Good continuation of the series/mystery
343626
Gray Stark is a character mentioned in the previous books, but never revealed to be an old love interest of one of the Colton sisters.

Catherine Colton and Gray Stark's love story ran the typical path of miscommunication when they were teenage lovers:  his leaving without saying good-bye and she being hurt over his leaving.  He returns years later to take his father's place as ranch foreman and for 5 years has very little interaction with her.

Catherine being pregnant by someone else was a hard swallow.  The author tried to explain who she "thought" she loved the man then learned he was only after her inheritance.  Once he found out she wouldn't be getting anything until she turned 30 in three long years, he left.

Long buried desires surfaced for both of them as Gray suggested he become her husband so he could protect her 24/7.  They had their adventures along the way with a couple of kidnapping attempts on Cat and an actual kidnapping that lasted only a few hours.

The best part of their story was how they worked together to try to solve the mysteries surrounding Dead River Ranch.  Their story was the perfect set up for the next book in the series featuring Dylan Frick (another character mentioned in all the books so far).  By working together to solve mysteries, Gray discovered a passion for something other than ranch work and Cat felt useful.  With their being together day and night, their love could reignite with no way of getting away from it.

Another book in the series that continues to mention Amanda's daughter Cheyenne without mention of Gabby's future step-daughter Avery.  With all the other things continuing in this series, it would be nice to include the infant from the first book who started this mystery.

Good story.
4970880
Good read.  Enough to read the next book of the series.  Questions unanswered
1402705
Another good outing for Frank, Sarah and company.  Everyone had at least a small part in putting together this puzzle,  The characters have grown familiar and have remained interesting even as their lives have become more comfortable.  Working as a PI without having to worry about money lets Frank do what he does best without having to worry about the costs of keeping his family and staff well taken care of.  He does not have to worry about police and society interference as he knows how to work things.  Sarah seems to be a little lost but there is hope that in future books, she will be able to get back to being more than just a housewife with a side hobby,
As another reader commented, I'd like to see more of Maeve.
All in all, this book delivers what a reader of this series expects - well developed characters, interesting twists and intelligent sleuthing.
1444124
#1 Sister Agatha mystery set in a cloistered monastery in New Mexico. When the monastery's chaplain collapses and dies during a Mass at the monastery and it's later determined by the coroner to be poison, the sisters are the obvious first choices for suspects. Sister Agatha is one of only two externs--nuns who deal with the outside world--and she is absolutely certain that it wasn't anyone within the cloister who would harm the priest they all revered. When the local sheriff--an old flame of Sister Agatha's from school days--seems determined to disrupt the cloister's life and routine, she is just as determined to investigate and find the real culprit so they can get back to normal.

I did figure the mystery out well in advance, but wasn't sure of the whys and wherefores, just knew 'who' had done it. I wasn't sure I'd like this book--in fact I started reading it because I was looking to do a bit of a culling from my TBR. But even though it's in a religious setting and there are parts where I tended to roll my eyes, mostly I was just able to see Sister Agatha as a human being. I think she had me hooked in the first chapter when she revealed her name for the old, rickety, frequently-broken-down car the monastery owned--the Antichrysler. LOL! Anyway, it was an overall enjoyable book and I likely will read at least a couple more in the series to see if my enjoyment continues.
4818269
Another solid mystery that kept me guessing until the end. The more books I read in this series, the more I like the town and the characters. Has some minor editing issues but otherwise the writing is good and clean.
4814262
Great story, but maybe a little stilted in places. There were areas that didn't flow and felt like they were forced, but overall I enjoyed the book enough that I'll read the next in the series. This isn't a stand-alone book. The series does need to be read in order due to the underlying mystery. I know many people dislike that, but I live the undercurrent that ties them together. Christy's World's Worst Detective Series also has this same underlying mystery.

Overall, it's a fun read.
1125244
Although this is the tenth book in the series, there's enough backstory seamlessly woven into the story so new readers aren't lost. There are so many characters, though, that I sometimes had to stop and think about who was who. The interrelationships among the police officers and their families could get a little confusing. This was a good mystery with a surprising twist at the end, but the personal lives of the characters is as important as the police work. These folks seem like real people that the reader can relate to. I appreciate that all the loose ends of the mystery are tied up, but there are enough interesting developments in the characters' lives that the reader wants to read the next installment.
2300419
I started reading this series with the 7th book (see previous review; as much as I loathe starting books that far into the series, the price was right), which I really enjoyed, and this was the first book in the series introducing us to Auntie Lee, her family and restaurant.

As with the first book that I read, I was immersed in the culture of Singapore, but I thought the author did a better job on that score with the previous book. Even with that in mind, it was a really solid mystery and one that had taken my by surprise with the reveal.

This book would appeal to those readers who enjoy a nice, leisurely stroll through an exotic local, never mind drool when reading about all those delicacies that Aunty Lee whips up.

Another solid 4 stars -- I hope more of the books come down in price so I can buy them!
3753169
Picking up after the story in Ms. Calculation, Wyatts brother, Waylon, now knows that his ex-wife, Alli, has not only been accused of murder, but is missing. To compound matters, Waylon finds out that Winnie, Allis child, is also his child. Waylon is attracted to his exs sister, Christina, who has been designated as Winnies caregiver and that makes everything even more complicated. Waylon is military police and has come home to find out what has happened to his ex-wife. The mystery is involved, but runs smoothly as Waylon, Christina and Wyatt try to find out what has been happening in Mystery, Montana. The list of suspects and secrets continue to grow when Winnie goes missing. Waylon is terrified that something bad has happened to the child he has just been able to claim as his own. Some of the characters continue from the first book and this adds so much more interest to the storyline. I really enjoyed this next book in the Mystery Christmas series and look forward to the continuation of this series. I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to give an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
896608
I really like this series. The Witches keep me guessing about what they'll do next to solve the current mystery in the book.
Should be interesting to see how much business the Private Investigations office will draw in. Looking forward to seeing where the next book in the series takes the reader.
I received a free arc of this book, and thought I'd post a short review on how much I liked the book.
3196417
Which is not necessarily a bad thing. I enjoy this series but more for the descriptions of WWII British life than for the mysteries which are usually quite cookie-cutter and simple to figure out.
In this entry, Elizabeth is helping Major Earl Monroe with the mystery of four redheaded soldiers who have been poisoned. There are a few suspects from which to choose, making it fun to guess which is the guilty party.
More interesting, Elizabeth and Earl come closer to admitting their feelings for one another. Polly is still trying to get back into the good graces of soldier Sam, to whom she lied about her age.
The book ends with two cliffhangers, causing me to look forward to the next book in the series.
1344825
This latest in the Death on Demand series is a good one.  But again, it's about the 18th book or so, so it may be better to start earlier somewhere in the series.  That way you get to know Annie and Max Darling, and some of their wonderful friends on Broward's Rock.  We don't see much of the three women in this book (Laurel, Max's mother, Emma, the island's famous mystery writer, and Henny, Annie's best friend) because they are apparently on a cruise somewhere in the Caribbean.  But we see Annie and Max as they are trying to finish off their wonderful antebellum house.  Someone has hidden some stolen Double Eagle coins somewhere in their unfinished house, and people are dying everywhere as the search for the coins continues.  There's lots of blind alleys and red herrings in this wonderful off-beat cozy.  I am all caught up in the series, so now I have to wait for another year for the next one, and that's a long time.
2018564
Full disclosure, I haven't read the first book in this series, so like all series that you jump into in the middle of, I am sure I am missing some of the backstory and little nuances from the first book. That being said, I think you can read this book as a standalone since the author did a pretty good job of catching me up on the events of the first book. So if you haven't read the first one you can certainly start with this one.

I love a good mystery, and I am almost always on the lookout for a new mystery series to read, so I was looking forward to reading this book. In terms of the plot/mystery in the book, it was pretty decent, there was enough to keep me interested and to keep me guessing. And as with most mysteries I would hate to run it for you, so I wont.

Now the characters in this book are kind of another story for me. I do have to admit I liked just about everyone in the book except for Madison. Madison, more than anything, just annoyed me to no end. She didn't act rationally hardly ever. Finds a dead body calls a friend. Someone was in her apartment, doesnt say anything to anyone because hey why be a bother. It just didn't see authentic. When I read something, I like to identify with something about the character, Madison to me, seemed so one-dimensional and self-absorbed that I just didn't like her at all.

In terms of the romantic elements in the book, I think it did kind of suffer from having too many potential interests. They were all fairly likable, Tex was interesting, Brad the ex was also not so bad, Hudson I would say I liked the most of the three. My issues with Tex were that he had a bit of a girlfriend while be interested in Madison. And Brad the ex had too many secrets to really be a good match in my opinion.

There was a whole gimmick aspect to the book, a lot of Doris Day references and even a Cary Grant reference. So if you like that time period you would probably enjoy picking up on a lot of the little references throughout the book. For me personally, I could take them or leave them, I don't think it really made the book or anything.

Overall, I would have to say the book was okay. It kept my interest for the most part, but the character issues I had with Madison kept me from really enjoying the book the way I would have liked to. I would really only recommend this book to people who have a big interest in the whole Doris Day time period, other than that I would probably pass on it.
1591486
A good addition to the series and worth the read.
1108609
Good mystery series.  Enjoy the pets and how they are woven into the plot.  The end wrap up was a bit quick.  Looking forward to the next installment.
4296732
"Malice in Miniature" by Jeanne M. Dams.

Dorothy's gardener, Bob, is in trouble. It's not for his usual bouts of drinking. This time it's for theft of miniatures from a doll house museum. Ada, Bob's mother and Dorothy's friend, has come to Dorothy with a plea for her son. She wants Dorothy to get him out of this situation.

Dorothy decides to take on Ada's request but before anything gets done Bob is released from the charge. Dorothy has already begun to investigate the miniature museum and the theft which has so far gone unsolved. Then a murder followed by another murder takes place and both people are affiliated with the museum.

Once this story took off I was more than half way through it. I persevered, as Dorothy would say, and my interest was focused once again. A good mystery with a twist at the end. Kinships from past stories such as the next door neighbor, Jane, as well as Alan Nesbitt, Dorothy's husband are present and appreciated.

A good mystery in a great series...but the action has a slow going until midway.
156304
A good continuation of the series. Great for light reading and when you need a break from something heavy/boring.