Summary:
Devereaux Sinclair is a financial hot-shot turned small town shop keeper living in her tiny home town, whose storied past gets her accused by a vindictive detective from nearby Kansas City of the murder of her high school boyfriend's fiancee. Dev hasn't even seen her ex for years, let alone cared that he was getting married to someone else. Her grandmother, whose health is okay but mind is failing, decides to get the neighbor's hot grandson to help Dev out. It helps that grandson Jake is an injured deputy U.S. Marshall, and has the time to spare helping Dev out. Sparks fly when Jake is around, and Dev can't help but love spending time with him, even if her life is on the line...
Thoughts:
If you've read this blog much, you'll know that my opinion of Ms. Swanson has fallen recently, thanks to her other series, with Skye Denison in Scumble River, drastically reducing in quality. This book was not much better. In fact, it borders on worse, if I'm being honest. It was plain from the start that Devereaux was going to fall in love with someone coming along soon within the book. At first, I expected her love interest to be Detective Woods, because it was the first man she was to encounter, but he turned out to be a crazy S.O.B. that no one would want around for any extended length of time (or pages), so as soon as Dev spotted Jake walk in her store, I knew it was going to be him. It didn't help that her best friends told her she should start dating some man to get the detective off her trail, and then in walks a very handsome man whose sole purpose was to help her get out of trouble. Who wouldn't fall for that mess?
It was very predictable, even the love scenes. I could tell when someone was about to walk in on them, because they were getting to into the idea of hooking up. Even the "other woman" scenario Swanson throws into the mix was easily figured. Jake gets a phone call- conveniently for Swanson, it comes right in the middle of their first make-out session- and Dev can hear it's a woman's voice, and who does it turn out to be? Jake's uninterested ex-wife. Predictable. Shamefully so.
The worst part of the whole book, though, was the fact that it didn't actually end. It had a resolution to the crime, sure. But it ended with a paragraph full of questions. Why would you even bother with that if you were an author? Two reasons that I can see, both equally heinous: The first is padding the word count so that your publisher doesn't bitch that your book was under 250 pages. The second is so your readers don't have to read between the lines to remember which plot holes you left open. I find this one offensive thanks to the fact that it makes us as readers seem like unobservant asses, and it shows that she knows damn well that she's going to be writing more in the series, so why bother ending it cleanly? I doubt I'll pick up the next book in the series, unless I can get my hands on it for free, or very cheap.
Book 44 of 50
Pages: 250
Genre: An even split between mystery and romance
Grade: C+ at most
Would I Recommend?: Meh. It's a light read, easily breezed through in a few hours' reading time, but it's not especially fantastic. If you like Swanson's work, go for it. If not, you don't need to go there.
Showing posts with label Swanson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swanson. Show all posts
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Murder of a Creped Suzette (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
Skye Denison, school psychologist and analyst for the local cops, manages to get her nose in everyone's business all the time. This time, Skye overhears a fight between a local country star and his manager over the cute little woman they've picked to be the star's opening act. Suzette, Miss Opening Act herself then asks Skye to help her find out what really happened the night her mother died. But before Skye can get much information out of Suzette, the starlet-to-be gets herself steamrolled. Literally. Now Skye finds herself needing to learn both who killed Suzette, and what happened to Suzette's mother, and of course Skye can't resist a good mystery.
Thoughts:
Ugh. This series is getting very tired. Sure, the storylines are still good mysteries, but getting Skye involved in them keeps getting more and more convoluted. I also tend to want to smack Skye upside the head more often now. I'm finding that in some series, I get more annoyed with the characters as time goes on, and I think that might be the case with this series as well. But if you're still okay to muddle your way through this series, more power to you. I think I'm done.
Book 40 of 50
Pages: 272
Genre: mystery with a hint of romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: The series started out well, but has gone downhill for me. If you've liked the series so far, though, go for it.
Skye Denison, school psychologist and analyst for the local cops, manages to get her nose in everyone's business all the time. This time, Skye overhears a fight between a local country star and his manager over the cute little woman they've picked to be the star's opening act. Suzette, Miss Opening Act herself then asks Skye to help her find out what really happened the night her mother died. But before Skye can get much information out of Suzette, the starlet-to-be gets herself steamrolled. Literally. Now Skye finds herself needing to learn both who killed Suzette, and what happened to Suzette's mother, and of course Skye can't resist a good mystery.
Thoughts:
Ugh. This series is getting very tired. Sure, the storylines are still good mysteries, but getting Skye involved in them keeps getting more and more convoluted. I also tend to want to smack Skye upside the head more often now. I'm finding that in some series, I get more annoyed with the characters as time goes on, and I think that might be the case with this series as well. But if you're still okay to muddle your way through this series, more power to you. I think I'm done.
Book 40 of 50
Pages: 272
Genre: mystery with a hint of romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: The series started out well, but has gone downhill for me. If you've liked the series so far, though, go for it.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Murder of a Bookstore Babe (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
Tales and Treats, a new book store in tiny Scumble River, opens to protesters and ridicule. Skye is happy to see not only a new business in town, but one that she plans to frequent regularly. The town's business owners are none too pleased, though. The library, which already has low circulation rates, might be visited less thanks to all those shiny new books. Skye's cousin might have to actually move all his used cars for sale back onto his lot rather than parking them in the public spaces that were previously under-used. The diner might lose its morning customers to the bookstore's fancy new bakery/barista. And one of the ancient and tenured teachers protests the store because it sells smut in the form of romance novels, and could possibly foster witchcraft and sorcery in the form of fantasy and sci-fi novels. Heaven forbid! Then, of course, there's the murder in the bookstore. Was it one of Scumble River's loudest complainers, or someone the owners knew from long ago? Skye's too nosy not to get into the mix once again, not to mention dealing with her ex who still won't give up, even after she's said yes to Wally's marriage proposal. The ex wouldn't be too much of an issue usually, but this time he knows something about the details surrounding the murder that he begs her not to pass on to her cop fiance. Good plan, Skye? Don't bet on it.
Thoughts:
Finally, the title doesn't completely give away the murder victim on sight! Every other installment of this series that's had a noun that's often used as a name as well (Honey, Cookie, Cherry, Barbie and Ken, Belle, and even Snake) has been the name of the victim of the primary crime in the book. Congratulations, Ms. Swanson, you had me looking for a woman named Babe to kill off. (PS, it looks like the next novel in the series goes back to the same old song... "Murder of a Creped Suzette" looks like they're going to kill off a poor girl named Suzette, and we can't do a thing to stop it!) But I digress. The book follows as most of the rest do, and I did actually spot the possible ending a mile away, but with all the other red herrings swimming around, I almost forgot about the initial inkling of our murderer's identity. I will say, I'm ready for Skye to get herself married off and done with Simon for good. Her ex-boyfriend vowed two books ago that he'll never rest until she's his again. Holy cow, guy, get over yourself. She's happy and committed to someone else. The worst part is that Skye's dumb enough to agree to keeping a secret from Wally. When has keeping secrets from your significant other ever ended well for anyone, Skye? Especially when it's the ex-boyfriend that's asking you to keep the secret. Dumb Skye Move #286, right there. All in all, though, another fun romp through crazy-ass Scumble River. Not Swanson's best, but certainly not her worst. And finally, after Suzette's murder investigation, I'll be caught up with Swanson's series, and can move on to others that I've still not cracked the covers of, and you, dear readers, can see a change of pace for once! Good news, though, I've almost finished my next read, which was something completely different. Stay tuned!
Book 5 of 50
Pages: 243
Genre: Mystery, romance
Grade: B-
Would I Recommend?: Sure. There are worse books out there, and even worse ones in this series. Keep going in the series. It's good for you!
Tales and Treats, a new book store in tiny Scumble River, opens to protesters and ridicule. Skye is happy to see not only a new business in town, but one that she plans to frequent regularly. The town's business owners are none too pleased, though. The library, which already has low circulation rates, might be visited less thanks to all those shiny new books. Skye's cousin might have to actually move all his used cars for sale back onto his lot rather than parking them in the public spaces that were previously under-used. The diner might lose its morning customers to the bookstore's fancy new bakery/barista. And one of the ancient and tenured teachers protests the store because it sells smut in the form of romance novels, and could possibly foster witchcraft and sorcery in the form of fantasy and sci-fi novels. Heaven forbid! Then, of course, there's the murder in the bookstore. Was it one of Scumble River's loudest complainers, or someone the owners knew from long ago? Skye's too nosy not to get into the mix once again, not to mention dealing with her ex who still won't give up, even after she's said yes to Wally's marriage proposal. The ex wouldn't be too much of an issue usually, but this time he knows something about the details surrounding the murder that he begs her not to pass on to her cop fiance. Good plan, Skye? Don't bet on it.
Thoughts:
Finally, the title doesn't completely give away the murder victim on sight! Every other installment of this series that's had a noun that's often used as a name as well (Honey, Cookie, Cherry, Barbie and Ken, Belle, and even Snake) has been the name of the victim of the primary crime in the book. Congratulations, Ms. Swanson, you had me looking for a woman named Babe to kill off. (PS, it looks like the next novel in the series goes back to the same old song... "Murder of a Creped Suzette" looks like they're going to kill off a poor girl named Suzette, and we can't do a thing to stop it!) But I digress. The book follows as most of the rest do, and I did actually spot the possible ending a mile away, but with all the other red herrings swimming around, I almost forgot about the initial inkling of our murderer's identity. I will say, I'm ready for Skye to get herself married off and done with Simon for good. Her ex-boyfriend vowed two books ago that he'll never rest until she's his again. Holy cow, guy, get over yourself. She's happy and committed to someone else. The worst part is that Skye's dumb enough to agree to keeping a secret from Wally. When has keeping secrets from your significant other ever ended well for anyone, Skye? Especially when it's the ex-boyfriend that's asking you to keep the secret. Dumb Skye Move #286, right there. All in all, though, another fun romp through crazy-ass Scumble River. Not Swanson's best, but certainly not her worst. And finally, after Suzette's murder investigation, I'll be caught up with Swanson's series, and can move on to others that I've still not cracked the covers of, and you, dear readers, can see a change of pace for once! Good news, though, I've almost finished my next read, which was something completely different. Stay tuned!
Book 5 of 50
Pages: 243
Genre: Mystery, romance
Grade: B-
Would I Recommend?: Sure. There are worse books out there, and even worse ones in this series. Keep going in the series. It's good for you!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Murder of a Wedding Belle (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
Once again, Skye can't say no. This time, she's gotten her arm twisted by her grandmother, who begs her to help Skye's second cousin have a big, overly expensive wedding extravaganza in the tiny little hick town of Scumble River. Riley goes Bridezilla on Skye, especially after the wedding planner Riley hired shuffles off the mortal coil prematurely. Skye is thrust knee deep into the wedding planning world, which I know from some experience can be a little crazy, and has to fudge her way through pulling off the wedding of Riley's dreams. While she deals with that, she also has to fight off Wally's nagging about whether or not she will marry him, and Simon, who is insistent that she gives up on Wally and takes him back. Oh, the drama for Skye.
Thoughts:
Pretty good. Much better than Royal Pain, to be sure. I had no clue who actually dun it, and was surprised by the end. At this point, I'm getting annoyed with Simon, because Skye's plainly said that there's no chance for him to get Skye back, but he just keeps pushing. I think Swanson just can't give up Simon, because she thinks he's the better choice for Skye, but her fans tell her otherwise, and that's why she keeps bothering us with Simon's idiocy. I would have been perfectly happy with Skye ending it with Simon, and there being a bad break-up that she didn't want to think about or talk about ever again... I just hope that Swanson finds a better use for Simon, rather than making it so that he pops up at the most annoying times.
Book 4 of 50
Pages: 246
Genre: Mystery, romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Eh. Not the worst, not the best. But very good if you're working through the series.
Once again, Skye can't say no. This time, she's gotten her arm twisted by her grandmother, who begs her to help Skye's second cousin have a big, overly expensive wedding extravaganza in the tiny little hick town of Scumble River. Riley goes Bridezilla on Skye, especially after the wedding planner Riley hired shuffles off the mortal coil prematurely. Skye is thrust knee deep into the wedding planning world, which I know from some experience can be a little crazy, and has to fudge her way through pulling off the wedding of Riley's dreams. While she deals with that, she also has to fight off Wally's nagging about whether or not she will marry him, and Simon, who is insistent that she gives up on Wally and takes him back. Oh, the drama for Skye.
Thoughts:
Pretty good. Much better than Royal Pain, to be sure. I had no clue who actually dun it, and was surprised by the end. At this point, I'm getting annoyed with Simon, because Skye's plainly said that there's no chance for him to get Skye back, but he just keeps pushing. I think Swanson just can't give up Simon, because she thinks he's the better choice for Skye, but her fans tell her otherwise, and that's why she keeps bothering us with Simon's idiocy. I would have been perfectly happy with Skye ending it with Simon, and there being a bad break-up that she didn't want to think about or talk about ever again... I just hope that Swanson finds a better use for Simon, rather than making it so that he pops up at the most annoying times.
Book 4 of 50
Pages: 246
Genre: Mystery, romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Eh. Not the worst, not the best. But very good if you're working through the series.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Murder of a Royal Pain (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
Skye Denison is a pushover. She can't say no to just about anyone. In this edition of What Can We Force Skye to Do Now?, Skye gets roped into not only being a faculty adviser to the Promfest committee, but acting a part in the haunted house fundraiser. And Skye hates haunted houses. (Childhood trauma, blah blah blah...) On opening night of the haunted house, the head of the Promfest committee gets offed, and it looks like the killer could have been after Skye herself. At the same time, a new social worker is hired for the school district, and they're forced to share offices in each building. More fun times in Scumble River.
Thoughts:
I had this one pegged practically from the murderer's introduction. Swanson used the same naming technique in a previous book, so I had no trouble figuring out who was making the hit, and there was very little surprise in who went down as well. I spent most of this book waiting for the shoe to actually drop. The only suspense was in whether or not Skye would actually talk to Wally while he was away taking care of his ailing father. Mostly, with this particular installment, I was just muddling through on my way to the next book in the series. I only recommend reading it if you've read all the others, and you're wanting to continue. It just has some things in there that you won't want to miss for when Swanson eventually refers back to them in future books.
Book 3 of 50
Pages: 248
Genre: Mystery
Grade: C
Would I Recommend?: Eh, only if you're plowing through the series like I am. Otherwise, don't bother with this one.
Skye Denison is a pushover. She can't say no to just about anyone. In this edition of What Can We Force Skye to Do Now?, Skye gets roped into not only being a faculty adviser to the Promfest committee, but acting a part in the haunted house fundraiser. And Skye hates haunted houses. (Childhood trauma, blah blah blah...) On opening night of the haunted house, the head of the Promfest committee gets offed, and it looks like the killer could have been after Skye herself. At the same time, a new social worker is hired for the school district, and they're forced to share offices in each building. More fun times in Scumble River.
Thoughts:
I had this one pegged practically from the murderer's introduction. Swanson used the same naming technique in a previous book, so I had no trouble figuring out who was making the hit, and there was very little surprise in who went down as well. I spent most of this book waiting for the shoe to actually drop. The only suspense was in whether or not Skye would actually talk to Wally while he was away taking care of his ailing father. Mostly, with this particular installment, I was just muddling through on my way to the next book in the series. I only recommend reading it if you've read all the others, and you're wanting to continue. It just has some things in there that you won't want to miss for when Swanson eventually refers back to them in future books.
Book 3 of 50
Pages: 248
Genre: Mystery
Grade: C
Would I Recommend?: Eh, only if you're plowing through the series like I am. Otherwise, don't bother with this one.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
Once again, we visit Skye Denison. This time around, Skye's mother has roped her into a cooking contest by entering her own recipe under Skye's name, along with her brother's and uncle's, in the hopes that the recipes might make the finals. All four recipes make it in, and May Denison guilts Skye into participating in the contest, even though Skye has no cooking skills whatsoever. Also, one of the high school students goes missing during the same weekend as the contest, and Skye promises her favorite students she will help them find the lost girl. Oh, and then the most obnoxious person in the contest gets killed.
Thoughts:
Skye is WEAK. She has to do everything for everyone else, and hardly ever thinks "well, this might get me grievously injured... Maybe I shouldn't do it!" And when that thought does cross her mind, she goes for the grievous injury anyway. What also drove me nuts about this book is May's insistence that Skye's boyfriend, the police chief that she's been lusting after for years, and who she finally started dating a book and a half ago, is no good. May works with Wally, and she knows what a nice guy he is, but she still tries to get Skye to break up with him, and go back to dating the funeral director. Seriously? Who would go for a funeral director over a cop in any contest? No, thank you. Besides, May hates the funeral director's mother, so why push for a situation that would force more contact with her? I like most of the characters in Swanson's series, but May is just getting too annoying for me. Bleh. Over her. Thank God my own mother isn't that annoying. Overall, though, pretty good book. It took me until the last clue was exposed to figure out who the murderer was, which is always a good thing. And despite May's being a pain in the ass, I'll be continuing the series, so be ready to see another four or five posts about Swanson's books. (This is book 10 of a 14 book series, though Swanson seems to put a book or two out a year.) Oh, and fun extra, the "winning recipes" were included at the back for your baking needs.
Book 40 of 40! Just made it to 40 in 2011! 50 books in 2012!
Pages: 238, 246 if you count the recipes!
Genre: Mystery, slight romance
Grade: B- for extra May
Would I Recommend?: The whole series is fun, despite my occasional whining. And the okay thing about the series is that this one can be picked up in the middle with little worry about missing something big.
Once again, we visit Skye Denison. This time around, Skye's mother has roped her into a cooking contest by entering her own recipe under Skye's name, along with her brother's and uncle's, in the hopes that the recipes might make the finals. All four recipes make it in, and May Denison guilts Skye into participating in the contest, even though Skye has no cooking skills whatsoever. Also, one of the high school students goes missing during the same weekend as the contest, and Skye promises her favorite students she will help them find the lost girl. Oh, and then the most obnoxious person in the contest gets killed.
Thoughts:
Skye is WEAK. She has to do everything for everyone else, and hardly ever thinks "well, this might get me grievously injured... Maybe I shouldn't do it!" And when that thought does cross her mind, she goes for the grievous injury anyway. What also drove me nuts about this book is May's insistence that Skye's boyfriend, the police chief that she's been lusting after for years, and who she finally started dating a book and a half ago, is no good. May works with Wally, and she knows what a nice guy he is, but she still tries to get Skye to break up with him, and go back to dating the funeral director. Seriously? Who would go for a funeral director over a cop in any contest? No, thank you. Besides, May hates the funeral director's mother, so why push for a situation that would force more contact with her? I like most of the characters in Swanson's series, but May is just getting too annoying for me. Bleh. Over her. Thank God my own mother isn't that annoying. Overall, though, pretty good book. It took me until the last clue was exposed to figure out who the murderer was, which is always a good thing. And despite May's being a pain in the ass, I'll be continuing the series, so be ready to see another four or five posts about Swanson's books. (This is book 10 of a 14 book series, though Swanson seems to put a book or two out a year.) Oh, and fun extra, the "winning recipes" were included at the back for your baking needs.
Book 40 of 40! Just made it to 40 in 2011! 50 books in 2012!
Pages: 238, 246 if you count the recipes!
Genre: Mystery, slight romance
Grade: B- for extra May
Would I Recommend?: The whole series is fun, despite my occasional whining. And the okay thing about the series is that this one can be picked up in the middle with little worry about missing something big.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Murder of a Botoxed Blonde (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
Skye is coaxed into helping the owner of the new day spa in Scumble River find out who is sabotaging the spa before it even opens. She and her friend Trixie are given a weekend at the spa to see who is wreaking havoc at the spa. While there, Skye once again finds a dead body. This time it's a hoity-toity spa attendee who is one of the spa owner's nearest and dearest. Skye's job as detective increases as her spa weekend rushes by. Will she learn the truth before the weekend is over and the spa's residents disperse?
Thoughts:
Once again, Skye just so happens to come upon a dead body. Shock of all shocks. The story's an interesting one, winding up with a pretty good ending, not one we've seen from Swanson yet. True, I've seen similar in a few dozen Law & Order episodes, but that's all right. Swanson does a good job with it here. Though Skye's mother is getting more bothersome, especially since she's highlighted just a little more in this one than usual. The woman just won't quit. But the book overall is another fun one from Swanson. Always a good read for when you don't feel like thinking about anything substantial.
Book 39 of 40
Pages: 237
Genre: Mystery with hints of romance
Grade: B
Would I Recommend?: As always, start from the beginning of the series, I say, but it's not hard to pick these up in the middle. Good "beach reading" type book.
Skye is coaxed into helping the owner of the new day spa in Scumble River find out who is sabotaging the spa before it even opens. She and her friend Trixie are given a weekend at the spa to see who is wreaking havoc at the spa. While there, Skye once again finds a dead body. This time it's a hoity-toity spa attendee who is one of the spa owner's nearest and dearest. Skye's job as detective increases as her spa weekend rushes by. Will she learn the truth before the weekend is over and the spa's residents disperse?
Thoughts:
Once again, Skye just so happens to come upon a dead body. Shock of all shocks. The story's an interesting one, winding up with a pretty good ending, not one we've seen from Swanson yet. True, I've seen similar in a few dozen Law & Order episodes, but that's all right. Swanson does a good job with it here. Though Skye's mother is getting more bothersome, especially since she's highlighted just a little more in this one than usual. The woman just won't quit. But the book overall is another fun one from Swanson. Always a good read for when you don't feel like thinking about anything substantial.
Book 39 of 40
Pages: 237
Genre: Mystery with hints of romance
Grade: B
Would I Recommend?: As always, start from the beginning of the series, I say, but it's not hard to pick these up in the middle. Good "beach reading" type book.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Murder of a Real Bad Boy (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
Skye's gone and broken up with Simon (yeeeeeeeees!) and is trying to figure out how she wants life to continue from now on. Oh, and she's now an heiress with a house in serious need for TLC. That's where Beau the contractor comes in... and then gets murdered. Skye spends the book trying to decide what and who she wants out of Life, while trying to figure out who killed her contractor. Also, her brother has a secret, so her mother forces her to be nosy and find out what's up. Scumble River is turning into a regular soap opera town!
Thoughts:
Another nice step along the Skye Denison path. The fact that Simon is mostly out of the picture for Skye thrills me, which is no surprise to anyone who's ever read one of my reviews about this series. The plot is fairly well laid out, and I didn't figure out the murderer until late in the game, which is a plus. An added bonus was that Swanson got right down to the murder in this installment, whereas the previous few books have taken a while to get to the murder mystery part. (Swanson has relied on more mystery than murder in previous installments, which annoyed me. Who picks up a murder mystery, fully expecting murder, only to get to the murder 100 pages into the 250 page book? The early death of Beau pleased me, as awful as that sounds!)
Book 36 of 40
Pages: 252
Genre: Mystery, romance
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Yup! Swanson does a good job of bringing a new reader up to speed with Skye's previous adventures while still keeping the loyal readers happy. While I always recommend picking up from the beginning, most of Swanson's work is okay to jump into somewhere in the middle.
Skye's gone and broken up with Simon (yeeeeeeeees!) and is trying to figure out how she wants life to continue from now on. Oh, and she's now an heiress with a house in serious need for TLC. That's where Beau the contractor comes in... and then gets murdered. Skye spends the book trying to decide what and who she wants out of Life, while trying to figure out who killed her contractor. Also, her brother has a secret, so her mother forces her to be nosy and find out what's up. Scumble River is turning into a regular soap opera town!
Thoughts:
Another nice step along the Skye Denison path. The fact that Simon is mostly out of the picture for Skye thrills me, which is no surprise to anyone who's ever read one of my reviews about this series. The plot is fairly well laid out, and I didn't figure out the murderer until late in the game, which is a plus. An added bonus was that Swanson got right down to the murder in this installment, whereas the previous few books have taken a while to get to the murder mystery part. (Swanson has relied on more mystery than murder in previous installments, which annoyed me. Who picks up a murder mystery, fully expecting murder, only to get to the murder 100 pages into the 250 page book? The early death of Beau pleased me, as awful as that sounds!)
Book 36 of 40
Pages: 252
Genre: Mystery, romance
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Yup! Swanson does a good job of bringing a new reader up to speed with Skye's previous adventures while still keeping the loyal readers happy. While I always recommend picking up from the beginning, most of Swanson's work is okay to jump into somewhere in the middle.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Murder of a Smart Cookie (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
Our friend, Skye, gets her fourth summer job of the summer (after having lost the previous three) as the director of the Route 66 100-Mile Yard Sale, or at least the Scumble River portion. She works for Scumble River's new mayor, her Uncle Dante. Dante's a crazy jerk with a penchant for screaming at the top of his lungs at everyone. One of Skye's ex-bosses, Cookie, winds up dead, and Dante thunders at Skye that she had better figure out who killed Cookie before it ruins the yard sale. There are TV cameras in town, following the star of an "Antiques Roadshow" wannabe show as the bitchy woman wreaks havoc with the sellers along the yard sale route. Plus, Simon, Skye's boyfriend, is out in California while she's dealing with all the crazy, her parents and her best friend and her husband are dealing with couple-y issues that Skye wants to help fix, and one of her favorite students goes missing. Just another calm week in Scumble River!
Thoughts:
I like the separation thing for Skye and Simon. It gets him out of the picture for a while, and lets Skye be Skye. Of course, that means that Skye gets into a little more trouble than usual, but she has Wally the police chief to help her out of her scrapes. They need to just get together already! But I digress. (As usual.) The book was a good one, though I did know exactly who did it about halfway through the book, and was not at all surprised by the reveal. But it was fun and quick, and during the holiday season, that's kind of what a girl needs, isn't it?
Book 35 of 40
(I don't think I'm going to make it to 50 this year. What a year!)
Pages: 260
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Would I Recommend?: For a light read, yup! Enjoy!
Our friend, Skye, gets her fourth summer job of the summer (after having lost the previous three) as the director of the Route 66 100-Mile Yard Sale, or at least the Scumble River portion. She works for Scumble River's new mayor, her Uncle Dante. Dante's a crazy jerk with a penchant for screaming at the top of his lungs at everyone. One of Skye's ex-bosses, Cookie, winds up dead, and Dante thunders at Skye that she had better figure out who killed Cookie before it ruins the yard sale. There are TV cameras in town, following the star of an "Antiques Roadshow" wannabe show as the bitchy woman wreaks havoc with the sellers along the yard sale route. Plus, Simon, Skye's boyfriend, is out in California while she's dealing with all the crazy, her parents and her best friend and her husband are dealing with couple-y issues that Skye wants to help fix, and one of her favorite students goes missing. Just another calm week in Scumble River!
Thoughts:
I like the separation thing for Skye and Simon. It gets him out of the picture for a while, and lets Skye be Skye. Of course, that means that Skye gets into a little more trouble than usual, but she has Wally the police chief to help her out of her scrapes. They need to just get together already! But I digress. (As usual.) The book was a good one, though I did know exactly who did it about halfway through the book, and was not at all surprised by the reveal. But it was fun and quick, and during the holiday season, that's kind of what a girl needs, isn't it?
Book 35 of 40
(I don't think I'm going to make it to 50 this year. What a year!)
Pages: 260
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Would I Recommend?: For a light read, yup! Enjoy!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Murder of a Pink Elephant (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
More murder time for Skye, the school psychologist. This time around, the victim is a band mate of Skye's big brother, Vince, and Vince is one of the prime suspects. The vic goes down this time in a fire in the school gym while there's a school dance going on, and Vince and the rest of the band are playing for the dance. As a couple added bonuses, there's increased use of methamphetamines and a crazy theme park mogul wanting to set up shop in the town. To top it all off, the police chief is running for mayor and his opponent is smearing him with the fact that Skye has been solving murders in the town for the last two or three years, not the chief. It's always a good time in Scumble River.
Thoughts:
Once again, Skye saves the day. I'm getting really tired of her relationship with Simon, the boyfriend she's had since the beginning of the series. She's not a very giving person in that aspect of her life, and it seems like the boyfriend is always having to work for her affections. Not cool. Also, why can't the woman just get herself a job with the cops already, because she's solved, what, five murders at this point? Six, if you count this book, and there's a couple short stories that have come between books, which I'm sure hold some sort of crime solving. Just start getting paid for it already, Skye. It'll be worth it to you in the end, won't it?
The books are still fun, though, and worth wading through the crap romantic bits and the little dramas in Skye's own life to get to the murder solving bits. Also, let's get this girl hooked up with the chief already, because that has just gone on too long.
Book 35 of 50
Pages: 252
Genre: Mystery, faint romance
Grade: B-
Would I Recommend?: Good for the cheesy mystery lovers, as usual.
More murder time for Skye, the school psychologist. This time around, the victim is a band mate of Skye's big brother, Vince, and Vince is one of the prime suspects. The vic goes down this time in a fire in the school gym while there's a school dance going on, and Vince and the rest of the band are playing for the dance. As a couple added bonuses, there's increased use of methamphetamines and a crazy theme park mogul wanting to set up shop in the town. To top it all off, the police chief is running for mayor and his opponent is smearing him with the fact that Skye has been solving murders in the town for the last two or three years, not the chief. It's always a good time in Scumble River.
Thoughts:
Once again, Skye saves the day. I'm getting really tired of her relationship with Simon, the boyfriend she's had since the beginning of the series. She's not a very giving person in that aspect of her life, and it seems like the boyfriend is always having to work for her affections. Not cool. Also, why can't the woman just get herself a job with the cops already, because she's solved, what, five murders at this point? Six, if you count this book, and there's a couple short stories that have come between books, which I'm sure hold some sort of crime solving. Just start getting paid for it already, Skye. It'll be worth it to you in the end, won't it?
The books are still fun, though, and worth wading through the crap romantic bits and the little dramas in Skye's own life to get to the murder solving bits. Also, let's get this girl hooked up with the chief already, because that has just gone on too long.
Book 35 of 50
Pages: 252
Genre: Mystery, faint romance
Grade: B-
Would I Recommend?: Good for the cheesy mystery lovers, as usual.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Murder of a Barbie and Ken (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
Skye Denison is still the school psychologist in a small town in Illinois. She's still dating the town's funeral director. This time she and her dad find the town's biggest movers and shakers, Barbie and Ken Addison, (yes, really.) dead in their home, strangled with the ribbon Barbie wraps around her Lean Cuisine style meals that she guilt-sells at Tupperware-like parties. Nice. Ken was grand poo-ba of the book's version of the Elks club, (within the book they're named something long that winds up making them be called the GUMBs. Seriously.) which Skye's boyfriend decided to join just a few months earlier. Skye is determined to keep her nose out of the police business for once, but the chief actually asks her to get into it this time around thanks to her involvement with the GUMBs and their wives. The other top GUMB members tell her to get into it too, and she uncovers some disturbing secrets within the GUMBs that no one wants to get out. Oh, and to top it off, someone from her boyfriend's past comes back to haunt, and makes Skye's home their personal hotel. What to do...
Thoughts:
I like Skye for the most part, and I like that for once, she's actually trying to stay OUT of the investigation. But I think she really should break it off with her boyfriend. He doesn't treat her completely right, often kind of condescending to her. I would actually like to see them broken up for the entirety of a book, and her getting into it with the police chief who not only has the hots for her, but who she's got a jonesing for too. It's really about time that the sexual tension there is resolved, one way or another. There's another 9 books in the series as of this date, and I'm hoping that the boyfriend goes away at some point, at least for a little while. My hopes will probably be dashed, but we'll see. Oh, and for once, I didn't spot the murderer a mile away.
Book 33 of 50
Pages: 253
Genre: Mystery, with a side of romance
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Cheesy but fun. Good quick read for the holiday season.
Skye Denison is still the school psychologist in a small town in Illinois. She's still dating the town's funeral director. This time she and her dad find the town's biggest movers and shakers, Barbie and Ken Addison, (yes, really.) dead in their home, strangled with the ribbon Barbie wraps around her Lean Cuisine style meals that she guilt-sells at Tupperware-like parties. Nice. Ken was grand poo-ba of the book's version of the Elks club, (within the book they're named something long that winds up making them be called the GUMBs. Seriously.) which Skye's boyfriend decided to join just a few months earlier. Skye is determined to keep her nose out of the police business for once, but the chief actually asks her to get into it this time around thanks to her involvement with the GUMBs and their wives. The other top GUMB members tell her to get into it too, and she uncovers some disturbing secrets within the GUMBs that no one wants to get out. Oh, and to top it off, someone from her boyfriend's past comes back to haunt, and makes Skye's home their personal hotel. What to do...
Thoughts:
I like Skye for the most part, and I like that for once, she's actually trying to stay OUT of the investigation. But I think she really should break it off with her boyfriend. He doesn't treat her completely right, often kind of condescending to her. I would actually like to see them broken up for the entirety of a book, and her getting into it with the police chief who not only has the hots for her, but who she's got a jonesing for too. It's really about time that the sexual tension there is resolved, one way or another. There's another 9 books in the series as of this date, and I'm hoping that the boyfriend goes away at some point, at least for a little while. My hopes will probably be dashed, but we'll see. Oh, and for once, I didn't spot the murderer a mile away.
Book 33 of 50
Pages: 253
Genre: Mystery, with a side of romance
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Cheesy but fun. Good quick read for the holiday season.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Murder of a Snake in the Grass (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
Another of the Scumble River mysteries, starring Skye Denison. This time around, the town is having its bicentennial celebration, complete with the descendant of the town's founder coming in from Montreal to join the festivities. When Gabriel Scumble turns up dead, Skye wants nothing to do with it, for once. She chooses instead to keep her nose clean, and deal with her creeper ex-fiance who's come to town to supposedly woo her and bring her back into his life. Skye's on-again-off-again man, Simon, is none too pleased with Skye's ex showing up, and all hell threatens to break loose in Skye's life. Of course, everyone that knows Skye knows that she won't keep her nose out of for long....
Thoughts:
Kind of a same-ol'-same-ol' for Swanson. I'm tiring of Skye not being able to choose to be with Simon, or not. With the way this one ended, I'm hoping the same old storyline isn't rehashed again in the next book of the series, but we'll have to wait and see about that, won't we? Skye is fairly good at her job, but her interpersonal skills when she's not working are rather lacking. The stories are good, but semi-predictable. The writing is fair, but readable. These are good books to pick up and read through when your mind needs a rest from the hardships of intense, thought-provoking masterpiece type books.
Book 32 of 50
Pages: 262
Genre: Mystery, romance
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Sure, take a break from Austen and Hugo and breathe in a little down home cheesiness.
Another of the Scumble River mysteries, starring Skye Denison. This time around, the town is having its bicentennial celebration, complete with the descendant of the town's founder coming in from Montreal to join the festivities. When Gabriel Scumble turns up dead, Skye wants nothing to do with it, for once. She chooses instead to keep her nose clean, and deal with her creeper ex-fiance who's come to town to supposedly woo her and bring her back into his life. Skye's on-again-off-again man, Simon, is none too pleased with Skye's ex showing up, and all hell threatens to break loose in Skye's life. Of course, everyone that knows Skye knows that she won't keep her nose out of for long....
Thoughts:
Kind of a same-ol'-same-ol' for Swanson. I'm tiring of Skye not being able to choose to be with Simon, or not. With the way this one ended, I'm hoping the same old storyline isn't rehashed again in the next book of the series, but we'll have to wait and see about that, won't we? Skye is fairly good at her job, but her interpersonal skills when she's not working are rather lacking. The stories are good, but semi-predictable. The writing is fair, but readable. These are good books to pick up and read through when your mind needs a rest from the hardships of intense, thought-provoking masterpiece type books.
Book 32 of 50
Pages: 262
Genre: Mystery, romance
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Sure, take a break from Austen and Hugo and breathe in a little down home cheesiness.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Murder of a Sleeping Beauty (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
Skye Denison the school counselor was just trying to get a kid to come out of his shell, when their session gets interrupted. Another dead body has been found. This time it's the school's star of the play. Skye has to try to find the killer before the principal goes nuts over the bad press. Skye gets an in-depth look at the teen pageant circuit as well as a glimpse inside the Senior Class in crowd. Meanwhile, the kid whose session was interrupted tries to help...
Thoughts:
Not a bad one. Skye is a likable enough character, and she doesn't push too many of my "duh, what are you doing??" buttons, so that's always a step in the right direction. Swanson brings the funny more than other authors, which I appreciate. It's a good mindless read for those who just need a break from the world.
Book 27 of 50
Pages: 263
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Sure, why not.
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