"Glazed Murder"

"Glazed Murder" by Jessica Beck is her first in a series of Donut Shop Mysteries featuring newly divorced Suzanne Hart who used her divorce settlement to open Donut Hearts coffee shop in her home town of April Springs, North Carolina. Running a donut shop means early morning hours and long days (every day!) with the part-time help of a single employee. It's during her early morning baking that Suzanne has a dead body dumped at the front door of her shop. Although everyone is telling her not to investigate because she could be putting her own life at risk, she doesn't listen. She's afraid the killer thinks she knows who he is so she sets out to find him first. As she snoops, she upsets a few of her fellow townspeople.

The married chief of police who wanted to marry her widowed mother when they were young,seems to have no patience with Suzanne so she enlists the help of a retired policeman to aid her in her investigation.

In the meantime, Max, her ex-husband, is making overtures at wooing her again but she's not forgiving his marital infidelity. When Jake Bishop, a state police inspector, is called to town to help in the investigation, a chance for a new romance appears to blow into town with him. However, Suzanne's penchant for investigation may be putting her as well as her friends and family at risk.

I found this to be a fun mystery read and the inclusion of recipes throughout the book is reminiscent of Diane Mott Davidson's mystery series.
If you're looking for a "light" mystery that is a quick read, this is it. I enjoyed it so much that I already have her second book in hand.

pazt

"Frag Box"

"Frag Box" by Richard A. Thompson appears to be the second book in the Herman Jackson mystery series. The first book was "Fiddle Game" and, although "Frag Box" was published in 2009, I have yet to find another book out in this series. I am really enjoying the Herman Jackson mysteries so I'm hoping there are more on the horizon!

When a former homeless, Vietnam vet client (who paid his bail in cash) is beaten to death, he names Jackson as his heir. What does a homeless man have that is valuable enough to cause his murder? Ultimately,Jackson finds himself teamed up with a female newspaper reporter trying to solve the murder as well as find his inheritance while trying not to be killed themselves. It's another well written mystery by Thompson with plenty of surprises. I recommend you don't miss this sequel.

pazt

"Fiddle Game"

Richard A. Thompson's, "Fiddle Game," is the first of what I hope will be a long and successful series featuring bail bondsman, Herman Jackson.

Herman Jackson has set himself up as a bail bondsman in St. Paul running away from his former life. When a young woman comes to him using a valuable violin as collateral to bail her brother out of jail, he takes the bait then watches as she is murdered in front of his office. When he sets out to uncover her murderer, the trail takes him to a crooked cop,
Gypsies, and puts his own life at risk. Along the way, he discovers some unusual sources of assistance.

This is a mystery full of unexpected twists that kept me guessing until the very end. I want to thank my spouse for finding this book at our library and introducing me to it after he finished it -- and for not spoiling the story for me by giving away any of it before I read it!

pazt

"Lost In Austen"

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My spouse picked up "Lost in Austen" on DVD at our library and we watched it not once but twice this week and we've decided it is a must addition to our DVD library. We've been fans of Jane Austen for several years now and have several of her books as well as most of her stories in DVD version -- sometimes more than one version of each. We weren't sure how we'd feel about a spinoff of a Jane Austen story but, as you might have guessed from the fact that we want to add this one to our collection, we found it delightful.

Amanda Price loves reading Jane Austen more than spending time with her boyfriend -- much to the dismay of her mother! When she is reading "Pride and Prejudice," she becomes so enmeshed in the story that she thinks she's dreaming when Elizabeth Bennett steps through a door in the wall and into Amanda's bathtub. Before she knows it they have traded places, lives, and centuries. As Amanda tries to keep the "story" going just the way Jane wrote it, everyone's relationships change. Can Amanda put everything back the way it was and right "history" before returning to her century or has she forever changed the story line of "Pride and Prejudice?"

Although I love Jane Austen, updating and changing some of her characters really did make this altered version a great story -- check it out for yourself. Be warned, though, that it is a three hour version so be sure to start your DVD viewing early in the evening.

pazt

Sacred

"Sacred" is Dennis Lehane's third Patrick Kenzie-Angela Gennaro mystery. At the end of the second book, "Darkness, Take My Hand," Kenzie and Gennaro - both wounded physically and emotionally - decide to take time off from detective work to heal. As "Sacred" begins, Angela is sleeping on the couch in Patrick's apartment/combination office and they're not responding to phone calls or any other form of communication nor will they answer their door. When Trevor Stone, a very wealthy man, needs their help to find his missing daughter, he gets their attention by kidnapping them then convincing them to take on the case. He's done his homework and knows minute details about their lives plus he's very persuasive - oh, and did I mention very rich?

Stone is in a wheelchair after an attempted carjacking ended with his wife's murder. He's recently discovered he's dying of cancer and wants to reconcile with his only daughter, Desiree, who in a grief-stricken state appears to have joined a cult. Jay, the private detective who trained Patrick, works for a prestigious detective agency and was on the tail of Desiree when he disappeared in Florida. His firm has taken him off the case and refuse to discuss anything about it so Patrick and Angela take up where Jay left off heading to Florida to pick up his trail accompanied by two of Stone's men.

Desiree is a beautiful head-turning, heart-stopping young woman and disappearing herself would be quite a trick. Patrick and Angela find Jay and Desiree along with murder and betrayal. This book will keep you guessing as the plot twists and turns leading to a surprising conclusion.

Enjoy the trip!

pazt

"The Bride Collector"

"The Bride Collector" by Ted Dekker is a New York Times bestseller that also won the Readers Choice NPR Top 50 Killer Thriller awards. I can certainly see why as this was a book that I didn't want to put down until I'd finished it and, if the reviews at the front of the book are any indication, I wasn't the only one!

FBI Special Agent Brad Raines and Nikki Holden, a leading forensic psychologist, are on the trail of a serial killer who chooses only beautiful women as his victims. As he leaves clues to his identity, Raines and Holden are led to the Center for Wellness and Intelligence, a private residence for gifted, mentally ill residents where they find some surprising help in solving their case.

This book is full of surprises -- about the victims and the murderer as well as thought provoking questions about mental illness and our understanding of it. What does it really mean to be mentally ill, how do we individually and as a society view mental illness and much more.

This is the first I've read by Ted Dekker but I'm already looking for another Dekker novel to read!

pazt

"My Sister's Keeper"

"My Sister's Keeper" is a movie based on New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult's novel of the same name. It is directed by Nick Cassavetes who also directed "The Notebook" and "John Q."

The story centers around Anna portrayed by Abigail Breslin -- a remarkable and brilliant young actress who always gives her best to her roles. Anna is a young girl born into a family with an older brother and an ailing older sister, Kate, who has leukemia. Although Anna herself is not ill, she might as well be since she was conceived as a "donor" for Kate. Anna has been probed and prodded from birth and undergone medical procedures designed to save Kate's life. Anna's activities are also restricted by this and she longs to be a normal young woman participating in normal pursuits. When Kate needs one of Anna's kidneys, Anna balks and hires an attorney (a great role for Alec Baldwin) to seek medical emancipation allowing her the right to make all medical decisions regarding her own body.

Anna's decision rips her family apart. Her mother (played to perfection by Cameron Diaz) gave up her law practice to care for Kate but returns to the courtroom to fight Anna's right to medical emancipation. Anna's brother already appears to be on her side -- helping her hock a piece of jewelry to pay her attorney. Anna's father, who I believe already saw her as an individual apart from her sister's medical needs, begins to view her in a new light as he recalls the physical and emotional pain Anna has endured in order to help Kate -- who Anna does dearly love.

Joan Cusack portrays the judge assigned to hear this unique case and brings great depth to her role as a judge who is also a mother who has suffered the loss of her own child.

This movie would be a good starting place for a discussion about family relationships, love, loss, and much more.

Cassavetes has brought together a spectacular cast to tell this story that is not only emotionally gripping but full of love and moments of light heartedness plus a totally surprise ending. Please don't let the subject matter deter you from watching this one -- It's well worth seeing in my opinion.

pazt