The Berkeley Square Affair (2014) Teresa Grant Set in London in 1817. Interestingly, this is a re-writing of her first book, Secrets of a Lady, so I was slightly confused for awhile, until I realized what was going on. I actually like this better than the original book, partially because she didn’t take the “easy” […]
Sympathy for the Devil (2011) Justin Gustainis I came to this series because I very much enjoy his Occult Crimes Unit Investigations (despite the horrific covers), so I’ve been slowly working my way through his Quincy Morris series. Slowly, because I just don’t enjoy it anywhere near as much as the other series. I started […]
A Beam of Light (2012/2015) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli The problem with the “surprise” in this book is that it refers to events that happened early in the series, and since that character hadn’t been referred to in years, having him brought up again (when he hadn’t been for ages) made it pretty […]
Secrets of a Lady (2002) Tracy Grant Set in London in November 1819 This is the first book in the Malcolm and Susanne Rannoch (Charles & Melanie Fraser) series, but is set in a time after almost all the other books. Because I’ve read a lot of the other books in this series already, I […]
London Interlude (2015) Tracy Grant Set in London in June 1814. This is a very short story. 77 pages according to Amazon. So just be aware of what you are getting. This is the 8th book in the series, but set towards the very beginning of the overarching story, and probably a good introduction to […]
A Dangerous Madness (2014) Michelle Diener Set in London in 1812. Phoebe Hillier has been engaged to Sheldrake at the instance of her father and her family, because their families were close, and because Sheldrake desperately needs her money. So when he breaks her engagement her feelings are complicated. She had all but accepted the […]
Bangkok 8 (2003/2011) John Burdett narrated by Paul Boehmer This series has always fascinated me. Sonchai Jitpleecheep is a Buddhist ahrat and a Thai detective–a rare uncorrupt detective–and the son of a Thai prostitute and an unknown American GI. All of these things make him a man who is incredibly foreign to the western mind, […]
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2005/2008) Stieg Larsson translated by Reg Keeland I read this the summer I broke my ankle. Because of that, much of my memory of it was fuzzy, both because I read a lot that summer and because I was taking a lot of pain killers. So I figured I […]
Fiction River: Hex in the City (2013) edited by Kerrie L. Hughes “King of the Kingless” by Jay Lake “Speechless in Seattle” by Lisa Sliverthorne “Thy Neighbor” by Nancy Holder “Somebody Else’s Problem” by Annie Bellet “A Thing Immortal as Itself” by Lee Allred “Geriatric Magic” by Stephanie Writt “Red as Snow” by Seanan McGuire […]
Werewolf Smackdown (2010) Mario Acevedo I’m a sucker for supernatural detectives (See: Simon Green & P.N. Elrod) so I snatched up the first Felix Gomez books when I came across them, then I seem to have forgotten about them, so when I had the chance to pick up Werewolf Smackdown on sale, I grabbed it. […]
Pocket Apocalypse (2015) Seanan McGuire The 4th InCryptid book. Alexander Price is a cryptozoologist–he studies and protects the unique and sometimes magical species that inhabit our world with us–species that are often sentient and can even mimic humans. Alex accompanies his girlfriend Shelby back home to Australia where her family is dealing with an outbreak […]
The Mayfair Affair (2015) Tracy Grant Set in London in 1818. Malcolm and Susanne Rannoch have had a difficult three months, after Malcolm finally learns that Susanne had been a French agent. But when their governess is accused of murder–found on the scene in fact, they hope the tenuous peace between them won’t be shattered […]
The Snack Thief (1996/2003) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli Obviously, Camilleri didn’t stop after the second book, so we have the third in the series, which finds Montalbano investigating the stabbing death of an elderly man, while elsewhere, a fisherman is shot to death in a typically international incident with Tunisia. Yes, the title […]
The Terra-Cotta Dog (1996/2004) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli The second Montalbano book was, according the Camilleri, was supposed to be the last. I felt less than fully satisfied with how the figure of Montalbano had come out. I felt as if I had painted an incomplete portrait of him, favoring his role as […]
The Shape of Water (1994/2002) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli This is the first Inspector Montalbano story, and was supposed to be the only Montalbano story, however, the character got away from the author, and we now have many books to enjoy. “Inspector Montalbano? This is Mr. Luparello.” “What the hell! Didn’t you die?” […]
Lord John and the Hand of Devils (2007) Diana Gabaldon This is a collection of three stories–novellas, really rather than short stories: Lord John and the Hellfire Club, Lord John and the Succubus, and Lord John and the Haunted Soldier. “Lord John and the Hellfire Club” Set in London in 1756, prior to Lord John […]
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (2007) Diana Gabaldon Set in London in 1758. This is not my favorite Lord John story, although events that happen here are both the culmination of past mysteries, and the impetus for events in later stories. “But your brother is not now Duke of Pardloe?” Despite himself, […]
Lord John and the Private Matter (2003) Diana Gabaldon Set in London in 1757. This is the first Lord John book; his first novella is “Lord John and the Hellfire Club” which you can find in Lord John and the Hand of the Devils. This is a re-read for me–something about Lord John’s stories just […]
Foxglove Summer Audible Version (2015/2015) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith OMG I LOVE KOBNA HOLDBROOK-SMITH SO MUCH! (SWOON) ahem. I love this series, but I love Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s narration EVEN MORE. Peter Grant is somewhat despondent about the events that occurred at the end of the last book (not that he’ll admit it) so […]
Game of Mirrors (2011/2015) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli I really enjoy these books. Inspector Montalbano is continuing to age, and continues to worry that he’s losing it (what “it” is, varies from book to book), which I am okay with, because it adds another dimension to his character. He still lives for food. […]
Dead Men’s Boots (2007) Mike Carey The last book ended with Castor being booted out of his living quarters by Pen, and the Stranger giving him 30 days to find somewhere else for Rafi, or they were sending him to Jenna-Jane Mulbridge–a fate even worse that his current miserable situation, timesharing his body with the […]
Who Buries the Dead (2015) C.S. Harris Set in London in 1813. “In my experience, people who view others as social or financial assets rarely do accumulate close friends.” A body is discovered at Bloody Bridge–its head sitting on the brick wall, the body lying nearby in the grass. At first, there seems to be […]
Vicious Circle (2006) Mike Carey Felix Castor can’t stay out of trouble. He’s taking some consulting work for the police, to bring in some money, but when parents as him to find their daughter–who is a ghost–Felix gets in bigger trouble than even he expected. There’s just something about the writing in these books. Felix […]
The Fourth Secret (2002/2014) Andrea Camilleri translated by Gianluca Rizzo and Dominic Siracusa These are not the usual translators for this series, and they were nowhere near as good as his usual translators. First, there were multiple errors (in this short novella), and second, Catarella’s voice is very different here than in the books, which […]
The Devil in Music (1997) Kate Ross Set in 1821 and 1825. This story is told in two parts. The first in 1821 is the story of Orfeo, a young Englishman studying music in Italy, and of Lodovico Malvezzi, an Milanese. The second part, set in 1825, is how Julian Kestrel, traveling in Italy, searches […]
Whom the Gods Love (1995) Kate Ross Set in 1825 This is the third Julian Kestrel mystery, and finds Julian called to the grave of a Alexander Falkland, by his father, Sir Malcom. Alexander was brutally murdered at a party in his own home, Bow Street has no clues, and is (for the most part) […]
The Devil You Know (2008) Mike Carey Felix Castor is an exorcist, a job that has been quite in demand since the dead starting coming back in the late 90s. (T)he Bible is strangely coy on the subject of the were-kind, hedges its bets on demons, and draws a big fat blank on ghosts, so […]
London Falling, Audio Book (2014) Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch (The Shadow Police) I really liked the audible version of London Falling. Detective Inspector James Quill is heading the investigation (which includes undercover officers Costain and Sefton) to take down crime lord Rob Toshack. Intelligence analyst Lisa Ross has personal reasons for wanting Toshack […]
Dark Angel (1994) Tracy Grant Set in 1813 Adam Durward is the son of a English father and an Indian mother, and as such has never felt comfortable anywhere, but does have the ability to blend in throughout Europe as needed, which serves him well as a spy. Caroline is a spoiled and irritating woman […]
Tales from the Nightside (2015) Simon R. Green The Nightside. “Where all your dreams can come true, especially the really bad ones. This is a collection of Nightside stories, many of which I have read before, and a previously unpublished novella. If you’re a Nightside fan, then you’ll want this. If you’re not sure if […]
Legion: Skin Deep (2014) Brandon Sanderson This is the second story about Stephen Leeds, and it’s just as delightful as the first. Stephen is insane, but in an extremely useful way. He is a genius, and to use his genius he manifests different aspects who are experts on whatever he is researching. But he is […]
The Forbidden Rose (2010) Joanna Bourne Set during the French Revolution Marguerite de Fleurignac is on the run. The Jacobeans have burned her home and tried to kill her. But she has far greater worries than the loss of her home–if her secrets are learned, many lives could be threatened. William Doyle–going by the name […]
My Lord and Spymaster (2008) Joanna Bourne There is so very much to like about this book. Jess Whitby was a thief, but is now the daughter of one of the richest traders and is a genius at accounting. “I am England’s expert on skullduggery in accounting.” And she is desperately searching for the traitor […]
Rightfully His (1998) Tracy Grant The conclusion to the Lescaut Quartet. This is a historical mystery with boinking. But not tons of boinking. Set in 1822 This book was set up at the end of the last book, but you shouldn’t need to read the previous books in the series. Of course, reading this book […]
Shadows of the Heart (1996) Tracy Grant This is another boinking book that is an excellent mystery. Set in 1817. Paul Lescaut is the unrecognized bastard son of a French Marquis, Daniel de Ribard, and his childhood wish was for revenge. Unfortunately, as we see in the prologue, his revenge was not what he was […]
Shores of Desire (1997) Tracy Grant This is a boinking book, but it is also a marvelous historical mystery. Set in 1815. Robert Melton and his son are traveling to Scotland to try to discover why his wife was murdered. Because he is a French spy, he is traveling under a false name and not […]
A Broken Vessel (1994) Kate Ross The second Julian Kestrel mystery. Which means I’m now halfway through the series. Julian Kestrel is once again pulled into mystery and murder when his manservant Dipper runs into his sister, and she inadvertently brings a mystery to them. This book takes a deep and unpleasant look at prostitution […]
Cut to the Quick (1993) Kate Ross I was out of sorts and couldn’t decide what I was in the mood to read when I realized THIS was what I wanted to read. Or rather re-read. “I try to be interested in very nearly everything. I always think boredom is to some extent the fault […]
The Spymaster’s Lady (2008) Joanna Bourne You’re getting the alternate cover here, because I really don’t care for the cover that came with my version. In fact, I hesitated to read the book because the (other) cover made the book seem like something that wasn’t particularly for me. I was wrong. This book was for […]
Wild Card (2014) Lisa Shearin This short story is an introduction to Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares series. I fully admit that despite being elves and goblins and not set in this world, I like it. Probably because it was a PI story, so the world building gets to take second place to the mystery. But […]
Cursed Moon (2014) Jaye Wells Book 2 in Prospero’s War finds Kate Prospero and the MEA (as well as the BPD) trying to keep calm in a city in a magical uproar for the coming Blue Moon. She is also struggling with her guilt over the events in the previous book, and her worry about […]
The Dragon Conspiracy (2015) Lisa Shearin This is the second book of the SPI files, and a fun romp. But is also has a few things that are quite different from other books in this genre. Such as this: Starting a romantic relationship with Ian and having it go bad would make our time at […]
Foxglove Summer (2014) Ben Aaronovitch When dealing with the law, having a mysterious past is contraindicated. I love this series so much. We return again to Peter Grant, police constable and apprentice wizard. He is still trying to deal with the results of the last case he worked–the one where his co-apprentice and friend Lesley […]
Tainted Blood (2014) M.L. Brennan This is the third book in the Generation V novel, and finds Fort helping to cover for his brother, following the death of Chivalry’s latest wife. This means he’s sent to take care of situations where he is in over his head. Luckily for him, he’s friends with Suze, and […]
The Mask of Night (2011) Tracy Grant Again, a reminder that this is a somewhat confusing series to read, as the publication order and chronological order are not related. The main portion of this book is set in 1820, but there are flashbacks going back to 1809, which provide bits and pieces of the back-story. […]
Night Shift (2014) Nalini Singh; Ilona Andrews; Lisa Shearin; Milla Vane Let me be clear from the start: I read only two of these stories. In fact, I was going to read only one story, Ilona Andrews’ story “Magic Steals” until I realized the next story was a Lisa Shearin SPI files story. I very […]
The Troubled Man (2009/2011) Henning Mankell translated by Laurie Thompson I’ve been in a mood lately where I don’t know what I want to read. I have several new releases I have been waiting for, but they just don’t appeal to me for some unknown reason. So I randomly chose The Troubled Man because I […]
Beneath a Silent Moon (2003) Tracy Grant This series is somewhat confusing, as the author has published it under two different names (Tracy Grant / Teresa Grant) and the main characters have two different names (Charles & Melanie Fraser / Malcom & Suzanne Rannoch). It is, however, the same series. Additionally, the books were written […]
Whispers Under Ground Audible version (2012/2012) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith I am enjoying listening to this series so much. I tore through all the available books when I first came across the series, and have been waiting impatiently for the next book in the series, but the narration by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is such […]
Outrage (2008/2011) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Anna Yates This is not Inspector Erlendur. Erlendur has taken a leave of absence, and no one knows where he is. Instead, the detective is Elínborg, a female detective who works with Erlendur. Because of crime–the murder of a rapist–Elínborg was a much better main character, since one would […]