Reduced Circumstances: A Frank Cole Mystery (Frank Cole Mysteries) Review

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Reduced Circumstances: A Frank Cole Mystery (Frank Cole Mysteries) ReviewOn the advice of his attorney, former software company owner Frank Cole is once again working at near subsistence level in order to prevent the bankruptcy court from taking any additional assets. This time Frank is employed as a taxi dispatcher, a job which allows him to quietly contemplate his future even as his coworkers continually haze him. The quiet is shattered when he is approached first by a private detective and then by two thugs, all searching for the taxi customer who fled the scene of a drug bust. Spurred on by his own curiosity and encouraged by the P.I. Curtis Winslow, Frank begins hunting for the young man whose multiple identities lead back to his incarcerated grifter parents. Throw in a femme fatale, a drug lord, and the discovery that everyone lies, Frank soon finds himself up to his armpits in con artists and danger.
The sequel to the Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery, Murder in Exile, Reduced Circumstances continues the adventures of a reluctant hero who uncovers a surprising talent for investigation while under the tutelage of experienced detectives. While the case may again be less than riveting, Frank and Winslow prove to be an engaging new team. A character-driven novel, it stumbles only in the neglect of Frank's girlfriend Beth Ann, previously a strong woman who in this outing appears only to (reasonably) nag Frank and his attorney for their slacker and unmotivated plan that keeps Frank barely working and living on rice and pasta.
This 211 page novel moves swiftly and the likable characters beg for better cases that will force Frank to step up his investigation skills. This engaging second novel by O'Neil reveals his growing talent and hopefully we can look forward to additional appearances by the witty, laid-back hero.
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Deadly Threads (Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries) Review

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Deadly Threads (Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries) ReviewJosie Prescott is the owner of Prescott's Antiques & Auctions. While teaching a workshop on vintage clothing, she discovers the strangled body of her friend and guest lecturer, Riley Jordan, hidden beneath a display table. Employees and workshop attendees fall under suspicion. Also a suspect is the philandering, celebrity chef husband, Bobby Jordan. Hank, the adopted, stray cat, finds an invaluable clue, a pearl rosette button; it is the key to solving the crime. An employee, Gretchen Brock, caught a glimpse of the killer's silver car; soon afterwards, numerous attempts are made on her life. Josie must find the killer before he/she succeeds in giving Gretchen a case of permanent amnesia.
"Deadly Threads" is an entertaining cozy in Jane K. Cleland's highly successful Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries series. Once again, Josie must become an amateur sleuth in solving a murder connected to her antique store. She reminds me of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. Old-fashioned clues in the form of vintage clothing - not modern, forensic evidence - are used to identify the murderer. Josie is very dependent on the local police force and media for supplying her with valuable information, and vice versa. She can't solve the murder without the aid of Chief Ellis Hunter and Wes Smith, the investigative reporter for the "Seacoast Star."
The killer's identity came as a great surprise; I never suspected this person. However, he/she spent at least ten minutes providing an unprovoked confession that probably won't be permissible in court. Fortunately, there is a large quantity of other evidence to convict him/her. I found the confession unrealistic as I did other elements of the story. Prescott's Antiques & Auctions is too perfect. The boss is very understanding and accommodating and all the employees love each other. I work with mostly women and there is constant whining, complaining and backstabbing; it's a veritable war zone. At Prescott's, the birds are always singing, the coffee is always percolating and everyone is munching on Cara's home-baked cookies. Reading "Deadly Threads" nearly gave me a toothache; this novel is very sappy sweet.
I like cozies that make me laugh out loud; "Deadly Threads" did not. The only time I snickered was when Gretchen referred to herself as a cookie ho. Furthermore, the quaint, coastal village of Rocky Point, New Hampshire, with its friendly, affluent citizens, is the typical cozy setting; it is not a unique one. Josie's finding of clues and the occasional attack on her employee, Gretchen, help propel the plot onward; however, another murder would've greatly added impetus. As it was, there were times when the overall plot became stagnant. Josie overreacting to every dilemma grew tiresome.
In all fairness, I did find "Deadly Threads" to be very romantic. It deals much with love - love won and love lost. Old relationships, such as the one Josie shares with Ty Alverez, are being strengthened and new relationships, such as the one Gretchen has with Jack Stene, are blossoming. Riley Jordan, the reader learns, was a very generous, remarkable woman, which made her death the more tragic. Also, from reading this novel, I learned more about the time consuming, often arduous, task involved in appraising antiques, especially vintage clothing. I also learned some interesting tips on how to distinguish genuine pearls from their synthetic counterparts.
"Deadly Threads" is recommended for those readers who like their cozies sweet and charming. It is for readers who want an intelligent, but vulnerable, female heroine; they are readers who also fantasize about working in the perfect company where all the employees love each other and the boss is sympathetic, patient and understanding. Women, like my mom, who love and collect antiques, will want to read "Deadly Threads" as well as its predecessors in the Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries series. Readers should be warned that it is not hilarious like other cozies such as Parnell Hall's "The KenKen Killings," Laura DiSilverio's "Swift Justice" and Joelle Charbonneau's "Skating Around the Law."Joseph B. Hoyos
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Touch-Me-Not: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery (Martha's Vineyard Mysteries) Review

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Touch-Me-Not: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery (Martha's Vineyard Mysteries) ReviewIn his office at Watts Electrical Supply in Oak Bluffs, electrician LeRoy Watts uses a taser on his former assistant Jerry Sparks when the latter had the gall to threaten to blackmail him. Jerry crumbled to the office floor dead. LeRoy knows his nine year old twin sons Zeke and Jared will be coming by once baseball practice ends, so he places the corpse in a closet with plans to dispose of the body later.
After the kids leave, LeRoy removes the stiff from his office closet and places the corpse in a book storage shed at the West Tisbury library. Also at the library are the "mathematical" knitters doing Moebius strips and more. Their current project is a coral reef quilt to raise awareness of global warming. Knitter Maron asks nonagenarian Deputy Sheriff Victoria Trumbull for help with an obscene serial phone caller; and boat splicer Emily Cameron wants to know what happened to her boyfriend Jerry. Victoria is back in the middle of a murder mystery.
The latest ninety-two years young Victoria Trumbull police procedural (see Death and Honesty) is a wonderful cozy that uses Martha's Vineyard as an idyllic backdrop for mayhem and for family issues caused when the middle generation arrives to help her daughter cope with her elderly mother. At times the story line turns amusing for instance with LeRoy's efforts to dispose of the body only to have his family and later three law enforcement officials (including the heroine) visit him with none aware of Jerry's fate; mindful of Hitchcock's comedic The Trouble With Harry. Cynthia Riggs is at the top of her game with this strong Trumbull entry.
Harriet Klausner
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Antiques to Die For (Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries) Review

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Antiques to Die For (Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries) ReviewJosie Prescott and her best friend, Rosalie Chaffee, are indeed sisters of the heart. They have both lost their parents, a loss that undeniably has shaped the women they have become. While they don't have a whole lot else in common, this invisible bond makes them closer than one might otherwise expect. Rosalie is fun loving and carefree, qualities Josie envies, but she is also an exceptionally fine older sister and guardian to Paige, her 12-year-old sibling. When Rosalie washes up on the Rocky Point shoreline - the victim of a suspicious drowning - Josie is stirred into action.
Rosalie has confided several things in Josie recently, any one of which might have some bearing on her death. In addition, Rosalie had garnered the attention of a creepy "secret admirer," whose unwanted attention seems to switch almost seamlessly to Josie once Rosalie is out of the picture. Rosalie also confided in her younger sister that they own something priceless for which they would eventually need Josie's expertise - although Paige and Josie have no idea what that item might be. In addition, when Josie starts probing, she finds out how little she actually knows about her friend.
Although it is all but impossible to imagine Josie having such carte blanche to investigate a murder even if her boyfriend IS the chief of police, the plot was enjoyable and complex enough to hold the reader's attention through to the end. If you like a side of antiques with your murder mystery, you'll undoubtedly enjoy the Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series.
Carol Ann Hopkins 4/23/2008Antiques to Die For (Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries) Overview

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Skating Over the Line: A Mystery Review

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Skating Over the Line: A Mystery ReviewAll Rebecca wants is to sell the skating rink and return to Chicago, but when Pop's friend's car is stolen, Rebecca reluctantly takes the case, only to find the car ablaze. With a visit from her estranged father and being threatened, Rebecca has her hands full trying to find an arsonist car-thief. What a fun read! This was an enjoyable story from the moment I opened the book and read the first line. The mystery kept me turning the pages and the lovable and eccentric characters of Indian Falls entertained me with their humorous antics and engaging dialogue. I look forward to more adventures with Rebecca and gang in this charming and delightful series.
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Mirror Image Review

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Mirror Image ReviewMirror Image is a thriller dealing with murder, sexual perversion and venality, and big business crime....Its the story of a psychotherapist[ one Dr. Rinaldi] whose patient is murdered but turns out not to be the person Rinaldi thought he was....After the murder, Rinaldi goes from therapist to suspect, to victim, and back to suspect as he pursues the reality in this psychological mystery...Written by an actual psychotherapist, Rinaldi is a character somewhere between Errol Flynn, Sigmund Freud, and Mike Hammer....A strong recommendation!Mirror Image Overview

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Mimosas, Mischief, and Murder (Ellie Avery Mysteries) Review

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Mimosas, Mischief, and Murder (Ellie Avery Mysteries) ReviewI downloaded one of the Ellie Avery mysteries when I ran across it on one of the Kindle websites where you can download a few books for free, and who can say no to free book downloads? Not me, that's for sure! The only downside to that is you may find another series that you get addicted to and then you have to buy the rest of the series! (Before my bosses bought me my Kindle for Christmas last year, I had a patient who would bring me the books that she was finished with, and found a few series that way that I never would've discovered on my own.)
Ellie, her husband Mitch, and their two kids take a trip to visit Mitch's family in Alabama when Mitch is on leave from the Air Force. Upon their arrival, they find out that Mitch's grandfather has passed away. The quick investigation into his death isn't easy for Ellie to swallow, so to speak. As usual, Ellie finds herself mixed up in a murder investigation, and, again, winds up on the suspect list. Like the other books in this series, she doesn't leave it up to the police to find the culprit.
As usual, Ellie's detective skills leave a lot of room for improvement, but she humorously and clumsily finds the culprit.
I probably wouldn't have ever purchased the book on the book description on it's own, even though I know all too well that you can't judge a book by it's cover, I am really glad that one of the earlier books in this series was on that free download list, because I really enjoy reading about Ellie's adventures! Since reading the "free" download, I have purchased the rest of the series, and plan on reading the Ellie Avery Mystery series as they are published.
In short, this book is classic Ellie, has a good plot, and it is laugh out loud funny in some parts...I recommend this book for those of us who like mysteries, but this series is not a scary, give you nightmares whodunit. It's a funny, easy read, with characters that you can't help but like.
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Unraveled (A Knitting Mystery) Review

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Unraveled (A Knitting Mystery) ReviewUnraveled is the ninth book in the Knitting Mystery series and a very delightful read.
Kelly's friends at Lambspun are walking on egg shells around around her after the recent breakup of her and Steve. So Jennifer, a real estate agent, invites Kelly to ride to the canyon with her to inspect some property she has under contract. As they turn onto the drive of the property, the owners wife passes them. Upon entering the house Kelly and Jennifer find the owner shot in the head with a WW II gun lying nearby. The deceased man has had a history of bad real estate dealings. The deceased was in the middle of a heated divorce, one of Keely's clients has also had run-ins with him. So it is time for Kelly "Sherlock" Flynn and her friend Burt Parker put their heads together To find the killer. In Kelly's "real job" as an accountant she needs to visit various contractor meetings and dinners. After one of these Kelly is invited to a volley ball game where she crosses paths with Steve. This is one of the funniest scenes that I have read in a long time. Kelly has a bunch of zany friends and they also provided much enjoyment in this book. I always look forward to the next book in Maggie Sefton's knitting series. As always there is a recipes and knitting pattern included.Unraveled (A Knitting Mystery) Overview

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The Strange Death of Father Candy: A Suspense Novel Review

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The Strange Death of Father Candy: A Suspense Novel ReviewNot since this summer and reading Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes has a novel stayed with me the way The Strange Death of Father Candy seems to be. I didn't expect this novel to be so gripping. I expected it to be as formulaic as Roberts' Milan Jacovich novels have become. Certainly, we are reminded (somewhat too) constantly that the main character, Dominick Candiotti is a Viet Nam War Veteran, who in his assignment as a Black Op assasin, committed heinous crimes in the name of war and our country. But we are spared the restaurant tours, weather reports, city tours and fashion reviews of the Milans.
"Nick" Candiotti is not a nice person. There is nothing likeable about him. He grew up mean and tough on the dirty, poor streets of Youngstown, Ohio, mostly unaware of and when he grew up, accepting of his family's association with The Mob influence in that city. Then, he abandoned his family and friends, including the woman he says he loved, to move to Chicago to make a new life for himself. When his favorite brother, Richard, a priest, supposedly commits suicide, Nick returns to Youngstown to investigate his brother's death, and insinuates himself back into his family, his association with both ruling Mob Families in the city and into bed with his now-married lover whose sexual preferences have come to include firm roots in S & M. His sister, Teresa, delivers what is most probably the best speech in the book when she screams at him to return to Chicago, that he isn't wanted or welcome in Youngstown any longer and that the city would be no worse off if he weren't there. She exemplifies all of the women in the book. No female character in the book seems to have any redeeming qualities, even down to a hotel desk clerk who, mercifully, is not described as "adorable". Nick is the only one who wants justice for his brother and will not accept, as the others have, that Fr. Candy's death was "just" a suicide. The ending of the book is bloody and gruesome as Nick extracts his revenge for his brother's death. And, we reach the last chapter of the book not liking Nick any more than we did at the first.
I know that this novel was "in the works" for quite some time. This is obvious. It is a tightly written, absorbing read. Even I cannot find much fault with what Roberts has set down on the pages. It's obvious that he did his homework on this one. He's back with a wonderful publisher and seems to have availed himself of their professional proof-readers and red-pencil wielders. I would love to see this novel climb up the charts. Nice work, Sparky. You've got a winner with this one.

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Clutches and Curses (Haley Randolph Mysteries) Review

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Clutches and Curses (Haley Randolph Mysteries) ReviewEnded excellent. I wasn't so sure about Haley at first, she seemed to be a spoiled woman, shopping and drinking frapps nonstop without a work ethic was driving me crazy. But somewhere along this cute little mystery, she grew on me and I am very sad it ended. I can't wait to pick up more Haley!
When Haley's mom wants her to fill in at the mother daughter week spa thing, she decided to go to Vegas on the spur to help the department store she works for get a new store together. Haley doesn't have much of a work ethic -- but that doesn't stop her from finding bodies! What is worse is the person that was murdered is a classmate from high school, one Haley was supposed to stay with. When that puts her on the detective's radar, Haley has a reason to find out as much as they do who really murdered Courtney.
This was a pretty believable story and Haley will grow on you with her milkshakes and her funny ways. She made me laugh out loud too many times, which makes it a extra thumbs up in my opinion! Can't wait to read backwards in the series now and I hope there are more Haley adventures in the future!Clutches and Curses (Haley Randolph Mysteries) Overview

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