authentic reviews and insightful interviews for inquisitive readers
Book Review by Elise Cooper Knot on Her Life by Mary Marks is a cozy mystery with a different perspective. Some would think that a story with quilts could not make a good mystery, but Marks is able to stitch everything together. She is one of a few mystery authors who has a Jewish protagonist. The author explained why she used the quilt angle. “I have made quilts for twelve years. I decided to write about them, which turned into …
Title: The Third to Die Author: Allison Brennan Series: Mobile Response Team #1 A lot going on but not bad I would like to thank Harlequin MIRA for inviting me to take part in the blog tour, and also thanks to Allison Brennan and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Allison Brennan has been on my radar for years, but I never got around to reading one of her books. So …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A new series by Debra H. Goldstein, Sarah Blair Mysteries, is a fast-moving, intriguing plot set in the world of food. Readers should probably read the books in order, One Taste Too Many and then Two Bites Too Many. These first two books have the main protagonist, Sarah Blair, trying to defend family members of murder. First her sister is accused, and in the second book her mother. Sarah would rather catch bad guys …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Matchmaking Can Be Murder by Amanda Flower, is the first in a new series for the New Year. This spin-off from the wildly popular “Amish candy-Shop Mysteries” has some of the beloved characters including Deputy Sheriff Aiden Brody, and introduces some interesting others, some eccentric and some very appealing. The plot has matchmaker Millie Fisher just returning to Harvest, Ohio after spending 10 years taking care of her ailing sister. Millie is a widow …
Book Review by Elise Cooper Murder at Icicle Lodge by J. D. Griffo brings back the Ferrara women detective team. They are investigating a murder where the people of interest mount up. The four women are related and range in age from 65 to GenX. They are Alberta, her granddaughter Jinx, sister Helen and her sister-in-law Joyce with a supporting cast of police chief, Vinny; Jinx’s boyfriend, Freddy; Alberta’s boyfriend, Sloan; and Helen’s frenemy Father Sal. What makes these characters …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Vanishing by Jayne Krentz is an action-packed story that relies heavily on the paranormal. The psychic element adds to the suspense along with murder, conspiracies, and a kidnapping. The story opens fifteen years earlier where two teenage girls, Catalina Lark and Olivia Dayton witness a murder in a cave. Convinced the girls were hallucinating, their story was dismissed. Readers find out how the government was running paranormal experiments in the mountains close to …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Hindsight by Iris and Roy Johansen is a unique thriller. The protagonist is Investigator Kendra Michaels, whose former blindness has left her with uniquely insightful observational skills. Blind for the first twenty years of her life before gaining her sight via a revolutionary surgical procedure, she has become known for her razor-sharp senses and keen deductive abilities. Kendra has highly developed senses of smell, hearing, and spatial awareness that she’s used to help the …
Book Review by Elise Cooper A Killer Carol by Laura Bradford expertly combines a good mystery within the Amish community. In this novel, she is able to highlight the suspense with a secondary story about Christmas preparations and festivities. Bradford decided to write the series because she wanted to “have an interesting backdrop for a mystery. They live in the 1800s with no cell phones in their houses, do not keep large amounts of money in their house, will not …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper With Into The Dark, Karen Rose has outdone herself, which is hard to do. This story is a great read for the holiday season: full of intense scenes of suspense, a sprinkle of romance, and great characters the readers will fall in love with. The core of the story is finding acceptance, trust, and love while struggling to avoid extreme danger. But an added bonus is how Rose delves into subjects such as living …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Restless Hearts by B. J. Daniels is the first in a new series and it starts off with a home run. This story has a great murder mystery, some western romance, and family conflict. The plot begins with the heroine, private investigator Blaze McClintock, returning home. She is asked by the Judge who set her on the right path to help her estranged father who is accused of murdering a neighboring rancher. As the …