Kim M. WattReseñas

Yule Be Sorry is the second book in the Beaufort Scales Mysteries series by Kim M. Watt. The holidays are fast approaching and Mortimer is having trouble keeping up with the demand for the dragon scale baubles he sells (with Miriam's help) in an Etsy shop. Things are going well up until a rival shop is discovered selling imitation dragon scale baubles that are nothing short of lethal and delivery trucks, with their drivers and contents, start going missing all over the Yorkshire Dales. The Women's Institute is determined to help figure out what's going on while attempting to keep the existence of dragons a secret.

I enjoyed this installment a lot more than the first book. Watt weaves a more complicated story in this one, adding parallel timelines to see what different characters are doing at the same time. I like that we're shown more varieties of folk, the name for the magical creatures that are part of our world but mostly unnoticed by humanity. We are also given insight into dragon society in a secondary plot thread. Watt wraps everything up well and gives us an exciting and action filled ending. It reminded me of an ending more in line with the Gobbelino books in the utter chaos of it all. It was glorious. I'm hoping DI Adams takes Collins' offer to transfer up to that area seriously. Seems to be the way things are leaning anyway.

Baking Bad is the first in the Beaufort Scales Mysteries series by Kim M. Watt. A cozy mystery by the author of the Gobbelino London series? And with dragons?? Sign me up!

The story is set in Toot Hansel, a rural village somewhere in England, and is told from four alternating points of view:

• Detective Inspector Adams, recently from London and newly transferred to a (supposedly) less stressful post
• Alice Martin, a retired RAF Wing Commander and current chair of the local Women's Institute
• Miriam, Alice's best friend, a herbalist and a member of the WI
• Mortimer, one of the local dragons

The murder happens right away when the local vicar is discovered dead and the murder weapon appears to be a poisoned cupcake. DI Adams has no idea what she's getting into when the local Women's Institute decides to help with the investigation.

This is a cute cozy mystery. I actually don't like the dragons as much as I thought I would. Their part is what is cutesy and a tad of bit of a turn off. Also one of the main characters is quite a ditz and solved the whole thing by accident! I'm not entirely opposed to that though, sometimes I bumble through things too. I'm still going to read book two and see if this was just the series finding it's narrative legs as I do think it smoothed out and shows promise by the end.

Callum's past comes back with sharp teeth in Gobbelino London and a complication of Unicorns the third book in the Gobbelino London, PI series by Kim M. Watt. Turns out that unicorns, presumed extinct, are very much not-extinct (un-extinct?) and a former friend from Callum's past has had his herd stolen. Unable to turn down an old friend, no matter how much of a bad idea it is, Callum and Gobbs are off to see if they can track down where the herd has disappeared to.

These are not your typical story-book unicorns Callum and Gobbs are off to rescue! They are pathologically bad tempered and utterly hilarious when we finally meet them. I'm glad we also got some insight into Callum's past, his family and friends (all varying degrees of horrible), as well as being introduced to the idea of a "pocket" where magical folk can live in relative peace. Usually. Sometimes. Ok, not this time but that would be spoilers. The situation that Gobbs and Callum uncover add to the lore of the world as there is obviously something rotten going on in a larger scale than just this little area.

The author has quite a talent for chaotic and hilarious final climax scenes. I'd love to see all that action in the warehouse on the big screen.

This series is so much fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble Gobs and Callem get into next.

My favorite feline PI and his trusty human sidekick are back in Gobbelino London & a Contagion of Zombies, the second entry in the Gobbelino London, PI series by Kim M. Watt. The story opens with Gobbelino and Callum walking through a local cemetery when a dog wanders over carrying an arm in it's mouth like a stick, looking to play. Callum wants to investigate where the recently unearthed limb has come from and return it to the owner while Gobbelino thinks taking a job without pay is a bad idea. Bad idea or not, it's not long before the detective duo are immersed in a problem with slightly whiffy body parts that don't belong to them and going to any lengths to prevent the end of custard as we know it. It's a cat thing.

This follow up to Scourge of Pleasantries is just as enjoyable as the first. While I'm not normally a big fan of zombie stories, Callum and Gobs make solving the problem so darn fun that I didn't mind all the highly questionable meal choices. Gobs continued inability to get human idioms correct, as well as his unique view of the world, are a delight. I may have to start using his saying of "no baby goats" haha! Adding to the enjoyment factor are the new characters Callum and Gobs meet along the way. I hope Gertrude becomes a recurring character in the series. Gobs needs to keep his flow of super tasty cat treats flowing.

Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries is the first in the Gobbelino London, PI series by Kim M. Watt. The story is told entirely from Gobbelino's point of view. Gobbelino is a cat detective who, as we learn as the story progresses, is attempting to keep a lower profile so he doesn't have any other run in's with this world's magical police, the Watch. Still, a cat's got to eat. Gobbelino along with his human, Callum, run a private investigative agency as a way to make ends meet. Cases have been sparse lately so when a mysterious woman wearing Doc Martens and too much perfume offers them a paying job, the detective duo really aren't in a position to turn the work away. The job: recover a stolen book from the woman's ex-husband.

I really enjoyed having the story told from the cat's perspective. I like how the author didn't make it easy for Gobs, being realistic about the difficulties his size and lack of thumbs provides. And the advantages a cat has too. The snarky humor was right up my alley as I found myself chuckling many times as I read. Gobbelino has a poor grasp of human idioms. Callum is a good partner for Gobs, being a genuinely nice guy and has the thumbs that a cat lacks. Callum has a history I hope we learn more of as the series progresses. They make a great duo.

I don't want to go into too much detail about the shenanigans that ensue shortly after our crack pair of investigators take the case so I'll keep it brief. The book features a snarky feline humor, a dubious client, a dentist, a feral book, pastel rats, reality bending buildings, a horribly pleasant old lady and a kraken in a sink. This book was right up my alley. I look forward to continuing the series.

Thank you @sakerfalcon for the BB.½

A very charming and amusing collection of stories about a group of well-meaning pony-sized dragons wreaking gentle havoc on the village of Toot Hansell. I received a copy of this via a Booksweeps or BookFunnel promo. Honestly, I had no idea what I was reading at first, but it won me over pretty thoroughly. I don’t use the word delightful very often but if ever a book was delightful, this is it.

This cosy murder mystery features the Women's Institute of Toot Hansell, a little (fictional) village somewhere in Yorkshire. When the local vicar is poisoned, suspicions falls on the various WI members, all of whom are known for their bakery skills (not necessarily a good thing). Unfortunately, although they're (probably) not murderers, they are conspiring to conceal dragons from the wider world. DI Adams, fresh from the Big Smoke, is assigned the investigation and gets more than she bargained for.

This was a quick lightweight read. Even for a cosy mystery, it was less complex than I was expecting. The dragons were fun, and I enjoyed the glimpses into dragonish life/backstory. For me, some of the action tipped rather into slapstick (eg, dragons colliding with each other when in a hurry or stressed - if it happens in one scene it might be amusing, three or four times feels heavy-handed).

In summary, entertaining fluff that doesn't take itself seriously.