Caramel Pecan Roll Murder - A Review

 

Caramel Pecan
Roll Murder

by

Joanne Fluke

A Review

I quickly became confused as I began reading this cozy mystery. Was I reading a cozy mystery loaded with recipes or was I reading a cookbook with a side of cozy mystery. I first stumbled on a couple of recipes in the last few pages of the book - they sounded good and there were not too many. But as I began to read the mystery from the beginning of the book, I found myself inundated with more and more recipes. Some chapters (note: not every chapter has recipes) seemed to have more pages with recipes than mystery. What made this discovery even more discouraging was that a vast majority of the recipes would not be allowed to be a part of my diet by my physician - they looked good, but they would not be allowed . There were exceptions - Reuben Omelets, Baked Scotch Eggs, and Wild Rice Soup, would all pass muster, but the vast majority of recipes were sweet treats and/or desserts.

The mystery itself was well written. The Walleye fishing tournament brought some of the best fisherman out for the week as well as many of the locals. Hannah Swensen was a local pastry chef (and source for many of the recipes) and a helpful amatuer detective. The story held my interest as I wandered through the recipe collection. I really thought I had figured out the guilty party early on, but I was caught off guard. Despite misreading the clues, I still found the culmination of the mystery to be satisfying. 

The mystery will receive 4-½ stars; the book as a whole will receive only three stars.
_____________
This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Nine - A Review

 

Nine

by

Rachelle Dekker

Nine is a difficult book to review. It contains far more graphic violence than I would want in a book I would normally read. In addition, coming from a Christian publisher, it has little direct connection to the Christian faith.

Yet it serves as a good parable of how one can change when they receive undeserved love. Three protagonists, coming from three different places, will need to experience that undeserved love before they can experience the freedom they each desperately need.

It would take all 350+ pages of the book to convince me that this book, this parable, would have something to teach us about that love. In that the book has value.

In some ways the story might fit better into a graphic novel or a Marvel movie spectacular - yet it still remains a valuable parable that can reach deep into the heart. I would give the book 3-½ stars if I could, instead it gets a 4-star review.
______________ 

This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

The Story of the Bible in 365 Readings - A Review

The Story of the Bible

in 365 Readings

by

Ed Strauss

This new book presents a group of simple but thought-provoking devotional readings that take the reader from the days of creation in Genesis to the end of time in Revelations. Each entry is a little less than a page in length. Here is an example from I Samuel 24 and 25:

The entry begins with a sentence explaining the key points from the lesson. The lesson ends with comment or two that the reader can remember throughout the day. Though the entries are numbered, they are not dated, allowing the reader to start or begin their study when convenient for them. The book contains a Table of Contents near the beginning of the book that allow the reader to find a reading based on a particular passage. The book concludes with a scripture index - though I could not use it to easily find references.

The book will take the reader through the whole story of scripture, but I would have a difficult time recommending it as the first devotional for Bible Study.

______________

This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.