Double Booked for Death by Ali Brandon

Double Booked for Death by Ali Brandon ISBN-13: 978-0425244975 Trade Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: December 6, 2011

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover (slightly modified):
As the new owner of Pettistone's Fine Books, Darla Pettistone is determined to prove herself a worthy successor to her late great-aunt Dee...and equally determined to outwit Hamlet, the smarter-than-thou cat she inherited along with the shop.

Darla's first store event is a real coup--the hottest bestselling author of the moment is holding a signing there, which brings hordes of fans and some protestors. But when the author meets an untimely end during the event, it's hardly good for business, even though it's ruled an accident--until Hamlet draws attention to a clue that might indicate it was murder. Now Darla fears a killer might be lurking about, and an ex-cop friend and Darla help the hunky detective track down some clues...


My Review:
Double Booked for Death is a cozy mystery. I suspect other people may find the characters engaging, but I found that their (unexpected) excessive use of bad language and Darla's habit of worrying about everything prevented me from really bonding with them.

The cat is just a cat--possibly a smart one, but possibly just a bad-tempered and naughty one. At the end, I concluded that the cat wasn't as smart as I'd thought he was and so he lost some of his charm for me, but Darla concluded the cat was smarter than she'd thought. I suspect I missed the significance of the books he chose to be naughty with (beyond the obvious that they were crime-related).

There weren't really enough real clues to guess whodunit until near the end of the book. Even when it was obvious, I keep expecting another twist because I didn't really understand whodunit's motive even though it was explained. Again, I was left feeling like I missed something.

Despite that, the book was enjoyable. There was some nice detail woven in about the book-selling business. The suspense was created by several strange and creepy happenings.

There was a fair amount of explicit cussing and swearing as well as some fake bad words. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'm recommend this as an enjoyable mystery as long as you don't mind the bad words and low chance of guessing whodunit based on clues.

Update: After thinking it over a while, I decided part of the reason I was left feeling vaguely dissatisfied with this story was that Darla (and cat and and friends) don't solve the case. They don't know whodunit until the big confession scene, and the case would have been solved even if they did nothing throughout the story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
Afternoon sun spilled through the mottled glass of the double front doors leading into Pettistone's Fine Books, the golden light stippling the dark figure sprawled upon the faded Oriental rug that served as a welcome mat. Those customers who'd entered the first-floor brownstone shop within the past half hour had taken the sight of the motionless form in stride--this was Brooklyn, after all--and casually stepped over it to head in the direction of the bestseller table. Finally, however, a cardigan-swathed octogenarian halted in the doorway. His expression was one of vexation as he stared down at the body blocking his path.

"Dead, is he?" the old man exclaimed, giving the "he" in question a querulous poke with his rubber-tipped wooden cane.

"No!"

The single panicking word was both an answer and a warning. Darla Pettistone leaped from her perch behind the cash register and rushed toward the door, determined to forestall mayhem. She was too late. A sleek black paw the size of a toddler's hand, but far more dangerously equipped, had already slashed out and caught the lacquered walking stick in five needle-sharp claws.

And the winner is...

It's time to announce the winner of the Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop. Including Twitter entries, we had 52 valid entries. Using a random number generator and numbering the entrants in the order I received them, the winner is:


melatc
who won Dangerous Alterations


Congratulations! I'll be contacting you for your address.

For those who didn't win, you can always buy a copy of these books from your favorite bookstore or see if they have them at your local library.

Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop link

Welcome, visitors! If you're looking for my Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop, it's here.

The Amarath Enchantment by Julie Berry

The Amarath Enchantment by Julie Berry ISBN-13: 978-1-59990-334-7 Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Released: 2009

Source: Borrowed from my local library.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When Lucinda Chapdelaine was a small child, her parents left for the royal ball and never returned. Ever since, Lucinda has been stuck in perpetual servitude at her evil aunt’s jewelry store. Then a mysterious visitor and an even more bizarre piece of jewelry both enter the shop on the very same day, setting in motion a string of twists and turns that will forever alter Lucinda’s path. In this magical story filled with delightful surprises, Lucinda will dance with the crown prince, find an friend in the so-called Amaranth Witch, avenge her parents’ death, and maybe—just maybe—capture the heart of a prince.


My Review:
The Amarath Enchantment is a young adult fantasy novel with similarities to the Cinderella story. It's set in the real world at a vague time period, but it has fantastic and fantasy elements. The characters were engaging and varied, and the suspense (from physical danger, relationship tensions, and the mystery of what will happen next) kept me reading.

I was a bit sad that all of the "good guy" characters got their happy ending except one who had it snatched away. Since it pushed realism that everyone else got their happy endings, I didn't understand why that character couldn't have found a solution that involved happiness as well.

There was no bad language and no sex scenes. The magic element involved a magic object that allowed access to another world. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable book.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt from chapter one using Google Preview.

Hickory Smoked Homicide by Riley Adams

Hickory Smoked Homicide by Riley Adams ISBN-13: 9780425244609 Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: November 1, 2011

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover (modified):
Welcome to Aunt Pat's barbeque restaurant--family run and located in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee. Named in honor of Lulu Taylor's great-aunt, the restaurant on Beale Street is famous for its ribs and spicy corn bread, but sometimes Southern comfort food can come with a side of murder...

No one likes Tristan Pembroke, a snooty beauty pageant coach with a mean streak longer than the line outside Aunt Pat's. When Lulu finds Tristan's body during a crowded art auction fundraiser, the police suspect Lulu's daughter-in-law who publicly had a huge fight with Tristan over trying to sell a portrait of Tristan that Tristan had refused to pay for. Though a lot of people showed up at that fundraiser who hated Tristan, the police are having as much trouble as Lulu in tracking down who had the opportunity.


My Review:
Hickory Smoked Homicide is a humorous cozy mystery. It's the third in a series, but you can follow this story without having read the first novel, and this novel didn't spoil the mysteries in the previous novels.

The characters were varied, engaging, and acted realistically. Lulu was an elderly lady with many friends. She listened to their gossip about who saw whom with whom and who argued with whom and so forth in an effort to solve the case. (She reminded me a little of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple.) While whodunit had occurred to me as a good possibility, so many people had a motive that it wasn't obvious who actually had. I liked that Lulu put all the clues together at the same time I did and that the vital clue wasn't something obvious that the police somehow overlooked.

The story had a lovely atmosphere that made me feel immersed in Memphis, TN and no where else. This fast-paced story had details about the setting and jobs, including the Southern food they ate. Some recipes for the food mentioned in the story were included in the back of the book.

There were no sex scenes. There was a minor amount of fake bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this well-written, enjoyable mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop

As a part of the Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop, I'm holding a giveaway for your choice of one of the following two books:


A Deadly Penance by Maureen Ash is a historical mystery set in 1203 in England. You can read my review here.

When a member of the retinue of Lady Nicolaa de la Haye's sister is killed on the castle ramparts during a feast, it initially looks like a husband may have discovered the dead man dallying with his wife. But then Lady Nicolaa is told that the dead man fancied himself a bastard of royal blood, and he was determined to find his birth mother to prove his royal parentage. Lady Nicolaa asks Templar knight Bascot de Marins to help her solve the murder.




Dangerous Alterations by Elizabeth Lynn Casey is a cozy mystery. You can read my review here.

Tori's philandering ex, Jeff--the man she's vowed to steer clear of--has shown up in Sweet Briar for a funeral and has made it clear that he's ready for another shot with Tori. Then Jeff dies while jogging, apparently from a heart attack. Except the police chief believes it was murder--and that Tori's boyfriend may have been involved. Tori must rely on the emotional support of the ladies from her sewing circle as she pieces together the clues.




This contest is for USA & Canada residents only.


To enter the giveaway:

1) you can twitter me saying "Hi @genrereviewer. Enter me in the giveaway for [give the book name and author's name]."

OR

2) You can leave a comment to this post asking to be entered and naming which book you'd like to win. Please also leave some way for me to contact you--or follow this blog so you can see the winner announcement. I'd be fun if you also included why you're interested in reading this novel.


This giveaway ends on November 27, 2011 at midnight. The winner will be randomly selected. I'll announce the winner on Nov. 28, 2011 on this blog.

If you entered using twitter, I'll send you a @ or DM telling you of your win and asking where to send the book. If you entered using the blog comments, you'll need to leave your e-mail address or check back to see if you won so you can e-mail me your mailing address. If the winner hasn't responded with a mailing address within four days, I reserve the right to pick a new winner.

I hope everyone has fun with this!


The blogs participating in the Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop:

Dangerous Alterations by Elizabeth Lynn Casey

Dangerous Alterations by Elizabeth Lynn Casey ISBN-13: 9780425244616 Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: November 1, 2011

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover (slightly modified):
When Tori accompanies the circle's feisty matriarch to the local health clinic, the last person she expects to run into is her ex-fiance's great-aunt. And the old woman is so shocked at seeing Tori that she promptly has a heart attack and dies. Now Tori's philandering ex, Jeff--the man she's vowed to steer clear of--has shown up in Sweet Briar for the funeral and has made it clear that he's ready for another shot with Tori...

Then Jeff turns up dead, apparently from a heart attack as well. Except the police chief believes it was murder--and that Tori's boyfriend may have been involved. Tori must rely on the emotional support of the ladies from her sewing circle as she pieces together the clues.


My Review:
Dangerous Alterations is a cozy mystery with a women's fiction focus. This book is the fifth in the series, but you can understand and enjoy it without needing to read the previous novels. This novel did not spoil the mysteries in the previous novels.

The novel focused heavily on several women who had been betrayed by cheating men and who were trying to find their selves and self-worth again. I though that this aspect was well done. The characters were engaging and complex and acted to the situations in realistic ways.

However, the vital clues for the murder mystery were fairly obvious, partly because they're mentioned repeatedly. Tori didn't look for clues so much as stumble across them frequently enough as to finally put them together. Any mystery reader familiar with the many ways of killing people will likely catch on quickly and be able to identify the whodunit within two guesses, even from the beginning. I rather wondered that the police hadn't thought to at least question in whodunit's direction since the motive was obvious, too.

However, the other situations that the characters dealt with--mainly the relationship tensions--carried my interest even though the murder mystery didn't add much suspense for me.

There were no sex scenes. There was a minor amount of explicit bad language and a very minor amount of fake bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

A Deadly Penance by Maureen Ash

A Deadly Penance by Maureen Ash ISBN-13: 9780425243367 Trade Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: November 1, 2011

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, my take:
When a member of the retinue of Lady Nicolaa de la Haye's sister is killed on the castle ramparts during a feast, it initially looks like a husband may have discovered the dead man dallying with his wife. But then Lady Nicolaa is told that the dead man fancied himself a bastard of royal blood, and he was determined to find his birth mother to prove his royal parentage.

Lady Nicolaa asks Templar knight Bascot de Marins to help her solve the murder. He tracks down the smallest clues to discover the tangled web of possible suspects from the past and present.


My Review:
A Deadly Penance is a historical mystery set in 1203 in England. This novel is the sixth in the series, but you don't need to read the previous novels to understand or enjoy this one. This book did not spoil any of the previous mysteries in the series.

The story was written using more formal language and many "big" words. The author also assumed that the reader knew the meaning of several terms related to the castle and medieval weaponry. While each shop in town was described in detail (more than was really needed), the castle wasn't. Though I have a good knowledge of castles and the time period, I was never really able to work out how this castle was laid out. The story was rich with historical detail, sometimes to the point of briefly slowing the pacing.

However, I liked the characters (though we don't get to "know" any of them very well), and they reacted realistically to the situations. I also enjoyed the mystery. Bascot was determined in his search, and the solution was discovered by carefully following up every clue.

For most of the story, I didn't even bother to guess whodunit because the clues slowly build up and the answer wasn't obvious. But we're given enough clues that I was able to correctly guess whodunit and why the murder was committed shortly before Bascot put it all together correctly. Others reading the story with me came up with the solution (with a slight, incorrect, variation on it) at about the same time I did. Personally, I think that's the mark of a good mystery.

There were no sex scenes. (The story started with two lovers, but there was no body-part touching described below the face.) There was a very minor amount of "he cussed" style of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting and clever mystery to those who have a large vocabulary.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read chapter one using Google Preview.

Herald of Death by Kate Kingsbury

Herald of Death by Kate Kingsbury ISBN-13: 9780425243350 Trade Paperback: 292 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: Nov. 1, 2011

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover:
The Christmas Angel is a welcome sight during the winter season--but not this year. A killer is afoot in Badger's End, cutting a lock of hair from his victims and sticking a gold angel on their foreheads. Cecily Sinclair Baxter already promised her husband that she'd take a hiatus from sleuthing. But three killings have created a blizzard of bad publicity--and guests are canceling their hotel reservations.

Cecily pokes around, but the victims seem unrelated. Then the killer claims a fourth and fifth victim, obviously not slowing down for the holidays--so neither will Cecily. She will have to stop the angel of death from striking again, leaving murder under the tree...


My Review:
Herald of Death is a historical mystery with a side plot involving romances between several minor characters. The story was set somewhere between 1902 to 1905 in England. This is the thirteenth novel in the series, and it can be read as a stand-alone. However, I don't think this is a good book to introduce a new reader to the series.

While this novel didn't spoil any of the previous mysteries, the character development has clearly been going on and carrying forward since the first book. I felt like I stepped into a party where everyone already knew each other, but I didn't know anyone. I didn't really understand the dynamics of some of the character's relationships.

Also, we're told how clever Cecily is about solving mysteries, but she didn't follow up on obvious clues, didn't dig deeper for the truth, asked simple questions that got her the same information that the police told her, and when the connection between the murders was finally obvious, she still didn't catch on. But I think this was on purpose since Cecily wonders at the end if she's losing her touch since she didn't do those things.

This might be interesting to those who know the brilliant Cecily, but I was...less than impressed. Especially since she acted like a spoiled brat with her husband and deliberately set up her friend to be killed in order to "prove" who the murderer was since she had no actual evidence. She didn't even manage to save her friend, either--a rather impossible event occurred that saved their lives while causing unrealistically minor damage to the whodunit.

The two side romances were clearly ongoing from the previous book and were supposed to add interest, but again it probably was more interesting if you already knew the characters. Only one of the romances was resolved by the end.

The historical setting was very vague with very few historical details given in the story. It wasn't until the end that one detail was given that actually pinned down the time period.

The story has a witch as the friend of Cecily. There was a fair amount of explicit British bad language, and a very minor amount of explicit bad language that would also potentially offend Americans. There was no sex. Overall, fans of the series will probably enjoy another outing with the character's they enjoy, but I'd recommend anyone else start with the first book in the series if the series sounds interesting.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson

Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson ISBN-13: 9780425168967 Mass Market Paperback: 278 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: May 1, 1999

Source: Borrowed from the library.

Book Description from Back Cover:
As a midwife in the turn-of-the-century tenements of New York City, Sarah Brandt has seen birth and death, suffering and joy. Now she is about to take part in something more unusual in the crime-ridden streets of the teeming city--a search for justice...

After a routine delivery, Sarah visits her patient in a rooming house--and discovers that another boarder, a young girl, has been killed. At the request of Sergeant Frank Malloy, she searches the girl's room. She discovers that the victim is from one of the most prominent families in New York--and the sister of an old friend. The powerful family, fearful of scandal, refuses to permit an investigation. But with Malloy's help, Sarah begins a dangerous quest to bring the killer to justice--before death claims another victim...


My Review:
Murder on Astor Place is a historical mystery set in or a little after 1895 in New York City. Vivid historical details were woven into the story to bring it alive in my imagination. The characters were also a product of their time. The author clearly did her homework in researching this information, but she only wove in what was relevant so that the pacing didn't slow.

As for the mystery, I predicted some of where it was going long before the heroine and detective thought of it. However, it was understandable that they didn't guess it. Also, the whodunit wasn't who I expected, though whodunit made good sense. Very clever.

The suspense was created by potential physical danger to Sarah and the threat of losing a very needed job for the Sergeant. Both had good reasons to wish to investigate and find the killer. The characters were varied and complex with realistic reactions to events.

There was some explicit bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd highly recommend this well-written historical mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read chapter one using Google Preview.

The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie

The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie ISBN: 0-553-35051-X Hardcover: 230 pages Publisher: Bantam Released: 1929, 1986

Source: Borrowed from the library.

Book Description from Back Cover:
Reclusive tycoon Sir Oswald Coote and his melancholy wife, Lady Coote, have hit upon the ideal plan to spice up their quiet lives. They'll host a lavish weekend party at Chimneys, their isolated estate, and invite only "bright young things." But the festive mood is clouded by doom. A practical joke involving seven clocks and a sleeping guest has ended in accidental death--a cause for alarm. For the guests may not be all that they appear. And as whispers of a strange club called Seven Dials echo through the halls of Chimneys, all hands will be pointing to murder...


My Review:
The Seven Dials Mystery is a historical mystery set in England. (It was, of course, a contemporary mystery at the time it was written.) The detectives were Bundle and Superintendent Battle.

The mystery was a clever one that kept me guessing to the end. Despite all the clues, the only way a reader could correctly guess whodunit is if they realized Christie didn't follow the "mystery rules" in this one. The characters were engaging and the tone lighthearted. The suspense was created by physical danger to Bundle and friends and by curiosity about whodunit.

There was some explicit bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this entertaining, clever mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read Chapter One using Google Preview.

And the winner is...

It's time to announce the winner of the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop. We had 20 valid entries. Using a random number generator and numbering the entrants in the order I received them, the winner is:


A, Cisco
who won The Time Machine


Congratulations! I'll be contacting you for your address.

For those who didn't win, you can always buy a copy of these books from your favorite bookstore or see if they have them at your local library.