December Read: Christmas Scarf Murder by Carlene O'Connor, Maddie Day, and Peggy Ehrhart

 

I picked this up last minute at the library as I was reshelving new books and just finished it a few minutes ago, on Christmas Eve. Just before I turn on the tree and start preparing our eats for the evening. 

This is three cozy mystery short stories, all centered around a scarf or yarn as the murder weapon. I haven't read any of the authors; but quickly understood each story was part of cozy mystery series: the Irish Village Mystery series; the Country Store Mysteries, and the Knit & Nibble Mysteries. I didn't have any issues diving into each short story and catching up pretty quickly on characters. 

Christmas Scarf Murder takes place in Ireland. A retirement community is rocked by some unusual robberies just two weeks before Christmas, and in the course of investigating, married police officers Siobhan and Macdara get involved in a murder of one of the suspects--caused by a scarf wrapped around his neck becoming entangled in a tractor wheel. There's lots of suspects for sure, and two mysteries to solve: who stole from the retirement home, and why? And who killed Michael? Are the two connected? Travel to Ireland for the holiday season with this enjoyable mystery that has a twist or two.

Scarfed Down by Maddie Day features Robbie Jordan, owner of Pans 'N Pancakes restaurant in Indiana. Christmas is just a short few days away, and Robbie's Aunt is implicated in the murder of a local knitter who was poisoned by yarn. Yes, poisoned by yarn soaked in a toxic chemical deadly to human skin. Robbie's Aunt Adele raises her own sheep and produces special yarn from their wool; Robbie sells the yarn in her small gift shop at her restaurant. Who would want to kill Vicky, and in such a cruel way? As Robbie keeps busy at her restaurant, she's trying to put the pieces together, knowing Adele's future is on the line if she doesn't figure out who put the poison on the yarn. This was a fun mystery that was chock full of tasty food, lovely folks, and a clever who-done-it. 

Finally, there is Death by Christmas Scarf by Peggy Ehrhart. It takes place in New Jersey, and involves a knitting group that is tied to a recent murder just days before Christmas. The group knitted scarves for an auction to support the local library, and one of those scarves was a murder weapon used to kill local sour puss Carys. The winner of the auction for that scarf, Laurel, is hauled into the police station and arrested for murder--she found Carys and her explanation that she didn't pick up the scarf at the auction falls on deaf ears. Now Pamela and her best friend Bettina are determined to discover just who is behind the murder of Carys and why. 

Full of, yes, again, delicious food, good friends, and small town holiday feels, this is another interesting cozy mystery that will keep you guessing. 

I enjoyed all three mysteries, and was really happy to read short stories over the last day--easy to put down in between cooking, running errands, and braving the wind and blizzard! 

Rating: 4/6 for entertaining short cozy mysteries that were perfect to read leading up to Christmas Eve. You don't have to be familiar with these authors or their cozy mystery series to read these; you may just find another author to read!

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio.

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December Read: Christmas Scarf Murder by Carlene O'Connor, Maddie Day, and Peggy Ehrhart

Summer Reading 2022: West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

 

This summer has flown by so fast my head is spinning. Now it's August, and I did finally manage to finish a book! I spent yesterday cleaning my house, which I haven't done in some time. That involved gathering all the piles of books I have sitting around and putting them all in one spot. Now instead of a lot of small piles, I have just one big pile by my living room bookcase. Cleaning felt good, and helped me reset a bit. It's been a very busy work summer, and I'm definitely feeling low energy. Finishing this book, which has been on my TBR list for a long time, also helped reset my mental "can do" attitude. 

I read this book now because I was invited to be on a podcast with a local library. They discuss books with librarians from area libraries each month, and I picked West with Giraffes. When I say I enjoyed this book so so much, I'm not understating it. I even decided to add it to our library collection as a book club kit because it is such a wonderful book, and must be shared. 

WWG takes place over a two week period in September, 1938. It also bounces to 2025, where the main character Woody Nickel (yes that's his name) is 105 years old and nearing the end of his life. Woody realizes he doesn't have much time left, and he still has a story to tell. It's a story he must tell, because he's the only one left to tell it, and he can't stand the thought of the story dying with him. So Woody starts writing in notebooks in his room at the care center; feverishly writing it all down. 

The story starts out with Woody surviving the Hurricane of 1938 that hit New Jersey and killed hundreds of people. Woody is there, and survives through sheer luck. He's traveled from Texas to work with the only remaining relative he has: a third cousin who doesn't survive the hurricane. Woody is seventeen, broke, and alone. And to his amazement, he sees two giraffes on a boat that have miracularly survived the hurricane. He finds out they are to travel across country to the San Diego Zoo, their new home. Woody wants to get to "Californy" to start over--after all, it's the land of milk and honey. 

Old man is tasked with hiring a driver to take the giraffes to California. Woody, through some sheer ingenuity and luck, gets to drive the truck. He's formed a connection with the two giraffes he calls Boy and Girl. And so the adventure begins, filled with bad men, good people, danger, and a whole lot of amazing moments. 

Woody, Old Man, and Red, the beautiful photographer who follows the truck across the U.S. capturing all the special moments of the journey, are three characters that grew on me so much so that it was painful to end the journey. Each has a back story that is slowly revealed as they connect over their love for the giraffes. 

I still find myself thinking about this novel and the characters days after I finished it. It was quite unlike anything I've read this year, and exactly what I needed to read this summer. I think it would make an excellent movie on any of the streaming services. It's definitely a hidden gem that I will be sharing with everyone who asks me "what should I read next?"

Rating: 5/6 for a sneaky novel: it begins interestingly enough, but somehow grabs you by the heartstrings and doesn't let go. Characters reveal themselves and their hidden secrets and form unbreakable bonds. And the giraffes are just unforgettable. 

Available in hardcover, paperback, ebook and audio. 

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Summer Reading 2022: West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

Lady Cop Makes Trouble (A Kopp Sisters Novel) by Amy Stewart

I like Constance Kopp.  This is the second novel in the Kopp Sisters series, and I must confess I enjoyed it more than Girl Waits With Gun , which I reviewed last year.  

A short time has passed since the action in Girl Waits With Gun , and Constance is a deputy with the sheriff's department of Hackensack, New Jersey.  She's the first female deputy in New Jersey and loves her job.  But there are people who aren't happy with a female deputy, and Sheriff Heath is constantly under pressure to make Constance the matron of the female prisoners at the jail.  Life for a female law officer is difficult in 1915. 

Constance and Sheriff Heath are called to help guard a prisoner at the local sanitarium during a horrible rain storm and in the midst of a terrible train accident that leaves the sanitarium in a chaotic state.  Constance is told to stand outside the door of Dr. Baron von Matthesius, a odd little man who speaks to Constance in German and was put in jail on charges of indecent medical practices.  He's a crafty man, and before Constance can grasp the situation, he slips away and disappears.  

And thus begins the trouble for Constance and Sheriff Heath.  Determined to keep Constance's name out of the press, Sheriff Heath won't tell anyone a woman was guarding the prisoner who escaped.  The sheriff is under pressure to find the escapee because he himself can be tossed in jail and lose his job.  So Constance decides the only thing she can do is to track down Dr. Baron von Matthesius and recapture him herself.  Constance is now a deputy turned detective, and she has her hands full.  

Constance's sisters Norma and Fleurette are part of the story, but not quite as much as in the first novel.  It's good to see how each of them are carving out their place in a family of three women, in a society that expects women to get married and raise a family.  Constance's relationship with Sheriff Heath is evolving through the second novel, and I can't wait to see what happens next.  


 This isn't really a mystery (if it is, it's a very light one) but more of an entertaining historical novel.  And of course it is all the more fascinating because there was an actual Constance Kopp, who was the first female deputy in New Jersey.  She's a lady with smarts, moxie, and a commanding presence:  at nearly 6 feet tall, and 180 pounds, she isn't afraid to tackle a criminal to bring him to justice.  

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the advanced copy.  This is a fun read for anyone who likes to read about female trailblazers, early 20th century crime, and a bit of the criminal element.  There is no horrible violence, or crime scenes to make this objectionable to anyone.  

Rating:  7/10 for a sequel that keeps the action moving, and creates all sorts of possible story lines for future novels featuring Constance Kopp.  

Available in hardcover and e-book.

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Lady Cop Makes Trouble (A Kopp Sisters Novel) by Amy Stewart

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

This book was on my radar, but not on the "I've just got to read it now!" radar.  I put myself on the hold list at the library, but soon realized it would probably be next year before I would reach the top of the list.  That just wouldn't do.  I was contemplating buying the hardcover, when my friend Kirk talked about the book at our monthly book club and offered up his copy to anyone who wanted to read it.  

When the book gods offer up a book you want to read, you take it.  It was immediately bumped up to this month's TBR pile so I wouldn't lose it at home, forget to read it, or have to keep telling Kirk "I'm going to read it soon".  

Before the Fall is a pretty quick read.  Noah Hawley is a very talented writer of tv shows (Fargo, Bones), and that talent shows in the back and forth that happens in the novel.  I'm not giving anything away when I give you the plot of the story:  a very rich couple vacations on Martha's Vineyard in August.  They are heading back to New Jersey on a private plane.  They've invited along another couple, and an artist who's hitching a ride back to New Jersey.  The couple Maggie and David Bateman also have their two kids on board:  nine year old Rachel and four year old JJ.  Also along for the ride is the Bateman's security guard, Gil Baruch.  A simple flight, taking less than an hour.  

Except 16 minutes into the flight, the plane crashes into the ocean.  Only two people survive:  Scott Burroughs, the artist, and little JJ.  

How does the plane crash?  Why?  Was it a mechanical failure, or something more ominous?  There are plenty of possibilities.  The novel moves from Scott's experience after the crash to each person on the plane, and the days leading up to the crash.  One strange bit is that the date of each person's death: August 23, 2015 is the same except for Gil Baruch's:  his is August 26th, 2015.  What the heck does that mean?  

Another kicker:  Scott doesn't remember what happened.  He hit his head, and next thing he knows, he's in the ocean, surrounded by flames.  And then he hears a cry.  It's JJ, floating on a piece of debris.  

It's a pretty good book.  I wouldn't say it's a thriller; more of a mystery.  The novel also looks at the way the 24 hour news treats tragedies; how they treat survivors, and through it all is the sense of how abruptly life can end for some of us without any warning.  What makes this such a big news story is the fact that Bateman was the head of a Fox-like news company (worth millions), and the other couple, Ben and Sarah Kipling, are also millionaires.  And Ben just found out he's going to be indicted for money laundering the next day.  Will they find the plane?  Will the FBI figure out what happened?  And how will Scott move forward, knowing he's got a second chance?

I enjoyed this novel.  It was a complete switch from reading about baking and Vermont.  The ending, oh, it just felt like a punch in the stomach to me.  

Rating:  8/10 for a novel that sucks you into the lives of characters that perish in the first chapter, but haunt you throughout the story.  A good read!

Available in hardcover, e-book, and audio.

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Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart

I love to read a historical novel that is written with careful attention to detail and doesn't fudge facts.  I also love to read about forgotten people, places, and events that were big headlines in the newspapers, but today, no one knows about them.  Just goes to show that even incredibly famous people can fade away from the public consciousness eventually. And of course anytime a woman steps out and stands up I'm ready to cheer!

Girl Waits With Gun is about the Kopp Sisters of Paterson, New Jersey:  Constance, Norma, and Fleurette.  It's 1914, and they live on a farm outside of town.  Constance is the eldest, and a very striking woman:  she stands at 6 ft and can't be missed.  Norma keeps pigeons as a hobby, and Fleurette at seventeen, is the youngest, prettiest, and most naive of the sisters.  One day while driving into town with their buggy, they are hit by a car.  Their buggy is damaged, and Constance wants it fixed.  Unfortunately for the Kopp sisters, their buggy was hit by local silk factory owner Henry Kaufman.  Loud, angry, and used to getting his way, he refuses to pay for damages.  Henry and his gang of bullies then proceed to harass and intimidate the Kopp sisters.  

Constance won't stand for it.  She goes to the local sheriff, and begins her quest to bring Henry to justice.  What starts out as a simple request for $50 to fix her buggy begins a year long test of bravery for Constance.  Henry has no problem sending intimidating letters, threatening to kidnap Fleurette and sell her into white slavery (Fleurette thinks it's all very thrilling), and attempting to drive the sisters into silence. 

The title comes from an actual newspaper article that was written about the Kopp sisters in 1914.  Constance and her sisters became newspaper worthy when they decided to bring their plight to the public in hopes of stopping the harassment.  Her growing friendship with Sheriff Heath is one of the best parts of this novel, as we see his respect for her grow and a true partnership begin to form as they not only work to bring Henry to justice, but find the child of a factory worker that disappeared during a strike at the silk factory.  We learn that Henry Kaufman had his fingers in everything, and wasn't above using money and fists to keep people in line.  This really is the ultimate "besting the bully" story.  

Constance really did exist.  She became the first female deputy sheriff in the United States.  I'd love to read more about her.  Author Amy Stewart has a website that has photos of Constance and some of the actual newspaper headlines of 1914 regarding the Kopp sisters.   I got a real kick out of this story, and if you're a fan of historical fiction with feisty females and a dash of humor, this is the book for you.  It would make a good book club selection with plenty to discuss.  

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin for providing an advanced copy to read and review.  

Rating:  7/10 for well-drawn characters, a story that shifts from seriousness to humor gracefully, and a glimpse into 1914 New Jersey.

Available September 1st in hardcover, e-book, and audio.
 

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Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart