Moon Over Soho, Audio Edition (2011/2012) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith This is a story about jazz vampires. “You can’t die of jazz,” said Dr. Walid. “Can you?” I thought of Fats Navarro, Billie Holiday, and Charlie Parker who, when he died, was mistaken by a coroner for a man twice his real age. […]
They Found Him Dead (1937) Georgette Heyer The third Inspector Hannasyde mystery. This one I was pretty sure who the murderer, even if I couldn’t figure out why. Or quite how the second murder was managed. Silas Kane is found dead the day after his 60th birthday celebration. He’s survived by his mother, and a […]
Behold, Here’s Poison (1936) Georgette Heyer The second Inspector Hannasyde mystery. Gregory Matthews is found dead in his bed one morning, with a terrible look up on his face. Everyone assumes it’s a natural death, except for his sister who insists upon an autopsy. The list of possible culprits is quite large, especially since two […]
Death in the Stocks (1935) Georgette Heyer This is, as best I can tell, set around the time it was published, the mid 1930s. What I found fascinating was that I was totally unable to pin down the time. I was pretty sure it was post WWI, but wasn’t quite certain. I think the police […]
The Raven in the Foregate (1986) Ellis Peters Set in England in 1141 The 12th Brother Cadfael mystery finds the war between Maud and Stephen again shifted, this time in favor of Stephen, and the political machinations have reached to Shrewsbury when a new priest is sent for the town. “From here where I stand […]
Very Important Corpses (2017) Simon R. Green This is the third Ishmael Jones mystery. The Organization is sending Ishmael and Penny to Scotland (to that very famous Loch in fact) to provide security for a gathering where one agent has already been murdered, and it’s probable the House has been infiltrated by one or more […]
Midnight Riot, Audio Edition (2011/2012) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith I finished all the Nightside books that I own, and instead of buying the next book (none of them are available at my library) I decided to re-listen to the Rivers of London series, since there is a new book. I do love this […]
Wanted, a Gentleman (2018) K.J. Charles Set in England in 1805. Theodore Swann runs the Matrimonial Advertiser, a paper for helping men and women find spouses. He also writes gothic novels under a pen name. Martin St. Vincent is a freed slave who has done well for himself after being granted his release at age […]
A Gentleman Never Keeps Score (2018) Cat Sebastian (Seducing the Sedgwicks) Set in London in 1817 Sam Fox is an ex-boxer and a Free Black–a pillar of his community who tries to help others as he was helped by this before him. Some black families, like Sam’s mother’s people, had been in England for centuries. […]
Not Quite a Husband (2009) Sherry Thomas Bryony Asquith was was married to Leo Marsden, but their marriage fell about almost on their wedding day, and an annulment was eventually procured. Bryony, a surgeon who had long expected to be a spinster left England to pursue her career. Leo, a math prodigy, also wandered the […]
Midnight Hour (2016) C. C. Hunter I really enjoyed most of the Shadow Falls series, but never quite got into Miranda’s short story, so I held off getting the final book in the series (which is Miranda’s) until it went on sale. It was… nowhere near as good as the rest of the series. It […]
Band Sinister (2018) K.J. Charles Set in England in the 1800s. This is probably the sweetest KC Charles book I’ve read. It’s a M/M romance, and there is boinking, but there is less boinking than I’ve come to expect, and I absolutely adore the main characters. Guy Frisby and his sister Amanda live in seclusion. […]
Diamond Fire (2018) Ilona Andrews This is a Hidden Legacy novella, and covers the wedding of Nevada and Rogan. We also meet Rogan’s mother. “If fortune smiles on us, this will be your only wedding. This will be a formal affair. Your bride will be wearing a breathtaking gown, you will be wearing a tuxedo, […]
Sharper Than A Serpent’s Tooth, Audio Edition (2006/2008) Simon R. Green narrated by Marc Vietor This is the 6th book of the Nightside series, and closes a major story arc–John Taylor knows who his mother is, and the battle between them has come to Nightside. Now all John has to do is defeat his mother […]
Deadly Assessments (2018) Drew Hayes I thought this might have been the last book in the series, but apparently he’s writing another. That’s cool on multiple accounts. 1) I’m enjoying this series and wouldn’t mind another book and 2) this book ended cleanly and I’ve have been content if there wasn’t another book (AKA, no […]
Treacherous Is the Night (2018) Anna Lee Huber Set in Europe in 1919. The second Verity Kent story finds Verity and her husband trying to come to terms with each other–and decide if their marriage will survive his letting her think he was dead for more than a year. I was still coming to grips […]
The Fangs of Freelance (2017) Drew Hayes The fourth Fred the Vampire Accountant book. My name is Fredrick Frankford Fletcher, and I am an accountant by trade. Also, I’m a vampire. Yes, I probably should have led with that second bit, but to be honest, the accountant part factors far more frequently into my daily […]
Bloody Acquisitions (2016) Drew Hayes This is the third Fred the Vampire Accountant book. This is such a fun and silly series. (I)n life my reaction speed was always somewhere between “abysmal” and “for the love of heaven don’t let Fred hold anything too valuable.” The walk to the inn took around ten minutes, but […]
Dead Men’s Boots, Audio Edition (2007/2009) Mike Carey narrated by Michael Kramer The third Felix Castor book finds Fix attending the funeral of a fellow exorcist–one whose calls Felix ignored. The widow asks Felix for help, which draws him into a mystery that John had been trying to solve–and may have gotten him killed. I’m […]
Undeath & Taxes (2015) Drew Hayes This is really five novellas making a single book, which is absolutely perfect IMO. Each of the stories within the book are a complete package all wrapped up, although with bit that carry from tale to tale. Fred is a vampire. But before even that, he is an accountant. […]
The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant (2014) Drew Hayes Often after finishing a book that I really enjoy, I am at a loss as to what I want to read next. Something completely and totally different typically works best. This was perfect for that. I recorded my journeys in the […]
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (2018) Mackenzi Lee Set in Europe and other locales in the 1700s. Oh this was FUN! The sequel to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue follows Felicity Montague, a young woman who does not want to be a proper lady but instead wants more than anything to […]
The Duke’s Gambit (2018) Tracy Grant Set in Scotland and London in 1818-1819 The end of the previous novella is start of this book. Malcolm’s sister Gisèle has disappeared with a member of the Elsinore League and so Malcom and Gisèle’s husband Andrew head to London to look for her. Unfortunately, events in Scotland become […]