Mystery Crime Books

Scarpetta has a killer with a deep-seated hostility that is directed at her. He has used a rare virsus to kill his victim. Has Scarpetta been infected? This is one of her fastest moving novels that Cornwell his written. At first you think it is a serial killer. Then Scarpetta with her expertise uncovers the efforts of the killer to mislead. This is one of Cornwell's "I can't put it down." By Ruth Thompson author of "The Bluegrass Dream" and "Natchez Above The River"

Cornwell again proves why she's the one to beat in this genre. As always, a fantastic book, filled with twists and turns and characters you'd love to meet. Don't miss this one-I always forget that Cornwell started the CSI /forensic science craze and then I rediscover an early work like this and remember.

Do not start reading these books unless you have the money to buy all of them.

Patricia Cornwell is a master at weaving stories around her central character Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Her writing draws you right into the characters and they become almost family like. You can hardly wait to find out what happens next.

I've been reading the Kay Scarpetta series in order from book one, and if you are reading the series, by all means don't skip this one. That said, I got lost in some of the forensic details, I'm just not as up on my saw blades as I should be I suppose. As you can tell from the book jacket, there are murders where the bodies are dismembered, arms, legs and heads sawed off. There have been previous cases in Dublin, and in Virginia. The latest doesn't seem to match that killer though. (we never know who that killer is) The book goes on to a pox like virus and a national health emergency. The killer was introduced early on, but I didn't see the clues leading up to the revelation. But by then, I was just trying to keep up with the different scenarios and lost somewhere in the microbiology and saw blade details.

In a long running series such as this, there is bound to be a book that everyone doesn't connect with. It will not deter me from reading the next one.

This was a well written, fast, enjoyable read, with a good dose of humor. Hopefully I'll be reading more on Andy and his team.

The "hero" makes a ghastly mistake that betrays his friends' trust. Their daughter is a teenaged girl who disappears while in the "hero's" care. The mother who knows what he did, still asks him to find the daughter. OK, I might do that with a lost puppy but not with a daughter. The book just follows the guy and various contacts in hick N. Jersey towns around in endless circles. It was so dull it was actually tiring to read. There were way too many intuitive jumps that just didn't make sense. When they finally find the bad person it comes out of the blue making reading most of the book a waste of time. I was glad when it was over.

The bitting humor and self-depreciation of the main character remind me of Isaac Asimov. If you like strong plots, great characters and dogs, David Rosenfelt mysteries are probably going to become part of the dog-eared selections of your library.

I cannot believe I have missed such a wonderful writer until now. This is David Rosenfelt's first book but he writes like a seasoned writer. It has a lot of humorous remarks and the story has an unexpected ending.

He is definitely another writer I will continue to follow his works.

This book was outstanding. Wonderful pacing and some of the best dialogue I have read in years. The Publishers Weekly review was way off and with regards to Harlan Coben, I can easily say Rosenfelt is 5 times the writer that Coben is.

This book caught my attention due to the name - who can't help but think of the old classic Charlotte's Web even though they are not related in any way or not of the same type of style. Charly's Web is about a Florida columnist and single mom at thirty, who has been battling emotional scars due to family turmoil. Her mother abandoned her family to start her own new one, leaving her emotionally distraught and setting her family further and further apart from one another.

She then gets an exciting new proposition, when she gets contracted by a woman on death row to write a biography of the crime, telling her involvement in the killings of three children and the promise of her telling something that has never been told before - the identity of the other murderer. This was a great chance and exciting for her. So as Charly Web gets interviewing this clever sociopath, learning dangerous details the closer she comes to the second killer, she's putting her own life in danger.

The two woman make for an interesting read. Joy Fielding has a way of writing thrillers and mysteries that keep you engrossed in the book. I really liked it and I think you will too.

I just finished the book late last night because I couldn't put it down towards the end. It had major twist plots toward the end that I didn't see coming> I usually can figure out the killer, but not until a few pages before being revealed, did I guess the accomplice! Unlike a few of the reviewers, I found Charley, quite likable. I especially liked Charley's mom, Elizabeth, although I did not care for Charley's snobby sisters. I think this is one of Joy Fielding's best. Very suspenseful! I also liked "See Jane Run", and "Don't Cry Now", and some other of her books whose title alludes me for now. This was a very enjoyable, well written book!

I totally enjoyed this book---so many elements of it. I loved reading Charley's weekly newspapers editorials. And it was interesting reading all the email that she received. And then to read the story of Jill's life---very sadistic, sad and angry-----added to the excitement and variety of this novel. It was non-stop fun and kept the reader waiting for the next page----and keeps you guessing along the way. I think I figured it out towards the end but always had my doubts. So it still surprised me.
It's a novel to enjoy at the beach but be prepared to burn since you'll not want to stop to get out of the sun. And you might lose some sleep. But you'll enjoy this book---especially if you're a fan of Joy Fielding and enjoy her stories. It's a great read from the start to the very last page.

I AM A BIG JOY FIELDING FAN AND SHE DID IT AGAIN THIS TIME WITH "CHARLEY'S WEB". A VERY CLEVER STORY WITH SOME REALLY GOOD TWISTS. DEFINATELY ONE THAT IS HARD TO PUT DOWN.
WATCH OUT HANNIBAL LECTOR, MEET JILL ROHMER.
THANKS JOY FOR ALL THE JOY YOU BRING TO READERS!

This was a novel that, despite its predictability, provided enough depth and entertainment to keep me reading even after I had figured out the denouement. The story -- a convicted child killer wants a book written about the crimes and holds out some tantalizing information that she may not have acted alone though she was the only one tried, convicted and put on death row. I had to suspend disbelief a couple of times that this other "perpetrator" could have escaped discovery, but the side elements in the story helped drive the plot. The prisoner asks a features reporter to do this book. The reporter, Charlotte, usually writes articles of dubious literary value on a web site using the name "Charley's Webb".....I was a bit dismayed at the main character at times -- to say she wasn't a happy, friendly reporter would be an understatement. Everywhere she turned, there was a single man looking to date her -- but this is normal in a lot of novels. What I really liked about the book was how she and her mother worked through their troublesome past and evolved into having a relationship. Most of the rest of the characters in the book were stereotypes -- the picture perfect darling precocious children, the mean neighbors, the hateful sisters, the bad boy alcoholic brother, the shady night club owner with a heart of gold, the distant father, etc.
I enjoyed this book although the triteness of the title just about put me off. The explanations in the novel regarding the names of the main character and other assorted cast did not strike me as clever but I put aside this minor annoyance and was able to read the book despite all that unnecessary detail that did nothing to add to the plot or the story.

I like Robert Parker's Spenser novels, and have read almost all of them. The early ones are quite good, but the ones after 1990 or so are pretty much a mixed bag.

STARDUST is pretty much a by-the-numbers effort, about Spenser's attempts to bodyguard an incredibly famous TV actress, who just happens to be the most neurotic, promiscuous woman on the planet. This book is mildly funny and entertaining, but not particularly original or exciting. It doesn't help that the TV actress character isn't the least bit sympathetic. The dialogues between Spenser-Susan and Spenser-Hawk are pretty much the same old stuff Parker has written many times before.

There's little in this novel you won't find in other, better Spenser books. My advice is to try those books and forget about STARDUST.

I usually enjoy the Spenser books, but "Stardust" was really disappointing. I didn't like the Jill character at all, so it was impossible for me to care about her and/or what happened to her. Too bad Spenser didn't walk away from this case at the get-go.

Also, is anybody else sick of Susan's perfection? And the way she eats - or doesn't eat, I guess would be more correct - makes me cringe.

I'll go on to the next Spenser and hope it's better than this one, and also hope that Spenser and Susan don't go to any restaurants.

Spenser is hired by Zenith Meridian Television to protect their star television personality, Jill Joyce - who says she has been receiving harassing telephone calls and letters. When Spenser tries to find out more about these calls, Jill refuses to elaborate - insisting, however, that he protect her from "Him," as she calls her stalker, while all the while refusing to answer any questions relating to details about the problem, her past or pretty much anything at all and at the same time alternating between trying to get Spenser into bed and drinking herself into a torpor. Finally Spenser leaves her in Hawk's care and sets out to find out what he can on his own.

Jill is probably one of the least appealing people Spenser has ever set out to "save." He, however, sets out with great patience nonetheless, to do just that. He follows every lead, steps on toes from the East to the West coast in the process, has his life threatened several times and finally gets to the bottom of the situation. It ain't pretty.

Of course, you'll have to read the book to find out what happens.

I enjoyed this story, mostly because the character dynamics were so interesting. Jill Joyce was so terribly unpleasant, yet at the same time she engendered great sympathy and loyalty among so many people that it was really unbelievable. As one character remarked, she had a "quality" about her, something deep inside her that got buried under the booze and drugs. Parker did a good job with his writing skills of showing that vulnerability as well as the prickly and unpleasant exterior. Very good job. Strong recommend from me.

Two stars because Parker is able to write, zero for plot (what plot?) characters(Puh-leeze). I tripped over this in the library needing an easy read. What amazes me is that this was apparently a popular series in the 80's. So much for the 80's. Spenser and Susan are so superior to the rest of the human race we should all be ashamed. They are witty, they are sensitive, they are honest, they are loving, they are perfect. As a natural offshoot of this they are tiresome, they are snide, they are racist, they are class-driven in their outlook and tastes. They are, frankly, very creepy. Anyway I guess something happens in the novel, I was too sick to stay around.

What might burn to what purification and perfection, within the ashes of impoverished beginnings ...

Again, a Spenser novel kept my focus away from the snow-packed, icy curves of a Rocky Mountain corridor over the Continental Divide on Colorado State highway 50, edging the high, steep cliffs over Monarch Pass. If any feat would recommend the ability of a novel to hold a reader captive, that should.

The fascination in this # 17 in the series seemed to pivot around a flickering disgust Vs appeal of the Star of the plot, Jill Joyce, as those dark/bright flashes played through Jill's evolving relationships with Spenser, Susan, and residual characters, who mostly viewed "Jillie" as a "high-octane pain in the ..." (quoting one the book's descriptive terms of her). Parker worked an amazing double-sided realism into the plot, contrasting Jill's spoiled, impatient, sour personality; to her youthful vulnerabilities, her having not one true friend, and her carrying the weight of the job title's specific and actual demands. With drunk, druggie, an nympho added to the liabilities in this Star's aura, the scales slipped south, and provided Spenser with a challenge he couldn't refuse. I may have left out a couple descriptive terms of the down side of Jill Joyce's personality, but guessing what they might be would be a snap.

STARDUST is a classic character study, and an excellent example of fine writing, especially given Parker's vivid, delightfully sardonic descriptions of various settings, descriptions based on weather conditions and wealth divergence, contrasting Boston and surrounding areas with the San Diego and LA extended environments.

During the writing of my previous review on PLAYMATES, # 16 in this series, I began noticing an edge of embarrassment about my ongoing compulsion to write reviews on each novel in the Spenser series. Therefore, I seem to be pushed at the moment by a nag from my Left Brain to explain personal and professional motivations in feeding the continued pursuit of this "study." Actually, that's precisely what my dedication to reviewing this series has become, a study. I feel blessed to be able to observe three decades (and counting) of cultural evolution through Parker's liberal notations of styles of dress, tastes in food, ways of thinking, repartee dance-steps, etc. Yet, I'm making note of much more than that.

I'm observing the steady, methodical, dedicated evolution of an author's voice, talent, perspective, and ethical philosophy ... over thirty years of annual production in a sequential offering repeating characters, locale, and genre.

I'm observing "current" events unfolding within Parker's plots. I'm noticing subtle publisher presence and reader preference as that backdrop appears to play into Parker's choices of subject, theme, and style variances in each novel in this chain adding links upon links of evolving ethical considerations.

My interest was maintained well in STARDUST as my curiosity grew about how Spenser could save this child, who was screeching in repulsively offensive ways, for someone to take care of her, someone, anyone to care about anything in her, qualities beyond beauty, which might lie more deeply and lastingly in Jill's soul... someone to care about more than her capacity to draw in dollars. As a prostitute to overwhelming demands on her presence and physical perfection, given nothing truly refueling of self in return; Jill reminded me of Spenser's April Kyle, clearly showing that money, fame, success, and adulation are able to starve the life out of a young heart needing TLC, compassion, and a savior.

As has become Parker's relished signature, several scenes of dialogue exchanges in STARDUST were highly satisfying. One of the cheer inducements I regularly enjoy in a Spenser novel is his ever-growing-repertoire of ways to burst odorous balloons of pompous buffoons who overrate their importance by metaphoric measures of mountains of compost heaps. (See Marty Riggs in this one, especially the scene in chapter 29 with Quirk, regarding Jill having been misplaced. And, for a story about mountains of coal dust and a young Mom starring in a bull-dog win, see Coal & Coca-cola)

And then, we had here the entrance of Victor del Rio and gang-of-two, Chollo and Bobby Horse. Yep, another fascinating bad, bad, bad dude ... with a couple honorable qualities, who related well with Spenser in scene after engrossing scene.

My favorite scene in STARDUST, though, was the one noted above, with Riggs, Quirk, a collection of big wigs at Zenith, and Spenser. Quirk gives Riggs a prime-spot-comeuppance to either kill or die for. Parts of that chapter I had to read aloud to my husband. After I had read a couple paragraphs, then asked a few minutes later if he wanted to hear more, his positive pose slid immediately into an ear-toward-my-direction.

The last line in this one could serve as the beginnings of purification of poverty, if not an outright activation of alchemy.

What is Hope,
Linda Shelnutt

My first of her books, and not the last. She's one of the better cozy writers.

This was a great lighthearted mystery. I look forward to any more that might be coming. Jean

The third installment in the series was a good way to pass a weekend in between doing holiday chores.

Near the end, Abby did start to get on my nerves. After promising to keep her nose out of the case, she inexplicably feels the need to go warn someone about another character, rather than leaving it to the police. Of course, that sets up her the resolution of the murder, but it just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story.

I look forward to the next installment.

The author has given another installment from Abby Shaw and her candy shop. I love this style of murder mystery--not too much blood and guts--This third book introduces some new characters and brings back the familiar ones. Could it be that Abby will finally end up with that policeman beau after all? Looking forward to the next installment of murder--candy style.

The mystery is good but I do find the main character to be somewhat annoying. She goes on and on about how her brother resents the fact that she left town after high school. Isn't that what kids are supposed to do? She is much too nice to the cousins that think they should have a say in the running of the shop even after one of the cousins nearly bankrupts her. I like many other things about this series so I will continue to read the books but unless the main character gets over herself a little bit, this will never be a "keeper" series for me.

books are always a delight to order from amazon. this is a great series on SW Florida. I recommend reading them in order they were written.

It's a good thing for me that this wasn't my first Doc Ford novel. It surely would be my last. The plot took forever to take off and by the time it did, I pretty much didn't care about the book anymore. This book is like a string of musings strung loosely with a plot line. It's notes shoved into a binding in order to thicken up a short story. I'm a big fan of Mr. White and the series but this book is not worth the effort. Skip this one and move on to Ten Thousand Islands.

Love these Doc Ford stories-RWW gets better and better,but the older novels are every bit as good as the new.

Note: I made some Mormon reader angry over my negative reviews of books written by Mormons out to prove the Book of Mormon, and that person has been slamming my reviews.

Your "helpful" votes are appreciated. Thanks

In this novel, Doc Ford is up to more adventures and a lifestyle that appeals to men. I mean, he's not married, he lives in the stilt house in Florida, has a lot of friends (some quirky like Tomlinson, a wonderful character), and he has a lot of lady friends. Doc Ford's background is mirky, a lot of it spent on secret missions for a CIA type of organization.

The average man will get lost most of White's novels, sailing away with him on some grand adventure.

I've enjoyed all of Randy Wayne White's novels. If you're not in the mood to read, then get them on CD. Ron McLarty does a super job with Tomlinson's voice! He makes him sound like Jack Nicholson--very funny. Tomlinson is a strung-out hippy type, whose ramblings contain surprising bits of wisdom. A very compelling character and friend of Doc Ford.

Doc Ford is Marion Ford, Ph.D., a Harrison Ford type marine biologist who lives alone in a stilt cabin on Sanibel Island. Ford is footloose and fancy free until - in each book - his peace and tranquillity is disturbed by a very attractive damsel in distress.

On and off again Ford has been haunted by the death of spook pal Bobby Richardson, who died in an explosion in Cambodia during the post-Vietnam War days. It was a meaningless tragedy, the result of a land mine that destroyed a good friend and left a beautiful wife and a child to fend for themselves back home.

When the grown-up daughter, twenty-five-year-old Amanda, contacts Ford, quoting a letter from her father in which he said Ford would always be there in an emergency, Ford can hardly turn her away. He couldn't anyway, she's a damsel in distress, after all.

Amada's mother, Gail Richardson Calloway, has been deserted by her second husband and gone off to Colombia, apparently but unbelievably of her own free will, with a very unsavory character, Then second husband, Frank Calloway, is found dead soon after her disappearance and now Gail's bank accounts are being methodically depleted. Amanda wants Ford to help search for her mother and to bring her back home.

Ford flies off to Colombia to find Bobby's widow, then tracks and follows her to Panama. Along the way he manages to get into fights to the death with some pretty tough dudes in this action-packed thriller that I simply couldn't get enough off. At times the story seemed a bit of a clichè, but you what, it's been over a week since I finished the book and I'm still thinking about it. That really says something about a story.

Very entertaining.I am only sorry that the author has died and her style of writing went with her.

It has only been in the last six months that I have started reading this genre of women sleuths. This book does not disapoint. An easy read, the characters are charming and the mystery is not bad ( though if you're any good you have it figured out before the end). I plan to read the whole 8 book series because this one showed me it was worth it. Not as funny as Janet Evanovich's numbered series, but it has it's moments.

Anne George is wonderful. I have officially now read all of her books, and I'm just sorry that she passed away and took her talent with her. I love Patricia Anne and Mary Alice --- I love the humor -- I highly recommend all her books to anyone who likes mysteries, but likes to laugh, too. The reader on her audiobook versions is great --- conveys the Alabama atmosphere, accent, etc., and really enhances the story.

Anne George's characters are so real. These two sisters are so entertaining and have their own relationship norms. I cannot say that at any time am I bored while reading about their adventures or just their interactions. This series is one of my very favorite reads - I don't have to worry about blood, gore or profanity - these stories can stand on their own without resorting to the quick, gory, or bloody fill-ins.

I was looking for a new "series" of books to be interested in when I ordered 2 of the Southern Sisters mysteries. I should have known better than to order just on reviews; I should have checked at the library first. I only read this one, and have donated both to the local seniors group. I am an insatiable reader, and devour a wide variety. My favorite authors of fiction are James Clavell, Tim Clancy, Nora Roberts, Laurell K Hamilton, Anne Rice, James Patterson and Janet Evanovich. If these are on your list of favorites, my advice is "try before you buy"; this series is a little simplistic for my taste.

This book is about another exciting adventure with Nancy Drew and her two friends Bess and George. It all starts when a pigeon drops down from somewhere in the sky. Nancy reads a secret message and the mystery begins. Before she can solve that mystery, however, she gets involved in another mystery involving a girl's grandmother. She eventually finds out that the two mysteries are linked. This is an exciting, suspenseful book, full of twists and turns. I highly recommend it!

Enjoyed these books as a young girl. Like the updated versions for readers today. This is a great gift for a young mystery reader.

i suggest u read the rewritten nancy drews you need to give them a try. they are as exiting and suspenceful as this exiting mystery!!!!!!!

I really liked this book!! I have about 16 other Nancy Drew Books and I love them all, but this was one of my favorites!
I became unaware that I was even reading a book! I was like I was watching a movie in my head.In this book, Nancy discovers a carrier pigeon that has a note attatched to it's leg it says something about Larkspurs and Bluebells so she becomes suspicicious and finds a............. well, you'll just have to see!!! YOU WILL LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have read BOTH versions of Password to Larkspur Lane, AND have seen the movie Nancy Drew Detective (1938) on televsion more than once. I have always liked this Nancy Drew like many others that I have read; though I have liked both versions. I have in general liked the originals better than the "new stories for today's readers". The original Nancy Drews paint a picture of life in the Thirties and early Forties, when there were no automatic transmissions, dial phones, transistor radios, or televsions, much less DVD's, audio CD's, automated teller machines, PC's. Indeed, in the era when the original Nancy Drews were written, THERE WERE NOT EVEN MUNTZ TV'S! Two facets of Password to Larkspur Lane stand out, and are particularly funny. One is the use of the phrase "singing horses" as password, changing it from "blue bells". Imagine horses singing into microphones! I can see WHY those gangsters chose "singing horses" as password, as larks are associated with singing, and spurs with riding horses.
That is NOT the REAL origin of the word "larkspur", but the gangsters knew that Dr. Spires HEARD the word "blue bells" used, so changed it to something SUGGESTING larkspurs. Nancy at first could not figure out why the flowers were called larkspurs, as horses do not sing and larks do not suggest horseback riding, but THEN could see why "singing horses" was chosen. (Mister Ed can sing, but that's about all.) The other funny part was Dr. Bull's use of a dummy telephone to pretend to call the cops.
Dr. Bull, called Bell in the new version, could not see why Nancy WANTED him to call the cops, or why she called it a dummy telephone. Nancy wanted him to call the police to get the racketeers arrested, and she declared "the telephone is a dummy because there are no___" but stopped short of saying "wires"
as the quack nut-doctor saw HIMSELF that this telephone was not hooked up to switching machinery, and ccould not fool Nancy. As there were no cell phones in 1933 or even 1966, such a phone as Dr. Bull/Bell used WAS a dummy telephone! (Whether this counterfeit sanatorium HAD a real phone is not clear.) At all events, a friend of mine called a dummy telephone a BULL TULLOPHONE, Bull Tull for short, and drew pictures of pairs of phones, one hooked up with letter-number phone number, the one with no wires all-digits, to show dislike for digitization! Then there was the happy ending when police, her father, and Ned flew in to arrest the participants in this racket, and Mrs. Mary Eldridge's reunion with her nephew John, his wife, and little Marie. ALl in all, a very good Nancy Drew.

The first time I read this book through, I read quickly, devouring the plot. The second time, I was delighted to find scrumptious tidbits of wit that I'd missed. Lady Julia's family is amusingly quirky, and her disillusionment with her husband is heartbreaking and realistic. Nicholas Brisbane is wonderful to read about, though I suspect he'd be fatiguing in real life. While Julia quickly discovers her attraction to him, the focus of the book is on Julia's self-discovery rather than the romance.

Which brings me to the point: if you have any intention of buying this book, do it now, while you can get it in the elegant red cover. The author has published the new covers on her website, and they are cheesy and inappropriate for the subject matter and time period. I'm afraid the publishers have seriously misjudged their audience.

The mystery to me is why I didn't enjoy this more. The author writes very well and the characters are terrific -- Lady Julia Grey (and her family) and Nicholas Brisbane are fascinating, and even minor characters are well drawn and three dimensional. The mystery itself, however, was lame; I'm not very good at prefiguring the culprit, but I spotted this one really early on and never had a red herring or a twist to make me second guess my conclusion, which turned out to be correct. Also, our heroine was often boringly, stultifyingly inactive; whenever Brisbane told her to stay home and be good when he was incapacitated by his mysterious illness -- she DID! What self-respecting heroine stays home and waits for the detective?! That was kind of shocking to me, and made for a boring read. I don't really want to read paragraphs and paragraphs about how the narrator is home, packing boxes or reading or wandering the rooms, waiting for the detective to make something happen. BORING! The plot was inventive in some ways (no spoilers), but tedious in others, and a great many interesting characters were introduced never to be heard from again.

If I could, I'd give it 3+ stars, but I'll round up because I think others may enjoy it more than I did -- I just have such precious little time to read that I want excellence when I do. I want great writing AND great characters AND a great mystery, and I didn't get that here. All in all I found it a frustrating read and won't get another in the series; instead I'll focus on other authors in this genre.

I bought this book because Amazon had recommended the 2nd book, Silent in the Sanctuary, and it sounded pretty interesting. Since it was the 2nd book, I bought this one as well so I could read them in the right order.

Plus I read the first 2 sentences online and I was hooked. Despite the fact I was reading something else when this arrived, I put that down so I could read this.

This book was well worth the purchase! The glimpse at upper crust life in the 19th century just made the mystery more enticing. Lady Julia, the sheltered 9th child in a rich but odd family, starts the book by saying that she didn't meet Nicholas Brisbane over her husband's dead body. It should be noted that her husband was still twitching on the floor.

What an opening! And the rest of the book did not disappoint. Lady Julia is fully dimensional, Nicholas Brisbane is appropriately mysterious. The supporting characters (family members and servants, Fleur and Dr Bent) are fleshed out and varied enough to be interesting. I'm hoping that Fleur shows up in the second book, which I am going to start reading as soon as I finish this review.

The attention to detail was fascinating, but never intrusive. The pace was slow, but it moved at the pace it needed to in order to give the right amount of atmosphere without smothering you with it.

Highly recommended.

I actually loved this book and can't wait to read the next in the series. I found it entirely enjoyable and thought the chemisty between Julia and Brisbane is infectious! As an avid historical mystery fan, I recommend this to anyone else who enjoys them, also.

Very disappointing let me count the ways. At first it was entertaining and witty. But after the first 100 pages I kept waiting for the mystery to snag me. Soon after I figured who the murder was (predictable) and I lost all interest on the motive. When I jumped to read the ending I was glad not to have wasted another minute on this book. I bought it because the book was recommended as being similar to books by Tasha Alexander. I beg to differ!