Welcome! J.C. Eaton is the husband and wife writing team of Ann. I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp. Ann has written a series of young adult time travel novels. You can find more details on the authors at www.jceatonauthor.com and www.timetravelmysteries.com. You can also follow J.C. Eaton on Amazon, Goodreads, and Facebook. Amazon will send you an email when a new book by J.C. Eaton is listed for sale.
Booked 4 Murder by J. C. Eaton is
the first book in A Sophie Kimball Mystery series. Sophie “Phee” Kimball is at work (Accounts Receivable
Department at the Mankato Police Department) when she receives a call from her
mother, Harriet Plunkett. Phee’s mother
claims that the book, The Twelfth Arrondissement is cursed. It is the current selection being read by her
book club, Booked 4 Murder. Three
members of the book group have already died. She wants Phee to fly to Arizona and
figure out what is happening (and she will not take no for an answer) before the
curse kills off more of the group. Before Phee can decide, Harriet calls about
a fourth woman succumbing to the “curse”.
After consulting with her friend, Detective Nate Williams, Phee heads to
Sun City West, Arizona. Phee arrives and
hears about a fifth member of the book club who almost died from carbon
monoxide poisoning. What is going
on? Phee hits the ground running with her
investigation. She digs into the various
members deaths, queries the local librarian on how the books are chosen for the
book club, and searches for information on the author of The Twelfth
Arrondissement. Phee only has one week
before she needs to return to work (if she can survive the heat). Can Phee discover what is happening to the
members of Booked 4 Death before someone else is hurt and curse fever takes
over the town?
Booked 4 Murder sounded
entertaining, but I had a hard time wading through it. I found the pace slow
(glacial) and the writing flat. The
characters were not fleshed out and given life. Phee’s characters do not go with her
profession (that are mentioned early in the book about her). Normally, an accountant is organized and
detail oriented (good at taking notes). Phee’s
character seemed contradictory. The only
character I cared about was Detective Nate Williams (shame he was not featured
more prominently). The mother was
over-the-top and annoying (her dog, Streetman was obnoxious). I found items to be repeated several times
throughout the story. Mentioned most
frequently is that Phee is not a detective and how she cannot stand the heat
(it was exasperating). There are also a
couple of outdated references in the book.
I did enjoy the Agatha Christie references throughout the story. My rating for Booked 4 Murder is 2.5 out of 5
stars (I am being a little generous since this is a first book by these
writers). The mystery had several moving
parts. I would say more but that would
spoil it for readers. I believe the
author was trying to make a complicated mystery that would bewilder
readers. The whodunit can be solved
effortlessly (I kept hoping for a surprise twist). The ending is expected and
disappointing. Personally, I would have
preferred that Phee work mysteries with Nate in Mankato. An accountant and a detective teaming up to
solve crimes (a unique combo). There is
a preview of Ditched 4 Murder at the end of the book (the next book in A Sophie Kimball Mystery series). I will not be continuing
with the series as it is not the right type of cozy mystery series for me.
Thank you for your visit. I will be reviewing If the Haunting Fits, Wear It by Rose Pressey next time. May each of you have a delightful Fourth of July. Take care, stay safe and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
No comments:
Post a Comment