Happy Halloween! I wanted to share with you some of the new releases out today. They include The Quiche and the Dead by Kirsten Weiss, Cremains of the Day by Misty Simon, Slay Bells Ring by Karen Rose Smith, Thread the Halls by Lea Wait, Knit to Kill by Anne Canadeo, The Secret, Book and Scone Society by Ellery Adams and Crazy Like a Fox by Rita Mae Brown.
The Secret, Book and Scone Society by Ellery Adams is the first book in Miracle Springs, North Carolina series. Nora Pennington owns Miracle Books in Miracle
Springs, North Carolina. The town is
known to be a place of healing and Nora is known locally as a
bibliotherapist. A man in the park
wishes Nora‘s help, so she suggests that he pick up a comfort scone from
Gingerbread House and come to her shop.
Before he can get to Nora for assistance, Neil Parrish is found dead on
the train tracks. When the police rule
it a suicide, Nora along with Estella, June and Hester form The Secret, Book
and Scone Society. Their purpose is get
the truth about the man’s demise. They
delve into Neil’s life to uncover what could have gotten him killed. They knew he came to town ahead of his
partner’s and he was wrestling with a problem.
When the four ladies meet to discuss what they have uncovered, each
member of the group reveals the secret that brought them to Miracle Springs. These four
women band together to get justice for one man and find themselves embroiled in
a corruption scandal. The best thing to
come out of this is four lone woman find friendship, love and acceptance.
The Secret, Book and Scone Society is well-written and engaging. My
attention was captured right away with Nora’s description. I found the four main characters to be
personable yet flawed from life’s tragedy.
They were fleshed out and given life—very realistic. Each one is unique. There are also some characters (namely
Sheriff Todd Hendricks) that readers will really dislike and wish to maim. I did not like how the police treated women
in this book (I know it was part of the story, but it was offensive). I liked the description of the town, the
Gingerbread House, Nora’s home (it is in a red train caboose) and, most
especially, Miracle Books. My rating for
The Secret, Book and Scone Society is 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). The book contained more cozy elements than
mystery. I was hoping for a more complex
whodunit (like is Ms. Adams Murder in the Mystery Suite). I did
like the authors use of misdirection in this book. I will be reading the next book in this series. I am curious what these ladies will get up to next time.
Thank you for visiting today. By the way--What did the mummy say to the detective? Let's wrap this case up! May each of you have a wicked Halloween! Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
Kris
The Avid Reader