WHAT I'M READING

AGATHA RAISIN AND THE QUICHE OF DEATH by M.C. Beaton (1992)

 

About the book:

Ah-h-h...

    The cloudless peace of the beautiful Cotswolds....

     After Agatha's years of slaving to promote other people to success, her new life in a picture-book English village is a dream come true.  And how better to make friends than by entering the village quiche-making competition?  To ensure first prize, Agatha buys her entry at London's renowned Quicherie.

     Alas, Agatha's impeccable product is soon exposed -- as not only store-bought but poisoned.  The contest judge, Mr. Cummings-Browne, rumored to be a connoisseur of women as well as food, succumbs after eating it, and with him go Agatha's chances for bucolic bliss -- unless she can nab the poisoner.

     In a reckless game of village quiche-and-tell, Agatha rushes in where angels might fear to tread, infuriating and entertaining her neighbors, but shrewdly gaining on her prey -- all unaware that she's become the prey herself....

My thoughts:

This book was really good, but took a lot longer to read than I anticipated.  It was slow going but worth it.  This is the first Agatha Raisin book.  I want to read them all and I like reading series in order.  But finding it was difficult.  So glad I did.  The character of Agatha seems a little stiff in the beginning, but fleshes out as the book goes on.  Her crazy friends and neighbors only add to the story.  I had figured out about half-way through "who dunnit" but for the life of me couldn't figure out the "how."  A very clever ending.

WHAT I'M READING

SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN by Janet Evanovich (2011)

Where there's smoke there's fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum.

Dead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie's name is on the killer's list.

Short on time to find evidence proving the killer's identity, Stephanie faces further complications when her family and friends decide that it's time for her to choose between her longtime off-again-on-again boyfriend, Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert Ranger. Stephanie's mom is encouraging Stephanie to dump them both and choose a former high school football star who's just returned to town. Stephanie's sidekick, Lula, is encouraging Stephanie to have a red-hot boudoir "bake-off." And Grandma Bella, Morelli's old-world grandmother, is encouraging Stephanie to move to a new state when she puts "the eye" on Stephanie.

With a cold-blooded killer after her, a handful of hot men, and a capture list that includes a dancing bear and a senior citizen vampire, Stephanie's life looks like it's about to go up in smoke.

My thoughts:
OK, this was a very fast read and very enjoyable. Last year's number 16 book was a disappointment to me and I really wondered if I wanted to continue on in the series. But I took a chance with Smokin' Seventeen and I was not disappointed. Stephanie Plum is back!

Stephanie, Lula, Grandma Mazur, Joe Morelli and Ranger are back the way we have grown to love them. There is lots of excitement in this book along with a good dose of humor. The fugitives are just as nutty as always and of course there is another car for Stephanie to blow up.

I highly recommend this book. Please read it. You will not be disappointed.

 

WHAT I'M READING

BLOOD OF THE PRODIGAL by P.L. Gaus (2010)

About the book:
The Amish, or "plain people," and English, or "vain ones," share a home country in the pastoral hills of Ohio. As summer approaches, boyhood friends and lifelong residents Pastor Caleb Troyer and Professor Michael Branden anticipate a season of fishing for bass, until a ten-year-old boy disappears from the home of the Amish bishop who had exiled the boy's father a decade earlier.

"Say little. Listen a lot." are Troyer and Branden's simple watchwords as they begin, at the behest of Bishop Eli Miller, to work the case. Following the bishop's mysterious strictures, the pair is plunged into the traditionally closed Amish society whose followers, innately suspicious of English ways, have been suddenly made vulnerable to the dangers of the world. When the man suspected of seizing the boy turns up dead, Sheriff Bruce Robertson takes up the investigation -- only to uncover truths that many, especially the Bishop, would prefer to leave undisturbed.

Deeply atmospheric and morally complex Blood of the Prodigal is the first in a riveting series that explores a fascinating culture of a people set purposely apart from mainstream America.

My thoughts:
I picked up this book thinking it was another of my favorite Amish fiction. Instead I got a mystery/suspense novel equal to the writings of James Patterson. It was a dark, heavy story but very intriguing. Reading it you forget that one man is English and one man is Amish. These are people. People with feelings, beliefs, doubts. I wasn't even close to the figuring out the killer.

It took me much longer to read this book than I thought it would, but it was worth the time I invested in it. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

WHAT I'M READING

ON WHAT GROUNDS by Cleo Coyle

About the book:

Clare Cosi used to manage the historic Village Blend coffeehouse...until she opted for quieter pastures and a more suburban life.  But after ten years and a little friendly cajoling from the owner (a fresh pot of Jamaican Blue Mountain was all it took), she's back to the grind, serving coffee and solving crime -- one cup at a time...

With a sprawling rent-free apartment directly above The Village Blend, her cat Java by her side, and plenty of coffeehouse redecorating ideas, Clare is thrilled to return to work.  Until she discovers the assistant manager unconscious in the back of the store, coffee grounds strewn everywhere.  Police arrive on the scene to investigate.  But when they find no sign of forced entry or foul play, they deem it an accident.  Case closed.  But Clare is not convinced.  And after the police leave, there are a few things she just can't get out of her mind...  Why was the trash bin in the wrong place?  If this wasn't an accident, is Clare in danger?  And...are all detectives this handsome?

My thoughts:

Haven't read a good mystery in a long time.  This is a good one.  I have never read Cleo Coyle before, but now I want to read the rest of this series.  I like the character of Clare.  I dislike the character of her ex-husband, but hey, that's the sign of a good author, right?  A fast read if you have time to just sit and read.  Short chapters, which I like because I can pick it up and put it down without losing the story.  Also, lots of tips for making great coffee.  I recommend it.