Review - Buried in the Stacks

This is a new series for me and I am jumping in without exposure to the prior books in the series.  That presented no problem for me in understanding the backstory and history.  If you love cozy mysteries, check out my review of this newest in the Haunted Library series.

Author: Allison Brook

Copyright: Sept 2019 (Crooked Lane) 336 pgs

Series: 3rd in Haunted Library Mystery series

Sensuality: Mild 

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy Mystery with friendly ghost touches

Main Character: Carrie Singleton, librarian

Setting: Modern day, Clover Ridge Connecticut

Obtained Through: Publisher ( Netgalley) for honest opinion

Cover blurb:  "Librarian Carrie Singleton is building a haven, but one of her neighbors is misbehavin'. Can resident spirit Evelyn help Carrie catch the culprit who made her a ghost?

In winter, the Haunted Library is a refuge for homeless townspeople. When a group purchases a vacant house to establish a daytime haven for the homeless, Carrie offers the library as a meeting place for the Haven House committee, but quickly learns that it may be used for illegal activities.

As the new Sunshine Delegate, Carrie heads to the hospital to visit her cantankerous colleague, Dorothy, who had fallen outside the local supermarket. She tells Carrie that her husband tried to kill her--and that he murdered her Aunt Evelyn, the library's resident ghost, six years earlier.

And then Dorothy is murdered--run off the road as soon as she returns to work. Evelyn implores Carrie to find her niece's killer, but that's no easy task: Dorothy had made a hobby of blackmailing her neighbors and colleagues. Carrie, Evelyn, and Smoky Joe the cat are on the case, but are the library cards stacked against them?"

Carrie is a character I related with.  She is settling in and loves her job, reasonable and smart.  She sees and talks to the library's resident ghost, Evelyn Havers, who had worked at the library and died in the parking lot.  Evelyn is a nice lady but has all the same personality and opinions as when she was alive.  Dylan Avery is her boyfriend and a private investigator away working a case. I don't have much to go on since it was mostly phone calls with him and never a description.  Smoky Joe is Carrie's cat but he roams the library whenever she is at work and gets fat off all the food patrons slip him.  He steps up to protect Carrie in the climax!  BFF Evelyn is getting married and preoccupied so Carrie is facing the sleuthing by herself.  Sally the Library Director brings in a touch of the political side of running the library.

The plot moves along and reveals in bits and pieces as you read.  The pace keeps moving with the subplots of the homeless in the library and solving the bigger problem of suspected illegal activity at Haven House meant to help the homeless.   

The climax springs forward as the killer reveals him/her self to Carrie and provides a nicely done climax where even Smokey Joe gets his claws out. 

This is a classic cozy with plenty of local color and town characters with a good mystery to figure out.  I like Carrie and will likely back and start from the beginning just to see how Carrie and Dylan got together.   Highly recommended for cozy fans.  It reminded me of a younger take on the Cat Who mysteries with the town and characters.  I am pleased to have discovered it.  I would have liked a description of Dylan to get an image of what he was like, though.

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

 

Guest Author Post - Lena Gregory

Welcome Ms. Lena Gregory, the author of the new Bay Island Psychic mystery series.  She lives on the south shore of eastern Long Island with her husband and three children.  As far as I know, she is a newly published author and this is her first published series.  

Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Whether or not ghosts exist is a big debate in my house. My daughter and I firmly believe in ghosts, while my husband and one of my sons do not. My youngest son, Logan, who is only
six years old now, has no firm opinion yet, but he is part of the reason I believe so strongly. Of course, I had other…encounters before these, but that’s another story.

My younger brother, Chris, passed away when my son was only four months old. Chris and I shared a love of reading, especially mysteries, and I often feel his presence while I’m writing. Chris always had the best hair, thick, full, and loaded with natural highlights. And he always kept it long, at least past his shoulders, even after he became an air traffic controller.

Late one night—we don’t keep normal hours in my house—I was sitting on my bed writing.

My youngest, who was about two at the time, was lying across the bottom of the bed watching his iPad. He looked over, then past me, and frowned. “Who’s that?” he asked.

I turned around but didn’t see anything. “Who’s what?”

“That guy with the long hair?”

I jumped and spun toward the direction he indicated—because, you know, that freaked me out a little—but I still didn’t see anything.

He just shrugged and went back to watching his show as if nothing unusual had happened.

I continued writing, a little spooked but kind of comforted too. I’d always felt Chris’s presence, but Logan kind of confirmed it.

Four generations of my family lived in the same small town, and most of those who have passed on are buried in the local cemetery, so Logan and I often walk through the cemetery, and Logan collects rocks and sticks to leave on the headstones.

One day, while we were walking through the cemetery, alone, he pointed toward a small, closed, locked storage shed in the middle of the cemetery, not far from my mother-in-law’s grave. “I want to go in there,” he said.

“In where?” I asked.

“In that house where the lady just went.”

I’m not gonna lie. We left, then. Quickly. Because believing in ghosts in an odd, detached sort of way is one thing, but I can assure you, having your two-year-old point out a woman entering a locked building in a completely deserted cemetery is something else entirely.

While writing Cass’s story, I tried to keep that debate in mind. Cass sort of believes in ghosts, but she doesn’t believe she actually talks to them. She thinks she uses years of psychiatric training and her uncanny ability to interpret people’s feelings to form a logical opinion and turn it into a “reading.” Of course, her customers think otherwise.

Her friend, Stephanie, believes completely.

Bee is another story. He swears he doesn’t believe in any of that mumbo-jumbo, but he really goes out of his way to avoid anything otherworldly. So, is he a true non-believer, or is he terrified ghosts might actually be real? I’ll leave it up to you to figure it out.

So, what do you think? Do you believe in ghosts? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think and if you’ve had any experiences that contributed to your opinion.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thank you Ms. Gregory.  Well, I spent a few years growing up in a haunted house - until my mother couldn't deal with the stuff that kept happening and we moved...quickly.

Review - Give Up the Ghost

I have reviewed each in this series from the debut issue.  The fifth, Keeper of the Castle (click here), fourth, Home for the Haunting (click here), the third, Murder on the House (click here), the second book, Deadbolt (click here), and the debut book, If Walls Could Talk (click here).  Today is the newest addition to the series.

Author:  Juliet Blackwell

Copyright: Dec 2015 (Berkley) 336 pgs

Series: 6th in Haunted Home Renovation Mystery series

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Paranormal Cozy

Main Characters:  Mel Turner, woman construction renovation Owner/Operator

Setting: Modern day, San Francisco

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

San Francisco millionaire Andrew Flynt wants to sell his Victorian mansion, but ghostly music, the squeaking of a long-disappeared weathervane, and an angry ghost of the original owner Peregrine Summerton, keep running off potential buyers. He spent $29 million on the very modern renovations but can't sell it.  After a famous psychic Chantelle is called in, she informs the Flynts that their updates to the home have left its resident ghost extremely agitated. So contractor Mel Turner is engaged to track down and replace some of the original features of the house so it can sell. 

But when the beautiful psychic is found stabbed, it appears someone had a very human motive for murder. Could the motive have anything to do with the haunted mansion?  Mel must use her gift to uncover the secrets of the haunted house and maybe catch a killer too.  Subplots are Mel also helping a group of college students displaced from their apartment by a ghost.  Plus, Chantelle happens to have a good looking brother, Landon Demetrius, who is keeping Mel company while Graham is out of town.

Mel Turner is competent and hard working.  She deals with directing construction crews and solving ghostly problems with spunk.  But when it comes to Graham, she isn't as self-assured.  Graham is absent for most of this since he is traveling...but he drops a bombshell on Mel towards the end.  Landon, the new guy on the block who turns Mel's head definitely peaked my interest.  Mel's close friend Luz, a professor, plays more of a role in this book and that is a great addition.  Homicide Detective Annette Crawford is getting more time in the story too and I have come to look forward to her scenes.  Mel’s dad, Bill, their friend Stan, and her ex-stepson Caleb get a little page-time which are all enjoyable. 

The Crosswinds, a historical house in Pacific Heights San Francisco has it's own secrets that add to the fun.  This mansion and grumpy ghost add a great element. Several trips through junk yards further contribute to the setting with a grungy tinge to great effect.

The story line kept my interest and had some humorous twists that made the pages fly by.  The killer reveal surprised me and provided some gulps.  Great stuff.  The wrap-up had a surprise that I didn't see coming.  

This sixth outing in the Haunted Home Renovation mystery series is a stellar addition and not to be missed.

Rating:  Near Perfect - Couldn't Put it down. Buy two copies, one for you and one for a friend. 

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Review - Ghostly Paws

Leighann Dobbs writes the Blackmoore Sisters romantic cozy mystery series, but this is the debut novel in her new mystery series.  This series adds a splash of paranormal whimsy to the storyline.  As I anticipated reading this book, I expected something along the lines of Heather Blake's Wishcraft mysteries.  

Author: Leighann Dobbs

Copyright: March 2014 (Self Published) 304 pgs

Series: 2st in Mystic Notch Cozy Mysteries

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Paranormal Cozy

Main Characters: Wilhelmina Chance, middle-aged ghost whisperer and bookstore owner

Setting: Modern day, Mystic Notch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire

Obtained Through: Personal purchase

Wilhelmina has returned to Mystic Notch after a bad divorce and a worse car accident that has resulted in her being able to see and communicate with ghosts.  She returns for the inheritance her grandmother left her, but gets a second chance as a bonus.  When she discovers the body of the town librarian, Lavinia, she finds herself enlisted by her ghost to unveil the killer who pushed Lavinia down the stairs. In addition, the cats in town seem to congregate and be far more aware than the people of the undercurrent of evil in town, particularly Willa's inherited cat Pandora.  A few chapters are from Pandora's perspective and it added to the story to understand how the cat's are part of the drama.

Wilhelmina, Willa for short, is a fun character with a little spunk and a .  Her best friend Pepper St. Onge mixes magical herbal teas which often back fire.  She is a good side kick to motivate Willa out of her set ways.  Sister Augusta, the sheriff, is the adult in the room.  The morning coffee club that meets at Willa's book store consists of Hattie, Cordelia, Josiah, and Bing who are each a little eccentric.  Elspeth is looking out for the homeless cats and working on a shelter. Lavinia's ghost is often late in communicating vital information.  A nice touch is the bookstore resident ghosts of Robert Frost and Franklin Pierce.  Sheriff Eddie Striker, from neighboring town of Dixford Pass, is the standard policeman romantic interest. I was hoping the romantic element would be more creative since the sister is the sheriff,  but no luck.

Mystic Notch, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, is a very typical small town. I liked how the  residents think"down south" is Massachusetts.  Otherwise the setting was just a backdrop for the story.  The plot was average for a paranormal cozy and was developed nicely.  The pacing was consistent with entertaining antics and investigating.  The killer reveal had a few moments of tension and is dramatically resolved.  The wrap-up leaves a few hints as to Willa's yet undiscovered powers.

While I found some elements to be unimaginative and predictable (bland small town, standard cop romantic interest), there were other elements that sparked interest - such as the town cats and their fight against evil combined with the ghost whisperer and potentially powerful Willa.  Overall it is a fun and entertaining book to kick off a new series.  If you enjoy Heather Blake's "Wishcraft Mysteries", you will enjoy this series.

Ratings: Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.

Review: Murder Has No Class

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Winner of the MAIDS OF MISFORTUNE book giveaway is Wendy.  If you haven't received an email from me please contact me with your mail address.  Thank you everyone for participating.

I have so many books to review from publishers, as well as the ones I have been wanting to read, that I am trying to read a second here and there.  So today we have a cozy mystery sent me by the publisher that was published this last January (see how behind I am?)

Author: Rebecca Kent

Copyright: January, 2010 (Berkley); 240 pgs.

Series: #3 (and the last) in Bellehaven House Mysteries

Sensuality: N/A

Mystery sub-genre: Edwardian Historical Cozy

Main Character: Meredith Llewellyn, headmistress of Finishing School for Young Ladies...who sees ghosts

Setting: England in 1905 in the midst of the Women's Rights movement

Obtained book through: Publisher, in exchange for an honest review

Lord James Stalham has claimed innocence in the murder of his father from the moment he was discovered standing over his father's dead body and even into death after being tried and hung for the murder. Now Stalham's ghost is haunting Meredith Llewellyn. The headmistress needs her sleep, so she sets out for the truth-and discovers a high-society scandal.

Meredith gets visits from ghosts who can't move on, usually because of a murder and justice hasn't been carried out. But Meredith isn't fond of seeing the ghosts nor helping out, in this case she does so to get rid of the pestering entity.

Angry swirls coiled around in a flurry of whirlpools until gradually, a figure began to form in the middle of it all.  Dark and black it rose, until Merdith could see it was a man. 

Her heart began to pounding and she clutched the eiderdown to her chin.  This was no friendly ghost, as the others had been.  This was a man convulsed with rage, with flashes of lightning shooting out in every direction and his fist raised in the air in violent protest.

As always she could hear no sound from the apparition, but she could feel the energy pulsing into the room, driven by the terrible fury of her unwelcome visitor.

The main plot is who killed Stalham if his son is innocent, secondary plots are the assistant Tom Platt who is too friendly with the girls and just might be related to the owner, Felicity and Essie who are Meredith's sidekicks, and two trouble-seeking maids Grace and Olivia who want to stage a suffrage demonstration in the town pub and they recruit the school girls to participate, and then there is the owner of Bellehaven, Stuart Hamilton, it become clear he likes Meredith as more than the competent headmistress.  When it is revealed that their is going to be a big dart tournament in the same bar and time as the demonstration the reader foresees the coming trainwreck and the question is how will everybody get out of the pending disaster.

Meredith came across a bit stiff and stilted to me and I had nothing to feel a commonality with her. She gets flustered very easily by the very presence of the owner which seemed improbable to me even accounting for the time period - afterall she has to manage an entire school of unruly teen girls not to mention the staff while teaching a class herself and she sees ghosts! I wanted to like her and I think I could have if there was something that struck a chord with me, but it wasn't there.

This is a light and easy read that doesn't get bogged down with too much sensibility. Meredith goes to Lord Stalham's house and claims to be an interested buyer in the house so she can get a tour and grill the servants on the events of the night Lord Stalham Sr. was murdered. For a book set so heavily amidst the women's rights movement I found it strange that it would be so easilly accepted that a woman was going to buy a major piece of real estate all by herself - I could be wrong, but a woman's lawyer would have been present and he would have dealt with most of the details and questions regarding the house. A woman never handled such matters without a man at that time. Then the improbable amounts of information that Meredith got from snooping as a buyer just seemed too easily won.

The mystery itself supplies a limited number of suspects and you try to figure which one actually had motive and time to kill the elder Lord Stalham before the son rushed into the library upon hearing the gun shot.  It is somewhat like a game of CLUE.  The killer isn't too difficult to detect.  This will appeal to those who just want something very light to read and not work hard at.

If you like light cozy mysteries set in England this might be a book for you.

If you are a fan you can go to the authors website and get a summary of the characters and how their lives turn out after the end of this book since it is the last in the series.

For your convenience, you may purchase your copy here.

A special added little something...this recipe is always a huge hit.  It is sooooo good and yet way too easy (since you will be tempted to whip up this rich decadent delight all the time.)

Rachel Ray's 5 Minute Fudge

* 1 bag semisweet chocolate morsels (12 ounces)

* 9 ounces butterscotch morsels (3/4 of a 12 ounce bag)

* 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1 can or package of walnut halves (8 ounces)

* Bundt cake pan lightly greased

Place a heavy pot on the stove and pre-heat it over low heat. Add chocolate and butterscotch morsels and milk and stir until morsels are melted and milk is combined. Stir in the vanilla and remove the fudge from heat. Add the nuts and stir in immediately.

Spoon fudge into already greased bundt cake pan. 

The fudge will start to set up almost immediately.

Chill covered in the refrigerator.

You can leave and serve from the Bundt pan or remove it to a platter for serving.

Slice the fudge very thin when ready to serve - a little goes a long way!

Book Review: Dead Girls Are Easy by Terri Garey

This is the last paranormal mystery for our Halloween book reviews and the book I listed for the "Fall-Winter Mystery Reading Challenge".  Dead Girls are Easy is the first in the Nicki Styx series.  I began with the first book in the series even though there are four in the series currently.  In this first installment I classify it more paranormal and much less mystery in the usual sense.  This is very close to urban fantasy lite and no real burning mystery with multiple suspects exists. 

Nicki Styx was unaware of a heart valve problem until she has a near death experience due to a heart atack.  Returning to her job and normal life she finds that the owner of the shop across the street from her vintage clothing store has been murder and her boyfriend arrested for the crime.  She sees the dead friend, Caprice, watching the police handle the crime scene.  Nicki is quickly being maliciously haunted and blackmailed by Caprice's spirit.  In trying to stop the malevant ghost Nicki finds herself hip deep in Jamaican Voodoo. 

There are some effectively scary scenes around the voodoo and its lore.  For those who don't like bed scenes with your mysteries, this maybe a little too steamy for you - although no graphic detail, the main action is all off page.  But there are many sexual references and body parts alluded to.  There are also many pop culture references such as music groups (which honestly - some I had never heard of.)  Perhaps the author is targeting a closely post teen audience rather than "mature" adults.   Sub plots consist of Nicki discovering she may possibly have a twin sister (Nicki was adopted), and a few sideline ghosts asking for her assistance, and her openly gay business partner Evan and his developing new relationship.

Nicki Styx is your classic bad girl who has had a wake-up call with her near death experience (NDE).  She is also the kind-hearted-underneath-it-all type inspite of her previous wildness.  Her NDE has definitely changed her more than just seeing spirits now.  As a main character, she grows on you.  Best supporting character goes to her business partner Evan.  Evan could very easily have been the stereotypical gay man cliche, but is better defined and just avoids the cliche status.  Evan is a dear-heart of a best friend for Nicki. 

The strong elements of this book are the romance and the paranormal, the mystery element is not a main story line in truth.  At the end you find out who really did kill Caprice, which was easy enough to figure out in the first few chapters because of Caprice's spirit giving it to the reader early on.  In any case, if you are looking for a good scary book for halloween - but not too scary with a heaping dose of steam, this is probably for you.

Obtained book through: Library


For your convenience, you may purchase a copy here.

Part of the Book Blog Carnival

See you next Monday for the next Musings post.  I wish you many mysterious moments!