Book Reviews

Murder at the Mikado
by Julianna Deering
Rating: 3.5/5
A Drew Farthering Mystery
Bethany House – Fiction Mystery

One month before he is going to marry the woman of his dreams, Madeline Parker, Drew Farthering, amateur sleuth, finds himself smack dab in the middle of a murder mystery. His old girlfriend, Fleur Landis, is now married with a young son and is the main suspect in the murder of a theater colleague. When Fleur asks him to help clear her name, Drew reluctantly agrees after speaking with her husband and son. With Nick and Madeline’s help, Drew dives into this mystery in the theater world. Will the presence of his former flame drive Drew and Madeline closer together or apart? Can Drew discover who the real killer is before more people die?

Having realized that this book was not the first in the series, I knew reading it would be a little difficult, but the first chapter was very confusing for me to read. By the second or third chapter, I knew who the characters were and the plot was better established, which made reading the rest of the story enjoyable. I loved the old school feel of this mystery. This story was all about old fashioned sleuthing. No computers or google. No cellphones. No special gadgets. As much as I love futuristic sci-fi, this story was very refreshing.

The characters were not as developed as I would like, but I think if I had read the previous novels, they would have been better explained. I enjoyed the relationship between Drew and Madeline – it seemed very real and endearing. The story had light references to faith, which I enjoyed – I felt the references were woven into the story beautifully.

After I finished reading the book, I re-read the first chapter, and everything made so much more sense. I definitely need to pick up the first two stories by this author.

I definitely recommend this book for those who love a good, clean mystery.

I received this book for free from Bethany House but was not required to give a positive review.

Death Takes A Ride
by Lorena McCourtney
Rating: 3.5/5
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Book 3 of the Cate Kincaid Files
Revell – Fiction Mystery

Cate Kincaid is an assistant private investigator that is just waiting to obtain her official license, but trouble always seems to find her first. After offering to give a friend a ride to a ladies’ event at her church, Cate finds herself smack dab in the middle of a robbery, shooting, and death. When a gunman shoots his business partner, Halliday had no choice but to shoot the gunman in self-defense, right? A simple case or so it seems. Cate unwillingly gets herself entangled in the investigation and must determine who is after the owners of H&B and why they would want to hurt them.

I chose to review this book because it sounded interested. It is not a heart-stopping, fast-paced thriller of a mystery but it has charm and a slower pace that slowly seduces the reader. (If that makes sense.) I was able to set the book down at first, but once I got into the story more and became more invested in the characters, I had to finish it. The mystery is ever unfolding and feels more authentic with all of the dead ends and disappointment. The main character, Cate Kincaid, is charming but not as captivating as other characters I’ve read. I’ve also never read any of the other books in the series, so maybe there was more character descriptions and development in them. As for plot, I was not able to guess the bad guy which is why I enjoyed it. I definitely caught the hints about the ending regarding Cate and Mitch. Although it took a while for me to get into this book, I’d still consider reading the first two books to get more information regarding the relationship between Cate and Mitch. All in all, definitely a light mystery that’s perfect for summer reading.

I received this book for free from Revell but was not required to give a positive review.