Month: October 2024

Carolyn Haines: Blue Christmas Bones

by

Sarah Booth Delaney #28

Carolyn Haines’ twenty eighth Sara Booth Delaney Mystery is Blue Christmas Bones. Sarah Booth and Tinkie are going on a well-deserved vacation from their business, The Delaney Detective Agency, to visit Tupelo, Mississippi, for a festival honoring the king of rock and roll. That’s right, book twenty eight is all about Elvis and those who love him still. Impersonators, singing competitions, king themed beverages, and plenty of gift buying opportunities. The Elvis impersonator competition is the main draw for the event, and Sarah Booth’s friends are competing as well. All in all it looks like they will finally get to really just relax and enjoy some crime-free fun. read more

Elly Griffiths: The Man in Black

by

Short Stories

It wasn’t so long ago that Elly Griffiths penned the last instalment of the Ruth Galloway series – but definitely long enough to miss the characters. The Man in Black provides a delicious taste of Ruth’s world once again, as well as familiar favorites from Griffiths’ other series. However, established characters aren’t the only ones to appear in these short stories. Griffiths’ stories are brief, but full, sketches. The book introduces glimpses of many lives, just little capsules of how they think and live and feel. read more

Louise Penny: The Grey Wolf

by

Chief Inspector Gamache #19

In the impressive 19th installment of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny, The Grey Wolf, something more than murder is lurking in the darkness. Gamache is at first baffled by a string of seemingly random murders – people with quiet lives and no enemies, killed execution style with no reason for it. The investigation is slow going, likely stalled, and Gamache isn’t sure where to turn next.

However, a meeting with a stranger changes everything. When this man is killed directly in front of him, trying to tell Gamache a final secret, things get set in motion that none of them ever would have expected. Cryptic clues and old faces just lead the inspector further and further down the rabbit hole and put his family, and Three Pines, in jeopardy, alongside maybe even more lives and something bigger than each of them. read more

Benjamin Stevenson: Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret

by

Ernest Cunningham #3

This amuse-bouche of a Christmas read features intrepid detective Ernest Cunningham.  In the first book, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, murders piled up at a family reunion; in book two, Everyone on This Train is a Suspect, Ernest is on a train trip through Australia featuring mystery authors, when – you guessed it – bodies pile up.  In the Christmas version Ernest is summoned by his ex who is sitting in jail, covered in blood, accused of killing her partner. read more

Carlene O’Connor: You Have Gone Too Far

by

County Kerry #3

This series, set in tiny Dingle, Ireland, is focused on Dimpna Wilde, a veterinarian. In the first two novels, Dimpna was front and center, but in this third outing she takes a bit of a back seat to a full on, ticking clock police investigation. Stepping up is Detective Inspector Cormac O’Brien, who catches the most nightmarish of cases, one that’s haunted by a similar case from 20 years ago.  The perpetrators of that case have recently been released from prison, and Cormac’s Sergeant, Barbara Neely, has never gotten over working that one. It drives her forward with pure fury. read more

January Book Club: Katie Tietjen

by
Katie Tietjen

As always our book club meetings are open to all.  During the winter months, we meet exclusively on zoom.  Simply message us on facebook or email me at store (at) auntagathas.com for a zoom link.  In October, we’ll meet on the 20th at 2 p.m. to discuss Michael Bennett‘s debut novel, Better the Blood, featuring a Māori detective.  This is a strong start to a new series.  In November, we are delighted to welcome author Vanessa Lillie on Sunday, November 17 at 2 p.m.  She’ll discuss her wonderful novel, Blood Sisters, which I very much hope is a series kick off.  We take December off and in January we are lucky enough to have new author Katie Tietjen join us on Sunday the 19th at 2 p.m.  Katie will discuss her first novel, Death in the Details. The book is loosely based on the work of Frances Glassner Lee who created crime scene “nutshells” (miniature rooms, basically) and revolutionized the way crime scenes are processed and investigated.  As Katie is a novelist, however, she brings the reader her own fascinating story.  This is a terrific debut novel, one of my favorites of this year. read more