Review - Murder at the Bookstore

This is a brand new series for me.  A bookstore setting and a writer who is the sleuth, what's not to like?

Author: Sue Minix

Copyright: January 2023 (Berkley) 331 pgs

Series: 1st in The Bookstore Mysteries

Sensuality: mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Woman amateur sleuth

Main Characters: Jennifer Marie Dawson, mystery author with writer's block

Setting: Modern day, fictional town of Riddleton, South Carolina 

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Book Blurb: "She can write the perfect murder mystery… But can she solve one in real life?

Meet Jen Dawson, mystery writer, coffee lover, and amateur detective?

Crime writer Jen returns to her small hometown with a bestselling book behind her and a bad case of writer’s block. Finding sanctuary in the local bookstore, with an endless supply of coffee, Jen waits impatiently for inspiration to strike.

But when the owner of the bookstore dies suddenly in mysterious circumstances, Jen has a real-life murder to solve.

The stakes are suddenly higher when evidence places Jen at the scene of the crime and the reading of the will names her as the new owner of the bookstore …

Can she crack the case and clear her name, before the killer strikes again?" 

My thoughts: Jen Dawson was a difficult character for me.  She was scattered in her investigation, shifting focus seemingly willy-nilly without a clear reason. She also approached sleuthing in a manner that left every single person angry at her because she had no subtlety and even engaged in some really risky behavior. Add to that, there were moments where she acted like a teenager smitten with a boy.  This character was the biggest drawback to my enjoying the book.  

Her former boyfriend seemed tedious.  Her librarian best friend, Brittany Dunlop, was sadly forgettable and a librarian stereotype.   Sometimes the dialog was stiff.  I know this all sounds off-putting, but overall the mystery was average, just okay.  I did see who the killer was even though there were a few suspects.  The cover has a beautiful white cat, but there isn't a cat in the story.  The title suggests the murder took place in the bookstore, but it was in a boat on a lake.  I may give the second in the series a try to see if the author gets her stride-depending on my TBR pile.

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Rating: Good - an average read with a few flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.

Review - Betrayal at Blackthorn Park

I enjoy historical mysteries and historical intrigue, so its no surprise that WWII era is a favorite.  There are a good number of books set in this era, so creating characters and a premise that engages me is important.  I read the first in this new series and was hooked.  Today I'm reviewing the critical second book in the series.  Let's see how it did.

Book 1) A Traitor in Whitehall (click here) 

Author: Julia Kelly

Copyright: October 2024 (Minotaur Books) 336 pgs

Series: 2nd in Evelyne Redfern Mysteries

Sensuality: mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Cozy mystery, woman espionage

Main Character: Evelyne Redfern, newbie agent

Setting: WWII era, Sussex, England

Obtained Through: Library

Book Blurb: "Freshly graduated from a rigorous training program in all things spy craft, former typist Evelyne Redfern is eager for her first assignment as a field agent helping Britain win the war. However, when she learns her first task is performing a simple security test at Blackthorn Park, a requisitioned manor house in the sleepy Sussex countryside, she can’t help her initial disappointment. Making matters worse, her handler is to be David Poole, a fellow agent who manages to be both strait-laced and dashing in annoyingly equal measure. However, Evelyne soon realizes that Blackthorn Park is more than meets the eye, and an upcoming visit from Winston Churchill means that security at the secret weapons research and development facility is of the utmost importance.

When Evelyne discovers Blackthorn Park’s chief engineer dead in his office, her simple assignment becomes more complicated. Evelyne must use all of her—and David’s—detection skills to root out who is responsible and uncover layers of deception that could change the course of the war." 

I love Evelyn (Ellie.) She's strong and fierce while being levelheaded, whip smart, and a touch sassy.  She embodies the spirit of women during the war, stepping up and out of their traditional roles to serve their country. I really appreciate that Evelyn has close female friends that are in her corner. 

David Poole is her handler, but feels more comfortable investigating by her side. This is a slow burn with chemistry but "it's complicated." I like David and think they are good together. I'm looking forward to how the relationship will develop.

The setting of Blackthorn Park gives a dash of intrigue. I enjoy getting to read about a country manor that was requisitioned for the war effort, which happened a good bit in England. It provides a small pool of suspects and is removed from the town enough to add a delicious isolated feel.

I zoomed through the book, devouring the story. The pacing was spot on with plenty of suspects and motives. The killer confrontation was thrilling and dangerous making a great resolution to the tale.  The denouement introduces a tantalizing new development that I have no doubt will carry into the next book.

My Thoughts:  I adore this series. Wonderfully developed characters that seem to be real. Well thought out intrigue with great period details and plenty of suspects to investigate.  The writing style has a period feel and balanced action with setting and descriptions.  This series is a pure delight to read.

Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list 

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Mystery Movie Review - Copycat

 Copycat 1995.  Per usual, this movie did well so Hollywood threw together a sequel that did so poorly you can barely find it mentioned.  Which is fine.  Let this movie stand on its own.  This is one of those rarities that was never a book first.  

What it's about:  A criminal psychologist who became agoraphobic (afraid to leave the house) after a murder attempt agrees to help two San Francisco detectives hunt for a copycat serial killer who intends on making her his next victim.

Tagline:  One man is copying the most notorious killers in history one at a time. Together, two women must stop him from killing again. Or they're next.

Rated R for violence and language

Filmed in San Francisco CA

Cast:

Sigourney Weaver as Helen Hudson

Holly Hunter as MJ Monahan

Dermot Mulroney as Ruben Goetz

William McNamara as Peter Foley

Harry Connick Jr. as Daryll Lee Cullum

J.E. Freeman as Lt. Quinn

Will Patton as Nicoletti

Director: Jon Amiel

Writers: Ann BidermanDavid Madsen

Rotten Tomatoes (76%) and critics reviews:

• "Copycat is a well-paced thriller, adroit, compelling, and slick."  Barbara Shulgasser - Common Sense Media

• "It's one of the better thrillers of the 1990s." Dennis Schwartz of Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

• "What raises Copycat marginally above the second-rate and impotent is director Jon Amiel."  Peter Keough of Boston Phoenix

• "Although the plotting of this mystery-thriller about a copycat killer is flawed, Hunter and Weaver drive the show with strong performances."  Jeff Strickler of Minneapolis Star Tribune

• "A straightforward intelligent thriller."  Steven Rea of Philadelphia Inquirer

• "A serial killer drama that stands above the rest of the copycats."  Malcolm Johnson of Hartford Courant

• "Killer star power propels Copycat."  Steve Murray of Atlanta Journal-Constitution

• "A grade B thriller with a grade A cast, and this time the cast makes all the difference."  Rene Rodriguez of Miami Herald

Noteworthy awards or rankings:

-- 1996 Winner of Special Mention by Sigourney Weaver & Holly Hunter 

Cognac Festival du Film Policier

-- 1996 Winner Audience Award Director Jon Amiel 

Cognac Festival du Film Policier

-- 1996 Nominee Saturn Award for Best Music from

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA

-- Included among the American Film Institute's 2001 list of 400 movies nominated for the top 100 Most Heart-Pounding American Movies.

Trivia (mostly from IMDB):

-- Years later, Sigourney Weaver would state that she was most proud of her work in this film. She worked hard to portray the mindset of an agoraphobic, and has regretted that the movie was lost in a shuffle of thrillers at the time and is not better remembered.

-- To research her role, Sigourney Weaver consulted with leading forensic psychiatrist Park Dietz, who had interviewed serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

-- Harry Connick Jr. spent weeks watching documentaries on serial killers in preparation for his role.

-- Sigourney Weaver is almost a foot taller than Holly Hunter, thus for many scenes Weaver would be sitting down to make their heights appear more equal.

-- The climactic bathroom scene took 8 days to film.

-- William McNamara spoke to the Happy Horror Time Podcast and told them his character was entirely re-written and re-shot after failed screen tests deemed him the worst part of the movie, calling his character "too cerebral". The rewrite was done by Frank Darabont and McNamara was coached by Anthony Hopkins for his re-shoots.

-- Holly Hunter hung out with several homicide detectives in downtown L.A. to help her get into character.

-- James Newton Howard was approached to score the film, but turned it down to work on Waterworld (1995) instead. Christopher Young replaced him, and director Jon Amiel was so happy with the result, he renewed his collaboration with Young on several other films.

-- In each appearance, Holly Hunter has a different hairstyle.

-- When Sigourney Weaver lures the serial killer to come to her, she whispers "kitty, kitty, kitty". Those are the same words she whispered in the classic sci-fi epic "Alien", when she was looking for her real cat, but instead the alien monster appeared. Some piano chords in the final credit soundtrack resemble the same chords as in "Alien".

-- (at around 24 mins) The captain says to MJ that he had worked the Zodiac case. Dermot Mulroney (Ruben) later played a captain in the movie Zodiac (2007).

My Thoughts:

This is one of those movies that you remember years after seeing it.  The cast makes this movie shine. Sigourney Weaver is at the top of her acting in this movie.  Forget Alien, give me this movie for her abilities as an actress.  I must mention Harry Connick Jr playing a ruthless killer who has a cult following - he is scary believable.  A bit too believable.  I've never looked at him the same since, it was so well done.  And Holly Hunter was great in this as the police detective. 

The movie kept me glued to it and the suspense builds like a classic Hitchcock.  Is it perfect, no.  But it is a great bit of suspense and does its job of entertaining and taking the audience on a ride.  It has 1995 computers and is a bit nostalgic in that regard.  Revisit this classic thriller  for its straightforward storytelling and edge of your seat killer confrontation.

Movie Trailer:

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Review - Bear Witness

I love starting at the beginning with a series, and here is a brand new one featuring Alaska and its wildlife.  I jumped on the chance to read and review.

The author is also known as Linda O. Johnston. She is known for writing K-9 Ranch Rescue. She also writes cozy mysteries, including the Barkery & Biscuits Mystery Series and Superstition Mysteries for Midnight Ink, and the Pet Rescue Mystery Series (Beaglemania review-click here) and Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries for Berkley.

Let's see how this new series is shaping up from the debut novel.

Author: Lark O. Jensen

Copyright: May 2022 (Crooked Lane) 313 pgs

Series: 1st in Alaska Untamed Mysteries

Sensuality: Off-page intimacy alluded to

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy mystery, amateur sleuth

Main Character: Stacie Calder, Naturalist and ClemTour Boat Guide

Setting: Contemporary, Juneau Alaska

Obtained Through: Library

Book Blurb: "No nine-to-five cubicle career will suit Stacie Calder—the naturalist much prefers working in the great outdoors. Specifically, the spacious and spectacular Alaskan wilderness, whose rugged charms she shares with sightseers on the top deck of the tour boat where she works. But one May afternoon, Stacie’s passengers see more than glittering glaciers, frolicking harbor seals, climbing bears and soaring seabirds…they also witness a man lying dead in the frigid Alaskan waters. And it seems likely that someone gave him a fatal push.

    Stacie didn’t know the unfortunate victim, but he sure wanted to know a lot about her. He spent most of his final afternoon bombarding her with questions quite awkward to answer. And when he wasn’t in her hair, he was arguing incessantly with the boat’s beleaguered crew. Which makes for a suspect list about as long as the passenger manifest. Furthermore, as police helicopters relentlessly circle her boat in search of any clues, Stacie is shaken to find herself on that suspect list.

    Before the tour boat reaches shore Stacie—accompanied by her beautiful blue-eyed husky, Sasha—must deduce just who sent the testy tourist tumbling into the turgid waters and have the authorities take custody. Because if she can’t, then the killer might aim a fatal ice-cold stare at Stacie." 

Tour guide and Naturalist Stacie Calder is a bit of a mixed bag. She is definitely very independent with her husky by her side. She has a few work semi-friendships with other guides, but doesn't seem to have a close friend. She is a great pet parent taking care of Sasha, her two y/o husky. But otherwise, the character seemed all about her job. 

Palmer Clementos, tour owner's son and Captain of the tour boat, is a prime suspect and Stacie want's to prove him innocent as her motivation to investigate.  Then there is Liam Amaruq, Alaska State Trooper, leading the investigation.  I don't like a police-boyfriend because it always seems to end up in an argument about sleuthing. But this was the opposite, he encouraged her to ask questions of people. Their relationship seems to develop quickly as well, before long he is staying the night with her.  Those two combined while investigating a murder that she could be a suspect for, seemed unprofessional if not questionable.

The setting is primarily the tour boat and the 7 hour tour - several times. The sights and wildlife made me want to be there.  But after reading through four trips (or was it five?) it was becoming annoying and dry.  I hope the next book isn't the same. 

The pacing suffers a bit because of that.  The plot of figuring out whodunit is hard since the motive is assumed.  It has an exciting killer reveal with danger and jeopardy... aboard the tour boat.  

My Thoughts:  It took three chapters of the same tour to introduce base cast of characters and set up the murder.  That stuck out to me which means I was wanting it to move along a bit. Be aware it has a slow start, so hang in there.  As I mentioned, it dragged in parts due to multiple tours on page in detail that got old. Of course, it was whittling down the suspects, but the same tour several times didn't work well even with breaking it up with questioning people. Stacie Calder as a sleuth was very direct and off-putting in some instances.  She needs a bit more subtlety, maybe a lot more. She seemed to only anger people and didn't seem to uncover much of anything.  Overall it is an interesting premise that has some merit but some parts need smoothed out.  I think the author is great, so I will give the next book a go and see if it finds its groove for me.

Rating: Good - A fun read with beautiful setting but minor flaws.  

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Review - Lies That Comfort & Betray

 "For fans of HBO’s The Gilded Age, explore the dark side of the alluring world of America’s 19th century elite in this gripping series of riveting mysteries…

From the author of What the Dead Leave Behind, this suspenseful and richly atmospheric mystery captures both the elegance and sophistication of New York’s Gilded Age—and the secrets and bloody terrors that lurk behind its elegant facades... 

I have read one other in this series:

6) The Dead Cry Justice (click here)

But I am going back to the second book in the series because the premise just grabbed me.  Join me down that rabbit hole.

Author: Rosemary Simpson

Copyright: Jan 2018 (Kensington Books) 413 pgs

Series: 2nd in Gilded Age Mysteries

Sensuality: Clinical description of "ripper-like" murders, No profanity or vulgarity.

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Mystery

Main Characters: Prudence MacKenzie, judge's daughter and heiress-turned-sleuth 

Setting: 1888, New York City 

Obtained Through: Library

Book Blurb: "Heiress Prudence MacKenzie is a valuable partner to attorney Geoffrey Hunter, despite the fact that women are not admitted to the bar in nineteenth-century New York. And though their office is a comfortable distance from the violence of the city’s slums, the firm of Hunter and MacKenzie is about to come dangerously close to a high-profile killer across the pond . . .

 Nora Kenny works in Prudence’s Fifth Avenue house, just as her mother once served Prudence’s mother. As children, they played freely together, before retreating into their respective social classes. Still, they remain fond of each other. So when Nora’s body is discovered in a local park, Prudence is devastated. As other poor, vulnerable young women fall victim, the police are confounded. Has the Ripper crossed the Atlantic to find a new hunting ground? Is someone copying his crimes? A former Pinkerton agent, Geoffrey intends to step in, and Prudence is equally determined. But a killer with a disordered mind and an incomprehensible motive may prove too elusive for even this experienced pair to outwit." 

Prudence MacKenzie won't stay in her cocoon of privileges, she is determined to make a difference in the world. She is a heroine to cheer for. This case hits close to home and she won't sit by and do nothing.  Her business partner and attorney Geoffrey Hunter (former a Pinkerton Agent) is interesting with some baggage. His detective skills are truly tested on this case.  Josiah Gregory is their assistant who is a little bit of a mystery himself but is a great character.  Danny Dennis is a hansome cab driver who aids Prudence and Geoffrey along with his horse, Mr. Washington-delightful touch.  Big Brenda is the cook in a "house of ill-repute", and Kevin and Blossom-a homeless man and his super smart dog are minor characters that the author imbues with so much realism they shine.

The setting of the "Gilded Age" in New York is equally split between the grand ornate wealthy and the grimy poor on the streets or those in the middle struggling every day to have enough money to just get by.  Of course, since that was the biggest feature of the actual "Gilded Age" it follows a book in this time would have some on display.  Its realistic without being depressing.

The plot is what drew me to this book since "The Ripper" from London is the subject of many books and movies.  Why are we fascinated by that particular unsolved case?  This put a little different spin on the same old ripper idea with it being servants working in wealthy homes that are targeted. Plenty of suspects keep being uncovered as the case progresses.  I must say the plot was very well thought out.

The dramatic killer confrontation was quite tense and surprising. Not surprising as in who was the killer, but in how the scene played out and ended. Sometimes justice takes a different shape and that happened this time.  The wrap-up was perfect.

My Thoughts:  A little grittier and darker, along the lines of Sebastion St. Cyr books, without being gruesome or depressing. The premise of a killer like the Ripper here in America was well done with plenty of suspects and one that seemed had to be the killer.  The characters really come alive and seem real.  Excellent mystery with just the right mix of all elements to provide a thrilling tale.

Rating:  Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

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