June Bug / Mira Grant

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Mira is well on the way now to being the gal I met in November Hunt. Jed is in the scene now, poised to become her friend. Mrs. Berns has weaseled her way into a library assistant job with Mira and is saying and doing the inappropriate things that I love her for. Kennie Rogers is coming up with goofy schemes to try to make money. Plus Mira has met Johnny, although under less than ideal circumstances.

The mystery in this volume wasn't my favourite, but that could be because Mira doesn't have true partners in crime yet. She certainly has her reporter hat that she puts on to justify her curiosity, but she really doesn't have backup. Her dealings with Jason's violence prove that she could use some help, and unlike some main characters of cozy mysteries, Mira realizes it and is appropriately scared. At this point in the series, she's honestly on the edge of propriety herself, wielding a skeleton key, sneaking into hotel rooms, and generally slinking around.

It's interesting to see Mira's relationships and her place in the Battle Lake community evolving. I'm glad that I backtracked to read these early volumes of the series.

The Queens of Crime / Marie Benedict

 

Book 11 of the 2025 Read Your Hoard Challenge

3.75 stars?

I picked up this novel with very high hopes—perhaps too high. I mean look at that gorgeous cover! It just begs you to read it. Plus it features Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers as characters, both of whom are writers who I love. All of this potential goodness wrapped up in one volume.

It took me a while to warm up to the first person, present tense writing. Somehow it kept me at arm's length from the action, not really fully engaged. Eventually I found my stride and was able to quit obsessing over it. Told entirely from Sayers' point of view, I felt the story could have been improved by giving at least one of the other authors their turn.

I haven't read any books by Margery Allingham or Ngaio Marsh, nor have I read biographical material of them or Emma Orczy. I have read many of Sayers' Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane books and almost all of Christie's novels. In addition, I've also read Christie's autobiography and a recent biography and a biography of Sayers. My memory is less than perfect, but Benedict seems to have done her research on these women. I will be trying some Marsh and Allingham mysteries in the future in order to get to know these women.

It was a great idea, based on actual events. The author's note at the end sorts out the fictionalized aspects. I will have to re-read the last pages once more before heading off to book club tomorrow. I am scheduled to chair this meeting and I'm interested to hear the opinions of the other members. The book came highly recommended by a bookstore employee, but I am struggling to analyze exactly how I feel about it. Perhaps our discussion will help me sort out my thoughts?

Overgrowth / Mira Grant

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Four words: Vampire Plants From Space.

Anastasia went into the woods when she was three and when she returned, a change had happened. She tells everyone she meets that she's an alien disguised as a human and that her people will be coming to get her. Most people laugh. Some get angry. But none of them take her seriously. When a message arrives from outer space, Stasia knows that her time is getting shorter.

Each chapter begins with a quote from H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds. Wells envisioned intelligent cephalopods and Grant gives us sentient plants. There are lots of references to Little Shop of Horrors too. It's been a long time since I read The Day of the Triffids, but its influence here is unmistakable.

I was particularly fond of Stasia's relationship with Graham, a trans man and herpetologist. Stasia has loved him from before his transition. As she says at one point, he always believed she was an alien and she always believed he was a man. Their love gets pushed, pulled, bruised, and otherwise tested when the space armada arrives. Stasia is torn—can she have her genetic space relatives and maintain her love for Graham and the handful of friends that have stuck by her over the years?

I’m not usually a horror reader, so I don't know how to discuss those aspects of the book. Gradually transforming into something not human would definitely horrify me, especially if the people around me began to smell delicious. Then there is the predictable human response and the destruction that feature in most apocalyptic fiction. That would also be horrifying to endure.

I had lots of thoughts about our home-grown colonization and genocides, as well as humanity's xenophobic tendencies. This book can be merely an alien invasion or it can be a metaphor for our bigger human problems. Either way, it was a gripping and entertaining read.

Sixth Grave on the Edge / Darynda Jones

 

2.6 out of 5 stars 

It's said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. I keep reading this series, which is so close to being really good and it keeps missing my personal mark.

I want to like these books. I enjoy some of the humour, although I have complained in other reviews that I think the author tries too hard. For me, it comes down to Charley herself. It's like she has ADHD and can't really concentrate on anything. I am constantly wishing for her to pay fricking attention. Then there is the whole idea that romance and sex are the be-all and end-all of any woman's existence. I'm impatient with Charley playing coy with Reyes, which has been going on for books now. I am also kind of offended by the emphasis on Charley's friend Cookie and the need to get her matched up with someone.

On the plus side, Charley is finally learning about her Grim Reaper abilities. Now if she only had the concentration skills of a chicken, she could grow into her powers. Ms. Jones, what the hell? Why won't you let this character grow and become competent? Why must she act like a nitwit?

Darynda Jones belongs to the Paranormal Women's Fiction group, which I admire. So I think it's time that I quit beating my head against this series, which doesn't suit me despite its popularity, and try some of her other stuff. If you see me picking up the next Charley Davidson book, punch me.

Haunt Your Heart Out / Amber Roberts

 3 out of 5 stars 

I strangely haven't got much to say about this romance. It was well written enough. I liked it, but didn't love it. I don't think I'll ever want to re-read it, which is the mark of a book that I really enjoyed.

I completely understand Lex's desire to own the bookstore that she works in. I kind of understand her desire to stay in her little village in Vermont. Her fear of being left was completely comprehensible. Aren't we all worried about that at our core? Or is that just me?

This will sound odd, coming from a woman who gets freaked out by her own imagination when reading ghost stories, but there wasn't nearly enough paranormal activity involved in the plot of this novel. James was getting stressed by supposed ghostly phenomena and I was unimpressed. I should be checking under my bed, but I had no desire to do so.

Recommended for romance readers who don't require mystery or paranormal angles to get them interested.

The Retirement Plan / Sue Hincenbergs

 

4 out of 5 stars 

I was reluctantly charmed by this novel. I went into it in a bad mood. It was due at the library in days and couldn't be renewed. I hate reading under pressure, so I was pissy about it. But the further I read, the more forgiving I got, because Hincenbergs has written a clever and amusing story that is not really a mystery, but has some great twists and turns nevertheless.

Four couples, all alike in financial difficulties, in trouble where we lay our scene. Four years ago, one of the husbands got suckered by an investment scheme and took the other three along for the debacle. Since then, they have schemed to replace that retirement nest egg. Now Dave, the casino machine technician, has been found dead with a thousand dollar casino chip on his chest. The men panic, thinking he was killed in an Indian mafia style hit because Dave's way of funneling money out of the casino has been revealed. They must disappear and they know just who can help them—their barber, Hector who has a reputation for getting things done. Meanwhile, the wives realize that Dave's wife, Marlene, is now enjoying a large insurance payout and all that stands between them and financial comfort is their husbands. And they know just who to consult about that problem—their husbands' barber, Hector.

Add to the pot the young woman newly in charge of the casino, Padma. I had to reluctantly empathize with her, as she is completely out of her depth. Never in the top percentile in her business courses, she is clueless about the running of the casino. Hank, one of the scheming husbands, actually does the work of scheduling, hiring and firing. Padma also has a domineering mother who is determined to marry her off advantageously and who criticises everything about her daughter. Padma has no social skills, no ability to read a room, a crushing inferiority complex, and really sore feet from wearing the highest heels possible.

Hector is obviously very involved in the action and soon his wife Brenda is head of security at the casino. This adds to the mayhem. It's a comedy of errors with assassins. Not quite slapstick, but close. Every time the characters turn around, there's a new situation to be dealt with. How could I not be charmed by this dark humour?

If you're staring at retirement and thinking that you could use just a bit more cash, give this book a spin. It'll keep you on the straight and narrow.

Made To Be Broken / Kelley Armstrong

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

I had a more difficult time with this second book about Nadia Stafford. Some of that is just me being twitchy right now. I may have over-scheduled myself just a bit.

My biggest issue was with Nadia herself. She can't seem to see why Jack is hanging around. Grab a clue, Nadia, he wants to be more than your mentor! Evelyn tattles on Jack, who has broken a bone and is going stir crazy in a dismal motel room. Nadia talks him into coming to stay at her lodge, where he seems to settle in. Meanwhile, one of Nadia's employees and her baby have gone missing. No one seems to care—not the girl's mother and certainly not the local police. Nadia once swore to serve and protect, so her protective impulses go into overdrive.

How realistic is it to have teenage single mothers being killed to supply a baby black market? I am unsure, which dampened my enjoyment. But since I have no idea about the whole contract killer world, what do I know? I guess it's appropriate for Nadia to get hung up on the young woman's death as it rhymes with the murder of her own cousin when Nadia was just a kid. That's the reasoning that Armstrong presents to us, but then that trauma doesn't really get addressed.

It was interesting to see Nadia struggling to escape from Evelyn's influence, while maintaining her relationship with Jack. Jack is one of the most supportive friends ever. Nadia needs to talk? He'll listen. Need help looking for a body? No problem. Need someone to take lodge guests to the shooting range? He's your guy. Have second thoughts about a contract job? No worries, he'll do it. Just watching him tolerate Quinn courting Nadia would make him qualify for sainthood if he wasn't, you know, a murderer.

Somehow I thought that the Jack or Quinn question would be resolved in this installment, but I was wrong. I see book three in my future.