Weekly Wrap-Up: 30 May – 5 June

I used to post a weekly update when I first started this blog. On my 4th blogiversary (which was on 31st of May), I decided to revive the book log posts.

This past week was a slow start. I started reading only on Tuesday night. Peppy’s surgery and multiple bank visits, I was too tired to read. As a reviewer, I too have deadlines, don’t I? I ended up reading 5 books this week. Not bad, innit?

I read 5 books this past week and I am halfway through the sixth.

Valued for Murder by Victoria Tait is the second book in Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series. Dotty Sayers, a young widow is adjusting to her new life and friends. She is asked to help in a TV show featuring art experts and in the process, meets a whole lot of new people – including 5 women who are named Carol! One of the art experts and opera singer is found dead after the first day of shooting. Dotty and her amateur sleuthing gang decide to investigate the crime.

Her Frozen Cry by Carolyn Arnold is the fifth book in Detective Amanda Steele series. I remember reading the first two books of this series last year and I really loved the series plot and the characters. I missed the previous installment though and there were a few developments that I missed. Anyhow, the story begins with a woman dying in a remote cabin and the perp watching the event. When Detective Amanda Steele is called to investigate, she learns she is connected to the victim’s husband. Soon, one more woman dies in mysterious circumstances. Amanda’s friend and the first victim’s husband is hiding something – Amanda is torn between supporting her old friend and solving the murders.

Rich Kill, Poor Kill by Neil Humphreys is the second book in Inspector Low series. Set in modern-day Singapore, this series explores the nitty gritty and darker side of Asia’s business hub. I confess this series has been an eye opener for me – I have always wanted to move to Singapore for good. It’s been my dream since I was a teenager. But reading this series has made me doubt my um… obsession? with the city/country. On second thoughts, doesn’t every country has its own good and bad sides? We have to find a middle ground and make peace with the rest.

I digress. Rich Kill, Poor Kill is about a serial killer in Singapore. He doesn’t start it that way, though. The first murder was an accident, the second a necessity as his identity was discovered by the victim, the others were… well, once the killer got a taste of it, they wanted to kill more. I hadn’t liked the first book of this series but the second one was a winner.

Murder on the Shore by Gretta Mulrooney is the fourth book in D.I. Siv Drummonds series. I have been following this series from the start. Though the first book was not all that good, the series picked up pace from book #2. Siv is still grieving the loss of her husband Ed. On top of that, she has a toxic relationship with her mother, Musti. Turns out, Musti is dating Siv’s boss and if things go sideways, Siv’s career will be in jeopardy. The story begins with a grandfather-granddaughter pair murdered in their home. Siv and her team must find out the killer and bring them to justice. But that isn’t easy when someone from the higher management is not letting the detectives investigate. Seems like they have a connection to the case and they don’t want their dirty laundry in public. Uh-huh!

Murder En Suite is the first book in Kate P. Adams’ Joyce and Ginger mystery. As per a Goodreads reviewer, this is a spin-off of another series. At the beginning of this year, I had decided to keep up with latest releases on Kindle Unlimited. So far, I have ended up with a lot of DNFs and dud reads. Series debuts with good amazon ratings have turned out to be a bummer. I have concluded that the only issue I have with my DNFs and bad reads is the character portrayal. I read for entertainment. I really do not care if I identified the killer before the protagonist did but annoying characters who think they are better than the police (and this would their first murder case, you see) and want to ‘prove’ so – very frustrating!

I have started Assassins’ Lullaby by Mark Rubinstein and might finish it either tonight or tomorrow morning.