40) Fate of the Fallen by Ellery Adams and Elizabeth Lockard

The Blurb :

Welcome to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved.

Cooper Lee and her friends in the Hope Street Bible Study Group are enjoying a glorious summer day in the park, complete with picnic, hiking, swimming, and a local bluegrass band. But Cooper knows that no good day goes unpunished, and when a man turns up dead in the nearby woods—and the sister of Cooper’s fiancé is named as the prime suspect—the group may have to trade in their prayers of thanks for pleas of divine intervention.

Cooper knows her future sister-in-law is innocent, so when the police arrest her for the murder, the Bible study group must step in to catch the real killer and prevent a grave injustice. Following a twisted trail of clues that leads to a hit-and-run driver, a homeless veteran, and a park full of suspects who may hold more secrets than solutions, Cooper must hold firm to her spiritual convictions before an innocent woman faces a conviction of a more earthly nature.

My Thoughts :

The Hope Street Church Mysteries have been a pleasure to read and the first four books were well written with great plots.  However this fifth book in the series, while enjoyable enough to read, lacked some serious skills which left me wondering if Ellery Adams really had any input in this book because I know from experience that she can write much better mystery plots.

So the story wasn't that bad and the plot wasn't too much of a stretch.  A day in the park, running into the sister of Cooper's fiance, having fun and then finding a body.  It all went like you expected with the main suspect being connected to the Bible Study group and them having to get involved to find the real murderer.  However there were huge clues, clues that were mentioned with great emphasis and they still weren't followed by the group.  

It was frustrating that a huge song and dance was constantly made about a certain tracking item but nobody, none of the clever mystery solvers, even thought about check it out in more detail. There were other things that stood out in this fifth installment and it had me mentally screaming at the characters to finally figure things out.  Especially with the authors plainly pointing out the obvious for the reader to see.  It went on for practically the whole book.  

Other than this difference to the mystery dynamic, I did enjoy the book.  It is  full of nice, interesting and unusual characters who constantly keep you entertained as a reader.   Despite the Church angle there is hardly any religious references in this cozy mystery with the aspect centered around a Bible Study group and their involvement in the mysteries.   So anyone who feels put off by the Religious series twist shouldn't be.  It is hardly there.

Well worth reading if you are a fan of Ellery Adams.  I am not sure how much she really offers to the series now that she has taken up a partner to write with but she invented the series and founded the basis so there is a lot of her work still in there.

I hope there will be at least one more book in the series and look forward to seeing how things pan out for Cooper.  I hope she gets a nice happy ending even if there is a murder mystery to solve while getting it.

30) The Root Of All Evil by Ellery Adams and Elizabeth Lockard

The Blurb :

Cooper Lee has never been happier. She has terrific friends at Bible study, a great boyfriend in Nathan, and best of all, a new niece or nephew on the way. But storm clouds are gathering when a string of church robberies comes to Hope Street and an art teacher is found dead in what appears to be a robbery gone wrong. With Halloween approaching, Cooper’s beginning to think there are far more tricks than treats coming her way.

No sooner do she and her friends step in to help the police unearth a killer than they discover a con artist among their flock. Lost in a morass of confusing clues—and even more confusing signals from Nathan—Cooper’s not sure which way to turn. With the stakes so high, she sends up a prayer for some divine guidance, because Cooper knows that sometimes it takes the help of a higher power to bring down the lowest form of evildoer.

My Thoughts :

I am very behind on my reading and it showed when I went to read a review copy of a Hope Street Mystery and realised it was book five and I hadn't read book four yet.  So I found my copy of The Root Of All Evil and gave it my full attention.

Ellery Adams is a well known cozy mystery writer but this series is one of her older ones.  This fourth book however seems to be a newer addition to revive/continue the series and also has another author credited.  Now I can imagine why Ellery needs some help with this series, after all she has how many others she is busy with?  But I have to admit seeing another name made me very wary but it turned out fine.  I didn't notice another writer and the book felt just like the previous installments.

Many people would be put off by the so called theme of this cozy.  The Hope Street Church angle and the Bible study mention in the blurb may keep some fans away.  However I have to say that this series is not at all preachy or religious.  There are references now and again but this isn't in your face god and bible quotes.  Just a general theme, a location and some very nice characters to back things up.

This time around the mystery plot was a little dry but it was still interesting.  The smaller mystery going on at Cooper's workplace was a nice touch but easily solved.  Copper's sister was a nice diversion but Cooper's relationship angst was a little annoying.  The con woman twist was a nice plot thickening but the guy who outed her seemed to disappear from the story altogether and I don't even remember his name now.  I hoped he would play a bigger part in everything.

A nice read, a pleasant enough mystery and an interesting continuing story.  I am looking forward to seeing what book five brings to the series and wonder what trouble Cooper can get herself involved with this time.  Well worth checking out if you like this author.

16) The Graves of the Guilty by Ellery Adams

The Blurb :

Welcome to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved.

Cooper Lee is on top of the world, thanks to her great friends at Hope Street Church and the satisfaction of having solved two perplexing mysteries. And with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, she’s hoping that love is in the air for her and her new boyfriend, Nathan. But Cooper’s faith is about to be tested when her sister, Ashley, discovers a corpse and is implicated in the gruesome murder. And just as troubling, a darkly handsome and exciting man has come into Cooper’s life and just might tempt her to stray.

As Cooper and her friends from the Bible study group once again spring into action to root out a killer—and Cooper digs deep to solve a more personal mystery—she discovers that following the clues is raising more questions than answers. But one thing’s for certain: when cold-blooded criminals mess with Cooper’s family and friends, the killers haven’t got a prayer.

Or is there?

As if things weren’t bad enough, Rose’s older sister Violet is going through a mid-life crisis. Violet insists that Rose stop seeing her sexy new boyfriend, Arkansas state detective Joe Simmons and date other men. Rose is done letting people boss her around, but she can’t commit to Joe either. Still, Rose isn’t about to let the best thing in her life slip away.

My Thoughts :

The Hope Street Mysteries have been very enjoyable reads.  I am really happy that these books were re-released because, despite having read other books by this author, they had never been on my radar.  It has taken me a good few months to get the three books read but there are always so many books and so little time.  I rarely marathon read a series and this wasn't a series I really felt like reading it one go.  It was good but not compelling enough to have me grabbing the next installment straight away.

Cooper grows a lot throughout the books and it is wonderful to see her move along in her life instead of getting stuck as plain old Cooper.  The Hope Street Church plays a big part in her life but I think it was just a little push she needed to get her going.  Nathan of course is a huge influence in Cooper's life but it will be interesting to see how their relationship fairs if just thinking about another person romantically is a big deal for them.

The plot was good and interesting.  I can't believe Cooper didn't realise who was involved in the business and actually went to that person for help.  Even I had figured out that the person ad something to do with it.  Although I think Cooper is a thrill seeker and enjoys getting into the bad situations.  Maybe she deliberately forgets the smallest detail so she will get into trouble?

I look forward to reading the next book in the Hope Street Church Mysteries.  They have been a lovely cozy experience with some great varied characters and some interesting stories.  The church aspect isn't too overwhelming and is not off putting.  It will be nice to see how things turn out for Cooper in her job and relationships.  It will also be good to see Ashley get what she has wanted since the series started.

Well worth checking out if you have read any of Ellery Adams other books.  If you enjoy her style, characters and mystery weaving then you can't go wrong with a quick visit to church.

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11)

143) The Way of the Wicked by Ellery Adams

The Blurb :

Welcome to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved.

Cooper Lee and her friends in the Hope Street Bible study group have just volunteered for a local charity, delivering much-needed food and cheer to shut-ins in their community. It seems like the perfect way for the group to do good, and to Cooper it offers the welcome opportunity to get out of the house and spend more time with her new boyfriend, Nathan. But when one of the charity’s recipients is murdered, the police have no choice but to single out the church group and their fellow volunteers as the prime suspects.

Determined to make sure no evil deed goes unpunished, Cooper and her friends decide to discreetly interrogate each volunteer in their search for the killer, even if it means putting themselves at risk in the process. And as serving the needy becomes more treacherous than any of them could have imagined, they just might discover that the road to murder is paved with good intentions.

My Thoughts :

I am a huge Ellery Adams fan and until the Hope Street Church Mysteries were re-released I didn't know she wrote other books under a different name.  Her Books by the Bay and Charmed Pie Shoppe cozies are both in my list of favourite cozy mystery series.  So of course I was really excited about being able to try another series by an author I enjoy so much.  I snapped up the three books on Netgalley and have been trying to fit them in between my other reading commitments.  Way of the Wicked is the second book in the series and a poor sequel to the debut but still a great read.

The plot is sometimes a little complicated but the story gets you there in the end.  The Hope Street Church angle is a lot more present in this second installment but the religious content is still minimal.  I continue to like Copper, her family and most of her friends but the addition of Emilio was something that could have been spared.  Also Nathan's client problems was also something I didn't need to have added to the story.  It was actually quite obvious what was going to happen there.

Sometimes the story felt a little long-winded and I lost track of how long the mystery actually took to solve.  The weekends seemed to be the only time that progress was made but little was said or done during the weekdays.  I was happy to see Cooper and Nathan get closer and it was also nice to have Coppers work colleagues finally get together.  For such detailed relationships it amazes me that there is only a third book.  I wonder how the author will leave the characters that have worked so hard to get where they are.

Not bad but not the best.  I have come to expect more from Ellery Adams and I should try and remember that this series came before her newer and obviously better cozies.  I am not saying that I hate this series and won't continue.  I just find it a little bland and slow.  However the third installment may just turn things around!  Only time will tell.

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125) The Path of the Crooked by Ellery Adams

The Blurb :

Welcome to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved.

Cooper Lee was at a crossroads. Her boyfriend of five years had just left her for another woman, she was living in an apartment above her parents’ garage, and her job as a copier repairperson was feeling a little, well, repetitious. Hoping for a fresh start and a new outlook on life, she joins the Bible study group at Hope Street Church. The last thing she expects while studying the Bible is a lesson in murder.

When Brooke Hughes, the woman who first invited Cooper to Hope Street, is found murdered in her home, all signs point to her husband as the culprit. But Wesley Hughes was an elder at Hope Street Church, and the members of the Bible study are filled with disbelief that such a kind and loving man could take a life, much less his wife’s. Unwilling to let an innocent man and friend be railroaded into prison, the Bible group decides to investigate on their own.

My Thoughts :

I am a big fan of Ellery Adams books so when I saw “The Path of the Crooked” and the next two books in the series on Netgalley, I snapped the up.  It seems that Path of the Crooked is the first of the three Hope Street Church mysteries that were originally published under the name Jennifer Stanley. At the beginning of the book Adams has added a comment saying that she has kept the main plot from the original series but has polished up the writing in the three books. After reading the opening comment from the author I realised that I actually have all three of these books on my shelf in paperback.  Knowing that they have been 'spruced up' I decided that I should read the new editions and started with this one asap.

Cooper was a nice character from the get go.  Her named bothered me and I kept thinking she was a guy but I liked her and she has some interesting things about her.  Her hockey accident past made me laugh because I was one the one holding the stick that hit a friend in the eye back in my school days.  Luckily she only had a nice black eye but it was funny that an unusual past memory of mine was thought up by an author and used in a story.

The church aspect had me a little worried at first but the story didn't get religious and the author doesn't used the concept to preach.  Hope Street Church is just a setting and a chance to add some interesting characters to a really nice cozy.  The plot was a little slow going at times but it was nice to figure things out as they happened.  What surprised me about this one was the lack of police presence.  Usually in a cozy there is some one Detective or otherwise from the law telling the amateur sleuth to stay out of things.  Maybe it will come in the next book but it was certainly refreshing for the time being.

Books two and three are on my Kindle waiting to be read but I have some other commitments to read in between.  I look forward to visiting Hope Street Church very soon and can't wait to see where the author takes the series.  There is even talk of her adding more books to the original three installments.  I hope that readers of the original books don't pick these ones up by mistake but find out that this series has been republished and has a new future.  Well worth checking out if you like Ellery Adams other books.

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