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diannel_04's review against another edition
3.0
Chandra, Kate and Bea are neighbours who ae at each others throats for silly neighbour complaints. A frustrated judge sees the perfect way to get them to work together, and to save the funding for the village library, he orders them to form a book club. The League of Literary Ladies is born. Luella joins them because she loves to read and off we go.
The first book the ladies read is Murder on the Orient Express. In the midst of a blizzard they make their way, separately, to the new Chinese restaurant in town, you guessed it, The Orient Express. There they find the owner murdered.
This and the blizzard bring all the ladies together along with other sundry characters, most of whom had a reason to want Peter Chan dead.
My main quibble with this book is that there is no way I believe that someone as supposedly worldly and New York as Bea did not pick up that one of her characters was a man in drag. Sorry but even RuPaul doesn't do it that well.
I thought this book was fun and want to read the next in the series.
The first book the ladies read is Murder on the Orient Express. In the midst of a blizzard they make their way, separately, to the new Chinese restaurant in town, you guessed it, The Orient Express. There they find the owner murdered.
This and the blizzard bring all the ladies together along with other sundry characters, most of whom had a reason to want Peter Chan dead.
My main quibble with this book is that there is no way I believe that someone as supposedly worldly and New York as Bea did not pick up that one of her characters was a man in drag. Sorry but even RuPaul doesn't do it that well.
I thought this book was fun and want to read the next in the series.
quietjenn's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted this to be slightly better than it actually was, although it's a pretty promising First in a Series and I'll probably look for others. It probably didn't help that one of the "suspects" motivation was exactly the same situation as in another cozy that I just read. Perils of the genre, I suppose (or of not breaking one's reading of cozies up a little more).
gotoboston's review against another edition
4.0
This was surprisingly more fun than I was expecting. I loved that this was about a group of women solving a mystery together through mostly just talking things out and being nosy. And using copious amounts of literary tropes.
Overall, really cute. And I'm super curious about our main character. I want to know more about her life in New York. I'll definitely be continuing the series.
Overall, really cute. And I'm super curious about our main character. I want to know more about her life in New York. I'll definitely be continuing the series.
lunifur's review against another edition
5.0
This is an absolutely hilarious start to the series. I actually read And Then There Were Nuns before this, but I am so glad that I decided to read this one. All of the comparing the murder to Murder on the Orient Express is hilarious, especially the imitating Poirot bits. I absolutely loved seeing Bea, Kate, and Chandra try to get along. Or at least try not to bicker constantly.
emilychambers625's review against another edition
4.0
This was truly the nonsense, cozy mystery I needed. While poorly written, it was nice to take a break from the heavy, emotional books I’ve been reading and just have a short, ridiculous story to curl up with.
paperbackstash's review against another edition
5.0
"What's left to say after you've found a body with three of your not-best friends?"
As cute as the synopsis promised it would be. A funny, great group of eccentric people are forced to join a book club to save the judge’s wife’s ailing library grant. When they’re all pushed together during a snowstorm in the main character’s newly bought and renovated Inn, they work together to solve the mystery of the local restaurant owner.
There are plenty of nods to Hercule Poirot since the club decides to read the Christie Classic Murder on the Orient Express. Okay sure, one just watched the movie and can’t pronounce the detective’s name to save her life, which just makes the whole thing funnier.
Several suspects with convincing reason to be behind the dastardly deed come to light, making it a layered mystery that kept me wondering. There aren’t red herrings but there are plenty of convincing trails to follow. There’s a neat twist with the culprit that I never saw coming either. I can’t complain any about clues left, suspects introduced, or crime scenes explored in their amusing ways.
There’s a potential and actually non-boring love interest brewing too. Many times in cozies there’s something missing without a possible love interest, but usually the future boyfriend is rather bland – not the case here. They have the sarcastic exchange thing going on so I’m curious.
I love the main character too. She’s a bit self-absorbed but this was supposed to be another funny trait. Being flawed helps keep her interesting enough to connect with. The nutsy neighbor with the incense and chanting music was the funniest of the group, but the entire group worked together well.
Throw in a Bed and Breakfast, small town, books, Agatha Christie, parties, and cats peeing on flowers – will definitely be considering this series. If I enjoy the others as much as this one, it will be a top favorite cozy mystery series.
As cute as the synopsis promised it would be. A funny, great group of eccentric people are forced to join a book club to save the judge’s wife’s ailing library grant. When they’re all pushed together during a snowstorm in the main character’s newly bought and renovated Inn, they work together to solve the mystery of the local restaurant owner.
There are plenty of nods to Hercule Poirot since the club decides to read the Christie Classic Murder on the Orient Express. Okay sure, one just watched the movie and can’t pronounce the detective’s name to save her life, which just makes the whole thing funnier.
Several suspects with convincing reason to be behind the dastardly deed come to light, making it a layered mystery that kept me wondering. There aren’t red herrings but there are plenty of convincing trails to follow. There’s a neat twist with the culprit that I never saw coming either. I can’t complain any about clues left, suspects introduced, or crime scenes explored in their amusing ways.
There’s a potential and actually non-boring love interest brewing too. Many times in cozies there’s something missing without a possible love interest, but usually the future boyfriend is rather bland – not the case here. They have the sarcastic exchange thing going on so I’m curious.
I love the main character too. She’s a bit self-absorbed but this was supposed to be another funny trait. Being flawed helps keep her interesting enough to connect with. The nutsy neighbor with the incense and chanting music was the funniest of the group, but the entire group worked together well.
Throw in a Bed and Breakfast, small town, books, Agatha Christie, parties, and cats peeing on flowers – will definitely be considering this series. If I enjoy the others as much as this one, it will be a top favorite cozy mystery series.
tlsouthard's review against another edition
3.0
Cute start to a "cozy type" mystery series. Four ladies are forced to form a book club - because 3 of them can't stop arguing, so the judge makes them meet every Monday as a book club. Their first book is Murder on the Orient Express, and darned if there isn't a murder at the local Chinese restaurant that begins to look a little like that Agatha Christie classic.
I liked it as an escape from heavier reading. I'd read the second. And I will recommend it to my book club just because it's about a book club! How could I resist?
I liked it as an escape from heavier reading. I'd read the second. And I will recommend it to my book club just because it's about a book club! How could I resist?
rebeccasreadingrambles's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. There's something extra cozy about a murder mystery that occurs in a huge island snowstorm and the characters are huddled into a B&B. I enjoyed the intros to the characters and definitely wasn't able to guess the ending. I cannot wait to continue this series and learn more about Bea's past.