Subtle Blood (2021) KJ Charles (Will Darling Adventures #3) Set in England in 1924 Lord Arthur recently became notorious for the killing of man-about-town Johnnie Cheveley in shocking events at Lord Waring’s ancestral home. No blame was attached to Lord Arthur by the Coroner’s jury. “They commended him, you shits,” Will growled at the paper. […]
The Sugared Game (2020) KJ Charles (The Will Darling Adventures, #2) Set in London in 1924 “Do you ever have the feeling the whole world changed while we were away and nobody bothered to mention it to us?” “I know you’ve thought about this,” Will said. “But there are men in the world who aren’t […]
Slippery Creatures (2020) KJ Charles (The Will Darling Adventures, #1) Set in London in 1923 “My grateful nation wasn’t grateful enough to give me a job. I pawned my medals to keep a roof over my head and food in my belly, and I’ll tell you what, the Military Cross doesn’t fetch a great deal, […]
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 […]
Lament at Loon Landing (2023) Josh Lanyon (Secrets and Scrabble) This is the sixth book, and accidentally came out after the seventh. However, since it’s a cozy series, that wasn’t a serious issue. Now that summer is over, Ellery is starting to worry the bookstore isn’t going to remain in the black until the tourists […]
Paper Cuts (2023) Ellery Adams (A Secret, Book, and Scone Society) A couple has opened a tea shop in town, and when Nora and her friends visit, she discovers one of the owners somehow seems to know her–and is distraught by the fact. There were a surprising number of editing and continuity errors in this […]
Murder by the Book (2018) Lauren Elliott There was a lot happening in this story. “The first incident was almost a year ago. My fiancé, David, was murdered in our apartment in Boston.” “About six months ago, my father was killed in a car crash, not far from here, actually. Pen Hollow, just down the […]
Death at the Deep Dive (2022) Josh Lanyon (Secrets and Scrabble) This is book seven of the Secrets and Scrabble series. However, book six has not yet been published “due to circumstances outside our control”. Luckily, at this point in the series the switch isn’t a problem, since they are written as stand alones (mostly). […]
The Vanishing Type (2022) Ellery Adams (Secret, Book, & Scone Society) One of the things I particularly like about this story is the variety of the characters within. And that those traits don’t define the characters: Sheldon is ace but also Hispanic and Jewish and someone who suffers from chronic pain, and also someone who […]
Body at Buccaneer’s Bay (2021) Josh Lanyon (Secrets and Scrabble) This was delayed, and delayed, and delayed. However, a brief check of her website made it clear that she (like the rest of us) was struggling with the pandemic, and would be unable to meet her publishing schedule. Which, good for her for realizing that, […]
Murder in the Cookbook Nook (2021) Ellery Adams (Book Retreat Mysteries) Jane Steward runs Storyton Hall–a retreat for book lovers in a small town in Virginia. A cooking show is going to be recording episodes–and basing the challenges on favorite books and stories of the host. I picked this up because I’ve been enjoying the […]
Ink and Shadows (2021) Ellery Adams (Secret, Book, & Scone Society) Book 4 in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society series. When Nora and Sheldon set up a new window display on books featuring powerful women (and with a Halloween themes) they hope to draw people into the store. They don’t expect a group of […]
The Book of Candlelight (2000) Ellery Adams (Secret, Book, & Scone Society) It feels like it won’t stop raining in Miracle Springs. Although the rain is good for business, Nora’s store is a mess, and she needs more “shelf-enhancers” so she bikes over to the local flea market to search for finds. When she later […]
Subtle Blood (2021) KJ Charles (The Will Darling Adventures) Set in London ~1924 Will Darling is finally somewhat comfortable in his relationship with Kim Secretan, even if they continue to have to hide they are more than just acquaintances. Will is also finally doing a decent job with the bookstore he inherited–due in part to […]
Scandal at the Salty Dog (2021) Josh Lanyon (Secrets and Scrabble) Ellery Page seems to have gotten his man. He and Police Chief Jack Carson may be seeing each other, but Jack isn’t pleased when Ellery gets involved in another mystery–especially since he’s just recovered from the events of the previous one. Ellery was able […]