joylene45's review against another edition
4.0
Cute and cozy series. The snark is high and very funny.
setaian's review against another edition
4.0
It's predictable, if you've read cozy mysteries you've probably read something very much like this book. But characters you love and want to know better separate this book from the average and make it something a little better.
diannel_04's review against another edition
4.0
Thank god this book went back to what I loved about the first one. After the ridiculous story in the second book I was a little worried.
Death and Wrens till have an amazing rapport but the addition of Death's brother, Randy, is a delight.
I did figure out who did it pretty quickly but that's okay. I only have one little quibble and it really did annoy me. One of the characters was Muslim and the author kept saying she wearing a hijab and that it was covering her face. Hijab's do not cover the face, only the hair. I know a lot of people won't know this but it is something simple to find out and I really was disappointed that the author didn't get it right. That said, I still loved the book and will read the next one in the series.
Death and Wrens till have an amazing rapport but the addition of Death's brother, Randy, is a delight.
I did figure out who did it pretty quickly but that's okay. I only have one little quibble and it really did annoy me. One of the characters was Muslim and the author kept saying she wearing a hijab and that it was covering her face. Hijab's do not cover the face, only the hair. I know a lot of people won't know this but it is something simple to find out and I really was disappointed that the author didn't get it right. That said, I still loved the book and will read the next one in the series.
bookwyrm_lark's review against another edition
4.0
Death & the Gravedigger's Angel is the third in the Loretta Ross's terrific Auction Block Mystery series. It's hard to say what I like best about the series: Death and Wren's relationship; Wren's resourcefulness; Death trying to come to terms with his disability while still pushing himself; the sibling banter with Randy and between the Keystone twins; the realistic way the books acknowledge trauma and PTSD, especially among vets and crime victims; even the whole Keystone clan, who are funny and endearing and eccentric in a believably realistic way.
Death (pronounced "Deeth," and named after Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey) is the official detective, or rather, private eye, but both he and Wren take a hand in solving the mysteries. They're also a solid romantic pairing—they have very little relationship angst to speak of, and by this third book, there's no "will-they-won't-they" guessing, either. And it's just as well, because there's plenty of interest and suspense without it.
I enjoyed this one particularly for the old mansion and the stories associated with it. There's something almost irresistible about exploring an old house, as Wren gets to do in the process of preparing its contents for auction. As she does, she gets caught up in the question of who was the "gravedigger" who once lived there, and why did he create sketch after sketch of a young woman in a war-torn village? PTSD becomes the common thread between Wren's historical mystery and the pair of contemporary mysteries puzzling Death: How did a dead man end up in a Confederate uniform with a grisly past, and who killed the son of a religious fanatic?
It's this sort of realism—PTSD and the aftermath of war, religious fanaticism not played for laughs, and a small-town setting that's never idealized—that makes this series more serious and believable than many cozy series, from the character depictions to the overall tone. Yet it's not all seriousness. Ross has just the right touch, blending in humor by expressing it through characters' dialogue and the jokes they make, rather than the narrative voice. It feels like the level of humor in everyday life, and balances the seriousness of death and murder without diminishing it.
I mentioned Wren's resourcefulness, and boy, does she need it in this book! I can't describe the scene without spoilers, but I loved the way she uses her wits and her skills (not to mention her scorn for horror-movie characters) to good effect, essentially rescuing herself from a really dangerous situation. Kudos also to Ross for creating a female character who is the antithesis of TSTL (too stupid to live.)
I first read Death & the Gravedigger's Angel in January 2017, shortly after death of a good friend (over the weekend of his memorial service, in fact), and I had a very hard time staying focused on it. At the time, I wasn't sure whether the problem was that I was too shaken up to concentrate, or whether the plot was confusing and hard to follow. I'm happy to report that on rereading it with a clear mind, I found the plot complicated but completely coherent, and it was easy to get caught up in the story.
Death & the Viking's Daughter comes out on February 8, 2018, and I can't wait!
*****
*TSTL is one of my biggest mystery-related pet peeves.
Death (pronounced "Deeth," and named after Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey) is the official detective, or rather, private eye, but both he and Wren take a hand in solving the mysteries. They're also a solid romantic pairing—they have very little relationship angst to speak of, and by this third book, there's no "will-they-won't-they" guessing, either. And it's just as well, because there's plenty of interest and suspense without it.
I enjoyed this one particularly for the old mansion and the stories associated with it. There's something almost irresistible about exploring an old house, as Wren gets to do in the process of preparing its contents for auction. As she does, she gets caught up in the question of who was the "gravedigger" who once lived there, and why did he create sketch after sketch of a young woman in a war-torn village? PTSD becomes the common thread between Wren's historical mystery and the pair of contemporary mysteries puzzling Death: How did a dead man end up in a Confederate uniform with a grisly past, and who killed the son of a religious fanatic?
It's this sort of realism—PTSD and the aftermath of war, religious fanaticism not played for laughs, and a small-town setting that's never idealized—that makes this series more serious and believable than many cozy series, from the character depictions to the overall tone. Yet it's not all seriousness. Ross has just the right touch, blending in humor by expressing it through characters' dialogue and the jokes they make, rather than the narrative voice. It feels like the level of humor in everyday life, and balances the seriousness of death and murder without diminishing it.
I mentioned Wren's resourcefulness, and boy, does she need it in this book! I can't describe the scene without spoilers, but I loved the way she uses her wits and her skills (not to mention her scorn for horror-movie characters) to good effect, essentially rescuing herself from a really dangerous situation. Kudos also to Ross for creating a female character who is the antithesis of TSTL (too stupid to live.)
I first read Death & the Gravedigger's Angel in January 2017, shortly after death of a good friend (over the weekend of his memorial service, in fact), and I had a very hard time staying focused on it. At the time, I wasn't sure whether the problem was that I was too shaken up to concentrate, or whether the plot was confusing and hard to follow. I'm happy to report that on rereading it with a clear mind, I found the plot complicated but completely coherent, and it was easy to get caught up in the story.
Death & the Viking's Daughter comes out on February 8, 2018, and I can't wait!
*****
*TSTL is one of my biggest mystery-related pet peeves.
andyn5's review against another edition
3.0
This review was originally published on NetGalley.
A fun cosy-mystery, good for a quick read. This was the first volume I’ve read from “An Auction Block Mystery” and I want to take a look at the previous novels of the collection to see what I’ve missed. I must say that having a character named Death is peculiar and actually compliments the story very nicely.
The mystery starts with the beginning of an investigation. Apparently, a drunken old man stole a horse and dressed in a cavalry uniform got into a fatal accident in the forest when he hit his head against a branch. When the results of the lab come in, it’s revealed that the uniform in saturated with decomposing body fluid, meaning the uniform belonged to someone that has been dead for quite a while.
Meanwhile, Death is asked to look into a homicide. The son of Tyler Jones, head of a radical church group, is found dead in the back of the car of Anthony Dozier, an army vet recovering from the horrors of the war in Afghanistan. The motive? Earlier that day, Jones and his group invaded the funeral of Dozier’s Muslim wife. Death’s job is to prove that Dozier committed the murder while suffering from PTSD.
At the same time, Wren is helping out on preparing a house for auction when strange noises and events start happening all around her.
The style of writing is great, very engaging and witty. The descriptions are brief but they hold enough detail to be able to picture the settings and the environment.
It’s the type of story that I couldn’t guess what would happen next. Information and details are revealed in a steady pace and it the beginning I couldn’t see the relation between them. It all worked out perfectly in the end though. Since I didn’t read the previous books, I felt like I was missing something, more in the relationships between the characters than anything else. The characters are good, but I was a bit disappointed not to have some more depth to them, to know more about them, especially Randy. Death is a great character and I loved to see the interactions with his brother Randy. I think they’re really different from each other but even so I could see they had each other’s backs.
A cosy-mystery perfect for an after-work evening!
A fun cosy-mystery, good for a quick read. This was the first volume I’ve read from “An Auction Block Mystery” and I want to take a look at the previous novels of the collection to see what I’ve missed. I must say that having a character named Death is peculiar and actually compliments the story very nicely.
The mystery starts with the beginning of an investigation. Apparently, a drunken old man stole a horse and dressed in a cavalry uniform got into a fatal accident in the forest when he hit his head against a branch. When the results of the lab come in, it’s revealed that the uniform in saturated with decomposing body fluid, meaning the uniform belonged to someone that has been dead for quite a while.
Meanwhile, Death is asked to look into a homicide. The son of Tyler Jones, head of a radical church group, is found dead in the back of the car of Anthony Dozier, an army vet recovering from the horrors of the war in Afghanistan. The motive? Earlier that day, Jones and his group invaded the funeral of Dozier’s Muslim wife. Death’s job is to prove that Dozier committed the murder while suffering from PTSD.
At the same time, Wren is helping out on preparing a house for auction when strange noises and events start happening all around her.
The style of writing is great, very engaging and witty. The descriptions are brief but they hold enough detail to be able to picture the settings and the environment.
It’s the type of story that I couldn’t guess what would happen next. Information and details are revealed in a steady pace and it the beginning I couldn’t see the relation between them. It all worked out perfectly in the end though. Since I didn’t read the previous books, I felt like I was missing something, more in the relationships between the characters than anything else. The characters are good, but I was a bit disappointed not to have some more depth to them, to know more about them, especially Randy. Death is a great character and I loved to see the interactions with his brother Randy. I think they’re really different from each other but even so I could see they had each other’s backs.
A cosy-mystery perfect for an after-work evening!
ssejig's review against another edition
3.0
Wren and Death are back, this time with Death's brother being included in the fun. The book opens with a dead, drunk man wearing an authentic Confederate coat. It seems that he stole a horse and died when his head hit a branch. Oh, and the coat has chemicals on it that make it obvious that it was recently buried on someone else.
Death is asked to look into the murder of a bible-thumper's son. It seems that the man's church picketed a Muslim woman's death and now the son has turned up in the backseat of her husband. The supposed-murderer's friend asks Death to prove that the man committed the murder under the strain of PTSD.
Meanwhile, Wren is helping to clean out a house for auction and is running into some mysterious happenings there. And it's her handwriting that is found on a note in the drunk dead man's pocket.
I always feel like I'm missing something in these books. I have read both of the other books in this
series and, while it seems like the information is all there... I just don't know if it's that the characters aren't quite fully developed or whether the story isn't quite finished, I don't know. I am frustrated that I can't put my finger on what it is that makes me feel like I'm only reading 90% of the story. I definitely know that I didn't feel like the stories in this book were tied together well. I'm also frustrated that we didn't get to see a lot of Wren in this story and we didn't get to know more about Randy.
Death is asked to look into the murder of a bible-thumper's son. It seems that the man's church picketed a Muslim woman's death and now the son has turned up in the backseat of her husband. The supposed-murderer's friend asks Death to prove that the man committed the murder under the strain of PTSD.
Meanwhile, Wren is helping to clean out a house for auction and is running into some mysterious happenings there. And it's her handwriting that is found on a note in the drunk dead man's pocket.
I always feel like I'm missing something in these books. I have read both of the other books in this
series and, while it seems like the information is all there... I just don't know if it's that the characters aren't quite fully developed or whether the story isn't quite finished, I don't know. I am frustrated that I can't put my finger on what it is that makes me feel like I'm only reading 90% of the story. I definitely know that I didn't feel like the stories in this book were tied together well. I'm also frustrated that we didn't get to see a lot of Wren in this story and we didn't get to know more about Randy.
andyn5's review against another edition
3.0
This review was originally published on NetGalley.
A fun cosy-mystery, good for a quick read. This was the first volume I’ve read from “An Auction Block Mystery” and I want to take a look at the previous novels of the collection to see what I’ve missed. I must say that having a character named Death is peculiar and actually compliments the story very nicely.
The mystery starts with the beginning of an investigation. Apparently, a drunken old man stole a horse and dressed in a cavalry uniform got into a fatal accident in the forest when he hit his head against a branch. When the results of the lab come in, it’s revealed that the uniform in saturated with decomposing body fluid, meaning the uniform belonged to someone that has been dead for quite a while.
Meanwhile, Death is asked to look into a homicide. The son of Tyler Jones, head of a radical church group, is found dead in the back of the car of Anthony Dozier, an army vet recovering from the horrors of the war in Afghanistan. The motive? Earlier that day, Jones and his group invaded the funeral of Dozier’s Muslim wife. Death’s job is to prove that Dozier committed the murder while suffering from PTSD.
At the same time, Wren is helping out on preparing a house for auction when strange noises and events start happening all around her.
The style of writing is great, very engaging and witty. The descriptions are brief but they hold enough detail to be able to picture the settings and the environment.
It’s the type of story that I couldn’t guess what would happen next. Information and details are revealed in a steady pace and it the beginning I couldn’t see the relation between them. It all worked out perfectly in the end though. Since I didn’t read the previous books, I felt like I was missing something, more in the relationships between the characters than anything else. The characters are good, but I was a bit disappointed not to have some more depth to them, to know more about them, especially Randy. Death is a great character and I loved to see the interactions with his brother Randy. I think they’re really different from each other but even so I could see they had each other’s backs.
A cosy-mystery perfect for an after-work evening!
A fun cosy-mystery, good for a quick read. This was the first volume I’ve read from “An Auction Block Mystery” and I want to take a look at the previous novels of the collection to see what I’ve missed. I must say that having a character named Death is peculiar and actually compliments the story very nicely.
The mystery starts with the beginning of an investigation. Apparently, a drunken old man stole a horse and dressed in a cavalry uniform got into a fatal accident in the forest when he hit his head against a branch. When the results of the lab come in, it’s revealed that the uniform in saturated with decomposing body fluid, meaning the uniform belonged to someone that has been dead for quite a while.
Meanwhile, Death is asked to look into a homicide. The son of Tyler Jones, head of a radical church group, is found dead in the back of the car of Anthony Dozier, an army vet recovering from the horrors of the war in Afghanistan. The motive? Earlier that day, Jones and his group invaded the funeral of Dozier’s Muslim wife. Death’s job is to prove that Dozier committed the murder while suffering from PTSD.
At the same time, Wren is helping out on preparing a house for auction when strange noises and events start happening all around her.
The style of writing is great, very engaging and witty. The descriptions are brief but they hold enough detail to be able to picture the settings and the environment.
It’s the type of story that I couldn’t guess what would happen next. Information and details are revealed in a steady pace and it the beginning I couldn’t see the relation between them. It all worked out perfectly in the end though. Since I didn’t read the previous books, I felt like I was missing something, more in the relationships between the characters than anything else. The characters are good, but I was a bit disappointed not to have some more depth to them, to know more about them, especially Randy. Death is a great character and I loved to see the interactions with his brother Randy. I think they’re really different from each other but even so I could see they had each other’s backs.
A cosy-mystery perfect for an after-work evening!
rebecca_isreading's review against another edition
3.0
Three books in, and this series feels like we've still barely scratched the surface of the characters. Like the previous books, Death and the Gravedigger's Angel has a different feel than most cozy mysteries I've read- it's slightly darker, maybe? While the ending sets up what I assume will be the next book, it felt kind of awkward and abrupt after the drama of previous chapters. I think this series has a lot of room for readers to learn more about the characters left for books that follow, and I admit feel invested in Death and Wren's story.
Advance e-galley provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.
Advance e-galley provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.
krisrid's review against another edition
4.0
I really love this series! This is the third book, and I loved it just as much as the first two. I am really hoping the author has more books in her for the series, because it is great!
I am continuing to love the smart, funny, loving relationship between Wren and Death [prounounced Deeth]. They are both terrific people, and the banter and play between them is one of the best things about these books. They are not sappy or annoying, instead they come across as real, sensible people who happily found each other and get along famously.
I also like the interactions between Death and his brother, which ramped up a lot in this book. They are every set of male siblings you've ever met, who love each other, but cover that up with pranks and insults and making fun of each other. It makes for some very funny scenes.
And speaking of funny, one of the funniest scenes ever happens where Wren is having a set-to with a religious nutbar kook, and he starts spouting bible references at her. Wren has a young boy helping her with auction stuff at the time, and he calls his aunt [Wren's employer from the auction company and a woman who takes nobody's shit!] and she snaps back from memory competing bible verses which are repeated to Wren to throw back at said kook. The verses start flying fast and furious and while I am not doing it justice, it is an absolutely hysterical scene, as the woman bests the bible thumper at every turn, unfuriating him that a mere woman could possibly know the bible better. I loved it! It is just one scene that showcases the delightful humour that this book, as well as the other two are full of. The author clearly has a wonderful sense of humour and uses it to great effect through her characters. Definitely one of the best parts of the book!
I did take off one star because the identity of the killer and why the murder happened was so incredibly obvious that even I figured it out really early on. Since I never even TRY to figure out whodunnit, if I know first, then it's a really open secret. That's not a criticism exactly, but for a cozy, it is something to be aware of, if you are the type who likes a tough mystery to solve. But it really didn't take away any of my enjoyment of the story or the characters.
This is definitely one of my favourite series, and one I will continue reading if the author plans more books. I really love everything about this series!
I am continuing to love the smart, funny, loving relationship between Wren and Death [prounounced Deeth]. They are both terrific people, and the banter and play between them is one of the best things about these books. They are not sappy or annoying, instead they come across as real, sensible people who happily found each other and get along famously.
I also like the interactions between Death and his brother, which ramped up a lot in this book. They are every set of male siblings you've ever met, who love each other, but cover that up with pranks and insults and making fun of each other. It makes for some very funny scenes.
And speaking of funny, one of the funniest scenes ever happens where Wren is having a set-to with a religious nutbar kook, and he starts spouting bible references at her. Wren has a young boy helping her with auction stuff at the time, and he calls his aunt [Wren's employer from the auction company and a woman who takes nobody's shit!] and she snaps back from memory competing bible verses which are repeated to Wren to throw back at said kook. The verses start flying fast and furious and while I am not doing it justice, it is an absolutely hysterical scene, as the woman bests the bible thumper at every turn, unfuriating him that a mere woman could possibly know the bible better. I loved it! It is just one scene that showcases the delightful humour that this book, as well as the other two are full of. The author clearly has a wonderful sense of humour and uses it to great effect through her characters. Definitely one of the best parts of the book!
I did take off one star because the identity of the killer and why the murder happened was so incredibly obvious that even I figured it out really early on. Since I never even TRY to figure out whodunnit, if I know first, then it's a really open secret. That's not a criticism exactly, but for a cozy, it is something to be aware of, if you are the type who likes a tough mystery to solve. But it really didn't take away any of my enjoyment of the story or the characters.
This is definitely one of my favourite series, and one I will continue reading if the author plans more books. I really love everything about this series!
dollycas's review against another edition
5.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I love this series! Morgan is working at Hadleigh House, an old abandoned mansion, to inventory the furnishings and other contents for auction. She finds an old sketchbook that is truly a treasure. It seems to tell a story from World War I about a soldier and his angel. Meanwhile Tony Dozier, an army vet is arrested for killing a man that was protesting his wife’s funeral. Wren and Death (Dee-th) “it’s a family name” Bogart meet the man and know right away he didn’t kill anyone. Death also has PTSD and knows that is what the vet is dealing with. Maybe the sketchbook can help explain the vet’s confusion and lead them to the real killer.
Three books and we are still peeling back the layers on these characters. They continue to grow closer and deal with each other’s battles. They are falling in love but still have barriers up so as to not cause each other pain, both physically and emotionally. The author seems to understand that their healing is a process, not something that can be fleshed out in a hurry but revealed over time. For me as a reader that draws me to these characters in a major way.
The setting this time was quite interesting. A big old house, a cemetery, and a camp for wounded veterans are all located close together but getting to the house is difficult because there is only a walking path until a bridge car be rebuilt for vehicles. The picture on the cover depicts things very well.
The theme of the story is very current, there is a group, the Church of the Army of Christ (CAC), a militant hate group, they protest around the area. This group disrupted the Dozier funeral because Tony’s wife was a Muslim. She and Tony were the only survivors of an attack in Afghanistan only to get back to the states and have her killed by a drunk driver. Tony dealing with the tragedy he witnessed overseas as a medic combined with his wife’s tragic death has left him just a shell of a man. The author wrote this book long before the current administration was sworn in but she clearly saw the degree of hatred during the election and she tackled that and the plight of veterans so well in this story.
As for the mystery, it wasn’t exactly complex but it wasn’t straight forward either. I knew who didn’t do it, just as Morgan and Death did, so I was really tuned in to all the others I viewed as suspects. I just had a feeling and surprisingly I turned out to be right, but it played out in a really scary, edge of your seat way.
The topics may seem heavy for a cozy mystery but Ms. Ross adds the humor, romance and character building in a way to keep it all balanced. I was very happy with the last chapter set up to take us into the next Death and Morgan story. It is going to be hard to wait a year to have it in my hands.
If this is a new series for you I really recommend you start with Death & the Redheaded Woman, then Death & the Brewmaster’s Widow, before you read this story. These are rich characters you will enjoy more if you meet them from the beginning.
I love this series! Morgan is working at Hadleigh House, an old abandoned mansion, to inventory the furnishings and other contents for auction. She finds an old sketchbook that is truly a treasure. It seems to tell a story from World War I about a soldier and his angel. Meanwhile Tony Dozier, an army vet is arrested for killing a man that was protesting his wife’s funeral. Wren and Death (Dee-th) “it’s a family name” Bogart meet the man and know right away he didn’t kill anyone. Death also has PTSD and knows that is what the vet is dealing with. Maybe the sketchbook can help explain the vet’s confusion and lead them to the real killer.
Three books and we are still peeling back the layers on these characters. They continue to grow closer and deal with each other’s battles. They are falling in love but still have barriers up so as to not cause each other pain, both physically and emotionally. The author seems to understand that their healing is a process, not something that can be fleshed out in a hurry but revealed over time. For me as a reader that draws me to these characters in a major way.
The setting this time was quite interesting. A big old house, a cemetery, and a camp for wounded veterans are all located close together but getting to the house is difficult because there is only a walking path until a bridge car be rebuilt for vehicles. The picture on the cover depicts things very well.
The theme of the story is very current, there is a group, the Church of the Army of Christ (CAC), a militant hate group, they protest around the area. This group disrupted the Dozier funeral because Tony’s wife was a Muslim. She and Tony were the only survivors of an attack in Afghanistan only to get back to the states and have her killed by a drunk driver. Tony dealing with the tragedy he witnessed overseas as a medic combined with his wife’s tragic death has left him just a shell of a man. The author wrote this book long before the current administration was sworn in but she clearly saw the degree of hatred during the election and she tackled that and the plight of veterans so well in this story.
As for the mystery, it wasn’t exactly complex but it wasn’t straight forward either. I knew who didn’t do it, just as Morgan and Death did, so I was really tuned in to all the others I viewed as suspects. I just had a feeling and surprisingly I turned out to be right, but it played out in a really scary, edge of your seat way.
The topics may seem heavy for a cozy mystery but Ms. Ross adds the humor, romance and character building in a way to keep it all balanced. I was very happy with the last chapter set up to take us into the next Death and Morgan story. It is going to be hard to wait a year to have it in my hands.
If this is a new series for you I really recommend you start with Death & the Redheaded Woman, then Death & the Brewmaster’s Widow, before you read this story. These are rich characters you will enjoy more if you meet them from the beginning.