J.D. Brinkworth: The Pie and Mash Detective Agency

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Debut

This charming, funny book, set in present day London, follows the adventures of Jane Pye and Simon Mash, a dating couple who decide to take a detective class at their local learning center.  (To a US reader, this will translate as a community college course.) Jane is between jobs, aka unemployed, and while Simon is working, he’s still willing to go along with Jane on her lark, which started with a book on detection that proved only too inspiring.

As a final assignment, the teacher (and working private eye) Gavin, assigns each team in the class a case to be solved.  He gives the only unsolved case to Jane and Simon, and, as it later becomes clear, it’s one he himself has been frustrated by for decades. Jane and Simon plunge right in, going to interview the witness, Dev, whose girlfriend has vanished.  The only problem is that the police don’t believe she ever existed as Dev doesn’t have a photo of her, she doesn’t seem to be a voter, be on National Health, or have a passport or driver’s license. read more

Sujata Massey: The Star from Calcutta

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Perveen Mistry #5

One of the best written and smartest historical series being created these days are the books by Sujata Massey featuring female lawyer Perveen Mistry, who navigates the turbulent waters of India in the twenties. While never giving way to scolding polemic, the issues Perveen experiences become an organic part of the story, allowing Massey to highlight women’s issues in a way that resonates with the reader of today.

More of a straight up traditional mystery than some other instalments but no less enjoyable for it, The Star from Calcutta opens, with Perveen and her father – whose firm she works for – meeting with a movie producer named Subhas.  He’s worried that his most bankable star (and wife) is in breach of contract and asks them to see what they can do to resolve the issue, inviting Perveen to a party and screening at his home slash movie studio to see what she can uncover. read more

E.A. Jackson: Missing

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Debut

This was an unexpectedly wonderful read.  Set in London, the book follows Detective Inspector Martha Allen, who catches the 1990 case of a missing baby in a somewhat sketchy London hotel.  When the police arrive, the parents are utterly distraught (the mother has actually been sedated), and they go all out to find 5 month old Bella, who was snatched through an open window in the middle of the night, without waking the parents. This seems unlikely to DI Allen, but she and her team find clues, though most are frustrating dead ends. read more

Marnie Riches: The Gardener’s Club

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This charming, sweet novel is set in the world of the competitive gardening clubs in the UK.  The main character, Gill Swanley, a widowed single mom, is juggling a burgeoning teen, a horrible job and a difficult and aging mother.  Her job seems especially soul crushing, as she’s in charge of a group of insurance call centers, ordered to cull her workforce by uncovering the slackers.

Riches manages to find humor in this situation, especially in the texts from Gill’s teenaged son (the one where he can’t find the lasagna she left for him to heat up for dinner is a classic).  For respite, she decides to try joining a garden group called the Bromley Botanists. Her first get-together sounds a bit like an AA meeting with everyone sharing their feelings, but the main thrust of the discussion becomes the “Golden Trowel,” a gardening award which the Botanists have never won, something they are determined to change in the coming year. Gill is just beginning to form alliances and friendships with members of the group when she and Marjorie, the Queen Mum of the group, discover a dead body in the community greenhouse and all heck breaks loose. read more

Charles Todd: A Day Of Judgement

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Inspector Ian Rutledge #25

Chief Inspector Ian Rutledge’s long-awaited return is set in July 1921. He’s still suffering from shell shock and England is suffering from a heat wave when a body washes up near the island of Lindisfarne in Northumberland. Since the “holy island,” home to Saints Cuthbert and Aidan, is a popular pilgrimage destination, the Church of England is concerned about how the murder will affect its reputation and that of Lindisfarne itself.

Newly promoted Chief Inspector Ian Rutledge is sent to investigate the murder and to use his social and political skills to protect the Church’s reputation. He finds locals who are suspicious of outsiders and still angry about U-boat attacks off their coast during WWI. He also finds that police jurisdiction is in the midst of a post-war reorganization that raises questions about who should be involved in the investigation with Rutledge. read more

Deanna Raybourn: A Ghastly Catastrophe

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Veronica Speedwell #10

Although she certainly owes a debt to Elizabeth Peters and her character Amelia Peabody, Deanna Raybourn has managed her own memorable creations in the amusing Veronica Speedwell and her intriguing partner, Stoker.  Veronica is an intrepid explorer and sleuth in London in the late 1880s who specializes in the study of butterflies. Her unmarried partnership with taxidermist and fellow explorer Stoker is beyond unconventional, but their shared aristocratic lineage lets them get away with a lot. They live on the estate of Lord Rosmorran as they catalogue his extensive collection of objects, but this idyllic existence seems fated to be interrupted by the murders and mysteries that inevitably come their way. read more

Patrice McDonough: Murder by Moonrise

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Dr. Julia Lewis #3

In 1867 London, the Isle of Wight was a holiday destination, one even favored by the royal family.  Queen Victoria had a home there and was often in residence.  In our story, Dr. Julia Lewis is vacationing on the Isle of Wight with her grandparents and missing and wondering about Detective Richard Tennant, who has been abroad and on the hunt for a villain for months.  She hasn’t heard from him and alongside worrying that he’s OK, she’s also worried that she was too forward, and that he doesn’t feel about her as she does about him. read more

Stacy Hackney: The Primrose Murder Society

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Paperback Original

The Primrose Murder Society is the first adult mystery by Stacey Hackney, who has previously written two middle grade books. Indeed, this mystery also prominently features a kid – main character Lila’s rebellious little girl, Bea. When we meet mother and daughter, they’ve lost just about everything but each other. Lila’s well to do husband, Ryan, has been caught committing fraud and has abandoned them to run from the law. No one in Lila’s upper crust circle believes that she didn’t know about the crimes, and she has been shunned from society. read more

Tim Sullivan: The Politician

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DS George Cross #4

I love a good police procedural, especially ones with an interesting main character like Tim Sullivan’s  DS George Cross.  Not so comfortable with humans he’s at home with facts, figures and making connections, because, like Detective Monk, he’s neurodivergent in a way that makes him both good at his job and extremely annoying to those around him. This series is huge in the UK and the US publisher is slowly releasing them stateside.  This is installment four in the series, and although it’s the first I’ve read, it stands comfortably on its own, with the characters and relationships clear. read more

Lilli Sutton: A Long Dark Night

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A Long Dark Night is the second novel by Lilli Sutton, and it follows her debut stand alone that was of a similar mold – a harsh story of survival with themes of family, resilience, and ambition. Nina’s story, however, is also a murder mystery. Coming home when the corona virus shuts down the world, Nina is estranged from her parents and siblings and has been running her own restaurant. Her family lives in isolated Whitespur, Alaska, and has limited access to any form of technology, especially cell service. Before, her mother wrote her letters, but Nina eventually stopped answering them. Her mother never acknowledged her success. read more