Saturday, May 27, 2017

Weekend Book Reviews

A Good Day to Buy by Sherry Harris is part of the Sarah W Garage Sale Mystery series.  I had not read any of the previous books and was not lost.  I did feel like I missed getting to know Sarah, the main character.  Sarah owns a garage sale business that is thriving, but the murder of her latest client threatens that.  Sarah's ex-husband, who is also the police chief, considers Sarah's estranged brother the main suspect.  The characters and garage sale story line were interesting.  The mystery was good, and it ended with a cliffhanger that has me waiting for the next book.

Book four in the Red Carpet Catering Mystery series by Shawn Reilly Simmons is Murder is the Main Course.  I had read previous books in this series, but I think readers would be better off not having read them.  For me this book lacked the character interaction of the previous books.  Penelope, owner of Red Carpet Catering, is on location at a movie filming when the chef of the kitchen she is using is found hanged in the freezer.  The mystery was interesting, but character development was lacking in this one.  I did still like the book and will continue to read the series.

Bad to the Bone by Linda O. Johnston is book three in the Barkery & Biscuits Mystery series.  Carrie is the owner of a bakery (for humans) and a barkery (for dogs) and works at a vet tech.  She is considering creating some recipes for a pet food company.  A rather nasty employee of the company is found murdered, and Carrie adds solving the murder to her to do list. I liked the book, but I have no idea where Carrie gets her energy.  In addition to working two jobs and solving the mystery, she is able to stay out late every evening.  I guessed early in the book who the murderer was.  The characters and animals were entertaining enough that I would read more of this series.

Book three in the Living History Museum Mystery series by Amanda Flower is The Final Vow.  I had not read any of the previous books but had no trouble following this one.  Kelsey is in charge of the Barton Farm and is hosting her ex-husband's wedding.  Bride Krissie is a handful and extremely demanding.  When her wedding planner is found dead, Krissie is among the suspects.  The setting for the book was good.  I could not convince myself to like the main character, Kelsey.  At times she is a complete pushover and at other times a bully.  I would read another book in the series to see if this character flaw was a one-time thing.

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

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