Book Review: Tragic Magic by Laura Childs

Tragic Magic (A Scrapbooking Mystery) by Laura Childs

Genre: Mystery
Pages: 280
Acquired: March 2010
Book of Your Shelf? Yes
Why I have it:
Series: Scrapbooking Mysteries (7)

Carmela and her friend Ava have been contracted to decorate Medusa Manor for a haunted house by their friend Melody. When they arrive a the house for the first time to meet Melody, they find her in a gruesome and unexpected way. They find her murdered. Carmela finds herself investigating a crime where some of her friends seem to be suspects.

I loved the setting of New Orleans and the idea of setting up a haunted house. Childs brings the city to life in many ways, from the people to the streets to the celebrations. Carmela is avery believable character that quickly grew to like...almost a little too much. She almost seemed a little too perfect at times. The mystery kept me guessing up until the very end, which is something that really makes a mystery for me.

3.5/5

Book Review: Valley of Dry Bones by Priscilla Royal

Valley of Dry Bones (Medieval Mysteries) by Priscilla Royal

A religious, medieval mystery, I was excited to start reading it because I love the time period. I wasn't overly thrilled with much of this story. There were so many false clues and speculations dropped that it was hard to tell where the plot was actually going at times. The characters were hard to open to, with the exception of the hermit, which I loved.

2/5

Book Review: The Clouds Beneath the Sun by Mackenzie Ford

The Clouds Beneath the Sun: A Novel by Mackenzie Ford

You can find quite an interesting group of people at an archeological dig in Kenya in 1961. This is where Natalie Nelson finds herself as part of a remote dig site in the Serengeti. Things are going great until the team runs into grave robbing and a murder that Natalie becomes a key witness of. But of course, that is not all. Natalie finds herself in a battle between two brothers - a competition that has been around for their entire lives.

I don't think anything I say can really do justice to this book. I feel as I was in Kenya, I felt the heat, I heard the animals, I smelled the Serengeti. There was a lot going on in Kenya in the early 60's and I was able to experience a little bit of all of it by reading this book.

The characters were engaging and dynamic, the setting was beautiful. My only complaint is that the author lingered over the political aspects of what was going on in the country in a way that I didn't understand at first.

4/5

Book Review: I, Alex Cross by James Patterson

I, Alex Cross by James Patterson


This book was received as a contest winning from Hachette Book Group hosted on Bookin With Bingo.

Alex Cross is a well known detective, known for solving difficult cases, but when the phone rings at his birthday party, he finds himself in the midst of his wildest case ever. A case that involves the grisly murder (I'm glad they didn't give more detail than they did) of his estranged niece. The investigation is full of loops and twists and eventually leads him into the highest profile case he's ever had, with ties that see to go all the way to the White House.


This is my first Alex Cross book, and I really enjoyed reading it. He is a fantastic character that many will be able to relate to. The death of his niece isn't the only tragedy he faces in this book, and the way he handles all the blows that come his way was very touching. He is the type of person I would want to have as a friend.

The only complaint I have about the mystery solving itself was there were a couple "hand of God" moments. Things seemed to break in the case at just the right time without any action on Alex's part. This held true especially in the case of the ending, where all leads seemed to die out when miraculously something happened. Up until that point, the crime solving was done quite nicely...calling in old friends, dropping words in the ears of the right people, and good old fashioned foot work.

There were a couple times the story dragged, and this coupled with the final clue, caused it to lose the 1/2 star. I would still recommend the story to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

3.5/5

Book Review: Dark Alley by Evan Marshall

A sanitation worker named Garry is found murdered in an alleyway.  His supervisor Anna decides that the police aren't doing enough and begins to investigate on her own.  A few days later another body is found...then another...and another.  The killer is nicknamed the "Mews Murderer" and the police seem to be chasing their own tails as Anna tries everything she can to discover who the killer is before they can strike again.

To start with, I have to say that I loved the character of Anna.  She was intelligent and thought through the facts coming up with some interesting points of view...some of which lead her the right direction and which lead her away.  Her cop boyfriend, however, seemed to be in the story only as a way for her to get into the crime scenes.  It would have been nice to see more from him, he seemed to have a lot of potential that was never used.

The mystery itself was well laid out and presented.  I managed to guess the murderer early on, but I think it was just a lucky guess.  We follow Anna as she interviews persons of interest and looks for clues.  There were a few spots where the dialog was a little choppy or drawn out as she was asking people the same questions one after another.

Even though I had somehow managed to guess the culprit, the reasons behind his actions do not become clear until the very end.  The story wrapped up very suddenly, and I would have liked to see it take more than just a couple pages.  I was a bit rushed for my taste.

Overall, the book was very enjoyable and I had a hard time putting it down.  If you are a mystery fan you will enjoy the story.

3/5

Book Review: Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart

Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart

Bailey Ruth has been sent back from Heaven once again. This time her mission is to watch over a little boy named Kieth, the long lost grandson of a quite wealthy, and very ill, woman named Susan. When Susan turns up dead, a result of foul play, after announcing that she was leaving everything to her recently found grandson, there are many suspects, as many were remembered in her original will. It is up to Bailey Ruth to try and discover the identity of the murderer and keep little Keith safe, all while not breaking the Precepts that she was ordered to follow when she was sent from Heaven


This was supposed to be a Christmas read for me, since the events in the story all happen around Christmas time, but I didn't quite get to it in time. The story was a little hard for me to get into at first. The reader is introduced to a slew of potential hiers to Susan's fortune right off the bat, and it took me awhile to get them all sorted out. Once I had and the action picked back up, I was very happy with the pace of the book. The author kept the identity of the killer a secret until the very end, at least she kept it secret from me.

Bailey Ruth bothered me a bit. I understand that her character is a bit like an angel, having been sent down from heaven and all, but she was a bit of a goodie-goodie at times. Her only saving grace was that she did occassionally break the rules she was supposed to follow while on earth. This is the second book written about Bailey Ruth and I have added the first to my wish list to see if I warm up to her a little bit more.

3/5