and I love a good mystery
591622
I am a quilter so anything about them draws me in, and I love a good mystery.
3323287
I love sitting down with a good mystery, the kind you don't want to put down.  In An Uncluttered Palette, I realized right away I was in the hands of a master of the genre.  The art world, from museum to studio, was beautifully drawn, pardon the pun.  Not only was it spine-tingling at times, it was also a grand adventure with friends.  Every character was three-dimensional and intriguing, and Rayna Hunt is definitely a "detective" I would follow from mystery to mystery.  I especially loved the way author Jean Sheldon delivered the intergenerational play of the art students.  I always feel that the best mystery is one that you feel a part of and have a hard time putting down.  This one was so much fun, I wanted to pull up an easel and join them!
1027048
While characters I love are one thing that bring me back to a series I enjoy, setting can play a part as well.  I have come to love the town of Proper City, Nevada, the setting for Dressed to Confess, the third Costume Shop Mystery.  You see, Proper City loves to throw big parties and community events  costumed events.  How much fun is that?

As this book opens, the city is getting ready for the Sagebrush Festival, something the city holds each year in the spring.  This year, the theme for the event is board games, and Margo Tamblyn has been busy coming up with costumes to match.  The headlining event is a reunion of the Domino Divas, a singing and dance group that broke up 50 years ago when a scandal erupted just as they were about to truly make it big.

Not that the reunion is going all that well, either.  Margo has been providing costumes for the group, so her friend Ebony, the party planner for the event, asks Margo to help when a rehearsal goes wrong.  But a bad rehearsal doesnt mean a strong performance, in this case.  Opening night, group member Ronnie Cass cant be found.  Called on again to intervene, Margo finds Ronnie dead in her trailer.

Margo vows to stay out of the investigation, but she keeps finding clues.  Then her fathers friend, Earl, becomes the polices prime suspect.  As more information from the past comes to light, Margo feels like shes stumbled into a conspiracy.  But who is truly involved?  What happened all those years ago?  How does it impact the present?

With conspiracies and the past impacting the present, this mystery is filled with surprises and twists.  I was proud of myself for figuring out things out, but the rest of the plot surprised me.  The climax wraps up the big picture, although as I think about it more, one or two things seems to have been left opened.  Still, its a minor complaint; youll be satisfied overall.  And don't let the word conspiracy scare you away.  While there is definitely more of a conspiracy feel to this book than others in the series, its still a light, fun read.  This element adds a nice twice to the mystery, but it doesnt overwhelm it.

As I hinted at earlier, I do love the characters in this series.  They are a fun lot, although there is one that falls into the fun to hate category.  I do feel that a couple of the regulars don't get as much page time as I would have liked, although they do have their own sub-plot.  The new characters are strong, which is important to keep us guessing until the end.

And, really, its hard not to love a town that takes throwing events to a whole never level.  City wide costume events?  With a great shop like Disguise DeLimit to supply great costumes?  Sounds like so much fun!  Its the kind of place Id love to visit  between murders, of course.

This series has included a recipe or two in each book, and this one is no exception.  We get recipes for Spicy Acorn Treats and Spice Acorn Salsa.  We also get some suggestions and tips for pulling together costumes for a conspiracy themed party.

In case, Ive disguised my feelings about the book, let me be clear  you will enjoy it.  Dressed to Confess is another fun book in this creative series.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
3565009
I enjoy a good read, and this certainly is one. I love how this author untangles the knots in his characters lives. One of those books I look forward to curling up with having a cup of something warm or glass of something cold in the afternoon or evening.
3665799
I'm not typically a fan of mysteries, as I often find them too dry and morbid to hold my interest even when the mystery itself is good. Encore has the "good mystery" part covered, but it also has the good sense to complement that with a cast of characters whose stories are interesting and whose interactions with each other are lively. It's a small-town mystery that gives a ton of life to its community.
1937163
I love a good mystery and this had it all. I didn't know until the end who was the murderer.  It keeps you guessing.  I already bought the other two books and look forward to both of them!
1448727
I love a good mystery, and like police procedurals. This series is particularly good because it's fun to watch the different personalities of each character and what issues, mischief, etc. that they get up to in the midst of discovering "who dun it."
3938165
I love a good romance and I love a good mystery. Joss Landry delivered both in Mirror Deep. The book has a wild plot that just keeps thickening. As I was reading I would think I knew what was coming, only to have something else make me suddenly doubt myself. It was a definite page turner as I tried to find out all the answers.

I enjoyed the characters quite a lot. Kat is sassy, caring, and mostly optimistic. This book mostly centers on her journey, and I liked reading it. I found myself invested in what would happen to her. There were so many other characters throughout the book. I loved reading Pierce's parts. He was such a sweet guy, and so busy trying to protect Kat. By far, my favorite character was Charles. He was a spunky old man.

I really enjoyed the story line of Mirror Deep. Kat learns some news that makes her feel like her world is falling apart; add in mysterious deaths, people lurking about, and a few possible love interests and Joss Landry has done an amazing job. Oh, and the horses. You cannot forget the beautiful horses. I loved how unpredictable the mystery was and the ending was perfect. I think that lovers of mystery and romance alike will enjoy reading Mirror Deep.

I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
2598375
This book is a fast read with mystery, suspense, humor, and crime. There were some plot twists that surprised me, even when I thought I had it figured out.  Betty and Hazel are delightful characters that add some humor and light-heartedness to the read. This isn't your gloomy, depressing crime/mystery read...this is a book that has the elements of a good mystery book but has a positive and vibrant feel to it. I love the main character Samantha, and I feel for her as she struggles to find how her husband mysteriously died in his small home town, where secrets are buried and guarded. It reminds me of the Miss Marple books for those who want something to compare it to. The chapters are short and with the tangle of events that occur, you won't be able to stop turning the pages.  A great mystery read that didn't give me nightmares, and I will be reading others in the series for sure.
3515683
I just read the second Kate Carlisle book, "If Books Could Kill," and I found it to be a funny, exciting, and really really good mystery story.  Kate Carlisle paints her characters in bright shades, so you can see them as you read.  Her  excruciatingly funny "flower children" parents, her friends, the hated nemesis of a girlfriend, and her sexy boyfriend (though she says she'd never call him a BOY), plus various others who are involved, add to a
good puzzle and an enjoyingly fresh read.  I can't wait for the next book in the series.
575131
Thoroughly Enjoyable! Sandra Gardner's MOTHER, MURDER, AND ME, is a well-crafted paranormal mystery with both good writing and good plot. The characters are fun -- some cool, some hot -- and the suspects just keep piling up! It will take a far more perceptive reader than me to guess whodunit?

--Arline Chase, author of KILLRAVEN, GHOST DANCER, and the Spirit Series, SPIRIT OF EARTH, SPIRIT OF FIRE, etc.
3708590
I love a good mystery! As an Audiologist, this book struck a chord with me.  It was great to see the word Audiology in a book for FUN!! I also liked how it shows the technological advances in hearing aids. It was a quick, easy read.  There was suspense, love, drama...such a good book!
3177980
All of her "Death" books just pull me in. And then they provide me with a good, well detailed mystery, the thrill of thinking about ME with Eve's tantalizing husband (tantalizing is the nice word I thought of), and a satisfying, turned-out cast of characters that stay with me. Until the next fascinating book....
3935719
The situation and characters were so engaging. I love a good mystery and always seek new authors and sources.  Don't care who wrote it, and I'm glad she did.
369210
I love the McRyan mysteries, love the twists and turns, and am glad it is difficult to unravel who the bad guys/girls were. That is why I love this series
4725312
I do love a good mystery and "Drawing Fire" does not disappoint. This is book one in Janice Cantore's "Cold Case Justice" series. Cantore is not a new author to me, I have enjoyed many of her books in the past, and I am glad she is writing new ones!
  Main character, Abby, is a good homicide detective who takes her work very seriously. She is a tough young woman with a tender heart. She can take down a bad guy, or hug a dog, with equal passion. When the secret of her past comes out, that she is the child that survived the night her parents were murdered, her life is in danger again. Abby has to balance keeping up with her caseload at work, while privately trying to figure out who killed her parents, and stay two steps ahead of whomever wants to harm her. There are several mysteries and many twists to solve in this story. Could her parents' murder have anything to do with a missing teenage girl? Or with a murdered senior citizen?
  "Drawing Fire" contains a bit of romance along with a lot of mystery. The story is clean and easy to read. Abby has a strong faith in God and we get several reminders throughout to let God be in control, not to jump ahead of Him. Forgiveness is also a big theme.
  I received this book from The Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review.
28124
I first heard about P.J. Parrish on a mystery listserv and she got such high praise that I decided to try her (two sisters, actually) out.  I found the second one in the series first (Dead of Winter), so I began the series out of order.  No matter.  I was hooked on the protagonist, Louis Kincaid, from the beginning.  I admit it - I love a good mystery, but character development is more important to me than anything else.  And I love Kincaid!  I'm so tired of reading about brooding detectives who are too deep for their own good.  Kincaid definitely has his brooding moments, but he's a man who's at least relatively happy with himself and the world.  One of the things I like so much about him is that while he stands up for himself, he also knows when to do this and when to show respect to others.  He's dogged, strong-willed and occasionally tough, but he has an underlying sense of care which I find very satisfying in a detective.  And not only does Parrish do a wonderful job with the main character, she gives even the smaller characters great depth and understanding as well.
The fifth and latest in the series, Island of Bones, is another first-rate thriller full of interesting characters.  Kincaid now lives in a beachfront cottage on Captiva Island in Florida, and Parrish paints the sweltering, mangrove-filled scenery quite well.
In a nutshell, the story involves the skull of a baby washed up on the beach, a beautiful young girl found murdered in a swamp, and an apparently boring older man whom Kincaid is hired to follow.  As Kincaid tries to figure out the connections, he's faced with various things: a new detective on the Ft. Myers police force who is not what he appears, his own difficulties in finding and keeping track of the man he's supposed to be responsible for, and more personally, bubbling emotions about his treatment of a young woman in his past whom he let down.
The mystery itself is quite captivating, but again, it was Kincaid and his relationships with those he comes into contact with which really drove the book for me.  And the final scene, by the way, is so beautiful drawn; I just love it when authors wrap things up in a satisfying way.  All in all, another great outing for Kincaid and the Parrish sisters.