Stiletto, Audible Edition (2016) Daniel O’Malley narrated by Moira Quirk Felicity Clements is a Pawn of the Checquy–a pawn who wants to become a Barghest. Odette Leliefeld is the great(s)-granddaughter of Ernst, lord and master of the Wetenschappelijk Broederschap van Natuurkundigen. She and her little brother have come to England with the Broederschap delegation to […]

Voice of the Violin, Audible Version (1997/2003/2008) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli narrated by Grover Gardner This book begins the slow and slight redemption of Catarella. “Oh, Chief, I got another streamly impoitant ting to tell ya. Somebody from Montelusa Central called to talk to me in poisson, Inspector Whatsizname, Tontona.” “Tortona.” “Whatever’s ’is […]

A Case of Possession (2014) K.J. Charles (A Charm of Magpies) The second Charm of Magpies books finds Stephen and Crane the subject of blackmail. Crane, being an Earl, would be fine ignoring the blackmailer, but Stephen, being poor, could easily be arrested for their relationship. But then they suddenly have a much larger problem–giant […]

The Magpie Lord (2013) K.J. Charles (Charm of Magpies) One for sorrow Two for joy Three for a girl Four for a boy Five for silver Six for gold Seven for a secret never to be told Eight for a letter over the sea Nine for a lover as true as can be Lucien Vaudrey […]

The Rook, Audible Version (2012) Daniel O’Malley narrated by Susan Duerden Myfanwy Thomas awakens in a park, surrounded by bodies, with no idea who she is. I really do like this story a lot. It’s so dryly funny. The meeting with the people from accounting proved spectacularly uninteresting as Myfanwy learned how cheaply one could […]

The Snack Thief, Audible Version (1996/2003/2007) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli narrated by Grover Gardner The third Inspector Montalbano book. Montalbano’s relationship with Augello is quite antagonistic. Catarella is still an idiot, and although he argues with Livia, their relationships isn’t quite as hostile as it has gotten in later books. When the spaghetti […]

Rivers of London:

Why Kill the Innocent (2018) C.S. Harris Set in London in 1814 Hero is researching the wives of men who were pressed into the royal navy, specifically, how those women are often left destitute when their husbands are kidnapped off the street. After visiting one such woman, Hero literally stumbles over the body of a […]

Death of a Hollow Man (1989) Caroline Graham The Causton Amateur Dramatic Society is putting on Amadaeus, and its a seething pit of dramas and resentment. He always tried to get home before his wife, not only because she hated finding the house empty but because he looked forward to hearing the continuing saga of […]

An Unsuitable Heir (2017) K.J. Charles (Sins of the City) Set in London in 1873 Mark is a private enquiry agent. He and his mother came to England, fleeing Poland after his mother got in trouble one too many times for her anarchism. Through the lawyer who often defended his mother, he came to know […]

An Unnatural Vice (2017) K.J. Charles Set in London in 1873 This book follows–and in some cases overlaps–An Unseen AttractionClem’s brother is dead, his heir has been made a bastard, and now Clem’s friends are trying to keep Clem’s cousin from throwing him out of his home by searching for another possible heir–the children on […]

An Unseen Attraction (2017) K.J. Charles (Sins of the City) Set in London in 1873 This is a MM boinking book. Clem Tallyfer is the keeper of his brother’s lodging house in London. It’s how he makes his living–surviving on the sufferance of his brother. He’s also different, and that makes things even more difficult. […]

The Temptation of Forgiveness (2018) Donna Leon One of Paola’s co-workers comes to Brunetti because she fears her son is using drugs. Elletra seems to have gotten herself into a spot of troupe. Patta wants Brunetti to deak with issues with Scarpa. The instinct to institutional survival stilled Brunetti’s tongue. He waved his hand and […]

A Pattern of Lies (2015) Charles Todd Set in Europe in Autumn 1918 It’s time to take a break from this series. Reading one after the other is making me notice the weaknesses rather than the strengths. It’s unfortunately, because I thought the bits about the mill were very interesting. (A) mill had to be […]

An Unwilling Accomplice (2014) Charles Todd Set in Europe in Autumn 1818. I may need to step away from this series for a little bit, or at least read something in between books, because I’m beginning to wonder just how much murder a nursing sister in the Great War can possibly witness/get involved in. That […]

A Question of Honor (2013) Charles Todd Set in Europe during the summer of 1918. I still really like this historical bits of these stories. The war is still ranging, influenza is still decimating the ranks on both sides, and the militaries are learning how to fight this “new” war. Since the institution of helmets […]

An Unmarked Grave (2012) Charles Todd Set in Europe in the spring of 1918. A new enemy has entered the war, one that indiscriminately cuts down both sides. The Spanish Influenza had already cut down three of our nursing sisters, and two doctors were not expected to live through the night. The rest of us […]

A Brush with Shadows (2018) Anna Lee Huber Set in 1831 in Dartmoor England Lady Darby and her husband Sebastian Gage have been summoned to Dartmoor by Sebastian’s grandfather, because his cousin has gone missing. But when they arrive, it seems that everyone believes Alfred has simply gone off for awhile–he has a deserved reputation […]

A Bitter Truth (2011) Charles Todd Set in Europe in 1917 Bess Crawford is back in London on leave from the war when she finds a young woman hiding in her doorway. Deciding to help her leads to a chain of events including the uncovering of murder. I do love the historical settings of WWI. […]

The Killings at Badger’s Drift (1987) Caroline Graham Miss Emily Simpson was found dead in her home. An elderly woman, her death didn’t seem suspicious, but her best friend, Miss Lucy Bellringer insists that something was wrong and the death should be investigated. I had very very vague memories of this book. First, that Inspector […]

A Conspiracy in Belgravia (2017) Sherry Thomas This is the second Lady Sherlock Holmes book, and as I’ve mentioned before, I generally hate Sherlock Holmes stories, but this one I don’t mind as such, since instead of taking the characters are Doyle wrote them, she has imagined that Sherlock Holmes was based upon a woman, […]

The Terra Cotta Dog, Audio Edition (1996/2002/2007) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartaelli narrated by Grover Gardner I do enjoy this series, and I’m glad that Michael is enjoying listening to it (since I couldn’t get him to read it). We see Montalbano become fascinated with a murder that happened during WWII–a completely inexplicable tableau. […]

This Side of Murder (2017) Anna Lee Huber Set in England in 1919. Verity Kent is a war-widow. Her husband was killed during the Great War and she has spent the last 15 months trying to come to terms with his dead and adapt to her new status. The period during and immediately after the […]

An Impartial Witness (2010) Charles Todd Set in Europe in 1917. Nursing sister Bess Crawford has just escorted a group of wounded soldiers back to London, including a terribly burned pilot whose picture of his wife was what he turned to through his excruciating first days. When that woman’s murdered body is discovered, Bess realizes […]

A Duty to the Dead (2009) Charles Todd Set in Europe in 1916 Bess Crawford is a nursing sister on the HMHS Britannic when its sunk by the Germans. She’s sent him to recuperate, and also to deliver a message given to her by a dying soldier. The mystery here is good, but what I […]

Shores of Desire (1997) Tracy Grant Set in Europe in 1815 Robert Lescaut is a French colonel and spy, who has come to Scotland to try and discover who killed his wife–a woman he believed was a Scottish Blair. Emma Blair is tired of the feuding between the Blairs and Lauders, so when Captain Robert […]

Dark Angel (1994) Tracy Grant Set in Spain and England in 1813 Adam Durward has used his ability with languages to move throughout Europe, gathering information. He also investigated issues in England, including the problem of exploding canon. Caroline Rawley has known Adam since they were children. Once they were best friends, then things changed […]

The Myth Manifestation (2018) Lisa Shearin Our world is populated by a greater variety of creatures than we might imagine, from vampires and werewolves to goblins and dwarves and all variety of creatures considered mythical. For these creatures to hide in plain sight, a treaty was hammered out 100 years earlier, to keep fights that […]

The Brimstone Deception, Audio Version (2016) Lisa Shearin narrated by Johanna Parker This is a series that we both listen to on car trips. I generally try to get input as to what Michael wants to listen to (since he’s the driver) but generally it’s me picking a couple books and him choosing one of […]

Hugger Mugger (2000) Robert B Parker narrated by Joe Mantegna Walter Clive has hired Spenser to come down to Georgia to see who has been shooting his horses. What Spenser finds makes no sense: there is no rhyme or reason to the shootings, and the in-house security has seen nothing. Two of the three daughters […]

At Bertram’s Hotel (1966) Agatha Christie Several years ago when I had the flu I started to re-read the Miss Marple mysteries (which I hadn’t done in a couple decades). I read through all my favorites, then stopped once I felt better. Since I’ve been reading books set in the time of her later mysteries, […]

Die for Love (1984) Elizabeth Peters The third Jacqueline Kirby book finds Jacqueline headed to New York for a romance conference (it was the only thing she could find to let her escape Nebraska for awhile). Why do I like Jacqueline? “You can have this when I’m finished, if you like.” “Really? Oh, that’s really […]

Into the Darkness (1990) Barbara Michaels Meg Venturi’s grandfather is a renowned jeweler, and his death leaves her his heir. But Meg has tried to escape the business and her past, including the deaths of her parents that led her to being raised by her grandparents and becoming the sole heir. It wasn’t until after […]

Hush Money, Audio Version (1999/2000) Robert B Parker narrated by Burt Reynolds WARNING: The production and transfer to digital on this are awful. Truly terrible. What I listened to was full of clicks and skips and was generally terrible. If I’d have paid money for it instead of borrowing I’d probably have been pissed off. […]

Dead Man Walking: A country house murder mystery with a supernatural twist (2016) Simon R Green I tend to either love Simon R Green’s series, or … not. This is a series I like I think. Ishmael Jones works for a super secret agency that takes care of beings and events that would disturb the […]

Devil May Care (1977) Elizabeth Peters Ellie is heading to VA to housesit while her Aunt Kate heads on a short vacation. But after Kate leaves, a series of strange events leads her to wonder if something supernatural is happening in the house. First, Ellie’s fiance is awful, and you can see the whole thing […]

Sudden Mischief (1998) Robert B Parker narration mangled by William Windom In case the above didn’t clarify, that was terrible. The narration was so bad that if I wasn’t stubborn I’d have stopped listening after the first chapter. However, I was already reading a couple other books, and since I was walking when I started […]

The Pyramid of Mud (2014/2018) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli Book 22 of the Inspector Montalbano series. At the end of a Beam of Light, Montalbano receives a shock that causes him pain and apparently put Livia into a great depression. Because of the strange publishing of the Montalbano books, this was two novels […]

The Black Hand (2008) Will Thomas The fifth Barker & Llewelyn book finds the inquiry agent and his apprentice asked to find a solution to mafia killings that have come to London. “Are many of them Sicilian?” “Sicilian?” Dunham asked, as if it were a new word to his vocabulary. “Dunno ’bout that. One I-talian’s […]

As Death Draws Near (2016) Anna Lee Huber Set in Ireland in 1831 Kiera and Sebastian are on their honeymoon when Gage receives a letter from his father, ordering him to Ireland. (A) nun at the Loretto Abbey there, has gotten herself murdered. The matter is of some importance to His Grace, the Duke of […]

Small Vices, Audible Version (1997) Robert B. Parker narrated by Burt Reynolds This is, hands down, one of my favorite Spenser books. It’s a story that puts Spenser’s complexity right up front, as the client he is hired to clear is an unlikable career criminal. “Just don’t get romantic on this one,” Jackson said. “Ellis […]

A Pressing Engagement (2016) Anna Lee Huber Set in Scotland in 1831 This is a short story, but you should think of it as an outtake from the novels, rather than a stand-alone story you could pick up to read if you are unfamiliar with the characters or want to see if you like the […]

A Study in Death (2015) Anna Lee Huber Set in Scotland in 1831 Lady Darby is slowly returning to society, and has started taking commissions again. Her sister is planning Kiera’s upcoming wedding to Sebastian Gage as a way to deal with her confinement during her pregnancy and as a distraction from the danger she […]

A Grave Matter (2016) Anna Lee Huber Set in Scotland in 1831 After the death of her friend in the previous book, Kiera has fled to her brother’s home (her sister and brother-in-law are in Edinburgh during her sister’s pregnancy), but a New Year’s Eve murder pulls her into another investigation, and back into the […]

Mortal Arts (2013) Anna Lee Huber Set in Scotland in 1830. Alana and her sister and family are setting up in Edinburgh, because Alana is pregnant again, and the local doctor is a quack, and they want her to have access to better care. Their journey–slow as it is with Alana’s carriage sickness–is interrupted with […]

The Anatomist’s Wife (2012) Anna Lee Huber Set in Scotland in 1830. I must have read the first paragraph of about twenty books before I settled on a re-read of The The Anatomist’s Wife. Lady Darby has been hiding at her brother-in-law’s estate after her husband’s death and the ensuing scandal. At a house party, […]

The Murders of Richard III (1974) Elizabeth Peters The second Jacqueline Kirby book finds her in England. Her friend Thomas is a Ricardian–part of a group that wants to rehabilitate the image of Richard III. It’s been dated to about 1580. Like most of the other portraits of Richard, it was probably copied from a […]

Chance, Audio Version (1996/1997) Robert B. Parker narrated by Burt Reynolds And I’ve reached Burt Reynolds narrating, and almost the book where I entered this series. The criminals in Boston are in a bit of an upheaval, and some of it is Spenser’s fault: He and Hawk took out Tony Marcus several years earlier, and […]

The Seventh Sinner (1972) Elizabeth Peters I read one book in this series years and years ago, and remembered next to nothing about it other than I wanted to read the other books in the series, so when I came across the ebooks on sale, I snatched them up. First, this story was copyrighted in […]

Jar City (2000/2004/2011) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Bernard Scudder narrated by George Guidall This ended up being the next book to listen to in the car. Michael doesn’t love mysteries as much as I do, but he does enjoy them, so I decided to try this one, since I do love this story. First, this […]