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Z & C Mysteries #3
Hexes and X's
An invitation to a dead pirate’s two-hundred-year-old mansion. A decrepit finger bone tied to a map of hidden passages, supposedly leading to bloody pearls. A legal fight over who owns the estate, and its hidden treasure—the tenacious town council, the mischievous Matilda Dread, or the kooky Coven House Witches? And booby-traps galore. Zoey and Claire are in for a wild ride.
171 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2013
80 people are currently reading
896 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
October 30, 2013
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this series!
It continues to be fun and entertaining!
This book has pirates, legends, treasure maps, booby traps (hexes), hidden passages, kooky witches, mystery, murder, and hopefully a treasure chest full of pearls.
It also has a mother and daughter team, old friends, new friends, enemies, romance and ex (X)- boyfriends.
Fun, fun story line!
Zoey's old college friend has invited Zoey and Claire to come solve the mystery of the hidden treasure and to find out if the pirate tales from her family are really true.
Going only by a map with multiple X's on it Zoey and Claire must endure the town council, the mischievous villain who wants the old house and treasure to herself, the ex-boyfriend who shows up on the scene, and a storm that will keep all the players together in the old mansion.
Luckily they have a "handsome deputy, Riley Jones, and an endearing redneck named Slobber to help them along the way."
SO. SO. SO. GOOD!
A little laughter.
A little mystery.
A little suspense.
A little romance.
A whole lot of FUN, FUN READING!
It continues to be fun and entertaining!
This book has pirates, legends, treasure maps, booby traps (hexes), hidden passages, kooky witches, mystery, murder, and hopefully a treasure chest full of pearls.
It also has a mother and daughter team, old friends, new friends, enemies, romance and ex (X)- boyfriends.
Fun, fun story line!
Zoey's old college friend has invited Zoey and Claire to come solve the mystery of the hidden treasure and to find out if the pirate tales from her family are really true.
Going only by a map with multiple X's on it Zoey and Claire must endure the town council, the mischievous villain who wants the old house and treasure to herself, the ex-boyfriend who shows up on the scene, and a storm that will keep all the players together in the old mansion.
Luckily they have a "handsome deputy, Riley Jones, and an endearing redneck named Slobber to help them along the way."
SO. SO. SO. GOOD!
A little laughter.
A little mystery.
A little suspense.
A little romance.
A whole lot of FUN, FUN READING!
March 5, 2014
I like the idea of these Zoey and Claire mysteries, and the plots could be good stories, but the writing just isn't up to speed. The really bad grammar and sometimes hard to follow wording really detracts from the story. I had a really hard time picturing in my head what the puzzle rooms looked like and how they managed to get through them the way they did. I've read two of them (1st and 3rd) because they were free on my Nook, but am not willing to pay the $3.99 to read the second book. Okay to read if you can get them free, but don't spend to read these!
May 12, 2014
Zoey Kane and her daughter Claire have been invited to a mansion by Matilda Dread to help her find a buried treasure in the house. The mansion once belonged to Matilda’s deceased grandfather, a pirate who possessed a large quantity of stolen pearls and jewels. A lot of people want to get their hands on the treasure and will stop at nothing to do so.
It’s a fun premise for a cozy mystery, isn’t it? You’ve got a terrific setting with a houseful of people on a stormy night, a coven of witches (none of them actually knows witchcraft) and a killer on the loose. Unfortunately, the writing doesn’t measure up to the plot. The dialogue is awkward, the characters two dimensional, and the plot twists don’t make sense. The deputy trapped in the house with the group isn’t smart enough to confiscate or even search for weapons after the first murder, so guns are appearing out of nowhere. Nor can the deputy apparently tell when a man is really dead. The transitions jump from event to event with no build up, no sense of suspense, and too little logic, which is a shame. I wanted to like the book but it needs much more work to properly flesh out the characters and fix those logic problems.
It’s a fun premise for a cozy mystery, isn’t it? You’ve got a terrific setting with a houseful of people on a stormy night, a coven of witches (none of them actually knows witchcraft) and a killer on the loose. Unfortunately, the writing doesn’t measure up to the plot. The dialogue is awkward, the characters two dimensional, and the plot twists don’t make sense. The deputy trapped in the house with the group isn’t smart enough to confiscate or even search for weapons after the first murder, so guns are appearing out of nowhere. Nor can the deputy apparently tell when a man is really dead. The transitions jump from event to event with no build up, no sense of suspense, and too little logic, which is a shame. I wanted to like the book but it needs much more work to properly flesh out the characters and fix those logic problems.
September 1, 2014
I couldn't read it. Thank goodness I got it for free. The dialogue was so stilted, and the humor was contrived. It was written as though everyone had read the previous book(s) -- or novella, to be exact. I simply couldn't continue the attempt. A waste of my time. I sent it to the trash heap.
February 11, 2018
A freebie from BookBub, third in the author’s cozy-mystery series featuring mother-and-daughter sleuths Zoey (Zo) and Claire Kane, from a small town called Riverside. Zoey is a realtor and Claire was once a managing editor for a magazine, now fired, whose husband Jack left her after she got fired, for another, younger woman. (this edition includes the first three chapters of the first book in the series, in which much of this background is delineated).
This story has a couple of sort of double meanings in its title, for the X’s also refer to a couple of “exes” of two of the characters, one of whom is Zoey’s ex, Jack. The other is explained below. The book starts with an invitation from Zoey’s old college friend, Matilda Dread, who lives in a nearby town of Grovelsey in a mansion, known as “Coven House.” occupied by a group of women known in the community as “witches.” These are mostly holistic healers from several such professions. There is, however, another group of women whose intent is more malicious (“bad” witches). The group is led by Cynthia (for whom Matilda’s ex-husband John left Matilda) and Patricia Bule. The property is in dispute because the City Council claims it belongs to the City as it has historical importance, so a hearing on the subject is being held at the mansion.
Matilda’s reason for contacting Zoey is that Matilda has come across a sketch (and perhaps treasure map) of the mansion with a number of X’s throughout it, supposedly drawn by Matilda’s grandfather, a reputed notorious pirate named Captain Zachariah Dread, who had had the mansion built in the early 1800’s. The sketch is rolled up and tied with a string, fastened by a finger bone. Matilda has a sort of “skeleton key,” if you will, with both a standard end and a smaller, more pointed, end, which allow access into several of the places on the sketch marked by X’s. Turns out the X’s are also booby traps (a meaning of the “hexes,” as well as the implications of the supposed occult abilities of the “witches”).
The book has a number of quirky minor characters, the quirkiest of whom is the owner of the gas station across the street nicknamed “Slobber,” who actually turns out to be heroic, and, ironically, a potential romantic partner for Zoey. Also of note is Sheriff’s Deputy Riley “Too Tall” Jones, who has his eyes on Claire. Another minor “character” is a dressmaker’s dummy named Millicent (comic relief all around).
The story line, like the usual cozy mysteries, has a number of murders, characters who aren’t who they appear to be, abundant red herrings and more than a couple surprises in addition. To say more would be to give too much away. I enjoyed this little tale and would recommend it. Gonna get to some of the other “Claire and Zoey” works sometime in the vague offing.
This story has a couple of sort of double meanings in its title, for the X’s also refer to a couple of “exes” of two of the characters, one of whom is Zoey’s ex, Jack. The other is explained below. The book starts with an invitation from Zoey’s old college friend, Matilda Dread, who lives in a nearby town of Grovelsey in a mansion, known as “Coven House.” occupied by a group of women known in the community as “witches.” These are mostly holistic healers from several such professions. There is, however, another group of women whose intent is more malicious (“bad” witches). The group is led by Cynthia (for whom Matilda’s ex-husband John left Matilda) and Patricia Bule. The property is in dispute because the City Council claims it belongs to the City as it has historical importance, so a hearing on the subject is being held at the mansion.
Matilda’s reason for contacting Zoey is that Matilda has come across a sketch (and perhaps treasure map) of the mansion with a number of X’s throughout it, supposedly drawn by Matilda’s grandfather, a reputed notorious pirate named Captain Zachariah Dread, who had had the mansion built in the early 1800’s. The sketch is rolled up and tied with a string, fastened by a finger bone. Matilda has a sort of “skeleton key,” if you will, with both a standard end and a smaller, more pointed, end, which allow access into several of the places on the sketch marked by X’s. Turns out the X’s are also booby traps (a meaning of the “hexes,” as well as the implications of the supposed occult abilities of the “witches”).
The book has a number of quirky minor characters, the quirkiest of whom is the owner of the gas station across the street nicknamed “Slobber,” who actually turns out to be heroic, and, ironically, a potential romantic partner for Zoey. Also of note is Sheriff’s Deputy Riley “Too Tall” Jones, who has his eyes on Claire. Another minor “character” is a dressmaker’s dummy named Millicent (comic relief all around).
The story line, like the usual cozy mysteries, has a number of murders, characters who aren’t who they appear to be, abundant red herrings and more than a couple surprises in addition. To say more would be to give too much away. I enjoyed this little tale and would recommend it. Gonna get to some of the other “Claire and Zoey” works sometime in the vague offing.
November 14, 2020
I couldn't tell if some of the silly things in the book were supposed to be jokes or just mistakes.
I'm pretty sure the grammar errors were not jokes. For a comedy, if it was a comedy, there was a lot of dead people. In one case, somebody is assumed to be dead and nobody checked to see if they were.
Here are two examples of silly things that took me out of the book. I'll mark them as spoilers but I don't know that they are. In the sense of giving away the solution, or revealing a surprise, I don't think they are spoilers but they do tell you about events that happened in the book.
Spoiler one, about civil engineering.
Spoiler two, this involves fire department equipment
On the whole. I didn't like this book and don't recommend it.
I'm pretty sure the grammar errors were not jokes. For a comedy, if it was a comedy, there was a lot of dead people. In one case, somebody is assumed to be dead and nobody checked to see if they were.
Here are two examples of silly things that took me out of the book. I'll mark them as spoilers but I don't know that they are. In the sense of giving away the solution, or revealing a surprise, I don't think they are spoilers but they do tell you about events that happened in the book.
Spoiler one, about civil engineering.
Spoiler two, this involves fire department equipment
On the whole. I didn't like this book and don't recommend it.
May 23, 2022
Zoey and her daughter Claire are witches and there is treasure hunting, murder most foul and a mystery to be solved. They travel to the coven house of the witches coven that they have a relationship with in order to help solve the mystery of this treasure. The problem is the Pirate that hid the treasure has booby-trapped the coven house where it is hidden and there are living beings that are willing to kill to get to it first. The premise is a good one but there are 7 or more dead and a host of really odd characters and booby traps that keep killing off those as well. A bit too much murder and mayhem for me not too mention really nasty booby traps. Not a book for the faint of heart but it does have a few strange romances going on as well so--never a dull moment!
January 8, 2018
Another adveture for Zoey and Claire
I fell in love with this series after getting a book free from amazon. This book was really a lot of fun. Claire and Zoey are off to solve another mystery, this time for Matilda from the last book. Of course readers have gotten to know the mother and daghter team over the previous books but the new characters are beautifully described and lively. This treasure hunt seemed to be full of humor, not to mention a pace so quick I am afraid to put it down. The story is a little more fantasy than previous books but I really enjoyed it.
I fell in love with this series after getting a book free from amazon. This book was really a lot of fun. Claire and Zoey are off to solve another mystery, this time for Matilda from the last book. Of course readers have gotten to know the mother and daghter team over the previous books but the new characters are beautifully described and lively. This treasure hunt seemed to be full of humor, not to mention a pace so quick I am afraid to put it down. The story is a little more fantasy than previous books but I really enjoyed it.
January 1, 2018
This was a very fast paced mystery with lots of action. The murderer was quite a surprise and I enjoyed the treasure hunt that Zoey and Claire embarked upon on behalf of their friend Matilda (who was not all she appeared to be either). some of the characters were quirky and I chuckled at the mannequin that they named Millicent and the situations where Zoey & Claire would find the mannequin.
I haven't read the first two books but think that it is ok to read this book on its own.
I haven't read the first two books but think that it is ok to read this book on its own.
November 23, 2019
Idiotic and unbelievable
I really tried to make myself finish this book but I quit at chapter 18 because I was no longer capable of forcing myself to believe the idiocy. The premise lacks logic and becomes increasingly implausible. The writing is not very good. And not enough character to care about anyone.
I really tried to make myself finish this book but I quit at chapter 18 because I was no longer capable of forcing myself to believe the idiocy. The premise lacks logic and becomes increasingly implausible. The writing is not very good. And not enough character to care about anyone.
December 3, 2018
Fun read
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Once I started reading it I only stopped for a bowl of soup and a cup of hot chocolate. For pitstops I took my Kindle with me. This really was a fun read.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Once I started reading it I only stopped for a bowl of soup and a cup of hot chocolate. For pitstops I took my Kindle with me. This really was a fun read.
April 21, 2020
I like the idea of a mother/daughter duo solving mysteries, but the writing didn’t do it justice. Bland characters, bad grammar, and illogical events were so distracting that I admit I skimmed a lot of the ebook. Run-on sentences, poor dialog, and poor editing was very unfortunate.
June 11, 2021
Totally Enjoyable
Enjoyed the bantering of Zo and Claire. This is the only book I've read of these mysteries. Intriguing plus attraction between Riley and So.
Enjoyed the bantering of Zo and Claire. This is the only book I've read of these mysteries. Intriguing plus attraction between Riley and So.
September 21, 2024
Treasure
What a wonderful tale. The way the plot twists were placed, it kept me wanting to keep reading until I finished the story.
What a wonderful tale. The way the plot twists were placed, it kept me wanting to keep reading until I finished the story.
April 8, 2014
Hexes and X’s is kooky, funny, and entertaining. A light quick read, great for the beach or poolside reading.
The detectives are a mother and daughter pair, Zo and Claire respectively. The one who requested their assistance is a self proclaimed witch named Matilda, with whom Zo attended college. The reason for the required assistance is Grandpa was an eccentric who filled a house with booby traps so no one would find his treasure.
The hunt begins with a ‘sketch,’ includes rumors of pirates and a dead housekeeper, threats of witchcraft by The Coven who meets at the house and a cast of town-folk who kept me in stitches.
The puzzle of the house would have read better if there had been a diagram in the beginning. Or the sketch used as a map had been shown. I was a bit lost as to where they were and how they got there – especially ‘Poop Falls.’ lol
This is the 3rd book of a series but since I found it free for Kindle on Amazon I thought I would give it a try. I don’t know that I would pay for the others but may put them on a list of books I look for at book sales.
The detectives are a mother and daughter pair, Zo and Claire respectively. The one who requested their assistance is a self proclaimed witch named Matilda, with whom Zo attended college. The reason for the required assistance is Grandpa was an eccentric who filled a house with booby traps so no one would find his treasure.
The hunt begins with a ‘sketch,’ includes rumors of pirates and a dead housekeeper, threats of witchcraft by The Coven who meets at the house and a cast of town-folk who kept me in stitches.
The puzzle of the house would have read better if there had been a diagram in the beginning. Or the sketch used as a map had been shown. I was a bit lost as to where they were and how they got there – especially ‘Poop Falls.’ lol
This is the 3rd book of a series but since I found it free for Kindle on Amazon I thought I would give it a try. I don’t know that I would pay for the others but may put them on a list of books I look for at book sales.
September 4, 2014
I did not end up finishing this book. Hexes and X's was a free ebook on Amazon one day ( I think it's still free if you're interested in giving it a try). It was very campy; if you want a humorous book that doesn't make much sense and has a sort of amateur detective aspect, this is the book for you.
People go missing, get sick, are murdered, etc. and everyone else seems to shrug it off and go looking for treasure. It's meant to be silly, I get that, but I was hoping for more of a typical mystery with some humor thrown in. The plot seems to have gaps in it and there are parts that clearly need more description to make sense - the secret rooms are very confusingly and briefly described. There were two many distractions to get through it all.
The two main characters in this series, Zoey and Claire, are too busy drooling over the attractive detective to concentrate on the fact the gas station blows up and they receive minor injuries.
People go missing, get sick, are murdered, etc. and everyone else seems to shrug it off and go looking for treasure. It's meant to be silly, I get that, but I was hoping for more of a typical mystery with some humor thrown in. The plot seems to have gaps in it and there are parts that clearly need more description to make sense - the secret rooms are very confusingly and briefly described. There were two many distractions to get through it all.
The two main characters in this series, Zoey and Claire, are too busy drooling over the attractive detective to concentrate on the fact the gas station blows up and they receive minor injuries.
September 8, 2014
Wierd. Just couldn't get into the story.
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
November 5, 2015
This book is problematic. Due to a lack of contractions, the dialogue is very stilted. People don't say "I am here" or "you are going" in casual conversation. They just don't. Then there is the setting. Every small-town cliche is pulled out in this book, including the toothless guy with the colorful name. The story itself reads like a little kid relating an incident at school. This happened, then this happened, then this happened. You can't visualize the settings at all. The puzzle rooms could have been really interesting without being gross and disgusting. There are constant attempts at weak humor. In spite of all this, it is very readable, hence the three stars. Good read when you're looking for something light.
June 20, 2014
This is the first of the Zoey and Claire Mysteries I've read,(It's book #3) but I enjoyed it very much. Light reading, fun and enjoyable.
Zoey and her daughter Claire unravel the mystery of the Coven House, for the Coven House Witches and the City Council.
Bodies pile up, some old and some new. Claire and her mother find old friends and new ones and they find lots of treasure, even though they have to go thru lots of booby-traps to get to it.
They even find a long dead pirate, lots of spiders and lots of snakes (one which is a two legged snake, Claire's ex).
Zoey and her daughter Claire unravel the mystery of the Coven House, for the Coven House Witches and the City Council.
Bodies pile up, some old and some new. Claire and her mother find old friends and new ones and they find lots of treasure, even though they have to go thru lots of booby-traps to get to it.
They even find a long dead pirate, lots of spiders and lots of snakes (one which is a two legged snake, Claire's ex).
January 28, 2016
Stupidest book I ever read! Reads like a young person wrote it with an immature style of writing. Author’s way of describing settings and situations in her murder mystery were so lacking that it was hard to even visualize the scene. Her details were inconsistent and I found several places in the book where she contradicts herself. The whole thing was unbelievable. Thank goodness it was a short book and I could get through it just to say “I’m not a quitter!” I will not bother with the rest of the series.
April 17, 2014
This was my first Z&C Mysteries book. It's a very light and quick read. I have to admit that this will also be my last Z&C Mysteries book as it felt like I was reading the storyline for a Scooby Doo cartoon. Really. I was expecting to read the words "These meddling kids and their dog" or "Zoinks! Zaney!" and rather surprised that I didn't. The book is that campy. But hey gang, the mystery is solved and I'm about to go fix myself a snack!
June 4, 2014
Silly read. This is the first I've read in this series (it's #3) about Zoey and her daughter Claire, owners of a hotel and apparently amateur sleuths.
They're invited to Coven House to solve the mystery of where an ancestor hid a treasure. The story was pretty ridiculous in many ways.
Three stars because the author got two grins out of me in the first chapter, but that reaction was short-lived.
*Very* light read; not sure if i'll buy any more in the series.
They're invited to Coven House to solve the mystery of where an ancestor hid a treasure. The story was pretty ridiculous in many ways.
Three stars because the author got two grins out of me in the first chapter, but that reaction was short-lived.
*Very* light read; not sure if i'll buy any more in the series.
September 11, 2014
The book was pretty much horrible. I certainly wasn't expecting high literature but i though this might be a fun whodunit and it was poorly written, poorly paced, and downright stupid in places (ouch - sorry but really a guy drops dead in the kitchen and they just move him???? smh). While they was some witty repartee between the mother and daughter, it seemed like the whole book was just geared to riffing one liners. Sorry, won't read another one.
March 25, 2016
Zoey & Claire Kane Mysteries, Book 3, NB-M @ 2013, 7/20/14. A silly mystery, not very well written, of a mother/daughter team of amateur detectives fumbling their way around mysteries, in this case an old masion previously owned by a pirate who left a large treasure chest hidden behind booby trapped rooms and a cast of greedy characters. Did not like, although the sheriff's name was Too-Tall "Riley Jones"...my grand-dog's name!
February 24, 2014
This is a very funny and cute mystery series . Claire and zoe are getting into one mess after another. This was a great mystery with a lot of twists and turns. When you think you know who the bad guy is something happens to Change your mind. If your looking for a fun mystery this is a good book for you yo read .
April 1, 2014
This lighthearted mystery features a mother and daughter team of sleuths, as well as a bevy of colorful supporting characters and a locale redolent with atmosphere. I enjoyed the witty dialogue and a plot that involved witchcraft and lost treasure. It's the third story in the series, but the first one I've read; I think I will enjoy reading further installments in the future.
October 6, 2014
This book was ok. I feel sometimes that the story is good but you hit someone's name and it slows down the reading. People's names in this book is about the only thing I didn't like. The story flowed well and they characters are taken on a journey to find a treasure that has caused a murder. However when one of the main characters contemplates marrying a man named SLOBBER it was a little rough.
July 31, 2014
Mom and daughter are up to their necks in murder, mystery, and mayhem. This is a very cute story, with lots of twists and turns. It can be read as a standalone, but they do make mention of escapades from earlier books. I think anyone who wants a little light mystery with no sex, will enjoy this book.
October 7, 2014
I felt this was very weak, and got annoyed by the way the author kept switching between contractions and 'proper' English, and then had the characters using slang, often just a couple of lines later. Either keep the full words - did not, rather than didn't, will not rather than won't - or use contractions. Anything else smacks of bad proof-reading and editing.
January 5, 2015
A simplistic feel-good mystery about some hidden treasure in a house. The amount of space required for all the booby traps and treasure hiding is kind of ridiculous - you'd think someone would have notice the house is tinier on the inside than it appears for the decades the treasure was hidden. No depth to any characters, however it was a quick light read.
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