The Nose Knows - Fantastic Debut for Holly Lewitas!

@HollyLewitas

Meet the Rest of Us Here!

The Nose Knows:
  A Spunky Mystery


By Holly L. Lewitas




I like mysteries and enjoy the variety when an animal is involved...so I immediately chose to read about Spunky! Then I received a pleasant surprise when our other animal characters were cats! Some of you may have read that I collect cat mystery books...so Holly Lewitas will be slid in along with Lillian Braun, Rita Mae Brown, et. al., That is, as long as her cats--Fearless, Bobby, Sweetie and Fancy Pants--continue in the series! LOL... Just kidding! I loved Spunky's debut book! Click to his site to read his short welcome...and more!

Our Site!

Our Mom is Dr. Hannah Richards, a psychologist...well, at least she did have a practice until one of her patients took her hostage years ago. Talk about PTSD! She had to stop working! So all of us take special care of her, especially when strangers are around. You see, her husband died so she lives alone except for us!

But now she has to go back to work! And that was a scary thought for her!

So, being the up-to-date Mom that she is, she fixed it so that she could "meet" her clients via computers! How cool! And when the clients sign in, they think she is in the next office, but she's really at home...and all of us surround her as she works!

She's been doing much better with this and has gained the confidence (and computer expertise) to develop an online group session. You'll meet some of her clients, but if you do, you have to promise confidentiality, just like we do, not to tell anybody about any of those in the group! OK?

Now those of you who routinely use computers probably know what happened next! A Hacker!

All of a sudden, Mom was no longer in control of her group, somebody was listening and tracking!

Well, we really had no choice--we ALL had to start a regular protection detail of our Mom... And as we did, slowly, we saw things that needed attention and worked as hard as we could to let Mom know!

And, of course, we succeeded...but...to know "how"? Well, here's hoping you'll buy the book with my handsome picture on the cover!

Ahhh, excuse me now, my friends are already taking their nap, and [yawn] boy, I need to catch up!




Well, when Spunky asked to have the opportunity to meet the readers at Book Reader's Heaven, I didn't know that he was going to practically tell the whole story that I normally would have shared--but I think he did a good job of letting you know that it is Spunky and his friends that truly solve the case and save Mom from again being hurt... Of course there was quite a bit of human intervention involved, including the group members who felt they had been violated as well--so joined in to meet publicly and to make sure that hacker/criminal was caught.


Pets are wonderful to live with--but when you can also find them in a cozy animal mystery--well, you just have to be the type of individual who loves what they love! Like me, of course! If you are, then you won't want to miss The Nose Knows by Holly Lewitas! Highly recommended, especially if you love animals!




GABixlerReviews

Holly L. Lewitas is a registered nurse. She has held management positions in psychiatry, developmental disabilities, and home health care. For over a decade, she and her husband, Alvin, ran their own home health agency in Chicago. Now a widow, she lives in Alabama, surrounded by her rescued critters--the stars of The Nose Knows. Holly is busy finishing the next book in the Spunky Mystery series.

Second India Hayes Mystery Falls Short For Me...

http://oldfashionedclothing.com/
dressupdresses.htm

Murder in a Basket:


 An India Hayes Mystery 
  (Advance Proof)


By Amanda Flower




I don't think I've ever shared my main philosophical thoughts about a book I'm reviewing. Often I've seen individuals make statements about the story as conceived by the writer, sometimes even suggesting how it should have been written. This doesn't make sense to me because the creator is the only one that must decide what the message of that story is to be. So I may be disappointed with the ending, for instance,from time to time, but, in general, I can accept it and eliminate my personal disappointment in completing the review.

Only one rule for me can change that process--when something within the book as written, is illogical, given what has actually been published. Please note that this review is based upon the advance proof provided by the publisher.in October and that I felt so strongly about the issue that I wrote both the author and editor at Cengage on November 1, 2011. Since I never received a response, I'm proceeding to publish my review of the Advance Proof that was originally provided.

"I received strange looks from students as I
scurried across campus, so I pulled my mobcap further
down, hoping to hide my fact. I scolded myself for
stopping at the library before going to the practice
football field where the festival would be held. As a
consequence, I had to parade my pioneer self in
front of the underclassmen, who probably thought
this was how librarians dressed every day...
I looked at the people around me and the vast
majority were wearing shirts...Where is their
pioneer garb?"
"I moved on to my booth, hoping the festival wouldn't
flop as it had in past years. If it did, my gingham
 humiliation would be in vain..."

I thoroughly enjoyed Maid of Murder (see my review!), the first novel in this cozy mystery series. Set on a college campus, it brought back memories of many visits to the various library facilities at the university where I worked for many years.

India Hayes is a college librarian and also a struggling artist. In this novel, the latter is spotlighted when she is talked into managing a face-painting booth at the local Founders' Day Festival, where she also exhibits her paintings. A problem for India is that her sister also talked college administrators to provide campus space for the Festival--placing her right in the midst of things when she discovers that a basket weaver, Tess Ross, as been murdered. Especially when she learns that Tess was the sister of her college provost!

Added to that is the fact that she is also mother of Derek, a young student who works in the library and has a crush on India. I thought this was a cute idea so I early started enjoying the interaction with this minor character, only to find he became much more important...

First a field scheduling conflict, then a dead body, with the added bonus that it directly affected her provost, and India knew she had to get involved in discovering who had killed Tess! This turned out to be even more of a problem when India discovers that Tess was the primary caretaker of a dog who has inherited $2M! And she is asked to take care of him until further arrangements can be made, which never seem to be completed.

With a wacky neighbor to help, her sister and family very much involved, while having to also be responsive to college administrators, India starts her own investigation much to the chagrin of Detective Rick Mains who, of course, wants her to stay out of it...but India really had no choice, especially when she had already agreed to investigate after Derek begged her to find out what happened!

The novel is humorous, but complex enough to keep readers working along with India, to discover exactly what happened! My concern for the story line logic comes only at the end. Up to that point, I was thoroughly enjoying this second book in the India Hayes Mystery Series...So, readers, on this one you'll have to decide for yourself. A fun, enjoyable book, but I couldn't get past the illogic of what finally happened... If you pick up on the issue that concerned me...write and let me know what you think. If you don't discover it, I hope you enjoyed the overall book as much as I did...

Book Provided by
Publisher


GABixlerReviews

German Shepherd Gnarly Reads Sign Language to Save His Master!

Image by Magnus Bråth via Flickr

"Forget about pine needles, 
I'll just slip to the store and pick out
a big juicy bone..."

Old Loves Die Hard


A Mac Faraday Mystery


By Lauren Carr








Yes, Lauren, I picked up on the irony of Mac thinking he had to wait to payday to replace his grinding brakes... For those of you who did not read the first book in the Mac Faraday series, let me just share that Mac  inherited tons of money from his biological mother. She had been a well-known and successful writer of mystery novels before she died. Earlier, she had arranged to meet her son, who had been adopted. Now, though he still was not used to not having to wait for a payday, he lived in a mansion, owned a nearby vacation spot...and Gnarly...

Yes, he came with the house...

Gnarly is a very intelligent German shepherd (tested, even!), knows sign language, which is used to save Mac's life in this novel...and a thief! Seriously, the hijinks of Gnarly is enough to make the book worth reading!

But Mac Faraday is all about mystery and he's right in the middle of it this time! Because his ex-wife and her ex-lover were murdered in a beautiful penthouse suite owned by, you guessed it, Mac! Christine had come to visit Mac at his new home and quickly proposed that they get back together! Of course, she was already drinking when she had arrived but when she entered the home that she could have once called hers, she had moved more quickly than she should have.

In addition to what she had done to him emotionally by leaving and living with Stephen McGuire, Mac had another reason for totally being turned off by his ex-wife's manner. Her name was Archie. She, too, came with the property he had inherited...

Realizing he had to do something to get her out of his home, Mac had taken her to Spencer Inn where he learned he had an entire floor just waiting for his use or for his guests. Readers see the security through which Mac goes to finally get Christine in and settled, with a warning not to leave the suite.

But even with all that security, by the next morning she was dead. And so was Stephen McGuire...

When lots of people, involved in politics, are part of the story, you should know it will be a whodunit that is more difficult to solve. There was no way to keep track of those who had a reason to kill Christine and/or Stephen McGuire. Was it political? Personal? Was it jealousy? After all, Christine had met Stephen and a beautiful woman in the lobby as they arrived and had caused an awful scene, with Christine trying to attack Stephen!

But forensics proved that Christine was not the killer...

Then during the investigation it was discovered that Stephen McGuire was not who he said he was and had robbed Christine of everything during their time together, including, apparently, money that had been sent to Christine from one of her sisters...

He also, however, had been putting together a set of files that could prove wrongdoing in a government office. Honestly, just about everybody, including Mac, hated the guy enough to want him...dead...

And guess what, Mac and the Sheriff travel to Morgantown, WV, as part of their investigation! I was hoping to meet them since I live not too far away, but...

Anyway, I hope future readers do better than I did on solving this one. If so, let me know how you figured it out! I was stumped, reading through to the conclusion before everything was finally explained. Carr's main characters in this series are really wonderful. I love the Spencer Manor life as Mac is discovering his stock of fine wines, etc., and Archie and he are becoming closer and closer. Add Gnarly and you have a true family setting...even if we hear Mac yell, "Gnarly, I'm going to kill you, you thief!" quite often.

I'm in for the long-haul on this series and I think you will be too...so check out my review of the first book, It's Murder My Son! Plan to get both books and have a great weekend with another mystery lover, the author, Lauren Carr! And Enjoy!

Book Received
From Author


GABixlerReviews

Dog On It Doggone Funny!

Dog On It:
A Chet and Bernie Mystery
By Spencer Quinn
AtriaBooks
Advance reading Copy
305 Pages


DogGone! I loved Dog On It! Ok, as an independent professional book reviewer, I’m able to get away with that trite beginning; at least I hope you don’t mind too much, I couldn’t resist! And since Spencer Quinn, created Chet as the lead character in his Chet and Bernie Mystery, Dog On It, somehow I don’t think he will mind!

Expectation for this book, after reading the initial blurb online, moved up greatly when, on the back cover, one of my most favorite authors, Robert B. Parker, declared: “A detective, a dog, and some major league prose. Dog On It is a genuine joy.” With Parker’s recommendation, I admit that I immediately started to read it to see if there was any relation to Parker’s dialogue/writing style in his Spencer series, which I love, especially between Spencer and Hawk! Now, Chet does not talk, so his thoughts and actions are what carries the place of dialogue; however, he and Bernie are so in tune that you think that surely they are indeed having a conversation! Still it was delightful to read the level of “exchange” between these two partners in a private investigation agency.

Of course, clients often ask Bernie why he keeps saying “us” for the ...Agency, but readers have no such problem! We can readily see that there is truly a committed partnership between Bernie and Chet, the latter of whom just happens to be a dog... In fact, Chet saves Bernie twice from life-threatening situations in just this one book, so I’d say that works to cement them both as important members of the agency!

Because in this case, a great mind and a great nose are needed to solve what happened to the teenage girl who may or may not have been kidnapped. Admittedly Chet cannot “tell” Bernie that he has seen the girl and was in fact saved by her, so that the case is not immediately solved by Chet leading Bernie to the girl...but, then, we wouldn’t have this delightful tangled and twisting chase to find her!

The case includes the Russian Mob, an undoubtedly dastardly group of men and women; however, I have to admit that I was just having too much fun watching Chet working hard to solve the case, only to have his mind wander off to that great tidbit of food he’d found, or...whatever happened to reveal his short attention span! As expected, the mystery is great and somewhat suspenseful...but you’ll be reading this first in a series, because of the main character—Chet! He’s too doggone much fun to miss!

Enjoy!

G. A. Bixler
For Amazon Vine