Review – Murder Your Darlings by J.J. Murphy

~ Erika K ~ 1 Comment

Murder Your Darlings by J.J. Murphy
Murder Your Darlings (An Algonquin Round Table Mystery #1)
An Algonquin Round Table Mystery #1

Genre: Cozy Mystery
My Rating **** (4 of 5 stars)

When the members of the Algonquin Round Table gathered for lunch, the last thing they expected to find was the dead body of a theater critic under their table. From Round Table, to speakeasy, and all over the city of New York, Dorothy Parker has to chase down a murderer before the police try to pin the crime on her or one of her gang. She has plenty of help from her friends Peter Benchley and a visiting Billy Faulkner.

Several members of the Algonquin Round Table are featured or make at least a brief appearance in this story. So who were they? Here’s a brief description from Wikipedia:

The Algonquin Round Table was a celebrated group of New York City writers, critics, actors and wits. Gathering initially as part of a practical joke, members of “The Vicious Circle”, as they dubbed themselves, met for lunch each day at the Algonquin Hotel from 1919 until roughly 1929. At these luncheons they engaged in wisecracks, wordplay and witticisms that, through the newspaper columns of Round Table members, were disseminated across the country.

The mystery was good, and the characters were larger than life, but there were so many characters that it did get a little confusing at first. Once I figured out who everyone was though, I really enjoyed it. I loved the banter between Dorothy and Peter – they reminded me a bit of Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn in Bringing Up Baby. I highly recommend this one if you enjoy a little humor with your mystery.

Visit the Algonquin Hotel’s website for more info on the Round Table.

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Review – Walk in the Flesh by Peter Bailey

~ Erika K ~ Leave a comment

Walk in the Flesh by Peter Bailey
Walk in the Flesh

Genre: Techno-thriller / SciFi
My Rating: *** (3 of 5 stars)

Since then he had died over a hundred times. He was very good at it.

***NOTE: I was provided a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review***

In Walk in the Flesh, Neil, an ex-soldier on the brink of death, is given the chance to live on and exact revenge on the people who killed his wife in a terrorist attack. The British government will use nanotechnology to insert his consciousness into host bodies, allowing him to carry out covert missions undetected. Now, besides becoming a perfect killing machine, Neil has also become a monster.  Or perhaps he was one all along…

The story has a very scary premise – and one that technology might not be too far away from making a possibility. There is no shortage of action in this thriller, and I was caught up in it right away. The story moves quickly, but it takes a while to really understand what is happening with Neil. Eventually the reader knows more about him than he does himself. The most suspenseful bits come near the end when he has a young woman travelling with him, and you’re left guessing at his motivations.

There were a few editing issues. Once or twice I had to re-read a sentence due to a missing word, but the issues were infrequent or the story kept moving well enough for me not to notice too much.

If you enjoy military adventure novels, cyberpunk, or techno-thrillers, this one is worth a read.

Warnings: explicit language, explicit violence, rape 

Visit Peter Bailey on Facebook

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Review / Giveaway (ENDED) – Woman Without Fear by J.P. Touzeau

~ Erika K ~ 1 Comment

I would normally post my Top Ten Tuesday list today, but I’m on vacation this week and haven’t had time to write it! Instead, I’m posting a review I wrote a while ago that I never got around to sharing….

Woman Without Fear by J.P. Touzeau
Translated from French by Sarah Christine Varney
Woman Without Fear
Le Femme #1

Genre: Fiction / Sci-fi / Snail?
Rating ** (2 of 5 stars)

***I won a copy of this book in a First to Read giveaway on Goodreads***

The story is about a shy woman named Trinity Silverman who, for reasons that are never fully explained, suffers from constant fear and anxiety. Despite this, her job is to go to trading conferences, and give presentations trying to sell her firm’s financial software. Her companion when she travels is a snail named Speedy that she keeps in a small Plexiglas box. On one such business trip to Las Vegas, she meets a man in the hotel bar who works for a pharmaceutical company. He offers her some pills that he has developed, promising that they will take away all of her fears.

Continue reading →

Bookstore Haul!

~ Erika K ~ Leave a comment

I’m on vacation at the moment, visiting my folks in Tennessee. Whenever we come for a visit, I always try to get to the Book Cellar used bookstore in Crossville. They have a huge selection, and some of the best prices I’ve seen in a used book store.

My purchases today:
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I picked up a couple of gothic romance novels, a thriller, and a cozy mystery.

There are always a few boxes out front of the store where they put books that are “free for the taking”. I don’t usually find anything I want in them, but I hit the motherload today! 🙂

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There was also a Tami Hoag hardcover with no dust jacket that I picked up. Couldn’t be happier with my finds today!

If you live in the area and haven’t visited, you should. They’re at 184 Woodmere Mall in Crossville, Tennessee.

Visit their Facebook page.

What are you reading Wednesday – 6/17/15

~ Erika K ~ 7 Comments

What are you reading Wednesday – 6/17/15

whatareyoureadingwed
What Are You Reading Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Its A Reading Thing. To participate, open your current read to page 34 and answer the three questions listed below. If you have a blog, feel free to leave a link down in the comments so that others can visit and see your post. If you don’t, just leave a note with your answers.

The Questions are:
1. What’s the name of your current read?

2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share one complete sentence. (or two!)

3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

My Answers this week:
1. Walk in the Flesh by Peter Bailey

Walk in the Flesh

From Goodreads: In the aftermath of a terrorist attack Neil is given the chance to serve his country by serving up revenge. He soon becomes England’s premier spy and assassin. As a man he was unpleasant, dangerous and of little use. As a cyborg he is unpleasant, very dangerous and extremely useful. His suicide missions fit his strengths and his weaknesses. He exacts vengeance, kills without mercy, then destroys the evidence by destroying his temporary body. The aftermath is someone else’s problem. (read more)

2. The security check was executed with the deft touch of a pick pocket. While one guard made a great show of passing a portable metal detector over him, it was almost possible to miss the feather light touch from behind patting him down.

3. Right now, I’d have to say no, I would NOT like to live in this world. While not specified, I have the impression that the story takes place in the present or very near future, but there is enough corruption and evil going on that I’m not sure I’d ever feel safe!

Audiobook Review – The Silver Witch by Paula Brackston

~ Erika K ~ 4 Comments

The Silver Witch by Paula Brackston
The Silver Witch
Macmillan Audio CD Audiobook
Narrated by Marisa Calin

Genre: Fiction / Fantasy
My Rating: ***** (5 of 5 stars)

I have had several Paula Brackston novels on my Goodreads Want to Read shelf for a while now, but this is the first one I got around to reading / listening to. I loved it, and I can’t wait to start another one! This is also a book I’m glad I picked up the audio version of instead of trying to read it. The narrator has a beautiful Welsh accent, and thankfully knows how to pronounce the Welsh names and place-names that I would have butchered inside of my head had I read it in print.

The novel is told in both the present and in ancient Celtic times, both storylines taking place in the same locale.  In present day Wales, following the death of her husband, Tilda moves into the house that she and Matt had purchased to start their new life in together. After spending some time alone in her cottage, Tilda starts to experience strange things, and finds a new sort of power developing inside her. In ancient times, we hear the story of Seren, a shaman and seer to a Celtic Prince who lived on a man-made island in the middle of the lake near Tilda’s cottage.

Each story on its own is intriguing. We know early on that there is a connection between the two women, but it takes longer for Tilda to realize why she feels such an affinity for the lake and the area around her new home. By the time she does, her life and the life of her new love may be in more danger than she can handle.

This book has a little bit of everything. Historical fiction, fantasy, suspense, and a touch of romance. I highly recommend this one if you are a fan of any of those genres.

Visit Paula Brackston’s website

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Review – Death by Coffee

~ Erika K ~ 5 Comments

Death by Coffee by Alex Erickson
Death by Coffee
Book 1 of the Bookstore Cafe Mysteries Series

My Rating: *** (3 of 5 stars)
Genre: Cozy Mystery

***NOTE: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Krissy Hancock has moved to Pine Hills with her best friend to open a coffee and book shop, Death by Coffee. When business doesn’t pick up right away, Krissy is concerned that it could be due to the death of a man who works in the building across the street – a man who had come in for a cup of coffee just minutes before his death. Determined to find the killer in order to squelch rumors that Death by Coffee may actually be serving tainted coffee, Krissy conducts her own investigation.

This was a well plotted and well written mystery, but I did have trouble believing people would tell Krissy as much as they did, with her confrontational way of interrogating her suspects.

The story was entertaining though, and cozy mystery fans should enjoy it. I’ll be watching for the next installment, Death by Tea, to come out this December!

Visit Alex Erickson’s website

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Review – The Devil’s Music by Pearl R. Meaker

~ Erika K ~ 1 Comment

The Devil’s Music by Pearl R. Meaker
The Devil's Music (Emory Crawford Mysteries #1)
Book 1 of the Emory Crawford Mysteries

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating **** (4 of 5 stars)

Synopsis from Goodreads:
When an acclaimed scholar and musician is found murdered on the Twombly College campus where her husband teaches chemistry and is a forensic scientist, Emory Crawford decides she can help. She’s a professor’s wife, not an official. People will talk to her. So she heads out with her knitting tote and emerges as the most inquisitive, persistent and clever amateur detective since Miss Marple.

***I was provided with a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review***

The Devil’s Music was a quick, easy read at only 218 pages, but also an enjoyable one. The story is sprinkled with plant lore as well as bluegrass and folk music tidbits that add interest to the story. I would suggest not reading this book on an empty stomach, however, as the descriptions of all of the delicious sounding food served at various functions are sure to leave you hungry!

The Sleuth, Emory Crawford, is a likable protagonist. Even though she aspires to be a young Miss Marple, she has her faults, and they add to her charm. Her occasional fumbling around after clues makes her seem all the more genuine. I did appreciate the fact that she wasn’t all-knowing despite the “gift” that she realizes she has part of the way through the story. She still had to rely on her wits and ability to make logical deductions, not solely on her intuition.

Overall, a nice start to a new cozy mystery series. I look forward to more of Emory in October, when the next book in the series, The Devil’s Hook, will be available.

Pearl R. Meaker – http://www.pearlrmeaker.com/
Author of The Devil’s Music
Available May 1, 2015
Let’s keep in touch – subscribe to my newsletter 🙂 Pearl & Emory

What are you reading Wednesday – Death by Coffee

~ Erika K ~ Leave a comment

What are you reading Wednesday – 6/10/15

whatareyoureadingwed
What Are You Reading Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Its A Reading Thing. To participate, open the book you are reading now to page 34 and answer the three questions listed below. If you have a blog, feel free to leave a link down in the comments so that others can visit and see your post. If you don’t, just leave a note with your answers.

The Questions are:
1. What’s the name of your current read?

2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share one complete sentence. (or two!)

3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

My Answers this week:
1. Death by Coffee – by Alex Erickson
Death by Coffee
Bookstore Cafe Mystery #1

2. I took a moment to brush away the worst of the mess, though some of it had stuck, thanks to the kitty slobber that acted like glue.

3. Pine Hills seems like a pleasant enough medium-small town, and on a normal, non-murder day, I think it would be an ok place to live.