P.J. Skinner's Blog, page 5

Deadly Return is Flying

My new cozy mystery series has really taken off. Deadly Return has been in the top 100 of Cozy Mystery Crafts and Hobbies books in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia (where it has been as high as #5). I have sold 500 copies and people have read a further 186 copies on Kindle Unlimited. It has 93 ratings in the UK at an average of 4.4 stars. The second book in the series, Eternal Forest, has had rave reviews from the Beta Readers, and is out on the 31st of August. I am now writing the third bo...

This Cake fell flat for me.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book could have been five stars so easily with a brave editor. The premise that a Caribbean family have all been hiding secrets from each other and they all come out with the death of the matriach is one I couldn't wait to read. I read widely, both by genre and origin of the author. I had great hopes for this book, but unfortunately I didn't like the main pair from the massive list of main characters, (Benny and Byron I'm looking at you). The repetition, name changing and unnecessary misery made me grind my teeth. And then I saw a twist coming with a ludicrous coincidence that happens at about two thirds through. I'm sorry, I hate that. Maybe it's just me, but when a book goes from so-so to FFS, I DNF. I'm giving it three stars because it has all the ingredients, but it's a black cake that fell flat for me.



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Get your copy of Fighting Green

Hi Folks, I hope you are all keeping warm in these Artic climes in the Northern Hemisphere. I’m staying indoors far too much, but then I am a bit of a whimp when it comes to cold weather. I’m also planning my new mystery series which I will send a seperate email about later. It will be called the Seacastle Mysteries and will be written under my PJ Skinner pen name (probably).
If it’s February, it must be book launch time! Fighting Green (under the pen name of Kate Foley), and set in Ireland,...

Intriguing and well written

Another Man's Treasure by S.W. Hubbard

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


An intriguing mystery set in the United States which follows a woman who organises the sale of people's effects from their estates after they die. Our Audrey works with Ty and Jill, both of whom are equally dodgy in their own way, Ty especially so, but she is loyal to him anyway. While clearing out a house belonging to an old woman, Audrey finds a ring that belongs to her long missing mother, who disappeared on Christmas eve when she was a little girl. How did the ring get into this house? What happened to her mother? A smattering of romance (not my favourite bit) and some light policing add to the mix. I enjoyed this book more than any of the other mysteries I read in January and I recommend it



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Soggy middle and random ending

Murder at Hawthorn Cottage by Betty Rowlands

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I've been reading popular cosy mysteries as research for a project I'm doing. The description of this book seemed to hit the spot with the writer moving to the countryside and getting mixed up in a murder. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a mess and couldn't decide if it was for tarts or vicars. The ending was enfuriating and random. (isn't this a no-no in mysteries). Three stars for the beginning but lost its way in the middle and got worse.



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Disappointing mystery

Murder On Sea by Jane A. Adams

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I have been researching the cosy mystery genre and this book seemed to fit the bill. I was excited by the blurb and reading about Rina Martin, and then the book was narrated mostly by a glum male police detective. The story was neither cosy, being full of violence, misery and broken characters, nor a mystery. More of a crime novel really. I didn't care much who did it. Not for me.



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WWII Epic about two sisters

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


An epic book about love and war and the choices we make which follows two sisters as they fight for survival through WWII in very different ways. I thought Isabelle much the better written character and sighed often at Vianne's thoughts and deeds as they didn't seem to add up. Their father was also a bit of a cipher and seemed to be an afterthought to get the story the author wanted. It sounds rather like I didn't enjoy the book, but I did. More in the second half when the pace picked up a bit. There were places in the story when I was completely gripped but others (no spoilers) where I felt that too many horrors (some I felt did not belong in the book) were included. A genuine emotional rollercoaster but somehow unsatisfying. A shorter version would have suited me as the story did not need the part I am referring to. Four stars, but veering between 3 and 5.



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Cozy Writing

Writing the Cozy Mystery by Nancy J. Cohen




Great self help book. Deals with setting up the mystery, chosing your characters, selecting your red herrings and real clues, elaborated sub plots and main plots for your cozy mystery. Clear simple instructions and very easy to follow. Does what it says on the tin.



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Excellent Writing Companion

Writing Fiction for Dummies by Randy Ingermanson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


As always with the Dummies series, this book is absolutely excellent. I have the Snowflake Pro software invented by Randy and I always use it to make a start on my novels. I find it the simplest and most intuitive way to get going. This book is an expansion of the method and many other things besides. It helps you chose your writing method from a spectrum starting at 'Seat-of-the-pants' or pantser all the way to excel outlines of excrutiating detail. I'm somewhere in the middle. Also sections on choosing your category, genre, outlining your characters, creating a multilayered plot. Just great.



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Essex Serpent?

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When a widow flees London, and the bad memories of her abusive husband, she finds herself in an Essex village where rumours of a strange serpent have disrupted the villagers' normally tranquil existence. Fancying herself as something of a naturalist she sets out on the trail of the serpent accompanied by the local clergyman and sceptic. A beautifully told tale that enraptured me for three quarters of the book, but the end was oddly disappointing, as if the author had changed her mind. I still loved the book but it took some of the joy out of it.



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