An Island Romance and Two Mystery Novels: Sunday Salon

 Now Reading

Romancing on Jeju by Hyun-Joo Park, translated from Korean by Paige Morris, publication August 20, 2024; Amazon Crossing, NetGalley

Genre: romance

Romi, a young illustrator from Seoul, meets an enchanting beekeeper from the island of Jeju in South Korea, but he disappears from her life after a chance meeting at the airport. She is determined to find him, and goes searching for him among the 100 beekeepers on the beautiful and lush island of Jeju.

I was attracted to the book by the setting on Jeju island that featured on several contemporary Korean dramas on tv. The romance novel might be just so-so but learning more about the island was a plus for me. Bee keeping? Who would have guessed. (Jeju also is the setting for Lisa See's historical novel, The Island of Sea Women.)

A Farewell to Arfs: Chet and Bernie Mystery #15 by Spencer Quinn, publication August 6, 2023, Forge Books, NetGalley

I was chuffed (pleased to bits) to be approved for Spencer Quinn's most recent dog mystery, A Farewell to Arfs. For those who are not familiar with the series, Chet the dog is the artful narrator in the mystery series set in Arizona; he is an amusing and clever partner in crime solving with his human, PI Bernie Little. And he gives us a dog's eye view/point of view of what's going on.

In this book, Bernie's next door neighbor, Mr. Parsons, is scammed of his life savings by his son Billie. Billie has disappeared and Mr. Parsons is in the hospital. Enter Bernie and Chet to find Billie and find out just what the score is. 

I've read all 15 books in the series and find them very entertaining. This is the 15th book in the series, and Spencer Quinn is already working on the next one! 

 

You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen, April 2024; Dutton, NG

Genre: thriller, OCD disorder

I'm eager to start reading this one, just to see what OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) is all about! I throw that term around, but what do I really know? 

Description: In this thriller, a first-generation Vietnamese American artist must confront nightmares past and present…
 
Annie “Anh Le” Shaw grew up poor but seems to have it all now: a dream career, a stunning home, and a devoted husband and daughter. When Annie’s mother, a Vietnam War refugee, dies suddenly one night, Annie’s carefully curated life begins to unravel. Her obsessive-compulsive disorder, which she thought she’d vanquished years ago, comes roaring back—but this time, the disturbing fixations swirling in Annie’s brain might actually be coming true.

A prominent art patron disappears, and the investigation zeroes in on Annie. She distances herself from family and friends, only to wake up naked in a hotel room next to a lifeless body. The police have more questions, but Annie doesn’t have answers. All she knows is she will do anything to protect her daughter—even if it means losing herself. (publisher)

To learn more about OCD symptoms, treatments, and resources, visit the website of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF dot org). —K.T. Nguyen K. T. Nguyen is a former magazine editor now settled just outside Washington, D.C. 

What are you reading/watching this week? 

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday

Book Review: Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn

Paw and Order

Paw and Order: Chet and Bernie Mystery #7 by Spencer Quinn
Published August 5, 2014; Atria Books

"Did you know Mr. St. John kept a diary?" Soares said.
"Of course not," Suzie said. "I told you - we weren't close."
"Yet," Soares said.
"Yet?" said Suzie. "What is that supposed to mean?" (ch. 6, from an uncorrected proof. Final copy may differ).

Bernie Little and his sidekick Chet the dog, partners in the Little Detective Agency in Arizona, visit Bernie's girlfriend Suzie in DC where she is an investigative reporter for the Washington Post. Eben St. John, a British man with intelligence connections, who is close to Suzie, is killed and Bernie is at first a suspect. After law enforcement tries to get him to leave town and stay out of the investigation, Bernie stays, hired by the St. John's father to find the killer and concerned about Suzie's safety.

There is politics involved, as far as Chet the dog narrator of the book knows, though he may not understand much of that aspect of the case. I followed Chet's thoughts closely and like him, the details of the case remain a bit fuzzy. I had a grand adventure reading the book and following Chet's thoughts or lack thereof, but I did remain a bit unclear at the end about the people and their involvement. In general, I got it, but the detailed plot and people connections? I stand with Chet. Who cares, as long as the "perp" is apprehended.

A fun read as always with this series in which Chet the dog tells the story. I give this a 4 out of 5 just because  Chet is such a good storyteller, from his point of view, of course...

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this book.

Book Review: The Sound and the Furry by Spencer Quinn

Also submitted to: Teaser Tuesdays hosted by MizB; choose sentences from your current read and identify author and title for readers.  First Chapter, First Paragraph is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea.

Opening paragraphs:

"One thing's for sure," the lawyer said, handing Bernie our check," you earned every cent."

Bernie tucked the check in - oh, no - the chest pocket of his Hawaiian shirt, just about his nicest Hawaiian shirt, with the hula dancers and the trombones, but that wasn't the point. The point was we'd had chest pocket problems in the past, more than once. And possibly more than twice, but I wouldn't know, since I don't count past two. What I do know is that checks have a way of falling out of chest pockets.

"What's he barking about?" the lawyer said.

My comments: That's Chet talking, the 100-pound plus dog who, with his human partner, Bernie, make up the detective duo, Chet and Bernie. Chet narrates the stories and we see his limitations and also his strengths in the partnership. He can't communicate in words with Bernie but he is astute, a great sniffer, and knows lots of things Bernie doesn't. With Bernie's human smarts, together they make good PIs.

In The Sound and the Furry, the pair are asked to find a missing inventor, Ralph, the reclusive brother of a criminal Chet and Bernie have put behind bars. They leave the dry desert Chet is familiar with and head down to Louisiana and the bayou. It takes some getting used to for Chet, all that water, but he takes it in stride, even swimming in the bayou a couple of times.

And what I had feared happened. Chet gets into big trouble in that bayou, and I won't say how, but it's spectacular and nail-bitingly suspenseful. The big dog meets more than his match. The duo solve the mystery though, with Bernie getting involved in more than he had bargained for. But as Chet explains about Bernie being able to figure things out,
" Bernie handles the so therefores. I bring other things to the table."

My take: Entertaining, suspenseful, good writing. An excellent read.

By the way, this is the sixth book in the series, but they can be read in any order.

Book description:
Chet and Bernie head to Louisiana after they run into an old criminal friend they helped send to prison, Frenchie Boutette. Frenchie needs Bernie and Chet’s help to find his missing brother, Ralph, who has disappeared from his houseboat. A reclusive inventor, Ralph is the only law-abiding member of his family. The Boutette family has a long running feud with the no-good Robideaus and it seems as if Ralph’s disappearance is connected to a dispute over a load of stolen shrimp. But when Chet uncovers a buried clue, the investigation heads in a dangerous direction and a conspiracy involving the oil business. Visit Chet's website: Chet the Dog.

Title: The Sound and the Furry: A Chet and Bernie Mystery #6 by Spencer Quinn
Published September 10, 2013; Atria Books
Source: review book provided by the publisher'
Objective rating: 4.5/5

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Cozy Mystery Cats and Dogs: Do You Have a Favorite?

Have any cozy mystery novels with cats or dogs on the cover? Makes me think that cozy readers are also pet lovers, whether they read contemporary mysteries or historical mysteries.

Take a look at a sample of book covers with felines and dogs perched on the covers.

A Fete Worse Than Death by Claudia Bishop. Someone gets killed during the rivalry of crafters at a Spring Fete in upstate New York. No mention of the cat!

Bowled Over by Victoria Hamilton, with a Fourth of July contemporary setting. Vintage kitchenware and cookbook collector finds the body of a former friend. 

The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott, set in New York in 1926, involves a sleuth hunting down rare mystery novels for a book collector. 

A Marked Man by Barbara Hamilton, set in colonial America. The book description doesn't mention the role of the cat on the cover.

Do animals or pets on the cover persuade you to pick up a book? Let's see what the publisher's descriptions have to say about these books.I think there are animals in all these mysteries but they are not crucial to the plot as some other cats/dogs are in other books.

My favorite dog centered mystery series, for example include Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie mysteries, Chet being the dog in a detective duo.

I reviewed The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn two years ago and liked it so much, especially Chet the dog, that I went back and read the others in the series. The stories are told by Chet, and they are amusing as well as charming! Quinn surely knows how to get us into the mind of a dog!

Another fave dog mystery is Ten Little Bloodhounds by the late Virginia Lanier. The series is excellent! The bloodhounds of course help Jo Beth Sidden find the clues.


The first mystery series I read that featured animals was Susan Conant's Dog Lovers Mysteries with her two Alaskan malamutes. I reviewed Brute Strength a couple years ago, and of course I've read all the books in the series, at least 19 of them.  Here's another one that's good:



In Animal Appetite, the 10th in the series, Holly Winter and her two Alaskan Malamutes in Cambridge, Mass. find the murderer of one of their own - a dog lover.

What about cats as the main feature in mystery novels, by writers such as
Rita Mae Brown and Lilian Jackson Braun and their talking detective cats;
Sofie Kelly and her Magical Cats,
Miranda James and her librarian's cat,
Leann Sweeney and her Cats in Trouble.
And there are so many, many more with a cat theme.

Do you have a favorite animal mystery novelist or series?

Book Review: Fashion Faux Paw by Judi McCoy

Title: Fashion Faux Paw: A Dog Walker Mystery by Judi McCoy
Publication date: March 6, 2012; Signet Books

I had just discovered the Dog Walker Mystery series with this book, the sixth by Judi McCoy, and wondered how I had overlooked her books before. I am a big fan of dog and pet mysteries by authors such as Susan Conant, Virginia Lanier, Stephen Quinn, Lauren Berenson, Linda O. Johnston, Nina Wright, Sue Henry, Cynthia Baxter, and Blaize Clement. (Phew!) So I was delighted to find this author.

As soon as I had finished her new book, Fashion Faux Paw, however, a blogger informed me that author Judi McCoy had died, just this month. I am sure the mystery world will miss her. Her new book introduces her next in the series, Treated to Death, scheduled for publication October 2012. I hope we will see it in print later in the year.

About the book: Dog walker Ellie Engleman is hired to take care of dogs that will walk the runway with models in a major fashion show. Besides giving the dogs daily walks during the show, feeding and grooming them, and making sure they are hooked up with the right models during Fashion Week, Ellie finds herself playing amateur sleuth when the organizers of the show ask her to look into the death of one of the fashion designers.

Lilah Perry, a major designer, had died from anaphylactic shock during the show and everyone is convinced that she was deliberately exposed to peanut oil, which she is severely allergic to. Since Lilah was unpopular with models and designers alike in the fashion world, Ellie finds herself hard pressed to narrow down the suspects. With the help of her dog and sidekick, a mixed breed named Rudy, Ellie sets out to find Lilah's killer.

Comments: I thought the book had a clever plot and a zany animal sidekick, Rudy, who spies on the dogs in the show and gets information from them to help with Ellie's investigation. I don't normally like talking animals in mysteries, (especially talking cats), but Hugo I could put up with. He adds a certain intrigue to the book and I like that the only human he can communicate with is Ellie, who has to explain many times over why she seems to be always talking to her dog.

I'm looking forward to reading Judi McCoy's earlier books in the Dog Walker series. I know I'll enjoy them and, with her fans, wish she was still with us.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book.

Book Review: The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn

My first book in the Chet and Bernie Mystery series, and it won't be my last. I couldn't believe that Spencer Quinn could pull off having a dog tell the entire story, and do it so well. Chet is the dog partner in the Chet and Bernie private investigative duo. Bernie is his owner and boss, an ex-military man who isn't slowed down much by a slight limp.

"Chet. Are you listening, buddy?"
Of course I was listening. Didn't I always listen to Bernie? I made myself listen even harder, and right away heard distant footsteps, on some level above.(ch. 18)

In their newest case, the two are asked to find a boy missing in the mountains during summer camp. They discover the body of a camp leader, shot in the head in an old abandoned mine. When they pursue leads, both the dog and his PI partner are imprisoned. How Chet escapes and later helps Bernie to escape to solve the kidnapping and bring the perps to justice is good storytelling, dog style, of course. I also liked the humor in the novel.

Publisher's description: The fourth in the New York Times bestselling mystery series featuring canine narrator Chet and his human companion Bernie. Combining suspense and intrigue with a wonderfully humorous take on the link between man and beast.  Spencer Quinn lives on Cape Cod with his dog, Audrey. He is currently working on the next Chet and Bernie novel.

Title: The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn
Publisher: Atria Books, September 6, 2011
Rating: 4.5/5
Source: Borrowed from my local library.

© Harvee Lau 2011

Sunday Salon: The Dog Books of Summer

Welcome to the Sunday Salon. Click on the logo to join in.

My mother passed away last year. Today would have been her 97th birthday. I remember ten years ago that I forgot to call her to wish her a Happy Birthday. I'm sure she forgave me.

The past few days I've been enjoying the sunny days after last week's steady rain, doing some light gardening, picking Big Brother tomatoes from the one sprawling vine, deadheading roses, pulling up a few weeds here and there, and thinking of removing lilies from around the peony bush and replanting them around the skeleton of my now dead Shishigashera Japanese maple tree. I had planted the decorative maple in a shallow depression in the back yard, where it got too much water around the roots. It lasted over 10 years and had gotten as tall as six feet. I miss it, with it's curly leaves that made it look like a lion's mane. That's its common name - Lion Head's Maple. Maybe one day I'll get another.

Last week, I featured an historical thriller, The Devil Colony by James Rollins, reviewed three novels of suspense and a dog lover's mystery:
The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson
The Perfect Suspect by Margaret Coel
The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen and
Brute Strength: A Dog Lover's Mystery by Susan Conant.

At present I'm enjoying two more books on dogs -

The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn,
Nose Down, Eyes Up: A Novel by Merrill Markoe.
Following Atticus by Tom Ryan is next on the list.

All these dog books make me long for another dog! (We lost our wonderful and irreplaceable bichon frise Harvey in 2008.)

What have you been doing/reading during these last days of summer?

Book Review: Brute Strength, A Dog Lover's Mystery

As a dog lover, I enjoy this writer's mystery series about a dog trainer/writer and dog rescue volunteer for Alaskan malamutes.

 "Think of me as your matchmaker," I said. "Or your adoption social worker. Your advocate. I will do my best to find you the right dog. We're getting a young female from Maine, but I don't know much about her yet. She'll need to be evaluated and vetted. I have no idea how she is with other dogs. Or with cats. But I'll find out." (ch. 7)

Title: Brute Strength: A Dog Lover's Mystery by Susan Conant
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Severn House Publishers (August 1, 2011)
Rating: 5/5
Source: borrowed from the library

Comments: When I found out that Susan Conant had written another of her Dog Lover's Mysteries, I headed out to my local library post haste to get a copy of Brute Strength. I had been missing Holly Winters and her Alaskan malamutes, Rowdy, Kimi, and Sammy, who are featured in Conant's earlier books, and, dog lover that I am, was glad to meet them again in the author's nineteenth Dog Lover's Mystery. I was not disappointed. I learned more about dog adoptions, living with strong and independent dogs like malamutes, dog training and dog shows, and I also enjoyed a good mystery.

Synopsis: The main character Holly Winters is a dog trainer and dog writer/columnist in Cambridge Mass. who is actively involved in a malamute dog rescue group. She matches rescue dogs to potential owners to find a good match in personality, habits, proper environment, etc. Things begin to heat up when new neighbors move in next door, her stepmother wants help to train her bichon frise Molly to win her Canine Good Citizenship certificate, Holly has to screen applicants in order to find homes for rescue malamutes, and there are chores waiting to be done that she wants to do herself -  climb an extension ladder to paint the outside of her house and fix the drain pipes. Her husband Steve is all for hiring out the paint job, but Holly won't hear of it.

A young woman is killed in a car accident and another man suddenly dies of kidney/liver failure, nasty anonymous phone calls begin to come in to members of the rescue group, and dog owners around her are covetously eyeing Holly's beautifully groomed and trained show dogs.  When Holly's stepmother has a close call with death, Holly begins to put two and two together to find out if this was an accident or not.  Holly's life is in danger when she comes too close to the truth.

About the author: Susan Conant is a seven time winner of the Dog Writers Association of America's Maxwell Award. She has written 18 other mysteries featuring Holly Winter and her Alaskan malamutes.

Dino Vicelli, Private Eye by Lori Weiner

Dino Vicelli: Private Eye in a World of Evils

The little Chihuahua, Humberto, walked past Dino.
"Hey, Mr. Private Eye. How are you doing?"

from

Dino Vicelli: Private Eye in a World of Evils by Lori Weiner

Publisher''s description: "an alternate-reality version of New York City, in which talking dogs interact regularly with humans. The hero, Dino Vicelli, is a private investigator who just happens to be a sharply dressed Italian greyhound with a great fondness for cigars. He takes on what initially appears to be a routine missing person case but soon finds himself in the midst of a sinister plot that involves kidnapping, murder, and bizarre scientific experiments aimed at controlling the world. As he investigates this strange case, Dino repeatedly encounters mortal danger, while also finding romance with a beautiful blonde Afghan dog."

Comments:
I've read mysteries featuring dogs and even talking cats, but this is my first mystery read with talking dogs! A little unusual yes, but the author Lori Weiner owns an Italian greyhound, Dino, who is the inspiration for the hero of her book.

Dino may be a greyhound but he talks, walks, dresses, and acts human. He has no doggie traits, so this is definitely not a "pet mystery."

I'm disappointed that Dino doesn't chase criminals on four feet as a greyhound might. He really is a human PI in disguise!

The book was published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc., 2009. Paperback, 91 pages. Author Lori Weiner lives in Rancho Mirage, California, and is interested in show dogs. She owns an Italian greyhound named Dino.

Thanks to Carol Fass Publicity for a review copy of the book.

For more teaser quotes, visit Teaser Tuesdays

Pet and Animal Mystery books

Here is Cocooning Book List No. 2.
This one has pet/animal/veterinarian themes.

1. Tortoise Soup, Jessica Speart, wildlife mystery

2. Murder with Peacocks, Donna Andrews (recommend this one as a very funny book).

3. Stud Rites, Susan Conant, malamute owner.

4. Hush Puppy, Lauren Berenson, owner of standard poodles

5. Ten Little Bloodhounds, by the late Virginia Lanier, bloodhounds used in detecting. (Highly recommended series)

6. Murder Most Beastly, Melissa Cleary

7. Curiousity Killed the Cat Sitter, Blaize Clement, petsitter mystery

8. Meow is for Murder, Linda O. Johnson

9. Putting on the Dog, Cynthia Baxter, veterinary mystery

10. Murder on the Iditarod Trail, Sue Henry, Alaskan dog musher mystery

11. The Anteater of Death, Betty Web, a Gunn Zoo zookeeper mystery.

12. Whiskey on the Rocks, Nina Wright, Aghan hound owner


13. Cat mysteries by Carole Nelson, Rita Mae Brown, Garrison Allen, Lillian Jackson Braun, and Shirley Rousseau Murphy. (Some of these authors write about very cute talking cats).

Somehow I can't get excited about cats that talk. Dog writers don't have their pets conversing in human as cat writers do. Maybe that's because dogs are natural, super nonverbal communicators.

Book Review: All Shots by Susan Conant

Read Susan Conant's 18th dog lover's mystery novel, All Shots. More about her malamute dogs - training them, keeping more than one in the same household, showing them for awards and titles. And making sure everyone knows the difference between a malamute and a Siberian husky.

The plot involves identity theft, both human and canine. Set in Cambridge, Mass., the book also describes various Harvard types and their current fads, one of which is maintaining a "Media-free" environment for preschoolers. No TV, no TV cartoon characters on their toys, books, or clothing, etc. Interesting!

Book Review: Hounded To Death by Laurien Berenson

I'm reading Meow Is for Murder, a pet sitter mystery with a ball python named Pythagoras and a dog called Stromboli, not to mention two Bengal cats cutely named Cherise and Carnie. I noticed that the author, Linda O. Johnston resembles another pet mystery writer, Laurien Berenson, whose latest mystery, Hounded to Death, I've just finished.

These two writers could be sisters or even twins, I thought. They both have the same kind of hair, same length, and style, and their features are similar. One parts her hair on the right, the other on the left, however. One wears glasses, the other doesn't. Well, I don't think they are the same person, writing under pseudonyms as some writers are wont to do.

Besides, one likes King Charles Spaniels and lives in California, and the other loves poodles and writes in Kentucky.

Their writing styles are also different.

Meow is for Murder is full of alliterative fun. Johnston loves to play with words, which she does all through her book. Berenson in Hounded to Death has amusing characters though she also has a pun in her book title. They write about different personalities altogether - a pet sitter cum lawyer versus a special needs tutor cum dog trainer. (Seems dealing with pets isn't nearly enough - main character must also have a respectable profession),

Both authors however have a great time creating zany or colorful characters to move their mystery plots along - one about pet sitting two Bengal cats, the other about dog show personalities and a dog show symposium.

Both involve murder, of course. And, naturally, the pets are not among the guilty parties.