The Running Bibliophile

Look Alive Twenty-Five (Stephanie Plum, #25) by Janet Evanovich opens with Stephanie Plum and Lula being assigned as the manager and assistant manager at the Red River Deli in Trenton, NJ because the managers keep disappearing. The only clue is that they leave one show behind. Police have no leads, and Lula thinks it alien abduction. One of the things I love about the Stephanie Plum book series is that it follows the same formula each time and that it doesn't have any cliffhangers. I know this is a big complaint of many long time readers, but it doesn't really bother me too much because sometimes I just need to read something that I don't have to think about too hard. This particular book made me laugh out loud in several places, and I didn't try to figure out the culprit or motive behind the disappearances, so I didn't really see the ending coming. However, it did reuse the reality television show angle again that we saw in a previous book so that was a bit disa...

In Turbo Twenty-Three (Stephanie Plum, #23) by Janet Evanovich, Stephanie Plum's latest bail jumper, Larry Virgil, decides to commit a similar crime that he was already arrested for by hijacking an eighteen wheeler full of Bogart Ice Cream. When he flees from Stephanie and Lula, they decide to pursue him in the stolen truck, but then, a dead body covered in chocolate and nuts falls out of the trailer when they open it. Who killed this person and made him look like a Bogart Bar?  What can I say about about this installment of the Stephanie Plum book series? I absolutely enjoyed Turbo Twenty-Three (Stephanie Plum, #23) . It did read slightly different than some of her other books in the series, but I found it to be extremely entertaining, and I had some laugh out loud moments.  However, there was one moment I didn't care for . . . Stephanie slept with Ranger even though she's engaged to be engaged with Joe Morelli. I am a bit tired of the "love triangle". Also, if...

Cream Puff Killer (Lexy Baker, #13) by Leighann Dobbs opens with Lexy Baker needing a lift to deliver her pastries to a meeting. Nan and the rest of her gaggle offer Lexy a ride, but they have to get Ruth's Oldsmobile out of storage first. When their Uber driver drops them off, they find a dead body in the storage unit, which causes the police to open up a cold case from years ago. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this installment of the Lexy Baker cozy mystery book series, the one thing that seemed a bit far fetched is that Lexy, Nans, Ruth, and the rest of their group would take an Uber to get Ruth's car instead of Lexy just taking an Uber by herself for her delivery. I know that this needed to happen for the plot to play out, but this was the one thing that really bothered me about the book. I thought I knew who the killer was and what the motive was early on, but to my chagrin, I was off base. Once it was revealed who it was, I groaned to myself and put my head in the palm o...

The St. Valentine's Day Cookie Massacre (Hatter's Cove Gazette Mystery, #1) by Elisabeth Crabtree opens with Kat Archer being assigned to cover the grand opening of Miss Dolly's Cookie Jar and Sweets Emporium  by the Hatter's Cove Gazette in Hatter's Cove, Florida. What is supposed to be an ordinary assignment, turns into a treacherous investigation when one of the employees at the 'Cookie Jar' is found dead. What's not to like about this first book in a series? I absolutely fell in love with The St. Valentine's Day Cookie Massacre , and I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series. Although, it's considered a cozy mystery, it has a bit of everything in the story, including a bit of humor. It was such an enjoyable read and one that I could see turned into a television series. One can hope, right? For such a quick read, I was pleasantly surprised that the characters were as developed as they were. The writing was done in such a wa...

Jeopardy in High Heels (High Heels, #12) is the latest installment of the High Heel Mysteries book series. Maddie Springer is thrilled to learn that her hairdresser-to-the-stars stepfather, Fernando, has been selected to appear on a celebrity edition of Jeopardy! But, when another contestant, bagpipe rapper Doggy Z, dies after the taping of the show, a tabloid reporter points the finger at Fernando and threatens to expose his secrets. Gemma Halliday never fails to disappoint, and Jeopardy in High Heels was no exception. From the get go, I was sucked into the storyline and couldn't wait to find out "whodunit". And, I can honestly say that I didn't guess who the killer was, which is refreshing to say the least. I loved that all my favorite characters made an appearance, especially Jack Ramirez, who had a larger part in this edition compared to other books in the series. Even the twins made an appearance, and their characters were more developed. Another thing I enjo...

Ain't Seen Muffin Yet (Lexy Baker, #15) by Leighann Dobbs follows Lexy Baker, her grandmother, and her grandmother's friends on a case where Henry, the grandson of Nan's neighbor, is accused of murdering his wife. The only clue to the real murderer is a corn muffin with sugar on top. When I first started reading the Lexy Baker cozy mystery book series, I thought it was cute, and it gave me a nice read when I wasn't in the mood for something heavier. However, I found myself struggling with the latest edition, Ain't Seen Muffin Yet (Lexy Baker, #15) . I was forcing myself to finish the book because it just seemed like it was a carbon-copy of the last few books in the series, and it seemed very formulaic. I just so desperately wanted to love it because I was in the mood for a cozy mystery, and it fell a bit flat to me, especially after reading Gemma Halliday and Kelly Rey's Peril in High Heels (High Heels, #11) . What I did notice is that Leighann Dob...

While purchasing Peril in High Heels (High Heels, #11) by Gemma Halliday and Kelly Rey, I thought I'd check to see if A High Heels Haunting (High Heels, #4.5) by Gemma Halliday was available for purchase because every time I went to buy it previously, it was never available. I was super excited that I was finally able to buy it. Since A High Heels Haunting is really a novella, I was able to finish it in one sitting. Although it is technically part of the High Heels book series, Maddie Springer was barely in the book, and I wasn't expecting that, so I was very disappointed.  It was very well written and kept me intrigued. I feel like if it hadn't been tied to the High Heels book series, I would've enjoyed it so much more because I kept waiting for Maddie to make a big appearance. What I did love was that I never guessed who the killer was . . . I guessed someone completely different. The novella is about a web designer named Kya Badder who falls in ...

Peril in High Heels (High Heels, #11) by Gemma Halliday and Kelly Rey brings back the beloved character of Maddie Springer who is in heaven watching her best friend Dana star in a film that is an adaption of her favorite book. Things go downhill when the director is found in his trailer . . . stabbed to death with one of the prop swords. The High Heels Mysteries book series is one of my favorite cozy mysteries. Not only does it have mystery, there is a little romance and a bit of comedy. I have to say that other than Maddie, her husband Jack Ramirez is my absolute favorite character. What I loved about Peril in High Heels is that there were several red herrings, but I tried to figure out who the killer was early on . . . I was glad to find out that I was correct in my guess, but I couldn't quite figure out the motive. Of course, Maddie gets herself in a pickle and becomes a target herself when she starts asking the right questions around the movie set. I wasn't ...

One of my favorite cozy mystery book series is Gemma Halliday's High Heels Mysteries . It originally caught my eye from an email I received from BookBub.com. The first five books could be bought in a bundle for the amount of 99 cents, and the synopsis included a description of the main character being a fashion designer for shoes. After reading the first book in the series, Spying in High Heels (High Heels Mysteries, #1) , I was hooked. When I heard that the latest edition, Suspect in High Heels (High Heels Mysteries, #10) , was coming out on October 1, 2019, I could hardly wait. Suspect in High Heels (High Heels Mysteries, #10) exceeded my expectations. Both of the people I suspected of being the killer (one more than the other) were not the killer. Usually one of the people I suspect is correct, but I definitely was in the wrong this time. I love the main character, Maddie Springer, and how she always seems to get herself in trouble and that her husband is so forgiving of ...

In the sequel to Spying in High Heels (High Heels, #1) by Gemma Halliday, we reunite with kid shoes designer Maddie Springer, her best friend Dana, and LAPD Detective Jack Ramirez. When Maddie receives an odd message on her answering machine from her estranged father, Larry Springer, she's determined to find out what kind of trouble he is in, and travels to Sin City (a.k.a. Las Vegas, Nevada) with Dana to investigate. Killer in High Heels (High Heels, #2) by Gemma Halliday stays true to fashion to this series as a cozy mystery and chick lit. If you're looking for a great beach read, I definitely recommend this book because overall, it is just a super fun, light hearted read. When Maddie brings up the topic her biological father to her mother, it's no surprise her mother isn't happy with all of the questions seeing as Larry ran off to Las Vegas with another woman named Lola and has had virtually no contact with their daughter for 26 years. This is the most re...