Killer in the Kitchen by Donald Bain

Killer in the Kitchen by Donald Bain & Jessica Fletcher ISBN-13: 9780451468383 Hardcover: 272 pages Publisher: Obsidian Released: April 7, 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Jessica loves the Leg & Claw restaurant, owned by young couple Brad and Marcie. And the restaurant is the couple's dream come true. But when famed chef Gerard Pepe Lebeouf decides to open an eatery right next to theirs, tensions rise fast and hot and lead to a nasty confrontation between Lebeouf and Brad. When Lebeouf is found dead with a knife planted in his chest, Brad becomes suspect number one. But plenty of others had a motive to kill Pepe, and it's up to Jessica to uncover who really added murder to the menu.


My Review:
Killer in the Kitchen is a cozy mystery. This is the forty-third book in the series. You don't have to read the previous novels to understand this one, and this one doesn't spoil the whodunit of previous novels.

Though there is crime scene evidence, we're told only such general information that it doesn't eliminate suspects. Jessica can't get anyone involved to talk with her--even the people she's trying to help--and a lot of people had motive and opportunity. Jessica's main job was to keep asking questions until she caught someone in a lie and then she used that to prompt the truth out of the suspects. Once people started to talk, the murder and whodunit was very quickly uncovered.

The characters were interesting and complex people. You couldn't always tell if they were acting suspiciously or if their behavior was simply amplified by stress and grief. I have a small pet peeve against Jessica in this one. She's solved hundreds of murders and knows better, but twice she doesn't tell anyone that she's going--alone--to confront a strong suspect. This lack of caution wasn't needed for the storyline to work, so I can only guess that it was meant to increase suspense. It didn't work for me.

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

The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord ISBN-13: 9781619633599 Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Bloomsbury Released: March 31, 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. Paige wants to find a path back to happiness, and she forms a plan that will at least reassure people that she's okay. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?


My Review:
My review on Amazon.

As a member of Amazon Vine, I'm able to review books through them, but--as I understand the terms--I'm only allowed to post my review on Amazon. Because I really liked this book, I'm posting a description of the book here with a direct link to my review on Amazon.

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.

Shadow of a Spout by Amanda Cooper

Shadow of a Spout by Amanda Cooper ISBN-13: 9780425265246 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: April 7, 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Avid teapot collector Rose Freemont takes a break from her Victorian tea house only to find a new mystery brewing elsewhere. Rose is off to the annual convention of the International Teapot Collector’s Society. Her granddaughter Sophie is minding the tea house while she’s away.

Rose is eager for teapot expert Zunia Pettigrew to appraise a prized antique teapot. When Zunia is rude and declares the pot a fake, Rose is really steamed. After Zunia’s found dead beside Rose’s dinged-in teapot, Sophie must rush to her grandmother’s aid and find the real killer.


My Review:
Shadow of a Spout is a cozy mystery. It's the second book in a series. You don't need to read the previous book to understand this one, and this story didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous novel.

This mystery was a clue-based, puzzle mystery. There were plenty of clues, plenty of suspects, and even clues that eliminate suspects from the list. Whodunit seemed the most...motivated to me, but I wasn't sure until the last clues fell into place. Sophie figured it out just before whodunit pulls out a gun (allowing Sophie to save someone else's life--yay!).

I like how Sophie--and Rose--are logical thinkers and go about sifting through the clues and asking questions in a logic way. One problem for cozy mystery writers is to justify the heroine getting involved. Once evidence is uncovered that shows Rose is being set up, Sophie decides to duplicate the police's work so she can deliver the murderer to the police wrapped up in a bow. Though she is generally cooperative with the police and didn't look down on them, I didn't care for her smug attitude in that moment and I hope it doesn't come to dominate these fun stories.

There was no sex. There was a very minor amount of mild bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this fun, clue-filled 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.

The Inn at Ocean's Edge by Colleen Coble

The Inn at Ocean's Edge by Colleen Coble ISBN-13: 9781401690267 Trade Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: April 14, 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
In 1989, Claire Dellamare disappeared from her own fourth birthday party at the Hotel Tourmaline on the island of Folly Shoals, Maine. She showed up a year later at the same hotel, with a note pinned to her dress but no explanation. Nobody knows where Claire spent that year.

When Claire returns to the Hotel Tourmaline for a business meeting with her CEO father, disturbing memories begin to surface. Until now, Claire didn’t even know she had been missing, and her parent's aren't willing to discuss her disappearance.

Luke Rocco's mother went missing at the same time Claire disappeared. After a chance encounter reveals the unlikely link between them, Claire and Luke set out together to uncover the truth about what happened that fateful year.


My Review:
The Inn at Ocean's Edge is a romantic suspense novel. Except for the hero, the men in this story are not the sort you'd root for. One man leaves Claire stranded on an isolated, dangerous beach because she won't have sex with him. The male sheriff initially dismisses Claire's reliability, then he jumps to the conclusion that Claire--as a four-year-old--hatched a complicated plot that led to her committing a modern murder to hide it even though the modern murder would never have been suspected if she hadn't reported seeing it. And many townsfolk assume the same. I felt like the plot would have been stronger if the townsfolk suspected a person or persons more likely to create complicated plans and to have something to hide.

There were clues as to what really happened the night Claire disappeared as a four-year-old. I had the general outline figured out very early on. The story was interesting enough to keep me reading to learn the exact details of what happened and what would happen after the truth is exposed. The characters were varied and interesting. Luke was a knight in shining armor compared to the other men. He was a decent fellow who shared many interests with Claire. The suspense mainly came from physical danger to Claire as the murderer had a habit of attacking her.

There was no sex or bad language. There was an underlying message of forgiveness and of sacrifice to help others. Overall, I'd recommend this novel to suspense fans. I liked the story even though I had a hard time liking most of the characters.


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.

Just Like Me, Climbing a Tree by Durga Yael Bernhard

Just Like Me, Climbing a Tree by Durga Yael Bernhard ISBN-13: 978-1-937786-34-2 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Wisdom Press Released: April 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Publisher's Website:
Just Like Me, Climbing a Tree explores 12 of the most distinctive trees from across the globe. Yael Bernhard’s playful poem winds through the pages and imagines the many discoveries found while climbing a tree, whether in our backyards or on the other side of the planet. Bernhard's paintings show her careful research of each tree and draw us up into the branches to view new creatures, people, and places.

The appendix to the book offers more facts about the trees, such as their range, habits, uses, and interesting cultural beliefs about the tree. This section will help answer questions that curious young minds might have.


My Review:
Just Like Me, Climbing a Tree is a children's book recommended for "ages 5 and up." The poem is a simple but charming "what if" narrative of a child about the different creatures and things you might find when you climb a tree. I loved climbing trees as a child (and still do), and it reminded me of those adventures.

The pictures show the tree with a local child, setting, and creatures. It's fun to spot the creatures "hiding" in the tree. Parent's may have to explain what some creatures--like sloths--are to young children. There is a label for each tree that tells the tree's common name, scientific name, and the location. This helps you to match up the tree to the further information in the back. There is also a world map on the inner cover that shows where each tree is located.

Further information about the trees is given in the back. It's adult level reading, but much of it would be interesting to a child interested in trees. The trees shown in the poem (and covered in the back) are: Weeping Fig (in Cambodia), Montezuma Cypress (Mexico), Mango (Guinea, West Africa), Monterey Pine (California), Baobab (South Africa), Lychee (Hawaii), Weeping Willow (Holland), Kapok (Brazil), Olive (Israel), Gingko (China), White Mulberry (Australia), Southern Live Oak (Southeast United States).

I recommend this is a fun and potentially educational book to parents of children who love climbing trees. The author even has a note at the end about climbing safely.


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: View an page from the book on the publisher's website.

Buried Secrets by Irene Hannon

Buried Secrets by Irene Hannon ISBN-13: 978-0800721268 Trade Paperback: 384 pages Publisher: Revell Released: April 7, 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
After seven years as a Chicago homicide detective, Lisa Grant has hit a wall. Ready for a kinder, gentler life, she takes a job as a small-town police chief. But the discovery of a human skeleton by a construction crew at the edge of town taxes the resources of her department.

A call for assistance brings county police detective Mac McGregor, an ex-Navy SEAL, to her doorstep. As they work to solve the mystery behind the unmarked grave, danger begins to shadow them. Someone doesn't want this dead person telling any tales--and will stop at nothing to make certain a reputation-shattering secret stays buried.


My Review:
Buried Secrets is a Christian romantic suspense novel. The main characters were likable, acted realistically, and we got to know them well. The suspense came from physical danger to those involved in the past case, including those presently investigating it. The villain was a psychopath and very clever about making murder look like it was an accident.

I have a pet peeve about heroines who are only able to prove the murderer's guilt by that person trying to kill them. In this story, the killer was so clever that there wasn't enough proof even though the hero and heroine where able to narrow down whodunit based on careful investigation. The killer wasn't acting rationally anymore and was overconfident. By the end, Lisa knew whodunit and was on guard against attack. It's a suspense novel, so knowing that a clever killer was not happy with our heroine adds to the suspense. So it worked for me.

The Christian element was shown more in how the characters treated people and acted than through their talking about God. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable and 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.