Growing up I remember my mom always had a Mary Higgins Clark book in her hand. Maybe not always, but she read Mary Higgins Clark a LOT. As I have gotten older I find myself drawn towards Mary Higgins Clark as well. It must run in the family. Since moving to Connecticut I have gotten a public library card and have been checking out all of the Mary Higgins Clark books. I don't know why but it just feels like something I should read in the winter. Maybe I'm crazy but cold winter nights and mysteries just go hand in hand to me. I've finished 2 of them now and must say Mary Higgins Clark is as good, if not better, than I remember. Let's get down to business.
Nighttime is My Time is about a woman, Jean, who returns to her high school home town for a high school reunion. Jean is a historian/college professor that is getting honored at this reunion, along with a few of her classmates. Shortly before the reunion, one of Jean's old high school friends Alison is found dead in her pool. No one thinks much of it, except for Jake, a high school student who is covering the reunion for his school paper. Jake has realized that since Jean and her friends graduated from high school an uncanny amount of students from that class has turned up dead, all of supposed tragic accidents. When Laura, another friend of Jean's, turns up missing while attending the reunion, Jake is the only one who thinks that maybe something fishy is going on. Combine Laura's sudden disappearance with a string of murders happening in surrounding towns AND the surprising number of people who have died in Laura and Jean's graduating class. . . there must be a serial killer on the loose, and he or she MUST be targeting the reunion party.
I really enjoyed this book. Mary Higgins Clark provided a multitude of characters that COULD have been the killer. At the end of every chapter I was convinced someone else was the guy. The story moved really quickly and was just a fun read. There were added elements of suspense that made you want to scream at Laura and Jean to JUST STAY AWAY!!!! Nighttime Is My Time really pulled me in to the story and let me escape for a few hours. And that is what a book should do!
I have one more Mary Higgins Clark book I need to blog about before I return to the library this weekend. I actually have 3 more books I should really attempt to finish by then as well. For some reason I really hate checking a book out at the library and not reading it. Obviously I can check it out again whenever I want, but I feel like I have failed at a goal when I don't finish them all. Maybe that's just me?
Showing posts with label Mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mystery. Show all posts
Monday, December 7, 2015
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Sugar Cookie Murder- Joanne Fluke
If I were to have to name my top 5 favorite things (and I said THINGS, not people), 2 of those things would be recipes and a good story. The Hannah Swenson series (of which this book is a part) combines both of those things into one fantastic binded bundle of happiness for me. So I will give you a low down on the series before I give a summary of this book in particular.
Hannah Swenson owns a cookie shop (which I imagine as kind of being like all the cupcake stores that have popped up over the past few years) in a small town in Minnesota. She is kind of dating 2 guys, one of them a dentist and the other a detective. Her family all lives in town with the exception of her dad, who has passed away, and her baby sister, who is off at school. Basically in every book, Hannah will find a dead body or is with someone when a dead body is discovered. Hannah then solves the murder. While the plot in each story may sound predictable, it is far from it. I love these books because: A. there are recipes. B. There are some surprising endings to the stories and C. the characters actually develop a lot throughout the series. I love reading these books and finding out if Andrea (Hannah's sister) has had her baby or if Lisa (her partner at the cookie shop) is going to get engaged to Herb. Like I said,the stories develop well and you get to keep up with the characters.
So now to the summary of this particular book. The novel itself was 200 pages with an additonal 166 pages of recipes :) YAY! I won't lie, while I was reading this I noticed that there weren't recipes between chapters like there normally is and I got a little bummed. I flipped through the pages a bit to see if I was getting jipped and saw that there was a TON in the back and all was well. ANYWAYS. . . in this particular story, Hannah is hosting a Christmas potluck for the town of Lake Eden. The reason behind it is that she is collecting recipes and compiling them into a cook book that is getting published (they discuss this in some previous books. . . see continuing story line). She is kind of having a taste test thing and using the Christmas Potluck and as way to carry this out. At the party, a recently divorced resident of Lake Eden shows up with his new wife, a Vegas showgirl. As the party goes on, it is discovered that an antique cake knife that was supposed to be used on the desserts has gone missing. Hannah goes on the prowl to find it and discovers that it was used to murder the new Vegas showgirl wife. She grabs her sometimes man Mike the detective and they decide that most likely the murderer is still at the potluck because of the weather conditions so the building goes on lock down until the murder is solved. Hannah and her sisters end up solving the murder and the Christmas Potluck ends in success.
Like I've said, I love these books, so this one was no exception. I love that stuff from previous books in the series carries in to this one. This series is one that I would read in order, so I can't read another one until I buy the next book. Trip to Barnes and Noble anyone???? I recommend these books to anyone who loves a good mystery and a love of sweets. I can't wait to attempt some of the recipes in the series!
Next up on my reading list: Mansfield Park. I love me some Jane Austen! I've actually never read this book before, but I love Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility, so I don't see why this one would be any different.
Sorry for the long post!
Happy Reading!
Tara
Hannah Swenson owns a cookie shop (which I imagine as kind of being like all the cupcake stores that have popped up over the past few years) in a small town in Minnesota. She is kind of dating 2 guys, one of them a dentist and the other a detective. Her family all lives in town with the exception of her dad, who has passed away, and her baby sister, who is off at school. Basically in every book, Hannah will find a dead body or is with someone when a dead body is discovered. Hannah then solves the murder. While the plot in each story may sound predictable, it is far from it. I love these books because: A. there are recipes. B. There are some surprising endings to the stories and C. the characters actually develop a lot throughout the series. I love reading these books and finding out if Andrea (Hannah's sister) has had her baby or if Lisa (her partner at the cookie shop) is going to get engaged to Herb. Like I said,the stories develop well and you get to keep up with the characters.
So now to the summary of this particular book. The novel itself was 200 pages with an additonal 166 pages of recipes :) YAY! I won't lie, while I was reading this I noticed that there weren't recipes between chapters like there normally is and I got a little bummed. I flipped through the pages a bit to see if I was getting jipped and saw that there was a TON in the back and all was well. ANYWAYS. . . in this particular story, Hannah is hosting a Christmas potluck for the town of Lake Eden. The reason behind it is that she is collecting recipes and compiling them into a cook book that is getting published (they discuss this in some previous books. . . see continuing story line). She is kind of having a taste test thing and using the Christmas Potluck and as way to carry this out. At the party, a recently divorced resident of Lake Eden shows up with his new wife, a Vegas showgirl. As the party goes on, it is discovered that an antique cake knife that was supposed to be used on the desserts has gone missing. Hannah goes on the prowl to find it and discovers that it was used to murder the new Vegas showgirl wife. She grabs her sometimes man Mike the detective and they decide that most likely the murderer is still at the potluck because of the weather conditions so the building goes on lock down until the murder is solved. Hannah and her sisters end up solving the murder and the Christmas Potluck ends in success.
Like I've said, I love these books, so this one was no exception. I love that stuff from previous books in the series carries in to this one. This series is one that I would read in order, so I can't read another one until I buy the next book. Trip to Barnes and Noble anyone???? I recommend these books to anyone who loves a good mystery and a love of sweets. I can't wait to attempt some of the recipes in the series!
Next up on my reading list: Mansfield Park. I love me some Jane Austen! I've actually never read this book before, but I love Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility, so I don't see why this one would be any different.
Sorry for the long post!
Happy Reading!
Tara
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