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vvijayanti's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
Nine Lives by Wendy Corsi Staub is an intriguing cozy mystery with slight supernatural elements. Set in the small town of Lily Dale, Bella Jordan becomes a reluctant innkeeper while waiting on car repairs. Surrounded by physics and mediums, Bella becomes embroiled in the mystery surrounding Leona Gatto's recent death. Was the guesthouse owner's death an unfortunate accident? Or was it something far more sinister?
Still grieving her beloved husband's loss, Bella and her five old son Max are in the midst of moving halfway across the country when she takes a unexpected detour to Lily Dale to return Chance the cat to her rightful owner. Dismayed to learn of Leona's death from her neighbor and good friend, Odelia Lauder, Bella accepts Odelia's offer to stay at the guesthouse until her car repairs are completed. Despite entreaties from the other residents, she is planning to leave as soon as possible, but she is troubled an ominous dream about Leona. With a little help from Odelia and ex-cop turned private investigator, Luther Ragland, Bella decides it would not hurt for her do a little unobtrusive sleuthing but will she uncover the truth before it is too late?
Bella is a likable and sympathetic protagonist. Her husband's death turned her life upside down and the loss of her job means she and Max must leave behind the only home they have ever known to move in with her less than welcoming mother-in-law. Although somewhat charmed by Lily Dale, Bella is hesitant to remain in town and she is very wary (and slightly skeptical) of its residents' psychic abilities. Her inability to commit to staying in town beyond a few days becomes a bit tiresome as the book moves forward, but given the upheaval in her life, her doubts are understandable. While not a typical amateur detective, her natural curiosity leads her to look around the guest house for clues into Leona's death. Reluctant to share what she discovers because of her fear of becoming a suspect, Bella zeroes in a couple of possible suspects and inadvertently puts herself in harm's way when she rushes headlong into a dangerous situation.
Lily Dale is a wonderful setting and the townspeople are quirky yet interesting. The supernatural element is unobtrusive yet intriguing but it is left up to the reader to decide whether or not some of the things that occur are just coincidence or the result of otherworldly intervention. It is worth mentioning that Bella solves the mystery surrounding Leona's death through good old fashioned detective work and some pretty accurate speculation, not psychic or ghostly involvement.
Nine Lives by Wendy Corsi Staub is a fantastic beginning to this new series set the charming town of Lily Dale. The characters are a bit eclectic but this adds to their overall appeal. The storyline is well-developed and several red herrings and clever misdirects make it impossible to guess the perpetrator's identity or motive for the murder for much of the story. The novel's conclusion is exciting with Bella managing to keep her wits about her despite the danger she is facing. Fans of cozy mysteries are sure to love this perplexing first installment in the Lily Dale series.
Still grieving her beloved husband's loss, Bella and her five old son Max are in the midst of moving halfway across the country when she takes a unexpected detour to Lily Dale to return Chance the cat to her rightful owner. Dismayed to learn of Leona's death from her neighbor and good friend, Odelia Lauder, Bella accepts Odelia's offer to stay at the guesthouse until her car repairs are completed. Despite entreaties from the other residents, she is planning to leave as soon as possible, but she is troubled an ominous dream about Leona. With a little help from Odelia and ex-cop turned private investigator, Luther Ragland, Bella decides it would not hurt for her do a little unobtrusive sleuthing but will she uncover the truth before it is too late?
Bella is a likable and sympathetic protagonist. Her husband's death turned her life upside down and the loss of her job means she and Max must leave behind the only home they have ever known to move in with her less than welcoming mother-in-law. Although somewhat charmed by Lily Dale, Bella is hesitant to remain in town and she is very wary (and slightly skeptical) of its residents' psychic abilities. Her inability to commit to staying in town beyond a few days becomes a bit tiresome as the book moves forward, but given the upheaval in her life, her doubts are understandable. While not a typical amateur detective, her natural curiosity leads her to look around the guest house for clues into Leona's death. Reluctant to share what she discovers because of her fear of becoming a suspect, Bella zeroes in a couple of possible suspects and inadvertently puts herself in harm's way when she rushes headlong into a dangerous situation.
Lily Dale is a wonderful setting and the townspeople are quirky yet interesting. The supernatural element is unobtrusive yet intriguing but it is left up to the reader to decide whether or not some of the things that occur are just coincidence or the result of otherworldly intervention. It is worth mentioning that Bella solves the mystery surrounding Leona's death through good old fashioned detective work and some pretty accurate speculation, not psychic or ghostly involvement.
Nine Lives by Wendy Corsi Staub is a fantastic beginning to this new series set the charming town of Lily Dale. The characters are a bit eclectic but this adds to their overall appeal. The storyline is well-developed and several red herrings and clever misdirects make it impossible to guess the perpetrator's identity or motive for the murder for much of the story. The novel's conclusion is exciting with Bella managing to keep her wits about her despite the danger she is facing. Fans of cozy mysteries are sure to love this perplexing first installment in the Lily Dale series.
pamelarope's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up because I love going to Lily Dale. This was a cozy mystery that happens to have a unique setting. There were the stereotypical eccentric characters and cute kid, who was actually really annoying. The mystery was fine. . .I kind of liked the twist, but otherwise it was just okay.
morticia32's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the setting, I liked the "oddball" characters. I didn't like the present tense. It bugged the crap out of me. I finished the book, and even enjoyed most of it, but I just couldn't get past the present tense. That was just a deal breaker for me. There's a reason most authors don't use it, it's hard to pull off. Frankly, it didn't work here, either.
It was distracting and didn't feel natural, didn't flow well. As a result, it took me days to finish what should have been a quick read. Instead, I read a little, got annoyed with the writing, and then put it down to read something else or go do something else.
As a result, this book only got an "Ok" rating from me, because I barely made it through and I won't be checking out any more books in this series, or even from this author.
It was distracting and didn't feel natural, didn't flow well. As a result, it took me days to finish what should have been a quick read. Instead, I read a little, got annoyed with the writing, and then put it down to read something else or go do something else.
As a result, this book only got an "Ok" rating from me, because I barely made it through and I won't be checking out any more books in this series, or even from this author.
birdmanseven's review against another edition
3.0
Not a ton happens, but it's a pretty fun slice of life.
I had a great time interviewing Wendy for the All the Books Show podcast. Tune in here: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-155-interview-with-wendy-corsi-staub
I had a great time interviewing Wendy for the All the Books Show podcast. Tune in here: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-155-interview-with-wendy-corsi-staub
katemiller41's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the concept behind this book, but it could have used some editing.
She's alone and scared in a new world and a new phase of her life. I understand, and appreciate that. However, I felt like her paranoia was constantly at odds with comfort with the area. Personally, if I were afraid of a murderer running loose in my town, my child would be glued to my side or within sight. However, Bella seems to be more trusting of the area than she wants to believe. It was frustrating to read Bella's constant back and forth, "I feel safe"/"It's not safe!" and "Could Spirit be real?"/"No, no I'm far too intelligent and logical to believe that."
A mostly enjoyable mystery, just with slightly obnoxious characters.
She's alone and scared in a new world and a new phase of her life. I understand, and appreciate that. However, I felt like her paranoia was constantly at odds with comfort with the area. Personally, if I were afraid of a murderer running loose in my town, my child would be glued to my side or within sight. However, Bella seems to be more trusting of the area than she wants to believe. It was frustrating to read Bella's constant back and forth, "I feel safe"/"It's not safe!" and "Could Spirit be real?"/"No, no I'm far too intelligent and logical to believe that."
A mostly enjoyable mystery, just with slightly obnoxious characters.
booksuperpower's review against another edition
4.0
My review for Nine Lives by Wendy Corsi Staub will be featured at Romancing the Book Blog in the near future. Keep your eyes peeled for it by visiting http://romancing-the-book.com/
krisrid's review against another edition
1.0
I thought I would like this. It sounded like my kind of book - a town of psychics and people who talk to ghosts? Unfortunately it did not work for me at all and I didn't finish this.
First off the narration was odd. Switching between first and third person was jarring and felt very disjointed to me.
I could not STAND the kid! Don't get me wrong - I like kids. But this one was whiny and dramatic and bratty. I wanted to smack him more than once.
There was just nothing about this - not the story, not the characters, not the setting - that drew me in at all.
This just wasn't a good fit for me.
First off the narration was odd. Switching between first and third person was jarring and felt very disjointed to me.
I could not STAND the kid! Don't get me wrong - I like kids. But this one was whiny and dramatic and bratty. I wanted to smack him more than once.
There was just nothing about this - not the story, not the characters, not the setting - that drew me in at all.
This just wasn't a good fit for me.
kyngret's review against another edition
3.0
Overall I thought this was a cute, enjoyable book. Anyone who’s a fan of “cozy mysteries” will most likely agree (which I am, I’m a total sucker for them, ngl). The biggest draw to it for me was that it takes place at Lily Dale, which is relatively local for me, and I really appreciated the little references to the area (e.g. Perry’s Ice Cream, mentioning nearby Buffalo and Niagara Falls, stuff like that), and I REALLY appreciate that Bella kept calling it *Western* New York and never *Upstate*, which is actually a huge no-no around most locals--myself included.
This book is far from perfect, though, and a lot of my grievances are actually fairly minor. The biggest one was when I think it was Odelia mentioned that a lot of teenage girls will visit to ask who they will marry and “never like hearing what they’re told” or something like that. I’ve never been to Lily Dale, so I’m in no way an expert on what it’s like, and perhaps someone in the comments could correct me, but I saw the HBO documentary on it and I thought they said that the mediums there don’t do fortune telling, they only communicate between the living and the dead. I’m sure Staub did her research, she certainly seemed to from many of the details, so I found this to be a curious oversight, at least to my limited knowledge of the town.
I also didn’t really appreciate, again I think, Odelia mentioning that Rudolph Valentino was offended at being considered gay, I thought it was a weird and unnecessary thing to include. The final criticism that comes to mind atm is actually a bit of a spoiler I think, fair warning rn, is that Bella automatically assumes that Grant’s mother put him up for adoption because she was selfish and irresponsible, or something like that, she’s never specific, but to me she jumps to the worst conclusion about the circumstances and is really judgey about it, which bothered me. She seems to in tune with “maternal instincts” and stuff like that, I feel like being judgmental on behalf of another mother would be out of character for her, especially when she’s constantly criticizing herself for how she’s raising Max.
ALSO HUGE SPOILER BELOW YOU’VE BEEN WARNED:
As much as I liked this all from Bella’s POV, I can’t help but wonder how interesting it would be to have been from Pandora’s. We would get to hear her opinions on everything and know more about her relationship with her ex-husband (which I’m sure is a story all on its own) and how she went about figuring out who killed Leona, too.
OK, I didn’t mean to just dump all over this book, I did enjoy it and appreciated how relatively quick of a read it was. It’s not gotten me even more interested in visiting Lily Dale, even though I’m more of a skeptic myself, but I like the *idea* of being able to communicate with the dead and I’d like to witness it personally and check it all out for myself.
I also would like to read her other books, especially the ones that focus on Odelia’s granddaughter. I’m sure it would be just as interesting to see all the characters from a different POV, especially when she isn’t as much of an outsider as Bella and Max were.
This book is far from perfect, though, and a lot of my grievances are actually fairly minor. The biggest one was when I think it was Odelia mentioned that a lot of teenage girls will visit to ask who they will marry and “never like hearing what they’re told” or something like that. I’ve never been to Lily Dale, so I’m in no way an expert on what it’s like, and perhaps someone in the comments could correct me, but I saw the HBO documentary on it and I thought they said that the mediums there don’t do fortune telling, they only communicate between the living and the dead. I’m sure Staub did her research, she certainly seemed to from many of the details, so I found this to be a curious oversight, at least to my limited knowledge of the town.
I also didn’t really appreciate, again I think, Odelia mentioning that Rudolph Valentino was offended at being considered gay, I thought it was a weird and unnecessary thing to include. The final criticism that comes to mind atm is actually a bit of a spoiler I think, fair warning rn, is that Bella automatically assumes that Grant’s mother put him up for adoption because she was selfish and irresponsible, or something like that, she’s never specific, but to me she jumps to the worst conclusion about the circumstances and is really judgey about it, which bothered me. She seems to in tune with “maternal instincts” and stuff like that, I feel like being judgmental on behalf of another mother would be out of character for her, especially when she’s constantly criticizing herself for how she’s raising Max.
ALSO HUGE SPOILER BELOW YOU’VE BEEN WARNED:
As much as I liked this all from Bella’s POV, I can’t help but wonder how interesting it would be to have been from Pandora’s. We would get to hear her opinions on everything and know more about her relationship with her ex-husband (which I’m sure is a story all on its own) and how she went about figuring out who killed Leona, too.
OK, I didn’t mean to just dump all over this book, I did enjoy it and appreciated how relatively quick of a read it was. It’s not gotten me even more interested in visiting Lily Dale, even though I’m more of a skeptic myself, but I like the *idea* of being able to communicate with the dead and I’d like to witness it personally and check it all out for myself.
I also would like to read her other books, especially the ones that focus on Odelia’s granddaughter. I’m sure it would be just as interesting to see all the characters from a different POV, especially when she isn’t as much of an outsider as Bella and Max were.
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