L.A. DEAD

Ed Eagle has problems. His ex-wife, Barbara, was found not guilty of trying to kill him (and a few other people) and she's on the loose again. Barbara is a schemer and soon she has her hooks in another wealthy man. It's not enough, though, to keep her from wanting to get her revenge on Ed Eagle. Ed in the meantime, finds himself caught up in a very interesting case. A new client calls from Rome to say that his wife has received death threats and he wants Ed to check it out.

I have read quite a few of Stuart Woods other books featuring Stone Barrington and Holly Barker. Ed Eagle made a fairly interesting main character, although he is not as warm and endearing as Stone Barrington. The story was good and kept the reader engaged but it was hard to have much compassion for the characters. I listened to this on tape and sometimes, it was hard to keep all the characters, especially the various policemen straight.

Rating - 3.75 stars

DAMAGE CONTROL

Sherrif Joanna Brady is keeping very busy these days. She has a new baby and things are a little out of control at work. An elderly couple is dead and the question is whether it might have been a murder-suicide. Another older gentleman dies in a trailer fire. Again, was this an accident or perhaps a suicide. If that weren't enough a body is found in two trash bags. As usual, Joanna's staff is working hard to solve these cases. It's not always easy to keep everything on track in a busy sherrif's department, plus manage your not so easily managed mother, a teenaged daughter, a baby and a husband who needs to go on a book tour.

I always enjoy J.A. Jance and Joanna Brady was the first of her books that I fell in love with. It's been quite awhile since there was a new Joanna Brady book and this was her usual good fare. There is enough mystery to keep the reader involved and enough of Joanna's personal life to make the characters human and likable. I'll be looking forward to the next J.A. Jance novel.

Rating - 4.5 stars

BIG BONED

This was another of Meg Cabot's books in her series "Size Twelve is Not Fat". Once again, Heather Wells, assistant dorm director, finds dead body on her hands. This time, it's her boss who has been shot in the head in his office. The police are focused on pinning the crime on a grad student but Heather is sure there is more to the story. Despite a few distractions like team building exercises for the staff, a boyfriend who has a serious question to ask her and a lucrative job offer from her father, Heather is determined to find out who the real killer is.

Heather Wells is a fun and warm-hearted character. She is sassy and easy to relate to. Heather's friends are back, too, wild and wacky as ever. There is Tom, former boss, Magda, the food service friend who loves her "movie stars", Sarah, her crabby graduate assistant, and the nutty film student, Gavin. The ending was something of a pleasant surprise as Heather's love life is finally just what the reader hoped it would be.

Rating - 4 stars

NO KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED

This time Walt Longmire and Henry are far from the mountains of Wyoming. They have gone to Philadelphia to visit Walt's daughter, Cady. When they get there, they find that Cady has been the victim of an assault. As her life hangs in the balance, Walt tries to find who has done this terrible thing to his daughter. Was it her boyfriend - someone he's never met but doesn't think he likes anyway? Walt is soon joined in his efforts by Vic's family. Vic's mother becomes a friend and Vic's brother and father are policemen themselves. There are many twists and turns as Walt investigates his daughter's life without help from her.

Once again, I loved this book by Craig Johnson. His characters are real and likable. I had a hard time finishing this book as I hated for it to be over. There are lots of bad guys and I couldn't always keep them straight. There were also changes in Walt's relationship with Vic that I really didn't like. Not quite enough Henry in this book either but overall, I loved it and I'll be looking forward to book four in the series.

Rating - 4.5 stars

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

It is 1946 and Juliet Ashton is an author who became famous writing a lighthearted column about the war in London. The war is over and Europe is struggling to recover from the long, grueling war. Juliet is trying to figure out what she wants to write about next. By chance, she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams asking if she can possibly help him locate more books by Charles Lamb. Dawsey lives on the island of Guernsey which was occupied by the Nazis for five long years. He and his friends helped maintain their sanity by reading and forming a book discussion group called the "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society". Food was in short supply during the occupation and even things like potato peels had to be put to use. Now Guernsey is hungry to be part of the world again. Juliet begins a lively correspondence with the inhabitants of this lovely island and she falls in love with them all.

This book, written entirely as correspondence, was delightful. It wasn't always easy to read as we learn of Elizabeth's last days, the hunger during the war, the children leaving the island for five years during the occupation, life and death. Still, I loved every minute. The characters were absolutely delightful and like Juliet, I think a piece of my heart will always belong to Guernsey. There were some comments by reviewers that the changing of narrators from letter to letter was confusing but I didn't find this to be so. Each character had their own distinct voice. It is only sad to know that one of the authors, Mary Ann Shaffer, died earlier this spring and there won't be a sequel.

Rating - 5 stars

BUBBLES ALL THE WAY

Bubbles is having her share of troubles. Even though she is crazy about Steve Stilleto, she is remarrying her ex-husband, Dan, and she's not too happy about it. In the process of helping her friend, Sandy, at the House of Beauty, Debbie Shotzky dies of an allergic reaction. The cops are sure that Sandy somehow switched the glue for the extensions so that Debbie would die of her latex allergy. If that wasn't crazy enough, a young intern has been hired at the newspaper where Bubbles works and seems to be overtaking her desk. Oh yeah, and when Bubbles decides to buy a Christmas tree, someone starts shooting at her.

This is my first read by Sarah Strohmeyer. I found Bubbles and her troubles to be delightful. I really enjoyed listening to this book with all the crazy characters and twists and turns. However, the end of the book was such a disappointment. Not that I was expecting a totally realistic ending, but having Bubbles become the long lost queen of Lithuania was just too much of a stretch even for a fun and lighthearted book like this. I would have given the book a rating of four stars, but the ending killed the fun for me.

Rating - 3 stars

DEATH WITHOUT COMPANY

It wouldn't seem that unusual for someone to die at the Durant Assisted Living facility. However, when Mari Barojola passes away, the former sheriff, Lucian, insists that an autopsy be performed. He is sure that the old woman was murdered. Sheriff Walt Longmire is somewhat hesitant to trust the old lawman's instincts and his life is complicated enough with his daughter coming home for Christmas, an interesting woman in town and an interview with a possible new deputy. As he digs further into Mari's past, he also realizes that someone is trying to either bury secrets of the past or dig them up!

This is the second Craig Johnson book featuring Walt Longmire. I found it to be just as wonderful as the first one. I love his descriptions. The Wyoming mount ans and the people who live there come alive with Johnson's careful prose. His characters are realistic and lovable. The action is fast and furious, plenty of violence but still characters with a heart. Once again, I can't wait to start the next book in this series.

Rating - 5 stars

KILLER COCKTAIL

Molly Forester and her friend Cassady, join their friend Tricia for a weekend in the Hamptons. Tricia's very rich and very proper family are having a special weekend to announce the engagement of Tricia's brother, David. The family isn't particularly thrilled with the bride-to-be, Elisabet. She puts on quite a show at the party and the groom-to-be ends up carrying her away in disgust. Still, no one expects that the next day the bride-to-be will be found dead in the swimming pool! Tricia asks Molly to investigate the murder. After all, Tricia is a journalist and has already solved one murder case. The more Tricia investigates, the more complicated things get. That includes Tricia's already complicated relationship with her NYPD dectective boyfriend, Kyle, who is involved in the investigation, too. As usual, the girls tackle the case in designer clothes and high heels while drinking sophisticated cocktails.

This is the second in the Molly Forester series by Sheryl Anderson. It was a quick and fun read. Sometimes, I get a little put off by the endless references to designer clothing and shoes. I haven't a clue about most of the designers that she refers to. I also get somewhat annoyed by Molly always trying to read so much out of every look and word from Kyle, but overall, this book was the lighthearted affair it was meant to be.

Rating - 4 stars