Rosemary Martin (1)Rezensionen

Not a bad book, with realistically flawed characters. I liked it, but I probably won't re-read it.

This 7th installment of the Supper Club mysteries is by far my favorite because we see so much growth (not necessarily their waistlines) in the characters. Tricked by Murphy into being photographed, supposedly for an article in the town newspaper, the club members realize that she has used them again to advertise her next book as well as her new project with developer Ray Edwards, to change small town to resort town. At the same time, there is a reunion of a popular TV series (originally filmed in Quincy Gap) but the actors aren't all what they had appeared on screen. When Edwards turns up dead and Murphy the prime suspect, James and the Supper Club know they have to find the real killer. They may not like her, but know she's not a killer.

While all this is front and center, in the background James is dealing with a 10 year old vehicle that is having issues and a wife ready to deliver in the middle of February. I'm sure you can imagine the problems that arise.

Looking forward and hoping for another Supper Club Mystery!

Pasta Mortem by Ellery Adams and Rosemary Stevens is the seventh tale in A Supper Club Mystery series. James Henry and his wife, Jane are awaiting the birth of their second child. The Supper Club has decided to start a new Mediterranean diet, but thanks to Murphy Alistair the group gets off to a poor start. They believed she was taking their picture for the Shenandoah Star Ledger. Unfortunately, she used their photos in Southern Style magazine to advertise her upcoming book and Quincy’s Gap as one of five undiscovered small towns in America (there goes their small town). Murphy has teamed up with real estate developer, Ray Edwards to build condos, apartments and shops on a local farm. In nearby Cardinal’s Rest is the twenty-fifth reunion of the cast of Hearth and Home. The Supper Club members are attending a special VIP event at Red Bird B&B. Murphy is on the arm of Ray Edwards and the two have overindulged in the liquid refreshment. The next day, James hears that Edwards is dead and Murphy is accused of the crime. Despite the groups dislike of Murphy, they know she is not a killer. When a second person turns up dead at the Red Bird B&B with Murphy present once again, James knows they need to narrow down their suspect list. If they do not identify the killer soon, Murphy will end up wearing an orange jumpsuit for the rest of her life.

Pasta Mortem is an enjoyable cozy mystery. It is nice to visit Quincy’s Gap and catch up with James Henry and the rest of The Supper Club. I like how the members of the group continue to develop. In each book we learn a little more about a different character. I like to see them change (personal growth which helps enrich their lives). The mystery was compelling. It had some unexpected developments that will surprise readers. However, with the aid of a few pointed clues, I was able to peg the killer before I was halfway through the novel. I thought Pasta Mortem was well-written and it had a steady pace. While it can be read alone, you will miss out on the characters back stories. I do recommend reading the books in order or at least reading Carbs & Cadavers first (that way you get the basics). There are many delightful cozy moments in Pasta Mortem that will having you smiling and chuckling. In Pasta Mortem the group is learning new recipes, going to events for Hearth and Home reunion, preparing for Valentine’s Day, Jane is expecting and having difficulties, Eliot is loving school, Lucy is having relationship issues, Luis’ mama has yet to leave town, and so much more. I am giving Pasta Mortem 4 out of 5 stars. I was left with unanswered questions at the end of the book. While the murder was wrapped up neatly, another issue was left unresolved. I just loved the name James and Jane picked for their new baby. I hope we get to revisit Quincy’s Gap again soon in another A Supper Club Mystery.

Pasta Mortem is the seventh book in The Supper Club Mystery series.

I was so excited to hear that this wonderful series was continuing and an excellent story it is.

James and Jane are expecting the birth of their girl any day, Gillian and Bennett are doing fine, Luis and Lindy have gotten married, but Lindy is hopeful that Alma, her mother-in-law will soon return home. And Lucy and Sullie, will in this book, have some ups and downs.

Even though the Flab Five are still upset with Murphy Alistair for “fictional” book about life in a small rural Virginia town, they agree to have their pictures taken for a story, she says, will be published in the town’s newspaper. In reality, their pictures appear in Southern Style article on the Five Best Undiscovered Small Towns You Should Be Living In. At the same time, the cast of Hearth And Home, a show that was on tv in the 80’s will be returning to Cardinal’s Rest and the place where the show was originally filmed. The private home is now the B&B where the cast is staying. Also staying at there are Murphy and Ray Edwards, a real estate developers from Louisville. The Supper Club soon learn that Murphy, Edward and Joel Foster, a cast member, have formed a development company and will develop the Lydell Honey Farm into a massive planned community. Most residents of Quincy Gap are against the development as they like their quaint community and that the needed services to support the new development would be impossible to secure.

On the evening that all the cast members arrived there was a “welcome home” for the cast member and invited guests. A good time was had by most everyone, but Murphy and Ray seemed to have to much to drink and it appears that they have been having an argument about something. As the evening was beginning to wind down, Murphy and Edwards went to their room on the third floor. The next morning a blood-curdling scream is heard from Murphy. She has awakened to find Edwards dead beside her. Since their room was locked, Lucy and Sheriff Huckabee feel they have an open and shut case and Murphy is arrested for the murder of Edwards.

Even though Murphy is far from being embraced by the Supper Club, James, Gillian, Lindy, and Bennett don’t feel that Murphy is capable of murder and set off to prove her innocent of the murder. But then when Kitty Walters arrives at the B&B and also claiming to be engaged to Edwards like Murphy is, is also found dead, Murphy is once again jailed.

The Supper Club members, less Lucy, still feel that Murphy is innocent and decide to focus on the members of the cast of Hearth and Home and hoping there will be no other deaths.

This was very exciting and well-told story. It is well-plotted with most all of the characters from previous books involved with backing up and supporting the Supper Club members.

Delicious recipes are also included with the book.

I’m looking forward to more books in this entertaining series.

I read this because I used to be in a Lilian Jackson Braun fan group on yahoogroups with the author, and she was very nice. I'm glad I did. There are some sentences that do not ring true, especially in the first few chapters, but once the book hits its stride it is a lot of fun and a better mystery than I expected. Though the heroine's obsession with her boss drives me crazy (I keep wanting to holler, "You can do sooooo much better than this! Pretty is as pretty does," etc), I still found her likable and mostly believable. Her father is a bit too much of a caricature, in my opinion, and some of the other characters could have used a little more development. But this isn't intended to be Madame Bovary, and it succeeds at what it is intended to be: a lighthearted, genuinely funny 60s-themed murder mystery. You love the 60s? This has Tang, false eyelashes, Dippity-Do, a very young Neil Diamond, and so much more! It really was a lot of fun. I hope I can find the next one.

It’s 1964 and Elizabeth ‘call me Bebe’ Bennett has just moved from the genteel South in America to a New York apartment. When she and her airline stewardess roommate Darlene visit a luxury hotel for a date with two members of a new band that Bebe’s boss, Bradley Williams, has signed to his record label life gets complicated. The lead singer of the band is found murdered, Darlene is a suspect and ordered not to leave town (difficult for an international stewardess) and the man Bebe’s in love with, Bradley Williams, might lose his job. As is the way with all good cosy mysteries, Bebe struts into the role of amateur sleuthery with a great deal of enthusiasm and a load of luck.

Although it concerns a more recent past than is normally the case with historical crime fiction I’m still putting this one in that sub-genre as the main feature of the book is its focus on the swinging 60’s. There are loads of cultural and fashion references and the author clearly has a love of the time period. Bebe working for a record company offers lots of scope for name-dropping and the two girls lead quite the high-life. I wasn’t born until the end of the 60’s so have no first hand memory of the time but I grew up listening almost exclusively to the music from the era and could probably tell you the plot of every That Girl episode (thanks to mum for both of these influences) and so I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of this story.

The plot was fairly typical of a cosy mystery in that the amateur sleuths have a number of scrapes and brushes with danger and there are red herrings and false suspects galore. However ‘routine’ it might be it does fit together logically and the resolution was satisfyingly unpredictable. The romance element was a bit higher than I like, particularly as Bebe was hopelessly in love with her boss and spent a bit too much of the book mooning about the place and being soppy. In fact she and the rest of the characters are a bit too two-dimensional to be truly memorable but there is potential for them and the friendship between Bebe and Darlene is a nicely written relationship.

This was a fun, quick book to read that delivered exactly what it promised. If you’re a fan of the 60’s and fancy a bit of escapsit fun (or a trip down memory lane) you could do a lot worse

Bebe is a good girl from Virginia experiencing life in NYC for the first time. I enjoyed her interactions with the other characters, particularly with her boss, Bradley. The solution to the mystery seemed pretty obvious, despite the many possible suspects. The book was still fun anyway though. I am looking forward to the next installment of the series.