That Old Flame of Mine

Title: That Old Flame of Mine

Author: J. J. Cook aka Joyce and Jim Lavene

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

Series: Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mystery, Bk 1

ISBN: 9780425252048

Pages: 292 + "The Sweet Pepper Difference" and Recipes

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book:

I regularly check for new series debuts published by Berkley Prime Crime, then request the library purchase them.  This is one of those.  I decided to read it now over other possibilities due to a review by Kimberlee @ Girl Lost in a Book.

Trailer:

 

 

Comments:

Set in small town Tennessee and featuring the new (temporary) fire chief of the new (hopefully not-so-temporary) volunteer fire brigade, That Old Flame of Mine caught my attention right away.  Add to that the touch of paranormal (a ghost), and the hook dug in further.  I'm not going to gush.  Some aspects - especially where relationships are concerned (potential romantic and others) were a bit to abrupt for me. 

But I did enjoy the book.  I liked Stella.  She's a strong and intelligent heroine.  She has a strong background with obvious leadership skills that help make her an appealing character.  And one of the relationships that did feel natural is between Stella and the ghost, Eric.  Once the initial "no-such-thing-as-ghosts" thing was past, they jibed well together.

I did guess the suspect (there were some indications of hinkiness), but I absolutely positively did not guess the why.  It simply didn't occur to me until it was revealed in the story.  I guess you could say I had a hunch, but no proof. =)

There's supposed to be an e-book special out in December 2013 titled "Hero's Journey" about the Dalmatian puppy of the series.  Not sure if I'll be able to read that, we'll see.  Then the full on second book, Playing With Fire, is due out January 2014.  I definitely plan on reading that, especially considering the end of this one (oops, forgot to mention the last minute cliffhanger... though the original mystery is solved).

The Telltale Turtle

Title: The Telltale Turtle

Author: Joyce & Jim Lavene

Publisher: Midnight Ink

Copyright Date: 2008

Print Date:

ISBN: 9780738712260

Pages: 260 + "Mary Catherine's Animal News" + "Mary Catherine's Secret Recipes for Animals"

Series: 1st in the Pet Psychic Mystery series

Book Description (from back cover):

"This is Mary Catherine Roberts, the pet psychic. You're live on Lite 102.5 WRSC in Wilmington, North Carolina."

Mary Catherine has a rare gift: she can communicate with animals. A former Hollywood pet psychic and four-time widow, the flamboyantly-dressed radio host is ready to settle down in her old hometown . . . and maybe hunt around for husband number five. But when a flash of telepathy leads her to a bloody crime scene, she gets mixed up in the murder of a wealthy society matriarch.

The only witness to the crime is Tommy, the victim's pet turtle.  By tapping into Tommy's thoughts and memories, Mary Catherine becomes a vital, if ridiculed, resource for the stumped detectives. Now she's gettingmore male attention than she ever wanted — from a psycho radio caller threatening the lives of her and her tabby cat, and from a private investigator with annoying charm and suspicious motives.

Will her special talent help solve the murder? Or only contribute to her reputation as an oddball?

Comments:

From the reviews I'd seen this book was apparently mediocre (at best), so my expectations weren't high. However, I was still interested in reading about a pet psychic (w/ my thoughts about psychics in reality...that there simply aren't...this could have been good or bad). I finished the book, which apparently means more than I thought. The pet psychic part remained interesting... no shoving it down my throat like certain authors. The overall mystery was decent. I guessed who the "bad guy" was about halfway in, but that sort of thing doesn't bother me.

At one point the breaks of Mary Catherine's car have been cut. She discovers it when she can't stop at a red light. My brother recently had his breaks cut (long story), and I've since learned that it is highly unlikely you wouldn't discover this before you really drive anywhere. Which leaves me feeling a little irked that authors like this (and so many others who have characters crazily careening at the twisty road, the cliff edges, the oncoming car, etc.) have left me in the position of being stupidly naive all these years.

Overall, I found the book to be okay. Not great, but not terrible. I wouldn't be opposed to reading more of this series.