Saturday, January 28, 2017

Weekend Book Reviews

The Aisles Have Eyes by Joseph Turow is an eye opening look at just how closely shoppers are watched both in-store and online.  The book begins with a description of how advertising began and how it has evolved over the years.  Mr. Turow discusses how stores such as Wal-Mart and Amazon have changed the way we shop.  As time has progressed stores (both online and brick & mortar) track individual shoppers gathering as much information as possible. Offers and incentives are tailored to each individual shopper based on his/her value to the company.  Smartphones are used to track shoppers as they walk through the stores.  The amount of information being gathered is a bit surprising.  Before I read the book I found the idea of a body implant to gauge shoppers' reactions to products absurd.  After reading the book, I can believe it is possible.

Mary Feliz's Scheduled to Death is book two in the Maggie McDonald Mystery series. Maggie picks up a high profile client with hopes of boosting her organizing business.  Professor Sinclair is a brilliant scientist who is hopeless at organizing his home.  Things take a turn for the worse when Sinclair's fiancee is found dead on his laboratory floor.  With "Detective Awful" on the case, Maggie feels she must solve the murder before Professor Sinclair ends up in jail.  The characters are engaging, and the mystery kept me hooked until the end.  The side stories easily fit into the plot of the book.  I look forward to reading more in this series!

Dead to Begin With by Vivian Conroy is the first book in the Country Gift Shop Cozy Mystery series.  Vicky has returned to her hometown in Maine with the intention of opening a British themed gift shop.  The past quickly comes back to haunt her as the 20 year unsolved disappearance of a teenage girl is once again the talk of the town when Vicky finds a body.  The dead man was blackmailing someone in connection with the disappearance.  I enjoyed the setting of the small Maine town as well as the characters.  Since this was the first book, it had a slow start.  The mystery took center stage though.  This is a wonderful start to a new cozy mystery series.  I look forward to reading the next installment.

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

No comments: