The Haunted Heart: Winter (2013) Josh Lanyon This isn’t really supernatural; it’s a ghost story. But I didn’t have a better category for it. Flynn Ambrose is living in the house he inherited from his uncle on Pitch Pine Lane while he sorts through the antiques and other items collected over a lifetime. I said, […]
Secrets in the Mist (2016) Anna Lee Huber Set in England in 1812 Ella Winterton has spent the past four years dealing with loss and grief and anger. The deaths of her mother and brother sent her father into an alcoholic decline, and being jilted by the man she thought she loved while still in […]
Death at Sea: Montalbano’s Early Cases (2014/2018) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli These stories are set during the 80s, when Montalbano would have been in his 30s. Room Number 2 Double Investigation Death at Sea The Stolen Message The Transaction Standard Procedure The Apricot The Honest Thief There are eight stories, and look back […]
The Potter’s Field (1989) Ellis Peters Set in England in 1143. The local potter named Ruald, abandoned his wife to take monastic vows. When a body is discovers in the field where the both once lived, it is assumed to be Generys. (H)e could have his freedom to go and become a monk, but his […]
Criminal Past (2018) Gregory Ashe What. The hell? The previous books needed an editor to a level that was annoying, but not insurmountable. This book? Holy shit–it was all over the place, and none of it was good. First and foremost in the bad: Out of nowhere, we suddenly have chapters–as in more than one–of […]
Skin and Bone (2019) TA Moore (Digging Up Bones) Oh Cloister. You deserve to be treated well. Damnit. Cloister had been more than happy to make a fool of himself over Javi the last few months, up until he decided to see what would happen if he screwed everything up instead. He couldn’t even remember […]
Bone to Pick (2017) TA Moore (Digging Up Bones) Cloister Witte is a K9 deputy. He also has a problem with authority and recurring nightmares from his childhood. He was tanned the color of whiskey, and his hair was wet and honey streaked, dripping onto his shoulders. Ink scrawled up over his ribs, but the […]
Inspector Hobbes and the Gold Diggers (2014) Wilkie Martin The third Inspector Hobbes / Unhuman book. Andy Caplet is still living with Hobbes, and slowly (slowly) becoming a better human. Hobbes might not be human, but he’s good at being human. We finally discover things about Hobbes! ‘I expect,’ said Sid, with a glance at […]
Who Slays the Wicked (2019) C.S. Harris Set in London in 1814 Lord Ashworth has been discovered naked and repeatedly stabbed in what looks like a crime of passion. But finding the murderer is a daunting prospect. “Do you have any idea who might have killed him?” he asked Stephanie. “Someone who disliked him?” she […]
An Artless Demise (2019) Anna Lee Huber Set in London in November 1831 Kiera and Sebastian are in London, trying to settle into married life, but murder and body snatchers are reminding people who Kiera left in the first place, and Lord Gage is reminding Sebastian that his marriage to Kiera would bring this down […]
Reasonable Doubt (2018) Gregory Ashe Ugh again with the editing issues. Somers freaks out when he discovers a twelve minute phone call that Hazard will make a couple chapters later. Years ago my husband and I watched Fight Club and Snatch, and after that we joked about only watching a movie if Brad Pitt got […]
Guilt by Association (2018) Gregory Ashe Wow. Lots of things that irritated me in the previous book were fixed here with a vengeance. (H)e’d suffered from periods of severe headaches. Over the last six weeks, bruises and abrasions had healed; the gunshot wound to his shoulder and the deep slice across his palm had closed; […]
Paternity Case (2018) Gregory Ashe So. Many. Editing errors. And yet: I keep reading. First, I really really like Nico. “You could have helped him.” Somers gave Hazard an indignant look. “He’s right. You could have helped me.” “Nobody can help you.” … Emery, will you please iron his shirt?” “Hell no.” “Emery Hazard.” “He’s […]
Transposition (2018) Gregory Ashe Emery Hazard and his partner, John-Henry Somerset, are a mess. I’m making steak a lo pobre. And potatoes. And salad.” Stomach rumbling, Hazard said, “I’ll take the first two.” “And a salad. I’ve seen your refrigerator. Do you and Somers even own anything that grew in the sun?” “Does hamburger count?” […]
Pretty Pretty Boys (2017) Gregory Ashe Emery Hazard is given the choice of being fired or being sent home to join the Wahredua police force. Emery decides to take the opportunity to discover what really happened to his friend Jeff Langham, who died when they were in high school. Once, after escaping from his house, […]
Unto Us a Son Is Given (2019) Donna Leon Brunetti’s father-in-law is worried about a friend, and asks Guido to see if his concerns are justified. ‘Gonzalo’s my best friend. We were at boarding school together.’ He looked across at Brunetti and said, unable to restrain his surprise, ‘My God, it was more than sixty […]
Rivers of London Vol. 7: Action at a Distance (2018) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Brian Williamson Set in 2016. When these comics first started, I think that Ben Aaronovitch had a lot of extra material he couldn’t fit in the books. I think that he’s probably used up that material, because these last several comics […]
Suffer Little Children (1995) Peter Tremayne Set in England in 665 Sister Fidelma has been summoned by the dying King of Muman, to act as an advocate to see who killed the scholar Dacan, who had been visiting the Abbey of Ros Ailithir. The matter is important, because Fearna is trying to use the death […]
All the World’s an Undead Stage (2018) Angel Martinez The conclusion to the Offbeat Crimes series (or at least the story arc of who has been targeting Precinct 77) concludes with us going back to Carrington and Erasmus, who are happy enough together, although neither has said the “L” word yet. “Did you skip lunch […]
Jackalopes and Woofen-Poofs (2017) Angel Martinez Alex and the rest of the 77th are dealing with the fall out from the last book, when Kash destroyed the magical working that was creating the attack dust bunnies. Jason’s work is fine, but his family remains a big problem. Paul took five uncomfortable seconds to pounce. “You […]
Feral Dust Bunnies (2017) Angel Martinez I’m glad I purchased this book with the previous, because otherwise I might have ended the series there and that would have been a shame, because this story was great. Alex Wolf is an officer in Precinct #77. Like the others, he’s strange. Weird. When he was little, he […]
The Ghost Had an Early Check-Out (2018) Josh Lanyon Nick and Perry have moved to L.A. where Nick works as a PI and Perry is going to art school. It’s while Nick is out on a case and Perry is sketching when Perry meets Horace Daly, who is seemingly being haunted–except that Perry interrupts three […]
The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks (2011/2016) Josh Lanyon First off, I had a really hard time figuring out just when this book was set. It was first published in 2011, but re-written in 2016, but was definitely not set in 2016. The characters all seem to rely upon land lines and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell […]
Fair Chance (2017) Josh Lanyon Elliot Mills and Tucker Lance are settling into something akin to domestic bliss. Things are still uncomfortable with Roland, after they put his father’s good friend and old radical partner in jail for murder. Elliot must have looked fairly horror-struck because Tucker laughed. “Listen, your father gets caught up in […]
Fair Play (2014) Josh Lanyon Elliot and Tucker are mostly settled down, although they still have the trial stemming from the last case to deal with. Tucker reached over, finding Elliot’s hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissing his knuckles. “Can we not talk serial killers before bed?” When Elliot gets a call in […]
Fair Game (2010) Josh Lanyon Elliot Mills loved being in the FBI–until a shootout left him unfit for anything but a desk job. The pain after his knee replacement had been excruciating, beyond anything he’d imagined or previously experienced, barring the original experience of getting kneecapped. Yes, I did shudder when I read that. Now […]
So This is Christmas (2016) Josh Lanyon Adrien and Jake have returned early from Christmas in London with Adrien’s mother and her husband. Adrien goes to work, only to discover the store not open, and his (step) sister in bed with his Angus, his employee. “Anyway, you think Angus is going to sue me for […]
The Dark Tide (2011) Josh Lanyon When last we saw our heroes, Adrien was in the hospital recovering both from being shot, and from heart valve replacement surgery. It’s three weeks later and he’s finally home above his bookstore, but all is not well: someone keeps breaking into his store, a skeleton is discovered in […]
Death of a Pirate King (2011) Josh Lanyon It’s been two years since Jake walked away from Adrien. During that time, Adrien has been involved with Guy–who is pushing him for more in their relationships–and discovered that he actually enjoys (most of) his new family. Even if he does often find them overwhelming. He’s also […]
The Hell You Say (2011) Josh Lanyon Adrien’s assistant is in trouble. He’s been getting threatening phone call of an occult nature–bad enough that Adrien gives him some money and tells him to leave town. Meanwhile, Jake is involved in a case that might involve the occult, and is irritated that Adrien sent Angus away […]
A Dangerous Thing (2002/2012) Josh Lanyon Adrien English is tired of Jake Riordan canceling their dates–not that Jake would admit they were dates, since he’s deep in the closet. Swell. He preferred humiliating strange men in costume to kissing a man he knew. And presumably liked. So Adrien heads to the ranch he inherited from […]
Fatal Shadows (2000/2012) Josh Lanyon Adrien English’s morning is not off to a good start–the police at his door, informing him of the death of his employee and friend Robert Hersey. “What makes you think he wasn’t mugged?” “Fourteen stab wounds to his upper body and face.” I felt the blood drain out of my […]
Stiletto, Audio Edition (2016) Daniel O’Malley narrated by Moira Quirk Since I re-listened to The Rook, I had to follow up with Stiletto. I keep checking to see if Daniel O’Malley has written anything else, and I am terribly disappointed every time I see that, no, there is nothing else. Why do I love these […]
Circle of the Moon (2019) Faith Hunter This book is set after the last Jane Yellowrock book, Dark Queen, but I’m not 100% clear on the time-line, which was problematic. As best I can tell, this is far enough after the big events that Jane has gone to ground to heal, which is why neither […]
The Pill Bugs of Time (2016) Angel Martinez This is the second half of Kyle and Vikash’s story, told from Vikash’s POV. Why are these two characters fun? Because they are ridiculously geeky–and proud of it. “Should get an Odo bucket,” Vikash murmured. “A what?” Kyle chuckled into his coffee. “Seriously, Carr? You never watched […]
Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters (2016) Angel Martinez Kyle Monroe has been a cop at the 77th precinct for several months, when he is assigned a new partner: the extremely stoic and handsome Vikash Soren. He wants to dislike Vikash, but instead falls for him–which is a terrible idea, since they’re partners. This is a […]
In Other Words… Murder (2018) Josh Lanyon The fourth Holmes & Moriarity book finds the two settled into the new home and starting to talk about more serious matters–like a fancy vacation that might possibly be a honeymoon. Unfortunately, Christopher’s stalker from the previous book is causing trouble, and a body has been found in […]
The Boy with the Painful Tattoo (2014/2018) Josh Lanyon Christopher Holmes has decided to take the next bog step–he and JX are moving in together. JX found a house and Christopher has moved up to San Francisco. Unfortunately, JX has to immediately head off to a convention, and when Christopher starts to unpack he finds […]
All She Wrote (2010/2017) Josh Lanyon Christopher has canceled his weekend with X.J. to go help his mentor, who had a fall and needs help with her writing retreat–and discovering who is trying to kill her. I wouldn’t exactly pronounce the silence dead, as I shoved the stack of papers aside and pulled my laptop […]
Somebody Killed His Editor (2009/2016) Josh Lanyon Christopher Holmes has spent the past 16 years writing his beloved heroine, Miss Butterwith, but sales are flat, and his editor has strong-armed him into coming to a conference in an attempt to help his career (and see if he can stay with his current publishing house). “This […]
Recipe For Treason (2014) Andrea Penrose Set in ~1814 The first two books in this series were fine. This one, however, irritated me. Let’s start with first thing to drive me to a snarky comment, 5% into the story. The coachman had been knocked unconscious by a rock during the initial attack. But with his […]
Murder Takes the High Road (2018) Josh Lanyon Two years ago, Librarian Carter Matheson bought tickets for himself and his boyfriend for the Tour to Die For, a bus trip through Scotland visiting many of the places that appeared in Dame Vanessa Rayburn’s books. But now Carter and Trevor are split, and Carter refused to […]
The Heretic’s Apprentice (1989) Ellis Peters Set in England in 1143. Elave has returned from the Holy Land with his Master’s body–the man died while on pilgrimage, not during the Crusades–and bearing a gift for his adopted daughter. Although the gift causes problems, the first problems stem from Elave thinking on his own about God […]
The Cocoa Conspiracy (2014) Andrea Penrose Set in England and Vienna in 1814. Lady Adrianna stopped at her husband’s favorite bookseller on the way home from the market, only to get into a scuffle with a strange man over a book on chocolate. Sandro, Lord Saybrook, is asked by his uncle, Lord Mellon, to attend […]
Sweet Revenge (2011) Andrea Penrose Set in London in 1813. Arianna Hadley is working in Lady Spenser’s kitchen as a chef, in the hopes to find information about the men who murdered her father. The Earl of Saybrook was invalided out of the Army, and seems to spend most of his days in misery, escaping […]
The Curse of Lord Stanstead (2015) Mia Marlowe Set in London in 1819. With his pretenatural ability to influence the thoughts of others, Garrett Sterling is sent to gather Cassandra for the Order of the M.U.SE. He’s entirely unprepared for his immediate attraction to the comely little firestarter. But it’s an attraction that he must […]
Hexbreaker (2016) Jordan L. Hawk Tom Halloran is a cop hiding a past that would get him thrown in jail–if not executed. Cicero is a familiar without a witch, and his time to remain in that state with the MWP is growing short, which means he may need to accept any witch or find his […]
Any Old Diamonds (2019) K.J. Charles (Lilywhite Boys) Set in England in 1895. Lord Alexander Pyne-ffoulkes–who goes by Alec Pyne–desperately wants revenge upon his father. So he hires the Lilywhite Boys to steal the diamond parvane his father is planning to give his second wife on their 20th anniversary. But Jerry Crozier knows far more […]
The Overnight Kidnapper (2015/2019) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli The 23rd Inspector Montalbano book. The joy of these stories isn’t the mysteries, although they are never bad, but the time spent with Montalbano and all those around him. Like Catarella. “Fazio in?” “Nah, Chief, ’e’s atta scene o’ the kidnappin’ insomuch as the guy’s […]
Dark Angel (1994) Tracy Grant Set in Europe in 1813 Adam Durward was sent to England to live with his aunt when both of his parents were killed in India. Always an outsider, he still fell in love with the girl next door–Caroline. “You look like no Englishman,” he said. Adam stifled a groan. No, […]