"Desert Shadows - Publishing Can Be Murder"

Betty Webb's third Lena Jones mystery, "Desert Shadows - Publishing Can Be Murder," was another hit with me. When Lena's business partner's friend, Owen, is suspected in the poisoning murder of his employer, Gloriana Alden-Taylor, he asks Lena to investigate. She discovers plenty of other suspects with motives for murdering this woman with ties to the early Pilgrims and sets out to uncover the truth. In the midst of her investigation, Lena also has to report for court-ordered counseling sessions if she hopes to keep her private investigator's license. Through flashbacks and therapy Lena also begins to remember more of her childhood -- both before and after she almost died of a gunshot wound at age four. As in her previous books, Webb manages to give us some hints about what is happening in modern day Arizona. This series keeps me coming back for more so I'm off to find the fourth book! pazt

"The Two Minute Rule"

"The Two Minute Rule" by Robert Crais is one of his stand alone novels and, as far as I can remember, is the first of his work that I've read. He's also written a couple of mystery series - the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels. "The Two Minute Rule" follows Max Holman after he's served prison time for a bank robbery. He has plans to get it right this time and also look up the adult son that he hasn't seen since he was a kid. His son is now a police officer and before he has a chance to find him, his son is murdered along with three other police officers. Devastated at the loss of his son and the relationship he hoped to build with him, he also learns the boy's mother died in a car accident a few years ago and he's unable to make amends with her either. Adrift and angry as well as not getting the answers he is seeking from the police, Holman sets out to find out what really happened to his son and enlists the help of the female FBI agent who was responsible for him going to prison. The investigation leads him down a path that makes him wonder who his son really was - a question he must find the answer to in order to find peace. This is a great read! pazt

"Newport Blues - A Salesman's Lament"

George Byron Wright's novel, "Newport Blues - A Salesman's Lament," is another book I picked up off my library's "good pick" display. It looked interesting to me just reading the back cover plus it's set along the Oregon coast -- one of my favorite places and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the coastal towns along with Sidney. Sidney Lister was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by his high school class but that nor his marriage to Ellie Conway two years out of high school panned out. When Sidney didn't succeed, Ellie moved on after ten years of marriage to richer pastures. Now that she's widowed they maintain separate residences but hook up for sex when it suits both of them. Since Ellie never wanted children, they both remain unencumbered and Sidney works as a shipping clerk for Beeman's International after having failed at different types of sales jobs. However, when Jonesy Jones, Beeman's salesperson drops dead, Sidney is forced to fill his shoes and head down the Oregon coast informing Jonesy's customers of his death and taking orders for Beeman's. He's given the company Cadillac that Jonesy used and a couple of credit cards that he has to be careful not to max out then told to be frugal. The story is really what Sidney learns about Jonesy (a man he didn't really know) as he travels down the coast. The reactions to Jonesy's death are varied but for the most part he has strongly impacted the lives of his customers and, as the stories are revealed to Sidney, he begins to get a sense of who Jonesy was. In the meantime, he's running from some trouble of his own that threatens to cost him his life and to complicate matters he runs into a high school classmate in Newport who he lusted after from afar in high school. He "knew" she outclassed him and he never stood a chance with her then but, as they become acquainted in a way they never could have in high school, the trips down memory lane reveal some truths about both of them they must face. Jonesy's death may have been the best thing that ever happened to Sidney because his life it is a changing! pazt

"Mr. Popper's Penguins"

The movie, "Mr. Popper's Penguins," starring Jim Carrey is a far cry from what I remember of the children's book by the same name but it is a great family film. Although I'm not particularly a fan of Jim Carrey, his portrayal of Mr. Popper was fun to watch. Successful and divorced Mr. Popper has to take a second look at his life and his relationship with his children and his ex-wife when a gift in the form of a penguin arrives from his recently deceased and adventurer father. Through a series of missteps by Mr. Popper one penguin becomes a family of penguins which in turn improves his relationship with his children. Mr. Popper -- a man who has never been introspective -- finds himself challenged in his business dealings as well as his personal life and is forced to look at the life he's been leading and make decisions about what he wants in his future. I enjoyed this funny and heartwarming movie watching it first with my spouse then with our two youngest grandchildren. What could be more fun than enjoying it along with the giggles of a 5 year old and 7 year old! pazt

"Cold Magic"

"Cold Magic" by Kate Elliott is the first book in "The Spiritwalker Trilogy." I don't believe I've ever read anything by Elliott before and I have to admit I had some difficulty getting into this book at first. However, I persisted and enjoyed it and am intrigued enough to check out the next book in the series, "Cold Fire," just to discover what happens to the heroine(s) of this book. It's a fantasy that is a little hard for me to describe but it features two cousins, Cat and Bee, who grew up together in the same household and both are on the verge of coming of age. Neither is prepared for what the future holds for them but they both have "magical" gifts that should make the transition to adulthood - and the challenges it brings - easier. An interesting side note: This book was influenced by ideas from the author's children and she turned to them for suggestions while writing it. pazt

"Pie a la Murder"

"Pie a la Murder" is the 4th book, I believe, in Melinda Wells' Della Carmichael mysteries. They are light, fun reads that I enjoy so I always look forward to reading the next book in the series. This installment has Della, the star of a her own cable cooking show as well as the owner of a cooking school in Santa Monica, CA, in the middle of a charity fundraiser called "Operation Pie." As if that weren't enough to keep any woman busy, the love of her life, Nicholas, informs her he has an 18 year old daughter, Celeste, that he hasn't seen since she was an infant and now she's coming to live with him. She's been living with her mother in Europe but has acting ambitions so California seems the logical place for her to be. However, when a rather unsavory Hollywood photographer is murdered and it's learned he had some embarrassing pictures of Celeste, Nicholas is the prime suspect in his death. Della has to call in all her favors and use all her resources to prove Nicholas' innocence (or is he innocent?) while dealing with his daughter who doesn't seem inclined to accept Della as part of her father's life. Will Nicholas turn out to be the murderer or will their romance survive if he is indeed innocent? pazt

"The Pink Panther"

Although I loved Blake Edwards' version of "The Pink Panther," I was disappointed when I recently watched the new version with Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, and Beyonce Knowles. I so wanted to like it but it couldn't hold a candle to the earlier version plus I could understand very little of what the characters said when they were speaking with French accents. All in all very disappointing! pazt