Right to Remain Silent

Title: Right to Remain Silent

Author: Penny Warner [Website][Facebook][Twitter] aka Penny Pike

Publisher: Bantam Books

Series: Connor Westphal Mystery, Bk 3

ISBN: 0553579622

Length: 267 pages

Obtained: Library ILL copy

Why this book?:

I'm reading through the series.

Comments:

Just as I enjoyed book 2, Sign of Foul Play, more than book 1, Dead Body Language, I enjoyed this one even more.

I suspect this is for a few reasons.  For one thing, there is a lot going on in this story between a deaf character other than Connor who has a very different background, relationship issues with Dan and his past, and, of course, the murder (a pillar of the community).  Also, there is a librarian featured relatively prominently.

Anyway, I own books 4 and 5 so I should be getting to them shortly.

Sign of Foul Play

Title: Sign of Foul Play

Author: Penny Warner [Website][Facebook][Twitter] aka Penny Pike

Publisher: Bantam Books

Series: Connor Westphal Mystery, Bk 2

ISBN: 0553575872

Length: 275 pages

Obtained: Library ILL copy

Why this book?:

I'm reading through the series.

Comments:

I enjoyed Sign of Foul Play more than Dead Body Language (book 1), finding this one easier to get into.  I suspect this is because this book is less of an introduction to Connor and the area.

A man is found dead at a construction site, and there is some question as to whether this may be an accident or murder.  Connor, in the course of researching for her paper, has a feeling there is more, and she isn't the only one.  A reporter from another paper feels like there may be more to the story too, and she's been befriending Connor.  But can a reporter from Connor's competition really be as straightforward as she's portraying herself, or is she using Connor in her attempt to move up and make her mark?

And there's a second deaf person in town (temporarily), so that added an extra element to the story.

Anyway, I enjoyed this one enough that the very next book I read was book 3, Right to Remain Silent.

Dead Body Language

Title: Dead Body Language

Author: Penny Warner [Website][Facebook][Twitter] aka Penny Pike

Publisher: Bantam Mystery

Series: Connor Westphal, Bk 1

ISBN: 0553575864

Length: 275 pages

Obtained: Library ILL copy

Why this book?:

I own book 5, but need to read series in order.  And I've heard good things about this series.

Comments:

Connor is a journalist and Deaf.  She now lives in a former gold town in California, and is simply living her life.  But then some odd occurrences happen followed by murder.

Connor, like any journalist - even of a small weekend only paper, is her share of nosy busybody.  So she starts poking around trying to find the truth.

While I could definitely feel that this was an older book (late 90s), it was still interesting and enjoyable.  I look forward to reading more of the series.

Cozy Cull [9] - How to Host a Killer Party by Penny Warner

According to Merriam-Webster:

Definition of CULL

1 : to select from a group : choose  

2 : to reduce or control the size of (as a herd) by removal (as by hunting) of especially weaker animals; also : to hunt or kill (animals) as a means of population control

This is a (semi-)weekly giveaway.  Please spread the word, even if you've already read this week's book. 

The plan is:

1. Each week I read one of the MANY cozy mysteries I have among my personal books.  
2. I write a post about it. 
3. Then I offer it in a giveaway in order to cull my "herd" of cozies... as "a means of population control."

This week I have the first book in the Party-Planner Mystery series, How to Host a Killer Party by Penny Warner (published February 2010). 

You can find my thoughts on How to Host a Killer Party here.

From Goodreads:

Don't let murder crash your party.

Presley Parker was just happy to get her party planning business off the ground. Now she's gotten the gig of the year, planning Mayor Davin Green's sumptuous "surprise" wedding for his socialite fiancée, to be held on Alcatraz.

But when the bride is found floating in the bay and the original party planner is found murdered, Presley becomes the prime suspect. If the attractive crime scene cleaner, Brad Matthews, doesn't help her tidy her reputation, she'll be exchanging her formal wear for prison stripes...

Just comment that you'd like to enter and provide an email address to contact you should you win. If I don't have a way to contact you, I will re-draw for a winner. Open to everyone (international).

Giveaway ends Thursday, March 14th (11:59 pm CT). I'll give the winner 48 hours from the time of notification to respond before I move on to someone else. The winner will be announced here once I've received a reply to my email.

And the winner of this week's Cozy Cull is Shelleyrae!

How to Host a Killer Party

Title: How to Host a Killer Party

Author: Penny Warner

Publisher: Obsidian Mystery

Series: Party-Planning Mystery, Bk 1

ISBN: 9780451229304

Pages: 293 + "How to Host a Geocaching Treasure Hunt"

Obtained: Purchased at Dollar General

Comments:

I've meant to read this book for AGES.  I just never felt like it was the right time.  Until I saw a copy available at DG.  Then once I bought it I couldn't get it out of my head.  I knew it was going to be my next Cozy Cull.  So here we are.

I enjoyed it from the Alcatraz themed party (that made me miss the Alcatraz television series) to the characters.  I really appreciated Presley's relationship with her mother.  Her mother has Alzheimer's and is at a home, but Presley makes sure to visit regularly and treats her well.  I did find parts a little obvious... like something about Presley's new neighbor.  And I thought Presley definitely should have at least considered the killer as a suspect.  I did.

The series is already 5 long so I've got a little catching up to do, but not too much.  The next book is How to Crash a Killer Bash.