Thieves! (Vicky Hill Series #4)
I have loved this series from the first. I still find Vicky and the host of secondary characters delightful and as always, leave this book anticipating the next. I must admit that my enjoyment of this entry rose and then fell in waves rather than the sustained delight of past entries. My reason is singular, although, he is a rather large complaint. I no longer find Dave amusing, in fact, he has grown rather annoying. Here's hoping Dave and his schtick are featured less and less in future volumes. Vicky brings enough humor and interest without Dave weighing the story down.
I picked this book up after one of my girls, either the 4th or 7th grader, left it atop the settee in the foyer for almost two months. A cute concept with some endearing characters but the source of the protagonist's angst seemed quite silly. Her reaction to her "issue" was overblown and unbelievable, in a flash Hamlet went from an 8th grade girl with an interesting life to a whiny unlikeable drama queen. I pushed through the book for the infinitely more appealing Dezzie, Hamlet's friends and the typical mean girl antagonists. So much promise but really best left to the settee.
Refreshing!The first cozy mystery in a long long time that I read in a single sitting. I didn't feel weighed down by the usual A+B+C+D equals cozy mystery plot devices and characterizations that are seemingly overwhelming the genre of late, commonalities which ultimately forced me to step away from the genre until recently. I feel my delight can be attributed equally to the frothy yet fast paced writing style with the occasional "big word" thrown in when you least expected, real and complex secondary characters that never ventured into caricature, a mystery that twisted a little this way and a little that way dotting the story with red herrings and clues and a likable and relatable lead whose gender, male, saved him from some of the more annoying aspects of recent cozies.
Just to be clear, I'm not trashing the cozy genre, I first started reading cozies almost 13 years ago and discovered some wonderful authors and series, some of the authors have disappeared, some of the series went into decline and other series barely made it out of the starting gate before they were sent to series heaven. I discovered new authors in the more recent past that have intrigued me enough to add them to my annual buy/read rotation but more and more I have found myself never moving beyond the first book in a series, annoyed by character, cliche or both and months seemed to pass with no cozy to read. I don't deny that I can be a difficult taskmaster, as a reader, I want to be pleased, don't we all, but pleasing me takes more than formulaic books churned out like Hershey bars.
I'm tired of misplaced anger played as the indignation of a strong woman, tired of love triangle that are nothing more that overplayed and uninventive plot devices and word count boosters, tired of the bumbling police officer who is always three steps behind the lead protagonist . . . I could go one but neither want to sound cranky or offend, plus this is about a book I did like, no love.
I've found a new series and that is no small thing. I even loved the cat, which if you know me, you know how I feel about animal companions being given a place of prominence in cozies, despite my love of all animals in my real life. There was but one small fault, it was over much to soon and now I am forced to wait for another Cat in the Stacks Mystery.
This isn't so much a review as it is me gushing. I wish this series could go on forever. These books never fail to engage or entertain me. I love them and this entry was no exception. That is all.
The limited cast of characters and one bang you over the head clue made the murderer's identity ridiculously obvious but the characters saved the day. The poorly hidden clue, because there was only one, is something this author needs to work on as the same problem appeared in the first book of her other series, Stuck on Murder by Lucy Lawrence, albeit in the Lawrence book the clue happened before the murder. The plot was a light, fast and enjoyable read but there was one aspect that was just so unbelievable and dare I say, a little stupid, even more unbelievable than a former marketing exec now owner/cupcake baker solving a mystery that befuddled the police. Reading cozy mysteries means you put aside some of your incredulity when it comes to amateur crime solvers but this particular plot point wasn't worthy of inclusion or consideration. Read for the great characters, there wasn't a bad one in the bunch save the actual bad ones. I'll read the next and hope the author does a better job of planting clues, creating red herrings and making me at least momentarily doubt the murderer's identity.
It's never a good sign when you spend most, really all, of the book hoping the romantic interest is either killed or the killer. That indecisiveness is a reflection of how I feel about Sink Trap, it is an okay book and at times I even liked it, so, is that a two star rating or a three star rating.The book was quite repetitive, reminding the reader of the lead protagonist's former career, the secrets that led her home, her martial arts expertise and of her candy red 'Vette (I officially hate this word now) at least five times too many, once really is enough sometimes.
The characters were a mostly interesting set but as I read I couldn't help but notice the similarities in characterization between this book and other series mysteries - a little Charlaine Harris, a little Susan McBride, a little Sarah Graves, etc. I suppose those that don't spend a great deal of time reading cozies wouldn't notice the familiar characters, albeit with different names and faces, but I did and it became a game of sorts for me.
There was a mystery but the book seemed to stall for great lengths of time, I was a reader running in place wondering when we would start getting some clues and when the investigation would begin in a fashion that was less bumbling and half-hearted.
There are some series introductions that I read and know I'll never read another, such is not the case here. I'll read the second just to see if the dust settles, so that makes this a three-star read - just barely.
This was more of a guide/retelling to the PBS show's episodes divided into specific categories, not much new to read or learn. It fell flat for me at times but I enjoyed remembering and reviewing some of my favorite mysteries. The dynamic personalities of the hosts are missing and Karg's words lack the determination and vivaciousness found in the PBS show. It's great as a reference but not so exciting for someone that has seen all the episode segments mentioned. My rating is for the book, the show has thrilled, intrigued and moved me since the premiere episode in 2002 and it continues to do so.
It's not often I laugh out loud while reading adult fiction, I'll smile, chuckle or even offer a little internal acknowledgement to a clever quip. Hely made me guffaw. I found myself rereading passages that I didn't quite grasp, not because of poor execution but because I was still laughing, still thinking about the hilarity of previous sentences. I'd run downstairs to share a particularly clever passage, write them down to share with friends later, then I just decided to tell them to buy a copy of this book. Many before me have summarized the book and the Goodreads description is more than adequate so I'll just say it's a hilarious, well-written, intelligent, insightful and delicious satire.
As always, the mystery plots were intriguing and difficult to unravel though at least one culprit was obvious from their first appearance and Crosby did nothing to hide their sliminess from the reader or most of the other characters so the ultimate reveal lacked power and excitement without diminishing enjoyment or tainting the other unanswered questions. The ongoing secondary plots and relationships continued to develop in a pleasing and interesting way but Lucie’s gullibility; an unquestioned and puzzling willingness to believe the word of almost strangers, and continued questionable interactions and interest with and in new men book after book makes me question her emotional intelligence, which showed little sign of growth until the closing chapters. In a way, Lucie’s character seemed stagnant while everyone around her continues to grow and surprise. The book left me with mixed feelings, mostly positive but a bit exasperated as well. A 3.5.
I think a lot of cozy mystery fans will enjoy this book. I am a cozy mystery fan who neither loved nor hated the book. I found the book just a tad too sweet, a tad too quaint, a tad too cutesy, a tad too too everything - Little House on the Prairie meets a Hallmark movie with a tiny murder thrown in for spice. 
A slow starter. I wasn't sure if we'd ever arrive at the heart of the mystery or the point of the book, but once the mystery of not only the murder but the history of the characters began to emerge the book went from mildly interesting to captivating. A great deal of background was offered in this outing but there is a great deal more to uncover and I found the book just a bit spookier than I imagined but only slightly so - nothing to keep you awake a night. Other than the slow start my only other complaint is that with such an interesting host of main and secondary characters I was a bit disappointed to find the love interest not only boring and pedestrian but cliche, a series like this could take some risks (think Wim Wenders' (1987) Wings of Desire) on that front and be better for it I think.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to Pretty in Ink, but. . .I found the connections between all the characters and the convergence of events that led to murder a bit too convenient and therefore leaning towards unbelievable.
The conclusion felt muddled and at least one question in my mind remains either unanswered or unclear.
I caught the tiniest whiff of a possible future love triangle, a concept I hate and could rage about for days, because there is no other explanation for a particular character's second appearance.
Having said all of that. . .
I enjoyed all of the characters, the good, the crazy, the questionable, and the uncouth.
I enjoyed the setting - this written Vegas rips away the shiny bright facade.
The red herrings were well done and the mystery kept me puzzled even when the culprit became clear.
I thought the burgeoning, bumbling, heady attraction was well written, as was the book as a whole.
I loved the tattoo artists removed from the seedy stereotype often portrayed in television and movies; the art historian in me approves.
I'm happy I found a cozy that avoided all the usual clichés of the subgenre, I'm keeping my fingers crossed about that triangle.