Book ~ "Clammed Up" (2013) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ Julia Snowden returned to her hometown of Busman’s Harbor, Maine, to rescue her family’s struggling clambake business - not to solve crimes. But that was before a catered wedding on picturesque Morrow Island turned into a reception for murder. 

When the best man’s corpse is found hanging from the grand staircase in the Snowden family mansion, Julia must put the chowder pot on the back burner and join the search for the killer. And with suspicion falling on her old crush, Chris Durand, the recipe for saving her business and salvaging her love life might be one and the same.

Thirty-year-old Julia left her fast-paced life working in finance in New York City and returned to her hometown of Busman’s Harbor, Maine, to help save her family’s struggling business, the Snowden Family Clambake Company. The business hosts traditional clambakes on a nearby island, which they own, but on the first big event of the summer, which was a wedding, disaster strikes ... the best man was found dead before the festivities even began. 

The loan arrangement Julia had made with the bank only allowed them to have five days in which they could be closed. With the best man's death and the police investigation, this could eat up those days and the bank would call their loan and their business and property would be gone. So it's in Julia and her family's business' best interests to figure out who killed the best man and why.

This story was written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. I thought Julia was okay. She seems smart enough but I found it hard to believe she STILL has a crush on Chris, a fella she went to high school with ... she hasn't seen him in about ten years but still feels the same as she did when they were teenagers. They are friends (he seems to be her only friend) but he's never given her any indication he feels more. I wasn't buying the whodunnit or the ending so that was a bit of a disappointment. 

I didn't think Julia's mother was written realistically. She's probably in her late 50s and has been widowed for about five years. With all the troubles the family business was in, everyone protected her by keeping it all from her. Considering this was a family business she ran with her late husband, I found it unbelievable that she was that clueless as to how bad things were. Julia's goal was to ensure the business didn't go under and her mother wouldn't lose her house and island that had been in the family for many generations. Mom needs a dose of reality.

It's a cozy mystery so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity. At the end of the book, there are recipes that were mentioned during the story like clam chowder and lobster mac 'n cheese.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I thought it was just okay. It's the first (of 12) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. I liked it enough to check out the second in the series.

Book ~ "Silent City" (2013) Alex Segura

From Goodreads ~ Pete Fernandez is a mess. He's on the brink of being fired from his middle-management newspaper job. His fiancée has up and left him. Now, after the sudden death of his father, he's back in his hometown of Miami, slowly drinking himself into oblivion. 

But when a co-worker he barely knows asks Pete to locate a missing daughter, Pete finds himself dragged into a tale of murder, drugs, double-crosses and memories bursting from the black heart of the Miami underworld - and, shockingly, his father's past. 

Making it up as he goes and stumbling as often as he succeeds, Pete's surreptitious quest becomes the wake-up call he's never wanted but has always needed - but one with deadly consequences. 

Welcome to Silent City, a story of redemption, broken friendships, lost loves and one man's efforts to make peace with a long-buried past to save the lives of the few friends he has left.

Pete's life had promise. He and his fiancée were in love and he enjoyed his job at a newspaper in New Jersey. When his father unexpectedly passes away, they head to Miami to settle his father's affairs. But things start to fall apart ... they stay longer than planned, he and Emily break up and she marries someone else, he's not happy with his new job at a local newspaper and he's drinking a lot. 

When Chaz, a colleague he barely knows, asks him for a favour, Pete figures it would be a quick distraction. His daughter, Kathy, is an investigative reporter for the paper and he doesn't have a great relationship with her. Chaz thinks she has disappeared and he asks Pete to find out if she's okay. As Pete starts to check things out, he realizes something is amiss with Kathy. Concerned he keeps digging because no one else seems to be concerned. For a story, Kathy had been investigating a serial killer named Silent Death and she may be his latest victim.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it. It is written in third person perspective with the focus on Pete. I liked Pete and felt kind of bad for him. His life was falling apart and it didn't seem like he really cared. He was still hung up on Emily and even though she had moved on, she still meets him and their good friend for drinks. On the plus side, he loves music and has a cat. As a head's up, there is violence and swearing. It's the first in the Pete Fernandez series and I look forward to reading the rest.

Book ~ "The Hitwoman and the Family Jewels" (2013) J.B. Lynn

From Goodreads ~ How do you say “no” to a mob boss?

When bumbling hitwoman Maggie Lee is asked by her mob boss employer to kill a cop, she wants to say no.

When her sexy murder mentor, Patrick Mulligan tells her the cop in question is a guy she once dated, she REALLY wants to refuse.

But when her former date, Paul Kowalski tries to kill her, she changes her tune to “Hell, yes!”

Maggie and Patrick grow closer as they scramble to figure out what it is that Kowalski is looking for and what it has to do with her prison escapee father.

​Maggie’s search is hampered by the presence of U.S. Marshals hunting her father and her crazier-than-usual family.

​Along with her snarky talking lizard, grammatically-challenged Doberman and a pissy cat, she races to solve the mystery and protect her family. But nothing in Maggie’s life ever goes as planned.

When Maggie was recently in a car accident, her sister and brother-in-law were killed and Katie, her three-year-old niece and goddaughter, was left in a coma. Maggie works in the call centre of an insurance company and doesn't have the kind of money it takes to keep Katie in the high end hospital she needs to be in. To supplement her income, she has become a reluctant hit woman for a mob boss. This time he wants her to kill a cop. Maggie had gone out with this cop a couple times and even though she had gotten bad vibes from him, she is reluctant to kill him because he is a cop. In the meantime, her father, who was in prison for robbing a bank and murdering a teller, has escaped and U.S. Marshals suspect Maggie knows where he is.

This is the fourth in the Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman series (#48 is coming our next month) and I liked it. It can be read as a stand alone but you should read the first one as there are many references in this one that will make more sense and you'll have the background. I had my doubts about this series when I discovered Maggie can now carry on conversations with Godzilla aka God, Katie's tiny lizard, who Maggie takes care of until Katie recovers, and DeeDee, a dog she took in when she killed her owner. It sounds dumb but they are amusing and good friends and confidents to Maggie.

It's written in first person perspective in Maggie's voice and was humourous at times ... she hates her job (her boss keeps hitting on her and smells like pepperoni) but has to keep it to appear "normal". Though I look forward to reading the others in the series, I wasn't crazy about the ending as it's a cliffhanger for the next book (I hate when authors end books this way to make you buy the next one). 

Book ~ "The Hitwoman Gets Lucky" (2013) J.B. Lynn

From Goodreads ~ Maggie Lee’s a lot of things:

• The daughter of a mom in a mental institution and a dad serving time
• The niece of three meddling aunts
• The aunt (and now legal guardian) of her beloved niece, Katie
• The friend of a snarky lizard, a dyslexic Doberman and a semi-psychic co-worker
• A contract killer.

But one thing she'd never thought she'd be is a thief.

That's about to change as she heads to the casinos of Atlantic City to help her sexy murder mentor, Patrick Mulligan, steal something from a professional thief.

Maggie's never been lucky in love or money. Will this gamble pay off or will she lose her shirt, her heart or even her life?

Maggie was recently in a car accident and her sister and brother-in-law were killed and Katie, her three-year-old niece and goddaughter, was left in a coma. Maggie works in the call centre of an insurance company and doesn't have the kind of money it takes to keep Katie in the high end hospital she needs to be in. So she becomes a contract killer. When Patrick, her murder mentor, asks for a favour, she can't say no. He needs her help to steal a flash drive that has incriminating evidence about him.

This is the third in the Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman series and I liked it. It can be read as a stand alone but as it's a novella, you should read the first ones as there are many references in this one that will make more sense and you'll have the background. I had my doubts about this series when I discovered Maggie can now carry on conversations with Godzilla aka God, Katie's tiny lizard, who Maggie takes care of until Katie recovers, and DeeDee, a dog she took in when she killed her owner. It sounded dumb but they are amusing and good friends and confidents to Maggie. 

It's written in first person perspective in Maggie's voice and was humourous at times. I look forward to reading the others in the series.

Book ~ "The Lost Husband" (2013) Katherine Center

From Goodreads ~ "Dear Libby, It occurs to me that you and your two children have been living with your mother for -- Dear Lord! -- two whole years, and I'm writing to see if you'd like to be rescued." 

The letter comes out of the blue and just in time for Libby Moran, who, after the sudden death of her husband, Danny, went to stay with her hypercritical mother. Now her crazy Aunt Jean has offered Libby an escape, a job and a place to live on her farm in the Texas Hill Country. Before she can talk herself out of it, Libby is packing the minivan, grabbing the kids and hitting the road. 

Life on Aunt Jean's goat farm is both more wonderful and more mysterious than Libby could have imagined. Beyond the animals and the strenuous work, there is quiet, deep, country quiet. But there is also a shaggy, gruff (though purportedly handsome, under all that hair) farm manager with a tragic home life, a formerly famous feed-store clerk who claims she can contact Danny "on the other side" and the eccentric aunt Libby never really knew but who turns out to be exactly what she's been looking for. And despite everything she's lost, Libby soon realizes how much more she's found. Libby hasn't just traded one kind of crazy for another; she may actually have found the place to bring her little family, and herself, back to life.

Libby was widowed a couple years ago when her husband, Danny, was killed in a car accident. He left her with a surprising amount of debt so she and their two young children, Abby and Tank, had to move in with her mother. Her mother is not a nice person ... she's critical and self-absorbed. But Libby had no other options until she receives a letter from Aunt Jean, her mother's estranged sister, inviting her to move to her farm. Room and board would be provided in exchange for helping out on the farm. Looking for a change, Libby jumps at the chance. 

At the farm, Libby discovers life is much different than living in the city but it's soothing once she got used to it. She gets to know Aunt Jean, who is still a hippy in some ways, and makes friends with Sunshine, who wants to help Libby get "in touch" with Danny, and O'Connor, who shows her the ropes on the farm and she develops a crush on.

I thought this story was predictable but okay. It is written in first person perspective in Libby's voice. I'm not usually a fan of children in stories but Abby and Tank were entertaining and not annoying. The ending wraps up rather quickly. I found it odd that this story takes place about ten years ago but there is no mention of cell phones or the Internet (Aunt Jean doesn't even have a TV). As a head's up, there is some swearing.

Book ~ "Molly" (2013) Ellen Miles

From Goodreads ~ Charles and Lizzie Peterson love puppies. Their family fosters these young dogs, giving them love and proper care, until they can find the perfect forever home. 

When Charles offers to foster Molly he thinks that she is a very sweet puppy. But then Charles finds out that she is a Rottweiler. He's never been scared of a foster dog before. Can he overcome his fear and find this gentle pup a home?

Charles and his older sister, Lizzie, are in elementary school. The Peterson family have a puppy named Buddy plus they foster dogs and help them find homes.

When Charles and his mom pick up his younger brother at daycare, he meets a cute Rottweiler puppy named Molly. Miss Penny, the owner of the daycare, recently inherited Molly from her late aunt but doesn't think she can take care of her so the Petersons offer to foster her. At first, Charles is enamoured by the sweet Molly but for the first time ever becomes frightened of a puppy when he hears how savage Rottweilers can be.

Though this book is a quick read and directed at elementary-aged children, I found it entertaining. There is a learning experience and a puppy tip at the end. It is written in third person perspective and first person from Molly's point of view. It is the thirty-first in the Puppy Place series, which currently has 66 books in the series, and works as a stand alone.

Book ~ "Oscar" (2013) Ellen Miles

From Goodreads ~ Charles and Lizzie Peterson love puppies. Their family fosters these young dogs, giving them love and proper care, until they can find the perfect forever home.

When Lizzie gets a phone call from Aunt Amanda about Oscar, a schnauzer, she wants to help. But this puppy has trouble getting along with other dogs. Will Lizzie be able to find this pup a friend?

Lizzie and her younger brother, Charles, are in elementary school. The Peterson family have a puppy named Buddy plus they foster dogs and help them find homes.

Lizzie gets a call from her aunt, who runs a doggy daycare, that she needs help with Oscar, a fun and friendly schnauzer puppy. In Oscar's home, there is an older dog and Oscar doesn't get along with him and is aggressive towards him. The family makes the tough decision to let the Petersons foster Oscar and find him a more suitable home. Lizzie and her friend have a dog walking service and when Lizzie discovers that Oscar gets along with their client, Ginger, an old dog, she takes him with her when she walks Ginger and his company adds some pep to Ginger.

Though this book is a quick read and directed at elementary-aged children, I found it entertaining. There is a learning experience and a puppy tip at the end. It is written in third person perspective and first person from Oscar's point of view. It is the thirtieth in the Puppy Place series, which currently has 66 books in the series, and works as a stand alone.

Book ~ "Teddy" (2013) Ellen Miles

From Goodreads ~ Charles and Lizzie Peterson love puppies. Their family fosters these young dogs, giving them love and proper care, until they can find the perfect forever home.

From the first time Lizzie sees Teddy the Pomeranian, she knows that this alert little puppy has some special talents but he just won't stop barking! When all of the other members of the Peterson family lose their patience, Lizzie sticks it out by training this pup to be helpful around the house.

Lizzie and her younger brother, Charles, are in elementary school. The Peterson family have a puppy named Buddy plus they foster dogs and help them find homes.

Their vet asks the Petersons to foster Teddy, a Pomeranian. He is a very yappy dog and his owners had asked that she perform surgery so he couldn't bark. Instead she suggested that another home be found for Teddy. As the Petersons discover, Teddy does bark A LOT and Lizzie is determine to teach him to not bark as much and find him the perfect home.

Though this book is a quick read and directed at elementary-aged children, I found it entertaining. There is a learning experience and a puppy tip at the end. It is written in third person perspective and first person from Teddy's point of view. It is the twenty-eighth in the Puppy Place series, which currently has 66 books in the series, and works as a stand alone.

Book ~ "You Knew Me When" (2013) Emily Liebert

From Goodreads ~ Best friends forever ... until life got in the way. Katherine Hill left her small New England hometown in pursuit of a dream. Now, twelve years later, she’s a high-powered cosmetics executive in Manhattan and a much glossier version of her former self, unrecognizable to her family and old friends. Not that she would know - she hasn’t been home in over a decade.

Laney Marten always swore she’d never get "stuck” in Manchester, Vermont. No, she was destined to live out her glamorous big-city dreams. Instead, she wound up a young wife and mother. That was when her best friend ran out.

When Katherine receives word of an inheritance from former neighbour, Luella Hancock, she reluctantly returns home to the people and places she left behind. Hoping for a second chance, she’s met by an unforgiving Laney, her former best friend. And there’s someone else who’s moved on without her - someone she once loved.

Tethered to their shared inheritance of Luella’s sprawling Victorian mansion, Katherine and Laney are forced to address their long-standing grudges. Through this, they come to understand that while life has taken them in different directions, ultimately the bonds of friendship and sisterhood still bind them together. But are some wounds too old and deep to mend?

Kitty and Laney were best friends and neighbours since Kitty moved the neighbourhood when they were about 10. Kitty's mother had been killed when she was hit by a car and Laney's mother along with Luella, an older woman who lived in the house between theirs, became surrogate mothers to Kitty as she was growing up. Laney was more of the leader and had their lives planned out ... they were going to go to university and then move to New York.

But that all changed 12 years ago and it was Kitty (now known as Katherine) who ended up moving to New York alone and with Luella's connections ends up working in the cosmetic industry. She now has an important job but all she does is work. Katherine is not a warm and fuzzy person. Laney ends up staying in their small town, married and a mom, working in a spa. Because of a rift (which we don't find out the details until towards the end), they haven't spoken in all those years and Katherine hasn't been home since. Luella has passed away and Katherine and Laney are in her will. They must work together in order to receive their inheritance. 

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it. It is written is third person perspective when the focus is on present day and first person present tense in Kitty and Laney's voices when it went back in time (the chapters are labelled). As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "The Sayers Swindle" (2013) Victoria Abbott

From Goodreads ~ Jordan Kelly is delighted to make money tracking down rare and valuable mystery novels for her employer, Vera Van Alst, an avid collector and the most difficult woman in Harrison Falls, New York. But now her boss’s complete set of Dorothy Sayers is missing and finding them may lead Jordan to a murder suitable for Sayers’s esteemed sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey.

When Jordan manages to locate her boss’s missing books, they are in the possession of Randolph Adams, an elderly man in a nearby town. Offering a valuable Hemingway first edition as an incentive, Jordan thinks she’s about to seal the deal - but some of Randolph’s relatives think he should hold out for more.

Then the entire family disappears - and a dead body shows up. It’s up to Jordan to collect the clues - and make sure a killer gets booked.

Jordan has a job buying and reselling books for an older crusty recluse, Vera Van Alst.  Vera's mint Dorothy Sayer books were stolen and sold to Karen, a bookseller, who in turn sold them not knowing they were stolen.  Karen wants to make things right but because of a head injury she recently had, her memory comes and goes.  She remembers she sold the collection to an elderly man in another town in a specific style of house.  Vera is depending on Jordan to get the books back, even though they were stolen before Jordan came to work for her.  

Jordan tracks down the house and the man but his wife and grandson put up resistance when Karen offers to swap the collection for a more valuable book.  Jordan is determined to make this happen ... but then the family disappears and a man is found dead nearby.  Fearing the unidentified man is either her Uncle Kevin, who is hiding out from from bad guys, or a Officer Smiley, an officer she's recently gotten to know, she befriends Officer Candy so she can find out information while she is still on the hunt for the missing books.

Though this is the second in the Book Collector Mystery series, it works as a stand alone.    I liked the writing style and the characters.  It is written in first person perspective in Jordan's voice.  As it's a cozy mystery (so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity), it was a quick easy read.  There are recipes at the end.  There was a lot talk about characters from I'm assuming Dorothy Sayer's books ... I didn't know who they were so that was dead space for me and I skipped over these references.

Book ~ "The Christie Curse" (2013) Victoria Abbott

From Goodreads ~ In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared - making headlines across the world - only to show up eleven days later at a spa under an assumed name. During those eleven days, did she have time to write a play?

Jordan Bingham needs a new job and a new place to live. She’s back in Harrison Falls, New York, living with her not so law-abiding uncles, in debt thanks to a credit card–stealing ex and pending grad school loans.

Enter the perfect job, a research position that includes room and board, which will allow her to spend her days hunting down rare mysteries for an avid book collector. There’s just one problem: her employer, Vera Van Alst - the most hated citizen of Harrison Falls.

Jordan’s first assignment is to track down a rumored Agatha Christie play. It seems easy enough, but Jordan soon finds out that her predecessor was killed while looking for it, and there is still someone out there willing to murder to keep the play out of Vera’s hands. Jordan’s new job is good ... but is it worth her life? 

Jordan has just finished school and needs a place to live.  She gets a research job working for an older crusty recluse, Vera Van Alst.  Vera had heard there is a long lost play written by Agatha Christie during the couple weeks she had mysteriously disappeared in 1926 and she wanted Jordan to find out if it exists and if it does, she wants it.  When Jordan finds out her predecessor, Alex, died when he was pushed in front of a subway by a homeless man, she wonders what happens to his notes and how much progress he made.  She starts investigating whether the play actually exists and starts speaking with sellers of old books.  One of the booksellers is badly beaten and a police officer happens to turn up every time Jordan turns around puts her on guard.  Vera doesn't care about anything but getting her hands on that play.

This is the first in the Book Collector Mystery series.  I liked the writing style and the characters ... and how can you not like a book that has a dog and a couple of cats in it?  It is written in person perspective in Jordan's voice.  As it's a cozy mystery (so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity), it was a quick easy read.  I liked it enough to continue on with the series.  There are recipes at the end. 

Book ~ "Airtight" (2013) David Rosenfelt

From Goodreads ~ Judge Daniel Brennan is only days away from achieving a seat on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals bench when he's brutally stabbed to death in his garage. An army of media and law enforcement descend on the case and thousands of tips pour in from the public. When one tip leads New Jersey policeman Luke Somers to Steven Gallagher, things quickly go wrong but Luke is instantly glorified for solving the case. 

But to one man, Luke is no hero. Chris Gallagher raised his brother, Steven, almost single-handedly and, certain that Steven is innocent, he won't rest until he sets the record straight. Thanks to Luke's newfound fame, he's an easy man to find, and Chris quickly makes it clear that Luke's own brother will die if Luke refuses to help clear Steven's name. So begins Luke's desperate attempt to find another suspect - any other suspect - in Judge Brennan's death. But Luke's investigation might open the door to powerful forces even more dangerous than Chris Gallagher.

Luke is a police officer in New Jersey.  When a judge is murdered, an anonymous tip leads Luke to Steven Gallagher's.  When Luke goes to investigate, Steven pulls a gun on Luke and Luke defends himself and shoots Luke.  Evidence is found in Steven's apartment confirming that he did indeed murder the judge.

When Chris, Steven's military brother finds out that his brother had been suspected of killing the judge, he doesn't believe it.  And he's not too happy to find out that a police officer had killed his brother.  Chris kidnaps Bryan, Luke's brother, and imprisons him in a room that only has enough air for seven days.  He then tells Luke that he has seven days to find the real killer of the judge or his brother will die.

Luke feels bad about shooting Steven but feels justified in doing it and believes Steven was guilty.  In order to free his brother, he has to come up with a couple other possibilities ... and as he does so, he comes to believe that Steven didn't kill the judge after all.  Then it becomes a race of time to find out who did so he brother will live.

I've read many books by this author, mostly his Andy Carpenter series which I enjoy, and this is a stand alone.  I like the writing style and it is written in first person perspective in Luke's voice and third person perspective when the focus is on others.  I liked this story and there was any number of people who could have been the real killer.

Book ~ "Christmas Bliss" (2013) Mary Kay Andrews

From Goodreads ~ Christmas is coming but Savannah antique dealer Weezie Foley is doubly distracted - both by her upcoming wedding to her longtime love, chef Daniel Stipanek and also by the fact that her best friend and maid-of-honor BeBe Loudermilk is due to give birth any day - and is still adamantly refusing to marry her live-in-love, Harry. 

Weezie is an antiques pickers.  She is engaged to Daniel, a chef, and they are getting married in a week.  He owns his own restaurant in Savannah and has seconded himself to chef at a high end restaurant in New York for a while (it's a great honour).  Meanwhile Weezie is at home preparing for the wedding ... getting her dress fitted, baking the wedding cake, arranging for friends to decorate, etc.  She getting a bit frazzled when she doesn't hear from Daniel because he's so busy so she heads to New York for a couple days to surprise him.

In the meantime, Weezie's best friend and maid of honour, Bebe is eight months pregnant and feels like an elephant.  Her boyfriend and father of her child, Harry, is a fisherman ... he wants to get married but she's been married three times already so refuses.  Then she discovers a shock regarding husband #2 and tries to rectify it without Harry finding out.

I've read a lot of books by this author.  This is the fourth (and last so far) in the Weezie and BeBe Mystery Series ... I've read the first three.  It was a light read (not much of a mystery) but I liked it.  It works well as a stand alone and you don't have to read the first ones to know what's going on.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective alternating in Weezie's and Bebe's voices.

Book ~ "Chili Con Carnage" (2013) Kylie Logan

From Goodreads ~ Romance is supposed to be the spice of life. But Maxie Pierce is so done with bad relationships - well, almost. She just has to get rid of the latest loser, Roberto. Besides, she has more important things to worry about. Her daddy, Texas Jack Pierce, king of the chili cook-off circuit, has been missing for nearly six weeks now. In his place, she must team up with her irritating half sister, Sylvia, to promote the family business at the Taos Chili Showdown, to be judged by celebrity chef Carter Donnelly.

But when Maxie discovers Roberto’s body in the chef’s trailer - only hours after publicly breaking up with him while wearing a giant red chili pepper costume - she suddenly finds she’s the one in the spotlight as the police pepper her with questions. Now this Chili Chick needs to kick up the search to catch the real killer and get back to finding her father.

Maxie recently broke up with her boyfriend in Chicago after he cleaned out her bank account and put her thousands of dollars in debt.  Her father, who sold spices in a travelling chili cook-off circuit, disappeared six weeks ago so she catches up with the Taos Chili Showdown in New Mexico to try to find out what happened to her father.  She has to work with her half-sister, Sylvia, who she doesn't get along with (they have the same father), to keep running the family business.

Celebrity chef Carter Donnelly is at the Showdown to promote it and himself.  It's a surprise when Roberto, one of the show's roadies, is found dead in Carter's RV.  Maxie had had one date with Roberto but wasn't interested in him and had had a fight with him that morning.  Plus it turns out Sylvia had a history with him and is arrested for his murder.  As much as she doesn't like Sylvia, Maxie doesn't think she killed Roberto and she sets out to find out who did.

This is the first in the Chili Cook-Off Mystery Series by this author.  It is written in first person perspective in Maxie's voice.  I liked Maxie well enough but thought Sylvia was too bitter and nasty.  It's a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity.  I thought story and writing were okay and I liked it enough to read the next one in the series.

Book ~ "Once Upon a Lie" (2013) Maggie Barbieri

From Goodreads ~ Maeve Conlon's life is coming apart at the seams. Her bakery is barely making ends meet and one of her daughters spends as much time grounded as the other does studying. Her ex-husband has a new wife, a new baby and a look of pity for Maeve that's absolutely infuriating. Her father insists he's still independent but he's slowly and obviously succumbing to Alzheimer's. And now, her cousin Sean Donovan has been found dead, sitting in his car in a public park, shot through the head.

There was never much love lost between Maeve and Sean and she's not exactly devastated by his death but suddenly the police are poking around asking the family questions. It's just one more hassle Maeve doesn't have time for, until she realizes that her father, whose memory and judgment are unreliable at best, is a suspect in the murder. Maeve is determined to clear his name but is she prepared to cope with the dark memories and long-hidden secrets that doing so might dredge up? 

Maeve is a divorced mother of two teenage daughters.  Her ex-husband, Cal, had left her for her best friend and now they have a baby.  Maeve owns a bakery in a small town and her friend, Jo, is her only employee.  Her father, Jack, is a former cop and is now in an assisted-living home suffering from dementia ... some days he can remember things, some days he can't.

Maeve's cousin, Sean, is found murdered.  When Maeve was younger, Sean used to babysit her.  But what no one knew is that he abused her.  Needless to say, Maeve isn't grieving.  The police suspect that it was Jack in one of his lucid moments who killed Sean.  Maeve turns to Cal, who is a lawyer, to help her keep her dad out of jail.

In the meantime, Maeve discovers that a customer and her daughter are getting abused by the husband/father.  Not wanting the daughter to end up emotionally battered like she is, Maeve becomes obsessed with letting him know she is onto him.

This is the first in the Maeve Conlin series and it works as a stand alone. I enjoyed the writing style ... it is written in third person perspective.  I liked Maeve and her dad and their interactions.  He's funny and she has a lot of patience with him.   As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.

This was a reread for me.  I'd read it five years ago but didn't realize it.  I didn't remember reading it so it was like reading it for the first time.

Book ~ "Rescuing Riley, Saving Myself: A Man and His Dog's Struggle to Find Salvation" (2013) Zachary Anderegg and Pete Nelson

From Goodreads ~ While hiking on a solo vacation in a remote, uninhabitable region of Arizona, Zachary Anderegg happened upon Riley, an emaciated puppy clinging to life, at the bottom of a 350-foot canyon. 

In a daring act of humanity that trumped the deliberate savagery behind Riley’s presence in such a place, Zak single-handedly orchestrated a delicate rescue. 

What didn’t come out in the initial burst of publicity this story received is that Zak and Riley’s destinies were intertwined long before they improbably found each other. For much of Zak’s childhood, he was at the bottom of a veritable canyon himself - a canyon whose imprisoning depth and darkness was created by bullies who just wouldn’t quit and parents who weren’t capable of love. 

From the age of five, Zak was everyone’s favorite target. When Zak came upon Riley, the puppy’s condition bespoke his abusers’ handiwork - three shotgun pellets embedded beneath his skin, teeth turned permanently black from malnutrition. 

The meeting was one of a man and a dog singularly suited to save each other. As a former U.S. Marine sergeant, Zak was one of only a few people with the mettle and physical wherewithal to get Riley out. And in rescuing him, Zak was also attempting to save himself, conquering the currents of cruelty that swelled beneath his early life and always threatened to drown him.

In June 2010, Zak was hiking in the canyons of Arizona and happened to look down and saw a puppy in a hole.  He rappelled down and found the puppy was near death ... it was obvious the puppy had been there for a while.  Zak rappelled back up, headed to a store for food and water for the puppy and returned that day, moving him onto a blanket for the night, promising to be back the next day to rescue him.

On day two when Zak went back to rescue the puppy

Zak managed to get the puppy out of the hole and took him to a local vet.  After a couple of days of fluids and care, the puppy was ready to leave ... and Zak took him home to be part of his family and named him Riley.

Here is a happy and healthy Riley today ...

Zak assumed that someone had intentionally lowered the puppy into the hole to die.  This brought back feelings and emotions in him of when he was bullied as a child and had no one to turn to.  Despite the title of this book, this is more a story about Zak, his childhood, being bullied, his non-responsive parents and still carrying the emotional baggage than rescuing and adopting Riley.  So while an interesting story, it wasn't quite what I was expecting ... I thought it would be more about Riley than Zak.  It's obvious that Riley is doing well nine years later ... I hope Zak has found the peace and closure he has been looking for.

Book ~ "Saturday Night Widows: The Adventures of Six Friends Remaking Their Lives" (2013) Becky Aikman

From Goodreads ~ In her forties - a widow, too young, too modern to accept the role - Becky Aikman struggled to make sense of her place in an altered world. In this transcendent and infectiously wise memoir, she explores surprising new discoveries about how people experience grief and transcend loss and, following her own remarriage, forms a group with five other young widows to test these unconventional ideas. Together, these friends summon the humor, resilience, and striving spirit essential for anyone overcoming adversity.

Meet the Saturday Night Widows: ringleader Becky, an unsentimental journalist who lost her husband to cancer; Tara, a polished mother of two, whose husband died in the throes of alcoholism after she filed for divorce; Denise, a widow of just five months, now struggling to get by; Marcia, a hard-driving corporate lawyer; Dawn, an alluring self-made entrepreneur whose husband was killed in a sporting accident, leaving two small children behind; and Lesley, a housewife who returned home one day to find that her husband had committed suicide. 

The women meet once a month, and over the course of a year, they strike out on ever more far-flung adventures, learning to live past the worst thing they thought could happen. They share emotional peaks and valleys - dating, parenting, moving, finding meaningful work, and reinventing themselves - while turning traditional thinking about loss and recovery upside down. Through it all runs the story of Aikman's own journey through grief and her love affair with a man who tempts her to marry again. 

I had read and liked Off the Cliff: How the Making of Thelma & Louise Drove Hollywood to the Edge by this author last year so was interested in reading something else by her, which turned out to be this book.  I didn't know what it was about ... I assumed from the title that it was fiction and about six friends who get together on Saturday nights because their husbands are watching sports.  Boy, was I wrong!  Ha!

This book is Becky's memoir about becoming a widow and finding her life again.  When she was in her forties, Becky's husband, Bernie, had cancer and passed away.  About a year later, she was ready to live again.  Looking for inspiration, she attended a widows' support group but soon discovered that it wasn't for her (she was actually asked not to come back).  She did research and decided to start her own widows' support group.  She found five women - Marcia, Tara, Dawn, Lesley and Denise - and asked them to join her group.  Each had been widowed from six month to two years and their husbands had passed away in various ways including illness, an accident and a suicide.  They met once a month for a year and did something fun such as a cooking class, a visit to a museum, a spa weekend and a trip to Morocco.

Becky, Marcia, Tara, Dawn, Lesley and Denise

Though each woman was different and probably wouldn't have found each other but for this group, they ended up great friends.  Not only did they participate in fun activities that were sometimes out of their comfort zones but it also gave them the opportunity to talk about how they were feeling and what they wanted out of life with others who knew what they were going through.

I found this book interesting (I like reading memoirs).  Sometimes I found it confusing, though, as to who the women were and what their stories were.  We do find out about them but it was scattered throughout the book.  I think it would have been easier (at least for me) had I been introduced to the women in the beginning and let them have their own chapter (which would have made it easier for me to refer back to when/if I needed).  Plus it would have been nice to have a picture of the women so I could put a face to them (I'm visual).  I read an e-version so maybe there were pictures in an actual book?  I had to Google and find a picture of them and keep it handy (that's the one above).

I found it odd that the author would start this support group after she had been married to Bob, husband #2, for a while.  I wonder how the other women felt about this as they were trying to get their lives together and move on when Becky had appeared to have moved on.  I found it a bit sad that some of these women didn't feel their lives were complete unless/until they found a new man.

Book ~ "Dogtripping: 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, And 3 RVs On Our Canine Cross-Country Adventure" (2013) David Rosenfelt

From Goodreads ~ When mystery writer David Rosenfelt and his family moved from California to Maine, he thought he had prepared for everything. 

They had mapped the route, brought three GPSs for backup, refrigerators full of food and volunteers for help. But traveling in three RVs with twenty-five dogs turned out to be a bigger ordeal than he anticipated. 

Rosenfelt recounts the adventure with humor and warmth and tells how he and his wife became passionate foster parents for rescue dogs, culminating in the creation of the Tara Foundation.

I discovered David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series about four years ago.  I've read and enjoyed them all ... the first one was published in 2002 and I'm looking forward to #19 coming out next month.  Andy is a lawyer who is married to Laurie and they have a young son named Rich.  He also has a golden retriever named Tara, who he thinks she's the best dog in the world..  I've also read his Doug Brock series ... the first was published in 2012 and the third/last one was published this past March.  Doug is a police officer who was shot in the line of duty and has lost the last ten years of his memory.

I enjoy reading books about animals.  I knew David and his wife, Debbie, are involved with rescue dogs so have been wanting to read this book and Lessons from Tara: Life Advice from the World’s Most Brilliant Dog for a while (I volunteer with a cat rescue).  I read and enjoyed Lessons from Tara: Life Advice from the World’s Most Brilliant Dog earlier this week so was looking forward to reading this one right afterwards as it is referenced in Lessons from Tara.

When David and Debbie started dating in the early 1990s, she had a golden retriever named Tara who he soon grew to love.  Tara passed away within a year and they eventually started getting involved in dog rescue.  Their mission was to take, place and/or adopt older dogs that would be euthanized because most people want younger dogs.  They started the Tara Foundation, named in honour of Tara.  In Tara's memory, they have never not taken in a golden retriever, regardless of how many dogs they had.

According to his website, David and Debbie currently have 27 dogs.  David and Debbie are both from the east coast, missed the different changing seasons and, after a scare with wildfires getting too close to their home in California, they decided to move to Maine.  This book is about their move from California to Maine.

At that time, they had 25 dogs.  How do they transport 25 mostly senior dogs across the country!?  Flying would have been expensive.  Plus the dogs would have to travel in cargo and most needed medicine on a regular basis.  And there's no way they would be able to fly all the dogs there at the same time.  Once they realized John Travolta or Oprah weren't going to volunteer their private jets, they eventually decided to transport the dogs in rented RVs.  But they needed people to drive the RVs plus help out.  They were surprised but grateful when friends, friends of friends and strangers stepped up to help them during their journey.

David and Debbie have rescued almost 4,000 dogs and found them homes.  Their own home has became a sanctuary for those dogs they rescued that are too old or sickly to be wanted by others.  In alternating chapters, David describes some of the dogs they have rescued and/or adopted over the years.  Some of these dogs made the trek to Maine (and all made it!).

I like the writing style of this book ... like his Andy Carpenter series, it was funny, sarcastic and amusing.  I like that he gave props to everyone who has helped them along the way (vets, rescues, the volunteers who traveled with him, etc.) and named names to acknowledge them.

Book ~ "The Corpse with the Golden Nose" (2013) Cathy Ace

From Goodreads ~ A heartfelt plea to look into the death of a world-famous vintner goes hand in hand with the opportunity to attend an exclusive gourmet event in British Columbia's stunning wine country. How can overindulgent foodie and criminologist Cait Morgan resist?

Sure that the award-winning owner of a family-run vineyard was murdered, Cait shares her findings with Bud Anderson, a retired homicide cop. But he is convinced that the woman took her own life, whatever her grief-stricken sister might say. That is, until death strikes once again, in the neat rows of grapevines that clamber up the banks of magnificent Lake Okanagan. 

Uncovering obsessions that might have fuelled murderous thoughts among the victim's wacky neighbours is a start but as Cait unravels the clues, she realizes that more lives are at stake. Can she think, and act, quickly enough to thwart the killer?

Cait is a middle-aged criminologist in Vancouver, BC, and dating Bud, a retired police officer.  Bud's wife, Jan, had recently been murdered and he'd joined a grief support group.  He was buddied online with Ellen, whose sister, Annette, had recently committed suicide.  Ellen doesn't believe that and thinks her sister was murdered.  She owns a family winery in Kelowna, BC, and invites Bud to a gourmet event weekend so he can informally investigate and figure out who murdered Annette.  Cait goes as his "other".  Bud from the start believes Annette did indeed commit suicide but Cait goes in with an open mind and is looking forward to the delicious food and beverages.

This book is the second in the Cait Morgan mystery series (and the second book I've read by this author) and I liked it.  Though part of a series, it works as a stand alone as there is enough background provided (I recently read and liked the first one).

It is written in first person perspective in Cait's voice.  I liked that Cait wasn't perfect ... she was 48-years-old, shorter than average, overweight with greying hair she usually pulls back into a ponytail.  She enjoys her own company and isn't a joiner. 

I thought that Cait and Bud getting together at the end of the first book was too quick ... his wife had just been murdered and he suddenly realized he was in love with Cait and wanted to get married.  In this book, they acknowledge that they love each other but seem to be taking it slow.

I found there were a lot of characters and I had a hard time keeping them straight at times.  Occasionally I would have to stop and try to remember who was who and what they did ... no problem with the more flamboyant ones.

The ending ("whodunnit") was a bit convoluted but entertaining.

I look forward to reading the others in this series.

Book ~ "Ladies' Night" (2013) Mary Kay Andrews

From Goodreads ~ Grace Stanton's life as a rising media star and beloved lifestyle blogger takes a surprising turn when she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car straight into the family swimming pool. Grace suddenly finds herself locked out of her palatial home, checking account, and even the blog she has worked so hard to develop in her signature style. 

Moving in with her widowed mother, who owns and lives above a rundown beach bar called The Sandbox, is less than ideal. So is attending court-mandated weekly "divorce recovery" therapy sessions with three other women and one man for whom betrayal seems to be the only commonality. 

When their "divorce coach" starts to act suspiciously, they decide to start having their own Wednesday "Ladies' Night" sessions at The Sandbox and the unanticipated bonds that develop lead the members of the group to try and find closure in ways they never imagined. Can Grace figure out a new way home and discover how strong she needs to be to get there?

Grace is a former interior decorator who is now a lifestyle blogger.  One night she discovers Ben, her husband, in the garage doing things he shouldn't be with her assistant, J'Aimee.  She runs J'Aimee off and then drives Ben's prized car into the pool.  The police are called and Grace leaves and moves in with Rochelle, her mother, who lives above the bar she owns.

Grace then discovers that Ben and J'Aimee have taken over her blog.  Plus, she is locked out of her house and bank accounts so is left with nothing.  When they go to divorce court, the woman-hating judge takes Ben's side and orders Grace to go to divorce counselling classes to learn how to control her rage.  There she meets Camryn, Suzanne, Ashley and Wyatt.  They meet and bond after each class at her mother's bar ... hence the name of the book.  Wyatt's wife, Callee, recently left him for a neighbour.  Wyatt and Callee have a young son together, who Callee doesn't hesitate to use to rile up Wyatt and his father.  Grace and Wyatt end up dating.

I've read quite a few books by this author and thought this one was just okay.  It is written in third person perspective in Grace and Wyatt's voice.  The editing could have been tighter as there were typos and grammatical errors.  Plus there was some weird math.  Wyatt says he's 38 with a six-year-old son.  He tells Grace that he had his son when he was 36.  Wouldn't that make him 42 not 38?!  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

I thought it was odd that Grace moved out of the house the night of the blow-up ... the police didn't force her to.  They lived in a mansion with lots of bedrooms and Ben had locked himself up in the den.  Why couldn't she lock herself up in another room?  If it was me, I never would have left because it was MY house and because of what happened to her (Ben locked her out and the security guard wouldn't let her into the complex).

It was hard to believe she was 38 as she had the sense of someone much younger.  As successful as she was, she left everything up to Ben and didn't even have her own bank account.  He was able to shut down access to their bank account and credit cards no problem.  I found this unbelievable.  I'm assuming she could have showed up at the bank and made them give her access.

They landed in divorce court very quickly.  Could a judge really be that judgmental and have that much power that he could make Grace go to counselling but leave Ben free (with everything) to do as he pleased.  I might be inclined to check the laws before I'd be writing this into a story because it sounds ridiculous.

Wyatt and Grace met and fell in in love so fast after both had devastating experiences with the long term spouses.