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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
The Fruitcake Murders by Ace Collins is set in 1926 and 1946. In the opening Jan Lewandowski is a candy maker who is heading to his factory to get a present he had hidden there for his daughter. On the way he sees a man leaving Geno Lombardi’s grocery with paper sacks full of items. Jan notices that his fruitcakes are not in the window as Geno promised. Jan goes into the store to speak with Geno and finds him with a knife in his back. Jan, in a bad move, takes the knife out of his back and holds it. He then checks the cash register getting blood on the money. Then in walks a cop who accuses Jan of murder.
It is near Christmas in 1946. Lt. Lane Walker is an ex-marine turned homicide cop. He is at the house of Ethan Elrod, the district attorney who was found dead at his desk with a knife in his back. The knife did not kill him. He was actually killed with a blow to head from a tin of fruitcake (I guess that is one use for it). Ethan Elrod was a notorious good guy. Who wanted him dead? Tiffany Clayton is a reporter with The Chicago Star. Tiffany and Lane have a history (they kept making dates and Lane kept not showing up for them). Tiffany was to interview Ethan that evening for a story. Now Tiffany has a bigger story. Two more people are killed in the same manner. Will Lane and Tiffany be able to solve the case? Who wants them dead and where did they get the old fruitcake (I bet you can guess whose fruitcake it is).
The Fruitcake Murders is a book that is trying too hard to a book from the 40’s. There is a lot of 40’s lingo thrown in like dame and doll (it was just overkill). I found The Fruitcake Murders to be a slow paced book. Besides what I mentioned above there is also a Santa scam and a mob boss. I give The Fruitcake Murders 2.75 out of 5 stars. I think the story had potential, but the execution was lacking. I think with a little more editing, the book could have been better (that is just one person’s humble opinion). The mystery was easy to solve (as well as figuring out what happened to Jan’s children). One thing that I found odd was instead of staying “Lane said” it would read “the cop”. It was just strange, and it was sprinkled generously throughout the book.
I received a complimentary copy of The Fruitcake Murders from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-fruitcake-murders.html
It is near Christmas in 1946. Lt. Lane Walker is an ex-marine turned homicide cop. He is at the house of Ethan Elrod, the district attorney who was found dead at his desk with a knife in his back. The knife did not kill him. He was actually killed with a blow to head from a tin of fruitcake (I guess that is one use for it). Ethan Elrod was a notorious good guy. Who wanted him dead? Tiffany Clayton is a reporter with The Chicago Star. Tiffany and Lane have a history (they kept making dates and Lane kept not showing up for them). Tiffany was to interview Ethan that evening for a story. Now Tiffany has a bigger story. Two more people are killed in the same manner. Will Lane and Tiffany be able to solve the case? Who wants them dead and where did they get the old fruitcake (I bet you can guess whose fruitcake it is).
The Fruitcake Murders is a book that is trying too hard to a book from the 40’s. There is a lot of 40’s lingo thrown in like dame and doll (it was just overkill). I found The Fruitcake Murders to be a slow paced book. Besides what I mentioned above there is also a Santa scam and a mob boss. I give The Fruitcake Murders 2.75 out of 5 stars. I think the story had potential, but the execution was lacking. I think with a little more editing, the book could have been better (that is just one person’s humble opinion). The mystery was easy to solve (as well as figuring out what happened to Jan’s children). One thing that I found odd was instead of staying “Lane said” it would read “the cop”. It was just strange, and it was sprinkled generously throughout the book.
I received a complimentary copy of The Fruitcake Murders from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-fruitcake-murders.html
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
A special thank you to Abingdon Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Nice front cover!
Talented Ace Collins returns following The Color of Justice, landing on my Top Books of 2014 and Hollywood Lost, with a delicious complex whodunit Christmas murder mystery- THE FRUITCAKE MURDERS.
Infused with historical significance, wit, and nostalgia from the era of the 1920s-1940s with a noir type classic detective mystery; from postwar Chicago, gangsters, Santas, Capone, and a colorful cast of three main characters— to keep things interesting: a tenacious reporter, a romantic PI, and a detective, struggling with his war memories.
A nice touch: Ace dedicates the novel to the late Glenda Farrell who played the reporter Torchy Blane in the classic mystery movies of the 1930s--no one talked faster and entertained any better.
As the book opens it is Thursday, December 23, 1926 in wintry Chicago, as Jan Lewandowski, age 56 made his way out in the cold for the twenty-block walk through the city’s Little Italy to the small candy factory he started when he emigrated from Poland in 1905. Father of teenage son, Szymon, mentally disturbed, and eight-year old Alicija.
The candy maker noticed a stranger leaving Lombardi’s Grocery and Produce, always exhibiting his prize fruitcakes, and his newest culinary creation displayed. He notices the cakes are not there. He decides to pop in to see Geno. However, what he finds is Geno bleeding on the floor, a knife, and a stranger he had seen only moments before, and a child in the corner?
He grabbed the seven inch blade from the dead man’s back and goes to look at the at the cash register. Why would someone do this and not take the money? Now, in walks Chicago’s finest and he is left standing there over the cash register with a bloody knife in his hand. Talking about wrong place, wrong time. Wrongly executed for a crime he did not commit.
Flash forward to Dec 18, 1946, Chicago where we meet Lane Walker, a thirty-something marine officer, turned homicide detective. Here as Christmas draws near in the Windy City, three men have been murdered, including the District Attorney. Oddly, the only connection between the crimes – a 20-yr old unopened fruitcake tins manufactured by a company that is no longer in business.
"This holiday was going to be anything but bright. Death had a way of stealing the light even from Christmas."
Let the mystery begin — Meet Tiffany Clayton, a feisty sexy driven journalist with the Chicago Star, looking for a good juicy story, and quite entertaining when paired with a hard boiled detective Lane, suffering from PTSD from WWII, and Lane’s old military friend, Brent, an undercover PI, all caught up in the mystery.
Add into the mix, mobsters, need for revenge, shady Santa’s, and lots of witty banter between the three main characters. A murder weapon is a fruitcake. From a decades old murder, three new ones, suspense, intrigue, mystery, comedy, and an array of suspects. A love triangle, and lots of entertainment!
Lane and Tiffany have a unique relationship—(Loved the dialogue between the two). Tiffany trying to make a way in a man’s world, and Lane is deeply affected by his war experience. In addition to the three main characters we meet an array of colorful characters: Judge Jacobs, Jim, the homeless man, and Sister Ann.
A huge fan of Ace Collins’ a master storyteller, he creates vivid settings drawing you into the era of days gone by, as we relive these exciting, yet turbulent times. Three veterans in the story, each bringing war home in different ways. A battlefield, where the enemy lies. Personal wars. A web of deceit. In addition to the entertaining mystery, at the root of the story is a valuable spiritual lesson.
"In the end good always triumphs over evil and the light comes to the darkness. "
For fans of fun Christmas murders, seasonal humor, and lovers of classic detective mysteries, and a scandalous whodunit!
JDCMustReadBooks
Talented Ace Collins returns following The Color of Justice, landing on my Top Books of 2014 and Hollywood Lost, with a delicious complex whodunit Christmas murder mystery- THE FRUITCAKE MURDERS.
Infused with historical significance, wit, and nostalgia from the era of the 1920s-1940s with a noir type classic detective mystery; from postwar Chicago, gangsters, Santas, Capone, and a colorful cast of three main characters— to keep things interesting: a tenacious reporter, a romantic PI, and a detective, struggling with his war memories.
A nice touch: Ace dedicates the novel to the late Glenda Farrell who played the reporter Torchy Blane in the classic mystery movies of the 1930s--no one talked faster and entertained any better.
As the book opens it is Thursday, December 23, 1926 in wintry Chicago, as Jan Lewandowski, age 56 made his way out in the cold for the twenty-block walk through the city’s Little Italy to the small candy factory he started when he emigrated from Poland in 1905. Father of teenage son, Szymon, mentally disturbed, and eight-year old Alicija.
The candy maker noticed a stranger leaving Lombardi’s Grocery and Produce, always exhibiting his prize fruitcakes, and his newest culinary creation displayed. He notices the cakes are not there. He decides to pop in to see Geno. However, what he finds is Geno bleeding on the floor, a knife, and a stranger he had seen only moments before, and a child in the corner?
He grabbed the seven inch blade from the dead man’s back and goes to look at the at the cash register. Why would someone do this and not take the money? Now, in walks Chicago’s finest and he is left standing there over the cash register with a bloody knife in his hand. Talking about wrong place, wrong time. Wrongly executed for a crime he did not commit.
Flash forward to Dec 18, 1946, Chicago where we meet Lane Walker, a thirty-something marine officer, turned homicide detective. Here as Christmas draws near in the Windy City, three men have been murdered, including the District Attorney. Oddly, the only connection between the crimes – a 20-yr old unopened fruitcake tins manufactured by a company that is no longer in business.
"This holiday was going to be anything but bright. Death had a way of stealing the light even from Christmas."
Let the mystery begin — Meet Tiffany Clayton, a feisty sexy driven journalist with the Chicago Star, looking for a good juicy story, and quite entertaining when paired with a hard boiled detective Lane, suffering from PTSD from WWII, and Lane’s old military friend, Brent, an undercover PI, all caught up in the mystery.
Add into the mix, mobsters, need for revenge, shady Santa’s, and lots of witty banter between the three main characters. A murder weapon is a fruitcake. From a decades old murder, three new ones, suspense, intrigue, mystery, comedy, and an array of suspects. A love triangle, and lots of entertainment!
Lane and Tiffany have a unique relationship—(Loved the dialogue between the two). Tiffany trying to make a way in a man’s world, and Lane is deeply affected by his war experience. In addition to the three main characters we meet an array of colorful characters: Judge Jacobs, Jim, the homeless man, and Sister Ann.
A huge fan of Ace Collins’ a master storyteller, he creates vivid settings drawing you into the era of days gone by, as we relive these exciting, yet turbulent times. Three veterans in the story, each bringing war home in different ways. A battlefield, where the enemy lies. Personal wars. A web of deceit. In addition to the entertaining mystery, at the root of the story is a valuable spiritual lesson.
"In the end good always triumphs over evil and the light comes to the darkness. "
For fans of fun Christmas murders, seasonal humor, and lovers of classic detective mysteries, and a scandalous whodunit!
JDCMustReadBooks
silea's review against another edition
2.0
Thirty pages into this book i had a good idea who the killer was and i hated the two main characters (they establish their 'romantic tension' by insulting each other constantly). I skipped ahead to the end, and whadya know? Even the last chapter was grievously overwritten, the characters were still narcissistic jerks, and while i didn't have the details exactly right, i was disturbingly close. And given how many pages at the end are spent explaining, in detail, why what was done was done, i suspect that the 200+ pages i skipped were just the 'romantic' leads running around blindly, finding dead bodies, and saying rude things to each other.
bookworm_mommy's review against another edition
2.0
I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy via the publisher at NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I picked this book as I was in the mood for a good mystery. And, hello, the author’s name is “Ace Collins;” how cool is that? Unfortunately, I was somewhat disappointed in the actuality of the novel.
The first turn-off was all of the issues with the text. Several of the time stamps were off or out of order or didn’t jive with the content of that section. There were many contradictions and inconsistency as well as poor grammar, misplaced words and missing quotation marks. As a former English teacher (as well as having a penchant for details), all of those things strongly affect my overall reading experience even if the story itself is exceptional.
Also, just the whole tone of the book was a bit over the top for me. I think the author was going for a “classic Dick Tracy movie” type feel with the swapping between first and last name usage, trying on the 1940’s vernacular, etc. But it just didn’t work. And the continued reference to how good looking, gorgeous, and handsome everyone was drove me a bit batty. Even with some of the content and the date/time tags, it was hard to remember the historical setting of the book.
That being said, I think the mystery itself has good bones. While I was pretty certain “whodunit” by the end, I was waffling between a few different possibilities for most of the book.
The characters were definitely very character-y. They were entertaining but hard to get attached to. And the love triangle was flat ridiculous.
The start of the story had me fairly lost. However, I think that’s pretty typical of mystery books. That’s what helps make them mysterious. So I was okay with it. Especially as the book kept me guessing through most of it. I changed my thoughts on the murderer a couple of times throughout the course of reading. That always makes it more enjoyable.
I don’t recall any spiritual or supernatural elements. If they were there, I missed them. As far as questionable content, there are murders. But I think any reader would expect that from the title. I really can’t think of any particular triggers this book might contain for a more sensitive or conservative reader. Even the descriptions of the murder scenes were pretty tame.
Readers who enjoy easy to read mysteries would like this story as well. There were actually a few different mysteries to be solved throughout. However, I don’t know that I’ll be rushing out to buy the next thing Ace Collins writes. Maybe, though.
***This review is also posted on The Christian Manifesto and http://bookmarks-of-my-life.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-fruitcake-murders-ace-collins.html
Pros:
• Good mystery elements
• Kept me guessing
• Easy to read
Cons:
• Grammatical errors
• Inconsistencies and contradictions
• Annoying character interactions
My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 (I feel like it was poor from a grammatical and consistency standpoint. But as the mystery itself was good, I’ll give it a 2.5 for average)
I picked this book as I was in the mood for a good mystery. And, hello, the author’s name is “Ace Collins;” how cool is that? Unfortunately, I was somewhat disappointed in the actuality of the novel.
The first turn-off was all of the issues with the text. Several of the time stamps were off or out of order or didn’t jive with the content of that section. There were many contradictions and inconsistency as well as poor grammar, misplaced words and missing quotation marks. As a former English teacher (as well as having a penchant for details), all of those things strongly affect my overall reading experience even if the story itself is exceptional.
Also, just the whole tone of the book was a bit over the top for me. I think the author was going for a “classic Dick Tracy movie” type feel with the swapping between first and last name usage, trying on the 1940’s vernacular, etc. But it just didn’t work. And the continued reference to how good looking, gorgeous, and handsome everyone was drove me a bit batty. Even with some of the content and the date/time tags, it was hard to remember the historical setting of the book.
That being said, I think the mystery itself has good bones. While I was pretty certain “whodunit” by the end, I was waffling between a few different possibilities for most of the book.
The characters were definitely very character-y. They were entertaining but hard to get attached to. And the love triangle was flat ridiculous.
The start of the story had me fairly lost. However, I think that’s pretty typical of mystery books. That’s what helps make them mysterious. So I was okay with it. Especially as the book kept me guessing through most of it. I changed my thoughts on the murderer a couple of times throughout the course of reading. That always makes it more enjoyable.
I don’t recall any spiritual or supernatural elements. If they were there, I missed them. As far as questionable content, there are murders. But I think any reader would expect that from the title. I really can’t think of any particular triggers this book might contain for a more sensitive or conservative reader. Even the descriptions of the murder scenes were pretty tame.
Readers who enjoy easy to read mysteries would like this story as well. There were actually a few different mysteries to be solved throughout. However, I don’t know that I’ll be rushing out to buy the next thing Ace Collins writes. Maybe, though.
***This review is also posted on The Christian Manifesto and http://bookmarks-of-my-life.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-fruitcake-murders-ace-collins.html
Pros:
• Good mystery elements
• Kept me guessing
• Easy to read
Cons:
• Grammatical errors
• Inconsistencies and contradictions
• Annoying character interactions
My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 (I feel like it was poor from a grammatical and consistency standpoint. But as the mystery itself was good, I’ll give it a 2.5 for average)