Roast Mortem

 Roast Mortem is the 9th book in the Coffeehouse Mysteries set in NYC.  Clare Cosi is the now empty nester single mother who is in business with her ex and her ex mother in law while managing the Village Blend in Greenwich Village.   This makes for some interesting dynamics at times in the stories but overall it is a unique and well constructed set of characters that have logical roles and reactions in the different mysteries.   

Those who like coffee or well written mysteries will like this series.  A familiarity with NYC is a bonus for recognizing destinations and neighborhood that are parts of the stories but definitely is not a requirement to enjoy them.  

Clare is a strong woman and her intelligence and logic are well demonstrated in this book.  I appreciate the research and accuracy of the facts in firefighting and NYC history that are included in the story.  I had not read this series in 3-4 years and am happy to have started reading it again and look forward to finishing up the series. 

Roast Mortem by Cleo Coyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Coffee lovers will definitely enjoy this book, especially if you are at all interested in how an espresso machine works. Clare Cosi, manager of Village Blends, installs an espresso machine while tryign to solve a mystery. Through this installation and the serving of cafe drinks, there is plenty of description on how the machine and the process works. The possible pitfalls are detailed as well. For those not interested, and I admit after awhile that included me, you can just skim over those parts similar to a recipe description in cooking/baking cozy.
I enjoy this series and hadn't read it in a number of years. Now I am excited to catch up on the books I hadn't read yet. Clare is a more mature sleuth but not a senior citizen. Thus, she is a rarer amateur detective. Another pleasant difference is her civilian meddling isn't met with as much opposition as many books present. The mystery itself is well written and has quite a surprise ending on who the guilty party is.

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #34
2. AtoZ   #2022AtoZReadingChallenge  #AlphabetSoupChallenge  R
3. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2022  Series: 22 Book #1
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #46
5. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #37
6. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #29
7. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #47
8. Craving for Cozies  Book #45
9. Medical Examiner Challenge  2 Toe Tags
10. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene- restaurant; garage
• Weapon- fire; asphyxiation
• Detectives- Clare Cosi
• Victims- Bigsby B; Jamie Noonan
11. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #82  Shot #1
12. BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2022  #15. With a Two Word Title

Artificial Condition

 This is the 2nd novella in the Murderbot Diaries Series by Martha Wells.   I am not normally a science fiction reader but I really enjoy this series so far.  They are definitely a thriller/suspense style book and I found this one to be a page turner.  The sci fi aspect of the story was fascinating and I found the dynamics between the different bots and characters to be interesting and unique.   If you are looking for a quick suspense read this series is a great choice.

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

intriguing series

Not usually a sci fi reader but read the first In The series last year and enjoyed this one a lot. The different entities are intriguing and I found their ability to be compassionate even if they don’t really have emotions fascinating. The book has a bit of a mystery to it and I’m curious to see how the story unravels

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2022  Series: 23 Book #1
2. 2022TBR  #2022ReadingChallenge  # 17 Award Winning
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #45
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #36
5. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub  #28 Award-winning book from your country
6. Around the Year in 52 Books #28. A book that won an award from Powell's list of book awards
7. Bookworm #10 Read a book from NPR's top 50 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of the past decade
8. BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2022  #13. Genre You Don’t Usually Read
9. Nerd Daily  #NERDREADING2022 #16 YA or SciFi
10. OWLS 22  #11 Astronomy: A book set in outer space
11. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #27. A Hugo Award winner
12. Pick your Poison #26 a space opera
13. 52 books in 52 weeks  #7 Space Opera

   

Cookie Dough or Die

 Cookie Dough or Die is the first book in the Cookie Cutter Shop series by Virginia Lowell.   This was an interesting story set in Maryland.  There is a mixed focused on retail management and baking as the underlying story points in this book.  I did find the book a bit clunky at times but did enjoy the story overall.  The mystery was well written and the guilty party was definitely a surprise.  I look forward to reading more in the series to see how it develops.

Cookie Dough or Die by Virginia Lowell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyable first in a series. Quite a complex motive with a well structured crime. The investigation was well conceived and plausible. Look forward to reading more and seeing the characters develop

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #33
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes  PA
3. What an Animal Book #24
4. 2022TBR  #2022ReadingChallenge  # 
5. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #44
6. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #35
7. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #28
8. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #46
9. Craving for Cozies  Book #44
10. Medical Examiner Challenge 1 Toe Tags
11. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene-den
• Weapon- poison
• Detectives- Olivia Greyson
• Victims- Clarisse Chamberlain
12. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #81  Shot #1

Death by Chocolate Lab

 Death by Chocolate Lab is the first Lucky Paws Petsitting mystery by Bethany Blake.  This is a great book if you are a dog lover.  The book features multiple breeds and their fun antics are sure to put a smile on your face.  Daphne is a bit of a free spirit, she even drives a 70s VW bus,  who is living with her veterinarian sister, Piper.  Her interactions with Piper are clearly ones of a loving relationship but they are certainly portrayed as women who also bicker and get on each other's nerves.  Don't even get them started on how much their mother can drive them nuts.   All very realistic representation of family dynamics in my opinion.

But family is family and Daphne gets involved helping to clear Piper's name when her ex is found murdered at her farm.   Daphne manages to create sparks with the new Detective in town, Johnathan Black-some romantic but mainly ones of irritation. These tensions create additional tensions with Daphne's sort of romantic interest, Dylan, as jealousy rears its head.  Creating some tense moments outside of the mystery solving activities.  This romantic triangle was a bit annoying at times and one fo the reasons I only gave this a 3.  The other factor was the flakiness of Daphne didn't really correspond with her diligence in detecting and I found it a bit irritating as well.  

 The mystery itself is well written with multiple suspects with valid motives.  There are some additional sub plots with mysterious origins as well that help point suspicion along the way.  The actual culprit was identifiable part way through the story but the motive was interesting when it was revealed.  All in all I look forward to reading more about this ensemble of characters and their hometown of Sylvan Springs in the Poconos. 

Death by Chocolate Lab by Bethany Blake
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Enjoyable first in a series. The MC, Daphne, is a bit of a free spirit but good hearted. Her relationship with her mother and sister, Piper, feel authentic. They love each other but get on each others nerves. If you love dogs this is a great book for you. Daphne is a pet sitter and a foster dog mom. The descriptions of the dogs and their antics are wonderful. The mystery itself is well constructed and although I had a suspicion of the guilty party the motive was quite a surprise. The book has lots of twists and turns in mysterious subplots that lead to many false guilty suspicions. I look forward to trying more in the series

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #32
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes  PA
3. What an Animal Book #23
4. 2022TBR  #2022ReadingChallenge  # 11 Debut Novel
5. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #43
6. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #34
7. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #26
8. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #45
9. Craving for Cozies  Book #43
10. Medical Examiner Challenge 2 Toe Tags
11. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene- woods; field
• Weapon- hammer
• Detectives- Daphne Templeton; Johnathan Black
• Victims- Steve Beamus; Virginia Lockhart
12. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #80  Shot #1
13. Around the Year in 52 Books #21. A book with one of the Monopoly tokens on the cover
14. Bookworm #23 Read a book about a musician (non-fiction or fiction)
15. BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2022  #4. Book with a Twist
16. Beat the Backlist #BTB2022  #7 debut novel
17. Nancy Drew #42. The Phantom of Pine Hill (1965) - read a book set in the mountains
18. Pick your Poison #86 a book that features a classic car

Mirror Girls

 Mirror Girls is a horror  YA novel by Kelly McWilliams.  This is definitely a book from outside my norm reading selections.  I don't even remember the last time I read a horror book if ever.  I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the book- which I selected purely because the cover intrigued me.  

The author does a wonderful job of centering a book around a difficult topic- Jim Crow in the South without being too preachy about the topic.  There were some references to General Lee that reflected a modern lens being applied to history but for the most part the storyline stuck to the actions of a small town in GA during the 1950s.  It truly demonstrated how far the nation has come even though there are clearly areas we can still learn and improve upon.   

The actual plot of the story was well written and descriptive.  The paranormal aspects were well done and quite interesting.  The existence of spirits and how they came to haunt the area are explained and intriguing.  The book is a nice balance of plot and deeper themes and ideas to reflect upon.  Overall I really enjoyed this book and am glad I read it.  

Mirror Girls by Kelly McWilliams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really didn’t know what to expect with this book. The cover captured me when reading a book publication. I am definitely not a normal horror reader. This book was a wonderful read. The story and plot are very good and intriguing but the deeper themes and ideas are amazing. For the most part the book refrains from preaching and guilting about the past wrongs that occurred in this country. I think the stories and the demonstrations of the pervasiveness of Jim Crow laws is much more effective in explaining the past horrors. The symbolism of the mirrors and coming to see herself for who she is and is capable of being adds such depth to Magnolia. I appreciate that this book isn’t all happily ever after but there is hope which is what the world needs to move forward through difficult times and to affect change in a healthy and pervasive way.
This book is a wonderful read

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #31
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes   GA
3. 2022TBR  #2022ReadingChallenge  # 14 Horror
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #42
5. Historic Fiction  #histficreadingchallenge   Book #5
6. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub  #50 A person of color as the main character
7. BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2022  #43. Spooky Read
8. Beat the Backlist #BTB2022  #23 book written for an age group you don't belong to
9. Nerdy Bookworm  #NerdyBookwormChallengeXO #28 Read a YA book
10. Nancy Drew #38. The Mystery of the Fire Dragon (1961) - read a fantasy book
11. Nerd Daily  #NERDREADING2022 #52 bipoc author
12. OWLS 22  #57 Animagus: Includes a shapeshifter
13. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge # 12  A book about the afterlife
14. Pick your Poison #74 a book about a ghost
15. Diversify your reading #DYRC22  Mar  Fantasy
16. 52 books in 52 weeks  #6 Haunted

The Secret, Book & Scone Society

 The Secret, Book & Scone Society is the first book in the  series of the same name by Ellery Adams.  This series is different from the others I have read by her.  In each of her series the protagonist has a secret and they are protecting it.  In this book though the characters are very well developed.  Their flaws and fragility are very apparent.  It feels much more emotional and deeper than the average cozy mystery.  I really enjoyed reading this and learning about the characters and what makes them who they are.   

The mystery itself is very well written and the guilty party was not evident until right as it was revealed to the reader.   I look forward to reading more in this series for sure.  

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The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This cozy mystery has wonderful characters that truly are the center of the story. The development of their friendship is well constructed and feels very authentic. The 4 women all have past histories that brought them to Miracle Springs, NC as damaged and untrusting women. This book shows their slow growth in learning to trust and depend on each other. Although the timetable is probably a little unrealistically fast, it still demonstrates the struggles each woman goes through in learning to trust and open up to the others. I look forward to reading more about their relationships going forward

The mystery itself was very well constructed and there are plenty of twists and turns. The motive is well constructed and the women unravel it slowly but fairly methodically. There are definitely some twists and the ending has surprises.

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #30
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes  NC
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #41
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #33
5. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #25
6. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #44
7. Craving for Cozies  Book #42
8. Medical Examiner Challenge 2 Toe Tags
9. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene- train tracks; bar
• Weapon- push; poison
10. Six Shooter Challenge  Target # 41 Shot #3
11. Around the Year in 52 Books #7. A book related to psychology, neuroscience or the mind
12. OWLS 22  #2 Deathly Hallows: A book that has a symbol on the cover
13. Pick your Poison #6 a book by an author whose last name could be a first name
14. Beyond the Bookends  set in bookstore
15. Diversify your reading #DYRC22  mystery

A Safe House

 Given this is the 61st book in the Stone Barrington series by Stuart Woods I am not surprised it is formulaic and predictable.   This was the first and probably the last time I read it as an audiobook.  I did not care for the narrator's portrayal of Dino Bacchetti's voice. It was far too nasally, and I have lived in NYC so I am familiar with NY accents, this was an over the top nasal twang.  

  The other aspect of this book that I did not care for was the level of stupidity the characters portrayed.  Bill Eggers the managing partner of the law firm Stone works for was made to sound like a bumbling idiot.  The choices Stone and Jenna (his client) make regarding entrance to properties where they are staying are pathetic considering they are being pursued by individuals looking to kill them both.  

I don't read these novels for intellectual stimulation or hard hitting thoughts, but this particular installment was darn right annoying.  I will not be rushing to check out the next Stone Barrington entry anytime soon.

A Safe House by Stuart Woods
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is about on par with the others in the series in terms of plot complexity and predictability. At least Stones’s bedroom antics are monogamous in this book. It was full of globetrotting to his different homes while trying to outrun a hired gun of an angry ex. I really am giving this a 2.5 because I did not care for how dumb Bob Eggers was portrayed. He was made to be a bumbling idiot vs successful law partner. Also the ludicrous behaviors of Stone and Jenna in light of attempted murders of both of them were ridiculous. I know someone is pursuing me but I’m going to buzz them into my office unattended. Come on. Also I listened to the audio book for this and I did not care for the portrayal of Dino Bacchetti’s voice. It rubbed me the wrong way.
If you want a mindless thriller that you can get lost in for a day or 2 then this will meet that requirement don’t read it for hard hitting storylines or literary value

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #29
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes  ME
3. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2022  Series: 11 Book #2
4. Audiobook  #2022AudiobookChallenge  #2
5. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #40
6. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #43
7. Medical Examiner Challenge  3 Toe Tags
8. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene- car; home office; bedroom
• Weapon- car bomb; gun
• Detectives- stone barrington; dino bacchetti
• Victims- Jamie Jacoby; Wallace Slade; Harley Quince
9. Six Shooter Challenge  Target # 5 Shot #4
10. Around the Year in 52 Books #51 A book published in 2022
11. Bookworm #30 Read a Revenge Story
12. BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2022  #29. An Audiobook
13. Nerdy Bookworm  #NerdyBookwormChallengeXO #7 Thriller novel 
14. Nancy Drew #5. The Secret of Shadow Ranch (1931) - read a book with horses in the story
15. Pick your Poison #23 a suspense novel
16. Diversify your reading #DYRC22  April: Mystery