Book Review – “A Purse to Die For” by Melodie Campbell

Title:  A Purse to Die For

Author:  Melodie Campbell & Cynthia St-Pierre

Publisher:  Imajin Books (available Amazon.com Kindle store only)

 

Synopsis (from amazon.com):  What’s more treacherous than navigating a pack of society matrons at a designer
sale?

Stalking a killer…

When fashionista and television celeb
Gina Monroe goes home to attend the funeral of her late grandmother, the last
thing she expects to encounter is murder. And the reading of the will is
anything but fashionable as unanswered questions arise. Who is the dead woman in
the woods behind the family house? And why is she dressed in Milano designer
clothes?

With help from her cousin Tony and Detective Rob Dumont, Gina
investigates the not-so-model citizens around her. When another murder occurs, a
pattern slowly emerges and Gina wonders if her grandmother’s death wasn’t so
natural after all.

My thoughts:  Well, this was one of my ever famous freebie finds on amazon.com!  I am always looking for freebies that I can read on my iPad while working out.   What can I say about this book . . . I really wanted to like it, but in the end I have to say it just wasn’t good.

The title was rather deceiving in that I really thought it was going to fall safely in the cozy genre that I so like to read, I pictured handbags, purses, or other fashion playing a huge role in the overall mystery.  Forget about that idea, yes there was one small part that had to do with a clue with a purse, but that was it.

The book actually started out pretty good.  The characters were introduced and the reader was presented with a death of a family member that may not be what it seems.  Unfortunately it was all down hill from there.  The character development was quite poor and rather confusing I must say.  There ended up to be so many characters who really never got developed in any meaningful way that I forgot who everyone was and what role they played in the story.  Ultimately I found that many simply didn’t have a huge role in the story, not sure why they were there.

The ending was horrible I thought.  I actually found myself in the gym swiping across my iPad screen to continue reading having no idea that the book was actually finished.  It just ended.  What, that is all, was that the ending?

I am certainly not a writer and couldn’t do any better, but given that I have read many, many cozy mysteries in my time, I just got the overall feeling that these authors were trying to break into this genre – but they clearly missed the mark with this one.

Overall, poor character development, a bad ending, a confusing storyline that never really came together for many of the characters.  I wouldn’t recommend it.  And I am very glad I didn’t pay the $3.99 on Kindle for it.

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

 

Book Review – Plague (A Medical Thriller) by Victor Methos

Title:  Plague

Author:  Victor Methos

Availble: Kindle ebook only, amazon.com, $2.99

 

 

Synopsis (from amazon.com):

THE DEADLIEST DISEASE IN HISTORY . . .

A lethal pathogen appears on the
Hawaiian island of Oahu. Dr. Samantha Bower of the Centers for Disease Control
is handed the case and assigned to investigate its containment and origins.

A MYSTERIOUS FIGURE WHO ISN’T WHAT HE APPEARS TO BE . . .

Dr.
Bower finds a microorganism unlike any she has run across in her lifetime. The
symptomology points her to the most destructive disease in human history. One
man has offered her help. A man with insight into the disease who reveals
nothing about himself or his past.

THE WORLD ON THE EDGE OF A CLIFF . .

Dr. Bower discovers that there are forces at work she can’t
understand. All applying pressure to use the chaos of an epidemic to their
advantage. But there is one thing she is certain of: humanity may soon be an
endangered species . . .

 

My thoughts:  This was one of my infamous free Kindle books that I frequently download on my iPad to read during workouts!  As an aside, I am seriously not a fan of working out, so I find that reading almost anything is better than constantly looking at the clock 🙂

I really do love a good medical thriller (which makes me think, where did all the great medical thrillers go?), so I embarked on this book during hours on the treadmill and elliptical.

This book actually started out pretty darn good.  I enjoyed the characters, espcially the strong female lead character.  I enjoyed the medical story and getting to know the characters better.  However, the ending of the book was horrible in my opinion.  It not only fell completely flat for me, it just abruptly stopped – to the point where I actually turned back a bit to see if I had accidentally skipped a part.  To me, it just ended and I was like, “Where is the ending?  That is it!”

Put it this way, it was an alright book to be read during workouts and I got it for FREE!  I am not sure I would even pay the $2.99 for it to be honest.  I ahve definitely read better, more compelling, and more dramatic medical thrillers in my life!

A so-so read with a flat ending!

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

 

Great Kindle Deals on Amazon

Hi all.  I was searching around on Amazon today and found some great Kindle deals.  As most of you avid ebook readers already know Kindle has 100 books featured that are $3.99 or less.  There are some great titles on there!  So stop on by and check them out.  Please note – the prices can change at any time, so please check the price carefully before you buy!  Have fun!

  Title:  Ready Scrap Shoot (I have read this series and this price is a steal for this new book!  Jump on it NOW!)

Author:  Joanna Campbell Slan

Kindle Price:  $1.99

Synopsis (from amazon.com):

For Kiki Lowenstein, only one thing is (marginally) worse than her selfish, hyper-critical mother coming for an extended visit — dodging bullets. In the merry midst of the timehonored May Day celebration at Kiki’s daughter’s private school, a sniper fires shots into the crowd, killing deep-pocketed alum Edwina Fitzgerald. Did someone want to punish the imperious, widely hated matriarch — or was Kiki the intended target all along?

  Title:  The Boy in the Suitcase

Author:  Lene Kaaberbol

Kindle price:  $1.99

Synopsis (from amazon.com):

Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse, wife, and mother of two, is a compulsive do-gooder who can’t say no when someone asks for help—even when she knows better. When her estranged friend Karin leaves her a key to a public locker in the Copenhagen train station, Nina gets suckered into her most dangerous project yet. Inside the locker is a suitcase, and inside the suitcase is a three-year-old boy: naked and drugged, but alive. Is the boy a victim of child trafficking? Can he be turned over to authorities, or will they only return him to whoever sold him? When Karin is discovered brutally murdered, Nina realizes that her life and the boy’s are in jeopardy, too. In an increasingly desperate trek across Denmark, Nina tries to figure out who the boy is, where he belongs, and who exactly is trying to hunt him down.

  Title:  Silenced (Lucy Kincaid Series)

Author:  Allison Brennan

Kindle price:  $2.99

Synopsis (from amazon.com):

Lucy Kincaid is back—with a vengeance.

A Washington Sex Scandal

It has been seven years since Lucy was attacked—and almost killed—by an online predator. Today, she is well on her way toward a new life.

While waiting to begin her training at the FBI Academy, Lucy’s is tireless in her fight against cyber sex crime. Her current mission: to find out who killed a high-priced call girl linked to a powerful Congressman.

A Cold-Blooded Killer

A number of known prostitutes—with scores of high profile clients—are turning up dead all over D.C. Is this the work of a depraved killer? Or the result of an inside job? Lucy’s investigation will take her into an underground network of prostitutes, the chambers of the country’s most powerful players, and her own dark past to confront an unknown enemy who’s always one step ahead of her. With the help of her P.I. boyfriend Sean Rogan, Lucy must find and protect the only witness who can identify the killer and end the conspiracy, but can the witness be trusted? Lucy will risk everything to expose the truth and ensure justice is served, even if that means putting herself in the line of fire…

  Title:  Bonegrinder

Author:  Jon Lutz

Kindle price:  $1.99

Synopsis (from amazon.com):

A bloodthirsty lake monster menaces a small town in the Ozarks

When the men find him, the boy’s legs look like they were run through a wood-chipper. He’s bleeding heavily and near death, but he still has strength to tell them of the monster that attacked him: a dark, massive creature that emerged from the bottom of the lake. The child dies before he can say more.

Sheriff Billy Wintone has seen too much superstition, drunkenness, and rage in this small Ozarks town to believe the delirious boy’s tale of a monster lurking under the lake’s dark waters. Like it or not, however, Wintone must scour the woods for the man or beast who killed the child before the start of fishing season. When another body is found chewed to pieces, the Sheriff begins to wonder what evil lies at the bottom of Big Water Lake.

  Title:  Fix, Freeze, Feast

  Kindle price:  $2.51

  Synopsis (from amazon.com):

Buy groceries in bulk, prepare family-friendly dishes, package in meal-sized freezer bags, then stock the freezer with ready-to-defrost-and-serve tasty homemade meals. This is the winning system of Fix, Freeze, Feast, a cookbook that has already attracted an enthusiastic following among busy families.
Millions of shoppers save money by buying groceries in bulk – trays of boneless chicken breasts, pairs of flank steaks, flats of ripe tomatoes. But savings can quickly turn to losses if those bulk quantities spoil in the refrigerator or lie forgotten – unlabeled and unrecognizable under lays of ice crystals – in the back of the freezer.
In the new paperback edition of Fix, Freeze, Feast, authors Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik offer a complete system for taking full advantage of bulk purchasing and advance preparation to ensure no food is ever wasted. They show how easy it is to get organized, prepare ahead, and be ready to put healthful, satisfying meals on the dinner table (or breakfast table, or even brunch table!) at a moment’s notice. Theirs is a cookbook price-conscious shoppers will love and warehouse club members shouldn’t be without.
Cooks will find 125 delicious, healthful recipes to choose from Each one includes directions for dividing, preparing, and storing raw ingredients; a second set of simple direction is included for thawing, cooking, and enjoying the food. Designed for the way people cook today, Fix, Freeze, Feast meals are lighter and fresher than traditional bulk-cooking recipes, with a focus on simple stews and stir-fries, quick grilled or broiled main courses, and popular ethnic meals such as Beef Fajitas and Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry. Fix, Freeze, Feast, also includes ready-to-bake cookie doughs, soups, side dishes, smoothies, and snacks. With these innovative techniques and recipes, dinner is always in the freezer!

Enjoy your new purchases!

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather