Book Reviews
The Chocolate Cat Caper by JoAnna Carl (Chocoholic Mystery #1)
Lee McKinney divorces her rich husband and moves back home to work for Aunt Nettie making luxury chocolates. The local rich bitch, attorney Clementine Ripley orders several thousand dollars worth of custom made chocolates, including some in the shape of her champion cat. Lee delivers the chocolates but she's still there when Clementine falls from the balcony. It's not suicide, it's murder. The chocolates contain cyanide. Lee has to clear her name and her aunt's by trying to find out who really killed the attorney.
Wedding Cake Murder by JoAnne Fluke (Hannah Swenson #19)
Hannah's getting married. And then she's going to be a finalist in a nation-wide dessert contest. Oh, wait. They've moved the contest date. Contest first, then the wedding. The first round is in NYC. The second round is in the home town of the first round winner. Hanna wins! But then the celebrity chef critic is found dead on the set.
I like the series (this one just came out). But I think it would have been better without the red herring. The DNA testing shows the killer was related to the victim, which pretty much narrows it down to one person. I can buy the idea of a celebrity chef having groupies and an illegitimate kid, but multiple bastards, all of whom are master chef level talented?
The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg (Fox and O'Hare #1)
Janet writes the Stephanie Plum novels. Lee Goldberg writes the Mr. Monk novels. I wanted to see what they're like together. FBI Agent Kate O'Hare has been trying to capture Nicolas Fox for nearly five years. I kept thinking of Kate Beckett from the TV series Castle while reading about Kate. Fox reminded me of the original Saint novels by Leslie Chartres. He's a con man who's doing it for the thrill, he has more money than he could spend in several lifetimes. Kate finally brings him by breaking a few rules. He escapes before he's ever brought to trial. Kate wants to track him down again, her boss tells her to take a vacation, he's someone else's assignment now. Kate ignores instructions (and a just a few laws) and tracks down Fox and his partner... Kate's boss! Officially, he's still a wanted fugitive, but secretly, he's working for the FBI with Kate to bring down the criminals the FBI can't touch.
I like the premise. A large part of the book is their recruiting their team of players, a flamboyant out-of-work actor, a wheel woman who can drive anything on wheels, etc. I'm hoping that they become a regular team. Recruiting a new team for each book and caper will start to get boring quickly and I like the personalities of the members. Oh, and everyone knows that Fox and Kate are in love, except for themselves.
Tricky Twenty Two by Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum #22)
Stephanie has to track down a fraternity brother who was bailed out for beating up the dean. The problem is, Gobbles, the frat boy, is well liked and no one is co-operating. And the dean's injuries aren't consistant with a beating. And what the hell is going on in the basement of the frat? This is currently the pen-ultimate novel in the series, but the most recent novel is so new, the libraries don't have it yet. Which is partly why I've started the Chocoholic Mysteries.
Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich (Between the Numbers #3)
Stephanie is from Janet's Number Mysteries. Diesel is from Janet's Wicked series. This is a cross-over series between the two. Substitute Ranger for Diesel and you've got another number mystery. Diesel's quarry has lost a large bag of money. Unfortunately, Stephanie's grandmother found it and she's off to Atlantic City! She needs to get the money back, all of it. Can she catch her own grandmother before she gambles it all away? And replace what she's already lost?
Lee McKinney divorces her rich husband and moves back home to work for Aunt Nettie making luxury chocolates. The local rich bitch, attorney Clementine Ripley orders several thousand dollars worth of custom made chocolates, including some in the shape of her champion cat. Lee delivers the chocolates but she's still there when Clementine falls from the balcony. It's not suicide, it's murder. The chocolates contain cyanide. Lee has to clear her name and her aunt's by trying to find out who really killed the attorney.
Wedding Cake Murder by JoAnne Fluke (Hannah Swenson #19)
Hannah's getting married. And then she's going to be a finalist in a nation-wide dessert contest. Oh, wait. They've moved the contest date. Contest first, then the wedding. The first round is in NYC. The second round is in the home town of the first round winner. Hanna wins! But then the celebrity chef critic is found dead on the set.
I like the series (this one just came out). But I think it would have been better without the red herring. The DNA testing shows the killer was related to the victim, which pretty much narrows it down to one person. I can buy the idea of a celebrity chef having groupies and an illegitimate kid, but multiple bastards, all of whom are master chef level talented?
The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg (Fox and O'Hare #1)
Janet writes the Stephanie Plum novels. Lee Goldberg writes the Mr. Monk novels. I wanted to see what they're like together. FBI Agent Kate O'Hare has been trying to capture Nicolas Fox for nearly five years. I kept thinking of Kate Beckett from the TV series Castle while reading about Kate. Fox reminded me of the original Saint novels by Leslie Chartres. He's a con man who's doing it for the thrill, he has more money than he could spend in several lifetimes. Kate finally brings him by breaking a few rules. He escapes before he's ever brought to trial. Kate wants to track him down again, her boss tells her to take a vacation, he's someone else's assignment now. Kate ignores instructions (and a just a few laws) and tracks down Fox and his partner... Kate's boss! Officially, he's still a wanted fugitive, but secretly, he's working for the FBI with Kate to bring down the criminals the FBI can't touch.
I like the premise. A large part of the book is their recruiting their team of players, a flamboyant out-of-work actor, a wheel woman who can drive anything on wheels, etc. I'm hoping that they become a regular team. Recruiting a new team for each book and caper will start to get boring quickly and I like the personalities of the members. Oh, and everyone knows that Fox and Kate are in love, except for themselves.
Tricky Twenty Two by Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum #22)
Stephanie has to track down a fraternity brother who was bailed out for beating up the dean. The problem is, Gobbles, the frat boy, is well liked and no one is co-operating. And the dean's injuries aren't consistant with a beating. And what the hell is going on in the basement of the frat? This is currently the pen-ultimate novel in the series, but the most recent novel is so new, the libraries don't have it yet. Which is partly why I've started the Chocoholic Mysteries.
Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich (Between the Numbers #3)
Stephanie is from Janet's Number Mysteries. Diesel is from Janet's Wicked series. This is a cross-over series between the two. Substitute Ranger for Diesel and you've got another number mystery. Diesel's quarry has lost a large bag of money. Unfortunately, Stephanie's grandmother found it and she's off to Atlantic City! She needs to get the money back, all of it. Can she catch her own grandmother before she gambles it all away? And replace what she's already lost?