Review: The Measby Murder Enquiry (Ivy Beasley Mystery #2) by Ann Purser

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (May 3, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425241564
• ISBN-13: 978-0425241561

Book Description

Series: Ivy Beasley | Publication Date: May 3, 2011

Cantankerous spinster Ivy Beasley has quickly learned that spending her golden years in the quaint village of Barrington won't be as quiet as she thought. Ivy hasn't been in assisted living at Springfields for long, but she's already found new friends, formed a detective agency, and solved a murder. And as autumn falls, Ivy and her team are asked to investigate a mysterious death in the village of Measby-in between card games, of course.

Ann Purser's Web Site

My Review

Ivy Beasley is a clever elderly woman who is living in a retirement home in England.  In this second book in the series, Ivy is involved in a detective agency with fellow "inmate" Roy, cousin Deirdre, and possible former spy Gus.  A new resident at the Springfields assisted living facility, Mrs. Alwen Wilson Jones seems to have a mysterious past...a connection to Jones Brewing Company...and a murder in nearby Measby.


As readers of Ann Purser's other series starring Lois Meade know, Ann is an amazing story teller.  She brings the English countryside to life.  And I love that our heroine is elderly.  And that our elderly heroine has found love!


Great English cozy mystery.

Review: Skeleton Letters (A Scrapbooking Mystery) by Laura Childs

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Hardcover (October 4, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425243893
• ISBN-13: 978-0425243893

Book Description

 

Series: A Scrapbooking Mystery | Publication Date: October 4, 2011

 

New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs sends her scrappy sleuths into New Orleans' French Quarter. 

Is nothing sacred? The last thing Carmela Bertrand and her friend Ava expected to bear witness to in St. Tristan's Church was a crime. But now a beloved member of their scrapbooking circle lies lifeless next to a smashed statue of St. Sebastien-and a mysterious hooded figure has absconded with an antique crucifix.

As Carmela and Ava are drawn deeper into New Orleans' French Quarter in search of the missing crucifix, they may need the help of more than a few patron saints. Because this is one killer they don't want to cross...

About the Author

 

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Cackleberry Club, Tea Shop, and Scrapbooking mysteries. In her past life she was a Clio Award-winning advertising writer and CEO of her own marketing firm. She lives in Minnesota.

My Review

I am a big fan of the cozy mystery series by Laura Childs:  The Tea Shoppe Mysteries, the Scrapbooking Mysteries and the Cackleberry Club Mysteries.  The Skeleton Letters is the latest in the Scrapbooking series which are set in the delightful city of New Orleans.

Both Carmela and Ava are featured prominently in this outing.  A friend of theirs is murdered in Vieux Carre church just when they happen to be there.  Although Carmela's beau, Detective Babcock warns her off the case, Carmela has to dig into things for herself.  Lots of red herrings are dropped and I was surprised to find out who the murderer was in the end. 

Probably not my favorite of the Scrapbooking series but a good read for a rainy afternoon.

Review: The Litigators by John Grisham

 

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 602 KB
• Print Length: 400 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1444729705
• Publisher: Doubleday (October 25, 2011)

 

Product Description

 

The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years together, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like an old married couple but somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy bungalow offices in southwest Chicago.

And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in. David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender, and finds himself literally at the doorstep of our boutique firm. Once David sobers up and comes to grips with the fact that he’s suddenly unemployed, any job—even one with Finley & Figg—looks okay to him.

With their new associate on board, F&F is ready to tackle a really big case, a case that could make the partners rich without requiring them to actually practice much law. An extremely popular drug, Krayoxx, the number one cholesterol reducer for the dangerously overweight, produced by Varrick Labs, a giant pharmaceutical company with annual sales of $25 billion, has recently come under fire after several patients taking it have suffered heart attacks. Wally smells money.

A little online research confirms Wally’s suspicions—a huge plaintiffs’ firm in Florida is putting together a class action suit against Varrick. All Finley & Figg has to do is find a handful of people who have had heart attacks while taking Krayoxx, convince them to become clients, join the class action, and ride along to fame and fortune. With any luck, they won’t even have to enter a courtroom!

It almost seems too good to be true.

And it is.

The Litigators is a tremendously entertaining romp, filled with the kind of courtroom strategies, theatrics, and suspense that have made John Grisham America’s favorite storyteller.


My Review

The Litigators by John Grisham is a decent read but it is not one of his best books.  The beginning was promising, the middle dragged and the ending was very satisfying.  I found the book to be somewhat predictable and I found myself annoyed with the endless Krayoxx litigation strategies.  Grisham did touch on one subject that is very relevant today and that is why did so many people require a cholesterol reducing drug...because there are so many overweight people today.  Definitely something to think about there.

Review: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Crown Archetype (November 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307886263
• ISBN-13: 978-0307886262

 Comedy's fastest-rising star takes to the page in a book of essays, personal anecdotes, and impassioned pleas.

Multi-hyphenate Mindy Kaling is an Emmy-nominated writer, the actress famous for playing the beloved Kelly Kapoor on The Office, and the author of one of Twitter's most popular and quoted feeds.  She is a keen and witty observer of life, romance, and pop culture, whom the New York Times recently called "an entirely original and of-the-moment" performer and Entertainment Weekly deemed “one of the ten funniest actresses in Hollywood.”

In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy shares her observations, fears, and opinions about a wide-ranging list of the topics she thinks about the most: from her favorite types of guys (including Sherlock Holmes, NBA players, Aaron Sorkin characters, and 19th-century fictional hunks) to life in the Office writers' room to her leisure pursuit of dieting (“I don’t travel, speak other languages, do crafts, or enjoy sports, but I love reading about new diets”) and how much she loves romantic comedies.  Loaded with personal stories and laugh-out-loud philosophies, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? is a must-read by one of the most original comedic voices working today.

About the Author

 

MINDY KALING is an Emmy-nominated writer and actress on NBC’s The Office. You can find her on Twitter (@mindykaling), or at her desk pretending to be writing a screenplay but actually online shopping with a memorized credit card number. She resides in Los Angeles. Her billing zip code is 90067.

http://theconcernsofmindykaling.com/


My Review

I am a huge fan of The Office and of Mindy Kaling's who is an actress, writer, director and producer on the show.   Mindy's book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?  was released last week.  It is a book of essays on her life so far.  If you can get past the occasional spicy language it is a great book for teenage girls to read.

Mindy was raised by immigrant professional parents who placed a huge emphasis on educational pursuits.  They were wonderful role models who raised a very intelligent daughter.  She discusses the pitfalls and pressures of growing up.  And she shows and proves what hard work and dedication to a dream can do for young people.

And the best part is, it is funny!  Just as I look forward to the craziness of The Office each week, I am looking forward to more from Mindy Kaling.

One Year Blog Anniversary

This is the one year anniversary of my book review blog and I wanted to thank you for following me.  I love reading and this is the perfect outlet to share that love and to work on my writing skills.  I appreciate every author that has personally sent me their book to read, either a physical copy or ebook and I am thrilled that Net Galley publishers also allow me to review their books.

When I began writing this blog I was not working and was trying to decide what to do career wise.  Two months ago a position came up that was so close to home that it would have been criminal to turn it down. I haven't been able to read and review quite as many books as I would like but I do savour every book that I have time read.

Once again, thank you very much for following MysteriesEtc!!!

Review: I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (Flavia de Luce #4) by Alan Bradley

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press (November 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385344015
• ISBN-13: 978-0385344012

It’s Christmastime, and the precocious Flavia de Luce—an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry and a penchant for crime-solving—is tucked away in her laboratory, whipping up a concoction to ensnare Saint Nick. But she is soon distracted when a film crew arrives at Buckshaw, the de Luces’ decaying English estate, to shoot a movie starring the famed Phyllis Wyvern. Amid a raging blizzard, the entire village of Bishop’s Lacey gathers at Buckshaw to watch Wyvern perform, yet nobody is prepared for the evening’s shocking conclusion: a body found, past midnight, strangled to death with a length of film. But who among the assembled guests would stage such a chilling scene? As the storm worsens and the list of suspects grows, Flavia must use every ounce of sly wit at her disposal to ferret out a killer hidden in plain sight.

 

About the Author

 

Alan Bradley is the internationally bestselling author of many short stories, children’s stories, newspaper columns, and the memoir The Shoebox Bible. His first Flavia de Luce novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, received the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award, the Dilys Winn Award, the Arthur Ellis Award, the Agatha Award, the Macavity Award, and the Barry Award, and was nominated for the Anthony Award. His second and third Flavia de Luce novels are The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag and the New York Times bestselling A Red Herring Without Mustard. Bradley lives in Malta with his wife and two calculating cats.



My Review


Without a doubt, this is one of the best mystery series out there.  I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be able to read another adventure of Flavia de Luce.  It was wonderful to be back at Buckshaw with all of the de Luce's and Dogger.

We are given a few more clues to Dogger's past.  And I cannot help thinking that everything is leading up to Harriet returning at some point....wishful thinking maybe...Flavia desperately needs a mother and to be loved.  In the meantime, our favorite budding chemist is plotting up a storm in order to try to capture Father Christmas on Christmas Eve.  Throw in a film crew and an aging movie star and the fun begins.

Of course there is a murder and we know who will solve it!  But that is just a bit of the fun.  The best part is just being at Buckshaw in England in the 1950s.

Review: Three-Day Town by Margaret Maron

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (November 21, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446555789
• ISBN-13: 978-0446555784

Judge Deborah Knott and Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant are on a train to New York, finally on a honeymoon after a year of marriage. January in New York might not be the perfect time to visit, but they'll take it. The trip is a Christmas present from Dwight's sister-in-law, who arranged for them to stay in an Upper West Side apartment for one week. While in New York, Deborah has been asked to deliver a package to Lt. Sigrid Harald of the NYPD. Sigrid offers to swing by the apartment to pick up the box, but when they reach the apartment, they discover that it is missing and the doorman has been murdered. Despite their best efforts to enjoy a blissful getaway, Deborah and Dwight soon find that they've teamed up with Sigrid and her team to catch the killer before he strikes again.

About the Author

 

Margaret Maron grew up on a farm near Raleigh and lived in Brooklyn for many years. Returning to her North Carolina roots prompted Marcia to write a series based on her own background, the first of which, Bootlegger's Daughter, was a Washington Post bestseller and swept the major mystery awards for 1993. THREE-DAY TOWN is the seventeenth book in the acclaimed Deborah Knott series. Visit her website at www.margaretmaron.com.

My Review

I love this series by Margaret Maron so I was absolutely thrilled that it was offered on Net Galley and even more thrilled that I was accepted to review it.

Judge Deborah Knott and Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant are finally able to take their long awaited honeymoon.  They head to New York City and the apartment of Dwight's sister-in-law.  Deborah has a package to deliver in NYC that will lead them into a great adventure.  The daughter of the recipient of the package is New York PD Lieutenant Sigrid Harald who is also along for the ride.


There are plenty of twists and turns in this wonderful mystery set far from Deborah's usual North Carolina haunts.  Great story and I always love reading stories set in New York.  Even though Deborah and Dwight were away from home they never were very far as both the mystery they were involved in as well as close family ties kept the home fires burning.   

A wonderful addition to the Deborah Knott mystery series by Margaret Maron.