The Seven Dials Mystery (Mystery Month)

The Seven Dials Mystery
By:Agatha Christie
270 Pages

Summary:
Reclusive tycoon Sir Oswald Coote and his melancholy wife, Lady Coote, have hit upon the ideal plan to spice up their quiet lives. They'll host a lavish weekend party at Chimneys, their isolated estate, and invite only "bright young things." But the festive mood is clouded by doom. A practical joke involving seven clocks and a sleeping guest has ended in accidental death—and cause for alarm. For the guests may not be all that they appear. And as whispers of a strange club called Seven Dials echo through the halls of Chimneys, all hands will be pointing to murder... --bn.com

I love Agatha Christie. She's one of my go to authors when I'm in the mood for a mystery book. However, this book I struggled through. For whatever reason I had a hard time getting into the plot. At times I even got confused and had to reread parts to figure out what was going on. I have never had this problem with an Agatha Christie book before, so I'm a little shocked.

Despite it taking me longer to read than it should have, there were many things I did enjoy. Agatha is great at giving you a handful of characters that you get to know throughout the story. By the time you come to the end, you often find out several of them are not what they appeared to be- at all. I always try to see if I can figure out who the "bad guy" is, but I rarely do.

The whole secret society of Seven Dials was very creative. When the concept is first introduced to you, you think you have it pretty much figured out. I thought I did, but I was wrong. Agatha Christie is the master when it comes to creating interest in things you normally wouldn't give a second thought to.

Agatha Christie fans will enjoy this book. It may not be one of my favorites from her, but it was still a good escape.

Rating: Borrow From The Library

Murder Is Binding (Mystery Month)

Murder Is Binding
By: Lorna Barrett
271 Pages

Summary:
When she moved to Stoneham, city slicker Tricia Miles met nothing but friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased-and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries-and hunt down someone who isn't killing by the book.  ---bn.com

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. If I could, I would move to Stoneham, New Hampshire. However, it's a fictional place, so there goes that. I loved the idea of an entire street being devoted to different bookshops. I loved that this street was reviving the town's economy. I loved reading about it.

The plot was a little slow moving in areas, but  I didn't care because the book's setting kept me engrossed. The mystery itself was good. There were several times I thought I had it figured out, but I didn't. The plot twist was one I've only seen in soap operas. The characters were fun to meet and get to know.

For readers who enjoy light mystery without the blood, guts, and gore, this book may be one to try. If you love the book world, you will definitely like this book. This book is the first of the series and I look forward to reading the others.

Rating: Buy It