Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke - Mystery-Thriller Book Review - Music, and Murder in Minnesota

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Cinnamon Roll Murder continues author Joann Fluke's trademark talents of combining fictional murder mystery with morsels of food. Fluke's narrative centers around amateur sleuth, Hannah Swensen. As owner of The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden, Minnesota's coffee and bakery shop, Swensen's never far from comestibles and crime.

The Cinnamon Roll Six jazz band is en route to perform at the first-ever weekend jazz festival at the Lake Eden Inn. It's early April, on an ice-filled evening, when the musicians' bus crashes and overturns near town.

Hannah and her sister, Andrea, are traveling in the company van to deliver a large cinnamon roll order to the Lake Eden Inn. Witnessing the accident, they stop to offer help. Driver, Clayton Wallace is dead at the scene. Fortunately the band's entourage suffers only minor injuries yet need to be examined at Lake Eden Memorial Hospital.

While there, Delores Swensen, Hannah's mother and leader of the hospital's Rainbow Ladies Auxiliary group, discovers keyboardist, Buddy Neiman dead in an examining room; stabbed with surgical scissors buried in his chest.

Who'd have motive to kill Buddy Neiman?

Promising, young musician, Devon Murphy (replacement keyboardist for Neiman), is one suspect. Another is the mysterious woman seen arguing with the victim outside Club Nineteen, the band's previous gig.

Dentist, Norman, is Hannah's true love interest, yet engaged to Dr. Bev, a fellow professional. Her reputation in Lake Eden is tainted, known as a conniving, self-centered woman, intent on marrying Norman with ulterior motives. Dr. Bev claims Norman is the father of her five-year-old daughter, Diana, but the Swensen clan is skeptical.

Hannah and her sister Andrea go undercover as realtor/client to gain access to DNA samples from Diana, who lives with Dr. Bev's mother, Judy Thorndike, in the Twin Cities.

Claire's dress shop, Granny's Attic (the area's gossip hub), and Helping Hands (the town's sole thrift store), contribute to Lake Eden's quaint commercialism.

Mentions of modern day, major issues, including facial implants and domestic abuse, offset the isolated, small-town charm of Lake Eden.

Piggy Chicken, Stuffin' Muffins and Pucker Up Lemon Cake, are recipes included in the narrative, along with the expectant, mouthwatering, Special Cinnamon Rolls. All twenty-two recipes are handily indexed at book's end along with a Baking Conversion Chart.

The challenge with some of Fluke's recipes is the amount of labor they require to produce. In today's time-constrained world, chicken tenders need to be pounded and dough needs to rise for several hours, as an example.

Cinnamon Roll Murder is a well-crafted mystery; designed to simultaneously tease your brain and taste buds. Indulge.

The 2012 Bouchercon World Mystery Convention is being held in Cleveland, Ohio, October 4-7. To learn more about this gathering of some of the world's best crime fiction writers, visit: http://bouchercon2012.com.

Timothy Zaun is a blogger, speaker and freelance writer. Visit him online at http://timzaun.com/.

The Detachment by Barry Eisler

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"The Detachment" by Barry Eisler brings back assassin John Rain and the former Marine sniper, Dox, from Eisler's first six popular novels and pairs them with the covert operator and hero of Eisler's last two books, Ben Treven, and the deadly Larison from Eisler's most recent "Inside Out." These four, all expert and experienced operators and killers, are thrust together to form a detachment to stop a coup that's being launched on American soil. Black Ops veteran Colonel Scott "Hort" Horton from previous novels brings the four together for the mission, but it's up to the four to figure out just what the mission is, if they can, before being killed, or killing each other. The premise makes for an exciting fast paced yarn that is fun to read and keeps you wondering what is what and who is who throughout.

I'm a friend of Eisler's, and was looking forward to him writing about Rain and Dox again. As a former Army sniper, I have a kindred spirit for the former Marine. I really liked his part in this story, and it was great to see him back in action, as well as providing some of the comical relief when things get tough. Who says a tough guy can't have a sense of humor? The way the four men interacted with each other moved the talk along well, and the trust, or lack of it, element of the story kept it interesting. Sometimes these interactions were as full of "action" as the actual action scenes, just a different type. The way the characters have developed over the series, and the camaraderie between them, and a look into their psyche, enables the reader to better understand these men, their lives, their pains, their insecurities, as well as their strengths.

As a writer, Eisler did another thing I found interesting. When focused on Rain, the narration is in first person, but when writing about Dox, Treven, and Larison, it is in third person. I found this interesting, and it really makes the story a John Rain thriller as the title suggests, rather than a Ben Treven book. And Rain is the primary character, even though the others all play important roles. Eisler, as always, is in top form when writing about covert ops and keeps his locations accurate and realistic. His experience and research pays off.

"The Detachment" is a terrific thriller with John Rain and Dox back in action. The addition of Treven and Larison added to the excitement and I'm looking forward to seeing where this detachment of special op professionals goes next.

Alain Burrese, J.D. is a writer, speaker, and mediator. He has authored several books (including Lost Conscience and the Tough Guy Wisdom series) and a number of instructional DVDs (including Hapkido Cane and the Lock On Joint Locking Essentials series). He has also reviewed hundreds of books, DVDs, and products. His Warrior's Edge programs focus on safety, martial arts, self-defense, and living with The Warrior's Edge. His Black Belt Communicator programs focus on effective communication for conflict resolution, negotiation, leadership, and mediation. You can find out about Alain, read articles and reviews, see video clips of his DVDs, and more at http://www.burrese.com/blog.

Resuscitation Written By D M Annechino

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A superbly written and thought out mystery that is certain to thoroughly entertain you - and SCARE you! The author has so many twists and turns that will excite you and make you constantly think of what will happen to which character next. No, the story will not confuse you as so many do by adding so many changes as the reader goes along that it gets them confused as to who was what and where did they belong in the story. The author, Daniel Annechino, learned his great methods of writing well and I hope he continues writing such invigorating fictional mysteries.

The prologue starts us with a sample of what to expect when a young woman comes to feeling like she just had major surgery, tied to a bed or some such place, IV lines going into her body, and completely naked under a sheet that covered her. This is the result of a highly thought of cardiologist performing a specialized surgery on her to attempt to find a way to treat the many patients that have atrial fibrillation heart problems. Only this morbid physician takes perfectly healthy people off the streets, drugs them, and takes them to his haunts to continue his experiments. Julian would need eight patients to complete his experiments on this subject before he felt he would have the opportunity to win the award for overcoming this heart problem. Killing those he experimented with was no problem for Julian. After the first few he decided his sexual prowess would take over before he would rid himself of this body. Oh yes he was careful hiding all ways he could be identified through his "work!"

Sami Rizzo and Alberto Diaz were a pair in love. Sami had been a cop but after her brush with death with Simon a short time span before, left the police force knowing she was too upset to go through this again. Al was a cop that lived with Sami and had helped her through the major damage she had endured and still did. Sami was so thankful to have Al to be with her and give her the guidance she needed to live every day. One night Sami answered the phone when Al's superiors called to tell him to get to a certain place, as there was a homicide, no details, just get there. The finding of the first body really took all those in the local law enforcement back. The victim was dressed head to foot in very expensive clothes, appearing to be ready for a very expensive outing.

Sami's mother had a heart attack and Dr. Templeton, a very highly thought of cardiologist, was her doctor. He kept in touch with Sami constantly whether at the hospital or home. While her mother was still in the hospital Al received a phone call from Rio that his sister had been involved in a bad auto accident and it was unknown if she would make it. Al had to get there to be with his sister in Rio. So while Sami's mother was recuperating, Al had to fly off to a far away place to be with his sister. All the while Julian took more women as he continued his experiments. Sami was not happy since she had left the police force. She continually wondered if she should apply for reinstatement or if she had any chance for that after her life-threatening problem with Simon. Eventually Sami approached her superiors and, after some consideration, she was reinstated and of course was thrown on the case that was driving all the law authorities crazy.

I will stop here now that you have better than a basis of the story. Don't pass this book up. Sometimes if we don't know an author we move on to one we know we do like, but in this case, if you don't read Resuscitation, you will be the loser.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman of a book supplied by The Amazon Vine Program

The Complaints By Ian Rankin

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In the United States this department is called I.A. or Internal Affairs. The Complaints Department deals with the force and any suspicions against them. No one in the Police Force particularly likes Complaints. They are seen as snitching and snooping on those who keep the peace. This is Ian Rankin's first story after his enormously successful Detective Rebus' retirement. He wrote those in chronological order and retired him when he would have been of age. So now we meet Malcolm Fox. His job is to investigate fellow officers.

I didn't know how I would feel about a different hero being such a huge Rebus fan, but Fox is quite brill. Obviously intelligent but also up to date on investigating. This story starts with the culmination of a case for Fox. He has finally brought enough evidence against a dirty cop and he is ready for his next assignment. Unfortunately he is sent to vice for a briefing about a cop suspected of using child pornography. As the story evolves we are introduced to Fox's sister who is in an abusive relationship with a man she swears she loves. What a position for a policeman to be in; stand by and watch your sister get beaten up or do something about it. Of course, she won't press charges. To add to Fox's stress level is his father who is living in an old people's home. He is doing well but is not completely aware of his daughter and her lifestyle.

The Complaints Department that Fox works for only has four employees. They keep things pretty tight to their chests and have very few friends throughout the rest of the police force. As is usual for colleagues, they know a lot about each other's lives. Malcolm's work mates are concerned about his sister as well and encourage him to think of how to remedy her situation. The story escalates dramatically when the boyfriend of the sister turns up dead. She is, of course, suspected due to the violence and her sporting a broken arm thanks to the victim. Malcolm is supposed to back off completely and not have anything to do with her case but realistically who can honestly say they will do nothing. To add insult to injury, one of the officers on her case is someone the complaints may be investigating. The plot does get stickier and stickier.

There are many different levels to this story but Rankin never leaves us out in the cold trying to remember which character is which. We meet quite a few nasty bastards and Fox gets into some very scary situations. To be honest I hope they televise these as they have done with Rebus - I think they would be great. You can imagine the Scottish underworld skulking around the back streets of Edinburgh in the wee hours. Anyway enough said - great book!

You can find more of my book and movie reviews at: http://ukchica.com/

Review - Murder at the Ocean Forest

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Murder at The Ocean Forest, Robert "Digger" Cartwright, 2006, ISBN 1425707696

This is a murder mystery set in World War II-era South Carolina. It is about a husband and wife who would have been better off never getting married to each other.

Terence and Faye Underwood are traveling by train to the Ocean Forest, a very high-class resort right on the shore. Faye thinks that Terence is a serial adulterer, constantly looking for women with which to have illicit affairs, despite his constant protestations to the contrary. They are both members of high society, so divorce, let alone raising their voices in argument where others might hear them, is simply not an option; the scandal would be overwhelming.

A few days later, Terence goes off by himself quail hunting, while Faye goes horseback riding along the beach. Several hours later, the horse returns without her. A diligent search along the beach is made, led by Feltus le Bon, the hotel detective. Faye's red scarf, along with some blood, is found near a patch of quicksand. The next day, Terence is coerced into showing Feltus exactly where he was hunting. It turns out to be just a few yards from the quicksand. It would have been very easy for Terence to shoot Faye with the shotgun he was carrying, and dump her in the quicksand, freeing him to have as many illicit affairs as he can handle. Things get complicated the next morning when, serving an arrest warrant on Terence, Feltus finds him in bed, murdered.

Investigating further, Feltus focuses his attention on Preacher Cooper, a priest involved in illicit activities, Elizabeth Bascomb, an elderly, blind psychic, and Lord and Lady Ashburn, visiting from England, all of whom have very good reasons for wanting Terence Underwood dead. Feltus tries several ways to ratchet up the pressure, hoping that the guilty party will crack. While all this is going on, the area is battered by a major hurricane.

This is a really good mystery, but I thought that it moved too slowly. The first death does not occur until almost halfway into the book. I understand what the author was trying to do, and totally agree that not all murder mysteries have to move at breakneck speed. The author certainly knows what he is doing; I guess I would have liked it more if the first half of the story moved a little faster than it did.

Paul Lappen is a freelance book reviewer whose blog, http://www.deadtreesreview.blogspot.com/, emphasizes small press and self-published books.

Death of a Kingfisher By MC Beaton

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Ms. Beaton has hit another doozy on the head with this latest Hamish Macbeth mystery. Set again in sleepy Lochdubh in the Highlands in remote Scotland our fearless cop is faced with more unsavoury people. His police station has also been invaded by another policeman whom headquarters is trying to get rid of without having to fire. Said policeman is older and ready to retire but is more than happy to sit around and do nothing, well except eat, which he is wanting to do continually. Macbeth has to continually berate him and send him on errands and jobs to see to the wellbeing of the townsfolk. In the end this copper turns out to be more of an asset with his tendency to hear about gossip in and around town and therefore hear about several goings on well before Macbeth does.

Macbeth has to call on newcomers to the villages as well as check on old timers. His work takes him to a newcomer who has a strong Highland lilt. It seems she was born and raised from even further north and has come back after the death of her husband. He has left her very well off and she has bought a huge home. At this time her two grandchildren are visiting her although they do not seem to be either very nice kids or to care much about their granny. When there is some aggro in a nearby glen the first question they ask is if their grandmother has died. Macbeth finds this very disconcerting although he seems to be the only one who does. He tries to keep an eye on the children but other shenanigans prevent that from happening completely.

Macbeth receives a call reporting a murder in the aforementioned glen and rushes out to the scene of the crime. When he arrives he realizes that there is no murder, only the death of some birds in the area. The woman who is renovating the nature preserve is beside herself, apologizes to Hamish and then starts to flirt with him something awful. If you have read any previous Macbeth mysteries then you will know he is a sucker for the ladies. The only thing is he doesn't know when to go the full hog or to stop seeing these women. He never gets around to asking the ones he truly loves to marry him and yet is completely overwhelmed by those who want to get the better of him even if they are married. This one is married and yet seems to be either lying about her relationship with her husband or is trying to fool Macbeth. She definitely succeeds for a while.

As usual we have the flying visits of the lady of the manor, whom Hamish has held a torch for over the years. We also have visits from his previous love who is now a very successful reporter who is scheduled to marry very near in the future. There is the usual murder and mayhem and this time the crimes are a little darker but Hamish does get to the bottom of the mysteries.

You can find more of my book and movie reviews at: http://ukchica.com/

Top Mysteries Picks From a Discriminating Reader

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My criteria for liking a book are often based on how much I like the characters. Because I focus on mystery series, I want my characters to grow and to surprise me. I keep a list of what I've read and try to rank them with terms like Excellent or Poor in an effort to keep track. Perhaps the most consistently excellent writer I have noted is Harlan Coben, who writes about modern-day situations that result in choices that don't always turn out the way most would expect.

I pride myself on being somewhat of a shoot from the hip, independent person, so cozies with nosy, manipulative women turn me off. But I do like to read about women, since they are over fifty percent of the population. So I have difficulty with the all male action and spy dramas. I also like reality-based stories, so I'm not inclined to read about comic-book style heroes. Of course there are exceptions to all these rules (including my recent guilty pleasure in Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse vampire series), and it depends upon my mood.

If you dislike getting caught up in a series, there are many great stand alones. In fact, you don't have to read an entire series to appreciate a good story, and many authors have stand out books among their series. One of my favorite stand-alone legal thriller writers is Scott Turow. Start with Personal Injuries. Minette Walters has strong female characters set in England. I thought Shape of Snakes was her best.

Deep South and Blood Lure by Nevada Barr were two of her best works in her series about a female park ranger. I enjoy the historic turn of the twentieth century series by Rhys Bowen with a female detective. Try In a Gilded Cage as one of her best. Michael Connelly's earlier works were great, but recently I have learned to be more particular. I recommend Lincoln Lawyer, City of Bones and Lost Light.

If you want something light with some romance and a few laughs, I recommend Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. If you want light, but thought provoking mixed with charm and an exotic locale try Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective series set in Botswana, Africa. If you want a better than average cozy with likeable characters, but not too much violence try Distant Blood about a male librarian by Jeff Abbott or Sunshine and Shadows by Earlene Fowler, which is set in central California.

Some books stand out in my mind above and beyond all others. Robert Crais' L.A. Requiem, Nelson DeMille's Up Country, Jonathon King's Blue Edge of Midnight, the whole Stieg Larsson series set in Norway, Laurie King's Touchstone and The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Carol O'Connell's Find Me and John Dunning's The Bookman's Wake are just a few. Like Harlan Coben, you can never go wrong with Dennis Lehane, whether reading his series or his stand alones. These are the standouts for those who have to be more selective with their reading time.

If you want to read good writing I recommend James Lee Burke and Barry Eisler for setting a scene and atmosphere, Jeffery Deaver and John Sandford for on-the-edge-of-your-seat pacing and Karin Slaughter and C. J. Box for character driven stories that are full of surprises and not for the faint of heart. If you like futuristic mysteries with lots of hot romance consider J. D. Robb's Origin in Death or Divided in Death. If you like historic mysteries I haven't read much better than Margaret Lawrence's Blood Red Roses, Burning Bride and Hearts and Bones, which takes place after the American Revolution.

I'm sure I'm leaving out many other great authors I have yet to discover. However, for those who make an effort to read and want a recommendation from someone who reads a lot, here are a few books that should keep you entertained for the next couple of years.

Copyright 2012 by Linda K. Murdock. Linda wrote Mystery Lover's Puzzle Book, Crosswords with Clues from Your Favorite Mystery Series. In it she reviews 29 mystery writers, lists all of their book titles and creates a puzzle for each series. Download a FREE sample crossword on Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series or sign up for more mystery book reviews under Author Bio at http://bellwetherbooks.com