Hey, readers! I read quite a few books this month, so in order not to make this post so long, I divided it into two parts.
Sealed Off
I don’t read a lot of cozy mysteries with amateur sleuths, but I saw this one available for check out through my local library and decided to give it a try.
Julia Snowden helps run her family business, and she’s also overseeing renovations of an old family home. She and her boyfriend, Chris, also run a restaurant during the tourist off-season. When the body of one of the family’s clambake employees turns up, Chris’s ex-con brother is the prime suspect. Chris asks Julia to do some digging on her own in hopes of clearing his brother.
There is a secondary story of a hidden room found during the renovation of the family mansion. This, in my opinion, was much more interesting than trying to solve the murder.
Sealed Off was an okay read, but this is the eighth in a series. Just how many murders can happen in a small town and all of them solved by an amateur? Doubt I’ll bother to read the rest of the books.
Coyote’s Regret
I picked up a free copy of this book last year and it’s been on my Kindle for a while. It’s my first time reading this author, but the story sounded intriguing.
When a retired married couple is found dead in a remote section of Utah, Deputy Sheriff Manny Rivera is called upon to help solve the crime. At first, it appears to be a murder-suicide, but there are a few clues that lead Rivera to believe otherwise.
During the course of his investigation, Manny meets and questions two wealthy landowners, a reclusive war veteran, and members of a nearby Navajo tribe. When a third person is killed, the death confirms Manny’s suspicions the couple was murdered.
Who and why? The answer may be linked to an event that happened a half-century earlier during “The Summer of Love.”
The story is well-written, and the author (who spent many years in this part of the country) paints vivid descriptions of Southeastern Utah. I also learned a bit about the Navajo culture, which is of great interest to me.
This is the eighth book of the Manny Rivera series, but my first to read. Not being familiar with the others, I think this one is fine as a stand-alone novel. However, I am interested in reading more works by this author.
Long Lost
James Scott Bell is my go-to author when it comes to books about the craft of writing. However, I’ve read only a few of his fiction stories. I picked up a free copy of Long Lost last summer.
Steve Conroy is a thirty-year-old “almost divorced” lawyer who has kicked a cocaine habit and is trying to revive his struggling law practice. His life has been full of tragedy. When Steve was five, someone kidnapped and murdered his older brother. His father eventually committed suicide, and his mother died of cancer when Steve was ten.
His life in foster homes was less than ideal, but despite everything, Steve made it through law school, married, and had a successful practice until he succumbed to using cocaine.
The book opens with Steve having lost another “unwinnable” case. Not only that, but he’s also behind on his office rent and his landlord tries to kick him out. Enter law student Sienna Ciccone. She not only helps with getting his eviction overturned but also locates a potential client.
Johnny LaSalle is a convicted felon who is about to be paroled. The one-time white supremacist vows he has changed and has found God. He offers Steve a five-thousand-dollar retainer with a promise of more to come.
But the biggest surprise is that Johnny claims to be Steve’s long-lost brother, Robert. Steve always blamed himself for Robert’s kidnapping and death. With nothing to lose, he relocates from Los Angeles to the small town of Verner. His “job” was to represent Johnny and the man who raised him as his own son. Eldon LaSalle wants to incorporate his “church” as a non-profit organization.
Long Lost has elements reminiscent of the Branch Davidian cult in the 1990s. The book is part legal thriller and part mystery. Although there were a few things I thought could have been better (DNA testing, anyone?), I finished the book in a couple of days. Of note, the book was originally published in 2008 under the title of The Whole Truth.
That’s it for now. The second half of my March reviews will post next week.
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29 Responses
Good reviews, Joan, and a nice varied selection of reads. Thanks for sharing your thoughts 💕🙂
Thanks, Harmony!
A varied assortment of books, Joan. I’ve been tempted by the Manny Rivera novels a time or too. Sounds like they would be worth looking into based on your review of Coyote’s Regret. Love that title, too!
I picked up the first book of the Manny Rivera series a couple of weeks ago for .99. I’ll be reading it soon. I also loved the title of this one.
Lots of variety but still within the murder mystery theme.
Yes. My preferred genre.
Good reviews, Joan. Regarding Sealed Off, last week a woman renovating a real-life house in my mother-in-law’s little town in Kansas found a sealed off door. She put an ad in the newspaper asking if longtime residents knew the story about the sealed off room. How mysterious!
That would be so cool! As a writer, I can imagine all sorts of stories
I know what you mean about the high per capita murder rate of small towns with a completely inept police force. After just so many of these stories, they do strain credulity.
For real, Liz. I like to set my books in small towns, but not with a murder in every one.
🙂
You know I love JSB, but I never actually read any of his fiction. Thanks for your thoughts on his books. And the other two. It sounds like you had a good month of reading.
A busy month of reading for sure. I liked this book by JSB, but he wouldn’t be one of my auto buy authors for fiction.
Thank you, Joan, for sharing your reviews. Always appreciated!
Thanks, Gwen. Happy to share them.
Thanks for sharing your reviews, Joan. I agree about the high murder rate in one small town. With numbers like that the entire town will be killed off by the end of a series!
Right! I grew up in a small town. I only recall one murder when I was in my teens. Even now with the population being greater, a murder is rare.
Thanks for sharing your reviews, Joan.
You’re welcome, John.
😊
Thanks for the great reviews, Joan, and I have to say, your comment about the number of murders in a small town is one of the main reasons I’ve never been able to get into cozy mysteries. Glad I’m not the only one who’s wondered about that. The other two sound intriguing, and I’m making a note to check them out. Looking forward to March Reviews Part Two! 😊💖
I like some cozies, but too often they’re repetitive. Thank for stopping by, Marcia.
Great reviews, Joan 🙂 I always enjoy a good mystery.
Me too, Denise.
These sound like some gripping mysteries, Joan. I snorted at your comment about the number of murders in a small town solved by an amateur, lol.
Well, Jessica Fletcher did it. LOL. Thanks for stopping by, Teri.
These all sound like page-turners, Joan. Thanks for the recommendations. Long Lost looks good!
I enjoyed Long Lost. Thanks for stopping by, Jacquie!
[…] March was a busy month for me, reading-wise. Here’s the second part of my reviews. If you missed the other post, you can read it by clicking here. […]