REVIEW: Dial P For Poison by Zara Keane

Title: Dial P For Poison (Movie Club Mysteries #1)
Author: Zara Keane
Publisher: Beaverstone Press
Publication Date: April 2017
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: “My career in the San Francisco PD ended the day I arrested my husband.”

Maggie Doyle gives her cheating ex and crumbling career in the San Francisco PD the proverbial middle finger and moves to the Wild West…of Ireland.

Lured by her aunt’s promise of a restful Irish vacation, Maggie agrees to help out at the Movie Theater Café in exchange for bed and board. Things are looking up—until the most hated woman on Whisper Island is poisoned at the café. With her aunt as the prime suspect, Maggie and her rock-hard muffins are hurled into the murder investigation.

With the help of her UFO-enthusiast friend, a nun, and a feral puppy, Maggie is determined to clear her aunt’s name. Can she catch the murderer before they strike again? Or will her terrible baking skills burn down the cafe first?

My Thoughts: The first book in the Movie Club Mysteries series introduces us to American Maggie Doyle. Formerly of San Francisco, Maggie’s career with the San Francisco Police Department went up in smoke when she arrested her creep of a husband. She may or may not have made those handcuffs excessively tight, but he totally deserved it. With her career out the window, Maggie accepts her Aunt Noreen’s offer of a place to stay on Whisper Island in Ireland. In exchange, Maggie will help her Aunt with her café. The only problem is Maggie isn’t much of a baker and hopefully Maggie’s help doesn’t drive off all of Noreen’s customers.

While working at the movie theater café for the monthly movie night event, the body of a local resident is found dead. Did she die by her own hand, natural causes or was she poisoned? After the local law enforcement appears to write it off as either a suicide or heart attack, Maggie’s investigative skills go into overdrive and before she knows it, her Aunt has become the prime suspect. Now Maggie, with the help of some of the locals are racing the clock to find out who wanted this woman dead. The list of suspects is lengthy as the victim had made plenty of enemies.

I enjoyed this story and meeting Maggie. When life goes pear shaped, picking up and starting over in Ireland sounds divine. Being half-Irish on her father’s side is a good thing so Maggie won’t have to go through the red-tape bureaucracy of staying like I would if I wanted to relocate. I liked her tenacity but I think it’s going to get her into more trouble with the local police Seargeant, who is not receptive to Maggie investigating, because it makes him appear incompetent, which he is.

I enjoy Zara Keane’s writing and am pleased to see her branching out into other genres. There are some humorous moments in this story as well as the possibility of romance for Maggie down the road. This made me happy as the last thing she needs to concern herself with right now is romance. However, I hope Liam Reynolds continues to appear in the series, as when the time is right for Maggie to entertain romance, he would be a great choice. The mystery was fleshed out very well. I was unable to decide on the killer’s identity so when it was finally revealed, I had a giddy moment of surprise and the explanation of why the murder occurred was quite interesting.

I thought the story moved at a good pace, giving me the time I needed to get to know all of the characters and follow along. Dial P For Poison is a good start to this series, which is currently at seven books. Each book is a play on classic movie titles, which is very appealing to me. I recommend this series be read in order so that the reader gets to experience the character’s growth and development throughout the series.

My Final Verdict: I recommend this series to fans of cozy mysteries as well as stories with interesting and charming characters. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series, getting to know Maggie better and finding out what she gets involved in next.

Thank you to the author, Zara Keane, for the invitation to read and review.

REVIEW: Redemption by Jack Jordan

Title: Redemption
Author: Jack Jordan
Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK
Publication Date: June 2024
Genre: Thriller / Suspense
Buy The Book: Amazon

Description: The latest pulse-pounding thriller from the master of the moral dilemma and Sunday Times bestseller Jack Jordan.

Aaron Alexander has just been released from jail after serving eleven years for causing the death of Joshua Moore in a hit-and-run. Now a free man, all he wants to do is stay on the straight and narrow and leave his troubled past behind him.

But for Joshua’s mother Evelyn, eleven years in jail isn’t nearly enough. Consumed by grief and rage, she has been waiting for Aaron’s release, counting down the days until she can exact the revenge he deserves. And now that time has come.

However, as Evelyn and her husband Tobias embark on a road trip to track Aaron down, they soon find themselves caught on two different sides of a gripping game of cat-and-mouse. Because Tobias knows what Evelyn is planning, and he will do anything to save her from herself. Even if it means protecting the man who killed their son.

Locked in a collision course set in motion eleven years ago, Aaron, Evelyn and Tobias are about to find out whether the road they have chosen leads to retribution . . . or redemption.

My Thoughts: Redemption by new to me author Jack Jordan explores the lives of three people and how far someone is willing to go to exact revenge.

Eleven years ago, Evelyn and Tobias Moore received the worst possible news a parent could ever hear. Their nine-year-old son, Joshua, was killed by a hit and run driver. Eleven years later, his killer, Aaron Alexander, has been released from prison and is trying to rebuild his life. The grief that Evelyn and Tobias have carried have completely changed them. No longer are they the parents of a little boy, but they are no longer the loving couple who fell in love more than two decades ago. They are like strangers to one another. Tobias is desperate to find the woman his wife used to be. Evelyn feels nothing but contempt for her husband and rage at Aaron Alexander. She is on a mission and is determined that nothing and nobody will stop her. She plans on hunting Aaron down and killing him. Only then will the pain she has carried be overcome.

My heart broke over and over for all three of these characters. I had loads of empathy for Evelyn and Tobias but as she moves forward on her quest for vengeance, I felt that empathy begin to fade and horror and disgust began to take over. I understood why she felt she needed to do this but I couldn’t understand how she could actually do the things she ends up doing.

I felt bad for Tobias. Not only has he lost his only child to a senseless act, but he is losing his wife to her grief and anger. She is no longer the woman he married, but he still loves her and believes if he can get through to her somehow, to stop her, she will come back to him. I admired his courage to want to do the right thing, knowing his life could be jeopardized if he gets in his wife’s way. The actions he has to take to not only survive but change the course of events unfolding in front of him were quite intense and scary. I honestly would not know what I would do if I were in his shoes.

I wanted to hate Aaron. Perhaps at the beginning of the story, I did a little. What kind of person would strike a child in the road and not stop? A monster, certainly, but I soon learned that Aaron wasn’t a monster. He was a messed-up kid, who came from a messed-up home, got caught up with the wrong people and became a drug addict. These are not excuses for his behavior but are factual insights into the person he was. While in prison, he got clean and wanted to make something of himself. As the story progressed and I got to know Aaron better, I understood who he was and why he was in the car that night.

This story was absolutely riveting! How far would any of us be willing to go to exact revenge? How long could we feed the anger and hate in our hearts, keeping it alive in our soul? I expect we would likely turn out the way Evelyn has. Eleven years is a long time to wait, plan, prepare. It’s no wonder she lost parts of her soul, her humanity, her compassion and her love. This story gave me the anxiety one feels when they are trying to get to the finish line before the timer runs out but I had to keep going. I had to know what was going to happen. Would Evelyn come to her senses on her own and lay down her sword? Would Tobias be able to stop her in time before she did something she could never come back from? Would Aaron be able to survive and outwit her? Could he really build any kind of life if he’s on the run and always looking over his shoulder?

In addition to Evelyn’s thirst for blood, this story offers up other dangers and villains that pose a threat. The backdrop of this story is a massive wildfire near Aaron’s home. Driving towards the fire is never a good idea, but Evelyn doesn’t care. Drug dealers and members of the Proud Boys are also a threat to both Tobias and Aaron for multiple reasons. There are multiple supporting characters that round out the story with substance, helping the story move forward.

My Final Verdict: I suspect this book will remain with me, in my mind and my heart, for a very long time. I highly recommend this story not just for the story itself, but for the characters who are so vulnerable in their humanity and lost in their mistakes. Are these characters capable of only retribution? Is redemption a possibility? Read this book and walk that road with Evelyn, Tobias and Aaron. It’s a journey that you will never forget.

Thank you to the publisher, Simon and Schuster UK, who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

REVIEW: Mr. Right-Swipe by Ricki Schultz

Title: Mr. Right-Swipe
Author: Ricki Schultz
Narrator: Therese Plummer
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Publication Date: June 2017
Genre: Chick-Lit / Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Rae Wallace would rather drown in a vat of pinot greezh and be eaten by her own beagle than make another trip down the aisle--even if it is her best friend's wedding. She's too busy molding the minds of first graders and polishing that ol' novel in the drawer to waste time on any man, unless it's Jason Segel.

But when her best friends stage an intervention, Rae is forced to give in. After all, they've hatched a plan to help her find love the 21st century way: online. She's skeptical of this electronic chlamydia catcher, but she's out to prove she hasn't been too picky with men.

However, when a familiar fella's profile pops up--the dangerously hot substitute teacher from work (Nick)--Rae swipes herself right into a new problem...

My Thoughts: Romance is serious business, but I sure enjoy the chick-lit and romantic comedy genres and laughter is a great reaction to a good story. I also enjoy the online dating trope. Having used online dating myself (and meeting my wonderful hubby this way), I thoroughly enjoy reading or hearing about other folks and their experiences with it, fictional or not.

This story centers around Rae Wallace, though her two best friends, Valerie and Quinn play major roles in this story. Although they are the primary force pushing Rae online to find a date for Quinn’s wedding, they were probably my least favorite aspect of this story. Yes, Rae has a lot of issues in the romance and relationship department, but I honestly don’t see what’s wrong with a woman attending a wedding stag, even if she is a bridesmaid. I began to wonder if Quinn wanted Rae to have a date, so she wouldn’t be one of the ones vying to catch the bridal bouquet.

What I found most entertaining about this story is the unexpected connection Rae finds with Nick, a substitute teacher at the school Rae teaches. Nick is also online, but their witty banter and flirtation is so much more fun because they know each other in real life.

I really liked Rae and Nick. They seemed like fun and interesting people that you know you will have a good time with, whether you are in a restaurant having dinner with multiple forks next to your plate or at a pub knocking back a pint. I was rooting really hard for these two find their way to one another. This was my first book by this author and I will be looking for more from her.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this is a fun story that I recommend to fans of chick-lit and romantic comedies, but also readers who enjoy sarcastic comments and witty one-liners from their characters.

Thank you to the publisher, Grand Central Publishing, who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

REVIEW: The Skeletons of Scarborough House by Kitty French

Title: The Skeletons of Scarborough House (The Chapelwick Mysteries #1)
Author: Kitty French
Narrator: Cat Gould
Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc.
Publication Date: February 2018
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Life’s tough for Melody Bittersweet.

She’s single, addicted to sugar and superheroes, her family are officially bonkers, and she sees dead people. Is it any wonder no-one’s swiping right on Tinder?

Waking up lonely on her twenty seventh birthday, Melody finally snaps. She can’t carry on basing all of her life decisions on the advice of her magic 8 ball; things have got to change.

Fast forward two months, and she’s now the proud proprietor of her very own ghostbusting agency - kind of like in the movies but without the dodgy white jumpsuits. She’s also flirting with her ex, Leo Dark, fraternizing with her enemy in alleyways, and she’s somehow ended up with a pug called Lestat.

Life just went from dull to dynamite and it’s showing no sign of slowing up anytime soon. Melody’s been hired to clear Scarborough House of its incumbent ghosts, there’s the small matter of a murder to solve, and then there’s the two very handsome, totally inappropriate men hoping to distract her from the job…

Welcome to Chapelwick, home of the brand new and hilarious Girls Ghostbusting Agency series, where things really do go bump in the night.

My Thoughts: This book was a lot of fun! I especially liked the character of the one-eared Pug named Lestat. He didn’t get a lot of page time, but I’m hopeful I will see more of him in the next book. Melody Bittersweet is a hot mess but I really loved her. If I had a magic 8 ball, I would probably make my life’s decisions with it as she does. Her family is like her, but I enjoyed meeting them too. The jury is still out on her ex, Leo Dark, but he stepped up, so there is hope he isn’t a complete tool. I’m also curious as to what happens between Melody and Fletcher, they have a lot of chemistry that needs to be explored.

Although Melody’s friends, Marina and Artie cannot see or hear ghosts, I loved how supportive they were of her and unquestioningly jumped into the situation with her.

This case involves the ghosts of the three Scarborough brothers, Douglas, Lloyd and Isaac, who are trapped in their home. Lloyd’s descendant wants Melody to clear the house of its unwanted occupants so he can sell. The ghosts are unable to leave until Douglas’ murder is solved. A murder that occurred over one hundred years ago and for which Isaac was blamed. I found the ghosts to be equally intriguing as well and developed a soft spot in my heart for Douglas and Isaac. Douglas because he was murdered so young and never got to have a life and Isaac because his brother’s murder deprived him of the woman he loved and the family he never got to know.

My Final Verdict: This story had many moments of hilarity for me but some moments of sadness as well, especially when Melody is saying goodbye to the brothers. As Melody’s last name implies, it was all very bittersweet. I recommend this story to fans of cozy mysteries who enjoy some humor with their whodunit.