Birthday Party Murder

Birthday Party Murder – Leslie Meier

publ – 2002

 (My Blurb) Lucy Stone is the mother of 4, two of which are in college. One of the college kids is having bad grade problems. One of the at-home kids wants to have a sleep-over of teen boys and girls for her birthday.

Lucy works at the local small newspaper so her friends think she’s an investigative reporter. One of these friends asks her to look into the death of her husband’s law partner. The police decide it’s a suicide and resent Lucy getting involved.

Add to this - the huge 90^th birthday party for the retired town’s librarian -  Miss Tilley -  the friends are planning. Unfortunately, suddenly Miss Tilley’s long-lost relatives come to town and move in with her. Things look suspicious with that, too.  

(My thoughts) I liked this book. It was fun and quick moving. No slow spots. I like the way the writer told the story and developed all the characters involved.

I’d give it a  - 7

The Five Bells and Bladebone

The Five Bells and Bladebone – Martha Grimes

publ - 1987

(My Blurb) This is a story of a man being murdered and stuffed into an antique desk in the English countryside. A Scotland Yard Inspector – Richard Jury - is present, by chance, when the body was discovered at an antique store. Back in London, a woman is killed next to the river. The Inspector knows the murders are connected in some way. He just has to figure out how.

(My thoughts) I really didn’t like this book. I usually like books set in England but not this one. It was set in modern times but the feel was a “Jolly Old England” kind of book. A reader from England - or someone extremely familiar with the country -  would enjoy it more, possibly. The writer used a style of writing I don’t care for. She wrote a little bit about one story line, started another, and still another one. The reader is left holding all those threads of stories and trying to figure out how they all fit together. The main character didn’t have a lot of details to me. He just wandered in and out of scenes asking questions. Maybe he is better defined in other books that I haven’t read yet. This was my first book by this writer. I was also left with lots of questions after the book was finished -not something good for a mystery story. 

I’d give it a – 4

Outlaw Mountain

Outlaw Mountain – J.A. Jance

Publ – 1999

(My Blurb) Sheriff Joanna Brady has a lot going on in her life right now. She is a young widow with a daughter to raise. Her best friend is grieving over the death of one of her twins and thinking about quitting her job as a minister.

At work, she is dealing with a rather sadistic murder of an old lady in the desert, her two fighting adult children, and the missing boyfriend/husband of the lady.

She has to handle an older, mentally-challenged man, someone deserted at a local church during a craft fair.

Throw in a person dropped out of the witness protection program and probably in great danger, another murder, environmental protesters, crooked politicians and developers, a suicide, a surprise engagement, a car trunk full of rattlesnakes, a country club set - who are into drugs and wife-swapping, and you have a pretty busy time in her part of Arizona.

(My thoughts) It started out as a rather dark, depressing story but it got better. I liked this writers way of telling a story. She kept it moving along at a good pace and kept it interesting. Not a lot of gory details or unneeded violence.

I’d give it a – 7 ½  

Murder Shoots the Bull

Murder Shoots the Bull – Anne George

Publ – 1999

These books are about two older sisters – Mary Alice and Patricia Anne – who live in Birmingham, Alabama and the troubles they get in.

(My Blurb) Poor Patricia Anne is having a busy time right now. She’s trying to help start a ladies investment group, has a sick dog, and has family troubles. Her son and daughter-in-law are having a hard time. The daughter-in-law comes to stay with them for a little while. Adding to this, Patricia Anne’s next door neighbors - Mitzi and Arthur - get involved with a real mess. Arthur’s first wife comes to town and gets poisoned. Arthur is named the manager of her estate which puts him in danger. Of course, Patricia Anne and Mary Alice get involved and try to help.

(My thoughts) This is the kind of book I like to read for fun. It’s called a “cozy” mystery, I think. It’s got funny spots but still interesting. I really like the way this writer tells a story. No blood-and-guts, just a cute story. I didn't know "who done it" until near the end.  I have heard this writer has passed away, so there won’t be any more books, besides the small group she already has out. That’s a shame.

I'd give it a - 7

Who in Hell is Wanda Fuca?

Who in Hell is Wanda Fuca? – G.M. Ford

Publ - 1995

(My Blurb) A lower class detective is asked by an old mob boss for a favor. He wants the detective, Leo Waterman, to find his granddaughter and make sure she’s not in any kind of trouble. Leo is a drunk trying to stay sober. He uses a group of old men, from a bar he knows - who are one step from being homeless – in the same vein as Sherlock using the Baker St. urchins – to help him with his cases. Throw in a case of environmental terrorists and a scary family of psychos, and you have a pretty good story.

(My thoughts) This was a better book than I expected. It had the feel of a real “guy” book with the old-fashioned “gum shoe” detective but it had a much more interesting story than that type of book usually has. You really get a chance to care about the assorted characters and their problems. The writer managed to make you feel the danger of the bad guys. There was some swearing but it seemed to fit the characters and situations. It didn’t jump out and offend me. There was a little graphic violence but not in excess. I had never read anything by this writer before. I would like to read more of his books.

I’d give it a -  7.

Miss Zukas and the Library Murders

Miss Zukas and the Library Murders – Jo Dereske

Publ – 1994

(My Blurb) Miss Helma Zukas shows up to work one morning and there is a dead body in her library. Heaven Forbid. She does not allow untidy things like that in her tightly controlled life. Things start happening to her that may or may not be clues in the murder. She can’t be sure, so she hesitates to tell the police about them. Soon there is a second murder. A man she’s seen several times in the day or so after the first murder. It takes all her brains, plus the help of her friend – Ruth – a free spirit of an artist – to figure out what is going on. It’s a race to see if they can understand what’s going on - before they are killed, too.

(My thoughts) I have never read anything by this writer before. It was a nice book. Not a great book, but not a bad one, either. There seemed to be a lot of characters that weren’t developed very much in the story. Since this is the first book, maybe they are more rounded out in later books. I do think Helma and Ruth had pretty clear characters and depth. I must admit I didn’t know “who done it” until well into the book.

I’d give it a - 5 ½