'Til Death Do Us Part by Kate White

Second in a series, by White, Bailey Weggins is the heroine of this fast paced and intriguing mystery dealing with the suspicious deaths of three out of four bridesmaids for a distinctly overbearing and unpleasant bride. Bailey is the fourth bridesmaid and spends most of the book trying to discover not only the killer (there turns out to be two) but also the motive while avoiding becoming the fourth victim. The twists and turns should not be given away here but suffice it to say, there are plenty of red herrings to lead the reader astray. One thing I loved about Bailey was that she had the good sense to be afraid more that once and thereby avoid her killer. All the women in the story were strong characters, some good, some bad but all well drawn with believable motivation for their behavior. Peyton, the grasping and greedy bride, was completely despicable – a success story that people love to hate while fearing her at the same time.

Kate White is the editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine. She began her career at Glamour after being named one of the top 10 coeds in America. She went to Union College where she was a member of the first co-ed class. She has written three non-fiction books on the topic of women succeeding in business. She has received the Matrix Award for Outstanding Achievement in Communication and the Woodhall Institute Award for Ethical Leadership.

I intend to read the next book in the Bailey Weggins series as soon as I can get to the library.

"Vermilion" by Phyllis Whitney

Phyllis Whitney  is one of those Gothic type novelists who write what is called 'Romantic suspense.'  This book has been on my shelf forever (circa 1981). This was one of those novelists that was one of my first adult reads back in the day.   This was actually a very good story with a plot that moved rapidly.  The Gothic feel of strange voices from an imaginary friend that made you wonder if the main character was truly mad.  When Lindsay travels to Sedona because of a suspicious note from her father's past, that made her want to get to the bottom of his murder.  Surrounded by the beautiful red rocks and the mysticism of the Hopi Indians, Lindsay is drawn into family dramas that she never knew existed but slowly become revealed. The romantic interest was a little predictable but still believeable and an important part of the story.  The only part that I thought was contrived was a red herring ill placed near the end of the book which all but screamed "I DID IT."  While talking to my mystery reading friends about revisiting Phyllis Whitney, we talked about dated content and plots.  While there are no cell phones, computers, or CSI gadgetry, this is old fashioned mystery at it's best and I would highly recommend the trip down memory lane and read a Whitney novel for the fun of it.

The Kill Fee by Laura Van Wormer

Sally Harrington, part-time sleuth and full-time news broadcaster is the protagonist in this ongoing series. She has the ususal broadcast anchor jealousy, boyfriend, elderly relative and even stalker issues going on. Far into the book, it also comes to light that some rather horrifying characters are in pursuit of land owned by her great-uncle. Sadly, I was disappointed in this book. I did not care at all about the any of the characters, most were incredibly selfish. The sprinkling of implict and apparently obligatory sex scenes throughout did not do a thing to liven the action. Van Wormer has had many books published, this is the fifth in a series about Harrington. I might try another just to double check my reactions, but then again maybe not.

Die For You by Lisa Unger

Altered identities seem to be a theme in my latest mystery reads. "Die for You" by Lisa Unger lets the reader know before the book is even opened that one character is not who he says he is. The mystery is: Who is he? and Why did he hide? The protagonist, the unknowing wife, quickly finds clues to the deception in retrospect. Unger neatly ties together financial deception with ethical deception and wraps everything up in a bow called "love is blind" (often on purpose). Following deception, as a theme is abandonment as both the wife, Isobel, and her sister, cope in very different ways with the suicide of their father when they were very young. Suicde is, of course, the ultimate abandonment. Not asking questions in a relationship, not being financially independent or even aware are just some of the issues Unger covers while portraying Isolbel's quest to solve the mystery of just who her husband was. Isobel was a well drawn and evolving character, her husband despicable, her niece and nephew amazing. Most of the characters were well drawn to depict them is specific ways. Jealousy raised its ugly head more than once.
This book was a definite page turner and left me with the urge to read more of Unger's work. "Die for You" was featured in 2009 as a Today Show Top Summer Pick, and Parade Magazine, Good Morning America, Good Housekeeping and USA Today all picked it as a top summer read.

High Heels are Murder by Elaine Viets

This is the second in the Josie Marcus Mystery Shopper series by the popular mystery writer ELaine Viets. This is a cute series which is light and fast reading. I've always wondered if someone really makes a living as a mystery shopper when you see ads in the newspaper. But this sleuth gets to shop and check out department store policies and service, spend money(not her own) and then write a report on how it goes. As an idea for a series, this is a cute one. Certainly Josie will come across her share of murders with this formula. In this book, Josie shops at a high-end shoe store to find the saleman a little too charming and lingering a little too long on her feet. When the saleman is found dead and part of a foot fetish group, you can only image the trails that Josie is sent looking for a murderer. This is a charming series with a lot of potential. I jumped into the series in the seco9nd book and found that the author provided enough back story to help you along with the characters. If you need a quick read, this is your series and author. Viets is one of my current favorites and I look forward to reading the rest of these books which are perfect for vacation.

Carreta de la Muerte (cart of Death) by Mari Ulmer

This is the second novel in the mystery series featuring Christina Garcia y Grant as a retired lawyer and sleuth set in the Taos Mexico area. The theft of a priceless piece of church funeral art is the event that sets Christina on the beginning of the mystery. Finding bodies including an acquaintance of her friend Ignacio turns the friends to seek not only the historical crimes of precious church icons, but to solve the murder. This was an interesting choice as I had the opportunity to learn about the importance and reverance of death within the church of native cultures. The iconology of the different pieces that represent the past but are honored for their artistic value as well as important to a family whose loved one has passed away. This was a good book published by Poison Pen Press as part of Ulmer's Taos Festival Series and are available through area public libraries.

Final Witness by Simon Tolkien

In this British mystery by the grandson of the great J.R.R. Tolkien of the famed "Lord of the Rings" series, the surname alone means tall shoes to fill. I found this book online and decided to try this novel and see if Simon Tolkien also had some writing chops. Set in England, Thomas is the teenage son of a prominent politician and a socialite. Right in the beginning Thomas witnesses his mother being murdered but not exactly by seeing it. Thomas is thrust into a hidden cabinet by his mother in the middle of a break-in in the home. Thomas hears and sees bits of the crime and begins to put all together in order to catch the killer of his beloved Mom. Thomas's father previously had taken up with a social climbing woman who became his personal assistant. Thomas half falls in love with her as her charm to insinuate herself into the family falls on the teen as well. His father begins an affair with her and Thomas's mother only tolerates her and tends to see her as the conniving person that she is. Thomas then sets out to prove that Greta the love interest and soon to become step mom is the killer. Greta is arrested for the murder but his father is in complete denial and forsakes his son's attempts to solve the crime which later destroys their relationship. This reminded me a little bit of "Curious incident of the dog" in tone but ultimately, it is a great story that stands on it's own and left me guessing to the end. Not only is this a great mystery, but a well written character study. I can picture this as a PBS or BBC mystery. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more by this brilliant and clever author.