Reviews

Chris Nickson: No Precious Truth

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Cathy Marsden #1

Often when I read a book set during WWII, I imagine myself as the heroine of an exciting yet dangerous espionage operation, looking glamorous while I take it on.  Nickson offers readers a different take – ordinary Cathy Marsden, seconded from the Leeds police department to serve in the SIB or Special Operations Bureau.  SIB was part of the military police. As the book opens, Cathy’s unit is joined by her brother Dan, presently working in London in the XX Committee, a part of MI5.  XX tried to turn German spies in England into counter agents, feeding disinformation back to Germany. read more

Jesse Q. Sutanto: Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)

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Vera Wong #2

These books are like comfy, beautiful pillows for your brain, and, let me tell you, these days that’s not a bad thing.  Vera, the heroine of the series, is the 60 something widow who, in the first book, finds a dead body in the middle of her formerly obscure tea shop, ultimately finding friends and a purpose in the act of solving a murder.  Vera is opinionated, bossy, maternal, and an excellent cook, who as the book opens, gets a scam phone call which cons her into sharing her social security number and even a photo of her driver’s licence. read more

Allie Pleiter: One Sharp Stitch

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Nimble Needle #1

One Sharp Stitch is the first of the Nimble Needle Mysteries by Allie Pleiter. Readers are taken to Gwen Lake, outside of Asheville, North Carolina, with Shelby Phillips. Having just lost her job as well as a possible relationship, Shelby is headed home for a break from her life and to help her mother out at her needlepoint shop, the Nimble Needle. Her parents are finally taking a vacation in their RV. Shelby will only be minding the shop for a month, as she keeps reminding her parents and her perfectionist sister, Jessica. There’s also a trunk show coming up for local vendors, and Shelby will have to work with an old classmate, Kat Katsaros, who now makes needlework scissors — very artsy and expensive needlework scissors. Kat also sharpens blades of all kinds in a van that she happily uses to transport her scissors and crafts. read more

Lauren Elliott: A Spirited Blend

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Crystals & CuriosiTEAS #3

In Lauren Elliott’s third Crystals & CuriosiTEAS mystery, A Spirited Blend, Shayleigh Myers is making the most of her life in Bray Harbor, California as a tea shop owner and local seer. After having her life completely destroyed, and everything taken from her, Shayleigh is slow to trust and cautious of new ventures. Despite that, Bray Harbor has quickly begun to feel like home thanks to the lovely locals, a large white German Shepard named Spirit, and her sister Jen and her family. Not only is she learning how to run her tea shop, she’s also having to learn how work with and use her ancestors powerful magic, known as Early Magic. For the longest time, she fought against the validity of her visions and the magic local Gran Madigan talked about. However, there’s only so much proof denial can stand against, and now Shayleigh is embracing the magic and learning to respect the dangers that come with it. read more

V.M. Burns: The Next Deadly Chapter

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Mystery Bookshop #10

In V. M Burns’ mystery bookshop series, Samantha Washington, who prefers to go by Sam, owns a bookstore in Michigan and is a recent publisher of her own cozy mystery. Thanks to the support from her grandmother, Nana Jo, and her friends from the Shady Acres Retirement Village. Sam has not only written about murder, but has solved a few as well, including one where the ever ornery and confrontational Sheriff Brad Pitt, or Stinky Pitt as they prefer to call him, ended up in her debt, much to his horror and embarrassment. Sam has also recently become engaged to her friend and former investigator Frank Patterson. It really does seem that Sam’s life is looking up, even with the murders she keeps helping to solve. read more

Erica Ruth Neubauer: Homicide in the Indian Hills

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Jane Wunderly #6

Homicide in the Indian Hills is the sixth full-length book in Erica Ruth Neubauer’s Jane Wunderly series set in various locations around the world in the 1920s.  Jane, an American war widow, has recently married the enigmatic Englishman Redvers, and this represents their first case as a married couple.  The couple met in Egypt, in the first book in the series, Murder at the Mena House, and so far their adventures have taken them to Istanbul, a Scottish island, a transatlantic voyage on the sister ship of the Titanic, and several other places.  Redvers carries out secret operations for the Crown, and usually these lead to a murder which Jane and Redvers solve. read more

Nikki Knight: Hound of the Bonnevilles

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Grace the Hit Mom #2

This is the second book in the deliciously high concept “Hit Mom” series.  Knight’s heroine, Grace Adair, only takes out those who truly deserve it.  And she does it in an untraceable way.  Book one had many details of the way her organization functions; this second book deals more with fallout of actions taken by Grace and her fellow murder-y sisters.  While this sounds intense, humor is on tap here.

While Grace is a “hit mom” she’s also a mom-mom, as well as an editor and a sometime practicing lawyer.  In other words, she’s extremely busy.  She and her husband, who have a solid and affectionately loving marriage, share a fairly low maintenance son but her life still revolves around school drop off and pick up time.  It’s truly amazing what she manages to fit in between those times. read more

D.E. White: Everyone is Lying

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Alexandra has built a perfect life based more than a little on a lie. When she was young, she worked for the Candy Girls – party favors for high class men – though she herself never slept with anyone. As the host of these debauched parties, she saw and heard much more than the other girls did. That included the events of the very last the Candy Girls hosted, where she saw something that has haunted, and followed her, her entire life. The aptly named Everyone is Lying by D.E. White starts when Alexandra’s house of cards starts to topple. read more

S.K. Golden: The Socialite’s Guide to Sleuthing and Secrets

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Pinnacle Hotel #3

This adorable series continues to be both adorable and thoughtful.  The heroine, hotel heiress and agoraphobe Evelyn Murphy, dresses almost completely in pink and dyes her hair blonde like her idol, Marilyn.  It’s 1958 and Elvis rules, as does Evelyn’s spoiled pom, Presley.  Evelyn’s almost boyfriend Mac has taken off for parts unknown, and so she’s entertaining ideas of other suitors throughout the book.

The main story, however, centers on the “Ladies Who Love to Sparkle”, women who sell costume jewellery, Tupperware party style.  As Evelyn enjoys tea in her hotel’s dining room, one of the sparkle ladies asks her to join them.  They share their catalogue, and all share a glass of champagne.  So far so good, but then the leader of the group collapses in Evelyn’s lap and later dies in the hospital. read more

Ann Cleeves: A Lesson in Dying

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Inspector Ramsay #1

This welcome re-release of the first book in Ann Cleeves’ Inspector Ramsay series, originally published in 1990, is a pure delight.  Our bookstore (open 1992-2018) was lucky enough to have many of these  now collectible volumes on our shelves.  Before breaking out with her Vera books in 1999, the hardworking writer produced two now completed series, one centering on birdwatching, and this debut in the Ramsay series, a real, golden age gem.

Of course, the golden age of mystery ended many decades before this series began, but Cleeves follows many of the plotting and set up tropes familiar to any fan of the classics.  Set in a small village, the book begins when the much hated school headmaster of the insular community  is done away with at a combination Halloween/Guy Fawkes party for the school kids.  To the natives, all of whom are more than familiar with each other, Inspector Ramsey seems like  a exotic creature who appears from above to swoop in to solve the crime. read more