A Spoonful of Poison- M.C. Beaton

312 pages (large print edition)

From Publishers Weekly
When elderly Mrs. Andrews blithely jumps to her death off the tower of Saint Odo the Severe during a church charity event in the Cotswolds village of Comfrey Magna, LSD-laced jam proves to be the cause in bestseller Beaton's saucy 19th Agatha Raisin mystery (after 2007's Kissing Christmas Goodbye). Agatha joins the local authorities in the investigation, which focuses on the six women who contributed jam to the church fete, including wealthy Sybilla Triast-Perkins. Agatha and Toni Gilmour, her young detective-in-training, soon find unmasking the lethal jam poisoner complicated by Sybilla's sudden suicide and a murder connected to the theft of the fete's proceeds. Beaton's sly humor enhances the cozy-style plotting, while updates on Agatha's and Toni's respective romantic travails are delightful as ever. The open-ended resolution points to more madcap mayhem to come


This is the newest Agatha Raisin mystery.
It wasn't my favorite.
It's not a bad book, but, it was predictable.
I find that all of the recent Agatha Raisin books have become predictable and pretty much the same.

2008 total: 32
pages read: 13,563

currently reading: The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Skin- Ted Dekker

400 pages

From Booklist
*Starred Review* A freak tornado drives five characters together in the little Nevada town of Summerville in this striking morality tale superficially reminiscent of Stephen King's Desperation (1996). Dekker's philosophical considerations are his own, however. It seems that as the storm descended a serial killer named Sterling Red began his killing spree. The reader won't understand why for a long time, but, apparently, the killer is partially motivated by the desire for revenge against a nervous deputy--a Las Vegas emigre--named Colt. Sterling Red makes a curious demand of the group: kill the ugliest person among you within six hours. Otherwise, he will wipe out the rest of Summerville. Not that the little group will accede, but just suppose. Is it beauty or ugliness that's skin deep?

I liked this book. I read it in one night. I couldn't put it down- I had to know what was really going on. lol

I have to admit, the explanation was surprising, though a bit off the wall and not likely to really happen.
This book definitely has its flaws, but it was still an enjoyable and suspenseful read.


2008 total: 31
pages read: 13,251

Recent Reads

Due to problems with my internet connection, I have been unable to update this blog in quite some time.
Obviously, I don't have time to review all of the books I've read since the last entry, so I'm just posting a quick list for my records.

Stephanie Meyer: Twilight (544 pages), Eclipse (640 pages), New Moon (608 pages), Breaking Dawn (768 pages)
Teri Blackstock: Breaker's Reef (480 pages)
Lisa Samson: Women's Intuition (386 pages)
PC & Kristin Cast: Marked (The House of Night series) (horrible book! I couldn't finish it)
The Quilter's Apprentice- Jennifer Chiaverini (224 pages)
The Quilter's Kitchen- Jennifer Chiaverini (224 pages)
Death of a Garage Sale Newbie- Sharon Dunn (304 pages)

2008 total: 30
pages read: 12,851

The Kanner Lake Series- Brandilyn Collins

To read my review of the first book in this series, Violet Dawn, click here.

Coral Moon

319 pages

From the Back Cover The figure remained still as stone. Leslie couldn’t even detect a breath. Spider fingers teased the back of her neck. Leslie’s feet rooted to the pavement. She dropped her gaze to the driveway, seeking … what? Spatters of blood? Footprints? She saw nothing. Honed through her recent coverage of crime scene evidence, the testimony at last month’s trial, the reporter in Leslie spewed warnings: Notice everything, touch nothing. Leslie Williams hurries out to her car on a typical workday morning—and discovers a dead body inside. Why was the corpse left for her to find? And what is the meaning of the message pinned to its chest? In Coral Moon, the senseless murder of a beloved Kanner Lake citizen spirals the small Idaho town into a terrifying glimpse of spiritual forces beyond our world. What appears true seems impossible. Or is it?

I loved this book. It was very good and very suspenseful. Supernatural elements make it different from anything else by this author (at least the ones I have read). I love Brandilyn Collins. The chapters are short (which I like because I tend to read in short spurts), she gradually reveals the identity of the killer through flashbacks, the characters seem real and you genuinely care about them.



Crimson Eve

336 pages

From the back cover: Realtor Carla Radling shows and "English gentleman" a lakeside estate- and finds herself facing a gun.

Who has hired this assassin to kill her, and why?
Forced on the run, Carla must uncover the scathing secrets of her past.
Secrets that could destroy some very powerful people.

I think this was my favorite book in the series. I read it in one day. It literally keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Ms. Collins' tagline "Don't Forget to Breathe" is a fitting description for this book.


Amber Morn

315 pages

From the back cover:
On a beautiful Saturday morning the nationally read “Scenes and Beans” bloggers gather at Java Joint for a special celebration. Chaos erupts when three gunmen burst in and take them all hostage. One person is shot and dumped outside.

Police Chief Vince Edwards must negotiate with the desperate trio. The gunmen insist on communicating through the “comments” section of the blog—so all the world can hear their story. What they demand, Vince can’t possibly provide. But if he doesn’t, over a dozen beloved Kanner Lake citizens will die …


This was my least favorite book in the series.
I think part of the reason is because I didn't give it my full attention.
I read it during Hurricane Gustav.
Needless to say, I was somewhat pre-occupied while reading it.
It was a good story line, and I'm sure it is a good book if you read it under normal circumstances. :-)

Also read:
White Lightening- Minton Sparks (128 pages)
The Miracle at Speedy Motors- Alexander McCall Smith (224 pages)

2008 total: 21
pages read: 8673

River's Edge- Terri Blackstock

363 pages

First sentence: "The cramps woke Morgan at 3:30 a.m., startling her out of a deep slumber."

From Publisher's Weekly:
This well-crafted suspense novel picks up immediately following the second installment in the Cape Refuge series: Blair has just become a Christian and a newspaper owner; Morgan struggles with infertility; and Jonathan faces two opponents in his quest to become the mayor of Cape Refuge, their small Georgia island town. When the wife of one of Jonathan's opponents goes missing, among those the chief of police suspects are the third mayoral candidate (who is, unsurprisingly, an atheist), a prosperous fertility doctor and a local psychic who appears to have uncanny knowledge about the case. Despite some didactic moments (a biblical exposition of the dangers of divination, for example), the novel manages to be more plot-driven than message-driven, a step forward for evangelical Christian suspense. Numerous red herrings in the meticulously plotted story will keep readers guessing, and they will be delighted by the skillful surprise ending.


As the above review says, the many red herrings definitely keeps you guessing until the very end. That is always a good thing in a mystery story.
I liked this book. I like this series...... but I still don't like Morgan. lol

Last sentence: "It was like a smile from God."

2008 total: 17
pages read: 7,345

currently reading: The Miracle at Speedy Motors
Quaker Summer

Songbird / Cape Refuge / Southern Storm

464 pages

First line: Mama waited tables down at the Texas Inn, right where Route 29 dipped back up from its sojourn across the bridge that spanned the James River.

Gospel singer Charmaine Hopewell has been searching for her mother since she was 11 years old, abandoned, and thrown into the foster care system.
Now she is married to Harlan Hopewell, a beloved televangelist who has risen to popularity due to his disdain for psychology and psychiatry.
Charmaine, despite their loving relationship, hides her own depression and search for meaning.
Upon finding her mother in a mental institution, Charmaine realizes she must force Harlan into a decision: publicly support his wife and her needs or hide their new-found cross to ensure his rising popularity.
Either way, Charmaine fears his ministry, and her own-both born through hardship and sacrifice-will be destroyed.

I absolutely loved this book.
It is not as bleak as the above description may sound.
It is charming, funny, southern, and touching.

Last line: She's been singing "Good Morning Merry Sunshine" for a while now. I've learned to join in as best I can.
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768 pages

From the Back Cover
Set in the South, volumes one and two from the Cape Refuge suspense series by Terri Blackstock come together under one cover. A unique island setting, close-knit relationships, fast-paced action, and underlying themes of faith combine to make for reading you cant put down at a value you can't turn down.

I liked these books. I liked "Southern Storm" better than "Cape Refuge", though.

These books are fast-paced, surprising, and suspenseful. They are both good mysteries.

My complaint about the first book (Cape Refuge) is that the characters weren't very well developed. I had a hard time picturing them in my mind. There weren't may physical descriptions of any character other than Blair, who has a prominent burn scar on her face.

I really dislike Morgan. She's supposed to be this caring, loving, mother-type woman, but she doesn't come across that way. She cries at the drop of a hat. She comes across as the stereotypical "weak woman." She annoys the heck out of me. You can be loving and motherly without being weak and naive.

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Currently reading:
River's Edge - Terri Blackstock (third in Cape Refuge series)
Quaker Summer- Lisa Samson


2008 total: 16
total pages read: 6,982

Blink- Ted Dekker

389 pages

First sentence: "They call it the cradle of Islam."

I loved this book.
Seth is a graduate student with an extremely high IQ.
He stumbles upon a Saudi Arabian princess on the run from an arranged marriage. Her marriage is the key to a political coup.
Seth develops the ability to see multiple futures, this enables him to save the princess (and ultimately the world).


Last sentence: "Samir walked down the street, vaguely comforted."

2008 total: 13
pages read: 5750