Monday, October 3, 2011

Murder Most Frothy

Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle (Berkley Prime Crime Mystery, 2006) (A Coffeehouse Mystery)

Clare Cosi’s Friend Millionaire David Mintzer gives Clare, her daughter Joy, and Clare’s former Mother-in-law an all expenses paid working vacation in the Hamptons for the summer. Clare is the Coffee Steward of Cuppa J, a new restaurant in the Hamptons, and is to train the staff. On the Fourth of July night, with all the fireworks overhead and a perfect time for a murder, Clare stumbles upon the body of an employee in David’s bathroom. Is it a botched attempt on the millionaire’s life or was the employee targeted? Clare starts to investigate because the cops are stuck in traffic and she’s concerned for everyone’s safety.




Cleo Coyle writes an excellent series and this book is no exception. Clare is a very dynamic character, and doesn't hesitate to jump in when the cops seem to be more clowns than able to solve the case. Her jumbled relationship adds a bit of humor and reality - an ex-husband who she has to work with, an ex-mother-in-law who refuses to accept the divorce (and who owns the business Clare runs) and a daughter who won't listen.

Murder Under Cover

Murder Under Cover by Kate Carlisle (Obsidian Mystery, 2011) (A Bibliophile Mystery)


Brooklyn Wainwright, bookbinder extraordinaire, receives a copy of the Kama Sutra from her best friend Robin, to appraise and restore. But before she can begin, Robin appears at Brooklyn's San Francisco apartment covered in blood, with a murdered man in her bed. Soon Brooklyn and her boyfriend, British security expert Derek Stone are up to their eyes in murder, intrigue and international conspiracy.



This is a wonderful series full of great people with a captivating plot. Wonderfully written. Brooklyn is a dynamic character, who is all too human (especially when it comes to Derek). She comes into her own when she touches a rare book, and never seems to have her tools too far away. Brooklyn's mother is more of an over-the-hill hippie who raised Brooklyn on a commune in Dharma. There is a love-hate relationship with SFPD Detective Inspector Janice Lee. Brooklyn's main returning adversary is Minka LaBoeuf, another bookbinder.



Wrecked

Wrecked by Carol Higgins Clark (Pocket Books Fiction, 2010) (A Regan Reilly Mystery)


Private Investigator Regan Reilly and her husband, Jack "no relation" Reilly, head of the NYPD Major Case Squad, are about to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. They are looking forward to a quiet romantic weekend out of town. Wouldn’t you know their choice of destination provides them with anything but!
Regan and Jack had considered going to Bermuda, but instead they decide to spend four days at his parents’ beautiful beachfront home on Cape Cod, a wonderful spot where they’d never been alone. During the summer the house overflowed with Jack’s family, bubbling with activity from morning until night. But to be up there for a weekend in April, just the two of them, sounded like a perfect escape.
Arriving at the Cape late at night, Regan and Jack are just in time to experience the beginning of a major storm. The next morning, Cape Cod Bay is quite a sight, churning with whitecaps. The wind is howling ferociously. Sheets of rain are pelting the house. Regan is looking forward to settling in the den with Jack and watching the storm.
However, the best laid plans . . .
In the bedroom, Regan opens the curtains to find Skip, the Reillys’ young caretaker, pressing his nose against the glass, supposedly checking for leaks. A moment later, Jack arrives home from the market, two gossipy older women who live up the street in tow. A branch crashed through their living room window, and they need a place to stay. When Regan thought things couldn’t get any worse, Skip comes running into the house, distraught that he’d just discovered Adele Hopkins, the woman renting the house next door, in a heap at the bottom of her staircase to the beach. Regan and Jack run back down with him, but huge waves are crashing on the shore. Hopkins is gone, presumably swept out to sea.

Sleight of Paw

Sleight of Paw by Sofie Kelly (Obsidian Mystery, 2011) (A Magical Cats Mystery)

Kathleen is NOT a crazy cat lady. She may think she's crazy after seeing some of the things her cats Owen and Hercules, who adopted HER when she visited the Mysterious Wisteria Hill, and the captivating personalities of the boys has made her a cat lover. The cats have magical abilities that Kathleen can't explain, and won't tell anyone else about. The town librarian is up to her kitty crackers once again in this sequel to Curiosity Thrilled the Cat.

Who killed Agatha Shepherd, an elderly woman who seems to have helped everyone in town at one time or another? Hercules and Owen are sure Kathleen can handle it.

Sofie Kelly does a great job of portraying everyone, but especially Owen and Hercules. The cats have such a personality that you will look at your own cat, or the next cat you see, to see if they become invisible or walk through doors and walls, too. The mystery is riveting, and will leave you wondering who did it until the very end.

Book #2 in Magical Cats Mysteries