Top five picks: By Pamela James

My top five picks in the cozy genre:

1. Black Cat Crossing by Kay Finch
2. A Seamless Murder by Melissa Bourbon
3. Murder in the Paperback Parlor by Ellery Adams
4. The Longest Yard Sale by Sherry Harris
5. The Skeleton Takes a Bow by Leigh Perry

I will as promised be posting my favorite historical mysteries, nonfiction books and a few other genes.

Hugs,
Pamela

Downton Abby

Who watched "Downton Abby" last night? I thought the premire was great last night. I especially loved the interviews and behind the scenes.
Since I loved this series I really am sad that after season six it will end.
one of my favorite parts is that Edith is actually embarking on her new life. I am one of those who wants her to be happy.

Did you watch last night? Do you have any thoughts on season six? What do you think will happen. They mentioned that as in life not everyone will have a happy end to their part.

Sunday night have become more exciting.
On a completely different note Kansas City Chiefs won their tenth game yesterday afternoon. Which is my team so I had a great Sunday!

Love,
Pamela 

Guest Blogger - Alice Duncan

Boy, Am I Glad This Year is Over!

2015 wasn’t the best year I’ve ever lived through. For one thing, I was sick during most of it. For another, I lost a beloved dachshund, Bella, who was murdered by Jazzy and Cookie, two of my other hounds—or part-hounds, anyway. And lots of expensive house problems erupted during the year. Gah.

The wieners of UNSETTLED SPIRITS (paper copy) are Holly Huff, Flo Kojima, and Peggy Baker! I’ll send your copies as soon as the snow melts. Right now I’m snowed in. Besides, if I could drive anywhere, I might possibly be able to get to the post office, but none of the grocery stores have food in them. Roswell is 200 miles away from another, larger city. We haven’t had newspaper or mail deliveries since Saturday, December 26. It’s now the 31^st, and the FedEx guy (who did manage to get through this morning) says even he’s going to pack it in because the streets are so treacherous. Roswell doesn’t have snowplows. Sigh.

Anyway, all is not horribly bad. In fact, I’m really happy that my daughter and son-in-law, Anni and Razmik Avanesian, are here, and they’re fixing up my house! Well, they will continue to do so if the snow melts enough for them to get to Home Depot. And if Home Depot has anything in it. They went to a grocery store yesterday, and there were no potatoes of any kind, no meat, and no green onions, which I wanted for a chicken dish I’m making today.

Piddle on the snow. My dogs have been piddling on the snow, for sure. At the moment, it’s kind of a block of ice out there. It’ll probably melt a bit and then freeze again. According to the weather gurus, the air is too cold for the snow to melt, and the air is cold because there’s so much snow on the ground. And there you have it!

Interesting story about Razmik (I don’t think he’ll mind my telling it). He’s an Armenian from Iran. Armenians are culturally Christian, and when Iran because a Muslim theocracy, it ceased being a good place for Christians to live. Therefore, Raz and his family had to learn how to do everything, from building buildings and repairing stuff to cooking over open flames. Eventually they all got out except for one of his sisters, who still lives there.

Personally, I don’t want to live in a Christian theocracy any more than I want to live in a Muslim theocracy. Our Founding Fathers knew what they were doing when they chose to separate the church from the state.

For the month of January, 2016, I’ll be giving away audio copies of THANKSGIVING ANGELS! Whee! If you’d like to win an audio copy of THANKSGIVING ANGELS, please send me an email at alice@aliceduncan.net.

And here, for your visual pleasure, are pictures of our snow! This is more snow than Roswell’s ever had in its life. Go figure.

Please visit my web page at www.aliceduncan.net, and if you’d like to be Facebook friends, here’s my Facebook page info: https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925

Thanks!

Pam's Top Picks-Part Two of 2015

7. MURDER in the PAPERBACK PARLOR by Ellery Adams
Jane Steward run a book themed resort. This time she is organizing a Valentine's Day Regency Readers theme.
What Jane hasn't planned on is that a famous talented author is murdered.
She also had no idea how cut throat the world of romance could be.
She has plenty of help finding the murderer. her book club "The Cover Girls" are on the case. Jane's family and Storyton Hall family are also a huge help but nothing could prepare her for what happens next...
Ellery Adams has my admiration for the whole concept of this series. Titles and covers are cozy, the family I want to be a part of an would love to stay at the retreat and write my books there all day.

8. Booked for Trouble by Eva Gates, is every library lovers dream come true. Lucy Richardson has a dream job. She lives and works at the local lighthouse that is indeed the town library.
Lucy has moved away from most of her family and loves the fact she no longer has many family demands. The island lighthouse library keeps her busy, the island is good for her soul, she loves her life.
Then chaos strikes in the form of her mother. Her mother surprised her with a visit and has no plans to leave. The worst part is that her mother seems troubled and worried. When stolen jewelry is found on her mother. Lucy knows her mother is innocent. Since her mother grew up and moved away from Bodie Island some people that she once went to school with and knew have long memories and short tempers.
When her mother is baited into a public argument with a woman who was once an old school mate this bad enough. However when the woman turns up murdered in the parking lot outside the Bodie Lighthouse her mother becomes suspect number one.
Eva knows how to weave a plot and her characters reel us in hook, line and sinker.

9. the Longest Yard Sale by Sherry Harris For one day Sarah Winston turns Ellington, Massachusetts into to die for town yard sale. When a murder happens she is furious that it happened on her watch.
Trying to find out who murdered him is more than she bargained for and Sarah loves a bargain. This mystery series has something for everyone. It made the cut because I adore that Sherry Harris knows her way around a plot, a bargain, she includes practical tips for having a garage sale. Let's not forget that she also knows about military life and what secrets others people's treasures can clue us in to knowing about them. Couple all of this with clues, lies, cheating husbands, cheating wives, town managers, the mob and a double dose of strangers who don't seem to fit into the New England lifestyle.

10. Aunt Dimity and the Wishing Well by Nancy Atherton,
A young man comes to the village to settle his late-uncle's affairs. A wishing well is discovered and soon the village residents all have their wishes granted. Soon people are making life changing decisions. This leads to bad tempers, gossip, stolen objects and much more. Laurie is sure there is a logical reason behind all of the magic.


Okay now I have to say that on Monday (later in the day) I will post my non-fiction, non cozy books and the how to book list of 2015.

Hugs,
Pam

Pam's 2015: Top Picks of books

Top Ten Picks: I will narrow them down to my top five this week.

1. Black Cat Crossing by Kay Finch. This get the new first book award for being the first book in a new series. I loved, the title, plot and cover.

2. A Christmas Carol Murder by Leslie Meir. When Mr. Marlowe dies after opening a mail bomb not many people are sorry to see him die.
The list of suspects is very long. He wasn't a nice man and when you foreclose on people's property they do take it personally but Lucy must find who would murder this man. The series is comfortable and cozy. This book in the series is no exception.

3. Cover Story by Erika Chase. This is a reading group mystery and I loved every moment of the book. Any reader or writer of mysteries will love this series.

4. A Mainely Murder Mystery by Lea Wait. Let me just say that hand stitching and mystery go hand in hand when it comes to murder. What  great group of women and the setting is to die for...

5. The Skeleton Takes A Bow (A family Skeleton Mystery Series), by Leigh Perry. This is a great cozy mystery but you must suspend disbelief. I always have fun reading this series. Sid is a skeleton and when he has a chance to be a prop in the high school production of Hamlet. Sid loves the idea. What he doesn't love is being doubted when he relates that he overheard a murder. When no body is found this doesn't give his story much credit.

6. A Seamless Murder by Melissa Bourbon. Harlow Jane Cassidy is asked to sew aprons for each of the members of the local women's group. She jumps at the chance. The problem is that whatever Harlow sew gives the owner it is made for their deepest wishes and desires. In Bliss, Texas this is not always a good thing. When one of the members body is found in the cemetery Harlow has to find who murdered Delta, before she sews her last stitch.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope everyone has a healthy, happy brand new year.
I also wish you good books to read. The realization of your dreams.

I am going to post my 2015 best read books list later today.

Love,
Pamela, Pepper and Frank

Review: Crimes, Detection and Death of Jack the Ripper by Martin Fido

Jack the Ripper fascinates so many of us. So many theories and we never (CAN never) know for sure. This work explores the crimes, the social factors and the credibility of the police involved. He provides evidence debunking many theories and explores sources and their reliability. Each victim (and victim eliminated from the Ripper canon) is carefully discussed in detail.  He also discusses evidence that he feels has been disproved or mis-interpreted.  He tries to trace the formation of various theories and the information they resulted from.  He discusses the role of the press and politics as well as clarifying the roles senior officers played. Sometimes the book is a bit dry but the information it contains is very well-researched and thought out. The edition I read was updated from the original after new information had come to light.  His theory of the culprit may be the strongest I have seen, but then we really will never know and that mystery is probably why we find it so intriguing. This is one of the must-read sources out there. Terri