Nilima Rao: A Shipwreck in Fiji

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Sgt. Akal Singh #2

This series takes the reader on a journey to the complex society of Fiji in 1915.  At that time the island was naturally populated by Fijians, but there also by many Indians who had been imported as indentured labor, some of whom chose to stay on the island after working through their service.  Since the islands were a colony at the time, there’s the added ingredient of the British overlords, the mixture sometimes finding a hard time cohering.

Main character, Sergeant Akal Singh, is stationed in the capitol, Suva, but he’s come to Fiji from Hong Kong (originally from the Punjab) somewhat under a cloud.  He’s still on a short leash as far as his commanding officer is concerned and given what he views as a simple babysitting job.  He’s to escort two Australian ladies aiming to clean out the home of their brother and uncle, the newspaper editor in Suva on the island of Ovalau. He’s also to check out one Constable Kumar, an incredibly young, inexperienced, and slightly hysterical young man who claims to have seen Germans on the island, which, as world war was raging at the time, is something to be investigated. Accompanying Akal is his second in command, a native of Ovalau named Taviti. read more

Katherine Reay: The English Masterpiece

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Katherine Reay’s novel, The English Masterpiece, isn’t a murder mystery. Rather, it follows a high profile art forgery and the young assistant caught up in it. Lily Summers lands a job at the Tate Gallery in London, working under the first female Modern Collections keeper, Diana Gilden. The year is 1973, and Picasso has just died, rocking the art world. Diana and Lily rush to put together a show highlighting his career, and are able to do it in less than a month. One of the stars of the show is Woman Laughing, lent by prominent donor Edward Davies. read more

Krista Davis: The Diva Poaches a Bad Egg

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Domestic Diva #18

When she’s not busy solving mysteries, Domestic Diva Sophie Winston writes a column on decorating and entertaining. If you like cozies, this is the series for you! Sophie lives in a historical house in Old Town Alexandria with her dog Daisy, ocicat Mochie, and possibly the ghost of her ex-husband’s Aunt Faye. Sophie’s split with Mars was amicable and they share custody of Daisy. He lives nearby with his old friend Bernie Frei, a Brit who owns the Laughing Hound restaurant, and both share Sophie’s adventures. Her best friend Nina rounds the close group of friends who spend lots of time enjoying food, drink, and solving mysteries. Each book is prefaced with a list of the characters and ends with Sophie’s recipes. The only thing missing is a map! (I love those old mysteries with maps.) read more

Craig Johnson: Return to Sender

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Longmire #21

After the flashback settings of First Frost (2024) and the novella Tooth and Claw (also 2024), Return to Sender brings us back to present day* Absaroka County, Wyoming: the least populated county in the least populated state in the US, jurisdiction of Sheriff Walt Longmire. Walt is asked by a cousin to search for missing mail carrier Blair McGowan. There are just two problems. First, she went missing from her 307 mile postal route in the Red Desert. Second, the desert, which is not Walt’s jurisdiction, is 9,320 square miles of desolation. read more

Ashley Weaver: One Final Turn

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Electra McDonnell #5

This is the last instalment in Ashley Weaver’s series following the exploits of safecracker turned intelligence agent Electra McDonnell in 1940s London. She came to live there with her “locksmith” (and safecracker) uncle after both her parents died. Her cousins Colm and Toby are like brothers to her, but since the start of the war Toby has been missing, feared dead.

Electra has a real pall of gloom hanging over her in general – not only because of the war, but also because her last assignment with one Major Ramsey ended with him injured and her dismissed.  Realizing too late that she was actually in love with him, she’s trying mightily to forget the whole fiasco. When an assignment comes through via Archie Blandings, an underling of Ramsey’s, she’s off to Lisbon, hoping to locate her long lost cousin.  Much to Electra’s discomfort, it turns out that Ramsey is a part of the operation as well. read more

Freya Sampson: The Busybody Book Club

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I loved this book and its Cornwall setting. It begins with the heroine, former Londoner Nova, fretting that no one will show up for the book club she runs at the local Community Center.  Luckily a few people do straggle in, led by the overwhelming Phyllis, who is so entirely bossy that she’s allowed to bring her smelly dog with her wherever she goes. She’s joined by the affable, older Art, who reads romances to his now blind wife who loves them, a painfully shy teen, Ash, and a man named Michael who seems to have come from afar to join the club but seems to have read little of the book they’re discussing. read more

Ann Clair: A Cyclist’s Guide to Villains and Vines

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Cyclist Guide #2

A Cyclist’s Guide to Villains and Vines is Ann Clair’s second Cyclist’s Guide Mysteries novel. Sadie Green owns and operates Oui Cycling Bicycling Tour Company, and runs various tours throughout France. Sadie is passionate about cycling and France, happy to be fortunate enough to make a living doing what she loves. Having moved here from America, she is striving to fit into the new life she has built for herself, alongside her fellow tour guides and coworkers. It’s not an easy thing to do when murders keep happening on her tours, as it tends to make the wrong kind of reputation for the business. Even though she helped solve the last murder, it seemed to just increase her notoriety and give her the reputation of the detective tour guide rather than just the cyclist tour guide. read more

Paula Sutton: The Potting Shed Murder

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Hill House Vintage Murder #1

One of the most interesting things about The Potting Shed Murder is that readers get to experience the inner thoughts and perspectives of most of the characters involved in the story. Instead of just experiencing how the detective, in this case a Daphne Brewster, thinks, readers get to see how the other townsfolk view one another and react to the murder. Daphne and her family are brand new to the English county village of Pudding Corner and are thus under a lot of scrutiny from the community. She is also one of the very few black members of this community, and is fully aware that means she is getting perhaps a bit more scrutiny than another new neighbor might. Even so, Daphne is determined to make a life in Pudding Corner after leaving the rather intense and expensive life of London behind. read more

Elizabeth Penney: Bodies and Battlements

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New series

Bodies and Battlements is the first Ravensea Castle mystery by Elizabeth Penney. Readers are taken to the Yorkshire Coast in Robinhood’s Bay, where Ravensea castle stands near the shore. The Asquith family has lived in the castle for generations, and with bills piling up Ravensea Castle is undergoing a dramatic transformation to a B&B location. Nora, full title Eleanor Sibilla Asquith, is spear heading the effort with the blessing of her father and contention from her siblings. She runs her own little apothecary, but the funds just aren’t enough for the upkeep of the castle. Despite the lack of support from her siblings and the push back and protests from some new locals, Nora manages to get Ravensea all up to code, ready to run as an official B&B, and get her first guests registered. She just hopes that their resident ghost, Sir Percival, stays inactive long enough to not scare anyone off. read more

Cara Hunter: Making a Killing

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DI Adam Fawley #7

If you haven’t read the first book in this series, Close to Home, please, read no further.  Instead, go find a copy, and get as hooked on DI Adam Fawley as I am.  Then, get caught up (it will only take a couple of days, I guarantee it) and dive into this one.  Fawley is a detective in Oxford, England, and author Hunter supplies a character list at the beginning of each book, golden age style.  It is helpful, as there are a lot of characters, and while the police characters are important, in Hunter’s universe, story is all.  So pull up a seat. read more