Review - No Mallets Intended

I have reviewed this author's work from the Muffin Mysteries with #1 Bran New Death (click here) and  #2 Muffin But Murder (click here), and we were delighted to have Ms. Hamilton write a guest post (click here).  Now let's take a peak at her newest release in the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries.

Author: Victoria Hamilton

Copyright: Nov 2014 (Berkley) 432 pgs

Series: 4th in Vintage Kitchen Mystery series

Sensuality: N/A

Mystery Sub-genre: Amateur Sleuth Mystery

Main Characters: Jaymie Leighton, Vintage cookware and cookbook collector

Setting: Modern Day, Queensville on the Michigan-Canadian border

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Jaymie Leighton is helping to restore the kitchen at the recently acquired Dumpe Manor to its prior glory.  The Queensville Heritage Society is hoping to open the Manor for the holidays.  While Jaymie is working late one night, she is struck by somebody using a vintage wooden mallet she had collected. Nothing was taken, so the reason for for attacking Jaymie is unclear, so the theory is a homeless person who was accustomed to using the Manor when it was empty.  Before long, a controversial person in town is murdered at the Manor and Jaymie finds the body.  This character is not overly nosy, just what you see in any group of people who talk about what is happening and ask questions.

Jaymie, is a curious person by nature and deals with relationship troubles on top of the murder.  She has an authentic quality that I find kept me reading.  Detective Zack Christian, who relocated, reaches out to her, but is it as a friend or is he wishing for more?  Wealthy Daniel Collins, kinda sorta boyfriend, gave her a deadline to decide if she wants to be with him on top of.  Hopalong, or Hoppy, Jaymie's three-legged Yorkie Poo is the quiet star of the story.  Her friends Bernie (a local cop), Valletta, and Heidi are the sort of great friends we all want to have.


The Queensville Heritage Society Manor house is the setting for a good portion of the story and lends a nostalgic and eerie air.  The plot revolves around the house with a controversial history supposedly being written by the murder victim and an heir deciding to fight the historical society from keeping it now that they have sunk money into it.  Those are feasible, but the plot gets more involved than even that. 

The pacing went along at a good clip for a cozy, with clues dropped throughout.  The climax took some unexpected turns and delivered a great ride.  The wrap-up delivers closure on several fronts and a tantalizing promise for Jaymie's future. 

This was my first adventure with Vintage Kitchen Mysteries and I was delighted to find it everything you look for in Cozy with some well placed surprises too.  Kudos Victoria Hamilton.

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

 

Guest Post - Victoria Hamilton

Our guest post is with popular author Victoria Hamilton.  She is the author of three nationally bestselling series, the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries and Merry Muffin Mysteries as Victoria, and the Teapot Collector Mysteries as Amanda Cooper. She is also the bestselling author of Regency and historical romance as Donna Lea Simpson.  Busy lady!

I have reviewed #1 Bran New Death (click here), and #2 Muffin But Murder (click here) of the Merry Muffin series, and I will be reviewing the newest in the Vintage Kitchen series, No Mallets Intended later this week.

Victoria loves to cook and collects vintage kitchen paraphernalia, teacups and teapots, and almost anything that catches her fancy! She loves to read, especially mystery novels, and enjoys good tea and cheap wine, the company of friends, and has a newfound appreciation for opera. She enjoys crocheting and beading, but a good book can tempt her away from almost anything… except writing!

Working It: The Right Tool for the Job

Cooks need a lot of tools, and so do writers. What profession doesn’t?

But… where mystery writer tools become, after a time, electronic junk, (Like the Intel 286 computer I started writing on!) a cook’s tools get more beautiful and useful with age. Just like people, right?

This is even true of the older tools that we now label vintage. I can’t get enough of the lovely spoons, egg beaters, knives, lifters, whisks and assorted other items we used once upon a time and – gasp – still use! Where a writer’s first tools – pens and pencils – have been replaced by electronics, cooks still need those same spoons, knives, lifters and whisks.

But I have a sordid confessions: I am addicted to modern kitchen gadgets, something shiny and new that promises to change my life. I have bought just in the past couple of years a combination peeler/scrubber/potato de-eyer, (still never used) three different kinds of garlic choppers/squishers (I still chop it by hand) cubers (I also still do this by hand) and various other choppers, cutters, squishers, mashers and peelers, most of which end up in the Goodwill donation box.

But every once in a while you end up with a winner, like the adjustable mandolin that will slice anything from see-through thin to nice and chunky. I love that handy-dandy little gadget! So I suppose, since you don’t know how effective something is until you buy it, I will still fall victim to every hawker on TV who tells me about the next best dicer/shredder/do-everything doohickey, hoping it will be like that mandolin.

I still have a sizable collection of old kitchen tools, however, many that I use all the time, and I love how they look on display in the kitchen. My favorites are the ones with the red and white handles. In No Mallets Intended my protagonist, Jaymie Leighton, is redecorating the kitchen of the historic house her local heritage society has bought. Since so many of the tools have that color scheme, and since Christmas is approaching, she is urged by more than one person to make the color scheme of the kitchen red and white. Nothing wrong with that, but as you can see by the book cover, that is not what Jaymie decides on; she goes for a kind of butter yellow and soft green, another common color combination for not just kitchen tools, but appliances as well.

The beauty of writing my Vintage Kitchen Mystery series is that, though I have a small kitchen in real life, I get to collect, through Jaymie, all manner of kitchen gadgets of yesteryear. But…

I’ll write those vintage mysteries on a state of the art computer with a cordless mouse and keyboard, and high speed internet access. Just call me a high tech/low tech modern vintage woman!

~::~

About No Mallets Intended

Jaymie Leighton is excited and a little nervous about her current big venture, completely redoing the kitchen at Dumpe House—now the Queensville Historic Manor—in time for the December opening. But the house is mired in controversy, a challenge to the heritage society’s right to own it, and questions about the author hired to write a pamphlet detailing the Dumpe family history and that of the house.

None of Jaymie’s business, so she keeps her head down and her focus on the exact color right for the kitchen, and assembling all the accouterments, including a Hoosier cabinet! She’s also got lots to think about in her personal life with Daniel acting a little odd, and her friend Heidi dragging her in to the trouble between her and her fiancé, Jaymie’s former boyfriend Joel.

But a late night whack on the head with one of the antique mallets Jaymie has been cataloging for the society and a dreadful murder right on the house’s doorstep draws her once again into murder and mayhem. Jaymie faces her most cunning and dangerous opponent yet, but with Valetta by her side and the police chief’s approval, she must figure out whodunit before they do it again!


Follow Victoria!
Website: http://www.victoriahamiltonmysteries.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorVictoriaHamilton
Vintage Kitchen Mysteries on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VintageKitchenMysteries
Vintage Kitchen Mysteries on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/vintagekitchenm/vintage-kitchen-mysteries-by-victoria-hamilton/
Twitter: @MysteryVictoria


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

THANK You Victoria!  That was a fun post, we appreciate your joining us.  Please show some love in the comments.


Since we are fast approaching Thanksgiving here in the

U.S., here are some DIY crafts to give you some ideas for making this holiday extra special. (click here)  I know it seems as though this holiday doesn't get as much attention and it is just crammed in between Halloween and the December Holidays (for my multicultural believers).  These can be as easy as you desire, and can aid in making this holiday memorable.  

 

Guest Post - Kate Carlisle

I reviewed her debut novel in the new Fixer-Upper mystery series, A High-End Finish (click here).  I have also been following Ms. Carlisle's Bibliophile series for a while.  I have reviewed #7 A Cookbook Conspiracy (click here), #6 Peril in Paperback (click here), #4 One Book in the Grave (click here), and #3 The Lies That Bind (click here).   

But today we get the author herself joining us with a guest post.  Are you cheering...I am!

Writing What She Doesn’t Know

From the time I was a little girl, I’ve loved books. More than just the content—the stories, the language, the knowledge—I loved the book itself as an object. I always volunteered to hang Dad’s dry cleaning so I could lay claim to the thin, white cardboard sheets tucked inside his dress shirts. I used them to make my own little books, beautifully decorated but blank inside.

I moved on to take book arts classes at the local library and then at book arts centers. Writing the Bibliophile Mysteries with bookbinder protagonist Brooklyn Wainwright was a natural extension of a hobby I’ve enjoyed all my life.

The Fixer-Upper Mysteries? Not so much.

Shannon Hammer, heroine of A High-End Finish (November 4) and This Old Homicide (January 27), lovingly restores Victorian homes in the quaint town of Lighthouse Cove, California. While my father was a contractor and my brother painted Victorian buildings in San Francisco, I personally have no hands-on experience in that field. No, I have never restored a Victorian home. Or any home, for that matter. I had my kitchen remodeled a couple years ago, but I didn’t do the work; I just complained about how long it took.

With the Fixer-Upper Mysteries, I’m writing about something I don’t know—for the sheer pleasure of doing the research. And I’m having so much fun, I almost feel guilty!

Through Shannon, we get to explore every nook and cranny of the fascinating Victorian homes of Lighthouse Cove, from the grande dames to the crackerboxes. When most people think Victorian, they think of Queen Anne style, but there are many styles of Victorian architecture. In the books, readers will have the pleasure of traipsing through strangers’ homes and through the history in each, all wrapped up in a quirky whodunit. 


It’s unfortunate for Shannon that in A High-End Finish, she literally stumbles upon a dead body in the basement of one of her projects. And even more unfortunate that the victim turns out to be a creep she went on a blind date with the night before, a date that ended badly… and publicly.

"I grabbed my purse and jacket and started to dash off—until I felt cold air hit my skin. I looked down to see my teal blouse rippling in the breeze. Jerry had torn it off my shoulder!

I turned back and yelled, “You big jerk!” I was so angry. He’d ripped my clothing! What a Neanderthal! I knew it was wrong, knew I had to shake off this negative energy, but I wanted to give him a swift smack across his big stupid head. Just walk away, I thought.

I started to move, but stopped when I heard another sound.

Applause?

Looking up at the pier, I saw two men rushing down the stairs toward me. The rest of the people standing at the railing were clapping and laughing and whistling. I even recognized a few of them when they waved at me. What did they think was going on here?

Jerry raised his head and glared at me. “You’ll be sorry for that.”

“Oh yeah?” I felt safer now that we were about to have company, so instead of slapping at him like I wanted to, I reached inside my purse and pulled out the only weapon I had on me. My pink needle-nose pliers. I leaned over and snipped them in front of his face a few times.

He recoiled. “Get that thing away from me!”

“Just a warning,” I said with deadly calm, furious with myself for ever believing that he might’ve been a nice guy."

So who do you think is the prime suspect when Jerry is found murdered the very next day? Especially when he’s murdered on one of Shannon’s job sites… and the likely murder weapon is one of the pink tools for which she’s known.

A High-End Finish is available now, so you have the chance to get in on the Fixer-Upper Mystery series right from the very beginning. I hope you’ll enjoy the stories and that you’ll love learning fascinating little tidbits about restoring beautiful Victorian homes.

Read more about the Fixer-Upper Mysteries at www.KateCarlisle.com! 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

THANK You Ms. Carlisle for your visit today.

Review - A High-End Finish

This is the first in a new series by the author of Bibliophile mysteries.  Let's see if Ms. Carlisle tackles home renovation like she does book restoration!

Author: Kate Carlisle

Copyright: November 2014 (NAL) 336 pgs

Series: 3rd in Fixer-Upper Mystery series

Sensuality: mild kissing

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy Mystery

Main Characters: Shannon Hammer, owner of restoration/renovation construction business

Setting: Modern day, Lighthouse Cove California (near San Francisco)

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Shannon goes on a blind date with Realtor Jerry Saxton, which in itself results in a betting pool of how the date will end.  Jerry gets aggressive and Shannon resorts to kicking him where it really hurts.  Town's people had gathered and cheered her on and several people won the bet, including her father!  A few days later, Shannon stumbles over Jerry's dead body in a home she is renovating.  She is immediately the top suspect in the eyes of the new Chief of Police, Eric Jensen. Of course, Jerry being killed with one of Shannon's pink pipe wrenches doesn't help.  It is hard to understand what is going on as another body is found...by Shannon.  The two victims don't seem to have anything in common at all. 

Shannon grew up in this small town, so there is plenty of small town grudges and long-term dislike.  Whitney Reid has been Shannon's arch nemesis most of her life, and provides a sub-plot to the story.  

Shannon is strong and spunky without being sarcastic or whinny.  She is has a great working relationship with her crews and seems very balanced in general. I love her dog, West Highland Terrier Robbie (after Rob Roy), and her cat, Tiger.  Chief Eric Jensen fulfills the potential cop romantic interest and the "Don't talk to anybody about the murder" roles all in one character.  Crime Writer MacKintyre Sullivan offsets Chief Jensen's character with his quirky author persona while giving the chief a little competition for Shannon.  Lizzie, Marigold, Emily, and Jane are her closest friends and compliment Shannon nicely.  Nemesis Whitney Reid and cohort Jennifer Bailey are actually like some people I have known: Snotty, petty, manipulative, and spiteful. 

Lighthouse Cove California is a standard ocean-side town, but the Victorians homes and the lighthouse really give it character.  The plot was good and a little surprising for a cozy.  The pacing was even without much slow down.  The climax was suspenseful and taut, providing a nail biting ride.  The wrap-up leaves you wanting to stay with the characters a while longer. 

Kate Carlisle has successfully created another cozy series with engaging characters and interesting plotting in a picturesque setting.  If possible, I think I may even love this more than the Bibliophile series!

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


Halloween is over, now onto Thanksgiving.  

Here are some ideas for your table, from classy to simple or elegant to casual you will get simple ideas to brighten your celebration.  Click here.

Review - Murder in Vein

Sue Ann Jaffarian, author of the Odelia Grey Mysteries and the Ghost Granny Apples Mysteries also writes a paranormal mysteries. What better book to review on the eve of Halloween. So where on the scale of Vampire fiction does Ms. Jaffarian fall? Is this series Tanya Huff or Charlaine Harris, L.J. Smith or Stephanie Meyer?

Author: Sue Ann Jaffarian

Copyright: Sept 2010 (Midnight Ink) 336 pgs

Series: 1st in Madison Rose Vampire Mystery series

Sensuality: R rated in parts, kidnapping, assault, adult situations, some swearing

Mystery Sub-genre: Paranormal Mystery

Main Characters: Madison Rose, a twenty-three year old waitress

Setting: Modern day, Los Angeles

Obtained Through: Personal purchase

The story opens in the middle of Madison Rose having been kidnapped after her late night waitress shift. She is rescued from her abductor and finds herself waking up later in an older couple's home. She quickly puts together her memories from the night before and realizes this quirky couple happens to be vampires. They are only two of a Los Angeles community of vampires who are investigating a string of young women being abducted and drained of their blood. They believe Madison was an intended victim, but they still don't know who is behind the murders and why they are happening. The vampires are determined to find who is committing the crimes and pressure Madison to assist them by posing as bait. Not to worry, she will have a vampire back-up. What could go wrong?

Madison Rose has had a rough life, no family and experienced abuse while in the foster care system. She is attempting to make a life for herself as a struggling waitress going to college at night. She has learned to be tough, so she keeps her softer side hidden. Doug and Dodie Deadham, the elderly vampire couple who save Madison appear to be perfect grandparents... if it weren't for the refrigerated blood. LAPD Detective Michael Notchey is a live person who is also indebted to the Deadham's. He helps to keep the Vampire and human worlds in their respective realms. The Vampire Council of California has several members on the Board: Powerful Samuel La Croix is the Chairman of the council, Stacie Neroni is the Vampire attorney, Colin Reddy is the Vampire Don Juan with a few others sprinkled in too.

As part of the investigation, the lurid side of vampire clubbing and vampire wanna-be groups is dived into. This has some disturbing elements of humans who fantasize and romanticize vampires so much that lancing a person and drinking the blood is considered erotic. This dark world is portrayed with a scary side.  Just enough detail is provided without being dark and gross.  The irony is Madison has been brutalized growing up in the foster-care system and maybe in dire danger by these human pretenders while she is moving among actual vampires who are trying really hard to live like humans and not animals they can easily revert to. Other than the vampire club world, the world of Vampires and their self-governing culture is portrayed realistically. I found the characters to be well developed, flawed, and interesting. No sparkly or even highly romanticized vampires here. They are good and bad with real vices and baggage.

The general idea is sound for the murders of these girls in a world where vampires exist secretly. The investigation is believable for the story. The pacing had me flipping pages, so good job there. The killer reveal was tense and the subsequent fall out is sobering. The wrap-up changed Madison's life and was heart-warming.

For me personally, I found this superior to the Sookie Stackhouse books. The character Madison Rose far and away spoke to me more and seemed more intelligent and savvy. The world of the Vampires with the council and their own justice system is a developed idea executed well. I really like the murder and investigation, which was the primary focus. This is definitely an adult series that I found more satisfying than Sookie Stackhouse because of the murder investigation aspects.  I think fans of Tanya Huff's Blood books and Charlaine Harris' True Blood/Stackhouse books will find a kindred spirit in this series.

Rating: Near Perfect if you enjoy gritty vampire fiction - buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.



"Dressing up on Halloween isn't just for kids -- you'll be the best-dressed at any Halloween party with these creative (and simple!) Halloween costume ideas for adults."  These are easy for last minute costumes ideas complete with instructions (click here).