Death’s Excellent Vacation

Death’s Excellent Vacation (multi-writers)

        - Two Blonds – Charlaine Harris– 6 ½

        - the Boys Go Fishing – Sarah Smith - 5

        - One for the Money – Jeaniene Frost - 6

        - Meanwhile, Far Across the Caspian Sea – Daniel      Stashower - 6

        - the Innsmouth Nook – A. Lee Martinez - 7

        - Safe and Sound – Jeff Abbott– 5 ½    

        - Seeing is Believing – L.A. Banks – 6 ½

        - the Perils of Effrijim – Katie MacAlister - 5

        - Thin Walls – Christopher Golden - 5

        - the Heart is Always Right – Lilith Saintcrow - 7

        - the Demon in the Dunes – Chris Grabenstein - 5

        - Home From America – Sharan Newman - 6

        - Pirate Dave’s Haunted Amusement Park – Tori L.P. Kelner– 6 ½

I made it to Spring Break and got to read a book !!! Actually, I read a couple of books. This was the first one I got to. I wanted to read some short stories and found this in the local library. I think the word "Vacation" jumped out at me since I was on vacation myself. I don’t usually read vampire kind of stories but this was surprisingly interesting. It just goes to prove that sometimes, if you do things that aren’t your normal cup of tea, it can be fun. I’m not going to give you my usual blurbs since I’m afraid I’ll give away too much of the stories since they are so short.

Rest in Pieces

Rest in Pieces - Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

Publ - 1992

(My Blurb) Harry is newly divorced, so when new man -Blaire Bainbridge - comes to town everyone is trying to fix her up with him. Once murdered body parts start to appear all over town – Tucker finds a hand in an old cemetery - on land Blaire just bought, in the boathouse owned by Big Mim, and at the Harvest Fair – everyone is on edge and suspicious. The true insane killer is a surprise for everyone in town. Harry gets cornered in her barn and it takes all her animals to save her from being shot.

(My thoughts) I liked the story but the book felt a little “talky” to me. I was left with a feeling of too much “preaching” and unneeded details. I felt like the writer was trying to educate me instead of entertain me.

I’d give it –  7

We are having our second "Snow Day" here and I FINALLY have a chance to read a book. YAY !!!

Happy New Year Note

I have had a very busy holiday season and am glad to get things back to normal. I hope you had a great holiday and got all the things you wished for.
I hope your New Year is wonderful and full of great things.

Sugar Cookie Murder

Sugar Cookie Murder – Joanne Fluke

publ  - 2004

(My Blurb) Hannah Swensen runs the local bakery called “The Cookie Jar”. She has arranged for the entire town of Eden, Minnesota to have a cookbook of local recipes. They are having a Christmas party to showcase all the recipes. The group is stranded at the community center during a blizzard and, of course, someone ends up dead. Hannah sure wishes the Killer hadn’t decided to use the expensive, antique, carving knife she had borrowed from her mother. To add interest - one of her sisters is late having her baby, her mother has a new boyfriend, and Hannah has two boyfriends at the party.

(My thoughts) I like this writer. Only half this book was story, the other half was full of tasty sounding recipes mentioned in the book. I like recipes so this didn't bother me but I do wish the story had been longer. It was a nice short story.

I’d give it – 6 ½

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