January and February Book Clubs

We’ll be meeting on zoom this winter, all are welcome to join us.  Our next meeting is Sunday, January 19 at 2 p.m. (E.A. Poe’s birthday) to discuss Katie Tietjen’s wonderful debut, Death in the Details.  Ms. Tietjen will be joining us.

For February we’ll be reading Kemper Donovan’s humorous and clever The Busy Body, about a ghostwriter working with a Hilary Clinton-esque figure.  The two of them, along with working on a memoir, team up to solve a murder.  This is a delightful first mystery.  Mr. Donovan is the force behind the All About Agatha podcast and a giant devotee of the golden age, especially of Ms. Christie.  His book is a homage to that style of writing.  We’ll be discussing the book on Sunday, February 23 at 2 p.m.  All times Eastern. read more

Ellen Yardley: Eleanor and the Cold War

Eleanor Roosevelt #1

This is a pleasant read, with the added bonus of having Eleanor Roosevelt, a remarkable human being and perhaps our greatest first lady, as one of its main characters.  In this novel, which takes place in 1951, we find her in the middle of the cold war, a widow and a former first lady working for human rights in every possible manner.  The action begins when Eleanor and her secretary, Kay Thompson, discover the body of a young woman in the bathroom of a train. The girl proves to be the missing daughter of a friend who had asked Eleanor to look into her disappearance. read more

S.J. Bennett: A Death in Diamonds

Her Majesty the Queen Investigates #4

I love this series, and with this title its excellence continues.  It was originally published in the UK last year, but thanks to a change of publishers, readers in the US have had to wait until now to get their hands on it.  While the central premise of Queen Elizabeth having a private secretary who helps her with undercover investigations may sound a bit silly, Bennet pulls it off thanks to her way with smart plots, great characters and humor.  The Queen has access to all kinds of things, of course, but there are also topics that the people around her think a royal should not concern herself with.  As portrayed by Bennett, Elizabeth loves solving puzzles, and her private secretary becomes her eyes and ears out in the world. read more

Darcie Wilde: The Matter of the Secret Bride

Rosalind Thorne #8

The Matter of the Secret Bride is Darcie Wilde’s eighth novel in her Regency series featuring Rosalind Thorne (but see below, on series numbering).  Rosalind is a gentlewoman whose family has fallen on hard times after her father’s abandonment and later, his death.  To make a living, she assists aristocratic women with their difficulties, helping them avoid scandal and, often, solving crimes.  At first she was able to do so discreetly, frequently going undercover, but now she has acquired a reputation, as well as several highly-placed patronesses.  She shares a house with her friend Alice Littlefield, a gossip columnist turned novelist, and Alice’s lover Amelia, Rosalind’s former maid, who now runs a school for impoverished girls.  Rosalind’s love interest is Adam Harkness, who used to be a Bow Street Runner, but has now left because his politically-minded boss considers him a radical.  Now he works for the coroner and helps Rosalind in her investigations. read more

Reviewer’s favorites 2024

Vicki Kondelik’s List

Better the Blood, Michael Bennett  (2022).

Night Flight to Paris, Cara Black  (2023).

What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust, Alan Bradley  (2024).

To Slip the Bonds of Earth, Amanda Flower (2024).

Moonflower Murders, Anthony Horowitz (2020).

A Fatal Reception, Kathleen Marple Kalb (2024).

Blood Sisters, Vanessa Lillie  (2023).

The Last Hope, Susan Elia MacNeal (2024).

Murder at the White Palace, Allison Montclair (2024).

The Grey Wolf, Louise Penny  (2024). read more

Author Interview: Rob Osler

Rob Osler kicks off a new historical mystery series with The Case of the Missing Maid, featuring a young LGBTQ woman at the turn of the 20th century who has just landed a job as the first female operative at a detective agency in Chicago.  His sleuth, Harriet Morrow, is intrepid and intelligent, and a great new character to enjoy.  In addition, Osler crafts an excellent mystery surrounding Harriet which she, of course, solves. Rob was nice enough to answer a few questions about his new novel, which publishes on Christmas Eve. read more

Rob Osler: The Case of the Missing Maid

Harriet Morrow Investigates #1

This fun historical mystery from Rob Osler features an unusual heroine: Harriet Morrow, an LGBTQ woman at the turn of the 20th century who has just secured a job as the first female operative at a detective agency in Chicago.  In 1898, law enforcement remained somewhat haphazard, so private detectives did lots of investigative work that today would be handled by regular law enforcement. Consequently, when Harriet tells someone she’s an investigator, they tend to pay serious attention and respond to her questions. read more

Favorite Reads of 2024

This year was a slow burn – sometimes I find a book early in the year that I’m completely passionate about.  This year I didn’t find “the one” until November, when I devoured Christina Lynch’s utterly original Pony Confidential.  I read lots of other great books along the way though, some by tried and true writers – Elly Griffiths, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Ann Cleeves, Anthony Horowitz, Deanna Raybourn and Ragnar Jonasson – and particularly in the historical novel category, lots of wonderful debuts that give us lots to look forward to. These recommendations are divided into categories.  Full reviews for all of these can be found on this website, just search by title or author. read more

Angela M. Sanders: The Witch is Back

Witch Way Librarian #6

In Angela Sanders’ sixth addition to her Witch Way Librarian series, The Witch is Back, readers travel to Wilfred, Oregon, to join local librarian Josie Way, who also just so happens to have a literal bit of magic with books. Coming from a long line of witches, Josie is blessed with some truly powerful magic that manifests itself through books. They whisper to her, based on either what the magic feels she needs, or in response to questions she poses to them. But she has to be careful: even without things like witch trials going on, it isn’t safe to just flaunt her powers about the small town. So when she does use her abilities it is often secretly, and primarily to help others. Not even her boyfriend and local sheriff, Sam, knows of her secret. At this point she has also used her powers to help solve several mysteries and murders about her otherwise quiet and peaceful town. read more

Ginger Bolton: Blame the Beignets

Deputy Donut #9

Blame the Beignets is the ninth Deputy Doughnut cozy by Ginger Bolton, where heroine Emily Westhill runs the Deputy Doughnut Café in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin. The shop’s mascot is an adventurous tabby cat that the café is named after, Deputy Doughnut, although most of the time Emily just calls him Dep. One of her employees, Olivia, has gotten Emily to give her younger sister Hannah a shot at working in the café as she takes a break from college. Hannah seems to be fitting in just fine, until some new customers arrive: two gentlemen who know Hannah from college and who both seem rather interested in her personally. Olivia is less than thrilled. Emily doesn’t mind the two hanging out at the café assuming that it doesn’t disrupt Hannah’s work. read more