Book Review: Murder in the Mystery Suite (Book Retreat Mysteries, #1) by Ellery Adams

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Murder in the Mystery Suite (Book Retreat Mysteries, #1) by Ellery Adams is the first book in the Book Retreat Mysteries series and is set in western Virginia at a charming resort called Storyton Hall. This unique resort is designed specifically for book lovers who want to escape, unwind, and immerse themselves in their favorite stories. The resort’s manager, Jane Steward, decides to host a themed “Murder and Mayhem Week” inviting mystery enthusiasts to gather, role-play, and solve fictional crimes. However, the event takes a dark turn when one of the guests is found dead in his suite and a valuable prize goes missing. Jane must uncover which guest is responsible for the murder before the retreat is ruined . Before picking up this novel, I had only read one other book in the series. I decided to start from the beginning as part of my New Year’s resolution to finally read books I purchased years ago. I’m so glad I did. Starting with the first installment allowed me to fully appreciat...
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Book Review: Mary-Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery (The Baby-Sitters Club, #17) by Ann M. Martin

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Mary Annes Bad Luck Mystery The BabySitters Club #17 Ann M Martin
Mary-Anne Spier knew she shouldn't have thrown out the chain letter she received. Not only is she having the worst luck, but the rest of the baby-sitters club keep having bad things happen to them too! When Mary-Anne starts receiving letters threatening her and the rest of the club, and a bad luck charm necklace to wear, several emergency meetings of the baby-sitters club are called by Kristy so they can figure out how to counter act the bad luck.

What can I say about Mary-Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery (The Baby-Sitters Club, #17)? Holy nostalgia, Batman! This book made me feel nostalgic for my childhood . . . do kids even send chain letters any more, and do they still believe in things like breaking a mirror causes seven years bad luck?

This is one of the books in the series that I remember better than some of the others, and it was such a joy to reread. I figured out who sent the threatening letters and bad luck charm necklace very easily just as I did as a child.  The one thing that bugs me now (and remember bugging me when I first read it) was that there was no resolution to who actually sent the chain letter. It would have been nice to have that wrapped up in the ending.

I loved the fact that the story included a school dance and that it actually happened at night time like it did when I was in eighth grade. Now, if I remember correctly, the middle school dances happen immediately after school lets out, which takes all the fun out of it . . . at least to me it would. Another thing I loved was that it finally included more scenes with Logan, which made his character seem more real.

There really isn't anything bad that I can say about Mary-Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery (The Baby-Sitters Club, #17). This book made me want Ann M. Martin to write a lot more mysteries and was a major influence in making me love the mystery genre. I gave this book five out of five stars.


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