mystery

Book Review: Dead Man’s Folly

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Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie
Dead Man’s Folly 
by Agatha Christie

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Poirot is invited to give away prizes at a staged murder mystery hunt planned by the scatter-brained Mrs. Oliver, but when an actual murder occurs, only Poirot can unravel the real clues from the fake ones staged in the game.

I really loved the cast of characters in this book! The three or four main suspects are quite interesting and strange characters with forceful personalities, but the remaining extra characters are fairly nondescript, staying in the background.
Poirot is absolute perfection, of course, and the delicious Mrs. Oliver is a wonderful oddball, full of imagination and half-finished thoughts.
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Book Review: Death on the Lizard

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Death on the Lizard by Robin Paige
Death on the Lizard (Kathryn Ardleigh, #12) 
by Robin Paige

3 out of 5 stars

Charles and Kate are visiting Cornwall to take a tour of Marconi’s wireless telegraph station. There are spies and saboteurs who want to steal the latest wireless technology, and Charles is asked to look into the mysterious deaths of two of Marconi’s employees. Meanwhile, Kate is trying to comfort a friend whose daughter drowned months before, and she finds out that the child’s death may have some connection to the spies sneaking around the countryside.

The plot is slow in the beginning, but picks up with a little more action towards the end. I wanted more character development in this one, but I did enjoy some of the character arcs. It just felt like there could have been a deeper story there, and it wasn’t as thoughtful as it might have been.  Continue reading →

Book Review: Death at Blenheim Palace

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Death at Blenheim Palace by Robin Paige
Death at Blenheim Palace (Kathryn Ardleigh, #11) 
by Robin Paige

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

 

In this book Charles and Kate Sheridan are visiting the Duke of Marlborough, and they start investigating the disappearance of a housemaid. But the other guests are up to all sorts of hijinks, and it’s difficult to sort out the clues from the red herrings.

The plot is a little thin and sometimes obvious, and every tiny detail is drawn out and repeated again and again. I do like the characters, and there is some good drama. I mostly enjoy reading about Charles and Kate doing their sleuthing, because they make such a sweet couple and a good team.

Book Review: Death in Hyde Park

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Death in Hyde Park by Robin Paige
Death in Hyde Park (Kathryn Ardleigh, #10) 
by Robin Paige


1 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
I actually liked the mystery is this book a great deal, and was fascinated by the characters. I would have given it 3 stars if it were not for one thing…
A young woman character is date-raped, and the man gets away with it. He is never confronted with his crime. Her life is basically ruined, and he goes tripping along without a care in the world.
 This made me so angry I could spit!!! The whole subject was handled very badly, and it made me sick to read about it. It also served no purpose whatsoever in the plot. It was just added for extra drama, and was completely unnecessary.

UGH!!! Hateful nasty book!!

Book Review: Aunt Dimity Down Under

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Aunt Dimity Down Under
Aunt Dimity Down Under by Nancy Atherton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another delightful and lovely book in this series! This time Lori is on her way to New Zealand to find the long-lost brother of the Pym sisters, and naturally she is taking her stuffed bunny, Reginald, along with her, in addition to the journal through which her deceased Aunt Dimity communicates with Lori from the beyond.

Be sure to read this book with a map and Google nearby, because you will want to look up photos and maps of all the beautiful places that Lori visits in New Zealand! The way the writer describes the natural beauties of the mountains, oceans, and sweet little towns, makes you want to look it up. And it’s all real and true-to-life, right down to the massive carrot Continue reading →

Book Review: Death at Glamis Castle

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Death at Glamis Castle
Death at Glamis Castle by Robin Paige

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kate and her husband, Charles, are called up to the mysterious Glamis Castle to covertly search for the missing Prince Eddy, who has been in hiding after his staged death 10 years before. The murder of a local servant-woman, in addition to the disappearance of Prince Eddy, has Kate and Charles scrambling to find out the truth amongst local gossip, rumors, and lying townsfolk.

I enjoyed this mystery, mostly because of the human interest, the little romance woven into it, and the continuing backstory of Charles’ bachelor days before he met Kate. Every character we meet has their own little part to play in the mystery, and their own hopes and motivations that propel them into the adventure or keep them out of it. Continue reading →

Book Review: Death at Epsom Downs

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Death at Epsom Downs
Death at Epsom Downs by Robin Paige

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this mystery and it kept my attention, but it wasn’t anything super special. A great book to read on a wintery night curled up in bed, but not amazing literature.

Kathryn and Charles are solving mysteries again, this time at the Epsom horse races. A conspiracy to dope the horses has resulted in a bookie being murdered, and of course, Charles is called in to investigate with Kate making her own inquiries in the background.

As always, I love the perfect understanding and love between Charles and Kate. Those two are a delight to read about!
The mystery itself kept me interested, but there were too many supporting characters for me to really feel invested in them all.

I enjoyed reading this book, and of course, I will be reading the rest of the series!

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Book Review: Nooks & Crannies

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Nooks & Crannies
Nooks & Crannies by Jessica Lawson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Tabitha receives a mysterious invitation to visit the reclusive Countess of Windermere, Tabitha leaves her life of isolation behind, and hopes to find new friends among the other five children who have also been summoned. Since her only friend is her pet mouse, Pemberley, Tabitha has difficulty at first keeping up a conversation with other children, but learns to relax and trust her companions as they begin to unravel the mystery of the Countess and her intentions.

Drawing on her literary experiences reading mystery novels, Tabitha leads the children’s investigation into the rumors of ghosts at Windermere, the ailing maid who has suffered a stroke, and the odd Countess herself who has many secrets. When things don’t add up, Tabitha is the one who discovers the truth that will change all their lives forever.

An exciting plot, wonderful writing style, and a whole cast of interesting characters! I love the humor and little aside comments in the writing. So funny! Continue reading →

Book Review: Murder Is Bad Manners

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Murder Is Bad Manners
Murder Is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Hazel Wong stumbles across the corpse of a murdered teacher, no one believes her except her faithful friend, Daisy Wells, and it’s up to the two girls to investigate the murder in between classes and still get their homework done. This 1930s British boarding school is the perfect setting for a murder mystery!

I love stories about boarding schools, and the little everyday goings-on of this school make for a hilarious story!
The plot has a lot of red herrings, so I never saw the solution until the very end. I puzzling and puzzling through the whole thing, and completely surprised at the end. Continue reading →