Partners in Crime (1929) Agatha Christie (Tommy & Tuppence) A set of intertwined Tommy & Tuppence short stories. A Fairy in the Flat A Pot of Tea The Affair of the Pink Pearl The Adventure of the Sinister Stranger Finessing the King The Case of the Missing Lady Blindman’s Buff The Man in the Mist […]
Masters in This Hall (2022) K.J. Charles (Lilywhite Boys) Set in England in 1899. John Garland might not have had everything, like his uncle and his cousin, but he was respectable and had a job he was good at. Until it all came crashing down. Now he is heading to his uncle’s house in hopes […]
Towards Zero (1944) Agatha Christie (Superintendent Battle) This one I remembered bits and pieces of. “It may be just by being somewhere— not doing anything— just by being at a certain place at a certain time— oh, I can’t say what I mean, but you might just— just walk along a street some day and […]
Murder is Easy (1939) Agatha Christie (Superintendent Battle) Luke Fitzwilliam has retired and is headed back to England from the Mayang Straits, wondering what he’s doing to do with himself. An odd exchange about murder with an old woman on a train had been easily dismissed. what was I saying? Oh, yes, somebody said that […]
The Geek Who Saved Christmas (2021) Annabeth Albert Gideon Holiday loves Christmas. He loves all the holidays, but he especially loves Christmas. Paul Frost is the neighborhood grump. He doesn’t check the neighborhood Whatsapp group, and he doesn’t decorate for Christmas. But the neighborhood collections donations from people who drive through, so Gideon has a […]
A Bump In Boohail (2022) Kimberly Lemming (Mead Mishaps) Why? Because it’s silly and fun. Cinnamon is probably my favorite character in tise series, or that could just me identifying with her because I also hate being scared. Stone scraped against stone. I turned, and the Gargoyles had moved from their sitting position to freeze […]
Soul Taken (2022) Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson) Book Thirteen. I’m still preordering Patricia Briggs books, but after Wild Sign I was a little hesitant to start this one. I can only handle so much trauma happening to characters before I have to bow out. Although Mercy was hurt in this book, it was the usual […]
The Seven Dials Mystery (1929) Agatha Christie (Superintendent Battle) As threatened at the end of The Chimneys Lord Caterham has let Chimneys to those who would like to stay there. While Sir Oswald and Lady Coote were there, one of their visitors, Gerald Wade, died unexpectedly, at the same time the other young visitors were […]
Taking Charge of Adult ADHD: Proven Strategies to Succeed at Work, at Home, and in Relationships (2021) Russell A. Barkley and Christine M. Benton I skipped around a lot in this book. First, I skipped the entire first section, since I was reading this book after a diagnosis of ADHD. I also looked for sections […]
Make a Scene (2020) Mimi Grace Besides battling with the new gym next to her bakery about staff parking, things have been going well for Retta. But when her cousin and ex-boyfriend announce their engagement, she decides something needs to be done–namely, finding a boyfriend to take to the wedding. “All right, so this crisis—” […]
Good Enough to Eat (2015) Alison Grey & Jae (The Vampire Diet) After nearly killing someone on New Year’s Eve, Robin has decided to give up drinking for good. But for a vampire, drinking is what keeps her alive, so looking for support, she ends up at an AA meeting. Alana gave up everything for […]
Waiting for the Flood, Audio Edition (2016) Alexis Hall narrated by Alexander Doddy (Spires) This is one of my favorite Alexis Hall stories. I primarily listen to Fantasy and Mystery, but thought I’d see how I felt about this. I still love the story, but I think romance isn’t a genre that is particularly going […]
Lucky Yellow Shoes (2020) Jae This is a short story set after Wrong Number, Right Woman. Denny wants to propose, but cannot find a ring that both suits Eliza and that she can afford. It’s a sweet story about family and acceptance and love. Rating: 7/10
Blackmail and Bibingka (2022) Mia P. Manansala (Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery) As previously, I finished this story with a slight pang of disappointment. It’s not bad–not at all–but I want it to be just a tiny bit better. I think it was the mystery that was the issue. I guessed pretty quickly who was involved […]
Rivers Of London Vol. 9: Monday, Monday (2022) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, José María Beroy The ninth comic jumps back and forth in time, both in the present day, as well as into Nightingale’s past. First think I really liked about this story: Stephanopoulus. We get a lot of her POV. Also, she is described […]
Sympathy (2009) Jordan Castillo Price I didn’t mean to reread this story. I was looking for books where a main character deals with a long term injury or disability, and I ended up reading the entire thing. I tried to brace my good leg and pull harder, get the lousy root ball up over the […]
The Soldier’s Scoundrel (2016) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series) Set in England in ~1815 To be honest, I have avoided reading this book for ages, because the cover squicks me out. Luckily, neither character is anything at all like the models. Oliver sold his commission after taking a bullet to the back of his knee. […]
That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf (2022) Kimberly Lemming (Mead Mishaps) This series is very very silly. Very VERY silly. And full of boinking. SO much boinking. A few minutes and a smoke free kitchen later, I returned with fresh coffee and a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches. […]
Give Unto Others (2022) Donna Leon (Commissario Brunetti) This is the 31st Brunetti book. It seems weird this series has been running for 30 years. Partially because at some point she stopped aging Brunetti and his family, so his eldest has been on the cusp of adulthood for more than a decade. This book is […]
Of Claws and Fangs (2022) Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock) This is a collection of stories from the world of Jane Yellowrock & Soulwood. Candy from a Vampire Make It Snappy It’s Just a Date Life’s a Bitch and Then You Die Black Friday Shopping How Occam Got His Name Shiloh and the Brick Beast Hunts […]
Spells for the Dead, Audio Edition (2019) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam Nell is learning how to control her powers as a “plant person” as she calls herself. But she doesn’t understand why she’s called out the death of a famous country singer, whose body whose body is rapidly decomposing–along with the bodies of […]
Circle of the Moon, Audio Edition (2019) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam Nell is recovering from spending several months as flora instead of fauna. The farm had seemingly figured out that if I was a tree, there would be no one to work the soil and it liked me around. Now, as I worked, […]
Twice Baked (2019) Andrew Grey Luke is a popular food blogger–known for writing about foods he hates, and how it’s okay to not like goods. Professionally, I was a graphic artist, and I had a small number of clients that I worked with. Each of the businesses had been very successful but didn’t have the […]
The Cubby Hole: A Bear Camp Short (2022) Slade James I’ve enjoyed the other stories I’ve read by Slade James–I picked the first novella up free, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. (It’s set in a gay nudist camp, so there was a whole lot of potential to be absolutely something not […]
Murder in Pastel (2015) Josh Lanyon Kyle Bari still lives in the home that belonged to his father, the famous painter Cosmo Bari, and makes his living writing mysteries. “That was the summer I got sick. Rheumatic fever.” “ Which left you with a weak heart.” “It was the summer my father disappeared.” Adam MacKinnon […]
Wrong Number, Right Woman (2020) Jae Denny is not good at flirting. Or talking to women. What she is good at is being a fantastic aunt and helping her sister raise her daughter. Eliza has had terrible luck dating, so her best friend and neighbor gives her a subscription to a new dating service. When […]
Strawberry Shortcake Murder (2001) Joanne Fluke (Hannah Swensen) It doesn’t seem like 2001 was that long ago, but it was really a different world. “Yes, Mother.” Hannah stretched out the phone cord and walked over to the cupboard that held Moishe’s food. Once the warm-up was complete, Vera used Lucy’s mouse to click on the […]
Homicide and Halo-Halo (2022) Mia P. Manansala (A Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery) Lila Macapagal is supposed to be getting ready for the opening of the cafe she is opening with her best friend. But instead she is guilted into judging the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which she won as a teenager. And, of […]
Cold Reign, Audio Book (2017) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (Jane Yellowrock) Things never slow down from here. Which is why I think I missed some things previously that bothered me this time. SPOILERS AHEAD Alex is almost killed. He fingered his throat. “Hurts.” He looked around him on the floor, at the amount […]
I’m So (Not) Over You (2022) Kosoko Jackson Kian is totally over Hudson. Except for the part that’s still completely in love with him and dreams of Hudson admitting he was wrong. The first rule, and only rule, of getting over your ex is not to answer your ex’s messages. This can be done in […]
Portals and Puppy Dogs (2021) Amy Lane (Hedge Witches Lonely Hearts Club) Alex is glad his roommate Bartholomew has found his true love, but Alex’s life is still a mess: he put in for a transfer, so he could try and move on from his huge crush on his boss, but Simon wants to know […]
Shortbread and Shadows (2020) Amy Lane (Hedge Witches Lonely Heart Club) Bartholomew Baker has had a crush on the guy who usually has the stall next to him, for two years. But Barty is painfully shy, struggling to try and make baking works so he can quit his day job, and, well, his coven just […]
In the Cards (2019) Celia Lake (Mysterious Charm) Set in England and Sicily in 1925 Yes, I still (badly) wants these books edited, but I am still reading. Explaining how they really were, that was more complicated. They’d made agreements, he and Galen, about when they’d share certain things, and when they wouldn’t. This is […]
Summer Makeover (2021) Kelly Fox This is a cute story about returning to the real world after the pandemic. Cal spent his pandemic hiding in his cabin, working and working out. But he has to present at a big conference, so he really needs to stop looking like a wild man. As I make my […]
Whirlwind (2021) A. M. Rose (Daydream, Colorado) This book finishes the arc started in the previous book. Felix is clairvoyant. He didn’t have some grand purpose, but he could help ease the suffering of both the living and the dead, and that was just as powerful. He goes to where he is pulled, never settling […]
Wards of the Roses (2019) Celia Lake (Mysterious Charm) Set in Wales & England in 1920 I still want these books to be edited. But the story and world building keep pulling me in. Kate Davies doesn’t want a return to war, but she would like the more interesting assignments she got while all the […]
Bee Cave Magic (2020) Kelly Fox Micah is a dud. He’s 25 and never shifted, which means that he avoids his long-time crush, Rex, like the plague. I’m a non-shifter, and he knows as well as I do that shifters and non-shifters should never date or fall in love. Also, coming from a family of […]
Heartwood (2021) A.M. Rose (Daydream, Colorado) For months, Darian has been searching for the man his friend Mason has Glimpsed. Someone hurt, in danger, being chased. So he isn’t surprised when Tate shows up. Tate, however, had no idea that magical communities such as Daydream even existed. I’ve read several books and novellas in this […]
Lessons in Power (2009) Charlie Cochrane (Cambridge Fellows) Set in England in 1907 Orlando is not best pleased when Matthew Ainslie visits–he and Jonty are settling into their new home–but is willing to listen to what the man wants. What he wants is for Orlando and Jonty to look into the murder of which his […]
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (2021) India Holton (Dangerous Damsels) Set in an alternate Victorian England. Cecilia Bassingwaite is a proper Victorian young lady, and she is also a member of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, and she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Ned Lightbourne goes […]
Lessons in Love (2008) Charlie Cochrane (Cambridge Fellows) Set in England in 1905. Jonty has returned to St Bride’s College as a fellow in English. He is immediately drawn to dark, silent, and grumpy mathematics fellow Orlando Coppersmith. The words aren’t used (because of the setting) but Orlando is very clearly demi. Orlando thought it […]
Something Fabulous (2022) Alexis Hall (Something Fabulous) Set in Historical England. To be honest, I don’t think this is historical England as much as fantasy historical England. Which is fine, since as he says in the author’s note, almost everyone in the story is queer. Valentine Layton, the Duke of Malvern is expected to marry […]
Conventional Shadows (2022) Lissa Kasey (A Simply Crafty Paranormal Mystery) Alex and Micah are taking a trip to an anime convention–one that will hopefully go better than the previous convention they went to, which ended up with Alex bringing home a ghost cat. Alex is still learning about crafting, but is more than happy to […]
Death Wins a Goldfish: Reflections from a Grim Reaper’s Yearlong Sabbatical (2019) Brian Rea “It has come to our attention that you have a substantial number of unused days off. Records indicate you’ve never taken a sick day, sabbatical, or leave of absence.” Thus, death has to take a year off work. Publisher: Chronicle Books […]
In the Winter Woods (2020) Isabelle Adler Declan has escaped to his family’s summer cabin–in December–in the hopes it will let him write the book he desperately needs to get to his editor. And it looks like he can’t just churn out another mystery with his hero–he needs something new, and doesn’t know where to […]
The Postscript Murders (2021) Elly Griffiths (Harbinder Kaur) Apparently I don’t love mysteries written in the present tense. Primarily because sentences like this are jarring. There’s another man called either Brodie or Brady, Harbinder never does discover which it is. Can she see into the future that she will never learn his name? Which was […]
Threshold (2013) Jordan L. Hawk (Whyborne & Griffin) Set in Boston and WV in the late 1800s. This wasn’t bad, but Lovecraftian monsters just aren’t my thing. So why did I keep reading? Because it was set in WV, and it featured mining and was actually accurate for those things! I mean, this: By the […]
A Marriage of Equals (2021) Elizabeth Rolls Set in England in 1804 TWs: Discussion of attempted rape, parental death, slavery, violence against women. Psyché Winthrop-Abeni may be the bastard daughter of a slave, but her father eventually sought to do right by her, bringing her to England and her freedom, where she eventually came to […]
Aunty Lee’s Delights (2013) Ovidia Yu (Singaporean Mystery) After Rosie “Aunty” Lee became a wealthy widow, instead of shopping and gossiping, she opened a cafe where she could cook and gossip. During her step-son’s wine tasting dinner the discussion is on a body discovered on the beach that morning. But no one except Aunty Lee […]
How to Be a Movie Star (2019) T.J. Klune (How to Be) Josiah Erickson wants to be a movie star. From his first acting role–as a block of cheeses–he has wanted nothing more than to act. Unfortunately, he tends to create stories in his head. A man a few chairs down stood up. He had […]