SNOW BLIND

Right in the midst of the winter festival in the Twin Cities, during a snowman building contest, two men are found encased in snowmen. They are policemen and Gino and Magozzi need to figure out who is killing police and going to all of the trouble to build snowmen around them. It isn't before they get a call that another snowman with a body inside has been discovered in a small town away from the cities. There are a few complications, including a new female sherrif who is on her first day on the job and a city of women who are in hiding from their abusers. All in all, Gino and Magozzi are going to need all of the help they can get, including the Monkeewrench crew.

This novel featured less of the Monkeewrench group but it was a good mystery. I always enjoy the P.J. Tracy books and I will be looking forward to the next ones. I love her characters. They are kind, compassionate, flawed and human. I love the slow progression of Magozzi and Grace's relationship and how it has grown.

THE FAT MAN

Gumdrop Coal is the elf who has been in charge of the naughty list for years. When he gets fired, he is convinced that Candy Cane is behind it. He just can't stand to see the naughty kids taking advantage of Santa by expecting him to bring them toys even when they have been rotten all year. He decides to bring about his own kind of justice and that only gets him in more trouble!

This book was truly funny. It played on every Christmas legend, story, or song. It was filled with cliches and came off like a hardboiled detective story. All in all, it was quite amusing and a cute read for the holiday season.

Rating - B

MY COUNTRY

This was a great combination of excellent photography and interviews with country music stars. I loved the photos of singers in all different locations. I also loved reading the very short interview questions. The answers were very insightful and humbling. It was a short read but definitely worthwhile for any country music lover.

Rating - A

MORNING SHOW MURDERS

Billy is accused of murdering his old boss. It's true that they didn't always get along and his boss had threatened to cancel Billy's new show, but Billy is innocent. He has to help find the killer before the bad publicity ruins his restaurant and makes him lose his job as chef and entertainer on a national morning show. As Billy tries to investigate, he realizes that there are quite a few people who might have wanted his boss dead. It also seems that his last trip to Afghanistan was deadly, as nearly all of the men who went drinking together there one night are dying off one by one.

This book was written by Al Roker, along with a co-writer. International espionage is not my thing. I get too confused by all of the political actions. This book got confusing in places. There were so many characters that I sometimes got confused when a character returned after a chapter or two. Still, it was pretty amusing and I did want to finish it. Not sure if I'll try the second in the series or not.

Rating - B

TOUGH CUSTOMER

Dodge Hanley gets a call from the woman he never expected to hear from again. She is frantic and wants him to come to Houston to help her and the daughter he doesn't know. His daughter, Barry, claims that a former co-worker broke into her house, shot another colleague and theatened to kill her. Caroline, Barry's mother, is the one woman that Dodge has never forgotten and he isn't sure if he should rush to her side or stay as far away as possible.

I have never read anything by Sandra Brown before but she always gets good reviews. I really enjoyed this book. It had a good plot. I did figure out the twin thing quite awhile before it was revealed and I never figure out who the killer is in most situations. I could have done without some of the romance but overall, this was a good read.

Rating - B+

FLIPPING OUT

Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs are two of the funniest cops ever, making homicide in L.A. a recipe for laughs. This time, though, it seems that Terry's wife is in danger. She and a group of women, several who are cops' wives, have invested money in flipping houses. They remodel older homes and sell them. One of the women is a best selling author. She writes books about the houses featuring a murder that occurs there. It has been a very successful formula until someone starts murdering the women involved. Mike and Terry have to figure out who is killing these women before Marilyn is killed, too.

I truly enjoy Marshall Karp's Lomax and Biggs books. This is a very good mystery and it is even more interesting when three of the cops involved might be the murderers. They also happen to be friends of Mike and Terry's. The other characters in the book are warm and funny people that I am always glad to have back in the book. I'll be looking forward to the next book in this series.

Rating - A

GROWING UP LAUGHING

Marlo Thomas grew up in Beverly Hills with plenty of stars all around. She and her siblings got to watch their famous father and also his comic friends. Their home was filled with chaos and laughter. Marlo's grandmother was even a drummer in a little band. All of this comedy shaped and inspired Marlo. She learned from her dad but also struck out on her own to have a career without the help of her famous father. Throughout the book, Marlo interviews comedians of today, asking about the way they grew up and how it has influenced their comedy.

I loved the books that Marlo Thomas wrote called "The Right Words at the Right Time". This book was a wonderful description of her family and her father. I truly enjoyed the parts about St. Jude's hospital and learning more about Danny Thomas. He was a very talented man who raised a very talented daughter. I also enjoyed the interviews with other comedians. Some were very funny and some were raised in sad circumstances that influenced their lives and their humor.

Rating - A-