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Lethal Lifestyles–so many characters!
Lethal Lifestyles
by LynDee Walker
I read and really enjoyed Cover Shot, the fifth cozy in the Headlines in High Heels Mystery Series. Therefore, I looked forward to reading Lethal Lifestyles, the sixth book in the series by LynDee Walker, which is scheduled to be published on September 27, 2016.
I have one problem with Walker’s latest book, and it is a difficulty that sneaks up on many cozy mystery writers. There are so many minor characters, either possible suspects or helpful sidekicks to the sleuth, that few are well-developed enough to be memorable. For once, I was very glad to be reading an e-book so I could search quickly for the introduction of the various characters and thus identify their roles. At first I thought the fault was mine. Late in the book, however, a character named Chad contributes an important clue via a text message to his wife. In searching the name, I confirmed that Nichelle, our crime reporter in high heels, had in fact contacted him earlier in the book, but the reader is given no information about his relationship to Nichelle’s good friend, Jenn. This was probably the most egregious example.
While this overabundance of characters is a problem in Lethal Lifestyles, it is also indicative of what makes this book a really good cozy mystery–an intricate plot with lots of puzzle pieces to keep the reader interested. The story centers around the wedding of two of Nichelle’s co-reporters. Nichelle, as maid of honor, is acting as a wedding planner for the couple and wants the wedding to be perfect. Unfortunately, a man is found dead at the site of the rehearsal dinner, and the groom is implicated. Nichelle has one week to clear the groom’s name by finding the murderer. Clues that are reasonable go off in all directions. The author brings it all together with a very surprising ending.
I do recommend Lethal Lifestyles if you enjoy cozies. In addition to great mystery elements, you will find humor and romance. The only mystery remaining to me is how Nichelle manages to do all that sleuthing in an assortment of stilettos and one good pair of wedges. It makes my feet hurt just to think about it.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Michelangelo’s Ghost–a good cozy in which I expand my cultural awareness
Michelangelo’s Ghost
A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery
by Gigi Pandian
Michelangelo’s Ghost is an interesting cozy. The mystery is good and the characters and setting took me out of my comfort zone, which is good in this case. Jaya Jones is a history professor in San Francisco. She is attractive, feisty, petite, intelligent and adventurous. As Jaya is of Indian and American descent, like the author herself, the book has many authentic references to Indian culture and foods.
In her pursuit of the killer of her former mentor, Jaya, accompanied by her successful brother Fish and his exotic girlfriend, travels to Italy to trace the Renaissance roots of an art find that the mystery is centered around. The little known artist has connections to India and possibly to Michelangelo.
There are twists and turns to the plot, characters who are not really as they present themselves, and a good tying up of loose ends. I recommend this book and am interested in reading others in the series.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Pumpkins in Paradise–Great Example of a Cozy!
Pumpkins in Paradise
by Kathi Daley
I love mysteries–the kind you read. Not the kind where you wonder where you hid something so no one else could find it! I love the type of mystery that focuses on the puzzle, not on the actual blood, gore and violence. I’m not interested in the extremities of psychological madness or depravity. When I retired, and before I began reviewing, I sated my appetite by reading all of Agatha Christie’s novels. Although I didn’t care for her mysteries that dabbled in the occult, most of the rest of the works of this prolific writer are excellent.
Having conquered the Christie mountain of 78 mystery novels, I read from a variety of genres and stumbled across a sub-genre developed at the end of the twentieth century, the cozy mystery. While I don’t limit myself to cozies, I do intersperse them with my other readings. Cozies downplay sex, violence, and inappropriate language while providing the reader with a puzzle. The story is usually set in a small town where everyone knows everyone else. The amateur detective is usually a woman with some contacts in the law enforcement community. A cozy series may be thematic and there is often an element of humor and a touch of romance. Christie’s Miss Marple books fit into this category as does the television series Murder, She Wrote.
Pumpkins in Paradise is the first novel in the Tj Jensen Mystery Series written by Kathi Daley. There are currently seven books in the series, all set in the little town of Paradise and most with a seasonal theme. Our heroine in this cozy series is Tj Jensen, a single, high school PE teacher and coach who has moved in with her father and grandfather. They run a local woodsy resort and are helping her care for her two newly orphaned half-sisters. Pumpkins in Paradise meets all the criteria for a good cozy and excels in the puzzle category. In order to solve a murder mystery, Tj has to solve a final puzzle created for her by the victim. The story is populated by interesting, colorful townsfolk and visitors. The setting has small town appeal: Paradise is decorated for fall and bustling with pumpkin activities.
I recommend Pumpkins in Paradise as an excellent cozy that you will not want to put down. I plan on reading other books in the series–comfortable excitement in a feel good setting. But don’t be fooled–Pumpkins in Paradise has a healthy dose of suspense as well!
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
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