Saturday, July 24, 2021

Weekend Book Reviews

 Murder with a View by Diane Kelly is the third book in the House Flipper Mystery series.  Book three finds Whitney and her cousin Buck flipping an old motel with the help of a silent partner.  The motel has more than they bargained for including a squatter and a dead country musician.  Readers should not question how quickly the whole flip comes together with a three person crew and should ignore the realities of permits and inspections.  Those points aside I enjoy the characters and the setting for this book.  While I did solve the mystery ahead of time, several factors kept me second guessing myself for a bit.  This is a nice light cozy if you are not one to get caught up in the details.

The first book in the Beacon Bakeshop series by Darci Hanna is Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop.  Lindsey flees her life in New York for a fresh start after finding her fiance cheating with his pastry chef.  Her former financial career allows her to transform an old lighthouse into a bakery.  During her grand opening she is horrified when protesters seem set on destroying her dream.  Among them are her ex fiance and his girlfriend, Mia.  When Mia suddenly dies at the bakeshop after apparently eating something poisoned, Lindsey is the main suspect.  This small tourist town has several quirky and mysterious characters which add to the book's charm.  My issue is the fact that the police only suspect Lindsey even though Mia ate food stolen off several customers' plates.  A twist at the end surprised me.  I am already looking forward to the second book.

Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien is the seventh book in the Noodle Shop Mystery series.  Lana is doing well as manager of her family's noodle shop.  Cooking is the one area that alludes her.  She decides to take an Asian cooking course and surprise her family.  On the first night while returning to get her ingredient list, she finds the body of her cooking instructor instead.  Even worse she becomes the main suspect in the case.  I have read this series from the beginning, and it is one of my favorites.  This book would not be as good without the previous ones.  The mystery kept me going back and forth between suspects.  I do adore Lana and her friend Kimmy.  I look forward to the next book.

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews.  No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own!

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