One Good Turn (2022) Sarah Wallace (Meddle & Mend #2) Set in London ~1816 Nell Birks doesn’t want the life she grew into. As an orphan plucked off the streets she was glad to have food to eat and a safe place to sleep, but she wants to learn magic rather than continue life as […]
The Murder of Mr. Ma, Audio Book (2024) John Shen Yen Nee, S.J. Rozan narrated by Daniel York Loh (Dee & Lao #1) London, 1924 Dee stayed in the shadows of the horse stall for some minutes, until, as he told me later, the visions from the trenches had begun to fade. For this was […]
Lavender House (2022) Lev AC Rosen (Evander Mills #1) Set in San Francisco in 1952 Evan Mills has been dismissed from the SF police department after being caught in a raid at a queer club. Caught–quite literally–with his pants down. Now with no job, and no home (he was thrown out). Even he wouldn’t meet […]
Murder in Blackfriars (2026) Jennifer Ashley (Below Stairs Mystery #9) Set in London in 1884 This series seems like its winding up. Daniel is disentangled from Mr. Monaghan and Kat and Daniel are settled into a relationship. Daniel and I had come to an agreement to wed, though we were waiting to iron out the […]
Final Heir, Audio Book (2022) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (Jane Yellowrock #15) The final Jane Yellowrock book. Well, I finished it. And on audio no less. Did I enjoy it? I don’t really think I did. Most of the major deaths occurred in the last book (and there were some shockers there). There […]
Cry Wolf (2021) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #5) “Did you know the cat is being more cordial than either of you right now? And I know for a fact she was raised in an alley.” “Also, he said to tell you you’ve been demoted to fourth rank.” “We don’t do ranks,” Park protested. “We’re […]
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (2020) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #4) I couldn’t justify throwing out sixty years of data. It wasn’t the science that was bad. It was the way he used it. The reasons he used it. “I think I’m going to give therapy another try. You know, real therapy and not informal […]
Thrown to the Wolves (2019) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #3) Just like any power-hungry man, deep down he was a coward. In her lap Boogie was curled up and purring so loudly the sound practically echoed through the barn. Helena couldn’t have looked more like an evil mastermind if she tried. He comforted himself […]
The Wolf at Bay (2018) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #2) This book opens with possibly my favorite scene ever. “Birthday, anniversary, or apology?” … “You’ve been standing here staring at that flower shop for fifteen minutes. So is it for her birthday or anniversary, or are you making up for a fight? Because I’ve […]
The Wolf at the Door (2018) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf, #1) The old-fashioned investigative work Cooper had dreamed of doing when he got recruited to the FBI wasn’t really applicable these days. … After cases like Bethesda he felt like a glorified bounty hunter, and that wasn’t why he’d wanted to get into law […]
Murder Crossed Her Mind (2023) Stephen Spotswood (Pentecost and Parker #4) Set in NYC in 1947 Defense attorney (and ower of apologies to Lillian Pentecost) Forest Whitsun has come asking for help. His friend–the retired secretary for the law firm he used to work for–is missing, and he is certain something bad has happened to […]
Secrets Typed in Blood, Audio Book (2022) Stephen Spotswood narrated by Kirsten Potter (Pentecost & Parker #3) Set in NYC in 1947 “I’ll say this, though—she refused to meet my eyes. That screams someone with something to hide.” My boss shook her head. “I don’t think that was intentional,” she said. “I believe she is […]
Father Material (2026) Alexis Hall (London Calling #3) This is the conclusion to Luc and Oliver’s story, and unlike the previous two books, doesn’t follow the beats of any particular romantic comedy–or honestly, a romantic comedy. That’s not to say it isn’t funny: there is a good deal of silliness. “What do you want to […]
The Unmatchmakers (2022) Jackie Lau Leora may find her mother frustrating, but she’s looking forward to a week at the vacation house her mother bought with her two best friends–even if she hasn’t seen the kids she nearly grew up with in years. It’s a bit weird, us all hanging out as adults. Different than […]
Husband Material (2022) Alexis Hall (London Calling, #2) Oliver had been seeing a trained professional for nearly two years because of his parents so I did my best to be sensitive and not poke anything that might be the emotional equivalent of a bear or a mine—or a bear-mine, which would be a bear that […]
Boyfriend Material (2020) Alexis Hall (London Calling, #1) “I’m conscious this could be rather burdensome to hear, but you remain the thing I have most chosen for myself. The thing that’s most exclusively mine. The one that brings me the deepest joy.” if we let happy things make us unhappy when they stopped, there would […]
Murder Under Her Skin, Audio Book Stephen Spotswood narrated by Kirsten Potter (Pentecost & Parker #2) Set in Stoppard VA in 1947 I had some preconceived notions of what to expect from the Pig’s Hole, and it did not disappoint. It had clearly started life as a cheaply made shotgun shack and had only gone […]
Skim Blood and Savage Verse (2017) Angel Martinez (Offbeat Crimes, #3) How could he have even thought about not celebrating his thirty-fifth birthday? Especially if it meant it gave her an excuse to invite all the old money and local officials to the affair. And outside? Of course it had to be outside. The weather […]
The Pill Bugs of Time (2015) Angel Martinez (Offbeat Crimes, #2) It was the first time Vikash had experienced Greg’s particular talent being useful. He heard emotions, but only negative ones and only avian ones, and not just any birds, but only waterfowl. It was one of the most absurdly specific paranormal talents Vikash had […]
Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters (2015) Angel Martinez (Offbeat Crimes, #1) (T)he pink and neon-blue raven folded his wings and waddled over to snap at Carrington’s pen. “Stop it, Edgar.” “You couldn’t get laid at a clusterfuck!” “I don’t really do anything,” Soren answered as he hefted the empty coffeepot. “Guess I’ll make fresh since […]
Death and Dinuguan (2025) Mia P. Manansala (Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery #6) This is the sixth and final book in the series, and oddly, the one I liked best. A series of break-ins have hit the small businesses of Shady Palms, made all the more upsetting as all the victims were women. Adeena said, “I […]
Next to You (2022) Hannah Bonam-Young (Next #2) Lane doesn’t really know what to do with herself. She’s not unhappy, but she’s not happy either. So after her birthday she decides to purchase and renovate a bus–a far cry from her twin who got respectably engaged to a respectable guy. A guy who seems to […]
Cheddar Luck Next Time (2025) Beth Cato Bird is slowly rebuilding her life after losing both her parents and then her grandmother within a single year, but her inheritance gave her one thing: the ability to focus on her gourmet cheese board business. The property she inherited from her grandmother has a commercial kitchen, and […]
A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience (2024) Stephanie Burgis (The Unexpected Adventures of Lady and Lord Riven #1) Set in an alternate 19th century England. After being kept awake for 48 hours by her unscrupulous aunt and uncle, Margaret has been forced into marriage she didn’t want. Margaret set her teapot and cup on a side […]
Not So Cookie Cutter (2019) Aidan Wayne He clasped his hands behind his back, at-ease stance so he wouldn’t cross his arms. He’d been told enough times that it made him look like a thug, so he tried to avoid doing it. He tended to hyper focus when it came to certain subjects, and to […]
The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal (2015) KJ Charles Set in England in 1894- “I inherited it from my uncle three months ago. The house has stood empty for many years because of its evil reputation. I felt that was an absurd superstition, and I need to sell the place, so I thought I could […]
The Mystery of the Spirits (2021) C.S. Poe (Snow & Winter #5) I looked at Ferguson and offered a saccharine smile. “I guess I’m used to people telling me to shut up and therefore have to consolidate an entire religious movement that lasted nearly a century, heavily influenced by sensationalism and the mass casualties seen […]
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 […]
Subtle Blood (2021) KJ Charles (The Will Darling Adventures #3) Set in England in 1924 “I might have to buy one, actually, it was such fun. Shall we, Maisie? We can call her Suzy.” “Su— A Hispano-Suiza?” Kim demanded. “Do you know how fast those beasts go?” “We do now,” Maisie said. “I’d like a […]
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 […]
Merlin in the Library (2018) Ada Maria Soto (The Agency #1.5) Martin wanted to reassure Arthur that he was fine and send him back to bed, except his therapist reminded him every session that there was nothing wrong in asking for help and he should do so whenever he felt the need. This advice was […]
His Quiet Agent (2017) Ada Maria Soto (The Agency #1) It was seven when he walked into Martin’s room and found him tying his tie. “Wes hAl,” he greeted him with one of the dozen phrases the children had managed to teach him. Martin’s face had yet to retreat fully back into the silent blankness […]
A Matter of Magic: Mairelon the Magician and The Magician’s Ward (1991) Patricia C. Wrede (Mairelon the Magician) This is just such a cozy and comforting read. She was glad she wouldn’t have to wear the rags she’d had on earlier, but she was rapidly becoming uncomfortable with the number of things Mairelon was giving […]
Not Your Valentine (2023) Jackie Lau Helen is done with romance. And not unreasonably so. Charlie Kung broke up with me at a restaurant last Valentine’s Day, a break-up that practically everyone in the world witnessed. But everyone keeps asking her if she’s moved on, and it’s annoying, so the obvious solution is to create […]
System Collapse (2023) Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #7) (According to Martyn, ART is of course capable of doing its own accounting, but it always ends up with extra numbers that no one can trace. So now Turi does it and has to keep a hardcopy ledger because otherwise ART would alter their data. No […]
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 […]
Network Effect (2020) Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #5) “What is that thing?” Target Leader demanded. “What are you? You’re a bot?” Thiago said, “It’s a security unit. A bot/human construct.” Target Leader didn’t seem to believe him. “Why does it look like a person?” I said, “I ask myself that sometimes.” Over the comm […]
Exit Strategy (2018) Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #4) Listening to the SecSystem’s audio, I heard a crew member in the corridor say, “I’ve never seen one out of armor. They really do look human.” I made a gesture in that direction that I had only seen in the shows that were rated high on […]
Rogue Protocol (2018) Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3) Pretending bad things aren’t happening is not a great survival strategy in the long run. I was getting an idea. It was probably a bad idea. (When most of your training in tactical thinking comes from adventure shows, that does tend to happen.) Or Miki was […]
Artificial Condition (2018) Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #2) I didn’t care what humans were doing to each other as long as I didn’t have to a) stop it or b) clean up after it. Constructs sometimes fall under the same category as bots, sometimes under the same category as deadly weapons. (FYI, that is […]
All Systems Red (2017) Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #1) This is why I prefer wearing the armor, even inside the habitat where it’s unnecessary and can just get in the way. Human clients usually like to pretend I’m a robot and that’s much easier in the armor. But the company would access all those […]
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 […]
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 […]
System Collapse, Audio Book (2023) Martha Wells narrated by Kevin R. Free (The Murderbot Diaries #5) “Thank you for your help,” Iris said, in a way that could be mistaken for politeness by a bot but a human would definitely know there was an undercurrent of fuck you. “Are you going to bill us later?” […]
Network Effect, Audio Book (2020) Martha Wells narrated by Kevin R. Free (The Murderbot Diaries #5) Thiago: “You trust it that much?” Mensah: “With my life, literally. I know what it will do to protect her, and you, and the rest of the team. Of course, it has its faults. In fact, it’s probably listening […]
Exit Strategy, Audio Book (2018) Martha Wells narrated by Kevin R. Free (The Murderbot Diaries #4) (Deleting memories like that doesn’t work. I can delete things from my data storage, but not from the organic parts of my head.) I “liked” these clothes. Maybe I actually liked them enough to remove the quotation marks around […]