A Date with Death by Joanne Phillips (Flora Lively Investigates #2) Book Review

A Date with Death by Joanne Phillips (Flora Lively Investigates #2)

Synopsis: Flora Lively is thrilled to land a job on a glamorous film set with her old friend Celeste. Marshall is less than happy, but then he always likes to have something to grumble about ... When a member of the Spanish film crew is brutally murdered and the priceless Infanta Tiara stolen, DI Jack Harding’s finger of suspicion falls on everyone at Hanley Manor – even Flora. Someone on the estate is a murderer, but who? When an arrest is made, Flora is forced to investigate the murder herself after learning that the chief suspect is someone far too close to home. Plunged deep into a puzzling mystery, with no idea who she can and cannot trust, Flora must keep one eye over her shoulder at all times. Because the murderer is about to strike again ... 




My Review: 
This is the second book of the Flora Lively Investigates series, I read the first book Murder at the Maples back in January.  This book does stand alone,  so it is not necessary to have read the first book in the series.

On with the review. Set at a tired country house called Henley Manor in rural Shropshire, with an addition of a Spanish film company using it as as their base and a film location. Flora and her removals company, including manager Marshall are there at the request of actress Celeste and longtime school friend of Flora's. 

The story follows the actors, crew and director, all of whom are eager to gain their share of the limelight. When one of them is murdered and a priceless tiara is stolen, it is not long before the police have a chief suspect - Marshall. Now it is time for Flora to step in to prove his innocents.

This mystery was easy to follow, but not to easy to predict, no one likes a predictable murder. Presented with multiple suspects, all with credible stories I could not predict or anticipate who the the murderer was. Flora's friend Celeste is a character that we all come across from time to time, you know the kind of person who absorbs your time and energy, usually at your expense. It is interesting to see through the story and with a little prompting from Marshall, Flora does eventually see her friend for what she really is, and that is not a friend in the truest sense.

I felt as though Flora had grown up in this book, still funny and quirky but less dipsy and silly. Flora and Marshall's relationship with each other develops subtly as the mystery unfolds.  It is refreshing to read a book that does not contain gratuitous violence or sex, even though this story is about a murder.  A very pleasant and enjoyable read, a mash up of a young Miss Marple and Midsummer Murders but set in my home county of Shropshire.  One to add to your reading list.

Now I just have to wait for book 3 in the series. 

The paperback version of this book is 210 pages. 

 I gave this book 4.5 stars out of 5, on Goodreads  it currently has an average of 4 stars.   Available for Kindle from Amazon

Angela

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Murder at the Maples by Joanne Phillips : Review

Murder at the Maples by Joanne Phillips (Flora Lively Investigates #1)

Synopsis: A tragic death. A reluctant sleuth. A childhood prank that went horribly wrong.
When Flora Lively inherits her father’s business she’s totally out of her depth. Shakers Removals is in trouble, and manager Marshall isn’t helping one bit – the ex-pat American delights only in winding her up. But Flora has other things on her mind, like Joy: surrogate grandmother and resident of the Maples Retirement Village. When Joy’s pet pug has a brush with death, Flora is pulled into a series of bizarre incidents at the Maples, where fear is starting to take hold.

My Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it was a delightful, intriguing mystery. The main character Flora Lively reminded me of a young Jean Brodie and Miss Marple. Flora is desperate to do the right thing and continue to successfully run the family home removals business 'Shakers' since the death of her parents.  She refuses to accept the help of Marshall the manger who her father trusted.  Flora's lack of decision making around the family business had me virtually shouting at her, just let Marshall get on with the job and stop getting in the way of his ideas!  I loved the relationship between these two characters, everyone but Flora seemed notice there is something between the two.

Whilst Joy a surrogate grandmother to Flora has settled into life at The Maples Retirement Home, things are not as they appear. Are the residents of The Maples safe, is Joy safe, is the dog safe? I liked the relationship Flora built with the older characters at the retirement home, it showed a caring, thoughtful and kind side in such a young person. I must admit that Joy did remind me of my aunt, who can be rather stubborn and cantankerous if people get in her way. I really felt for Flora when she was faced with the dilemma of trusting and believing what Joy was telling her, or doubting whether Joy was getting herself confused. 

Flora with the help of Marshall, her Uncle, Joy and Otto the dog dig into the past of Felix a new resident at the Maples. Or do the answers lie with the manager of the Maples and a local corrupt solicitor.   I was a little surprised by Joy's past that sweet old lady has something of a dark secret.

It was such a delight reading this book as it is based in Shropshire, which is where I live, it really did add to my enjoyment having visited many of the locations particularly the Cliff Railway at Bridgnorth. A thoroughly enjoyable cosy mystery read, I can not wait to read the next in the Flora Lively Investigates series, which according to Joanne Phillips will be out soon.

I gave this book 4 stars out of 5 on Goodreads where it currently has an average of 3.52 stars.

To find out more about the book or the author Joanne Phillips visit the following links.

Goodreads   ~  Amazon

Angela

Post may contain affiliate links.

The Last Ancient by Eliot Baker: Review

Synopsis

Around Nantucket Island, brutal crime scenes are peppered with ancient coins, found by the one man who can unlock their meaning. But what do the coins have to do with the crimes? Or the sudden disease epidemic? Even the creature? And who--or what--left them?

The answer leads reporter Simon Stephenson on a journey through ancient mythology, numismatics, and the occult. Not to mention his own past, which turns out to be even darker than he'd realized; his murdered father was a feared arms dealer, after all. Along the way, Simon battles panic attacks and a host of nasty characters -- some natural, others less so -- while his heiress fiancee goes bridezilla, and a gorgeous rival TV reporter conceals her own intentions.

Review

The book starts with a bang, Simon the main character is out following the brutal killings of local deer on Nantucket, as more deer turn up, so do ancient coins and soon well it isn't just the deer running riot as mythical creatures and a deadly virus start to come to light.

The story takes Simon on a roller coaster ride, as he follows the clues and the coins to find out just what really is going on. He has to face up to some of his childhood dramas, which he thought were long behind him, while learning the truth of who others in his life are.

He is actually a character you could resonate with (apart from the fact his father had been a well-known and hunted criminal until his death of course), he is laid back, he has a job he likes and a fiancé he seems at least at first to love, which, when things start to happen left me wondering, just how would I cope finding out these secrets?

The book surprised me as it journeys through a number of different genres, moving from one to the other seamlessly. I often didn't know what to expect from each turn of the page and it really did offer some surprises I didn't see coming along the way.

The Last Ancient is a beautifully written book that just flows at a constant pace, it offered a type of book, I personally hadn't read before and the multi layers in it just make it stand out. Personally I would love to see it made into a film.

If you are a fan of the mystical and all things mythological - you might just want to grab this book and find out what happened to the last ancient.

About the author

Eliot Baker lives in Finland. He teaches communications at a local college and runs an editing and translating business, but would be content singing for his heavy metal band and writing novels full-time. He grew up near Seattle, got his B.A. in World Literature at Pitzer College, and got his M.S. in Science Journalism from Boston University. He was an award-winning journalist at the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror, and before that he wrote for the Harvard Health Letters. He spent four years pursuing a career in the sciences while at the Harvard Extension School, during which time he spun old people in NASA-designed rocket chairs and kept younger people awake for 86 hours at a time in a sleep deprivation study. He likes good books, all music, and bad movies, and believes music and literature snobs just need a hug. His latest book is the supernatural thriller/historical mystery, The Last Ancient.

Visit his blog at www.eliotbakerauthor.blogspot.com.

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