Motif for Murder

Carmela and Ava are back. This time Carmela's husband Shamus has been kidnapped and Shamus' uncle Henry Meechum has been murdered. While we don't spend a lot of time in Carmel's shop Memory Mine, it is still an integral part of the story. This time we learn a lot more about Shamus and his family. Shamus' sister Glory is once again throwing tantrums and causing problems for Carmela. The story is set in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. I thought the author did a great job of continuing her series while shedding a lot of light on life after the hurricane. I love this series and its setting. Carmela and Ava are such fun characters. They often find themselves in some situations that make me want to yell at them to turn back. But it's always fun reading how they get out of those sticky situations. I am hoping that Shamus and his family won't play such a big part in future books. I love Memory Mine and the various women that frequent the shop. I also love Carmela and Ava's interaction with others within the city. I highly recommend this book and look forward to many more.

I can't say enough about the Scrapbooking Mysteries series by Laura Childs, each one is wonderful and entertaining and she never fails to please! Carmella is fast becoming one of my favorite characters! Each book contains scrapbooking tips and yummy recipes as well.

I really like all her books but this one was recameaded by our yahoo group. It not only has scrapbooking but alot about altered books. How to etc. That is why our altered book group thought we would like to read it. It is a very good read even for people who are not into scrapbooking or altered books. They might even get interested in doing so after reading this book. Good mystery.

I go by Katie the Scrapbook Lady online, so I think you can probably figure out that I would enjoy a book like this! I had not read any of the previous books by Laura Childs so I wasn't sure if I would be able to "get into it" but I had no trouble! The characters and setting are fascinating and I love the way scrapbooking was casually woven into the storyline. Murder mysteries have long been a favorite genre of mine and this one did not dissappoint. The action was fast paced and the story is well written. I have to say that it really made me want to see the splendor of the French Quarter for myself, I have always longed to see New Orleans and have felt so sad for what the area and it's people have been through since Katrina. Nice to see a fun story that uses the "new" New Orleans as a backdrop. I'm excited to read more in this scrapbooking mystery series!

Another installment in her Scrapbooking mystery series from Laura Childs. I had thoroughly enjoyed the first three and was a bit worried that this series wouldn't continue (it's set in New Orleans...she started up again after Hurricane Katrina, though, with proper mention to the diaster). This book doesn't spend as much time in Memory Mine (her store) and gives us a much more indepth look at Shamus' character. I'm still not sure if I like the ending...you'll have to read it and see what you think. I'm also not sure what my opinion of Shamus is anymore, either. We'll all have to wait and see where Childs' goes with the Shamus/Carmela link. This mystery is really all Carmela and her friend, Ava. The book begins with the kidnapping of Shamus and the murder of Shamus' uncle, Henry Meechum. Glory throws her usual little tantrum (I really hate that woman) and Carmela is off on her own. Shamus is rescued pretty quickly and he wants Carmela to help him solve Henry's murder, but while Carmela keeps at it, Shamus keeps going off on other things and getting distracted. While I wasn't able to guess the murderer, I did figure out pretty early where the clue was going to be once Carmela figured it out. Although I liked this book, I really think this is the weakest so far. I definitely enjoyed the other books more. Childs really tantalizes us with Shamus and Carmela getting a little "happily ever after" at the beginning and then pulls it out from under us (yes, I admit, I like happy endings). If you are just coming to this series, I would recommend starting with Keepsake Crimes, the first in the series, and not this one.