"For The King"

"For The King" is a historical novel (full of intrigue) written by Catherine Delors and set in France in 1800. Chief Inspector Roch Miquel is a young man who seems to have everything going for him -- a future with the police, a beautiful mistress, and a loving father -- but all of that is jeopardized by an attempt on the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. As he investigates the attempt on Bonaparte's life the case takes many twists and turns while his personal life begins to fall apart (as does his ability to decide who he can trust).

Delors was born and raised in France and she does an excellent job of writing about this era and bringing it alive even if it also reveals some of the gruesome events of the day - makes me glad I didn't live during the time of the revolution! Check out her web site at www.catherinedelors.com.
I definitely plan to read her other novel, "Mistress of the Revolution."

pazt

"Dead of Winter"

P. J. Parrish has written another winner in "Dead of Winter." Detective Louis Kincaid is starting over on the Loon Lake, Michigan, police force. As bodies begin to appear marked with coded death cards, Kincaid starts an investigation that uncovers a lot more than he or anyone else expected and compromises his romance with the new woman in his life. However, the new job has some benefits -- putting him closer to the foster parents who raised him with the added bonus of being able to spend time with them. This gives him an opportunity to reflect on what they taught him and his foster father inadvertently provides some clues for his investigation.

If I didn't have a full schedule for the next couple of weeks, I'd be off to find the next book in this series. Will Kincaid find a permanent base of operations? Will he find romance? Where will the next investigation lead him? I can hardly wait to find out! These are well written, insightful books giving them a depth not always found in mystery novels.

pazt

"Defending Your LIfe"

This DVD - "Defending Your Life" - written by and starring Albert Brooks is a great conversation starter. Some friends recommended this and I just got around to finding a copy at the library. It also stars Meryl Streep who (as always) does an incredible acting job and is able to portray her character with genuniness and believability.

Daniel Miller (played by Brooks) is celebrating his birthday in his brand new car when he's distracted and crashes head-on into a bus. The next thing we know Daniel is in heaven where he's defending the life (not too successfully) he lived. During his "free" time he meets Julia (played by Streep) who is successfully defending her life and everyone she encounters truly enjoys spending time with her.

What does "Defending Your Life" involve? It means showing you lived a full and fearless life and, if you can't, you return to earth and try again. After meeting Julia, Daniel doesn't want to return to earth but wants to go on spending time with her.

This is a humorous and thought-provoking movie and I do recommend it for everyone!

pazt

"Tragic Toppings"

Jessica Beck's 5th book in the Donut Shop Mystery series is "Tragic Toppings" and I think it's one of her best to date.

Although donut shop owner, Suzanne Hart, isn't directly linked to a murder after two of her friends go missing, she is one of the two people who discover the body. Suzanne's determination not to get involved in this investigation wanes when a friend asks her to do some sleuthing as a personal favor. The investigation gets some help from an unexpected source - her state investigator boyfriend, Jake, has been ordered to take some time off so he's in town to visit her and agrees to assist her and her friends George and Grace to see if they can figure out who did it!

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"Kill and Tell"

Linda Howard's "Kill and Tell" is a mystery novel that kept me reading throughout one day to finish it. Although it's billed as a "romantic suspense" novel, I enjoyed the murder mystery, the thrill of the chase, the twists and turns of the case plus the hint of romance much more than the more explicit sex scenes.

Karen Whitlaw receives a package from her father (who has been absent from her life since she was a child) a few months after her mother's death. Still reeling from the loss of her mother and dealing with the changes that has brought to her life, Karen puts the package aside. When homicide detective, Marc Chastain, calls her from New Orleans to tell her that her father has been murdered, it sets them on a path that endangers both their lives as well as changing their futures.

Despite the explicit sex scenes (that I skimmed over to get back to what I considered the real meat of Howard's novel), I will look for another one of her suspense novels because her original stories are too good to miss.

pazt

"Saving Grace"

A friend loaned me the video, "Saving Grace," which I was unable to watch but she recommended it so highly that I was glad I was able to successfully locate a DVD copy at my local library. I've watched this humorous, heartwarming DVD twice and must now return it to the library!

Brenda Blethyn stars as Grace Trevethen whose husband jumped out of a plane without a parachute. After the funeral Grace discovers she is destitute as she meets with her banker and her attorney and the bills and bill collectors start pouring in! Her husband, it seems, had mortgaged their large country home to invest in some unsuccessful business ventures.

While grieving, Grace also confronts the woman her husband had been having an affair with in London - an affair she was aware of because her husband gave her letters to mail to the mistress -- which for some reason never arrived.

Craig Ferguson is great as Grace's caretaker who is also in a bit of a financial bind when Grace can no longer pay him. Since Grace is a great gardener, he seeks her help to nurse some plants to life that he's been keeping hidden near the vicarage. It turns out they're marijuana plants and Grace is quite successful in nursing them back to health so they hatch a plan to help them both out financially -- growing and selling pot.

It's a story of small community support, creativity, and successful conclusions but you'll have to check it out to see for yourself. There's a great supporting staff that makes this movie fun to watch.

pazt

"The Proof Is In The Pudding"

Melinda Wells continues her Della Cooks Mysteries series with "The Proof Is In The Pudding" which includes recipes just like her previous books. However, I'm more interested in the current murder she's out to solve.

Phil Logan, the Public Relations specialist at the TV station where Della has a cooking show, lands her a job subbing as a judge in a cooking contest after one of the celebrity judges has to bow out at the last minute. Although Della doesn't feel she's a celebrity, Phil insists and the opportunity to wear designer clothes while being photographed judging has its appeal so it doesn't take much convincing.

But....when one of the judges is killed in a mysterious "accident" near Della, she's concerned suspicion will fall on her surrogate daughter because she'd confided in Della that the judge had been blackmailing her. The girl's parents are at the gala event and her police officer father has already managed to "deck" the judge before he's murdered so suspicion also is gravitating towards him and he's not allowed to be part of the investigation.

While sleuthing, Della is interviewing other contestants and judges and one judge is shot during their late night meeting at a coffee shop. As Della continues investigating, her life is also threatened. Will she be able to finish this investigation alive and clear her friends from suspicion? You'll have to read the book to find out!

pazt

"Desert Noir"

"Desert Noir" is author Betty Webb's first Lena Jones mystery. Lena Jones was shot and left for dead at age four and has the scar to remind her. That experience plus living in a series of foster homes has left her afraid to form close attachments so she holds friends - and the man in her life, Dusty (a real live cowboy) - at arm's length.

Lena recently decided to retire from the police force after being shot in the line of duty and has opened a detective agency with Pima Indian, Jimmy Sisiwan - a computer whiz. Lena's home is above their office in old Scottsdale in the heart of art gallery row. When a local heiress and art gallery owner, Clarice Kobe (who befriended Lena when she moved into the area) is murdered, Lena is more than willing to hunt down the killer. She sees Clarice's abusive husband as the most likely suspect but her pursuit of justice also leads to her exploration of Clarice's family as well as enemies Clarice might have made. Ultimately, solving this murder puts Lena's life at risk again and uncovers some family secrets that throw suspicion on all of Clarice's family as well as painting a not so nice picture of the murder victim herself.

While pursuing one of her leads, secrets of Lena's are also uncovered as one of her "suspects" knows the Hispanic woman who discovered 4 year old, Lena, lying by the highway and took her to a local hospital. Lena has always wondered about this woman who didn't stay to tell her story.

An ultimate showdown with a killer almost ends Lena's life but it also uncovers a bizarre twist to this story -- don't miss it! I'm already looking forward to reading the second book in this series.

Webb is a great writer -- creating word pictures of the Arizona landscape as well as sharing local history with the reader that not only enhances the story line but enlightens the reader about some of the issues of the area.


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"Veil of Night"

"Veil of Night" is the first book I can remember reading by Linda Howard and it has me searching for more of her work. Jaclyn Wilde and her mother are successful wedding planners but this time Jaclyn has her hands full with Carrie Edwards, the bride from hell. Carrie is making life miserable for everyone Jaclyn brings to help plan Carrie's "perfect" wedding so there is no end of suspects when Carrie is found murdered -- including Jaclyn. As it turns out, Jaclyn also had a brief but passionate night with Detective Eric Wilder who is helping solve Carrie's murder. Detective Wilder has too many suspects to wade through but when Jaclyn also becomes a target,his interest in solving the case intensifies.

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"Killing Neptune's Daughter"

"Killing Neptune's Daughter" is Randall Peffer's first novel. Billy Bagwell (aka Bagman or Bagger) is called home by one of his best friends (Zal, now a priest)to attend the funeral of a mutual childhood friend, Tina Werlin,who was murdered in New York.

Billy's friends believe he somehow holds the key to who murdered Tina and why - which he denies. However, as he begins to relive some of the darker aspects of his growing up years while reconnecting with his friends, his life is threatened on two separate occasions as he begins to unpeel the layers of his past. The memories that surface lead he and his friends to the killer among them while putting their lives in danger.

This is as much a psychological thriller as it is a murder mystery but the darkness of the story might be unappealing to many. Although it is a well written story, it's not one I'd choose to read again.

pazt

"Evil Eclairs"

"Evil Eclairs" is the 4th book in Jessica Beck's Donut Shop Mystery series. Although it's another quick, enjoyable read, it does make me wonder how many more people can be killed off in such a small town without a serious decline in the population!

Suzanne Hart, owner of Donut Hearts, finds herself being maligned by the local radio host -- nothing new for whoever he chooses to feature on his show -- but it doesn't sit well with Suzanne. Her visit to the radio station to tell him off does not go unnoticed so it's not surprising that she might be a suspect in his murder -- especially when one of her eclairs is stuffed in his mouth!

Suzanne is reunited with her often absent boyfriend, Jake, a police investigator, when a request for him to investigate this local murder interrupts his vacation. Suzanne and her best friend are not content to sit back and let him do all the sleuthing. However,their assistance leads to the serious injury of a close friend and also puts Suzanne's life at risk.

If you enjoy a quick, easy, light mystery, Jessica Beck's series may be for you!

pazt