Reviews by Dawn Dowdle

Black Beans & Vice by J. B. Stanley

The Flab Five has decided to try hypnotherapy in their attempt to slim down.  James, his ex-wife Jane, and son Eliot , are spending a lot of time together creating added incentive for James to get in shape.  A radical animal rights group stirs things up in Quincy 's Gap.  and two suspicious deaths occur shortly after.  The Supper Club friends set out to solve the mystery. I love this series and am very sorry to know this is the last book in the series.  I hope at some time in the future the author will decide to write more.  I love them!  James and the other members of the Supper Club, The Flab Five, are such fun.  They each have their quirks and I think that's what endears this series to me.  No one is trying to be perfect.  They all know they are flawed and are working on it.  They work well, together.  I like James being the town librarian and his relationship with his father.  It took me a while to warm up to his ex-wife, Jane, coming back into his life, but who couldn't love his son, Eliot.  So while this is the last book in the series (for now), I truly enjoyed it.  I savored each and every page.  I highly recommend this book, but it's best if you read the full series and in order.  

Tragic Magic by Laura Childs 

Carmela Bertrand, owner of Memory Mine, scrapbooking shop, and her best friend, Ava Grieux, owner of Juju Voodo, have been hired by a friend, Melody Mayfeldt, to make Medusa Manor a haunted house for an upcoming horror convention . Right after they begin, Melody's body comes crashing through a tower window. It was murder.  Can they complete the New Orleans mansion transformation while investigating her death, without becoming casualties themselves? Carmela and Ava get into some pretty hairy situations.  Carmela's divorce lends quite a bit to this story, too. I love the New Orleans atmosphere. I've always wanted to visit. This at least helps me feel like I have. The various characters at the scrapbooking store add a lot of character to the story. Medusa Manor adds a lot of ambiance to the story as well. Melody's husband and her business partner are both suspects. Could they have killed her? A local man who gives ghost tours is also a suspect.  I highly recommend this and the complete series.  It's a  fun, cozy mystery.

The Lies that Bind by Kate Carlisle

Brooklyn Wainwright teaches a bookbinding class at Bay Area Book Arts.  BABA director Layla Fontaine is not the easiest to deal with. She pitches fits and lords it over her subordinates.  Brooklyn is quite pleased when Derek Stone shows up and they pick up where they left off. Then Brooklyn find Layla dead from a gunshot wound, and must investigate. She quickly finds that Derek's and Layla's pasts intersect and the case becomes more personal. There are more injuries and another death.  How could all of these relate?  Who had the opportunity for all of them? This is the first I've read in this series but it's actually the third book. I really enjoyed it and plan to continue reading this series. I liked the bookbinding information that was given, which was informative but not overdone. 

Murder at the PTA by Laura Alden

Beth Kennedy owns a children's bookshop in Rynwood , Wisconsin , and is the divorced mother of two. Her best friend, Marina, talks her into becoming the secretary for Tarver Elementary School 's PTA. Beth regrets it at the first meeting when Agnes Mephisto , the school principal, stirs up trouble.  Beth is inundated with people stopping by the store to complain about Agnes. When Agnes turns up dead, there are lots of suspects, especially those in the PTA. To make matters worse, the local gossip blog, WisconSINS , shares speculation and is soon threatened. Beth races to solve the murder before someone else gets hurt. This is the first book I've read by this author.  It won't be the last.  I really enjoyed this book and like Beth a lot.  She's a flawed character, but I never found myself irritated with her.  She's a single mom and small business owner, trying to survive and gets entangled in a murder investigation.  I thought the author did a great job of creating a likeable cast of characters and setting.  I can't wait to read another.  I highly recommend.

Dirty Rotten Tendrils by Kate Collins

Cody Verse, is a local boy, now a famous singer, after winning America's Next Hit Single .  Another local boy, Cody's good friend and former songwriting partner, Andrew, claims he helped write the song Cody won with.  Cody denies it.  Cody is in town for the court case.  Ken “the Lip” Lipinski is defending Cody. The Lip is found dead of a suspicious overdose.  Dave Hammond, opposing counsel and Abby's friend and former employer, is the main suspect. Abby and Marco, her hot boyfriend, set out to prove Dave is innocent.  The Lip had lots of other enemies.  The suspects are plentiful. I love this series.  Abby and Marco are great together.  Add in Abby's family and Marco's family there is always a lot of fun!  The author has been building the relationship between Abby and Marco and I like that.  The two ladies helping out in Abby's floral shop are fabulous, too.  The author has done a great job creating a believable town and cast of characters .  I always enjoy reading a book in this series, but they don't last long enough.  It's a long wait ‘til the next book!  I highly recommend this book and series. 

The Proof Is In The Pudding by Melinda Wells

Della Carmichael is a judge in a Celebrity Cook-Off.  A fellow judge, who isn't a nice guy, ends up dead.  Because there is evidence to link John O'Hara to the death, he is suspended.  Della goes to great lengths to hide all evidence that her “honorary” daughter, Eileen O'Hara (John's daughter), had a relationship with the dead judge. The books in this series are fun, fast reads.  I really enjoy Della and the other characters.  While she gets in some tight spots, I don't find myself thinking she made poor choices to get into those spots.  Her relationship with Nicholas has grown and changed with each book in a way that feels right.  The author has done a great job. The plotting is well paced and the killer and motive weren't too easy to determine. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.  I highly recommend.

Toast Mortem by Claudia Bishop

I was quite excited to find a new Hemlock Falls Mystery.  I was under the impression the series had ended.  I hope there will be many more. Meg and Quill are at it again.  I love their sisterly banter and the many characters who work at the Inn .  Plus now Quill has a young son.  And with the multimillion dollar cooking school in town and the obnoxious head chef, things are a bit dicey.  As always, she has a couple of stories intertwined and does a great job of having them coexist but not be disruptive to the other.  I like how her bringing in the cooking school brings in new characters and opportunities for future books.  I do hope this means the series has a bright future.  I highly recommend this book and the entire series.

The Night Killer by Beverly Connor

This series is probably my favorite series to read now.  The action starts on page one but it isn't too graphic in nature.  There are times I can't put the book down.  I have to read the next chapter, or at least start it, because I have to know what's going to happen.  The author does such a great job at getting your interest and keeping it.  I love the characters, too.  Diane Fallon and her staff are fabulous.  They are believable and 3-dimensional characters.  The author has done a fabulous job.  I can't wait to read the next one.  I highly recommend this book.  Matter of fact, I recommend you read the whole series!

Loco Motive by Mary Daheim

Wee Willie Weevil, daredevil and martial arts movie icon, is staying at Judith's B&B. He insisted on performing a dangerous jump from the B&B roof and got a ride in an ambulance. Judith agrees to accompany her cousin Renie on a cross-country train trip since Renie hates flying. Both of their husbands have to be in Boston , so the men fly and the women take the train. They have first-class accommodations on the Empire Builder. What kind of coincidence is it that the injured Wee Willie and his entourage are on the same train? There's a minor collision. While waiting for a new engine in a small Montana town, the cousins' sleeper attendant goes missing. When Wee Willie dies and Judith is blamed, the cousins set out to uncover the truth and clear Judith. This is a series I really like. I'm from Washington State , so the fact it's set in Seattle helps. Mostly it's the characters that I like. Judith and Renie are fun characters who get into a lot of sticky situations. Sometimes they could have been avoided, but most of the time they couldn't. The additional characters in this book were fun and kept me guessing right ‘til the end who did it. I highly recommend this book and the series.

Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs

I like the three women who run The Cackleberry Club. In this book, Suzanne goes to the funeral home to deliver the cherry pie the director, Ozzie Driesden, apparently forgot to come back for. When she arrives, she finds him dead on a metal embalming table. Before she gets a good look at the scene, someone knocks her out with chloroform. A friend comes under suspicion and the ladies rally around to help find the real killer. This puts them in harm's way. The author has done a great job of creating a community the reader cares about. It is a fun cozy mystery series to read. I find myself laughing out loud at times. I can't wait to read the next installment. I highly recommend this book and series.

Never Say Sty by Linda O. Johnston

As if Kendra's life wasn't full enough, now she's helping start a reality TV show about pets. She meets Dante DeFrancisco, the man financing the show, and there is an instantaneous attraction. When one of the judges is killed, the show's future is in jeopardy. I, personally, was sad that she was not with Jeff in this book, but I soon grew to like Dante. I like Kendra a lot in this series. She is smart and practical but yet can be spontaneous when the need arises. I have enjoyed every book in this series and look forward to more. I highly recommend this book and series.

Howl Deadly by Linda O. Johnston

The mama wolf goes missing at the wild animal sanctuary Dante runs. Kendra jumps in to help find her. Since a human would have had to help her escape, everyone related to the sanctuary is a suspect. An employee is found dead. He doesn't seem to be who he said he was. Can Kendra figure out who killed him and why as well as who kidnapped the mama wolf and why? I really enjoy this series. Kendra is such a likeable sleuth. Dante DeFrancisco, the new man in her life, is growing on me as well. I like the other regulars in the series. I always look forward to reading a book in this series. I highly recommend this book and series.

Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke

Bradford Ramsey broke Hannah's heart years ago and has resurfaced back in town. Now he seems to be doing the same to Michelle. Thankfully, he doesn't appear to remember Hannah. Hannah's kept busy with wedding showers and parties to cater with her cookie shop, The Cookie Jar. As if she wasn't busy enough, they agree to provide apple turnovers for a fundraiser and Hannah agrees to be Herb's assistant in a magic act for a talent show to help him out. When Hannah stumbles over Bradford 's body backstage, she worries her past with him will surface. She sets out to find out who killed him before the whole town finds out. I love this series, but I sure wish Hannah would pick Mike or Norman. That said, I love Hannah and the various other characters in Lake Eden . It's always a fast read, and the food sounds scrumptious. Someday I have to try some of her recipes. I recommend this book and series.

Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy

Ollie Paras is the White House Executive Chef. She and her staff are set to get ready for the Easter celebration (dinner and Easter Egg Roll) and her mother and grandmother are finally coming to visit. Unfortunately, on the morning they are to arrive, the Secret Service shows up to escort her to the White House. She and her entire kitchen staff are suspended from their duties. A guest died after the dinner the night before. Until the cause of death can be determined, the food and staff are suspect. Ollie spends time with her mother and grandmother but feels responsible for her staff and the kitchen. Sitting on her hands is not her forte. When her boyfriend's job on the Presidential Protection Detail is also threatened, Ollie can't help but investigate. The tension builds between her and her boyfriend as he's made responsible for her actions. Ollie becomes a target for a newspaper columnist and her mother shows too much interest in a man connected to the dead White House guest for Ollie. Can she find a way back into the kitchen and to find the killer? I love this series. This book gives Ollie more dimension as a person, not just the executive chef, because we see her interacting with her family and being outside the White House more. I liked that but can't wait for her to be back in the White House again! I always enjoy seeing her function there. Even though I know it's fiction, I feel like I'm getting a bird's-eye view of what goes on there when I read these books. Always hate that they're such fast reads because I have to wait so long for the next one. I highly recommend this book and series!

Grey Matters by Clea Simon

Dulcie Schwartz is a doctoral candidate at Harvard. Getting her advisor, Professor Bullock, to approve her thesis concept on the gothic novel The Ravages of Umbria and its author is overwhelming this third year grad student. After meeting with her advisor at his home, Dulcie finds fellow grad student Cameron Dessay lying on the front steps of her advisor's home. Although she didn't like him, she never wished him dead. Dulcie plans to stay out of this murder investigation. Her best friend is busy and Dulcie's boyfriend is working lots of late hours. She hits a snag in her thesis and ends up caught up and alone in investigating the murder. The ghost of her dead cat, Mr. Grey, offers wisdom and direction. Can Dulcie find the murderer and figure out her thesis? I liked Dulcie and the setting a lot. The mystery was well plotted and the writing kept my interest throughout. This is a quick reading cozy mystery for cat lovers. I recommend it!

Capsule Reviews by Vero Caravette

Bitter Legacy by H. Terrell Griffin

Matt Royal enjoys his life of fishing, good food, good beer, and more good fishing. However, something always interferes. This time, a sniper makes an attempt on the life of one of his good friends. And more to the point, someone is trying to kill Matt. In a case with few clues, Matt finds himself in the middle of a deadly mystery that has claimed a lawyer and a tourist, and that includes a biker gang, a reclusive billionaire, and an ancient document that promises to strike at the heart of Florida 's financial interests. This entry in Griffin 's series keeps Matt on the move and even possibly finding a new love interest.

The Last Ember by Daniel Levin

Jonathan Marcus, an American lawyer with a background in the classics, is famous in the legal aspects of antiquities dealings. Summoned to Rome on a case, he examines a fragment of an ancient stone map which his client needs evaluated and blunders into a cleverly hidden secert: a message carved into the stone itself. From there, Marcus is driven by curiosity and more dangerous forces to search the labyrinth beneath the Colosseum and the tunnels of Jerusalem searching for a 2,000-year-old artifact that holds the secrets of unimaginable power. Meeting up with an old romantic interest, Dr. Emili Travia, a UN Preservationist, they discover intricate plots and dangerous people behind he. The plot is intricate and the book is a good entrant in the thriller genre. The causal reader might, however, be a bit overwhelmed with information. Readers, like this one, who love archaeology and history, will no doubt be happy.

Cry Ohana by Larry and Rosemary Mild

This complex story follows the lives of two children, , who are sent to live with relatives after their mother is killed and their father is sent to prison for that killing. Even after the father's release from prison, they do not get to see him, as he disappears. Then, even Leilani and Kekoa are separated as Kekoa witnesses a crime a flees to protect his life and Leilani pursues a path that includes elite schools. But the fate of their father and the family they want, keeps them connected and moves them toward a reunion.

And Then There Was One by Patricia Gussin

A psychological suspense story plumbing the depths of family issues is the core of Gussin's book. The Monroe triplets, Sammie, Alex, and Jackie, along with their parents help make up the perfect family. Somehow this perfection unravels when the girls go to a movie together and only Jackie returns. At once readers are thrust into the midst of the action surrounding the search for the girls. But the center of the book is the Monroe family dynamics and how this mystery changes their lives. Despite the concentration on the family, the story's tension never flags.

Blood Over Badge by Wayne Farquhar

Two mysteries surrounding what seem to be unrelated crimes, set off the action in this book. The murder of a mayor's daughter puts the story in motion. Then, detectives Jack Paige and Casey Ford must catch a cold-blooded rapist and killer. The two seemingly unrelated cases come together to make tale interesting and taut. The author, a long time police officer, knows his stuff and it shows in the details. He also has a good story to tell. And he does, from multiple points of view and with an eye for realism.

Kind of Blue by Miles Corwin
Ash Levine, an LAPD detective, resigns after he's suspended for not preventing the death of a witness he was assigned to guard. Almost a year later, after the murder of an ex-cop Levine is asked to lead the investigation. Returning to the force with the intention of reopening the case that cost him his job, he's not surprised to see that not everyone is happy to see him working again. Levine is a jazz lover, the son of a concentration camp survivor, and a veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces, and is more than ready to fight his way through departmental interference and corruption. jazz (hence the allusion in the novel's title). Corwin, a former LA Times crime reporter, knows his stuff and it shows in this book.

The Severance by Elliott Sawyer

In Afghanistan fighting with the Army, Captain Jake Roberts commands a rehabilitation platoon, a group of misfits assigned to the platoon for not being able to hack Army discipline. Fighting the Taliban, the platoon uncovers a plot involving contractors and cash payments. Millions in easy money. Even better, the money is right there for the taking and they decide to smuggle it out and share it. But before they can do much, they find themselves battling yet another force intent on taking the money for themselves. The realism in this novel stems from the fact that Sawyer was there on the front in the real world. That world is clear on every page of The Severance. An entertaining read.


Murder at Spouter's Point by Leslie Wheeler

Native Americans and casinos and a lovely coastal town play a role in this mystery. Nate Barnes, a Native American, and his girlfriend Miranda are in town visiting Nate's friend Jimmy, a member of the Dottaguck tribe which owns the Clambanks Casino. When someone is killed, the local authorities assumne a Native American did it. Jimmy is arrested with enough circumstantial evidence to make it plausible. Jimmy flees into the swamps, fearing a lynching and making matters worse. Although uncertain of just about anything, Miranda investigates, which bring a lot of trouble her way. An amateur sleuth who is complicated and chariming maeks this a good read. The Native American lore and history serves to make this more than just an entertaining book.

Armed and Glamorous by Ellen Byerrum

Fashion columnist and sleuth, Lacy Smithsonian, is at it again. As she covers the Washington fashion beat she often finds more interesting things to fill her columns. And their not all fashionable. Like other amateur sleuths, murder finds Lacy wherever she goes. Taking P.I. classes to improver her skills as a journalist, Lacy finds a dead Washington socialite in the school's parking lot. Cecily Ashton, a person Lacy has interviewed, is on Lacy's beat again as her death has placed the instructors and students on the suspect list along with a number of others. It's a fun read and has a lot to recommend it.

Reviewed by Joe De Marco

Getting to review books by a famous actress who's been a favorite of mine for a long time is an honor. Finding out that her books are quite good and well worth reading makes the job even better. Adrienne Barbeau has been a star of Broadway, TV, and movies. She's also done voiceovers for some aniumated series and video games. She's been popping up in cameo roles (and larger parts) in various network and cable series.

Vampyres of Hollywood by Adrienne Barbeau and Michael Scott

Why do we believe all those tales about vampires? Sunlight kills them. They need soil of their native land to sleep on. And on and on. Why do we know all that and believe it? Because the vampires who control, no, who own Hollywood have made us believe all that. They've been dropping clues into movies for years, making sure the public at large believe complete nonsense about them. That kind of deal can cut both ways. Someone uses the planted legendary vampire lore against them. Specifically targeted is Ovsanna Moore, a leading light on the Hollywood scene. An actress, producer, and powerhouse who's grandmother and mother had long illustrious Hollywood careers. Except they didn't. It was Ovsanna, hundreds of years old and talented enough to play her grandmother and mother then exit the scene in time for the entrance of her new self. But now she's being stalked by a clever serial killer and she needs to find him and stop him before everything she's built is destroyed. Police Detective Peter King is assigned the serial killer case and the story is off and running. Told in alternating viewpoint chapters, readers get to see them dance around one another, King trying to decide whether Ovsanna is the killer and Ovsanna is trying to find the real killer before she's exposed. It's a real thrill ride and worth reading. Especially if you like vampires or detectives or better vampires and detectives together.

Love Bites by Adrienne Barbeau

Ms. Barbeau is back, this time in a solo effort, adding another tale to the saga she and Michael Scott began with Holywood Vampyres. Because of Barbeau's work as an actress, we get an insider's view of Hollywood and of the world of celebrity in these tales which makes them all the better. This time, Ovsanna and Peter King are working together on a case that has them once again contending with supernatural foes. This time it's shapeshifters and abnormal paparazzi and other things that will make you cringe. There's a large cast of characters, some of whom will be familiar, others of whom will enchant you with their quirky oddities. Peter King is back and, having learned about Ovsanna's true self, is more interested in her than ever. A romantic comedy, a thriller, and a mystery, this book is one you won't want to miss. Barbeau delivers a fast paced thriller of a book that you will not want to put down and won't forget when you've finished.

Foxe Tail by Haley Walsh

Haley Walsh has turned out a fun, engaging mystery in this first of a planned series of books starring amateur sleuth and high school teacher Skyler Foxe. Foxe, a newly minted English teacher, loves his job. Smart and funny Detective Sidney Feldman, Foxe's best friend and confidante, holds a special place in his heart. She one of the few who knows all about him because Foxes needs to stay closeted in his conservative town, especially considering his job. Events, however, have a way of changing things. While bar hopping with Sydney one night, they stumble upon a body outside a gay bar. The body is that of the son of the principal of the school in which Foxe works. Of course, against a lot of advice to do otherwise, Foxe needs to get involved and help solve the murder, like any good amateur sleuth. Equally certain is that things get dicey for Foxe and everyone close to him. The characters are well drawn, from Foxe's friends to his students. The situations are realistic and the setting is nicely captured. This is a fun read and one that you should definitely place on your TBR list or download to your Kindle.