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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review
3.0
Pumpkin Picking with Murder by Auralee Wallace is the second book in An Otter Lake Mystery series. Erica Bloom is returning home to Otter Lake, New Hampshire for a visit. She is looking forward to spending time with Grady Forrestor, boyfriend and local sheriff as well as enjoying the Otter Lake’s Fall Festival. Unfortunately, their time together is cut short when they hear screaming at the fair. They rush over to find Tweety (who is like an aunt to Erica) in a swan boat with Mr. Masterson exiting the tunnel of love. The problem is Tweety is the only person still alive in the boat. This is the end of Grady’s time off. Erica knows that Tweety would never hurt anyone. Erica teams up with her best friend, Freddie Ng (who doing security for the fair and thinking about becoming a private detective). Erica is determined to find the real culprit for Tweety and to get to spend more time with Grady. Will they succeed? Join them for their hijinks in Pumpkin Picking with Murder.
Pumpkin Picking with Murder is easy to read, but I thought the author was trying too hard to be humorous. It ends up coming across as just ridiculous. It was one silly thing after another. It seemed like every single person in this town was eccentric (Grady might be the only normal person). The mystery can easily be solved. One clue is the key (if you even need that). Erica and Freddie run around town trying to solve the murder and they acted like two kids instead of adults. It was one over-the-top thing after another through the whole book. Pumpkin Picking with Murder was just not my type of book. I wanted to give the series a second chance, but An Otter Lake Mystery series is just not for me. I like books with the small town charm, engaging (likeable) characters, and a complex mystery. I give Pumpkin Picking with Murder 3 out of 5 stars. While this series is not my cup of tea, it will appeal to other readers. I suggest you get a sample of the book to see if it appeals to you (for those of you with e-readers).
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.
Pumpkin Picking with Murder is easy to read, but I thought the author was trying too hard to be humorous. It ends up coming across as just ridiculous. It was one silly thing after another. It seemed like every single person in this town was eccentric (Grady might be the only normal person). The mystery can easily be solved. One clue is the key (if you even need that). Erica and Freddie run around town trying to solve the murder and they acted like two kids instead of adults. It was one over-the-top thing after another through the whole book. Pumpkin Picking with Murder was just not my type of book. I wanted to give the series a second chance, but An Otter Lake Mystery series is just not for me. I like books with the small town charm, engaging (likeable) characters, and a complex mystery. I give Pumpkin Picking with Murder 3 out of 5 stars. While this series is not my cup of tea, it will appeal to other readers. I suggest you get a sample of the book to see if it appeals to you (for those of you with e-readers).
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.
merethebookgal's review
4.0
Well, this was a great read for October! A cozy mystery set in New Hampshire during a fall festival was just what I needed right now. Erica’s ridiculous best friend Freddie was probably my favorite character, but honestly I enjoyed all the kooky residents of Otter Lake. And there’s a romantic secondary storyline that was interesting. (Will it turn into a full-blown love triangle next book? Maybe!)
Side note: The title is catchy, but there was no pumpkin patch in the book. No pumpkins were picked at all! Why do publishers fo that?!? LOL
Side note: The title is catchy, but there was no pumpkin patch in the book. No pumpkins were picked at all! Why do publishers fo that?!? LOL
mochasandmoodreads's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mhayes25's review
4.25
This is the first book I read in this series. I love the banter between Erica and Freddie! I will definitely be checking out the other books in the series.
morticia32's review
2.0
2 out of 5 stars, it was just okay. This book took me a lot longer to get through than usual. I kept having to put it down because something in it just pulled me out of the story and it was frustrating.
Honestly, this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I expect cozy mysteries set in small towns to have some eccentric characters. that's how it is with small towns. What I don't expect is that they will ALL be that way. Every last character seemed to be "quirky," the main character, Erica, still rebelling against her childhood, she claims to care for Grady and then keeps information from him; her rich, immature and annoying best friend, Freddie, who jumps from plan to plan with no common sense and way too much money; Erica's mother, Summer Bloom, the stereotypical hippy-dippy flower child, who at this point and time is refusing to speak because she's running a silent retreat for more hippy-dippy wannabes.
And then there's Tweety and Kit Kat. They're people by the way, not dogs or cats. Tweety and Kit Kat nearly made me mark this book as DNF, just because the names made me say to myself, "Who's trying too hard to be cutesy, then?"
I finally managed to slog through it, to a decent resolution of the murder mystery. It did have some funny moments, but for the most part, it tries too hard to be funny. Sadly, I will not be looking forward to anymore books from this author.
*I was provided with an ARC of this book by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*
Honestly, this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I expect cozy mysteries set in small towns to have some eccentric characters. that's how it is with small towns. What I don't expect is that they will ALL be that way. Every last character seemed to be "quirky," the main character, Erica, still rebelling against her childhood, she claims to care for Grady and then keeps information from him; her rich, immature and annoying best friend, Freddie, who jumps from plan to plan with no common sense and way too much money; Erica's mother, Summer Bloom, the stereotypical hippy-dippy flower child, who at this point and time is refusing to speak because she's running a silent retreat for more hippy-dippy wannabes.
And then there's Tweety and Kit Kat. They're people by the way, not dogs or cats. Tweety and Kit Kat nearly made me mark this book as DNF, just because the names made me say to myself, "Who's trying too hard to be cutesy, then?"
I finally managed to slog through it, to a decent resolution of the murder mystery. It did have some funny moments, but for the most part, it tries too hard to be funny. Sadly, I will not be looking forward to anymore books from this author.
*I was provided with an ARC of this book by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*
bthegood's review
Usually MC in a cosy is fun but not this one, her quirky character was annoying. She and her side kick were too immature, they were late 20s but read like teenagers. If they had been teenagers it would have been fine.
booksandyarniness's review
4.0
About a 3.5. This is the second book in the series, but the first I read -- grabbed it off a library "October" display. The main character is a woman in transition. Having moved away to the Big City in order to get away from her identity as either "the daughter of that weird woman" or "the one who accidentally flashed everybody when she was a teen", she returns to town in order to spend part of her vacation with the local sheriff -- who just so happens to be the person she's been chatting up online for the last several months. But of course, nothing goes as planned, and the efforts to see if the two of them can take an online relationship into real life are thwarted by murders. Good tension in the novel comes from her having to pick sides as to whether she goes along with her flamboyantly gay rich Asian best friend's dares to help investigate the murder, or if she adheres to the commandments of the sheriff and staying out of it. In addition to all this are a bunch of kooky characters that populate the small town where she grew up, some within her own home, who give a further dimension to the story (the saga of the Silence Sessions is funny).
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