More books read, July 1, August 30

I've read several other books over the summer, that were not part of my Mt. TBR Reading Challenge 2015.   I'm not going to write full reviews for them, but will just mention whether or not I liked it, with a few words to describe them.

Taylor, Phoebe Atwood--Diplomatic Corpse (bought 7/31/2015, read 8/3/2015).  Really liked this one!  This is the last in the Asey Mayo series, and has the Cape Cod ambience that really makes the books.

Frazer, Andrea--Choked Off (bought 7/29/2015, read 8/2/2015).  Another one I liked.  This is the second in the Falconer series.  The villagers are excited that a radio broadcaster will be reviewing their Arts festival, until he arrives in the village the day before the event.  He is not a nice person, and takes pleasure in hurting the people around him. When he is found dead, no one seems to be overly dismayed. However, DI Harry Falconer and his Sergeant, "Davey" Carmichael, are on the case.

Allingham, Margery--Coroner's Pidgin (bought 7/22/2015, read 7/23/2015).  I liked this, but not as much as some of her others. Albert Campion returns from several years overseas, and while refreshing himself in his apartment, he sees his servant, Lugg, entering the apartment with a Lady, and a woman's corpse.  Campion is then forced to detect, which he does with his usual skill.

Hamilton, Donald--Matt Helm-The Terminators (bought 7/9/2015, read 7/10/2015).  Liked this, really like the character and the style of the writing.  This is one of my favorite series from that era.

Bowers, Mary--Murder in Tropical Breeze (bought 7/6/2015, read 7/10/2015).  This one was okay, and I might try the second in the series, but I'm not really big on paranormal, although it wasn't too intrusive in this story, it still lessened my enjoyment a little.

Johns, Madison--High Seas Honeymoon (Bought 7/2/2015, read 7/2/2015).  This is the seventh in the series, and I thought it was just okay.  Agnes and Eleanor and their new husbands go on a honeymoon cruise, and find out that several of their friends and neighbors are also there.  Then they find a body, which disappears.

Rice, Craig--Murder, Mystery and Malone (borrowed 6/28/2015, read 7/3/2015).  A collection of a dozen stories, most of them featuring John J. Malone, a lawyer who claims he has never lost a case.  I thought this was pretty good, considering the limitations of short stories.  But then, I am a fan of the  1940s hard boiled detective stories, with a dash of screwball comedy.

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen review

 Her Royal Spyness is the first in the Royal Spyness Series.  It is set in England in the early 1930s, and features Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, who is 34th in line for the English throne.  While she has a title, and is a member of high society, she doesn't have any money.  As Royalty, and a woman, she can't really take a job, which would be hard to find during the Depression in any event.

She is being supported by her brother and lives with him and his wife in their castle in Scotland.  However, her sister-in-law isn't happy they have to support her, and wants her to marry, preferably some one rich. And if not, then she wants her to become the companion of some elderly relative.

Lady Georgie runs away to London, and decides to stay in their family house.  It had been closed up, and there are no servants there, and no heat. To keep herself, she decides to start a housecleaning business, but keep her name out of it. 

When she returns one day, she finds a body in the bathtub.  The dead man was someone trying to collect on her late father's gambling debts, and had set up a meeting with Lady Georgina's brother, known to his family and friends as Binky.  And Binky had returned to Scotland, which Lady Georgie meant he would be the main suspect in the death.

She decides to investigate to clear her brother's name, and then the Queen wants her to go to a house party to see how infatuated her son is with the divorcee, Mrs. Simpson.  Lady Georgie is supposed to become the Queen's spy. 

While trying to solve the murder, and spying for the Queen, Georgie is also becoming terribly accident prone.  It finally occurs to her that someone is trying to kill her. 

Lady Georgina is a bright, determined, independent woman ahead of her time, and manages to solve the murder and finish her spying while managing to stay alive.

This was an interesting read, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

This is #35 of 48 for the Mt. TBR Reading Challenge 2015. Bought in August, 2014, read November, 2015.

Two Widows and the Thrift Store Murders by Ruth Ross review

A mother and daughter, both widows, love to visit thrift stores, more for the entertainment value than actually needing to watch their pennies.

To their dismay, one of the thrift store workers is found murdered.  Then another of the workers is also found murdered.  When they realize one of the board members, an elderly woman, had also died recently, they become suspicious and begin to investigate.  As they found out information, they let the police know of their findings, which is rare in a lot of the current mysteries.

I thought the book was interesting, although it was what I would call an easy read. I bought this book in August of 2014, and finished it November of 2015.

 34 of 48 for the 2015 Mt. TBR reading  challenge.

The Betrayers by Donald Hamilton review

This is the tenth of the Matt Helm spy series.  Another enjoyable read.

Matt takes a vacation in Hawaii after his last assignment was completed.  The agent in charge of operations there is someone Helm hasn't gotten along with, and who is suspected of being a rogue agent. 

Lots of action, a little romance, and a straight forward spy plot.  Who could ask for anything more?

I enjoyed this story as much as the others I've read in the series, and looking forward to reading more.


Bought October 15, 2014, read July 2, 2015.  This is number 33 of 48 in my 2015 Mt. TBR reading challenge.

Flying too Hign by Kerry Greenwood review

Found a note with several of the books I had read last spring/early summer.  While I had remembered most of them, and  reviewed them (or at least put them on another list to write the reviews), there were a few that I had forgotten.  This was one of them.

Flying Too High is the second in the Phryne Fisher series of books, and like the others, takes place in Australia.  I enjoy the descriptions of 1920s Australia, similar to the U.S. at that time, but different, too.  Phryne, of course, is a one of a kind heroine, with flaws.

Phryne is approached by Mrs. McNaughton.  Phryne is hired to stop Mrs. McNaughton's son, Bill, from killing Mr. McNaughton.  Bill has a temper and is short money, and Mr. McNaughton is pretty nasty himself, and the two are in the middle of a disagreement about a loan.  Phryne takes the case, but Mr. McNaughton ends up dead, anyway. 

Phryne now has to prove Bill innocent, but along the way decides to solve the kidnapping of a little girl, and protect her from the pedophile who is one of her kidnappers.

Phryne flys an airplane, has hot sex with a couple of different men, procures a prostitute, and solves the cases. 

Enjoyed the book, especially the recurring supporting characters of Dot, Bert and Cec, and the new characters of Mr. and Mrs. Butler.

Part of my 2015 Mt. TBR reading challenge. #32 of 48.  Bought Mar 21, 2014, finished late May, 2015.

The Devastaters by Donald Hamilton review

First published in 1965, this is the ninth in the Matt Helm series. This story takes Helm to England and Scotland, an interesting background for the events taking place.


A body is found in Scotland, and the cause of death is bumonic plague.  The victim is an agent, and is the third agent to be found dead.  Helm is sent to find the scientist causing the deaths.  There is a lot of exciting events, and interesting characters, including a reunion of sorts for Helm.

Enjoyable story, but then, I usually enjoy reading Matt Helm novels. 


This is # 31 of 48 for my 2015 Mt. TBR reading challenge. Bought June 8, 2014, read June 28, 2015.

The Menacers by Donald Hamilton review

The eleventh in the Matt Helm series, this was published in 1968. I've read several books in this series, and usually enjoy them, including this one. 

Helm is sent to Mexico, because of reports of UFOs attacking people.  He is assigned as protection to one of the witnesses, and told to bring her to the U.S. at Los Alamos.  Most importantly, she is not to get into the hands of the Russians.  If that seems likely, he will have to kill her.

I was a little concerned when I saw this was about UFOs that the series was taking a weird turn in the direction of Science Fiction, but as it turned out, it didn't.  Enjoyed reading this one!


Bought Nov. 13, 2014, finished July 4, 2015.  # 30 of 48 in my 2015 Mt. TBR reading challenge.

The Case of the Buried Clock by Erle Stanley Gardner review

First published in 1943, this story includes references to the war, but not as a major part of the mystery.  The twenty-second of the Perry Mason stories, it is well written and interesting.

In this story, a man, Jack Hardisty, embezzles money from the bank his father-in-law, Mr. Blane, owns.  When he is found dead, the most obvious suspect is the man's wife, Millicent, especially as she had been seen in the area.  Mr. Blane hires Perry Mason to protect his daughter.

Along the way a buried clock is discovered, there is an interesting, but confusing, discussion of sidereal or star time, Perry Mason actually becomes confused, and the murderer is discovered.  All in all, a pretty good read.

This is part of my 2015 Mt. TBR Challenge, # 29 of 48. Bought Dec. 12, 2014, finished July 2015.

Several books in the Asey Mayo series by Phoebe Atwood Taylor, review

Having discovered Phoebe Atwood Taylor and her Asey Mayo series, and finding several available fairly inexpensively online, I ordered as many as I could find, and spent the next few months reading them.  I enjoyed them all, and like the Asey Mayo character with him down-home common sense approach.  A quick view of the books in the series I've read (in addition to the ones I actually wrote separate reviews for).

Deathblow Hill--published in 1935 the sixth in the series.  Two branches of the Howes family are at odds with each other, because of a lost fortune.  When a body is discovered, Asey comes to the rescue to solve the crime.

The Tinkling Symbol--seventh in the series, also published in 1935.  People across the bay see Dave Truman walk out of his home and put a gun to his head.  But to everyone's surprise, when his body is discovered, he has been stabbed to death.  Asey has to figure out what is going on, and who the murderer is.  This book had several amusing scenes, and I particularly enjoyed this book.

Crimson Patch--the eighth in the series, published in 1936 is a little different than the others.  Asey is not called in to find a murderer, but to find out why all of the neighbors are harassing newcomers Steve and Betsey Damon, and their uncle Myles, especially as they live in a home so remote, you can't get to without a boat.  Of course, before Asey can get out there to investigate, there is a murder.

Out of Order--published in 1936 is the ninth in the series.  Asey is vacationing in Jamaica when he receives strange telegrams from Bill Porter, so he drops everything to head back to Cape Cod to check it out.  While out in a snowstorm, he seeks shelter at Harper Dixon's home, where he and several other people are locked into a bathroom by someone unknown, and when they are released, they discover a dead body. Asey is on his own while he investigates this murder, which is difficult as many of the probable suspects were locked up with Asey at the time.

Figure Away--the tenth in the series was published in 1937.  A distant cousin, Winston Mayhew, selectman in Billingsgate, calls on Asey and wants to hire him to assure that Old Home Week goes off without a hitch.  Asey agrees, but there is a murder during the opening fireworks.

I've read several more, and will write mini-reviews as soon as I can, but first I have some reviews to do for my Mt.TBR challenge!

Sandbar Sinister by Phoebe Atwood Taylor reveiw

The fifth in the Asey Mayo series, published in 1934, it follows the usual formula for an Asey Mayo book.  An older lady somehow gets involved with Asey in solving a crime, and the story is told from her viewpoint.

Penelope Colton has lost all her money because of the Stockmarket Crash, and has a job as a department store clerk.  One of her friends insists that Penelope join her on Cape Cod and stay at her home, called Sandbar.  Somehow she becomes the acting housekeeper for her friend, and a houseful of family and friends become guests. 

There is a murder, and then a second body is discovered, and with all of the friends and family staying there, there are more than enough suspects.  This keeps Asey and Pen busy trying to figure out who the murderer is.

While the story follows the basic formula Taylor set up for the series, I still enjoyed the mystery, and reading how Asey goes about solving it.

Mystery of the Cape Cod Tavern by Phoebe Atwood Taylor reveiw

This is the fourth of the Asey Mayo series, published in 1934.  Elspeth Adams, middle-aged spinster from Boston, travels to Cape Cod to help her nephew Mark.  He is in love with Anne Bradford, and they are both staying with Anne's stepsister, Eve Prence, who owns and runs Prence's Tavern, a famous retreat for writers.

While they are staying there, Eve tells people that she is afraid for her life, that someone wants to kill her, and she suspects Anne, as Anne is her heir.  There are a couple of minor incidents that Eve feels proves her contention that someone is after her, but the others feel she is making too much of them.  Of course, Eve is then found stabbed to death, and Asey decides that Anne didn't do it, so he has to find the real murderer, with the help of Elspeth and Mark, and in spite of the local police.

I enjoy reading the Asey Mayo stories, and I like the setting of the 1930s, and discovering occasionally some ideas and statements that would be totally politically incorrect in today's society, but were accepted way back then.

Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh review

Published in 1954, it is the seventeenth in the Roderick Alleyn series of books by Ngaio Marsh.  This is the third book by this author that I've read.  The first one, Colour Scheme, was just okay, although I felt the second half was better than the beginning.  The second I read was Enter A Murderer, which I actually enjoyed quite a bit.

This one falls in between those two books, in my opinion.  I liked it a little better than Colour Scheme, but not nearly as much as I liked Enter A Murderer.  I'm really not sure why. 


In this story, Alleyn is sent undercover to France to investigate a drug ring.  His wife, Troy, and son, Ricky, accompany him for a vacation, knowing that Alleyn will have to leave them to fulfill his assignment. 

However, on the train ride en route to their destination, a fellow traveler (an English spinster) has an appendicitis attack, and the Alleyns come to her aid.  The only available doctor is a member of the drug ring, and Alleyn uses this as a way of infiltrating the Chateau where everything takes place.

The story seems to rely a little too heavily on stereotypes, and there seemed to be a lot of coincidences cropping up.


# 28 of 48 in my 2015 Mt. TBR reading challenge.  Bought in 2014, finished June 2, 2015.

Enter A Murderer by Ngaio Marsh review

This is the second of the Roderick Alleyn series of mysteries, published in 1935.  While attending a play with his friend, they see one of the actors shoot one of the other actors.  While this was supposed to happen during the scene, it was not supposed to be done with real bullets and real blood.

The actor who dies, Arthur Surbonardier, is not popular, and feels that the main role should have been his.  The actor who pulled the trigger, Felix Gardener, is a nice-guy, popular with the other actors, and the one who is playing the role that Arthur lusted for.  The two men were also vying for the affections of one of the actresses, Stephanie Vaughn.

As Alleyn had actually witnessed the murder, he is the person chosen to solve the murder. Who was responsible for the real bullets?

This was an interesting story, and I enjoyed reading it.  Looking forward to more books by Ngaio Marsh.

This is #27 of 48 in my 2015 Mt. TBR reading challenge.

Bought 2014, finished June 10, 2015.

The Diva Digs Up Dirt by Krista Davis review

This is number six in the Diva Mystery series, but the first I've read.  It was published in 2012.

Sophie Winston is an event planner in Alexandria, Virginia. Her nemesis is Natasha, a TV craft person who apparently spends her time trying to outdo Sophie, but wants to be friends.  Oh, and Natasha's boyfriend is Sophie's ex-husband, Mars.

Sophie also has a boyfriend, Wolf, and it is Wolf who gets her involved in this mystery.  Sophie goes to Wolf's house to surprise him by planting a rosebush, but digs up a purse belonging to Ann, Wolf's wife who disappeared years ago.  Sophie is also stalked by Ann's mother, Mona.  She is also trying to plan an event for Roscoe, where everything seems to be going wrong.

As you can imagine, there are a lot of things going on in this story!  But it isn't as confusing as it sounds, and is actually a pretty good mystery.  I enjoyed it, and plan on reading some of the earlier books in the series.

This is #26 of 48 in my 2015 Mt. TBR reading challenge.  Bought early 2014, finished March 15, 2015.

Black Widower by Patricia Moyes review

This is the thirteenth book in the Henry Tibbetts mystery series, published in 1975.  This is only the second book in the series that I have read, the first being Falling Star, which was one of the earlier books.

Sir Edward Ironmonger is the Tampican ambassador to the United States.  He and his wife, Mavis, are throwing a party at the embassy for the diplomatic corps in Washington, D.C.  Mavis is not considered an asset to Sir Edward, because although she is beautiful and her husband is devoted to her, she drinks too much,  and isn't very bright.

After Mavis insults one of the visiting dignitaries, she is hustled off to her room.  A few hours later, she is discovered dead.  Chief Inspector Henry Tibbetts of Scotland Yard is called in to solve the murder.

This book had a lot of plot twists and turns, and was an enjoyable read.  However, I didn't like it as much as Falling Star, I'm not sure why.

This is part of my 2015 Mt. TBR reading challenge, #25 of 48.  Bought 2014, finished June 3, 2015.





I'm trying to catch up on all of my book reviews, but I'm so far behind I don't know how long it is going to take!  Over the last few days I've written around eight reviews for my reading challenge, and another three that aren't part of the challenge, and I've got at least 15 other books I've read for the challenge, and at least 30 that wouldn't count for the challenge.  And I'm still reading. 

Pedigree to Die For by Laurien Berenson review

This is the first in the Melanie Travis mystery series, published first in 2004.  Melanie is a teacher, and single mother to her young son, Davey.  Her summer starts off pretty badly--her summer job falls through, her boyfriend has left her, and her Uncle Max has a heart attack and dies.  Then her Aunt Peg (Max's widow) calls her because one of their expensive pedigreed poodles is stolen.

Aunt Peg convinces Melanie to investigate by going undercover at dog shows.  Melanie, and the reader, finds out that there is a lot more to showing dogs than just showing up, a quick brush, and a walk around the arena.

The mystery was okay, and the story was okay.  Maybe a little too much information about raising dogs and dog shows.

If I come across any other books in the series, I'll probably give them a try.  I would imagine that there won't be so much dog show information as in the first book in the series, where it is being introduced.  I hope.

Bought June 7, 2014, finished Mar. 17, 2015. 
This is #24 of 48 in my 2015 Mt. TBR reading challenge.

The Cat Next Door by Marian Babson review

One of Marian Babson's cat mysteries, this book was published in 2003.  I've read several other of her books, and while the cat mysteries are enjoyable, I really prefer the Trixie and Evangeline books I've read.

In this story, Margot returns to England after having been in America for 18 months, and finds her cousin,Chloe, about to be tried for Claudia's murder, Chloe's twin sister.  While a cat is featured on the cover, the cat isn't a major character.

There is a lot of family introduced in the story, and it isn't as good as the other books I've read by Babson, although it certainly isn't horrible. It moves a little slowly and the characters aren't very sympathetic, but is okay for a light read.

This is #23 of 48 in my 2015 Mt. TBR reading challenge.  Bought Oct 15, 2014--read Mar. 6, 2015.

Death Pays A Visit by Elizabeth Spann Craig review

This is the seventh in the Myrtle Clover series, published in 2014.  I've read the others, and enjoyed them.

Myrtle is a feisty older lady who no longer drives (or at least shouldn't), with a rather conservative friend and neighbor, Miles, who is constantly dragged into her investigations. Myrtle lives across the street from the sheriff in town, who also happens to be her son, and who is constantly trying to talk her into living at Greener Pastures, a retirement home (for her own good, of course).

The beginning of this mystery is when Wanda Alewine, a psychic that Myrtle and Miles have had dealings with before, comes to Myrtle's house late one night, to tell her someone is going to be murdered at the Greener Pastures retirement home.  Wanda pushes Myrtle to investigate and prevent the murder.


Unfortunately, Myrtle doesn't prevent it, but instead investigates it to find out who the murderer is.

As in all of the other stories in the series, this is a pretty light, amusing mystery, not too hard to solve, but quite enjoyable nonetheless.

This is #22 of 48 in my 2015 Mt. TBR reading challenge.  Bought 2014, finished April 27, 2015.

Antiques Slay Ride by Barbara Allen review

This book was published in 2013, and is apparently a "filler" story between longer novels in the series.  I haven't read any of the others, so perhaps the longer books would have appealed to me more than this one did.

I can't say I really disliked this book, but I didn't really like it, either.  There were some amusing parts, including the banter between the main characters, mother and daughter.

One of the things that threw me off was the characters knowing they were in a book, and referring to it during the story.  This seemed to make it harder to really get into the story line.

I might try one of the longer books if I run across them, but I'm not going to make an effort to look them up.

This is part of my 2015 Mt. TBR reading challenge, #21 of 48 (bought Nov 2014, read Apr. 15, 2015).

Several Books by Margery Allingham reviewed

I bought several books by Margery Allingham, and sat right down and read them one after another.  I really enjoy this author! 

Police at the Funeral--published in 1931.  One of his college friends asks Albert Campion to help out his fiancee, who's uncle is missing.  After the uncle's body is discovered, another member of the family is found dead, and Campion investigates the murders.  Interesting story, with a lot of surprise, especially the ending.   Good book!

The Beckoning Lady--published in 1955.  Albert Campion and his family are visiting Pontisbright, when "Uncle William" Faraday is discovered dead.  Another body is found, an Inland Revenue man, which causes suspicions to fall on Minnie and Tonker, who are in the midst of planning their annual Garden party, a major event in the village.  With the help of Magersfontein Lugg and DCI Charles Luke, Campion investigates.  Another excellent read!

Traitor's Purse--published in 1941.  Albert Campion wakes up in a hospital bed, and doesn't remember anything.  He has suffered a head wound and developes amnesia.  All he knows is that there is something important he has to do, and it involves the number 15. After overhearing a conversation outside his room, he suspects he has attacked a policeman, and so escapes from the hospital. 

He is followed, by a woman who appears to want to help him, and calls him Campion. Intent on keeping everyone from knowing he can't remember anything, he becomes involved in solving a murder, and then in another criminal investigation.  Interesting in many different ways, really enjoyed this.

The Fashion in Shrouds--published in 1938.  Albert Campion's sister, Valentine, is best friends with Georgia Wells, a famous actress.  When he discovers a skeleton that  turns out to be Richard Portland-Smith, former fiance of Georgia, who had disappeared three years before.  There is a death, and Val is suspected of trying to kill Georgia, who has taken away Val's boyfriend.  Campion investigates to protect his sister's reputation, and solve the mystery.  Another good story. 

Looking forward to reading more in this series of books about Albert Campion!

Murder at Monticello by Rita Mae Brown review

This is the third in the Mrs. Murphy series, published in 1994.

I've read a couple of other books in the series as I've come across them, and generally enjoyed them some.  The main human character is Mary Minor Haristeen, known to everyone as Harry.  She has a cat, Mrs. Murphy, and a corgi named Tee Tucker.  While they don't actually talk to people, their thoughts are featured throughout the story.

In this book, Harry and her friend Miranda are visiting Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, a local attraction.  While there, a body is discovered.  It appears the man was murdered around 1803, and who he is and who killed him and buried the body becomes a main part of the story.  Of course, recent events also contribute another mystery to be solved.

This wasn't a bad book, just not one of my favorites. If I run across other books, I'll probably read them, but I'm not going to make any effort to find them.

This is number 20 of 48 in my 2015 Mt. TBR reading challenge.  Bought 2014, read June 10, 2015.

Case of the Blonde Bonanza by Erle Stanley Gardner review

First published in 1962, this is one of the later Perry Mason novels.  Mason is not as rough as he was in the very early books in the series, but still is a fighter for his clients.

In this story he meets Diane, an attractive young woman who is eating huge lunches.  It happens that she has a contract that pays her to gain weight, to become a full figured model.  Perry becomes suspicious of the way the contract is written, and begins his investigation.  Along the way, the body of the promoter who gave the contract to Diane is discovered, murdered.

The story isn't as fast paced as I would prefer, but it is an enjoyable read. Not my favorite Perry Mason book, but not bad.

This is number 19 of 48 in my 2015 Mt. TBR reading challenge.
Bought 2014, finished March 15, 2015.

Gator Bait by Jana DeLeon review

Way behind on getting my reviews written, but I have been reading a lot!!  I'm going to make an effort to catch up on at least my Mt. TBR challenge book reviews in the next week or two.  I'm going to have to write approximately 30 just for the summer reading I've done!  So I'm going to start right now!

This is the fifth in the Miss Fortune series, and is as enjoyable as the first 4 were.  I haven't found any of the books by Jana Deleon to be anything less than a wonderful experience so far.

Fortune Redding, while pretending to be a librarian sorting through her late aunt's house, is in reality a CIA assassin, who is hiding in Sinful, Louisiana to avoid a gun runner who has put a price on her head.  Fortune  finally goes out on a first date with Deputy Carter LeBlanc, but shortly thereafter he becomes a missing person, and it is discovered someone someone had shot him and left him for dead in the bayou.

With the assistance of Ida Bell and Gerty, longtime residents and friends of her late "aunt", who are also much more than they seem, Fortune decides to hunt down the people responsible for Carter's  injury, while maintaining her cover.

Once I started, I couldn't seem to find a place to stop, so read the book in one sitting. I usually read for an hour or so before I go to sleep, so this meant I stayed up quite late to finish it.  As in the other books in this series, I found myself laughing out loud in several places.  Somehow, I managed to resist the urge to wake my husband to read a few  really funny parts out loud to him (well, after the first time, anyhow).

Bought this book Dec 12, 2014, finished  May 2, 2015.  Number 18 in my 2015 Mt. TBR challenge.

Bleeding Heart by Mary Freeman review

This is the third in the Gardening Mystery series.  Rachel O'Connor, owner of her own landscape business, is offered a dream job.  A famous local botanist, Eloise, has given Rachel an unlimited budget and the freedom to restore the botanist's grounds to their original glory before she donates it to a nature conservancy.

Shortly after making the plans, Eloise is found dead.  Rachel starts investigating who would want to kill such a wonderful gardener, and finds there are quite a few possible suspects.

This was an interesting and exciting book to read, and I enjoyed the characters and the info on gardening that is thrown in.

Now to find the fourth, and last, book in the Gardening Mystery series.

This is part of my Mt. TBR reading challenge, 17 out of 48.  Bought 2014, finished March 3, 2015.

Deadly Nightshade by Mary Freeman review

Deadly Nightshade is the second in the Gardening Mystery series.  It takes place in the Hood River Area of Oregon, and features Rachel O'Connor, a young landscaper.

Rachel is trying to improve her business, and gets a city landscape contract.  She runs into trouble when a city councilman is found dead, under a huge pile of her mulch which was dumped from a truck to which she had the key.  One of her employees was Spider, from the Youth Farm work skills program, and he becomes a suspect because he had argued with the councilman.  Another suspect is Rachel's uncle, who resents the coucilman because he is trying to annex part of his orchard.

The book was well written, the characters were interesting, and there is a little romance thrown in between Rachel and the local police.  Looking forward to the next in the series.

This is part of my Mt. TBR reading challenge, 16 of 48.

Devil's Trumpet by Mary Freeman review

Devil's Trumpet is the first in the Gardening Mystery series.  It is set in the Hood River area of Oregon, and the main character, Rachel O'Connor, is a young landscaper with her own business.

Rachel is landscaping the old Columbia River Inn, which the owner, Henry, hopes to repair and open.  When Henry falls from a dangerous bridge between the main grounds and a stone gazebo, the death is looked into by the police.  Rachel's employee, Julio, is one of the suspects.  He is a young immigrant with limited English skills, and Rachel feels she needs to protect him.

I enjoyed the book, and the descriptions of the area.  The characters were interesting, and the story moved along fairly well.  I have 2 other books in the series I'm reading soon.

This is part of my Mt. TBR reading challenge, 15 out of 48.

More short reviews of books I've read in the last couple of months

Archie Meets Nero by Robert Goldsborough.  This is a prequel to the Nero Wolfe series of books, written by the man who continued the series after Rex Stout's death.

I generally liked this book, even though I thought a lot of the regular characters were a little off.  I also thought the book felt a little rushed in a couple of places.  It does answer the question as to how Archie and Nero began working together, and it wasn't a bad read.

A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die by Edith Maxwell, is the first in A Local Foods Mystery series.  Cam Flaherty is laid off from her computer programming job, and takes over her uncle's farm when he can no longer run it.  She is in the process of turning it into a Certified Organic Farm, when she discovers her employee was going to use a pesticide.  She fires him, and shortly after she finds his body with a pitchfork in his chest. 

I liked the concept, and the story line was okay, but there were a couple of things that could have been improved.  The romance parts were not very intriguing, and it annoyed me that she didn't turn over evidence to the police.  However, it is a first book, so  I'll probably read the next one in the series.

The Curious Case of the Black Swan Song by Andrea Fraser.  After reading her Cocktail Mysteries, I thought I'd try another of her books, the first in the Holmes and Garden Mystery series.  It features a current imitator of Sherlock Holmes, and his assistant, John Garden.

I thought the book was fine, for the first in a series.  There were a several times I thought it needed a little something more, it seemed to work at being a Sherlock Holmes imitator.  I also thought the mystery was a little easy to solve.  I'll probably read another in the series.

Short Reviews of Several Cozy Mysteries

The Sleuth Sisters by Maggie Pill is the first in the series.  Barbara Evans retires from her law career and moves back to her small Michigan hometown, and is getting restless.  Her sister, Faye, has lost her job, and with a disabled husband needs to find another.  Faye decides they should open a detective agency, and talks Barb into it.  Their first big job is to find a woman's brother, who had been missing for several years--his wife had been murdered then, and he was the main suspect, when he disappeared. 

Another sister, Retta, is a state trooper's widow.  She helps the other two with information she can pick up from her wide social circle.  She would like to be a part of the detective agency, and not left out.  The book was set up so one chapter was from one sister's viewpoint, and the next was from another sister's viewpoint .  This highlights the different personalities of the sisters.

I enjoyed the book, it was a fairly easy read, although I did suspect who the culprit was.  I especially like that fact that the story takes place in my home state, Michigan.

3 Sleuths, 2 Dogs and a Murder also by Maggie Pill.  This is the second in the series, and I enjoyed it fairly well.  The two older sisters run a detective agency.  The youngest sister, Retta, is a widow, and has just started seeing Winston Darrow.  She finds out that he is married only when he becomes a suspect in his wife's murder.  She doesn't think Winston is capable of murder, in spite of his less than stellar character, and she and her sisters investigate the crime to prove his innocence. 

I mostly enjoyed this story, although there were a couple of things that were a little unbelievable, but I got past that. 

High Anxiety Dye Job by Molly Dox.  This is the third in the Annie Addison mystery series, and I haven't read the first two.  I didn't make very good notes on this one, and I don't remember it in detail.  Annie is a beauty parlor operator in a small beach town.This story took place during the off season.  There was a murder and some blackmail, very short book, about 50 pages long,  It was okay, but I'm not going to be looking for more of this series.

Short reviews of two books by Amy Korman, and one by J.J. Chow

I'll start with the J.J. Chow book, Seniors Sleuth.  Winston Wong is pudgy, smart, a little insecure, and a bit of a nerd.  No longer a game tester for video games, he decides to become a private investigator.  He puts an add in the local Pennysaver, and soon has his first client, a woman who wants a death at a nursing home to be proven a natural death.  Winston goes from clue to clue, changing his mind about the death, and possible suspects, until he inadvertently discovers the answer.  For a first book in a series, it wasn't too bad.

Killer WASPs is the first in a series by Amy Korman.  Kristin Clark is barely making her rent, running an antique store inherited from her grandparents.  She lives in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, where almost everyone she is friends with is extremely well-to-do.  Her high school pal, Holly, is an heiress married to a very wealthy man in his own right, and her hobbies include shopping and looking good in clothes.  Another friend, Bootsy, is also well-to-do, a preppy married to a lawyer, and she works part time for the local paper, mostly as an excuse to gossip and snoop around and know everything that is going on. She is also friends with Joe, a good looking decorator, who would love to land a TV show.

One night, when walking her dog, she meets a handsome stranger, then they find a local real estate developer lying under a bush, unconscious.  He had been attacked by an unknown assailant, and with his shoddy workmanship and pushy ways, the list of suspects was overwhelming.  When the attacker strikes again, Holly and her friends decide to investigate before someone else is hurt. 

This was a fairly interesting and entertaining story, and I looked forward to reading the second in the series.

Killer Getaway is the second in the series, and isn't a bad story.  The group ends up in Florida, leaving the bad Pennsylvania winter behind, and end up investigating another mystery.  Two of their friends have opened a restaurant, Vicino's, and while they are there visiting, bad things begin to happen.  One of the owners bad-tempered ex-boyfriends arrives to open another restaurant directly across the street from Vicino's.  A bad batch of clams causes a patron to be violently ill, and being a local mover and shaker, she tells everyone in detail of her illness to discourage anyone else from going to the restaurant.  Then the restaurants air conditioning is destroyed.

The group of friends start investigating, and discover there are several possible villains in the area, and several different motives.

I enjoyed this story, except for one huge problem.  Early in the book the author refers back to the first book, doing a short recap, and identifying the perpetrator!  As I quite often read books out of order, I find this extremely annoying.  Luckily, in this instance, I had already read the first book, but I really don't understand why an author would do this. 

The Perennial Killer by Ann Ripley review

This book is part of the Gardening Mystery series.  It features Louise Eldridge, a gardener with a syndicated television show, Gardening with Nature.  In this story, Louise is on location in Colorado.  While scouting out locations, she, her resource person, Ann, and her video cameraman,Pete, discover the body of Jimmy Porter, an older rancher, on his ranch, with his head blown off by a shotgun blast.

Jimmy had been about to sell his ranch to a government conservation program, which was going to make a lot of his friends, family and developers very unhappy.  This made for a long list of possible suspects.  Louise, in spite of misgivings, ends up investigating the murder, aggravating the local authorities. 

I didn't really care for this story.  It is the second in the series I've read, and I didn't like the first one I read, either, but wanted to give the author another chance.  Between chapters there are mini-chapters with information on plants and gardening, which I find distracting.  I also found the story to move very slowly, and I never really started caring about the main character, even though there are parts where her personal life and problems are shown. 

I'm not going to read anymore in this series.

This was part of my Mt. TBR reading challenge.  This is the 14th out of 48 books I've committed to reading.

The Case of the Haunted Husband by Erle Stanley Gardner review

This is the eighteenth in the Perry Mason series, and was published in 1941.  As is usual in the early Perry Mason books, there are a lot of plot twists and turns, red herrings, and slightly less than legal activities.

This story begins with Stephanie Claire Olger, a hatcheck girl who is fired from her job in San Francisco.  She decides to hitchhike to Los Angeles, and does okay until Bakersfield.  She accepts a ride from a handsome man in a fancy car, who starts taking little drinks from a flask, and wants her to join him.  He also starts getting a little too fresh, so Stephanie yanks the keys from the ignition so she can get out, but it causes the driver to lose control and cause an accident.  Stephanie is knocked unconscious, and when she awakes she is being pulled from the vehicle, which everyone assumes she was driving, as the real driver has disappeared.  She is going to be charged with manslaughter, as one of the other people in the accident has died.

Perry Mason is called upon by a friend of Stephanie's, and asked to represent her, which he agrees to do after Drake tells him something fishy is going on with this situation.  In addition to the manslaughter charge, it seems that the car had been stolen from a hotshot Hollywood producer in Beverly Hills, and the DA assumes that it had been abandoned by joyriders in Bakersfield, whereupon Stephanie stole it. It is up to Mason and Drake to discover the truth, and get Stephanie out of trouble, which they finally manage to do.

I enjoy the Perry Mason books, the plots are usually pretty involved, with plenty of misdirection, and I usually can't come up with the answer until near the end.  A good read, looking forward to reading several other Perry Mason books I have in my TBR pile!

This is 13 out of 48 books in my Mt. TBR reading challenge.  Bought 7/20/14, read 2/20/15.

Very Short Reviews of several Andrea Frazer Belchester Chronicles Books

I read 5 books in the Belchester Chronicles, three of them within a couple of days, and then a couple of weeks later the fourth and fifth in the series.  These are fairly short reads, books are around 170-200 pages each.

They seem to be a parody of the aristocratic sleuth of the 1920s, but taking place in the current time, featuring Lady Amanda Golightly, an eccentric but rich arisocrat, who is short, stout, forthright and inclined to be bossy.  They also include Hugo Cholmondley-Crichton-Crump, an old friend she finds living unhappily in a nursing home, who she installs in her home, and proceeds to involve in her sleuthing (whether he wants to or not).  She also has an outstanding butler, Beauchamp, who manages to (mostly) keep her out of trouble. 

The story is filled with cliche lines, based on drinking a lot of cocktails (the names of the books are based on unusual cocktails), and unusual situations.  I believe it is meant to be a light-hearted read, with a bit of a mystery thrown in.  The cliches may be overdone a bit, the characters are a little over-the-top, and I hate that the stories end with a to-be-continued, however, I found them fun and easy to read (mostly).

Strangeways to Oldham is the first in the series.  Lady Amanda goes to visit an old friend of her father's, who is in a nursing home.  He is dead, and Lady Amanda suspects murder.  She also discovers an old friend unhappily living in the nursing home, and takes him home to Belchester Towers with her.  When she reports her suspicions to the police, she is dismissed as an old, slightly batty, bitty.  She begins her own investigation to show up the young whipper-snapper and to prove him wrong.  Enjoyed this book, it was a fast read, and it was entertaining.

White Christmas with a Wobbly Knee is the second in the series.  Lady Amanda is going to open up her castle to guided tours, and as a trial run invites a group of old friends to Belchester Towers at Christmas for snacks and a free tour.  Lady Amanda is drawn into another investigation when one of her guests is discovered dead, killed several different ways.  Hugo is drawn in again, as is Beauchamp and Lady Amanda's friend, Enid Tweedle.  I enjoyed this story, even laughed out loud a couple of times.  A fun read.

Snowballs and Scotch Mist, the third in the series, takes place in Scotland, where Lady Amanda has been invited for a visit.  She doesn't want to go, but Hugo pleads as he wants to experience Scotland, tartans, kilts and the like, and Lady Amanda finally agrees. She and Hugo, accompanied by Enid and Beauchamp as their personal servants, visit Castle Rumdrummond during January.  Scotland in January is very cold, and the castle is very old-fashioned, and Lady Amanda is not used to "roughing it", preferring a life of comfort.  Beauchamp and Enid manage to make the visit bearable, and then the inevitable body shows up.  Again, an amusing read.

Old Moorhen's Shredded Sporran, the fourth in the series, takes place immediately upon their return from Scotland.  They arrive to find a letter from Hugo's sister, informing them she will be arriving for a visit the very next day, and will be staying a month.  Lady Amanda is not fond of Hugo's sister, Tabitha, who picked on her at school, and was overbearing and hard to get along with, so the visit is annoying to her, especially as she was already upset to find out that Beauchamp and Enid have become engaged.  With this hanging over her head, they discover that while they were in Scotland, several items have been stolen from Belchester Towers, and then a member of their staff is murdered.
While I still enjoyed this story, it seemed a little rough compared with the others.  There were a couple of places where the scene didn't seem quite finished, and the characters seemed to be a little off from what they had been.  And the ending was annoying.


 Caribbean Sunset with a Yellow Parrot, is the fifth in the series, and takes place on a Caribbean Island.  An old school friend of Lady Amanda's arranged a school reunion on a small, privately owned island, with the idea to sell some of the villas she has built, some of which have already been bought by old school chums.  Lady Amanda and Hugo join several of her friends who are traveling by sea to attend the reunion, sailing on the same ship, as are poor newlyweds, Beauchamp and Enid.  The sleuths are soon involved in solving blackmail, murder and possible smuggling. 

All in all, the stories were a light, fun, read, and I enjoyed them, even if some of the parody seemed a little heavy-handed. 

The Gourmet Who Kept Diamonds in the Kitchen by Kee Patterbee review

I'm so annoyed with myself.  This is the second in a series about Hannah Starvling.  While I have the first one (I actually bought it several months before this one), I haven't read it yet.  However, it didn't diminish the enjoyment I found while reading this one.

Hannah Starvling is a former FBI agent, who is now a culinary consultant and detective. She is attending a cooking contest as a judge, when her friend, Elias Babel is found on top of a car, either having fallen or been pushed from his hotel room balcony.  Hannah, of course, gets involved in trying to find out what had really happened.

I enjoyed the story, especially Hannah's family--her grandparents are interesting and engaging characters, bickering with each other in a fun way.  I also liked that there were several twists and turns in the story to keep me guessing.

On the down side, there were a couple of places that dragged a bit, and  it seemed to start off pretty slow in grabbing my interest.  Maybe if I'd already been familiar with the characters from having read the first book, it wouldn't have happened.

This is mostly mystery, with some romance thrown in, and a little culinary information added.

Part of my Mt. TBR reading challenge  (bought 10/14/14, read 2/12/15), 12 of 48 books read.

List of Books I've read to date for my Mt.TBR challenge

I found my list of books read, and with those books, and the ones I've read recently, I'm so far behind on my reviews it is sad.

Besides the 11 books in my Mt. TBR Challenge I've already written reviews  for, I've read:

The Gourmet Who Kept Diamonds in the Kitchen  2/12/15  Review written
The Case of the Haunted Husband  2/20/15  Review written 
The Perennial Killer 2/25/15 Review written
Devil's Trumpet 2/27/15 Review written
Deadly Nightshade 3/1/15  Review written

Bleeding Heart 3/3/15 Review written

The Diva Digs Up Dirt 3/5/15 Review written

The Cat Next Door 3/6/15 Review written


A Pedigree to Die For 3/7/15  Review written

The Case of the Blonde Bonanza 3/15/15   Review written

Antiques Slay Ride 4/1515   Review written
Death Pays a Visit 4/27/15  Review written

Gator Bait 5/2/15   Review written
Spinsters in Jeopardy 6/2/15 
Murder at Monticello 6/10/15  Review written

This is a total of 26 books read for my challenge of 48.  I need to concentrate on my older books and get them read!

I've read an additional 50 books that I bought this year, and have written reviews for only 6  of them.   Though I'm not buying as many as I bought last year (750 books for the entire year), I still bought 214 books.  I really need to watch my buying, and get off the computer and start reading!

I also need to start getting those reviews written!  I'm going to try to write at least one review (14 done) of my Mt. TBR books, and at least 10 (14 just done) of my other books within the next couple of days!

Edits added in red.

Bless her Dead Little Heart by Miranda James review

This is the first in the Southern Ladies Mysteries series.  I had previously started reading a different series by Miranda James, The Cat in the Stack mysteries, and enjoyed those books.  When I started reading this series I was delighted to see that some of the characters were already familiar to me from the other series.

Angel and Dickce Ducote are elderly sisters, and are cat-sitting Diesel for Charlie while he is out of town.  These southern ladies are surprised when Rosabelle Sultan, a sorority sister who they haven't seen for years, shows up at their door, claiming her family is trying to kill her and begging to stay with them for a few days. 

Before long, Rosabelle's entire family arrives, including her daughters, son and daughter-in-law, and grandchildren.  When someone is murdered in their home, the Ducote sisters try to help the police by telling the Deputy Sheriff, Kenesha, everything they find out.

I really enjoyed this book, looking forward to more in the series.

This is the 11th of 48 books I've read for my Mt. TBR reading challenge.

Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh review

This is the twelfth book in the Inspector Roderick Alleyn series by Ngaio March.  I've read about Ngaio Marsh and Inspector Alleyn, but hadn't actually read any of the books until this one.

Many of the reviews and blogs I've read compare Marsh to Agatha Christie, a favorite author of mine.  I was eagerly anticipating a wonderful afternoon reading this book, but found myself a little disappointed.  I found the first few chapters to move fairly slowly, and I couldn't seem to care about the characters.

Perhaps it is because it was written about New Zealand, a place I'm not really familiar with, and the attitudes were a little strange to me. The story also took place during World War II, and apparently New Zealand was a bit different than what I've read about the U.S. during that time.

The plot revolves around the possibility of Nazi spies, and centers about a hot springs resort near the coast.  Several people are suspected in turn of being a spy, and then there is a murder.  Inspector Alleyn is incognito, and doesn't reveal himself until near the end of the story, and he reveals the plot.

The book improved as I read it, but it still isn't one of my favorite books.  I will read the other books I have by Marsh (I bought a box lot of paperback mysteries in early 2014), hoping I develop a better liking for the writing.

This is part of my Mt. TBR reading challenge, 10th of 48 books.

The Death of Amelia Marsh by MaryJo Dawson review

I've had this book in my TBR pile since August, 2013, getting it when it was free or cheap for my kindle.  I don't know why I didn't read it earlier, perhaps because the cover just didn't grab me when I was looking for something to read.

This was the first in a series, with some of the problems the first book usually has.  It seemed to move a little slowly for my taste, with a lot of detail about Sally's everyday life and what she did.  I really don't need to know so much about her day.  But, aside from that, the book seemed to be pretty good.

Sally is invited over to an elderly neighbor's home, and when she gets there, the neighbor is dead.  Amelia Marsh has died from a blow to her head, and Sally discovers that no one really knows very much about the elderly widow.  While trying to find out more about Amelia, Sally is drawn into a search for her killer.

I would have to say this was a little better than an "okay" book, and maybe the later books in the series will be better.  I don't think I'm going to make any effort to find out.

This is part of my Mount TBR reading challenge, the 9th out of 48 books I've committed to reading.

The Bloodied Ivy by Robert Goldsborough review

After Rex Stout's death, his estate allowed Robert Goldsborough to continue with the Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin series.  This is the third that Goldsborough has written.

The feel of the original series is here, and it features a pretty good plot.  I don't think it is quite as good as the best of Stout's Wolfe, but it fits in the series.

Keeping in mind this was written in the 1980s, it does feel a little dated.  But then, so do the other books in the series.

The story begins with Prescott University Professor Walter Cortland asking Wolfe to investigate the death of his friend and collegue, Professor Hale Markham.  He had fallen down a ravine and died, and the police feel it was an accident.  Cortland is sure Markham has been murdered, as he was a famous right-wing conservative on a liberal campus.

As is usual, there is there is the byplay between Goodwin and Wolfe, and at the end of the book Wolfe has determined what had really happened.

The book was a pretty good read, although I thought the portrayal of Cortland was a bit overdone, with his usage of long words when short ones will do, so he didn't quite come across as a real person.

This is the 8th of 48 books I've committed to reading for my Mount TBR challenge.

A few brief reviews of several books

To Helen Back: A River Road Mystery by Susan McBride.

This was a fairly good mystery.  Milton Grone is not a pleasant man, and when he ends of dead that are a lot of possible suspects, ranging from his current wife, his ex-wife, his next door neighbor, and even his preacher.  Milton has gotten his hometown--River Bend, Illinois--up in arms.

He has a parcel of prime land that the town would like to keep as is, but he has almost completed a deal to sell it for a great amount of money to a water park developer.  The town holds a meeting to try and stop this, and while the meeting was going on, Milton is murdered.

It is up to the local sheriff to investigate, but widow Helen Evans wants to help the sheriff to make sure the wrong person is not arrested.

Murder in the Title by Simon Brett.  

Charles Paris has a job--portraying a corpse in a play put on by a provincial theater.  There is a serious accident, and Charles suspects that the accident was instead a deliberate action, and proceeds to investigate.  When he discovers that the theater is on valuable property, he wonders if someone would go to such dangerous lengths to put the theater out of business, just to get the land.

Like many of the other Paris stories, there is a lot of humor, and the plot is interesting.  Looking forward to reading more in this series.

Not Dead, Only Resting by Simon Brett.

Another of the Charles Paris mysteries, but with a twist.  Charles is once again out of work--resting in theater lingo--when he is offered a job by a friend to help do some house painting.    When he gets to the apartment, he discovers the body of chef Yves Lafeu.  It appears to be a simple case--Lafeu's partner has left town, and disappeared after having quarreled with the victim.  But Charles once again suspects something is amiss, and starts investigating.

Another enjoyable read, with a nice plot!

Blotto, Twinks and the Riddle of the Sphinx by Simon Brett review

This is the first of the Blotto and Twinks series that I have read, although this is the fifth in the series.  While I've enjoyed the other series by Simon Brett, I'm not really sure about this one.

Blotto is supposed to be a young British nobleman, and Twinks is his sister. Blotto is dumb but sporty and popular among his acquaintances, and Twinks is brilliant but somewhat hindered by her upbringing in the aristocracy.  They are broad caricatures of the 1920's British High Society, and the story is a parody of the 1920s British mystery.

There were several amusing incidents in the story, and I enjoyed it to a point.  But it seemed to be a little too much.  Blotto was a little too dumb, Twinks a little too smart, their mother a little too demanding, and the plot a little too complicated.  I think this is a series that I would only enjoy in small doses.  In a year or so, I may make an effort to read another, and see if I feel the same way.

This is part of my Mount TBR reading challenge (bought January, 2014), the seventh review out of the 48 books I've committed to. I'll be reviewing several more over the next few days, as I've read at least 10 or 12 additional books from the TBR pile.

Murder Unprompted by Simon Brett review

This is the eighth in the Charles Paris series.  Charles, a sometimes employed actor, finally seems to have gotten a break and is second lead in a play performing in the provinces. To make it even better, the play is a success, and is due to open in London.

To their great unhappiness, however, Charles and Alex Household, the two leads in the play, are told they don't have the drawing power that the television stars that have been hired to replace them have.  As a sort of consolation prize, they are offered the understudy roles.

Michael Banks is the TV star that takes over the lead in the play, but can't seem to remember his lines.  This problem is solved by having Michael wear an earpiece, with Alex reciting the lines to him during the play. 

This seems to work, and the play is going well on opening night, until someone murders Michael Banks while he is onstage. The main suspect is Alex, and Charles starts investigating to save his friend.

I enjoy this series of books, and this is not an exception.  Looking forward to reading more.

Wreath of Deception by Mary Ellen Hughes review

This is the first in the Craft Corner Mystery series.  I hadn't heard of the series before, but it was a free book for my kindle, and sounded pretty interesting as I'm a crafter myself.

Jo McAllister returns to her hometown after years of living in New York.  Her husband had been killed in an explosion, and she was devastated.  With the insurance money, she decides to open a craft shop.  Her longtime friend, Carrie, and Carrie's family, help her get the shop ready.

During the opening day of Jo's Craft Corner, the clown Jo hired, named Cuddles,  is more of a hindrance than a help, complaining about everything and being grumpy.  When Cuddles' dead body is discovered in her shop's store room later that night, murdered by one of her craft tools, Jo becomes a suspect in the crime. 

In fact, it appears that the investigating Police Lieutenant, Russ Morgan, thinks she not only killed Cuddles the Clown, but was also involved in the death of her husband.  Jo is convinced by the ladies in one of her crafting classes that she should investigate and clear her name.  She is assisted by Charlie, her friend Carrie's teenage son.

I thought this was an okay book, not bad, but not one of my favorites.  I'm not sure exactly why. If I come across another book in the series that is free or really cheap, I will probably read it, but I'm not going to make an effort to find any.

This is part of my Mount TBR reading challenge, the book purchased in December 2014.

Situation Tragedy by Simon Brett review

This is the seventh in the Charles Paris mystery series, published in 1981. Charles Paris is an actor, usually unemployed, who enjoys his drink.

In this story, Charles has actually become an employed actor, getting a job on a sit-com as a bartender.  There is a little accident which results in a death, then another.  Charles feels compelled to investigate as the accidents become a regular happening.

The characters are well written, the plot was pretty good, and I totally enjoy reading about Charles Paris, his life as an actor, and how he solves the crimes.

The Dead Side of the Mike by Simon Brett review

I read several books by Simon Brett featuring Charles Paris, all in a row.  I enjoyed all of them!

The Dead Side of the Mike, published in 1980, is the 6th book in the series.  Charles Paris is an actor, who has gotten involved investigating murders in the past.  In this story, Charles has a job working on a program for the BBC radio.  His favorite part of the job is going to the BBC club for a drink after the work is done.

While there, he meets a few BBC employees, and then discovers the body of one of them shortly thereafter.  While the official view is that the young woman had committed suicide, Charles has the feeling that it was a murder.  He proceeds to investigate the woman, her friends, and her co-workers.

This mystery was fun and enjoyable to read--I really enjoy Charles Paris--and the mystery kept me guessing.

Murder at the Tokyo Lawn Tennis Club by Robert J. Collins review

This book was published in 1994, and is the first book I've read by this author.  In fact, it is the first time I've ever heard of him.  But this book was in a box lot of mysteries I'd bought a few months ago, and it sounded interesting, so I read it.

I found this story a little hard to follow, mostly because the names of almost everyone was Japanese and unfamiliar to me.  This made it a little hard to keep track of the many various characters, and what their job was and what they'd done.  About halfway through, the characters seemed to jell for me, and it was easier to follow.

The book opens with the murder of the nicest man, who is found dead in the locker room of the Tokyo Lawn Tennis Club, floating in the bath with his head bashed in.  Captain Kawamura of the Azabu Police Station is called to the scene to solve the murder, preferably without ruffling the feathers of the many wealthy people who belong to the club, both Japanese and foreign born.

I found the book to be an interesting view of society in Japan during the 1990s.  I always enjoy learning new things, and I learned a little about Japan while reading.  The mystery was pretty good, too.

This is one of my Mount TBR books from 2014.

Punch with Care by Phoebe Atwood Taylor review

I have gotten so far behind in writing my reviews of books I've read! I actually read this late January/early February while on my way to Texas or while there, visiting my son and grand-kids.  I read a lot down there, but just didn't get around to writing my reviews.  And, of course, I've continued to read over the last couple of months.

This one I at least had made notes for, and I did keep track of many of the books I'd read.  I'm going to make an effort to get at least some of the reviews done over the next few days!

Punch with Care is one of the later Asey Mayo books by Phoebe Atwood Taylor, published in 1946.  Asey is a Cape Cod resident with a lot of common sense, and no pretensions.

In this story, Asey is approached by his friend, Doc Cummings, and asked to help Doc meet Carolyn Barton Boone, President of a local college and activist, a well known celebrity, who is staying locally with a wealthy family.  Doc Cummings has been asked to invite Asey to meet with her, and Doc would like to be included.

On his way to the house, they check out a train in the yard, and discover a dead body--the body of Carolyn Barton Boone.  When they go up to the house, Asey feels that things are a little weird there, and when he goes back to the dead body, it has disappeared.

This is the beginning of an interesting story, with an intriguing mystery, and good descriptions of the time-frame this story took place.  I enjoyed the book, finding the characters different without being cartoon like. 

 This is part of my effort to lessen my Mount TBR reading pile!   This book, along with many others, were in a big box of mysteries I purchased in the summer/fall of 2014.

Trying to lessen my Mount TBR pile...

Hmmm...I've read three books so far in 2015, but I've purchased eight.  I'm really going to have to read faster, and start buying slower, I think!  But I'm almost finished with 2 more, I should have them done by tonight.  That means I'll only be three behind.  Maybe I can get one more read today, it's too cold to go out, anyhow. 

A Comedian Dies by Simon Brett review

First published in 1979, this is one of the early Charles Paris books.  I enjoyed this as much as the others in the series I've read, and looking forward to reading more.

In this story, a comedian is electrocuted when he grabs hold of a microphone that has been wired incorrectly.  While the  authorities think it is an accident, Charles believes it to be murder.  He wants to find out who could have murdered the comedian, Bill Peaky, and finds out that there is a long list of suspects, as Peaky was disliked by many people.

I enjoyed this book, even though Charles didn't come up with the name of the murderer without a lot of help, and it didn't seem to be as good as other books in the series I've read.  Charles seemed be trying to solve the mystery by guessing that someone is the murderer, then accusing them, and then finding out they had an alibi. 

I will be looking for more books by Simon Brett!  Simon Brett writes several different series, and I've read books in the Charles Paris series (I like quite a bit), the Mrs. Pargeter series (I love these books), and the Fethering series ( I thought it was okay, but will read another to see if it grows on me) and I've just started to read a Blotto and Twinks mystery (not far enough into it to decide if I like it or not).

This is part of my 2015 Mount TBR Reading Challenge.  Bought Dec 28, 2014, finished Jan 2, 2015.

Saltmarsh Murders by Gladys Mitchell review

The Saltmarsh Murders was one of the early books by Gladys Mitchell, and was first published in 1932.  I had never heard of her until some of her books were offered on Amazon at a low price, and when I looked her up I thought I might enjoy her.

The recurring character is Beatrice Adela Lestrange Bradley, who is supposed to be psychoanalyst, and who solves the crime.  In this book, she seemed like a secondary character at the beginning, with the point of view of the book being described through the eyes of Noel Wells, local curate.  When Bradlely takes charge, things start happening, and at the end of the book she has solved the case.

There is a lot going on in this book--a maid who becomes pregnant, gives birth, and is murdered--a missing child--a crazy lady and her missing husband--and the local inn keepers with a secret. This book is full of colorful characters!

I bought this, along with several other Gladys Mitchell books 18 Dec 2014, and finished Jan 1, 2015.  Or maybe it was Jan. 2, as it was late, and I'm not sure what time it actually was.

This is part of my 2015 Mount TBR Reading Challenge.

Haunted HiJinks by Madison Johns review

Published in 2014, this is the first in the Agnes Barton Paranormal Series.  However, the characters are the same as the Agnes Barton Senior Sleuths Mystery Series, only now they are more involved with ghosts.  Although even in the Senior Sleuths Mystery series, they had some interaction with ghosts in one of the books I read.

This was a fairly light and amusing story, with ghosts turning up to add to the usual characters found in the the Agnes Barton books.  It has 172 pages, but is a really fast read--I started it New Year's Eve, and finished it the next day without really trying to.

I'll probably read more in the series if I find them, but won't be looking for them.

This is part of my 2015 Mount TBR reading challenge.  I bought this Dec 2014, finished Jan 1, 2015.

2015 Reading challenge--Mount TBR

Last year, in spite of my best intentions not to, I signed up for several challenges--six, to be exact.  I completed them, and read a ton of books, so I would have thought my Mount TBR pile would have shrunk. 

Unfortunately, it has, instead, grown by at least 300 books. Part of it was because I had to find a few books to complete the challenges, and part was because when getting books to do so, I found new-to-me authors I really liked, and I ended up getting more books so I could read more of that author.  Another part was free and really cheap books on the kindle--if they were mysteries, I downloaded them, and, here again, I discovered more authors that I really liked.  Then there is Ebay.  I bought two (large) lots on Ebay because they contained books I hadn't yet read by an author I liked, they were going cheap, and I ended up reading some of the other books, and once again--more new authors.

So this year, I'm just going to join the 2015 Mount TBR Reading Challenge, and with any luck, I will make a dent in my huge pile (list) of books.

I'm going to attempt Mt. Ararat--read 48 books from your TBR piles.  That's less than one a week. I should be able to do that, and read at least another 2 books a week from new free/cheap kindle books I can't resist.  If I can restrict myself to downloading 3 or less books a week, I should be able to, if not lessen the pile, at least not make it taller.  That's my plan, anyway!

Thanks for hosting this challenge again this year, Bev!!