Diary of a Confessions Queen
Kathy Carmichael
Medallion, Feb 1 2010, $15.95
ISBN 9781605420950
Seven years ago in Kansas, Dan Crosby vanished without a trace. His wife Amy, who writes fictional “confessions” articles for True Lies magazine, has not heard a word from him since he disappeared. She prepares to file a legal motion declaring him dead so she can move on with her life and collect his life insurance before she loses their home
However, Amy receives a note from an extortionist demanding she gives him or her $2000 or the blackmailer will prove Dan is alive. Used to taking on the roles of the made-up characters whose confessions she writes about, Amy refuses to pay the blackmailer. Soon afterward, her home is broken into and vandalism begins. Police Detective Brad Tyler, who worked her husband’s missing person’s case to no avail and Dan’s friend Jerome Keller try to help the almost widow. When someone murders Jerome, Amy becomes the prime suspect in his murder and under suspicion for doing away with her husband; though his corpse was never found.
Filled with an eccentric cast especially the lead female, whose opening commentary of “My husband took out the garbage and never came back”, sets the tone for a fun wacky suspense thriller. Although the killer is over the top of Mount Sunflower, fans will enjoy the antics of a heroine who plays the roles of her true confession characters and the cop fixated on her.
Harriet Klausner
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Knit, Purl, DieAnne Canadeo-
Knit, Purl, Die
Anne Canadeo
Pocket, Dec 29 2009, $14.00
ISBN: 9781416598121
Wealthy widow Gloria Sterling has returned from Florida to Plum Harbor, Massachusetts with her third husband much younger Jamie Barnett. The artist is considered a boy toy by Gloria’s friends at the Black Sheep Knitting Shop. Soon after her return, Gloria is found dead in her swimming pool; two empty wine glasses nearby.
The Black Sheep Knitting club members are stunned as Gloria was a colorful larger than life person. The five female knitters led by the shop’s owner Maggie Messina assume Jamie killed her as the motive is money although the cops declare her death an accident. They investigate seeking clues one stitch at time.
The second Black Sheep knitting amateur sleuth (see While My Pretty One Knits) is an enjoyable regional romp starring five intrepid knitters. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Gloria returns home with numero three and never slows down as the club members follow the threads not worrying that a killer might be watching their progress. Readers will enjoy this cozy also filled with knitting tip and web sites and recipes.
Harriet Klausner
Anne Canadeo
Pocket, Dec 29 2009, $14.00
ISBN: 9781416598121
Wealthy widow Gloria Sterling has returned from Florida to Plum Harbor, Massachusetts with her third husband much younger Jamie Barnett. The artist is considered a boy toy by Gloria’s friends at the Black Sheep Knitting Shop. Soon after her return, Gloria is found dead in her swimming pool; two empty wine glasses nearby.
The Black Sheep Knitting club members are stunned as Gloria was a colorful larger than life person. The five female knitters led by the shop’s owner Maggie Messina assume Jamie killed her as the motive is money although the cops declare her death an accident. They investigate seeking clues one stitch at time.
The second Black Sheep knitting amateur sleuth (see While My Pretty One Knits) is an enjoyable regional romp starring five intrepid knitters. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Gloria returns home with numero three and never slows down as the club members follow the threads not worrying that a killer might be watching their progress. Readers will enjoy this cozy also filled with knitting tip and web sites and recipes.
Harriet Klausner
Sleeping with Anemone-Kate Collins
Sleeping with Anemone
Kate Collins
Obsidian, Feb 2010, $6.99
ISBN: 9780451228901
At a home and garden show sponsored by Uniworld Food, Bloomers Flowers owner Abby Knight circulates a petition against the host firm opening up a dairy farm in which the firm uses bovine hormones to increase milk production by nine times. The hormones get into the milk people drink and harm the animals. Her efforts anger the company’s district manager Nils Raand who has her removed from the exhibit hall.
Back at her florist shop, Abby finds a broach in a box or orchids she ordered from Hawaii. Her mother makes duplicates to be sold at the shop. Abby is missing an order of anemones that the vendor says he sent to her. Although she is annoyed over the mix-up she becomes frightened over the attempted kidnappings of her roommate Nikki, cousin Jillian and niece Tara. Kate and her lover former Ranger boyfriend turned private investigator Marco believe Nils is behind the terrorism crimes. A brick inside burning paper is tossed through the shop window. However, Kate reconsiders whether Nils is the culprit or someone else from Uniworld whose corporate values can be found in the sewage system though she also wonders why a large influential corporation would violently go after a minor league gnat.
Readers will thoroughly enjoy this amateur sleuth tale that uses family humor in between some dangerous escapades. The heroine is strong willed and at times resents Marco trying to protect her as she is no lilting violet. Their families want the duo married, another item that upsets her as she feels they should mind their business. Marco is a saint for putting up with the female Oscar the grouch. However what refreshes the latest Flower Shop mystery is the issue of whether hormonal induced products are safe in the long run vs. the immediate starvation around the world.
Harriet Klausner
Kate Collins
Obsidian, Feb 2010, $6.99
ISBN: 9780451228901
At a home and garden show sponsored by Uniworld Food, Bloomers Flowers owner Abby Knight circulates a petition against the host firm opening up a dairy farm in which the firm uses bovine hormones to increase milk production by nine times. The hormones get into the milk people drink and harm the animals. Her efforts anger the company’s district manager Nils Raand who has her removed from the exhibit hall.
Back at her florist shop, Abby finds a broach in a box or orchids she ordered from Hawaii. Her mother makes duplicates to be sold at the shop. Abby is missing an order of anemones that the vendor says he sent to her. Although she is annoyed over the mix-up she becomes frightened over the attempted kidnappings of her roommate Nikki, cousin Jillian and niece Tara. Kate and her lover former Ranger boyfriend turned private investigator Marco believe Nils is behind the terrorism crimes. A brick inside burning paper is tossed through the shop window. However, Kate reconsiders whether Nils is the culprit or someone else from Uniworld whose corporate values can be found in the sewage system though she also wonders why a large influential corporation would violently go after a minor league gnat.
Readers will thoroughly enjoy this amateur sleuth tale that uses family humor in between some dangerous escapades. The heroine is strong willed and at times resents Marco trying to protect her as she is no lilting violet. Their families want the duo married, another item that upsets her as she feels they should mind their business. Marco is a saint for putting up with the female Oscar the grouch. However what refreshes the latest Flower Shop mystery is the issue of whether hormonal induced products are safe in the long run vs. the immediate starvation around the world.
Harriet Klausner
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Wicked Craving-G.A. McKevett
Wicked Craving
G.A. McKevett
Kensington, Jan 26 2010, $22.00
ISBN: 9780758238085
There has been a dearth of clients at the Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency, which leaves owner Savannah Reid bored. She thinks she will have a lot of time to spend with her Granny who has come from Georgia on a visit to San Carmelita. However, her good friend Detective Sergeant Dirk Coulter asks for her help on a case he is working; piquing Savannah’s interest so she cannot refuse.
The corpse of Maria Wellman was found at the bottom of the steps leading from her home to the beach; both the cop and the private sleuth know instinctively she was murdered. Her husband, renowned diet guru Dr. Robert Wellman claims his wife’s jewelry that she was wearing is missing when Savannah inquires about it. The doctor seems more concerned over the lost jewelry than his wife’s demise, which enhances him as the prime suspect. However as Savannah and Dirk conduct a deeper investigation they unearth a horde of suspects especially when they learn the true names of the Wellman couple though the diet king remains the top choice.
Except for Savannah’s friends and family, the rest of the support cast is a selfish lot with some having performed criminal activities; none are endearing as each is nasty leading the audience to believe they are real and capable of murder, and wanting each one to be the killer. That is the cleverness behind this strong whodunit as the reader will miss clues because of a desire to see the multitude locked away. G.A. McKevett provides another spectacular mystery as the victim is placed on the ultimate weight loss program: death.
Harriet Klausner
G.A. McKevett
Kensington, Jan 26 2010, $22.00
ISBN: 9780758238085
There has been a dearth of clients at the Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency, which leaves owner Savannah Reid bored. She thinks she will have a lot of time to spend with her Granny who has come from Georgia on a visit to San Carmelita. However, her good friend Detective Sergeant Dirk Coulter asks for her help on a case he is working; piquing Savannah’s interest so she cannot refuse.
The corpse of Maria Wellman was found at the bottom of the steps leading from her home to the beach; both the cop and the private sleuth know instinctively she was murdered. Her husband, renowned diet guru Dr. Robert Wellman claims his wife’s jewelry that she was wearing is missing when Savannah inquires about it. The doctor seems more concerned over the lost jewelry than his wife’s demise, which enhances him as the prime suspect. However as Savannah and Dirk conduct a deeper investigation they unearth a horde of suspects especially when they learn the true names of the Wellman couple though the diet king remains the top choice.
Except for Savannah’s friends and family, the rest of the support cast is a selfish lot with some having performed criminal activities; none are endearing as each is nasty leading the audience to believe they are real and capable of murder, and wanting each one to be the killer. That is the cleverness behind this strong whodunit as the reader will miss clues because of a desire to see the multitude locked away. G.A. McKevett provides another spectacular mystery as the victim is placed on the ultimate weight loss program: death.
Harriet Klausner
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Sleep No More-Susan Crandall
Sleep No More
Susan Crandall
Forever, Jan 1 2010, $6.99
ISBN: 9780446556842
When her Great Gran Girault caught Abby Whitman sleepwalking, she warned the family that the child was cursed before returning to her Louisiana Bayou home. Soon afterward Abby wakes up after sleepwalking to smell smoke. Everyone assumes she set the fire accidentally that permanently scars her sister Courtney and destroyed their home. Filled with guilt and fear that her Great Gran is right that she is a danger to her loved ones, Abby moves away from those she cherishes but remains nearby while Courtney moves to New Mexico living like a hermit.
In South Carolina psychiatrist Jason Coble kicks himself for missing the signs of alcoholism that his ex-wife Lucy has shown. He warns her he will seek sole custody of their seven year old daughter Brenna if she fails to get her act together; he wishes he could do likewise for his teenage stepson Bryce but has no legal connection though he raised the lad as his own son.
Abby awakes from sleepwalking to find herself in the driver’s eat of her car half sunk in a marsh; nearby is a dead motorcyclist who she fears she killed. When she meets Jason at the funeral of the grandmother of his former wife, they hit it off and she asks for his help. He agrees feeling a compulsion to help her learn the truth about the boy’s death and the cause of her sleepwalking.
This is an action packed romantic suspense thriller with one intriguing final twist. The support cast is too stereotyped and the romance enjoyable but unneeded as the focus is Abby who is terrific especially when she makes dumb decisions out of fear that she is a cursed monster. Fans will enjoy this tense tale as Abby learns it’s all in the family.
Harriet Klausner
Susan Crandall
Forever, Jan 1 2010, $6.99
ISBN: 9780446556842
When her Great Gran Girault caught Abby Whitman sleepwalking, she warned the family that the child was cursed before returning to her Louisiana Bayou home. Soon afterward Abby wakes up after sleepwalking to smell smoke. Everyone assumes she set the fire accidentally that permanently scars her sister Courtney and destroyed their home. Filled with guilt and fear that her Great Gran is right that she is a danger to her loved ones, Abby moves away from those she cherishes but remains nearby while Courtney moves to New Mexico living like a hermit.
In South Carolina psychiatrist Jason Coble kicks himself for missing the signs of alcoholism that his ex-wife Lucy has shown. He warns her he will seek sole custody of their seven year old daughter Brenna if she fails to get her act together; he wishes he could do likewise for his teenage stepson Bryce but has no legal connection though he raised the lad as his own son.
Abby awakes from sleepwalking to find herself in the driver’s eat of her car half sunk in a marsh; nearby is a dead motorcyclist who she fears she killed. When she meets Jason at the funeral of the grandmother of his former wife, they hit it off and she asks for his help. He agrees feeling a compulsion to help her learn the truth about the boy’s death and the cause of her sleepwalking.
This is an action packed romantic suspense thriller with one intriguing final twist. The support cast is too stereotyped and the romance enjoyable but unneeded as the focus is Abby who is terrific especially when she makes dumb decisions out of fear that she is a cursed monster. Fans will enjoy this tense tale as Abby learns it’s all in the family.
Harriet Klausner
Dino Vicelli: Private Eye In A World Of Evil-Lori Weiner
Dino Vicelli: Private Eye In A World Of Evil
Lori Weiner
Dorrance Publishing, Jun 8 2009, $10.00
www.dorrancebookstore.com
ISBN: 9781434902948
In New York City, debonair Italian Greyhound Dino Vicelli loves to dress smartly and enjoys an expensive cigar. He pays for his two prime tastes as a Manhattan private investigator.
When a tall all legs Afghan blonde enters his office, Dino barks out “Wow” as she is beautiful. She introduces herself as Jezebel who hires him to investigate a seemingly simple missing person case, the disappearance of Katy Barnes. A tip sends Dino to Footprint Downs, a place known for human abuse of its runners. At the track guns are fired and a man is killed but not before he warns Dino to seek the “star”. Dino soon finds himself in danger from a killer involved in some weird experiments to dominate the world when all he wants is time with Jezebel after he locates Katy.
This is an entertaining satirical canine caper as Dino explores New York from a debonair Noir dog’s perspective. Fans will enjoy Dino’s escapades as he uses his olfactory and taste senses to find clues while romancing the blonde fatale. Fans of Spencer Quinn’s Chet (see Dog on It) although sans Bernie will appreciate Dino Vicelli, Private Eye (and nose).
Harriet Klausner
Lori Weiner
Dorrance Publishing, Jun 8 2009, $10.00
www.dorrancebookstore.com
ISBN: 9781434902948
In New York City, debonair Italian Greyhound Dino Vicelli loves to dress smartly and enjoys an expensive cigar. He pays for his two prime tastes as a Manhattan private investigator.
When a tall all legs Afghan blonde enters his office, Dino barks out “Wow” as she is beautiful. She introduces herself as Jezebel who hires him to investigate a seemingly simple missing person case, the disappearance of Katy Barnes. A tip sends Dino to Footprint Downs, a place known for human abuse of its runners. At the track guns are fired and a man is killed but not before he warns Dino to seek the “star”. Dino soon finds himself in danger from a killer involved in some weird experiments to dominate the world when all he wants is time with Jezebel after he locates Katy.
This is an entertaining satirical canine caper as Dino explores New York from a debonair Noir dog’s perspective. Fans will enjoy Dino’s escapades as he uses his olfactory and taste senses to find clues while romancing the blonde fatale. Fans of Spencer Quinn’s Chet (see Dog on It) although sans Bernie will appreciate Dino Vicelli, Private Eye (and nose).
Harriet Klausner
Devils Island-Carl Brookins
Devils Island
Carl Brookins
Echelon, 2009, $13.99
www.echelonpress.com
ISBN: 9781590806432
In Seattle, business delays Michael Tanner from joining his wife Mary Whitney sailing in Lake Superior. Michael is worried for her safety partly because a few years earlier his beloved first wife and her sister were killed in a boating incident and more so because he fears her wealthy ex husband Edwin Tobias is dangerous. Still she is a terrific sailor and unafraid goes ahead with the trip.
Meanwhile as Michael completes his business anxious to get to Wisconsin and his spouse, his belief re Edwin proves accurate. Edwin has stalked Mary from a distance off British Columbia and now Lake Superior waiting for the moment to abduct his former spouse. No one walks out on Edwin Tobias and he knows the time has arrived as Mary and a new friend Liz sail the Apostle Islands when the two women stop at Devils Island.
The latest Tanner –Whitney thriller (see the vividly descriptive A Superior Mystery and Inner Passages) is a superb who-done-it starring a beleaguered heroine as Mary is the prime star on the return to Lake Superior. The story line is straightforward in terms of the stalker and his prey yet Carl Brookins enhances the plot with his save the pristine environment message without preaching. Fans will enjoy this exciting entry as Edwin comes back for his wife.
Harriet Klausner
Carl Brookins
Echelon, 2009, $13.99
www.echelonpress.com
ISBN: 9781590806432
In Seattle, business delays Michael Tanner from joining his wife Mary Whitney sailing in Lake Superior. Michael is worried for her safety partly because a few years earlier his beloved first wife and her sister were killed in a boating incident and more so because he fears her wealthy ex husband Edwin Tobias is dangerous. Still she is a terrific sailor and unafraid goes ahead with the trip.
Meanwhile as Michael completes his business anxious to get to Wisconsin and his spouse, his belief re Edwin proves accurate. Edwin has stalked Mary from a distance off British Columbia and now Lake Superior waiting for the moment to abduct his former spouse. No one walks out on Edwin Tobias and he knows the time has arrived as Mary and a new friend Liz sail the Apostle Islands when the two women stop at Devils Island.
The latest Tanner –Whitney thriller (see the vividly descriptive A Superior Mystery and Inner Passages) is a superb who-done-it starring a beleaguered heroine as Mary is the prime star on the return to Lake Superior. The story line is straightforward in terms of the stalker and his prey yet Carl Brookins enhances the plot with his save the pristine environment message without preaching. Fans will enjoy this exciting entry as Edwin comes back for his wife.
Harriet Klausner
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)