Saturday, April 2, 2016

Weekend Book Reviews

A Devious Lot by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs is book five in the Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries.  This book easily stands on its own.  I have not read any of the previous books, but I was not at all lost.  Readers join Molly and Matt on their honeymoon in England which includes a visit to her Great Aunt Tessa.  A murder and some missing people threaten to ruin the newlyweds' trip.  This cozy mystery also included a backstory from the Victorian era which was placed in chapters during the regular story.  Rather than taking away or being confusing, it added to the main story.  I enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the writing style of this book.

Killer Reunion by G.A. McKevett is part of the Savannah Reid series.  I have not read any of the other books in this series and was only introduced to Savannah as she returned home to Georgia for a high school reunion.  I certainly hope Savannah is more realistic in the books set in California.  As I started reading I was annoyed at the portrayal of southerners A few things were true.  Southern grandmothers are often called Granny, and southern families do stick together.  A few other southern rules were broken.  In the South women who are your elders are referred to as "Miss", for example Miss Jane.  You do not refer to every single woman as Miss.  We also do not go around spouting off every single southern saying that comes to mind 100% of the time.  If we did talk like Savannah and her family, we would be kicked out of the south for the lack of "y'all" and "bless your heart".  I got the feeling the author has never been to the south or even met someone from the south.  While I generally enjoy southern themed books, this one completely missed the mark.

Death of a Bacon Heiress by Lee Hollis is a fun cozy mystery that is part of the Hayley Powell series.  I had no idea there were so many other books in this series, and this book makes me want to read them all.  Hayley is the food and cocktails columnist for her local newspaper.  She finds fame after appearing on a morning talk show and meeting bacon heiress Oliva Redmond.  Unfortunately for Hayley, Oliva soon turns up dead.  Hayley then becomes the caretaker of Oliva's pet pig, Pork Chop.  I loved Hayley's columns which are sprinkled throughout the book.  The characters are loveable, and the mystery kept me guessing until the end!

disclosure:  I received these e-books from NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

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