Home for the Homicide by Jennie Bentley

Home for the Homicide by Jennie Bentley ISBN-13: 9780425260494 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: December 3, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
For Avery and her husband Derek, renovating the Craftsman Bungalow was like stepping back in time. The quaint old home was just as its original owners had left it—from the beautiful butler’s pantry to the surprisingly exquisite ribbon tile. But it’s the attic that yields the most heart-stopping surprise.

In a discreetly hidden antique crate, Avery finds a clue to a decades-old missing persons case. As Avery works on the house and delves deeper into the sinister story, it becomes clear that someone very crafty wants the Craftsman home’s secrets to stay that way!


My Review:
Home for the Homicide is a cozy mystery. It's the seventh in a series, but you don't need to read the previous books to understand this one and this story didn't spoil the whodunits of the previous novels.

The history behind the mystery was an interesting event that I could see really happening. Based on the current-day and historical clues, I had a pretty good idea of who was whodunit and why before Avery even got started on the right track. But no one said Avery was a great sleuth, just very nosy. She wanted to know things that were none of her business and she'd pout (yes, pout) and manipulate people to get her own way. She wasn't mean, just self-centered, insecure, and childish. I didn't dislike her, but I didn't admire her, either, and that detracted from my enjoyment of the mystery.

There were no sex scenes. There was a minor amount of explicit bad language. I'd recommend this mystery to people who like both mysteries and doing home decorating projects (since several are described in detail in 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: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

The Sayers Swindle by Victoria Abbott

The Sayers Swindle by Victoria Abbott ISBN-13: 9780425255292 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: December 3, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Jordan Kelly is delighted to make money tracking down rare and valuable mystery novels for her employer, Vera Van Alst, an avid collector and the most difficult woman in Harrison Falls, New York. But now her boss’s complete set of Dorothy Sayers is missing, and finding them may lead Jordan to a murder suitable for Sayers’s esteemed sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey…

When Jordan manages to locate her boss’s missing books, they are in the possession of Randolph Adams, an elderly man in a nearby town. Offering a valuable Hemingway first edition as an incentive, Jordan thinks she’s about to seal the deal—but some of Randolph’s family think he shouldn't take it.

Then the entire family disappears—and a dead body shows up. Jordan tries to find Randolph (so she can get those Sayer books)—and makes sure a killer gets booked.


My Review:
The Sayers Swindle is a cozy mystery. It's the second book in the series. It doesn't spoil the whodunit of the first book, but you'll probably understand the second one better if you've read the first book. The author assumed you read the first book and didn't explain some could-be-confusing references.

The story is a situation comedy, going from one funny situation to another. The characters were enjoyable, but it was hard to take them too seriously. Since I've read so many mysteries, it wasn't too difficult to spot the suspicious behavior, take the information that Jordan discovered, and have a fair idea of where the story was headed. The question was more "how many awkward situations will Jordan get into while figuring this all out."

There was no sex. There was a minor amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this humorous 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.

Quilt Trip by Elizabeth Craig

Quilt Trip by Elizabeth Craig ISBN-13: 9780451240637 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Obsidian Released: December 3, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Retired folk art curator, Beatrice Coleman, and her fellow quilt guild member, Meadow Downey, are headed to a Victorian mansion in the mountains. Meadow is determined to convince elderly Muriel Starnes to pick their guild to receive a quilting scholarship instead of one of the quilters that she has summoned to a meeting.

But once they arrive at the mansion, it seems they may never leave. An ice storm sends an old tree crashing across the driveway, leaving them stranded for the night. And by the next morning, they are one fewer—for Muriel has been sent to meet her maker. With everyone in the house a suspect, it’s up to Beatrice and the Village Quilters to figure out who has a guilty conscience before someone else gets tied up in knots.


My Review:
Quilt Trip is a cozy mystery. It's the third book in a series. You don't need to read the previous novels to follow this one, and this book didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous novels.

Though set in modern day, it was a classic murder-at-the-mansion setup. A number of guests arrive at a mansion, someone dies, and they can't leave. Beatrice and her friends question the other guests to determine whodunit since they are a neutral party. Everyone had the opportunity to kill and secrets to hide. While there were clues, I wouldn't call this a clue-based puzzle mystery as the clues didn't slowly build up to point at one suspect.

Though I prefer puzzle-mysteries, I still enjoyed the varied characters who acted in realistic ways. The heroine and her friends were likable, nice people. I don't know enough about quilting to follow the various designs they were working on, but they did sound pretty.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable cozy 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.

Merry Market Murder by Paige Shelton

Merry Market Murder by Paige Shelton ISBN-13: 9780425252352 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: December 3, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Bailey’s Farmers’ Market is this season’s go-to holiday destination. Jam and preserve maker Becca Robins is excited about the extra business that the Ridgeway Christmas Tree Farm is bringing to the market this holiday season, but not all the vendors are happy to see the Ridgeways.

Then a competing tree farmer, Reggie Stuckey, arrives with a truck full of trees and says that he has exclusive selling rights at the market. When Reggie is found with a tree stake in his chest, Becca sets out to untangle the relationships of those involved and is helped along by mysterious ornaments that begin to show up in her stall.


My Review:
Merry Market Murder is a cozy mystery. It's the fifth book in a series. You don't need to read the previous novels to follow this one, and this book didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous novels.

The mystery was a clue-based puzzle mystery. I saw how the clues were fitting together long before Becca caught on, but Becca didn't have many "this is obviously a clue" to work with. She had to untangle the relationships of everyone involved before she ventured to guess why people didn't like each other. Reserving judgment and not jumping to conclusions is a good thing.

The characters were realistic and interesting, and the "good guy" characters were likable. The motives behind people's actions were understandable. Most of the clues were gathered by Paige chatting with people and her speculation about some odd Christmas ornaments that were mysteriously left for her. Her boyfriend was the lead detective and appreciated the potential leads that she brought to him, so their relationship seemed like a healthy one.

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

Murder, She Barked by Krista Davis

Murder, She Barked by Krista Davis ISBN-13: 9780425262559 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: December 3, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Holly Miller has just quit her job on moral grounds when a troubling phone call about her grandmother sends her rushing home to the family inn on Wagtail Mountain. Wagtail is the country's premiere vacation hot spot for pet owners who can’t bear to leave their furry friends behind. Along the way, she is adopted by an abandoned Jack Russell Terrier who scatters crumbs all over her borrowed car and witnesses a car going off the side of a mountain road.

Once at the inn, her grandmother reveals that a inn employee was recently murdered--but the true target might have been her grandmother! While helping at the inn and enjoying her new dog and a frisky Calico kitten who lives in her room, Holly looks into the recent increase in crimes in the area. Holly and her furry companions will have to nose out the murderer before someone else gets hurt.


My Review:
Murder, She Barked is a cozy mystery. It's the first book in a fun new series. I loved how the animals were connected into the mystery yet they still acted realistically as an untrained, energetic dog and curious kitten. The book is full of pets and is set in a pet-oriented town, so it's appealing to pet-loving readers. I also enjoyed the varied and realistic characters, and Holly is a likable, nice person.

The mystery was a clue-based puzzle and was fairly complex since there were multiple crimes (theft, murder, etc.) that needed solving. I got a sense of what the various hidden motives were and who was involved, but I didn't see how all the pieces fit together until about the same time Holly did.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable cozy mystery to everyone, but I'd highly recommend it to pet-lovers.


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.

And the winner is...

It's time to announce the winner of the Gratitude Giveaways Hop. We had 58 entries. Using a random number generator and numbering the entrants in the order I received them, the winner is:

Carol M
who won "Death in the Vines"

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.