Happy Dog Day!

In honor of National Dog Day here in the U.S., below is my recent review of Ruff Justice by Laurien Berenson. I rated the book 4.5 stars and think other dog lovers will enjoy this well-written cozy mystery.


The world of dog shows is a way of life for Melanie Travis and her family. Melanie is proud of her award-winning standard poodles and her aunt is a long-time dog breeder, dog show participant, and judge. Melanie’s teenaged son Davey is also getting into the act trying to help his own poodle become a champion. However, Melanie, Peg, and the rest of the dog show community is shocked when a show vendor is found murdered in her own concession booth. When Aunt Peg’s dog sitter, who is a tenant of the murdered woman, disappears the same day, Melanie is soon on the case to get to the truth of what really happened to both young women.

I have read a couple of the prior books in this series, but I don’t follow it regularly. I had no problem connecting with the characters, and I think new readers will enjoy the book just as much as long-time fans. Melanie is a relatable character, She works as a special needs tutor during the week and accompanies her son to dog shows on the weekends. All of the different settings in the book are equally interesting. I like the scenes with Melanie at work, especially when she is helping a new girl fit in to the school and put a stop to the bullying she is experiencing. In addition, the dog shows are just as exciting as the mystery. I was on the edge of my seat during some of the dog show judging scenes, rooting for Davey as he shows his poodle. I’ve never been to a dog show, but the author makes it sound very exciting.

The mystery is a good one and as Melanie looks into the murder, she learns the victim had many secrets and no shortage of people who may have had a motive to kill her. Melanie is a credible amateur sleuth who is easy to like. The same can’t be said about the no-nonsense Aunt Peg. Peg is blunt to the point of rudeness and is very pushy at times. She is often correct in her opinions, but the way she goes about expressing them is sometimes hard to take. I like the other main characters, such as Melanie’s husband and older son, so Peg is the only one that I often found to be annoying.

I like how the author ties the murder and the disappearance together, and I enjoyed how the book ends. I think dog-lovers and anyone else looking for a well-written cozy mystery with interesting characters and settings will enjoy "Ruff Justice."

This review was originally written for Smitten by Books blog and review site. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Review of Vivien Chien's latest cozy mystery and other recommendations

I just finished a fun cozy mystery in which the main character works at her family's Chinese restaurant. The main character, Lana Lee's mother is from Taiwan so there is plenty of Chinese-American culture includes in this book. I enjoyed this book as well as the first book in this new series.

If you enjoy books that include an inside look into Asian-American cultures, you will want to try the latest by Vivien Chien. My full review of this book can be found at the end of this post. Here are a few other mysteries series with Asian-American main characters that you may also enjoy.

• The Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series:  Lydia is a Chinese-American professional PI . She works with her partner, Bill Smith, who would love to have more than just a business relationship, to solve gritty, dangerous cases.
• Sujata Massey's Rei Shimura series is one of my favorite mystery series. Rei is Japanese-American and ends up involved in several intriguing mysteries. I especially like the earlier books in the series that take place in Japan.
• Naomi Hirahara has two excellent series I enjoy. She is best known for her series featuring Japanese-American Mas Arai who solves mysteries while working as a gardener in Los Angeles. She has a cozier series with Ellie Rush, a bicycle police officer, that is excellent. Unfortunately, this series has only two books. I don't know if the author has any plans to continue it or not.

Review of Dim Sum of All Fears by Vivien Chien  Rating:  4 stars

Lana Lee works as a server at Ho-Lee Noodle House, the restaurant owned by her parents. Lana longs to do something else with her life, but she is needed at the restaurant, especially now that her mom and dad must travel to Taiwan to deal with a family crisis. Things get even worse for Lana when a good friend becomes a victim of a tragic, fatal incident. Detective Adam Trudeau, Lana's sometime boyfriend, warns her not to get involved, but Lana continues to investigate to get justice for her friend.

This book is the follow-up to Chien's "Death by Dumpling". It's not necessary to have read this book to enjoy this one, although there is a large number of characters to keep track of. An old-fashioned "Cast of Characters" at the beginning of the book would have been helpful. I like Lana and most of the other main characters, although Lana's condescending sister and pushy mother are sometimes hard to take. I like the setting of the Chinese restaurant and the entire Asia Village shopping area in which it's located.

The mystery itself is interesting and Lana does a good job of questioning witnesses and potential suspects. There are plenty of surprises in the book's clever plot and I enjoyed this fast read and look forward to seeing what's in store for Lana in both her working and her love life in future books.

I received this book through NetGalley through the courtesy of St. Martin's. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Hello, again!

Although I have never stopped reading and reviewing books, it's been a long time since I've posted anything to this blog. As much as I love just writing reviews, I've missed this blog and am finally getting back to it.

Recently, I've been fortunate enough to receive a few books from Sapere Books to read and review. I have been introduced to several writers I didn't know before. One of my favorite of the books I've received recently is "Lying and Dying" by Graham Brack. The Czech Republic was such a unique and interesting setting and the plot and characters were superb. I will probably never travel to this region in real life, but I liked "visting" through this well-written mystery.

4.5 stars

Detective Josef Slonsky has been a policeman in Prague for almost 40 years. He doesn't have further career ambitions past his current rank of Lieutenant, but he isn't ready to retire yet. Slonsky seems to take a liking to the newest rookie, Navratil, with whom he's partnered. The two are assigned to a case of an unidentified young woman found strangled in a railway station. When the woman is linked to a high-ranking government official, Slonsky and his new partner become involved in an investigation that is more complex and more dangerous than they could have ever guessed.

I was intrigued by the setting of this book because I've never read a book set in the Prague. The book includes information about the modern Czech Republic as well as the country's history. I learned a lot while being entertained by this gritty police procedural. Slonsky is witty, lazy, and says what's on his mind. He makes an unlikely but complementary match with the young, enthusiastic, and sometimes naive Navratil. I enjoyed the humor in the book and Slonsky reminded me of Inspector Morse. I found myself laughing out loud at many of Slonsky's one-liners.

The plot of the book gets more complicated as the story goes on and I sometimes couldn't see how things that seemed unrelated to the investigation fit into the story. However, everything comes together for a shocking ending I never saw coming. I'm happy to see a follow-up to this book is scheduled to come out this fall. I think fans of Colin Dexter or Peter Robinson will enjoy the layered characters and complex plot of "Lying and Dying" as much as I did.

I received this book through the courtesy of Sapere Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful Post-Civil War Love Story

A Waltz at Midnight by Crista McHugh 5 stars

After the Civil War, a brother and sister from the south are forced to take refuge helping at their aunt’s boarding house in New York in exchange for a place to stay. Susanna Parkwell hates their circumstances, but does her best to carry out her duties and keep the rich northern girls who are boarding there happy. She goes above the call of duty when one of the boarders, Charlotte, begs Susanna to help her break it off with an unwelcome suitor by crafting a letter to him, but signing Charlotte’s name. Susanna’s cleverness in her reply backfires, though, and Theodore Blakely becomes more determined than ever to court “Charlotte.” How will Susanna get out of this one without upsetting Charlotte and keeping her own heart from getting broken?

This premise of this novella sounded interesting to me from the beginning, but I never imagined how much I would love this story! While it was short, the history and the setting seem extremely realistic and the characters are well-developed and come alive through the telling of the story. It is a romantic story that while aimed at adults, would be interesting and suitable for young adults who enjoy historical romances.

The turn of events that lead to a break-up letter becoming a true courtship through heartfelt letters is entertaining and romantic. It is ironic that Susanna only feels able to be herself and pour out her true feelings about marriage and the war when she is pretending to be someone else. This fact of course complicates things when Susanna feels she has met her soul mate in Teddy.

I absolutely love the sweet ending of this story! My only criticism is the conclusion could have been drawn out a little more to allow the reader to savor the resolution. Because of the short length of the story, you don’t get to see the fallout of the decisions made by Susanna, Teddy, and Charlotte. However, based on what is said, I was left happy and satisfied with the book’s ending.

I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Carina Press, in exchange for an honest review.

Holiday Wishes

I hope everyone had a very, Merry Christmas. I had a great Christmas Eve with my immediate family and then a wonderful dinner Christmas Day with extended family.

I am happy to say that I received the book on my list "V is for Vengeance" by Sue Grafton for Christmas and I have already finished it! It was an excellent book on its own merits and a wonderful addition to the series. Kinsey Millhone hasn't lost her independence or her intelligence this time around. This series is as wonderful as ever and I loved this book. The only bad thing is now I'm finished and since this book just came out, I'm assuming I will have an all too long of a wait for "W" to be published!

I hope everyone else had a nice Christmas. Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!

Thanksgiving Recovery

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I had a great day with family for a delicious dinner and then woke up early for a day of shopping on Black Friday.

Do you plan on taking advantage of any Cyber Monday sales? Any booklovers on your shopping list or looking for something new for yourself? Here are a few great series that would make great gifts for the readers on your list or a nice way to treat yourself.

*  Sue Grafton - Kinsey Malone series -Kinsey is an intelligent, independent PI in California. This is my all-time favorite mystery series, and I have been reading the series for years. If you haven't read any of the books in this excellent, well-written series, start at the beginning and work your way through the alphabet. My favorite is "C is for Corpse", but the lastest installment V is for Vengeance on my own Christmas list.

* If you are already a fan of Grafton and looking for something similar, you may want to try Sara Paretsky's VI Washawski series, Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone series, or Linda Barnes's Carlotta Carlyle series.

* If you prefer books featuring amateur sleuths, then here are few series you may enjoy:  M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin novels (although she does go into the PI business in the later installments), but the style is far from "hard-boiled". Former London PR expert Agatha moves to an English village and infuriates many of the local residents, but has a knack for solving murders. Mary Daheim's Alpine Series featuring Emma Lord series also has a main character that has left the big city for life in a small town. Emma has taken over a small newspaper in the small town of Alpine, Washington and gets personally involved investigating murders she's writing about. Emma's latest adventure, The Alpine Winter, comes out this month.       

* My favorite British mysteries include any of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot books, but also Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse, Emily Brightwell's Mrs. Jeffries Victorian mysteries, and  Deborah Crombie's Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James series. (Duncan and Gemma are Scotland Yard partners as well as life partners).

* Alexander McCall Smith has several series, but my favorite is the #1 Ladies Detective Agency Series featuring Botswana's Precious Ramotswe and her assistant Grace Makutsi. These aren't traditional mysteries, but are wonderful stories featuring a wise detective. Any of the books in this series would make a wonderful gift for any reader on your list.

Happy Shopping and Happy Reading!

Thanksgiving Treat for Margaret Maron fans

If you are a fan of Margaret Maron, then you will want to treat yourself to her newest novel.

Title:		Three-Day Town
Publisher:		Grand Central Publishing
Pub Date:		November 21, 2011
ISBN:		9780446555784

MY RATING:  4 1/2 stars.   My Review:

It’s 1942 in New England and everyone is having fun at a gathering of Stillwater College professors and students. A student who has been ridiculed by one of the art history professors impulsively steals a “vulgar” artifact from his desk.

Skip to present-day North Carolina and Dwight Bryant and Deborah Knott are leaving for their long over-due honeymoon. They are taking the train to New York City and will be staying in a condo that belongs to Dwight’s sister-in-law. Kate has asked Dwight and Deborah to deliver a small, but heavy package on behalf of an elderly friend, Jane Lattimore. This favor of delivering what turns out to be a small sculpture leads them to Jane’s grand-daughter NYPD Homicide Detective Sigrid Harid. Soon, the couple is dealing with Sigrid in a professional capacity when the sculpture is stolen and there is a murder in the condo building. Things really heat up when it’s discovered that the murder victim had a few secrets of his own. Deborah and Dwight want to help recover the stolen sculpture and help solve the murder, but will Detective Harid accept their help?  

“Three-Day Town” is a wonderful book for Margaret Maron fans. Newer fans of the author will be most familiar with the Judge Deborah Knott series. Deborah is such a likeable character and it’s even better now that she has married Sheriff Dwight Bryant. It’s been a year since the two were married, but Deborah is still in awe of the happiness she has found when she fell in love with her long-time friend Dwight. As Deborah puts it, “It was like taking a second look at a chunk of glass and discovering a diamond.” They are a loving couple and interesting investigative team.

If you are new to both series, enough background information is given to follow the storyline and enjoy the story. Deborah has a huge family, but the author provides a family tree diagram at the beginning to help sort out all her brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and other relatives. Long-term fans of Ms. Maron will rejoice to see Sigrid Harid back in action. This is the first time since 1995 that Sigrid has been featured in a novel. Sigrid may be a little hard for readers who haven’t read the prior books in this particular series to connect with, but those familiar with the character will enjoy seeing her again.

The story alternates between Deborah and Sigrid’s point of view. There couldn’t be two main characters created by the same author that are so different. Both are intelligent, strong, and great investigators. However, Deborah is outgoing, friendly, and has a large circle of friends and relatives. On the other hand, Sigrid is reserved, introverted, and a loner with just a few close friends. It’s interesting to see the two characters interact when trying to solve the robbery and murder cases in this novel. Deborah uses humor to try to lighten some of the situations that occur, but Sigrid barely cracks a smile. While they don’t end up best friends, they do get along and each woman seems to gain respect for the other. While I miss seeing Deborah in the courtroom and in her Southern hometown, it is interesting to see her in a completely different setting. Sigrid’s chapters read like an excellent police procedural as she and her team of detectives work to get to the bottom of the unusual case.

This is an excellent novel for old fans of Maron and those that are new to the author. If you enjoy Deborah and Sigrid, then you will definitely want to check out earlier installments in both series.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Grand Central Publishing in exchange for a fair review.

If you are a fan of Maron's Deborah Knott series and are looking for a little more Southern flavor, try these other great Southern authors:
* Anne George
* Toni L.P. Kelner
* Charlaine Harris