2026 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2026 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
2026 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
Booklist Queen's 2026 Reading Challenge
2026 52 Club Reading Challenge
2026 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge
2026 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge
2026 Mount TBR Reading Challenge
2026 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge
Shelf Reflection Candy Reading Challenge for Kids (and Adults)
2026 Countdown Reading Challenge
Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo
2026 Southern Literary Reading Challenge
2026 Reading Challenge (by Linz the Bookworm)
2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge
European Reading Challenge 2026
2017 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge (retired challenge - doing old boards for fun)
2026 Reading Challenge Addict Reading Challenge
The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge
The Life Skills Reading Challenge
Showing posts with label Amateur Detectives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amateur Detectives. Show all posts
Monday, July 19, 2021
Second Good Girl Novel Another Engaging Mystery/Thriller
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for Good Girl, Bad Blood, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.
After all the chaos created by her last foray into amateur detecting, 18-year-old Pippa Fitz-Amobi is done with both sleuthing and podcasting. She doesn't need the drama or the danger. Instead, she's concentrating on hanging out with her sweet boyfriend, Ravi Singh, and getting ready to move on to college at Columbia. Then, a man goes missing after a community memorial honoring the sixth anniversary of the deaths of Sal Singh and Andie Bell. Although Jamie Reynolds is 24 and known for taking off unexpectedly, his little brother, Pip's good friend, is worried about him. When Connor asks Pip for help finding him, she really can't say no. Especially since the police aren't taking the disappearance seriously. Once more, Pip is on the hunt and on the air.
Pip's investigation soon takes a dark turn, putting her in harm's way once again. What happened to Jamie Reynolds? Can Pip solve the mystery?
I enjoyed A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, so I was all in for a second book. Like its predecessor, Good Girl, Bad Blood uses transcripts of Pip's podcasts and interviews as well as her case notes to flesh out the story of her search for Jamie Reynolds. What emerges is a tense, engrossing thriller that kept me glued to the page. In addition to a compelling mystery, the novel offers a cast of warm, likable characters; an engaging, upbeat vibe (despite its grim subject matter); and a heroine who's fun and root-worthy in her earnest adorkable-ness. Sure, the idea of everyone being willing to spill their deepest, darkest secrets to a teenage sleuth is a bit far-fetched, but still...I enjoyed this absorbing yarn that kept me reading and guessing throughout. Not surprisingly, I'm very much looking forward to As Good As Dead (available August 5, 2021). I definitely want to know what's going to happen next to the always-appealing, ever-intrepid Pippa Fitz-Amobi!
(Readalikes: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson as well as other YA mysteries, including those by Karen M. McManus and Ashley Elston)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language, violence, blood/gore, disturbing subject matter, and depictions of underage drinking and illegal drug use (marijuana)
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Friday, December 27, 2019
First Psychic Bay Mystery An Entertaining Romp
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
As a former psychiatrist, Cass Donovan knows enough about people to read them with fair accuracy. This makes working as a psychic in little Bay Island, New York, an easy gig. She might not be the real deal, but she's a good enough fake to lure plenty of customers to Mystical Musings, her beachfront shop. And, she can't deny, there are times when strange visions do overcome her, giving her otherworldly insight that is difficult to explain away.
That's exactly what happens when Ellie Callahan, a young newlywed, comes to Cass for a reading. Although Cass doesn't mention the bad juju she's sensing to Ellie, that doesn't stop Ellie's mother from accosting Cass later that evening. Cass is embarrassed by the encounter, but it's not like she would ever lift a hand to overbearing Marge Hawkins. When Cass discovers Marge's dead body in the local theater, however, that's the story that starts buzzing around town. Although the police peg her as Suspect #1, Cass knows Marge had made all kinds of enemies. Which one of them finally had enough of her interfering? Who actually shot the woman? With the real detectives investigating the wrong person, it's up to Cass to Nancy Drew her way to the truth. Even if it means making herself a target for a cold-blooded killer.
Cozy mysteries can be hard for me to take, but I tend to turn to them when I grow tired of the nightmares that often stem from the gory, graphic thrillers I usually read. I'm down with "clean" murder mysteries, especially if they're written in a fun, engaging way, as they often are. If they get too cory or ridiculous, though, I'm out. Someone recommended the Bay Island Psychic Mystery series by Lena Gregory, so I picked up the first installment, Death at First Sight. Guess what? It's an entertaining romp that I quite enjoyed. The quaint beach town setting is vividly drawn, the characters are likable (if cliché), and the story is predictable, but still intriguing enough to keep the pages turning. Not all of its plot points made sense, which annoyed me a little. Overall, though, Death at First Sight is a quick, easy read that made me smile. That's enough to get me reaching for the next installment.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of other cozy mysteries by Lena Gregory as well as those by Ellie Alexander)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of Death at First Sight with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Third Installment Another Fun Entry in an Always Entertaining Series
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
(Note: Although this review will not contain spoilers for Murder Lo Mein, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Noodle Shop mysteries. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)
Lana Lee is biased, yes, but she knows her family's Chinese restaurant, Ho Lee Noodle House, employs the best chef of Asian cuisine in the city. And she intends to prove it. It's Asian Village's turn to host Cleveland's annual Best Noodle Contest; winning the cooking competition would be a major boost for the shopping center and for the Lees' eatery. Peter Huang can take home the prize for Ho Lee, Lana is sure of it.
The competition has barely gotten underway when one of its judges is strangled to death at The Bamboo Lounge after receiving a threatening note in a fortune cookie. As more ominous cookies make the rounds, the other judges begin to fear for their lives. Lana can't let a killer run amok on her turf. Detective Adam Trudeau, Lana's "sort-of-maybe boyfriend guy" (11), begs her to leave the sleuthing to the police, but Lana can only promise so much. She can't let more people die and she won't let Asian Village's reputation be ruined because of nefarious happenings on its grounds. If the cops can't catch the killer, Lana will. Even if it means she's next on the murderer's list ...
Murder Lo Mein is the third book in Vivien Chien's always entertaining Noodle Shop Mystery series. Like its predecessors, this novel is a light, fun read. The setting is unique, the characters are likable, and the plot moves along quickly. This isn't my favorite installment, but I still enjoyed it and will definitely keep going with the series. It's one of the few cozy series I really like.
(Readalikes: Other books in the Noodle Shop Mystery series, including Death by Dumpling, Dim Sum of All Fears, Wonton Terror, Egg Drop Dead, and Killer Kung Pao)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and mild innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of Murder Lo Mein with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Series Opener Another Fun Read from Kylie Logan
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
When her six-year stint as a personal chef to a Hollywood It girl ends in flames, Laurel Inwood is at loose ends. Rescue comes in the form of her aging "aunt," a restaurant owner who needs help while recovering from knee surgery. Eager to manage the elegant venue she's heard much about but never seen, Laurel moves to Hubbard, Ohio, only to find that Aunt Sophie has greatly exaggerated her restaurant's virtues. Instead of a sparkling, sophisticated eatery, Terminal at the Tracks is an old railroad station turned dingy greasy spoon. And it's in desperate need of help.
To revive the Terminal's image, Laurel decides to add a little spice to the menu by introducing innovative ethnic dishes. Just when things are starting to look up for the diner, however, a customer is found slumped in one of its booths, a receipt spike sticking out of his back. Jack Lancer, aka "The Lance of Justice," was not a well-liked man, but who hated him enough to kill him? With the help of the handsome manager of the Irish store next door to the Terminal, Laurel aims to find out. Even if it means her own back becomes a killer's next target.
I've enjoyed a couple of Kylie Logan's books and Irish Stewed, the first installment in her Ethnic Eats cozy mystery series, sounded like a fun one to try. Like most books in this genre, this one offers a quick, entertaining story that makes for light, easy reading. I'm not fond of Laurel, who's rather cold and cocky. Don't get me wrong—I don't mind a strong, unsentimental heroine, but I would have liked to see both some vulnerability and some character growth from Laurel. Perhaps that will come in later books. In general, though, I liked Irish Stewed. I'll for sure keep reading this series as I'm eager to see where it goes.
(Readalikes: reminds me of culinary mysteries by Ellie Alexander and Lena Gregory)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs) and violence
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Saturday, September 07, 2019
Cozy Series Opener a Fun Bookish Read
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Put-in-Bay is a quaint village on an island in the middle of Lake Erie. Even with a population that balloons during the summer tourist season, it's a peaceful town full of neighborly folks who do their best to get along. Mostly. Bea Cartwright—a brash Manhattanite who recently moved to Put-in-Bay to open a posh B&B—has had it up to here with her neighbors. Chandra Morrissey won't silence the annoying hippie music she plays at all hours or keep her cat out of Bea's pansies. Bea's other neighbor, winery owner Kate Wilder, won't quit whining about the traffic problems caused by constant deliveries to the B&B, complaints which are costing Bea time and money. The women have brought their squabbles before the town magistrate so many times that he'll do anything to end the fighting. Even something totally unconventional.
Sentenced to start a book club and meet for a weekly discussion for one year, the trio reluctantly accepts their punishment. Almost as soon as they begin reading Murder on the Orient Express, life begins to imitate art a little too close to home. Peter Chan, the genial owner of a new Chinese restaurant in town, is stabbed to death. Horrified, the neighbors turned book club members turned amateur detectives vow to get to the bottom of the grisly murder. In order to do so, they'll have to do something radical—get along. Can they put aside their differences long enough to figure out what happened to Chan? Or will they end up killing each other first?
Mayhem at the Orient Express, the first installment in Kylie Logan's League of Literary Ladies mystery series, is just as fun as it sounds. Far-fetched? Totally. Still, it's a light-hearted novel with a colorful setting, likable characters, and a fun bookish theme. It's nothing super original or memorable, but I enjoyed Mayhem at the Orient Express enough to pick up the next book in the series.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of the Ethnic Eats series by Kylie Logan and the Noodle Shop Mystery series by Vivien Chien)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), mild sexual innuendo, and violence
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Top Ten Tuesday: It's Amateur Hour On BBB!
The topic du jour for my favorite bookish meme is Top Ten Auto-Buy Authors. Since I feel like I talk about the authors I love constantly here at BBB, I'm going to go off-script today and do the freebie topic that's actually scheduled for July 30. I'll be in Utah attending a genealogy conference that day anyway, so it works. Last week's character freebie inspired me to list My Favorite Super Sleuths of the Book World, which was fun, but I focused on the pros—real detectives and enforcement officers as well as other professionals who work with them (criminalists, forensic scientists, etc.). Since the book world is full of amateur sleuths as well and they're just as entertaining to read about (sometimes more so), I'm going to focus on them today.
Before we get to that, though, I have to give a shout-out to our lovely host Jana. You can find her over at That Artsy Reader Girl, where you can also get the 4-1-1 on all things Top Ten Tuesday. Join in by reading some brief instructions, crafting your own TTT list, then clicking around the blogosphere to spread the love among a ton of fabulous book blogs. It's a great time to revisit old favorites, discover new sites, and, of course, add to your always-growing TBR
Okay, so here we go with my Top Ten Favorite Amateur Sleuths of the Book World. These are the folks who have no (legitimate) reason to investigate crime, although mysteries just keep falling into their laps! Their careers range from housekeeper to archaeologist to restaurant server to journalist, but their side gigs are the same—crime solver. Because of this, their stories are often far less believable than those of their professional counterparts, but, as I said above, no less entertaining. I'm including the cover to the first book in their respective series so you know where to start.
Who are your favorite amateur sleuths of the book world? Who do you love reading about, whether their crime-solving is totally, ridiculously far-fetched or not?
Top Ten Favorite Amateur Sleuths of the Book World:
1. Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene—Nancy is probably the most well-known sleuth in this category and, as a kid, I inhaled any book that starred her. I haven't read a Nancy Drew book in years, so I don't know what I'd think of them now, but I used to adore Nancy—and definitely wanted to be her!
2. Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol—Another childhood favorite, Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown is a boy who helps his police chief father solve crimes in their small town. He's whip-smart (hence his nickname) and always gets his man. This is another series I ate up as a kid.
3. Veronica Speedwell by Deanna Raybourn—Among the amateur sleuths I've encountered as an adult, Veronica is definitely one of my very favorites. She's a Victorian woman, but an unapologetic one who defies convention and just does what she pleases. For work, she sells rare butterflies and spends her days cataloging a museum full of treasures for a wealthy friend. Along with Stoker, her handsome, querulous partner, she stumbles on all kinds of mysteries begging to be solved. Veronica is smart, funny, and just a delightful character all-around.
4. Dr. Ruth Galloway by Elly Griffiths—Ruth is an archaeologist in Norfolk, England, who prefers the solitude of her isolated home and her own company to anywhere and anyone else. When the police ask for her help with a discovery of bones near her property, Ruth becomes a consultant to the department and goes on to have many adventures. She's an understated character, but one whose intelligence and wit make for enjoyable reading.
5. Amelia Peabody by Elizabeth Peters—Another unconventional lady, Amelia is a wealthy spinster living in late 19th Century England. She has a disconcerting, scholarly obsession with Egypt, which leads her to many adventures and mysteries involving the ancient land.
6. Kat Halloway by Jennifer Ashley—This new kid on the block is a sought-after cook in a posh mansion in Mayfair. Her central position in the household means she's a key witness to all kinds of wrongdoing. Kat's efficiency and no-nonsense ways make her not just a master of the kitchen, but also a pretty darn good detective.
7. Lady Kiera Darby by Anna Lee Huber—As the wife of a cruel anatomist, Kiera was made an unwitting partner in her husband's unnatural schemes. Now a widow, she's trying to put her past behind her. And yet, she keeps finding herself at the center of mysterious happenings. Using her intelligence, her powers of observation, and her natural curiosity, she and an enigmatic friend are earning themselves a reputation as a detective team that is second to none.
8. Lana Lee by Vivien Chien—After her temper gets the better of her at her lucrative corporate job, Lana's empty pockets force her to return to Ohio. The last thing she wants is to wait tables at her parents' Chinese restaurant under her mother's shrewd eye, but she has little choice. Turns out, life in the Asian Village strip mall is a lot more exciting than one would think. An alarming amount of dead bodies are turning up in the small community, and Lana's keen powers of observation are coming in handy for the handsome detective assigned to investigate the crimes. Lana's spunky but self-deprecating, making her a fun heroine to follow.
9. Jazz Ramsey by Kylie Logan—Jazz, a cadaver dog trainer, only has one book under her belt, but I'm excited for more to come. She's smart, brave, and caring, all traits I love in an amateur sleuth.
10. Nichelle Clarke by LynDee Walker—I just "met" Nichelle, an investigative reporter in Richmond, Virginia, in Front Page Fatality, but I'm enjoying the book and its heroine. Nichelle is skilled, confident, and not afraid to take a risk. So far, she's making an excellent amateur sleuth. I can't wait to read more of this series.
There you have it, ten of my favorite fictional amateur sleuths. Who are yours? I just realized that all of mine (but one) are females. Are there any great male amateur sleuths out there? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.
Happy TTT!
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Family Secrets Novel Engrossing and Enjoyable (with a Giveaway!)
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
With a degree in criminal justice and a job producing a true-crime podcast, Ryan Gracey is no stranger to solving mysteries. She's never had one touch her own life, however, until she receives a frantic phone call from her older sister. Wendy Wainwright refuses to divulge any details, but she begs Ryan to return home to Seabank, Florida, to watch her young girls while their father is deployed and Wendy is away. Although the last thing Ryan wants is to uproot her life in Delray and go back to the place where she screwed up all her most meaningful relationships, she can't let her nieces down.
Playing mom is tougher than Ryan could have imagined. Especially when her nieces hint that their mother is not what she seems. Wendy's mysterious, prolonged absence propels Ryan to start digging into her sister's perfect-looking life. The more she finds, the more she tends to agree with the girls—there's trouble lurking behind Wendy's flawless facade. As unsettling clues continue to turn up, Ryan will be forced to face some shocking truths about her sister, her family, and herself.
A Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards (available June 25, 2019) starts with an intriguing premise, which leads to a compelling plot. The story gets a little long, but it kept my interest with its mix of mystery/suspense, family drama, and romance. While I saw some of the big reveals coming, others caught me by surprise, which made for an engrossing, enjoyable read. I would definitely spend more time with these characters if I could and I will for sure read more by the talented Emilie Richards.
(Readalikes: Hm, nothing is coming to mind. You?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, mild sexual content/innuendo, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of A Family of Strangers from the generous folks at HarperCollins via those at TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
**
Want more opinions on A Family of Strangers? Follow along on the book's Instagram/blog tour by clicking on the links below:
Instagram tour:
Monday, June 17th: @tbretc
Tuesday, June 18th: @hollyslittlebookreviews
Wednesday, June 19th: @sweethoneyandbrei
Thursday, June 20th: @readwithjamie
Friday, June 21st: @novelgossip
Saturday, June 22nd: @jessicamap
Sunday, June 23rd: @readingbetweenthe_wines
Review tour:
Monday, June 17th: The Baking Bookworm
Tuesday, June 18th: Girls in Books and @girlsinbooks
Wednesday, June 19th: Girl Who Reads
Wednesday, June 19th: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books
Thursday, June 20th: Helen’s Book Blog
Monday, June 24th: @my_book_journey
Tuesday, June 25th: Bewitched Bookworms
Wednesday, June 26th: Write Read Life
Thursday, June 27th: Book by Book
Thursday, June 27th: @crystals_library
Friday, June 28th: Run Wright
Monday, July 1st: Audio Killed the Bookmark and @
Tuesday, July 2nd: Treestand Book Reviews
Wednesday, July 3rd: @beauty_andthebook
Friday, July 5th: Booked on a Feeling
Friday, July 5th: @angelareadsbooks
Monday, July 8th: I Wish I Lived in a Library
Tuesday, July 9th: Lori’s Reading Corner – spotlight
Wednesday, July 10th: The Meganerd Blog and @meganthemeganerd
Wednesday, July 10th: @cassies_books_reviews
Thursday, July 11th: Books and Bindings
Friday, July 12th: Books and Cats and Coffee and @bookncatsncoffee
Monday, July 15th: @one_more_paige
Tuesday, July 16th: @sarahandherbookshelves
Wednesday, July 17th: The Lit Bitch
Thursday, July 18th: Books Before Bedtime and @
Friday, July 19th: The Pages In-Between and @
**
Want to win a copy of A Family of Strangers for your very own? Use the Rafflecopter below to enter my giveaway. U.S. addresses only, please.
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Appealing Setting and Punny Title Not Enough to Save This Cliché Cozy
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
When Angie Turner inherits her grandmother's farm in little River Vista, Idaho, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to start over. An executive chef, she decides to open a farm-to-table restaurant with the help of her best friend, Felicia Williams. With the County Seat scheduled to open in a few weeks, the two women are scrambling to hire staff, convince local farmers to sell them produce and dairy, and make sure the restaurant's opening runs smoothly.
Angie manages to persuade crotchety "Old Man" Moss to sell her his famous goat cheese, a real triumph. The next thing she knows, however, the man's body is found at the bottom of a treacherous cliff. Not only does Angie end up tending one of the deceased's lively goats, but she also can't help channeling her inner Nancy Drew to figure out the truth behind the elderly man's suspicious death. As she comes closer and closer to solving the case, Angie's life becomes more and more dangerous. Can she find the killer before the killer finds her?
As much as I love the title and setting of Who Moved My Goat Cheese?, the first installment in Lynn Cahoon's Farm-to-Fork mystery series, the story just didn't work very well for me. The characters are cliché and not well developed. Angie Turner, for example, is as generic as her name implies. Because neither she nor her love interest is round enough to feel real, their sparkless romance falls flat. The mystery at the book's center isn't very mysterious and the big finale just feels ... anticlimactic. While I appreciate this cozy for being light, fun, and clean, it didn't engage me enough to make me want to move on with the series. Oh well.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of the All-Day Breakfast Cafe series by Lena Gregory)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for mild violence and mild sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of Who Moved My Goat Cheese? from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
An Artless Demise Newest Installment in an Intriguing Historical Mystery Series
Before I give you the plot summary, be warned that there is a spoiler in the first line. It's a fairly obvious one, but one all the same. Just so you know.
An Artless Demise:
Lady Darby returns to London with her new husband, Sebastian Gage, but newlywed bliss won't last for long when her past comes back to haunt her in the latest exciting installment in this national bestselling series.
November 1831. After fleeing London in infamy more than two years prior, Lady Kiera Darby's return to the city is anything but mundane, though not for the reasons she expected. A gang of body snatchers is arrested on suspicion of imitating the notorious misdeeds of Edinburgh criminals, Burke and Hare—killing people from the streets and selling their bodies to medical schools. Then Kiera's past—a past she thought she'd finally made peace with—rises up to haunt her.
All of London is horrified by the evidence that "burkers" are, indeed, at work in their city. The terrified populace hovers on a knife's edge, ready to take their enmity out on any likely suspect. And when Kiera receives a letter of blackmail, threatening to divulge details about her late anatomist husband's involvement with the body snatchers and wrongfully implicate her, she begins to apprehend just how precarious her situation is. Not only for herself, but also her new husband and investigative partner, Sebastian Gage, and their unborn child.
Meanwhile, the young scion of a noble family has been found murdered a block from his home, and the man's family wants Kiera and Gage to investigate. Is it a failed attempt by the London burkers, having left the body behind, or the crime of someone much closer to home? Someone who stalks the privileged, using the uproar over the burkers to cover his own dark deeds?
Purchase your copy of An Artless Demise here or wherever books are sold:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Indiebound
Have any of you read the Lady Darby series? What do you think?
Monday, April 08, 2019
Fourth Installment in Delightful Victorian Mystery Series My Favorite So Far
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for A Dangerous Collaboration, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Veronica Speedwell mysteries. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.
With her increasingly complicated feelings for Revelstoke "Stoker" Templeton-Vane clouding her normally rational judgment, Veronica Speedwell feels the need for some time away from the close quarters she and Stoker share as they work together in London. When Stoker's older brother, Tiberius, offers the lepidopterist an opportunity to travel to a remote island to study an almost extinct butterfly, she jumps at the chance. Even if it means posing as Tiberius' fiancée for a two-week house party. It's worth it to collect larvae for her vivarium—and get an up-close look at a regal Cornish castle that boasts its very own ghost.
Before long, it becomes apparent that their host, Malcolm Romilly, has ulterior motives for gathering guests to his home. Everyone in attendance, save Veronica, is connected to Rosamund, Malcolm's bride, who disappeared on their wedding day three years ago. Still tormented by grief, Malcolm is determined to find out what happened to his wife once and for all. He enlists the help of all present to solve the mystery, even though all but Veronica are suspects.
The shadowy castle, always the center of superstition and fairy tales, is the perfect setting for an intriguing ghost hunt. Veronica will do anything to help the grieving groom end his torment, even putting her life on the line to discover Rosamund's fate. As she fends off the attention of two ardent men, sorts idle village gossip from crucial clues, and scours the mysterious castle for answers, Veronica creeps ever closer to becoming the next victim of a cold-blooded murderer who will not hesitate to kill again.
The Veronica Speedwell mystery series by Deanna Raybourn is one of the most delightful I've ever read, so it's no surprise that I loved A Dangerous Collaboration. In fact, I think this fourth installment is my favorite. It's clever, it's fun, it's twisty, and it's entertaining. Veronica is, as always, a refreshingly forthright narrator. She's also a smart, spunky heroine who's brave, loyal, and compassionate. With its Gothic setting, ghostly happenings, and a surprise guest who keeps Veronica on her toes, this novel is simply a whole lot of fun. I adored it.
(Readalikes: Other books in the Veronica Speedwell series, including A Curious Beginning, A Perilous Undertaking, and A Treacherous Curse. Also reminds me a little of the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of A Dangerous Collaboration from the generous folks at Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Scone Cold Killer a Fun Start to Southern Cozy Mystery Series
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Little Boggy Creek, Florida, is a far cry from New York City, but it may be just what Gia Morelli needs. In the wake of her ex-husband's betrayal—not only of his clients, but also of their marriage—she's looking for a place to start over, a refuge where she can lick her wounds and start rebuilding her shattered life. Opening the All-Day Breakfast Café is a brave first step. Despite a few hiccups, things are going well for Gia—until she discovers a dead body in the dumpster behind the restaurant. She recognizes the corpse's manicured hands and a distinctive ring. It's her ex-husband, Bradley Remington, but what is he doing in Florida? And how did he end up dead in a dumpster?
Suspicion for the murder naturally falls on Gia. Despite his gentle questioning, even handsome Detective Hunter "Hunt" Quinn seems to think she had something to do with Bradley's death. Although she's warned against sticking her nose into police business, Gia knows the only way to clear her name is to find the real killer. Can she get to the bottom of the puzzling case? Or will Gia's dead body be the next one stuffed into a dumpster?
I'm not a huge fan of cozy mysteries, but occasionally I stumble across a series that I enjoy. Katherine over at I Wish I Lived in a Library mentioned Lena Gregory, so I decided to give her All-Day Breakfast Café books a whirl. Scone Cold Killer, the first installment, introduces Gia and her cozy new hometown of Boggy Creek. Although the townsfolk are not as colorful as I would have liked, there are some fun and abrasive personalities who should make for entertaining reading throughout the series. Mystery-wise, the plot is pretty straightforward. Nothing too surprising or original. As in most cozies, there's a lot of improbable action going on in Scone Cold Killer, but the willing suspension of disbelief is a requirement going into any book in this genre, so that didn't bother me. Much. All in all, I enjoyed this light, fun read. It's quick, entertaining, and written well enough that I want to continue reading about Gia's adventures. I've already read the second installment, checked the third out of the library, and bought the first book in Gregory's Bay Island Psychic series, if that tells you anything!
(Readalikes: Reminds me of other books in the All-Day Breakfast Café series [Murder Made to Order and A Cold Brew Killing] by Lena Gregory as well as of cozy mysteries by Ellie Alexander)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and scenes of peril
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of Scone Cold Killer from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)
Readin'
Beach Thriller by Jamie Day
Listenin'
Hidden Rooms by Kate Michaelson
Followin' with Feedly
-
-
-
-
Sweet Spot by Kemper Donovan4 hours ago
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Design by:
2026 Goodreads Reading Challenge
2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
2023 - Middle Grade Fiction
2022 - Middle Grade Fiction
2021 - Middle Grade Fiction
2020 - Middle Grade Fiction
