Moonset on Desert Sands

Murder, Tea, and Crystals, #2

by

Sherri L. Dodd

I was invested from start to finish!

Moonset on Desert Sands is the second book in author Sherri L. Dodd’s mystical and mysterious series, Murder, Tea, and Crystals, and I was invested in the story from its shocking opening scene to its close, wanting to know everything about these characters, their lives, and how they got to this point. After escaping a serial killer the year before, Arista is living quietly in Sedona, Arizona, but, nonetheless, finds herself the target of her Uncle Fergus. This story continues the plot from the series debut. For the best understanding and enjoyment, the books should be read in order of publication. 

I really like the character, Arista, and enjoyed learning about the shop in Sedona, crystal lore, her use of teas, and right off the bat, her interest and growing skill in seeing and understanding auras. These topics are totally outside my wheelhouse, other than what I’ve encountered in other books featuring witches, so it was an interesting and fresh underlying theme for me. After the events of the previous book, Arista has healed quite a bit but is still dealing with her feelings and heartache. She is surrounded by other well-developed and diverse characters, who help create a vivid sense of her community and leave very strong impressions, both good and bad, depending upon their role. I easily became invested in their stories despite being at a disadvantage, having not read the first book. 

The story grabbed my attention from the start with an exciting and shocking opening. The author’s descriptions put me smack in the middle of the action with all its accompanying foreboding and terror; I was hooked for the long run. The author weaves in references to the past throughout the current story, but I really had to tease these bits out to understand the current developments. However, with its non-stop action, robust descriptions, and engaging characters, I soon couldn’t put this book down, and, with its conclusion of possibilities, I plan on backing up and reading book one in order to be ready for the next.

I recommend MOONSET ON DESERT SANDS to mystery readers who enjoy stories with paranormal elements. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.

The Bloodstained Bricks

by

S.M. Sykes

An imaginative, horror-laced story set in the Land of Oz before the well-known visit by Dorothy Gale and Toto.

The Bloodstained Bricks by S.M. Sykes is a compelling and imaginative story set in the mysterious Land of Oz before the well-known visit by Dorothy Gale and her little dog, Toto. Told similarly to the style of the original book, Sykes has doubled down on that story’s elements of horror with monsters of a more modern vintage. Instead of “Lions and tigers and bears,” readers get “Monsters and Vampire and bats.” Oh my! 

The heroine of the tale is 17-year-old Dolly from Millsboro, Delaware, who ends up “over the rainbow” with her German Shepherd, Apollo, in much the same fashion as the movie: by tornado. However, her home is destroyed, and the boy from down the way, who had been trying to rescue her and the dog, is wrenched, unconscious, from his pickup and presumed to perish: a much more tragic and dark turn of events from the start. The heartache of the loss of her friend revisits Dolly throughout her ordeal in Oz. 

The plot follows the pair as they struggle to get to the person with the power to get her home. The story has a pair of amethyst slippers, but they cleverly transform into footwear that is more suitable for Dolly’s travel needs when the heels are tapped together. Apollo also proves to be way more helpful than that trouble-magnet Toto, protecting his mistress with fervor and the heft and attributes to actually do some damage. While the flying monkeys make appearances, they are on Dolly’s side this go-round. However, their replacements, sent by the evil leader of Emerald City, more than compensate for the monkeys’ about-face. Led by a mysterious, masked Vampire under the thumb of the cruel leader, they are pursued by a werewolf and a nightmarish creature called the “Semblance,” created from the re-animated body parts of the dead (think Frankenstein’s monster), who can regenerate if he becomes dismembered. The trio is seemingly unstoppable, and the pursuit becomes a battle of wits between Dolly and her remote helpmate, a Munchkin technological genius assisting her from his home in the target destination of Amethyst City known as “The Mechanic.” What follows is an exciting race for safety. 

While a little slow getting started, the action soon picks up, making for a suspense-filled tale, and there is some fun dialogue between Dolly and Vampire at times. However, I thought their second escape from the tower was a bit long and convoluted, and it really felt like an idea that was added on later. Also, there are still quite a few typos, missing words, and misused homophones. However, overall, the story is entertaining and somewhat nostalgic, and it ends with a twist and the option for a possible sequel that I would certainly want to buy and read. 

I recommend THE BLOODSTAINED BRICKS to readers of horror or dark fantasy, especially those who enjoy stories such as fairytale retellings. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

I Can’t Get No Satisfaction

Swinging Sixties Mystery, #4

by

Teresa Trent

Return to Camden, Texas, as Dot Morgan becomes involved in a tragic murder mystery.

I Can’t Get No Satisfaction is the fourth book in accomplished author Teresa Trent’s clever and nostalgic Swinging Sixties Mystery series featuring Dot Morgan, the unluckiest stenographer ever, and the unusual and horrific lake deaths of two young friends. Frustrated by the actions and lack of resolutions by the new Camden PD detective, T.J. Bailey, Dot and her fiancé, Camden Courier reporter Ben Dalton, launch their own investigation into the deaths. 

After her job at the radio station, Dot has landed on her feet again, this time working as an administrative assistant at Fielding’s Funeral Home, a long-time Camden institution and family-owned and operated business. With her unfortunate history of finding bodies, she’s not happy to discover that she’s been dubbed the “Camden Curse” around town. But when a coworker turns up dead, Dot feels more than curiosity to find his killer and get justice for the family. She is also balking at setting a date for her impending nuptials, perhaps feeling that decision will make her future all too real. Her newlywed cousin Ellie is struggling to balance her successful business with her imagined vision of what her role as a wife should look like. 

The story gets going right away with the parents of the first young boating accident victim arranging for their daughter’s funeral services. These opening scenes of their grief and the kind responses of Dot’s boss, the funeral home’s owner, are well-drawn and emotional. At Betty Weavers’s services, Dot notes a change in the owner’s son, Henry’s, demeanor and wonders what in his somewhat solitary life has caused this to happen. With Henry’s angry best friend as a chief suspect and several uncooperative witnesses, Dot and Ben seem always to be swimming against the current in their search for the truth. Still, the truth is not about to stay hidden for long. 

Although this book is the fourth Swinging Sixties Mystery, it can easily be read and enjoyed by those new to the series. I recommend I CAN’T GET NO SATISFACTION to cozy mystery readers. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

Murder Strikes a Chord

Pearly Girls Mystery, #1

by

Heather Weidner

A new cozy mystery to enjoy!

Murder Strikes a Chord is the first book in author Heather Weidner’s great new cozy series, the Pearly Girls Mysteries. Its fun and comfortable-with-each-other main characters and lovely Blue Ridge Mountain setting provide a fresh combination for solving an intriguing murder. Cassidy Jamison and her staff of four 60-something women, the Pearly Girls, all friends of her deceased grandmother, have worked hard planning a multi-weekend music festival at her lovely outdoor events venue and are ecstatic that the first band to headline the event is The Weathermen, a popular band straight out of their youth. When Cassidy and Elvis, her chihuahua mix, find the body of The Weathermen’s lead singer dead on the grounds the morning after their successful opening night, she realizes that his murder could have devastating repercussions, and not just for the reputation of her business. Roxie Matthews, one of the Pearly Girls, was the last known person seen with Johnny Storm the night before, putting her in the crosshairs of the local sheriff who’s under pressure to solve the high-profile case. 

Cassidy Jamison is a sweet young woman who returned home to Ivy Springs after the death of her beloved grandmother to take over her family’s outdoor events venue, Celebration. With the help of her grandmother’s close circle of women friends, she’s managed to keep the business afloat and is continually brainstorming new sources of revenue that will make things a little easier on everyone. She readily jumps into amateur sleuthing to safeguard Roxie from the sheriff with a grudge and protect the reputation of her newly flourishing business. She’s not alone in her endeavors as all the Pearly Girls lend their support, and there is an attractive deputy sheriff in the picture to watch for in the future. 

The murder occurs fairly early in the story while the author is still building Cassidy’s and the Pearly Girls’ backstories and the fictional community of Ivy Springs, so readers learn about the place and people as the story progresses. As Cassidy witnesses a couple of altercations involving the lead singer leading up to his demise, there are a number of suspects to be crossed off the list before the killer is revealed. 

I recommend MURDER STRIKES A CHORD to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy stories featuring rock music and musicians or settings in the Blue Ridge Mountains or Virginia. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

Murder Off U Street

Academic Mom Mystery, #2

by

Jacque Rosman

Frustrated by the police's lack of follow-up, Dr. Cara Knight looks into the suspicious deaths of two young women.

Murder Off U Street is the second book in Jacque Rosman's Academic Mom Mystery series and features Professor Cara Knight of the Virginia University Department of Social Work. Cara is surprised when one of her star graduate students gets into trouble at her internship with the Metro D.C. Police Victim Services unit. But when she steps in to help facilitate the situation, she finds there’s a whole lot more at stake than a student’s grade. 

Emily Vinter had fallen for one of the patrol officers at the department and, during a ride-along with her new boyfriend, provided counseling to the victim of a domestic disturbance complaint. Weeks later, when the woman turns up dead, supposedly by her own hand, Emily questions the ruling of suicide for a number of reasons. Setting up a meeting with the supervising staff at Victim Services to discuss the situation and re-establish the expectations and parameters for the internship, Cara arrives to find Emily distraught, certain she is going to be fired. The meeting was informative and discouraging, and Emily was nowhere to be found even though her backpack, laptop, and other personal items were still at her desk. Under the guise of performing a welfare check, Cara goes to Emily's apartment and finds her also the apparent victim of suicide. When the police refuse to dig into the coincidences and inconsistencies, Cara dives in to root out the truth behind Emily's death. 

I really enjoyed this story of the dedicated social work researcher, who is also the mother of two young children, one a particularly difficult toddler named Noah. She balances her family life with her teaching, research supervision, and part-time sleuthing well, though it is not easy. I liked how the author included how Cara and her husband Seth wrangled over who was going to have to sacrifice time in their schedules to cover all their bases, just like in real life. 

Uniquely for a cozy mystery, both "Cara the Professor" and "Cara the Mom" live very socially isolated lives. While "Cara the Mom" engages with other mothers after school pickup as their children expend some of their pent-up energy on the playground, she knows she is different and not quite one of the group. "Cara the Professor" works at a small satellite location 200 miles from the main campus of Virginia University. With few exceptions, her coworkers are pretty self-involved, and her students are absolute pills. Cara's closest woman friend is her mother-in-law, Barbara, who lives in Miami and visits infrequently, although she was present and involved in the previous book's mystery and resolution. Barbara has her quirks and self-indulgences, and as she's probably in her mid-60s, she's starting to slow down. She's an effective assistant at times, especially when the situation calls for a "Karen," a good conversationalist with interviewees, but physically, she may have peaked. Collectively, the Metro D.C. police are portrayed as an unpleasant, unhelpful bunch of jerks: antagonistic, argumentative, and dismissive.  

The plot really kept my attention from start to finish, and I read it in one evening. I enjoyed Cara's methods of questioning and responses to get her suspects to talk. She pursued practical lines of investigation without a bunch of wild goose chases. There are several good suspects to consider, but the final resolution completely took me by surprise. I look forward to the next installment in this series. 

While this book is the second in the series, it can easily be read and enjoyed without having read the debut novel; it stands well on its own. I recommend MURDER OFF U STREET to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy a sleuth who is juggling a home, children, and a career, an academic or social work theme, or a Washington, D.C. setting.

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