Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge discussion

Hi--I'm in again this year, but I think I'll do level 3 this time. I'll do the freestyle reading again like I did last year. I'll probably read a lot of mysteries, and may go past 30 books, but would like to read some other genres this year too. Happy reading, everyone, and Happy New Year!

Welcome back! Good luck with the challenge! Have fun!

Yvonne wrote: "Welcome back! Good luck with the challenge! Have fun!"

Thanks, Yvonne--good luck on your challenge also!

1. 4/5

This is the first book of the Detective Murdoch series, which has been made into a TV series. Murdoch is a detective in late 19th century Toronto, and becomes involved in a case where the body of a young girl is found in the snow. She is naked, is discovered to be pregnant, and her death is by foul play! Murdoch uses the latest scientific techniques of the day to help in his investigations.

2. 3/5

This is #29 in the Agatha Raisin series. Well, this was kind of a mess, but out of loyalty to dear Agatha and M.C. Beaton, I want to finish out the series. Agatha convinces a bell ringer in the church in the village of Thirk Magna to hire her to investigate a cold case murder. Meanwhile, one of the other bell ringers is killed, and bodies begin to pile up. Agatha is unfocused, pursuing love and having mood swings. The book occasionally made me laugh out loud, but I miss the old Agatha's spunk.

3. 4/5

This is #5 in the Baby Ganesh Agency series. A Parsee philanthropist is found murdered on holy burial grounds, and his daughter calls in Inspector Chopra to investigate. The glimpse into the secretive Parsee culture and burial ritual was interesting. Chopra's baby elephant sidekick is a charming character.

There was an exchange between Chopra's assistant investigator, Rangwalla, and Soman, a minor bureaucrat, that struck me.
Soman:
"Misgovernment and corruption always go hand in hand." Do you know who said that? Rangwalla shook his head. "It was Gandhi. He knew, even then, that in this new country of ours there would be those who placed themselves first, their nation second, their fellow countrymen last. ... We are custodians, Rangwalla, mere custodians. The only real legacy we can pass on to our children is our integrity. They are the ones we must face one day, when they come of age. What will I say to my son then? What will you say to yours?"

So timely.

Welcome Donna and good luck!!

Ashley wrote: "Welcome Donna and good luck!!"

Thanks, Ashley!

4. 4/5

This is the 4th book in the Inspector Gamache series. Armand Gamache and his wife are celebrating their anniversary at an inn near Three Pines, where the Finney family is having a family reunion. The Finneys are a pretty unlikable group, and not surprisingly, one of them winds up dead. Gamache investigates and has to face some unpleasantness from his past. I gave it 4/5 because the action took place away from Three Pines and its delightful characters.

5. 3/5

This is such a strange book that I can't recommend it unless you really enjoy books with extremely quirky characters and bizarre plotlines. Detective Varg is the head of the Department of Sensitive Crimes in Malmo, Sweden, where he investigates odd occurrences such as who would stab someone in the back of the knee. He also investigates the mysterious disappearance of a young woman's imaginary boyfriend. Detective Varg's job and his loneliness leave him time to muse and ponder vaguely on different subjects. This is the first in the Detective Varg series.

6. 4/5

This is #14 in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series, and Mma Makutsi is expecting her first child! Mma Ramotswe helps to solve a mystery when someone is slandering the reputation of a local businesswoman and trying to put her out of business.

7. 4/5

This is #3 in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series. Dr. Paiboun is the head coroner in Laos in the 1970s, and he and his nurse head to the north to investigate a body that has been found in a cement walkway at the president's house. His investigation unearths a strange tale of forbidden love and ritual killing. Those who enjoy mysteries with an element of the paranormal would enjoy the Dr. Siri Paiboun series.

8. 5/5

This is #14 in the Molly Murphy series. I've gotten behind in reporting my books, what with all that's been happening in the world. Molly has returned from Paris, and her house has been rebuilt and is being remodeled. Daniel begins chasing a murderer who seems to be killing people randomly and leaving him taunting notes about the murders. Molly and her baby are almost among the victims at one point. Can she find the link between the victims and help Daniel solve the crimes?

9. 4/5

This is the first book in the Singaporean mystery series, featuring Aunty Lee. I'm using Overdrive/Libby, now that the library is closed, so am seeing what I can download there, as well as what I can find on our shelves. Aunty Lee runs a restaurant in a tourist area of Singapore, and loves to cook and to gossip. When two young women who have eaten her home cooking are murdered, Aunty Lee feels duty bound to discover who would have done such a thing to two of her customers. Aunty Lee and her faithful helper/servant are endearing characters.

10. 3/5

This is number 11 in the Cat in the Stacks mystery series. Charlie decides to audit a course in early medieval history at the college he works at, and is approached by an attractive woman who is taking the class and wants to be his study partner. She winds up dead, and later another death takes place. Not one of the best books in the series, but the characters are likable.

11. 5/5

This is number 8 in the Flavia deLuce series. I am such a huge Flavia deLuce fan. There are parts of the book where her remarks just make me laugh out loud. In this book, Flavia has just returned from her brief stint of formal education in Canada to a dismal welcome from her sisters, and finds that her father is in the hospital, very ill with pneumonia. While running an errand for the vicar's wife, she discovers the body of a woodcarver in his house, hanging upside-down on the back of his bedroom door. This discovery helps to perk Flavia up: "It's amazing what the discovery of a corpse can do for ones spirts!'' Using science, ingenuity, and her own unique methods of investigation, she manages to find the killer.

12. 4/5

This is the second book in the Singaporean Mystery series. Aunty Lee is asked to cater a luncheon at the home of rich socialite lawyer Mabel Sung, where Mabel's daughter is being honored for becoming a partner in her law firm. However, at the luncheon, Mabel and her chronically ill son, Leonard, wind up dead, and Aunty Lee's signature dish, chicken with buah keluak, is blamed for their deaths. Can Aunty Lee find the real killers and clear her culinary reputation?

13. 4/5

This book is the first of the Mas Arai detective series. Mas is an unlikely detective--a survivor of the Hiroshima bomb blast, Mas is a Japanese gardener, working in the Los Angeles area in the late 1990s. His life is falling apart--his wife has died from cancer, and his daughter, who lives in New York, doesn't want to have contact with him. Mas is contacted by someone from his past, and the horror that he and his companions lived through in Hiroshima comes back to haunt him. A complicated and engrossing story. Maybe not a cozy (?), but I enjoyed it.

14. 4/5

This is the second book of the Mas Arai mystery series. Mas is surprised when his estranged daughter, Mari, asks him to come to New York to help her and her husband with the restoration of a garden and pond for their rich Japanese boss, Kazzy Ouchi. When Kazzy's body is found at the bottom of the pond, Mas becomes involved when suspicion falls on his daughter and son-in-law. The case helps in the restoration of his relationship with his daughter and her new family. An interesting part of the story was a tie-in with the work of Japanese landscape designer Takeo Shiota, who created the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which figures into the story.

15. 3/5

This novella is number 3.5 in the Baby Ganesh Agency mystery series. Chopra is called in by the Premier No. 1 when a $4 million dollar Mercedes sold to a vicious gangster disappears from a locked room at their dealership before they have time to deliver it. If Chopra is not able to figure out how it was stolen and get it back, heads will roll! His baby elephant partner is always adorable.

16. 4/5

This novella is number 4.5 in the Baby Ganesh Agency mystery series. Chopra is invited on a train journey on the restored Monsoon Express. On board are diplomats from India and Pakistan, and the journey is meant as one of reconciliation for the terrible time of Partition in India and Pakistan in 1947. One of the diplomats in the delegation from India is killed, and Chopra is called in to help solve the case. Interesting mystery, especially as it draws on this horrible period in the region's history. Ganesh's skills come in handy in the investigation.

17. 4/5

This is number 15 in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Mma Ramotswe has a perplexing case when she is asked to determine the identity of an Indian woman who has amnesia, and Mma Makutsi should listen to the warning of her shoes when she decides to open a new cafe. Sweet, gentle humor and kindness prevail.

18. 4/5

This is the first book in the Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James mystery series. Duncan is a Scotland Yard Inspector, and Gemma is his assistant. Duncan is given the chance to take a vacation at a timeshare, and immediately becomes involved in a murder. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series

19. 4/5

This is number 16 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Books. I think I have about four or five more to go in the series. Mma Ramotswe finds herself on a vacation she doesn't really want to take, and worries that possibly Mma Makutsi is not up to the job of being the head of the detective agency in her absence. Violet Sephotho tries more tricks, and a small boy's life is changed for the better. Sweet, sweet books!

20. 4/5

This is number 17 in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. A young woman from Canada comes to the Agency asking the ladies to find the house she lived in as a child and her former nanny, but her motives are unclear. Mr. Polopetsi gets himself into some hot water, but Mma Ramotswe manages to make all things well! Sweet lady!

22. 4/5

Mr. Polopetsi comes to the ladies with the story of a woman who has been wrongfully fired from her job for being rude to a client. Has she been rude, or is something else going on? Then Mma Ramotswe finds out that there is a woman who lives nearby who has the same last name that she does! Will this bring her good news or something else?

Well, that finishes 2020 for me. I fell short of my goal of 30 books for this group. What a weird year! We're expecting a new grandson in April, so I'm setting my book-reading sights low next year, but I'm hoping that the year will bring better health and stability for our country. All the best, everyone!