The Sound of Murder by Cindy Brown

I hadn't read the first book in this series (at least according to Goodreads, but the character sure felt familiar). I will be looking for "McDeath" to read though because I quite enjoyed this book. There were issues (didn't see a lot of character development (part of the first book?), story was a big convoluted, took some time to ) but I overall liked Ivy Meadows (real name Olive Ziegwart) and her zany antics (car catches fire? No problem, that's why she carries a fire extinguisher.)

The mystery is that several residents of a retirement community seem to be committing suicide. And Ivy, as a part-time consultant  in her uncle's detective agency, is asked to help. She's also house-sitting and performing in a mash-up of "The Sound of Music" and "Cabaret." There was a lot going on in the book (also Ivy has a brother (with whom she has a complicated history), she's dating a new guy, and... and... and...). It crossed zany into overwhelming a few times but I plowed through the book in one sitting and was fairly happy when it was done.

Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich

I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars. Is definitely 3 1/2. Went higher because this is just a fun book. Is it deep literature? No. But that's not what fans of Janet Evanovich are looking for. If you are a fan of the Lizzy & Diesel series, this book is exactly like the others. If you haven't started reading Lizzy & Diesel, I wouldn't recommend starting with this book. There's a lot going on in the series and it's best to start at the beginning.
Lizzy and Diesel are on track to discover the third stone, Avarice (greed). I wish a little had been more to develop this theme and was also disappointed by the lack of Wulf. And I was really sad that one of the larger threats of the book never materialized. Throw in some pirates, appearances by Carl (the monkey) and Cat (the cat), a spell by Glo, and luscious descriptions of Lizzy's cupcakes and you've got a book that's a fun ride with a mostly satisfying end but still leaves you ready for the next book.

Also reviewed: Book #1 Wicked Appetite