What I Read in June

All ratings are on a scale from 1 (bad) to 5 (great).

SHADOWS ON THE SAND by Gayle Roper - 4
Just as Carrie and Greg might be ready to start a relationship, danger comes to their resort town.  First the dishwasher in Carrie's restaurant is murdered, then her waitress starts acting strangely.  What's going on?  This is more romantic suspense than a true mystery, but I found the story compelling and the climax very suspenseful.

SWIFT JUSTICE by Laura DiSilverio - 5
When PI Charlie Swift is saddled with a new partner, she does everything she can to get this new woman to quit the business.  Meanwhile, she has to track down the missing mother of a baby.  The book has an odd combination of humorous and serious, but it really works.  I liked the characters and can't wait to visit them again.

ECHOES OF TITANIC by Mindy Starns Clark - 3
Kelsey Tate is blindsided when someone accuses her great-grandmother, a Titanic survivor, of being an impostor.  As her world spins out of control, can Kelsey learn the truth in order to save her family's firm?  While normally I find the author hard to put down, this one took quite a while to get going.  The characters were good and the second half strong, but the first half wasn't up to par.

DARKWING DUCK: CAMPAIGN CARNAGE by Ian Brill - 5
When the mayor of St. Carnard steps down, Darkwing enters the race to take his place.  But someone is out to make sure that Darkwing does down.  This was another fun entry in the comic book spins off from the 90's cartoon show.  Fans will love it while the rest may not appreciate it as much.  I'm a fan, so I loved it.

TWO WRONGS DON'T MAKE A WRITE by Cathy Wiley - 4
Writer Cassie and police detective James have been dating for two months, and Cassie has decided it is time to meet James' father, a man he hasn't talked to much since he was kicked off the force for being a corrupt cop years ago.  But when a body is found and James' father had ties to the victim, Cassie steps in to find out what is really happening.  I love these characters, and they are great to spent time around.  The plot is a bit slow at first, but it picks up as it goes a long.  Lots of fun overall.

MR. MONK IS A MESS by Lee Goldberg - 5
Monk and Natalie return from New Jersey to find a dead woman in Natalie's bathtub.  Then Monk's brother wants them to track down his missing girlfriend.  Can they do it?  As always, the plots are fun and really take advantage of Monk's abilities.  However, it's what Lee does with the characters that really makes them shine.  It's an outgrowth of the last few books and is what I am going to miss most after the last one of these comes out next year.

THE CAT WHO TALKED TURKEY by Lilian Jackson Braun - 2
It's the beginning of summer, and things are hoping in Pickax County.  They are breaking ground for a new bookstore and the town of Brrr is celebrating 200 years.  Oh yeah, and a body is found on Qwill's property.  But since none of the characters seem to care about that, the mystery kind of whimpers along.  If you love the characters, you'll enjoy the book, but there's hardly any plot.  Par for the course for the later books of the series.