Thorsday Book Review

It's been pretty hot everywhere, and when it's hot, it seems like you want lighter reading fare.  Well, here are two selections.

WILD GOOSE CHASE
by Terri Thayer

Dewey Pellicano was the only sister and youngest of four children, so growing up, she had no interest in her mother's quilt shop.  She was a computer programmer, and inherited the quilt shop when her mother died unexpectedly.  This story takes place at a quilt expo where her shop is an exhibitor; Dewey's sister in law, Kym, has organized their display, and Dewey would rather be anywhere than at the quilt expo.  Then the show took a turn for the ugly when Dewey went for a meeting with a woman interested in buying her store, entered her room with the woman's employee, and found the woman dead.  Of course, Dewey's an early suspect, but was released.  A couple of days later, one of the organizers of the show was  murdered.  Murder notwithstanding, this book was a fun romp through the lives and scheming of women in the quilting world.  Oh, and a hunky cop doesn't hurt the story either.  Not a serious mystery, I figured out who the killer was midway through the book, but it was fun.  3.5/5

CUT, CROP & DIE
By Joanna Campbell Slan

Another lighthearted whodunit.  Kiki Lowenstein was a 33 year old widow with an 11 year old daughter who worked at a scrapbooking store.  While sponsoring a scrapbooking event at the Missouri Botanical Garden during a garden show, a customer, Yvonne, ate an orange scone and died from an allergic reaction.  Everyone is a suspect, and I do mean everyone.  Yvonne was a mean and petty woman, roundly disliked by everyone.  Her husband had 2 mistresses, her neighbors despised her, and she stole design ideas from other scrapbookers, one of which won her a prestigious award.  Of course, Kiki took it upon herself to find out who murdered Yvonne, not because she liked the woman, but to clear her boss and co-worker of suspicion.  The book does take a couple of delightful detours, including a trip to a day spa (paid for by Kiki's mother in law) preceding an evening at a black tie charity ball.  Oh, and there's a hunky cop in this book, too, along with a hunky auburn haired groundskeeper at the spa (who reappears in the book).  Plus, it features Grace, a Harlequin Great Dane, and Gus, a Jack Russell Terrorist for whom Kiki is babysitting and receiving hazardous duty pay - with a strict warning that Gus was allowed to watch TV, but never Sesame Street, and especially not Elmo.  Lighthearted and fun.  4/5

Two dogs in one book.  Thor would approve.

Happy Thorsday, everyone!