Killer Takeout by Lucy Burdette

Killer Takeout by Lucy Burdette ISBN-13: 9780451474834 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Obsidian Mystery Released: April 5, 2016

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Every year, Key West’s weeklong Mardi Gras–style festival has tourists and locals alike lining up for costumed revelry and delicious eats. Key Zest magazine has assigned food critic Hayley Snow to write a piece on the fest’s grab-and-go food, so she’s planning on hitting up the mobile eateries while checking out the party preparations.

Hayley’s office mate, Danielle, recently elected Queen of Fantasy Fest, is also buzzing between festivities and fundraisers. But when a former royal rival gets taken out, Hayley needs to put down her party hat and her pen and figure out who served up a side of murder—before Danielle gets crowned a killer.


My Review:
Killer Takeout is a cozy mystery. It's the seventh book in a series. You don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one, and this book didn't spoil the previous mysteries.

Frankly, the book was mostly about Fantasy Fest and the incoming hurricane. Hayley did ask a lot of case-related questions, but they weren't very good questions and so she got nowhere. About halfway through, I realized it wasn't going to be a very hard mystery (thus the bad questions) and was able to quickly pin down whodunit and why from the few clues.

For all that, I enjoyed the book until it hit on my pet peeves. Hayley and a friend did The Stupidest Thing A Cozy Mystery Heroine Has Ever Done in the last few pages. And despite this, despite yelling at her boss for expecting her to do actual work, and despite mentally criticizing everything about her boyfriend and dismissing his every wish about their future, she comes off with everyone admiring her. So, yeah, fantasy.

There was no sex. There was a minor amount of bad language.


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.

Calamity in Kent by John Rowland

Calamity in Kent by John Rowland ISBN-13: 9781464205774 Paperback: 276 pages Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press Released: 1950; April 5, 2016

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
In the peaceful seaside town of Broadgate, a sensational murder occurs. The operator of the cliff lift locks the empty carriage one evening; when he returns to work next morning, a dead body is locked inside – a man who has been stabbed in the back.

Jimmy London, a newspaper reporter, is first on the scene. He is quick on the trail for clues – and agrees to pool his knowledge with Inspector Shelley of Scotland Yard. This case could reignite Jimmy’s newspaper career, but it also exposes him to great danger.


My Review:
Calamity in Kent is a mystery novel that was originally published in 1950. Jimmy, the viewpoint character, is a newspaper reporter who is investigating the crime so he can write headline stories about it. He promises to share what he finds with Inspector Shelley and he keeps his word, but he didn't hesitant to push the limits of the law in pursuit of his story.

Much of the investigation was into the victim's illegal activities rather than solving whodunit and how. There were few viable suspects. Whodunit did seem highly likely to me, but the story could have easily gone in a completely different direction. There's a bit of suspense at the end. While Jimmy played a vital role, Inspector Shelley was the one to solve the crime and explain it to Jimmy (and the reader).

There was no sex or bad language (though there is one word that Americans use in a vulgar way but it wasn't meant that way). Overall, I'd recommend this book to those who enjoy "just along for the ride" mysteries.


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.

Burning Proof by Janice Cantore

Burning Proof by Janice Cantore ISBN-13: 9781414396699 Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Released: March 1, 2016

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
After months of investigating the brutal homicide of a young girl, Detective Abby Hart finally has the evidence she needs. But when the arrest goes terribly wrong, Abby begins to doubt her future as a police officer. As she wrestles with conflicting emotions, old questions about the fire that took her parents’ lives come back to haunt her.

PI Luke Murphy can’t stop thinking about what Abby’s former partner, Asa Foster, mumbled just before he died. “There is proof.” When he uncovers a clue to the murder of Abby’s parents and his uncle, he’s reluctant to tell Abby, despite his growing feelings for the beautiful detective.

A decade-old abduction case brings Luke and Abby together, but will his secret tear them apart?


My Review:
Burning Proof is a Christian detective novel. It's the second book in a series, and it continues the story of the previous book. I'd recommend reading these books in order (starting with Drawing Fire). The story contained an ongoing case and a new case. These cases were the focus of the second half of the book. There were suspenseful moments as the bad guys plotted to kill our main characters.

Much of the first half of the book was about Abby dealing with a fresh trauma on top of everything else. She questions if she's really called to be a detective and why God allows bad guys to go unpunished for so long while allowing innocent people to get hurt. Once she finds her answers, she's able to help a victim in the new case who's going through a similar crisis of faith. This Christian element was worked into the natural flow of the story and wasn't "preachy."

There was no sex. The author used "he cursed" to indicate bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this thoughtful, interesting series.


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.

Death in the Tunnel by Miles Burton

Death in the Tunnel by Miles Burton ISBN-13: 9781464205811 Paperback: 232 pages Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press Released: 1936; April 5, 2016

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Sir Wilfred Saxonby is traveling alone on a train in a locked compartment. The train slows inside a tunnel. By the time it emerges, minutes later, Sir Wilfred has been shot dead. Suicide seems to be the answer, even though no reason can be found.

Inspector Arnold of Scotland Yard thinks again when he learns that a mysterious red light in the tunnel caused the train to slow down. Finding himself stumped by the puzzle, Arnold consults his friend Desmond Merrion, a wealthy amateur expert in criminology. To Merrion it seems that the dead man fell victim to a complex conspiracy but the investigators are puzzled about the conspirator's identities as well as their motives.


My Review:
Death in the Tunnel is a mystery novel that was originally published in 1936. It's a complex, clue-based puzzle mystery. The Inspector was quite willing to go with the "obvious suspect," but things didn't quite add up so he consulted with his imaginative, amateur sleuth friend. This friend actually used quite a lot of logic to form suggestions of what to look into further. The focus of the story was on the details of the crime rather than on developing the characters or setting.

For all its complexity, I was quite certain of whodunit and had an overall idea of howdunit by about 40% of the way through. The author did a good job of drawing attention away from important points, though, and the main characters weren't stupid. It's simply that it took some time for them to work through the conflicting clues. The story kept my attention as I was curious to see the motive (which later became clear), the exact details of how it was done, and even how the main characters figured it out.

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

Mrs. Jeffries Wins the Prize by Emily Brightwell

Mrs. Jeffries Wins the Prize by Emily Brightwell ISBN-13: 9780425268117 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: March 1, 2016

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover:
The ladies of the Mayfair Orchid and Exotic Plant Society are known for a bit of friendly rivalry, but the backstabbing has never been literal—until now. When Hiram Filmore, an orchid hunter and supplier, is found dead in Mrs. Helena Rayburn’s conservatory, Inspector Witherspoon is called in to weed out a murderer.

When it comes out that Mrs. Rayburn and her flowery friends knew each other from long ago, Mrs. Jeffries begins to suspect that there’s more to unearth about this case than meets the eye. Now she, along with the rest of Inspector Witherspoon’s household and friends, will have to dig up the past to figure out which gardening gentlewoman had a grudge worth killing for...


My Review:
Mrs. Jeffries Wins the Prize is a historical mystery set in England in the late 1800's. It's the thirty-fourth in a series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this book didn't spoil the mysteries of the previous books.

It's a clue-based puzzle mystery. I was certain of whodunit and why by about halfway through. However, there was enough evidence pointing in other directions that I wasn't 100% certain that my whodunit would be the actual solution. The story wasn't heavily historical, though there were enough details to provide a historical feel. This included some information about what life was like for the British in India around that time. The characters were engaging and realistic, though not highly complex.

There was no sex. There was a very minor amount of 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.

Dressed for Death by Julianna Deering

Dressed for Death by Julianna Deering ISBN-13: 9780764214110 Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Bethany House Publishers Released: March 1, 2016

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Drew and Madeline Farthering celebrate their six-month anniversary by attending a fancy Regency era costume party. Drew is glad to see Talbot Cummins, an Oxford classmate, and his fiancée, Alice Henley, though Alice seems upset about something. At the concluding grand ball, Alice suddenly dies of an overdose of cocaine. Tal refuses to believe she took the stuff intentionally.

Drew is shocked when the police arrest Tal's father and charge him with smuggling drugs into the country for the past twenty years. Reeling from the death of his fiancée and the revelation about his father, Tal begs Drew to find out what's going on. Drew, now questioning his own ability to see people as they really are, does so reluctantly and brings danger to everyone he holds dear.


My Review:
Dressed for Death is a historical mystery set in 1933 in England. It's the fourth book in a series. You don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one, and this novel didn't spoil the previous books. The first third of the book was spent at a Regency era costume party, and the characters quoted Jane Austen throughout the story.

The characters were engaging, had depth, and reacted realistically to events. Most mysteries kill off the unlikable or unknown characters, but it's the young, innocent people who die in this story. It's a sorrow-filled story. Due to their grief, the main characters weren't clear-headed about solving the mystery.

It was a clue-based puzzle. By two-thirds of the way in, I had a good idea of how the smuggling was done and had my whodunit suspects narrowed down to two people. In contrast, Drew and friends were still getting nowhere. They'd stumble upon clues yet wouldn't follow up on odd happenings. This worked okay because of how it was written, but it meant that most of their tracking down the answers happened in the last third of the book.

The characters were Christian, and this was shown in how they treated people. Drew debated whether God really had called him to solve crimes or if that was his own ego talking. There were no sex scenes. There was no bad language. 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.

When Falcons Fall by C.S. Harris

When Falcons Fall by C.S. Harris ISBN-13: 9780451471161 Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: NAL Released: March 1, 2016

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Ayleswick-on-Teme, 1813. Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, has come to this seemingly peaceful Shropshire village to honor a slain friend and on a quest to learn more about his own ancestry. But when the body of a lovely widow is found on the banks of the River Teme with a bottle of laudanum at her side, the village's inexperienced new magistrate turns to St. Cyr for help.

Sebastian agrees that Emma Chance did not take her own life. Less easy to discern is exactly how she died, and why. Emma was hiding her identity and reasons for traveling to Ayleswick. Sebastian's investigation takes on new urgency when he discovers that Emma was not the first beautiful young woman in the village to die under suspicious circumstances. Sebastian and Hero slowly uncover secrets that have festered among the villagers for decades.


My Review:
When Falcons Fall is a historical mystery set in 1813 in England. This is the eleventh book in a series. You don't need to read the previous novels to follow this one, and this book did not spoil any whodunits of the previous novels.

The author vividly described the setting and wove in historical details relating to politics and everyday life. The characters were interesting, varied, and acted realistically. Sebastian and Hero were observant and asked good questions. The mystery was complex and involved events going back for years as well as current events. It took a while for enough clues to pile up to have a chance at guessing whodunit correctly, and even then I didn't guess correctly. Whodunit made sense, though; it was simply that I'd made an incorrect assumption.

Sex occurred and past rape and adultery was referred to, but there were no play-by-play sex-related scenes. There was some bad language. Overall, I greatly enjoyed this well-written novel and would recommend it.


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.