Monday, September 01, 2014

The Cat Sitter's Nine Lives by Blaize and John Clement

Started: 9/1/14
Finished: 9/1/14
Year: 2014
Pages: 305
Genre: Cozy mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: borrowed from library
Blurb (from book jacket): "While driving along the beachside road that runs through the center of her hometown, Dixie witnesses a terrible head-on collision. Ever the hero, she springs into action and pulls one of the drivers from his car just before it explodes in flames. A little shaken but none the worse for wear, Dixie proceeds to her local bookstore, where she meets Cosmo, a fluffy orange, tomcat, and Mr. Hoskins, the store's kind by strangely befuddled owner. The next day the driver whose life she saved claims that he is Dixie's husband.
"Meanwhile, both Cosmo and Mr. Hoskins  have disappeared without a trace, and a mysterious phone call from a new client lures Dixie to a crumbling, abandoned mansion on the outskirts of town. Soon she finds herself locked in a riddle of deception, revenger, murder, and mystery.
Opinion: A good cozy that is all wrapped up at the end. Everything and everyone is connected.

A Dancer in the Dust by Thomas H. Cook

Started: 8/28/14
Finished: 9/1/14
Year: 2014
Pages: 308
Genre: mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: borrowed from library
Blurb (from book jacket): "Twenty years ago, Ray Campbell, now a cautious risk-management consultant, was an aid worker dedicated to improving conditions on Lubanda, a newly independent African country. He is forced to reconsider that year of living dangerously when a friend from his time in Lubanda is found murdered in a New York ally. Marks on this man's body suggest that his murder is connected to the tragic death of Martine Aubert decades ago. She was the only woman Ray ever truly loved, and he sealed her fate in a moment of grievous error.
"Martine Aubert was a white, native Lubandan farmer whose dream for her homeland starkly conflicted with those charged with its so-called development. And Ray's failure to understand Martine's commitment to her country had placed a noose around her neck, one tightened by a circle of vicious men.
"Now as Ray returns to Lubanda to investigate the cause of his friend's murder, he also returns to the passion he'd once felt for Martine-and vows, in her memory, to rectify his wrongs."
Opinion: It amazes me how different each novel is by Cook. This is another one with strong characters and an interesting plot.

Blossum Street Brides by Debbie Macomber

Started: 8/9/14
Finished: 8/28/14
Year: 2014
Pages: 318
Genre: Romance
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: borrowed from library
Blurb (from book jacket): "Lauren Elliott has waited years for her long-term boyfriend, Todd, to propose, yet he seems more focused on his career than their relationship. When Lauren learns that her younger sister is pregnant before she herself even has an engagement ring, she feels overjoyed yet disheartened. Knowing she can't put her future on hold, Lauren prepares to make a bold choice-one that leads her to a man she never dreamed she'd meet.
"Newly married to her second husband, Max, Bethanne Scranton is blissfully in love. But with Max's job in California and Bethanne's in Seattle, their long-distance marriage is becoming difficult to maintain. To complicate matters, Bethanne's cunning ex will do anything to win her back.
"Lydia Goetz, too, is wonderfully happy with her husband, Brad, though lately she worries about the future of A Good Yarn. As she considers how to bring in business, she discovers that someone has beaten her to the punch. Baskets of yarn are mysteriously popping up all over the town, with instructions to knit a scarf for charity and bring it into Lydia's store. Never before has her shop received so much attention, but who hatched this brilliant plan?
"As three women's lives intersect in unexpected ways, Lydia, Lauren, and Bethanne realize that love heals every heart, and the best surprises stilly lay ahead."
Opinion: A touching and predictable romance. Sweet connections between characters.