A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke

Posted on October 29, 2024 by Carol Early Cooney

Dear Fellow Reader,

Hey look!  It isn’t a Christmas book. Yea! 

But this book is a different genre than my usual. It is not historical fiction, or cozy mystery, or fiction or even biography. This is in the supernatural mystery category. Now, I know that some of you might be turned off by that label, but I ask you to have an open mind.

The book opens with the death of Jake Macintyre. Jake lived in Apartment 4H. Jake is lying dead in front of the apartment building with a bullet hole in his head. Cordelia Graves is standing over the body. She notices that Jake is holding an expensive cell phone in his hand and comes to the conclusion that Jake did not die from a robbery attempt. Jake suddenly sits up. He recognizes Cordelia as the dead girl from across the hall from him. She assures him that she is the dead girl from across the hall. It takes Jake a few minutes to realize that he can see her because he is also dead. He is very confused. Cordelia urges him to come inside the building and after convincing him that he can walk through the front door, he realizes that he is a ghost but he doesn’t believe in ghosts, so he vaporizes. Cordelia is alone again.

Cordelia Graves is dead. She knows this but she also knows that she is still living in her apartment in Boston. Unfortunately, she is living there with a roommate. The first issue is that the roommate is alive and doesn’t really know that Cordelia is there. Ruby Young has moved to the city to escape a love story gone wrong. Her boyfriend was cheating and she decided that she had to leave town and move to Boston. She found an apartment that seemed to have someone’s things still there, but she could afford it and moved in. She is steadily killing off the house plants that were in the apartment.

The killing of the houseplants is driving Cordelia crazy. She doesn’t get what the problem is with this girl. Ruby figures out that Cordelia is living in the apartment with her and the two of them join forces to find out what happened to Jake. And maybe they will find out what happened to Cordelia. Cordelia doesn’t know and doesn’t think that her death makes sense. Through many rough starts, the two find they can communicate – not perfectly but they can exchange information.

Cordelia can find out things (by walking through walls) that Ruby can’t, but Cordelia cannot touch electronics because they blow up when she touches them. (They both learned this from experience.) So, they imperfectly work together to solve the mystery.

I liked this book. I enjoyed the interplay of the characters. It is a mystery written differently (at least for me) I recommend that you read this. I  think it is the first book of a new series.

Thanks for reading!

I was given an advance copy of this book in return for my unbiased review. The book will be published on October 29, 2024.

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Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley

Posted on October 22, 2024 by Carol Early Cooney

Dear Fellow Reader,

We are back this week with a new installment in the Deep Dish Mysteries. I have reviewed the three previous books in the series, Public Anchovy (Public Anchovy Review) Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust (Crust to Crust review), and Six Feet Deep Dish (my review).

The series takes place in Geneva Lake, WI. Geneva Lake is a tourist destination, and winters can be quiet except during the famous snow sculpting championship. When Delilah O’Leary, the owner of the local pizza restaurant, is asked to cater a Chrismukkah gig, she is delighted. The party will take place during the competition.

Unfortunately, a person disappears from the party and is discovered frozen in a snow sculpture.

The cast of suspects includes a new character in the series, Delilah’s brother-in-law. What was his connection and why was he at the party with Delilah’s niece? They hadn’t told Delilah or her aunt they were coming to town. And where is Delilah’s sister? The sisters aren’t close mostly because Delilah feels her sister is constantly judging her and finding her wanting.

Unfortunately, the murder brings some questions about Delilah’s staff. She hates to be suspicious of them but things are going on that raise questions about their backgrounds. She hates feeling they could be involved but she doesn’t step back from investigating.

This fourth installment continues the character-driven series with new characters and Delilah’s role as narrator. And what is going on with the romance with Calvin Capone? Things are progressing slowly but there is progress.

If you like the other books in the series, I think you will be happy with this installment. There is more in this story; I’m sure because we know more about the characters. Can it stand on its own? I think so but it is hard to be completely sure because I have read all the series. I am glad when there is a new book in the series if that helps you decide.

Thanks for reading!

I did receive a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion. The book will be published on  October 22, 2024.

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Blue Christmas Bones by Carolyn Haines

Posted on October 7, 2024 by Carol Early Cooney

Dear Fellow Reader,

Yes, this week is another Christmas-themed book. What can I say, it is that time of year for Christmas books to come out. We have had a warm, dry fall and I have barely moved into Fall. Our daylight hours are noticeably shrinking so I can tell that colder weather is coming soon.

Did you know that Evis was an avid reader? I know very little about Elvis but I did pick up that fun fact. Who knew I had something in common with Elvis?

Blue Christmas Bones is book number 28 of the 29-book series of Sarah Booth Delaney Mysteries. If you have read this blog in the past, you know this is not my style. I did not know that it was part of a series or that there were so many of them. I am one of those people who like to start at the beginning and work my way through. But enough of my issues.

This story finds Sarah Booth Delaney and her friends attending the annual Elvis Festival in Tupelo, MS. While there they get enmeshed in the disappearance of a priceless jewel-encrusted replica of an Elvis belt. The ladies get hired to find the belt before it is too late and the belt is dismantled and sold off for the jewels. Part of the problem is that there are so many people with a grudge against the owner. And is the owner a suspect too? There is a bit of madcap running around and the women are on a deadline to solve this as Christmas is approaching and they need to get home.

This is a light fluffy mystery. I am not knocking that. I will often pick up a light mystery to either “cleanse the palate” after a heavier book or if I want something that I can read quickly. I am sure that you would have a much better picture of the characters if you started at the beginning of the series but this did work as a stand-alone.

Thanks for reading.

I did receive a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion. This book will be published on October 15, 2024.

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Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge by Kjersti Herland Johnsen

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Carol Early Cooney

Hello Fellow Readers,

I am not quite ready to think about Christmas much less read about it but in this world, it is time for Christmas books to start arriving. Seems incredible, I know. I bet the Christmas decorations are out along with the Halloween decorations in stores also.

Today’s review is of the book Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge. It has the subtitle, A Heartwarming Holiday Cozy Mystery Set in Snowy Norway. The book is set up like an Advent Calendar. Twenty-four chapters mark the 24 days leading up to Christmas. As the book opens, we find ourselves viewing an avalanche from the eyes of Ingrid Berg. Ingrid was a world-class climber. She had been a climber since she was young but one day in the Himalayas, her world of climbing came to an end. She survived the avalanche, but the memories drove her from climbing back to her family’s hotel, Glitter Peak Lodge. She is back and learning all about her role as manager from her grandmother who has been running the Lodge for years. It is time for her grandmother to retire and Ingrid knows she must step up. The Lodge has financial problems and it seems that something goes wrong practically every day. And then Ingrid’s, ex-love and fellow climber shows up at Ingrid’s door. Ingrid does not want to see him as she blames him for being caught in the avalanche and the death of their friend in the avalanche. Another of Ingrid’s friend arrives with the Influencer who is secretly pregnant. Thow in Ingrid starting to fall in love with an old flame and there is a lot going on.

And then a mysterious American woman and her husband arrive at the Inn. Ingrid’s grandmother is not as welcoming as Ingrid would expect and she doesn’t know why. There is a mystery to untangle that seems to concern the mystery woman, Ingrid’s grandmother, and the town bully.

The book was originally written in Norwegian and translated into English. I think that there is a different style of writing that is sparser than we are used to and more direct. I know they are Swedish translations, but I am thinking of A Man Called Ove and The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared and the Elderly Lady Books. (An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good or An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed) This book has the flavor of those books but is slightly more Americanized.

There is a lot going on in this book. Everything does get tied up in the end but there is a lot to keep track of. (Is that a good guy? A bad guy? Who are all the bad guys?) I think the book is a fine cozy mystery. It might be a little harder to get into the story but then it progresses.

Thanks for reading.

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Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Carol Early Cooney

Dear Fellow Reader,

It seems that is it the season for new books! Elizabeth Strout, Jodi Picoult, Matt Haig, Laine Moriarty and Richard Osman all have new books out. Louise Penny and Patricia Cornwell are not far behind.

Today, I am talking about Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout. This new book takes place in Cosby, Maine, where all of her characters seem to reside. Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge, and Bob Burgess are all there along with their friends and partners. I will confess that I have not been an avid Elizabeth Strout reader. Not because I don’t like her books, but I just didn’t make the effort to catch up once I read Lucy by the Sea. I enjoyed Lucy by the Sea and knew that there were other books, but I can (like many others) be caught up by the new and shiny books and I don’t always go back into an author’s older books. (My review can be found at https://cecooney.com/2022/10/28/lucy-by-the-sea-by-elizabeth-strout/)

Tell Me Everything is considered a mystery. To me, that was not the main story in the book but I will agree that there is a mystery that was solved in the book. I did not notice this until I read that it was a mystery. The book, while we encounter other characters, starts out and roughly centers on Bob Burgess. Bob is a mostly retired lawyer who is married to the local Unitarian minister. As started in Lucy by the Sea, Bob and Lucy often meet and walk together. They discuss their lives and the lives around them and Bob uses this time with Lucy to sneak a cigarette. During the book, we meet Bob’s brother and his family, who live in New York City. Bob is caught up in a murder mystery and becomes the lawyer for the accused murderer. Bob’s mind is in turmoil. He does not think that his client is guilty, he isn’t sure about his relationship with his wife, and he thinks he might be in love with Lucy. In the meantime, he introduces Lucy to Olive Kitteridge and they start a rocky friendship.

This book is much more character-driven than plot-driven. There is so much going on with these characters that it would be easy to miss the mystery part. I feel the same way about Where the Crawdads Sing. Yes, it was a mystery but it was so character-driven that you were too wrapped up in what would happen to the characters to think that much about the mystery. To make my point, if you look at the review on Amazon, it never says that the book is a mystery. The review doesn’t refer to the murder at all.

I enjoyed the book. I, for some reason, wasn’t particularly looking forward to reading it and then once I started I had a hard time putting it down. There is something about the tempo of the book and the characters that draws you in. I see now that it is an Oprah’s Book Club book. I think you should read it. Let me know if you think it is a mystery.

Thanks for reading!

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

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