Ok ok, after doing a MAJOR 3 month unit on Australia with the kids and learning about all things Down Under I could not resist this novella based strictly on the title. Death by Didgeridoo is the first book in the Jamie Quinn Mystery series by Barbara Venkataraman and has nothing else to do with Australia than the instrument being, well, instrumental in the murder. (bad bad I know).

I will say right off the bat… in the book no one knows what a Didgeridoo is, well I am telling you EVERYONE in this house knows what one is! For those who don’t, HERE is the Wikipedia page for you to catch up on! Anyway…

I found this novella interesting as the main character – Jamie Quinn, a rather reluctant but proficient family court lawyer is called up by her aunt to come support her nephew who has stumbled upon a murder and is now a suspect. What is interesting is that the nephew is a grown adult who has Asperger Syndrome. This throws the wrench in things as he is unable, at first, to explain what he saw and rationalize that he was not truly involved in the murder.

Jamie is determined to help, calls upon her friend (also a lawyer but in a different division) for help, calls up an IOU on a rather interesting detective and works with the court appointed defense lawyer to ensure that her nephew is not falsely arrested.

The mystery is intriguing, and Jamie gives us little insights about her personality as SHE thinks they are relevant, so you do get to know her as the story goes on. I found this a quick and fun read, it felt like you were sitting with Jamie as she recounted an event that was interesting and exciting in her life.

While not a book SET in Australia, the murder weapon IS unique and the author tells a wonderful story, so if this interests you do give it a read!

Sometimes all you have time for is a quick novella. And that was what I had this past afternoon… an hour of free time between kids and the YMCA trip. So I picked up a freebie and started reading. Spotless Murder is the third book in the Sophia O’Malley Cozy Mysteru series by Natalie Woodley and Angela Arganoff. I have not read the previous two books but the beginning of the story cleared up enough that I really felt like I was not missing out on a huge plot twist or something. (This was a one day freebie on Amazon)

This book is definitely a shorter read. Your prospective is not limited to a main character as the story scoots along showing all of them equally. You do learn a bit about the three main ones – Sophia who runs a business called the Travelling Organizer where she does just that, her new employee Mattie (though you don’t learn too much about her) and a character new to the series – Paul who works for the chain that employed the ladies and sent them to Hawaii for their newest murder mystery. 

The end of the book includes some Hawaiian recipes and some travel and organization tips. The murder itself is interesting, the solution rather intriguing and the pace a nice quick trot on through. I don’t try to solve these myself so cannot speak to that, but I really enjoyed following along as the characters work with law officials to solve the case. 

Add to the mystery, the organization, the exotic setting just a touch of romance, a little nostalgia and a sweet goodbye to a love now gone and you have a novella to pick up and enjoy in a single sitting. I would totally rec commend this contemporary cozy for a quiet hour. And once my book budget goes up from, well, zero… I may just read and review the previous books! 

From a Mother’s Day mystery and random dinosaurs to a contemporary cozy mystery based around the owner of a bakery whose best friend and soon to be employ is embroiled in the murder of her previous boss at the local bank. Vanilla Bean Murder by Deany Ray is the second in her Ouna Bay Cozy Mysteries series. This lucky free find was a lovely novella length mystery with a touch of romance and a dash of humour.

Now keep in mind this is a second book in the series (I really lucked out with a freebie), so there are some moments where you feel you are missing a bit of information. The relationships are more defined and there is a hint of that being something that came out of the previous book so I won’t give names and details.

What I really enjoyed about this one is that I didn’t see the murderer coming… I mean, towards the end I was getting the feeling that something wasn’t quite right but I was just as surprised as the main characters (Becky) as to who did it and why.

I am definitely interested in taking a look at the first novel in the series as well as continuing on (once the book budget allows of course…). Deany Ray does a terrific job creating interesting characters. The story  felt well thought through and had a great pace. The mystery, as I mentioned, was intriguing and unexpected. Definitely a fun read out in the hammock on a warm afternoon, especially since that is exactly what I did! And who doesn’t love a title like Vanilla Bean Murder. It sounds so… scrumptious.