New December Releases

Since the holidays are over and we can all snuggle down with some good books through the rest of the winter season, I would like to share with you a few December releases in the Mystery department.

A SPIRITED GIFT was written by Joyce and Jim Lvene. It is a new release in the A Missing Pieces Mystery series. Revisiting Dae, O'Donnell, the mayor of Duck, NC is like visiting an old friend. This series is nice in that you can pick it up wherever and not feel lost. Each book gives a different piece of Dae, but none build on each other so the reader feels great just jumping in. And jump in you must! This series is lively with great characters that mesh well together and the plot is always interesting. If you have ever lived near or in a coastal town, you will love this one! (ISBN: 978-0-425-24502-6 Dec 2011 release by Berkley Rating:4.0)

A PLAY OF HERESY was written by Margaret Frazer and is an addition to A Joliffe The Player Mystery. This one is a little slow at first if you do not know all of the characters. But once you get a feel for the story line which is based in 1438, the plot because to flow quickly. Writing back in time is difficult due to realistic historical components that must be followed and Margaret Frazer does a fabulous job at doing this. Joliffe is involved in two extravagant plays. One with his fellow players he helps direct, but the other he is a player in. The group is mismatched and the director and Joliffe must make them all pull together before show time. When one of the players is murdered, Joliffe wonders if it was purely an accident, or related to the upheaval of silent heretics that want to destroy the church. He must find the answer without putting his own life, or livelyhood, on the line. A wonderful read!
(ISBN: 978-0-425-24347-3 Dec. 2011 release by Berkley Rating: 4.0)

THREADBARE is A Needlecraft Mystery written by Monica Ferris. When you live in a small town, you do not expect to have many homeless people, let alone wind up finding them dead. But that is what happens in Excelsior, Minnesota. One of the homeless women had a will sewn into her belongings bequething everything to her niece Emily, who is a member of the Monday Brunch at Betsy Devonshire's Crewel World needlework shop. That is what prompts Betsy to begin sluething again. Putting together all of the facts is dangerous work and she has to wind it all together quickly before the killer strikes out again! Not only does this book give you a winding plot to follow, it also includes free embroidery patterns. A score either way!!!
(ISBN:978-0-425-24358-9 Dec 2011 release by Berkley Rating: 3.0)