Cheating at Solitaire, Jane Haddam

A movie's being filmed on a small island off of Massachusetts, and the two female leads and their rich friend are raising hell pretty much constantly. Then a young man they were running around with gets murdered.

One of the young women, the singer, is arrested for the murder, even though it's not really clear who did it. A detective is called in. He's supposed to be planning his wedding.

There's a lot going on in this book. I think the two young women and their rich heiress friend are supposed to be based on real people, but I'm not sure who. And then there's Stewart Gordon, who I think is supposed to be based on Patrick Stewart? Pretty sure Haddam doesn't know who Stuart Gordon is, or why that would confuse me a little.

As a mystery this is pretty good. As a novel it's one in a long series and since I've never read the rest of the series it seems to be all over the place.

Three Parts Dead, Max Gladstone

A young magician is called in to help find out how a god died, and to see if he can be resurrected. This is Tara's shot at a job with a powerful agency, but she has to work against her biggest enemy.

The world of this novel is a strange one--it seems to involve magical lawyers. That and the fact that the protagonist (in a fantasy novel) is a young black woman were enough to get me interested.

The story kind of lags in spots, but I really liked the ending.

Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong, Prudence Shen & Faith Erin Hicks

The science team wants money to go to the robotics competition. The cheerleading team wants money for new uniforms. Caught in the middle of their rivalry is Charlie, who has problems of his own.

This graphic novel went in some unexpected directions, which I liked.

I Have Fun Everywhere I Go, Mike Edison

Tales of publishing, rock and roll and debauchery. I found it interesting that none of the setbacks in this dude's life were his fault.