in the dining room of the Algonquin Hotel during this time.

As the first in the series, it was pretty good.  But I might be a little biased because I've always found Dorothy Parker to be interesting.

There are several areas that could have been improved to make it more to my taste, but I still enjoyed the story.  The descriptions that were added to give it the 1920s feel appeared to be a little forced, and there seemed to be a few too many, and that distracted a little from the story line.   I'm looking forward to reading additional books in the series, hoping the areas I felt were lacking will improve.

I read it on my e-reader, and the formatting left a little to be desired, but it was still readable.

This book was in my TBR pile, and is part of my Mt. TBR Challenge

Still Life by Louise Penny review

This is the first book I've read by Louise Penny, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.  It is the first in the Inspector Gamache series, and the mystery takes place in the rural village of Three Pines in Quebec, Canada.

The mystery starts with the discovery of an elderly local woman found dead, shot by an arrow, in a wooded area near the village.  Inspector Gamache is called in, along with his team, including longtime assistant Beauvoir, and a new member of the team, Yvette Nichols.

I found the mystery to be fairly good, but what really pulled me into the story was the interaction between Gamache, Bearvoir, and Nichols, and the insights into their private lives.  I also found Gamache's thoughts on the villagers to be interesting.

I enjoyed reading this book, and am looking forward to reading other books in the series.



This is a book in my 2014 Mt. TBR Reading Challenge, and is Canada in my Around the World Reading Challenge!

Mistletoe Murder by Leslie Meier review

I started reading this because it was Christmas time, and I wanted something seasonal.  This cozy mystery seemed like a good choice. 

Lucy Stone, the main character, lives in Tinker's Cove, Maine, and works the night shift taking orders for a local business turned big, selling outdoor supplies online as well as in a retail setting.  While taking a break late one night, she discovers the body of one of the owners.  It is discovered that his death was murder, attempting to look like a suicide.

The book is filled with details of her personal life with her husband, kids, mother and friends.  With all the frenzy that is to be expected in the weeks and days before Christmas, she still decides to get involved in solving this murder.

Mistletoe Murder is the first in the Lucy Stone series, and it wasn't too bad.   I'm hoping the later books are a little more pulled together, as I thought there was a little too much of the day to day detail of her life included.  There were also a couple of things I found really hard to believe happening.



This book counts for 2014 Mt. TBR Reading Challenge.