Patrice McDonough: A Slash of Emerald

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Dr. Julia Lewis #2

This new series featuring a female doctor in Victorian England is one to enjoy.   Protagonist Dr. Julia Lewis began the first book called out on a criminal case, and by this one, the second,  the police have quickly learned that although she may be female, she can help them solve difficult problems.  Of course she also has a regular practice,  but the focus of the books is her work with the authorities, specifically one very attractive yet damaged Inspector.

While I loved the first installment, it was jam packed, as are many scene setting series debuts,  while this sequel benefits greatly from a more focused plot.  As the story opens, Dr. Julia is called in to perform a pelvic exam on a woman who was assaulted while walking close to an army barracks.  Under British law at the time, the woman was required to be examined for infectious disease, while the man was not, and Inspector Tennant asks Julia to perform this exam, thinking it will be easier for the victim when conducted by a member of the same sex. She agrees. read more

Julia Buckley: A Dark and Stormy Murder

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Book 1 of 5 in the Writer’s Apprentice series

Lena London has found her dream job: assistant to her all-time favorite romantic suspense writer Camilla Graham. Offered an interview upon graduation, Lena is immediately hired by Camilla and she and her cat Lestrade move into Graham House in Blue Lake, IN. Lena can’t believe her luck. She and Camilla bond almost instantly and Lena begins helping her edit/coauthor her newest book. The beautiful house is a dream home located on a hill overlooking eponymous lake in Blue Lake, filled with German Shepherds (Heathcliff and Rochester, of course), a cook, and a secret room. The town itself is quaint and friendly and Lena starts to make friends and settle into her dream career. read more

March Book Club: Reykjavik

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Join us on zoom for our March book club discussion of Ragnar Jonasson’s novel, Reykjavik.  We’ll meet at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 23rd, and in April, we’ll go back to one in person meeting and one zoom meeting.  Goodreads description of the story: Iceland, 1956. Fourteen-year-old Lára decides to spend the summer working for a couple on the small island of Videy, just off the coast of Reykjavík. In early August, the girl disappears without a trace. Time passes, and the mystery becomes Iceland‘s most infamous unsolved case. What happened to the young girl? Is she still alive? Did she leave the island, or did something happen to her there? read more

Author interview: R.P. O’Donnell

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I absolutely loved R.P. O’Donnell’s first novel, No Comfort for the Dead, set in tiny Castlefreke, Ireland.  The book follows the journey of the town librarian, Emma, and it’s an evocative, beautifully written and felt novel.  This is a writer who is giving readers much to enjoy, and much to look forward to.  The lovely prose reminded me of Louise Penny.  This is not a book to be missed!  I was delighted when he agreed to answer a few questions.

Q: First of all, let me just say I loved the book.  One of the reasons was character, especially Emma.  Can you talk about how you developed your characters and populated the story? read more

R.P. O’Donnell: No Comfort for the Dead

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Castlefreke #1

Welcome to my first book crush of the new year.  It’s set in the late 80s, as tiny Castlefreke in County Cork, Ireland, experiences a shrinkage as jobs and inhabitants flee for bigger towns and more opportunity. Swimming against that tide is central character Emma, the town librarian, who has returned home to live with her dad, Sam, after her dream career in the Garda didn’t work out.  After one of Sam’s frequent nags about moving on, Emma takes off and ends up at the “Big House” in town. There she hears shots, witnesses a man fleeing, and finds the reclusive owner dead and another unknown man injured, then takes off to the town doctor to summon help. read more

Allison Montclair: An Excellent Thing in a Woman

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Sparks & Bainbridge #7

This is one of the best series going at the moment, and even though it’s the seventh, this installment retains the freshness and originality of the very first.  It follows the adventures of Gwen Bainbridge (a widowed socialite) and Iris Sparks (a former WWII spy), who together run The Right Sort, a marriage bureau in central London.  It’s now 1947, and as London recovers from the horrors of war it still finds new things to celebrate, like the dawn of a new technological miracle – television.  Gwen’s beau Sally, a giant sometime playwright, works at the BBC, and is willing to take Gwen, Iris and Gwen’s son and cousin on a tour of the studio. read more

Jenny Elder Moke: She Doesn’t Have a Clue

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Series debut

She Doesn’t Have A Clue by Jenny Elder Moke is a mystery romance combo. Just a quick disclaimer: it has a bit more sexual content than what one might expect from a cozy. It was the description of the book that made me take a chance on this particular novel. Then I was hooked when the protagonist, Kate Valentine, recounts an incident in her past of hiding in some shrubbery to eat a massive piece of cake in peace without regret or shame – truly something an inspiration to introverted sugar addicts. Kate is a quirky introvert, who is also a bestselling mystery author. Her own main character is Loretta Starling, and Kate comes up with scenes using her own every day experiences and to figure out how to deal with situations using Loretta’s perspective instead of her own. read more

Kemper Donovan: Loose Lips

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Ghostwriter #2

I really enjoy this quirky new series featuring a nameless ghostwriter as the main character.  In the first book, the writer trailed a Hilary Clinton-esque figure and wound up solving a crime with her.  In this follow up, she’s now an established professional after publishing an account of her previous adventure and is recruited for a private cruise for wannabe writers.  She’s the “mystery writer” instructor, along with a poet, a memoirist, and an ultra successful romance writer.  We eventually learn her pen name, Belle Currer, which certainly makes things simpler from a logistical point of view. read more

Nicholas George: A Lethal Walk in Lakeland

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A Walk Through England #2

This series, one of the sweetest around, centers on Widower Chase, a retired policeman, who, enthralled by the beauty of the British countryside, goes on frequent walking tours.  This is the second book in the series and so far every time Chase goes on one of these journeys, someone gets murdered.  In the first one, he met a man, Mike, a coroner in the UK (Chase is American) and sparks flew.  In this installment they will be reunited, but Chase’s walk through Lake Country is the real focus, and the pair don’t even get together until nearly the end. read more

Laurie L. Dove: Mask of the Deer Woman

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Debut

Laurie Dove’s debut novel, Mask of the Deer Woman, is a mystery centering on the many missing and murdered indigenous women who have vanished throughout the southwest and beyond. There have been several books on this topic, recently William Kent Krueger’s Spirit Crossing and Vanessa Lillie’s Blood Sisters, as well as a searing television show, True Detective: Night Country. Dove frames her story with a strong and troubled female character.  Carrie Starr, an ex-Chicago cop, has made her way to her long ago childhood home, Oklahoma, where she has ties to the rez and is the newly appointed Federal Marshal for the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs). read more