Nancy's Low-Octane Mystery List

[Nancy H]

I just finished my first book for this challenge: Susan Wittig Albert's The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree

[[deleted user]]

Hi there Nancy. Glad you've jumped right in. What's next on the agenda for the myster B?

Jane's also doing the ABC on mystery, it'll be interesting to see how similar, or different, your lists turn out to be.

[Nancy H]

Helen wrote: "Hi there Nancy. Glad you've jumped right in. What's next on the agenda for the myster B?

Jane's also doing the ABC on mystery, it'll be interesting to see how similar, or different, your lists tur..."

My next one is called Drop Dead Chocolate by Jessica Beck - it is a very good mystery series set in a donut shop - although it always makes me want to eat a lot of donuts, though!

[[deleted user]]

That sounds interesting - and dangerous at the same time. Good luck >:-)

[Janice, Moderator]

I love the title of your A book and will have to go take a look at it. I see that you have underlined the book, but it would be great it you would link the book. Click on "add book/author" at the top of the dialog box which takes you to a search screen. When you add the book, the link looks like The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree.

I'm glad you've decided to join us in the challenge. :)

[Nancy H]

Janice wrote: "I love the title of your A book and will have to go take a look at it. I see that you have underlined the book, but it would be great it you would link the book. Click on "add book/author" at the..."

Thanks, Janice. I will do that - add the links. I wasn't even thinking about doing that, but it is nice to have the link there. I will do that from now on.

[Janice, Moderator]

Thanks, Nancy. We like links! It makes it so easy to look at the books and add them to our TBR's or wishlists. :)

[Nancy H]

This morning I finished Drop Dead Chocolate by Jessica Beck. It is a good series set in a donut shop.

I think my next one is going to be Roast Mortem by Cleo Coyle.

[Nancy H]

I just finished Roast Mortem by Cleo Coyle. It was another good mystery in her Coffeehouse Mystery series.

On to a "D" author, but I haven't decided which one yet.

[Marnie]

I like that all of your books so far have foods in the title...food and books- two of my favorite things!

[Cherie]

Are you doing it intentionally, Nancy?

[Nancy H]

With food? Not necessarily, but a friend and I share a love for food-related mysteries, and we trade a lot, so I literally have shelves FULL of foodie mysteries. That makes it easy to pick ones alphabetically - although I have also been doing the next in various series, so the foodie thing probably won't continue for long. It is fun, though. I will have to see how long I can make it last....

[Nancy H]

Just finished D - it was The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis - so I guess I can count either the author's last name or the 'Diva' in the title for my D. This is a series that is new to me, although I have had it sitting on my TBR shelf for a while, thanks to my friend giving the books to me. I thought that this book was a promising start for the series.

Next up: Eggs Benedict Arnold for my 'E'. I've already started it, and it is quite good also. I am also reading The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore, and although it is quite good and fits the 'author's first name' starting with E, it is not necessarily a mystery, so I am not counting it for this challenge. I can recommend it as a good read, though.

[Nancy H]

My 'E' is finished with Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs. It was an okay read, but I much prefer her Tea Shop Mystery series set in Savannah.
So far here are my alphabetical mysteries:

[Cherie]

Love the titles and glad you can have fun with the food/mystery theme. :)

[Nancy H]

Red Velvet Cupcake Murder My "F" entry by Joanne Fluke. I devoured this mystery in less than a day, and didn't want the book to end. I really enjoy this series. To delve into one of these books is like diving into warm chocolate and being enrobed in it. Reading each book is just like being surrounded by a warm, comfy blanket, and at the end of the book, you just don't want to give it up and go back out into the cold, cruel world! Joanne Fluke is just not writing them fast enough for me. The mystery and the recipes are great in each one, although I always get hungry when I am reading - wonder why? This is a great series for foodie mystery fans.

So far here are my alphabetical mysteries:

[Nancy H]

My 'G' book is by Martha Grimes: The Old Wine Shades I picked it up, feeling like I was revisiting an old friend, since I loved all of her previous 'pub' mysteries. This one did not live up to my expectations, however. (view spoiler)[ The plot was interesting for a while,but I absolutely hated the ending - I hate it when the murderer does not get caught. I'm sure that the reader was to infer that Jury eventually cracks the case, but I don't like it when the reader, the characters, and the plot are all left dangling. (Part of my librarian's desire to put everything neatly in its place, I suppose.) (hide spoiler)]

So far here are my alphabetical mysteries:

[Nancy H]

I just finished two more really good mysteries for my "H" and "I" entries: The Sour Cherry Surprise by David Handler, and If Fried Chicken Could Fly by Paige Shelton. Both are great mysteries with good characters and good settings.


So far here are my alphabetical mysteries:

[Nancy H]

My "J" entry is Some Like It Hot-Buttered by Jeffrey Cohen. It is a good mystery involving a movie theater in which the victim dies from poisoned popcorn.


So far here are my alphabetical mysteries:

[Nancy H]

My "K" entry is The Clue is in the Pudding by Kate Kingsbury, a good British mystery set just after the turn of the twentieth century in a country hotel called the Pennyfoot Hotel.

So far here are my alphabetical mysteries:

[Cherie]

I just love the titles! It make me grin just checking your thread to see your new one everytime I see "new" in red. Thanks for making my day!
(Yes, my daughter says I am easily entertained.)

[Nancy H]

Cherie wrote: "I just love the titles! It make me grin just checking your thread to see your new one everytime I see "new" in red. Thanks for making my day!
(Yes, my daughter says I am easily entertained.)"

Thanks, Cherie. I'm glad you are enjoying them. So am I - it is fun to pick each one as I read. So far I have had no trouble finding them among my voluminous TBR shelves,and I am grateful to my friend who shares her foodie mysteries with me when she is done with them. It will be interesting to see what I can find when I get to some of the 'harder' letters!

[Neenee]

I like the way you lined up all your books like that. so colourful. I'm going to do the same. this copycat couldn't help herself. meoww! hope you don't mind, Nancy.

[Nancy H]

Neenee wrote: "I like the way you lined up all your books like that. so colourful. I'm going to do the same. this copycat couldn't help herself. meoww! hope you don't mind, Nancy."

Not at all---I am also a copycat because I got the idea from some others in another group - lol. I really liked how their posts looked and thought maybe I could dress mine up the same way!

[Nancy H]

Liz Lipperman is my entry for L with her very good book Beef Stolen-Off. It is a mystery set in Texas cattle-ranching country, involves cattle-rustling and poisonings and is quite good. It is the second in a series, so I will be going back to read the previous one since I enjoyed this one.


So far here are my alphabetical mysteries:

[jaxnsmom]

I've only read a few of those, but a few more aremaking their way to my tbr :)

[Janice, Moderator]

I love the theme!

[Cherie]

I LOVE the title of the L book! Mysteries are not really my go to Nancy, but you are makin' me want to just to savor the terrific titles.
Do you think it would be un-cool to buy the books just to display them? :D

[Nancy H]

Cherie wrote: "I LOVE the title of the L book! Mysteries are not really my go to Nancy, but you are makin' me want to just to savor the terrific titles.
Do you think it would be un-cool to buy the books just to..."

I know - I love these titles, too! I, however, am a mystery lover, so I love the mysteries, also. So far, all of these have been very good.

I think the only problem with buying them and displaying them is that, if you are like me, they would just make me want to eat something, especially with the delectable covers on most of them - lol!!!

[Cherie]

Maybe you have saved me from myself then, Nancy!!!

[Nancy H]

Here is another one - a great cover and a great mystery that takes place in a cupcake bakery, involves chocolate ganache (which I LOVE!!!), and it just so happens that the author's last name starts with M: Going, Going, Ganache by Jenn McKinlay.


So far here are my alphabetical mysteries:

[Nancy H]

Cherie,
You may just want to do that display thing - these covers are scrumptious, especialy M - oh, and B...and F...and K...and.....you get the idea! Just FYI, no cupcakes were eaten during the reading of this last book!

[Cherie]

ROFL!!!!!

[Janice, Moderator]

I would think it necessary to eat some cupcakes while reading that last book. Just the title makes me want to head off to the store. Maybe it's just as well there are no cupcakes in my house.

[jaxnsmom]

I just want to make a grocery list based on the covers of the books! Hmmm...fried chicken, beef, and a lot of dessert :)

[Nancy H]

I am so glad you are enjoying these titles -- I am certainly enjoying reading them!!

[Nancy H]

For my 'N' entry, I read Gluten for Punishment by Nancy Parra, a good mystery set in a bakery for gluten-free items. Fortunately, I don't have the problem of needing these items, but they sounded so good in this book that I wanted to eat them anyway.

So far here are my alphabetical mysteries:

[Janice, Moderator]

You appear to be having so much fun with the titles, and we are reaping the benefits.

[Nancy H]

Just finished my O entry - One Foot In The Gravy by Delia Rosen. It was okay but not quite as good as I was expecting. Still, it had a good cover.

So far here are my alphabetical mysteries:

[Cherie]

Too bad it did not have as good a story as the others, for you, Nancy. The title still makes me laugh, and yes the cover is right up there.

[Nancy H]

I just finished two books for the P entry, by Andrea Penrose, but the one I am listing with the covers has a bit more intriguing title. The first in the series is Sweet Revenge and the second, with the more interesting title is The Cocoa Conspiracy. Both were excellent reads and I am eager to read the next one.

So far here are my alphabetical mysteries:

[jaxnsmom]

I've only read the first two, but I really like Andrea Penrose. Good choice! :)

[Nancy H]

jaxnsmom wrote: "I've only read the first two, but I really like Andrea Penrose. Good choice! :)"

Thanks. I was really impressed with them, too. They remind me a lot of the Lady Julia Grey books by Deanna Raybourn, which I also like very much.

[Nancy H]

I had to wait a while for this book to come through ILL at the library, but I finally got it and it was a good one! For my Q: A Quiche Before Dying by Jill Churchill. I had forgotten how good the Jane Jeffry mysteries were because I read several of them a long time ago. Still good!


So far here are my alphabetical mysteries:

[Janice, Moderator]

I just bought Three to Get Lei'd which is book 3 in the Tikki Goddess series. The first two books, Mai Tai One On and Two to Mango might fit in with your themed alphabet.

[Nancy H]

Janice wrote: "I just bought Three to Get Lei'd which is book 3 in the Tikki Goddess series. The first two books, Mai Tai One On and Two to Mango might fit in with your themed alphabet."

Those sound good, Janice. I really liked the first one, so that is a good suggestion to get the next two. Thanks for the idea!

[Cherie]

Nancy H wrote: "I had to wait a while for this book to come through ILL at the library, but I finally got it and it was a good one! For my Q: A Quiche Before Dying by Jill Churchill. I had forgotten how good the J..."

Love it, Nancy! I added this one to my list. I am reading my Q book now.

[Nancy H]

Finally finished my 'R' book which has been on my shelf for a while: by Sara Rosett.

So far here are my alphabetical mysteries:

[Nancy H]

My 'S' entry was a quick read, and a very good one: by J.B. Stanley.

So far here are my alphabetical mysteries:

[Nancy H]

For my T entry, I read] . I loved the title but thought the book was just okay.

So far here are my alphabetical mysteries: