Customer Reviews

Murder Melts in Your Mouth (Blackbird Sisters Mysteries, No. 7)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

FINALLY! I was SO happy to see the developments between Mick and Nora, there is nothing more annoying that a constant on/off relationship where the characters never address their problems or admit how they feel. Mick and Nora are fabulous in this book. The Blackbird women are full of surprises, good and bad, and the Blackbird parents are NUTS, but add an interesting new twist to the family dynamic. The Blackbird books are always hilarious, but this one also dealt with some darker issues that gave the book a lot more depth. Very satisfying read.....can't wait to see what happens next!

I enjoyed this book, I liked the way the relationship between Nora and Mick developed as well as growth of other characters. I was shocked at the ending. There were some interesting developments that make me eager for the next installment.

This book is a great read for anyone who enjoys character-driven whodunnits, featuring amateur sleuths who can't seem to go anywhere without stumbling upon a crime. It is the seventh in a series featuring three Blackbird sisters who were raised among the old Philadelphia Main Line rich. After their parents run through their own inheritance, bilk their friends, and drain their daughters' trust funds, they skip the country to avoid the IRS, and the girls are left holding the bag. To make ends meet, and because attending parties was the one thing she could do really well, Nora Blackbird goes to work as the society editor at the local newspaper.

When Nora's sister Libby is involved in an accident, she checks herself into the Ritz to recuperate and sends her five hyperactive kids to stay with Nora at Blackbird Farm, the dilapidated Bucks County farmhouse Nora inherited when her parents took a powder. On top of this, Nora is head over heels in love with Michael, the son of a New Jersey crime boss. Michael keeps far too many secrets, as well as an extra set of license plates in the trunk of his car.

Nora has been assigned to cover the big Chocolate Festival that is being held in town, and she could use some help with the kids, but can't seem to track down her little sister Emma. After buying several ponies to teach riding lessons at the farm, Emma has disappeared and left Nora to take care of them. The situation reaches critical mass when Nora's best friend, Lexie Paine, discovers that large sums of money are missing from her clients' accounts. Everything points to her semi-retired partner Hoyt Cavendish. Hoyt loves the limelight, and has been stealing money from their clients in order to play the role of big philanthropist. He also has a very dark secret in his past. Shortly after Lexie confronts him with her suspicions, he falls mysteriously to his death from a balcony in their office. Lexie is being questioned by the police concerning his death, Nora suspects there is something going on between Michael and Emma, and Nora's parent's have shown up out of the blue, claiming to be working with the Treasury Department in an undercover investigation.

All of this makes for a fun-filled read, reminiscent of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum mysteries. I found Nora's relatives to be every bit as looney as Stephanie's, but a good bit more irritating. Had they been my relatives, I probably would have been the one under investigation for murder. I also found it difficult to identify with people who have old money and attend balls. (My idea of getting ready for a big dance is pulling on my boots and tossing some sawdust on the dance floor.) However, Nora definitely has an advantage over Stephanie when it comes to food and fashion. This book satisfied my cravings for both chocolate and chic clothing. I especially enjoyed reading about the ensembles that Nora manages to pull together by raiding her late grandmother's closet full of vintage designer fashions.

On the whole, I found Murder Melts in Your Mouth to be a very enjoyable read, grabbing my attention within the first few pages, holding it with enough plot twists to keep me guessing, and making me want to go back and read the other books in the series.

by Becky Lane
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Nancy Martin has outdone herself with this latest Blackbird Sisters mystery. The familiar characters are there-- Lexie, Crewe,Libby, Emma, and Mick. Characters only mentioned before come front and center. And no one and nothing is exactly what it appears to be. A good read, with vivid descriptions and very romantic and touching scenes.

This book is a great continuation of the series. It keeps you guessing at every twist of the plot. The ending was perfect for the book. I can't say more without giving it away. If you love Blackbird, you won't be let down by this book. I'm just sad that it's over and now I have to wait for the next book.

Seventh in the series, Nora's character still does not stand up to the people in her life. Friends, parents, and, mostly, her sisters continually take advantage of her.

The character dynamics are beginning to get stale. How many times will the author have Mick & Nora get together and break up, get together and break up, get together and break up? It happens in every book and sometimes more than once in the same story.

Other authors have had female characters who are not strong in standing up for themselves, but this usually works itself out by the 3rd or 4th book in the series. But here we are, seven books into this series, and Nora is still a wimp of a character.

Everyone is a caricature. I expected that by now the author would be comfortable enough with her characters to allow them to change a little. But no -- Emma is always after every man in sight & continues to drink to excess. Libby is sexually on the prowl & foists her 5 children off on to Nora as often as possible. Nora's job continues to be in jeopardy, murders still comes her way, and retro designer clothing still stars. I can't suspend my disbelief any more.

For me, this will be the last book I read in this series. They're boring. They're predictable. They're not even light reading fun anymore.

This is the best Blackbird mystery yet. Martin's witty observations are as entertaining as ever. I love her well-drawn characters, and the plot twists kept me guessing. A thoroughly fun and engaging read.

This is another delightful mystery with the Blackbird sisters . It is nice to
see the often mentioned parents who are just different. The book is too short
for me. I look forward to each and every addition to my collection. Needless
to say this is one of a rare authors that I buy without reading the blurb about the
book because I am certain that it will be well written with sharp dialogue and
fast paced. Thank goodness for Martin.

I've long been a fan of this series, with plucky Nora of the ill-fated Blackbird sisters making her way as a society newspaper columnist, wearing her grandmother's old couture as she bravely faces down Philadelphia's Main Line. In this book, however, the three sisters spin off far too many story lines for any real coherence of plot, ranging from one sister's unplanned pregnancy to a best friend's bankruptcy to a nephew's girlfriend problems and another relative's presumed bisexuality. Not to mention the usual problems of Nora's gangster boyfriend and her sister Libby's unruly children.

And did I mention that the sisters' long-vanished parents reappear, only to provide a tantalizing glimpse of themselves in the early chapters with nothing resembling a resolution of their (mis)adventures?

Whenever a few pages do manage to stay on track, someone must have whisked the manuscript away from Martin, leaving her to muddle through without reference to her earlier work and free to develop yet another plot line.

Good luck if you can endure this half-baked casserole of a book.

'MURDER MELTS IN YOUR MOUTH' really IS the best Blackbird sisters mystery yet!! If you are a fan of this series you will be more than pleased with the direction Nancy Martin has taken our favorite heroine and her kooky gang in this seventh installment. All of our favorites have returned, Emma, Libby & kids & Mick with a focus on some of the more minor characters that we love such as Lexie and Crewe but one of the highlights of the story was finally getting to meet the eccentric characters that are Nora's parents! They cast a hilariously whimsical air over the entire book and I hope to see much more of the senior Blackbirds in the future!

Readers will be pleased to finally see so many aspects of the Blackbird sister's story come together after all of these years. Fan's of this series will finally get all that they have been asking for and more! Nora and Mick finally come to an understanding, there is potential for more of a story involving the ever mysterious yet lovable sister Emma and Libby is...well, she is still the same Libby we've grown to know and love. Also, this novel's mystery involving the death of Lexie Paine's partner Hoyt Cavendish, who is seemingly pushed from his office window after being accused of stealing millions from clients is by far the best mystery to date.

Nancy has set the tone in this novel for big things to come down the line and I officially cannot wait for the eighth installment in this series which is sure to be fantastic!