nomadreader

The backstory: I've read and loved all of Alafair Burke's mysteries , so I was eager to read The Cinderella Murder, her first collaboration (and first in a new series) with Mary Higgins Clark, a prolific mystery author whose work I have never read. The basics: The Cinderella Murder  is the first in a new series entitled Under Suspicion. Under Suspicion is a news special focused on unsolved cold cases. Although this is the first in the series, the production crew characters were featured in Higgins Clark's previous novel, I've Got You Under My Skin . This review, and the book itself, contains spoilers from I've Got You Under My Skin. My thoughts: There are two main storylines in this mystery: the murder of Susan Dempsey twenty years ago and Laurie Moran's continued recovery after her husband's death and the death of his killer. Perhaps because I had not read I've Got You Under My Skin , I enjoyed Laurie's personal storyline much less. I didn...

The backstory: After a delightful (but too short) trip to Chicago over Spring Break in March, I became temporarily obsessed with reading books set in Chicago. I was also on a mystery kick, so discovering the first two novels in Clare O'Donohue's Kate Conway series was perfect on both fronts. The basics: Kate Conway is a reality television producer. In Missing Persons , she's working on a show of the same name and documenting the story of a young woman who disappeared a year earlier. At the same time, Kate's soon-to-be-ex-husband suddenly dies, and she becomes a suspect. In Life Without Parole , Kate is working on two shows: a reality show about a new restaurant opening and one documenting the lives of prisoners serving life sentences. My thoughts: In both books, Clare O'Donohue does an excellent job of letting the mysteries evolve naturally. Cozy mysteries, in which the person solving a crime isn't a private investigator or member of law enforcement, can s...

I readily admit I have an odd fascination with Lauren Conrad. It's not terribly odd, I suppose, as her success is due to many people being fascinated by her. I find her inspiring, which I don't say about many twenty-four year olds. She grew up on television in perhaps the most mature way possible. We've seen her laugh, cry, have her heart broken and be betrayed. We've never really seen her lose her cool (the rant against Heidi was deserved and rather tame, given the situation) or fall down drunk. She's done a remarkable job of maintaining close friendships and some sense of a life when she was thrust into a spotlight at 17. Yes, she chose the show, but would any 17-year-old anticipate the career trajectory based on one decision? She plays by her rules; she walked away when she was ready. As I often point out to those who mock my fascination with Ms. Conrad, she has the best grammar of any celebrities I follow on Twitter.  Given my fascination, I was excited t...