Reviews 
Whether it be a book, movie, or something else, here’s a critique.
D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths
In Olden Times, when men still worshipped ugly idols, there lived in the land of Greeve a folk of shepherds and herdsmen who cherished light and beauty. They did not worship dark idols like their neighbors, but created instead their own beautiful, radiant gods.” So began one of my most treasured books from childhood. D’Aulaires’… Read More ›
Trolls
With the recent release of The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim—an awesome game by the way—which is set in the homeland of the Nords, I’m reminded of one of my first forays into Norse Mythology. As a kid, I discovered The Troll Book at my local library and checked out—more than once—this informative look at the lore of Trolls…. Read More ›
Sweet Revenge
Remember the old adage? Revenge is a dish best served cold. In this 14th culinary mystery featuring caterer/sleuth Goldy Schulz, that saying would be well suited. Former district attorney Drew Wellington has made his fair share of enemies, and Goldy’s on the scene when Drew is drugged, poisoned, stabbed, and left for dead in the… Read More ›
The 10th Kingdom
It opens with a song… I’m wishing on a star To follow where you are I’m wishing on a dream To follow what it means And I’ll wish on all the rainbows that I see I wish for all the people who dream a dream Once upon a time, an evil queen cursed a prince—transforming… Read More ›
The Chocolate Cat Caper
The first in the Chocoholic mystery series takes Shakespeare’s adage, “first kill all the lawyers,” to heart. Clementine Ripley, a high-profile defense attorney, takes a fatal bite of chocolate and then promptly falls over a balcony landing at Lee McKinney’s feet. In her first full-length appearance (see this entry about the short story), Lee McKinney has once again… Read More ›
The Chocoholic Mysteries
With Halloween approaching, October is the perfect month to read a book featuring chocolate, and JoAnna Carl’s Chocoholic Mysteries are a perfect choice. For my “A Taste of Murder” discussion series, I ended up reading two selections. I picked up a copy of Crime de Cocoa, which includes the first three Chocoholic Mysteries and a… Read More ›
Dark Shadows
In 1991, a show premiered on NBC that captured my imagination. It opened with a governess on a train… “My name is Victoria Winters. My journey is just beginning—a journey that I am hoping will somehow begin to reveal the mysteries of my past. It is a journey that will bring me to a strange… Read More ›
The Gracie Allen Murder Case II
Philo Vance is a noted detective in mystery fiction. However, modern readers might find his affected speech irritating. His tendency to use complex words, references to classical mythology, and dropping the ‘g’ off of words ending in ‘ing’ are a tad annoying, perhaps. As I mentioned previously, having a dictionary handy is a good idea…. Read More ›
The Gracie Allen Murder Case
This is a most unusual mystery novel. In reading about the mystery genre and the craft of writing detective stories, I’ve come across mentions of S. S. Van Dine and his detective Philo Vance. Van Dine, the pseudonym of critic and journalist Willard Huntington Wright (1888 – 1939), was an acquaintance of Burns and Allen,… Read More ›
Scones & Bones
Piratical legend features in this twelfth entry in the Tea Shop Mystery series by Laura Childs. The Tea Shop Mysteries are like revisiting an old friend. Invariably the story begins with Theodosia Browning and company at a notable event in Charleston, South Carolina, and by the end of the first chapter, someone had been killed. It’s… Read More ›
The Poisoned Martini 