The Ninth Daughter by Barbara Hamilton

The Ninth Daughter by Barbara Hamilton ISBN-13: 9780425244630 Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: October 4, 2011

Source: Bought through Half.com.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
1773: The Massachusetts colony is torn between patriots who want independence from British rule and loyalists who support the King. The educated and beautiful Abigail Adams is the wife of John Adams, a member of the Sons of Liberty--a secret organization opposing the Crown.

When a murder occurs in the home of their friend and fellow patriot, Rebecca Malvern, John is accused of the crime. Rebecca is missing--probably a captive or dead. The Sons of Liberty are desperate to find a document with revealing information about them that is missing from her home. This gruesome murder is similar to older, unsolved murders. With justice in the balance and the lives of her husband and other Sons of Liberty at stake, Abby is determined to uncover the truth.


My Review:
The Ninth Daughter is a historical mystery set in 1773 in Massachusetts. This is the first book in the series. The vivid historical details about the everyday life and politics were skillfully woven into the story.

The characters were fairly true to the time period (their ideas and ideals reflected the time period, including some comments about religious debates of the time). I found the characters engaging and interesting, and they reacted realistically to the situations. I always understood why the characters--including the "bad guys"--were acting the way they were.

The mystery was an interesting clue-based puzzle. Whodunit was guessable but not obvious to me. I realized where the clues were pointing at about the same time Abigail did.

There was some talk about religious topics, but it was as a background/historical aspect of the story. There was no sex, though rape and prostitutes were mentioned in conversation. There was a some explicit bad language (about 16 instances). Overall, I'd recommend this intriguing and well-written 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.

Cover Story by Erika Chase

Cover Story by Erika Chase ISBN-13: 9780425252116 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: August 6, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
It’s time to celebrate when Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society member Molly Mathews’s childhood friend, Teensy Coldicutt, moves back to town—complete with a published book. But as the club plans Teensy’s book launch, Molly is attacked and Teensy’s books are stolen. Who would be so desperate for 150 copies of a sexy novel written by an elderly widow? Then Ashton Corners is hit with another shock when Teensy’s publisher turns up dead—and fellow club member and former police chief Bob Miller is taken into custody.

Convinced that Teensy’s missing books hold the key to the murder, Lizzie Turner and her band of readers are determined to hunt them down. But the plot thickens when their search leads them straight into a counterfeiting ring. Now they must unravel this surprise twist before the killer gets the chance to write someone else off…


My Review:
Cover Story is a cozy mystery. This novel is the third in the series. You don't need to read the previous novel to understand this one, and this novel didn't spoil the mystery in the previous books.

The characters were interesting, but they seemed a bit out of touch with reality in this one. They seemed more concerned about the books and being able to continue the book launch than the fact that people were dead. When some of the missing books are found, Lizzie is angry that the thugs threw them in a place that was hidden were they'd be ruined instead of politely returning them. She seemed more upset by the ruined books than by these guys leaving a trail of bodies behind.

Lizzie also repeatedly promises her boyfriend that she won't snoop and then promptly does so. I didn't like Lizzie much in this one. There were a lot of detail about the clothes everyone was wearing and what food they ate for every meal and snack, but I don't personally find that interesting.

I identified the main whodunit at the beginning of the book based simply on "cozy mystery writing rules," but then clues backed it up. Whodunit wasn't obvious and the characters had no reason to suspect whodunit, so it's good for them that whodunit panicked and exposed self at the end. The sub-mysteries in this story were not really ones you could puzzle out based on clues.

There were no graphic sex scenes. There was a very minor amount of explicit bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this mystery to those who like clothing and food.


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.

Welcome to Last Chance by Cathleen Armstrong

Welcome to Last Chance by Cathleen Armstrong ISBN-13: 9780800722463 Trade Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Revell Books Released: August 1, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Lainie Davis' car breaks down in the tiny town of Last Chance, New Mexico, and it will cost more money than she has to repair it. But the people of Last Chance don't leave her stranded. They're interested in helping her, which is an entirely new situation for her.

She finds the people entirely too nice, too accommodating, and too interested in her personal life for her comfort--especially since she’s trying to avoid her drug-dealing ex-boyfriend and wants to remain unnoticed. Yet surely he would never look for her in this small town.

Lainie is increasingly drawn in to the dramas of small town life. An old church lady who always has room for a stranger. A handsome bartender who loves to paint. A single mom running her diner and worrying over her teenage son. Could Lainie actually make a life in this little hick town? Or will the past catch up to her even here in the middle of nowhere?

Cathleen Armstrong pens a debut novel filled with complex, lovable characters making their way through life and relationships the best they can.


My Review:
Welcome to Last Chance is a Christian general fiction novel that involves some romance. The characters were complex and acted like real people with both good and bad points, but they were also likable. I was pleased that the fictional small town was not populated by "quirky characters" but by people from varied backgrounds with realistic personality traits. It felt like this could really have happened somewhere.

The romance read like a side thread rather than the main focus. Most of the scenes didn't involve the romantic pair doing things together, and they didn't act like they expected it to be a lasting relationship. He was going to leave the town to return to his city life and felt that there were too many personality issues between them to overcome. They never really talked about a future together. Yet at the end, though the personality and where-to-live issues were never talked about or resolved, they're suddenly getting married. After making a big deal about these issues, I felt like there was a transitional scene missing where these issues were resolved.

The book covered about a year of time, so the story is a series of highlight moments and life-changing events for a number of different characters. Time frame allowed the changes in Lainie to seem natural and reasonable, but the author also left out a few transitional scenes. For example, a choir member made it clear that Lainie wasn't welcome in the choir and Lainie had no desire to join the choir. Yet the next time the choir is mentioned, Lainie is singing a solo part in the choir. I would have liked to know what changed her mind and the other person's mind.

Many of the main characters were Christians, and they're portrayed realistically with good and bad points. The few mentions of God flowed naturally from the character's beliefs. God wasn't the focus of the story, yet you could see He was at work arranging events, like the car breaking down when it did. There was a very minor amount of fake bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable 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: Link to Amazon so you can read an excerpt using Look Inside.

Death Al Dente by Leslie Budewitz

Death Al Dente by Leslie Budewitz ISBN-13: 9780425259542 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: August 6, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Murphy’s Mercantile, known as the Merc, has been a staple in Jewel Bay for over a hundred years. To celebrate their recent makeover as a gourmet food market, Erin has organized a town festival, Festa di Pasta, featuring the culinary goods of Jewel Bay’s finest—including her mother Fresca’s delicious Italian specialties.

But Erin’s sweet success is soured when the shop’s former manager, Claudette, is found dead behind the Merc on the Festa’s opening night. With rival chef James Angelo stirring up rumors that Fresca’s sauce recipes were stolen from Claudette, Erin’s mother is under close scrutiny. Now Erin will have to hunt down some new suspects, or both her family and her store might wind up in hot water...


My Review:
Death Al Dente is a cozy mystery. Erin was generally a nice person, and the characters had realistic reactions to the various situations. However, Erin wasn't very clever.

We had obvious clues about who wanted to buy what shop, but she was blinded by her assumptions. She didn't connect those clues together until she was practically told what was going on in plain language. I also was certain about whodunit before I'd read halfway through the book. Since no one claimed that Erin was clever, I was okay with her not catching on to things quickly.

Erin's vision for the store and the details about running it were interesting. Readers who like romance will enjoy the two hunky guys who are interested in Erin, one of whom provides a vital clue to the mystery. I liked that the detective was a female and an old friend of Erin's, but one who had mysteriously stopped being her friend.

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

The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer

The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer ISBN-13: 9780373834488 Mass Market Paperback: 408 pages Publisher: Harlequin Books Released: 1940; July 1, 2000

Source: Bought from Half.com.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When Sir Richard Wyndham, an accomplished Corinthian, comes across a beautiful young woman climbing out of a window in a bid to escape, he finds the ideal opportunity to realize his own escape. His family is pressuring him to marry a women that he doesn't like and who doesn't like him. But he hasn't met any woman he could love, until now.

Penelope Creed is an heiress pressured by relatives to marry to a man she loathes. She's returning in disguise to her country home to contact a man she hasn't seen for years--a childhood friend that she promised to marry. Surely he's still waiting...

Richard and Pen become friends through danger and adventure. Only Pen's uncertain young heart will tell where their destiny lies.


My Review:
The Corinthian is a Regency romance with a grand adventure. A diamond necklace has been stolen, and the police are searching suspicious-looking people. Pen is worried they'll uncover her disguise and send her home to her relatives. After several twists and turns, one of thieves end up dead, and it's up to our hero (and heroine) to set everything straight.

The characters were all enjoyable, and the main romantic couple was well suited to each other. The story was very funny with the many scrapes that the various characters got into. As is fairly typical for Heyer, the novel ended abruptly. However, it was still clear how everything would resolve itself. This is one of my favorite Heyer romantic adventures.

There were no sex scenes. There was some explicit bad language (mostly swearing using "God"). Overall, I'd highly recommend this hilarious romp.


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.