Category: Mystery

Walking On My Grave by Carolyn Hart

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Walking on My Grave (A Death on Demand Mysteries)Barbara’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars    Maybe even 2.5 stars

Series: Death on Demand #26
Publication Date: May 2, 2017

I absolutely cannot believe I’m giving this one three stars. This is the final book in the series and I would have hoped for it to end with a bang rather than a whimper. I would have loved it if Annie and Max had decided to close everything down and sail around the world or maybe they find themselves expecting a child – just something – rather than this non-ending ending. Max has deteriorated to the point that I almost didn’t recognize him – he is such a wimpy, uninteresting fellow. Annie too has become a wimp and has lost her determination. So, I guess I have to say that, given the quality of this book, it is time for the series to end and it is a sad ending indeed for a much-loved series.

The book is a normal size, but a portion at the end is taken up with the content of the Chapbooks that are being written by Henny, Laurel, and Emma. I will definitely NOT miss those three because they are becoming very tiresome. At the beginning of the book, you also have a number of pages taken up with a ‘Cast of Characters’ and a ‘timetable’ that is totally unnecessary. So, you have the middle portion left for the actual story.

The mystery itself is okay, but you just don’t come to care about the characters. In previous books you would have come to really know and understand the characters – maybe there were just too many suspects. For some of the suspects, we probably had a total of 5 or 6 lines dealing with them – Curt Roundtree is a prime example of that. Also, the first murder didn’t even occur until something like 100-pages into the book. As I said, the mystery was an okay mystery, but I just never felt invested in any of the victims or suspects.

Frankly, I almost felt that this book was written by another author – not only a different author who hadn’t written any of the previous books but one who hadn’t read them either. I was really disappointed in the wrap-up for the series.

Alibis Can Be Murder by Connie Shelton

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Alibis can be Murder (Charlie Parker #17)Alibis can be Murder by Connie Shelton

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Charlie Parker #17
Publication Date: 6/4/17

Connie Shelton creates warm, very relatable characters in this series and you come to care about them as friends. You love spending time with them and sharing their adventures. Shelton’s descriptions of Albuquerque and New Mexico pull you right in and make you feel like you are seeing that mountain or hiking down that trail. These books are all excellently written.

We learn a bit more about Charlie’s history after her parents died. There are several flashback paragraphs that go back to those years after she was orphaned and was living with an elderly neighbor. I love how ‘gram’ dealt with the teenage Charlie who was, of course, straining to free herself from her bonds. Then, you see the two of them fifteen years later and they are as close and loving as a real grandmother and grandchild.

The relationship between Drake and Charlie is really special. He is a man who isn’t threatened by a strong woman and is happy to let her be herself. Yes, he worries for her safety at times, but then she worries for his as well. He isn’t over protective and doesn’t try to tell her what to do. They have a really great partnership.

Charlie owns RJP Investigations with her brother Ron. Ron is a licensed private investigator and Charlie is a CPA who takes care of their books (as well as the books for Drake’s helicopter business). Although Charlie isn’t supposed to be an investigator, she often gets sucked into Ron’s cases for one reason or another.

We have two cases this time – one involves a retired football quarterback and the other involves Charlie’s young neighbor that she used to babysit. The football player’s case has Ron trying to track down a very valuable Superbowl ring. In that one, you have infidelity, disrespect, and a swindler that is way over the top. The neighbor’s case has Charlie trying to assure that both of her young twin neighbors are well. Gram is sure that there is a problem because she hasn’t seen the once inseparable twins together in months. Charlie thinks the girl may just have run away and the twin is covering for her – but – she is young and Charlie wants to assure she is safe. In that one, you have disinterested parents, bullying, sexting and many other unsavory things.

I hope you’ll read this story and enjoy it as much as I have. I would really suggest that you read the books in order because you will come to know and understand all of the characters so much better if you do. You could read this one as a stand-alone book and enjoy it, but having all of that background just adds to the enjoyment.