The Diva Runs Out of Thyme

Sophie Winston is trying to get ready for a houseful of guests for Thanksgiving. First, though, she plans to win a big contest with her famous stuffing. Her rival is Natasha Smith, her childhood enemy and the woman her ex-husband is now living with. Unfortunately for Sophie, a private detective is found dead at the grocery store right after talking to Sophie. The next day, at the contest, the judge is found dead after he asks Sophie out in front of the other contestants. Sophie looks like she might be guilty of a double murder, so with the help of some friends, she sets out to find who the real murderer is.

This is the first in the series of domestic diva books by Krista Davis. I had heard lots of good things about it and decided to give it a try. I was glad I did. There are lots and lots of characters to keep straight and sometimes that added some confusion. Still, it was a fun book with a great protagonist in Sophie. I'll be trying more books in this series.

Rating - A-

NOTHING TO LOSE

Jack Reacher has stopped in a little town in Colorado called Hope. He decides to continue west and comes to the town of Despair. He soon realizes that he is unwelcome and is thrown out of town. Reacher just can't leave it alone and with the help of the police officer from Hope, he is determined to find out the secrets that are being hidden in Despair and hopefully, to save the town.

I listened to this entry of Lee Child's Reacher series and didn't like it much at all. Sometimes, an audio book doesn't work for me because I am extra busy and distracted. That may have been the case here, I'm not sure. Still, I like Reacher and Vaughn, the female police officer he got involved with. Somehow though, I couldn't get wrapped up in the case they were solving. It seemed to drag on and on. I'm not sure how soon I will dig into another Reacher novel.

Rating - C+

BRAVA, VALENTINA!

Valentine Roncalli is in the business of making shoes. Custom-made shoes, made especially for brides, seem like a product that is out of step in this day and age. Still, Valentine's family has been making shoes for nearly a century and now that Valentine's grandmother has remarried and is living in Italy, the responsibility for keeping the business alive has fallen to Valentine. Gram has also added another burden to Valentine's shoulders, by making her brother, Alfred, CFO of the company. The two have never gotten along and Valentine resents his involvement. Then, there is the matter of love - Valentine thinks Gianluca may be the love of her life but she rejected him when he came to New York to see her.

Adrianna Trigiani is one of my very favorite authors. I love her characters and the dialogue is absolutely amazing. Valentine is a neat lady with a passion for creating shoes but she has much to learn about love. This sequel was as wonderful as the first installment. It's time for me to start reading Trigiani's Big Stone Gap series and keep waiting for her next book to come out!

Rating - A+

I SHALL NOT WANT

Clare Fergusson becomes aware of the needs of migrant workers when she meets a nun who has dedicated her life to helping migrants. Several of the workers have been found murdered and Russ Van Alstyne and his police force are hard at work to find the killers. Of course, this puts Clare and Russ back together to find the killers and to help the migrant workers. Russ' sister becomes involved as the migrant workers, both legal and illegal have been working on her farm. There is a killer on the loose and no one is quite sure who or what he is after.

Julia Spencer Fleming has become one of my favorite authors and this book in the series was one of the best yet. The relationship between Russ and Clare remains strained. Russ is still living with his mother and Clare has re-enlisted with the National Guard. Both are trying to live their lives and deny the attraction between them. Clare is trying to be the priest she strives to be and Russ is trying to heal the wounds after his wife's death along with his guilt for the break in their marriage before she died.

Rating - A+

THE FIRST RULE

Joe Pike is back. One of his former mercenery soldiers is found murdered in his home along with his family. Joe wants to know who killed his friend and avenge his murder. Soon, Pike realizes that it was the family's nanny who is Serbian who may have led the intruders to the home. The nanny dies of injuries from the shootings but her sister has information that can lead Pike to the killers. Pike and Cole are caught up in a web of mobsters who think nothing of killing and kidnapping to keep their role as leader of the mob.

I love Joe Pike. He isn't as funny or as quirky as Elvis Cole but he is still a great character. Robert Crais does a wonderful job of keeping Pike tough and still very human. It's a wonderful combination. Robert Crais is on my "must read" list of authors and he definitely stays in that catagory with this recent complex but fascinating read.

Rating - A

Paper, Scissors, Death

Kiki Lowenstein's husband has died of a heart attack, naked, in a hotel room. Kiki will be the first to admit that her marriage wasn't perfect. Still, she is shocked to learn that he has embezzled half a million from his firm and that all of the life insurance goes to his mother, who hates Kiki. Kiki decides that she must learn more about her husband's death and make a living for herself and her daughter. She takes a job in a scrapbooking store. With the help of her friends, she unravels the mystery of her husband's death.

This book came highly recommended by several of my online reading groups. I was not disappointed. I'll be reading the next in this series by Joanna Campbell Slan. Kiki was a delightful character and so were her friends. At times, Kiki is terribly naive but this is part of her charm and I think she will continue to grow. I loved the scrabooking descriptions, too.

Rating - A