June Price's Blog, page 103

Poppy Harmon and the Backstabbing Bachelor (A Desert Flowers Mystery #4), by Lee Hollis

 

I felt the tense, uneasy feeling Poppy Harmon felt as her stalker began to track and stalk her by any means possible. Author Lee Hollis did an excellent job putting readers into her shoes as she began to look over her shoulders and wonder what each phone call or message would bring. Poppy's strength of character, however, shines forth as she is determined to go about her life on her own terms, not the stalker's. True, I also felt like she made a few unwise choices, like not getting out of town with her boyfriend when he almost begged her to go with him, but, hey, this is a cozy mystery. Putting the main character in danger is all part of the fun, right?

Although this is the fourth in the Desert Flowers Mystery series, I'd never ventured into Poppy's world despite reading several Hollis books. I liked Poppy and her friends and admired her willingness to do whatever was necessary to bring down the bad guy. Speaking of the bad guy, Hollis kept me guessing until the big reveal. I won't detail the plot as I'm sure it's detailed many times over elsewhere but found it interesting and timely. Readers beware, however, if you honestly believe reality shows are, well, real. You get a bit of a behind the scenes look at how they are scripted, er, developed. Poor Matt. As noted, Hollis created the atmosphere to make me keep flipping pages as the story moved along nicely. I'll definitely be making up for missing the earlier books of this series asap.

Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for introducing me to Poppy. I'm looking forward to seeing what her next challenging performance will be

Mining for Murder (A Happy Camper Mystery Book 3), by Mary Angela

"We don't learn from history by burying it."

On the surface, the plot sounds simple. A man is murdered and a valuable book is missing. Zo Jones is determined to find not just the murderer but the missing book. As she admits to herself, while the first objective is simply her desire for justice, the second is more selfish in nature. Zo is adopted and the historical book might help in her search for her birth mother. She finds a treasure map, seemingly cut from the missing book, a gold nugget, and later faces down a mountain lion.

What secrets are being hidden? What role does family play? Who killed Maynard Cline? Why? Why had he been so determined to buy the book at auction? Why did so many others desire the book? What does the name Merrigan found on a note card at the murder sign signify? Can Zo learn to genuinely trust anyone? Maybe more importantly, should she? Will Max ever manage to cook a romantic meal for Zo without burning it? How accurate are Jules' psychic powers? Will Jules regret allowing Duncan to move into the carriage house of her new home? Finally, what stunning news will Zo receive at the end of the book? No, not telling.. As someone who has worked off-and-on on my own family tree, I found the combination of Zo's quest to find answers to her blank family tree and her efforts to find a killer a fascinating read. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and am already looking forward to the next.

Thank you #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for inviting me to visit Spirit Canyon and spend some more time with Zo and her friends, not to mention Max's dog Scout and Zo's cat George.

Citizen K-9, by David Rosenfelt

I am a huge fan of David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series and, as such, came into this audio book with certain expectations. I initially found the going slow, rare for me with Rosenfelt. Corey Douglas is no Andy Carpenter but he has his own style and sense of humor, however. It's more subtle perhaps than Andy Carpenter readers are accustomed to but as the story went along and I began to fall into the rhythm, it emerged more fully. Corey is also dedicated to not just his dog, retired canine officer Simon Garfunkel, but his lady and when a subtle threat to her is sent, he becomes even more focused, if that is possible. Oh, still cool and collected but laser focused on eliminating the threat to her, even if it rests on shaky legal grounds or costs him his life.

Let's just say, just like Andy, Corey has a talent for putting himself in dangerous spots. Of course, Laurie and Marcus have his back. Ex-police officer Laurie, as Andy's wife, can also call on his lawyer know-how as needed, even if Andy quips constantly where he should be sending his bill. As always, Marcus is a force onto himself and, heads up, we learn something new about Marcus in this episode. Shhh, don't tell Andy.

The plot is based on the K-Team being hired to investigate a cold crime of pretty much their own choosing. It's almost a no-brainer that they would opt for the one regarding the death of a high school classmate after a reunion that Laurie and Corey both attended. As Corey and the team follow the clues with an assist from Andy and his accountant, computer hacker wiz Sam, it becomes increasingly obvious that there is someone out there who doesn't want this crime to be solved. Who are they annoying? Well, besides the mob? What do drugs and gambling have to do with it? Could the male victim's job be related? Where are the vicitms?

Bottom line, if you come into "Citizen K-9" with an open mind and allow the rhythm to cast its spell, you're likely to enjoy it tremendously. And, oh, did I mention, that Andy's dogs make an appearance? I may have had no clue who did it until the big reveal but, quite frankly, didn't care. I just sit back, turned on the audio and let narrator Fred Berman lure me onto the roller coaster that, as always, is a David Rosenfelt book.

Thank you #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for inviting me to drop in on the doings in Patterson and hang out with the K-Team and visit Andy's dogs again. Kudos for Rosenfelt's continued involvement in the real life Tara Foundation, btw.