The Mystery of the Bones (2019) C.S. Poe (Snow & Winter #4) “Life isn’t all about money, Seb.” “You can say that. You don’t have a hospital bill the length of a CVS receipt.” I’d been shot in May. That batshit crazy Pete White had nearly taken me out with an antique revolver, and all […]
The Mystery of the Moving Image (2018) C.S. Poe (Snow & Winter #3) “I’m ignoring the sarcasm only because I’m incredibly turned on by you spouting random facts at me,” I answered. Calvin smirked. “I’ll remember that.” He’d been seeing a therapist for a few months now, but let’s be honest. It could take years […]
The Mystery of the Curiosities (2017) C.S. Poe (Snow & Winter #2) I liked old black-and-white movies. They were easier to watch, what with never being overwhelmed by the mess of tones and colors blending into one another that represented modern cinema. “Sebastian. I can’t decide if you’re purposefully trying to get yourself killed, or […]
The Mystery of Nevermore (2016) C.S. Poe (Snow & Winter #1) I was born with achromatopsia, which means I can’t see color. … Cones see color in bright light, rods see black and white in low light. My cones don’t work. At all. The world to me exists only in varying shades of gray, and […]
Murder in Highbury (2024) Vanessa Kelly (Emma Knightley Mysteries #1) Set in Highbury, England in 1815 Mrs. Emma Knightley and her friend Mrs. Harriet Martin stumble upon the body of the vicar’s wife, Mrs. Elton. Harriet panics and is foolish while Emma keeps her head and orders her friend to run for the Dr. Hughes […]
A Power Unbound (2023) Freya Marske (The Last Binding #3) Set in England in 1909 Jack felt old and tired. Giving combat orders to young people while heavy with fatigue was like reaching for a guidekeeper: another habit he’d fallen easily back into. He didn’t like it any more than the other. Alanzo Rossi, Alan […]
A Restless Truth (2022) Freya Marske (The Last Binding #2) Set on the Atlantic Ocean ~1908 Grief’s jaws were not blunt of tooth. They snapped shut like a poacher’s trap. “Clarence!” cried Violet, edging sideways on her chair to better display herself to the open doorway. “I’m not decent!” Her cousin scowled and shut the […]
A Refiner’s Fire (2024) Donna Leon (Commissario Brunetti #33) Apparently I borrowed this book at the start of 2025, started reading, got distracted, and the the book was returned without me finishing it. And then I completely forgot about it. So when I borrowed the book this time and started reading, I remembered what I […]
A Marvellous Light (2021) Freya Marske (The Last Binding #1) Set in England in 1908 “You’ve been cursed, and you think this is a time to make jokes?” Blyth shoved his sleeve down again. “I’ve been cursed, so I’ll make all the jokes I please.” A chauffeur was not needed. Robin referred vaguely to friends […]
Viscounts & Villainy (2025) Allie Therin (Roaring Twenties Magic #3) Set in 1925 in New York & England Yesterday’s cable from Geoffrey was checking whether I was returning to England for the Christmas social season or if I was dead and the title was his now. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Sebastian […]
Once a Rogue (2023) Allie Therin (Roaring Twenties Magic #2) Set in 1925 in New York “Tomcat Lodge,” Sebastian read. “I’m not sure people come here to sleep.” “Not at all.” Wesley eyed it. “In fact, if I were going to imagine an inn where drunks could stagger from an illicit speakeasy and hire company […]
Proper Scoundrels (2021) Allie Therin (Roaring Twenties Magic #1) Set in 1925 in London & Paris “You’re his spitting image, you know.” Wesley’s brother had been too, all three of them over six feet tall with the same brown hair and gray eyes. Now only Wesley was left, and he couldn’t set foot in society […]
Wonderstruck (2021) Allie Therin (Magic in Manhattan #3) Set in New York, London, and Paris in 1925 Three tables had been pushed together in the middle to accommodate a big family, one toddler making an enormous mess as she gleefully ate spaghetti with her bare hands. “We don’t owe our hearts to people who hurt […]
Starcrossed (2020) Allie Therin (Magic in Manhattan #2) Set in 1925 in NYC “I’ve had my every minute scheduled by my family. Clearly this trip was a wonderful decision on my part. I might even have seen Rory for two whole minutes the other day.” “Speaking of children,” Arthur said dryly. “Yours are as well-mannered […]
Spellbound (2019) Allie Therin (Magic in Manhattan #1) Set in 1925 in NYC “Quality gin doesn’t run itself from Toronto.” Arthur scoffed. “Fifth Avenue deserves rotgut. Half those arseholes call for segregation during the day then have the nerve to slither into Harlem for culture at night. Be nice to bounce those hypocrites straight out […]
The Sugared Game (2020) KJ Charles (The Will Darling Adventures #2) Set in England in 1924 “You’re Welsh,” Will pointed out. “You’ve got no room to talk about spelling.” “Nothing wrong with Welsh spelling, thank you,” Maisie said, with an edge on her accent. “Come off it. You put two ‘l’s in everything and don’t […]
Slippery Creatures (2020) KJ Charles (The Will Darling Adventures #1) Set in London in 1923 When Uncle William had died, Will remembered an ancient piece of lore about bees, and he’d cleared his throat and told the books, “He’s gone.” He’d been a working part in the State machine for years, a tool to be […]
The Shadow Pavilion (2008) Liz Williams (Detective Inspector Chen #4) Mhara is about to be coronated as Emperor of Heaven, but his changes are making people unhappy. Mhara went on, “What is the essence of our relationship to the human world?” “Compassion?” someone ventured after a moment. “Sanctuary, after the spirit’s travails upon Earth?” “Love?” […]
Precious Dragon (2007) Liz Williams (Detective Inspector Chen #3) Detective Inspector Chen and Zhu Irzh are taken from their current cases and sent to Hell to escort the Celestial, Miss Qi. “Miss Qi will be coming with us, then?” Chen asked, more to stave off yet another difficult discussion than out of any real attempt […]
The Demon and the City (2006) Liz Williams (Detective Inspector Chen #2) “I’m here about an irregularity in your feng shui dowsing license,” the demon said. “My name’s Seneschal Zhu Irzh. Want to see my badge?” At this point he had produced a piece of paper which, to Paravang’s horrified gaze, had proclaimed him to […]
Snake Agent (2005) Liz Williams (Detective Inspector Chen #1) It’s been more than half a decade since I last read this series, and I’d forgotten how much SF and horror it has. Probably because both are far less important than the fantasy and mystery, and neither the SF or the horror is written in a […]
Once Upon a Murder (2024) Samantha Larsen (A Lady Librarian Mystery #2) Set in England in ~1785 Although Tiffany Woodall enjoys being the librarian for the Duchess of Beaufort, not all is good in her world, as she has barely seen Samir Lathrop since the events of the previous book, despite her feelings for him. […]
A Novel Disguise (2023) Samantha Larsen (A Lady Librarian Mystery #1) Set in England in ~1783 Miss Tiffany Woodall knows she is lucky that her half-brother has allowed her to remain to keep house for him, even if she didn’t love or even like him. But after his unexpected death she has nothing, and so […]
Fugitive Telemetry (2021) Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #6) “What controlled circumstances?” I said, “Isolated work installations.” Her expression turned even more grim. “Corporate slave labor camps.” I said, “Yes, but if we call them that, Marketing and Branding gets angry and we get a power surge through our brains that fries little pieces of […]
Shifting Shadows (2014) Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson/Alpha & Omega) Silver Fairy Gifts (previously published in Naked City) Gray (previously published in Home Improvement: Undead Edition) Seeing Eye (previously published in Strange Brew) Alpha and Omega (previously published in On the Prowl) The Star of David (previously published in Wolfsbane and Mistletoe) Roses in Winter In […]
Hudson River Homicides (2025) C.S. Poe (Memento Mori #4) The sender is still taunting Everett with corpses. Scrawled across the door in all caps with what was likely permanent black Sharpie was the message: PIN ME TO DETECTIVE LARKIN. And Larkin is struggling not just to stop the sender, but to deal with his own […]
Dead Heat (2015) Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega #4) The Arabians might not suit you; they don’t suit everyone. They are like cats: vain, beautiful, and intelligent. But you deal well enough with Asil, who is also vain, beautiful, and intelligent. “Shut your piehole, punk kid,” Max said, thumping her on the head with the […]
Fair Game (2012) Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega #3) Leslie learned two valuable things about the fae that day. They were powerful and charming—and they ate children and puppies. Asil bowed his head to Bran’s anger. “That’s why you are the Alpha and I will do anything I can to never be Alpha again.” His […]
Dominoes, Danzón, and Death, Audio Book (2025) Raquel V. Reyes narrated by Frankie Corzo (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery #4) My husband was a recent convert to Miami’s craft brewery scene. Our recycling bin had never been so colorful. The more Marjory talked, the looser she got. The museum that she (and Senior) had ‘paid for’ […]
Hunting Ground (2009) Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega #2) His grandfather had often told him that he tried too hard to move trees when a wiser man would walk around them. So often people got it wrong, treating their elders like children, people to be coddled and ignored. He knew better, and so did the […]
Fortune Favors the Dead, Audio Book (2020) Stephen Spotswood narrated by Kirsten Potter (Pentecost and Parker Mystery #1) Set in NYC in 1945 “I trust you to use your best judgment. Don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable doing.” “You realize I used to dress up like a showgirl and have knives thrown at my face. […]
Think of England (2014) KJ Charles Set in England in 1904 A foreigner and a dandy, because while his shirt was impeccable and the tailcoat and tapering trousers cut to perfection, he was wearing a huge green glass ring and, Curtis saw with dawning horror, a bright green flower in his buttonhole. “The supply lines […]
Proper English (2019) KJ Charles Set in Shropshire England in 1902 “Er, are you thinking of moving to London?” “Absolutely not,” Pat assured him, and noted the tiny relaxation on his face. If she had been metropolis-minded, everyone would have expected her to set up household with her bachelor brother. They’d settled in Pat’s room, […]
Where Foxes Say Goodnight (2023) Sam Burns (Sleeping Foxes #1) Max has won awards and accolades for the semi-biographical story he wrote about his life with his grandmother, so it’s a bit of an unpleasant surprise to awakened the very next day by a lawyer on his doorstep with an NDA from the guy he […]
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter, Audio Book (2019) Alexis Hall narrated by Nicholas Boulton I read this in 2020, and enjoyed it then, so when floundering for my next audiobook (I couldn’t think of a series I wanted to dive into), I went with this. First, the narrator has a marvelous voice, and did […]
Death in the Spires (2024) KJ Charles Set in Oxford in 1905 It’s been ten years, but the crime that caused Jeremy Kite to quit Oxford without finishing his degree continues to follow him. This time it’s a letter to his employer. Jeremy Kite is a murderer. He killed Toby Feynsham. Ask him why. Jem […]
Execution in E (2020) Alexia Gordon (A Gethsemane Brown Mystery #5) “If you don’t want me to see your fingers crossed behind your back,” she pointed to his semi-transparent hand visible through his semi-transparent torso, “you should dial up your density.” “Ms. Markham’s parents’ money buys a great deal of tolerance of Ms. Markham. The […]
Fatality in F (2019) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries #4) He’d hybridized the rose himself and christened it the ‘Sandra Sechrest’ in honor of the librarian who’d given him a biography of Pythagoras when he was seven and sparked his lifelong love of math. Gethsemane winced. Dunmullach’s murder rate had tripled after she arrived. Some […]
Killing in C Sharp (2018) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries #3) Ghost Hunting Adventures reigned notorious for both its physicality and the amount of profanity that had to be bleeped out. “Some versions say Maja was the choice from the jump. Long and short of it, the baroness tricked Maja into going to the construction […]
Barbacoa, Bomba, and Betrayal, Audio Book (2023) Raquel V. Reyes narrated by Frankie Corzo (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery, #3) (M)y Cuban family stayed up on Christmas Eve, Nochebuena, cooked a whole pig, had a delicious meal, danced and sang, played games, and opened presents. Then twelve days later, the Three Kings came to give the […]
Blank Spaces (2016) Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections #1) “It’s not that I don’t like you. It’s more like I don’t know you.” “You’ve glared at me for most of lunch. That’s what I meant.” “Oh.” He went red again. “I thought you were being all pretentious and coming on to me or something, so I […]
Death in D Minor (2017) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries #2) “Thank you, Miss Brown,” Hank said. “Doctor Brown,” she corrected. “Oh, that’s right, you do have some sort of degree in, what is it, music?” “A Ph.D. From Yale.” “You must forgive me, Doctor Brown. I believe I mentioned before I don’t pay much […]
The Tattered Cover (2025) Ellery Adams (Secret, Book, & Scone Society #8) There is a good deal of excitement for Nora and her friends in Miracle Springs. First for Nora, she is holding her live event with an author, and has a second event lined up for Halloween. “A medium?” Betty cried. “Count me in! […]
Murder in G Major (2016) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown #1) Teaching teenaged schoolboys was going to be almost as much fun as defending her dissertation to a hungover committee head who’d lost his tenure and his wife in the same week. Almost. “My friends call me Frankie.” “And what should I call you?” Gethsemane asked. […]
Broadway Butchery (2023) C. S. Poe (Memento Mori #3) It hasn’t been that long since Everett resolved the issue of the subway killer, and his Cold Case Department is getting great press, but things are difficult, and someone with knowledge of the cases continues to send anonymous notes and evidence to Larkin. “Did you watch […]
Subway Slayings (2022) C.S. Poe (Memento Mori #2) Detective Everett Larkin is finally healed from the injuries incurred during his previous case. He is also now living with the detective be became friends at that time, Ira Doyle, as he’s in the process of getting divorced and wasn’t capable to living on his own until […]
The Missing Page (2022) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers #2) Set in Cornwall, England in 1947 Not knowing how to respond to that, as he could hardly accept a compliment bestowed on a version of himself that was twenty years out of date, he pasted on a smile. “The letter from the solicitor said the […]
Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking, Audio Book (2022) Raquel V. Reyes narrated by Frankie Corzo (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery #2) I am very much enjoying the narration. I don’t speak Spanish, but the story is perfectly understandable despite that, and, honestly, I think the Spanish is lovely to listen to. This series is about an archaeologist […]
Hither, Page (2019) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers #1) Set in England in 1946. Do you know, James, this evening I thought to myself: I would like to put paper stars and glass balls on a tree.” “I see you’ve reached the heights of depravity.” “I’d suggest going easy on this fellow. He had a […]
Mystery on the Menu: A Three-Course Collection of Cozy Mysteries (2023) Nicole Kimberling “This is Andrew,” Evelyn announced, waving her hand back as though I were some stray dog that had followed her home. “He’s the chef at the murder restaurant.” I pivoted and strode briskly into the walk-in refrigerator all the way to the […]