Customer Reviews

Keepsake Crimes (A Scrapbooking Mystery)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Cozy mysteries are great. They're light and quick and enjoyable. However, when the word "mystery" is attatched to the "cozy" bit the author really should follow through.

Childs' budding new series has many of the same characteristics as her Tea Shop Mystery series. The setting is strong and definite. She knows the area(s) she's dealing with and seems to delight in describing them to the reader. There are numerous quirky secondary characters that are loyal and supportive and always there at the right times. But there is also the same repetition, the same breeziness, the same lame inner dialogue that makes you go a little crazy because, really, I think we're all just a little more intelligent than that. And then there's the "mystery" part. Right.

There really is no mystery. There is a crime, granted. But it's either too easily solved (with little detection work on the part of the protagonist) or just not all that interesting. In other words, you don't care much either way. And the crime and resolution in *Keepsake Crimes* is almost silly. It's very obvious that it's a new series start and it seems like Laura Childs' is more concerned with her character interaction than her crime.

It's not that this novel was bad or unreadable, but even those of us who like the occasional "cozy mystery" needs a little mystery there.

I like the Tea Shop books and was looking forward to a new series. I love New Orleans; a series set there could be so intriguing, and Carmela is a spunky, clever heroine. There is a "but."

There was too much detail on scrapbooking for a reader not interested in that hobby. Also, I didn't really care who committed the murder. The supporting characters, except for Ava, blended together and weren't particularly likable.

Carmela was also too forgiving for my taste. I thought that her support of a husband who had deserted her made her seem weak. The series needs a strong male character, and I'm hoping it won't be that husband!

I will read the next book in the series, if there is one, for I like Laura Child's writing style. This just wasn't one of her better efforts.

I'm an avid scrapbooker, and a fan of Laura Child's tea shop mysteries - I've read them all. The tea shop books are cozy and fun - and you quickly come to idetify with and like at least 5 of the recurring characters without having to make a list to keep straight who they are.

I was anxious to read the new series. For me, there was just way too much information about New Orleans and mardi gras. I just wasn't that interested in all that detail. Also, I really didn't come to care much about the characters in this book, other than Carmella and Ava. There's no strong male character, as in her tea shop books. Ms. Child's mentions many different characters on several occasions, but we're never given enough information on them to allow us to know them or to know why or how they may be connected to the story.

As for the scrapbooking aspect, I really could have used more intersting tips and techniques. There were a couple unique ideas wound into the story, but many things mentioned would be old hat to serious scrapbookers.

Normally, I finish the tea shop books in a day or so. They're so fun and cozy that I can't put them down. This one took me a while to read because I just couldn't get interested in it due to the excessive detail on New Orleans. However, I like the tea shop mysteries enough that I will give this new serious another try. I'll pick up the next book and see if things improve.

Carmela's life is having its ups and downs. Her scrapbooking shop is doing well, but she's been separated from her husband for six months. She's trying to put that behind her and enjoy Mardi Gras, however.

While attending a parade with her friend Ava, she is shocked to see the body of a friend lowered from a float, dead. She's even more surprised to learn that Shamus, her husband, is the chief suspect. She doesn't believe he could really be the killer, so she sets out to see what she can learn.

I've read two of Ms. Childs' Tea Shop Mysteries and enjoyed them. This book disappointed me, however. My problem was that it felt like it was a first draft, not a finished book. Hardly anything happens in the first half of the book. Instead, we get lots of talk on scrapbooking. Things do get more interesting in the second half, but the last chapter is pretty bad with lots of things suddenly being thrown at us to tie up potential loose ends. I didn't get a good feel for the place like I did in her other series. And her attempts to add local color only slowed the story down as she had to explain what a character had just said.

I don't think the author is ready to have two series or release three books in one year. I hope she slows down, because I did enjoy the other books of her's that I've read.

As an avid scrapbooker and fan of New Orleans, I was delighted to learn about this book. I enjoyed it immensely. The mystery was good; the tone was fun. I hope there are many more books in this series.

I really liked this first book in her new series. It was wonderful to learn so much about Mardi Gras and New Orleans. I have been curious about scrap booking, so I must say that I was impressed how she combined instructions for doing it with a mystery in the mix. I think she has found a combination that works. I just bought the next book in the series tonite and can't wait to read it.

I live in New Orleans and was eager to read a series set in my lovely home town. The characters are engaing and seem very real, however, all the details about my home town are WRONG. I do understand that some liscense is needed in order to accomodate plot - the mis-statements regarding the city in general, Mardi Gras in particular, and the social attitudes of the characters and speech patterns are so far from real as to belong in a science fiction novel rather than an satisfying puzzle with good characters and enough plot to keep you reading.

Very disappointing.

Tucked away on the edge of the French Quarter in New Orleans is a cute little scrapbooking store called Memory Mine owned by Carmela Bertrand, an astute business person but unlucky in love. Her husband Shamus dumped her six months ago, claiming he had to find himself. Carmela moved from their fancy home to a funky apartment located on top of a voodoo store.

Carmela and friends are taking in one of the Mardi Gras parades when a float stops in front of them. Powerful Jimmy Early Clayton is dead and an autopsy reveals he died from an overdose of ketamine. Shamus was seen having an argument with him and had access to the float and Jimmy Lee's stash of liquor. A vicious rumor campaign starts stating that Shamus is the killer. Although Carmela is estranged from him, she doesn't think her husband is a murderer. She sets out to prove it, but places her life in danger from the killer who doesn't want Carmela putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

Laura Childs, the author of the Teashop mysteries, has written the first book in what looks to be a great new series. The descriptions of the food and sights of New Orleans make the readers feel as if they were visiting and enjoying Mardi Gras. The heroine is plucky and likable, enjoying her crafts store and her many friends instead of pining away for the husband she still loves. KEEPSAKE CRIMES is a well-written cozy with enough possible suspects to prevent the audience from guessing who the killer really is.

Harriet Klausner

This book had great images of New Orleans and lots of scrap booking ideas, but it was hard to get a good feel for her character. I spent most of the book thinking "Why does this woman need to investigate a murder?" She doesn't seem to have a knack for crime and does her sleuthing in a rather random way. At the end of the book we're presented with an ending that just kind of appears, conveniently. It jumps around from little episode to little episode without really tying things together. I think it had a good premise, but I was not entirely satisfied with how it developed. I think the series has potential--but needs work.

I love reading theme books as well as mystery. I am a "new" scrapbooker so enjoyed her tips. This is a "light" read. I go to these books after I have read heavy classics or history books. I took it camping and was happy to escape into the world of murder, scrapbooking and New Orleans. Never having been there I don't know how historically accurate it is but this book made me want to visit New Orleans. I hope to try some of the recipes. Laura Child made them sound quite yummy. The depth of the characters are a little weak and somewhat inconsistant but it doesnt' necessarily detract from an entertaining story line.