A smattering of death ...

Circle of Enemies (Twenty Palaces, Bk 3) by Harry Connolly (library copy) -

Ray Lilly visits his past life (and I'm not talking time-travel here) ... where the group he used to hang out with and steal cars with are dying.  As anticipated this book gave me a better grasp of Ray, where he came from, and what made him him (repeat intended).  This series as a whole is so intense and the magic is dark and powerful... add Ray, with his flaws and qualities, and you have a complete package.  And the ending was a great lead into future books.  Now to the big disappointment ... IT'S OVER!!!! No book 4, or at least not any time soon.  I just found this out when I was trying to find a title for book 4.  Now I'm gonna be in a funk the rest of the day.  =<  He (the author) does say he's working on a prequel with more background deets, which is cool, but still...

Death by the Dozen (Cupcake Bakery Mystery, Bk 3) by Jenn McKinlay (library copy) -

I'd already forgotten basic stuff from the previous books, which was frustrating, but the story itself was still enjoyable.  And a new character, Oz the intern, was introduced.  It sounds like he's a permanent addition, and I'm glad because he was cool.  I look forward to reading book 4, Red Velvet Revenge.

Mind Your Own Beeswax (Queen Bee Mystery, Bk 2) by Hannah Reed aka Deb Baker (library copy) -

I'll be honest... I put off reading this.  While I enjoyed book 1, I found the bullet points and text speak a tad annoying.  But I finally sat down and started and found out that... I enjoyed this story too.  It's paced well enough to keep my interest.  I guessed the murderer early, but that's never bothered me.  Only real problem was the bullets (though better this time than last) and text speak...again.  But I'll keep reading because so far the stories are enjoyable enough that they're worth the irritation.  So I will be reading book 3, Plan Bee.

A Sheetcake Named Desire (Piece of Cake Mystery, Bk 1) by Jacklyn Brady aka Sherry Lewis and Sammi Carter (personal copy - obtained via paperbackswap.com) -

You'll notice I read a lot of cozies, and I say most are enjoyable... and they are.  I wouldn't be such a huge fan of the genre if they weren't.  But the real judge of a good cozy - to me - is if it moves quickly.  I don't mean the story itself is fast paced.  Just that I can read it quickly.  The ones that take me longer to get into aren't as successful, IMO.  And all that to say this was a quick cozy.  I started it yesterday morning, I read it all through lunch, I came within the last two pages during my 15 min break, and I finished it as soon as I got home.  Success.  Not that it was perfect or anything.  For instance, Rita made a big assumption towards the beginning that I disagreed with.  And I didn't connect with some of the secondary characters like I suspect I was supposed to.  But overall, I enjoyed it.  I look forward to reading the second in the series, Cake on a Hot Tin Roof.

A little on the darker side ...

Veil of Lies by Jeri Westerson (Crispin Guest Medieval Noir, Bk 1) (library copy) -

I read this after seeing a review (including an intriguing trailer) of the 4th book of the series, Troubled Bones on the Mysteries and My Musings blog. I was worried because I'm not usually fond of books set during the medieval period, but I decided to give it a try anyway.  Aspects of the story reminded me of Robin Hood (in particular I picture the BBC America television show), such as Crispin's fall from knighthood and rocky relationship with the Sheriff.  Other aspects were intriguing in their own right.  Crispin has resorted to all he has left since his fall in status.  He must walk a line socially between his former and current peers.  I wasn't fond of his derision toward the lower classes, but it does make him more human.  He's flawed, and he needs to work around it.  Overall, I'm glad I tried it and I look forward to reading book 2, Serpent in the Thorns.

Child of Fire (library copy) and Game of Cages (personal copy)
by Harry Connolly (Twenty Palaces, Bks 1 & 2) -

I liked the protagonist, Ray Lilly. He's had an interesting past as a criminal, but despite that he has a moral standard that allows the reader to connect with him. Child of Fire had some gruesome stomach turning aspects that I can't describe fully but make for a very intense story. I wasn't as into Game of Cages because his boss, Annalise Powliss, isn't part of the story from the beginning of the story, but I still found it very interesting. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the third book in the series, Circle of Enemies. In addition to wanting to know what happens to Ray after the events of book 2, it sounds like book 3 gives some answers to things in his past that haven't been fully explained in books 1 and 2. And on that note...

the trailer...

Full Twenty Palaces Trailer from Harry Connolly on Vimeo.

Orchestrated Murder by Rick Blechta -

This is the 3rd of the Rapid Reads line that I've read.  While I didn't enjoy this as much as Gail Bowen's Chalie D books, I still appreciated the fast-paced movement of the story characteristic of this line.  I particularly found it interesting how the author balanced the detective solving the case within a short time period while trying to be realistic with things like how long it would take to get lab results.