Poppy Done to Death(Aurora Teagarden #8), by Charlaine Harris

 

I've had this one sitting around the house for awhile and decided to give it another read before donating it to the library for their used book sale. Let's just say I'm not very good at remembering whodunit. It's one of those books I didn't love but didn't hate. The characters would probably be considered stereotypes today (the book is nearly two decades old) and, boy, but one had to wonder if anyone in town was actually faithful to their marriage vows. Oh, not Aurora (Roe), she's true blue and loyal to her writer boyfriend but overall doesn't seem to judge people. we actually get a look at her family this go-round when her brother Phillip (there's a story there) shows up uninvited after basically running away from home due to infidelity there. Me thinks he chose the wrong town but Roe seems determined to do her best for him. 

As for the murder, it leads Roe to a flood of secrets in her small, Southern town. She also learns more about Poppy than she perhaps ever wanted to know, too. Poor Poppy, who was, let's see if I can get this right, Roe's step-sister-in-law (there's another story there) about to receive the honor of being inducted into the Uppity Women Book Club. She's a no-show at the induction, however, which embarrasses Roe, who does try hard to do the right thing. Needless to say, as soon as possible Roe goes looking for her, determined to give her a piece of her mind. That's when the story really starts for, as the title says, she finds Poppy dead in her own home. Equally disturbing, Poppy's husband John David is nowhere to be found. Poppy tracks him down and is soon investigating. As noted, she turns up lots of information and clues, some of which she'd just as rather have not seen or know. Needless to say, in this bed-hopping community, the suspects are frequently linked or related, adding to the difficulty. 

Okay, not detailing the plot any further. It's not my favorite series by Harris but was entertaining once you get past the infidelities of so many. Glad I picked it up for some idle reading. The ending was well worth the read.

Something Dead the Cat Dragged In (A Dixie French Mystery Book 1), by Ella Duke

 

Publication about August 19, 2024

Dixie wanted to write a mystery, not star in one.

Having spent a good part of my life in the South, I felt right at home with some of the terms and attitudes Dixie encounters in her planned stay at Loblolly Falls, SC. Dixie is charmed, too, although she wasn't expecting to be a witness to murder when she met her landlady, Miriam, at Twin Perks to pick up the keys. Yet, that's exactly what happens. She even has notes to prove it as she was practicing her writer's observation skills by noting down human behaviors and such in a journal. In fact, she's getting some great ideas for writing while observing Greg and his family. Then he suddenly drops dead. As it turns out, he was murdered.

Although the writing at first seemed a bit choppy, it quickly smoothed out and my interest was captured. Dixie was likable and her new, almost immediate friendship with Miriam, was also likable, witty, and seemed game for anything, seemed natural. Well, almost. She wasn't quite as eager as Dixie to ask questions meant to lead them to whodunit. For a newcomer, Dixie did seem rather forward and even unthinking as she approached suspects and asked questions that made Miriam uncomfortable. Hopefully she'll fine-tune her approach in future books. Heck, even her good intentions weren't well thought out but you'll have to read the book to see what I mean by that. I liked the sparring between Dixie and her new neighbor, too, and am curious to see where that leads in the future. You'll even learn a bit about both social media influencers and flower/plant care, too. 

Overall, a good start for a new series. I did find Dixie somewhat too pushy for my comfort on questioning people she doesn't even know, especially as a new-comer, but that was probably some combo of natural curiosity and her hoped for career as a mystery writer. She definitely didn't seem to suffer from writer's block. The supporting cast, as noted, seemed interesting and offer some interesting potential story lines for the future. Thanks #BookSirens for introducing me to Loblolly (I can hear that name now rolling of Southern tongues) Falls and Dixie. Looking forward to the next in the series. And, hey, I've even had fried green tomatoes. They are tasty!

Lights, Camera, Bones (Sarah Booth Delaney #27), by Carolyn Haines

 

Publication May 21, 2024

Much to my surprise, I have somehow managed to miss this long running series of 27 books until now. As such, I can confidently vouch that it works well as a standalone. Although I'm sure coming into the series this late means I've missed lots of character nuances and relationships, they were easily sorted out and made sense. Set in Greenville, MS, it has a distinctly Southern tone at times, including many of the names.

You're going to like Sarah Booth Delaney and the easy relationship she has with investigative partner Tinkle Bellcase Richmond. Sarah calls Tinkle the brains of the outfit, especially when it comes to sorting out financial info, though that doesn't stop her from being able to pick a lock in under three minutes or navigate some less than stellar back roads at speed. Not exactly skills many society types have. Add in Sarah's super scent dog and a rather ninja cat, not to forget Poe, the raven, and it's an interesting mix and I haven't even mentioned her mutual trust with romantic partner, Coleman, or the great relationship she seems to have with the local police. My verdict on Jitty, who seems to be a ghost, is still out as, unless I totally missed it, her presence wasn't explained nor her affinity for adopting different guises, not all of them human. Yep, I really need to sort out the "who, what, why" of Jitty. 

As for the mystery, it centers around the disappearance of two members of the film crew that go missing, one of them the writer, producer, and star. Jules, the gaffer, mysteriously goes missing first. Then, gulp, a severed foot is discovered in the river. Oh, did I forget to mention a shark is involved? A pregnant bull shark nicknamed Betty, at that. That whole scenario is a big part of the action, so I'll simply leave it at that. The disappearance of Marlon, the force behind the film, however, leads us to several other angles of the plot. Again, don't want to give away too much, but ol' money and the power that goes with it, murky family histories, and issues of racism all play a role. Whoever has control of a family history has the power to mold it, let's just say. As the plot progresses, we learn bits of history, bad and good, how one's relationship with family impacts one's current life, and quite a bit about sharks. I mean, who knew sharks might be an issue in the Mississippi River? 

Bottom line, Carolyn Haines does an excellent job of melding together a quirky but likable cast of characters and portraying them as multi-dimensional people we might know. I liked Sarah and Tinkle a great deal and found Tinkle's Southern charm and backbone (and love for her daughter) made for a good partnership. Sarah does seem to have a knack of being around when bullets fly but, hey, she doesn't back down, either. Let's just say, she wasn't fond of almost meeting Betty the shark too up-close-and-personal, though. Can't say that I blame her. Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress - #Minotaur for introducing me to this fun series, slow as I was to jump aboard. I'll be catching up on it while eagerly awaiting the next adventure. Nice nod to Miranda James, too. Grin.