Book 161: To Kingdom Come

To Kingdom Come by Thomas is the second installment in the Barker & Llewelyn myseteries.  A quiet morning in the harder is suddenly interrupted by an explosion.  Barker and Thomas  follow the smoke to the Scotland Yard office near their own.  Believed to be the work of an unknown radical Irish faction, Barker is hired to impersonate a German bomb maker to infiltrate and stop the group. 

Another intriguing mystery.  4 stars

Book 160: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

Sam is a poor drop out working at a fast food restaurant with his friends when Douglas walks into his life.  Furious at finding another necromancer in his territory, he sends Sam the reanimated head of his friend Brooke as a warning.  Sam is shocked to find out that he is a necromancer.  He wants nothing to do with Douglas, but the threat to his friends and family leaves him with no options especially when he is kidnapped and wakes in a cage in Douglas' basement.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by McBride is a dark fantasy with a very unlikely hero.  3 stars

Book 159: Spying on High Heels

Spying on High Heels by Gemma Halliday is the first cozy mystery in the High Heels series starting show designer Maddie Springer.  What starts as simple worry when her boyfriend disappears quickly becomes a full downhill slide in luck.  Her boyfriend is suspected of helping one of his clients with embezzling.  Then the client's wife is found dead face down in the studio, and Maddie's boyfriend turns out to be married.  Since finding a murderer seems easier than facing a pregnancy test, Maddie sets out to find the truth much to the chagrin of police detective Ramirez.

Maddie is definitely a girlie girl, and I rolled my eyes several times at some of her decisions and believe she has earned too marks in procrastination.  Still overall, I found the mystery entertaining and humorous.  4 stars

Book 158: The Trouble With Magic

The Trouble With Magic by Alt is the first mystery in "A Bewitching Mystery" series.  Maggie O'Neill gets fired from the job she hates and takes a retail position at Enchantments working for Felicity Dow.  On her first day, her employer receives a call from her estranged sister and leaves Maggie to tend store.  Maggie is shocked when a few hours later a cop arrives at the store with Felicity's keys explaining that her employer is being questioned regarding the murder of her sister.  Believing that the cops are allowing their prejudice against Felicity to cloud their investigation, Maggie embarks on her own quest to find the murderer while trying to understand her strengthening psychic abilities. 

A decent start to a cozy mystery series.  3 stars

Book 157: Some Danger Involved

Thomas Llewlyn had reached the end of his rope.  Released from prison, unable to find a job, and mourning the loss of his wife, he tries one last interview with private inquiry agent Cyrus Barker and is shocked to find himself hired with a new wardrobe, a roof over his head, and plenty of food to eat.  His first case begins when Barker is hired by the head of the Jewish community in London to investigate the murder of a Jewish student, who was found hanging on a crossbeam attached to a pole in a manner clearly reminiscent of crucifixion  in one of the main Jewish business areas. 

A brilliantly written mystery with lots of twists and turns and a surprise scoundrel at the end.  I look forward to reading more books in this series.  5 stars

Book 156: Murder at Redwood Cove

Murder at Redwood Cove by Janet Finsilver is the first in the Kelly Jackson mystery series.  Kelly has been sent to Redwood Cove to assume the position of interim manager after the previous manager is found dead at the bottom of a cliff.  She quickly meets the Silver Sentinels, a group of older people who try to solve mysteries together.  The group believes that Bob's death was murder, and Kelly agrees to keep them informed about any information that she discovers.  Then Kelly is hit over the head by an intruder who is stealing Bob's blackberry and find an envelope with a coded message in the safe with instructions to turn it over to the Silver Sentinels.  When the son of one of her employees is also nearly murdered, Kelly is determined to find the murderer and protect him.

An intriguing cast of characters and delightful setting form an excellent backdrop for this mystery.  The mystery itself was well written and kept me guessing to the end.  I'll definitely be continuing with this series.  4 stars

Book 155: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The final installment in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by Rowling recounts the story of Harry, Hermione, and Ron continuing to hunt for Voldemort's horcruxes so that he can be defeated.  Voldemort, meanwhile, infuriated at his inability to kill Harry embarks on his own hunt for the most powerful wand in the world while his Death Eaters take over both the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts.  A fantastic end to an enduring series.  5 stars