Tag Archives: mystery

book reviews, novel

Who Killed the Storyteller? A Mystery Unfolds. Book Review.

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Overview.

This is book 9 in the Camilla Randall series, although it can be read as a standalone. The story keeps you guessing until the final reveal.

It would make a great beach read.

Blurb

When Camilla Randall allows a neighboring business to hold a “Moth Hour” storytelling event in the courtyard of her beachy California bookstore, she finds an inconvenient corpse left in the audience after the event. The deceased, a storyteller famous for his appearances on NPR, turns out to have a shady past – and a lot of enemies. Unfortunately, Camilla’s boyfriend Ronzo is one of them. When it turns out the famous storyteller has been murdered, Ronzo becomes a “person of interest,” and goes into hiding.

It’s up to Camilla – and her cat Buckingham – to find out which of the quirky storytellers who attended the Moth event is the real killer. Each of their stories contains a clue to the mystery. It seems one of the storytellers is in possession of some stolen diamonds, and another, who first appears to be a helpful friend, is anything but.

Meanwhile Ronzo goes incommunicado, the bodies pile up, and a series of mysterious catastrophes makes Camilla fear she’s losing her mind. Then, with the help of her drag queen friend Marva, Camilla has to save her best friends from the murderer before it’s too late.

Story.

There was going to be a story-telling at the cafe close to Camilla’s bookstore, but unfortunately, they had a problem and Camilla allowed it to be held in the courtyard of her bookshop.

A celebrity, Boyd Ferrell, arrives for the story-telling, and afterwards is found dead.

It appears that the man had a shady background with some unpleasant events. Several people at the event have cause to hate him, but who actually did the deed?

Unfortunately, Camilla;’s boyfriend, Ronzo, a musician is one of them, and the police show an interest in him.

Then two more bodies appear. But Ronzo isn’t there. He went away on business with an old buddy, but goes incommunicado. Why? What is the reason for not communicating with Camilla?

Which of the suspects actually is the killer? And how did they manage to effect the murder in a crowded space?

Then there are a series of bizarre incidents that make Camilla question her own sanity.

Characters.

There are many characters in this book, and I can’t detail them all. They are an interesting bunch.

Camilla, of course, is the main one. She is interesting, and has anxieties about how this could have happened as a result of her kindness in allowing the event to happen at her place. This is compounded by the fact that she’s alone, with Ronzo gone. A killer is on the loose.

Alice is a somewhat bonkers woman who uses Camilla’s storeroom to do tarot readings. She does some unasked for ones for Camilla, that all seem to turn out to be bad. 

There is a New Age woman who wants Camilla to stock crystals, who seems nearly as bonkers as Alice. 

Dan, the Library Friend, as designated on his tee-shirt, seems a likeable person, and helpful. He knows a lot. Too much?

Felicity comes to help Camilla in the shop as, without Ronzo’s help, she’s finding it all a bit much. But Felicity isn’t a lot of help as she keeps putting books on the wrong shelves.

I enjoyed all the different characters. They were a varied lot, and any one of them could have been the murderer.

Writing

Ms Allen has written an intriguing book. It kept me guessing until the end. First I thought it was one person, then I thought it couldn’t be them, it must be another. There were several people with a motive. It kept me reading as I wanted to know as much as possible and to see if I could guess the murderer. She builds up the tension expertly.

There were no typos or grammatical errors I can remember.

I give it 4*

 My ranking of books. In order to get a particular number of stars, it is not necessary to meet all the criteria. This is a guide only.

5* Exceptional. Wonderful story. Setting well drawn, and characters believable–not perfect, but with flaws. Will keep you up all night. No typos or grammatical errors.

4* A thoroughly enjoyable read. Great and original story. Believable setting and characters. Very few grammatical errors or typos.

3* I enjoyed it. Good story. Characters need some development. Some typos or grammatical errors.

2* Not for me. Story not very strong. Unbelievable and flat characters. Setting not clearly defined. Many typos or grammatical errors.

1* I hated it. Story almost non-existent. Setting poor. Possibly couldn’t finish it.

Have you read any of Anne R. Allen’s books? Who is your favourite mystery author? Let us know in the comments.

book reviews, novel

The Band by David Kummer. A Review .

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OVERVIEW

An exciting tale of violence and mystery.

WHAT AMAZON SAYS

Because of Johnny, I went with the band. Because of Kate, I stayed. They played anywhere, all through Appalachia. They were the best show for miles around. But even I didn’t expect Oakville to be the end.Oakville, WV. It was supposed to be a quiet place: to catch our breaths, to fall in love. It was a chance to know each other completely. As long as Johnny didn’t find out.It would also be the last show they ever played.In a foggy Appalachian town, one of us wouldn’t make it home. And everyone else would never be the same.

STORY

This is a tale told in the first person. The protagonist is a young man, Aiden, who is the sound engineer with a band that is trying to break into the big time.

The Band have left their homes in Tennessee to travel around getting gigs wherever they can.They all have problems and reasons for wanting to spend the summer away from their families.

Tensions abound between the band members, but when they reach the small town of Oakville, things come to a head.

They play an impromptu gig outside the Courthouse one hot afternoon, which leads to a Saturday night gig in one of two bars in the town.

They find a week’s lodging in a run-down basement flat belonging to a mysterious old lady.

Then some gruesome murders take place. Rumour has it the old lady had killed three husbands and buried them in her garden.

Who has been killing the teenagers? Was it the old lady? Sam, a young man who appears to be following the band around? One of a biker gang, with whom the Band had an argument?

Nothing more shall be said by me as I don’t want to write a spoiler.

CHARACTERS

Aiden is the sound man for the Band. He has joined them because of problems at home. Like others in the Band, he’s running away from a dysfunctional family.

He has a thing for the only female in the band, but is lacking in confidence, so says nothing.

Johnny is the leader of the band. He is a very mixed up kid. With his family background making him crave attention, he is easily pushed into jealous outbursts if someone appears to be getting more than what he considers their correct amount.

He’s a bit of a loner, and often goes off on his own.

Kate, otherwise known as Echo, when in the Band, is a young woman who is an amazing singer. It’s she who ensures the Saturday night gig in Oakville. Whenever she sings, the place comes alive with her energy.

She enjoys nature and walking and often persuaded Aiden to go with her on her rambles. Sometimes she seems to reciprocate Aiden’s feelings, and at others she appears to think of him as just a friend.

River is a very good looking young man. The girls all fall over themselves for his attention, and he enjoys this aspect of being in the Band.

He is the most talented guitarist of them all, and also has a superb voice. He has his share of solos.

Finally, Bobby. He is known as Pistol in the Band, and is the drummer. He always wears a cowboy hat, and Aiden thinks he sounds ‘country’ when singing. He has ambitions to play guitar, but Johnny tells him he’s not good enough, so he sticks to the drums.

He seems to be about the most ‘normal’ of the Band.

The characters are all well-drawn and fully rounded, having both positive and negative traits. I’m not going to go into the others or this will never finish.

WRITING

David Kummer does an excellent job of building up the tension in this book. There are several places where I couldn’t have put it down if asked.

He uses the setting well to add to the tension. Hot sultry weather, sudden rain, rickety bridges etc.

There are a few typos, and some grammatical errors, but not enough to make me stop reading.

I did, however, get a bit irritated when he used ‘lay’ every time when it should be ‘lie.’ But as this is a very common error, I don’t suppose it would annoy most people.

I give it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4*

My ranking of books.

In order to get a particular number of stars, it is not necessary to meet all the criteria. This is a guide only.

5* Exceptional. Wonderful story. Setting well drawn, and characters believable–not perfect, but with flaws. Will keep you up all night. No typos or grammatical errors.

4* A thoroughly enjoyable read. Great and original story. Believable setting and characters. Very few grammatical errors or typos.

3* I enjoyed it. Good story. Characters need some development. Some typos or grammatical errors.

2* Not for me. Story not very strong. Unbelievable and flat characters. Setting not clearly defined. Many typos or grammatical errors.

1* I hated it. Story almost non-existent. Setting poor. Possibly couldn’t finish it.

book reviews, novel

Review of The Mystery at Folly’s End by Jaye Marie

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I don’t usually post two reviews in consecutive weeks, but this time I’m going to do so.

OVERVIEW

A well written mystery.

STORY

Charlie is surprised and shocked when her sister, Angie, rings her to ask for help. The two have been estranged for years after Angie married the love of Charlie’s life.

Angie says Tom is dead, and that she has lost all memory of the last few months. She can’t cope.

Against her better judgement, Charlie goes to help her sister, only to find chaos. There is no body and no money. What has happened to Tom?

Tom and his partner, Stuart, had been renovating a hotel, the Folly’s End of the title, so there should be money. But when a body is found in the cellar, everything turns upside down.

BLURB

Two estranged sisters, a dead husband, a mysterious hotel and a ghost?

Charlie’s sister Angela is not her favourite person after deliberately stealing the love of her life.

Years later, Angel’s husband dies mysteriously, leaving her with two children and no money. She begs her big sister to help her.

Can Charlie find it in her heart to forgive her sister, or will old feelings destroy any chance of a reunion?

Can they work together to solve their problems, or would that be asking for the impossible?

CHARACTERS

Jaye Marie has created a cast of wonderfully complex characters from the sensible Charlie to the unpredictable Angie.

We see Charlie’s growing confusion as the mystery of Tom’s disappearance escalates, and at her growing feelings for Stuart, Tom’s partner.

We watch Angie as her moods swing from anger, to sarcasm to happiness seemingly at random.

Angie has two young daughters who are confused and frightened by a situation they can’t understand.And Stuart, as well as Angie, is hiding secrets.

WRITING

I cannot fault the writing. Jaye Marie writes clearly and well. I found no typos, spelling or grammatical errors.The scenes are set well and I could easily visualise the hotel, although I would have liked a little more description of Bognor Regis and Angie’s home.

If there was a downside to this story it was that I guessed what was really going on fairly early. Also, we didn’t learn what exactly happened to Tom, Stuart, and Angie before the mystery, nor why.

I gave it 4*

In order to get a particular number of stars, it is not necessary to meet all the criteria. This is a guide only.

5* Exceptional. Wonderful story. Setting well drawn, and characters believable–not perfect, but with flaws. Will keep you up all night. No typos or grammatical errors.

4* A thoroughly enjoyable read. Great and original story. Believable setting and characters. Very few grammatical errors or typos.

3* I enjoyed it. Good story. Characters need some development. Some typos or grammatical errors.

2* Not for me. Story not very strong. Unbelievable and flat characters. Setting not clearly defined. Many typos or grammatical errors.

1* I hated it. Story almost non-existent. Setting poor. Possibly couldn’t finish it.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. HAVE YU READ ANY OTHER OF JAYE MARIE’S BOOKS?

If you want to purchase any of my books, simply click on the cover in the sidebar and it will take you to where you can purchase from your favourite online store.

book reviews, history, novel

A Review of Rags of Time by Michael Ward.

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Overview

This historical mystery is set in the turbulent times just before the English Civil War.
Michael Ward has plunged us into a violent and unpredictable world where King Charles I is pitted against Parliament. The king wants money to pursue a war with Scotland over what the Protestant Scots see as an attempt to re-establish Catholicism. Many English also think the king is going too far with his ‘reforms’ of the Church and accuse him of being overly influenced by his queen and her mother, both Catholics.
Pamphlets against the king abound, and violence can flare up anywhere at any time.
Michael Ward takes us into this hot-bed and makes it real. His discussion of the politics of the time fits in beautifully with the plot, and doesn’t seem like a history lesson, even though I have come away with a clearer picture of the times.

Plot

Thomas Tallant is the son of a spice merchant based in London. He has just returned from a trip to India when he is asked for his expertise with falcons, which he has gained on his travels.
An illustrious wool merchant has died in mysterious circumstances and falcon feathers have been found nearby. Soon, though, Thomas finds himself accused of the murder.
He must try to prove his innocence through many turns of the plot to the twist at the end.

Characterisation

The author has created varied and believable characters, from the somewhat naïve Tomas to the intelligent, pipe-smoking Elizabeth. He also brings in a few real historical characters, which adds interest.
Each character has his or her own voice as well as strengths and flaws.

Writing

There are a few slips in the writing—few typos and the odd grammar error. The version I read, an e-book, had some formatting errors as well. In one or two places a sentence broke off in the middle and a line space appeared before the sentence continued.
A bit

Like this.
But such was the excitement of the plot that it didn’t bother me.

Conclusion

In spite of those errors, mentioned above, this was a thoroughly engrossing book. I liked the characters I was supposed to like, and despised those I wasn’t supposed to like.
I found it to be an unputdownable (is that a word?) book that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys historical mysteries. I have given it 5 stars.

If you enjoyed this review, please leave a comment in the comments box.