Banana Split by Josi S. Kilpack

To read my reviews of the other books in this series, click here: Lemon Tart, English Trifle, Devil's Food Cake, Key Lime Pie, Blackberry Crumble, and Pumpkin Roll.



Title: Banana Split (Culinary Mystery #7)
Author: Josi S. Kilpack
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Mystery
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Sadie Hoffmiller need some time to rest, and where better than in beautiful Hawaii? But when Sadie finds herself entangled--literally--with a body, she is forced to face the compounding fears that are making her life so difficult to live. Her determination to focus on her healing soon takes a backseat, however, when she meets the son of the woman whose body she discovered and decides to help him" (King County Library System).

Sadie Hoffmiller need some time to rest, and where better than in beautiful Hawaii? But when Sadie finds herself entangled--literally--with a body, she is forced to face the compounding fears that are making her life so difficult to live. Her determination to focus on her healing soon takes a backseat, however, when she meets the son of the woman whose body she discovered and decides to help him. - See more at: http://kcls.bibliocommons.com/item/show/979279082_banana_split#sthash.lcsQas8k.dpuf

Opinions: Banana Split was fascinating to read. Compared to the others in this series, it stood out because Sadie was having to deal with her own personal demons from the previous books as she tried to help Charlie, a Hawaiian boy in the foster care system, find out what happened to his recovering addict mother.  Having personal family members who are dealing with depression and anxiety, I felt a little more connected with Sadie allowing me to understand her feelings a little bit better as she tried to overcome here fears and not letting the anxiety control you.

I also loved the location for the story. Hawaii is always amazing, but I here Kaua'i is outstanding. I loved Josi's interpretation of life there and it reminds me of the time I stayed on the North Shore of O'ahu. I loved being taken back to my time there. The warmheartedness of the people, the beautify of the surroundings, the warm breeze and humid air.  (Okay I'm ready to go back.)  Anyway, the plot was intriguing, the character's growth wonderful, and the recipes delectable.   However, the questions I had at the end of the last book didn't get resolved in Banana Split, so I guess I'll just have to read the next book Tres Leche Cupcakes to find out more  ;-).

Speaking From Among the Bones by Alan Bradley

Sorry for the lack of posts last month. Between the holidays, kids going back to school, and some family trials, life just got in the way making it hard for me to read a book.

But today I just finished reading my first book in months and I loved it. So here you go:

To read my reviews of other books in this series, click here: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, A Red Herring Without Mustard, and I am Half-Sick of Shadows.



Title: Speaking from the Bones (Flavia de Luce series #5)
Author: Alan Bradley
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Mystery
Rating: LOVE
Alerts/Warnings: Mild Swearing, Some scientific descriptions of death associated with murder mysteries
Premise: "Eleven-year-old amateur detective and ardent chemist Flavia de Luce is used to digging up clues, whether they're found among the potions in her laboratory or between the pages of her sisters' diaries. What she is not accustomed to is digging up bodies. Upon the 500th anniversary of St. Tancred's death, the English hamlet of Bishop's Lacey is busily preparing to open its patron saint's tomb. Nobody is more excited to peek inside the crypt than Flavia, yet what she finds will halt the proceedings dead in their tracks: the body of Mr. Collicutt, the church organist, his face grotesquely and inexplicably masked. Who held a vendetta against Mr. Collicutt, and why would they hide him in such a sacred resting place?" (King County Library System).
Opinions: If you love murder mysteries, you will love the Flavia de Luce series. I LOVE this series. Lets face it, chemistry is not my strong suit, and this series revolves around the chemical aspects and breakdowns revolving around murders. And yet I can not get enough of reading these books. I love how strong of a character Flavia is. She is a beautiful mix of brilliant chemistry genius and eleven year old girl. And she is able to use both facets of her personality to get the job done. I love her tenacity, but the thing I loved most about this book is how much she grows as an individual while her family is going through some grave financial times.

Her life at Bucksaw, her ancestral home, is frail and her relationships with her family are changing as she is forced to grow. I loved that she found a threat of continuity in the mysterious death of Mr. Collicutt to hold on to while everything remains uncertain at home.  Also, with each book I read, I love Dogger, Flavia's father's man, more and more. He is a fascinating, mysterious, in-depth character who teaches and watches over Flavia while taking care of her whole family in his quiet ways. Most of all, the ending had me floored. I instantly had to go to my library website to see if I could check out the next book.  It apparently it just came out last month.  I'm 6th in line.  UGH!!!!

Lost Bullet by Malcolm Rose

For my review of book one in this series click here: Framed!



Title: Lost Bullet (Traces Series #2)
Author: Malcolm Rose
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Mystery
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: Moderate descriptions of murder scenes
Premise: "Recently qualified as a forensic investigator, Luke Harding is assigned to the slums of London, where he and Malc investigate a doctor's murder. They find a bullet wound to her head, but rain has washed away the bullet -- and all other clues. As more innocent doctors die, Luke's sleuthing leads him to a mysterious cult called The Visionaries. With no time to lose, Luke must infiltrate the sect and find the culprit before the bizarre shooting spree becomes an all-out massacre" (GoodReads.com).
Opinions: This series seems to be a fantastic cross between murder mystery, science fiction, and dystopian. It is set in a future day London where nature is reclaiming the city and slowly turning parts of it back into a jungle like atmosphere and where you risk life and limb just to step outside. It was intriguing to see the main character moved from the rural-like setting of the first book to future day London where he has to investigate a series of murders filled with reverse racial tension. 

Along with all of this sixteen year old Luke must face the pairing committee who will decide who his future mate is while he struggles to maintain a long distance relationship with his best friend.  I continue to be fascinated by Malc as a character, though he is a robot (or more precisely a Mobile Aide to Law and Crime).  He still works well as a Watson type character for the young Holmes (a.k.a Luke).

At times I did find some of the descriptions of the murder a little graphic for my personal taste, but I still enjoyed the overall concept and plot of the story as well as the series.

Framed by Malcolm Rose

Title: Framed (Traces #1)
Author: Malcolm Rose
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Mystery
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: Moderate descriptions of murder scenes
Premise: "Forensic scientist Luke Harding and his robot assistant must solve a series of on-campus murders, especially since Luke is being framed for the murders." (King County Library System)
Opinions: This was a fast and intriguing read. Set in the future in England the majority of people are brown-skinned and the white is considered the minority. In this world people are also "paired" together to produce the best genetic result based on the field that they are in. So if you are brilliant in science you will be paired with a mate who is also in science. If you are in athletics than you will be paired with a mate who will help produce the best genetic offspring for athletics.

What's even more intriguing about the world that Malcolm Rose created is his main character, Luke. Having just barely graduated as the youngest forensic investigator ever he is almost instantly put on assignment to investigate a murder at his own school. I also love "Malc" (Mobile Aid to Law and Crime). He is a mechanical "Watson" to Luke as "Holmes". I love the relationship between these two characters as they work to solve the crime where all the clues point to Luke himself as the main suspect. This book is a unique twist on the typical murder mystery. Some of the descriptions of the crime scenes might be too gruesome for some readers, but other than that I definitely recommend this book as an enjoyable read.