The Body in the Back Garden (2023) Mark Waddell Luke Tremblay didn’t plan to every return to Crescent Cove, but when his aunt dies and leaves him her cottage and store, he has to head back to settle her affairs. And since he’s just broken up with his long term boyfriend, getting out of town […]
Only When It’s Us (2020) Chloe Liese (Bergman Brothers) Trigger Warnings: cancer, death, grief I read Always Only You and liked it, but didn’t rush out to read other books in the series. Finally, I decided I might be in the mood to try another, and tore through the story, despite all the very hard […]
Die for Love (1984) Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby) First, I love the reminders of a world past. Jacqueline began to fear she would miss her plane. When she remonstrated, he said cheerfully, “Oh, there’s plenty of time,” and indeed they reached the gate several seconds before the loudspeaker announced the last call for Flight 576. […]
Gouda Friends (2022) Cathy Yardley (Ponto Beach Reunion) Tam has had the day from hell. “I’m sorry, Tam. But he’s a vice president. What was I supposed to say?” Lydia had then pointedly glanced at her watch. “You can take tomorrow off, all right? Now, you’d better get going. The hotel people say the last […]
Hunting Ground, Audio Book (2009) Patricia Briggs narrated by Holter Graham (Alpha & Omega) His grandfather had often told him that he tried too hard to move trees when a wiser man would walk around them. My people are cursed with the love of beautiful things and no ability to create them. This is the […]
The Murders of Richard III (1974) Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby) “No. It’s been dated to about 1580. Like most of the other portraits of Richard, it was probably copied from a lost original. The only one that might be a contemporary portrait is in the Royal Collection. When it was X-rayed recently, the experts found […]
The Bullet That Missed (2022) Richard Osman (Thursday Murder Club) The gang are back together (they were never apart, actually) and have decided to look into the murder of a young newscaster, partially because it is an interesting case (no body was ever found) and partially because Joyce wants to meet the man she worked […]
Known Devil (2014) Justin Gustainis (Occult Crimes Unit Investigation) Karl hadn’t complained about taking the damaged elf to the hospital. He wouldn’t be allowed to take part in any interrogation, anyway. The Supreme Court had ruled in Barlow v. Maine almost forty years ago that anything a suspect said in the presence of a vampire […]
Donut Fall in Love (2021) Jackie Lau Ryan Kwok is worried that his latest movie is a flop. This movie could be a major setback. Movies about guys like him weren’t allowed to flop. People would point at this single movie as proof that no more like it should be made. He’s also dealing with […]
Murder Most Actual (2021) Alexis Hall Clue, but with a married lesbian couple. (N)ext to the real log fire sat an equally real, although substantially less loggish, gentleman dressed in a manner that might have been called natty at around the time people used the word natty, but which now read more as hipsterish. Mr […]
Evil Dark (2012) Justin Gustainis (Occult Crimes Unit Investigation) There’s just something about an over-the-top supernatural police procedural. Pretend that there’s a file folder somewhere, a big, thick one, labeled Real Bad Ideas. There’s at least three things I can think of that belong in there – inviting a werewolf for a moonlight stroll, telling […]
A Marvellous Light (2021) Freya Marske (The Last Binding) Set in England in 1908 Another time period I love–not yet modernity, but some of the trappings are starting to appear. A chauffeur was not needed. Robin referred vaguely to friends of his who owned motorcars and had taught him the knack of it in Hyde […]
A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons (2022) Kate Khavari (Saffron Everleigh) Set in England in 1923 Saffron Everleigh a research assistant in University College London, and very few people believe she earned and deserved her degree and position (Because: 1923). Safforn feels she owes everything to her mentor, Dr Maxwell, so when a woman […]
The Seventh Sinner (1972) Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby) This was written in 1972, and is a product of those times–but not horribly so. (T)he long white scar on his forearm was the result of a bayonet cut acquired during the Six Days’ War, and Ted was already respected in academic circles for his research on […]
Cry Wolf, Audio Book (2009) Patricia Briggs narrated by Holter Graham (Alpha & Omega) Anna was forcibly Changed, and then terrorized by her pack, as the alpha’s last ditch effort to keep from having to kill his mate. Now she has come with Charles–her mate, according to her wolf (and his)–to Aspen Creek. Unfortunately, there […]
The Bookshop and the Barbarian (2023) Morgan Stang This was a delight. I kept stopping and reading bits aloud to Michael. “Well, perhaps you know them better as adventurers? Swords-for-hire? Mercenaries? Sellswords? You see, a murder-hobo is a man or woman who travels all about the land. They have no home. Their primary source of […]
Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson, Audio Book (2014) Patricia Briggs narrated by Lorelei King and Alexander Cendese 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 […]
His Grandfather’s Watch (2012) N.R. Walker I’m having trouble focusing, so I’m reaching for short stories and novellas. My other option would be graphic novels, but then I’d have to find my reading glasses. I knew from experience when things weren’t great, there was something about the human connection of being hugged. It had healing […]
The Man Who Died Twice (2021) Richard Osman (Thursday Murder Club) This series is just fun, After the adventures of the last book, Joyce has perhaps become a little bored. “Do you think a dog might be good company?” asks Joyce. “I thought I might either get a dog or join Instagram.” Ibrihim also has […]
The Phoenix Illusion, Audio Edition (2018) Lisa Shearin narrated by Johanna Parker (SPI Files) I’d forgotten that this story is a bit all over the place. It eventually gets where it’s going, but it seemed to wander places solely for Rake to shower Mac with presents. Aside from that tho. As much as I wanted […]