{I've Been Reading} A Fatal Collection

Still not much knitting at my house. I've picked up the socks a few times, but if I'm snuggled in my comfy corner of the couch lately, I'm most likely stitching away on Mona Lisa.



A Fatal Collection by Mary Ellen Hughes

When a visit to her aunt is cut tragically short by the older woman's unexpected death, Callie Reed inherits a shop full of music boxes and the charming little cottage behind it. She's quick to step into her new life, but as she learns more about Keepsake Cove and its residents, she begins to wonder if her aunt's death was an accident at all. We barely get a chance to meet Aunt Melodie, just long enough to get the impression that she was a really nice lady. I enjoyed this book.  The mystery kept me guessing until the end and the solution left me satisfied. The residents of Keepsake Cove are three-dimensional and I'm excited to see where the series goes with them. There's also a little hint of what might be the paranormal, which is always something I'm happy to read. While I'm waiting for book #2, I think I'll check out the author's other two series.



The Good Mother by Karen Osman

There are three stories here -- a middle aged woman writing to a prison inmate, a college student in a relationship with one of her instructors, and an unhappy housewife taking a writing class. Each woman is living in a different decade and there seems to be no connection between them...except there obviously has to be something tying them all together or they wouldn't all be sharing the same book. Kate, Catherine, and Alison have distinct personalities and I didn't need the chapter headings to keep track of who was who. I was surprised by the twist, but in hindsight I probably should have seen it coming.



Of Spice and Men by Sarah Fox

 A horror movie is being filmed in Wildwood Cove and the head make up artist is killed when someone sets her trailer on fire.  The murder happens early on and things never slow down after that. The third Pancake House mystery is so fast-paced that there's not much time spent at Marley's Flip Side pancake house. I'd expected the remake of The Perishing to be a significant part of the plot, but I never even found out what either the original movie or the remake was about.

Disclosure -- I was provided with advance review copies by the publishers. All opinions are my own.