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3.15 AVERAGE
3.15 AVERAGE
Probably won't continue the series. It was cute but I was also kind of bored. And I found myself missing the Diane Mott Davidson series, which isn't really a good sign for this book.
This was pretty damn dreadful! Thankfully I didn’t spend any money on this book or I’d be kicking myself at the waste of money. I thought the idea sounded interesting but it ended up being boring ass drivel. The characters couldn’t make up their minds to save their lives and they drove me absolutely bonkers. I’m quite surprised I even managed to finish this one honestly.
This is your basic cozy mystery with a bumbling main character who is entirely too trusting. This wasn't the best one I've ever read but I didn't want to gouge our my eyes either.
There should be a warning on books that mention god a LOT if it's not readily available in the description on the back of the book. Cate was such an annoying character and all the christian references just brought the plot to a screeching halt. Then again, its MARC Record does say "Christian Fiction", but it's not anywhere on the cover of the book. I picked it up because the premise of a book club murder mystery seemed interesting, but the book club barely made an appearance. It went from book club murder mystery to childlike 29 year old fumbles around and waits for god to tell her what to do in two chapters. Laura Childs has religion in some of her series, but it's not used as a crutch to prevent anything interesting from happening.
About this book:
“All she wanted was a paycheck. What she got was a murder.
Cate Kinkaid's life is . . . well, frankly it's floundering. Her social life, her career, her haircut--they're all a mess. Unemployed, she jumps at the chance to work for her PI uncle, even though she has no experience and no instincts. After all, she is just dabbling in the world of private investigating until she can find a "real" job.
All she has to do for her first assignment is determine that a particular woman lives at a particular address. Simple, right? But when she reaches the dark Victorian house, she runs into a hungry horde of gray-haired mystery readers and a dead body. This routine PI job is turning out to be anything but simple. Is Cate in over her head?”
Series: Book #1 in the “Cate Kinkaid Files” series.
Spiritual Content- Many prayers & thanking God; Talks about God, God’s will, mysterious ways, praying, church going & bad things that happen; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; Many mentions of God, His plan, His creation & God-things; Mentions of prayers, a prayer list & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, services & church activities; Mentions of Christians & faiths; A few mentions of those in the Bible; A couple mentions of missionary work; A couple mentions of saying Scriptures;
*Note: Mentions of Feng Shui & proper alignment; Mentions of karma, fortunes & fortune tellers; A few mentions of Murphy’s Law & luck.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘darn’, an ‘idiot’, a ‘stupid’, a ‘sucker’, a ‘what in tarnation’, two ‘crummy’s, two forms of ‘shut up’, six ‘dumb’s; Mentions of sarcasm & eye rolling; Gunshots, a goose egg & seeing stars (up to semi-detailed); Being put in a car’s trunk [kidnapped], held at gun point, a fire, smoke, blood & an explosion (up to semi-detailed); Dead bodies, deaths, possible murder, murderer & blood (semi-detailed); Many mentions of deaths, bodies, murders, how they died (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fires & bodies; Mentions of thieves & stealing; Mentions of drinking, a drunk & liquor; Mentions of physical abuse from a relationship & the abuser (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of threats of killing & choking; Mentions of gambling & poker; Mentions of lotteries; Mentions of smoking; Mentions of blackmail & scams; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip; Mentions of divorces; A few mentions of a car that blew up & hostage situations; A few mentions of sleazy bars, barroom brawl, slapping & a stalker; A couple mentions of a book with a corpse on the cover; A couple mentions of serial killers; A couple mentions of burglars; A couple mentions of parties; A couple mentions of tattoos; A mention of the Mafia;
*Note: Mentions of a tree huger (not the spiritual side of it is mentioned); A few mentions of brands (Jimmy Choos and Gap jeans); A few mentions of a place looking like it needs a vampire or a witch; A couple mentions of Boy Scouts; A mention of aliens; A mention of acting like a zombie in the morning.
Sexual Content- a cheek kiss, a not-detailed kiss & two barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Touches & Handing holding (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing; eight ‘babe’s; Many mentions of a younger man (called a sleazy) dating a much older woman; Mentions of & talks about kissing; Mentions of good-looking men & fluttering eyelashes; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of an aunt & her niece being with & liking younger men; Mentions of a couple who lived together but weren’t married; A couple mentions of a man’s roving eye; A tiny bit of love, falling in love & the emotions;
*Note: A mention of butting out of a conversation; A mention of skimpy shorts; A mention of a buxom woman; A couple mentions of a woman’s figure; A few mentions of a woman’s cleavage & a man being too interesting in it.
-Cate Kinkaid, age 29
P.O.V. of Cate
313 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Two Stars (and a half)
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
This was a fun read. When reading this book I was dealing with allergies, so I wanted some that would distract me from my painful throat & stuffy nose—it worked! I really liked Cate and look forward to reading the rest of the series. The romance was very clean as well, so that was a plus and I hope the rest of them are like that as well.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogspot.com/2016/12/dying-to-read-by-lorena-mccourtney.html
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
“All she wanted was a paycheck. What she got was a murder.
Cate Kinkaid's life is . . . well, frankly it's floundering. Her social life, her career, her haircut--they're all a mess. Unemployed, she jumps at the chance to work for her PI uncle, even though she has no experience and no instincts. After all, she is just dabbling in the world of private investigating until she can find a "real" job.
All she has to do for her first assignment is determine that a particular woman lives at a particular address. Simple, right? But when she reaches the dark Victorian house, she runs into a hungry horde of gray-haired mystery readers and a dead body. This routine PI job is turning out to be anything but simple. Is Cate in over her head?”
Series: Book #1 in the “Cate Kinkaid Files” series.
Spiritual Content- Many prayers & thanking God; Talks about God, God’s will, mysterious ways, praying, church going & bad things that happen; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; Many mentions of God, His plan, His creation & God-things; Mentions of prayers, a prayer list & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, services & church activities; Mentions of Christians & faiths; A few mentions of those in the Bible; A couple mentions of missionary work; A couple mentions of saying Scriptures;
*Note: Mentions of Feng Shui & proper alignment; Mentions of karma, fortunes & fortune tellers; A few mentions of Murphy’s Law & luck.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘darn’, an ‘idiot’, a ‘stupid’, a ‘sucker’, a ‘what in tarnation’, two ‘crummy’s, two forms of ‘shut up’, six ‘dumb’s; Mentions of sarcasm & eye rolling; Gunshots, a goose egg & seeing stars (up to semi-detailed); Being put in a car’s trunk [kidnapped], held at gun point, a fire, smoke, blood & an explosion (up to semi-detailed); Dead bodies, deaths, possible murder, murderer & blood (semi-detailed); Many mentions of deaths, bodies, murders, how they died (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fires & bodies; Mentions of thieves & stealing; Mentions of drinking, a drunk & liquor; Mentions of physical abuse from a relationship & the abuser (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of threats of killing & choking; Mentions of gambling & poker; Mentions of lotteries; Mentions of smoking; Mentions of blackmail & scams; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip; Mentions of divorces; A few mentions of a car that blew up & hostage situations; A few mentions of sleazy bars, barroom brawl, slapping & a stalker; A couple mentions of a book with a corpse on the cover; A couple mentions of serial killers; A couple mentions of burglars; A couple mentions of parties; A couple mentions of tattoos; A mention of the Mafia;
*Note: Mentions of a tree huger (not the spiritual side of it is mentioned); A few mentions of brands (Jimmy Choos and Gap jeans); A few mentions of a place looking like it needs a vampire or a witch; A couple mentions of Boy Scouts; A mention of aliens; A mention of acting like a zombie in the morning.
Sexual Content- a cheek kiss, a not-detailed kiss & two barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Touches & Handing holding (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing; eight ‘babe’s; Many mentions of a younger man (called a sleazy) dating a much older woman; Mentions of & talks about kissing; Mentions of good-looking men & fluttering eyelashes; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of an aunt & her niece being with & liking younger men; Mentions of a couple who lived together but weren’t married; A couple mentions of a man’s roving eye; A tiny bit of love, falling in love & the emotions;
*Note: A mention of butting out of a conversation; A mention of skimpy shorts; A mention of a buxom woman; A couple mentions of a woman’s figure; A few mentions of a woman’s cleavage & a man being too interesting in it.
-Cate Kinkaid, age 29
P.O.V. of Cate
313 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Two Stars (and a half)
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
This was a fun read. When reading this book I was dealing with allergies, so I wanted some that would distract me from my painful throat & stuffy nose—it worked! I really liked Cate and look forward to reading the rest of the series. The romance was very clean as well, so that was a plus and I hope the rest of them are like that as well.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogspot.com/2016/12/dying-to-read-by-lorena-mccourtney.html
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
Cate Kincaid's life is not turning out as she had hoped. Her career, her social life, even her haircut is a mess. After several dead end jobs she is again unemployed. She decides to go to work as an assistant for her private investigator uncle. How hard can it be? It will at least tide her over until she finds a "real job".
Her first assignment is a simple one, find a current address for a woman. Instead when she reaches the most current address on record she finds a "hungry horde" of mystery readers and a dead body. This is definitely not a dead end job but for Cate's sake hopefully the last dead body.
Dollycas's Thoughts
This was a fun and entertaining cozy filled with major amounts of humor.
Cate is a total klutz that sometimes leans on her faith to get out of the tight situations she gets herself into. Answers to prayer sometimes made these tight situations conclude to quickly and too neatly but the story was well paced. The mystery was great and the suspects were many. It seemed everyone Cate ran into ended up on her suspect list but it did add to the laughs in many cases.
My favorite character of this story was frisky feline. Octavia, a fat white cat whose is deaf and she has lost "her person". Amelia is found dead at the bottom of the stairs and the cat is clearly distressed. She also is a cat that Cate ends up taking home because Amelia's niece wants nothing to do that "spoiled rotten mongrel" "who leaves cat hair on everything". Octavia is one intuitive cat and needs the perfect someone to be her new "person".
The ladies of the Whodunit Book Club are all very unique as well. I hope they return in future installments.
Mystery, quirky characters, small town setting, with a hint of romance, all the elements of a great cozy mystery.
Her first assignment is a simple one, find a current address for a woman. Instead when she reaches the most current address on record she finds a "hungry horde" of mystery readers and a dead body. This is definitely not a dead end job but for Cate's sake hopefully the last dead body.
Dollycas's Thoughts
This was a fun and entertaining cozy filled with major amounts of humor.
Cate is a total klutz that sometimes leans on her faith to get out of the tight situations she gets herself into. Answers to prayer sometimes made these tight situations conclude to quickly and too neatly but the story was well paced. The mystery was great and the suspects were many. It seemed everyone Cate ran into ended up on her suspect list but it did add to the laughs in many cases.
My favorite character of this story was frisky feline. Octavia, a fat white cat whose is deaf and she has lost "her person". Amelia is found dead at the bottom of the stairs and the cat is clearly distressed. She also is a cat that Cate ends up taking home because Amelia's niece wants nothing to do that "spoiled rotten mongrel" "who leaves cat hair on everything". Octavia is one intuitive cat and needs the perfect someone to be her new "person".
The ladies of the Whodunit Book Club are all very unique as well. I hope they return in future installments.
Mystery, quirky characters, small town setting, with a hint of romance, all the elements of a great cozy mystery.
I'm pretty sure I've never before read a book from a Christian publisher, but my husband doesn't know the publishers like I do and thoughtfully snagged "a cozy mystery" for me at the library. So I read it.
And other than occasional references to going to church, prayer, and a peculiar tendency to regard God as some kind of cosmic matchmaker, it was a perfectly normal and pleasant book. The conceit of Cate Kincaid going to work for her P.I. uncle due to unemployment - and therefore having no real clue about what she was doing - was tolerably amusing.
The different suspects (mystery book club members, the victim's employee and those associated with her, the victim's relatives) and other characters were interesting and well-drawn. Cate's psychology is generally quite believable (though her density about deceased old woman + orphaned cat was a bit hard to take - necessary to maintain suspense, but tough to believe). She's more resourceful than she gives herself credit for, and also quite lucky overall.
I will certainly consider reading the next volume or other books from this author, public library collection permitting.
And other than occasional references to going to church, prayer, and a peculiar tendency to regard God as some kind of cosmic matchmaker, it was a perfectly normal and pleasant book. The conceit of Cate Kincaid going to work for her P.I. uncle due to unemployment - and therefore having no real clue about what she was doing - was tolerably amusing.
The different suspects (mystery book club members, the victim's employee and those associated with her, the victim's relatives) and other characters were interesting and well-drawn. Cate's psychology is generally quite believable (though her density about deceased old woman + orphaned cat was a bit hard to take - necessary to maintain suspense, but tough to believe). She's more resourceful than she gives herself credit for, and also quite lucky overall.
I will certainly consider reading the next volume or other books from this author, public library collection permitting.
Tepid, but not terrible. This definitely falls into the category of an amateur sleuth who disregards advice and staggers around a case, running into clues rather than seeking them out in most instances. Cate isn't unlikable, but I wished the characters were more developed instead of the focus being on their quirkiness. I also found it rather slow-moving. The Christian elements felt a little more true to life than I usually encounter in books, but still had the feel of window dressing instead of actually informing life choices.
