The Portrait of Doreene Gray by Esri Allbritten

First Line: Outside the darkened windows of Doreene Gray's second floor bedroom, a squall buffeted the house and whistled across the gingerbread trimming.

After dealing with the Chihuahua of the Baskervilles, the next stop on the Tripping Magazine staff's itinerary is Port Townsend, Washington. Their low-budget travel magazine is geared for believers in the paranormal, and they've gotten word that Doreene Gray is about to put her famous portrait on the auction block. What's paranormal about a portrait? It seems that Doreene, who's in her fifties, doesn't look a day over twenty-five, while the portrait of her that was painted by her twin sister, Maureene, looks a bit... weathered. Shades of Oscar Wilde? That's exactly what the Tripping staff wants to find out.

After inveigling their way into the Victorian mansion, they manage to impress the difficult woman and her Brazilian toy boy enough for Doreene to ask them to look into the strange things that have been happening. What's up with the strange slips of paper appearing in the soup, and why is some guy spending a lot of time sitting in a white Impala outside the house? Is Doreene's past catching up with her?

Although the two books in this series are called Chihuahua mysteries, the little dogs aren't the investigators, and neither are they paranormal elements. (You have to admit that the book cover for Doreene Gray gives the impression that the dog is deceased when all that's really happened is that the little guy got into some trouble and is trying to look angelic.) The resident Chihuahua in this book is Gigi, whose human is Doreene Gray herself. Suki the Tripping photographer finds herself involved with Gigi throughout the course of the book.

I have to admit that as soon as I found out that the setting of the book was Port Townsend, Washington, I was sold. I love that old Victorian town, and Allbritten takes us through its streets and even out to Fort Worden and Point Wilson Lighthouse. With just enough allusions to Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray to keep me guessing, the plot was fast-paced and fun.

Speaking of fun, I love the staff of Tripping! Michael Abernathy (main writer), Angus MacGregor (editor and cofounder) and Suki Oota (photographer) have all the sarcasm, skill and subterfuge born of familiarity with each other's working styles, although Suki is still able to surprise the two men on a regular basis. Just listening to them banter back and forth is worth the price of admission.

If you're looking for something light and funny, pick up a Chihuahua mystery and let the staff of Tripping take you on a search for the paranormal. You may not find any otherworldly elements, but you're going to have a blast while you're looking!

The Portrait of Doreene Gray by Esri Allbritten

ISBN: 9780312569167

Minotaur Books  ©2012

Hardcover, 320 pages

Cozy, Humorous Mystery; #2 Chihuahua mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Prize from the Poisoned Pen Conference

State Fair by Earlene Fowler

Title: State Fair
Author: Earlene Fowler
ISBN: 9780425234228
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, 2010
Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth, Cozy, #14 Benni Harper mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: My day didn't start with a deep-fried Twinkie, although the thought crossed my mind.

It's time for the San Celina County Mid-State Fair, and folk art museum curator Benni Harper is busier than a one-armed paperhanger with the hives. What she doesn't need is her grandmother, Dove, being all riled up at having her sister Garnet visiting the ranch. You see, it's well known in the family that those two sisters, Garnet and Dove, "get along like two bobcats trapped in a burning outhouse."

Set in 1997, racial tensions are running a bit high due to the fair's first black general manager, Levi Clark; Levi's  half-white daughter, Jazz; and a long line of Jazz's various suitors. When the replica of the famous Harriet Powers quilt disappears from the museum's exhibit at the fair and is later found wrapped around the body of a dead fairgoer in another exhibit, Benni investigates-- with the help of her great-aunt Garnet (who seems very well-versed in cop shows and mystery novels).

Benni and I have come a long way. I almost didn't continue reading the series past the second book because Benni's second husband, police chief Gabe Ortiz, was such a stiff-necked macho man. I persevered, however, and I'm glad I did. Fowler's characters aren't one-dimensional; they evolve through time.

The characters and the mysteries aren't the only reasons to read the books in this series. Fowler knows how to mix those two ingredients as well as humor, quilting, folklore (like the history of black cloth dolls in this book), and a strong Christian faith into a very entertaining journey with feisty Benni Harper.

If you're new to this series, it's safe to read State Fair without having read any of the others first. Fowler fills in enough details to keep you headed in the right direction.

For any of you who may worry a bit about my mentioning "strong Christian faith", these books are the furthest thing from being preachy, and the characters' religious beliefs are not force fed to the reader. More than anything, the characters' faith is shown as doing the right thing and treating others with respect. On the other side of the coin, if you're in the mood for a mystery series with faith and morals, I would suggest you sit down with Benni Harper and her family.

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from The Book Depository.

Buy from an Indie Bookseller.

Lead-Pipe Cinch by Christy Evans

Title: Lead-Pipe Cinch
Author: Christy Evans
ISBN: 9780425233887
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, 2010
Mass Market Paperback, 256 pages
Genre: Cozy, Amateur Sleuth, #2 Georgiana Neverall mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: "Let's get a move on, Neverall," Sean Jacobs, the crew foreman, said as he gestured toward the muddy bottom of the trench.

As this second book of the series opens, apprentice plumber Georgiana Neverall finds herself building a moat-- part of a state-of-the-art castle for a retired Microsoft engineer. Almost before she can blink an eye, her ex-boyfriend has shown up to take care of the security system for the property. Since this is the same ex-boyfriend who sold her company out from under her, his body being discovered at the bottom of the moat doesn't bode well for Georgiana. When the law seems to be eyeballing her a lot-- and moving very slowly at the same time-- what's an apprentice plumber to do but set out to prove her own innocence?

Just as important as the whodunit in this book are the evolving relationships between Georgiana and her family and friends. Her mother's boyfriend is acting strangely, and Georgiana has to decide if she should tell her mother what she knows.

In addition, this murder has opened a whole can of worms. When Georgiana was sold down the river, she left San Francisco vowing never to look back and to make a completely new and different life for herself. She is making a lot of progress on that new life, but at the cost of a lot of secrecy. Another decision facing her: does she want to continue to keep her friends in the dark to salve her pride, or does she want to place her trust in them?

As ever, the mystery and the plumbing tips are first-rate, but what really makes this series shine is its main character and the small select group of people she is gathering around her.

The third in the series, Drip Dead, has just been published, and I look forward to reading it. Do these books stand alone well? Yes, they do, but (as always) in the case of a series that depends so much upon characterization, I recommend that you read the series in order.

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from The Book Depository.

Buy from an Indie Bookseller.

The Lies That Bind by Kate Carlisle

Title: The Lies That Bind
Author: Kate Carlisle
ISBN: 9780451231697
Publisher: Obsidian, 2010
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
Genre: Cozy, Amateur Sleuth, #3 Bibliophile Mystery
Rating: C
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: Layla Fontaine, Executive Artistic Director of the Bay Area Book Arts Center, was tall, blond, and strikingly beautiful, with a hair-trigger temper and a reputation for ruthlessness.

Book restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright has returned to San Francisco from Edinburgh, Scotland to teach a bookbinding class at BABA (Bay Area Book Arts). She loves BABA but can't stand the program director, Layla Fontaine, a woman who is truly gifted at her job but despised by her subordinates due to her penchant for wielding power as if it were a sledge hammer. However, when Layla is found shot to death, Brooklyn is willing to let bygones be bygones as she tries to identify the killer.

After the second book, If Books Could Kill, I was teetering precariously on top of the fence. There were just too many things about the characters and the story that didn't set well with me. Unfortunately many of the same things bother me in this book, too.

Brooklyn is too immature for me and gets on my nerves. Interested in sexy security expert, Derek Stone, the poor man can't glance at another woman without Brooklyn becoming jealous. It's also awfully easy for her to say that she hates someone. For someone with the flower power parents that she has, one would think that hate would be one word that's not bandied about lightly. For icing on the Brooklyn cake, several people tell her that she's naive and the world's worst liar. She is. I don't think being a terrible liar is a bad thing, but her naivete-- since she's showing no signs of becoming wiser-- could prove fatal.

Two of the characters that make me grind my teeth are Brooklyn's mother and Minka La Boeuf. Brooklyn's mother is supposed to be a flaky version of an Earth Mother. One of the brighter spots in this book is that Mama wasn't trying to force enemas on everyone. Minka, on the other hand, is an evil-tempered psychopath who's just way over-the-top. I keep hoping that she'll be the next victim in this series, but the mad cow refuses to moove off into the sunset.

Speaking of victims, Minka does have one thing right: everywhere Brooklyn goes, someone dies. Two months have passed since the first book in the series, and the bodies are beginning to pile up. If I were expecting to be anywhere near Brooklyn Wainwright, I'd hire a bodyguard.

I love the information about bookbinding that is included in the books, but that can't overcome the problems I have with the characters and plots where the killers are too easily guessed. This is one series that I'm going to let sit on the shelf for a while. With any luck, I'll pick the next book up sometime in the future and begin enjoying the series again.

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from The Book Depository.

Buy from an Indie Bookseller.

Night Kill by Ann Littlewood

Title: Night Kill
Author: Ann Littlewood
ISBN: 9781590585047
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2008
Hardcover, 229 pages
Genre: Cozy, Amateur Sleuth, #1 Zoo mystery
Rating: C
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: Hot breath from the lioness touched my cheek.

Iris Oakley loves her job as a feline keeper at the Finley Memorial Zoo in Vancouver, Washington. What she doesn't love is the amount of alcohol her husband Rick is lapping up every night. After a short separation, the two are reconciled, and Rick swears off the sauce. However, the next morning his dead (and dead drunk) body is found in the lion enclosure. Once Iris sorts through some of her initial grief, she begins to deal with no longer being with the big cats and being trained as a bird keeper-- and the feeling that her husband's death was no accident.

When this book concentrates on animal behavior, the day-to-day running of a small zoo, and the training of the keepers, it is first rate. It is obvious that Littlewood, a former zoo keeper, knows her stuff. A scene in which Iris is attacked by a big cat is scary and riveting.

Unfortunately I never felt connected to any of the characters-- including Iris-- and parts of the plot were too easily deduced. Littlewood's second book in the series, Did Not Survive, is available, and I would be interested to see if the characterization and plot in it can rise to match the author's background knowledge. I'd love to see more writing that matches that big cat attack!

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from The Book Depository.

Buy from an Indie Bookseller.

If Books Could Kill by Kate Carlisle

Title: If Books Could Kill
Author: Kate Carlisle
ISBN: 9780451228918
Publisher: Signet, 2010
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
Genre: Cozy, Amateur Sleuth, #2 Bibliophile Mystery
Rating: C+
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line:  If my life were a book, I would have masking tape holding my hinges together.

Book restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright is still recuperating from the events in Homicide in Hardcover, but she's now in Edinburgh, Scotland attending the Book Fair. Her roguish ex, Kyle McVee, shows up with an original copy of a book that could very well change history and humiliate the British monarchy in the process.

When Kyle turns up dead, naturally Brooklyn is the first suspect out of the gate, so she starts conducting her own investigation to see if the motive for murder was a 200-year-old secret-- or something much more personal.

Although the main character is still suffering the effects from the first book in the series, there's no need to go back and get your hands on a copy to fill in the blanks. Carlisle provides enough detail for new readers to avoid confusion.

There is a lot to enjoy in this second book. I loved the Edinburgh setting, and-- just like the first time-- I really enjoyed the book restoration details which Carlisle provides. Brooklyn is a likable, interesting character who has a fascinating career, the promise of a lot of romance in her life, and a winning voice. The plot certainly has enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning, but there is trouble looming in my rearview mirror. I find two of the supporting cast of characters extremely annoying and more than a bit distracting.

Brooklyn's mother is a child of the 60's who never relinquished her hold on Flower Power. She's gone on to put New Age practices in a stranglehold as well. I found her dependence on spleen washes and other kooky-sounding stuff mildly amusing at first, but in this book she just got on my nerves.

The second character who chaps my hide is Minka LaBoeuf, Brooklyn's arch enemy. The character is so over the top she's like a cartoon character. Minka is screaming loud, she's obnoxious, and she's constantly telling the police that Brooklyn is responsible for whatever's gone wrong. I wouldn't be surprised if Minka also believes Brooklyn is responsible for global warming, the US deficit, and my trick knees. I really wish Carlisle would either have Minka put on some heavy duty meds... or have her committed. (Preferably the latter. I'd supply the strait jacket.)

When two secondary characters begin to annoy me to this degree, I begin to wonder if the series is really for me. The acid test will be Carlisle's third Bibliophile Mystery, The Lies That Bind. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from The Book Depository.

Buy from an Indie Bookseller.

Review-- Homicide in Hardcover

Title: Homicide in Hardcover
Author: Kate Carlisle
ISBN: 9780451226150/ Obsidian Mystery, 2009
Genre: Cozy Mystery, #1 in the Bibliophile Mystery series
Rating: B-

First Line: My teacher always told me that in order to save a patient you'd have to kill him first.

When book restorer Brooklyn Wainwright decided to go into business for herself, it caused a rift between her and her teacher, Abraham Karastovsky. She is relieved when he welcomes her with open arms at a party in the prestigious Covington Library in San Francisco, but a short time later Brooklyn walks into a workroom to find Abraham lying in a pool of blood. Leaving her with a cryptic message and an extremely rare (and supposedly cursed) volume of Faust, she finds herself right in the middle of a murder investigation, complete with family members as suspects and a delectable British security officer.

Although Hardcover in Homicide suffers a bit from wanting to be all things to all people with a wide-ranging cast of characters that could've been pared down, I did enjoy the book. The information about book restoration was fascinating without bogging down the pace. The San Francisco-Napa Valley locales added the perfect ambiance to the story, and Carlisle does have some gems in her line-up of characters-- foremost among them Brooklyn's family. Her parents live in a commune named Dharma in the Napa Valley, and her siblings have similarly geographic names: Austin, China.... Led by Guru Bob, the people of Dharma are quite the interesting bunch to visit, and I'm hoping that future books in the series will let us get to know Brooklyn's siblings better.

Led by a very interesting main character, once this series tightens its focus a bit, it will be a very entertaining one to follow. One small aside: I find it amusing that Homicide in Hardcover is published as a mass market paperback (but then, I can be easily amused)!