Book Review: A Skeleton in the Family by Leigh Perry

A Skeleton in the Family by Leigh Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Overall, this was an enjoyable mystery. The story centers around Georgia Thackery, who has returned to her home town to be an adjunct faculty member at one of the local universities, where her parents are tenured. She is staying in her parents house while they are on sabbatical, with her daughter, Madison, and Sid, the skeleton. Who is “alive.”

I’ve been reading a lot of paranormal mysteries lately and a “live” skeleton is different. Georgia’s theory is that Sid is haunting his own skeleton, however, no explanation is ever really given for Sid and I’m not sure there is one.

There are two murders in this mystery - Jocasta Kirkland, a Zooarcheologist, at the other university, which is current, and Sid’s murder, 30 years ago. Jocasta Kirkland is someone Sid (in disguise) recognizes on a outing with Georgia. They decide to try and talk with her and head to her house, where they find her dead.

The odd thing about this mystery is that the focus is not on finding who killed Dr. Kirkland, but who is Sid? His recognition of Dr. Kirkland makes him wonder who he is -- after 30 years of being a “living” skeleton. Georgia then takes Sid in to be “evaluated” and learns that he is indeed a he, in his early 20’s and that he was most likely murdered.

There were things I liked about this book. Georgia uses resources from her fellow adjuncts and university faculty and online newspaper archives to gather information. When needed, she does visit a few people. She did not call in the murder. She and Sid got out, then she called in a tip. Georgia seemed to get along with her fellow faculty members and, of course, she gets on well with Sid. There are a couple of chapters after the resolution that wrap up some other threads of the story, done well, and what I wanted.

There were a few things that were a little odd. Georgia has no close friends. Except Sid. Granted, she seems to move a lot, but she seems to be pretty much on her own. Her sister Deborah doesn’t like Sid, though that resolves. Sid didn’t want Madison to know about him; that too resolves. While we learn who killed Sid (and the Doctor), it’s almost anti-climatic and we are given the impression that there will be no charges in Sid’s murder and it seems that the police didn’t really care about a 30 year old missing person’s case, which turns out to be a 30 year old murder. After learning who Sid is, Georgia talks to Sid’s college roommate, who seemed like he’d really like to know what happened if she figure’s it out; it would have been nice to know if Georgia let him know.

Madison almost seems secondary to this story, but it’s not unique to this book. Though she has a good relationship with Madison, she is mostly on the periphery of this story. Same for her sister, Deborah. And, finally, it seems truly odd that someone’s best friend would be a Skeleton. Oddly, I’m not doubting the friendship, but that there wouldn’t be any other friends. I’m hoping some develop in future books as I do plan on reading at least the second book in this series. I also wasn’t sure about Fletcher, who Georgia seemed to like and who seemed like a good guy and then, eh, not really. Georgia and Sid are the best developed characters - the rest are just kind of there and not really developed. I hope this changes in future books.

The one thing that was a little annoying was the constant thread about how poorly adjuncts are paid, how badly they are treated, etc. I work in academia and I know the adjuncts life is not easy, but it bordered on preachy after a while.

If you are looking for a mystery that’s a little different, give this one a go.


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Recipe Review - Teriyaki Meatball Bowls

I've done quite a bit of cooking lately and hope to be sharing the results here soon.  Today's review is of Teriyaki Meatball Bowls from Budget Bytes.  I have to admit, I've only done meatballs once in the distant past.  Now, I'm wondering why.  These are wonderful.  I did get about 32 meatballs.  I'm also no expert at making sauces; I tend not to make them from scratch.  This one was easy and turned out great. I at first wondered if the sauce would be enough for all those meatballs, but it was plenty.  Based on five meatballs per serving, I got six servings.  The one thing I would do different in the future (there will be a future for this dish) is use low sodium soy sauce; they are a bit salty for me.  I might also try this with turkey or hamburger, or I might stick with pork.  Recipe heartily recommended.

Teriyaki meatballs in sauce

Teriyaki Meatball Bowl (w/ Jasmine rice)

Teriyaki Meatball Bowl frozen dinners

This recipe also inspired me to try my first "frozen" dinners.  I froze three of the servings in freezer bags, based on advice/directions from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.  It was pretty much what I thought I was going to do, but I wanted to make sure I didn't overlook something.  It worked great - I'll definitely be doing more of these.

Know of similar recipes?  Please share in the comments.

Book Review: Murder Past Due by Miranda James

Murder Past Due by Miranda James

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Cat in the Stacks mystery series by Miranda James.  The cat, Diesel, is just a cat.  No talking, no leading to clues.  Just a very big, very tuned in cat.  Something like a Therapy Cat.    I started reading this book using the Nook app on my cell phone - my book on the go.  The great thing is that even with a week or two in between, I could pick right back up where I left off...nothing was lost.  But, as I got further into the book, I took it out of the on-the-go-category and just finished it off.

This series is set in Athena, MS.  I grew up in the South and tend to gravitate toward cozy’s set in the South.  While this is set in Mississippi, it’s the small town vibe that is appealing.  That and it’s a university town.  Charlie is a widower, who rents out a room in his house to a University student, Justin.  He also works in the University archives and volunteers at the public library.  Originally from Athena, he returned after his wife passed away.  So, he knows a lot of people in town.

A well known author comes to town and winds up getting murdered.  He’s not very well liked and had affairs with various women when he would come in to town.  Charlie and Justin find the body.  Without giving too much away, Justin is a suspect as is his mother and father.  In addition to these two, Charlie learns there were several other people who could have had motive to kill him. Clues were liberally spread throughout, yet I didn’t figure out who it was until the end.  And, there were a couple of small twists that added to the story.  I figured out a couple of plot points right before they were revealed, but I never figured out who the killer was.  In fact, I was kind of sad when the killer was revealed.

While I love the cat, I thought it a little odd that a man in his 50’s toted his cat everywhere, including work.  While many libraries have a cat, most places do not allow people to bring their pets to work.  Or to the book store, etc.  Then, there was the Deputy Sheriff investigating the murder.  I liked her and think she has potential.  However, I found her attitude toward Charlie a bit off-putting and at times a bit over the top.  In the end, it wasn’t quite as antagonistic, but still not great.  I’m hoping it improves in future books.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading other books in this series.  Recommended.

A little aside for another series by this author, set in the same town, the Southern Sisters series.  A preview was included in my book, however, the spellings of the names are probably enough to keep me from reading it.  One sister is name Dickse.  Really?  It’s spelled Dixie.  Why spell it like this? Especially for a book set in the South. The other sister is name An’gel.  Why?  Why write a book where I have to figure how to say a name and where I’ll probably always stumble over it?   

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Book Review: The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James

The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book I’ve read by Simone St. James and I was not disappointed.  I normally buy my print books off of the bargain table, but was drawn to this cover.  The blurb on the back closed the deal and I broke down and got the book.  Rather than put it in my to-read pile, I moved it up to the top and am glad I did.  I enjoyed the book. It’s a mystery, but not really a cozy.  It’s set in the 1920’s, when apparently the flappers were in full swing (this book made me curious about that culture) and when psychics and mediums were apparently in high demand,  the result of the war.

The story is not just about Ellie Winter, but also Gloria Sutter, who dies before we ever meet her.  We get to know her through Ellie’s reminiscences.  In fact, a good part of this story is told through Ellie’s memories (flashbacks, kind of).  Born with a true gift, passed on from her mother, her’s was not an easy life.  Almost one of isolation.  Gloria, whom she met while traveling, was pretty much her only friend and her entrée into the flapper culture.  Which went well until her mother found out and then it just ended.  I felt kind of sad for Ellie - her mother needed her help with her business as The Fantastique, but it kept Ellie from establishing her life.  Then when she passed away, Ellie was left pretty much alone.

Gloria dies, but before she does she leaves a note for her sole remaining brother, George, (the others were killed in the war), to seek Ellie Winter and have her “find” Gloria.  Ellie is hesitant, but also curious.  Nothing about Gloria’s last week or last seance make sense and apparently Gloria knew something could go wrong.  So, Ellie agrees to help George.  In the process, she reconnects with James Hawley, who works for the New Society for the Furtherance of Psychical Research, with the aim of basically debunking psychics.  Their past interactions had been hurtful to Ellie, who was attracted to him.  James is dealing with his own demons, but they join forces to follow the last steps of Gloria. I liked the relationship between Ellie and James and was glad they were brought together through this “case.”

This story had many elements that I enjoyed - psychics, ghosts (not what you think of though when you think ghosts), the culture of 1920’s London - and a mystery that I didn’t see the resolution to at all.  The story wraps up nicely, though I found myself wanting more and kind of sorry that my time with Ellie was up.  In some ways it felt incomplete, but I don’t think it was.  I think it was more like we got to be a brief part of Ellie’s life and that’s it.

In looking at other titles by this author, I realized that Inspector Merriken was introduced in another book, which explains a few comments from him that alluded to something that was never explained.  That book, An Inquiry into Love and Death, is now on my to-read list as well as her next book, Lost Among the Living, thanks to an excerpt in this book.

If you’re looking for a mystery that’s a little different, with paranormal elements, then this is the book.  Highly recommended.


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